That this mind, and soul, are corporeal, acting on the body by material impact, and consisting of minute atoms, imperceptible to the senses. Uses the terms mind and soul indiscriminately, yet shows that the mind (animus) is the chief part, residing in the middle of the breast, the soul (anima) being diffused throughout the body, and under the direction of the mind. Reasons on the separate affections of the body and mind, on sleep, on corporeal mutilations, and on the cessation of breathing. He then shows that the mind and soul are a part of man, not less than the hand or foot, and not a mere harmony of the parts of the body, as some philosophers taught. Many who pretend to be free from this fear are still disquieted with it and it is often the source of crimes. “In the third book, he describes the nature of the mind and the soul, commencing with a eulogy on Epicurus, who taught that the world was formed, not by any divine power, but from a fortuitous concourse of atoms, and who succeeded, beyond any other philosopher, in relieving the minds of men from the fear of the gods, of death, and of torments after death.
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