Bacon, Francis, Sylva sylvarum : or, a natural history in ten centuries

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84To the Reader. gar and Trivial, mean and ſordid, curious and fruitleß;
and therefore he wiſheth, that they would have perpetually be-
fore
their eyes, what is now in doing;
and the difference between
this
Natural Hiſtory, and others.
For thoſe Natural
Hiſtories
which are extant, being gathered for delight
and
uſe, are full of pleaſant Deſcriptions and Pictures;
and
affect
and ſeek after Admiration, Rarities, and Secrets.
But
contrariwiſe
, the ſcope, which his Lordſhip intendeth, is to write
ſuch
a Natural Hiſtory, as may be fundamental to the
erecting
and building of a true Philoſophy:
For the illumi-
nation
of the Under ſtanding;
the extracting of Axioms,
and
the producing of many noble Works and Effects.
For he
hopeth
by this means, to acquit himſelf of that, for which he
taketh
himſelf in a ſort bound;
and that is, the advancement
of
Learning and Sciences.
For having, in this preſent Work,
collected
the materials for the Building;
and in his Novum
66[Handwritten note 6]77[Handwritten note 7]88[Handwritten note 8] Organum (of which his Lordſhip is yet to publiſh a Second
Part
) ſet down the Inſtruments and Directions for the
VVork
;
Men ſhall now be wanting to themſelves, if they
raiſe
not knowledge to that perfection, whereof the Nature of
Mortal
Men is capable.
And in this behalf, I have heard
his
Lordſhip ſpeak complainingly, That his Lordſhip (who
66[Handwritten note 6]77[Handwritten note 7]88[Handwritten note 8] thinketh, that he deſerveth to be an Architect in this Build-
ing
) ſhould be forced to be a VVorkman, and a Laborer;
and
to
dig the Clay, and burn the Brick;
and more then that,
(according to the hard condition of the Iſraelites, at the lat-
ter
end) to gather the Straw and Stubble, over all the Fields,
to
burn the Bricks withal.
For he knoweth, that except he do
it
, nothing will be done;
Men are ſoſet to deſpiſe the means
66[Handwritten note 6]77[Handwritten note 7]88[Handwritten note 8] of their own good.
And as for the baſeneß of many of the
Experiments
, as long as they be Gods VVorks, they are
honorable
enough:
And for the vulgarneß of them, true
Axioms
muſt be drawn from plain experience, and not from
doubtful
;
and his Lordſhips courſe is to make VVonders

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