the Royal Society.
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Thoughts; their Minds swell, and are enlightned, as if at that time they were possess'd with the Souls of the whole Multitude, before whom they stand.
Sect. VII. Their judging of the Matter of Fact.Those, to whom the Conduct of the Experiment is committed, being dismiss'd with these Advantages, do, as it were, carry the Eyes and the Imaginations of the whole Company into the Laboratory with them. And after they have performed the Trial, they bring all the History of its Process back again to the Test. Then comes in the second great Work of the Assembly; which is to judge and resolve upon the Matter of Fact. In this Part of their Imployment, they us'd to take an exact View of the Repetition of the whole Course of the Experiment; here they observ'd all the Chances, and the Regularities of the Proceedings what Nature does willingly, what constrain'd; what with its own Power, what by the Succours of Art; what in a constant Road, and what with some kind of Sport and Extravagance; industriously marking all the various Shapes into which it turns itself, when it is pursued, and by how many secret Passages it at last obtains its End; never giving it over till the whole Company has been fully satisfied of the Certainty and Constancy; or, on the other side, of the absolute Impossibility of the Effect. This critical and reiterated Scrutiny of those Things, which are the plain Objects of their Eyes, must needs put out of all reasonable Dispute the Reality of those Operations, which the Society shall positively determine to have succeeded. If any shall still think it a just philosophical Liberty, to be jealous of resting on their Credit, they are in the right; and their Dissentings will be most thankfully receiv'd, if they be establish'd on solid Works, and not only on Prejudices, orN 2
Suspicions.
