بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم قال موسى ابن ميمون القرطبى الاسرايلي الخ ‘In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. So says Mûsa ibn Maimûn, the Cordovan, the Israelite,’ &c. The whole of the passage is an extract from chapter vi of the Aphorisms of Maimonides, adapted as a kind of introduction, and runs as follows: قد علمت في قولي هذا في قوة النفسيه والقوة الحيوانيه والقوة الطبيعيه ولنسم الان في هذا الاصطلاح جميع افعال البدنيه للانسان قول ان اشرف الافعال التنفس وبعده النبط والاحساس واشرف الاحواس البصر ثم السمع وبعده الاحساس شهوة الطعام والشراب وبعد ذلك الكلام وبعد ذلك التمييز اعني الذي بها التفل‭(_sic_)‬ والفكر وبعد ذلك الحلافه لساير الاعضاء علي المعتادة وهذه الرتبة في شرف انما هي بحسب ضرورية الحيوة او صالحية فتعلم ان الطبيعة اسم مشترك يقال علي معنى كثيرة كالقوة المدبرة‭ (_sic_)‬الحيوان ايضا طبيعية وما هو اشرف وتمسكت للاشرف في الاشراف وهذه الاسباب الذي قد رايناها ورتبناها وهو الابتداء في النزلات الزكاميه من الراس _Trans._ ‘I teach in this discourse of mine concerning the animal power, the vital power, and the natural power, but we will here call all man’s bodily functions by one name. There is a saying that the noblest of the functions is breathing, next the pulse, and lastly the senses. Of the senses, the noblest is sight, which is followed by hearing. Following on the senses is the appetite for food and drink, after it being speech and then the mind; I mean that which contains the reason and the intellect. Next comes the [?] allocation of [the various powers to] the other parts of the body according to the customary manner. This arrangement in order of nobility is only according to the requirements of life or [?] health. ‘You will recognize that “nature” is an equivocal term which can be used in many meanings. [One of these meanings,] for example, is “the motive power of animals”. So, too, is “natural”. [??...] ‘and that which is nobler. And you will retain the noblest of the noble [functions]. And these causes which we have noticed we have set down in their order; and the beginning is concerning catarrhal discharges from the head.’ Compare with this the real text of Maimonides:[376]