h had before been inculcated to them,
and carefully settled in their minds. Though these particular instances,
when well reflected on, are no less self-evident to the understanding
than the general maxims brought to confirm them: and it was in those
particular instances that the first discoverer found the truth, without
the help of the general maxims: and so may any one else do, who with
attention considers them.

{Maxims of use in the exposition of what has been discovered, and in
silencing obstinate wranglers.}

To come, therefore, to the use that is made of maxims. (1) They are of
use, as has been observed, in the ordinary methods of teaching sciences
as far as they are advanced: but of little or none in advancing them
further. (2) They are of use in disputes, for the silencing of obstinate
wranglers, and bringing those contests to some conclusion. Whether a
need of them to that end came not in the manner following, I crave leave
to inquire. The Schools having made disputation the touchstone of men's
abilities, and the criterion of knowledge, adjudged victory to him that
kept the field: and he that had the last word was concluded to have the
better of the argument, if not of the cause. But because by this means
there was like to be no decision between skilful combatants, whilst one
never failed of a MEDIUS TERMINUS to prove any proposition; and the
other could as constantly, without or with a distinction, deny the major
or minor; to prevent, as much as could be, running out of disputes into
an endless train of syllogisms, certain general propositions--most of
them, indeed, self-evident--were introduced into the Schools: which
being such as all men allowed and agreed in, were looked on as general
measures of truth, and served instead of principles (where the
disputants had not lain down any other between them) beyond which there
was no going, and which must not be receded from by either side. And
thus these maxims, getting the name of principles, beyond which men in
dispute could not retreat, were by mistake taken to be the originals and
sources from whence all knowledge began, and the foundations whereon the
sciences were built. Because when in their disputes they came to any
of these, they stopped there, and went no further; the matter was
determined. But how much this is a mistake, hath been already shown.

{How Maxims came to be so much in vogue.}

This method of the Schools, which have been thought the fount