CBAP. 111.) USES OP NATURAL HISTORY. 83 



CHAPTER III. 



fjecoiid Division of Natural History, in relation to its Use and End, into 

 Narrative and Inductive. The most important end of Natural His- 

 tory is to aid in erecting a Body of Philosophy which appertains to 

 Induction. Division of the History of Generations into the History 

 of the Heavens, the History of Meteors, the History of the Earth and 

 Sea, the Histoiy of Massive or Collective Bodies, and the History of 

 Species. 



As natural laistoiy has three parts, so it has two principal 

 uses, and affords, — 1. a knowledge of the things themselves 

 that are committed to history ; and 2. the first matter of 

 philosophy. But the former, though it has its advantages, 

 is of much more inferior consideration than the other, which 

 is a collection of materials for a just and solid induction, 

 whereon philosophy is to be grounded. And in this view, 

 we again divide natural history into narrative and inductive ; 

 the latter whereof is wanting. If the natural history extant, 

 though apparently of great bulk and variety, were to be 

 carefully weeded of its fables, antiquities, quotations, frivolous 

 disputes, philology, ornaments, and table-talk, it would shrink 

 to a slender bulk. But besides, a history of this kind is far 

 from what we require, as wanting the two above-mentioned 

 parts of a natural history, viz. prsetergenerations and arts, 

 on which we lay r^'-'^'at stress ; and only answers one part in 

 live of the third, viz. that of generations. For the history 

 of generations has five subordinate parts ; viz. 1. The celestial 

 bodies, considered in their naked phenomena, stripped of 

 opinions ; 2. Meteors, comets,'' and the regions of the air ; 



3. The earth and sea, as integral parts of the universe, 

 including mountains, rivers, tides, sands, woods, and islands, 

 with a, view to natural inquiries rather than cosmography ; 



4. The elements, or greater assemblages af matter, as I call 

 them, — viz. fire, air, water, and earth j and 5. The species of 

 bodies, or more exquisite collections of matter, by us called 

 the smaller assemblages, in which alone the industry of 



Bacon, in the' original, classes comets amo:ig meteors, yet fifteen 

 hundred years before, Seneca had placed them among planets, predicting 

 tliat the time would arrive when their seemingly erratic motions would 

 l>e found to be the result ot the same laws. We need hardly remind ti;o 

 reader of the realization uf this sage conjecture in the magnificent di»* 

 cdveries of Sir Isaac ITewton. £d. 



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