*Thisisathingthatbelongs
only to him who is arriv'd at the highest pitch of Wisdom.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
There are many whom he does nothindermefrom,seeing;andyetthesemake no
greaterproficiencythantheformer;butthose, whose Conversation with me is approved and favour'd by
thisgood Geniusaresuchasyoutoldmeofjustnowj who inaverylittletimemake averygreatprogress-, in some this Progress is stable and permanent, and takesdeepRoot;and inothers'tisbutforatime: That is while they are with me they advance after asurprizingmanner? ,buttheynosooner leaveme b u t t h e y r e t u r n t o t h e i r f o r m e r C o n d i t i o n ? , a n d d o n ] t
atalldifferfromtheGeneralityofMen. Thisis what happen'd to Aridides, the Son of Lysimacbus,
* Thnsytlus was chosen General with Tbrafybritu the 4* year
of the 9 2 Olympiade.
f Indeed the Athenians were beaten and repuls'd at Ephtfus.
Xmpb. B<w? I. ThereforePlutarchfaysintheLifeofAlcibiidts that Thx*fyBM his Army was terribly gall'd under the Walls of Epbefus:andthathimemeryof thisDefeattheEpbesianserected a Trophy of Brass to the shame of the Athenians.
UAremarkablePassage HerearelourStatesofMen. Some arerejectedofGod fortheirWickedness, whichcan'tbehid from him, others are tolerated for a time ; God gives 'em time to fee, and learn, but they are not attentive, and 'tisonly their own fault, thattheymakenoprogress. Othersareapprov'd,buttheselast succeed very differently: In some the good Seed falling into good Ground takesdeep root, and inothersitflourishesbutforatime5
astheGospelsaysofthose_whoreceivetheWof"din flonyPlaces oramongThorns. ThisistheTruthSqsratesdesignstoteachin
this Place.
r'"- '? '? '-'? ? a n d
? ? 2<SS THEAGESi of,
? and Grandson to Aristides, while he was with me
he made a very strange Progress in a very (host time but being oblig'd to go in some Expedition, he em- bark'd :At his return he found that* Thucydides the Son of Melefias,a. ni Grandson of Thucydides had been w i l l i n g t o b e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h m e ? , b u t i t h a p p e n ' d
the day before, I know not how, that he fell out withmeforsomeWordswe hadindisputing. Now Arijiidescomingtofeeme, afterthefirstComple ments? ,Socrates, lays he, I am just now toldthat Thucydides is angry with you, and ath with a greatdealofHaughtinessasifhe weresomewhat morethanordinary Tistrue,laidI. +ha,Repli ed he, what does he no longer remember what a Slave hewas beforehesaw you ? 'Tisvery likelyhehasfor gotten it, said I. Iruly Socrates, added he, A ve ryridiculousthinghashappen'dtome. Ipresently ask'dhimwhatitwas. 'Tisthis,saidhe. Before I went for the Army, I was capable of discoursing withMen ofthegreatestfense$and was notinfe-
riour to any of 'em in Conversation. I made as hand some a figure as another \ and always kept company withthe\bestandmostpoliteMen1couldfind. Where as now 'tis quite contrary, I carefully avoid 'em, I am so much ashamed ofmy Ignorance. Iask'd him ifthisFaculty hadlefthim suddenlyorgradually. Heanswer'dme,thatitlefthimgradualy. Well how didyou come by it, said I, ivas it while you were Learningsomethingosme, orsomeotherway? I'll tellyou Socrates, reply'd he, 'Tis a thing that will
seem incredible,butyet'tisverytrue:%1couldne ver learn any thing of you, as you know very well. * TheGrand-SonofThucydideswho rivall'dPericlesintheGo
vernment.
f MenarenobetterthanvileSlavesbefore theyhave attended
to Philosophical Discourses.
j] J e e r a t e s c a l l s t h o s e g o o d a n d p o l i t e , w h o s p e n t t h e i r t i m e i n
discoursing on solid and agreeable Subjects.
t HemeansheIearn'dnothingthathadmade adeepandlasting
Impression on his Mind, he had Opinions only, and not Science ilnrehehadbeenbyhimself, butwasmoreknowingwhenhewas \rith Socrates.
How
? ? Of WISDOM. 169
howeverImadesomeproficiency, ifIwasbutinthe
fameHouse*whereyou were,tho*notinthefame Room5whenIcouldbeinthefameRoomIadvanced
ftillmore-, and wheneveryou/poke, Isensiblyfound
my selfimproveyet more when 1 had my Eyes uponyou,
than when I looJCd another way : But this Progress
was incomparably greater, when I fat nearyou and touched you, whereas now all this Habit isutterly
vanished. Thus you fee, Theages, what fort of
Conversationistobehadwithme. tIfitplease
God, you'll advance considerably, and in a very little
time ; otherwise your Endeavours will be fruitless.
Judge then ifitbe not more advantagous, and safe for
you toapply your selftoone oftholeMasterswho abmdfrm
are constantly succesful with all their Scholars, than Banter<< tofollowme, withallthehazardsyoumustrun. tbtSefbip.
The. I'lltellyou, Socrates, what we ought to do inmy Opinion. When we begintolive together, let us try this G o d that conducts us : If he approves ourConversation;IamatthetopofmyWishes: if hedisapproves it;letus immediately consider whatCoursetotake,andwhetherIoughttoseek another Master, or should endeavour to appease this God * by Prayers, by Sacrifices, or any other . Expiations, which our Deviners teach.
Dem. Don'topposethe youngMan'sDesiresany longer. Theagesspeaksverywell.
Soc. If you think 'tis best to do so ; with allm y heart. Iagreewithyou.
