PRINCIPLES OF NATURE AND GRACE 413 



from putrefaction or chaos, as the ancients thought, but 

 from preformed seeds, and consequently from the trans- 

 formation of pre-existing living beings. In the seed of 

 large animals there are animalcules which by means of 

 conception obtain a new outward form, which they 

 make their own and which enables them to grow and 

 become larger so as to pass to a greater theatre and to 

 propagate the large animal 28 . It is true that the souls 

 of human spermatic animals are not rational, and that 

 they become so only when conception gives to these 

 animals human nature 29 . And as in general animals are 

 not entirely born in conception or generation, no more do 

 they entirely perish in what we call death ; for it is 

 reasonable that what does not come into being by natural 

 means should not any more come to an end in the course 

 of nature. Thus, throwing off their mask or their tattered 

 covering, they merely return to a more minute theatre, 

 where they may nevertheless be as sensitive [sensible] 

 and as well ordered as in the larger theatre 30 . And what 

 has just been said about the large animals applies also 

 to the generation and death 31 of spermatic animals 

 themselves, that is to say, they are growths of other 



28 Cf. Monadology, 74, 75. 



29 Cf. Monadology, 82. It would be inconsistent with Leibniz's 

 general principles to suppose that a spermatic animal could have 

 a rational soul (otherwise than in germ, as all souls may be regarded 

 as potentially rational). For the rationality of a soul is merely 

 a very high degree of clearness and distinctness in its perceptions, 

 which again determines its rank as a dominant Monad. But 

 nothing else than its rank as a dominant Monad determines the 

 nature of the body it has. Consequently a rational soul must 

 always have a human body or a body of some higher kind, spiritual 

 or angelic, and the union of a spermatic animal's body with a 

 rational soul is impossible. 



30 Cf. Monadology, 73, 76, 77. 



31 E. (manifestly by mistake) omits a clause following these 

 words. A translation of his text would be: 'The generation and 

 death of the smaller spermatic animals in comparison with which 

 they' [sc. the large animals] 'may be counted large,' &c. This 

 misses the point of the sentence. 



