Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 003.djvu/113



I. DISCOURS PHYSIQUE DE LA PAROLE, par M. DE CORDEMOY, à Paris in 12° which is now a printing in English at London for Mr. John Marin in 12°.

is Author, after he had in a former discourse, (whereof an account was given Numb. 17. p. 306. under the Title of Le discernement du Corps & des Ame) proposed the way of Knowing on's selfe, shewing, that it consists only in discerning in our selves the Operations of the Soul, and those of the Body; doth now propose the means of knowing others, which is Speech, He explicateth, what it is, and endeavors exactly to distinguish, what it borrows from the Soul, and what from the Body.

In this disquisition, he reasons upon nothing but what he hath found in himselfe, and as if he had never yet been assur'd, there were any other men besides himselfe, he says in the very beginning upon this consideration, viz. Whether it be necessary, that all Bodies, which he sees to be like his, be united to such Souls as his. He resolv'd not to believe it, unless he have such evident signes of it, that he can doubt no longer thereof. He examines, what the most surprising things are, that Bodies do, and as long as he can impute the cause of it to the disposition of their Organs, he thinks he may assure, they have no Soul: But after having found in the sole frame and position of the parts of the Body, how to render a reason of the noise, sounds, difference of voices, and even of words, pronounced by Echo's and Parrets, he finds himself at last oblig'd to admit Souls in all such Bodys, as resemble His, and to acknowledge it not possible, that they should thus speak to purpose as they do, without being endow'd with Reason.

Next, having found, that to Speak, is nothing but to give signs of our thoughts, he takes notice of some of those signs. The first, he considers, are the motions of the Face, and those sounds, which ordinarily accompany the different states of the Body; observing, that naturally they are joyn'd to Passions, which the soul Rh