264 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



difficulty by an answer, and some positive reply may be rendered in 

 words, than solicitous about the inner truth of things ; as is best shown 

 by comparing his philosophy with the other philosophies which were 

 famous among the Greeks. For the similar constituent parts of 

 Anaxagoras, the atoms of Leucippus and Democritus, the heaven and 

 earth of Parmenides, the strife and friendship of Empcdocles, the 

 resolution of bodies into the indifferent nature of fire and rccondensa- 

 tion of the same, of Heraclitus, show something of the natural 

 philosopher, and savour of the nature of things, of experience, and 

 of the study of bodies ; while the Physics of Aristotle are nothing 

 more than the echo of his Dialectics ; and he has also, in his Meta 

 physics, again treated these under a more imposing title, and more as 

 a Realist, forsooth, than a Nominalist. Nor let much importance be 

 given to the fact that in his Books on Animals, and in the Pu b emata, 

 and in his other treatises, frequent recourse is had to exj enments. 

 For he had previously made up his mind, without having properly 

 consulted experience for the purpose of establishing his decisions and 

 axioms ; but after coming to an arbitrary decision, he twists experience 

 to suit his views, dragging her about with him as his captive. So .hat, 

 even on this head, he is more open to accusation than his followers in 

 modern times (the race of scholastic philosophers), who have altogether 

 abandoned experience. 



Ixiv. But the empiric school of philosophy produces conceits more 

 deformed and monstrous than the sophistic or rational, inasmuch as it 

 is founded not on the light of vulgar conceptions (which, although 

 slight and superficial, is yet in a manner universal and generally perti 

 nent), but on a few narrow and obscure experiments. And so such a 

 philosophy appears probable and almost certain to those who are daily 

 occupied in experiments of this kind, and have by that very means 

 corrupted their imagination : to all others it appears incredible and 

 vain. A notable example of this is to be seen in the chemists and 

 their dogmas ; however, this is scarcely to be found, at the present day, 

 elsewhere than perhaps in the philosophy of Gilbert. But still a caution 

 as to the philosophies of this kind was by no means to be omitted, 

 because we already foresee and prophesy, that if ever men should be 

 roused by our advice to devote themselves seriously to experience, and 

 bid farewell to sophistical teaching ; then a great danger will be immi 

 nent from this kind of philosophy, on account of the premature and 

 rash haste of the intellect, and its jumping and flying to generalities 

 and the first principles of things. This evil we ought even now to 

 meet. 



Ixv. But the corruption of philosophy by the admixture of super 

 stition and theology spreads much further, and introduces the greatest 

 mischief into systems of philosophy, whether considered as complete 

 or in their parts. For the human Intellect is no less exposed to the 

 impressions of fancy than to those of vulgar conceptions. For the 

 disputatious and sophistical school of philosophy ensnares the intel 

 lect ; but the other, which is fanciful and turgid, and as it were 

 poetical, rather flatters it. For there is inherent in man s intellect, no 



