on sense and the sensible-第4节

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that　of　the　lower　animals；　and　is；　when　compared　with　our　other



senses；　the　least　perfect　of　Man's　sense　of　Touch；　on　the　contrary；



excels　that　of　all　other　animals　in　fineness；　and　Taste　is　a



modification　of　Touch。



　　Now　the　natural　substance　water　per　se　tends　to　be　tasteless。　But



＇since　without　water　tasting　is　impossible＇　either　（a）　we　must　suppose



that　water　contains　in　itself　＇uniformly　diffused　through　it＇　the



various　kinds　of　savour；　already　formed；　though　in　amounts　so　small　as



to　be　imperceptible；　which　is　the　doctrine　of　Empedocles；　or　（b）　the



water　must　be　a　sort　of　matter；　qualified；　as　it　were；　to　produce



germs　of　savours　of　all　kinds；　so　that　all　kinds　of　savour　are



generated　from　the　water；　though　different　kinds　from　its　different



parts；　or　else　（c）　the　water　is　in　itself　quite　undifferentiated　in



respect　of　savour　＇whether　developed　or　undeveloped＇；　but　some



agent；　such　for　example　as　one　might　conceive　Heat　or　the　Sun　to　be；



is　the　efficient　cause　of　savour。



　　（a）　Of　these　three　hypotheses；　the　falsity　of　that　held　by



Empedocles　is　only　too　evident。　For　we　see　that　when　pericarpal　fruits



are　plucked　＇from　the　tree＇　and　exposed　in　the　sun；　or　subjected　to



the　action　of　fire；　their　sapid　juices　are　changed　by　the　heat；



which　shows　that　their　qualities　are　not　due　to　their　drawing　anything



from　the　water　in　the　ground；　but　to　a　change　which　they　undergo



within　the　pericarp　itself；　and　we　see；　moreover；　that　these　juices；



when　extracted　and　allowed　to　lie；　instead　of　sweet　become　by　lapse　of



time　harsh　or　bitter；　or　acquire　savours　of　any　and　every　sort；　and



that；　again；　by　the　process　of　boiling　or　fermentation　they　are　made



to　assume　almost　all　kinds　of　new　savours。



　　（b）　It　is　likewise　impossible　that　water　should　be　a　material



qualified　to　generate　all　kinds　of　Savour　germs　＇so　that　different



savours　should　arise　out　of　different　parts　of　the　water＇；　for　we



see　different　kinds　of　taste　generated　from　the　same　water；　having



it　as　their　nutriment。



　　（C）　It　remains；　therefore；　to　suppose　that　the　water　is　changed　by



passively　receiving　some　affection　from　an　external　agent。　Now；　it



is　manifest　that　water　does　not　contract　the　quality　of　sapidity



from　the　agency　of　Heat　alone。　For　water　is　of　all　liquids　the



thinnest；　thinner　even　than　oil　itself；　though　oil；　owing　to　its



viscosity；　is　more　ductile　than　water；　the　latter　being　uncohesive



in　its　particles；　whence　water　is　more　difficult　than　oil　to　hold　in



the　hand　without　spilling。　But　since　perfectly　pure　water　does　not；



when　subjected　to　the　action　of　Heat；　show　any　tendency　to　acquire



consistency；　we　must　infer　that　some　other　agency　than　heat　is　the



cause　of　sapidity。　For　all　savours　＇i。e。　sapid　liquors＇　exhibit　a



comparative　consistency。　Heat　is；　however；　a　coagent　in　the　matter。



　　Now　the　sapid　juices　found　in　pericarpal　fruits　evidently　exist　also



in　the　earth。　Hence　many　of　the　old　natural　philosophers　assert　that



water　has　qualities　like　those　of　the　earth　through　which　it　flows；



a　fact　especially　manifest　in　the　case　of　saline　springs；　for　salt



is　a　form　of　earth。　Hence　also　when　liquids　are　filtered　through



ashes；　a　bitter　substance；　the　taste　they　yield　is　bitter。　There　are



many　wells；　too；　of　which　some　are　bitter；　others　acid；　while　others



exhibit　other　tastes　of　all　kinds。



　　As　was　to　be　anticipated；　therefore；　it　is　in　the　vegetable



kingdom　that　tastes　occur　in　richest　variety。　For；　like　all　things



else；　the　Moist；　by　nature's　law；　is　affected　only　by　its　contrary；



and　this　contrary　is　the　Dry。　Thus　we　see　why　the　Moist　is　affected　by



Fire；　which　as　a　natural　substance；　is　dry。　Heat　is；　however；　the



essential　property　of　Fire；　as　Dryness　is　of　Earth；　according　to



what　has　been　said　in　our　treatise　on　the　elements。　Fire　and　Earth；



therefore；　taken　absolutely　as　such；　have　no　natural　power　to



affect；　or　be　affected　by；　one　another；　nor　have　any　other　pair　of



substances。　Any　two　things　can　affect；　or　be　affected　by；　one



another　only　so　far　as　contrariety　to　the　other　resides　in　either　of



them。



　　As；　therefore；　persons　washing　Colours　or　Savours　in　a　liquid



cause　the　water　in　which　they　wash　to　acquire　such　a　quality　＇as



that　of　the　colour　or　savour＇；　so　nature；　too；　by　washing　the　Dry



and　Earthy　in　the　Moist；　and　by　filtering　the　latter；　that　is；



