The Tree of Science

10       Elemental Tree.

heated, which is the end of heating,
because to heat is, that it may be heated,
and a thing seen, which is the end of seeing,
and a loved thing to love, and a nail, which is
the end of a hammer, and so concerning other
natural and artificial things. There is another
end, which is according to privation,
such as the privation of virtue, or of sight, or of a
dead man. There is also another mode
of end, such as the boundaries of lands and kingdoms,
and the extremities of substances.
According to these three species of end, the end is
the root of the elemental tree in which the ends
of natural things are in potency.
And because of this there are natural appetites and
instincts diffused in the elemental tree
according to the nature of its root, which is the end,
and of the disposition which it has with other roots.

      Concerning Greatness.

[Large initial M] reatness is the image of magnitude,
immensity, goodness, eternity, etc.
Greatness is in three modes. For there is a greatness
which is of substantial things, such as the substance of man,
which is greater in goodness and virtue than the substance
of an ass, and moreover, since it is of more things,
because in an ass there is no rationality, but
in man. There is another greatness, which
is between substance and accident, such as
substantial goodness, which is greater
than accidental goodness. There is another
greatness, which is between accident and accident,
such as seeing, which is greater in goodness
than heating, and understanding than seeing.
Through these greatnesses in the tree there can
be many greatnesses, and some greater than others,
just as fire, which is greater in pepper for heating
than water, and a nail than a hammer in its end,
and gold than iron for buying and
selling, and so concerning other things.

      Concerning Equality.

[Large initial Æ] quality is the subject in which
the end of concordance, goodness, magnitude,
etc., rests. This equality in the elemental
tree is a root in three modes.
Namely, equality which is between substance
and substance, such as Raymond and Martin,
who are equal in the species of man. And equality,
which is between substance and accident, such as
quantity, which is as great in extensiveness
as the corporeal substance existing under it.
And there is another equality between accident and
accident, such as a decoction made from two
plants, one being in the fourth degree
of heat, and the other in the fourth degree of cold,
which are equal in heating and cooling the patient.
There is one other proportional equality, which is
like the members in the substance of man,
which agree according to proportion,
although one member may be greater than another.
According to these modes of equality, equality is the root
of the elemental tree, in which are disposed and
habituated many natural and particular
equalities derived from the universal equality
(which we have mentioned before).

      Concerning Minority.

[Large initial M] inority is a being near nothingness.
This minority can be understood
according to how greatness is understood, since
greatness and minority relate to each other.
Minority is near non-being according to the comparison
of greatness, which has more of being
than minority. Moreover, when things
come from non-being into being, they are first
in minority rather than in greatness.
And when they fall from being into non-being,
they are first in greatness rather than in minority.
Hence, since this is so,
                  minority