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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 90, page id 778263916:0106
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Duration, and its simple Modes.
ralcen into the Computation, by any one who will estimate or measure
Motion, (0 as to judse ristr oFit. Nor, indced, docs Motion ans other.
vise conduce tothe mealurins of Duration, than as it constantly brinss
about thCreturn oF certain sensible Ldeas, in sceimine equidistant Periods.
For il the Motion ot the sun, trere as unequal as of a Strip driven by un-
Ready Winds, Sometimes very NOW, and at OrHers, irregularly very swift;
or it beins constantr equally TvisE, it Yet as nor circular, and produced not
the Paire Appearances, it Wrould nor at aII help us to measure timc, any
more than the scemino unequal otion ot a COmet dOcs.
5. 23. Minutes, FCours, Days, and Lears, are then no mOre necessary to
Time or Duration, than Inches, Feet, Vards, and Miles, marked out in
aHY Matter, are to Extentior. For thiouoh ve in this pare ot the Uni-
verle, by che constant ule ofthem, as Periods set out by the Rerolutions
OFEhO SuH, Ox LCHOWN PaxES OF TheMI, have Axed the Ideas OF (UCM L enGTHS
ot Duration in. our Ninds, erhich we applY to all parts ot Time, whose
Lenschs me vould consider; vet there mas be other ports oF the Uni-
verle, Wvtiere ther no more ule those measures ot ours, than in Japan they
do our Tnches, Fcet, or Miles: but yet somethins Analasous to them,
there must Be. For wittrout lome regular periodical returris, we couldnot
measure our selres, or signitie to others the lensth oF any Duration, thougn
at the same time the Norid rere g5 FuII oF MOtion, a5 it is no; but no
Part of it dispoled into regular and apparent equidistant Revolutions. But
the different meatures chat maz be made use ot Por the accoune of Fime,
do noc at alt alter the notion of Duration, vrhichis thethins to be meatu:
red, no more than the different Candards of a Loor and a Cubit alter the
norion ot Extension, to thole, who malse ule of thole disterent Mcatures.
5. 2.5. The Mind havins once sor such a mealure of Time, as the an-
Dual Revolution of the Sun, can apply that meature to Duration, Where.
in that meature it selF did not exist, and with erhich in the realitr ol its
Deins, ic hac nothins todo: For ould onc (ay, That Abraham WaS BOrH
in ElC 27F2 Vear OF thC Fulian Period, it is altosether as incellisible as
rectonine from the besinnins ot the World, though there vere 10 far
Backno notion of the Sun, nor any other motion at alI. For thougt
the Fulian Period be supposed to begin several hundred rears betore there
verereally cither DayS, NigHES, Or VCarS, marked out by any Revolu-
tions ofthe Sun, ret we reckon asright, and therebs mealure Durations
a5 WelI, as if realsy at thactime the sun hrad existed, and Kope the lame
ordinary morion it doth nO. THC Idea of Duration equal t0 un an-
nual Revolution of the Sunisas calily applicable in our FhougtEs +0 Dura-
tion, wvhere no Sun nor MTotion vas, as the Idea OF a FOOt or Vard takcen
trom Bodies here, can be applicc in our ThougHES to Distances, berond
the Contines oF the Worid, Wrhereare no Bodiesat aII.
5. 26. For suppolins it vere 5639 miles, or millions ofMiles, trom this
place tothe remorest Body ofthe Oniverse, (For Deins finite, it must bc at
a certain diltance,) as re suppose it tobe 5639 ycars, From this time to
thehirst existence ofary Bods in the besinmins of the World, ne can, in
Oux ThougHES, apply this measure of a Tear to Duration before the Crea-
tion, or berond the Duration of Bodies or Motion, 25 e can this mea-
fure ot a Mile to Space Derond the utmolt Bodies; and by theone mea-
ture Duration, wtiere there as noMorion, as rellas by the other mea-
sure Space in our Thouohs, Where there is no Body.
5. 27. TF it be objected to me here, That in this ay ot explaining of
Time, Ihave becd wtrat I Bould not, viz. That the World is neither
eternal, nor intinite; Lansiver, Thar to my present purpose, iL iS nOL
necd.
BC