Human Understanding. 263 



either speculative or practical, it is only 

 by the cultivation of his intellect that he 

 can fairly claim this superiority ; there- 

 fore leaving this part of our subject, we 

 will proceed to the consideration of the 

 distinct operations of the human under- 

 standing ; define its powers, and show 

 the method by which it acquires the 

 stock of its ideas, and accumulates gen- 

 eral knowledge. 



The primary faculty of the mind is 

 Perception. Perception consists in the 

 attention of the understanding to the ob- 

 jects acting upon it, whereby it becomes 

 sensible of the impressions they make ; 

 and the notices of these impressions, as 

 they exist in the mind, are distinguished 

 by the name of Ideas. 



Sensation and Refection are the two 

 fountains or sources from which the un- 

 derstanding is supplied with all its ideas, 

 or materials of thinking. 



Sensation is the source of our origin- 

 al ideas, and comprehends the notices 

 conveyed into the mind by impulses or 

 impressions made upon the organs of 

 sense. Such are the perceptions of col- 

 ours, sounds, tastes, &c. We derive all 

 Y3 



