OCR Text |
Show . Of the Jduanf~ment of Lea~ni~g, ; cor.refpondence or concatei?ation, ~vht~h ts be· tw¢cnc the fitp~riour Globe and· the tnfert~nr. Naturall Magicke pfetendeth to c:al·~ reduce natural ·Philo(ophiefrom variety of fpeculauox:ts to th~ rn.ag~ nitude of works; And.vflcumy pretend·e~h to m~ke ~epa~ation of all,the vnli~e parts of bodtes, whtc~ tn tnlxtures of nature are tncorporate.But the dertuadons and profec\nions to thefe ends, both in the theories, and in the praClifes ar~ full of Err our and vanitie; which the great Profeilors themfe_lne~ ~.au e. fought to vaile ouer and conceale by etl!gmaucall wr.itings, and referring the~nfelue~ to aur1cplar r~a .. ditions and fitch other detufes, to faue the cre.d tt~ of lmp~fiures; and yet fi1rely to J tcumy this right 'is dtte,thatit may be compared to the (jusband tnan w·h~reof vE[ope makes rhe Fable; ~bat when_ he died tolq his Sonnes, that he had left vnto them go!dj ·bt~ied vnder groun,d in his Vineyard; and they dig .. ged ouer all the ground, and gold they found none, put by reafon of their fiirriag and digging the tno!d about, the rootes of their Vines, the~ had a great Vint~ethe yearefollowing: fo affuredly the.fearch a~d ft.irre to make gold hath l;lr:ought to light a great nttmber of good and fruitfttll inuentions and expe· r.iments, as well for the difclofing of Nature; as for the vfe of mans.life. · · · - · · :And as for theouermuch credite that ha cb .beene ) ,gine9e Vtato Author.s .in Sciences, in making thetn Uit\~tprs, -that ~heir wordes !houtd fiand, and not &®\ids to gi~te adnife;the dammage fs infinite that. · . . ... , Science; .. ; . . The ftrfl :Boo~~ : · · : 23 Sciences haue r.eceiued thereby, as· the pril1cipall ·caufe that hath kep~ them lowe, at a flay without . groweth or adua•lcement. For hence it hath. ~otnen t.hat in ar.ts M.echanicall,.tbe firft deuifer corns fhor.~ · tefi, an~ .. time addeth. and perfetle~h .· but· in Sci en,. ces the tirfiAt\thor goethfurthefi, anq time leefeth; a.q.d.corrui?teth.. So we fee,.Artillerie,fayling,prinung, an~ the like, \Vere grotTely managed at the firfi·: and by tune accomm0dated·and refined : but con:trary\ vife the Phi!ofophies and Sciences of t.Ari-flotle, Plato, Dern_~crita.t, HJ'fOcrates, Ettclidt s, Arc hi•· · me des, of m?ft v1gor at the firfi, and by time degenerate and u11bafed} whereofthe reafon is no other , but that in the former many wits and indufiries·hau~·. hau~ contri.bured iil one ;.and in the later many wits and tndllftrtes baue benfpent about t11e wit offom·e· one~.whom many tisnes they haue r.ather depraued1 than lllufirated.For as.wate~ ·'''ill not afcend highe~, ~·han the leuell of the fir.fi fprtng head, from whence 1t defcendeth: fo knowl~dge ?eriued fr<;>m r...A rifto· tie, a~1d ex~n1pt:d from hberue of examlhation,wiii: , not r1fe agatne h~gber, than. ~he kno\vledge of Ari- ; .flotl~. _Andtherforealthough t~epofition be good: OP_o' t t .dtfcentem credere·: yet: 1t mufl bee coupled·~ I With thls,Opor!et edoEfum tudicart: for Difciples doe· . owe vnt~ Matfie~s ~nely a temporarie beleefe, and:. · ~ fu.fp_enlton of thetrowne iudgement, till they. lie. fully lnflrnfted: ~n.d. no~ an abfolute refignation, ot· pe~pet.ual.~ capttu~ne~ and therefore to conclude this. ·po1ntJ l wlllfay no ·more, bur-; fo let great Authors. · · ~ . F 4~ . Jiaue: |