self that I would apply my system with equal success to the
difficulties of other sciences; but since their principles must all be
borrowed from philosophy, in which I found no certain principles of its
own, I thought that before all else I must try to establish some
therein. By way of preparation (for I was then but twenty-three years
old) I must root up from my mind my previous bad opinion of it, and must
practise my method in order that I might be confirmed in it more and
more.

_III.--A RULE OF LIFE_

Meanwhile I must have a rule of life as a shelter while my new house was
in building, and this consisted of three or four maxims.

The first was to conform myself to the laws and customs of my country,
and to hold to the religion in which, by God's grace, I had been brought
up; guiding myself, for the rest, by the least extreme opinions of the
most intelligent. Among extremes I counted all promises by which a man
curtails anything of his liberty; for I should have deemed it a grave
fault against good sense if, because I approved something in a given
moment, I had bound myself to accept it as good for ever after.

My second maxim was to follow resolutely even doubtful opinions when
sure opinions were not available, just as the traveller, lost in some
forest, had better walk straight forward, though in a chance direction;
for thus he will arrive, if not precisely at the place where he desires
to be, at least probably at a better place than the middle of a forest.

My third maxim was to endeavour always to conquer myself rather than
fortune, and to change my desires rather than the order of the world,
and in general to bring myself to believe that there is nothing wholly
in our power except our thoughts. And I believe that herein lay the
secret of those philosophers who, in the days of old, could withdraw
from the domination of fortune, and, despite pain and poverty, challenge
the felicity of their gods.

Finally, after looking out upon the divers occupations of men, I
pondered that I could do no better than persevere in that which I had
chosen--so deep was my content in discovering every day by its means
truths which seemed to me important, yet were unknown to the world.

Having thus made myself sure of these maxims, and having set them apart
together with the verities of faith, I judged that for the rest of my
opinions I might set freely to work to divest myself of them. For nine
years, therefore, I went up a