a discourse on method-第13章

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ions　of　which　I　had　not　the　most　certain　demonstrations；　and　not　to　give　expression　to　aught　that　might　tend　to　the　hurt　of　any　one。　　This　has　been　sufficient　to　make　me　alter　my　purpose　of　publishing　them；　for　although　the　reasons　by　which　I　had　been　induced　to　take　this　resolution　were　very　strong；　yet　my　inclination；　which　has　always　been　hostile　to　writing　books；　enabled　me　immediately　to　discover　other　considerations　sufficient　to　excuse　me　for　not　undertaking　the　task。　And　these　reasons；　on　one　side　and　the　other；　are　such；　that　not　only　is　it　in　some　measure　my　interest　here　to　state　them；　but　that　of　the　public；　perhaps；　to　know　them。

I　have　never　made　much　account　of　what　has　proceeded　from　my　own　mind；　and　so　long　as　I　gathered　no　other　advantage　from　the　method　I　employ　beyond　satisfying　myself　on　some　difficulties　belonging　to　the　speculative　sciences；　or　endeavoring　to　regulate　my　actions　according　to　the　principles　it　taught　me；　I　never　thought　myself　bound　to　publish　anything　respecting　it。　　For　in　what　regards　manners；　every　one　is　so　full　of　his　own　wisdom；　that　there　might　be　found　as　many　reformers　as　heads；　if　any　were　allowed　to　take　upon　themselves　the　task　of　mending　them；　except　those　whom　God　has　constituted　the　supreme　rulers　of　his　people　or　to　whom　he　has　given　sufficient　grace　and　zeal　to　be　prophets；　and　although　my　speculations　greatly　pleased　myself；　I　believed　that　others　had　theirs；　which　perhaps　pleased　them　still　more。　　But　as　soon　as　I　had　acquired　some　general　notions　respecting　physics；　and　beginning　to　make　trial　of　them　in　various　particular　difficulties；　had　observed　how　far　they　can　carry　us；　and　how　much　they　differ　from　the　principles　that　have　been　employed　up　to　the　present　time；　I　believed　that　I　could　not　keep　them　concealed　without　sinning　grievously　against　the　law　by　which　we　are　bound　to　promote；　as　far　as　in　us　lies；　the　general　good　of　mankind。　　For　by　them　I　perceived　it　to　be　possible　to　arrive　at　knowledge　highly　useful　in　life；　and　in　room　of　the　speculative　philosophy　usually　taught　in　the　schools；　to　discover　a　practical；　by　means　of　which；　knowing　the　force　and　action　of　fire；　water；　air　the　stars；　the　heavens；　and　all　the　other　bodies　that　surround　us；　as　distinctly　as　we　know　the　various　crafts　of　our　artisans；　we　might　also　apply　them　in　the　same　way　to　all　the　uses　to　which　they　are　adapted；　and　thus　render　ourselves　the　lords　and　possessors　of　nature。　　And　this　is　a　result　to　be　desired；　not　only　in　order　to　the　invention　of　an　infinity　of　arts；　by　which　we　might　be　enabled　to　enjoy　without　any　trouble　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　and　all　its　comforts；　but　also　and　especially　for　the　preservation　of　health；　which　is　without　doubt；　of　all　the　blessings　of　this　life；　the　first　and　fundamental　one；　for　the　mind　is　so　intimately　dependent　upon　the　condition　and　relation　of　the　organs　of　the　body；　that　if　any　means　can　ever　be　found　to　render　men　wiser　and　more　ingenious　than　hitherto；　I　believe　that　it　is　in　medicine　they　must　be　sought　for。　　It　is　true　that　the　science　of　medicine；　as　it　now　exists；　contains　few　things　whose　utility　is　very　remarkable：　　but　without　any　wish　to　depreciate　it；　I　am　confident　that　there　is　no　one；　even　among　those　whose　profession　it　is；　who　does　not　admit　that　all　at　present　known　in　it　is　almost　nothing　in　comparison　of　what　remains　to　be　discovered；　and　that　we　could　free　ourselves　from　an　infinity　of　maladies　of　body　as　well　as　of　mind；　and　perhaps　also　even　from　the　debility　of　age；　if　we　had　sufficiently　ample　knowledge　of　their　causes；　and　of　all　the　remedies　provided　for　us　by　nature。　　But　since　I　designed　to　employ　my　whole　life　in　the　search　after　so　necessary　a　science；　and　since　I　had　fallen　in　with　a　path　which　seems　to　me　such；　that　if　any　one　follow　it　he　must　inevitably　reach　the　end　desired；　unless　he　be　hindered　either　by　the　shortness　of　life　or　the　want　of　experiments；　I　judged　that　there　could　be　no　more　effectual　provision　against　these　two　impediments　than　if　I　were　faithfully　to　communicate　to　the　public　all　the　little　I　might　myself　have　found；　and　incite　men　of　superior　genius　to　strive　to　proceed　farther；　by　contributing；　each　according　to　his　inclination　and　ability；　to　the　experiments　which　it　would　be　necessary　to　make；　and　also　by　informing　the　public　of　all　they　might　discover；　so　that；　by　the　last　beginning　where　those　before　them　had　left　off；　and　thus　connecting　the　lives　and　labours　of　many；　we　might　collectively　proceed　much　farther　than　each　by　himself　could　do。

