430 Synchronous Aff'octatlcn. [Book &, 



Twofenfations happening at the fame time will be- 

 come united, and the ideas will be united of courfe ; 

 thus the ideas of the figure and colour of bodies, ad- 

 mitted by the eye, are united, and thefe may be united 

 with another idea admitted by the touch. As the ideas 

 of roundnefs and whitenefs by the former, and folidity 

 by the latter, are aflbciated together in the complex 

 idea of a (lone. If mufic is heard, while we behold 

 the inftrument, the found will be aflbciated with the 

 vifible appearance, and the former will at any time 

 recal the idea of the latter, when we do not fee the in- 

 ftrument*. Names become afibciated with things, 

 and things with actions f. AiTociations formed from 

 impreffions made at the fame time, are called fynchro- 



* " The names, fmells, taftes, and tangible qualities of na~ 

 tural bodies, fuggeft their vifible appearances to the fancy , and 

 vice verfa." Hartley on Man, c. i. f. i. prop. 5. 



f " It is remarkable, how-ever, as being agreeable to the fupe- 

 rior vividuefs of vijible and audible ideas, that the iuggeftion of 

 the. vifible appearance frqm the name, is tic inoft ready of 

 any." Ibid. 



' TRe tranfition from the words to the ideas, is generally 

 much eafier than from the ideas to the words. A perfon who is 

 learning a ftrange language, will be able to underftarsd a book in 

 that language long before he can write cr fpeak It. Even in 

 one's native tongue, one cas readily underftand what is written or 

 fpokeH in the beil and propereft terms, though he cocH not have 

 ufed thefe terms for exprefiing the fame kleas. This proceeds 

 from the influence of cuftom, &c. The ideas are more familiat 

 to us than the words : they are often raifsd by their proper objefts, 

 or fuggefted by other words : and their familiar ify makes them be; 

 fuggelted readily. That this is the true caufe, is confirmed by 

 obferving that where it does not take place, ideas are not fug-- 

 gefted more readily than words are in ordinary cafes. When the 

 ideas expreffed are fuch as we have been little accuilomed to at- 

 tend to, a difcourfe or competition is underftood by us with diffi- 

 culty, as well as when ideas are expref&d by uxafual words,' 

 Qevard on Gen. pt. 2. f. 2. note. 



nous 



