196 OF THE ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 



much belief is attributed to the arts themselves, or to 

 certain authors in any art. The sciences themselves which 

 have had better intelligence and confederacy with the 

 imagination of man than with his reason, are three in 

 number ; Astrology, Natural Magic, and Alchemy ; of 

 which sciences nevertheless the ends or pretences are 

 noble. For astrology pretendeth to discover that corre- 

 spondence or concatenation which is between the superior 

 globe and the inferior : natural magic pretendeth to call 

 and reduce natural philosophy from variety of specula- 

 tions to the magnitude of works : and alchemy pretendeth 

 to make separation of all the unlike parts of bodies which 

 in mixtures of nature are incorporate. Ru_t ^the derivations 

 and prosecutions to these ends, both in the theories and in 

 the- practices, are full of error and vanity; which the great 

 professors themselves have sought to veil over and conceal 

 by_enigmatical writings, and referring themselves to 

 auricular traditions, and such other devices to save the 

 credit of impostures. And yet surely to alchemy this 

 right is due, that it may be compared to the husbandman 

 whereof Aesop makes the fable, that when he died told his 

 sons that he had left unto them gold buried under ground 

 in his vineyard ; and they digged over all the ground, and 

 gold they found none, but by reason of their stirring and 

 digging the mould about the roots of their vines, they 

 had a great vintage the year following : so assuredly the 

 search and stir to make gold hath brought to light a 

 great number of good and fruitful inventions and experi- 

 ments, as well for the disclosing of nature as for the use 

 of man's life. 



And as for the overmuch credit that hath been given 

 unto authors in sciences, in making them dictators, that 

 their words should stand, and not counsels to give advice ; 

 the damage is infinite that sciences have received thereby, 

 as the principal cause that hath kept them low, at a stay 

 without growth or advancement. For hence it hath come 

 that in arts mechanical the first deviser comes shortest, and 

 time addeth and perfecteth ; but in sciences the first author 

 goeth furthest, and time leeseth and corrupteth. So we 



