fiOOK h) APHOIllSMfl. 415 



occupied and wasted in moral pliilosopliy (tlie theology of the 

 licathens) : besides, the greatest minds in these times applied 

 themselves to civil affairs, on account of the magnitude of the 

 lloman empire, -which required the labour of many. 3. The ago 

 during whicli natural philosophy appeared principally to flourish 

 among the Greeks, was but a short period, since in the more 

 ancient times the seven sages (with the exception of Thales), 

 applied themselves to moral philosophy and politics, and at a 

 later period, after Socrates had brought down philosophy from 

 heaven to earth, moral philosophy became more prevalent, and 

 diverted men's attention from natural. Nay, the very period 

 during which physical inquiries llourished, was corrupted and 

 rendered useless by contradictions, and the ambition of new 

 opinions. Since, therefore, during these three epochs, natural 

 philosophy has been materially neglected or impeded, it is not ac 

 all surprising that men should have made but little progress in 

 it, seeing they were attending to an entirely different matter. 



LXXX. Add to this that natural philosophy, especially of 

 late, has seldom gained exclusive possession of an individual free 

 from all other pursuits, even amongst those who have applied 

 themselves to it, unless there may be an example or two of some 

 monk studying in his cell, or some nobleman in his villa." She 

 has rather been made a passage and bridge to other pursuits. 



Thus has this great mother of the sciences been degraded most 

 unworthily to the situation of an handmaid, and made to wait 

 upon medicine or mathematical operations, and to wash the 

 immature minds of youth, and imbue them with a first dye, that 

 they may afterwards be more ready to receive and retain another. 

 In the mean time, let no one expect any great progress in the 

 sciences (especially their operative part), unless natural philo- 

 sophy be applied to particular sciences, and particular sciences 

 again referred back to natural philosophy. For want of this, 

 astronomy, optics, music, many mechanical arts, medicine itself, 

 and (what perhaps is more wonderful), moral and political philo- 

 sophy, and the logical sciences have no depth, but only glide 

 over the surface and variety of things ; because these sciences, 

 when they have been once partitioned out and established, are 

 no longer nourished by natural philosophy, which would have 

 imparted fresh vigour and growth to them from the sources and 

 genuine contemplation of motion, rays, sounds, texture, and 

 conformation of bodies, and the affections and capacity of the 

 understanding. But we can little wonder that the sciences grow 

 not when separated from their roots. 



LXXXI. There is another powerful and great cause of the 

 little advancement of the sciences, which is this ; it is impossible 



• Ths allusion is evidently to Roger Bacon and E^ne Descartsa. £d. 



