152 Francis Bacon.

to rise above mere surf ace - impressions,, there is no
soundness. Tims the syllogism catches assent, but lets
the things slip through. " I leave," he says in the
plan of the work, " to the old demonstrations their
rule over popular arts, l civilia et artes quse in sermone
et opinione positce sunt;' but in dealing with the nature
of things I use induction throughout." In Aphorism 19
fcho old and the new way are succinctly contrasted. The
one impatiently flies from particulars, useless because
vague generalities; and, taking the truth of these for
granted, proceeds to invent principles of less generality,
but more practical bearing. The other derives " axioms "
from observation and experiment by a gradual and un-
broken ascent, so that it reaches the most general axioms
last of all. This is the true way, yet untried.

The partial truth in the sentence, " qui tractavenmt
•scientias aut empirici aut dogmatici fuerunt," and its
exaggeration, is manifest in a survey of the previous
philosophies thus condemned. The new method, which
was to take progress from the circle in which it had
been revolving, and make it end in discovery, was,
according to Bacon, a kind of Logic, but it differed
from the common logic in three respects—

(a) In its end; seeking "non argumenta sed artes."

(&) In its means; rejecting the syllogism, and avoid-
ing hasty generalisations.

(c) In its start; assuming nothing as true without
verification by experiment, and experiment conducted
with a view to truth, not in the erratic manner of those
who have sought too hurriedly for results, forgetting the
divine order, which in the Creation set light before life.

After these introductory propositions Bacon's first