THE NOVUM ORGANUM. Ill 



This he calls Pars destruens ; and proposes to begin with the Redar- 

 gutio Philosophiarum, from the introduction to which the eighth 

 extract is taken. And the other two must of course be classed with 

 it. Thus the " animi capaces et idonei" which he wishes " seponere 

 et subire," are clearly identified with the minds marked up with 

 chalk as capable of lodging and harbouring the truth, which are 

 spoken of in the Advancement. 



Next to the Pars destruens came the Pars pr&parans, the object 

 of which was to prepare men's expectations for what was coming, and 

 by dislodging erroneous preconceptions to make their minds ready 

 for the reception of the truth. To this part belongs the seventh 

 extract ; and if the seventh, then the sixth, which evidently corre- 

 sponds to it ; and if the sixth, then the fifth, which is but the sixth 

 condensed. Or if there be any doubt about the correspondence 

 between the seventh and sixth, it will I think be removed by com- 

 paring them both with the following passage which winds up the 

 description of the Pars prceparans in the Partis secundce Delineatio. 



" Quod si cui supervacua videatur accurata ista nostra quam 

 adhibemus ad mentes praeparandas diligentia, atque cogitet hoc 

 quiddam esse ex pompa et in ostentationem compositum ; itaque 

 cupiat rem ipsam missis ambagibus et prsestructionibus simpliciter 

 exhiberi ; certe optabilis nobis foret (si vera esset) hujusmodi insi- 

 mulatio. Utinam enim tarn proclive nobis esset difficultates et impe- 

 dimenta vincere quam fastum inanem et falsum apparatum deponere. 

 Verum hoc velimus homines existiment, nos haud inexplorato viam in 

 tanta solitudine inire, praesertim cum argumentum hujusmodi prse 

 manibus habeamus quod tractandi imperitia perdere et veluti exponere 

 nefas sit. Itaque ex perpenso et perspecto tarn rerum quam animorum 

 statu, duriores fere aditus ad hominum mentes quam ad res ipsas inve- 

 nimus, ac tradendi labores inveniendi laboribus haud multo leviores- 

 experimur, atque, quod in intellectualibus res nova fere est, morem 

 gerimus, et tarn nostras cogitationes quam aliorum simul bajulamus, 

 Omne enim idolum vanum arte atque obsequio ac debito accessu 

 subvertitur, vi et contentione atque incursione subita et abrupt^ 



efferatur Qua in re accedit et alia quaedam difficultas 



ex moribus nostris non parva, quod constantissimo decreto nobis ipsi 

 sancivimus, ut candorem nostrum et simplicitatem perpetuo retineamus y 

 nee per vana ad vera adituin quaeramus ; sed ita obsequio nostra 

 moderemur uttamen non per artificium aliquodvafrumaut imposturam 

 aut aliquid simile imposturae, sed tantummodo per ordinis lumen et 

 novorum super saniorem partem veterum sollertem insitionem, nos 

 nostrorum votorum compotes fore speremus." 



Now all this was to precede and prepare for the exposition of the 

 method of induction itself the "formula ipsa interpretationis " 

 which alone it was proposed to reserve ; and therefore we must 



