Translated from the Arabic original by Edward Abbott van Dyck

Verona : Stamperia di Nicola Paderno, 1906

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AVICENA'S OFFERING

(< 1, l I 5111;~li: ,:oil,, :tol);lt:t cl~i1.1

i ' ~ 1 1 i i t 1 1 : t III!I,::ICI
p o ~ r n z i nn l t i t ~ ~ ; tcioi-. r ; i x i o ~ ~ cp,il.t;c;p,r
, dvl1.1
<livit~:it ~ a l i ~ t -:I, L g i ~ i s x (li s ~ ~ t x ~ ~ ~Itltclli- tt~~ri~:~
, ~ ( > I - z :; I [XI o c cl:$k l ' a11ir11;i i, t a q i t ~it1 ~ C]L!C:II~L so-
\ I. ill;! p ~ ~ t c ~~ ~ o~l ~~i l i t ,. a~<t: ; ~~lirt~tci.~t:.
, ~112,-
1c.ri.1, ( - 1 1 ~ 121 clivi11a l i ~ [ : ~cc,nlc , it1 l i n ~ i o l < ~ ,
. ,
I - . I ~ ~ I C iIt 1 ,111eli;~: C per;, t. l' I I O I I > ~ ,( I ~ \ , I I Iall{-
(I
I I I A I ~ tla' I'ilos~~tirlii,1111.1to.>
(Dante, <.(>227,tf~,T rl, L 1
S I'AL1.1PE;QIA I)I % \ C O L A P A D E R N O
,\'. ,Srrlr.at o l t ~ l( ' o ~ t eItegia. I 0
VERONA, ITALIA
- - - -- - - -
 A
COMPENDIUM
ON THE

SOUL,
11 Y

L S C L ! / ~ Z 16rt 'L4/)dct//a/i,
1 h7i -'L4/!j CL/-11~~ l t j n & S ~ h:( i
TRANSLATED, FROM THE ARABIC ORIGINAL,
I<>

EDl\'ARL) A B B O T T v a n D Y C K ,
WI'I-I1

G r e t e f ~ l lXcl;nowleclge~nent of the Substantial Help

OtI r A I N E D

Dr. S. Laiitiauer's Concise G e r m a n Translation,

F]-0111
AND FROhl

,Tames hIiddleton
X a c Donald's Literal English Translation;
AND

PRINTED
AT

VEROiVA, IY'Al, Y, ijz TFTF,'YEAR 1906,

For the Cse of' I'upils ant1 Students of Governmerit Schools
IN

Cairo, Q y p l .
 PREFACE

Several sor1rcc.q out of -\\,hich t o dra\t- infor-

nlatioil nucl seeli gnitlance as to 1b1l Siii;'~'s bio-
g1-ap11y ancl v-ritiirgq, ancl his systems of meclecins
a1111 l~hilosopliy, arc: ~~~~~~~days easily accessible
to 11ear14- e ~ ~ e roiie.
y -41noag such sources the fol-
lo\\ring are t,l~ei,est, f u r Egyptian students :
1. Ibu Abi TTc;d-~~hi'all'si t Tttba(l$t-111-,4tij;)-
bli, , ancl T\7t~estenfr~l(l's .c ,4rabisclle Aertzte. :,
2. lbii Kllalli knn's tc lV7af2y;*l t-ul--1'aybn. 7,
3. Brocliclnlanu's .L Arabische Literatur. r
4. F. 3lehren's Series of Essays on Ib11
Siu;~ i n t h e l'el~iotlical ( 6 XusAon, 71 froin the
year 1332 a n d on.
5. (:~G~IIPII t 1Tnart.s Arabic Literature, either
in the ~'rclicli Orjginal or in t,ha English Trans-
latiou.
G. Carra tie Vaus's tr Les Grands Philo-
soyhes : Aviceuiia, tr Paris, F k l i s Alcan, 1900,
pp. vii e t 3 )'L.
7. T. cie 13oer's cc History of Philosophy i n
Isli111, 7 7 both i n Jlu-tch aacl in the Eiiglish trans-
lation.
 'I'he .t Of1r.l-ing to the Prince in the Fornz
of' a (;ompendinm or1 the Soill, 17 of \vhich the
l l enly
l~*eqt'l,t,I ' i ~ ~ ~ ~ p lis t attelvlpt a t an English
'I'rauslatiou: is t h e least l i l l o ~ nthroughont Egypt,
a11d Syria of' all l b n SillA's nlauy and able lite-
rary \vc,rks : ilicleecl I have f'ailecl, after repeated
n l l d pr010ugrd eilrlniry, t o c o i ~ i e across so m-rlch
a > 0 1 1 ~ .anlong nly many Egyptian acquaintances,
rhat, llacl even heard of it.
I ~ o c t o rSamnel I ~ a u r l a ~ ~ofe r the Univel-sitj
(.f Strassburg pnblisliecl both the Arabic t,rst,
a n ~ lhis O I L 11 coucise German translation, of' this
Resenrcl~into the Faculties of the Soul, i n vo-
I n m c 2)for the gear 1875 of the Z. d. 1).M. G.,
togetller nit11 his critical ilotes ant1 exhaustively
erudite cont'rontations of t h e original Arabic with
inanCVGreek passages from Plato, Aristotle, Ale-
xander Aplirodisias, ailcl others, that Ibil Sill6 llacl
access to, it ~ ~ o u lappear, d socond hand, i. e.
throtigll translations. Doctor liandauer made use
also of a \-er.. ].are Latin translation by Anrirea.;
4lpagus, printeit a t Veriice i n 1544;; and of the
Casspl seconcl etlition of ,lehnda Ilall6vy's reli-
gious Dialogue e~itit~led I<llnsari, which is in rab-
binical Flttbrew, anci on pages 386 to 400 o f n-hieli
the vie\\ S of Lr philosophers 77 on the Soul are set
forth, Dl~ctorI,a~ldauerh a ~ i n gdiscovered t o his
agreeable surprise that those 15 pages are silnply
a ~ c l r c lf ' o ~\ s o d excerpt froin this Research bj-
11111 Sin;. F o r the Arabic text jtsellt; lle had a t
his coinmailcl only two mannscript copies, the one,
preserved i n t h c Library a t Leyclen, being very
f a u l t y ; arlrl t h e other, i n t h e Biblioteca Aalbro-
siaiin a t Jlilan, being f a r niore accurate and
correct.
This text w a s reprintecl talis qualis, b11t .i\.ith
omission of every kind of'ncte, iu 1884 a t BcirAt,
Syria, by J<halil Sarkis : this reprint is very hard
t o find.
,Tames l/Iicidletou Mac _I)ol~alcl,31. A., made
a studiedly literal E u g l i ~ htranslatioil o r rather
a coustruc of' i t i n 188.2,of which h e got a small
nnmber printed i n pamphlet k r m a t B e i r f t,, and
by Ichalil Sarkis also : this English Versioil too
is very rare, and alinost unlino\vl,.

M y present Ii:11glis11 reudering of this Essay

by Aviceua 011 t h e Powers of the Soul has beell
macle directly and finally from tho Arabic Ori-
giual as gi-s~eui n t h e JJanclaner Test, with constant
consnltation however of both t h e L a n d a i ~ e rGer-
m a n translatioll and tlle Mac Uortald English
constrne : it has been ma(1e not for European
~ c h o l a r sand Arabists but solely for pupil students
in E g y p t , which circunlstance called i n a g r e a t
measure for the use of tx-o or more nearly syno-
nymous n ~ o r d s\ ~ l l e r e tlla Arabic original oftell
has but o n e only. I r ~ d e e dI at11 not asllarned t o
say further t h a t i n some places l hiire failed t o
fi11llJn tllc clrift, nncl uucicrstan~l t h e purport of
l i , u Si1l:t.s argurlzent : so t h a t i n s u c h passages T
a111 t111ly too col~scioas of 11o\i7 f i ~ rmy reudering

lrrny pe1.11ajts ha\-c wallcleretl fro111 t l l t ~ 1-igllt ailcl

t i ~ ~-iPrI ) - P . l:nj, tlle al~t,Ilorllinlseif' t l t ~ c l i ? rt ~h ~a t
1>\,~~1101~~;; 1s oiie 01' the clecpcst a n t i clarliest t f '
.;t;rllii.s : ;il i [ l Ile relates of Ilimself i n his arrtobio-
gr;~i,l~;,- ! 11 i t 11e lik1~1 rea(1 0 1 1 ~oj2Aris~ot,le's17 riLiugs
f',,l.t~ t i i ~ l l A \ i ' \ T c ~ , nillil I I V Li,lci got, it, 11~7iicnrt,
aiic1 J t it::il failcti ~o srtl t lle l ) o i t,~ ~illl(l he goes
A

o u 1 0 tcall oi' lio\\. it n-as t1i~1 t 1 1 i l o n e (13)- stnllibletl

~ C I -,-h
, ? t 1 ~ 1 2 1 1l*aa~i~l a1
o\-~I* - i!1:~L:l~7'~ L; JraqA( id
,\ ~ - i + L i , + l .~ I\ l > l ~ l i t aliglit
l~r>X'(~ll1>(jll l ( l a \ \ ~ l e c 1U I ) O I ~
1bi11~a - l , tllcl p11rl)orj of Ll~zt\\-ritii~g.
' ~ I I O - . : ~ l t ~ r\I l , )in 1 11:1ve ina(l? i t 1101\- lcilo~v
v, 1 t l 1 1 i s 1i is I t l ant1
\iCL^ cl ills, 118) st)i~iei,itnesB T ' P I I \j-c?r;ly aud ll::ej.

'I'lle tlie ~ I P Y ~~- i l ~ r 'session

c . ~ l ( l of s \\ ill in
a l l lil;e!ij~ootl i ~ r i l ~\I gi t l ~i t tile cesyatioir of 1114.
coullect i 1 1 1 1 \J i r b t,he IClietli~,-ial S c l ~ o o l of' I l a ~ v .
A \ l o r c tllaii t l ~ i s: 1 a m get,t i i ~ g\\-ell 011 i n lif5(z-,so
tllnt t,llis tl-ulisldtion \\+ill m o s t liliely be t h e last
\e~-ious11 orl; tll,-tt,1 sllall ?-\.er ljrl-f'or~ll i n t h e
service o f I7ouilg b:g~-pt. Such rel-lectiolls a \ \ ~ a l i e n
i11 my i l i l n f i ~ 1soul all sorts of f'eelings ancl tllo-
11g11t,sa l ~ i t n tthe slr~irtlles.:aiiil Jleetingiicss of this
~a rr 111) l i L., tlle lieppiuehs o f cllildhoo l and youth,
t l i ~t l a r l i ~ i ~of~ ~tile
q gritye, a i ~ dt h e 11;ter despair
that w i l l snrelj, e n g a l f 1110 soul at t h e l a s t h o u r s ,
unless - marl; nlj- nrortls - ~ i l l r s st h e s1,roilg
a r m of o u r l-leavelllj E'uthcr laj- 1iolt.l u p o ~ z t h i s
soul t h a t i s 1 1 0 ~\ \~i t h i l l ine, a n d t a k e i t off aricl
LIP, t o b e jnilled u u t o t h e lnillions of' snnls of'
all, all tliose \\-h() 1la1.c g,)ne bei'ore. w h i t h e r too
shall fullon. s o ~ ~ l a n ) m . ,an3 other inillions; i n a
ivorcl, -unless (%CIDhave inere) ul3on me, e v e n a s
1Te l i a s 11ad m e r c j 11poi1 1113- fore ia t1lel.s ailcl 111otl1-
e r s sirice lunnj- generaiioils. 'I'llis hope i n Iris
mercj7 a n f l grace is mj- ever - s t r e n g t l l e l l i ~ l gp r o p
aiiil st,aj-, t h e older i l l l ~ l f'eel~ler 1 g e t . S o r --ill
n n j - ni' those f o r 11-horn I ivrite t l l ~ sl i~n e s e r e r
fillcl a s t r o i ~ g e ro r n I~etttll.. iilld t h e tilne will
v m y ::;oo11 conic \\-lle~leach a n d every o n e of them,
h ~ \ \ ~ c - \ -lcorn g inay be 1lis life herebelon-, will
s n r c l j lleetl it, t o save liim f r o m sillliillg i n t o
tlle hlacl; notllirlg~lessof' tloubt, incliflerence, a n d
despair.
EUTVAIl,D ABIZOTT Trail DYClC.

W e r f e r t i g ist, ciem i s t ilichts r e c h t zrl tnacheu:

E i n werdender \ \ - i d i m m e r danlrbar seiil.
[ L u s t i g c Person, i u Goethe's Faustl
 INTRODUCTION

I n the Name of' GOD, the Merciful, the Con?-

passionate : May GOD bless our Lord &Iuhamnlad
and his liiasfolk, ant1 give them peace. 0 1113'
God facilitate jthis undertaliing] ; and inake [it]
e n J i n goo~l,0 Thou Bount,eous Beiiig !
Abu-'Aly, Ibii S i n a , the chief elder, the lear-
nc:rl and erudite leader, the precise and accurate
researcher, Truth's plea against mankind, the
physician of physicians, the phiiosoplier of Isltim,
max tlze Most H i g h GOD have lliercx upom him,
saith : -
The best of beginnings is t h a t which is
adorned with praise to the Giver of strength for
praising Him; and fhr iilvokillg blessing an& peace
upon our Lord Muhammad, His prophet and ser-
vant, and upon his good and -pure offspring after
him. And after this beginning, he saith further : -
Had not custom given leave to the small and
low to reach up to the great and high, i t ~ v o u l d
be inost difficult for them ever to tread those
paths i n going over which they need to lay hold
of their upholding arm (1) and seek the help of
tl~ciz.si1pr.rio1- q i 1~11g111 ; to attail1 t o a p o ~ i t i o ni n
t h t ~Si st:: ' r i i ~ c ~ ant1 . ,join t(lie13~selvesto their social
c-lrclt~: t o 111-iilc tllemselvcs o u lravjilg becolfit.
cct~~thcctc~(l n-i t l r tllei?l, :tllil openly c l ~ cal r e their
ri.1ia11c.i. 7 1 ~ 1 0 1 7 them. Nay, t h e v e r j I)on;L wllicil
j i ~ i ~tlie ~ sconllnnri l r l a i l t o the man of olite ~ r o n l d
1 , S~ I ~ T C ' I * C I ? ,a l l , ] I l i p rpliance, of' the: flocl; I I ~ O ~i tL\
~ l ~ ~ ~ l ~ l lol:l.~t
l,\ ( - r ( iC , \ C I \ P : t l l ? l'ri~il\j o111(1 110 loi~ger
ilci:c,l~~c;ro\\ c ~ r f u l ihl-ong!i 111c sirengtli. o f ' tlie
~ n i g l ~ t yt ~, ( t rt l , ~loi\-lsni-n rihe through t l ~ e I)ro-
' 1 : I 1 I i I of i11e high-lmrn ; t h e
i;>i?iihlr ' ? r ~ : ( ' i n o t be ;il)le t,o c-orrort l1i.r f o l l y aiicl
Iglio1.ailci1 1)) il!ti.rt*ol~rsrlU-it11 tlic ljrntient ail(l
:\ i<tx : I I ~ I I *t l \~\ - ~i ~ ~ ~ R I iligll I io tllo igtlorallt,
11~1f\\(,lifili.
_\11d. 11 llc.rc.lr I f i i i ( 1 t1ltLt c~~st,olrl 11as trod
alit~lg1 his Iligl~ronil,ancl prc.scrillr;l this usage,
T avail n~y,cll of si~(-lra l ~ r ~ c e c l c n ailcl t , escrlse, to
\r arralit, 111) 1-oacllitlg IT.:, ailtl aspiring t o the
F r i i ~ c( 3~0 1~1 gil-P h i l l 1 1o11glifil?\vit,h ail o f r e r i ~ ~ g
X C C Q ~ ) ~ R ! > ! P j ~ l - i l \ i ? ~ ~ t ;. l a 1 ~ ~I 11 1 a r e given prevc2-
1c1lc.c t o I 'tit. 11101igllttlixt 11-1~-c1roic.e ougltt t o f a l l
1 r j ~ ) na11 o l ! , , t i ~ i \\ l l i ~ 1I\~ill a t once loo 1liost H C -
c ( ~ ~ ~ x I ) I to c 111111, a l i c l l>(-l\i, r i ~ l ~ u l a t e t o~ al t t a i n my
aim o i i n g r n i ititins 111) -,cl{ i n t o his favv:. ; nut1
t l l i q , a f t ~ rc o l ~iin { : to f h e c~1.t trill C C ) U C ~ I I S ~ O I Ithat
i l , ~c.llief virtnc-; n1.a t ~ i o , l ~ a r n o l j 1. Love of
\ \ iqt10111 a-. tq r t i c > A r t , i c l t . s of li'aitll; 1 i. e., Love
1 l i l o l i l l i,heortlt,ical p r i n c i p l e s ) ; a n d
L'. Cjl~oicc>o i ' tlio l;lo.;t, Iic~nestof deeds as to in-
tent,ioli (i. C . , t h e preference of puro purposes i n
practical life:.
And i n this c o n ~ l e ~ t i o In find the I'riace,
Gocl l ~ r o l o n gliis days, t o have give11 to liis in-
trinsically IT-orthy cllaracter so ~ n u c ~ofh tlie polish
ancl lustre imparted bp ivistloul t h a t lie far outstrips
his rivals among the: princes, ancl (IT-ertops all
sncll as are o f his liill~l. ,$11d lle~ico 1 clearly
perceive t l ~ to f all preaezts tllc one h e \rill
tippreciate most is sncli as condnces to t h e most
precions of tlie virtues, t o ~ v i t isdo don^. I had,
Ilowrver, so far protit,t~tlfro111 a carefal perusal
of the boolcs of t h e lexmC(1. as t o find t h e i r
r e s e a r c h ~ sillto t h e spiritual i'nn,nlties a1norig the
most ahqtrnse ancl refractory against tlie inind's
gracping \vhat they mean, ailcl t,lie most bewil-
g t o their results.
tlerilig, ol)scn~-rant1 n l i \ l e a ; l i ~ ~as
Aud j e t I have w e n if, r ~ p o r t c c lal)i>nt,a n n l ~ l h e r
of \i ise inell (")hilosoplncl-si and pions I 2) s:iints
t h a t they agree i n illis dictum (motto), v i z :
u TTrhoso I<iion.etl~1 ~ i m s ~ lT<nn\~-et11
V~ his Lord ::?

