60 NAMES AND PROPOSITIONS. 



comprehensive, if not the most sagacious, of the 

 ancient philosophers. The Categories, or Predica- 

 ments the former a Greek word, the latter its literal 

 translation in the Latin language were intended by 

 him and his followers as an enumeration of all things 

 capable of being named ; an enumeration by the 

 summa genera, i. e. the most extensive classes into 

 which things could be distributed ; which, therefore, 

 were so many highest Predicates, one or other of 

 which was supposed capable of being affirmed with 

 truth of every nameable thing whatsoever. The follow- 

 ing are the classes into which, according to this school 

 of philosophy. Things in general might be reduced: 



'Ot>crm, Substantia. 



Tloo-oVy Quantitas. 



Tloiov, Glualitas. 



TLpos Tt } Relatio. 



Tloielv, Actio. 



Tlaa'xeiv, Passio. 



IIov, Ubi. 



Hore, Quando. 



Situs. 

 Habitus. 



The imperfections of this classification are too 

 obvious to require, and its merits are not sufficient to 

 reward, a minute examination. It is a mere cata- 

 logue of the distinctions rudely marked out by the 

 language of familiar life, with little or no attempt to 

 penetrate, by philosophic analysis, to the rationale 

 even of those common distinctions. Such an ana- 

 lysis, however superficially conducted, would have 

 shown the enumeration to be both redundant and 

 defective. Some objects are omitted, and others re- 

 peated several times under different heads. It is like 

 a division of animals into men, quadrupeds, horses, 

 asses, and ponies. That, for instance, could not be 



