MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. 



templates the Divine Being ; it is, in short, pure be- 

 ing abstracted from all matter, and therefore only 

 negatively defined as without parts or magnitude, 

 impassable, invariable, and eternal. But whilst his 

 system included no Providence, it has the merit of 

 excluding the operation of chance and accident. 

 These, he observes, are not capable of being causes 

 of any thing ; they are merely descriptions of what 

 takes place contrary to some presupposed design, or 

 some tendency in nature. 



His theory of the soul or living principle, is more 

 rational than that of most ancient philosophers. In 

 accordance with the system of his physics, he wisely 

 avoids endeavouring to refer it to any particular class 

 of material objects; explaining its nature as an in- 

 stance of the union of the two principles, matter and 

 form, in a common result. His definition thus main- 

 tains the distinctness of body and soul as a combina- 

 tion of two substances ; without, however, defining 

 what the soul is in itself. From this view, it may be 

 perceived to what extent he acknowledged the im- 

 mortality of man. In so far as human nature is 

 purely intellectual, he conceived it capable of exist- 

 ing separately from matter, and in some sense di- 

 vine ; but in so far as it consisted of passions and af- 

 fections, he regarded it as mortal, and necessarily 

 perishable with the body. As to the nature of that 

 immortality which he thus attributes to the intellect, 

 he makes no explanation ; speaking of it as a rheto- 

 rician rather than with the precision of a philoso- 



