system, will first take in hand those things which constitute or relate to that more general nature of which either globe is participant. He will begin, therefore, with the history of bodies according to that difference which seems the most simple: namely, the plenty or paucity of matter contained and extended within the same space or boundary. For, whilst among our affirmations respecting nature there is none more true than the twin proposition, that nothing can come out of nothing, nor anything be reduced to nothing, but that the actual quantity of nature, or universal sum of matter, is unalterably permanent and constant, and can by no means be either increased or diminished; this also is not less certain, although it has not been so distinctly noted or asserted (whatsoever men may be wont to fable about the equable power of matter in regard to forms), that, of the actual quantity of matter, more or less is contained within the same dimensions of space according to the diversity of the bodies by which the said spaces are occupied, some bodies being evidently more compact, others more extended or diffused. Thus a vessel or hollow does not contain equal portions of matter when it is filled with water and when it is filled with air; but more in the one case, and less in the other. Wherefore, if any one should assert that from a certain mass of water an equal mass of air could be produced, it would be the same as if he should say that something could be produced out of nothing. From all this, and much more that follows, it would appear that, when he wrote the present Preface, Bacon's intention was to commence his Natural History with the treatise entitled Historia Densi et Rari (the History of Density and Rarity). This, however, has escaped the attention of all his editors.

Next, in the common arrangement of the Third Part of the Instauratio Magna, we have the List of the Histories and Inquisitions designed by Bacon for the first six months during which he was to employ himself in

* All the editors of Bacon's works, following Gruter, have printed this passage in such a manner as to make it unintelligible, dividing what is evidently one sentence into two.

compiling his body of Natural History, as it is printed in the volume containing the Historia Ventorum (1622) immediately after the Dedication. The six Histories are: 1. The History of the Winds; 2. The History of Density and Rarity, and of the Coming together and Expansion of Matter in Spaces; 3. The History of Gravity and Levity; 4. The History of the Sympathy and Antipathy of Things; 5. The History of Sulphur, Mercury, and Salt; 6. The History of Life and Death. But this order, although it has been followed by the editors of the Instauratio, is evidently founded upon no scientific principle, nor has it been anywhere announced by Bacon as the order which he meant to adopt in the final arrangement of the work; it is merely the order in which he proposed to execute certain portions of it. Nor are these six Histories by any means all of which the work was to consist.

The list of the Six Histories is followed, as in Bacon's own publication of 1622, by another discourse upon the general subject of Natural History. A small portion of this disquisition also is inserted by Shaw in the medley which he gives us as the Introduction to the Sylva Sylvarum. It is given in full in R. G.'s translation of the History of the Winds, &c.' (1653 and 1670). Bacon here observes that in early times the world swarmed with theories or rather fables professing to be systems of the universe, and that even in later days, although the speculations of men had been somewhat more restrained by the discipline of schools and colleges, such fanciful system-making had by no means altogether ceased; witness Patricius, Telesius, Brunus, Severinus the Dane, Gilbert the Englishman, Campanella, all of whom had advanced upon the stage, and produced their new fables, although they had neither been greeted with much applause nor distinguished by any great elegance of construction.

But of late (he proceeds, as the substance of the passage is given by Shaw), by the doctrine of certain learned men, joined perhaps with some dislike of the former licentiousness and difference in opinions, the sciences are confined to a few par

ticular authors; and in this confinement impose upon the old and prejudice the young, insomuch that everything is transacted as it were by an edict; and authority goes for truth, not truth for authority. This kind of discipline, however useful it may be for the present, yet certainly excludes and banishes much better things. Indeed we all experience and imitate the sin of our first parents; they would be as gods: but we go farther, for we will be creating new worlds, ever going before and lording it over nature, and would have all things be as seems best to our own folly, not to the divine wisdom, or as they are in nature. And it is a question whether we distort things or our own minds the most, but we certainly stamp the seal of our own image upon the creatures and works of God, instead of carefully inspecting and acknowledging the seals of the Creator; whence it is but just that we are again fallen from our empire over the creation: and thus, though after the first fall man had still some dominion left him over the rebellious creatures, so as by true and solid arts to subdue and bend them to his purpose, yet, by our pride and desire of being like God, and following the dictates of our own reason, we have in great measure lost it; therefore if we have any humility towards the Creator, if we have any reverence and esteem of his works, if we have any charity towards men, or any desire of relieving their miseries and necessities, if we have any love for natural truths, any aversion to darkness, and any desire of purifying the understanding, mankind are to be most affectionately entreated and beseeched to lay aside, at least for a while, their preposterous, fantastic, and hypothetical philosophies, which have led experience captive, and childishly triumphed over the works of God, and now at length condescend, with due submission and veneration, to approach and peruse the volume of the creation, dwell some time upon it, and, bringing to the work a mind well purged of opinions, idols, and false notions, converse familiarly therein. This volume is the language which has gone out to all the ends of the earth, unaffected by the confusion of Babel; this is the language that men should thoroughly learn, and not disdain to have its alphabet perpetually in their hands; and in the interpretation of this language they should spare no pains, but strenuously proceed, persevere, and dwell upon it to the last.

