Copy 1, Volume 1

Lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, considered in its present state of improvement / By the late George Adams.

  • George Adams Jr.
Date:
1799
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Lectures on natural and experimental philosophy, considered in its present state of improvement / By the late George Adams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/638 page 2
    He has given us an Organum of a different origin and construction from that of Aristotle; one, which instead of puzzling all learning with artificial forms, and perplexing all knowledge with disputation, puts truth and nature to the torture by a thousand, trials, and forces them to confess those secrets, which in spite of syllogism, has hitherto lain concealed, and by the discovery of which arts and sciences have been advanced, to the great honour of learning and advantage of society. Two circumstances add greatly to the merit of Lord Bacon. The first is, that at the time his work was written, the world had seen no model of inductive reasoning, from which its rules might be deduced with amplitude and precision. Poets and orators had brought their arts to perfection, ere they were described by Aristotle; his rules were drawn from the most perfect models of those arts that have yet appeared: but the art of interpreting nature was yet in embryo, when Bacon, with un- common energy of mind, delineated its manly fea- tures and proportions. The second circumstance which does our noble author peculiar honour, is, that he was free from every view of founding a sect in philosophy, or aiming to procure followers: he was animated with better prospects, and more dis- interested views. Pic desired only to lead mankind as it were by the hand, and to instruct them so to follow nature, as to be under no necessity of follow- ing any philosopher whatsoever. The picture of a true philosopher cannot be bet- ter drawn than by Bacon s own pencil, and in his own example. You find in him a love of science, its interest and advancement, yet. without affecting the pomp of learning; he is a free, impartial, and honest censor of past times, yet without haughtiness or pride; his judgment is correct and solid; his writ, though lively and sublime, never gives into a wild /
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