6. The universality of _one name_ to many things, hath been the cause that men think the _things_ are themselves universal; and so seriously contend, that besides Peter and John, and all the rest of the men that are, have been, or shall be in the world, there is yet something else that we call _man_, viz. _man in general_, deceiving themselves, by taking the universal, or general appellation, for the thing it signifieth: for if one should desire the painter to make him the picture of a man, which is as much as to say, of a man in general; he meaneth no more, but that the painter should choose what man he pleaseth to draw, which must needs be some of them that are, or have been, or may be, none of which are _universal_. But when he would have him to draw the picture of the king, or any particular person, he limiteth the painter to that one person he chooseth. It is plain therefore, that there is _nothing universal_ but _names_; which are therefore called _indefinite_; because we limit them not ourselves, but leave them to be applied by the hearer: whereas a singular name is limited and restrained to one of the many things it signifieth; as when we say, this man, pointing to him, or giving him his proper name, or by some such other way. [Sidenote: Equivocal names.] 7. The appellations that be _universal_, and common to many things, are _not_ always given to all the _particulars_, (as they ought to be) for like conceptions, and like considerations in them all; which is the cause that many of them are _not_ of _constant_ signification, but bring into our mind other thoughts than those for which they were ordained, and these are called equivocal. As for example, the word faith signifieth the same with belief; sometimes it signifieth particularly that belief which maketh a Christian; and sometime it signifieth the keeping of a promise. Also all _metaphors_ are by profession _equivocal_: and there is scarce any word that is not made _equivocal_ by divers contextures of speech, or by diversity of pronunciation and gesture. [Sidenote: Understanding.] 8. This _equivocation_ of names maketh it _difficult_ to recover those conceptions for which the name was ordained; and that not only in the language of other men, wherein we are to consider the _drift_, and _occasion_, and _contexture_ of the speech, as well as the _words_ themselves; but also in our discourse, which being derived from the custom and common use of speech, representeth unto us not our own conceptions. It is therefore a great ability in a man, out of the words, contexture, and other circumstances of language, to deliver himself from _equivocation_, and to find out the true meaning of what is said: and this is it we call _understanding_. [Sidenote: Affirmation, negation, proposition.]