III.D6: Love Defined

Amor est lætitia concomitante idea causæ externæ.

Love is joy accompanied by the idea of an external cause.

EXPLICATIO: Hæc definitio satis clare amoris essentiam explicat; illa vero auctorum qui definiunt amorem esse voluntatem amantis se jungendi rei amatæ, non amoris essentiam sed ejus proprietatem exprimit et quia amoris essentia non satis ab auctoribus perspecta fuit, ideo neque ejus proprietatis ullum clarum conceptum habere potuerunt et hinc factum ut eorum definitionem admodum obscuram esse omnes judicaverint. Verum notandum cum dico proprietatem esse in amante se voluntate jungere rei amatæ, me per voluntatem non intelligere consensum vel animi deliberationem seu liberum decretum (nam hoc fictitium esse demonstravimus propositione 48 partis II) nec etiam cupiditatem sese jungendi rei amatæ quando abest vel perseverandi in ipsius præsentia quando adest; potest namque amor absque hac aut illa cupiditate concipi sed per voluntatem me acquiescentiam intelligere quæ est in amante ob rei amatæ præsentiam a qua lætitia amantis corroboratur aut saltem fovetur.

This definition explains the essence of love clearly enough; truly those writers who define love as the will of love to join oneself to the beloved thing, have not expressed the essence of love but its property and since the essence of love was not viewed enough by the authors, to such an extent they are not able to have any clear concept of its property and from this the fact that all judge that their definition is very obscure. Truly it ought to be noted since I say that the property is in love that one by will joins to the beloved, that I by will do not understand agreement or deliberation of the heart or free decree (for this is a fiction we have demonstrated in IIP48) and also not desire to join oneself to the beloved when away or persevering in presence of it when near; for love is able to be conceived from this or that desire but by will I understand that satisfaction which is in love on account of the presence of the beloved from which joy is corroborated by love or at least encouraged.