Why we Accept Wrong Things

⁹ This facility of accepting things weakly authorised is of 2 kinds, according to the subject. It is either:

1. A belief of history, or a matter of fact ( as the lawyers speak); or

This error is seen in ecclesiastical history which has too easily received narrations of miracles by martyrs, hermits, or monks of the desert, and other holy men, and their relics, shrines, chapels and images.

These are held up as divine poesies by:

• the ignorance of the people
• the superstitious simplicity of some
• the politic toleration of others

Yet after a period of time, the mist begins to clear up. They became degraded as old wives’ fables, impostures of the clergy, illusions of spirits, and badges of Antichrist, to the great scandal and detriment of religion.

2. A matter of art and opinion.

¹⁰ The writings of Plinius, Cardanus, Albertus, and divers of the Arabians on natural history are fraught with much fabulous matter.

Most of them are not only untried, but notoriously untrue.

It makes the wisdom and integrity of Aristotle is worthy to be observed. He made so diligent and exquisite a history of living creatures. He mingled it sparingly with any vain or feigned matter.

¹¹ The facility of credit given to arts and opinions is of 2 kinds:

1. Too much belief is attributed to the arts themselves, or
2. Too much is attributed to certain authors in any art.

There are 3 sciences that are based more on imagination than reason. Their ends or pretences are noble:

1. Astrology

Astrology pretendes to discover that correspondence between the superior globe and the inferior globe.

2. Natural magic

Natural magic pretends to call and reduce natural philosophy from variety of speculations to the magnitude of works.

3. Alchemy

Alchemy pretends separate all the unlike parts of bodies which in mixtures of natures are incorporate.

But the derivations and prosecutions to these ends, both in the theories and in the practices, are full of error and vanity.

The great professors themselves have concealed by enigmatical writings. They refer to auricular traditions and such other devices, to save the credit of impostures.

Yet alchemy was useful and may be compared to a fable of Æsop:

A father told his sons, before dying, that he had left unto them gold buried underground in his vineyard. They dug over all the ground and found no gold. But by digging, the roots of their vines had a great vintage the next year.

So the search and stir to make gold has brought to light many good and fruitful inventions and experiments, as well for the disclosing of nature as for the use of man’s life.

¹² The authors in such sciences have become dictators because of the overmuch credit given to them.

But their words should be advice. The sciences have received infinite damage from them. This is the principal cause that has kept them low without growth or advancement.

In the mechanical arts, the first inventions is the quickest. But it takes a long time to perfect.

But in the sciences, the first author goes furthest. But in time, it becomes corrupted*.

This is why artillery, sailing, printing, and the like, were grossly managed at the first.

• In time, these were accommodated and refined.

Contrariwise, the philosophies and sciences of Aristotle, Plato, Democritus, Hippocrates, Euclides, Archimedes, had most vigour at first.

• In time, they degenerated.

This is because:

• in the arts, many wits and industries have contributed as one.
• in philosophy, many wits and industries have been spent around the wit of some person

• Water will not rise higher than the level of the first spring where it came from. Thus, knowledge derived from Aristotle, and exempted from liberty of examination, will not rise higher than the knowledge of Aristotle.

Therefore, although the position be good, Oportet discentem credere, yet it must be coupled with this, Oportet edoctum judicare.

Disciples do owe masters only a temporary belief and a suspension of their own judgment until they are fully instructed. It is not an absolute resignation or perpetual captivity.

Therefore, let the great authors have their due. Time is the author of authors and should not be deprived of its due—which is to discover truth further and further.

Thus have I gone over these 3 diseases of learning.

There are some other rather peccant humours than formed diseases, which, nevertheless, are not so secret and intrinsic, but that they fall under a popular observation and traducement, and, therefore, are not to be passed over.