Ch. II. N0 Iiznate Trinciple: in the Mind. 27

feems to me to lie this Fallacy, That Men are fuppofed not to be taught, nor to learn any thing dc novo ; when, in truth, they are taught, and do learn fomething they were ignorant of before. For ﬁrit it is evident, they have learned the Terms, and their Sig- niﬁcation; neither of which was born with them. But this is not all the acquired Knowledge in the Cafe: The Idea: themfelves, about which the Propoﬁtion is, are not born with them, no more than their Names, but got afterwards. So that, in all Propofiti.

I ons that are afYented to, at ﬁrﬁ hearing, the Terms of the Propo-

ﬁtion, their {landing for fuch Ideas, and the Idea: themfelves that they ftand for,being neither of them Innate; I would fain know, what there is remaining in fuch Propoﬁtions, that is Innate. For Iwould gladly have any one name that Propoﬁtiomwhofe Terms, 0r Idea:, were either of them Innate. \Ve, by degrees, get Idea: and Names, and learn their appropriated Connexion one with another; and then to Propoﬁtions, made in fuch Terms, whofe Signiﬁcation we have learnt, and wherein the Agreement or Dif- agreement we can perceive in our Idear, when put together, is expreflﬂed, we at ﬁrll hearing afTent; tho’, to other Propoﬁtions, in themfelves as certain and evident, but which are concerning Ideas, not fo foon or fo eaﬁly got, we are, at the fame time, no way capable of aiienting. For tho’ a Child quickly aﬂents to this

Propoﬁtion, T/zat an Apple i: not Fire, when, by familiar Ac- quaintance, he has got the Idea: of thofe two different things di-

Iiinftlyimprinted on his Mind,and has learnt thatthe NamesApple and Fire {land for them; yet it will be fome Years after, perhaps, before the fame Child will aifent to this Propoﬁtion, That it i: impqﬂble for tbe fame Thing to be, and not to be: Becaufe, that tho’, perhaps, the Words are as eafy to be learnt; yet the Signi- ﬁcation of them, being more large, comprehenﬁve, and abﬂra&, than of the Names annexed to thofe fenﬁble things, the Child hath to do with, it is longer before he learns their precife Mean- ing, and it requires more time plainly to form in his Mind thofe general Idea: they Ftand for. ’Till that be done, you will in vain endeavour to make any Child aITent to a Propoﬁtion, made up of fuch general Terms: But, as foon as ever he has got thofe Idea:,

and learn’d their Names, he forwardly clofes with the one, as well