6. Thirdly Affected obscurity, as in the Peripatetick 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 of terms, and to confound
the signification of words, which, like a mist before people's eyes, might hinder their weak parts from being
discovered. That body and extension in common use, stand for two distinct ideas, is plain to any one that will but
reflect a little. For were their signification precisely the same, it would be as proper, and as intelligible to say, "the
body of an extension," as the "extension of a body"; and yet there are those who find it necessary to confound
their signification. To this abuse, and the mischiefs of confounding the signification of words, logic, and the
liberal sciences as they have been handled in the schools, have given reputation; and the admired Art of Disputing
hath added much to the natural imperfection of languages, whilst it has been made use of and fitted to perplex the
signification of words, more than to discover the knowledge and truth of things: and he that will look into that sort
of learned writings, will find the words there much more obscure, uncertain, and undetermined in their meaning,
than they are in ordinary conversation.