Ghap.X. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 465 



and differing only as to the manner of their exiftence ; for it is a dif- 

 covery that was referved to modern times, that there are no ideas, and 

 that all the perceptions of the human mind are nothing but fenfations 

 more or lefs lively. Even the materialifts, fuch as the Epicureans^ 

 did not, as far as I know, deny the difference betwixt fenfations 

 and ideas ; nor did Pyrrho, who doubted of the exil^ence of the ma- 

 terial world, and denied that truth was to be difcovered with certain- 

 ty in any thing, difpute the exiftence of ideas in his own mind. 



The opinion of Plato upon this fubjed, was likewife the opinion of 

 the Pythagoreans, from whom it is evident, that Plato took his whole 

 philofophy, his morals, phyfics, and metaphyfics, and, among other 

 things, his dodtrine of ideas, which was this : ' That the ideas ox forms 

 ' of things, in contradiftindion to the matter^ not only have an exift- 

 ' ence, but a feparate exiftence, fubfifling by themfelves, out of the 



* mind of any intelligent being. — That they are immaterial fubflances, 



* not only animated, but having intelligence. — That, from thofe ideas, 

 ' proceed all the variety of things in this univerfe, which, by partici- 



* pation of them, are each the thing it is, and diflindt from every other 

 ' thing, deriving from the idea of wiiich'it participates its nature and 

 'denomination. Thus, for example, a maii^hy participating of the i- 



* dea of 7}ian^ has the nature of a man, and is fo denominated. In like 

 ' manner, a horje is a hor/e^ and fo of other animals j and not only did 

 ' fubftances exill by the participation of thofe ideas, but alfo qualities 



* and properties ; thus, a thing was one by the participation of the idea 

 ' of one ; and it w2l& good or /air^ by the participation of the ideas of 

 ^ good 2indi fair \ yet thofe ideas, thus mixed and incorporated with fo 

 ' many diflPerent fubjeds, we^e not therefore divided or difcerpted, but 



* ftill retained she unity a d integrity of their natu'-e ; and, therefore, 

 ' in the language of the Platonifts, the idea is the thing itfelf *, pure 



* and 



* This they called «,vr<t Mti^MTrci, kvto 'iTTTn;, xvre t# kxKov, xvto to tt'yxi*^. Sec 



