12 HISTORY OF INDUCTIVE SCIENCES. 



to universal laws, from particular propositions to 

 general ones, and from these to others still more 

 general, with reference to which the former general- 

 izations are particular, is so far familiar to men's 

 minds, that without here entering into further ex- 

 planation, its nature will be understood sufficiently 

 to prepare the reader to recognise the exemplifi- 

 cations of such a process, which he will find at 

 every step of our advance. 



Inductive Epochs; Preludes; Sequels. In our 

 history, it is the progress of knowledge only which 

 we have to attend to. This is the main action of 

 our drama; and all the events which do not bear 

 upon this, though they may relate to the cultiva- 

 tion and the cultivators of philosophy, are not a 

 necessary part of our theme. Our narrative will 

 therefore consist mainly of successive steps of gene- 

 ralization, such as have just been mentioned. But 

 among these, we shall find some of eminent and 

 decisive importance, which have more peculiarly 

 influenced the fortunes of physical philosophy, and 

 to which we may consider the rest as subordinate 

 and auxiliary. These primary movements, when 

 the Inductive process, by which science is formed, 

 has been exercised in a more energetic and power- 

 ful manner, may be distinguished as the Inductive 

 Epochs of scientific history; and they deserve our 

 more express and pointed notice. They are, for the 

 most part, marked by the great discoveries and the 

 great philosophical names which all civilized na- 



