98 PREFACE TO 



And here (115), Bacon says, concludes the pulling-down 

 part, pars destruens, of the Instauration. It consists of three 

 confutations ; namely, of the natural working of the mind, of 

 received methods of demonstration, and of received theories or 

 philosophies. In this division we perceive the influence of the 

 first form of the doctrine of Idols. As the Novum Organum 

 now stands, the pars destruens cannot be divided into three por- 

 tions, each containing one of the confutations just mentioned. 

 Thus, for instance, the doctrine of Idols, which undoubtedly 

 forms a distinct section of the whole work, relates to all three. 

 Errors natural to the mind, errors of demonstration, errors 

 of theory, are all therein treated of; and Bacon then goes on 

 to another part of the subject, in which, though from a different 

 point of view, they are all again considered. The sort of cross 

 division here introduced is explained by a passage in the Partis 

 secundce Delineatio, in which the doctrine of Idols is introduced 

 by the remark, " Pars destruens triplex est secundurn triplicem 

 naturam idolorum quae mentem obsident." And then, after 

 dividing idols into the three classes already mentioned, he pro- 

 ceeds thus : " Itaque pars ista quam destruentem appellamus 

 tribus redargutionibus absolvitur, redargutione philosophiarum, 

 redargutione demonstrationum, et redargutione rationis humana3 

 nativas." When the doctrine of Idols was thrown into its 

 present form it ceased to afford a convenient basis for the pars 

 destruens ; and accordingly the substance of the three redar- 

 gutiones is in the Novum Organum less systematically set 

 forth than Bacon purposed that it should be when he wrote 

 the Partis secundce Delineatio. 1 It is to be remarked that 

 Redargutio Philosophiarum is the title of one of the chapters in 

 the third and last of the tracts published by Gruter with the 



1 I think this apparent discrepancy may be hetter explained. It appears to me 

 that the number of idols was originally three, the Tribe, the Cave, and the Market- 

 place ; all belonging to the ratio humana nativa ; fallacies innate or inherent in the 

 human understanding, to be guarded against, but not to be got rid of ; and that a 

 fourth was added afterwards, but of quite a different kind ; consisting of fallacies which 

 have no natural affinity to the understanding, but come from without and may be 

 turned out again ; impressions derived from the systems which men have been taught to 

 accept as true, or from the methods of demonstration which they have been taught to 

 rely upon as conclusive. These are the Idols of the Theatre, and the sole objects of 

 the two Redargutiones which stand first in the Delineatio, and last in the Novum Or- 

 ganum. If this be true, the Redargutio rationis humance nativae (or I should rather 

 say, the part of the Novum Organ-urn which belongs to it) extends from the 40th to 

 the 60th aphorism ; and the Redargutio Philosophiarum and Demonstrationum from the 

 61st to the 115th. For a fuller explanation "and justification of this view, see 

 Note C. J. S. 