* TherearefourDegreesofLight,accordingasyoumoreor lessapproachwifeMen. 'TissomethingtolodginthefameHouse,
'tis a littlemore to be in the fame R o o m ; Vis a yet greater advan tagetohaveone'sEyesa/waysupon'em;thatsoonemayloose noneoftheirWords, butthegreatestbenefitofall,i*tobenear 'em,andifImaysospeak,tobealwaysglew'dto'em. Few Personsaresocenfirm'dinWisdom, thatthey canlose sightof 'emwithImpunity,andwithoutgreatdamage. Thesedifferenc Degrees are still more remarkable in proportion to the Approach wemaketothedivineWisdom. IbelievethisisalltheMystery
Socrattsdesign*toteachhere. WefeeadmirableProofsofthis Truth intheWritingsoftheSaints.
+ ForalltheGood weeitherdo,orreceive,comesfromGod. ? TherearcbutthreewaysMencanusetoappeasetheAngerof
God, Prayers, Sacrifices, and Purifications. The
? ? 270
The ARGUMENf OF
EUTYPHROM ? i. ". iij/'
I N alltimes,aa&ia? <<$Religionsthere. havebeen superstitious Persons <W& Mifocrifes. , Both thesehaveoffer'dalmostthe-sum InjurytoGod,
and equally hurt Religion,? . Plato introduces one of theseQharaffersinthisDialogue-,for'tisnot easy
to determine whether Eutypteon afts-,sufexsttiipusly or hypocritically; theformer, inmost probakle, Eu- typhxongoesabouttoaccusehn ownfatherosMur der-, This is 4 very unnatural step'- But on the o- therhand'tisthestepofaMan who. consultsnot flesh and Blood ; when thaQuestio* k about doing an A S ionso agreeable to Gad at thai of bringing a Cri minaltoPunishment. TheBusinessinhandthere
fore here is to. examine this ASion to know if it be
just. AndPlatorenewsthisDiscoursetoridicule
thefalse Religions of the Pagans, and the Plurality
ofGods, togetherwiththerestoftheirfables:And.
toshew, thatthey who then pastfor the most intelli
gent Persons in Matters ef Religion, had ivdeqd no knowledg of it, and rendered God onlyfalse Worship,
whichdishonourdhim. ThisisasgreataDesignas
hecouldhavej andheexecutesitwithmarvellous,
Address, to which purpose the Person against whom
Socrates had disputedserves extremely well. For
E u t y p h r o n w a s n o o r d i n a r y M a n -, h e w a s a D e v i n e r - ^ andconsequentlyclothrd withthe QnraUer, anden
trusted with the Office of instruUing others in Religi on. Nothing can be more ingenious, and natural than the beginning of this Dialogue, where Plaw
----
with
? ? TheArgumentosEutyphroru l^i
withgreatSimplicityandModesty, andwithoutthe least appearance of Affettation, discovers at first view, not only the Charaffer of Eutyphron, and that , ofallsuperstitiousPersons^ whobytheirRgfigious Miftdfys art comiqohfo fanned to the Cpqmijfion of allforts of Injuries and Crimes ; but also that of'So crates, that of his Persecutors, and in general, that oftheAthenians. ThisDialogueisfullasexcellent PreceptsofMoralityandReligion. There'sagreat
dealofIngenuityand Subtiltyinit:The livelyDe scriptions, the frequent Ironies, and fatyrical Strokesadmirablydiversifyit. W(u. thereeverseen a moresubtilepiece of Satyr than that which Plato makesagainstMe\\tos? Me isnotcontentsomention hisName, andinwhatpartoftheCityhewasborn;
b u t l i k e w i s e d r a w s h i s P i l l u r e t, a n d y e t a l l t h e s e I n
dicationscan'tmakehimknowntoEutyphron. He
that accuses Socrates, and thinks himself capable of
reforming the Commonwealth, byshewing what it is
thatcorruptsTouth,andoverthrowsReligion, isnei
therknowntohimwhomheaccuses, nortotheMi
nifiesofthat Religionofivhichhepretendstobe
thegreatSupport. AlltheotherlikeStrokeswillbe
easily observ d in Reading, and the Beauty of theCha-
raclerofthesuperstitiousMan, zohobelievesathing
only because he believes it, and who is always near
the Truth without ever attaining it, will be plainly discerned. TheReaderwillseewithPleasure,that
Eutyphron is a good honest Man, who has upright Intentions, but isso full of respetl for the Fables thathave beentaughthim, thathereceives''emallas
sacred without ever entertaining the leastsuspicion concerning''em; heissoswell'dwithPride, andfull of that precipitant Confidence, which Superstition commonly inspires, that he publishes his Visions as certain Truths, not to be contradicted by any Man. AndSocrates,whomakes,asifhewere willingto be instruUed, receives his DotJrine with refin'd Iro- nies^and ambiguous Railleries-, and at length confutes it zvith abundance of Strength and Solidity.
EU-
? ? 171
EUTVPHRON, OR
, OfHoliness.
Eutyfbron, Socrates.
fbiiKing's Etfs. TX TKatNews Socrates? What have you left Torchwas y \ theCompanyofLyceustocomehither Vu"h? " intotheKing'sPorch? youhavenobusinesstobring
filersthe youhither,asIhave.
ceramiquc, Soc. 'Tissomewhatworsethanbusiness,Eutyphron,
tvhirtout theAthenianscallitanAccusation.
tjthenine g^ How doyousay>tnen 'tislikelysomebo-
S$5? dyaccusesyou,*forIcanneverbelieveyouwould
calledthe accuseany one.
Kite,pre- Soc. Youareintheright.
fidtdior EutWdlwhoisyourAccuser?
