is but to clear the Sight so far as to see that they can't see; the
utmost Wisdom of Mankind, and the highest Improvement a Man ought to
wish for, being but to be able to see that he was Born blind; this
pushes him upon search after Mediums for the Recovery of his Sight,
and away he runs to School to Art and Science, and there he is
furnisht with Horoscopes, Microscopes, Tellescopes, Caliscopes,
Money-scopes, and the D---l and and all of Glasses, to help and
assist his Moon-blind Understanding; these with wonderful Skill and
Ages of Application, after wandring thro' Bogs and Wildernesses of
Guess, Conjectures, Supposes, Calculations, and he knows not what,
which he meets with in Physicks, Politicks, Ethicks, Astronomy,
Mathematicks, and such sort of bewildring Things, bring him with vast
Difficulty to a little Minute-spot, call'd Demonstration; and as not
one in Ten Thousand ever finds the way thither, but are lost in the
tiresome uncouth Journey, so they that do, 'tis so long before
they come there, that they are grown Old and good for little in
the Journey; and no sooner have they obtained a glimering of this
Universal Eye-sight, this Eclaricissment General, but they Die, and
have hardly time to show the way to those that come after.

Now, as the earnest search after this thing call'd Demonstration
fill'd me with Desires of seeing every thing, so my Observations of
the strange multitude of Mysteries I met with in all Men's Actions
here, spurr'd my Curiosity to examine, if the Great Eye of the World
had no People to whom he had given a clearer Eye-sight, or at least,
that made a better use of it than we had here.

If pursuing this search I was much delighted at my Arrival into
China, it cannot be thought strange, since there we find Knowledge
as much advanc'd beyond our common Pitch, as it was pretended to be