Chap.I. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 5-1 



the philofophy of Ariftotle, is in all phyfical Bodies, and may 

 be called the Elanental Mind ; firfl, becaufe it is in the elements,, 

 and makes them cohere together, fo as to form Bodies of fome fize, 

 •which, being compofed of thefe elements, have all this Mind in them ; 

 and, fecondly, becaufe it is the foundation and groand-work of all 

 the other Minds incorporated with Matter; for the vegetable, the 

 animal, and the intelledlual life in Man, are but fuperftruftures upoa 

 this elemental life, which pervades the whole material world, and- 

 may be faid to be the bafis of every thing in it *. 



As this Mind animates and actuates fimple and elemental Bodies, 



G 2 or. 



* This principle, as I have obferved before, Ariftotle fjys is '««-7rs/> 4"''X''-> ^nd lici 

 ^OTi \r Toif ^i«r« K»if(rru<ri. But the Platonic philofopHers of later times, particularly 

 Proclus furnamed his fucceflbr, fpeak much more fully of this principle of life and 

 a£livity, which they fay pervades all Nature, brute matter, as well as Bodies com- 

 monly called animate. Proclus, in his commentary upon the Timaeus, p. 4. calls 

 it ^fliii ciXi*'i""''i "'"'' ^"'"'"fs"""! and he defcribes it thus, ^oira ii» s«>t«>v uxuXvtu;, 



It T» xtKru^j T0615 If avTn rut Itiaii ccnixiq e-vnj^tuira' And this principle, which is in 

 itfelf eternal, as well as immaterial, and preferves the fpecicfcs of things, though 

 the matter of them be corrupted, is, in the language of thefe later Platonifts, 

 as well as of Ariftotle, called (pvcij. The firft principle, according to Proclup, 

 is altogether out of Nature, being llri^vuftttx, and perfeitly feparated from all 

 matter } but this (fvc-n, he fays, is that alone which proceeds and goes forth into 



Body. 'H it 9»rt(, v^ttXHvrx fitttty it* Kiel i^ytttot Xiytrxi tw> 0e*>i', ovk cc^a; iv ii i>.>.f 



KittiTiK6t, aA>i f^iurx wui rc «iiTox(»i|To>, TU1 «^' ti»uT»i; ln^ytn' And he defines Nature, 

 according to the doclrine of Plato, in this way, Oun-i* ««-iu^*to;, i^nata-zc: Tn/iaTut, 

 hcyivi i-x,iv<ra, ivruf, ii{ iavrtji eg«» iu S'i/»»,ai>ii. Proclus, in Titnaeutn, p. 4. Nature, 

 therefore, according to him, is precifely what 1 make ir, an immaterial prin^-.ple of 

 motion in Bodies, acting according to intelligence, but without coafcioufn:rs, or 

 being able to recognize itfelf. And in a palfage w4iich I have quoted f om the fame 

 author, (Volume rmt, p. 108.) he blames Ariftotle, and, I think, veiy uftiy, for 

 fpeak:ng fo much of the Mind which govern- tht Mcions uf toe celefti iBo.Hes, . 

 and fayini; fo iittle 01 ihis Elemental Mind, which ij the grand agent of Nature here- 

 on earth. 



