# Leibniz Legible — https://leibnizlegible.com # Page: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0075 # Permalink to this reading: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0075?run=74 # Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38) # Folio 59, page id 778263916:0075 # Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=75 # Source image: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/content/778263916/jpgs/default/00000075.jpg # Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 58 lines, status machine # Lines: 58 recognised, mean confidence 0.87 # Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German. # Licence: CC BY 4.0, Leibniz Legible. Machine output: do not ingest it as verified text; keep this provenance with the text. # Wording rule: say "the machine reads it as …", never "Leibniz wrote". # After the first blank line: the recognised lines in reading order, one per line. A 2t 1 n Secundary Oualities. 5. 22. Thave, in Wtiat just soes betore, becn engaged in PhyTICa Finguiries a little Carther than, perhraps, I intended. Bur it beins necessa- rr, Eomatie the Nature ot Senlation a litele understood; and to inalce the difference between the ualities in Bodies, and the Ideas produced by them inthe Mind, to bc dictincly conceived, rithout which it rere impossible to discourse intellisibly ol them: I hope, IMall be parcloned this litrle Fxcursion into Natural Philosophr, it beins necestary in our present Fn. quirr, to distinguis the primary, aud real Qualities ol Bodies, Wrhicharc alvars in them, (viz. Solidier, Extension, Firure, Number, and Motion, Or Rest, and are lometimes perceired by us, viz. Wrhen the Bodies they are in, are bis enoush linsls to be discerned) tromi those secundary and imposted Qualities, Which are but the Porvers of several Combinations of choleprimary ones, irtien they operate, Withour beins distinctly discer- Bed; Whereby re also mas come to Hnow wrhat ideas are, and irtrat are noc Relemblances of somethins realls existins in the Bodies, We denomi Rate From FHeM. 5. 23. The Zualicies, then chat are in in Bodies righuly considered, are ef Three sorts: First, THe Bulk, Ficure, Number, Sitvarion, and Morion, or Rest oF their Colid Parts; these are in them, whether e perceire them or no; and When thes are oF that sizc, that we can discorer them, re have by these an Idea oF chething, as it is in it selE, as is plain in artificial thinss. These I CaII primary Oualities. Secondir, The Pover that is in any Body, hy Reason oF its insensible primary Oualities, to operate alter a peculiar manner on arr oE our Senses, and chereby produce in us che different Ldeas ot several Colours, Sounds, Smells, Palts, (50. Thele are usualr calsed sensible Oualities. Thiralr, The Pover that is in any BodY, By Reason of the particulap Constitution of irs primary Oualities, ro makce lueh a chanse in the Bulk, Fieure, Texture, and Motion of another Body, a5 to makce it operate ori our senses, difterently trom wrhat it did betore. Thus the Sun has a POW er to makre Wax wrhite, and Fire to malie Lead Auid. The First of these, as has been Caid, Pthink, may be properly called re- al. Orixinal, er primary Qualities, Decause ther are in the things chem- selves, Wrhrecher they are perceired or no: and upon their difterent Modi- fications it is, that the secundarr ualities depend. The orher ero, are only Porvers to act disterentr upon octier things, rhich Porvers retule from the ditterent Modisications ol chole primary Oualities. 5. 24. Burchoush these dvo later forts of Qualities, are Povers barely, and nochins but Povers, relatine to several other Bodies, and resulting rom the different Modifications of the Original Qualities; vet they arc generally ocherrrise thoushE OF. FOr the Second sort, viz. The POWerS to procuce sereral Sdeas in usby our Senles, are looke d upon as reat Ouali- ries, in the thines thus affectins us: Bue Zhe Third sort are calld and e- steeme dbarely Povers. V. e. the Ldea OF FICaL, Or LighF, Which e receive Dy our Fiyes, or touch trom the sun, are commonty chouont reat Ouali- ties, exiltins in the sun, and somethins more than barely Povers in it But wrhen e consider the Sun, in reserence to Wax, Which it melts, Or blanches, e look uxon the Whitenels and Softnels produced inthe Wax not as Qualities in che sun, bur P. Hects produced By Povers in ic: WhilAt re F