An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. VI. Of the Affections or Passions of the Mind.

I. That the Passions of the Soul are distin∣guisht from the Senses. HAving treated apart of the Nature of the Body and Soul, and distinguisht the Functi∣ons of both, it remains that we say something of the Passions which are peculiar to Man, to whom nevertheless they are no otherwise Attributed, but as he consists of Body and Soul; for those Affe∣ctions and Operations being neither belonging to the Mind alone, nor to the Body alone, proceed meerly from the Union and confederacy of Mind and Body; such as are the Passions, which are cal∣led Affections and Commotions of the Mind; be∣cause it is the Mind, which they principally shake and divers ways impel and disturb: For tho' the Senses depend also upon the said Union of Body and Soul, yet they gently insinuate them∣selves

into the Mind, and relate not so much to the Soul as to External Objects, by which also they may be deceived and drawn into an Error; but the Affections of the Soul are inward, and so adhere to it, that it cannot have experience of them any other way but as they are; whence it comes that they who are in a deep Sleep, seem to behold certain things with open Eyes, and to suffer those things in the Body which no way touch us: Yet nevertheless, it can be no way brought to pass, that we should feel our selves sad or deeply in Love, but that there must be really such a commotion in us, and that we are affected not with a Feigned, but Genuin Love or Sadness.

II. The defini∣tion of Pas∣sion. Wherefore the Passions of the Soul are thus best desined: The Perceptions, or Senses, or com∣motions of the Soul, which are referr'd especially to it, and which are produc'd, conserved and corro∣borated by a certain motion of the Spirits. They are first called Perceptions, because that name is common to all Cogitations; and we use it to signi∣fie all Cogitations, which are produc'd without the Concourse of the Will, and which are excited by impressions lest in the Brain; for whatsoever is not Action, ought to be called Passion.

III. Each part of the de∣finition ex∣plicated. Next, they are called Senses, because they come to the Soul after the manner of Senses, and are of the number of those Cognitions, which by that streight bond that is between Soul and Body are rendred confused: But by a special term they are called Commotions of the Soul, in regard we are taught by our own experience; that no Cogita∣tions enter into our Soul, which so much disturb and move it as those do. It is moreover added, that they are especially referr'd to the Soul, to distinguish them which come from exteriour Ob∣jects, or arise from interiour dispositions of the Body, as the preceptions of Colours, Odours, Sounds, &c. which are referred to External Objects; Hunger, Thirst, Pain which are referred to our Body.

IV. Passions de∣pend upon the con∣course of the Spirits. Lastly, it is concluded that those Passions are produc'd, Nourisht and Corroborated, by a certain peculiar motion of the Spirits; to distinguish them from the proper Acts of our Will, which indeed may be called the commotions of the Soul, and also such as may be referr'd to the Soul, but which are not produc'd from the Spirits, but from the Soul it self. Whereas, in the Passions the Animal Spirits proceeding from the Heart, are carried into the Brain; and from their commotions ariseth the perturbation of the Soul, and being risen is conserv'd, so long as the Animal Spirits passing the same way, agitate the Mind by the same rea∣son; and upon their increase, the commotion of the Mind may so increase as to be excited by them, not only to judge, but vehemently to desire, and sometime to grow Mad.

V. How Hu∣man Pas∣sions are distinguisht from the Affections of a sepa∣rate Soul or Angel. Whence the Passions which are incident to Man, as he is composed of Soul and Body, are distinguisht from those which are belonging to a Separate Soul, or Angel; for there is no doubt, but that a Soul dislodg'd from the Body is toucht with various Affections, and is lya∣ble to divers kinds of Motions: For see∣ing it hath a clear and distinct knowledge of things, it may also have motions attending the said Cognition; and so long as in those things it de∣prehends good or evil, it may refer them to it self, and consequently prosecute them with Love or Hatred: For if it obtain that good which it hath judged convenient for it self, there cannot but arise much Joy thereupon; but if it find it self deprived thereof, Sadness will follow: Yet those Passions differ from ours, because they are not joind with the motions of the Animal Spirits, which excite and conserve them in us. Nay, they arise in them by a clear and distinct Cognition which they have, of the thing which they look upon and behold as their good.

