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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 258, page id 778263916:0274
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Remedies of the Imperfection
B00
6. 2Y. Nom these leadinq Zualiries, are best made tenoion by sewinc, arid
ean harels be made lnomn ochermile. Por the cape ol an FTorse, Or
Cassuary, Wrill be bur rudely and impertectls imprinced on ehie Mind by
Words, the sighe ofthe Animals doth it a thousand times Letter: And
the Idea oF the particular Colour of Gold, is not to be got by any delcri-
ption oF it, but only by the trequent exereile of thC Lves abOUFIF; 25 i5
evident in thole irtio are uled to this Metal, irhro ill frequentr distin-
fuish erue trom connterseit, pure from adulterate, by the S∞HE, eHere o
thers (irho hare as 500d Rzes, but ret, by ule, have not got the precile
nice Idea OF chat poculiar Lellor) Mals nor perceire ans difference. The
libe may be said of thole other simple Ideas, Deculiar in their Kind to any
Substance; Tor whieh precile Ideas, there are no reculiar Names. Phe
particular ringins lound chero is in Gold, distinct From the Pound ot othex
Bodies, has no particular Name annexed to it, no more than the parricu-
lar Vellor chat belones to thae Netal.
6. 22. But because many oP the simple Ldeas thac male up our specisicke
Ideas oF Substances, are Porers, Which lie not obrious ro our Senses in che
Things as they ordinarily appear; therelore, in the lignitication of our
Names os Substances, some part of the sienification will be betier made
tenoon, by enumeratine those simple Ideas, than in servine the Substance it
Self. For he chat, t0 thie vollor Minins Colour ol Cold got by (iche,
Mai, trom my enumerarins them, have the Ideas of creat Ductiliey,
Fulibitiey, Fixedness, and Solubilier, in Ag. Recia, Will have a pertecter Idea
OE Gold, than he can hare by secins a picce of Cold, and thereby im-
princins in his Mind only its obrious Oualities. But ilthetormal Con-
Stitution olthis ining, heavr, ducil Thins (Trom Whence all chele its
Properries AOr) lay open to our Senses, as the Formal Constiturion, or
Essence ol a Priariele does, the lignitication of the ord Gold, misht a5
casily be ascertained, as that oF Trianele.
.9. 23. Flence o may talie notiće, how much the Poundation oF all
our Hnoivledee of corporeal Thines, lies in our Senses. For hor Spirits, le-
parate trom Bodios, CWhole Rnomledse and Ldeas oF thele Thines, is cer-
tainly much more perlect than ours,) lnom them, vo have no Notion,
no Idea at all: The irhole extent oF our Rnomledoe, or Imagination,
reachies not berond our oin Ideas, limited to our razs oF Percertion.
Thoush yet it te not to be doubted, that Spirits oF a histier rank than
those immersed in FleM, mas hare as clear Pdeas oF the radical Constiru.
tion os Substances, as tre havo ol a Trianele, and so perceire hour all
cheir Properties and Opcrarions Row From thence: Duc the manner how
ther come by that Rnomledse, execeds our Conceptions.
5. 24. But though Desinitions will serve to explain the Names oF Sub-
sances, as they stand for our Ideas; vet ther leave them not without
freat impertection, as thoy stand For Thinss. For our Names of Sub.
Stances being noc put barely for our Ideas, but beins made use of ulri-
matels to reprelent Things, and lo are put in their place, thoir lignitica-
tion must agree erich cho Fruth oF Things, as Wvell a5 Writh MenS Ideas:
And cheretore in Subllances, re are not alrays to rest in the ordinari
complex Idea, commonly receired as the lignitication ofthat Word, Dut
to ∞0 a lictle farther, and erquire into the Nature and Properties olthe
Things chemselres, and thereby perseet, as muchas We can, our Ideas ot
cheir distinct species; or elle learr them trom such as are uled tothat
Tore of Things, and are experienced in them. For since tis intended cheir
Names Mouid Ctand for Pueh Collections ot simple Ideas, as de reall
exict in Thinss chemselves, a5 Wellas Cor the complex Idea in ortier Iens
Minds,