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

List of thumbnails

< >
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6 (2)
7
7 (3)
8
8 (4)
9
9 (5)
10
10 (6)
< >
page |< < (4) of 389 > >|
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

Text layer

  • Dictionary

Text normalization

  • Original

Search


  • Exact
  • All forms
  • Fulltext index
  • Morphological index