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Show :no Names of .Subftarrces. Eook Ill. ments; but we our felves divide them, by certain obvious appearances, int'o Species, that we may the eafier, under general names, communicate about them. For having no other knowledge of any Subil:ance, but of the lim pie Ideas, that are united in it; qnd obferving fevcral particular Things, to agree' with others, in feveral of thofe lim pie Ideas, we make that collection our fpecifick Idea, and give it a general name; that· in recording our own Thovghts, and Difcourfe with others, we may, in one /hart word, delign all the Individuals that agree in that complex !d.u without enumerating.the limple ldeas,that make it up; and fo not wafl; our Time and Breath in tedious Defcriptions: which we fee they are fain to do,who would difcourfe of any new fort ofThings,they have not yet a name for. §. 30. But however, thefe Species of Sub!lances pafs well enough in ordinary Converfation , it is plain enough, that this complex Idea, wherein the;y: obferve feveral Individuals to agree, is, by different Men, made very differently ; by fame more, and others lefs accurately. In fame this complex Idea contains a greater, and in others a fmallcr number of Q)J:ilities; and fo is apporently fudt as the Mind makes it. The yellow lhmmg colour,.makes Gold toCluldren; others add Weight, Malleablenefs, and Fulibdtty; and others yet other Q!!alities, they find joined Wtth that yellow Colour, ascon!lantly as its Weight or Fufibility. For in all thefe, and the like Qltaltttes, one has as good a right to be put into the complex Idea of that Sub!lance, wherein they are alljoin'd, as another. And th~refore different Men leavi_ng out, or putting in feveral lim· pie Ideas, whtch others do not, ac~ordmg to their various Examination, Skt!l, or Obfervanon of that fubjeCl:, have different Ej{ences of Gold; wht~h muflJ therefore be ofthetr own, and not of Nature's making. · ' §. 'p. If the num6er of (imple Ideas, that m•ke the nominal E([ence of the lowe!l.Species, or fir!l forting.oflndivicfuals, depend on the Mind of Ma.n, vanouily colleCl:mg them, tt ts much more evident, that they do fo, 111 the mdre c?~prehenfive Claffes, which; by the Mailers of Logick, are.called Genera, Whtclt are complex !dear delignedly imperfeCl:; out of wh•c.h, are )'ur,rofely left out feveral of thofe Qltalities, that are to be found 111 the Tlu~gs themfelves . . For as the Mind, to make general I dear, comprehendmg feveral particulars, leaves out thofe of Time and Place, and fuch other, that make them incommunicable to more tha~ one Individual,fo to make other yet more general !deas,that may comprehend dtfferent forts, tt leaves out thofe ~almes that dillinguilh them and puts into its new Collection, only fuch Ideas, ~s are common to fev~ral forts. The fame convenience that made Men exprefs feveral parcels of yellow Mat~er coming from Guiny, and Peru,under one name,fets them alfo upon mak111g of one name, that may comprehend both Gold and Silver and fom~ other Bodies of di~erent forts, which it does by cl1e fame w;y of le,avmg out thofe Qltahttes, wluch are peculiar to-each fort ; and retai· n111g ~complex It/ea, made up of thofe,that are common to each Species: to whtch the name Metal bemg annexed, there is a Gellus conil:ituted; the Elfence whereof ~e111g th.at abllraCl: Idea, containing only Malleablenefs a~d Fuliblhty, ~tth certa111 degrees ofWeightand Fixednefs, wherein .Bodt~ of feveral kmds agree, leaves out the Colour and other ~ali ties pe· cuhar to Gold, and Silver, and the other forts ~omprehended u!lder the name Metal. Whereby it is plain, that Men follow not exaCl:ly the Patterns fet them by Nature, when they make their general/dear of Sub· ~nces ; line~ ther~ ts. no Body to be found, which has barely Malleable· sand Fulibihty m tt, Without other Qltalities as infeparable as thofe. But • Chap. VI. Namis of Subffances. But Men, in making their general ideas, feeking niore the conveniehce of Language, and quick difi>atch, by il10rt and comprehenlive figns, than the true and precife Nature of Things, as they exill, have, in thq framing their ab!lrall: Ideas, chiefly purfued that end, which w:is to be furni!hed with il:ore of general, and vanouily comprehenlive Names. So that in this whole bufinefs of Genera and Species, the Genus; or more com·. prehenfive, is but a partial conception of what is in the Species, and the Species, but a partial/den of what is to be found in each Individua!: If therefore any one wtll dunk, that a Man, and an Harle, and an Am· mal, and a Plant, &c. are diilinguilhed by real Eifences made by Nature! he mufl: think Nature to be very liberal of thefe real Elfences, making one fqr Body, another for an Animal, and another for an H.orfe ; and all thcfe Eifences liberally bellowed upon Bucephalw. But 1f we would rightly confider what is done, in all thefe Genera and Species, or Sorts; we flJould find, that there is no new Thing made, but only more or lefs comprehenlive ligns; whereby we may be enabled to exprefs, in a few fyllables, great number of particular Things, as they agree in more or Jefs general conceptions, which we have framed to tl~at purpofe. In all which we may obferve, that the more general term, ts always the ·name of a Jefs complex Idea ; and that each Genll.f, is but a partial conception of the Species comprehended under tt. So that 1f thefe abllraCl: general Uw, be thought to be complete, it can only .be in refpeGt. of a certain eflablifhed relation' between them and certam names, which are made ufe of to fignifie th~m ; and not in ref peel: of any thing exilling, as made by Nature. . . . §. 11· ibis is adjufled to the true end of Speech, whtch IS to be the eafie!l and·lhorte!l way of communicating our Notions. For thus he, that would make and difcourfe of Things, as they agreed in the complex Ide~ . ofExtenfion and Solidity, needed but ufe the word Body, to deqote .all fuch. He that; to thefe, would join others, ligmfied by the words Ltfe, Senfe, and fpontaneous Motion, needed but ufe the word An1mal, to fignifie all which partaked of thofe Ideas : and he that had. made a complex Idea of a Body, witl1 Life, ~~nfe, and Matton, With the Faculty ofReafoning and a certam Shape JOtned to 1t, needed but ufe the fltort monofyllable Man, to exprefs all particulars that correfponded t~ that complex Idea. This is the proper bnlinefs of Genus and Sperm· and this Men do without any conlideratton of real Eifences, or fubllan· tialforms which come not within the reach of our Knowleclge,, when we think ~f chofe Things; nor within the fignification of our Wo<d,>,when we difcourfe with others. : §. J3. Were I to talk with any one, of a Sort of .Birds, I lately faw mSr; ]•mer's Park,about three or four foot high, wtth a Covenng of fometh111g between Feathers and Hair, of a dark brown colour, Wttbout w.~ngs, but in the place thereof, two or three little branches, tommg down Iikeofprtg~ ofSpanifh Broom • long great Legs, wtth Feet only of three CI~w~, and without a Tail . I ~ufl: make this defcription of tt, and fa may m;tke others underfland me~ But when I am told, that the name of it is C..j[uariJ, 1 may then ufe that word to lland in . difcourfe , (or all ' my .. complex Idea mentioned in that defcription; though bytha~ wordj whtclps now become a fpecifick name, I know no more of the real Effence, Ol\ Conilt· tution of that fort of Animals, than I dtd before; a.od J.<.new probaply 05 much of the nature of that Species of Birds, before Hcarn'd the name1 as many Englifb-men do of Swans, or Herons, w)1ic:;h are fpectficl< names, Very well known efforts of Birds common in E¥g,la~dL , ~·34· |