heretics. The third kind is of them who fill men's ears with myfteries, high parables, allegories, and illufions; with myftical and profound form many of the heretics alfo made choice of. By the third it is aftonished and enchanted; but by every of them the while it is feduced and abused. (Religious Meditations, No. IX.) [The third kind' is a defcription of the tranfcendental philofophy.]

INNOVATIONS.

As the births of living creatures at first are ill-shapen, so are all innovations, which are the births of Time. (Essays, 1625, xxiv.).

Innovations Ecclefiaftical.

All inftitutions and ordinances, be they never fo pure, will corrupt and degenerate. But I would ask why the Civil State fhould be purged and restored, devifing remedies as fast as time breedeth

mischief; and contrariwife the Ecclefiaftical State fhould ftill continue upon the dregs of time? If it be said that there is a difference between civil caufes and ecclefiaftical, they may as well tell me that churches and chapels need no reparations, though caftles and houfes do. (Certain Confiderations touching the better Pacification and Edification of the Church of England.)

1. PROEM OF THE 'GREAT INSTAURATION.

Francis of Verulam reasoned thus with himself, and judged it to be for the intereft of the present and future generations that they fhould be made. acquainted with his thoughts.

Being convinced that the human intellect makes its own difficulties, not ufing the true helps which are at man's disposal foberly and judiciously; whence follows manifold ignorance of things, and by reafon of that ignorance mifchiefs innumerable; he thought all trial fhould be made, whether that commerce

between the mind of man and the nature of things, which is more precious than anything on earth, might by any means be restored to its perfect and original condition, or, if this may not be, yet reduced to a better condition than that in which it now is. Now that the errors which have hitherto prevailed, and which will prevail for ever, fhould (if the mind be left to go its own way) either by the natural force of the understanding or by help of the aids and inftruments of Logic, one by one correct themselves, was a thing moft to be hoped for because the primary notions of things which the mind readily and paffively imbibes, stores up, and accumulates (and it is from them that all the reft flow) are false, confused, and overhaftily abstracted from the facts; nor are the fecondary and fubfequent notions lefs arbitrary and inconftant; whence it follows that the entire fabric of human reafon which we employ in the inquifition of Nature is badly put together and built up, and like fome magnificent ftructure without any foundation. For while men are occupied in admiring and applauding the false powers of

:

the mind, they pafs by and throw away thofe true powers, which, if it be fupplied with the proper aids, and can itself be content to wait upon Nature inftead of vainly affecting to overrule her, are within its reach. There was but one course left, therefore, to try the whole thing anew upon a better plan, and to commence a total reconftruction of sciences, arts, and all human knowledge, raised upon the proper foundations. And this, though in the progrefs and undertaking it may seem a thing infinite and beyond the powers of man, yet when it comes to be dealt with it will be found found and fober, more fo than what has been done hitherto. For of this there is fome iffue; whereas in what is now done in the matter of science there is only a whirling round about and perpetual agitation, ending where it began. And although he was well aware how solitary an enterprise it is, and how hard a thing to win faith and credit for, nevertheless he was refolved not to abandon either it or himself; nor to be deterred from trying and entering upon that one path which is alone open to the human mind.

high a courage in all points of regality, and was ever victorious in rebellions and feditions of the people. The crown treasure, and

extremely rich and full of

the kingdom like to be so in short time. For there was no war, no dearth, no ftop of trade or commerce; it was only the crown which [had] fucked too hard; but now being full, and upon the head of a young King, it was like to draw the lefs. Laftly, he was inheritor of his father's reputation, which was great throughout the world. He had strait alliance with the two neighbour States, an ancient enemy in former times, and an ancient friend, Scotland and Burgundy. He had peace and amity with France, under the affurance not only of treaty and league, but of neceffity and inability in the French to do him harm, in respect that the French King's defigns were wholly bent upon Italy. So that it may be truly faid there had been scarcely feen or known in many ages fuch a rare concurrence of figns and promises of a happy and flourishing reign to enfue as were now met in this young King, called after his father's name Henry VIII. [Though entitled.