Andalthoughnowinourmatureyears, whenthemind, beingnolongerwhollysubjecttothebody, isnotinthehabitofreferringallthingstoit, butalsoseekstodiscoverthetruthofthingsconsideredinthemselves, weobservethefalsehoodofagreatmanyofthejudgmentswehadbeforeformed; yetweexperienceadifficultyinexpungingthemfromourmemory, and, solongastheyremainthere, , forexample, sincefromourearliestyearsweimaginedthestarstobeofverysmallsize, wefindithighlydifficulttoridourselvesofthisimagination, althoughassuredbyplainastronomicalreasonsthattheyareofthegreatest,—soprevailingisthepowerofpreconceivedopinion.
, thatwebecomefatiguedbyattendingtothoseobjectswhicharenotpresenttothesenses; andthatwearethusaccustomedtojudgeofthesenotfrompresentperceptionbutfrompreconceivedopinion.
Besides, ourmindcannotattendtoanyobjectwithoutatlengthexperiencingsomepainandfatigue; andofallobjectsithasthegreatestdifficultyinattendingtothosewhicharepresentneithertothesensesnortotheimagination: whetherforthereasonthatthisisnaturaltoitfromitsunionwiththebody, orbecauseinourearlyyears, beingoccupiedmerelywithperceptionsandimaginations, ithasbecomemorefamiliarwith, , , thatthoseobjectsaloneareimaginablewhichconsistinextension, motion, andfigure, whiletherearemanyothersbesidesthesethatareintelligible; andtheypersuadethemselvesthatnothingcansubsistbutbody, and, finally, [butonlybyourreasonexerciseduponsensibleobjects], aswillhereafterbeclearlyshown, itthushappensthatthemajorityduringlifeperceivenothingunlessinaconfusedway.
