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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 136, page id 778263916:0152
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Idéas of Substances
CHI A L. XZIII.
Of our Complex Ideas of Substances.
Fe Mind beins, as P hare declared, Furnished with a great nuI-
ber of the simple Ldeas, convered in by the senses, asther are
Found in exterior things, orby Reftection onirs omn Operations, taties no
ticealso, that a certain number of these simple Ideas 80 constantly toge-
ther; ertrich beins presumed to belone to one thins, and, Wordsbeinz
luited to common apprehentions, and madle usc ot for quick dispatch, are
called so united in one subject, by onc name; Which by inadrertener ve
are apt atterward to talle ot and consider as one single Idea, Which in
decd is a complication o manz ideas tocethier: Because, as Ihave laid,
nocimasinins hor thele simple ideas can sublist by themselres, We accu.
Aom our selves, to suppole lome Substrarum, Wrherein they do lubsitt,
and trom which they do relult, wrhich theretore e caII Substance.
5. 2. S0 that il any onc rill examine himsele concernins his Notion of
pure Substance in general, he ill tind he has no other ldea oF it at all, but
Only a Suppolition ofhe lnors noc what support of such dualities, irtich
are capable of producins simple Ideas in us; Which Oualities are com
monly called Accidents: And il ans one Mould beastred, whatis the subjest
Wwherein Colour or Weislt inhreres, he trould have nothins tolay, but
the Colid extended parts: Aud il he rvere demanded, Wtrat is it, thac thae
Solidiey and Extension inhere in, he would noc bein a much ketter cale,
than the Indian belore mentioned; Who Pazing that the Worid vas sup.
portedby a great tlephant, wras astred, what the Elephant rested on; 1o
ertrich his ansiver Was, A greac Tortoile: But beine again presed FO KnOW
irtrat sare suppore to the broac backed Tortoile, replied, Comething, he
lnem not whrat. And chushere, as in all other cases, irhere re ulc Words
ithout having clear and distinct Ideas, We talk litce Childron; Who Be.
ins queltioned, What such a thing is, Which they lnow noc; readily sive
this larissactory ansiver, Thaeis lomethine; wrhich in truth signities no
more tien so uled, cirher by Children or Men, but that they bneer noc
erhrat; and thac thechins ther pretend to knoW, and tal oE, is Wrtrat
ther trave no distinst Idea ot at all, and s0 are pertectly ienorant of it
and in the darts. The Idea then re have, to wrhich re sive the gene
ral name Substance, beins nochine, bur the supposcd, bur unkenorn sup.
Port OFthole Oualities e And exictins, Which re imasine cannor subsist,
sine re substante, without lomethins to suppore them, ive call that Sup.
Port Substantia; which according to the true impore oF the Nord is, in
Plain Fnclish standine under, or upholding.
9. 3. An obscure and relatire sdea ot Substance in general beino thus
macle, re come to have the Ideas of particular sorts of Substances, by
collectins such Combinations oE simple Ideas, a5 are by Experience and
Obserration oF Mens Senses taken notice of to exist rogether, and are
cheretore supposed to Ror trom the particular internal Constitution, or
untnomn Fssence ot that Substance. Thusire come to havethe Ideas ot
2Man, HTorse, Gold, Water, C5c. OF erhich Substances, Wrhether any one
has any ocher clear Ldea, Farther than oF certain simple Ideas coexictins to
sether, Iappeal to every ones own experience. Pis the ordinary Oua
licies, obserrable in tron, or a Diamond, puc rosether, chac malie che truv
COM.
6. r.