My good reader, whoever you are, I have little expectation that you
will be very propitious to this my undertaking, from a supposition,
that you probably are already preoccupied in favour of many of the
opinions which I combat; and I ought not to have such confidence,
either in my persuasive powers, or in your docility, as to promise
myself an early conquest of your prejudices, or a sudden attachment
of your approbation. From hence it may follow, that stiff in your old
opinions, you will condemn my sentiments, as false and injurious.
Father Malebranche said justly, that those authors who write with an
intention to banish common pre-possessions, should always conclude,
that the public will receive their works with disgust. Whenever it
happens that truth becomes triumphant, the victory advances by such
slow paces, that the author while he lives, only enjoys the vain
expectation, that his tomb will one day be crown’d with laurels.
A striking example of this truth, was seen in the famous William
Hervey, against whom, on account of his noble discovery respecting
the circulation of the blood, the physicians of that time declaimed
furiously, though all the professors of the science at present,
venerate him as an oracle. In his life-time they loaded him with
injuries; now he is dead they would place his image on the altars.
I should here endeavour to win your mind to an admission of my maxims,
and take the opportunity of shewing by various examples, how involv’d
in error, are many of the most established opinions; but this being the
intire object of my first discourse, I must refer you thither, for the
perusal of my arguments on this head, I having plac’d that discourse
in the front, as a necessary preliminary to this volume; but if you
are not to be persuaded, and are obstinately bent on remaining a
constant partizan of the Voice of the People, in the name of goodness
pursue your course. If you are wise, I shall treat you liberally,
and we shall not become angry with each other; for liberality will
reprehend the sentiment, without ill using the author; but if you are
simple, you, together with that infirmity, will not fail to possess the
quality of inexorable also. I know very well, there is not a more rigid
censurer of a book, than a man who is incapable of dictating a letter.
Such people may say what they please of me, and treat my opinions as
excentric, because they are out of the common road; but let us agree in
a preliminary, to wit, that if they are to take the liberty of calling
me extravagant, I may be allowed to say they are ignorant.
I ought, however, to remove some objections, that will naturally
occur in reading this volume. The first is, the discourses not being
distributed in determin’d classes, and not following in a regular
progression, the faculties or matters to which they belong. To this I
answer, that though I at first design’d such an arrangement, I soon
discover’d the pursuing it to be impracticable; for having proposed
to myself so vast a field in the Teatro Critico, I saw that many of
the matters which would be touch’d upon in it, were incomprehensible
under a determin’d faculty; either because they do not belong to any
one in particular, or because, they participate equally of many.
Besides, there are a number, every one of which, treats solely of some
particular faculty, without any other having to do with the subject
matter. On physical subjects only, within which walk the errors of the
vulgar are infinite, you may write as many discourses as are capable
of making a separate volume; but I am more disposed to divide them in
the different volumes, because by so doing, each will afford a more
agreeable variety. By this means, although every volume with respect to
the matter, will appear strictly speaking, a miscellany, the design of
attacking common errors will be uniformly preserved. The formal object
will always be the same, the materials must necessarily be composed of
great variety, and should be distributed.
I may perhaps be blamed, for giving the name of errors to all the
opinions I controvert. The complaint would be just, if I did not remove
the odium of the term by an explanation. I say then, that error in the
sense I here take and use it, signifies no more than an opinion that I
look upon as false, abstracted from, and without my determining upon
the probability or improbability of it.
Neither by the term common errors, do I mean to signify, that those I
encounter are incident to all mankind, it is sufficient to apply this
term to them, if they are admitted by the generality of the vulgar,
or lead in their train, a more than ordinary number of the literati.
This must be understood with a reservation, that I don’t mean to
introduce myself as a judge in those questions, which are mooted in
various schools, especially such as regard Theological points: for
what advances can I make on those subjects, which have been studied
and considered with the most intense reflection, by so many men of
eminence? or who am I, to have such confidence in my own strength, as
to fancy that I am capable of entering the lists, where so many giants
engage? In matters purely physical, this objection need not detain me;
for those of this species which are treated of in other schools are
very few, and those few with little or no reflection.
I may be also blamed, when I am to touch upon many things which are
mere matters of faculty, for having wrote in the Castilian Idiom: as an
answer to this, it will be sufficient to reply, that no other reason
is necessary to be given for so doing, than that I know of no reason
against it. I do not deny, that there are truths, which should be hid
from the vulgar, whose weakness exposes them to more danger by being
informed, than they would be exposed to by remaining in ignorance;
but this argument would militate with equal strength, against those
truths going forth to the world in Latin, there being a great number of
vulgar, among those who understand that language, and it passes easily
from them, to those who understand no other than their mother tongue.
I am so far from having the least intention to communicate pernicious
matter to the public, that the principal design of this work, is to
undeceive them in many points, which by being admitted as true, would
be very prejudicial to them; nor is it reasonable, that a benefit which
can be made universal, should not be enjoyed by every one.
But do not from what I have advanced, conclude, that I have great
confidence this work will be of eminent utility; for although my
sole object is to propose the truth, it is possible, that in some
instances I may want penetration to discern it, and in others, powers
_to persuade it_; but I can with confidence assure you, that I write
nothing, but what is conformable to my real sentiments. I look upon
proposing, or attempting to prove singular opinions, only with a
view of displaying a person’s ingenuity, as puerile and pedantic,
and consider it as an employment, unworthy of every honest man. In
conversation, these things may be tolerated by way of amusement, but
the introducing them into writings, is an abuse, and a deceit upon the
public. The noble use of reason, is to penetrate and enforce truths;
the knack of puzzling others with sophistries, is the meanest faculty
of the human understanding. Spiders, which in the brute creation are
looked upon as vile, fabricate fine, but trifling threads; among
mankind, none fabricate fine and firm ones, but excellent artists;
the first, are emblems of subtle and sophistical works, the others of
ingenious and solid ones.
The common errors which I attack, do not always occupy the whole
of the discourse in which I treat of them, and sometimes, many
are comprehended in one and the same; either because they relate
immediately to the matter of it, or because in pursuing the thread of
the principal subject, they are found in the way, or fall in as it
were by incidence. This method appeared to me the most convenient, as
by writing a separate discourse upon every opinion I encounter, there
being much to be said on some heads, and but little on others, there
would result a compound or mass of parts extremely unequal.
I expect many attacks, especially with relation to two or three of the
discourses in this book, and when some of my friends apprize me, that I
shall be loaded with injuries and abuse; I reply, that such treatment
will only serve to convince me more firmly, of the truth of what I have
written; it being certain, that he is doubtful of his own strength, who
attacks with unfair weapons. If they oppose me with arguments, I will
reply to them; if with sneers and scurrility, I shall instantly allow
myself vanquish’d, as that is a mode of engaging, in which I never
exercised myself. Adieu.