ancl I l i a ~ ralso hearcl t l ~ oChief of' tlle Plliloso-

phers say, in a g r e e n l ~ n t\,\-it11their saying: tr \irlioso
faileth t o 1<t1o\i- hinlscli.; is still more lilcely (apt)
t o fail of liilon-ing his Clreator ; and FTo\i- shall
jr L(

Ile, \\l10 is trixstecl as a r e l i a l ~ l e authority ill a

science, be deeined to have alir vie\rs a t all,
~ v h e nh e is i g n o r a n t of h i m s e l f ? I sre f n r t h e r
t h e Book of' the JIost LligEi GOD p o i n t i ~ t gto the
measure of t r u t h of tliis, -\\liere 116 s a j s , when
~ n ~ u t i o l i i l itlie g tli-:t,ailce s e p a r a t i i ~ g tlle E r r i n g
i roil1 Ii i s Inclrcy : S l ~ r a hb9, al-Hasllr, v. 19 : t r they
1; trg, ) t G ocl; atlcl He lilade theill forget the~rlselves:i ;
i h lit 1: Ilis l l l a l i i ~ gthe forgetting of self to depend
111" 1i f'&rg(>tting fliln cll-rne so as t,~, au.al;en tlle
t tell t ion to His closely binding tllo reiliembrsnce
ol F j l ~ l l\\'ith t h e i.emembrance of self, and tlie
liu~o\\-lr~t\ge of Hi111 \\ itli t l ~ o li~lo\\-ledge of self,
~ c i l i c ~ col' ~ tone's o\\ 11 qt)ul Y Partlleriuore, I lla~re
zt-atl i l l tilt. 1~rjol~s of-' ilie rt~ic>ielltstllat the IlartK
tab],: (If going i l ? e l ~ l j -iuto t l ~ e1;1io1\-ledge of self'
hat1 i ) r l t l c11 ~ ~ioi iietl u p o l ~tllcin by\ a11 oracle tljat
!lall clr\ 'crlcl~;[II;)CIIL i , l ~ e na~t ono of' tllr temples
: i t iIre gotl*. \I lricii say:: : CL liuon- tllyself, 0 man,
,o s:lnlt 111on lcuo\\ t l i ~ -Lortl. I llsve also reacl
:\!at t h i s s'lyiug \\-as cngrxvecl in t,lle iLac;ade of
tlte I c n l l ) J ~01' Aescnlapiins, \\-l10 is 1;ilov-n aiiiollg
tllelli ;is one of tllc propliets, and \vllose lnost
f a m o ~ i sniiracJe is t h a t Ile n-ac3 \\-out t o heal t h e
.;icl, I,y 1ncArr,loncl snppli~ittioll; nncl so clid all
l ~ l . i t . - i r \\l10 perfc>rinctd suertlotal fulictious i n llis
t e l n l ~ l t . . Froin l~illi have philosol~llers got tlte
scielice of nieclecine.
Tlius 1 have tlrongllt fit t o nzal~e for t h e
Prince a b001i on t l ~ csonl, in tlie fhrin of a
c o i n ~ ) e ~ d i u: iand r ~ T a,r:k tlie Most Fiigll Gocl t o
p r o l o i l g llis lii'e, to lamp i u t a c t from t h e evil eye
lliq 1'1 ;ii l aild mortal body, t o refresh tllrougll I-1iii1
\\ isiicnirl :tft;er its facling, to revive it after i t s
I t i i ~ g : : ~ i s lt ~o ireneiz~ ~ g ~ i t s lrligllt tllrougll Iris migllt',
tzilrl to give i t l e ~ l g t , lof'
~ days t l ~ r o u g l l leligtll of
clays t o l l i ~ n ,i n ostler t1l:it bx his [)restige t11lc
advantag:.rs accruing froin t h e prest,ige of' i t s liiil
s l ~ a l lbecome all-et11 bracing, a n d t l ~ ta t11e nnrnber
of tile seeliars a f t e r ii -l !'l~IIllt~~s ~ l l i ~abo11n;l.
ll Nor
sllitll I a c l i i ~ ~ vtoh i s IUJ- a l n l ~ i t i o n save t1irougi.l
Goil : I-Zo is 111)- all-s11flicic.11t stay, cilil best tlolper.
I Ilavtl arr;ii~gecttllci Bl)oli in sent,ions, I 1.11 i n a l l : -
1. 'l'o Esta1)lislr t l ~ oExist-.rice, ot' t h e F a -
oultir.: of tllc Sol11, tlie c l ~ t n i l c f ariiilysis l a, i l e s -
plauak 011 ot' \i-I11rl1I llave ~ ~ i l ~ l e r t , ~ l < ~ ~ i i .
2. l l i v i s i k ) ~:1111l
~ Claqsili(>at,ion of' i,he Pri-
m a r y ~ P r i ~ n i t iFvi t~( ' ~1 1~1 t i ~01'~ tlle Sonl, ant1 1)efi-
nit,lc,ll oi' the Sol11 a t large (or as s \L hole).
3. r i ' l l a t No~lt*of tile l ? t ~ ( : ~ ~i l te ~of the So111
origins t ~ sf'r.orn t l l t ~ ( Io~riLi~liii icin (I3letl(lii1g) of
t h e F o u r E i i . l u e u t ~ ,l ) n ~o n tllr c o ~ l t , r a ~ caomes y
L I ~ L ~ them
I f'l-oln \j-itllont.

4. 1)c~tailc~ci St,at rulent, c o n c , r r ~ ~ i u{,he g \?eg-

e t d l ~ l e l',)\"\ tJi*.: ( t ' i i ( > ~ ~ l t ia~1 ~ 1 ()1, J I f ~ i l ~ i o u it ~l ~i ~g
Se~:ll f o r E;I(:IL01ie (of' Il ~ e n t .
5. Ijetliilt s i l S t , a t , ~ i r ti ~coti(:erl~i
l~ tig f,l~eL A ~ ~ i -
m a l F C ~ c n i t , i r(~)ows-rrs),
s < ) n r 1 M e ; ~ t i o ~ i i lt11el g Need
f o r Each One of t l ~ r ~ t l .
(;. D~i,iiile(lS I t,, t~ ~1~1 > ~ 1t1 i - o i ~ ~ tI Il ~I . t~~ l~ ~ cl7x-

tel'~l~11 ( h l ) p a l - ~ n tS
) L~l.-;cis, a:ltl 11 , \ c tll-j, perceive,
nieni ionil~gtf,llt? s i - r g r c l r i ~ l ~[ c~i f~ It ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A I ~ ~ : aI sI c ~ s
to Seeing is l ) t ~ ~ . f o r ~ n c i l .
7. U~tailecf $1, I I cli~lent coilcerli i 1 1 ~ ; tlle Tn-
 terllstl (Tliddeu) Senses, and the Rody Moving
Power.
S. Meil-ioir on t l ~ e~ a i n a nSoul f r o m t h e
Stage nl' its Ltcginninf; t o t h e Stage of its Per-
fectic)ii.
1). I+:qt :lblisliing t h e P r o o f s necessalay f o r
a f f i ~ l - i l i ~i l~l pg T C ~ ~ e ~ ~ t of i t ~ ~Spcaliiag (Ra-
i a lthe;
tional ) S o n l , by t h e logiclal rl~etlroil.
r ~ g Xrgulncnt for t l l c ? ]<xis-
10. E \ i i i l ) l i ~ i ~ i tllc
teuoe of' tllr i ~ l t , c l l e c t , i ~ aEsscricc,
l d i s t i n c t from
Iloclics, h i a l ~ ~1l~i gt o the E a t i o n a l (sllec21~ilig) Fa-
cnlties ~n tlic s t e a d of' n B1onntain, and i n tlle
stcacl of Ligl~t,to Sight; aucl S1lo~viil.g illet IZa-
tional csl)~:ll\irlg) Soills r e n ~ n i l l united wit11 I t
after t111i7 t l r a t i l of tJle l , o d j , secnre and safe from
corl-nl-,tiol~n i l l chn::gr.; : I I L ~It ~ i s \vllat is callecl
T-Tllivrr:;~~ l ('cl:, c rip) Illtr!ligence,

( I ) Tlle figr~1.c:~JL' hpeecli in t,he Arabic is looplloles B ;

C U I I ~ ~ ) ~ LSu12ilh
I*C 2 : S);, and 31 :21, i~11tlIUejrdA-
wi's C ' o ! n l u e ~ i r n i ' ~ .
( 2 ) T h e c( ~\;:tl?>> pel*ii)rams rrliracles only, M hereas
the <( 11ak))->> pei'l'ornls niir;icles, ailcl also fore-
tells l'ul[t~.c: evelits.
( 3 ) IJ-llo was illis prilice ; ant1 wllp dicl the author
stnilil i n sncll neerl ol' Ilis couotenalice as to
tledicute t o I l i ~ nthis ljoolilet i n the humble and
le11gt11~ tol.~nsof al)ology \vllic;!l r4un 1,llrough the
gre:tter4 1)al.t of' the T~~t~~oL!uctioli '! It is Doctor
S. Lnudauel.':, opi~iion that, with this Essay, lbrl
SinA began llis caloeer as a, wiiter. After he had
coml)letetl the sisteeiltll jre:tr of his ago, he was
s u n l m o ~ ~ etod llle bedside of the suffer~ing S&-
1uti11it1p1.i ~lce.NI'iIl ih:l Mari~in~~, \v110 resided a t
 U : ( C I i l l 1 o l i ) J~IJ
succeetletl in crlt-irig h i m . '1'11e!i followi?tl a long
period tluring which I b n S i u , ~~.cjrnovedf ~ ~ o r tlie ii
Court oi' oiie 1t;ller to t h a t of' a i i o t l l e ~ ~a1111 , WLL~
successively engagc?tl in t h e sot1\-ice of' vhl.ii);lh
T'ettj- Ilyna-sties in I\liurasiin Ii' tlicn this 13asa.y
was his ~rlaiclelll~roductiotr - a.; Docto~.I,:~lld-
suer assuliles - tllc i~utlior* \\;As h t i l l cloitc? 3 oil~ig,
ancl stood in 1 1 c ~ toi' 1 t l ~ c patl3onagc: Ile si) p a l b -
uectly i~nplot*e\.P ~ ~ ~ ~ t l l r t i . : utllc:.~! o l ~ e i s ;L Ilinriu-
scrlil~tirl L,eyrlen, lnit1.1ioi c'ocles 958. ;LLI 1 1111111-
tjere~l1968 i l l tllo Catalogue. \vllich is :L \111rti1
treatise oil tlie soul b) I l ~ r l S n:t, c l o ~ l l ~ :'as g
fOl Iowa :
<< I hat1 produced n s l ~ o r iessay 011 t h e ex-
position o t' t h e liuox-ledge of the soul, auil \\ h a t
is co~lriectoiltllc:l%e\~ itli, ; i t tllo b e g i ~ i l ~ i lo~lg luy
careol* i'i112ty ?-ears ago. i l l tel. I h e put2e1j plii loso-
pliic~ti~iietllod of' i ~ ~ ~ c s t i g a t i o\l~lioso r~. n-ishes
t o I \ ~ r o wtliat ii;ctllotl, Ict l ~ i mperuse it, for. i t
i h atli~l>ttltlto tlie scelieras of' re sear cl^. )>
'J lie (i40 J e a r s ago )> fit exactlj-, i f s t n d e ~ ~o11e t$
:i.ssunles t l ~ tile ~ ~liiel-ary
t p ~ ~ o d u c ~ .reterr-et1
~ori to
is tlie otie 11o tledicated to <c t h e 1'1,irlce NO IT^.
tile first prince he ciiine i:: ~ 0 ~ 1 t i l \vitli c t wa.; s 1 1 1 1
ibli \ixticilr3 (1.11letl i'iaolu 3CiG - 387 11. -- 076
-- <'!l7 A. l)., t h e l<iglltJl O C tlle Stiln51iiil l.)j'linsty).
t i ~ ~ t h i ~ t1i~rlSilia, at ~ J i eage
l b 1 1 I \ l ~ i ~ l l i l ~relates
of 1Ci j-dal's, 1iad begun to 1 ~ 1 - cn g r e a t ri?puta-
t,io:i as n pliysician. 3Ioreo1-er t h e Latin tr*at~sla-
, tioli in E'loreuce of this es.;;y- bears ill express
wotaJs tlle iledicaxiotl to LnyTi~ll. Result :
Ibu Silia horn i n . . . . . p i 0 TT. = 980 1-2.1).
L )-

l<ai~liestAge a s
.
'I'reatillg Pl~ysician . 386 IT. = '306
1)eath 1' N t ~ hi n
Montli o f Itagab . . . :l87 11. = !W .rule
I)ettth of Ibll Sirla . . . . 4 2 8 11.
Cetwoell ;l86 and 438 lie Ills 41; J-ears.
- 1036
 SECTION FIRST
To Establish the Existence of the Spiritual
Faculties, the Detailed Analysis of which
I have undertaken.

