detached portion of that ætherial effence which was the foul of the world. In the system of Plato, the Intelligence which animated the world was different from that which originally formed it. Neither were these which animated the celeftial spheres, nor those which informed inferior terreftrial animals, regarded as portions of this plastic soul of the world. Upon the diffolution of animals, therefore, their fouls were not abforbed in the foul of the world, but had a feparate and eternal existence, which gave birth to the notion of the tranfmigration of fouls. Neither did it seem unnatural, that, as the fame matter which had composed one animal body might be employed to compose another, that the fame intelligence which had animated one fuch being should again animate another.. But in the fyftem of the Stoics, the intelligence which originally formed, and that which: animated the world, were one and the fame, all inferior intelligences were detached portions of the great one; and therefore, in a longer, or in a fhorter time, were all of them, even the gods themselves, who animated the celeftial bodies, to be at laft refolved into the infinite effence of this almighty Jupiter, who, at a destined period, fhould, by an universal conflagration, wrap up all things, in that ætherial and fiery nature, out of which they had originally been deduced, again to bring forth a new Heaven and a new Earth, new animals, new men, new deities; all of which would again, at a fated time, be fwallowed up in a like conflagration, again to be re-produced, and again to be re-deftroyed, and fo on without end. * THE PRINCIPLES WHICH LEAD AND DIRECT PHILOSOPHICAL ENQUIRIES; ILLLUSTRATED BY THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT LOGICS and METAPHYSICS. THE HISTORY OF THE ANCIENT LOGICS and METAPHYSICS. N every tranfmutation, either of one element into another, or of one compound body, either into the elements out of which it was compofed, or into another compound body, it seemed evident, that, both in the old and in the new fpecies, there was fomething that was the fame, and something that was different. When Fire was changed into Air, or Water into Earth, the Stuff, or Subject-matter of this Air and this Earth, was evidently the fame with that of the former Fire or Water; but the Nature or Species of thofe new bodies was entirely different. When, in the fame manner, a number of fresh, green, and odoriferous flowers were thrown together in a heap, they, in a fhort time, entirely changed their nature, became putrid and loathfome, and diffolved into a confused mafs of ordure, which bore no resemblance, either in its fenfible qualities or in its effects, to their former beautiful appearance. But how different foever the species, the fubject-matter of the flowers, and of the ordure, was, in this case too, evidently the fame.. In every body, therefore, whether fimple or mixed, there were evidently two principles, whofe combination conftituted the whole nature of that particular body. The first was the Stuff,, or Subject-matter, out of which it was made; the fecond was the Species,, Q2. |