PREFACE.

THE present volume consists of Translations of the Discourse on Method, the Meditations on the First Philosophy, and the greater portion of the Principles of Philosophy of Descartes. The first of these appeared originally in 1850; the two latter in 1853. They were subsequently published together in one volume. This work, in part and in its collected form, has gone through five editions.

The volume is designed to represent all that is of essential importance in the speculative philosophy of Descartes, and to serve as a manual for students of his doctrines.

The first or French edition of the Method (1637) has been taken as the basis of the translation. It has been minutely compared throughout with the later Latin edition; and as this is declared by Descartes to have been carefully revised by himself, and to contain amendments on the original from his own hand, the preference has been accorded to it in all cases in which the meaning has appeared to be more clearly given.

The Meditations are translated in whole. The Preface and the First Part of the Principles are given, along with selections from the Second, Third, and Fourth Parts of the same work. The extracts from the Principles correspond to what is found in the edition of Garnier. An Appendix is added containing the author's Demonstrations of the Existence of Deity, as these are put by him in their strictest form. The Notes at the end of the volume may be found useful in explanation of certain terms which are of frequent occurrence and important bearing in the writings of Descartes.

The Meditations and the Principles were originally written in Latin, the former in 1641, the latter in 1644. As both works were translated into French during the author's lifetime, and revised by himself, the French text may be considered as at least of equal authority with the other. While, therefore, the Latin or original text is that from which the present translation is made, the additions and variations of the French are also given the former in the text in square brackets, the latter in footnotes. The French translation of the Meditations was made by the Duc de Luynes, and was first published in 1647; that of the Principles, which appeared in the same year, was made by Picot.

Previously to the present translations, the Method had appeared in English-London, 1649. There was also an English version of the Meditations, by W. Molyneux-London, 1680. These are now rarely to be met with.

The translator has substituted for the Introduction originally prefixed to the Method a longer and fuller discussion on the Philosophy of Descartes, especially with reference to its main historical developments.

THE LOANING, PEEBLES,

September 1879.

NOTE.

THE references in the Introduction to the Translations of the Method, Meditations, and Principles, are to the paging of the former editions. The following Table shows the correspondence with the new paging of the present edition :