3Vlioso wisl~esto describe snytl-ling ~rhatsoever

before proccecliilg to establish first i t s (1) realit,y
of existence, s n c h a one is counted by the wise
among those who deviate from tlie broad beaten
track of perspicuous statenient. It is incumbent
upon us, therefore, to first set to work to es-
tablish the existence of the spiritual powers, be-
fore starting t o define each one of them singly,
and enlarge upon it,.
And wrliereas tile inost peculiar cllaracteristics
of spiritual properties are two - one of tlrlelii
Setting in Motion (Impulsion), and t h e other
Perception - i t is incunlbeut upon us to show
that to every moving body there is a (") moving
cause (ground, reasou, motive, pretence). Then it
will beconie evident t o 11s therefrom t h a t bodies
moving i n nlotions over and above the uatural
lnotions - a n example of natural motions is the
sinking of the heavy, ancl the rising of the light
 - 11::vr mo-\ ing i ' 1 c : ~ ~ ~ q c\\. rllicli , \f e call souls

or h p i r i t i ~ a lPOT\-er-; a u i l t l ~ a t \\ e f n r t l ~ e r ~110~2;
i,'lnt, oli:\ bi\tly, in ko f:11. a.; it, ~ l l o \s\ sjgiis ( t r a c e s )
t>liat i t is p ~ r ~ r p t i ~q 1t1-~ 1, 1l ) e l ~ c ~ p t i oby l l it cannot
l)(. \-cilicll~asrrihc3tl t o it-; l ) l ) J y i excrpt l ~ e c a u s eof
; ~ o \ \ c ~ ! * -if,r:>itltieq) i l l it, tllnt arc: c , n p d ~ l (o~f ' per-
cept ioij.
T\'v ~ i o . i \ - \ t a r t by s a j illg t , l ~ n t not n shatio\~-
c) 1 cl0111 , t o r Ilr'~-pl~:Li t y l l n i l l p ~ ~ r111e
s I I I ~ I L C ~ :?,S
, to
I11i11;1,\ i ? :+ . o i , ~ vo i ' t l ~ ~ 5ll~rtc
~ n s~onicl oile i l l i l ~ g
i ! I ~ ~ O I ~ L + > ~ O~I !: , I ,tlii'it~r
I i , ~:lil ot,h lr; ailcl i t ihst

\>;lii<-l, i~ s l ~ : ~ r 1~ 1< ~Vl ~ I I ~ I I , i'q o t j l e r ~ 1 ) r t i l~ ~ C ill L L

w l r : t ~ l ~t i l i clifJ't~r.'L1ilc ininil eni-oulliers all 7~odies

nil it<oeT or :I.; lit\,illq tllis in coinii~oll, ~ i z .i b a t
t1it.i :irP i,oflicq : : l l i t l af'i cr\.~--d !-(l it eilco~ullers
tlil~~ila.; cliL'l2e:-ins ii:~ t,llat t l ~ xnovc~ j rill tliffrl-ellt
~ v : i j - \ , : clJ!~c.~n i.;lt~t l l , b l . ~ T\-\-oultll)(. 110 5url1 tl-iiug as
1-e.t c.1 a boilj. :1nt1 not eve11 3 ~ 1 ~ 1:t1 tiling as
i n o t i o ~r,f ~ a 1,od;)-, except, along a circlc, seeing
t l l a i , o ! k!io:ir>ll ill a btl'FLigllt l i n ~i t i s established
1 ) l~t L \ 7 lry f'ul*m ih;ir i t -\I ill x o t ~ ) I - O C P ~ Csave ~
f ' c o ~ n\tc,jll,illg.: .incl t o S ~ L ? ~ ) J ) ~ I(re\ting-l~laces I~S
to rr>t ilig-l)l,toci;). Fielice i t i s eviclellt illat bodies
clr? not i,o be clotlictl nit11 the attribute of motion
l ~ e c : t - i ~they ~ e are bodies, but f o r reasolls [canses)
1 4 1 3 0 ~ 7 n.lzcl
~ l ~ e y o i l i ltheir co~poreit3-,froni wliich
cansilk their rnotiolls p r o c e e ~ l , like tlie resulting

(*) n !TT1~?- ancl n'hcl.cfo'u13e moving it. Note tile dilfer-

e ~ l c eI,et-\~eensal,ab and 'illi~I1.
of the footprint from the wallrev (or, just as tlle
effect proceeds from the agent).
So mucl1 having become clear to us, we say
t h a t we find, among bodies generated from the
F o u r E l e r n ~ n t s ,(2) ::11ch as moves, not by con-
straint, i n two lrinds of motion between wliich
there is lliore or less diiference : The one Iiind
iiilierellt ill its element by reason of the supremacy
over i t of the power of one of it,s constituents,
and thus decreeing it,s motion towards thc positio~l
i n i p w e r~ati~r;-rlly appoiiltecl for i t , as for t-xample
a ~nan'.: rliovillg by the nature of 111s proponde-
rating (3, heavy elernext in his body clownwards ;
nor will tliis killtl of t l ~ elnotions o f bodies be
fonncl to take place sxve i n one clirectiol~ and
wit11 a constant, tendencj ; 3'11e second kind of
rnotioll goiug ag:tilist, t!ltl tlclcree of its ele~lient,
\~-11ichdccree is either rest i n tlie natural position
as snnn a.; i t reac>hest l ~ a position,
t as for e x a m p l e
a man's itloving llis I)oily along its natural home
~vllichis t,he Eartll's surface ; or else a moving
away froin the ~ l a t u r a l position w11en already
separated from it, like a fljing bircl's motion with
i t s l ~ e a v ybody high up t l l r o ~ ~ gthe h sky. I t lias
thus beeu made lilaviifest [.to t h e reader] t h a t the
two motions have two acco~lntiugcauses, and
tha,t they are quite different one rrom the other:
the one is called Natura,l, alid the second called
Soul or Spiritual Fzculty. Hence i t is quite
sound, as to motion, to affirm the existence of
spiritual faculties.
Whereas, i n respect of Perception, because
t h a t bodies exist with this i n common, viz. t h a t
they are hodies, and wit11 this i n distinction,
viz. t h a t they are repeatedly perceptive, i t is
quite manifest by t h e first (prececlingj process of
cliscrimiliation t h a t perception will not ever differ
f'ronz bodies through difference of their substance,
b u t by certain powers or faculties borne within
tllose bodies. I t therefore becomes quite clpar by
this sort of exposition t h a t spiritual faculties
have a n esistelice: a n d this is what we ~vislled
t o i!eaionstrate.

(1) Reality of existence; or its \vller~eabouts.Doctor

thinks that the x ~ o r dayniyyat in the
S. Larltlaue~~
text must be wrong, because nowhere thraough-
out this section is the Whereabout >> of the
mental 1,ower.s so much as hinted a t ; whereas
the burden of the whole chapter is to prove
merely that such !lowers do exist, i. e., their
inniyjat, 71 llicli is a word used by Arab Logicians.
(%) The foula ele~kle~its: earth, air, fire, water.
( 3 ) 1ler.e 1b11 Sins seems lo have had a rather clear
preinonitio~iof Kewton's 'I'heo~dy of Gravitation,
seven llrindred years before the falling ol' the
farnot; s apple.
 SECTION SECOND
Of the Division of the Spiritual 1F:aculties and
'
their Classification into Three Main Classes,
and t h e Definition of the Sou1 in a General
Way.

I t has been clearly showll by us i n the fore-

going that of things there are some which have
one thing i n common and diEer i n an other, i n
t h a t t h e one in colnrnon is other than the one
differed in. Then we fonntl compound ensonlecl
bodies - I mean possessing souls - t o have
agreed ancl differed in the properties both of
their impulsion and their perception. As to iln- .
pulsion, they agree and dif'fe~., ill that, one and
+l of tllem has i n comrnon t h a t tllejr move ill
qnnntity tlle il~ot,ioilo f growtll; and they differ,
in t h a t one s e t t a m o n g thern rnoves, togetller
with t h a t g r o ~ v t l ~ill, local motions accorcling to
the wil! ; and one other sett an:ong then1 does
n o t P O move, such as plants. Liliewisc living
beings have i n common t h a t they are hoth sentient
ancl perceplivc, np t o certain sort of scilsuous
pel-ccption : 311d tile11 af'tcr\vards they differ i n
t h a t one sett a m o l l g t l i e l r ~ perceives, t o g ~ t l wit11 ~e~
t l l n t sort c S :,elisllons percept ion, by illCellectua1
p e r c e l ~ t -111;
i <illcl one other sett anlollg tllerti does
u o t so ptl~-c.ei\rt>;+ncli as tlie :?SS a n d tlie horse.
TT-e fill-t11c1-f;~nii:i tlia pc!\\ e r of iil~pulsion t o be
:north \iitIcIj- ~ l l l l ~ l - , i i f i l1 ~1 1g~ 1 1t1ie 1)0\fer of per-
c . c l ~ t i o ~i l~l . i!i,t \ t t : t'oiu~tlp12111 7 10 lac!; the lai,ter
~~tt,c.~.lj-. IIrllcc .T,; iiucjv f~ r ccrt,airi that, thc, f;l-
cnllj- il: llic.11 tllc. nllilnal agreeq wit11 t l ~ ep l a n t
is 1110regttll(:rcll ~ , I I : \ I I iliib l)ercepti;-e f'aclilt,~, atld
i l i a ~ !t11,l i i l ~ plliug
* f<$c>111ty v) lticli i d ill t h e a l i i ~ n a ;l
aiitl 0~tc.11 L ~ L ~of O ili('tll i q 1 1 1 0 1 ' ~ ;,(~11eraI 111a11 t h e
sL)c~aI;il~:;~.,:tionoI f,dc~ll?? I! liicll I ~ c l o ~ ~t og nlari. *
'i'i~us t tiic.11, t1:t. spirit ~ ~ i - t I',:cul!ics
l come fortli (or
stali(l 0111 1 ) i ~Ct)re n.; sei, a u t l r'a~lgt'cl; i l l r e s ~ 3 e ~ 1
o f i11c Colili?lOll niltl tlic pecilliar? i. e., accorcling
so l lle g e ~ i e r a lniid s p e c i a l t ' ) i ulicler t!il.ce c1:asst.s
:~S
T ~ I I I ~

'l'iil.1; r- t ol' \\ l ~ i c l li s lcnon n ;is tllt: plant or

s egrta11:c~I I O \ \ rr, ' r l i R C S O U I ~01'
~ t h e participation
~ 1 1 ~ 1 , e(~f
i n 1 . 1 ~ a ~111al~ iant1 l ) l c ~ n; t
r
1l 1 1 ~~e('o11cl !'-: !iltij\~ll a s tlte aliili~nlpoTver ;
'Fl~e tliircl, a s t,lle speal<iag poxver, or rational
facnltj-.
r'
l lie~.cfore, tile prinlarj; p a r t s of tllo soul, in
coat,ernplating i t f r o m tlle staudpoiilt of i t s p o v-
em. are three.

T o tl-e:t t n o w of' Llie cieii~litiollof' tlic S o u l a t

large, I rneall the nni L-ersal, a b s o l u t ~ , g e u e 1 . i ~
soul. 'I'l~isxiill becomo apparent>,accorcling to tlre
telicts I I:c)lcl, t h a t arllollg t r u t h 3 tliat are plainly
m a n i k s t one is t l ~ a t esarg o n e n f a l l rlntural
Isodie.; j s compo~incledof ~i hyli. T 1 1 1 ~ i i l l m a t t e r ,
ancl 0:' form. ,4s for lly!;), 011e of i t s pi-c)pcrties
i s tlla: tllrougll it :t i ~ a t n r a lhotly is affect,~cl(or
acted npoli) i n i t s very s e l f ; seeillg that, t h e
sword. for insiance, does riot c u t tllrougll i t s iron,
b u t t111'011g11i t s ~ l l a r p l l t r ~ s h:. E1icI1 is i t s for111 ;
n l l e r e a s i t g e t s jagged o w i n g t o its iron, and
n o t o w i n g t o i t s f o r m . Anotller of tlrose pro-
perties i s that bodies do n o t differ tllrough it,
I meail tllro~~fi.11 i h e 11y16; for e a r t h does n o t cliffer
f r o m w a t e r tI1rougl.l j ts m a t t e r , b u t t l ~ r o u g l i i t s
form. ( l ) .Still anotller p r o p e r t y i s t h a t it - the
llylb or m a t t e r - does n e t afford (supply, furnish)
n a t u r a l bodies t h e i r characteristics p e c u l i a r l y be-
l q n g i n g t o t h e m , save p o t e n t i a l l y ; since i n Inan,
e. g., his h ~ u n a n i t y- his b e i n g maxi - is n o t
a r t n a l l y derived from t,he f o ~ i r rlements, save
potentially.
A s f o r t h e form, i t s peculiarity i s 1 . O t h a t
t h r o u g h it bodies put f o r t h t h c i r actions (or
perform t h e i r manifold deeds ancl workings) ;
 silice a s w o r ~ ldoes not C I I ~t h r n l ~ g hits iron, but
tllrough its sharpness ; ancl 2." t h a t bodies diill'or
one fro111 the other o ~ l l ythrongh their genus or
kiild, I llieall t h e form, since earth does not
differ from water save through its f o r l ~ iwhereas ,
in i t s matter i t does not ; and 3." tha,t natural
bodies get (derive, acquire) their b e i ~ ~w gh a t t h e y
i n fact are fro1ii t h e form, since as t o m a n , liis
being ,r nnan (his hurr~anity)is i n fact througll
his i'ortil, a n d n o t ilirongll his matter, wllicll is
o f t h e four elements.
L e t U, proceed a little f a r t h e r , and ~ v shallc
say t h a t a live body is a natural coiiipo~ui~d body
t h a t ~iiscriminatesthe iian-living through its soul,
ancl n o t t l ~ ~ o n gi ths body ; ancl t h a t perform7 nlul-
tifarious anillial m-orks through its soul, anrt not
through it,? body ; anrt is alive through its soul
and iiot t>lirough its body ; and its soul is \+lithin
it. Nox*, \\.hat is within a thing, while tllis form
of its corltinues, is i t s forlu [or, this its for111
hciilg so allcl n o t otherwise, is etc.]. Thus the:: the
sorll is n f l r ~ :; ~n111l f o r m s a r c real zc'tl yerfectiorls
(entelt'chia), since through them t h e features (iden-
tities, charactcristics) of things becolme perfect. The
soul thel*eforeis a perfection (realized ideutitp). And
perfections (en tel&chia,s)come uiicler tn-o divisions :
either the principles underlying t h e doings and
their effects, or t h e very doings a n d effects
tlienist.lves. The one of t h e t ~ v odivisions is first,
ancl t h e oiher is second. The first is t h e principle
( o r source and origin), and t h e second is the doing
and the effect (or trace). I u this sense t h e soul
is a first perfection (or prime actuality) ; for i t
is a p r ~ n c i p l e (source), not nu outcome of a
prillciple (sor~rcej.And of perfections, there are
such as be3oug t o bodies, and such as belong
to incorporeill substances. I11 this sense t h e soul
is a prinie perfectiou attaching t o a body. And
aillong bodies, there are sucli as are artificial, and
such a s are ~ a t u r a l .Now t h e soul is not a per-
fectiorl of a n artificial body ; hence i t is a prime
perfectiou a t t a c h k g to a natural bocly. Again,
aniong llat,ural bodies there are such a s perform
their multifazions workings through organs (tools,
iilst,ruments), a n d such as do n o t perform their
wnrkillgs through organs (tqols) ; as, for example
the sirliple bodies, and those acting through t h e
p~.evalence(constraint) of t h e sirnple forces. In
other words we moy say, if w e like, t h a t among
n a t u r a l bodies there are those whose design is,
anlong other tllinge, t h a t they produce of them-
selves jwllose tasli or b ~ ~ s i n e is
s s to peifornl animal
acts vol~lntarily, of their own will,] ~nallifold
auitnal actions ; ancl there are those whose design
is, anlong other things, n o t so to ploduce. Hence
again, the soul i s n o t a perfectioll attacbing t o
t h e two last divisiolls i n both t h e foregoing man-
ners of statement. Tilerefore i t s full and finished
definition i s t o say t h a t -
I t is a prime perfection (consummation, rea-
autl, i f \VC n-iilr, t o say f a r t h e r , a p r i ~ n eperfection
att:\c\lling t,;, n n a t u r a l I ~ o t l j -l l ~ v i n gR, life poten-
tiallj- (;I lir3' p e r i ' e c t i n ~ r brlonging t o a n a t u r a l
I)o(!y n-hicl1 bqrl~,may have life) ; th:it i s t o say,

