NOVUM ORGANUM. 289 



the carrying forward of Natural Philosophy and the bringing back of 

 particular Sciences to it, that the Sciences be not fevered or maimed ; 

 for indeed without this there can be little hope of progress. 



cviii. We have now spoken of the removal of despair, and the 

 introduction of hope, as arising from the dismissal or rectification of 

 past errors. And now we must look if there be any other causes for 

 hope. And we light upon this : if many useful discoveries have been 

 made by chance, as it were, or through the force of circumstances, by 

 men who were not looking for them, or who were engaged on other 

 pursuits, no one can doubt that if the same men do look for them, and 

 make it their business to do so after a fixed method and order, and not 

 by desultory impulses, they must necessarily discover much more. 

 For although it may happen once or twice that a man may by chance 

 light upon that which has heretofore escaped his laborious and indus 

 trious inquiry, yet in the long run the contrary is unquestionably found 

 to be the case. And so far more numerous and better discoveries, 

 and these at shorter intervals, are to be expected from the reason and 

 industry, from the direct and intentional action of men, than from 

 chance, animal instinct, and the like, which have hitherto originated 

 discoveries. 



cix. Hope may also be derived from the fact that some of those 

 things which are already discovered are of such a kind .is, previous to 

 their discovery, would not have easily occurred to any one ; they would 

 simply have been rejected as impossible. For men are accustomed to 

 conjecture what is coming from the example of what is old, and in 

 conformity with a fancy tutored and prejudiced thereby ; a most 

 fallacious way of forming an opinion, since much that is sought from 

 the fountain-head does not come through the accustomed channels. 



For instance, if some one before the discovery of cannon had 

 described the thing by its effects, and had spoken after this fashion : 

 &quot;A certain discovery has been made by which walls and the mightiest 

 fortifications can be shaken and cast down at a great distance ; &quot; men 

 certainly would have begun to think of multiplying the powers of 

 engines and machines by means of weights and wheels, by batteries 

 and projectiles of a similar kind, in all manner of different ways : but 

 it would scarcely have occured to any one s imagination or fancy, to 

 think of a fiery blast expanding and exploding in so sudden and violent 

 a way ; for he would not have seen any example of such an action 

 near him, unless perchance in the earthquake, or the lightning, which 

 men would at once have rejected as great marvels of Nature, and not 

 to be imitated by man. 



In the same way, if, before the discovery of silk, some one had thus 

 spoken : &quot; A certain kind of thread has been discovered, fitted for 

 clothing and furniture, which far exceeds linen or woollen thread in 

 fineness, and at the same time in tenacity, brilliancy, and softness ;&quot; 

 men would at once have begun to think of some silky vegetable, or 

 of the more delicate hairs of some animals, or of the feathers and 

 down of birds ; but they certainly would never have thought of the 

 web of a weak worm, and that so copious, self-renewing, and annually 



