Thetrainofregulatedthoughtsisoftwokinds：one，whenofaneffectimaginedweseekthecausesormeansthatproduceit；andthisiscommontomanandbeast。Theotheris，whenimagininganythingwhatsoever，weseekallthepossibleeffectsthatcanbyitbeproduced；thatistosay，weimaginewhatwecandowithitwhenwehaveit。OfwhichIhavenotatanytimeseenanysign，butinmanonly；forthisisacuriosityhardlyincidenttothenatureofanylivingcreaturethathasnootherpassionbutsensual，suchasarehunger，thirst，lust，andanger。Insum，thediscourseofthemind，whenitisgovernedbydesign，isnothingbutseeking，orthefacultyofinvention，whichtheLatinscallsagacitas，andsolertia；ahuntingoutofthecausesofsomeeffect，presentorpast；oroftheeffectsofsomepresentorpastcause。Sometimesamanseekswhathehathlost；andfromthatplace，andtime，whereinhemissesit，hismindrunsback，fromplacetoplace，andtimetotime，tofindwhereandwhenhehadit；thatistosay，tofindsomecertainandlimitedtimeandplaceinwhichtobeginamethodofseeking。Again，fromthence，histhoughtsrunoverthesameplacesandtimestofindwhatactionorotheroccasionmightmakehimloseit。Thiswecallremembrance，orcallingtomind：theLatinscallitreminiscentia，asitwereare-conningofourformeractions。
Sometimesamanknowsaplacedeterminate，withinthecompasswhereofheistoseek；andthenhisthoughtsrunoverallthepartsthereofinthesamemannerasonewouldsweeparoomtofindajewel；orasaspanielrangesthefieldtillhefindascent；orasamanshouldrunoverthealphabettostartarhyme。
Sometimesamandesirestoknowtheeventofanaction；andthenhethinkethofsomelikeactionpast，andtheeventsthereofoneafteranother，supposinglikeeventswillfollowlikeactions。Ashethatforeseeswhatwillbecomeofacriminalre-conswhathehasseenfollowonthelikecrimebefore，havingthisorderofthoughts；thecrime，theofficer，theprison，thejudge，andthegallows。Whichkindofthoughtsiscalledforesight，andprudence，orprovidence，andsometimeswisdom；thoughsuchconjecture，throughthedifficultyofobservingallcircumstances，beveryfallacious。Butthisiscertain：byhowmuchonemanhasmoreexperienceofthingspastthananother；bysomuchalsoheismoreprudent，andhisexpectationstheseldomerfailhim。Thepresentonlyhasabeinginnature；
thingspasthaveabeinginthememoryonly；butthingstocomehavenobeingatall，thefuturebeingbutafictionofthemind，applyingthesequelsofactionspasttotheactionsthatarepresent；whichwithmostcertaintyisdonebyhimthathasmostexperience，butnotwithcertaintyenough。Andthoughitbecalledprudencewhentheeventanswerethourexpectation；yetinitsownnatureitisbutpresumption。Fortheforesightofthingstocome，whichisprovidence，belongsonlytohimbywhosewilltheyaretocome。Fromhimonly，andsupernaturally，proceedsprophecy。Thebestprophetnaturallyisthebestguesser；andthebestguesser，hethatismostversedandstudiedinthemattersheguessesat，forhehathmostsignstoguessby。
Asignistheeventantecedentoftheconsequent；andcontrarily，theconsequentoftheantecedent，whenthelikeconsequenceshavebeenobservedbefore：andtheoftenertheyhavebeenobserved，thelessuncertainisthesign。Andthereforehethathasmostexperienceinanykindofbusinesshasmostsignswherebytoguessatthefuturetime，andconsequentlyisthemostprudent：andsomuchmoreprudentthanhethatisnewinthatkindofbusiness，asnottobeequalledbyanyadvantageofnaturalandextemporarywit，thoughperhapsmanyyoungmenthinkthecontrary。
Nevertheless，itisnotprudencethatdistinguishethmanfrombeast。
Therebebeaststhatatayearoldobservemoreandpursuethatwhichisfortheirgoodmoreprudentlythanachildcandoatten。
