Book Description

Excerpt from The Opinions of Different Authors Upon the Punishment of Death We are informed by Lord Bacon, (a) that one of the great obstacles to the advancement of truth is, the over-early and peremptory reduction of know ledge into arts and methods: which once done, sciences commonly receive small or no augmen tation. For as young men, when they knit and shape perfectly, do seldom grow to a farther stature; so knowledge, while it is dispersed in aphorisms and observations, may grow and shoot up; yet once inclosed and comprehended in methods, it may, perchance, be farther polished and illustrated and accommodated for use and practice, but it increaseth no more in bulk and substance. And another error of the same nature is, an impatience of doubt, and an unadvised haste to assertion, without due and mature suspension of judgment; for the two ways of contemplation are not unlike the two ways of action, commonly spoken of by the ancients; of which one was a plain and smooth way in the beginning, but in the end impassable; the other rough and troublesome in the entrance, but after a while fair and even; so is it in contemplations; if a man will begin in certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he can be content to begin with doubts, and have patience a while, he shall end in certainties. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.