An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding, Volume I. | Page 3

the eye, judging of objects only by its own
sight, cannot but be pleased with what it discovers, having less regret
for what has escaped it, because it is unknown. Thus he who has raised
himself above the alms-basket, and, not content to live lazily on scraps
of begged opinions, sets his own thoughts on work, to find and follow
truth, will (whatever he lights on) not miss the hunter's satisfaction;
every moment of his pursuit will reward his pains with some delight;
and he will have reason to think his time not ill spent, even when he
cannot much boast of any great acquisition.
This, Reader, is the entertainment of those who let loose their own
thoughts, and follow them in writing; which thou oughtest not to envy
them, since they afford thee an opportunity of the like diversion, if thou
wilt make use of thy own thoughts in reading. It is to them, if they are
thy own, that I refer myself: but if they are taken upon trust from others,

it is no great matter what they are; they are not following truth, but
some meaner consideration; and it is not worth while to be concerned
what he says or thinks, who says or thinks only as he is directed by
another. If thou judgest for thyself I know thou wilt judge candidly, and
then I shall not be harmed or offended, whatever be thy censure. For
though it be certain that there is nothing in this Treatise of the truth
whereof I am not fully persuaded, yet I consider myself as liable to
mistakes as I can think thee, and know that this book must stand or fall
with thee, not by any opinion I have of it, but thy own. If thou findest
little in it new or instructive to thee, thou art not to blame me for it. It
was not meant for those that had already mastered this subject, and
made a thorough acquaintance with their own understandings; but for
my own information, and the satisfaction of a few friends, who
acknowledged themselves not to have sufficiently considered it.
Were it fit to trouble thee with the history of this Essay, I should tell
thee, that five or six friends meeting at my chamber, and discoursing on
a subject very remote from this, found themselves quickly at a stand, by
the difficulties that rose on every side. After we had awhile puzzled
ourselves, without coming any nearer a resolution of those doubts
which perplexed us, it came into my thoughts that we took a wrong
course; and that before we set ourselves upon inquiries of that nature, it
was necessary to examine our own abilities, and see what OBJECTS
our understandings were, or were not, fitted to deal with. This I
proposed to the company, who all readily assented; and thereupon it
was agreed that this should be our first inquiry. Some hasty and
undigested thoughts, on a subject I had never before considered, which
I set down against our next meeting, gave the first entrance into this
Discourse; which having been thus begun by chance, was continued by
intreaty; written by incoherent parcels; and after long intervals of
neglect, resumed again, as my humour or occasions permitted; and at
last, in a retirement where an attendance on my health gave me leisure,
it was brought into that order thou now seest it.
This discontinued way of writing may have occasioned, besides others,
two contrary faults, viz., that too little and too much may be said in it.
If thou findest anything wanting, I shall be glad that what I have written

gives thee any desire that I should have gone further. If it seems too
much to thee, thou must blame the subject; for when I put pen to paper,
I thought all I should have to say on this matter would have been
contained in one sheet of paper; but the further I went the larger
prospect I had; new discoveries led me still on, and so it grew
insensibly to the bulk it now appears in. I will not deny, but possibly it
might be reduced to a narrower compass than it is, and that some parts
of it might be contracted, the way it has been writ in, by catches, and
many long intervals of interruption, being apt to cause some repetitions.
But to confess the truth, I am now too lazy, or too busy, to make it
shorter. I am not ignorant how little I herein consult my own reputation,
when I knowingly let it go with a fault, so apt to disgust the most
judicious, who are always the nicest readers. But they who know sloth
is apt to content itself with any excuse, will pardon me if mine