NOVUM ORGAXUM. 333 



first trial, but lying hid under a contrary Nature, and subdued by it. 

 Now Instances of this kind are of very great service for the discovery 

 of Forms ; because as Ostensire Instances lead easily to Differences, 

 so Clandestine Instances are the best guides to Genera, i.e. to those 

 common Natures of which the Natures in question are only limita 

 tions. 



For example : let the Nature inquired into be Consistency, or 

 Self-limitation, as opposed to Liquidity or Humidity. Clandestine 

 Instances are those which exhibit some weak and feeble degree of 

 constituency in a fluid ; as a bubble of water, which is a sort of 

 consistent and limited pellicle, composed of the substance of water. 

 In like manner we have droppings, which, if there be any water 

 present to follow, draw themselves out into a very fine thread, to 

 preserve the continuity of the water ; but if water be not present in 

 sufficient abundance to follow, it falls in round drops, that being the 

 figure which best preserves the water from solution of its continuity. 

 Hut at the very instant when the thread of water breaks, and the drops 

 begin to fall, the water itself recoils upwards to avoid solution of its 

 continuity. Again, in metals, which when melted are liquid, but more 

 tenacious, the molten drops often fly upwards and so remain. And 

 something similar is to be found in tl.e Instance of the mirrors made 

 by children on reeds with spittle, where a consistent pellicle of water 

 is also seen. But this is displayed much better in that other childish 

 sport of taking water, made a little more tenacious by means of soap, 

 and blowing into it through a hollow reed, so as to shape the water 

 into a sort of castle of bubbles ; for it assumes sufficient consistency, 

 by the introduction of air, to admit of being projected to some distance 

 without breach of continuity. I5ut this is seen best of all in froth and 

 snow, which assume such consistency as almost to bear cutting with 

 a knife, and yet they are formed or.t of air and water, both of which 

 are liquid. All which examples clearly suggest that Liquidity and 

 Consistency are only vulgar notions, and due to the senses; and that, 

 in fact, there exists in all bodies a tendency to avoid and escape a 

 breach of continuity ; that in homogeneous bodies (such as liquids) it 

 is weak and powerless, but in bodies which are composed of hetero 

 geneous particles it is stronger and more energetic, because the 

 approach of heterogeneous matter binds bodies together, while the 

 introduction of homogeneous matter dissolves and relaxes them. 



Similarly, let the Nature inquired into be the Attraction or Coition 

 of bodies. The most remarkable Ostensh-e Instance of its Form is the 

 Magnet. Now there is a contrary Nature to attraction, vi*. non- 

 attraction, which exists in a like substance. Thus iron docs not 

 attract iron, nor lead lead, nor wood wood, nor water water. IJut a 

 Clandestine Instance is a Magnet armed with iron, or rather the iron 

 in an armed Magnet. For its Nature is such that an armed Magnet, 

 at some distance, does not attract iron more powerfully than an un 

 armed one. I ut if the iron be brought near enough to touch the iron 

 in the armed Magnet, then the armed Magnet sustains a far greater 

 weight of iron than a simple and unarmed one, on account of the 



