Bacon, Francis
,
Sylva sylvarum : or, a natural history in ten centuries
Text
Text Image
Image
XML
Thumbnail overview
Document information
None
Concordance
Notes
Handwritten
Figures
Content
Thumbnails
page
|<
<
(204)
of 389
>
>|
<
echo
version
="
1.0RC
">
<
text
xml:lang
="
en
"
type
="
free
">
<
div
xml:id
="
echoid-div971
"
type
="
section
"
level
="
1
"
n
="
35
">
<
p
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8619
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">
<
pb
o
="
204
"
file
="
0238
"
n
="
238
"
rhead
="
Natural Hiſtory;
"/>
feigned, and at pleaſure: </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8620
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">As if one ſhould imagine ſuch a Min to bein the
<
lb
/>
Veſtments of a Pope, or to have Wings. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8621
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">I ſingle out for this time that which
<
lb
/>
is with Faith or Belief of that which is to come. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8622
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The Inquiſition of this
<
lb
/>
Subject in our way (which is by Induction) is wonderful hard, for the things
<
lb
/>
that are reported are full of Fables; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8623
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">and new Experiments can hardly be
<
lb
/>
made but with extream Caution, for the Reaſon which we will after de-
<
lb
/>
clare.</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8624
"
xml:space
="
preserve
"/>
</
p
>
<
p
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8625
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The Power of Imagination is in three kindes. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8626
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The firſt, upon the Body of
<
lb
/>
the imaginant, including like wiſe the Childe in the Mothers Womb. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8627
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The
<
lb
/>
ſecond is, the power of it upon dead bodies, as Plants, Wood, Stone, Me
<
unsure
/>
tal,
<
lb
/>
&</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8628
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">c. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8629
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The third is, the power of it upon the Spirits of Men and Living Crea-
<
lb
/>
tures. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8630
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">And with this laſt we will onely meddle.</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8631
"
xml:space
="
preserve
"/>
</
p
>
<
p
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8632
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The Probleme therefore is, Whether a Man conſtantly and ſtrongly be-
<
lb
/>
lieving that ſuch a thing ſhall be, (as that ſuch an one will love him, or that
<
lb
/>
ſuch an one will grant him his requeſt, or that ſuch an one ſhall recover a
<
lb
/>
ſickneſs, or the like) it doth help any thing to the effecting of the thing it
<
lb
/>
ſelf. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8633
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">And here again we muſt warily diſtinguiſh; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8634
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">for it is not meant (as
<
lb
/>
hath been partly ſaid beſore) that it ſhould help by making a man more ſtout,
<
lb
/>
or more induſtrious; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8635
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">(in which kinde, conſtant belief doth much) but
<
lb
/>
meerly by a ſecret operation, or binding, or changing the Spirit of another.
<
lb
/>
</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8636
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">And in this it is hard (as we began to ſay) to make any new experiment; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8637
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">for
<
lb
/>
I cannot command my ſelf to believe what I will, and ſo no tryal can be
<
lb
/>
made. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8638
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Nay it is worſe, for whatſoever a Man imagineth doubtingly, or with
<
lb
/>
fear, muſt needs do hurt, if Imagination have any power at all; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8639
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">ſor a Man
<
lb
/>
repreſenteth that ofther that he feareth, then the contrary.</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8640
"
xml:space
="
preserve
"/>
</
p
>
<
p
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8641
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">The help therefore is, for a Man to work by another, in whom he
<
lb
/>
may create belief, and not by himſelf, until himſelf have found by experi-
<
lb
/>
ence, that Imagination doth prevail; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8642
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">for then experience worketh in himſelf
<
lb
/>
Belief, if the Belief that ſuch a thing ſhall be joyned with a Belief, that his
<
lb
/>
Imagination may procure it.</
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8643
"
xml:space
="
preserve
"/>
</
p
>
<
p
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8644
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">For example, I related one time to a Man that was curious and vain
<
lb
/>
<
note
position
="
left
"
xlink:label
="
note-0238-01
"
xlink:href
="
note-0238-01a
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">946.</
note
>
enough in theſe things, That I ſaw a kinde of Jugler that had a Pair of Cards, and
<
lb
/>
vvould tell a man vvhat Card he thought. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8645
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">This pretended Learned Man told me, it
<
lb
/>
was a miſtaking in me. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8646
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">For (ſaid he) it vvas not the knovvledge of the Mans thought
<
lb
/>
(for that is proper to God) but it vvas the inforcing of a thought upon him, and binding his
<
lb
/>
Imagination by a ſtronger, that he could think no other Card. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8647
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">And thereupon he asked
<
lb
/>
me a Queſtion or two, which I thought he did but cunningly, knowing be-
<
lb
/>
fore what uſed to be the feats of the Jugler. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8648
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Sir, (ſaid he) do you remember vvhe-
<
lb
/>
ther he told the Card the Man thought himſelf, or bad another to tell it? </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8649
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">I anſwered,
<
lb
/>
(as was true) That he bad another tell it. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8650
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Whereunto he ſaid, So I thought: </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8651
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">For
<
lb
/>
(ſaid he) himſelf could not have put on ſo ſtrong an Imagination, but by telling the other
<
lb
/>
the Card (vvho believed, that the Jugler vvas ſome ſtrange man, and could do ſtrange things)
<
lb
/>
that other man caught a ſtrong Imagination. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8652
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">I hearkned unto him, thinking for a
<
lb
/>
vanity he ſpake prettily. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8653
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Then he asked me another Queſtion: </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8654
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Saith he, Do
<
lb
/>
you remember vvhether he bad the Man think the Card firſt, and aftervvards told the other
<
lb
/>
Man in his Ear whæt he should think; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8655
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">or elſe, that he did whiſper firſt in the Mans Ear
<
lb
/>
that ſhould tell the Card, telling, That ſuch a Man ſhould think ſuch a Card, and after
<
lb
/>
bad the Man think a Card? </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8656
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">I told him, (as was true) That he did firſt whiſper the
<
lb
/>
Man in the Ear, thatſuch a Man ſhould think ſuch a Card. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8657
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Upon this, the Learned
<
lb
/>
Man did much exuit and pleaſe himſelf, ſaying, Lo, you may ſee that my opinion
<
lb
/>
is right: </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8658
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">For if the Man had thought firſt, his thought had been fixed; </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8659
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">but the other imagi-
<
lb
/>
ning firſt, hound his thought. </
s
>
<
s
xml:id
="
echoid-s8660
"
xml:space
="
preserve
">Which though it did ſome what ſink with me, yet </
s
>
</
p
>
</
div
>
</
text
>
</
echo
>