ButifEratostheneshadholdofeternalfactandlawononepoint，therewasacontemporarywhohadholdofitinmorethanone。ImeanArchimedes；ofwhom，asIhavesaid，wemustspeakasofanAlexandrian。
Itwasasamechanician，ratherthanasanastronomer，thathegainedhisreputation。ThestoriesofhisHydraulicScrew，theGreatShipwhichhebuiltforHiero，andlaunchedbymeansofmachinery，hiscrane，hiswar-engines，aboveallhissomewhatmythicalarrangementofmirrors，bywhichhesetfiretoshipsintheharbour——allthese，likethestoryofhisdetectingthealloyinHiero\'scrown，whilehehimselfwasinthebath，andrunninghomeundressedshouting[Greektext:eureeka]——alltheseareschoolboys\'tales。Tothethoughtfulpersonitisthemethodofthemanwhichconstituteshisrealgreatness，thatpowerofinsightbywhichhesolvedthetwogreatproblemsofthenatureoftheleverandofhydrostaticpressure，whichformthebasisofallstaticandhydrostaticsciencetothisday。AndyetonthatveryquestionoftheleverthegreatmindofAristotlebabbles——neitherseesthethingitself，northewaytowardsseeingit。ButsinceArchimedesspoke，thethingseemsself-evidenttoeveryschoolboy。Thereissomethingtomeverysolemninsuchafactasthis。Itbringsusdowntosomeoftheverydeepestquestionsofmetaphysic。Thismentalinsightofwhichweboastsomuch，whatisit？Isitaltogetheraprocessofourownbrainandwill？Ifitbe，whyhavesofewthepower，evenamongmenofpower，andtheysoseldom？Ifbrainalonewerewhatwaswanted，whatcouldnotAristotlehavediscovered？OrisitthatnomancanseeathingunlessGodshowsithim？Isitthatineachseparateactofinduction，thatmysteriousandtranscendentalprocesswhichcannot，letlogicianstryastheywill，beexpressedbyanymerelylogicalformula，Aristotelianorother——isitIsay，thatineachseparateactofinductionwedonotfindthelaw，butthelawisshowntous，byHimwhomadethelaw？
Baconthoughtso。Ofthatyoumayfindclearproofinhiswritings。
MaynotBaconberight？MayitnotbetruethatGoddoesinscience，aswellasinethics，hidethingsfromthewiseandprudent，fromtheproud，complete，self-containedsystematiserlikeAristotle，whomustneedsexplainallthingsinheavenandearthbyhisownformulae，andhisentelechiesandenergies，andtherestofthenotionswhichhehasmadeforhimselfoutofhisownbrain，andthenpackeachthingawayinitspropernicheinhisgreatcloud-universeofconceptions？IsitthatGodhidesthingsfromsuchmenmanyatime，andrevealsthemtobabes，togentle，affectionate，simple-heartedmen，suchasweknowArchimedestohavebeen，whodonottrytogiveanexplanationforafact，butfeelhowawfulanddivineitis，andwrestlereverentlyandstedfastlywithit，asJacobwiththeAngel，andwillnotletitgo，untilitblessthem？SureIam，fromwhatIhaveseenofscientificmen，thatthereisanintimateconnectionbetweenthehealthofthemoralfacultiesandthehealthoftheinductiveones；andthattheproud，self-conceited，andpassionatemanwillseenothing:perhapsbecausenothingwillbeshownhim。
ButwemustleaveArchimedesforamannotperhapssowellknown，buttowhomweoweasmuchastothegreatSyracusan——Hipparchustheastronomer。TohiscasemuchwhichIhavejustsaidapplies。Inhimastronomicscienceseemedtoawakensuddenlytoatrueinductivemethod，andafterhimtofallintoitsoldslumberfor300years。InthemeantimeTimocharis，Aristyllus，andCononhadeachaddedtheirmitestothediscoveriesofEratosthenes:buttoHipparchusweowethattheoryoftheheavens，commonlycalledthePtolemaicsystem，which，startingfromtheassumptionthattheearthwasthecentreoftheuniverse，attemptedtoexplainthemotionsoftheheavenlybodiesbyacomplexsystemofsupposedeccentricsandepicycles。Thishasofcoursenowvanishedbeforemoderndiscoveries。Butitsvalueasascientificattemptliesinthis:thatthemethodbeingacorrectone，correctresultswereobtained，thoughstartingfromafalseassumption；andHipparchusandhissuccessorswereenabledbyittocalculateandpredictthechangesoftheheavens，inspiteoftheirclumsyinstruments，withalmostasmuchaccuracyaswedonow。