of a certain figure, four-legged, with sense, motion, ambling, neighing, white, used to have a woman on his back—­might with the same certainty universally affirm also any or all of these of the word palfrey:  but did thereby teach no more, but that the word palfrey, in his or romance language, stood for all these, and was not to be applied to anything where any of these was wanting But he that shall tell me, that in whatever thing sense, motion, reason, and laughter, were united, that thing had actually a notion of God, or would be cast into a sleep by opium, made indeed an instructive proposition:  because neither having the notion of God, nor being cast into sleep by opium, being contained in the idea signified by the word man, we are by such propositions taught something more than barely what the word man stands for:  and therefore the knowledge contained in it is more than verbal.

7.  For this teaches but the Signification of Words.

Before a man makes any proposition, he is supposed to understand the terms he uses in it, or else he talks like a parrot, only making a noise by imitation, and framing certain sounds, which he has learnt of others; but not as a rational creature, using them for signs of ideas which he has in his mind.  The hearer also is supposed to understand the terms as the speaker uses them, or else he talks jargon, and makes an unintelligible noise.  And therefore he trifles with words who makes such a proposition, which, when it is made, contains no more than one of the terms does, and which a man was supposed to know before:  v.g. a triangle hath three sides, or saffron is yellow.  And this is no further tolerable than where a man goes to explain his terms to one who is supposed or declares himself not to understand him; and then it teaches only the signification of that word, and the use of that sign.

8.  But adds no real Knowledge.

We can know then the truth of two sorts of propositions with perfect certainty.  The one is, of those trifling propositions which have a certainty in them, but it is only a verbal certainty, but not instructive.  And, secondly, we can know the truth, and so may be certain in propositions, which affirm something of another, which is a necessary consequence of its precise complex idea, but not contained in it:  as that, the external angle of all triangles is bigger than either of the opposite internal angles.  Which relation of the outward angle to either of the opposite internal angles, making no part of the complex idea signified by the name triangle, this is a real truth, and conveys with it instructive real knowledge.

9.  General Propositions concerning Substances are often trifling.