Genus caninum, &c. Cornelius told them, that tho' those advertisements were not framed according to the exact rules of logical definitions, being only defcriptions of things numero differentibus, yet they contained a faint image of the prædicabilia, and were highly fubfervient to the common purposes of life; often difcovering things that were loft, both animate and inanimate. An Italian Greybound, of a moufe colour, a white Speck in the neck, lame of one leg, belongs to fuch a Lady. Greyhound, genus; moufe-colour'd, etc. differentia; lame of one leg, accidens; belongs to fuch a Lady, proprium.

Though I'm afraid I have tranfgreffed upon my Reader's patience already, I cannot help taking notice of one thing more extraordinary than any yet mentioned; which was Crambe's Treatife of Syllogifms. He fuppofed that a Philofopher's brain was like a great Foreft, where Ideas ranged like animals of feveral kinds; that thofe Ideas copulated, and engendered Conclufions; that when thofe of different Species copulate, they bring forth monfters or abfurdities; that the Major is the male, the Minor the female, which copulate by the Middle Term, and engender the Conclufion Hence they are called the pramiffa, or Predeceffors of the Conclufion; and it is properly f.id by the Logicians quod pariant fcientiam, opinionem, they beget fcience, opinion, etc. Univerfal Propofitions are Perfons of quality; and therefore in Logick they are faid to be of the firft Figure. Singular Propofitions are private perfons, and therefore placed in the third or laft figure, or rank. From thofe principles all the rules of Syllogifms naturally

follow.

I. That

I. That there are only three Terms, neither more nor lefs; for to a child there can be only one father and one mother.

II. From univerfal premiffes there follows an univerfal conclufion, as if one fhould fay, that perfons of quality always beget perfons of quality. III. From the fingular premiffes follows only a fingular conclufion, that is, if the parents be only private people, the iffue must be so like

wife.

IV. From particular propofitions nothing can be concluded, because the Individua vaga are (like whoremafters and common ftrumpets)

barren.

V. There cannot be more in the conclufion than was in the premiffes, that is, children can only inherit from their parents.

VI. The conclufion follows the weaker part, that is, children inherit the diseases of their parents. VII. From two negatives nothing can be concluded, for from divorce or feparation there can come no iffue.

VIII. The medium cannot enter the conclufion, that being logical incest.

IX. An hypothetical propofition is only a contract, or a promise of marriage; from fuch therefore there can spring no real iffue.

X. When the premiffes or parents are neceffarily join'd (or in lawful wedlock) they beget lawful iffue; but contingently joined, they beget

baftards.

So much for the Affirmative propofitions; the Negative must be deferred to another occafion.

Crambe used to value himself upon this System, from whence he said one might fee the propriety of the expreffion, fuch a one has a barren imagination; and how common it is for fuch people to adopt conclufions that are not the iffue of their premiffes? therefore as an Abfurdity is a Monster, a Falfity is a Baftard; and a true conclufion that followeth not from the premiffes, may properly be faid to be adopted. But then what is an Enthymem? (quoth Cornelius.) Why, an Enthymem (replied Crambe) is when the Major is indeed married to the Minor, but the Marriage kept fecret.

METAPHYSICKS were a large field in which to exercise the Weapons Logick had put into their hands. Here Martin and Crambe used to engage like any prize-fighters, before their Father, and his other Learned companions of the Symposiacks. And as Prize-fighters will agree to lay afide a buckler, or fome fuch defenfive weapon, fo would Crambe promise not to ufe fimpliciter et fecundum quid, provided Martin would part with materialiter et formaliter: But it was found, that without the help of the defenfive armour of those Diftinctions, the arguments cut fo deep, that they fetched blood at every ftroke. Their Thefes were picked out of Suarez, Thomas Aquinas, and other learned writers on those subjects. I fhall give the Reader a taste of fome of them.

I. If the Innate Defire of the knowledge of Meta. phyficks was the cause of the Fall of Adanı; and the Arbor Porphyriana, the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil? affirm'd.

II. If tranfcendental goodness could be truly predicated of the Devil? affirm'd.

III. Whether

III. Whether one, or many be firft? or if one doth not fuppofe the notion of many? Suarez. IV. If the defire of news in mankind be appetitus innatus, not elicitus? affirm'd.

V. Whether there is in human understandings potential falfities? affirm'd

VI. Whether God loves a poffible Angel better than an actually-existent flye? deny'd.

VII. If Angels pafs from one extreme to another without going through the middle? Aquinas. VIII. If Angels know things more clearly in a morning? Aquinas.

IX. Whether every Angel hears what one Angel fays to another? deny'd. Aquinas.

X. If temptation be proprium quarto modo of the Devil? deny'd. Aquinas.

XI. Whether one Devil can illuminate another ? Aquinas.

XII. If there would have been any females born in the state of Innocence? Aquinas. XIII. If the Creation was finished in fix days, becaufe fix is the moft perfect number; or if fix be the most perfect number, because the Creation was finifhed in fix days? Aquinas. There were feveral others, of which in the courfe of the life of this learned Perfon we may have occafion to treat; and one particularly that remains undecided to this day; it was taken from the learned Suarez.

XIV. An præter effe reale actualis effentia fit aliud effe neceffarium quo res actualiter exiftat? In English thus. Whether befides the real being of actual being, there be any other being neceffary to caufe a thing to be?

This brings into my mind a Project to banish Metaphyfics out of Spain, which was fuppofed might be effectuated by this method: That no

‡K 3

body

body fhould ufe any Compound or Decompound of the Subftantial Verbs but as they are read in the common conjugations: for every body will allow, that if you debar a Metaphyfician from ens, essentia, entitas, fubfiftentia, &c. there is an end of

him.

Crambe regretted extremely, that Subftantial Forms, a race of harmless beings which had lafted for many years, and afforded a comfortable subfiftence to many poor Philofophers, fhould be now hunted down like fo many Wolves, without the poffibility of a retreat. He confidered that it had gone much harder with them than with Effences, which had retired from the Schools into the Apothecaries Shops, where fome of them had been advanced into the degree of Quinteffences. He thought there fhould be a retreat for poor fubftantial forms, amongst the Gentlemen-ufhers at court; and that there were indeed fubflantial forms, fuch as forms of Prayer, and forms of Government, without which the things themselves could never long fubfift. He also used to wonder that there was not a reward for fuch as could find out a fourth Figure in Logick, as well as for those who should difcover the Longitude.

CHAP. VIII.

ANATOM Y.

Ornelius, it is certain, had a most superstitious veneration for the Ancients; and if they contradicted each other, his Reafon was fo pliant and ductile, that he was always of the opinion of the laft he read. But he reckoned it a point of honour never to be vanquished in a difpute; from 6

which