Page:Reflections upon ancient and modern learning (IA b3032449x).pdf/195

 cients: Aristotle's Organum is the great Text by which Modern Logicians have framed their Systems; and nothing, perhaps can be devised more subtile in that captious Art (h), than the Sophisms of the Ancient Stoicks. But as Logick is truly the Art of Reasoning justly, so as not only to be able to explain our own Notions, and prove our own Assertions, clearly and distinctly; but to carry our Speculations further than other Men have carried theirs, upon the same Arguments; it has not only been much cultivated by Modern Philosophers, but as far pursued as ever it was by the Ancients: For hereby have the late Enquiries been made into Physical, Metaphysical and Mathematical Matters, the Extent whereof is hereafter to be examined. Hereby the Ancient Mathematicians made their Discoveries, and when they had done they concealed their Art; for, though we have many noble Propositions of theirs, yet we have few Hints how they found them out; since the Knowledge of the fore-going Books in Euclid's Elements is necessary to explain the Subsequent, but is of little or no Use to help us to find out any Propositions in the subsequent Books, (which are not immediate Corollaries from what went before) in case those Books had been lost.