ther cause, whatever it be, persuades me of the existence of the wax, I will stilldraw the same conclusion. And what is here remarked of the piece of wax, is applicable to all the otherthings that are external to me. And further, if the [notion or] perception of wax appeared to me moreprecise and distinct, after that not only sight and touch, but many other causes besides, rendered itmanifest to my apprehension, with how much greater distinctness must I now know myself, since all thereasons that contribute to the knowledge of the nature of wax, or of any body whatever, manifest stillbetter the nature of my mind ? And there are besides so many other things in the mind itself thatcontribute to the illustration of its nature, that those dependent on the body, to which I have herereferred, scarcely merit to be taken into account.[ L][ F]16. But, in conclusion, I find I have insensibly reverted to the point I desired; for, since it is nowmanifest to me that bodies themselves are not properly perceived by the senses nor by the faculty ofimagination, but by the intellect alone; and since they are not perceived because they are seen andtouched, but only because they are understood [ or rightly comprehended by thought ], I readilydiscover that there is nothing more easily or clearly apprehended than my own mind. But because it isdifficult to rid one's self so promptly of an opinion to which one has been long accustomed, it will bedesirable to tarry for some time at this stage, that, by long continued meditation, I may more deeplyimpress upon my memory this new knowledge...
