Chap. V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 93 



further fays, in the fame paffage, that even the mod impcrfedl ani- 

 mals, fuch as have but the fingle fenfe of touchy have appetite [t-Tn^t,- 

 fcta) and Hkewife a pbantafta\ but, fays he, an indefinite one, that is, 

 as his interpreter Philoponus underftands it, an obfcure one, in which 

 the objeds are not diflindtly reprefented ^^ 



Further, all animals candlftinguifli the perception of one fenfe from 

 that of another ; for example, they can diftinguifhyw^f^ from ivhite^ 

 and either from /outid. Now, this diftindion cannot be made by any 

 one of the five fenfes, which only perceive and diftinguifli their pro- 

 per objeds. Neither can this be done by mtelk^y fuppofing that all 

 animals were poffeffed of it ; becaufe fenfible and corporeal things 

 are not the objeds of intelkSi, At fame time, it is evident, that a di- 

 ftindion muft be made by fome faculty of the mind, which perceives 

 them both at once ; for otherways it is impoffible to compare them. 

 Now, for this purpofe, Ariftotle has thought, that a kind of fixth fenfe 



\vas 



* See the commentary of Simplicius upon this parage of Ariftotle, page 86 where 

 he very properly obferves, that all animals appear to have a diftin£l phantafia of the re 

 ijov, or what \s p /enfant ; that is, what is proper for the nourifhment of the animal 

 and the prefervation of the fpecies. But fome animals, fays he, have no diitimfl: 

 phantafia where the nouriflmient is to be found; and, therefore, they have no tiiftiiKH: 

 or determined progrefTive motion : And this appears to be the cafe of worms and flies. 

 The imperfect animals, who have no progrefTive motion, and only one fenfe, have 

 likewife a diflimft enough phantafia of what is proper for their nouridinient ; for we 

 fee oyfters, when they want nourifliment, opening their fhells ; but, as tliey are con- 

 fined to one place, and as they do not go to the nourifliment, but the nouri{liment 

 comes to them, they have no phantafia at all diredling them to the phice where the 

 nourifliment is to be found, or inftru<Sling them how it is to be fought for. Thus far 

 Simplicius ; to which it may be added, that, as nature docs every thing that is 

 neceffary, but nothing more than is necefl'ary, it would have been very fupcrfluous 

 to have given to worms or flies, which find their nourifliment every where, a phan- 

 tafia, as dift;in£l and comprehenfive as that of a horfe or dog. And, as to thofe im- 

 pcrfedl animals, which are fixed to one fpot, it would have been altogether unnecef- 

 fary to have given them any other phantafia than that which dirccfls tljem to prepare 

 for the reception of the nourifliment when it comes to them. 



