Archimedes Texts

94
whether Aristotle, had he but seen the novelties discovered in Hea
ven, would not have changed his opinion, amended his Books,
and embraced the more sensible Doctrine; rejecting those silly
Gulls, which too scrupulously, go about to defend what ever he
hath said; not considering, that if Aristotle were such a one as
they fancy him to themselves, he would be a man of an untracta
ble wit, an obstinate mind, a barbarous soul, a stubborn will,
that accounting all men else but as silly sheep, would have his
Oracles preferred before the Senses, Experience, and Nature her
self? They are the Sectators of Aristotle that have given him this
Authority, and not he that hath usurped or taken it upon him;
and because it is more easie for a man to sculk under anothers
shield than to shew himself openly, they tremble, and are affraid
to stir one step from him; and rather than they will admit some
alterations in the Heaven of Aristotle, they will impertinently de
ny those they behold in the Heaven of Nature.

Some of Aristo
tles Sectators im
pare the reputation
of their Master, in
going about to en
hanse it.

SAGR. These kind of Drolleries put me in mind of that Statu

ary which having reduced a great piece of Marble to the Image of
an Hercules, or a thundring Jupiter, I know not whether, and
given it with admirable Art such a vivacity and threatning fury,
that it moved terror in as many as beheld it; he himself began
also to be affraid thereof, though all its sprightfulnesse, and life
was his own workmanship; and his affrightment was such, that
he had no longer the courage to affront it with his Chizzels and
Mallet.

SALV. I have many times wondered how these nice maintain
ers of what ever fell from Aristotle, are not aware how great a pre
judice they are to his reputation and credit; and how that the
more they go about to encrease his Authority, the more they
diminish it; for whilest I see them obstinate in their attempts
to maintain those Propositions which I palpably discover to
be manifestly false; and in their desires to perswade me that
so to do, is the part of a Philosopher; and that Aristotle himself
would do the same, it much abates in me of the opinion that he
hath rightly philosophated about other conclusions, to me more
abstruse: for if I could see them concede and change opinion in
a manifest truth, I would believe, that in those in which they
should persist, they may have some solid demonstrations to me un
known, and unheard of.

SAGR. Or when they should be made to see that they have ha
zarded too much of their own and Aristotle's repuatation in con
fessing, that they had not understood this or that conclusion found
out by some other man; would it not be a less evil for them to
seek for it amongst his Texts, by laying many of them together,
according to the art intimated to us by Simplicius? for if his