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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 174, page id 778263916:0190
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Adequate and Inadequate Ideas.
Gold; and from wrhence those Oualities AoW, whieh TEnd in ic, viz. itspecu-
liar, Colour, Weigh, FTardness, Fusibiliei. Fixcdness, and change oF Colour
axon a Dighe touch oF Mercuri, (50. This Fence, From Which al thése
Properties AoW, When lenquire inito it, and scarch atter it, Iplairly per
ccire leantiot diseorer: the Farthest Iean s0; is ontr to pretume, that ic
beins nothine but Body, its real Fssence, or internal Constitution, on
Whichchese Gualities depend, can be nothine but the Fisure, Size, and
Corinexion of its solid Parts; ot neither ot wrhich, Iharins any distinct
perception at all; Pcari have no Idea oF its real Fssence, irhich is the cause
Ehat it has that particular Mining yellonness; a greater eiohe than any
thing Pkrio oF ehe same bulk; and a hrnels to have its Colour changed
by the touchi of Ouicksilver. IFany one wrill lay, that the real Essence.
ard interrial Constitution, on erhich those Properties depend, is not the
Fisure, Sizc. and Aransement or Connexion ofirs solid Parts, but somethins
else, cald its parricular form; Jam Parther trom having any Idea oF its
realF Nence, than Pvas belore. ForIhave an Idea of Figure, Size, and Si-
tuation of solid Parrs in general, thoush Ihare none ot the parricular Fis
sure, Size, Or Puttins together oP Parts, Whereby the Qualities abore men-
tioned are produced; Wrtrich Oualities I And in that particular parcet ot
Matter thar is on my finger, and not in anocher parcel ot Macter wieh
erhich Icut the Pen Ierrice ith. But when lam told, that lomethins
belides the Figure, Size, and Posture os the solid Parts olthat Body, is its
Fissence, Lomechins called substantial form, OE that, l consels, I have no
Idea at all, but orly of the Pound Form: Which is far enouch trom an
Idea oFits real FPence, or Constitution. The like ignorance as T have
OFthe reat FPence oEthis particular Substance, I have also oF the real Fs
Tence oFall other natural ones: OF Which Fssences, I consess, I haveno
distinet ideas at ail; and l am apt to suppole, othuers, when ther examine
cheir omn Rnomledge, ill find in themlelres, in this onc point, the same
FOrE OFIGMOTaNCC.
8. 7. No then, when Nen apply eothis particular parcel OF Matter
on my Finger, a general Name already in usen, and denominate it Cold,
Dothey noc ordinarilr, or are ther not understood to sire it that NamC,
as Delonoins to a particular Species ot Bodies, havino a real internal sis
sence; Dy haring ol which Fssence, this particular Substance comes to
beot that Species, and tobe called by thac Name: IF it be(0, a5 it is
plain ic is, the name by ertich Things are martced, as having tMaL F. F
tenee, must be reterred primarily to that Fssence; and consequentr the
Idea to irtich chatname is siven, must be reterred also to that RssencC,
and beintendecto represent it: Which Flence, Lince ther who louse the
Names, lnom noc, their Ideas of Substances must De al inadequate in that
respect, as not containins in them that real Fssence, rhich the Mind in
tends ther Bould.
5. 8. Secondlr, Fhose who, neglectins that aseless Suppontion ot un
tenovn real Fssences, Whereby thes are distinguisted, endeavour to copr
the Substances, thar exist in the Worid, by putring together tne Ldeas Ol
those sensible Oualities, Wrhich are Pound co existing in them, thoueh they
comemuch nearer a libenels otthem, than those Whoimagine ther know
not What real Specifick Fsences: vet ther arrive noc at pertectly adequate.
Ideas ofthole Substances, ther would thus copr into their Minds: nor de
those Copies, exactr and tully, contain all thac is to be sound in their Ar-
ChetPCS. Because those Onalities, and Poers, et Substances, Whereot
e malie cheir complex Ideas, are (0 many and various, that no Man s
complex Laca contains ihem all. Zhat our abract ldeas ot Subltanees,
e
BC