1:) tili.: socl,io:! 111.3 ~ O i ~ l - ; ) o : ~ t ? ! .;LLW , + a t fiiast sepnratetl

i111.o ' I ' i i ~ ~ ((~' l~~ti e l (!lnsses: ;ti'tei.:ral.ils, in t h. e ,
f'olli; .$,irig s ~ ? c t i o : ~( s> ; ,L C I ~ O I I C : of* these is ag:utl
, s ~ ~ i ) - ~ l i vi i11[-,o
( d ~ :!e\ie:*;~L
~l 1);~t.t~.
1)o .io18 S J , i ~ i il n l l i l ~ ~i, 1 lilt: Jot,(?.; to 1ii.i (10!'111:~11
~ i O i l , ~ ' L L O { ? > [L[!!;,
'ri':~li>I;i 1 i20!tl t 1 1 ~($i'il!>k t t 3 ~ 1O f
,\ ~ai.,t ol,lo'> << J)t? h ~ ~ i i l i a)> , ;x1111 (;olllei to tile con-
c l ~ ~ s t11 i oi ~t 1~b i i S i i l , ~I I ~ L \ , in t l l ? fi last s \ ~ b - s e c t i o ~ ~
pi\,oii Ilic c: ,i~te.!i.; c,f d o t l ~ ~ i n II. i , ~c h i ~ l ) .:?, b u t
l l i ~ rc I ~ , ~ I I ~ (l Ire
~ I I or2~lt?i. ,)l' Lilo i(leLks;a ~ t~o dllle
ful.t!lel> (;!)llr,lo~io~~ tlrnt tile xc?corirl sub-s~ctiol~,
t l c n l i ~ ~\q\ i t h tllo (lcti~liiio~l of ttio soul, is ~ l o ( l l i l ~ g
111oi~:tllall a11 e s t i ' ; ~ ~1'1.0111 t tle i l i l i r n i t [l. chap. l.
(1) tlifr'err, 11ol l l l i ~ o ~ ~iI5 g l l ~uattol., but; tlli~ougliits
i'o~~ril )): tliis iaesolwesrni~iteralr:lcl\ to One Element;
/)11t lie hi.; i i I 1i:i111e({ I j ' o ~ i ~ ,viz. K , L I + ~ !Air,
L,
Iqiiae, :l1111 !Vi~tt?i'; 0 1 ' i ' i ~ t l ~ 1le e ~ ' IIILS declxrell t h e
clo~llelil.;to be Jcon~-.
 SECTION THIRD
'To Establish that not One of t h e Faculties of
t h e Soul Originates out of n Conlbinatiori
(Blei~ding) of the Elements, but on the cotl-
trary Comes upon The111 fro111 Outside.

All tllc va,rious things t h a t are, however

composite tl-t~yinzij7 be, aucl for hat eves forin Inay
have como about, i~ the corn;)ound, will be ( R )
either i n c l i ~ i n gtosvards some one of tlle forms
of' the si~nples,or else xi11 n o t be so. And if
they be not so incliizing, they will be (b) either
resulting f r o m a n aggregate ( o r mean) of the
forms of the sirnples, according to the ciegree of
disy)roportion a ~ i t ldeviation of the coilstitueizts
from equality, or else (c! they will not be assi-
milated to ally one of the simple.;, but there will
b& made (generated, produced) a f o r m exceeding
the requirement of the f d r m s of the simples, both i n
regard to the measure of its simplicity and in
regard to the measure of its complexity. An example
of the first division is the bitterish taste on com-
pounding aloe, which is overpoweringly bitter, and
honey, which is feebly sweet. Au example of the
second clivision is the color grey, holding an
eqnal relationship to both o f t h e extremes (contrasts)
I)lacl;uess and ~vhiteness,which results on com-
pounding a white xnd n black opposite. An ex-
ainplc of the third of t h e said divisions i s t h e
se:tlls st<11np (iruprint) remaining in the clay
(mortar, putty) ~ ~ l l i cish composeJ of d r x dust
and liqnitl witter ou their being mixed up togetlrer ;
for i t is known t h a t the i m p r i n t relnainii~g i n
t h e p u t t y is not, i n pursuarice t o t h e requirement
of the forms of the siilzples, neither ivlletlier t h e y
be considcreii i u respect of the resultant compouacl,
llor whetiler they be considered i n respect of the
simple c~insituelltstaken singlj-.
To recapitulate: - it i s 1;110~~11 t h a t t h e first
division, if i t be produced: from siml,les whose
forins are opposed ( c o n t r a r ~ not,
) through mecha-
nical nlixture (commingling) b u t through (1)blen-
d i n g (aloy, amalgam) - i t is clear I say i n such
cases t h a t the over-poll-ered cnntraries will no
louger have a n existence of their own, nor a n
esistellce of the effects peculiar t c them, because
of the impossibility of two contraries working
together i n one and t h e same carrier (medium),
b u t the utinost effects t h e y can exert will be t o
introduce a decrease i n t h e strength of t h e over-
p o w e r i i ~ gconstituent, ant1 nothing nlore ; and it
is kno~viit h a t tllo second division, i n what pro-
portions soever it be found, imposes reciprocity
a n d equalit'y both passive and active, t h a t is t o
s a y the manifold workings that the form; of the
siinples necessarily exert and the corresponding
effects that these forms suffer mutually one from
the other must of necessity be reciprocal, and in
the ratio of their respective proportions and
strengths; and lastly, i t is known that the third
division, if it comes about, will not have resulted
from the intrinsic (very) self of the compound,
since i t i n no way a t all belongs to it, neither
i n consideration of its simple nor of its con~posite
form. Hence i t is gained (got, acquired) from
wi tllout.
It is now necessary, since we have- prefixed
these premisses, t h a t we go deeper into our
pursuit, so we s a y : -
That the soul has only come forth [for us
through the foregoing contemplations] i n compound
bodies whose forms are opposed and i n none
others ; nor will its manifestation i n them be
devoid (divested) of one of the three divisions ;
but i t is not of the first division; else it is heat
or coldness, dryness or moisture (dampness), i n
a n y of which soever a decrease has more or less
cBme about ; and how shall any one of these
powers be fit to p u t forth from itself multifarious
psychical deeds, given the fact of the decrease
(defect) occasioned i n the very composition, and
given also what i t would have expended i n that
decrease out of its strength? nay, how shall any\'
one of these powers cansa motion save towards

3. - Buicena's Offering
one direction alone ? and wherefore has i t become
necessary to effect mutual exclusion (clisplacemeat)
among psychical movenlents so that their mutual
exclusioli (displacement) shall engender a dullness
(or weariness), since i n the effect (influence) of
one identical thing there does not arise exclusion;
nor is i t of the secollci division, since the existence
of' the second division is an impossibility, and
this because tlle c?lement,s, however much they
illay be coi~lpounded,uilcler (proportionate) equa-
l i t y of $he powers, this llecessitates in them the
stoppage (cessation) of all the effects attaching
to each one of tlle two, and thus if the conipourld
were left alone (abandoned to itself) i t .cvould
never have to move, neither upwards - else the
heat is the overpowerer ancl the cold is the one
overpowerecl - nor downwards - else the cold
is the overpowerer and the heat is the one
overpowered - nay nor even ~vould i t remain
a t rest ill one of the four spots of space (wherein
dwell all the four elernentsj - else Nature which
attracts to~r-arclsitself is the overpowerer therein
- ~vllereasi t has beell asserted that all of them
are equal both to overpower ancl to be overpow-
erecl. and this is a co~ltradictioli: Therefore this
body (suclr a bocly) ;S neither still nor moving,
- \rl~ereasevery bociy which is surrouilded by
a n o t l ~ e rbody is sither still or m v i n g , - alld
this too is a col~tradiction; and what leads to
col~traclictionis itself' a con t,radiction ; so the11
our assertion that the elements may possibljr be
compounded under equality of the powers is a
contradiction, and hence its opposite, to wit our
saying that such is impossible, i s true [reduction
ad absurdam]. XTherefore the conling forth of the
soul, i. e., its combination with body, occurs only
after the method of the third division ; and it
has been already said t h a t what is after tha
method of the third division is gained from
outside : The soul then is got from without -
which is what we wished to show.

(l) Meclianical mixture, blending, conibination, etc.:

compare the Greeli rnisis, lir;isis, and synthesis,
 SECTION FOURTJ3i
Specification of the Vegetable (Plant) Powers,
and Mention of the Need there is for Each
One of Them.

Souled bodies, I mean having souls, if con-

sidered from the side of their vegetable powers,
are found to have in common the getting of nou-
rishment, and to differ in growth and generation
(reproduction of offupri~g) ; since, among nourish-
ment-taking beings, there are such as do not
grow, for example a living individual that has
reached full growth and the period of stand still,
or that has declined therefrom through withering.
Yet every growing thing gets nourishment. Again,
among nutriment-taking beings there are such as
do not propagate, as seeds that are not y e t
harvest-ripe, and an auimal that has not y e t
reached puberty. Nevertheless, every propagating
thing has inevitably passed through a precedillg
stage of ilntrition; nor will the state (staga) of
propagating ever be deprived of nutrition. F u r -
ther, we find them, beside having the getting of
nourishment i n common, to have growth also i n
common, but to differ i n the propagation (of
offspring) since there are, among growing things,
sncll as do not beget, as an animal not yet ar-
rived a t puberty, and the worm. (1). Nevertheless
every begetter has already passed through a
period of growth; nor ~ v i l l the state (stage) of
begetting be cieprived of the power of giving
g r o ~ v t h[to the young t h a t are being produced].
lIence the vegetable ponrers are three :
1 . the nutritive ; 2. the growth promoting ;
a n d 3. the propagating. Of tliese the nutritive is
;ts tlle starting- point; the propagating as the aim
ancl ellcl ; and tlie g r o ~ ~ -t promoting
h as the means
biuding the end to the starting- place. Indeed the
sculed body stands i n absolute need of these three
pc~Lvers for the follo\viag reasons : 1Vhe1-eas the
Divine Conimalld came down upon Nature enjoi-
ning (imposing) upoil her the task of forming a
compounci living being out o f the four elemellts
after such 11-ise fashion as they called for i n i t ;
and whereas Nature of herself is unable to ori-
ginate a souled body a t one stroke, b u t can do
so only by promotjng i t s growth little by little; (")
and whereas an individual t h a t is p u t together
after the manlier of animal composition is sus-
ceptible of being again decomposed and melting
away by the natures of i t s constituents; and

(:':) The germ of the T)octrine of E~rolutionas against

Illstantaneous Ci.eation,
whereas a thing composed of opposites 'will not
keep up so protracted a duration and last so
long a time as is expected of- i t - therefore
Nature is i n want of a power by which slle can
fabricate a living body by promotion of growth.;
so she has been supplied by Divine Providence
with the growth - giving power ; and is i n want
of a power whereby she can preserve the souled
body a t a n even standard (*) over against the
waste which i t undergoes in making up for what
disintegration wears away from i t ; so she has
beon succoured by Divine Providence with the
nutritive power; and is i n want of a power that ,
shall mould, out of tlle living natural body, a
piece that she shall clwell in, i n order t h a t if
corruption permeate the body i t shall have sought
for itself a successor as a s u l ) s t i t ~ ~ twhereby
e, t-o
arrive a t the preservatio~l~f species; so she has
been helped by the Divine Providence with the
propagating (generating) power.
And we ought, i u this connection, to bear
i n millcl as a certain and true fact t h a t the
growth-giving power, although i t has been found,
4
(*) See Ibn Sinii's <( Qcindn,n Section 2, where he
says : As to the nutritive power, it is that power
which transforms the nutriment into a resem-
blance with the nourishment-taker, i n order that
this nutriment may succeed in the stead of what
shall be wasted, and attach itself to the taker
illstead of the wasle. - See also << ICitdb-ul-
NajdI, >> by Ibn Sina.
fronz the standpoint that we have nlentionecl, to-
be following close upon the nutritive, and t h e
propagating (generating) to' be following close
upon the growth-imparting (promoting), yet the
precedence of the part played by each one of
t h e three, i n their undertaking the task of crezting
the living body and preserving i t tlirough their
special and peculiar workings, is the other \vay
about ; for the first to entllrall the material
predisposed to receive life is the generating-
(procreating, propagating) pourer, since this pomer
clothes the niatcrial a t first wit,h the fdr1-n (pro-
totype) of' t h a t 1vhic11 is intended to be realized
through the nlinistry (service) of the growtls-pro-
moting and nutritive powers ; and as soon as it
has achieved i n t h a t material a perfkct form it
delivers over the sway to the growth-promoting
power, which assumes i t througll the ministry
(service) of the nutritive power, and imparts to
the material - all the time keeping up the form
of the lliaterial within the due proportions of
the [three] dimelmions [length, breadth and thiclr-
new] - a motion (activity) of growth towards
the end striven after*by it, the growth-prornoting
pomer aforesaid. Then this latter stops ; and the
nutritive power enthralls tho material. Agaiu,
the generating (propagating) power is the one
served, not the servant; and i n comparison with
it, the nutritive power is the sn,rvant, not the one
served. Thus too the growth-promoting power is
served i n one sense, and serving i n a n other sense.
And the nutritive power, although it does not
exist as the one served in the spiritual powers,
yet i t does sometimes employ the four forces of
Nature - to wit, the attracting, the holding, the
digesting, and the exzreting (repelling). And, even
as t h a t which is striven after i n the process of
form-making is solely the bringing about of t h e
[due] form in matter in the shape (kind, design)
proposed, and not a t all the bringing about of
growth or of nutrition, - only that there is need
f o r t h e two latter for the sake of realizing the
desirecl form, an?. not the converse - so also
the final aim i n the [several] powers is the pro-
creatilig (propagating) power, to the exclusion of
the growth-promoting and of the nutritive. Where-
fore, the procreating power is given precedence
for a teliological reason.
Arid through God is fitness to be achieved.

(1) Probably his view was that worms arise out of a

germ of moist clay or mud, and are a sort of
developed PI-otoplasm.Compare g 6 of Ibn 'l'ufayl's
<< Hayy b. Yaqziin, and the Note thereto in
the 15nglish Translation about field-rats.
 SECTION FIFTH:
Specification of the Animal Powers, and Mention
of t h e Need there i s for Each One of Them.

