この仕事に役立つ実験については，そのすべてをやるには一人だけでは足りないことは，そのとおりである。しかしまた，他人の手はわたしの手ほど役に立たないだろう。だが，職人つまり賃金を払って雇う人の手は別で，かれらは，たいへん効果的な手立てである収入を得られるという期待で，命じられたすべてのことを正確に実行するだろう。というのも，好奇心や知識欲から助力を申し出る志願者はふつう，実行の及ばぬ約束をし，一つも成功しないようなりっぱな提案をするばかりでなく，報酬としてきっと，いくつかの難問の説明とか，少なくともお世辞やむだな会話を求めてくるのであり，そのために失われる時間はけつしてわずかな損害ではない。次に，ほかの人が行った実験について言えば，かれらはそれを秘儀と呼んでけつして公開しないだろうが，伝えようとする意志があっても，このような実験は大部分，たくさんの周辺条件やょけいな要素から成り立っていて，そこから真理を読み解くのはとても難しい。それに，実験をした人たちはかれらの原理に実験が「致するように見せようと努めるから，ほぼすべて，説明の仕方がまずく，まちがっているものもあるので，役に立つものがいくつかあったとしても，それを選び出すために時間をかけるほどの価値はない。したがってもし，ありうるかぎりもっとも偉大で，もっとも公衆に役立つことを見いだす力量がまちがいなくあると思われる人がこの世にいるとして，そのために，ほかの人たちがあらゆる手段でかれの計画がやりとげられるょう援助するとするならば，かれのためになしうろことは，必要とする実験の費用を提供し，さらにかれの自由な暇がだれにも邪魔されず奪われないよう防いでやること以外にはないであろう。しかし，わたしは自分が何か並々ならぬことを約束しようとするほど自惚れていないし，また公衆がわたしの計画に大きな関心を寄せるはずだと想像するほど空しい考えにふけってもいない。そればかりでなく，わたしが受けるに値しないような恐れのある好意は，だれからであれ受けようと望むほど，卑しい心は梓ちていない。
It is true, indeed, as regards the experiments
which may conduce to this end, that one man
is not equal to the task of making them all;
but yet he can advantageously avail himself,
in this work, of no hands besides his own,
unless those of artisans, or parties of the
same kind, whom he could pay, and whom the
hope of gain (a means of great efficacy)
might stimulate to accuracy in the performance
of what was prescribed to them. For as to
those who, through curiosity or a desire
of learning, of their own accord, perhaps,
offer him their services, besides that in
general their promises exceed their performance,
and that they sketch out fine designs of
which not one is ever realized, they will,
without doubt, expect to be compensated for
their trouble by the explication of some
difficulties, or, at least, by compliments
and useless speeches, in which he cannot
spend any portion of his time without loss
to himself. And as for the experiments that
others have already made, even although these
parties should be willing of themselves to
communicate them to him, (which is what those
who esteem them secrets will never do,) the
experiments are, for the most part, accompanied
with so many circumstances and superfluous
elements, as to make it exceedingly difficult
to disentangle the truth from its adjuncts;
besides, he will find almost all of them
so ill described, or even so false, (because
those who made them have wished to see in
them only such facts as they deemed conformable
to their principles,) that, if in the entire
number there should be some of a nature suited
to his purpose, still their value could not
compensate for the time that would be necessary
to make the selection. So that if there existed
any one whom we assuredly knew to be capable
of making discoveries of the highest kind,
and of the greatest possible utility to the
public; and if all other men were therefore
eager by all means to assist him in successfully
prosecuting his designs, I do not see that
they could do aught else for him beyond contributing
to defray the expenses of the experiments
that might be necessary; and for the rest,
prevent his being deprived of his leisure
by the unseasonable interruptions of any
one. But besides that I neither have so high
an opinion of myself as to be willing to
make promise of anything extraordinary, nor
feed on imaginations so vain as to fancy
that the public must be much interested in
my designs; I do not, on the other hand,
own a soul so mean as to be capable of accepting
from any one a favour of which it could be
supposed that I was unworthy.