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ally despise, and to the utmost of our power, discard and reject such as are vain, tumid and empty. And so much for the subject of prerogative instances.

52. It must be observed, that in this our new machine for the understanding, we deliver a logic, not a philosophy: but as our logic directs the understanding, and instructs it, not like the common logic, to catch and lay hold of abstracted notions, as it were by the slender twigs, or tendrels, of the mind; but really enters, and cuts through nature, and discovers the virtues and actions of bodies, together with their laws, as determined in matter; so that this knowledge flows not only from the nature of the mind, but also from the nature of things, and the universe; hence it is no wonder, that in order to give examples and illustrations of our art, we every where employ physical considerations and experiments.

We have here laid down twenty-seven prerogative instances, viz. 1. solitary instances; 2. travelling instances; 3. glaring instances; 4. clandestine instances; 5. constituent instances; 6, conformable instances; 7. singular instances ; 8. deviating instances; 9. frontier instances; 10. instances of power; 11. accompanying and hostile instances; 12. subjunctive instances; 13. instances of alliance; 14. crucial instances;

VOL. II.

15. instances of divorce; 16. instances of entrance; 17. summoning instances; 18. journeying instances; 19. supplemental instances; 20. lancing instances; 21. instances of the staff; 22. instances of the course; 23. doses of nature; 24. instances of reluctance; 25. intimating instances; 26. sovereign instances; and, 27.` magical instances. And in point of information, they assist either the sense, or the understanding: the sense, as the five instances of light; and the understanding, either by hastening the exclusion of the form*, as the solitary instances; or by contracting, and more nearly indicating, the affirmative of the form † ; as the travelling, glaring, accompanying, and subjunctive instances; or by raising the understanding, and leading it to kinds, and common natures; and that either immediately, as the clandestine, and the singular instances, and instances of alliance; or in the next degree, as the constituent instances; or in the lowest degree; as the conformable instances; or again, by rectifying the understanding, depraved by the things whereto it is accustomed, as the deviating instances; or by conducting it to the great form, or fabrick of the universe, as the frontier instances; or,

* See the tables, Aph. 11, 12, &c.

See the tables, Aph. 11, &c.

lastly, by guarding it against false forms and causes, as the crucial instances, and instances of divorce.

And as to practice they either mark out, measure, or facilitate it. They mark it out by shewing with what particulars we are to begin, to prevent labouring in vain; as the instances of power: or to what we should aspire, if it be attainable: as the intimating instances: the four mathematical ones, measure and limit it; and the sovereign and magical ones, facilitate it *.

light that is here affourth Aphorism of When the whole is

If all this has not been clearly perceived in reading the foregoing Doctrine of Prerogative Instances, the whole may deserve to be read over again, in the forded. And as a foundation, let the this Second Part be well understood. conquered, it will appear, that this Doctrine of Instances is a very important part of the Novum Organum, and makes the business of enquiry an almost mechanical thing, level to every capacity; for if the Instances, that is, Particulars, be collected upon any subject, and thrown into Tables, in the manner here directed, they of themselves exhibit a concise history of the subject, that leads up to its Form, or latent process. Hence this Doctrine of Instances is a kind of general Direction, or Table, for the due conducting and prosecuting of all enquiries; so as at the same time to deter`mine, limit, or almost grasp, the form of the nature enquired into, and lead directly to practice. And in this view let the author's particular histories be constantly read ; as those of Life and Death; Winds; Condensation and Rar rifaction; and several in the Sylva Sylvarum.

And of these twenty-seven instances, a collection of some should be made at first, as was above observed *; without waiting till we come to particular enquiries; and of this kind are the conformable, the singular, the deviating, and the frontier instances; the instances of power, of entrance, intimating, sovereign, and magical instances, because these either assist and rectify the understanding or the sense, or afford instruction with regard to practice in general; and for the rest, they are to be searched out when we make tables of view † for the business of the interpreter, upon any particular subject. For the instances honoured and enobled with these prerogatives, are like a soul among vulgar instances of view; and as we said at the first ‡, a few of them serve instead of many, and therefore when we make tables, such instances are studiously to be sought out, and set down therein. The doctrine of them was also necessary to what we design shall follow; and therefore a preparatory account thereof was here requisite.

And now we should proceed to the helps and rectification of induction, then to concretes, latent processes, concealed structures, &c. as mentioned in order, under the twenty-first apho

* See Aph. 32. + See Aph. 11, &c.
+ See Aph. 22.

rism; that at lenth, like faithful guardians, we might possess mankind of their fortunes, and release and free the understanding from its minority, upon which an amendment of the state and -condition of mankind, and an enlargement of their power over nature, must necessarily ensue. For by the fall man at once forfeited his innocency, and his dominion over the creatures, though both of them are, in some measure, recoverable, even in this life: the former by religion and faith; and the latter by arts and sciences. For the world was not made absolutely rebellious by the curse, but in virtue of that denunciation, "In the sweat of thy brow thou shalt eat thy bread," it is at length, not by disputes, or indolent magical ceremonies *, but by various real labours, subdued, and brought in some degree to afford the necessaries of life.

* Such as those in the Sympathetic Philosophy; the Magical Philosophy of Paracelsus, &c.

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