I　remarked；　moreover；　with　respect　to　experiments；　that　they　become　always　more　necessary　the　more　one　is　advanced　in　knowledge；　for；　at　the　commencement；　it　is　better　to　make　use　only　of　what　is　spontaneously　presented　to　our　senses；　and　of　which　we　cannot　remain　ignorant；　provided　we　bestow　on　it　any　reflection；　however　slight；　than　to　concern　ourselves　about　more　uncommon　and　recondite　phenomena：　　the　reason　of　which　is；　that　the　more　uncommon　often　only　mislead　us　so　long　as　the　causes　of　the　more　ordinary　are　still　unknown；　and　the　circumstances　upon　which　they　depend　are　almost　always　so　special　and　minute　as　to　be　highly　difficult　to　detect。　　But　in　this　I　have　adopted　the　following　order：　　first；　I　have　essayed　to　find　in　general　the　principles；　or　first　causes　of　all　that　is　or　can　be　in　the　world；　without　taking　into　consideration　for　this　end　anything　but　God　himself　who　has　created　it；　and　without　educing　them　from　any　other　source　than　from　certain　germs　of　truths　naturally　existing　in　our　minds　In　the　second　place；　I　examined　what　were　the　first　and　most　ordinary　effects　that　could　be　deduced　from　these　causes；　and　it　appears　to　me　that；　in　this　way；　I　have　found　heavens；　stars；　an　earth；　and　even　on　the　earth　water；　air；　fire；　minerals；　and　some　other　things　of　this　kind；　which　of　all　others　are　the　most　common　and　simple；　and　hence　the　easiest　to　know。　　Afterwards　when　I　wished　to　descend　to　the　more　particular；　so　many　diverse　objects　presented　themselves　to　me；　that　I　believed　it　to　be　impossible　for　the　human　mind　to　distinguish　the　forms　or　species　of　bodies　that　are　upon　the　earth；　from　an　infinity　of　others　which　might　have　been；　if　it　had　pleased　God　to　place　them　there；　or　consequently　to　apply　them　to　our　use；　unless　we　rise　to　causes　through　their　effects；　and　avail　ourselves　of　many　particular　experiments。　Thereupon；　turning　over　in　my　mind　I　the　objects　that　had　ever　been　presented　to　my　senses　I　freely　venture　to　state　that　I　have　never　observed　any　which　I　could　not　satisfactorily　explain　by　the　principles　had　discovered。　　But　it　is　necessary　also　to　confess　that　the　power　of　nature　is　so　ample　and　vast；　and　these　principles　so　simple　and　general；　that　I　have　hardly　observed　a　single　particular　effect　which　I　cannot　at　once　recognize　as　capable　of　being　deduced　in　man　different　modes　from　the　principles；　and　that　my　greatest　difficulty　usually　is　to　discover　in　which　of　these　modes　the　effect　is　dependent　upon　them；　for　out　of　this　difficulty　cannot　otherwise　extricate　myself　than　by　again　seeking　certain　experiments；　which　may　be　such　that　their　result　is　not　the　same；　if　it　is　in　the　one　of　these　modes　at　we　must　explain　it；　as　it　would　be　if　it　were　to　be　explained　in　the　other。　　As　to　what　remains；　I　am　now　in　a　position　to　discern；　as　I　think；　with　sufficient　clearness　what　course　must　be　taken　to　make　the　majority　those　experiments　which　may　conduce　to　this　end：　　but　I　perceive　likewise　that　they　are　such　and　so　numerous；　that　neither　my　hands　nor　my　income；　though　it　were　a　thousand　times　larger　than　it　is；　would　be　sufficient　for　them　all；　so　that　according　as　henceforward　I　shall　have　the　means　of　making　more　or　fewer　experiments；　I　shall　in　the　same　proportion　make　greater　or　less　progress　in　the　knowledge　of　nature。　This　was　what　I　had　hoped　to　make　known　by　the　treatise　I　had　written；　and　so　clearly　to　exhibit　the　advantage　that　would　thence　accrue　to　the　public；　as　to　induce　all　who　have　the　common　good　of　man　at　heart；　that　is；　all　who　are　virtuous　in　truth；　and　not　merely　in　appearance；　or　according　to　opinion；　as　well　to　communicate　to　me　the　experiments　they　had　already　made；　as　to　assist　me　in　tho