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An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 243

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. Abuse 0)
  2. rate and contemned Mechanick, (a Name OF DisoraCC,) ThaE LhCY reCCL
  3. ved the improvemnes of ulesul ArtS. Neverthelels, chis artiticial Igno
  4. rance, and learned Gibberis, prevailed misltilr in chese last AGCS, bY
  5. eie Interest and Artitice oF thole, Who Found no casier ay to thar piteh
  6. ol Authorier and Dominion they nave actaincd, than by amusines ehe
  7. Nen oE BuSireIS, and TENOTaNE, With hard WVords, or emploxinq elic In-
  8. genious and Tdle in intricate Disputes, about unintellisible Terms, and Hol-
  9. dins them perpetuals entangled in chat endlels LabyrintH. Besides,
  10. there is no such way to gain admirtance, or gire delence to srange and
  11. absurd Doctrines, asto guard them round about rith Legions ol obscure,
  12. doubrtul, and undelined Words. Which set makre these Retreats, more
  13. liho the Dens OF ROBberS, Or FTOleS OF FOXCS, Than thC Fortreses oF fair
  14. Warriours: Wtrich il it be hard 1o set them our oF, it is not Por the
  15. Srenoth thac is in them, Dur the Briars and Thorns, and the Obseurity
  16. ofthe Thickersther aro belet ith. For Ontruch beine unacceptable 10
  17. thenind ot Man, there is no other defence lete for Ablurdier, but Ob.
  18. scuriey.
  19. 5. 20. Thus learned Tgnorance, and this ANE oF leepine, even inquisi-
  20. tive Men, Trom true Rnomledge, hath been propagated in the Worid,
  21. and hath much perplexed, whilst it precended eo intorm the Onderstan-
  22. ding. For we sec, that other well meanine and wise Men, Wrhose Edu
  23. cation and Parrs had not axtained that accutenels, could incellixibly exprese
  24. chemselres to one another; and in its plain ule, malse a BCnCHE OF L an-
  25. guage. But though unlcarned Men ell enoush understood the Worcs
  26. White and Black, (Sc. and had constant Norions oF the Ideas Gonihed by
  27. chose Nords; ver there vere Philosophers Found, who had learnino and
  28. Subeiler enough to prove, that Snou Was black; (1. e. to prove, that White
  29. Was BlacH;) Wrhereby cher had the advantase to destror the Instruments
  30. and Means oF Discourse, Conversation, Instruction, and socierr; Wrhils
  31. rith oreat Art and Subtilier, ther did no more but perplex and contound
  32. che Sienitication oF Words, and therebr render Lariguage lels usetul,
  33. than thereal Defects of it had made it, a Gift, Which the illiterate had
  34. nOF actained tO.
  35. 8. FF. These learned Nen did equally instrust Mens Onderstandinss
  36. and proht their Lives, as he Who Mould alter the signification oF benovn
  37. Characters, and, by a fabeile Device oF Tearnino, tar Turpastino che Ca-
  38. paciey oE theilliterare, Dull, aud Vulgar, Mould, in his Wriring, Merr,
  39. Ehat he could pat A. FOr B. and D. tor R. Csc. Tocheno smalladmiration
  40. and benehe othris Reader; it Deins as lensess to put Black, Wtieh i5 2
  41. Word agrecd on to sand For onc sen sible Ldea, to put ic, Play, For anorher,
  42. Or thC COntrarY Idea, 1. C. 10 Call SnoW Blacte, 25 t0 put ehis marle A.
  43. ertrich is a Character asrecd on to lland for one modification ot, Sound
  44. made by a certain motion of the Organs of Specch, For. B. Which is aorecd
  45. on to stand For anocher moditication ot. Sound, made by another certain
  46. motion oF the Organs oF SpeccM.
  47. 5. 2. Nor hath this mischiet Aopped in logical Niceties, or curious
  48. emper Speculations; ir hath invaded the freat Concernmenrs of FTumane
  49. Fise and Socieer; obscured and perplexed the material TrVEHS OF L aW
  50. and Dirinier; broushe Consusion, Disorder, and Incertainey into the
  51. Atairs ot Nanlrind; and if noc destrored, vet in oreat meature rep
  52. dred useless FhOSC EWO great Rules, Relision and Juctice. What Bave the
  53. oreatest pare OF the Comments and Dispures, uxon tho LaWS OF GOD
  54. and Tan Terved for, but eo malce the meanine more doubetul, ane per-
  55. plexthe sen (e. What have been che effect of those multiplied curious
  56. Ddictinetions,

Cite

An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 243. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0259?run=74