Travels in the Mogul Empire (Bernier) 6.7.6

6.7.6

All their sacred books speak of first principles; but each in a manner totally different from the others. Some say that everything is composed of small bodies which are indivisible, not by reason of their solidity, hardness, and resistance, but because of their smallness; and upon this notion they build many other hypotheses, which have an affinity to the theories of Democritus and Epicurus; but their opinions are expressed in so loose and indeterminate a manner that it is difficult to ascertain their meaning; and considering the extreme ignorance of the Pendets, those even reputed the most learned, it may be fairly doubted whether this vagueness be not rather attributable to the expounders than to the authors of the books. Others say that everything is composed of matter and form, but not one of the doctors explains himself clearly about matter, and still less about form. They are so far intelligible, however, as to show me that they understand neither the one nor the other in the same manner as these terms are usually explained in our Schools, where we speak of educing form out of the power of matter; for they always take their examples from material objects, such as that of a vessel of soft clay, which a potter turns and forms into various shapes.