io8 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



as Plato and Ariftotlc ; and if we are to learn only from our own 

 experience and obfervation, or from what our cotemporaries may- 

 have learned in that way, we fhall cither not learn at all, or very 

 imperfedly, and very late in life. By this learning, our governing 

 principle, our intellect, is formed; and when the animal mind is 

 accuftomed to be governed, fo as to fubmit eafily and willingly, then 

 indeed we are kings ; as the Stoicks faid their Sage was *. 



How this great work is to be brought about, and this kingdom 

 within our clothes to be governed, our modern philofophers have not 

 ftudied, though a mofl important part of the hiftory and philofo- 

 phy of man. What I have learned of the fubjed from antient books, 

 from which I have learned every thing of any value that I know, I 

 fliall give the reader in as few words as I can. 



The governing power of this kingdom, that is the Intellect, does 

 not itfelf immediately or diredtly perform the operations of the 

 other three minds, the animal, the vegetable, and the elemental, but 

 diredls and fuperintends the operations of them all. Its chief minif- 

 ter is the animal mind, which is the immediate caufe of the motions 

 of our bodies. For it is a great error to imagine, that it is our in- 

 tellectual mind which immediately and diredly moves our bodies j 

 buc it is our animal mind : And the organs or inftruments, which it 

 ufes to perform thefe motions, are, nerves, mufcles, finews, and 

 bones, which make altogether a very complicated machine. And 

 here we may obferve, in our little world, a moft wonderful opera- 

 tion of mind, but which has not been obferved by any philofopher 

 or anatomift. It is this, that by a fmgle a£t of our will, we fet this 

 whole machine a going, and fo move our bodies in what manner 



we 



* Ad fumnium {;xpiens uno minor eft Jove, dives, 



Liber, honoratus, pulcher, rex denique regumj Horat. Lib. i. Epift. i. 



