Chap. XV. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. ^2^ 



is called the difcurfive faculty^ by which ideas are compared toge- 

 ther, and propofitions formed. 



If the brute be an intelledual creature, it is evident that his intel- 

 lect muft be much fuperior to ours ; for the whole economy of the 

 brute in his natural ftate, (that is when he is not under the domi- 

 nion of man), even of thofe of the loweft rank, is perfedlly agreeable 

 to his nature; and he does every thing for the prefervation of the 

 individual and the continuation of the race, that the moft confum- 

 mate intelle(ft could devife ; and for that purpofe makes wonderful 

 works, fuch as even infeds, like the bee and ant, make. That the 

 brute, therefore, is direded by intelligence in his operations, and by 

 moft perfed intelligence, it is impoffible to deny: And, therefore, the 

 only queftion is. Whether the intelligence, by which he ads, is within 

 him, as our intelligence is, or from without ; fo that, though he 

 ads by intelligence, yet he does not ad nvith intelligence, as 1 have 

 elfevvhere diftinguifhed * ? For that the brute may be guided by in- 

 telligence, though he have it not himfelf, we are fure from what paf- 

 fes among men ; as it often happens that a man is direded by the 

 intelligence of another to do things, the nature of which he does not 

 underftand, nor knows for what reafon he does them, or what is 

 to be the efFed of them. 



In this way I fuppofe the brute ads : And we are now to confi- 

 der what would be the confequence, if we were to fuppofe that he 

 aded, as we do, from an internal principle of intelligence. And, in 

 the firjl place, we muft fuppofe that he propofes an end in all his 

 adions; 2dly^ that he muft have fome motive, which determines 

 him to purfue that end rather than any other; and,'3^/y, that lie 

 muft devife means for executing the end he propofes. Now, can it 

 be fuppofed that the brutes do all this, not only thofe of them who 

 may be fuppofed to have improved their Inftind by experience and 



obfcrvation, 

 * Vol. 4. p. 3. and the paflages there referred to. 



