universals than singulars. [Sidenote: What it is philosophers seek to know.] 3. In the study of philosophy, men search after science either simply or indefinitely; that is, to know as much as they can, without propounding to themselves any limited question; or they enquire into the cause of some determined appearance, or endeavour to find out the certainty of something in question, as what is the cause of _light_, of _heat_, of _gravity_, of a _figure_ propounded, and the like; or in what _subject_ any propounded _accident_ is inherent; or what may conduce most to the _generation_ of some propounded _effect_ from many _accidents_; or in what manner particular causes ought to be compounded for the production of some certain effect. Now, according to this variety of things in question, sometimes the _analytical method_ is to be used, and sometimes the _synthetical_. [Sidenote: The first part, by which principles are discovered, is purely analytical.] 4. But to those that search after science indefinitely, which consists in the knowledge of the causes of all things, as far forth as it may be attained, (and the causes of singular things are compounded of the causes of universal or simple things) it is necessary that they know the causes of universal things, or of such accidents as are common to all bodies, that is, to all matter, before they can know the causes of singular things, that is, of those accidents by which one thing is distinguished from another. And, again, they must know what those universal things are, before they can know their causes. Moreover, seeing universal things are contained in the nature of singular things, the knowledge of them is to be acquired by reason, that is, by resolution. For example, if there be propounded a conception or _idea_ of some singular thing, as of a _square_, this square is to be resolved into a _plain, terminated with a certain number of equal and straight lines and right angles_. For by this resolution we have these things universal or agreeable to all matter, namely, _line_, _plain_, (which contains _superficies_) _terminated_, _angle_, _straightness_, _rectitude_, and _equality_; and if we can find out the causes of these, we may compound them altogether into the cause of a square. Again, if any man propound to himself the conception of _gold_, he may, by resolving, come to the ideas of _solid_, _visible_, _heavy_, (that is, tending to the centre of the earth, or downwards) and many other more universal than gold itself; and these he may resolve again, till he come to such things as are most universal. And in this manner, by resolving continually, we may come to know what those things are, whose causes being first known severally, and afterwards compounded, bring us to the knowledge of singular things. I conclude, therefore, that the method of attaining to the universal knowledge of things, is purely _analytical_.