PART XII.

time in another But if in itfelf, the fame will be and not be • for fince that in which any thing is generated, mult be pre exiftent to that which is generated in it • Time generated in itfelf, it it be generated, is not yet • and if it be genera¬ ted in itfelf, it is already. Wherefore Time is not generated in itfelf. But neither is one Time generated in another •, for if the Prefent be ge¬ nerated in the Future, the Future inuft be Pre¬ fent j and if in the Paft, the Pall. The fame may be ffid of other Times ; therefore one Time is not generated in another. , Now if Time be neither generated in itfelf, nor one Time in another, it is not generate at all. But that it is not ingenerate , we fliewed alfo. Therefore feeing it is neither generate nor in¬ generate, it is not at all • for every Being muft either be, generate or ingenerate.
CHAP. XVIII.
Of Number.
FOrafmuch as Time feemeth not to be confi- dered without it will not be from
the pnrpofe, to fpeak foraething briefly concer¬ ning Number. As to common Converfation, we fay, without Opinion, that we Number fome- tbing ; and allow it to be faid, that Number is fomething .• But the fuperfluous Curiofity of the Dogmattfs urgetb us to difpute againft it. The Pythagoreans affert Numbers to be the Elements of the World, for they fay, that Phccnoinena's inufl: confift of fomething, but the Elements raufl; be fimple, therefore the Elements are unappa- rent. Now of things' unapparent, fome are Bodies, as Vapors, and little Bulks *, others In- fcorpofeal, as Figures, and Idea’s, and Num¬ bers^ of which Bodies are compounded, confilt- ing of Length, Breadth , Depth, Refiftence, and Gravity. The Elements therefore are not , only unapparent, but Incorporeal. Moreover,
Number is confidered in, every Incorporeal, for it is either one, or two, or more ■ whence is ga¬ thered, that the Elements of all things are Numbers, which are unapparent and incorpo¬ real, and confiderM in all things *, and this not * "Read lihiply, but by the Monad^ and the indefi- r©-. nite'DfW, made by compofition of 'the Monad.,
by participation whereof, all particular Duads are Duads. Of thefe are made the other Num¬ bers, which are confidered in things numerate, and, 'they fay , frame the World. - For the “?I:Hnt is edrrcfporident to the: IHonad^ the Line Td\he Ditad., ( for it is confidered, as lying be¬ twixt two Points ) the Superficies to the 7rW, (for they fay, it is the fluxion of; a line into breadth to another point ovei: againfb ir. ) The Body of the Tetrdd to tire Tetrad^ for it is mgde. by elevating the S«wjfc/(?5 to a point o- ver -'ifr --'Thefe Fifiiions they make of Bodies, isnd'bP the whole World, which they affirm to be governed according to the harmonical Pro- pofiddns--, the Diatejfaron which -is Sefqui- terfw, as -6 to 6 j the Diapente which is Sefiqui- altera^ as 9 to 6 ^ and the Diapafnn.^ which is duple, as 1 2 to S. 'FJiefe things they dream, aflertiog Number to. be fomething diilind from yhc things Numbred, arguing thus^ If an Ani¬
mal be in its own proper refped One, a Plant, not being an Animal, will not be One; but a Plant is One, therefore aii Animal is not One '^in its own proper refped, but according to* inferting fomething oxtrinlecal that is confidered in it, kuta t- whereof every thing partakes , and is made One by it. A nd if Number be the things num- bred, forafmuch as the things numbred are (for example) Men, and Oxen, and Horfes, Num¬ ber muH: be Men, Horfes, and Oxen; and Number mult be white, and black? and beard- ■ed, it the things numbred happen to be fuch ; but this is abfurd, therefore Number is not the things which are numbred, but hath a peculiar exiltcnce diltind from them , according to which it is confider’d in the things Numbred, and is a!fo an Element. - r'*
The Pyth:igoreans having thus colleded, that Number is not the things Numbred, there comes in the infolublc dcuibc concerning Number ; for Number is faid to he Number, therefore is either the things numbred, or fome extrinfecal thing diftind from them ; but neitiier is Num¬ ber the things numbred , as the Pythagoreans have demonftrated ; nor is it any thing diftind from them, as we * ffiall declare; therefore* Reading J# Number is nothing. That Number is nothing C'^oy.vriaoiM. extrinfecal, diftind from the things numbred, we ffiall prove, inftancing in the Monad., for the better explication hereof. For if the Mo~ nad be Something in itfelf, by participation whereof, every thing that participates of it becomes One, either the Monad itfelf is but One, or it is as many as there are things which participate of it ; but if it is One , Whether doth each of thofe Things which are faid to participate of it, participate of the Whole, or of Part thereof? For if one Man (forex- ample ) hath the \Nho\t Monad, there will be no more Monad, whereof one Horfe, or one Dog, or any of thofe things which we affirm to be One,can communicate. For,fuppofing one Garment to be amongft many naked Men, if one of them put it on, the reft muft remain naked, and without any Garment ; now if eve- i:y one participates of part thereof, fir ft, a Mo~ nad wiW have a part, and confequently Infinite Parts into which it is divided, which were ab¬ furd. Again, as a part of the Dccad (as a Du- ad ) is not a Decad, fo neither will a part of the Monad be a Aionad „ and therefore no¬ thing participates of the Monad : Therefore there is not one Monad, of whofe Parts all fingnlars participate. Now if the Alonads are equal in number to all numerate things, of which the word One is predicated, by partici¬ pation of which Monads every Particular is faid to be One, there will be Infinite .Monads thus participated. And thefe either participate of a tranfeendent Monad, or of Monads which are of equal Number with them, and are for than reafon Monads ; or they participate not, but are Monads , without any Participation. If thefe can be Monads mthouc Participation , every Senfible Thing may in like manner be One without Participation ; and then the Afo- nad , which is confidered in itfelf, is over¬ thrown. But if thefo Monads alfo are by Par¬ ticipation, either they all participate of One, or there is One peculiar to each I if all- parti- ' X X X J cipate
SCEPTICISM.