in the fifth chapter, by the name of absurdity. And that is, when men speak such words, as put together, have in them no signification at all; but are fallen upon by some, through misunderstanding of the words they have received, and repeat by rote; by others from intention to receive by obscurity. And this is incident to none but those, that converse in questions of matters incomprehensible, as the schoolmen; or in questions of abstruse philosophy. The common sort of men seldom speak insignificantly, and are therefore, by those other egregious persons counted idiots. But to be assured their words are without anything correspondent to them in the mind, there would need some examples; which if any man require, let him take a schoolman in his hands and see if he can translate any one chapter concerning any difficult point, as the Trinity; the Deity; the nature of Christ; transubstantiation; free-will, &c. into any of the modern tongues, so as to make the same intelligible; or into any tolerable Latin, such as they were acquainted withal, that lived when the Latin tongue was vulgar. What is the meaning of these words, “The first cause does not necessarily inflow anything into the second, by force of the essential subordination of the second causes, by which it may help it to work"? They are the translation of the title of the sixth chapter of Suarez' first book, "Of the concourse, motion, and help of God." When men write whole volumes of such stuff, are they not mad, or intend to make others so? And particularly, in the question of transubstantiation; where after certain words spoken; they that say, the whiteness, roundness, magnitude, quality, corruptibility, all which are incorporeal, &c. go out of the wafer, into the body of our blessed Saviour, do they not make those " nesses," ""tudes," and "ties," to be so many spirits possessing his body? For by spirits, they mean always things, that being incorporeal, are nevertheless movable from one place to another. So that this kind of absurdity, may rightly be numbered amongst the many sorts of madness; and all the time that guided by clear thoughts of their worldly lust, they forbear disputing, or writing thus, but lucid intervals. And thus much of the virtues and defects intellectual. CHAPTER IX. Of the Several Subjects of Knowledge. THERE are of "knowledge" two kinds; whereof one is "knowledge of fact": the other "knowledge of the consequence of one affirmation to another." The former is nothing else, but sense and memory, and is "absolute knowledge”; as when we see a fact doing, or remember it done and this is the knowledge required in a witness. The latter is called "science"; and is "conditional"; as when we know, that, "if the figure shown be a circle, then any straight line through the centre shall divide it into two equal parts." And this is the knowledge required in a philosopher; that is to say, of him that pretends to reasoning. The register of "knowledge of fact” is called “history.” Whereof there be two sorts: one called "natural history"; which is the history of such facts, or effects of nature, as have no dependence on man's "will"; such as are the histories of "metals," "plants," "animals," "regions," and the like. The other, is "civil history"; which is the history of the voluntary actions of men in commonwealths. The registers of science, are such "books" as contain the "demonstrations" of consequences of one affirmation, to another; and are commonly called "books of philosophy"; whereof the sorts are many, according to the diversity of the matter; and may be divided in such manner as I have divided them in the following table, (pp. 108, 109). CHAPTER X. Of Power, Worth, Dignity, Honour, and Worthiness. THE "power of a man," to take it universally, is his present means; to obtain some future apparent good; and is either "original" or "instrumental." "Natural power," is the eminence of the faculties of body, or mind: as extraordinary strength, form, prudence, arts, eloquence, liberality, nobility. "Instrumental" are those powers, which acquired by these, or by fortune, are means and instruments to acquire more as riches, reputation, friends, and the secret working of God, which men call good luck. For the nature of power is in this point, like to fame, increasing as it proceeds; or like the motion of heavy bodies, which the further they go, make still the more haste. The greatest of human powers, is that which is compounded of the powers of most men, united by consent, in one person, natural, or civil, that has the use of all their powers depending on his will; such as is the power of a commonwealth or depending on the wills of each particular; such as is the power of a faction or of divers factions leagued. Therefore to have servants, is power; to have friends, is power: for they are strengths united. Also riches joined with liberality, is power: because it procureth friends, and servants: without liberality, not so; because in this case they defend not; but expose men to envy, as a prey. Reputation of power, is power; because it draweth with it the adherence of those that need protection. So is reputation of love of a man's country, called popularity, for the same reason. Also, what quality soever maketh a man beloved, or feared of many; or the reputation of such quality, is |