TmZfd Soc. Idon'tknowverywellmyfelt;Itake toi^Cog- himtobeaYoungMan whoisnotyetknown,I niseanaof thinkhisNameisMelitus,heisoftheTownofPit- r i o & Z theus ? If y? u remember any one of that Quarter LiofOat'ofthe'CitywhobearsthatName, who hasLank ragesthat Hair, a Thin Beardand a Crooked Nose, thatisthe were com- J^lan.
Tina Re Eut- Ido,1,t remember any such Person, Socrates, Ueiti 'butIpray,whatistheChargehebringsagainstyou?
Soc. WhatistheCharge? Why 'tissuchaone asshewshimtobenoOrdinaryMan. For'tisno
*Thisisveryremarkable. Entffbronwhoisgoingtoaccuse M s o w n F a t h e r c a n ' t b e l i e v e t h a t S << r << f u is c a p a b l e o f a c c u s i n g a n y Man. PUtomakesuseeitheroftheprecipitancyofthisSuperstiti ous Man, or of the good opinion he has of himself, to insinuate thatatA'. btnshonestMen never drovetheTradeof Accusers.
little
? ? ofnolitress:~ i7;
little thing to be so knowing in such Important and Sublime matters at an Age ib little advanc'd as his. He faysheknows how ourYoutharecorrupted,and who they are that corrupt 'em. He seems to be someableMan who. hastakennoticeofmy Ignorance,
andiscometoaccuseme forhaving corruptedhis
Companions ; and to bring me beibre the City as
ourCommonMother. Anditmustbeconfels'd,
he seems the only Person that k n o w s h o w to lay the : foundationsofgoodPolicy. For'tisreasonablethat5*E? mJ
a States-Man should always begin with the Educati- uthtFwn- ofYoung People,torenderthem asVertuousasmay dathnof be;asaGood GardinerbestoweshisfirstLabourznieoodPolicy.
Care on the Young Plants, and then pastes on to the others, Melitus doubtless takes the fame Course ; andbeginsby cuttingusupwho hindertheYoung Plants from sprouting and improving. After this
without doubt he'll extend hisbeneficent Labours to those Plants that are more advanc'd ; and will by this means do the greatest kindness imaginable to the City. ThisiswhatmaybeexpectedfromaPerson thatknowsso well haw tobegin atthe rightend.
Eut. I should be glad to see it, Socrates^ but I tremble for fear of the Contrary, *for in attacking youheseemstometoattacktheCityinthemost
lacredpartofit:ButIpraytellmewhathefays you do thus to corrupt Young People.
Soc. He fays I do such things as at first hearing must needs seem absurd and impossible, for he says Iam ForgerofGods, thatIintroduceNew Gods, anddonotbelievetheOldones. ThisistheCharge he has against me.
Eut. I understand you ; 'tis because yOu say you haveaGeniusthatdaylyguidesyou. Uponthis heaccusesyouofintroducingnew OpinionsinRe:
*TheGreekfays, ininjuringyoubehbourstoruinetheCity,unit beginsbytheFire-side, itwasaProverbinGreece,tobeginbythe Fire-side, when they spoke of beginning with what was most ex cellcrit and sacred J for tHe Fire side contain'd the DomesticR PodS; SothatthiswaiagreatEncoiriiurtiofSocritis. Wife Meri are to Cities what Dome-stick Gods are to Families.
T ligicn,
? ? 274 EWTfPH^OAt; or;
ligion, and comes to defame you in this Court, well knowingthattheMobisalwaysreadytoreceive thissortofCalumnies. WhatdonotImy selfmeet with, when in publick Assemblies I speak ofDivine things, and predict what shall come to pass > They alllaughatmeasaFool;notthatanyoneofthe things1haveforetoldhasfail'd ofitsAccomplish m e n t ? , b u t t h e B u s i n e s s i s t h i s , t h e y e n v y a l l s u c h a s weare. Andwhatremainsforustodo? Thebest w a y i s n e v e r t o t r o u b l e o u r H e a d s a b o u t i t -, b u t t o go onstillinourownway.
Soc. My dearEutyphran,isitsogreatanllnhap- piness to be laugh'd at > For at bottom I believe the Tinchi- Atheniansdon'tmuchtroubletheirHeadstoexamine
nflerof whetheraManhasagreatCapacityornot;provi- thes^-T ded he does not go about to teach others what he
tgrnswellknows. ButIbelieveifaManshouldmakeithis
rvitbth businesstoteach, theywouldbedown-rightAngry, Account eitheroutofEnvyasyouintimate,orforsomeo-
%wmoi t^ierseasonthatweknownot.
'minthe Eat. 1havenomindtotrytomy Cost,asyou Atisojtbe do, what Sentiments they have of me.
jpostlis.
$oc-That'sanotherMatter$*Itmay beyouareve
ry reserv'd, and do not willingly communicate your W i s d o m to others, whereas Ia m affraid they think the ove I bear to all Mankind engages me too freely toteach'emallIknow, notonlywithoutaskinga Reward, but even by preventing them, and pressing 'emtohearme. Butiftheywouldcontentthem
selves with laughing at me, as you fay they do at you,it would be no unpleasant thing to spend some hours in this Court in Laughing and Divertisement ; but if they take up theMatter in earnest, none but you Devinersknow whatwillbetheEventofit.
Eut. Perhapsyoumaysustainnodamage,butmay
* Socratts makes useof the Confession which he has dravtn out . of Eutyphron, to show by this Devincr the Character of thole w h o weresetuptoteachReligion. Theyneithertaught,norrefuted any thing, but through fear lefc tiie People in Superstition a n d Ig
norance.
come
? ? Of HOLINESS. . i7j
come to a happy Issue in your Business, as well as I in mine.
