# Leibniz Legible — https://leibnizlegible.com # Page: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0230 # Permalink to this reading: https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0230?run=74 # Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38) # Folio 214, page id 778263916:0230 # Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=230 # Source image: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/content/778263916/jpgs/default/00000230.jpg # Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 57 lines, status machine # Lines: 57 recognised, mean confidence 0.90 # 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. Vames o dubstances. 5. F3. But roreturn to the species of corporeal Sut Rances. FF I ptiould 2sk any one, Whether Ice ard Water ere tro distinet Species of ThingS, Idouibe noc buc PMould Be ansivered in the affirmatire: And it cannOF Be denied, but he thar lars they are ewo diltinct Species, is in the rigHE. Buc it an Pnslish. man, bred in Famaica, Who, perhaps, had never scen nox heard ofIce, cominss into Lincland in the Winter, find the Wacer he Dut in his Bason at nistt, in a great pare trozen in themornins; and not knoir- ins ans peculiar name it hac, Mould call it harden d Water; I astr. Vihether this rould be a nem Species to him, different Fromater: And, EFhinkE, it rould beansrered here, Ec vould noc to nim be a new Species, no more chanconsealed Crelly, When it is cold, is a distinst Spocies from the same Crel- ly Auid and arm; or than liquid Gold, in the Fornace, is a distinct Species From hard Crold in the fTands oF a Worteman. And il this belo, tis plain, that our distinet Species, are nothinqe but distinct complex Ideas, with distinct Names annexed to them. Tis true, ever Substance thac exists, has ils peculiar Constitution, Wrhercon depend those sensible Oualities, and Pou- ers, re oblerre in it: But the rantring ot Things into Species, which i5 nothins but Cortins them under several Titles, is done by us, accordins 1o the Ideas that e have ofthem: Which chongh sufficient eo distinouisa them by Names; Pothat re mar be able ro discourse of tlem, Wvhen We hare them not present betore us: y et il e suppole it to be done by eieir real internal Constitutions, and chat Thines existins, are distinouisted, by Nature, into Species by real Esences, accordins as re distinguistr them into Species by Wames, e Mallbe liableto grear Mictakes. 5. F4. T0 distinguilt substantial Beines into Species, accordins 10 the usual supposition, thac there are cerrain precile Fsences Or LOrmS OF Thinss, Whereby all che incividuals existins, are, by Nature, diltinsui Med inco Species, these Thinso are necestary: 8. T5. First, To be altured, that Nature, in the production of Thines, alvays dosigns ehem to partake or certain regulated cstablisted FNenCES. ertrich are to Be the Models oF aII Thines tobe produced. This, in that crude sense, it is usualsy propoled, rould necd some better explication, belore ic can tulsy be astenred t0. 6. 26. SecondlY, IE Would Be necessary to KnoW, Whether Nature al- ways actains thac Psence, it deliens in che production of Thinss. Thc irreoular and monttrous Births, that in divers Ports ot Animals have been obserred, nill alvarssire us realonto doubr os onc, or bothofthele. 9. 27. Phiraly, IE oust ro be determined, Whecher those we callMOn. sters, be really a distinet Species, accordins to che scholastick notion ol the ord species; linceitis certain, that every chins chat exists, has its particular Consciturion: And yer we tind, that lome ol these monstrous Productions, have Perr or none ol those Ovalities, Which are supposedio relult From, and accompanr the Fssence of that Species, Tram ivhence they derire cheir Orisinals, and to which, by cheir descent, chey scemto bclons. 8. 2B. Fourthly, The real Essences oFthole Thinss, Which we distin guist into Species, and as (odistinguithed, we name, ouche to be Hnown; i. e. Wwe oushuco have Ideas ol them. But since re are isnorant in thele tour Doints, the supposed real Pssences of Thines, Stand us not in stead, for the distinguishins Substances into Species. 5. 29. Fisthly, Theonly imaginable help in this case, Would De, that havins tramed perseet complex Ideas, of the Properties oF Things, AOr. ins tromtheir different real Fssences, e Mould thereby distinguist them into Species. Buc neicher ean chis bedone: for beirs isnorant Ol 1l.e reat 3