Page:The Works of Francis Bacon (1884) Volume 1.djvu/556

 428 INTERPRETATION OF NATURE. iosophy, laboriously cultivated through such a length of years, not one experiment can be cited, which has a view to the improvement or aggran dizement of the state of man, and can be pointed to with truth as the gifts of such speculations. On the contrary, indeed, Aristotle s device of the four elements, which he rather gave currency to than invented, (and which being greedily caught up by physicians, drew after it the systems of the four complexions, the four humours, and the four pri mary qualities,) like some malignant and unlucky star, caused extraordinary barrenness in medicine, besides many mechanical arts ; men all the while allowing themselves to be satisfied with conceits and methodized nothings of this kind, and carry no further. Meantime a multitude of questions and controversies clamoured and fluttered on all sides round these philosophies, so that they seem represented to the life in the fable of Scylla, who had the upper part and countenance of a virgin, while her womb was girt and crowded with bark ing monsters. In like manner have those doc trines something specious at first sight, but when we approach the generative part, to produce fruits, nothing is to be found but strife and restless dis puting, which are in the room of bearing. At the same time it must be remembered, that the reasons for rejecting these systems assail the opinions only, not the understandings or industry of their authors. For, in proportion to a man s wit and zeal, does he, if he desert the light and observation of nature and the evidence of particu lars, plunge himself and become involved in the darkest and most intricate recesses, and, as it were, dens of fantasies and idols. Again, the general plans of the philosophies are not attached with the purpose of approving the detailed appli cation of minor causes, which are commonly given and inquired into in the works of philosophers of this kind : on the contrary, these are no better than the other, not only because they depend upon them, but also because they display no se verity of inquisition, and lead us to matters not unknown, but alm&st at our feet, in which the mind acquiesces lightly, and is satisfied, but by no means penetrating into the interior of nature. And they have always this fault, which is alike in all, that they connect together experiments and known effects in a kind of system, and, as it were, with a net, made to the just measure of what is known ; but never exhibit any cause or canon, which may mark out new and formerly unknown effects and experiments. Having thus traversed these outskirts of philo sophy, casting his eyes on every side, he turned them to the depths of antiquity, as to a kind of clouded and dim region. And he saw that if he chose to deal unfairly, there would be no difficulty in persuading men, that with the ancient sages, Inng before the Grecian times, natural science flonrished with greater vigour, but perhaps in greater silence: and that it were, tnerefore, more dignified to refer t(0them those discoveries which are now made : as new men are used to do, who I connect with themselves the nobility of some an cient stem by the rumours of genealogy and con jecture. But, relying on the evidence of facts, he rejected every form of imposture ; and, what ever might be his opinion about those times, thought that it had no more relation to the matter in hand whether our discoveries were known to the ancients, and in the revolution of things have sunk and risen again ; than it should be any con cern, whether the New World be that island At lantis, and so known to the ancients, or was first discovered by us. For inventions are to be sought in the light of nature, not traced in the shades of antiquity. Meanwhile, some may remark that he has passed over the art or philosophy of chymistry ; which he has done from respect, being unwilling to class it with those philosophies which are en tirely barren of works, since it has displayed and given many noble discoveries. Indeed, this art accords with the fable of the old man, who be queathed his sons a treasure buried in his vine yard without showing them where, whereby they set themselves with diligence to dig the vineyard, and did not find the treasure, but, by their hus bandry, the vintage was made more abundant. In like manner the sons of chymistry, while they are busy seeking the hidden gold, whether real or not, have by turning over and trying, brought much profit and convenience to mankind. Yet their inventions issued in no other or better way than the birth and advancement of mechanical arts, that is, by mere experience. For their phi losophy and speculation are unsound, and harsher than those fabulous philosophies of which we have been speaking. For though the three prin ciples was no useless discovery, but partly border ing on fact : yet, for the most part, practised in a few experiments of distillation, they referred every thing in philosophy to separation and libe ration, unmindful of true alteration. But the structure of that opinion, on which as a foundation their philosophy rests, that there are four matrices or elements in which the seeds and forms of matter complete their fruits, and that these are quadriform according to the different elements, so that no thing is found in sky, air, water, or earth, which has not in the three remaining ones something parallel and corresponding : this fantastic arrange ment of matter will certainly scarce have a place in the dreams of the skilful observer of nature. Not unlike this are the harmonies of things be lieved in by the followers of natural magic, who explain every thing by sympathy and antipathy, and, by the most idle and unfounded conjectures, affix to things miraculous virtues and powers. Yet he treats them gently, because among so many fables they have yet produced some works, though commonly of that kind which^re rather