Soc. Have you business here then ? are you Defen dant or Plaintiff?
Eut. Iam Plaintiff.
Soc. Whom do you prosecute? Eut,IfIshouldtellyou,youwouldtakemefor
a Foot
Soc. H o w ! D o you prosecute one that can't be
taken ? Has he got Wings ?
Eut. The Person I prosecute, instead of having
Wings, issooldthathecanscarcewalk.
Soc. Whoishe?
Eut. Tis my Father. ?
Soc. Your Father !
Eut. Yes my Father. Soc. Ofwhatdoyouaccusehim?
Eut. Of Murder.
Soc. Of Murder, good God ! That'san Accusati
on indeed above the comprehension of the People, who willneverconceivethatitcanbejust:anor dinaryManwouldhaveenoughtodotogiveitany tolerableColour.
*Thisisathingthatbelongs only to him who is arriv'd at the highest pitch of Wisdom.
Eut. You say true, Socrates, it belongs only to such a Person.
Soc Is it any one of your Relations that your F a t h e r h a s k i l i ' d ? W i t h o u t d o u b t i t m u s t b e s o >, for you would not prosecute your Father in a Court of justice for the sake of a Stranger.
Eut. What an Absurdity is that, Socrates, toAjalfePrin- think that in this respect there is any difference be- C'P1' ? t0T
tween a Relation and a Stranger ! The thing isequal hpjt? "t00 thatWhichoughtchieflytobeconsider'd, istoex-farbecomes amine whether the Person that has kili'd him, did hjuflicttxi
Imptt).
*FromthisPrincipleofSmattsitfollows byajustconse quence, thatitisonlyGod'sProvince to command and autho rizesuchActionsasappearsevereandcrueltoNature, whichit agreatTruth.
T2 it
? ? i76 EUTrfB^OKi or;
itjustlyorunjustly. . Ifitwasjustly, lieoughthot to be put to any trouble, but if unjustly, you are oblig'd to prosecute him^ whatever Friend shiporRelationthereisbetweenyou. Tohave theleastConversation with him istomakeyour self an Accomplice of his Crime, and so it is not to prosecute him to bring him to Punishment, whichalonecanpurifieandexpiateyouboth. But 'toapprizeyou oftheFact. The deceasedwas-oneof
ourFarmers, whorentedapieceofLand ofus when we dwelt at Naxus : This Man having one day drank too much fell into apassion,andwas sotrans portedwithRageagainstone ofourSlavesthathe kill'dhim. My Fatherorder'dhimtobecastintoa
deep Pit with his Hands and Feet bound, and imme diately sent hither to consult * one of those who
havetheInspectionofReligiousMatters, andCafes of Conscience, to know what he ? should do with
him, and in the mean time neglected this poor Pri soner, andlefthimwithoutsustenance,asanAssassin whole Life was of no Coniequence ; so that he dyed : Hunger, Cold and the Weight of his Chains kill'dhim, beforethePersonmyfatherhadsentre- turn'd. Upon thisourwholeFamilyfallsuponme, becauseIlorthesakeofanAssassin, accusemy Fa therofMurder, whichtheypretendhehasnotcom m i t t e d -, a n d i f h e h a d , t h e y m a i n t a i n I o u g h t n o t t o prosecutehim,because thedeceased was aVillainand
a Murderer,and besides they fay 'tis an impious Acti on for a Son to prefer a Criminal Process against his Father ; so blind are they about divine things, and so uncapable of discerning what isProfane and Impi ous, fromwhatisJustandHoly.
Soc. But, I pray, Eutyphron^ do you your self think you so accurately understand all Divine things, and that you can so precisely distinguish between what
* In Gwttjhere were Interpreters of divine things, who were publick Persons, towhom the People address'd themselves in all weightyCases. Thosewhowereanythingdevoutwouldnotun dertaketheleastthingwithouthavingfirstconsulted than.
. . . . IS
? ? f Of HOLINESS. 277.
isHoly, and what isProfane, that the State ofthe Cafe being as you fay, you can prosecute your Fa- ther without fearing to commit an impious Action >
Eut. Else I should be very uneasy ; and Eiity- pbron would scarce have any advantage above other
Men, if he did not understand all these things per
fectly well.
? Soc. O admirable Eutypbron, I fee'thenjhe best T<< tbt
Course I can take, is to become your Disciple, and ir'^tflAd-
before the Determination of my Process, to let^"m^idn Melitusknow, that I havehithertolook'duponit^ w# ,-? .
as the greatest advantage in the World, tohave astruttedin good Understanding in Divine Things, and to be iWfcw*. w e l l i n s t r u c t e d i n R e l i g i o n ? , b u t n o w s e e i n g h e a c
cuses me of falling into Error, and of rashly intro
ducing new Opinions about the Deity, I have put
myselfintoyourSchool. Sothat,Melitus(I'll',
fay) if you acknowledge Eutypbron^ to be a Per
sonofAbilityinthoseMatters,andthathehasgood
Notions i I declare to you I have embrac'd the lame Sentiments. 'Thereforeforbeartoprosecuteme any
farther. Andifonthecontrary,youthinkEuty- pbron is not Orthodox, cause the Master to be call'd in question before you meddle with the Scho- lar;heisthecauseofallthisMischief, 'tishe
thatruinsbothhisFatherandMe. Heruinsmein- teachingmeafalseReligion,andheruinshisFa- > ther in prosecuting him by the Principles of this fame Religion, which you account so pernicious -, and if he continues to proiecute me without any regard to m y Request, or leaves m e to pursue you, you will not fail to make your Appearance, and to speak the same thing which I shall have signified to him.