Asprudenceisapresumptionofthefuture，contractedfromtheexperienceoftimepast：sothereisapresumptionofthingspasttakenfromotherthings，notfuture，butpastalso。Forhethathathseenbywhatcoursesanddegreesaflourishingstatehathfirstcomeintocivilwar，andthentoruin；uponthesightoftheruinsofanyotherstatewillguessthelikewarandthelikecourseshavebeentherealso。Butthisconjecturehasthesameuncertaintyalmostwiththeconjectureofthefuture，bothbeinggroundedonlyuponexperience。
Thereisnootheractofman’smind，thatIcanremember，naturallyplantedinhim，soastoneednootherthingtotheexerciseofitbuttobebornaman，andlivewiththeuseofhisfivesenses。Thoseotherfaculties，ofwhichIshallspeakbyandby，andwhichseempropertomanonly，areacquiredandincreasedbystudyandindustry，andofmostmenlearnedbyinstructionanddiscipline，andproceedallfromtheinventionofwordsandspeech。Forbesidessense，andthoughts，andthetrainofthoughts，themindofmanhasnoothermotion；thoughbythehelpofspeech，andmethod，thesamefacultiesmaybeimprovedtosuchaheightastodistinguishmenfromallotherlivingcreatures。
Whatsoeverweimagineisfinite。Thereforethereisnoideaorconceptionofanythingwecallinfinite。Nomancanhaveinhismindanimageofinfinitemagnitude；norconceiveinfiniteswiftness，infinitetime，orinfiniteforce，orinfinitepower。Whenwesayanythingisinfinite，wesignifyonlythatwearenotabletoconceivetheendsandboundsofthethingnamed，havingnoconceptionofthething，butofourowninability。AndthereforethenameofGodisused，nottomakeusconceiveHimforHeisincomprehensible，andHisgreatnessandpowerareunconceivable，butthatwemayhonourHim。
Alsobecausewhatsoever，asIsaidbefore，weconceivehasbeenperceivedfirstbysense，eitherallatonce，orbyparts，amancanhavenothoughtrepresentinganythingnotsubjecttosense。Nomanthereforecanconceiveanything，buthemustconceiveitinsomeplace；andenduedwithsomedeterminatemagnitude；andwhichmaybedividedintoparts；northatanythingisallinthisplace，andallinanotherplaceatthesametime；northattwoormorethingscanbeinoneandthesameplaceatonce：fornoneofthesethingseverhaveorcanbeincidenttosense，butareabsurdspeeches，takenuponcredit，withoutanysignificationatall，fromdeceivedphilosophersanddeceived，ordeceiving，Schoolmen。
THEINVENTIONofprinting，thoughingenious，comparedwiththeinventionoflettersisnogreatmatter。Butwhowasthefirstthatfoundtheuseoflettersisnotknown。HethatfirstbroughtthemintoGreece，mensay，wasCadmus，thesonofAgenor，KingofPhoenicia。A
profitableinventionforcontinuingthememoryoftimepast，andtheconjunctionofmankinddispersedintosomanyanddistantregionsoftheearth；andwithaldifficult，asproceedingfromawatchfulobservationofthediversemotionsofthetongue，palate，lips，andotherorgansofspeech；wherebytomakeasmanydifferencesofcharacterstorememberthem。Butthemostnobleandprofitableinventionofallotherwasthatofspeech，consistingofnamesorappellations，andtheirconnexion；wherebymenregistertheirthoughts，recallthemwhentheyarepast，andalsodeclarethemonetoanotherformutualutilityandconversation；withoutwhichtherehadbeenamongstmenneitherCommonwealth，norsociety，norcontract，norpeace，nomorethanamongstlions，bears，andwolves。ThefirstauthorofspeechwasGodhimself，thatinstructedAdamhowtonamesuchcreaturesasHepresentedtohissight；fortheScripturegoethnofurtherinthismatter。Butthiswassufficienttodirecthimtoaddmorenames，astheexperienceanduseofthecreaturesshouldgivehimoccasion；andtojointheminsuchmannerbydegreesastomakehimselfunderstood；andsobysuccessionoftime，somuchlanguagemightbegottenashehadfoundusefor，thoughnotsocopiousasanoratororphilosopherhasneedof。ForIdonotfindanythingintheScriptureoutofwhich，directlyorbyconsequence，canbegatheredthatAdamwastaughtthenamesofallfigures，numbers，measures，colours，sounds，fancies，relations；muchlessthenamesofwordsandspeech，asgeneral，special，affirmative，negative，interrogative，optative，infinitive，allwhichareuseful；andleastofall，ofentity，intentionality，quiddity，andotherinsignificantwordsoftheschool。
