i68 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book IV. 



vain man's Imagination is full of honours done to him, and praifc 

 beftowed upon him ; The avaritious fee, in the Mind's eye, pro- 

 digious heaps of wealth amafled : The Men who delight in the 

 magnificence of houfes, gardens, table, and equipage, have their I- 

 maginations filled with fccnes of thefe Kinds. And, when thefe 

 paffions and purfuits become the ftudy and occupation of our lives, 

 we have hardly any other Imaginations. 



Thus, it appears that our Phantafia, while we are awake, is fuited 

 to the habits and difpofitions of our Minds and Bodies, and to our 

 ftudies and purfuits in life. As to the Intelle£t, or governing Power 

 within us, it reviews and corrects the appearances of the Phantafia, 

 and checks and controuls it in its Tallies and excurfions, and can tranf- 

 fer it from one objed to another. But, though it be thus under the 

 government of reafon, it has an adlive power in itfelf, and does of- 

 ten a£t without the confent or approbation of Reafon ; for our Fan- 

 cies do not depend entirely upon our will ; and there are often Phan- 

 tafms in our Imagination, even while we are waking, of which we 

 can give no account at all. 



And here we may obferve, in pafling, that, though Reafon is the 

 governing Principle in us, yet its authority is much bounde'd and 

 limited by the conftitution of our nature : For, in ihtfrji place, it 

 has no power at all, diredlly and immediately, over the vegetable 

 part of our nature ; for we grow and are nourifhed without our 

 Underftanding taking any concern in the matter : And, fecondly^ it 

 can only controul and check the operations of the Phantafia ; but it 

 cannot operate for it, nor entirely prevent its operating. We may 

 alfo further obferve, that the Phantafia is not paflive, as the Mind is 

 in Senfation, but is adive, and creates objedls for itfelf. 



Having 