I affirm t h a t every animal is sentient, and

hence it nioves itself a t will, i n some sort of
motion ; and tliat every animal moves itself i n
some sort of niotion a t will, and hence i t is
s e n t i e n t ; siuce sensation i n what does not move
itself a t will is wasted and useless, and the lack
,of i t i n what does move itself a t will is harmful;
whereas Nature, owing to t h a t mucli of Divine
Providellce as has been joined to her, gives no-
t h i n g whatever that is either wasted or harmful,
nor witholds either the necessary or the useful.
Perhaps some one may speak o u t hol-e and object
to us that sliellfish are of such as feel (are
,sentient) and y e t do not move themselves a t will.
This objection, however, will speedily vanish on
experiment ; for shellfish, although they do not
move themselves from their places i n a sort of
organic (mechanical) locomotion at will, yet they
do more or less shrink themselves u p and spread
o u t inside of their shells, as I have witnessed
with mine own eyes on having tried the experiment
more than once, i n tllat I turned the shell o v 6 r
onto its back, so t h a t its position for drawiug
uourisllnlent became separated from the g r o u ~ ~ d ;
-\t-hereup011 i t ceased not to struggle until i t hacl
again stood i n a positiou that made i t easy for
i t to clraw i u notrishmeut from the mudcly bottom.
And now that this has become surely certain
fbr us, Ire shall further say :
That whereas Divine Wisdom has decreed
t h a t a#n animal moving itself a t will sliall be
composed of the four elements, and as such animal
\voulcl not be secure against the evils of mishaps
i n its successive ohnnge of places during locomo-
t i o i ~ ,i t has been fitted out with the touching
power (sense of touch), so as to flee through it
from unfit places, and seek those t h a t are fit.
And whereas any sach animal's constitutioil (make-
up) canuot get on without the getting of nourish-
m e n t ; and as i t s gaining i t s food is a sort of
free will effort ; and as some articles of food suit
it, ancl other& c10 ilot, - i t llas been fitted o u t
with the tasting p o ~ ~ (sense
~ e r of taste). These two
powers (senses) are both useful 2nd necessary in
life : the rest are useful, not necessary.
Next after the Tasting, i n degree of utmost
need for i t , comes t h e Smelling Sense, since
odors will point the animal towards suitable
articles of nourishment, with a strong indication;
nor will tlie animal be a t all able to get on
without nourishment, neither will its nourishment
b e got by i t save through self-help. S o Divine
Providence has deemed fit to impart the smelling
power uuto most animals. The next after the
snielling power i n usefullless is the Seeing Power:
the H o w and Why of its usefulness, as to the
animal, wliich moves itself a t will, is that whereas
i t s betalring itself to certain spots, such as fire-
hearths, and away from certain spots, such as
mountain peaks and seashores, is such as will
lead t o its hurt, therefore Divine Providence has
deemed fit to impart the seeing power unto most
animals. Th9 next after the seeing power in
usefulness is the Heariug Power. The How and
W h y of its usefullless is t h a t things harmful and
things useful may often be recognized as such,
through it,, by the peculiarity of their ssuniis
and voices ; so Divice P r o v i d e n c ~has deemed fit
to impart the hearing power unto most animals.
Moreover, the use made of this power by the
rational (speaking) species of the animal genus
almost surpasses the three [= is of all tliree
nearly the highest]. This then is an outline of
$he How and Wliy of the uses of the Five Out-
ward (External) Senses.
And whereas trustworthy arrival a t a know-
ledge of the mutual!y suitable and the iilutually
repellent will come about only through test (expe-
riment, experience), Divine Providence has deemed
fit to impart t h e peculiar participating property
(or sense) - T mean t , l ~ epicturing power - u u t o
living beings (animals), i n oriisr t h a t they sliall
tllrongli it, preserve t h e fornis of things perceived
b~ t h e s ~ i i s e s :and to iltipart t h e r e m e m b e r i ~ l g
preserving pon-er, i n ordel. t h a t tlley s l ~ a l lthrough
it preserve the nieanings (siguificances) conceived
ont of t,hing.; perceived b j 7 t h e sensps ; and t o
i m p a r t the irnagii~ativepower i n order t h a t they
shall tllrougli i t fit u p (restore) what, shall b e
wiped ont fro111 t h e nielilory by a sort of motion ;
alid to iinpart t h e c o n j ~ c t a r i t i g(surmising) power
i n oriler tllat t l ~ r yshall t l i r o ~ ~ g il tl fix upon the.
soantl (trne) anti tlle weal< :false) of what the.
iniaginat,ion extracts, nniiielj t o fix upon t,he t r i ~ e
aiid false thereof n ~ i t lmore ~ or less presunlption
of certitility, until t , l l ~ y /the living I~eings] shall
review i t i u t h e niincl.
As for the ETow aiid Why of need for the ilioving
power; i t is t h a t n-llereas t l ~ eposition of t h e animal
is not the sccnlo as tlie position of the p l a n t i n i t s
adaptatioii for attracting sucll foocls as are u s e f ~ l l
and puslling off' sucli as a r " l i ~ r i l i f ~and l incom-
patible, b n t on t h e contrary as this i s brought
about for the anllnal througll a sort of earning
11j self-help, it, lieeds a ~noviilg power for the
purpose of drawing t o itself the useful aliil driving
away t h e llarnifnl. IJTllerefore all t h e powers of
t h e animal are either perceiving or nlotion -
promoting. 7'11e rnotioii - promoting is the yearning
iclesicieratire, longing, cravirg) power: it, is either-
urging on to tlle search after a chosen object of
animal good, and tlien i t is the lusting power ;
or else i t is urging on to the warding off of a n
object of animal dislike, and then it is the hating
power (angry power).
The perceiving power too is either outward
(apparent), such as the five senses; or else inward
(internal, hiddell), such as the picturing, the
imaginative, t h e conjecturing, and the remsmber-
i n g pljwer.
Furthermore, the motion-promoting power
does not cause to move save on a peremptory
bidding from the coiljecturing, through tjhe agency
(mealls) [or by tlie employment; of the imaginative.
Also, tlle motion-promoting power, i n animals
other than the speaking (or rctticnal) specie^, is
the aim and end ; and this is so, because the
motion-causing power is not imparted unto them
i n order t h a t they shall through i t direct aright
the workings of sensation and imagination so as
to adapt these workings to the attainment of
their own good, but o n the contrary the power
of sensation and of imagination are imparted t o
t h non-speakieg
~ irrational animals solely i n order
to direct aright through them t h e workings of
motion, and to adapt these workings to the good
of the animals. Whereas, the speaking rational
species of living beings is on the reverse wise ;
because unto i t mras imparted the motion-causing
-
power wholly anrl solely ill order t h a t through.
this power i t shall be fitted to set aright the
speaking self, i. e., tlze rational intelligent soul,
uot tlie other way about.
Thus then, the motion-promoting power i n
the irrational aninial is, as i t were, the prince
commander tlllat is served ; the five senses, the
spies that are sent forth; the perceptive power,
the post-master of the prince commander unto
whom the spies return ; the imaginiug power,
the foot-messenger going to and fro between the
post (*) and the post-master ; the conject,uriilg
power, the priuce's adjutant minister; the remem-
bering power, the closet of state papers.
As fur t h e starry firmament and plants, the
feeling power and the imagining power have not
been imparted unto them, even tllough each one
of them has a soul and though it has life : the
firrnameut has not these powers, because of i t s
loftiness; plants have them not, because of their
abasement i n cornparisoil to it.

(;+) or wazir, minister.

I n treating of the animal poveru, Ile treats first of
the fives senses, and then of the animal Powers.
These latter he @ves in this sectioll three times,
2nd each time varalesthe order somewhat, thus : --
l st. Order of mention:
a, participating, pictur2in8
b. remember'ing, proseraviug
c. imaginative, yestoring
d. coqjectu~ling,surmisirlg
e. moving
 2nd. Order of mention :
a. picturing, participating
b. imaginative
c. conjecturing, suraniising
d. remembering
Order of mention, in the final Allegorical
Sumnlipg U p :
a. motion-promoting
b. feeling, sentient, 5 out\xrard senses
c. perceptive
d. i m a g i n i n ~
e. coojecturlng
f. remembering.
(1) 31oreover. the Text seems in Doctor Laudauer's
opinion to iieecl an emendation, i n this Allegory,
which is furnished by the L a t h Trarlslation pre-
served in Florence. hccording to the text, we get
a urholly superfluous intermediary notion, to wit
t h e Post, which disturbs the p a ~ ~ a l land
e l similitude
of the allegory. Instead of barkl, tve should read
loadr = Latin, inter vicarium principis. If this
is done, the ~ v l ~ o passage
le becomes clearer, and
llangs to - gether better. Yet, for all this, the
barld was in those days a highly important
branch of the government service: witness, the
office of rtiheb-ul-'DarTd,

4. - Auicena's Offering
 SECTION SIXTH
Treating laa Detail of the Five Senses, a n d of
How t h e y perceive.

As 50 the seeing pou-er. philosophers have

differed on the question of How they perceive.
Thus cno set among them asserts that they per-
ceive wholly ancl solely through a ray t h a t shoots
out beyond the eye, and so encounters the sensible
objects t h a t are seen. This i s Plato' s way. (1)
Others assert t h a t the perceiving power itself
encounters the sensible objects that are seen, and
so perceives them. Still otllers say t h a t visual
perception consists i n this : - When tlie interven-
i n g transparent body becomes effectively trans-
parent by light shining up011 it, then an impression
of the outspread (flattened) individual of such
geasible objects as are seen is effected i n t h e
cristalli~le(2) lens of the eye, just sucll a pictorial
impression as is effected in looking - glasses (mir-
rors); indeed the two effects are so similar t h a t
were mirrors possessed of a seeing power they
would perceive the form imprinted i n them. This
is Aristotle's wax ; ancl i t is t h e sonurl reliable
ol)i11io11. That Plato's view is false, is quite clear.
For, were i t true that a ray goes out from t h e
seat of sight and encounters sensible objects, then
sight would be i n no neecl ~f light, b u t would
011 the contrary perceive i n the dark, and would
r a t l ~ c rillnmiaate the air on its exit ilito the
(jar];. Moreover such a ray will not fail of one of
t\\.o rnocles: either i t will subsist tllrougllout the
eye G I ~ J - , i n rnl~icllcase Plato's opinion that i t
goes forth from the eye i s wrong; or else i t will
subsist tl~rougliout a body other than tlie material
of' urhicll the eye is composed ; for it must inevi-
t,ably llave a vehicle t o carry it, seeing t h a t a ray
is all accidental quzlity or mode, and furthermore
sceing tliat that body nrhicli. is other tllrtn the eye
will not fail, in its turn, of being, either, J?iast/y,
sent out from tlic eye, i u w h i c l ~case it \\-ill follow
a s a inatter of course that the eye \\-ill nc,t see
a l l that i s belleat11 the clear blue of the sky,
siuccl oiie bociy TT-illnot penetrate tllronghont tlie
n ~ l ~ o lofe allotller body, unless forsootll i t inoves
tlie IaLter away and occupies its place; and even
~11(>111(1 t l ~ e ilispnter plead a .iracnum, n o t only
does l'lat o d e l i j the esistence of a vacuum utterly,
but also if ~ v eaccornodatiiigly j-lelcl this point
and admit the esistex~ceof a vacuun;, yet for all
t l ~ i st,l~elmdy tllat goes forth from the eye will
penetrate throngl~outthe 11ody of n-ater, for example,
illto s11e1i of it,s its pores as are emptj. only, and
; so that
not iutc the \ \ l ~ o l eof the ~ ~ a t e r l~ullc
'a
even accorcling to this opinion it will necessarily
so be t h a t the eye will see only some places of
all t h a t is ander water; - or else, secorzdly, that
body which is other than the eye will not fail of
being a n intervening body intermediate between
the seer and the seen, i n which case the light (*)
which comes forth from the eye will subsist
through i t ; nevertheless this opinion too is un-
sound. for the reason that every thing whatsoever
is, in prnxi~nityto its source, so much the stronger,
and i n this ~ e s p e c t light has not its equal;
whence it follo\vs as regards the object seen that,
however closely and nearly i t approaolies to t h e
eye, our perception will then be stronger; and
thus if we c10 away with the intermediary body,
the eye will still perceive the object felt by i t s
sense of sight, and thus the intermediary which
is the vehicle and carrier of light is no longer
needed, save accidentally (by chance) ; and then
too there is no need, in order to see, for an exit
of light : this too is a falsehood. Wherefore Plato's
opinion is worthless.
As for such as hold that the perceiver of t h e
thing seen is the imaginative power itself through
the imprinting of the form (image) of the sensible
object upon it: these render the absent 011 the
same footing as the present, since i n the imagi-
native power there m a y exist the iniage of a

(") perliaps we ought to read <( i l ~ e7'a!j D.

