INTRODUCTION. 



Natural philosophy has never been intro- 

 duced with success into any country until its 

 inhabitants had made considerable progress 

 in other arts. The Assyrians, Chaldaeans, 

 and Egyptians, had attained great proficiency 

 in this science long before the existence of 

 either the Greeks or Romans, who did not 

 encourage it until they had learnt the art of 

 war, and had in great measure become civi- 

 lized by the very nations they had con- 

 quered. 



In this kingdom, Lord Bacon was the first 

 who cultivated natural philosophy ; and it is 

 from his torch that many excellent lights 

 have since been kindled. 



In the primitive times, when men were 

 driven either by war, or a wandering disposi- 

 tion, to form colonies in distant countries, 

 they lived upon such fruits as sprang out of 

 the earth without art or cultivation. At 

 Argos they fed chiefly on pears, at Athens 

 on figs, in Arcadia on acorns; but, as their 

 numbers increased, it became necessary for 

 them to cultivate vegetables for the subsist- 

 ence of themselves and their cattle ; and we 

 find that in those early days the labours of 

 the agriculturists were so duly appreciated, 

 that the persons of the husbandmen and the 



