stand sometimes for one thing and sometimes for another; the wilful
doing whereof can be imputed to nothing but great folly, or greater
dishonesty. And a man, in his accounts with another may, with as much
fairness make the characters of numbers stand sometimes for one and
sometimes for another collection of units: v.g. this character 3, stand
sometimes for three, sometimes for four, and sometimes for eight, as
in his discourse or reasoning make the same words stand for different
collections of simple ideas. If men should do so in their reckonings, I
wonder who would have to do with them? One who would speak thus in the
affairs and business of the world, and call 8 sometimes seven, and
sometimes nine, as best served his advantage, would presently have
clapped upon him, one of the two names men are commonly disgusted with.
And yet in arguings and learned contests, the same sort of proceedings
passes commonly for wit and learning; but to me it appears a greater
dishonesty than the misplacing of counters in the casting up a debt; and
the cheat the greater, by how much truth is of greater concernment and
value than money.


6. Thirdly, Affected Obscurity, as in the Peripatetic and other sects of
Philosophy.

THIRDLY. Another abuse of language is an AFFECTED OBSCURITY; by either
applying old words to new and unusual significations; or introducing new
and ambiguous terms, without defining either; or else putting them
so together, as may confound their ordinary meaning. Though the
Peripatetick philosophy has been most eminent in this way, yet other
sects have not been wholly clear of it. There are scarce any of them
that are not cumbered with some difficulties (such is the imperfection
of human knowledge,) which they have been fain to cover with obscurity