She caused him to make experience Upon wild beasts.
--Spenser.
2. The effect upon the judgment or feelings produced by any
event, whether witnessed or participated in; personal and
direct impressions as contrasted with description or
fancies; personal acquaintance; actual enjoyment or
suffering. ``Guided by other's experiences.'' --Shak.
I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and
that is the lamp of experience. --P. Henry
To most men experience is like the stern lights of a
ship, which illumine only the track it has passed.
--Coleridge.
When the consuls . . . came in . . . they knew soon
by experience how slenderly guarded against danger
the majesty of rulers is where force is wanting.
--Holland.
Those that undertook the religion of our Savior upon
his preaching, had no experience of it. --Sharp.
3. An act of knowledge, one or more, by which single facts or
general truths are ascertained; experimental or inductive
knowledge; hence, implying skill, facility, or practical
wisdom gained by personal knowledge, feeling or action;
as, a king without experience of war.
Whence hath the mind all the materials of reason and
knowledge? To this I answer in one word, from
experience. --Locke.
Experience may be acquired in two ways; either,
first by noticing facts without any attempt to
influence the frequency of their occurrence or to
vary the circumstances under which they occur; this
is observation; or, secondly, by putting in action
causes or agents over which we have control, and
purposely varying their combinations, and noticing
what effects take place; this is experiment. --Sir
J. Herschel.