Page 182 sur 1391

The Scythians and Thracians are passionate, our own race

intellectual, and the Egyptians and Phoenicians covetous, because

the individual members of each have such and such a character;

the difficulty is to determine whether the several principles are

one or three; whether, that is to say, we reason with one part of

our nature, desire with another, are angry with another, or

whether the whole soul comes into play in each sort of action.

This enquiry, however, requires a very exact definition of terms.

The same thing in the same relation cannot be affected in two

opposite ways. But there is no impossibility in a man standing

still, yet moving his arms, or in a top which is fixed on one

spot going round upon its axis. There is no necessity to mention

all the possible exceptions; let us provisionally assume that

opposites cannot do or be or suffer opposites in the same

relation. And to the class of opposites belong assent and

dissent, desire and avoidance.