1445. The reason they surrounded the planet Venus is that thereby the very inward regions can communicate with outer ones by means of inward sensations, otherwise there is no communication, so in the same way as outer regions communicate with more inward ones through inward sensation. Just as there is no communication of the reasoning parts {[except] through the memory of material mental images, so neither is there communication of understood ideas [with the outer parts] except} 1through the inward memory, as it is called, that is, inward sensation.
One who is not familiar with these matters does not know how it is possible for anyone to possess the faculty of understanding, that is, of thinking, judging, concluding, then of deciding and willing. For these abilities do not result from the memory of material mental images born directly from the outer senses, or by means of the outer senses.
Footnotes:
1. In the Second Latin Edition, after the word rationalium, the following segment signalled in the translation by { } was erroneously omitted: [nisi] per memoriam idearum materialium, ita nec intellectualium nisi.
1445. They went around the planet Venus for the reason that more interior things can thus be brought into communication with externals by means of the interior senses; otherwise there is no communication. Thus it is by means of interior sense that things, as it were, external communicate with those more interior, just as there can be no communication of things rational except by means of the memory of material ideas, thus neither of things intellectual except by means of the memory which is called interior, that is, by means of interior sense. He who does not know these things does not know how man can enjoy the faculty of understanding, that is, of thinking, judging, concluding, and finally determining and willing, for such things do not flow from the memory of material ideas which are derived immediately from or by means of the external senses.
1445. Quod circumdarent tellurem Veneris ideo est, quia sic communicari possunt intimiora cum externis, per sensus interiores, alioquin non datur communicatio, ita sicut externa communicant cum intimioribus per sensum interiorem, prout non dari potest communicatio rationalium per memoriam ita dictam interiorem, hoc est, per sensum interiorem; qui ea non novit, is nec novit, quomodo homo potest gaudere facultate intelligendi, hoc est cogitandi, judicandii concludendi, denique determinandi, et volendi, nam talia non fluunt ex memoria idearum materialium, quae nascuntur immediate a sensibus externis, seu per sensus externos.