Robert Hooke

The truth is, the Science of Nature has been already too long made only a work of the Brain and the Fancy: It is now high time that it should return to the plainness and soundness of Observations on material and obvious things.

It is commonly believed that anyone who looks upon a microscope will be convinced...

The most natural and genuine way of Inquiry in Natural Philosophy is, first, to seek out and examine the most simple and uncompounded Bodies, and then by degrees to proceed to those that are more compounded and mixt.

The footsteps of Nature are to be trac'd, not only in her ordinary course, but when she seems to be put to her shifts, to make many doublings and turnings, and to use some kind of art in endeavouring to avoid our discovery.

As in Geometry, the most natural way of beginning is from a Mathematical point; so is the same method in Observations and Natural history the most genuine, simple, and instructive.

I here present to the world my imperfect endeavors.

This power of springing bodies, I shall now endeavour to explain, and to make it very intelligible, by shewing what is the cause of it.

Ut tensio, sic vis. (As the extension, so the force.)

It is not unlikely but that there may be yet invented several other helps for the eye, as much exceeding those already found, as those do the bare eye, such as we may perhaps be able to discover living Creatures in the Moon, or other Planets.

The next thing to be consider'd, is the cause of this springiness or elasticity.

For all the several parts of Nature, if rightly search'd into, afford pleasant and profitable Discoveries.

I did afterwards, at several times, with great pleasure and satisfaction, observe the Figure and Motion of the Fiery Sparks which are struck from a Flint and Steel.

The knowledge of nature, though it is a work of great difficulty, yet it is not impossible.

From hence I might proceed to an infinite number of other particulars, but I shall content myself with having hinted at these few.

The first thing to be undertaken in this weighty work, is a watchful eye upon the operations of nature.

Nor is it impossible, but that Microscopes may be brought to a yet greater perfection.

So many are the links, upon which the true Philosophy depends, of which, if any one be loose, or weak, the whole chain is in danger of being dissolved.

In the mean time, I shall only hint, that the parts of all bodies, though solid, do yet consist of particles that are porous.

The light of the Sun is the prime agent in all the productions and operations of nature.

The variety of Figures is almost infinite.