REDABGUTIO PHILOSOPHIARUM. 75 



noraicis, et iis quibus terram rotari placet et iis qui 

 veterem 1 constructionem tenuerunt phaenomenorum in 

 coelis patrocinia aequa sunt ; quin et tabularum calculi 

 utrisque respondent : eodem modo ac multo etiam fa- 

 cilius est in naturali philosophia coraplures theorias 

 excogitare, inter se multum differentes, sed tarnen 

 singulas sibi constantes, et experientiarn et praesertim 

 instantias vulgares, quae in quaestionibus philosophicis 

 (ut mine fit) judicia exercere solent, in diversum tra- 

 hentes, et pro testibus citantes. Neque enim defuerunt 

 etiam nostra aetate, in nostris inquam frigidis praecor- 

 diis atque tempore quo res religionis ingenia consump- 

 serunt, 2 qui novas philosophise naturalis fabricas med- 

 itati sunt. Nam Telesius ex Consentia scenam con- 

 scendit et novam fabulam egit, argumento profecto 

 magis probabilem quam plausu celebrem. Et Gilbertus 

 ex Anglia, cum naturam magnetis laboriosissime et 

 magna inquisitionis firmitudine et constantia, necnon 

 experimentorum magno comitatu et fere agmine, per- 

 scrutatus esset, statim imminebat et ipse novae philo- 

 sophia? condendaB ; nee Xenophanis noinen in Xeno- 

 manem per ludibrium versum expavit, in cujus sen- 

 tentiam inclinabat. Quin et Fracastorius, licet sectam 

 non condiderit, tamen libertate judicii honeste usus 

 est. Eadem ausus est Cardanus, sed levior. 3 Atque 

 existimo, filii, vos ad istam quam ex nobis auditis tarn 



1 per veterem in the MS. But I think the per belonged to the sentence 

 as originally written, and was meant to be struck out. The words for 

 which veterem const ructionem tenuerunt are substituted are too effectually 

 obliterated to be read. But the two first are eccentricos et epicyclos ; and 

 the sentence probably stood originally as in the corresponding passage of 

 the Coyitdta et Visa qui per eccentricos et epicyclos motus expediunt. 



2 This clause is added between the lines in Bacon's hand. 



8 These two sentences are added in the margin in Bacon's own hand; aa 

 are also the words in Xenomanem per in the last sentence. 



