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3. Conventional signs, on the other hand, are those which living
beings mutually exchange for the purpose of showing, as well as they
can, the feelings of their minds, or their perceptions, or their
thoughts. Nor is there any reason for giving a sign except the desire
of drawing forth and conveying into another's mind what the giver of
the sign has in his own mind. We wish, then, to consider and discuss
this class of signs so far as men are concerned with it, because even
the signs which have been given us of God, and which are contained in
the Holy Scriptures, were made known to us through men those,
namely, who wrote the Scriptures. The beasts, too, have certain
signs among themselves by which they make known the desires in their
mind. For when the poultry-cock has discovered food, he signals with
his voice for the hen to run to him, and the dove by cooing calls his
mate, or is called by her in turn; and many signs of the same kind are
matters of common observation. Now whether these signs, like the
expression or the cry of a man in grief, follow the movement of the
mind instinctively and apart from any purpose, or whether they are
really used with the purpose of signification, is another question,
and does not pertain to the matter in hand. And this part of the
subject I exclude from the scope of this work as not necessary to my
present object.
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