16. The first objection might be, Where do you locate, or how do you
classify these primary and veritable Numbers? All the philosophers (who
follow Aristotle) classify numbers in the genus of quantity. It seems
that we have above treated of quantity, and classified both discrete
and continuous quantity[38] among other "beings." Here however we
seem to say that these Numbers form part of the primary Essences, and
add that there are, in addition, numbers that serve for enumerations.
We are now asked how we make these statements agree, for they seem
to give rise to several questions. Is the unity which is found among
sense-beings a quantity? Or is unity a quantity when repeated, while,
when considered alone and in itself, it is the principle of quantity,
but not a quantity itself? Besides, if unity be the principle of
quantity, does it share the nature of quantity, or has it a different
nature? Here are a number of points we ought to expound. We shall
answer these questions, and here is what we consider our starting-point.