Eut, Upon my Word, Socrates-, if he is so impudentastoattackme, I(hallsoonfindhisweak fide, and shall at least run but half the Danger.
Soc. I know it very well, and that is the reason I a m so desirous of being your Disciple, being well affur'd, that no Person is so bold as to dare-look
T3 you,
? . " ?
,
? ? %<<% EurYPFi^on^ ot,
y o u i n t h e F a c e ? , n o n o t M e l i t u s h i m s e l f ; w h o l o o k s so intently, and who can see so well to the bottom
w Vtfinitim
of my Soul, that he accuses me of Impiety.
In the mean time then, tell me, I beseech you what you just now affirm'd, and which you know sowell,viz. whatisHoly andJust, Impiousand Unjust, inrespectofkillingMen forInstance,and soinallotherSubjectsthatmay offerthemselvesto
us. IsnotSanctityalwayslikeitselfinallfortsof Actions, and is not Impiety, which is it's conttary, always thefame too, sothatthesameIdea,the same Character ofImpiety isalways found,inevery thing which isimpious ?
Eut. Tis certainly so, Socrates.
Soc. What is it then that you call Pious and Ho ly, Profane and Impious >
Eut. I call that Pious and Holy, for Example, which I a m doing to day, namely to prosecute eve- XY Man who commits Murder, Sacrilege, and such
otherCrimes,whetheritbeFather,Mother, Bro-
which
Sfpntsjromther,oranyotherPerson. AndIcallitanimpious
bindzeal, thing to suffer the Criminal quietly to enjoy his
Crime. Ipray,Socrates,mindwellwhatIfay? ,
I'llgiveyouverycertainProofs, thatmyDefiniti onis*conformabletotheLaw. Ihavealreadymen- tion'd it to many Persons, and have made 'em con fess,thatthereisnothingmorejust, thannotto spare a wicked Man, lethim be who he will : All M e n are convinc'd that Jupiter is the best and most just of all the Gods, and all agree, that he put his
FatherinChains, becausehe, contrarytoallmanner ,ofJusticedevourdhisChildren. Saturnhadbefore treated his Father with yet greater Severity for some other Fault. And yet People cry out against me, when I prosecute m y Father for an Atrocious Act of Injustice ; and they fall into a manifest Contradicti
* Tissoindeed;butitisillappliedhere;andisnottrueon allOccasions, asitjsnotonthis. ThatwhichEutyphronherecalls theLaw,istheLawofNature,whichteachesustoiroitateGod inallweknowofh<<n.
? : on,
? ? Of HOLINESS. 179
on, in judging so differently of the Actions ofthose Gods,andmine,* inwhichIhadnootherdesign than that of imitating them.
Soc. Isthisthething,Eutyphron,whichhasbrought metodaytothisBar; becausewhenIam toldthese Tales of the Gods I can't hear 'era without Pain > IsthistheCrimewithwhichIam goingtobecharg'd> If you who are so able in Matters of Religion a- gree with the People in this, and believe thesesto ries 'tis absolutely necessary that I should believe 'em too, who confess ingenuously that I know nothing of these Matters ; shall Ipretend to be wiser than m y Teachers, and make head against them ? Therefore IbegofyouinthenameofthatGodwho presides over Friendship, do not deceive me, do you believe allthesethings you fay?
Eut. I not only believe these, but others too that &>><<kufi | are more surprizing,of which the People are wholly ***'*" ignorant. S S b
Soc. You seriouslybelievethenthattherearegreatvertknown Quarrels, Animosities and Wars among the Gods ? <<>>/;to
You believeallthoseothersPassionsreignamong'em,thof'*** which are so surprizing, and are represented by Poets *%' mtiar
and Painters in their Poems and Pictures, which are expos'd to view in all parts of our Temples ; and f
are wrought with variousColours in that mysterious Tapistry, which is carried in procession to the Cita
del every fifth Year, during the 'Panathsnea? _, _,<<- must we receive all these things as so many great ^iaJ^ Truths, Eutyphron.
Eut. Not onlythese,Socrates^. butagreatmany others besides, as I told you just now, which Iwill
* TheimitationofthosefalseGoIscouldonly producevery il Actions, as the Poets themselves have acknowledged.
f This Tapistry was the Sail of MUtrvtfs Ship, on which the Principal Actions of this Goddess were describ'd in Needle-work} which after it had been expos'd in the Ship ar the beginning of the Feast, was carried in Procession. The Ship was rolPd along on firmGroundtotheTempleofCeresatEleufaf,fromwhenceit was brought back, and canted to the Citadel ; and theS. a. ue of theGoddess was atlastadorn'd with it.
T4 ex-
? ? lU
BUtlffB^ONi or,
explaintoyouifyouplease^anduponmyword they'll make you wonder.
Soc. No, they will not make me wonder much, butyoumayexplain'emtomeanothertimewhen youaremore atleisure;Iprayendeavournowto
explain to m e w h a t I ask'd you,a little m o r e clearly ; foryouhaveriotyetfullyanswer'dmy Questioayou have not taught me what Holiness is. You have onb/toldmethatthat. isaholythingwhichyou
do in'accusing your Father of Murder
Eut. And1havetoldyoutheTruth,
Soc. Itmaybesojbutaretherenotagreatma ny other things which you call Holy > '? '
Eut. Without doubt there are.
Soc. I intreat you therefore to remember that whatIask'dyouwasnottoteachmeoneortwo holy'Things among a greatmany othersthat are so %oo; but to give me a clear and distinct Idea of the Nature of Holinels, and of that which causes allholyThingstobeholy. Foryoutoldmeyour self, that there is only one and the fame Character whichmakesallholyThingstobewhat theyarej as there is one that 'makes Wickedness to be always WickednessY don'tyourememberit?
