Chap. II. A N T I E N T iM E 1' A P H Y S I C S. S-J 



when I perceive Figure by n^y eye, I have no Perception but of Co- 

 lour confined to a certain fpot : But it will be faid, what is this o- 

 ther than the Idea of Figure, which is nothing more than extenfion, 

 bounded and limited ? And here appears the difficulty mentioned 

 above, of diftinguifliing betwixt the Senlation and the Idea relative 

 to the fame objedl, A man who has already formed the Idea ot 

 particular figures, fuch as a Square, a Triangle, and a Circle, does 

 inftantly apply that Idea to any Figure, the moment. he has the per- 

 ception of it by the Senfe ; and, therefore, he confounds the Sen- 

 fiition with the Idea. But we muft fuppofe ourfelves in the cafe of 

 a Man who has no Idea of any figure whatfoever ; and fuch un- 

 doubtedly is the cafe of the Brute. Now, what will that man per- 

 ceive but a patch of Colour, not every where, indeed, as far as the 

 fight reaches, but confined to a certain fpot. But, in order to have 

 the Idea of the Figure of this patch, he muft know fomething of 

 the lines that bound it ; he muft be able to diftinguifti a Straight 

 Line from a Curve ; and, if it be a Redtilineal Figure, or mixed of 

 Straight and Curve Lines, he muft be able to number the fides of 

 it. Now, that cannot be without the Idea of Number, which every 

 Man, at leaft every Philofopher, will readily acknowledge, is not a 

 Perception of Senfe ; for the Brute, who has perceptions of Senfe 

 as well as we, though he perceives Multitude, and can diftinguifli it 

 from one fingle thing, has no perception of Multitude Limited, 

 that is. Number ; — much lefs does he know the proceffion of Num- 

 ber in regular order from Unity upwards. 



As to the general idea of figure, if I have proved that the Idea of 

 any particular figure, fuch as a triangle or a fquare, is not a percep- 

 tion of fenfe, it will follow, a fortiori, that neither is the idea of 

 Figure in general fuch a perception, that being ftill further remo- 

 ved from the Senfe, and more an operation of Intelled, than the 

 idea of any particular figure. Accordingly, I am perfuaded that fa- 



