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DOGMAS AND DELUSIONS.

See skulking Truth to her old cavern fled, Mountains of casuistry heap'd o'er her head; Philosophy that lean'd on Heav'n before Shrinks to her Second Cause and is no more. Physic of Metaphysic begs defence, And Metaphysic calls for aid on Sense. See Mystery to Mathematics fly; In vain! they gaze, turn giddy, rave, and die.

—"The Dunciad" (641-648).

The ancient idea that earth, air, fire, and water were the elements of Nature was held by chemists in the 18th century. Empedocles appears to have been the author of this theory, which was adopted by Aristotle. Some speculative philosophers, however, taught that all of these were derived from one original first principle; some held that this was water, some earth, some fire, and others air. Paracelsus, who does not seem to have objected to this idea, contributed another fantastic one to accompany it. According to him everything was composed of sulphur, salt, and mercury; but he did not mean by these the material sulphur, salt, and mercury as we know them, but some sort of refined essence of