\iOOK I. J ArHO&iSMS. 41 7 



axioms, but only of what appears to accord with them.' Anc 

 when men become curious and importunate, and give trouble, 

 interrupting her about her proofs, and the discovery of principles 

 or first axioms, she puts them off with her usual answer, re- 

 ferring them to faith, and ordering them to swear allegiance to 

 each art in its own department. 



There remains but mere experience, which, when it offers 

 itself, is called chance ; when it is sought after, experiments 

 But this kind of experience is nothing but a loose faggot; and 

 mere groping in the dark, as njen at night try all means of dis- 

 covering the right road, whilst it Avould be better and more 

 prudent either to wait for day, or procure a light, and then 



Eroceed, On the contrary, the real order of experience begins 

 y setting up a light, and then shows the road by it, commencing 

 with a regulated and digested, not a misplaced and vague course 

 of experiment, and thence deducing axioms, and from those 

 axioms new experiments : for not even the divine word pro- 

 ceeded to operate on the general mass of things without due 

 order. 



Let men, therefore, cease to wonder if the whole course of 

 science be not run, when all have wandered from the path; 

 quitting it entirely, and deserting experience, or involving them- 

 selves in its mazes, and wandering about, w^liilst a regularly 

 combined system would lead them in a sure track through its 

 wilds to the open day of axioms. 



LXXXIII. The evil, however, has been wonderfully increased 

 by an opinion, or inveterate conceit, which is both vainglorious 

 and prejudicial, namely, that the dignity of the liuman mind i 

 lowered by long and frequent intercourse with experimenti 

 and particulars, which are the objects of sense, and confined to 

 matter ; especially since such matters generally require labour 

 in investigation, are mean subjects fof meditation, harsh in 

 discourse, unproductive in practice, infinite in number, and 

 delicate in their subtilty. Hence we have seen the true path 

 not only deserted, but intercepted and blocked up, experience 

 being rejected with disgust, and not merely neglected or im- 

 properly applied. 



LXXXIV. Again, the reverence for antiquity,* and the 

 authority of men who have been esteemed gr^eat in philosophy, 

 and general unanimity, have retarded men from advancing in 

 science, and almost enchanted them. As to unanimity, we 

 have spoken of it above. 



The opinion which men cherish of antiquity is altogether idle, 



* From the abuse of the scholastics, who mistook the d priori 

 method, the deductive syllogism for the entire province of logic. £d. 



y See Aphorism xcv. 



' Tb.fi incongruity to which Bacon alludes appears to spring fiom 



2 :i JK 



