314 ANTIENTMETAPHYSICS. Book III. 



* and animation ; and thus we know all that is animated, whether a- 



* nimal or vegetahle. — By a like procefs of the mind, from particulars 



* to generals, and from what is general to what is more general, we 



* acquire the idea of what is inanimate^ comprehending earth, Hone, 



* minerals, &:c. all which we may be faid in this v^ay to know. — 

 ' Further, to make our knowledge (till more comprehenfive, we difco- 



* ver, that what is animate and inanimate, has fomething in common, 

 ' which we call body; and thus we acquire the knowledge of all 



* things corporeal. — In the like manner, from particular minds, or a- 

 *^ nitr.ating principles, we acquire the idea of mind in general ; and, by 



* obferving what mind has in common with body, we enlarge our 

 ' knowledge ft ill further, and acquire the idea oi fuhjiance^ the fir ft of 



* the general clafles above mentioned. — In the lame manner, proceed- 



* ing ftill from particulars to generals, and from what is general to 



* what is more general, we form the ideas of the reft of thefe clafles, 

 ' fuch as qiiantity<i quality-, ^'C. ; and, by doing fo, we may be faid to 



* kr^ow, in general, at leaft,- all the particulars contained under thefe 



* feveral clafles *.* 



Thus far Ammonlus, who has faid enough to explain this general 

 kind of knowledge, but not to be underftood except by thofe who 

 know the elements, at leaft, of logic ; a fcience in which, I am afraid, 

 many of our modern philofophers are very deficient ; and yet, with- 

 out underftanding fo much of it as to know what genus^fpecies, differ^ 

 ence^ proper^ and accidental^ are t> it is impoffible to have any com- 

 prehenfion of this univerfal philofophy ; nor, even in particular fci- 



ences, 



* See all this explained at more length by Ammonlus, ubifupra. 



f Thefe are Porphyry's^Ti;^ ouon/j,- as they are called, upon which he has written 

 a treatife that he intended for an introduction to Ariftotle's logical works. And it is 

 from Ammonius's commentary upon that introdu6lion that I have taken what I hate 

 quoted from Ammonius. 



