1816.] Words, Things, the ]\Tttapni/sics of Langvage. 223 



JF7?//.— Certainly. 



P/iil. — If then iinmaterial beinjr can 

 exist, the term -universe s\\\\ compre- 

 hend it. 



/f(//.— Doubtless. 



Phil. — And as tlie principal SiXid most 

 essential of a!l existence, 



Hyl. — ^I'his cannot bo denied, pro- 

 vided immaterial existence be possible, 

 as invulvins no contradiction, 



Phil. — We proceed more calmly and 

 amicably than most disputants. 



Hi/l. — True : and tlierefore not the Icsj 

 attentively, or with the less justice to 

 and tangible things are made, whether our respective hypotheses, 

 natural or artificial. And I would far- Phil. — Assuredly ; for passion clears 

 ther say, that the word Mti1>!|i, mater, or nothing : it is to argument wii^t tlw 

 mother, may serve to suggest an ulterior smohe is to contending armies, 

 consideration of tlic origin of tlie term, Ihjl. — And we, thcrcfoie, seeking 

 as denoting the siihstantial productive only for truth, content ourselves with 



the fiiendly, undisturbed, and congenial 

 light of reason. 



Phil. — And, therefore, should we fail 

 of tinding her in the eiid of this our coit- 



vvouder at your oflering me this ground ; 

 well knowing, as you do, that disputants 

 on earh side have agreed in considering 

 the structure of langnao-e decidedly fa- 

 vourable to the material system. 



Phil. — I am indei (1 aware of it. And 

 I will risk giving you the farther advan- 

 tage — we will begin with matter. 



Ilifl. — What then is mutter, etymolo- 

 gicaily taken? 



Phil. — You anticipate ray answer. 

 The same in Greek, Latin, or English. 

 ft is the "txh, Hijle, or wood ; the mate- 

 ries or materials out of which all vii-ible 



cause; and I will venture to ask you, in 

 my turn, the etymology of spii-it? 



Hyl. — I ought to thank you. Spirit, 

 TVn, ririv/xa., spiritii-s, breath, wind. 



Phil. — And thence you would infer troversy, we shall at least have maiu- 

 that spi}-it has always been regarded as taincd her honour and our oun inviolat* 



in the meaiis. 



Hyl. — As it becomes our frieudslifj* 

 and our habits of thinking. . 



Phil. — Farewell, until we can resum* 

 the discussion. 



End of the First Diahgue. 



torporeal, 



Hyl— Pretty fairly, I think. 



Phil, — One thing I peiceivc, that it 

 has been regaided as invisible, intangi- 

 ble, essentially active, the origin of mo- 

 tion and impulse, and consequently of 

 all sensible phenomena. 



Hyl. — I must admit that this observa- Correct Tabular Si^ies of the Printed 

 tion of your's is neither unfounded ix)r Statutes. 



unimportant to your cause. There is an inadvertent eyror of a 



Phil. — It would be too much honor- century in the Tables ou Statute Law, 

 ing me to give me the glory of the ob- p. 134. 

 scrvation. 



/////. — I understand jou, — but to 

 proceed. 



Phil. — What 9Ay you to the taiivcrse? 



Hyl. — It is the TO han, the universal 

 system of things. 



Phil. — Not things merely, I apprc- 

 licnd, but beings ; whether material, im- 

 material, or both ; whether anini;ited or 

 inanimate ; wlicther organic or iuorganic; 

 create or iucreatc. 



It was manifest, at first view, that a 

 space of G2 years, assigned from 3/ag)ut 

 Charta to the end of Edward III. of 62 

 years, must be wrong, being little mor« 

 than iho single reign of EdwLud III. 

 Tiicj'ea/ space is 152 years; or, reckon- 

 ing from John, instead of 9 Henry III. 

 162; so that I is dropped in the place 

 of centuries. Consequently, the com- 

 putatjnn of pages per year is wrong iu 

 tlic iirst and second series. 



The Table ought to stand tiiiis—- 

 From 1215 (l'2'i.5 iu our piinttd editions) to 1815 inclusive. 

 I-t vol. l'i!5 to -de deiiiUot'Edw.TH. . \6': ycuis 

 TI. 1177 to the death of KiciiarU III. 108 

 III, to VI. 1185, to the death of Anne a"<i9 

 VII. to IX. iri4, Gcort'e I. and II. . 46 

 X.io XX. 17«),rieo. III. tlie first iO years 40 

 XXI. to XXXIII. IGOO-lj . . . , 1.5 



(300 



in round numbers, omitting cxcoss of bcr and verbo.sily, of the statutes, has 

 the pngcs in the several v«lu»)es above been since 17(H>; the tirt period beinif 

 vumpiete hundred.';. 100 timiis inferior to the last, reckoning 



TiiuSjthe '^rtat cucrcase, both in num- by average of pages for eaclj year. 



This 



lecfio 



