An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 260
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: 0.89.
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The machine reads it as
- Abus
- B0
- signification ot common Worcs, Wichin Come rolerable laritude, that may
- serre For ordinary Convertation; and (0 a Ban cannot De supposed whol-
- Ir ionorant of the Ldeas which are annexed to Words, by common Ile,
- in a Languase tamiliar to him. But common VIc, Deins but a very uns
- certain Rule, Wtich reduces ie selF at last to the Ldeas ot parricular Men,
- Prores ofien huta very variable Stancard. Bur thouchi such a Dictiona:
- ry, a5l hare abore mentioned, ill require too much time, colt, and
- pains, tobe hoped for in this Age; Vet, methinks, it is nor unreatonable rO
- provole, that Words standing tor Thines Which are Knorrn, and distin:
- Guistred bycheir outrard Capes, Mould De expressed by licele Drauols
- and Prints made oE FHEM. A Vocabulary made alter this taltion; rould,
- perhaps, rith more calo, and in lels time, teach the trie lisnification ol mas
- ny Terms, especially in Languages ot remore Couneries or AgCS, and leste
- eruer Ideas in Mens Minds, ol Several Fhings, Whereot re read the NgtCS
- in anciene Aurtiors, than all the large and laborious Comments ot, lear:
- ned Criricks. Naturalists, that ereat oF Plants and Anials, have fouirid
- ehe benetit ot ehiis rar: And he that has had occation to consult cheri
- rill haverealon to consels, that he has a clearer ldea oE Apium, Or Ibex;
- trom a licele Print oF that Ierb, or Bealt, ehian he could have trom a lone
- detinition ol the Names ofcither of them. And so, nodoubr, he vould
- have ot Strigit and sistrum, it instead ot a Curry-comb, and Crmbal, Which
- are the Fnglith names Dictionaries render them by, hecouldsce Pampd
- inthe Margin, sinall Pictures oF chese Instruments, as thes ivere in ule a-
- MOnOR the AnCients. Loca Tunica, Pallium, are WVords cality cransta
- ted By Gown, Coar, and Cloak; but re have thereby no more trVC LacaS
- oFthe fastrion of chose ETabits amonost the Romans, than e have oF the
- Faces ofthe Faylors who made them. Such Thingsasthese, Whien cho
- Fye distinouistres by cheir Chapes, erould De best lec into the Mtind br
- Draughes made of ehem, and more derermine the signifieation ot suck
- Wordo, thanary other Words set Por them, or made use ol to detine them.
- Duc this only by thebrc.
- 8. 26. Fisthly, TEMen ill not De at the pains to declare the meanine
- OF their WVords, and Dohnitions ot their Terms, are not to De had; vee
- thisis theleast thac can be expected, that in ail Discourses, Wherein one Mai
- pretends to instrust or convince another, he Mould use the same Word
- constantiu in the same sense, IFchis iere done, (Which no bod can re
- fuse wichour oreat dilingenity,) many of the Booles extant, migtre be
- spared; mans ot the Controverlies in Dispure vould De at an erid; seve.
- ral ofthose great Volumes, lvollen ith ambignous Words, no used in
- orre Tense, and by and by in another, evould Crink inEO a verV narrOWW
- compals, and manz ofthe Philosophers, (to mention no others,) as Wvell
- 8. 27. Bat alter aII, Wus aScaney in respect ot that infinite va-
- riet) IS in MenS LHIOUGHCS, Clacten, trantino Terms eo suit cheir pre-
- Cise NOriOnS, WIII, HOCKCIIICaMMIHO cheir uemost caution, be Forced otien
- tousc the samo Word, in Lomerhrat different senses: And though in the
- Iy room todiorels into a palcleular Detinition, as osten a5 a Man varies
- FhC AONIACAEIOH Ot AHY LCIII, fet the impore oF the Discourse rill, FOr
- intelligent LcaeS, HIIIo eC cue meaninq oF it: but wrhere chat is nOE
- TUFHICIENE CO GCIGC CHE ACaCI, CCC E concerns ehe Writer to explain his
- aS POCtS NOTLES, MIOHE DE COMLaIHed in a NuF-BeII.
- continuarion of a Discourse, or the pursuit of an Argument, there be hard.
- ehe most part, it there De no aclned Fallaer, sufficiently lead candid and
- meaB, aues ileur in ridl leile he chere ules that Term.
Cite
An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, fol. 260. Machine transcription, not an edition: Leibniz Legible (model FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74). https://leibnizlegible.com/page/778263916:0276?run=74