ON CONCEPTION. 581
intercourse, and which remains in the woman (without the actual presence of the semen) as the efficient of the future offspring if, I say, this contagion (whether it be atoms, odorous par- ticles, fermentation, or anything else) is not of the nature of any corporeal substance, it follows of necessity that it is incorporeal. And if on further inquiry it should appear that it is neither spirit nor demon, nor soul, nor any part of the soul, nor anything having a soul, as I believe can be proved by various arguments and experiments, what remains, since I am unable myself to conjecture anything besides, nor has any one imagined aught else even in his dreams, but to confess myself at a stand-still ? " For whoever," says Aristotle, 1 " doubts and wonders, con- fesses his ignorance; therefore if to escape the imputation of ignorance, ingenious men have turned to philosophy, it is clear they follow their pursuit for the sake of knowledge, and not from any other motive."
It must not, then, be imputed to me for blame, if, eager for knowledge, and approaching untrodden ground, I have pre- sented aught which at first sight may appear made up or fabu- lous. For as everything is not to be received at once with an unthinking credulity, so that which has been long and pain- fully considered must not be straightway rejected, even although it fail to catch the eye of the quick-sighted. Aristotle him- self wrote a book, ' De Mirabilibus auditis/ on hearsay won- ders ; and elsewhere he says, 3 " We must not only thank those in whose opinions we acquiesce, but those also who have said aught (to the purpose) although superficially. For these bring in something to the common stock, in this, that they exercise and train our habits. For if Timotheus had not existed, we should have lost much music. Yet if Phrynis had not been we should have had no Timotheus. So is it with those who have laid down any truth. For we have received some opinions from certain philosophers, yet were there others to whom these owed their existence."
Influenced, then, by the example and authority of so great a man, and not to appear resolute only to subvert the doc- trines of others, I have preferred proposing a fanciful opinion rather than none at all, playing in this the part of Phrynis to
1 Metapliys. lib. i, cap. 2. 2 Ibid. lib. ii, cap. 1.
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