It is, Courteous Reader, part of the Satyr of Petronius against the Vice of his own Time. Priscis temporibus, cum adhuc nuda Virtus placeret, vigebant Artes ingenuae, summumque certamen inter homines erat, ne quid profuturum saeculis diu lateret. Democritus omnium Herbarum succos expressit, & ne lapidum virgultorumque vis lateret, aetatem inter Experimenta consumpsit. Other Examples of the like Industry he brings, and then concludes against the Laziness and Luxury of his own Age. At Nos, saith He, ne paratas quidem Artes audemus cognoscere, sed accusatores Antiquitatis vitia tantum docemus & discimus. It was for want of a Democritus or two that he casts this hard Censure upon his own Time. For, notwithstanding all his Harangue in Commendation of some Ages which were antient to his Own, It is evident out of History, that there was never at once any great Number, who seriously and in earnest for the Benefit of Mankind applyed themselves to these severe Scrutinyes of Natural Bodyes. It is true that now and then, in all Centuries from the Beginning of the World, there have appear’d some Persons of a Nature more refin’d, as if indeed (according to that Phancy of the Old Poets) some Prometheus had made them either of another Metall, or of another Temper, from the Vulgar, utterly above all Mixture with, or Embasement by the common Fashions of this World; who did make it the End of their Lives, by Severing and Mixing, Making and Marring, and multiplying Variety of Experiments on all Bodies, to discover their hidden Vertues, & so to enlarge the Power & Empire of Man. But these were ever very few and singular. Even in that so much celebrated Time of Democritus these Studies were so rare, that his usual Exercise of the Anatomy of Beasts was look’d upon, as that which made the Soundness of his Mind questionable, even as a Spice of Madness in him: and probably much more might the Vulgar of his Age have been amused, had they seen him torturing Minerals and Metals in the more toilsome Anatomy of Fire.
Now if it be a dishonourable Crimination to an Age, that it hath brought out no Persons who make it their great Endeavour Ne quid profuturum saeculis lateat: and if the Discovery of one or two persons of this Kind be enough to expiate for, and take off the Dishonour of the Proletarian Lazinesse and Luxury of the Rest, I think I may justly esteem that the exhibiting to the World the History of the Studyes of the Honourable Author of this Piece may serve to be the Apology and Defence of our Age against such Censures as that wherewith the newly cited Satyrist stained his own Time.
And this was one great Reason that hath made me very forward to promote the Publication of This, and diverse other Writings of the same Noble Author. For were there only Tokens of Endeavour in Them, the proof of This Endeavour (even without Attainment) ought to wipe off all Imputations of this nature. But this Motive (though I do account that by exhibiting this Expiation I do somewhat oblige the Age, whose Honour is thereby defended, yet) was far from being the most great and forcible. For the Excellence of the Works themselves, even as soon as they fell from the pen of the Author, did long since in all Equity set an Imprimatur on them. Nec sumunt aut ponunt secures Arbitrio popularis Aurae. Epicurus · when he was casting up the account of his life, upon the very Day of his Death, mentions a very great pleasure that he even then took in two Parts of his former Studyes: And these were his Rationes, and his Inventa; Points well argued, and things happily sound out. The two very same particulars are principally conspicuous in this ensuing Piece. There are good Conclusions against the Enemies of the Being and Providence of God in the First Part, and in the Second there be Notices of divers Inventa profitable to the Use of Man. By the one sound Notions are proposed to the Readers apprehension from the Contemplation of God’s Creation and Government of the World, and thereby good Matter is suggested to his Affection for the Advancement of his Devotion; by the Other, there are divers things deliver’d, which may tend to enlarge Man’s power of doing Good: By them, in the whole, both our Honour to God, and our Charity to our Neighbors may be assisted: in which two the Substantial part of all the most Noble, not only Human but Christian Vertues, both Speculative and Practical, are certainly contained.
I must not omit, that an Argument of this Nature, at this Time, may justly be commended for its Seasonableness, when divers Persons, who know not the way of Experimental Philosophy, and are loath now to give themselves the trouble of learning it, have been making some attempts, very unthankfully, to traduce both It, and its Promoters.
These Considerations passed with me for Reasons, and had upon me this force and Prevalence, that as soon as I had the Authors leave, I durst not forbear the committing of them to the Press, notwithstanding his Many arguments, which were plausible enough to the Contrary: as, namely, that much of the First Part was written when he was of so immature Years, that should I be particular concerning his Age then, to any person who hath read the Piece, the Paucity of such Instances might justly make me dispair of begetting Credit to my Relation. Another Objection was, That, though his Method did of necessity lead him to it, yet it might be look’d upon as unbecomming for Him to meddle with the Physitians Art, of which he never did (nor could, by reason of his Native Honour) make any Profession. But these Oppositions being raised upon points of Curiosity in Ceremony and outward Decorum, were of little weight, when the forementioned Noble Offices of Charity and doing good were in the other Scale.
The greater Question was. Suppose them to be publisht, But why now? Why so soon? Should not rather the Edition have been delay’d, untill it might have come out together with The second Section of the second Part? (which discovers the Use that may be made of Experimental Learning, to advance the Empire of Man over other Creatures) or untill the Common Preface, and some other little Tracts, all written long since, and intended to accompany this, might be revised by the Author; or at least untill the Author might have had leisure to have made some more new & full Animadversions to the Receipts & Processes contain’d in the Appendix? The Consideration which answer’d this Objection was, That this Piece, as now printed alone, would make (as you see it doth) a very competent Book, which would have by it Self the perfection, if not of the Whole yet of a more principal part; and of that part, which to Professors or Candidates of Learning is most desireable. And then the Author’s Avocations and other Studies being so many, that we could prefix no certain time for the complement of the mention’d remaining parts, I was loath to hazard the Preservation of These by deferring the Impression; since I know there is no Security of the continuance of those Writings which are reposed only in single, or at most in few written Copies. I remember, the Author had once lost for a good while one of these very Essays which are now here Printed, and put beyond that Danger for the future. Besides other Casual accidents, the very Contingency of Humane life, and the chance of a Man’s papers after Death, (For to them the Question of King Solomon is most proper and pertinent, VVho knows whether then they may happen to fall into the hands of a Wise man or a Fool?) were of force enough to perswade me to secure these, when it was in my power, unto the Common Use. Would not Printing in all probability have preserv’d unto Us that Universal History of Vegetables from the Cedar of libanus unto the Moss that groweth upon the Wall, written by that Wise and Learned King, and the loss of which we now in vain lament? Would not Printing have sav’d that Excellent Book of Democritus, wch he inscribed his XEIPOKMHTA or EXPERIMENTS of his own personal Tryal, so utterly lost, that the Name of the piece is not mention’d among the Catalogue of his Writings in Laertius? And may not the Printing of this Piece be a meanes of the preservation (besides the Notional part) of divers very useful XEIPOKMHTA of the Honourable Author, who hath been ever unwearied in the Tryal of all probable Experiments, that may increase the Light or advance the Profit of Mankind?
But before I leave the Reader, I must give him this single Advertisement, that the Passages included within the Paratheses or Crotchetts, as the Press stiles them, that is, between any two such Marks as these [] were inserted long since the writing of these Essays, upon the Relection of some parts of the Book before He sent it to me: Which I therefore did so distinguish, and do intimate, that there may appear no inconsistency in our Author, and the Reader may not marvel to find somethings very Recent in a Book written several Years agoe. Farewell.
RO: SHARROCK.
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