BOOK II PART II
band and cool the other; the same water will,
at the same time, seem both hot and cold, ac-
cording to the disposition of the different or-
gans. A small degree of any quality, succeed-
ing a greater, produces the same sensation, as
if less than it really is, and even sometimes as
the opposite quality. Any gentle pain, that fol-
lows a violent one, seems as nothing, or rather
becomes a pleasure; as on the other hand a vi-
olent pain, succeeding a gentle one, is doubly
grievous and uneasy.
This no one can doubt of with regard to our
passions and sensations. But there may arise
some difficulty with regard to our ideas and
objects. When an object augments or dimin-
ishes to the eye or imagination from a compar-
ison with others, the image and idea of the ob-
ject are still the same, and are equally extended