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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 88

Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German. Mean line confidence on this page: 0.91.

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The machine reads it as

  1. Duration, and iis simple Modes
  2. not Keex by us any Ctandins unvary ins meature oF Duration, Which con-
  3. sicts in a constant Acetins Succection, as e can of certain lengtHs OF Lx-
  4. terision, as IncheS, Feet, Vards, (sic. arked out in permaHCNE parES OF
  5. Matter. Nochins then could serve ell for a convenient measure ot Time,
  6. Dur. Wrtrat has divided the irhole lenech oF its Duration into apparenciy
  7. equal Portions, by constantly repeated Pcriods: WVhat Portions ot Dura-
  8. tion arc not diltinguithed, or considered as distinguithed and neatured by
  9. luch Periods, come not (o properiy urider the Notion oF Time, a5 appears
  10. by such Phrases as chele, viz. before an time, and when time sall be
  11. nomore.
  12. 5. F9. The diurnal, and annual Revolutions of the Sun, as havins Been From
  13. the leginnins oE Pature, constant, regular, and univertally oblervable by
  14. ali Mantincu and suppoled equal to onc another, hrave been wrich Realon
  15. made use of for the measure of Duration. But the diltinction oF Days and
  16. Xears, havins depended on the motion ol the sun, it has broughe this
  17. mictake rith ic, that ic has Deen thoughe, that Morion and Duration ere
  18. ehe meature one ofanocher. For Men in the measurine ot the leneth of
  19. rime, havins been accultomed to the Ideas ot Minutes, ITours, DayS,
  20. Months, Lears, Coc. Which they Tound chemselves uxon any mention of
  21. Fime or Duration prelenely tochink on, all whichi Portions of Time,
  22. evere measured out by thomotion olthe Llcavens, they vere aptto con
  23. Found time and motion; or ac leasrothinte, thacther had a neceltari
  24. Connexion one with another: Whereas ans constant periodical Appea
  25. rance, or Alceration ot ideas in sceminols equidistant Spaces ol Duration,
  26. iE constant andunivertalls oblervable, nrould hare as ell distinguilhiedthe
  27. incervals o Time, as chose that have been made ule ol. For suppotins
  28. thesun, ertich some have taten to be a Firo, had been lichted up at the
  29. same distance ol time chat it nO every Day comes about to chelame
  30. Meridian, and then sone out again about trrelre hours alter, and thac in
  31. the Space oFan annual Rerolution, ic had senlibly increaled in Brichenels
  32. and Freat, and so decreased asain; rould not such regular Appearances
  33. serre to measure out the distances ot Duration to all that could oblerve it,
  34. 2s ell rithont as with Motion. For it the AppCaranCeS ivere constant,
  35. univertalls observable, and in equidistant Periods, they vould serveMan-
  36. Lind for meature ot time as vell, iere the Motion arvar.
  37. 5. 20. For thefreezins of Water, or the blorins ol a Plant, returmine at
  38. cquidistant Periods in all pares of the Farth, trouldas ell serve Nen to
  39. rection their Tears by, asthemorions ofthie sun; and in effect, we sccthat
  40. lomme People in america counced their Zears Dy the comine ot certain
  41. Birds amonost them at their certain Sealons, and leavins them at otters.
  42. FOr any Idea returnine constantly at equidistant Periods, 25 a Fit OE an A-
  43. duc; thesense oF Hunger, or Thirst; a Sinell, or a Talte; and making it
  44. selfuniver(alls betaken notice ot, vould not Fail to measure out the course
  45. OF succession, and distinguittr the distances of Time. And ive SCC FaL Men
  46. Born blind, coune Time ell enouch by Vears, Whole Revolurions yet
  47. Elier cannot distinguish by Motions, that ther perccire not. And I asti,
  48. Wrhecher 2 blind Man, Who distinguised his Lcars, cither by heat ot Sum-
  49. imer, ard cold of Winter; by the smell oE any Florrer ol the Sprins, Or
  50. Faste ofany Fruit oP theAutumn, vould noc have abetter measure ot lime,
  51. tlian elie Romans had besore ehie Reformation ot their Calendar Dy Fulius
  52. Caesar, Or many orhier People, Wrhole Vears, notwichltandins the morion
  53. ofche Sun, Wrhich thes preiend to malie usc ot, are vers irregular; and it
  54. adds no small difficuley to Chronoloor, that. the exact lenoths of the Lears
  55. chat several Nacions coantedby, are hard to be linon, tles ditterins rerr
  56. mucti

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 88. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0104?run=74