THE SECOND BOOK 239 



these shadows, and yet proved yourself to be of the nature 

 of the sun, which passeth through pollutions and itself 

 remains as pure as before. But this I hold fit, that these 

 narrations which have mixture with superstition be sorted 

 by themselves, and not to be mingled with the narrations 

 which are merely and sincerely natural. But as for the 

 narrations touching the prodigies and miracles of religions, 

 they are either not true or not natural ; and therefore 

 impertinent for the story of nature. 



For History of Nature Wrought or Mechanical, I find 

 some collections made of agriculture, and likewise Historia 

 of manual arts ; but commonly with a rejection Mechanica. 

 of experiments familiar and vulgar. For it is esteemed a 

 kind of dishonour unto learning to descend to inquiry or 

 meditation upon matters mechanical, except they be such 

 as may be thought secrets, rarities, and special subtleties ; 

 which humour of vain and supercilious arrogancy is justly 

 derided in Plato ; where he brings in Hippias, a vaunting 

 sophist, disputing with Socrates, a true and unfeigned 

 inquisitor of truth ; where the subject being touching 

 beauty, Socrates, after his wandering manner of inductions, 

 put first an example of a fair virgin, and then of a fair 

 horse, and then of a fair pot well glazed, whereat Hippias 

 was offended, and said, < More than for courtesy's sake, he 

 did think much to dispute with any that did allege such 

 base and sordid instances' : whereunto Socrates answereth, 

 'You have reason, and it becomes you well, being a man 

 so trim in your vestiments,' etc. and so goeth on in an 

 irony. But the truth is, they be not the highest instances 

 that give the securest information ; as may be well ex- 

 pressed in the tale so common of the philosopher, that 

 while he gazed upwards to the stars fell into the water; for 

 if he had looked down he might have seen the stars in the 

 water, but looking aloft he could not see the water in the 

 stars. So it cometh often to pass that mean and small things 

 discover great better than great can discover the small; 

 and therefore Aristotle noteth well, 'that the nature of 

 every thing is best seen in his smallest portions,' and for 

 that cause he inquireth the nature of a commonwealth, first 



