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Show Perception. Book II. only from fame Affections of the Body, which happen to ~hem there, and fo depend on fomething exterior to the Mind ; no otherwtfe d1ffenng in their manner of production from other Idem denved, from Senfc, but only in the precedency of Time: Whereas thofe .•nnate I nnetples arc fuppofed to be of quite _another n~ture; nor conung mto the Mt~d by theaccidental alterations m,or operatwns on the Body; but, as 1t_11 cre,ongtnal Characters imprelfed upon it, in the very firfl moment of 1ts Bemg and Conflitutioo. §. 7. As there are fome Ideas, which _we may reafonnbly fuppofe may be introduced into the Mmds ofCiuldrcn 111 the Womb, fubfervtent to the neceflity of their Life, and being there: So after, they are bern, tbofi lrleas arc the ear lief/ imprinted, which bappen t9 !Je tbe Je•fiUe 0/a!Jtur, wiHciJ jirj/ occur to them ; amongfl which, Light is not the leafl _conliderablc, nor of the weal<ell efficacy. And how covetous the Mmd IS, to be furnifllCd "ith all fuch Ideas, as have no pain accompanying them, may be a littleguefs'd, by what is obfervable in Children new-bern, who always turn their Eves to that part, from whence the L1ghtcomes, Jay them how you pleafe. " But the Id~as that are mofl familiar at firfl, being various, according to the divers ctrcumflances of Cluldrens lirfr entettatnment 10 the World the order wherein the feveral Ideas come at lirfr into the Mind, is ~ery various, and uncertain alfo; neither is it much material to know it. §. 8. We are farther to confider concerning Perception, that the Idw 1ve receive /;y ftwfation, are often in grown People after' d !Jy the Judg· menr, without our taking nottce of it. When we let before our Ey~ .• round Globe, of any uniform colour, 'V. g;. Gold, Alabafler, or Jet, t~ certain that the Idea thereby imprinted in our Mind , is of a flat Circle variouOy lhadow'd, with fe_veral d%rees of Light and Brightnefs coming to our Eyes. But we havmg by u!e been accuflomed to p<rcetve, what kind of appearance convex Bodtes are wont to mal<e 10 us; what altera· tions are made in the reOexwns ofLtght, by the dtffe .. nce of the fenfible Figures of Bodies, the Judgment prelently, by an habitual cuflom, alters the Appearances into their Caufes: So that from that, which. truly is va· rietv of fl1adow or colour, collcctmg the Ftgure, 1t makes 1t pafs for a mark of Figure, and frames to it felf the perception of a convex Figure, and an uniform Colour; when the Idea we recetvc from thence, IS only a Plain varioully colour'd, as is evident in Painting. §. 9· But this is not, I think, ufual in any of our Idem, but thofe received by Sig;bt : Becaufe Sight, the mofl comprehenlive of all our Sen· fes, conveying to our Minds the far different JdetJJ of Light and Colours, ~vhich are peculiar only to that Senfe; and alfo of Space, Figure, and Motion, the feveral varieties whereof, change the appearances of its proper Objects, ''i•. Light and Colours , it accufloms it felf by ufe, to judge of the one by the other. ' This in many cafes, by a fetled habit, in thing< whereof we have frequent experience, is performed fo conflantly, and ·fo quick, that we take that for the Perception of our Senfation , which i,s but an Idea formed by our Judgment; fo that one, 'Vh. that of Sen· !arion, ferves only to excite the other, and is fcarce taken notice of tt !df; as a Man who reads and hears with attention and undnfiandmg, takes little notice of the Characters, or Sounds, but of the Ideas that are excited in him by them. §. 10• Chap. IX. Perception. §. ro. Nor need we wonder, that this is done with fo little notice if W~ confider, how very qaick the afiions of t!Je Mind are performed: For as 1t felf takes up no fpace, has no extenfion ; fo its actions feem to require no time, but many of them feem to be crouded into an fnfrant. I fpeak this in ~ompa~ifon to the actions of the Body. Any one mar e;~fily obferve thts m hts own Thoughts, who wtll take the pains to reflect on them. How, as it were in an inflant, does our Minds, with one gl;nce, fee all the parts of a de~onfl:att~n, which may verY: well be called along one, 1fwe co?fider the t1me It W11l requmno put it mto words, and ftep by flep_lh~w 1t an.other !-.Secondly, we_lha!l not be fo much furprized, that thts IS done tn us Wtth fo little nottce, 1f we confider, how the facility we get of doing thirgs, by a cuflom of doing, makes them often pafs in us, without our noti<;c. Habits, efpecially fuch as are begun vory early, come, at lafr, to produce aCfion1 in 111, whic/; often ftppe o•r ohfir' VatioM.. How f~u~ntly do we, in a day! cover our Eyes with our EyJ> ltds, Without percetvmg that we are at allm the dark 1 Men, that by cu· from have got the ufe of a By-word, do almofr in every fentencr, pronounce founds; which, though taken notice of by others, they ~hem· !elves neither hear, nor obferve. And therefore 'tis I)Ot fo llrJnge , that our Mind fl10uld often change the Idea of its Scnfatiop, intoliha! Qfits Judgment , and make one Jerve only ro ~xcite the other, wi.s:hout our taking ootioe of it. . §. u.Thisfacultyof Perc-7ptiOJt,_ J!lCI))s tome~o betha~ whicb!Ntt tbe drffr,!J 11n betwr:Kt the oHtmal Kr~gdom, a"d.tbe IH{rrior part/ of Na" tllre. For however Vegetables have, man:y of t})em, f<>Jl1<l degmrsof Motion, and upon the different application of Odlef Bodies to them, do very briskly alter their Figures and Motions, a11d fo have obtained the )lame of fenfttiw_e Plants, b:om a mooion, which ba& fome relemblaoc.e to that, whidt in .Animals follows upon Senfation: Yet, J fuppofe, it is all b:tre Mecl>anifm ; and no otherwifc prodUCJ;d, than me turning of a wild Oat-beard, by the iofinuation of the Parti~lt:5 of Moillure; or tbe IIIOI't· ning of a Rope, by the affufion of Water. All which is done without any fenfution in the Subject, or the having or receiving any Ideas. 9. I~- Perception, I believe, is, in fome degree, in all forts of Animals; though in fome, pof1ibly, the Avenues provided for the reception of Sen· fations, are fo few by Nature, and the Perception, they are received with, fo obfcure and dull, that it comes extreamly lhort of the quicknefs and va. riety of Senfations, which is in other Animals; but yet it is fuliicient for, and wifely adapted to the flare and condition of that fort of Animals, who are thus conftiruted by Nature: So that the Wifdom and Goodnefs of the Maker, plainly appears in all the Parts of this frupendious Fabrick, and all thefeveral degrees and ranks of Creatures in it. §.I J· We may, I think, from the Make of an O.Jfier, or Cockle, reafonably conclude, that it has not fo ·many, nor fo quick Senfes, as a Man, or feveral other Animals ; nor if it had, would it in that frate and incapacity of transferring it felf from one place to another, be better'd by ~>hem. What good would Sight and Hearing do to a Creature, that cannot move it felf to or from the Objects, wherein at a difiance it perceives Good or Evil? And would not quicknefs of Senfation, be an Inconveni· ence to an Animal, that muft lie flill, where Chance has once placed it; and there receivestheaffiuxofcolderorwarmcr, clean or foul Water, as it happens to come to it? |