sellsihle object, notwithstanding the absence af-
terwards of the object t h a t llad been so felt : at
wllicll time hou-ever tlie l i v i n g being sc preserving
rllat image \rill not be qualified witll sight but
\:'itEl imagination and memory. Furthermore these
theorists topiners) make a greater blunder still,
seeing that they render a thing of Nsture's make
aud composition 11-llolly idle, useless, auct tinneeded
irL the operation of visual perception ; inasnluch
I ? in tllej-.- ol~iniout l ~ eir~iagirlative poTt+eritself
rt-teefs i m ~ ~ i e d i a t c l ysensil3le o b j ~ c t s , ar:cl thus
:3pares Nat,ure the task of acla,pt-ing an i u s t r u i ~ l e i ~ t
, \\,it i h a conlplex eye.
i v r ~ a l l ) to
lJThercfore the souncl theory is t h a t the con-
fig17?ations of thing.; stallcl out i n the transparent
a~libient- if it be effectively transparent om
tlrc s h i n k g of a lunlinant upou i t - arid hence
thtby do not appear bnt i n a polished body capable
of receiving them, sac11 as lnirrors and the like;
and. SO too there is ill the eye a crystalline lens
(or l ~ n m o r )into \\-l~ich the forins (pictures) of
t11ing.s are iinprinted, just as their impression
int:, ~ n i r r o r s; ant1 i n i t , i. e., the lens or tlze eye,
l l a s been fitted up the seeing power; so that, if
s l l ~ i'lo~r111s are ilnprinted i n it, i t perceives them.
I~Ioreove~., the ~1,~jects of perception Llelonging i n
tr:) tl: ancl deed to sight a,rc the Coicrs.
As for t l ~ e Hearing Power : i t hears only
S O I I X I ~ . And S O I I I I ~ is a motioll of a i r that the
ea: feels 011 t n o hard smootk Icclies ccolni~g
quickly close up one to the other, the escaping
of the air from between them, i t s striking the
ear, and its moviug the air t h a t is kept ready
within the instrument (organ) of hearing. Thus,
if this inside air iilove the instrument, and if
this instrument's motion act upon the nerve of
hearing, the hearing power (sense, faculty) per-
ceives i t i n the measure of the strength or
weakness of t h a t motion. Indeed hardness is a
conclitio sine qua non; for, i n the case of two
soft bodies, the air will not escape from them,
but will dissipate itself throughout their pores.
Snioothness too is just such a condition ; because,
i n the case of rough (unsmooth) bodies, not the
whole of the air will escape from between them
suddenly and violently, but will be witheld (shut
np) i n the passages. And rapidity of contact also
i s a like condition ; for if it come about gently
and slo~vly,the air would not escape violently.
Tho echo too will arise from the rebound of
the Stir escaping from between the two encount-
ering bodies by reason of its hitting (slapping)
against another hard, flat or hollow body filled
~ i t hair, because of the air that is within it
hindering the penetration of the escaped air, and
the latter's striking the ear [again] after the
first. stroke, on the same wise as i n t h e first instance.
As to the Smelling Power ; i t smells odors
on the sniffing i n of air t h a t has received its
odor froin an odoriferous body, as one bocly re-
ceives its warllitll fro111 another warn1 body. T l ~ n s ,
if au animal snuff's up air like this into its nose
tuitil such air touches the front of the brain, and
alters i t to its o\iru. odor, tlie sn~ellillg poTlier
feels it.
;is for Taste, i t arises ollly o n t l ~ a conling
to pass of the i'ollo~vingchange : TTT1lt:n tlie noi is-
ture of tlle tasting i n s t r n ~ n e n t(orgall) -- to wit
the tonglze - becomes transform~clinto t l l g juice
of the newly-come food ; ancl wllen t h e Inass of
this instrument (organj has received t h a t juice,
the tasting power mill perceive TT-hat, l ~ a I-lappenecl
s
u7ithi11 the instrument.
As for Touch: it will only arise upon the
organ's (iustrument's) receiving the q n a l i t , ~ of
t h a t ~vhiclzis tonclied, ancl tipon t,he touching
power's perceiving what has been t h u ~presented
(offered) ivithin the organ.
Furthermore, simple sensibles, t h a t are a t
once primary ancl. as such the bases of all others,
are i n pairs, of ~vllichtllere are e i g h t ; and if ws
make each illto singles, they become sixteen,
to wit : -
(a) Touch, four pairs : -- l. heat and cold;
2. m o i s t n r ~and dryness ; 3. roughliess a n r l smooth-
ness; 4. hardness and softness. Tlie four renl-
ailiiug senses, each having a pair, viz.,
(1)) Smelling, one pair, which is fragrant
odour, and fetid stinking odour,
(c) Tasting, one pair, viz., sweet and bitt.11,
 (d) Hearing, one pair, namely, heavy sounci
and sharp souild (or dull and shrill),
(e) Sight, one pair, to wit, white and black.
All other sensibles are made up from these
simples, and are intermediates between some two
of them, as for example grey (dust<ycolor) from
wliite and black, lukewarm from hot and cold.
Moreover all sensibles are felt wholly and solely
through a sort of gatheriag and sundering, shrin-
k i n g and spreading ; except sounds, which are
felt oilly through sundering. Thus : -
1. [Warmth is felt through sundering]
2. Cold is felt through gathering
3. Moisture, thrcngh spreading
4. Dryness, through shrinking
5. Roughness, through sundering
6. Smoothness, through spreading
7. Hardness, tlirougll repelling, which is
a sort of gathering and shrinking
8. Softness, through being repelled, which
is not dovoid of spreading and sundering
9. Sweetness, through spreading, devoid
of sundering
ii 10. Bitterness, tllrougll sundering and shrin-
king
11. Fragrant Odor, through spreading, de-
void of sundering
12. Stinking Odor, through sundering and
shrinking
13. Whiteness, through sundering
 14. Ulacliuess, tllrougll gatlleriug
[lb. and 16, Sounds : one pair, a s above
uncier d. -1
As to tlie media (interlliediaries) 1)etnreen t h e
feeling powers a2(3. the felt foriils, tllej- are them-
$elves dei-oicl of' the forlns of sensibles ; otherwise
i t would not l)e possible for them to be niedia,
since their m\-11 fornis -- if they had any - ~ ~ ~ o u l d
tllen so engage t h e apposite power a s t o divert
ii, fro111 perceivi~lgally other f'orixs. Such voidness
o r freec1n1-u fro111 forlils is either voidiless holly
and altogetl~el.,o r else relative voidness through
ecyuablenes> of t h e forms i n t h e media, such as
the equable proportion cl' t h e qualities touclled
i n meat, xi11ic11 is a l n e c l i ~ ~between
ni tlle tonclling
power a n d tlle qnality toucllecl, although meat
is incolltestal~lynlstle up of qualities t h a t are
touclle(1, yet iiotw-itllstancin tllis the equableness
of t h e cyxalit,ies has aunihilated t h e forms i n it.
Examples of the first division - absolute voidness
and freedoin f r o m form - are t h e freedom of
eir, of ~ v i l t ~ allcl
r , of 3vl1at resen~l~leq
tlle111 among
t h e varioub m e d i a of' sight, fronz color; t h e freedom
of' air ancl of ixVdtt"r,hot11 wllicll are the tu7o
meclinn~sof s ~ n e l l i n g ,from odor: the freeciolu cf
\vater, \ ~ l i i c l l i s the ilieclinm of tasting, from
f?avor ; and t i ~ esteacliaess of the air, ti-l~ich is
t h e metlln!u cf Ileaiing, ancl i t s freedom from
motion.
f4'urtl:nr. e a c l ~01' these powers, t o wit tile
five senses, if actually functionatiag, perceives
clnly through coming into relation ~ vt ih the ob,jezt
felt, nay rather i t only perceives a t first so mucl1
as has been traced i n i t of the for111 of the object
felt. Tllns, the eye oilly perc3ives t h a t for111 n.hic11
has imprinted itself i n i t of the object felt ; SO
also the remainder of the p o ers ~ (or senses).
Again, i n the case of strong wearying sensibles,
such as a loud noise, a strong smell, a shining
and flashing light; if thej- are repeated ilpou
the organ (instrument,), spoil ancl dnllen i t tllrongh
their over\vorlcing it. Again, each one of tlle five
senses perceives, through the lneans of its on-U
rightful perception and besides the same, five
ot21er things, to w i t : 1. shape; 2.~ n l m b e r ;3 . size;
4. ~ n o t ~ i o n6.; rest (quiet). That sight, toucll: and
taste perceive them, is evident. As to hearing, i t
perceives, i n accordance (pursuance) with the
variety of the number of sounds, the nurnber of
the sound-emitting objects ; and, through the
strength of the sounds, it perceives the size of
the tn-o objects t h a t are hitting against each
other : and, i n accordance with a, kind of c l ~ a n g e
and fiseduess of the sounds, i t perceives motion
anct rest; and, in accordance wit11 their volume
around the sound-emitter, be t h e latter solid or
hollow, i t perceives some sorts of shapes. As to
smelling, i t knows, i n accordance with the change
of directions whence the odors are emitted and
reach it, and through the variety of these odnrs
i n their qualities, it liuo\vs I say the number of
the things smelt; tllrougll tlie measure of abuucl-
ance of the smells, tlle size of such things ;
through the measure of proxilnity and distance,
chaligeablelless ancl fisedness, i t recognizes their
lnotion and their rest ; and, i n accordance with
the sides on ivhich their odor reaches it from
one and the sallie body, i t I;no~vs their shape.
Still, tliese cliscrimillatioils are very weak i n this
power anioiig mankind, o ~ v i a g to the weakness
of the power itself' i n tllo huniali race. [For all
this, men have not the keen scent t h a t many
other animals have, a a ~ therefore
l sach ciiscrimin-
ations are i n lilen very -\veak.]

( 3 ) Plato's Dialogue e~ltitleilcc 'rimaeos, )> 4.3.

b.
a. a1-tabaqall a1 c:diball
>> >)
- -
(2'1 'l'iia names of the different parts of tlle eye are :
sclel.otica, hard-coat
al-mashimiyyall choroid, vascu-
lal* skin
c.
d.
e.
-
al-g11asll:i al-slzabaliy = iaetina, net sliin
a1-l.atiiha11 al-za~A.jiyjah glass) moisture
al-ratitball al-,jal~di,yjali= craj-stallinelens
f. 3 >> >> 'anliabi~ti~xah= ciliary, fibrous,
h a i r \\.eb
g. al-hadaclall = pupilla
h. al-tabaclah al-'inabij-l-all = berry, grape coat
i. qarmigyah - - cornea
l\. al-nlultahimah -= couj ur~ctiva.
 SECTION SETEh'TH
Dealing in Detail with the Inward Senses, (and
the Motion = Promoting Powers).

I. Not one of the outward senses unites

within itself perception of color, odor, and soft-
ness ; and yet, we often come upon a body t h a t
is yellow, and perceive a t once so much about
it, namely t h a t i t is honey, sweet, nice of smell,
and fli~id,although we have neitller tasted, nor
smelt, nor even touched i t ; ~vhenceit is manifest
t h a t mTe possess a power wherein are assenibled
t h e perceptions of the four senses, and have tllus
become sumnled u p i n i t illto one single form;
a n d were i t not for this power we should not
know t h a t sweetness,' for instance, is other than
blackness, since the discriminator between two
things is lie who lias lino\va them both. This is
i11e po\17er ~x-llichis designated as the common-
sense, and the picturing (or representing) power.
And were it one of the outward apparent senses,
i t s sway (dominion) would limit itself to the
state of wakefulness only; whereas ocular obser-
vation attests what is quite otherwise ; for this
pon,el. does a t times perfornl i t s action i n ' u ~ t l r
t h e states of sleep and walief~~lness.
11. 3'nrtlleruzore, there is i n animals a power
\vhicli sets up snch forms as have assembled i n
the common - sense, discriminates between them,
ancl differentiate.: them, without the forms them-
selves disappearing from t h e common - sense. And
this power is ulldonbtedly other t h a n the, aforesaid
pictnring power ; since i n t h e l a t t e r there a r e
none b u t true (real) forms t h a t have been acquired
(obtained) from sense; whereas i n this power t h e
case niay l)e other.ivise, allcl i t may imagine and
picture \\-rongly allcl falsely, and w h a t i t had n o t
receivecl after such a [wrong and false] pattern
:shape) from ally one of t h e senses. This polrer is
tlle one ilamed inlagiuation.
F u r t h e r , there is i n animals a power t h a t
passes jnclgtllent, upon such or such a t l ~ i i i gthat
i t is so or n o t so, decisively, and through which
the animal flees away from shunned evil and
seelis chosen good. It is also evident t h a t this
p o ~ l - e ris other t h a n t h e imaginative, sioce this
last imagines (pictilres to itself) the sun, i n ac-
corclallce -\\-it11~ v l i a ti t bar g o t from t h e apposite
senJe, to be of the size of i t s d i s c whereas the
matter stancls i n this power quite other\\-ise. So
too t h e liou fin(1s his prey from f a r off of tlie
size of' a srnall bird, yet its form and size i n no
way perples him, b u t lie makes for it. I t is also
evident t h a t this power is other t h a n the irna-
ginative, and this because the imaginative power
performs its manifold deeds without belief and
conviction o n i t s part t h a t matters are in, accor-
dance with its imagining. This power is what i s
named the conjectaring or the surmising faculty
(or *jndgment).
111. Further, there is i n living beings a
power that preserves tlie purports (or thoughts
and conceptions) of what the senses had perceived,
such as, for instance, that the wolf is a n enemy;
t h e child, a darling next of kin. Wherefore, so
much a t least if not more is evident, t h a t this
power is other than the common-sense (or pie-
turingj, inasmuch as i n the latter there are no
forms but such as i t has gained from the senses;
whereas, again, the senses did not feel the wolf's
enmity, nor the child's love, b u t alone the u7olf1s
image, and the cl~ild'sbodily shape; and as t o
love and fierceness, i t is the mind's eye alone
t h a t has got them, and then stored them up i n
this power. I t i s also clear t h a t this power is
other than the imaginative power, for the reason
t h a t this last does a t times imagine what is othor
t h a n that which the n ~ i n i i ' s eye has deemed
right, found true, and has derived from the
senses; whereas the former power, i. e., t h e one
here dealt with, imagines none other t h a n what
'the mind's eye has deemed right, has found
true, and has derived from the senses.
This power is also other than the conjecturing
(surmising pon-er, for the reasoil t h a t this last
does n o t preserve what some other has deemed
< o 1)e t r u e , b u t i t of i t s own self deems t o be
t r u e , wllilst t h e po\irer here treated of does n o t
itself pass jutlgment of t r u t h or falsehood, b u t
only preserves w h a t another has cleemeci t o be
true. Thi. posver i s called memory, t h e preserving
or 1;eepiilg i'ac.nlty.
Agiiill, tllr iniagiuative po\ver is called by
t h i s name - imagination - if the coi~jectnring
(or surrnisillgi power alone use i t : ancl if the
spea1;iiig ( ~ ~ a t i o n apan-er
l) ure it, i t is called the
t h i a l i i ~ l g(cogitative) ponTer.
Tile !lea,rt is t,he source (spring) of all these
Ilon'ers (faculties), i n Aristotle's opinion; yet t h e
sway o v r r tl1i.111 is ill diflerent orgalls (iiistrumei~ts).
TLus the sway o v e r t h e o n t ~ v a r d(apparent) senses
is i n their fillown organs ; wliereas t h e sway over
t h e picturing (representing common-sense) power
i s i n tlie anterior 1iollos1- (ventricle) of t h e b r a i n ;
t h e sway over the imaginative, in the middle
Ilollo~vthereof; t h e sn7ay over the remembering,
in t h e posterior I ~ o l l o ~ thereof;
v a ~ l d the sway
over tile coqjecturing, tliroughout all t h e brain,
Ijnt above all i n the cox-npartment of the imagina-
t i ~ ewithin t h e braill [or, throughout the whole
of tlle braill, l ~ n tmore especially alongside of t h e
imaginative thereof]. Ancl i n so f a r a s these
Irollows (I-entricles) suffer llar~lland h u r t , so will
t h e mauifcrl(1 \\.orkings of these powers suffer
also ; for were they, (the powers,) standing inde-
pendently, that is to say subsisting i n themselves,
end efficient independently, t h a t is to say p u t t i n g
forth their workings of themselves, they would
not need, for their proper and peculiar actions,
any sort of instrument or o r g a n : I n this wise
one recognizes t h a t these powers do not subsist
i n themselves, b u t t h a t the undying power i s t h e
Spealiiug (Reasoning) Soul, as we shall hereafter
set f o r t h ; yet for all this, the soul does maybe
a t times seek o u t for itself afler a fashion (so t o
speak) the purest quintessences of the kernels of
tlrese powers, and cause them to exist, of them-
selves, the setting forth of which shall, D. v.,
so011 follow.

Tlie follo~virlgis the terminology of the five inward

senses :
1. Common Sense = hiss mushtarak, muta-
qawwirall
2. Vis formans, in~aginatio= khay81, muCaw-
wirah, fantasia, takhayyul, mutakhayyilah.
3. Vis cogitativa, vis imaginativa = mufakkirah,
mutakhayyilah, mutawahhimah, zknnah, muta-
qarrifah, mutafakliirah, takhayyul.
4. Memory, remembel3iog, preserving = hiifizah,
mutazhakkirah, zlikliirah, zhikt-.
5. Vis existimativa, opinativa = wahm, mu-
t a ~ a h h i m a h ,zh$nnah, talrhayyul, wahmiyyah.
Here follows an attempt to clear up this
bewilderi~lgsubject :
1. Perception, through any one or more of the
five outward senses, of the outward concrete form,

5. - Aaicena's Offering
 2. Conception of particular notions, over and
beyond the concrete form perceived.
3. Ilemoryv, whicli retains both outward forms
perceived as well as ~necalls inward pa~.ticular
forms conceived.
4. Common Sense, rises a step higher than
the tliree preceding, in that it unites two o r
more of the plaoducts of any of the three pre-
ceding and derives from them a new conception.
5. Opining, n-hicli rises higher still and passes
judgment, oi* comes to a definite opinion as to
the truth or falsehood of conceptions formed.
In respect of memory, Ibn Sinli in his K Kanon
of Medicine, makes a distinction. He says : K And
just here is a point for scrutiny and judgment
as to whether the preserving power and tlie
power recalling {to consciousness) such notions
as had been stored up by the opining power
but have passed away from it, a r e one power
o r two. >>
Jlere follows still ariother attempt:
1 . Perception, of the Five Senses, through organs.
2. Sway of the Common-Serlse, in the anterior
hollo\v.
3. Sway of the Imaginatire Power, in the
middle hollow.
4. Sway of t h e Iiemernbering Power, in the
posterior hollou~.
5. Sway of the Coujecti~ringPo\ver, throughout
all the brain, and alorlgside of the imaginative
compartment.
Number 1. has been dealt with in Section
Six; iiumber 5 belongs exclusively to Man, and
will be t'urther dealt with in the next Sectiori ;
the ernai aiming three, to wit numbers 2 , 3, and 4,
a r e i n all live animals, and a r e dealt with in
this Seventh Section. The theory is beautifully
clear and simple : vllus, number 2 grasps and
appropriates the o u t ~ v a r dform brollght to it by
the senses: number 3 grasps and appropriates
particular conceptiotls ; and number 4 stores
them up ; thus also, the one cl-velliilg in the
front holloxv is not influenced by the action of
the one occupying the middle or the hindermost
hollow, whereas convel-sely each succeeding fa-
culty has recourse to the one preceding it i n
order of place. This theory arose after an acqu-
aintance with the division and arrangement of
t h e brain into chambelbs had made col~siderable
progress with the Arabs.
Those who read German should not fail to
study Dr. Salnuel Landaue~a's erudite notes i n
vol. 29 for the year 1875 of' the Z. d. D. M. G.
 SECTION EIGHTH
A Sketch of the Human Soul from the Starting =
Point whence it sets out until the End m Point
whither it reaches its Perfection.

