MANZ. 12. 0067 [Postillato] Milano, Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense
Pagina: 174
7.
When the mind turns its vi>...< inwards upon itself and contemplates its own actions, thinking is the first that occurs. In it the mind observes a great variety of modifications, and from thence receives distinct ideas. Thus the perception which actually accompanies, and is annexed to, any impression on the body, made by an external object being distinct from all other modifications of thinking, furnishes the mind with a distinct idea, which we call sensation; which is, as it were, the actual entrance of any idea into the understanding by the senses.
Il Manzoni trascrive il testo inglese di un punto focale della dottrina della conoscenza, inerente al passaggio della sensazione da impressione fisica a idea distinta, una volta entrata nell'intelletto.