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The history of philosophy: containing the lives, opinions, actions and discourses of the philosophers of every sect. Illustrated with the effigies of divers of them

Chapter 322

PART XIIL

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' thing quicker than the Intellea, which if it de- fign or begin any thing, brings it to pafs in a moment •, whence all acknowled^gc, that nothing can be fwifter than (her adion ) Thought.
And certainly, as Water is much apter to move, and more fluent t/han Honey, by reafon chat is made up of little Bodies,whiph are fmoo- ther, lefler, and rounder • nothing confequent- ly can confift of rounder, lefler, and fmoother, than the Mind, for nothing can be readier for motion, quicker, or more pliant.
And in whatfoever part of the Body the In- celled inheres, it fo cohereth to the Soul, or to that portion of the Soul which coexifts with it in that part, as that it is indivifibly conjoined to it, and conftitutes one Nature with it, yet it ’al¬ ways fo preferves and retains its own Nacure,as that it is the property of the Intelled,to think •, of the Soul, to undergo affedions • though, by reafon of their Cohasfion, it be conceived, that the Soul thinks, and the Intelled is affeded.
Indeed, the Intelled is void of AlFedion or Paflion 5 but ( becaufe, as the Paflions depend¬ ing on Senfe,are ftirred up in the Soul about thofe parts wherein the Senfc is feated • fo thofe which depend on Cogitation, are ftirred up in the Soul about that part where Cogitation is and in which part the Soul is one thing with the’ In¬ telled thinking :) Hence it cometh to pafs that, ^ as if the aggregate or compound of the Intelled and the Soul refiding in that part, made up only Intelled, the Paflions come to be attributed to the Intelled itfelf.
Thus,whether the Intelled be taken diftindly or jointly , it hath this property beyond the other part of the Soul, that. As when the Head or Eye aketh, we are not thereupon pain’d all OT^rthe Body ; fo fomtimes the Intelled is af- leded with Grief or Joy, when the other part or tne Soul, which isdifFufed through the Body is free from this affedion. I fay,/omr/wcf, be- caufcit may happen, that the Intelled be feis’d with i Fear fo vehement, as that the reft of the Soul may be ftruck together with it, and there¬ by may be caufed Sweating, Palenefs, ftopping
r /r j grow dim, the Ears pof-
Icfled with a humming, the Joints grow faint and, in a word, the Man may fall into a Swoon. ’
Moreover, the Intelled may be conceived to partake of life more peyfedly than the Soul of the other part of the Soul, forafmuch as’the Soul cannot fubfift never fo little in the limbs withouuhe Intelled ; but the Intelled, though the limbs round about it were cut off,and there¬ by a great part of the Soul taken away, would neverthelcfs fubfift and preferve life : Like the Ball, which conduceth more to Sight than all the reft of the Eye , becaufe the Ball being hurt though the reft of the parts be found, the Sight isdeftroy d*, but as long as the Ball is found, though the other parts be deftroyM, the Sight cohtmueth. °
Tt fjemeth not, that there can be any other feat affign d for the Intelled, or rational part of the Soul, than the middle part of the Breaft, .and confequentiy the Entrails, or the Heart, which is m the midft of the Breaft. This is raanifeft from we affedions of Fear and Joy, proceeding from Cogitation, ( or the Intelled thinking, ) which
prcceive to be in the Bteaft.
CHAP. XVIII.
‘th.n the Soul thinhth by Images , ^vhich alide into ft. ^
K Jfficulty,How the Intel- lucreu led can be ftirred up to think fomthing ? i>uL ic being mamfeft, that things are thought by tile Intellect, in the fame manner as they f re
fo Thinking or Cogitation is made by Images which glide into it. ^ ^
thole Images which glide into the ibil Lye, and being of fomthing a grofler bulk are accommodated to the contexture of the Eve and produce in it the ad of Seeing, there muft’ne- ceffanly wander through the Air an innumerable company of others, far more fubtle, and thofe off from Bodies, or form’d in the Air Itfelf, as was formerly faid •, which penetra¬ ting through the Body, and being adaptable to the contexture of the Intelled, as foon as they arrive as it, move it to Think.
Whence it comes to pafs, that as we fee ( for ibiJ example, ) a Lion, becaufe the image thereof glides into our Eyes ; fo we think a Lion,becaufe the image of a Lion,glides into our Mind. That we think or imagine Centaurs, Sylla’s and the liKe, which neither are, nor ever were 1 this may happen, not fo much by Images framed on pur- pofe,as for that when the Images ( for example ) of a Man and of a Horfe are prefented to us they by reafon of their Tenuity or Subtlety, like a Cobweb, or a Leaf of Gold, are joined toge¬ ther, and made one, fuch as is attributed to a Centaur.
But take notice, that when fomtimes we pre- jbi£ fevere in the fame thought, whether waking or fleeping, this happens not, for that we ufe forae one image of the fame thing, but that we ufe many images fucceeding in a continual fluxion which if they come to us in the fame pofture, the thing thought or imagined feemeth unmoved ; if in a varied, it feems moved. Which is the reafon,why, in dreams erpecially,im3ges feem to us to be moved jand to ftir their arms and other limbs one after another.
But how comes it to pafs, that whatfoever any Man would,his Mind or Intelled thinks that very thing? Becaufe, though there are every where Images of all forts, yet the greateft pare p^fleth by unthought of, and thofe dnly move • the Mind which fhe herfelf takes notice of or would jobferve, or frames herfelf to think of.
And, obferve we not, that the Eyes, when they begin to have a fight of fomthing very little bend and fix themfelves upon it, and, till they fee fomthing plainly, all other things are as if they were not , although they receive their images alfo.
Now as there is fome Intentivenefs requifite to the Mind, that it niay apprehend things di¬ ftindly, fb much more that it may finjply think or give fome judgment, by affirming or denying ? but moft of alljthat it may difeourfe of them as if its greateft care were not to be deceived.
But this we declared formerly, in treating of the Criteries. It will be fufficient^ as to the fpe- culation of natural things, here to obfervej that
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