' Eur, O ho, yes, I remember it. Soc. Thenteachme toknowwhatthisCharacter
is, thai Imay 'have italways before my Eyes, and may useitas the trueModel, and realOriginal, thatsoImay'beinaConditiontoaffirmof every thing which I see you or others do, that that which r e s e m b l e s , it is h o l y , a n d t h a t w h i c h d o e s n o t r e s e m
ble itiswicked.
'Eut. Ifthat'sit,youdesire,Socrates^\amready
tosatisfieyou. Soc. Trulythat'swhatIwouldhave* ASesimd 'Eut. IlaythenthatHolinessisthatwhichisa-
Df/somostf/greabletotheGods, andWickednessisthatwhich jAfif/f. -? }sdisagreableto'em. ? '' '
Soc. Verywell,Eutyphxon, you. haveatlastan
swerdmipreciselyaccordingtomyQuestion. But
I don't vet know whether you lpeak true : However ->? . *? ? . --. ? ? _, . ? -. surely.
? ? Os HOLINESS. 181
surelyyou will know how to convince me of the Truth of what you advance.
Eut. I'llansweryou.
Soc. Come then,letuslaydownwhat we fay plainly. AholyThing,oraholyMan,isaThing, oraMan thatisagreabletoGod-,awickedThing, orawickedMan, isaMan, orThingthatisdisa- g r e a b l e t o h i m ? , t h u s w h a t i s H o l y a n d w h a t i s W i c k
ed are directly opposite ; axe they not ? Eut. That'sbeyond contradiction.
Soc. I think this is very well lay'd down. Eut. Ithink so too, Socrates.
Soc. But have w e not also affirm'd that * the Gods have frequent Animosities and Contentions among themselves, and are often embroil'd and divided one against another ? Eut. Yes, without doubt.
Soc. Therefore let us now examine what may be the Occasion of that difference of Sentiments that produces those Quarrels and thatEnmity among 'em. IfyouandIshoulddisputeaboutNumbers, toknow which was the greater, would this difference make us Enemies, and carry us to all manner of Excesses andViolences? Shouldwe notimmediatelysetour selves to reckon, that w e might presently be of the sameMind>
Eut. Tis very true, we should so.
Soc. And ifwe should dispute about thedifferent bigness of Bodies, should w e not presently go about
measuring 'em, and would not that ibon put an end, to our Dispute? ?
Eut. Itwould so.
Soc. AndifweshouldcontestaboutWeight,would not our Difference be soon determin'd by means ofa pair of Scales?
Eut. Nodoubtofit.
Soc. Well then, what isthere, about which, if we should come to dispute Without having a cer tain Rule, to which we might recur, we should be-
* SocratesrefutesthisDefinitionof Holiness, by shewing thac ^tcan'tsubsistwiththeirTheology. ? ? '? .
'"-*"*? ? '"'? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? come
? ? i8i
EUTrTHGLON; of,
come irreconcileable Enemies, and fall into an ex travagant Passion one against the other > Perhaps none of these things at present occurs to your Mind. I'll tell you some of 'em, and you shall judge whe ther I am inthe right. Isitnot what isJust and Un just, Comely and Indecent, Good and Evil? Arenot not these the things about which we every day dif fer, and not finding a sufficient Rule to make us ac cord, we fallinto thegreatestEnmity ? When Ifay WeIspeakofallMankindingeneral.
Eut. Thatindeedisthe,trueCauseofallourLaw- suites, and all our Wars.
Soc. Arid if it be true, that the Gods are at Vari a n c e a m o n g t h e m s e l v e s a b o u t a n y t h i n g , m u s t it n o t - necessarily be some one of these ?
Eut. Itmustneedsbeso.
Soc. * According toyou then,Excellent Eutypbron, the Gods aredivided about what isJustand Unjust, ComelyandIndecent-,GoodandEvil. Forifthey did notcontest about these things, they would have no occasion of wrangling, but would be always uni tedjwouldtheynot> Eut. Youfayveryright.
&v. And the things which each God takes to be Comely, Good and Just, are lov'd by him, and the contrary hated.
greaterproficiencythantheformer;butthose, whose Conversation with me is approved and favour'd by
thisgood Geniusaresuchasyoutoldmeofjustnowj who inaverylittletimemake averygreatprogress-, in some this Progress is stable and permanent, and takesdeepRoot;and inothers'tisbutforatime: That is while they are with me they advance after asurprizingmanner? ,buttheynosooner leaveme b u t t h e y r e t u r n t o t h e i r f o r m e r C o n d i t i o n ? , a n d d o n ] t
atalldifferfromtheGeneralityofMen. Thisis what happen'd to Aridides, the Son of Lysimacbus,
* Thnsytlus was chosen General with Tbrafybritu the 4* year
of the 9 2 Olympiade.
f Indeed the Athenians were beaten and repuls'd at Ephtfus.
Xmpb. B<w? I. ThereforePlutarchfaysintheLifeofAlcibiidts that Thx*fyBM his Army was terribly gall'd under the Walls of Epbefus:andthathimemeryof thisDefeattheEpbesianserected a Trophy of Brass to the shame of the Athenians.
