26 



of education, in the most enlarged sense of the 

 term." 



The experiments which Harvey conducted on the 

 arteries and veins, to assist him in his inquiry, were 

 founded upon a well-devised plan. It may be said 

 of experiment that it affords the means of varying 

 the circumstances, and thus aids immensely the 

 acquirement of knowledge by induction. In the 

 application of the faculties to discovery, the mind 

 asks itself what facts are needed to assist in the 

 establishment of a correct conclusion. The fact 

 may be looked for amongst, the varied instances 

 presented by nature; or, by an artificial arrange- 

 ment of circumstances, the required instance may 

 be made, — in other words, experiment may be had 

 recourse to for supplying what is wanted. In the 

 one case we get our fact by observation from the 

 variations in the circumstances spontaneously fur- 

 nished by nature ; in the other we obtain it from 

 experiment, which possesses the great advantage 

 over observation, not only of furnishing us with a 

 much greater number of variations than is to be 

 found naturally presented, but also of enabling us 



