Institutes of natural philosophy, theoretical and practical / By William Enfield.

  • Enfield, William, 1741-1797.
Date:
1802
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Institutes of natural philosophy, theoretical and practical / By William Enfield. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    pleraque, aut omnia,* It may be laid down as an univerfal maxim, that there is no eafy method of attaining excellence. The fmall portion of learning, or fcience, which is to be acquired by the help of facilitating expedients, has been juftly compared f to a temporary edifice built fora day. It is as unreasonable, to hope to acquire knowledge without under- going the labour by which it is ufually gained, as it would be to exped, that an acorn will become an oak without palling through the ordinary procefs of vegetation. All the knowledge of Natural Philofophy which can be acquired by curfory reading, without the affiftance of mathematical learning, mull confifi in an acquaintance with leading fads and general conclulions. To underhand the manner in which the laws of nature have been inferred from thefe fads, and to be able with certainty and precifion to a^tply thefe laws to the explanation of particular phenomena, neceffarily requires a previous knowledge of the elements of Geometry, Trigonometry, the Conic Sedions, and Algebra. A mechanic who fhould fet about making a machine without the requifite touls, would not ad more abfurdly, than a Undent who fhould attempt to underhand the fcience of Natural Philos- ophy without thefe helps. A Preceptor who profeffes to teach this fcience in the eafy and amufing method of experiment alone, is an archited with- out his rule, plumb-line, and compahes, Fads are, it is true, the materials of fcience ; and much praife is unques- tionably due to thofe wdio have increafed the public hore, by new exper- iments accurately made, and faithfully related. But it is not in the mere knowdedge, nor even in the difcovery of fads, that philofophy conhhs. One who proceeds thus far, is an experimentalih ; but he alone, who, by examining the nature, and obferving the relation of fads, arrives at general truths, is a philofopher. A moderate fliare of induflry may luffice for the former : patient attention, deep refledion, and acute penetration, are neceffary in the latter. It is therefore no wonder, that amongfl many expcrimentalifts there fhould be few philofophers. The