Universa Philosophia

Having explained the account of term in common, it is necessary to divide it, so that we may know terms in their species, and first the term as such is divided into mental, vocal, and written. A mental term is the extreme of a mental proposition: that is, one which is formed in the mind and intellect. Soto, 1st part of the Introduction, ch. 6, lecture 1, notable 2, says that a mental term extends also to the sensitive cognitions of brute animals: but not well; both because mind is far absent from brutes; and because besides the intellect no cognitive power forms propositions; therefore neither does it have terms, from which a proposition is composed. For although brute cognition is a formal sign of an object, it is nevertheless unfit for propositions, like a stone. A written term is the extreme of a written proposition: but a vocal term is the extreme of a vocal proposition: for thus terms can be divided according to the variety of propositions which they constitute, whence I reject Toletus's definition of a significative vocal term, book 1, ch. 11. A significative vocal term, he says, is a significative utterance at pleasure, from which a simple proposition is made. For a union is a significative utterance at pleasure, from which a simple proposition is effected, which in §6 and 19 I showed not to be a term. Likewise it does not apply to the terms of a hypothetical vocal proposition, of which I treated in §9, 10, and 11.