Chap.XIII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 173 



I come now to fpeak of that which exifts without parts. And it is 

 evident from what has been faid, that this muft he the moft perfed: 

 exiftence of any ; for we cannot fay of fuch a fubftance, as we can do 

 of bodjy that here is a part of it, there is a part of it ; or that one part 

 of it exifted firft, another laft ; or that it is aliud extra aliud^ one thing 

 ivithout another. Nor is it Hke numher^ which, though divifible into 

 parts perfedly fimilar, and not having the difference even of pofition, 

 is ftill divifible : Nor does it refemble either magnitude or number in 

 this refpe6t, that it is capable of addition or augmentation in infinitum^ 

 and therefore is by its nature undetermined and unlimited. But it is 

 one perfect ivhole^ indivifible, compleat in itfelf, and incapable either 

 of augmentation or diminution. This moft perfed kind of exiftence 

 I afcribe, as is natural, to the 7noft perfe^ thing : And I fay, that mind 

 exifts in this way *, 



- It will, I know, be faid, that fuch a being as I have defcribed is In- 

 conceivable ; and thofe indeed muft think fo, who believe that we 

 have no other faculty of perception, except Jen/e and imagination: 

 For it certainly cannot be apprehended by /enje., nor pidured in the 

 imagination, under any corporeal form. But, I hope,! have proved to 

 the fatisfadion of every intelligent reader, that we are pofftffed of a 

 faculty much fuperior to thofe, and that by it we can apprehend what 

 has neither colour nor Jljape, and ivhat eye hath not feen. no) ear heard. 

 And, I hope alfo, that I have fo explained incorporeal fubftance, as to 

 make it an objed of that fuperior faculty, though not of fenfe and 

 imagination, which it is impolTible it can be. 



If 



* Proclus. in his commentary upon the fecond book of the Timaeus, has onpo- 

 fed to mind what is in generation, and liable to corruption, ni the following words : 



T# tvi fAiti oAov x«* fin iy.x \rru<rxi ti/ in T»)y tvcriKf ij T))» iU^ytix* ix,ev, yif^Tof tTtoyeuxCtTKt. KXi 

 Cix yiniTtafi to r^ttvh TTxytUi ii(ptc-r>\xiY, x.xi to ntxt xvrn yiyvt/^ivtv sjtjv, «aa' «vx «r. romvTog 