No doubt t h a t the speaking (rational) species

of the [genus] animal is distinguished from the
non - speaking (irrational species) by a power,
through which i t is enabled to imagine things
rational, which power is called the speaking (ra-
tional) soul; and the custonl has obtained of
calling i t the (1 hylik r, mind, that is to say the
potential mind, thus likening i t to the hyl8,
which is potential matter. (*) Moreover this power
is found i n the whole human species ; and it
possesses i n itself a t the outset none of the men-
-
tally grasped forms, but these arise within it
after two sorts of processes: The first is through
a Diviue guidance, without effort of study, and

(9 Ibn Sink i nhis G h - ~ l c i h - t ~-Vaj(if

l >> says : Indeed
it has been called << hylili )> by \\ay of' likening
it to primitive I ~ y l i kmatter, whicll in itself has
no form a t all ancl j e t is t h e substratum of each
and every form.
witllout profitting from the senses, as for example
t h e mentally - grasped self - evident axioms, like
our col~victiont h a t the wllole is greater than the
part', and that two contradictories (contrasts) do
iiot come togetlier a t one time i n one and the
same thing ; so t h a t sane-minded adults share
equally i n the acquisition of such forms. The
second sort of process is through earning [the '
mental thought or t,ruth] by reasoning process, and
by arraj- of proof and demonstration, such as t h e
c o ~ l c ~ e p t i oc)f
n logical txnths, like genera, species,
ciiff'ereritia, and properties, simple terms, and
terins coinpoundecl i n the various modes of coni-
positions [ o f several idens into one conlposite
tern?], justly - ~lioded syllogisms botll valid and
false, propositions wllicll if moded into syllogisms
lead to necessary tlel12onstrated results, or to ar-
gnmeutative probable results, or to equally ba-
lanced rhetorical results, or to primary (axioma-
tical) sopllistical results, or to inlpossible poetical
results ; (1) and such mentally - grasped forms as
t h e recognition of t h e certainty of riatural rea-
lities: lilie hylh (primitive matter) ancl form, pri-
\-ation (non - existence) and Nature, place and
time, rest anci motion, bulky bodies of the sky -
firmainent and bulky elemental bodies, absolute
universal being and absolute nothingness, gene-
ration absolute and corruption absolute, origen
ctf' tlliugs generated that are within the sky, t h a t
are within the deepest depths of mines, and t h a t
 a r e c n the earth's crust, amongst which last-na-
med are plant and animal, the true conception
( 1 Man
j, and the t r u t h of the soul's conception of
its own self; and still further such -mentally -
grasped forms as the conception of ideas mathe-
matical, amoilgst which are number, pure geo-
metry, stellar gesmetry, harmonica1 or musical
geometry, optical geometry ; aild again, further
still, such ideas as the conception of divine af-
fairs, like the knowledge of the principles of the
absolute self - existeilt i n so far as he exists pera
sc, and of the priuciples co11sequent;y adhering
to him, such as potentiality, power and efficiex:cy,
first cause and accounting cause, essence and ac-
cidens, genus and species, incompatibility and
homogoneity, agreement and disagreement, unity
and multiplicity ; and, still further, the fixing of
t h e principles of the speculative (theoretical)
sciences, amongst which are the mathematical,
tlle natural and the logical - all which cannot
be attained save tllrougll this latter soience; (2)
and still further, such as proviilg the first Creator
and the first Created, the universal (generic) soul
and holo creation came about, the relative po-
"ition of mind towards creation, and the relative
position of soul towards mind, the relative posi-
tion of hyli: towards nature, and of forms towards
t h e soul, the relative position of the skies, orbs,
planets and all existing things towards hy16 and
towards form, and why and wherefore they differ
so widely as they do as to forwards and baolin-ards
( n ~ d z ~ ~xar ) development ; and tlie
o v 5 o t ~ ~ o vof
k n o ~ ~ l e d gofe r,he divine government, universal
nature, primal providerlce, prophetic inspiration,
t h e divine 11oly spirit, sublime angels, a t t a i n i n g
to the certainty ef t h e Creator's being beyond
all partnership a n d sinlilitude [i. e. recognizing
ilze t r u t h t h a t polytheism ancl anthropotnorphisnz
are to be rejected]; and att,aillillg t o the Iil!owledge
of what rewards await t h e right,eons, a n d what
punishments impend t l ~ c ~ ~ ~ i c l i eof c l , the clthlight
and t h e pain overtaking souls after t h r i r aball-
douiug t,he l~oclies.
F u r t h e r , this power which conceives these
ideas does a t times gain frorn sense forxns mental,
imagin ntirre, and inns te irl (instinctive, to) itszlf ;
ancl i n b n c l ~a case i t does this i n t h a t it laxs
before itself t h e forms t h a t are ill the conceiving
power and in tlis remembering (preserving) power,
by employing the imagiaative and t h e c o ~ ~ j e c t u r i n g
pomer, ant1 t h e n colltelnplates them, and fincls
t h e m to have participated i n some forms and t o
have diflfered in some other forms ; and finds same
ail~ongstthe forms t h a t are i n these powers to
be esse~lt~inl, and others to be accidental. Ancl
as t o their participation in forms, it is like the
participxtiou of t h e for111 Richard and an ass, in
t h e conceiver's mi~ril,in t h e idea of Life ; a n d
t h e difYeriug of t h e two i n t h e idea of speaking
(rational], and non - spe3king (brute). As t o t l l s
 essential form, i t is e. g. like the life that is il;
them both; as for the accidental, i t is e. g. like
their blacliness and whiteness. Sa that if we find
the two aforesaid on this wise - i. e., as stated,
- [the mind] makes each one of these essential.
and accidental, participated ancl peculiar forms,
one universal mental form singly and aloue, and
thus througli this working - over process, i t gets
a t mental genera, species, differenti., properties,
accidens; then i t combines these sii~gle notions
into particular combinations ; then into syllogistic
argi~zrientative combinations and deduces from
them corollaries from the results - all which i t
gets through the service of the anirnal powers,
with the help of arliversal mind, after the manner
t h a t w e shall set forth later on, and through
the intermediary of such necessary self - evident \.
mental axioms as i t has 1,een endowed with.
Moreover this power: although i t derives help
a from the sensuous l)on7erwhen getting out! single
' m e n t a l forms from tlie sensuous f o r n ~ s , yet it
does not need the sensuous power for conceiving
these ideas (notions) 1vit)hin itself and for setting
up s~llogisnisout of them, neither when affir-
~ m i n g ,nor when conceiving the t w o dicta [of ab-
straction & generalization), as we shall afterwards
explain. And to whatever extent i t derives sen-
suous corollaries, for which there shall be need,
through the said working - cvcr process, yet it
dispenses with the e m p l o ~ment of the sensuous
powers, nay it is even sufficient for and i n itself,
for t h e carrying on of all its manifold activities.
And just as the sensuous powers perceive solely
and wholly through a11 assimilatio~iof t h a t which
is felt, so also do the mental powers perceive
solely tllrougll and wllolly through an assimilation
of the mentally - grasped ; and this assimilation
is the a1)straction of the form from matter, and
t h e adhering to i t ; only t h a t the feeling power
does i ~ o tget the ceilsuous form through willed
niotioll and voluntary action on its part, b u t
through the arrival of the very thing felt unto
it, either by chance or through the i~ltermetliary
of the niotion - promoting power, and laying bare
of tlle forms unto it, (abstraction) tllrongh the
help of the media that coiinect the forms with
i t ; ~vhereas, i n the case of the mental power,
(Reason TJnderstanding) t,llis process is otherwise ;
for by and tlirough itself i t a t times does itself
perform t-lle abstraction (laying bare) of the form
from matter as often as i t wills, and then clillgs
unto it. Ancl for this reasoil it is said that the
sentient power is nicre or less passive i n it.; con-
ception [or, t h a t the feeling power is after a
fashion acted upon when i t conceives], and t h a t
the mental (nizderstandingj power is active ; nay
rather i t i s said, for this reasoil, that the sezlt,ient
power cannot c10 withont instrunlents (organs),
and has in itself 110 ef'ficiency; and liow is it
possible t o apply such a statement (pr.oposition)
to the mental (understanding) power?
The mind (Understanding, Reason) is i n fact
and deed wholly and solely nothing else t h a n the
forms of mentally-grasped things, if these be
arrayed i n the very mind potentially, and through
it they are brought out to effective action ; and
hence i t is said t h a t the mind is i n fact and
deed a t once both understanding and understood.
Amongst th3 properties of the understanding
power is this, t h a t i t unifies the many and multi-
plies the one through analysis and synthesis. As
to mnltiplication, i t is such as the analysis of
one man into essence, body, nourishment-getting,
animal, speaking (rational). As to unification of
t h e many, it is such as the composition (syfithesis)
of this one man out of essence, body, animal,
speaking (rational) into one notion which i s
mankind (human being).
Moreover the mind, although i t applies i t s
activity within a duration of time i n arranging
syllogisms, through using reflection, yet the result
itself, which this reflection obtains, and -which is
the fruit of thought and the end sought after, is
ngt dependant upoil time, nor is i t obtained save
a t a n instant; nay more than this, the mind
itself is wholly above and beyond all time.
And the reasoning (speaking) soul, if it
engages itself up011 the sciences, its activity i s
called mind or intellect, and it is accordingly
 called speculative or tlleoretical mind : \+-llicll I
have already described. Ailcl if' i t engages itself
upon overcoming blamewortlli powers, that entice
unto wrongdoing through their excess, unto folly
tlirough their abandonnment, nilto impetuosity
thsongh their agitation, unto cowardice through.
t h e i ~ .indifYerence or lukewarmness, or unto wick-
ediless through their excitenlent, or unto degener-
ation througll tlicir smouldering, and leacls thein
over illto the paths of wisdom, endurance, chastity
- i n short uuto righteousness, then i t s activity
is called ruling or governing, and i t is accordingly
callccl practical mind or rcason. Again, the reas-
oning (spealiing) power is sometimes so fittied out
in a few pozsons tllrongh (*l vigils ant1 covjullction
wit11 the uiliversal nliilil as to be quite indepen-
dent of' taking refuge unto syllogistic argunleut
and reflection, but rather is sufficiently stored
wit11 inspiration and revelatioil to render it, wholly
absolved from such ordinary nzealls a3 melltal
I ratiocination : this pecnlia,r property of the reas-
ouing rr~illd is called hallox7&Jness or sanctity,
and i t is accordingly called Holy Ghost. Unto
such a favoured rank and degree none shall attain
save propllets ancl apostles, upon 1~1101~1 be peace
ancl. blessing.

(*) lasting, prayer, night-~vatchings.

( I ) This passage as to syllogisms and conclusions
rnay be made clearer ) s ~~ ~ e n d e r i nitg thus: -
 << which, if arranged syllogistically, allow of
getting to conclusions that a r e (a) necessar~ily
true and valid, viz. apodictic ; (b) most always
trwe, viz. dialectic ; (c) both true and false, viz.
rhetorical ; (cl) praeponderantly false, viz. sophis-
tical ; and (e) merely false, viz. poetical.
(2) In his << Yqjcit )> Ibn Sind says of this science:
cc Logic is the theoretical speculative science
that teaches out of which fbrms and materials
there will come about satiscying argumentation,
of which argumentation that which is strong,
and in~posesan assertion resembling certainty,
is called diaiectic ; ancl that which is weak
thereof, and imposes a prevailing opinion, is
called rhetorical. >>
IIis compendious Essay on Logic remains to
this day one of the clearest a n d best that begin-
ners can find in the Arabic language on this
abstract science of the Laws of Thought.
 SECTION NINTH
in which
the Proofs of the Essentiality of t h e Soul, and
of Its Independence of Body in its Structure,
a r e s e t forth it1 pursuance of the Method
of Logicians.

SUB - SECTION A : - One of the logical proofs

for establishing this Claim :
L e t us however first preface it with premisses,
among which are : -
First PI-erniss: that man conceives universal
(generic) notions wlierein a greater or less mul-
titude participates, such as man a t largb, a n d
animal a t large. Aud of these generic notions
there a r e such as he conceives through a parti-
cular [or partial, or a n obligatory] synthesis, and
there are such others of these generic notions as
he does not conceive by any synthesis, but singly
and individually. And unless he shall have con-
ceived the latter division (class, sett), it is not
possible for him to conceive the former. Further,
he conceives each one of thess generic universal
uotions only under one form, wholly stripped
(a1)stracted) from all relationship to its concrete
sensuous particulars, since the particulars of each
one of the generic ilotiolls are potentially endless
/ill variety and nnmberl and no one of the parti-
culars lias ally right of priority over another
particular i n respect of' t h a t orze form of the
generic notion.
Secofzcl P1-ri17,iss
: that a form, mllatsoever
body i t detaclies, reduc,es, and adorns, and i n
general whatsoever illdividual o f clivisible things
it, so takes 1101~1of, i t clothes the same ancl. ex-
actly fits the same in every one of its parts. And
wllatsocver clothes and exactly fits a divisible
thing i u all its parts is itself divisible; and hence
e r e r y form t h a t has clothed aucl exactly fitted
any body wllatsoever is itself divisible.
2'/~ir=ilP~-enziss: that i n every generic (uni-
versal) form, if regard be had, i n the division of
such form, purely and simply t o its abstract self,
then i t will not a t all validly follow t h a t the
parts into which i t has been divided shall necess-
arily resemble the whole i n its complete notion;
otlierwise it must follow that the generic form,
whose division has been made i11 respect of i t s
abstract self, has not been itself divided, b u t
t h a t it has been divided into its constituents,
nrhetlier these be its various species or its nu-
merous individnals, wllereas mnltiplicity of species
or of individuals does llot ilecessarily entail di-
vision i n the abstract generic ilotioll itself. But
i t has been laid down as a fact t h a t such division
has actually taken place, u-hich is a contradiction.
Hence our assertion t h a t the parts of the generic
form tlo not resernble i t i n i t s full and complete
notioii is a true didturn.
Foul-th Prenziss: t h a t i n the mental form,
if regard be had to its division, i t will not
validly follow t h a t i t s parts are denuded (stripped)
of the totality of its notion. This is so because,
i f we admit such total denudation, a n d assert
t h a t these parts are utterly aloof from t h e com-
plete conception of the generic whole, then the
form will arise, i n such parts, only upon their
assembling together, so t h a t they are i n fact
things devoid of t h a t form which will arise in
them on their being set together, which is a
quality of the parts of materia capax or passive
matter which occupies space ( ~ E X Z ~ X ;~ [Note
V ) : The
recipient is the actcd upon, a11d i t is called
matter, and also place.]; and hence t h e division
has not been effected i n t h e generic form, but in
i t s objective concrete materials. B u t it has been
asserted that the division has come to pass i n i t :
this too is a contradiction. Therefore our assertion :
11 I t will not validly follow t h a t its parts are
stripped of the totality of i t s notion 97 is a true
statement.
Fiftf~Pl*emiss: which is the result of t h e
two preceding: t h a t i n the generic form, if it be
possible that divisibility be considered i n i t , then

