DISTRIBUTION OP THE TVOHit. 17 



hopes of enlarging and promoting the sciences, without 

 rebuilding them. 



The first materials for this purpose must be taken from a 

 new kind of natural history. The understanding must also 

 have fit subjects to work upon, as well as real helps to work 

 with. But our history, no less than our logic, differs from 

 the common in many respects j particularly, 1. In its end, 

 or office ; 2. Its collection ; 3. Its subtilty ; 4. Its choice ;, 

 and 5. Its appointment for what is to follow. 



Our natural history is not designed so much to please by 

 its variety, or benefit by gainful experiments, as to afford light 

 to the discovery of causes, and hold out the breasts to 

 philosophy ; for though we principally regard works, and the 

 active parts of the sciences, yet we wait for the time of 

 harvest, and would not reap the blade for the ear. We are 

 well aware that axioms, rightly framed, will draw after them 

 whole sheaves of works : but for that untimely and childish 

 desire of seeing fruits of new works before the season, wo 

 absolutely condemn and reject it, as the golden apple that 

 hinders the progress. 



With regard to its collection ; we propose to show nature 

 not only in a free state, as in the histoiy of meteors, 

 minerals, plants, and animals ; but more particularly as she 

 is bound, and tortured, pressed, formed, and turned out of 

 her course by art and human industry. Hence we would set 

 down all opposite experiments of the mechanic and liberal 

 arts, with many others not yet formed into ai'ts ; for the 

 nature of things is better discovered by the torturings of art, 

 than when they are left to themselves. Nor is it only a his- 

 tory of bodies that we would give ; but also of their cardinal 

 virtues, or fundamental qualities; as density, rarity, heat, 

 cold, <fec., which should be comprised in particular histories. 



The kind of experiments to be procured for our history 

 arc much more subtile and simple than the common ; abim- 

 dance of them must be recovered from darkness, and are 

 such as no one would have inquired after, that was not led 

 by constant and certain tract to the discovery of causes ; as 

 being in tlvemselves of no great use, and consequently not 

 soug-ht for their own sake, but with regard to works : like 

 t,he letters of the alphabet with regard to discourse. 



In the choice of our narratives and exDeriments we hoiifl 

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