Question

Read the two passages from Of the Wisdom of the Ancients.

Passage 1:

The fable relates to the cradle and infancy of nature, and pierces deep. This Love I understand to be the appetite or instinct of primal matter; or to speak more plainly, the natural motion of the atom; which is indeed the original and unique force that constitutes and fashions all things out of matter.

Passage 2:

Let us now consider his attributes. He is described with great elegance as a little child, and a child for ever; for things compounded are larger and are affected by age; whereas the primary seeds of things, or atoms, are minute and remain in perpetual infancy.

How do the two passages work together to develop Bacon’s argument?

Passage 1 explains his central idea, while passage 2 supports it.
Passage 1 provides a counter argument, while passage 2 disproves it.
Passage 1 supports the central idea, while passage 2 explains what the central idea is.
Passage 1 lists a supporting example, while passage 2 provides a counter argument.

Answer 1

Passage 1 explains his central idea, while passage 2 supports it.

Passage 1 identifies “Love” as the instinct or motion of primal matter (the key thesis). Passage 2 then elaborates and reinforces that thesis by showing why the child/infant imagery fits atoms (they remain minute and perpetually infantile), thus supporting Bacon’s claim.