UAremarkablePassage HerearelourStatesofMen. Some arerejectedofGod fortheirWickedness, whichcan'tbehid from him, others are tolerated for a time ; God gives 'em time to fee, and learn, but they are not attentive, and 'tisonly their own fault, thattheymakenoprogress. Othersareapprov'd,buttheselast succeed very differently: In some the good Seed falling into good Ground takesdeep root, and inothersitflourishesbutforatime5
astheGospelsaysofthose_whoreceivetheWof"din flonyPlaces oramongThorns. ThisistheTruthSqsratesdesignstoteachin
this Place.
r'"- '? '? '-'? ? a n d
? ? 2<SS THEAGESi of,
? and Grandson to Aristides, while he was with me
he made a very strange Progress in a very (host time but being oblig'd to go in some Expedition, he em- bark'd :At his return he found that* Thucydides the Son of Melefias,a. ni Grandson of Thucydides had been w i l l i n g t o b e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h m e ? , b u t i t h a p p e n ' d
the day before, I know not how, that he fell out withmeforsomeWordswe hadindisputing. Now Arijiidescomingtofeeme, afterthefirstComple ments? ,Socrates, lays he, I am just now toldthat Thucydides is angry with you, and ath with a greatdealofHaughtinessasifhe weresomewhat morethanordinary Tistrue,laidI. +ha,Repli ed he, what does he no longer remember what a Slave hewas beforehesaw you ? 'Tisvery likelyhehasfor gotten it, said I. Iruly Socrates, added he, A ve ryridiculousthinghashappen'dtome. Ipresently ask'dhimwhatitwas. 'Tisthis,saidhe. Before I went for the Army, I was capable of discoursing withMen ofthegreatestfense$and was notinfe-
riour to any of 'em in Conversation. I made as hand some a figure as another \ and always kept company withthe\bestandmostpoliteMen1couldfind. Where as now 'tis quite contrary, I carefully avoid 'em, I am so much ashamed ofmy Ignorance. Iask'd him ifthisFaculty hadlefthim suddenlyorgradually. Heanswer'dme,thatitlefthimgradualy. Well how didyou come by it, said I, ivas it while you were Learningsomethingosme, orsomeotherway? I'll tellyou Socrates, reply'd he, 'Tis a thing that will
seem incredible,butyet'tisverytrue:%1couldne ver learn any thing of you, as you know very well. * TheGrand-SonofThucydideswho rivall'dPericlesintheGo
vernment.
f MenarenobetterthanvileSlavesbefore theyhave attended
to Philosophical Discourses.
j] J e e r a t e s c a l l s t h o s e g o o d a n d p o l i t e , w h o s p e n t t h e i r t i m e i n
discoursing on solid and agreeable Subjects.
t HemeansheIearn'dnothingthathadmade adeepandlasting
Impression on his Mind, he had Opinions only, and not Science ilnrehehadbeenbyhimself, butwasmoreknowingwhenhewas \rith Socrates.
How
? ? Of WISDOM. 169
howeverImadesomeproficiency, ifIwasbutinthe
fameHouse*whereyou were,tho*notinthefame Room5whenIcouldbeinthefameRoomIadvanced
ftillmore-, and wheneveryou/poke, Isensiblyfound
my selfimproveyet more when 1 had my Eyes uponyou,
than when I looJCd another way : But this Progress
was incomparably greater, when I fat nearyou and touched you, whereas now all this Habit isutterly
vanished. Thus you fee, Theages, what fort of
Conversationistobehadwithme. tIfitplease
God, you'll advance considerably, and in a very little
time ; otherwise your Endeavours will be fruitless.
Judge then ifitbe not more advantagous, and safe for
you toapply your selftoone oftholeMasterswho abmdfrm
are constantly succesful with all their Scholars, than Banter<< tofollowme, withallthehazardsyoumustrun. tbtSefbip.
The. I'lltellyou, Socrates, what we ought to do inmy Opinion. When we begintolive together, let us try this G o d that conducts us : If he approves ourConversation;IamatthetopofmyWishes: if hedisapproves it;letus immediately consider whatCoursetotake,andwhetherIoughttoseek another Master, or should endeavour to appease this God * by Prayers, by Sacrifices, or any other . Expiations, which our Deviners teach.
Dem. Don'topposethe youngMan'sDesiresany longer. Theagesspeaksverywell.
Soc. If you think 'tis best to do so ; with allm y heart. Iagreewithyou.
* TherearefourDegreesofLight,accordingasyoumoreor lessapproachwifeMen. 'TissomethingtolodginthefameHouse,
'tis a littlemore to be in the fame R o o m ; Vis a yet greater advan tagetohaveone'sEyesa/waysupon'em;thatsoonemayloose noneoftheirWords, butthegreatestbenefitofall,i*tobenear 'em,andifImaysospeak,tobealwaysglew'dto'em. Few Personsaresocenfirm'dinWisdom, thatthey canlose sightof 'emwithImpunity,andwithoutgreatdamage. Thesedifferenc Degrees are still more remarkable in proportion to the Approach wemaketothedivineWisdom. IbelievethisisalltheMystery
Socrattsdesign*toteachhere. WefeeadmirableProofsofthis Truth intheWritingsoftheSaints.
+ ForalltheGood weeitherdo,orreceive,comesfromGod. ? TherearcbutthreewaysMencanusetoappeasetheAngerof
God, Prayers, Sacrifices, and Purifications. The
? ? 270
The ARGUMENf OF
EUTYPHROM ? i. ". iij/'
I N alltimes,aa&ia? <<$Religionsthere. havebeen superstitious Persons <W& Mifocrifes. , Both thesehaveoffer'dalmostthe-sum InjurytoGod,
and equally hurt Religion,? . Plato introduces one of theseQharaffersinthisDialogue-,for'tisnot easy
to determine whether Eutypteon afts-,sufexsttiipusly or hypocritically; theformer, inmost probakle, Eu- typhxongoesabouttoaccusehn ownfatherosMur der-, This is 4 very unnatural step'- But on the o- therhand'tisthestepofaMan who. consultsnot flesh and Blood ; when thaQuestio* k about doing an A S ionso agreeable to Gad at thai of bringing a Cri minaltoPunishment. TheBusinessinhandthere
fore here is to. examine this ASion to know if it be
just. AndPlatorenewsthisDiscoursetoridicule
thefalse Religions of the Pagans, and the Plurality
ofGods, togetherwiththerestoftheirfables:And.
