PART I: CONCERNING GOD.
Page: 37

imagined are more pleasing to us, men prefer order to
confusion--as though there were any order in nature, except in
relation to our imagination--and say that God has created all
things in order; thus, without knowing it, attributing
imagination to God, unless, indeed, they would have it that God
foresaw human imagination, and arranged everything, so that it
should be most easily imagined. If this be their theory, they
would not, perhaps, be daunted by the fact that we find an
infinite number of phenomena, far surpassing our imagination,
and very many others which confound its weakness. But enough
has been said on this subject. The other abstract notions are
nothing but modes of imagining, in which the imagination is
differently affected: though they are considered by the
ignorant as the chief attributes of things, inasmuch as they
believe that everything was created for the sake of themselves;
and, according as they are affected by it, style it good or bad,
healthy or rotten or corrupt. For instance, if the motion which
objects we see communicate to our nerves be conducive to health,
the objects causing it are styled beautiful; if a contrary motion
be excited, they are styled ugly.

Things which are perceived through our sense of smell are styled
fragrant or fetid; if through our taste, sweet or bitter,
full-flavored or insipid; if through our touch, hard or soft,
rough or smooth, &c.

Whatsoever affects our ears is said to give rise to noise, sound,
or harmony. In this last case, there are men lunatic enough to
believe, that even God himself takes pleasure in harmony; and
philosophers are not lacking who have persuaded themselves, that
the motion of the heavenly bodies gives rise to harmony--all of
which instances sufficiently show that everyone judges of things
according to the state of his brain, or rather mistakes for
things the forms of his imagination. We need no longer wonder
that there have arisen all the controversies we have witnessed,
and finally skepticism: for, although human bodies in many
respects agree, yet in very many others they differ; so that what