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Show Remedies of the Imper/e[/ion Book III. known, and ealily enter the Ears of thofe who are accufl:rmed to them; et fl:anding for other Ideas than they ufually make them the ligns of, ihe cannot make known his Thoughts who ufes them.. . l F"thl He that bath Ideas of Sub!\ances, whtch never ext !led, nor' ·hJaOv·e an11y c'oY•r r·e fpondcnce with the real Natureo f Tb'm gs, to w1 u· c !1' be aives fetled and defined Names,. may lilllns ~tfcourfe, and, perhaps, ano~her Man'sHead,with the fantafhcal Imagm.attons ofhts own Bram,but will be very far from advancing thereby one JOt,tn teal and true Knowledge. 9 He that hath Names without Ideas, wants meamng m Ius Wo;d~'; and fpeaks only empty Sounds. He that h~th complex Ideas without Names for tltem, wants Liberty and D1fpatch 10 h1s Exprciliom, and is neceilitatcd to ufe Periphmfes. He that ufes Ius Words lcoily and unfieadily, will either be not minded, or ~at underflood. He that appl' his Names to Ideas, different from the1r common ufe, wants Proprw. t;i., his Language,_ and fpeaks Gibberifu: And he. that hath Ide~s of Sub!lances, difagreemg wnb the real Ex1flence of Thmgs , fa far \1 ants the Materials of true Knowledge 10 h1s Underflandmg, and hath, m!lead thereat; Chimterar. . §. 32• In our Notions, concerning Subflance<, we are hable to all the former Inconveniencies: 'IJ.g. r. He that ufes the word 7arant•la, W1th· out having any Imagination or Idea of what 1t flands for, pronounces a good W.ord ; but fa long means nothing at all by it. ?-· He that, in a new·difcovered Country, fuall fee' feveral forts of Ammals and Vegetables unknown to him before may have as true !dear of them, os of a Horf;, or a Stag; but can [peak of them only by a d~fcription till h~ fhall either take the Name the Natives call them by, or g1ve them one lumfelf. 3 .He that ufes ;he word Body fometimes for pure Ext_enlion,and fometimes forExtenfion andSolidity together,w!ll talk very fallacwuily. 4.He thatg1ves the name Horft,to that Idta which common ufage calls Mu/e,talks 1mpro· perly,and will not be underfloocf. :>.He that tlunks the name C entaurilands for lome real Being, impofes orilumfelf, and m1flakes\Vords forTlung_s. 9. 31. In Modes and Relations genemlly, we are liable only to the jour iirfl of thefe Inconveniencies, (viz.) I. I may have 1n my Memory the Names of Modes, as Gratitude, br Cbarity, and yet not have any precife !dear annexed in my Thoughts tothofe Names. 2. I may have !dtar, and not know the Names that belong to them; v. g. I may hav.e the/den of a Man'sdrinking till his Colour and Humour be altered, till his Tongue trips, and his Eyes look red, and 'his Fe,t fail him; and yec not know, that it is to be called Drunkenne.fr. >· I may Have the !dear of Vertues, or Vices, and Names alfo, but apply them amif><: v. g. When I apply the name Frugality, to that Uta which others call and lignifie b¥ th1s found, Covetoufoefs· 4· I may ufe any of thofe mmes W1th mcon!lancy .. ).But in Modes and Relations, I cannot have !dear difagreeing to the Ex1!lence of Things: for Modes bein& complex !dear, made by the Mind at pleafure; and Relation being but· m}"\Vay of confidering, or companng two Things together, and .fa alf()an·ldea of my 0\\'n making, thefe Idrascan fcarce be found to ~ifagree with any Thing exi!ling; Iince they are not in the Mind, as the Copies of Things regularly made by Nature, nor as Pro~erties infeparably flowing from the interaal Conflitution or Effe~cc of any<Snb!\ance ; but, as it were, Patterns lodg'tl in my Memorr,, w11h Names annexed to them, to denominate ACtions and Relations by, as they _come to exifl. But rhemiflake is commonly in my giving a wrong name to my Conceptions; and fa uling Words in• a /different fenfe /from othe.rf People, I am not under!lood, but am thoughcl to have wrong Ithar o them, 9hap. Xl /lbuje of Words. them, when I give wrong Names to them. Only if I put in mv !dtas of mixed Modes or Relations, any in con f) !lent Idtastogether, I 'r.u my Head alfo with Cbimterar; fince fuch Idtar, if well examined, cannot fo inuch as exifl: in the Mind, much lefs any real Being, be ever denomi-nated from them. . • 9. 34. Since Wit and Fancy finds eafier entertoinmedt in the World, ihan dry :rruth and real Know.ledge, Jig•rath>e Sprecher, and allufion i~ Langmge, 11'111 hardly be admmed, as an 1mperfe~ion or alu{e of it. I contefs, in Difco~rfes, where we feek rather Pleafure and Ocl:ght, tlmi Joformntion and Improvement, fuch Ornaments as are borrowed from them, can fcarce pafs for Faults. But yet, if we would fpeak of Thing• as they are, we mull: allow, that all the Art of Rhetonclc, be/ides Order and Clearnefs, all the artificial and figurative application of Words Eloljuence hath invented, are for nothi~g elfe, but to infinuate wrong lik1f1 move the Paffions, and thereby m1ilead tbe Judgment; and fa indeed are perfeB: cheat: And therefore however laudable or allowable Oratory may render them in Harangues and popular AMreiTcs , they are certo. inly, in all Difcourfes that pretend to inform and in!lru!l, wholly to be avoided; and where Truth and J{nowledge are concerned, cannot but be thought a great fault, either of the Language or Perfon that makes ufe of them. What, and how various they are, I fuall not trouble my felf to take notice ; the Books of Rhetorick which abound in the World, will infOrm thofe who want to be informed: Only I cannot but ~bfervc, hO\v little the prefervation an~ improvement of Truth and Knowledge, is the Care and Concern of Mankind; Iince the Arts of Fallacy are endow'd and preferred; and 'tis plain how much Men love to deceive, and be de; ceived, Iince the great Art of!1eceit and Errau·r, Rhetorick I mean, ha~ its eflablifued Protefi"ors, is publickly taught, and has always been had in great Reputation. And, I doubt not,. but it \\till be thought great boldnefs, if not brutality in me, to have fa~d thus much agamfl: 1t. Eloqu-.ce, like the fair Sex, has too prevailing Beouties in it; to fufrer it felf ever to be fpoken againfl:: And 'tis in vain to find fault with tliofe Arts of DeCeiving, wherein Men find pleafure to be Dece1 ved. CHAP • .Xr. Of the 'J\!medies of t/,e foregoing Imperfertions and .Abufir. ~I. THe natumland improved ImperfeCtions of Language, we have feen above at large ; and Speech being the great Bond that balds Society together, and the c9mmon Condlllt, whereby the Improvements of Knowledge are conveyed from one Man, and one Genera non Ill anoth<r ir would well deferve our mofl fenous Thoughts, to confider What Be;,edits are to be found fa< tbeft lnccnveniencrr above-mentioned. g. 2... I am not fa vain to think, that any one can pretend to attempt the perfeCl: Reforming the Languag,e_s of t.he World, no not fa mllch as that efhisown Country, withoutrendrmg tumfelfnd!culou•. To reqmre that Men lhouid ufe their Words, all in the fame fenfe, and for clear, <h· llinfr, artd uniform !dear, would be to think, that all Men fl10uld have the. itme Notions and !hould t:Uk of nothing but what they have clear and ' K k 2 d1flmct 251 |