Chap. XI. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 187 



fo that from thefe ideas of the divine mind are produced thofe im- 

 material fubftances, which Plato calls Ideas, 



Let us now confider the doctrine of Plato. He maintains that 

 general ideas, as well as the ideas of particular fubffcances, have a 

 real exiftence in nature, and not in the human mind only, nor even 

 in the divine mind only ; — That general ideas are immaterial fub- 

 ilances, from which particular ideas, or ideas lefs general, are aa 

 emanation, refembling that emanation which we fuppofe of all things 

 from the firft caufe. And in this way he makes a chain of caufes 

 and effeds, like the chain in Homer*, reaching from heaven to earth, 

 ending in things individual here below, and beginning from the fu- 

 preme caufe. Thus for example, there exifts, in the immaterial world, 

 the general idea of animal: From that proceeds an idea lefs general, 

 fuch as that of xho. /pedes of man or of any other animal, and from 

 that again proceed individual men or other animals. The genus ant- 

 vial proceeds from another idea more general, animated body; and 

 that again from another ftill more general, body: And fo wc have 

 a contiitued feries of fpeciefes and genufes, rifmg one above another, 

 till we come up to the higheft genufes or categories, and from them 

 to the fource of all being, where all things are virtually contained. 



This fyftem gives a reality to knowledge, which is not to be found 

 in the philofophy of Ariftotle; for the objeds of our knowledge are, 

 according to the dodrine of Plato, things really exifting in nature, 

 not the operations of our minds, whereby they are collected from an 

 infmite numiber of corporeal fubftances with which we are only con^ 

 verfant in the firft flage of our progrefs in this life. That we come 

 to the knowledge of general ideas in that way, I have Ihown in the 

 preceding chapter f. Nor does Plato deny this ; but he fays, that 

 thefe general ideas have an exiftence by themfelves, as well as the 

 particular which animate every individual material fubilance, and 



A a 2 give 



* Iliad 8. V. 19. f Page KJp. 