Butallthislanguagegotten，andaugmentedbyAdamandhisposterity，wasagainlostatthetowerofBabel，whenbythehandofGodeverymanwasstrickenforhisrebellionwithanoblivionofhisformerlanguage。Andbeingherebyforcedtodispersethemselvesintoseveralpartsoftheworld，itmustneedsbethatthediversityoftonguesthatnowis，proceededbydegreesfromtheminsuchmannerasneed，themotherofallinventions，taughtthem，andintractoftimegreweverywheremorecopious。
Thegeneraluseofspeechistotransferourmentaldiscourseintoverbal，orthetrainofourthoughtsintoatrainofwords，andthatfortwocommodities；whereofoneistheregisteringoftheconsequencesofourthoughts，whichbeingapttoslipoutofourmemoryandputustoanewlabour，mayagainberecalledbysuchwordsastheyweremarkedby。Sothatthefirstuseofnamesistoserveformarksornotesofremembrance。Anotheriswhenmanyusethesamewordstosignify，bytheirconnexionandorderonetoanother，whattheyconceiveorthinkofeachmatter；andalsowhattheydesire，fear，orhaveanyotherpassionfor。Andforthisusetheyarecalledsigns。
Specialusesofspeecharethese：first，toregisterwhatbycogitationwefindtobethecauseofanything，presentorpast；andwhatwefindthingspresentorpastmayproduce，oreffect；which，insum，isacquiringofarts。Secondly，toshowtoothersthatknowledgewhichwehaveattained；whichistocounselandteachoneanother。Thirdly，tomakeknowntoothersourwillsandpurposesthatwemayhavethemutualhelpofoneanother。Fourthly，topleaseanddelightourselves，andothers，byplayingwithourwords，forpleasureorornament，innocently。
Totheseuses，therearealsofourcorrespondentabuses。First，whenmenregistertheirthoughtswrongbytheinconstancyofthesignificationoftheirwords；bywhichtheyregisterfortheirconceptionsthatwhichtheyneverconceived，andsodeceivethemselves。Secondly，whentheyusewordsmetaphorically；thatis，inothersensethanthattheyareordainedfor，andtherebydeceiveothers。Thirdly，whenbywordstheydeclarethattobetheirwillwhichisnot。Fourthly，whentheyusethemtogrieveoneanother：
forseeingnaturehatharmedlivingcreatures，somewithteeth，somewithhorns，andsomewithhands，togrieveanenemy，itisbutanabuseofspeechtogrievehimwiththetongue，unlessitbeonewhomweareobligedtogovern；andthenitisnottogrieve，buttocorrectandamend。
Themannerhowspeechservethtotheremembranceoftheconsequenceofcausesandeffectsconsistethintheimposingofnames，andtheconnexionofthem。
Ofnames，someareproper，andsingulartooneonlything；asPeter，John，thisman，thistree：andsomearecommontomanythings；asman，horse，tree；everyofwhich，thoughbutonename，isneverthelessthenameofdiverseparticularthings；inrespectofallwhichtogether，itiscalledauniversal，therebeingnothingintheworlduniversalbutnames；forthethingsnamedareeveryoneofthemindividualandsingular。
Oneuniversalnameisimposedonmanythingsfortheirsimilitudeinsomequality，orotheraccident：andwhereasapropernamebringethtomindonethingonly，universalsrecallanyoneofthosemany。
Andofnamesuniversal，someareofmoreandsomeoflessextent，thelargercomprehendingthelesslarge；andsomeagainofequalextent，comprehendingeachotherreciprocally。Asforexample，thenamebodyisoflargersignificationthanthewordman，andcomprehendethit；andthenamesmanandrationalareofequalextent，comprehendingmutuallyoneanother。Butherewemusttakenoticethatbyanameisnotalwaysunderstood，asingrammar，oneonlyword，butsometimesbycircumlocutionmanywordstogether。Forallthesewords，Hethatinhisactionsobserveththelawsofhiscountry，makebutonename，equivalenttothisoneword，just。