Page:History of the Royal Society.djvu/370

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344
The HISTORY of

with rigid Precepts, or four Looks, or peevish Commands, but consists of sensible Pleasure, and besides will be most 1afting in its Satisfaction, and innocent in its Remembrance.

What Raptures can the most voluptuous Men fancy, to which these are not equal? Can they relish nothing but the Pleasures of their Senses? They may here enjoy them without Guilt or Remorse. Are they affrighted at the Difficulties of Knowledge? Here they may meet with a Study, that as well fits the most negligent Minds, as the most industrious. This consists of so many Works, and those so obvious, and facil, that the most laborious will never find Cause to be idle, and the most idle may still have something to do with the greatest ease. In this they need not weary themselves by searching for Matter: whatever they feel, or see, will afford them Observations. In this there is no tedious Preparation requir'd to fit them for such Endeavours: as soon as they have the use of their Hands, and Eyes, and common Sense, they are sufficiently furnish'd to undertake them. Though we cannot comprehend the Arts of Men without many previous Studies, yet such is the Indulgence of Nature, that it has from the Beginning, out of its own Store, sufficiently provided every Man with all Things, that are needful for the understanding of it self.

Thus neither the sensual Mind, has any occasion to contemn Experiments as unpleasant, nor the idle as, burdensome, or intolerable, nor the virtuous as unworthy of his Labours. And the same Influence they may have on all other moral Imperfections of human Nature. What room can there be for low and little Things in a Mind to usefully and successfully employ'd?

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