Page:O. F. Owen's Organon of Aristotle Vol. 1 (1853).djvu/305

 considered, viz. whether the syllogism is produced from propositions as probable as possible, so that if there is in reality a medium between A and B, but it does not appear, he who syllogizes through this, will have syllogized dialectically. But as to truth, it, behoves us to make our observations from things inherent: it happens thus. Since there is that, which is itself predicated of something else, not according to accident, but I mean by according to accident, as we say sometimes, that that white thing is a man, not similarly saying, that a man is a white thing, for man not being any thing else is white, but it is a white thing, because it happens to a man to be white: there are then some such things as are predicated per se. Let C be a thing of this kind which is not itself present with any thing else, but let B be primarily present with this, without any thing else between. Again, also let E be present in like manner with F, and this with B, is it then necessary that this should stop, or is it possible to proceed to infinity? Once more, if nothing is predicated of A per se, but A is primarily present with H, nothing prior intervening, and H with G, and this with B, is it necessary also that this should stop, or can this likewise go on to infinity? Now this so much differs from the former, that the one is, whether it is possible by beginning from a thing of that kind, which is present with nothing else, but something else present with it, to proceed upward to infinity; but the other is, beginning from that which is itself predicated of another, but nothing predicated of it, whether it is possible to proceed to infinity downward. Besides, when the extremes are finite, is it possible that the media may be infinite? I mean, for instance, if A is present with C, but the medium of them is B, and of B and A there are other media, and of these again others, whether it is possible or impossible for these also to proceed to infinity? To consider this however