6. - Auicenu's Offering
i t s parts are neither wholly dovoid of the perfect
form nor are completely exhaustive of it, and
are as i t were [component, constituent] parts of
its definition and outline (or description).
Given tlleu these premisses, we shall further
unquestionably sary t h a t a uneatally - grasped
forrn - i n sliort all Bllowledge - claims some
z~bodesome~vl~ere, which abode is both a n essence
itself and a part of man's self, so t h a t such es-
sence will not be devoid of being either a divi-
siblo (material) body or a. non - corporeal indivi-
sible essence. I however say, t h a t it is not licit
t h a t it be a corporeal body; because a generic
mentally - grasped form, if it abide i n a body,
tllell i t is inevitably possible for divisibility t o
befall i t , as w e have shown above. Nor is i t licit
t h a t its parts be otherwise than resembliiig the
whole from one stand - point, and contrasting
with it from allotEler stand - point, i n a word
each one of the parts contains somewhat of the
notion of' t h e whole; whereas there is no ge-
neric form whatsoever out of whose parts a com-
pound can be formed t h a t is partly like i t and
1,artly unlike i t save genera and differentia; conse-
quently these parts are genera and differentia,
and hence each o;le of then1 is in its t u r n a generic
form ; and thus the same assertion repeats itself
as above.
Inevitably this will ellcl i n a form that i s
no longcr divisible illto genera and differentia,
owiug to t h e i ~ practicability
n of progression ad
iufinitum into parts JiEering i u uotioils, even i f
i t be establislled that corporeal boGies are so
divided into parts ad infiaitum.
Moreover i t is well-kuown that t h ~generic
(universal) form, c o n c e r ~ i n gwllicl-l i t is held t h a t
i t is divisible only illto genera and differentia, if
there be nevertheless some o f these two t h a t is
not divisible into genera and differentia, then
this s0112e v i l l be i n itself utterly indivisible i n
every sense and respect; and consequently w h a t
is compounded7 of these two of that some, will
also be indivisible, seeing that i t is well-known,
for example, t h a t I I ~ C L I ,cannot be coilceived except
along with the two collceptions lioirzg and 1-ational
( s p e a l ~ i r ~ g I) .n short, i t is not possible to conceive
a generic universal form t h a t has gellus and dif-
ferens save by conceiving them all together.
Therefore, the form which we heve described a s
having taken u p its abode i n the body has n o t
takeu up its abode therein, which is a contradic-
tion, and therefore the diametrically contrary t o
it i s true, namely our assertion t h a t a generic
(universal) mental form does not abide in any
corporeal body whatsoever ; and consequently t,he
essence i n which a generic mental form abides is
a spiritual essence, not qualified with the qualities
of bodies, which is what we call the Rational
Speaking Soul. And this is what we set o u t
to show.
 S U I I -SIT,CTION B : - A s ~ c o l l d of the proofs,
srl~icllcorroborate this claim and confirm (correct)
it, is what I am now going to set forth. I say
then t h a t body of and through itself does not
eitt'ect conception of mentally-grasped things, since
all boclies llave i n ccnimon t h a t they are body,
and differ arliongst each other i n capacity for
conceiving mentally-grasped things. Wherefore
livillg (animal) bodies are qualified to collceive
mentally-grasped things 011ly by and through
certain powers t h a t are p u t within them. And
if these powers coucsive by and through them-
selves, without the cooperation of the body, i t
follows t h a t they are i n themselves fit and apt
to be an abode for meiital forms. And what is
thus qualified is itself an essence ; consequently
if such conception is occurriug, they, namely
these powers, are essences. Now, i t is clear that
this power conceives mentally-grasped tlliilgs by
and through itself only, and not a t all through
cooperatiou of body; for, we contend, concerning
whatsoever perceives any thing through cooper- ,
at.ion of body, t h a t the oftener wearying percep-
t i b l e ~are repeated upon i t the more do they
t,enil towards ruining and spoiling i t and producing
dnlll~essand exhaustion i n i t , i t being nothing
but a frail instrument and organ whose strength
has been reduced, owing to the over-tasking
imposed upon i t on the power's enlployipg i t ;
ancl for this cause the seeing pox*er,for example,
 gsts weaker the oftener i t persists in looking a t
the sun's shape. So too the hearing power, iF
loud sounds reach i t repeatedly.
Whereas this power, to wit the ohe t h a t
conceives mentally - grasped things, the more it
perceives wearying mental conceptions the stronger
it becomes for its work [the more efficient i t
becomes], wherefore i t has no need for an instrc-
merat i n its operation of perceiving, and hehce it
perceives of itself. Now, we have already shown
that every power perceiving s f its own self is
an essence; so then this power is an essence,
which is what we set out to show.
SUB - SECTION c : - Among the proof's that
guide to this claim is what I shall now show, so
I say as follows.
The indwelling (immanence) af form in body
is a t once both passive and receptive - passi-
vity of the form and receptivity of the body. And
whereas one and the same thing excludes the
possibility of its being both doer and done, it
becomes clear uhto us that & body is not able of
itsellf to dress itself i n one mefitally - grasped
, form and strip off anotlier. Yet nevertheless we
see a man consciously aiad with forethought con-
ceiving and proceed'ing from olie mentally - grasped
form unto another, which operation is not devoid
of being either an act peculiar to body, or else
an act peculiar to the rational speakihg power,
or finally an act commonly shaped between them
Ijnt,ll. It has been already s h o ~ n i1perllal)s Ile here
refers to tlle Secolltl Section of this Essay] t h a t
i t i.: 110t licit t o attribute a,ctioa and (doing pecu-
liarly allcl specially t o body; u a y I xvill say a n d
not eve11 t,o body conjointljr -\\-it11 tlie rational
POT:-er; siillce body is a co - adjutor of' illat pan-er,
tlclping tto-vc-arcts afrording a n abode for a n y form
\\hatsoever i n t h a t body's own self, seeing tllat
i t lias beco~llelinon-n to us t h a t body along wit11
t h e p o ~ v e rn ill both becollie fit subjects for tllis
fnrln t h a t 118s t h u s a r i s e n ; a subject 1lc)wever is
, stigi~~atized
t ~ ljo \\rith notlliilg beyolld siiiiple
yas.;ivjtj- aloue, whereas botli these t ~ v oare jag-
grrs$icc~]acts allcl deeds. Consec~nentlythis is a n
a c l jrecrlliar to the poxrer. d l ~ d ever) t,liii~gtliat, ill
it.; act ~vllicheman~ztesfrolli i t s OTT-11 self, lias liad
ILO ueed for anotlier thing to help i t , -\till not

lieeil i n its o ~ structure

u anything beyond i t s
olvn self to Iielp i t , seeing tliat indel~endeuce or
izolation in the structure of self.' precedes inde-
l'encleucc or isolation in the p n t t i n g fort11 of self-
e:llanatiag action. Therefore this po\ver is a n
essence stallcling of itself [indepeuclelit of l)ocly] ;
a u d consecineutly t h e rat,iolial soul is a n essence.
SUB-SECTION n : - Anlong t h e proofs t h a t
guide (point) t o t h e validity of tlli.: collteiisioll i s
~ v l i a t1 a m now going to say.
K O doubt a live body and lil-e organs o r
iilstl allzerits, if they accolxplish tlleir growing age
a n d tlle age of staildstill, begin t o witller aud
 diminish, to lose power and waste away, which
[in human beings) is on passing forty years. Now,
* r e r e the rational reasoning power a corporeal
organic power, then there would be found not one
single irldividual of rnan1;ind a t these years of
Iris age hut what, this power of his would have
begun to climiuish. Rut the case i n most people
is quite otherwise, nay indeed i t is usual amongst
the majority t h a t as to intellectnal power they
improve i n cleverness and i n c ~ e a s e i n insight.
Hence tile structn1.e of the rational power is riot
~ ~ p l l e l cby
l the body nor by the organ; and hence
this power is an essence standing of it,self, which
is what we wished to show.
S L B - s e c ~ r oEs: - Among the proofs for the
validity of this contellsion is tlie following also.
Xo rauch a t least is clear, namely t h a t not
one of the bodily powers has the strengtli for
performing iufinite multifarious actio~zs; and this
is so becnnse the strcngth of the one half of such
a body will inevitably be found to he weaker
t h a n the streilgth of the whole; and the weaker
is less powerful to perform and overcome than
.( the stronger; and whatsoever, other t h a n t h e
infinite, gets less is itself fiuite ; hence the s t r e n g t l ~
of each one of the two halves is finite; hence too
tlieir sum is finite, since t h a t the sun1 of two
finites is itself finite; whereas i t has been con-
tended that i t is infinite, which is a contradiction.
Hence the soulld view is t h a t tlie powers of bodies
are not powerful enough ,*to perform infinite
manifold deeds. The rational power however is
powerful enough to perform nlany infinite deeds,
seeing t h a t forms geometrical, arithmetical, and
philosophical, which the rational power has to
perform among other of its acts, are infinite.
Therefore the rational power is not standing by
and through the body, and hence therefore it
stands of itself and is an essence of itself,
Further, so niuch a t least is clear t h a t the
corruption of one of two colzjoiiled essences does
not entail and enjoin the corruption of the other:
wherefore the cleath of the body does not render
obligatory the death of the soul, which is w h a t
we wanted to shoiv.
 SECTION T E N T H
T o Establish that there is a Mental Essence,
Distinct from Bodies, which stands towards
Human Souls In the stead of Light toward
Sight, and in the stead of a Source or Foun-
tain ; and T o Establish that Souls, if they
leave the Bodies, unite therewith.

As to the mental essence, we find it i n in-

fants devoid of every mental form. Then, later
on i n life, we find i n it self-evident axiomatic
mentally-grasped notions, without effort of learning
a ~ without
d reflection. So t h a t the arising of
them within it will not fail of being either
through sense and experience, o r else through
divine outpouring reaching to it. B u t it i s not
licit to hold t h a t the arising of such primary
p e n t a l form will bc+ through experience, seeing
t h a t experience does not afford and supply a
necessary and inevitable judgment, since exps-
rience does not go so far as to believe or disbelieve
definitively the existence of something different
to the judgment drawn from what i t has perceived.
Indeed experience, although i t shows u s bhat
every allinial nre perceive moves on chewing tllo
l o n ~ e r,jan-, yet it cloes not supply us -wit11 a con-
vincing jncig~nenl~ that s11cll is t h e case with every
animal; for Ayere this true, i t would not he licit
for tllc crocodile to exist ~ v h i c hmoTTes his upper
,jaw on cl~en-ing.'I'llerefore not every j n d g n ~ e n t
-we llave arrivecl at, as to tliings, tllrougll our
sensuous perceptioil, is applicable to and holds
good of all that i r e l i ~ perceived
~ ~ s or have not
perccivccl c~fsuch b l ~ i l i g q ,but i t -inay so he t h a t
nllat lye have not perceivrcl difler froin what -c\-e
have perceived. TVllereas o u r conception that a
whole i s greater than a part is not [formed]
because 11-e have sensnonsly felt every part and
every n-hole t h a t are so rclatctl, seeing that even
such a n experience will not garanty to us t h a t
there nil1 1 ~ eno hole ancl no part, differently
related.
Lilien ise the dictum conceriling t h e impossi-
bility o f t\ro opposites (contrasts) coming together
i n one aud the same thing, and t h a t things which
are e q r ~ a lto one and the same thing are eqnal
to one another. Aud likejvise the dictum concer-
n i n g our lloliliilg proofs t o be true if they be
valid, for the belief i n allcl colivictioii of their
validity cloes not become valid by and through
learning and sffort of study ; else this would
clraw out ad infinitum [inasliiuch as each proof
rests upon give11 p r ~ s n l ) p ~ g i t i o nwhose
s, validity
would i n its t u r n have to he proved]. Nor is this
gained froin sense, for tlle reason that we have
mentioned. Collseyuently both the latter as well
as the former [certaility] are gained from a godly
outflow reaching u ~ l t othe rational soul, and the
rational son1 reacl~ingunto i t ; so that this mental
forin arises therein. Also, as to this outflow,
unless i t have i n i t s osvn self such a generic
(universal) mental form, i t mould not be able
to engrave i t ~vithixithe rational soul. Hence such
form is i n the O I X ~ ~ ~ G MO- T' SV L ~self. Anci whatsoever
Self has i n i t a mental form i d a n essence, other
than a body, and not within a body, aud standing
of itself. Therefore this outflow unto w1lic.h the
soul reaches is a nlental essence, not a body, not
i n a body, standing of itself, and one which stands
towards the rational soul i n the stead of light to
s i g h t ; yet however with this difference, namely
t h a t light supplies unto sight the power of per-
ceiving only, and not the perceived form, whereas
this essence supplies, exclusively by a n d through
its sole and single self, unto t h e rationafl power,
the power of perceiving, and brings about therein
t h e perceived forms also, as we have set forth above.
Now, if the rational soul's conceiving rational
forms be a source of completion and perfection
for i t , anti be effected and brought about on
reaching unto this essence, and if worldly earthly
labors, such as its thought, its sorrows and joy,
i t s longings, hamper the power and withold it
from reaching thereunto, so t h a t it will not reach
 thereunto save only through abandoning t h e s e
powers and getting rid of them, there beil~g
nothing to stop i t from continued Reaching save
the living body, - then c o ~ s e q u e n t l yif i t q u i t
the body i t nrill not cease to be reaching unto
its Perfector and attached to Him.
Again, what reaches u n t o its Perfector ailcl
attaches itself to Hi111 is safe against corruption,
all tlle rliore so if even during cliscollnection from
Him i t has not undergone corruption. Wherefore
the soul after death shall ever remain and contiane
unwavering land ~uidyiug]and attached to t h i s
noble essence, which is called generic universal
mind, and i n the language of the lav-givers t h e
Divine Kno.cvledge.
AS to the other powers, ~ ~ 3 as 1 1 the animal
and the vegetable: Whereas every one of them
performs its proper peculiar action only by and
through the live body, and i n no other ~ n y con- ,
sequently they will nrver quit live bodies, b u t
will die with their death, seeing t h a t every thing
which is, and yet has no action, is idle and
useless. Yet nevertheless the rational soul does
gain, by its connection ~ v i t h them, from them
their choicest and pnrest lye anci wash, and
leaves for destll the husks. And were i t not so,
the rational soul ~ v o u l d not use them i n con-
sciousness. Wherefore the rational soul shall
surely depart (migrate, travel) taking along t h e
kernels of the other po\vers after death ensues.
 W e have thus made a clear statement con-
cerning souls, and got a t which souls are [ever-]
lasting, and which of them will not be fitted o u t
and armed with [everllastingness. It still remains
for us, i n connectioa with this research, to show
how a soul exists within live bodies, and the aim
and end for which i t i s found within the same,
and what measure will be bestowed upon it, ill
t h e hereafter, of eternal delight and perpetual
puiiishinent, and of [temporary] punisllment that
- ceases after a duration of time that shall ensue
upon the decease of the live body; and to treat
of the notion t h a t is designated by the lawgivers
as intercession (mediation), and of the quality
(attribute) of the four angels and the throne-
bearer$. Were it not however t h a t the custom
prevails to isolate such research from the research
whose path we have been treading, out of high
esteem and reverence for it, and to make the
latter researcl1 precede i n order of treatmellt t h e
former, to tlie end of levelling the road and
paving i t solidly, I should (would) have fcllowed
u p these [ten] sections with a full and complete
treatment
Y
of the subject dealt with i n them.
Notwithstanding all this, were i t not for 'fear of
vearyiag by prolixity, 1 would have disregarded
the demands of custom herein. Thus then what-
ever i t may please the Prince - God prolong
his highness - to command es to treating singly
of' such notions, T shall - p ~ forth,
t in humble com-
pliance a n d obeclience, my ntmost effort, Goit'
Alilligllt,y ~ v i l l i n g; alld liiay n,isdoin never cease
t o revive t l l r o ~ ~ g him
ll aftsr fainting, t o flourish
after withering, so t h a t i t s sway rnag be renewed
throng11 his s w a y , and tllrongh his clays its days
m a y collie bnck again, anct that through his
prestige t h e prestige of its clevotees be exalted,
allcl tile seekers a f t e r i t s fitvor abound, so God
almigllty will.

IT IS ENDED.