E4Cap2
Chapter — Part IV
Latin
Cupiditates quæ ex nostra natura ita sequuntur ut per ipsam solam possit intelligi, sunt illæ quæ ad mentem referuntur quatenus hæc ideis adæquatis constare concipitur; reliquæ vero cupiditates ad mentem non referuntur nisi quatenus res inadæquate concipit et quarum vis et incrementum non humana sed rerum quæ extra nos sunt potentia definiri debet et ideo illæ recte actiones, hæ autem passiones vocantur; illæ namque nostram potentiam semper indicant et hæ contra nostram impotentiam et mutilatam cognitionem.
English (Elwes 1883)
Desires, which follow from our nature in such a manner, that they can be understood through it alone, are those which are referred to the mind, in so far as the latter is conceived to consist of adequate ideas: the remaining desires are only referred to the mind, in so far as it conceives things inadequately, and their force and increase are generally defined not by the power of man, but by the power of things external to us: wherefore the former are rightly called actions, the latter passions, for the former always indicate our power, the latter, on the other hand, show our infirmity and fragmentary knowledge.
Modern English
Desires that follow from our nature in such a way that they can be understood through that nature alone are those referred to the mind insofar as the mind is conceived to consist of adequate ideas. The remaining desires are referred to the mind only insofar as it conceives things inadequately, and their force and growth must be defined not by human power but by the power of things external to us. The former are therefore rightly called actions, the latter passions — for the former always indicate our power, and the latter on the contrary indicate our powerlessness and confused knowledge.