And a
man, in his accounts with another may, with as much fairness make
the characters of numbers stand sometimes for one and sometimes for
another collection of units: v.g. this character 3, stand sometimes
for three, sometimes for four, and sometimes for eight, as in his
discourse or reasoning make the same words stand for different
collections of simple ideas. If men should do so in their
reckonings, I wonder who would have to do with them? One who would
speak thus in the affairs and business of the world, and call 8
sometimes seven, and sometimes nine, as best served his advantage,
would presently have clapped upon him, one of the two names men are
commonly disgusted with. And yet in arguings and learned contests, the
same sort of proceedings passes commonly for wit and learning; but
to me it appears a greater dishonesty than the misplacing of
counters in the casting up a debt; and the cheat the greater, by how
much truth is of greater concernment and value than money.
6. III. Affected obscurity, as in the Peripatetick and other sects
of philosophy. Thirdly, Another abuse of language is an affected
obscurity; by either applying old words to new and unusual
significations; or introducing new and ambiguous terms, without
defining either; or else putting them so together, as may confound
their ordinary meaning.
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