To promote this capital end we are willing to leave, for the present, many principal parts of our Novum Organum, or new logic, unfinished, as choosing to set on foot and promote all

the parts of our Instauration rather than to perfect a few of them; with this ardent and constant desire, that what was never attempted before may not now be attempted in vain. We have also considered that though doubtless there are spread over Europe great numbers of extensive, free, sublime, penetrating, solid, and settled geniuses, some whereof may perceive and perhaps approve the scope and use of our new logic, and yet not know how to proceed and apply themselves to real philosophy. If the business depended upon the reading of philosophical books, dispute, or force of thought, they might be abundantly qualified for it, but, as we refer them to the history of nature and the experiments of arts, they may stick here as at a thing unsuitable, or requiring too much time and expense, whilst we cannot desire any one should quit his former knowledge before we put him in possession of better. But after a faithful and copious history of nature and arts shall be collected, digested, laid before, and opened to mankind; there are hopes that such great geniuses as those above mentioned, who both in ancient and later times have been so ready and expert, as by wonderful artifice and workmanship to build systems of philosophy from the poorest materials, will not fail to raise more solid structures when possessed of good and sound materials for the purpose; and this though they should choose to proceed in the old way rather than in that laid down by our new logic, which appears to us either the only one or the best for the purpose; so that upon the whole, though our new logic were perfected, yet could it not greatly promote the re-establishment of the sciences without the natural history we speak of, whilst this natural history may greatly promote the same end without the assistance of our new logic; and therefore we judge it most advisable, first, and above all things, to endeavour at procuring this history.

This is followed by what is entitled Norma Historia Præsentis (The Rule or Method of the Present History); by which, however, it is plain that we are to understand, not the History of the Winds, but the proposed Natural and Experimental History in its whole extent. Bacon here says, to adopt the translation of R. G. :

To the titles comprehended in the catalogue, which belong to the Concretes, we have added the titles of the abstract natures; of which, as of a reserved history, we made mention in the same place. These are the various figurations of the matter or forms of the first classes, simple motions, sums of motions, measures of motions, and some other things; of these we have made a new alphabet and placed it at the end of this volume. We have taken titles (being no way able to take them all), not according to order, but by choice; those, namely, the inquisition of which, either for use was most of weight, or for abundance of experiments most convenient, or for the obscurity of the thing most difficult and noble, or by reason of the discrepancy of titles among themselves most open to examples. In each title, after a kind of an entrance or preface, we presently propound certain particular topics or articles of inquisition, as well to give light to the present inquisition as to encourage a future. For we are masters of questions, but not of things; yet we do not in the history precisely observe the order of questions, lest that which is for an aid and assistance should prove a hinderance.

He then describes the manner in which he proposes to expound the several subjects, and concludes:" It appears from what has been stated that the present History will not only serve in place of the Third Book of the Instauration, but will be a preparation by no means to be despised for the Fourth, by means of the Titles from the Alphabet and the Topics: and for the Sixth, by means of the greater observations, comments, and canons." But it is to be remembered that the scheme thus laid down was never more than very partially executed; in particular, of the Novum Abecedarium, or New Alphabet, which is spoken of as placed at the end of the volume, we have only the fragment printed inted by Tenison; the volume at the end of which it was Bacon's intention that it should stand was the volume of his general Natural and Experimental History. The modern editors of the Instauratio appear to have quite overlooked all this.

The History of the Winds,' to which we now come, occupies about 240 widely printed octavo pages in the original edition of 1622. It has been translated both by R. G. and by Shaw, who, however, as already noticed, has chosen to place it and the other Histories in the Fourth Part of the Instauration.