Book Ten.

...whether it has evidence or not. For if a thing is witnessed or not counter-witnessed, it is true. If it is not witnessed or is counter-witnessed, it happens to be false. From this, the concept of The Thing Awaited original: "Prosmenomenon" was introduced. This means, for example, waiting and getting closer to a tower to learn if it appears the same nearby as it did from a distance.

They say there are two Passions original: "Pathe", which are Pleasure and Pain. These exist in every living creature. Pleasure is natural or familiar, while Pain is foreign or alien. Through these, choices and avoidances are judged.

Of inquiries, some are about the things themselves, while others are about the mere voice or name.

These things have been said about the division and the criterion in a basic way. Let us now move to the letter.

...it has a supporting or non-supporting witness. For example, while a tower appears round to the eye from a distance, the sense itself is true. This is because the eye is truly affected by the appearance of roundness. That appearance is both real and has a necessary cause for looking that way at such a distance. The sense is not deceived, because it does not declare that the tower is actually round. It is merely passive, receiving the image and reporting only what appears to it. However, Opinion (or the Mind, whose role is to form opinions or pass judgment) adds something of its own. It claims the tower is what it appears to be, or that the tower is round in its own reality. Opinion is what can be true or false. They say it is true if it is supported or not contradicted by Evidence original: "euidentia". It is false if the same evidence contradicts it or does not support it. This evidence is what can be obtained, for instance, by moving closer. From this arises what they call the Thing Awaited original: "Prosmenomenon". This means one must wait and not pronounce a judgment on an appearance too quickly or rashly. They command us to wait and approach the tower more closely to see how it appears nearby compared to how it appeared from afar.

Finally, they say there are two passions, namely Pleasure and Pain, which affect every animal. They consider the first to be suitable and the second to be unsuitable. Through these, one judges what should be chosen or avoided.

Regarding questions, they teach that some are about the actual things, and others are about the naked word.

Let these things be said briefly concerning the division of Philosophy and the Canonic original: "Canonica," the Epicurean term for logic or the rules of inquiry. part. We must now proceed to the Letter.

EPICURUS

For those who are not able, O Herodotus, to study precisely everything we have written about Nature original: "Physeos", nor to examine the longer books we have composed, I have prepared a sufficient Summary of the entire subject. This is so they may keep a memory of the most general doctrines. In this way, they can help themselves with the most important principles at any time, as far as they touch upon the study of Nature. Indeed, even those who are well advanced in the observation of all things should remember the outline of the whole work digested into basic elements. We frequently need a general view of the whole, but we do not need the detailed investigation in the same way.

Since there are some, O Herodotus, who cannot know to the point of perfection every single thing written by us concerning Nature, nor turn through the longer books we have woven together, I have prepared for them a suitable Compendium of the whole science of Nature. This is to preserve the memory of at least the more general opinions about natural things. Whenever they wish to turn their minds to the chief arguments of things, they may be able to help themselves, at least according to the measure by which they have touched the contemplation of Nature itself. Truly, even for those who are more advanced in the study of all things treated by Physiology original: "Physiologia," here meaning the study of nature or physics., it is very useful to maintain the memory of the things themselves through a summary idea of the whole treatment. It happens often that we need a general inspection of things, but not a special inquiry.

Gassendi's Miscellaneous Works.