1604. But it is an abuse [of philosophy] when the philosophers are engrossed in terminology and dispute about terms without coming to agreement. By this every idea of the subject itself perishes, and the human comprehension becomes so limited that they end up knowing nothing but terms. Consequently, when they want to comprehend the matters by their own terminology, then they only heap up those terms, thereby obscuring the matter and so blinding their native discernment that they cannot understand anything.
Therefore, the uneducated person has much broader ideas and more readily sees what is true than the philosopher, who remains in his own mud, like a swine-this being the reason why a swine or wild boar was portrayed to me - and becomes a wild animal in the forests. For he wanders 1like a wild animal in truths, which he tears to pieces, and kills.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin for this word is errat, which also means "errs."
1604. But an abuse arises from the fact that philosophers abide in terms, and dispute concerning them without coming to an agreement, from which all idea of the thing itself perishes, and the comprehension of the man is rendered so limited that he at length ceases to know anything but terms. Accordingly when such persons would master a subject by their terms they do nothing but heap them up, obscuring the whole matter, so that they can understand absolutely nothing of it, and even their natural lumen is extinguished. Thus an unlearned man has much more extensive ideas and sees truth better than the philosopher; for such an one sticks in the mire like a swine, on which account he was represented to make the figure of an animal of that kind, of the wild species, for he becomes a wild boar in the woods, ranging about like such a beast, in truths which he mutilates and slays.
1604. Sed abusus est, quod maneant philosophi in terminis, et de iis disputent, nec conveniant, inde omnis idea rei perit, et hominis captus ita finitur, ut postea nihil sciant, praeter terminos: proinde cum comprehendere volunt res suis terminis, tunc congerunt modo tale terminos, et sic rem obscurant, ut nihil prorsus intelligere possint, ita lumen eorum naturale occoecatur; sic enim homo non eruditus multo extensiores ideas habet, ac [melius] videt quid verum, quam philosophus, talis manet in suo coeno, sicut sus-quare 1
sus talis, seu aper mihi repraesentatus est-fitque 2
fera in sylvis, nam errat sicut fera in veritatibus, quas dilaniat, ac occidit.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has sus, quare
2. The Manuscript has est, fitque