

To the Trader. 



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i 



light and Ufe, are full of pleafant Defcriptions and Pictures* 

 and ailed and feek after Admiration, Rarities, and Secrets. 

 But contrariwifc, the Scope which his Lordfhip intendeth, 

 is to write fuch a Naturall Hificry, as may be Fundamentall 

 to the Erecting and Building of a true Phikjopby. For the Il- 

 lumination of the jinderftandwg; the Extracting of Axiomes, 

 and the producing of many Noble Works, and EtfeBs* For he 

 hbpeth by thismeanes, to acquit himfelf of that, for which he 

 t aketh Himfelf in a fort bound j And that is the /* dvanccment of 

 Learning and Sciences* For having in this prefent Work Colle- 

 cted the MateriallsfortheBuiLing* and in his NoDum Grgwum 

 (of which bis Lordfhip is yet to publish a Second Part) fetdown 

 thelnftruments and Directions for the Work 5 Men (hall now 

 be wanting to themfelves, if they raifc not Knowledg to that 

 perfection, whereof the Nature of Mortall Men is capable. 

 And in this behalf, I have heard hisLordfhip fpeak com- 

 plainingly. That his Lordfhip (who thinketh that he defer* 

 vethto bean Architect in this building ) mould be forced to be 

 a Work-man, and a Labourer 5 And to dig theClay, and burn 

 the Brick; And more then that, (according to the hard 

 Condition of the Ifralites at the latter end ) to gather the Straw 

 and Stubble, over all the Fields, to burn the Bricks withal]. 

 For he knoweth, that except he doe ir nothing will be done. 

 Menarefofettodefpiftthemeanes of their own good* And 

 as for the Bafenefs of many ot the Experiments 5 As long as they 

 be Gods Works; they are honourable enough. And for the 

 Vulwrnefs of them 5 true Axioms) mult be drawn from plain Ex- 

 perience, and not from doubcfull; And his Lord(hips courfc is 

 to make Wonders Plain, and not Plain things Wonders; And 

 that Experience likewifc muft be broken and grinded, and not 

 whole, or as it growerhj And for ufe, hisLordlhip hath Often 

 in his Mouth, thetwo kinds of Experiments, Experimenta Fru- 

 ft if era, and Experimenta Lucifer a : Experiments of life, and Ex+ 

 perimmts of Light : And he reporteth himfelf, whether he were 

 notaftrange Man, that fhould think that light hath no. Ufe, 

 becauis it hath no Matter. Further hisLordfhip thought good 

 alfo, to adde unromany of the Experiments them/elves, fome 

 Giofs of the Cau/es, that in the fucceeding Work of Interpre- 

 ting Nature, and Framing Axiomes, all things may be in more 

 peadinefs- And for the Caufes herein by himaffigned \ his Lord* 

 li^ip pcrfwadeth Himfelf, they aie farre more certain, than 



thofe 