moving　it　on　by　the　agency　of　heat　through　the　dry　and　earthy；　imparts



to　it　a　certain　quality。　This　affection；　wrought　by　the　aforesaid



Dry　in　the　Moist；　capable　of　transforming　the　sense　of　Taste　from



potentiality　to　actuality；　is　Savour。　Savour　brings　into　actual



exercise　the　perceptive　faculty　which　pre…existed　only　in　potency。　The



activity　of　sense…perception　in　general　is　analogous；　not　to　the



process　of　acquiring　knowledge；　but　to　that　of　exercising　knowledge



already　acquired。



　　That　Savours；　either　as　a　quality　or　as　the　privation　of　a



quality；　belong　not　to　every　form　of　the　Dry　but　to　the　Nutrient；　we



shall　see　by　considering　that　neither　the　Dry　without　the　Moist；　nor



the　Moist　without　the　Dry；　is　nutrient。　For　no　single　element；　but



only　composite　substance；　constitutes　nutriment　for　animals。　Now；



among　the　perceptible　elements　of　the　food　which　animals　assimilate；



the　tangible　are　the　efficient　causes　of　growth　and　decay；　it　is　qua



hot　or　cold　that　the　food　assimilated　causes　these；　for　the　heat　or



cold　is　the　direct　cause　of　growth　or　decay。　It　is　qua　gustable；



however；　that　the　assimilated　food　supplies　nutrition。　For　all



organisms　are　nourished　by　the　Sweet　＇i。e。　the　'gustable'　proper＇；



either　by　itself　or　in　combination　with　other　savours。　Of　this　we　must



speak　with　more　precise　detail　in　our　work　on　Generation：　for　the



present　we　need　touch　upon　it　only　so　far　as　our　subject　here



requires。　Heat　causes　growth；　and　fits　the　food…stuff　for



alimentation；　it　attracts　＇into　the　organic　system＇　that　which　is



light　＇viz。　the　sweet＇；　while　the　salt　and　bitter　it　rejects　because



of　their　heaviness。　In　fact；　whatever　effects　external　heat　produces



in　external　bodies；　the　same　are　produced　by　their　internal　heat　in



animal　and　vegetable　organisms。　Hence　it　is　＇i。e。　by　the　agency　of



heat　as　described＇　that　nourishment　is　effected　by　the　sweet。　The



other　savours　are　introduced　into　and　blended　in　food　＇naturally＇　on　a



principle　analogous　to　that　on　which　the　saline　or　the　acid　is　used



artificially；　i。e。　for　seasoning。　These　latter　are　used　because　they



counteract　the　tendency　of　the　sweet　to　be　too　nutrient；　and　to



float　on　the　stomach。



　　As　the　intermediate　colours　arise　from　the　mixture　of　white　and



black；　so　the　intermediate　savours　arise　from　the　Sweet　and　Bitter；



and　these　savours；　too；　severally　involve　either　a　definite　ratio；



or　else　an　indefinite　relation　of　degree；　between　their　components；



either　having　certain　integral　numbers　at　the　basis　of　their



mixture；　and；　consequently；　of　their　stimulative　effect；　or　else　being



mixed　in　proportions　not　arithmetically　expressible。　The　tastes



which　give　pleasure　in　their　combination　are　those　which　have　their



components　joined　in　a　definite　ratio。



　　The　sweet　taste　alone　is　Rich；　＇therefore　the　latter　may　be　regarded



as　a　variety　of　the　former＇；　while　＇so　far　as　both　imply　privation



of　the　Sweet＇　the　Saline　is　fairly　identical　with　the　Bitter。



Between　the　extremes　of　sweet　and　bitter　come　the　Harsh；　the



Pungent；　the　Astringent；　and　the　Acid。　Savours　and　Colours；　it　will　be



observed；　contain　respectively　about　the　same　number　of　species。　For



there　are　seven　species　of　each；　if；　as　is　reasonable；　we　regard　Dun



＇or　Grey＇　as　a　variety　of　Black　（for　the　alternative　is　that　Yellow



should　be　classed　with　White；　as　Rich　with　Sweet）；　while　＇the



irreducible　colours；　viz。＇　Crimson；　Violet；　leek…Green；　and　deep　Blue；



come　between　White　and　Black；　and　from　these　all　others　are　derived　by



mixture。



　　Again；　as　Black　is　a　privation　of　White　in　the　Translucent；　so



Saline　or　Bitter　is　a　privation　of　Sweet　in　the　Nutrient　Moist。　This



explains　why　the　ash　of　all　burnt　things　is　bitter；　for　the　potable



＇sc。　the　sweet＇　moisture　has　been　exuded　from　them。



　　Democritus　and　most　of　the　natural　philosophers　who　treat　of



sense…perception　proceed　quite　irrationally；　for　they　represent　all



objects　of　sense　as　objects　of　Touch。　Yet；　if　this　is　really　so；　it



clearly　follows　that　each　of　the　other　senses　is　a　mode　of　Touch；



but　one　can　see　at　a　glance　that　this　is　impossible。



　　Again；　they　treat　the　percepts　common　to　all　senses　as　proper　to



one。　For　＇the　qualities　by　which　they　explain　taste　viz。＇　Magnitude



and　Figure；　Roughness　and　Smoothness；　and；　moreover；　the　Sharpness　and



Bluntness　found　in　solid　bodies；　are　percepts　common　to