PROLEGOMENA TO PORPHYRY’S INTRODUCTION BY DAVID THE INVINCIBLE.

...at the animal, because the senses are within it, or because it possesses the ruler of the senses, I mean sight. In the same way, these mentioned chapters hold the authority of the entire discourse. As stated, there are eight of these chapters: the purpose, the authenticity, the reason for the title, the division into chapters, the order, the pedagogical method, and the category to which it is referred. These the reader must master. I shall inquire into the purpose, since the purpose briefly contains everything said in the discourse or places one thing before the readers, indicating that all things said in the discourse must be directed toward the purpose. For he who is ignorant of the purpose approaches the book more sluggishly, just as those who are ignorant of the long road they are traveling go astray. To put it simply, he who is ignorant of the purpose is like a blind man walking and laboring greatly. For he who is ignorant of the purpose does not know what he is reading, but thinks everything said in the discourse is said in vain. I will also reasonably inquire into the usefulness, since if each person knows the usefulness arising from the book, he reads the book more eagerly. I will also reasonably inquire into the reason for the title, since the title wishes to be in harmony with the purpose and briefly contains it; for instance, it is titled "On the Heaven" original: "περὶ Οὐρανοῦ" because it has the purpose of discussing the heaven. But often the title is found to be unclear, just as Aristotle wrote "Analytics" original: "Ἀναλυτικά", wishing to title it "On Syllogisms," because he discusses syllogisms there. Since the title is often found unclear, the reason for the title is reasonably sought. Authenticity is also reasonably sought, since knowing that the book is the work of a man, we read it more eagerly due to the reputation of the man. For many are not capable of judging whether the things said in the book are well-stated or not, but they consider it desirable to follow the opinion of the man. Therefore, authenticity is sought, since there are spurious books. A book becomes spurious in four ways. For it occurs through homonymy, and this is twofold. It happens through the homonymy of the written works or through the homonymy of the titles. Or it happens through the homonymy of the authors, as when two persons are found with the same name, and one writes a book "On the Soul," while the other writes a book "On the Heaven." Then, because of the homonymy of the authors, one is thought to be the other's, or the other's to be this one's. Through the homonymy of the titles, as when some different people are called by the same name and both compose books having the same purpose—for example, both on the soul—and they do not write their own names but only the name of the book, then through the homonymy of the titles, spuriousness occurs. For one is thought to be the other's, and the other's is thought to be his. The second way a book becomes spurious is through ambition or vainglory, as when someone obscure and worthless, wishing to make his own book read,

inscribes it with the name of an ancient and glorious man, so that through the credibility of that man, the book may appear acceptable and relevant to him. The third way a book becomes spurious is through greed, as when someone wishing to secure a profit for himself composes a book and inscribes it with the name of an ancient, which they say happened in the time of Peisistratus. For they say that Peisistratus wished to collect the verses of Homer that were circulating loosely, and he set a certain reward for those who brought him Homeric verses. Thereafter, many people, out of greed, fabricated verses as if they were Homer’s and brought them to him, acquiring profit from this. The fourth way a book becomes spurious is through affection for one’s own teacher. Many compose books and, out of affection for their teacher, inscribe the name of their own teacher, as the Pythagoreans did. Having composed the "Golden Verses" original: "Χρυσᾶ Ἔπη" themselves, they inscribed the name of their own teacher in his honor. Since, as has been said, there are many spurious books, for this reason authenticity is necessarily sought, so that we may know whether they are truly his or another's. We distinguish genuine books by their matter and form: by matter, I mean the phrasing or the words; by form, I mean the theorems. Through the phrasing and the theorems, we know whether they are indeed by the creator; if we find the phrasing and theorems customary to the man, we know that it is indeed his book. The division into chapters is also reasonably sought, since by knowing the things said in the chapters, we know the whole accurately. Just as by knowing from what parts a human is composed we know the whole accurately, so by knowing the things said in the chapters, we know the whole accurately. Order is also reasonably sought, so that we do not read last what ought to be read first, or conversely, read first what ought to be read last. The pedagogical method is also reasonably sought, so that we may know what pedagogical method he has used. As we shall learn hereafter, there are many pedagogical methods. The category to which it is referred is also reasonably sought, so that we do not think that things derived from theoretical studies are referred to the practical, or those from the practical to the theoretical...

Practice II meaning: Second Lesson or Section. Having learned the customary chapters, let us come and seek them in the present book, there being eight in number. But first, let us discuss the purpose. It must be known that the purpose is agreed upon and disputed. It is agreed upon, since all admit that its purpose is to discuss the five voices meaning: the five predicables: genus, species, difference, property, and accident. This is confirmed by the author himself. He says in the prologue that it is necessary to say what is genus, what is species, what is difference, what is property, what is accident. It is disputed, since some say that he discusses the five voices for the sake of something else and not for their own sake, that is, to show us the usefulness arising from them, while others say that he discusses them for the sake of Aristotle’s Categories. Since Aristotle in the