1 73 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. 



to repress them. For as it hath been well observed, that the arts 

 which flourish in times while virtue is in growth, are military, and 

 while virtue is in state, are liberal, and while virtue is in declination, 

 are voluptuary ; so I doubt, that this age of the world is somewhat 

 upon the descent of the wheel. With arts voluptuary I couple 

 practices jocular ; for the deceiving of the senses is one of the pleasures 

 of the senses. As for games of recreation, I hold them to belong to 

 civil life and education. And thus much of that particular human 

 philosophy which concerns the body, which is but the tabernacle 

 of the mind. 



FOR Human Knowledge, which concerns the Mind, it hath two 

 parts, the one that inquireth of the substance or nature of the soul or 

 mind ; the other that inquireth of the faculties or functions thereof. 



Unto the first of these, the considerations of the original of the 

 soul, whether it be native or advcntive, and how far it is exempted 

 from laws of matter, and of the immortality thereof, and many other 

 points, do appertain ; which have been not more laboriously inquired 

 than variously reported ; so as the travel therein taken, seemeth to 

 have been rather in a maze than in a way. But although I am of 

 opinion, that this knowledge may be more really and soundly inquired 

 even in nature than it hath been ; yet I hold, that in the end it must be 

 bounded by religion, or else it will be subject to deceit and delusion : 

 for as the substance of the soul in the creation was not extracted out 

 of the mass of heaven and earth, by the benediction of a producat, but 

 was immediately inspired from God; so it is not possible that it should 

 be, otherwise than by accident, subject to the laws of heaven and earth, 

 which are the subject of philosophy ; and therefore the true knowledge 

 of the nature, and state of the soul, must come by the same inspiration 

 that gave the substance. Unto this part of knowledge touching the 

 soul there be two appendixes, which, as they have been handled, have 

 rather vapoured forth fables than kindled truth, divination, and 

 fascination. 



Divination hath been anciently and fitly divided into artificial, and 

 natural ; whereof artificial is, when the mind makcth a prediction by 

 argument, concluding upon signs and tokens : natural is, when the 

 mind hath a presentation by an internal power, without the induce 

 ment of a sign. Artificial is of two sorts, either when the argument is 

 coupled with a derivation of causes, which is rational ; or when it is 

 only grounded upon a coincidence of the effect, which is experimental ; 

 whereof the latter for the most part is superstitious : such as were the 

 heathen observations upon the inspection of sacrifices, the flights of 

 birds, the swarming of bees, and such as was the Chaldean astrology, 

 and the like. For artificial divination, the several kinds thereof are 

 distributed amongst particular knowledges. The astronomer hath his 

 predictions, as of conjunctions, aspects, eclipses, and the like. The 

 physician hath his predictions, of death, of recovery, of the accidents- 

 and issues of diseases. The politician hath his predictions ; &quot; O 

 urbem venalem, et cito perituram, si emptorem invenerit ! &quot; which 



