CHAPTER VI: 883 Upon this account, in every division wherein we design a perfect exactness, it is necessary to examine the whole idea with diligence, lest we omit any part of it through want of care ; though in some cases it is not possible, and in others it is not ne- cessary, that we should descend to the minutest parts. IL " In all divisions we should firstt consider the larger and more immediate parts of the subject, and not divide it at once in- to the more minute and remote parts." It would by no means be proper to divide a kingdom, first into streets, and lanes, and fields ; but it must be first divided into provinces or counties, then those counties may be divided into towns, villages, fields, &c. and towns into streets and lanes. III. The several parts of a division ought to be opposite; that is, one part ought not to contain another. It would be a ridiculous division of an animal into head, limbs, body and brains, for the brains are contained in the head. Yet here it must be noted, that sometimes the subjects of any treatise, or the objects of any particular science, may be pro- perly and necessarily so divided, that the second may include the first, and the third may include the first and second, without offending against this rule, because in the second or following parts of the science or discourse, these objects are not considered in the same manner as in the first ; às for instance geometry divides its object into lines, surfaces, and solids : now though a line be con- tained in a surface or a solid, yet it is not considered in a surface separate and alone, or as a mere line, as it is in the first part of geometry, which treats of lines. So Logic is rightly divided into conception, judgment, reasoning, and method. For though ideas or conceptions are contained in the following parts of Logic, yet they are not there treated of as Separate ideas, which are the proper subject of the first part. IV. Let not subdivisions be too numerous without necessity: for it is better many times to distinguish more parts at once, if the subject will bear it, than to mince the discourse by excessive dividing and subdividing. It is preferable therefore in a treatise of geography, to say, that in a city we will consider its walls, its gates, its buildings, its streets, and lanes, titan to divide it formally first into the encompassing and the encompassed parts ; the encom- passing parts are the walls, and gates ; the encompassed parts include the ways and the buildings ; the ways are the streets and the lanes ; buildings consists of the foundations, and the super- structure, &c. Too great a number of subdivisions has been affected by some persons in sermons, treatises, instructions, &c. under pre- tence of great accuracy : but this sort of subtleties bath often caused great confusion to the understanding, and sometimes more difficulty to the memory. -In these cases it is only a good judg- ment can determine what subdivisions are useful.
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