Thismaybeeithergeneralreferringtothesumofthecausesthatactuponhimduringagivenperiod:orparticular，referringtotheactionofanyoneparticularcause，orsortofcause。
III。Butinthesamemindsuchandsuchcausesofpainorpleasurewillproducemorepainorpleasurethansuchorsuchothercausesofpainorpleasure:andthisproportionwillindifferentmindsbedifferent。Thedispositionwhichanyonehastohavetheproportioninwhichheisaffectedbytwosuchcauses，differentfromthatinwhichanothermanisaffectedbythesametwocauses，maybetermedthequalityorbiasofhissensibility。Oneman，forinstance，maybemostaffectedbythepleasuresofthetaste；anotherbythoseoftheear。Soalso，iftherebeadifferenceinthenatureorproportionoftwopainsorpleasureswhichtheyrespectivelyexperiencefromthesamecause；acasenotsofrequentastheformer。Fromthesameinjury，forinstance，onemanmayfeelthesamequantityofgriefandresentmenttogetherasanotherman:butoneofthemshallfeelagreatershareofgriefthanofresentment:theother，agreatershareofresentmentthanofgrief。
IV。Anyincidentwhichservesasacause，eitherofpleasureorofpain，maybetermedanexcitingcause:ifofpleasure，apleasurablecause:ifofpain，apainful，afflictive，ordolorificcause。
V。Nowthequantityofpleasure，orofpain，whichamanisliabletoexperienceupontheapplicationofanexcitingcause，sincetheywillnotdependaltogetheruponthatcause，willdependinsomemeasureuponsomeothercircumstanceorcircumstances:
thesecircumstances，whatsoevertheybe，maybetermedcircumstancesinfluencingsensibility。