Chap. VIII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. n 



CHAP. VIIL 



Continuation oj the Subject o/Intelled — Intelle<St divided into Specula^ 

 tive and Pra^ical — Difference hetivixt thefe tivo — The Virtue of 

 Prudence belongs to the Pra&ical Intelled. — Manner of reafoning 

 of the P radical Intellect — Good, real or apparent ^ the Motive 

 of all Rational Aclions — Difference betvuixt Weak and Wicked 

 Anions — The Nature of the Speculative Intelled — The End of it 

 Truth — Speculative Intelled operates ivithout the Affifiance of the 

 Senfes or Phantafia — Paffage of Ariftotle upon that Subje^ explained. 



S intellefl is undoubtedly the governing principle in us, and 

 may be faid to conllitute w^w, I think it is proper to inquire 

 ftill further concerning it, before I proceed to fpeak of the oreSlic part 

 of mind. And, there is a dilllndion made by Arillotle betwixt intel" 

 letl employed in contemplation merely, that is, the nou? ^=»/)>;7.*e5, and 

 vntelleSl employed in pradice, or the Navj TrfejxT***?, that deferves well to 

 be attended to. The obje<Sl of the contemplative intellect Is truth on- 

 ly, and the difcovery of the nature of things ; whereas, the objed of 

 pradical intellect is the practice of Ife^ and the conduct of han:an 

 affairs, though the inlelled may be, as we have feen, and indeed mufl: 

 be, in a certain degree, employed in all the arts, the mechanical as 

 well as the liberal. 



And here we muft not fall into the fame n^iftake that we kc Phi- 

 loponus has fallen into, in treating of the gnoftic faculties of the niindy 

 nor make, as he has done, the operations of the fame tacultv diftin«£t 

 faculties : For, both the theoretical and practical intellect are the 

 fame faculty of the mind^ but emplojed upon difierent iuljcds, and 



for 