VI. Affections are call'd Passions in respect of the Soul, Actions in respect of the Body. But lest for the future any difficulty should a∣rise about the word Passions, we assert that Acti∣ons and Passions in Intellectual and Cogitative things, are no other than what they are in Cor∣poreal things; for as in a Material thing, Action and Passion consist in Local motion, being called Action when the motion is conceived to be in the Movent, and Passion, when it is considered to be in the thing moved; so in Incorporeals, Action is said to be, that which holds on the Movers side, as Volition in the Soul: Passion is that which keeps on the part of the thing moved, as Intellection and Vision in the same Soul. So the Affections which we take upon us here to describe, are called Pas∣sions in respect of the Soul to which they belong; but Actions in respect of the Body, which Acts immediately upon the Soul, and in its Actings ef∣fects mutation and variety.

VII. Passions ought to move the Soul. But because in Man there are found various Passions, and those Passions obtain several Names, according to the diversity of Agents: We say, those Passions are only considered by us, which proceed from some particular Agitation of the Spirits, and whose effects are as it were felt in the Soul; for tho' other impressions, which are formed in the Brain by External Objects; or which depend upon the Footsteps of former im∣pressions left in the Brain; or which by the or∣dinary course of the Animal Spirits, are pre∣sented to us Sleeping or Waking, may be called Passions; that is, so far as they are excited in the Soul without the concurrence of the Will: Yet to speak properly, they are not so much to be called Passions, as Habits, or Propensions which dis∣pose to some Passion, since they move not the Soul, nor depend, or are cherisht by any special course of the Animal Spirits.

VIII. Thevario••s causes of Affections. First Tem∣perament. Although the Agitation of the Spirits, may be called the proximate cause of our Affections, yet there are other remoter causes, which may be as∣signed, as the Temperament of our Body, which conduces not a little to the exciting of Passions in the Brain; since it is in the stead of Disposition, and after a sort impells the Soul to follow its pro∣pensions: Hence, those who have their Body any way disposed to Love, easily suffer their Minds to be drawn away to those Cogitations, by which they are excited to the said effect.

IX. The second cause of Passions is the Objects. The second Principle is those Objects, which incur into our Senses; as any terrible Figure ex∣cites the Passion of terrour in the Soul; whereas a grateful Figure which courteth the Eyes, caus∣eth Joy and Benevolence, in regard the motions convey'd from External things to the Brain, va∣riously dispose the Spirits thereof, and thereupon there arise different Affections in us: So that who ever desires any thing of us with a smooth Tongue, down-cast Eyes, and a Body disposed to Humility, will more easily obtain his desire of us, than ano∣ther,

who on the contrary, with a severe Counten∣ance, an imperious Tone of Voice, and more like a Commander than a Suppliant demands the same.

X. The third is the Acti∣on of the Soul. The third Cause, is the Action of the Soul it self, as often as according to its innate Liberty, it proposes such or such Objects to be considered, in the long meditation where the Passions a∣rise.

XI. The fourth cause is the first dispo∣sition of the Body. The fourth Cause is, the first Disposition of the Body in regard not only Affections; may be ex∣cited in us by Rational motions of the Mind, whilest it knows what to prosecute with Love or Hatred; but also by those first Dispositions of the Body, that procreate those obscure Sensations of Good and Evil, which happens to the Body, as DESCARTES intimates in his Epistles. Be∣hold, saith he, four Passions, Joy, Love, Sadness and Hatred, which I suppose being first in us, we had before our Birth, and judge them to be no other than very confused Sensations or Cogitations; in regard the Soul was so tied to Matter, that it could not yet attend but to those divers impressions, that were to be received from it: And tho' after some years, it began to be affected with other Joys, and other Loves than those which depend only upon a right Disposition, and convenient Aliment of the Body; nevertheless that which was Intel∣lectual in its Joys and Loves, had always conco∣mitant those Senses which the said Passions first excited in it; yea, and those Natural motions and functions which were then in the Body.

XII. Which ap∣pears in Love. So by reason, that before the Nativity Love did not arise but from a convenient Aliment, which flowing in great plenty into the common Ocean, the Heart and Lungs, excited in them a greater heat than usual; hence it is, that the said heat always accompanies Love, tho' proceeding from far different Causes.

XIII. Three de∣grees to be observ'd in the Passions Now we may observe, that there is a three∣fold degree in the Affections of the Mind, an∣swerable to a threefold degree of the Senses. The first is the commotion or alteration of the Heart, the Blood and the Animal Spirits: The second being a consequent from the first, is the percep∣tion of the Mind. And lastly, an access of per∣turbation of Mind, so far as it precipitates incli∣nation or aversion of Judgment or Will, is the third degree in the Affections.