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CONCERNING BEING AND ESSENCE 37 

signified in the abstract, as for instance white or musical. And 
because accidents are not composed of matter and form, there- 
fore in them it is not possible to take the genus from the mat- 
ter and the difference from the form as in composite substances. 
But the genus must be taken primarily from its very mode of 
being inasmuch as being is asserted in diverse modes of the 
ten predicamental genera (categories) in accordance with the 
(order of) prior and posterior. So likewise it is called quantity 
according as it is the measure of substance and quality inas- 
much as it is said to be a disposition of substance, and likewise 
for the others (predicamental genera), as the Philosopher states 
in the fourth of the Metaphysics.** Indeed, difference in acci- 
dents is taken from the diversity of the principles from which 
they are caused. And because proper passions are caused from 
proper principles of the subject, therefore a subject is posited 
in their definition in place of difference, if they are defined 
abstractly (in absolutory according to which manner of defini- 
tion they are properly in a genus, as for instance it is said that 
snub-nosedness is a curvature of the nose. But the converap 
would hold if their definition were taken concretely. For thus 
the subject would be posited in their definition as their genus, 
seeing that they would then be defined as composite substances 
are, in which the ratio of the genus is taken from matter, as 
we say that a snub-nose is a curved nose. If one accident be the 
principle of another accident, the case is similar to the above, 
as for instance the principle of relation is action and passion 
and quantity; and therefore according to this the Philosopher 
divides relation in the Metaphysics** But since the proper 
principles of accidents are not always manifest, therefore some- 
times we take the difference of accidents from their effects, as 
condensing and dispersing are called differences of color, which 

48 Aristotle, Met., T, 1003 a 33 b 10. 
44 Aristotle, Met., A, 1020 b 26 ss.