GREAT 1NSTAURATION. 403 



but when we descend to particulars, which, like the organs of genera 

 tion, should produce fruits and effects, then spring up loud altercations 

 and controversies, which terminate in barren sterility. And had this 

 not been a lifeless kind of philosophy, it were scarce possible it should 

 have made so little progress in so many ages, insomuch, that not only 

 positions now frequently remain positions still, but questions remain 

 questions, rather riveted and cherished than determined by disputes ; 

 philosophy thus coming down to us in the persons of master and 

 scholar, instead of inventor and improver. In the mechanic arts the 

 case is otherwise these commonly advancing towards perfection in a 

 course of daily improvement, from a rough unpolished state, sometimes 

 prejudicial to the first inventors, whilst philosophy and the intellectual 

 sciences arc, like statues, celebrated and adored, but never advanced ; 

 nay, they sometimes appear most perfect in the original author, and 

 afterwards degenerate. For since men have gone over in crowds to 

 the opinion of their leader, like those silent senators of Rome, they 

 add nothing to the extent of learning themselves, but perform the 

 servile duty of waiting upon particular authors, and repeating their 

 doctrines. 



It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the sciences have gradually 

 arrived at a state of perfection, and then been recorded by some one 

 writer or other ; and that as nothing better can afterwards be invented, 

 men need but cultivate and set off what is thus discovered and com 

 pleted ; whereas, in reality, the registering of the sciences proceeds 

 only from the assurance of a few and the sloth and ignorance of many. 

 For after the sciences might thus perhaps in several parts be carefully 

 cultivated ; a man of an enterprising genius rising up, who, by the 

 conciseness of his method, renders himself acceptable and famous, he 

 in appearance erects an art, but in reality corrupts the labours of his 

 predecessors. This, however, is usually well rereivecl by posterity, as 

 readily gratifying their curiosity, and indulging their indolence. Hut 

 he that rests upon established consent as the judgment approved by 

 time, trusts to a very fallacious and weak foundation ; for \\e have but 

 an imperfect knowledge of the discoveries in ails and sciences, mad&amp;lt;: 

 public in different ages anil countries, and still less of what has 

 been done by particular poisons, and transacted in private; so that 

 neither the births nor miscarriages of time arc to be found in our 

 records. 



Nor is consent, or the continuance thereof, a thing of any account ; 

 for however governments may vary there is but one state of the 

 sciences, and that will for ever be democratical or popular. But tlu 

 doctrines in greatest vogue among the people, arc cither the conten 

 tious and quarrelsome, or the showy and empty ; that is, such as may 

 either entrap the assent, or lull the mind to rest : whence, of coursr, 

 the greatest geniuses in all ages have suffered violence ; whilst out of 

 regard to their own character, they submitted to the judgment of the 

 times, and the populace. Anil thus when any more sublime specula 

 tions happened to appear, they were commonly tossed and extinguished 

 by the breath of popular opinion. Hence time, like a river, has brought 



