316 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



instantiarum potius fugit observationem quam sensum. Mira 

 enim est hominum circa hanc rem indiligentia, Contemplantur 

 siquidem naturam tantummodo desultorie et per periodos, et 

 postquam corpora fuerint absoluta ac completa, et non in ope- 

 ra tione sua. Quod si artificis alicujus ingenia et industriam 

 explorare et contemplari quis cuperet, is non tantum materias 

 rudes artis atque deinde opera perfecta conspicere desideraret, 

 sed potius praesens esse cum artifex operatur et opus suum 

 promovet. Atque simile quiddam circa naturam faciendum 

 cst. Exempli gratia ; si quis de vegetatione plantarum inqui- 

 rat, ei inspiciendum est ab ipsa satione seminis alicujus (id quod 

 per extractionem, quasi singulis diebus, seminum quae per bi- 

 duum, triduum, quatriduum, et sic deinceps, in terra manserunt, 

 eorumque diligentem intuitum, facile fieri potest), quomodo et 

 quando semen intumescere et turgere incipiat et veluti spiritu 

 impleri ; deinde quomodo corticulam rumpere et emittere fibras, 

 cum latione nonnulla sui interim sursum, nisi terra fuerit ad- 

 modum contumax ; quomodo etiam emittat fibras, partim radi- 

 cales deorsum, partim cauliculares sursum, aliquando serpendo 

 per latera, si ex ea parte inveniat terram apertam et magis fa- 

 cilem; et complura id genus. Similiter facere oportet circa 

 exclusionem ovorum ; ubi facile conspici dabitur processus vivi- 

 ficandi et organizandi, et quid et quae partes fiant ex vitello, 

 quid ex albumine ovi, et alia. Similis est ratio circa animalia 

 ex putrefactione. 1 Nam circa animalia perfecta et terrestria, 

 per exectiones foatuum ex utero, minus bumanum esset ista 

 inquirere ; nisi forte per occasiones abortuum, et venationum, 

 et similium. Omnino igitur vigilia quasdam servanda est circa 

 naturam, ut quae melius se conspiciendam praebeat noctu quam 

 interdiu. Istae enim contemplationes tanquam nocturnas cen- 

 seri possint, ob lucernae parvitatem et perpetuationem. 



Quin et in inanimatis idem tentandum est; id quod nos 



1 The epithet perfecta is generally given to those animals which cannot result from 

 putrefaction. Csesalpinus, in the Qucestiones Peripat. v. 1., maintains that all animals 

 may result from putrefaction, and that this was the doctrine of Aristotle. The same 

 opinion had, I helieve, been advanced by Averrois. That mice may be produced by 

 equivocal generation is asserted, as a matter not admitting of dispute, by Cardan, De 

 Rerum Varietate. Caesalpinus refers to the same instance, but less confidently than 

 Cardan. It is worth remarking that Aristotle, though he speaks of the great fecundity 

 of mice, and even of their being impregnated by licking salt, does not mention the pos- 

 sibility of their being produced by putrefaction. ( De Hist. Animal, vi. 37. Problem. 

 x. 64.) Paracelsus, De Rerum Generations, affirms that all animals produced from 

 putrefaction are more or less venomous. Telesius's opinion is that the more perfect 

 animals cannot result from putrefaction, because the conditions of temperature ne- 

 cessary to their production cannot be fulfilled except by means of animal heat. 



