308 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



lintei conspici posset tanquam rete, atque hoc modo minutiae 

 latentes et inaequalitates gemmarum, liquorum, urinarum, san- 

 guinis, vulnerum, et multarum aliarum rerum, cerni possent, 

 magnae proculdubio ex eo invento commoditates capi possent. 



Secundi generis sunt ilia altera perspicilla quae memorabili 

 conatu adinvenit Galilasus ; quorum ope, tanquam per scaphas 

 aut naviculas, aperiri et exerceri possint propiora cum coelestibus 

 commercia. Hinc enim constat, galaxiam esse nodum sive coa- 

 cervationem stellarum parvarum, plane numeratarum et distin- 

 ctarum ; de qua re apud antiques tantum suspicio fuit. Hinc 

 demonstrari videtur, quod spatia orbium (quos vocant) plane- 

 tarum non sint plane vacua aliis stellis, sed quod coelum incipiat 

 stellescere antequam ad coelum ipsum stellatum ventum sit; licet 

 stellis minoribus quam ut sine perspicillis istis conspici possint. 

 Hinc choreas illas stellarum parvarum circa planetam Jovis (unde 

 conjici possit esse in motibus stellarum plura centra) intueri licet. 

 Hinc inaequalitates luminosi et opaci in luna distinctius cer- 

 nuntur et locantur ; adeo ut fieri possit quaedam seleno-graphia. 

 Hinc maculae in sole, et id genus : omnia certe inventa nobilia, 

 quatenus fides hujusmodi demonstrationibus tuto adhiberi possit. 1 

 QuaB nobis ob hoc maxime suspectae sunt, quod in istis paucis 

 sistatur experimentum, neque alia complura investigatu aeque 

 digna eadem ratione inventa sint. 2 



1 Galileo often mentions the attempt which many of the Peripaticians made to set 

 aside all arguments founded on his discoveries with the telescope, by saying that they 

 were mere optical delusions. J. C. La Galla, in his dissertation De Phcenominit in 

 Orbe Luna, has a section entitled " De Telescopii Veritate," in which, though an 

 Aristotelian, he has nevertheless admitted that this objection is untenable. 



z Compare this with the passage in the Descriptio Globi Intellect ualis (c. v.) where 

 Bacon speaks of Galileo's invention and discoveries (the flrstfruits of which had just 

 been announced) in a strain of more sanguine expectation : " Atque hoc inceptum 

 et fine et aggressu nobile quoddam et humano genere dignum esse existimamus : eo 

 magis quod hujusmodi homines et ausu laudandi sint et fide ; quod ingenue et per- 

 spicue proposuerunt, quomodo singula illis constiterint. Superest tantum eonstantia, 

 cum magna judicii severitate, ut et instrumenta mutent, et testium numerum auge- 

 ant, et singula et seepe experiantur, et varie ; denique ut et sibi ipsi objiciant et aliis 

 patefaciant quid in contrarium objici possit, et tenuissimum quemque scrupulum non 

 spernant ; ne forte illis eveniat, quod Democriti et aniculae suae evenit circa ficns mel- 

 litas, ut vetula esset philosopho prudentior, et magnse et admirabilis speculations 

 causac subesset error quispiam tenuis et ridiculus." From this passage, written eight 

 years before, we may learn (I think) why it was that Bacon had now begun to doubt 

 how far these observations could be trusted. Believing, as he did, that all the re- 

 ceived theories of the heavens were full of error, as soon as he heard that by means 

 of the telescope men could really see so much further into the heavens than before, 

 he was prepared to hear of a great number of new and unexpected phenomena ; and 

 his only fear was that the observers, instead of following out their observations patiently 

 and carefully, would begin to form new theories. But now that nine years had passed 

 since the discovery of Jupiter's satellites, the spots in the sun, &c., and no new dis- 

 covery of importance had been announced, he wondered how it could be that men 



