^4 ANTIFNT METAPHYSICS. Book H. 



fubje£t^ and is comained in it. But, if the praedicate of a propofition 

 only contain the fubjed, or be only contained in it, the conckilion 

 will be the lame; for if A contain B, but is not likewife contained 

 in it, and if B contain G in the fame manner, then A will contain 

 C. And, again, if A be contained in B, but does not likewife con- 

 tain it, and if B be contained in C in the fame manner, then A will 

 be contained in C, 



Thus it appears that all truth, even the truth of fyllogifm, arifcs 

 from that general propofrion which 1 have maint.Tined, that all ideas 

 contain or are contained in other ideas ; and that, from thence, the 

 truth of all propofitions, of all fyllogifms, and of all arts and fciences, 

 arifes. 



And here it may be obferved, that upon this principle of mine, 

 that every thing in the univerfe contains or is contained in fomething 

 clfe, the whole dodtrine of the fyllogifm is, I think, moft clearly ex- 

 plained, without dividing the fyllogifm into figures, and thefe figures 

 into modes, as Ariftotle has done ; by which I think he has made 

 the dodtrine of the fyllogifm more intricate and perplexed than was 

 neceflary : For the whole art of it comes to this, to find out a mid- 

 dle term, which either contains the Subjed; of the Conclufion, or is 

 contained n it, and at the fame time contains the praedicate of rhe 

 conclufion, or is contained in it. So that the whole dodlrine of the 

 fyllogifm comes to this, as I have faid, that, if A contain B, which is 

 the middle term, or be contained in it, and if B contain C or be con- 

 tained in it, then A contains C or is contained in it. 



If Mr Locke had known this connection of things in the univerfe, 

 by which every thing contains or is contained in another thing, he 

 would not have given us fuch a definition of truth as he has given, 

 when he tells us that truth confifts in the agreement or difagreement 



of 



