THE PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS. 



25 



been known has often been but slightly noticed by those who 

 have spoken of his philosophy, arises probably from a wish to 

 recognise in the history of the scientific discoveries of the last 

 two centuries the fulfilment of his hopes and prophecies. One 

 of his early disciples however, who wrote before the scientific 

 movement which commenced about Bacon's time had assumed 

 a definite form and character I mean Dr. Hooke has ex- 

 plicitly adopted those portions of Bacon's doctrine which have 

 seemingly been as a stumbling-block to his later followers. In 

 Hodke's General Scheme or Idea of the Present State of Natu- 

 ral Philosophy il , which is in many respects the best commentary 

 on Bacon, we find it asserted that in the pursuit of knowledge, 

 the intellect " is continually to be assisted by some method or 

 engine which shall be as a guide to regulate its actions, so as that 

 it shall not be able to act amiss. Of this engine no man ex- 

 cept the incomparable Verulam hath had any thoughts, and he 

 indeed hath promoted it to a very good pitch." Something 

 however still remained to be added to this engine or art of 

 invention, to which Hooke gives the name of philosophical 

 algebra. He goes on to say, " I cannot doubt but that if this 

 art be well prosecuted and made use of, an ordinary capacity 

 with industry will be able to do very much more than has yet 

 been done, and to show that even physical and natural inquiries 

 as well as mathematical and geometrical will be capable also of 

 demonstration ; so that henceforward the business of invention 

 will not be so much the effect of acute wit, as of a serious and 

 industrious prosecution." 2 Here the absolute novelty of Bacon's 

 method, its demonstrative character, and its power of reducing 

 all minds to nearly the same level, are distinctly recognised. 



(7.) Before we examine the method of which Bacon proposed 

 to make use, it is necessary to determine the nature of the pro- 

 blems to which it was, for the most part at least, to be applied. 

 In other words, we must endeavour to determine the idea which 

 he had formed of the nature of science. 



Throughout his writings, science and power are spoken of as 

 correlative " in idem coincidunt ; " and the reason of this is 

 that Bacon always assumed that the knowledge of the cause 

 would in almost all cases enable us to produce the observed 

 effect. "We shall see hereafter how this assumption connected 



1 Published posthumously in 1705. 



2 Present State of Nat. Phil. pp. 6, 7. 