toshew, thatthey who then pastfor the most intelli
gent Persons in Matters ef Religion, had ivdeqd no knowledg of it, and rendered God onlyfalse Worship,
whichdishonourdhim. ThisisasgreataDesignas
hecouldhavej andheexecutesitwithmarvellous,
Address, to which purpose the Person against whom
Socrates had disputedserves extremely well. For
E u t y p h r o n w a s n o o r d i n a r y M a n -, h e w a s a D e v i n e r - ^ andconsequentlyclothrd withthe QnraUer, anden
trusted with the Office of instruUing others in Religi on. Nothing can be more ingenious, and natural than the beginning of this Dialogue, where Plaw
----
with
? ? TheArgumentosEutyphroru l^i
withgreatSimplicityandModesty, andwithoutthe least appearance of Affettation, discovers at first view, not only the Charaffer of Eutyphron, and that , ofallsuperstitiousPersons^ whobytheirRgfigious Miftdfys art comiqohfo fanned to the Cpqmijfion of allforts of Injuries and Crimes ; but also that of'So crates, that of his Persecutors, and in general, that oftheAthenians. ThisDialogueisfullasexcellent PreceptsofMoralityandReligion. There'sagreat
dealofIngenuityand Subtiltyinit:The livelyDe scriptions, the frequent Ironies, and fatyrical Strokesadmirablydiversifyit. W(u. thereeverseen a moresubtilepiece of Satyr than that which Plato makesagainstMe\\tos? Me isnotcontentsomention hisName, andinwhatpartoftheCityhewasborn;
b u t l i k e w i s e d r a w s h i s P i l l u r e t, a n d y e t a l l t h e s e I n
dicationscan'tmakehimknowntoEutyphron. He
that accuses Socrates, and thinks himself capable of
reforming the Commonwealth, byshewing what it is
thatcorruptsTouth,andoverthrowsReligion, isnei
therknowntohimwhomheaccuses, nortotheMi
nifiesofthat Religionofivhichhepretendstobe
thegreatSupport. AlltheotherlikeStrokeswillbe
easily observ d in Reading, and the Beauty of theCha-
raclerofthesuperstitiousMan, zohobelievesathing
only because he believes it, and who is always near
the Truth without ever attaining it, will be plainly discerned. TheReaderwillseewithPleasure,that
Eutyphron is a good honest Man, who has upright Intentions, but isso full of respetl for the Fables thathave beentaughthim, thathereceives''emallas
sacred without ever entertaining the leastsuspicion concerning''em; heissoswell'dwithPride, andfull of that precipitant Confidence, which Superstition commonly inspires, that he publishes his Visions as certain Truths, not to be contradicted by any Man. AndSocrates,whomakes,asifhewere willingto be instruUed, receives his DotJrine with refin'd Iro- nies^and ambiguous Railleries-, and at length confutes it zvith abundance of Strength and Solidity.
EU-
? ? 171
EUTVPHRON, OR
, OfHoliness.
Eutyfbron, Socrates.
fbiiKing's Etfs. TX TKatNews Socrates? What have you left Torchwas y \ theCompanyofLyceustocomehither Vu"h? " intotheKing'sPorch? youhavenobusinesstobring
filersthe youhither,asIhave.
ceramiquc, Soc. 'Tissomewhatworsethanbusiness,Eutyphron,
tvhirtout theAthenianscallitanAccusation.
tjthenine g^ How doyousay>tnen 'tislikelysomebo-
S$5? dyaccusesyou,*forIcanneverbelieveyouwould
calledthe accuseany one.
Kite,pre- Soc. Youareintheright.
fidtdior EutWdlwhoisyourAccuser?
TmZfd Soc. Idon'tknowverywellmyfelt;Itake toi^Cog- himtobeaYoungMan whoisnotyetknown,I niseanaof thinkhisNameisMelitus,heisoftheTownofPit- r i o & Z theus ? If y? u remember any one of that Quarter LiofOat'ofthe'CitywhobearsthatName, who hasLank ragesthat Hair, a Thin Beardand a Crooked Nose, thatisthe were com- J^lan.
Tina Re Eut- Ido,1,t remember any such Person, Socrates, Ueiti 'butIpray,whatistheChargehebringsagainstyou?
Soc. WhatistheCharge? Why 'tissuchaone asshewshimtobenoOrdinaryMan. For'tisno
*Thisisveryremarkable. Entffbronwhoisgoingtoaccuse M s o w n F a t h e r c a n ' t b e l i e v e t h a t S << r << f u is c a p a b l e o f a c c u s i n g a n y Man. PUtomakesuseeitheroftheprecipitancyofthisSuperstiti ous Man, or of the good opinion he has of himself, to insinuate thatatA'. btnshonestMen never drovetheTradeof Accusers.
little
? ? ofnolitress:~ i7;
little thing to be so knowing in such Important and Sublime matters at an Age ib little advanc'd as his. He faysheknows how ourYoutharecorrupted,and who they are that corrupt 'em. He seems to be someableMan who. hastakennoticeofmy Ignorance,
andiscometoaccuseme forhaving corruptedhis
Companions ; and to bring me beibre the City as
ourCommonMother. Anditmustbeconfels'd,
he seems the only Person that k n o w s h o w to lay the : foundationsofgoodPolicy. For'tisreasonablethat5*E? mJ
a States-Man should always begin with the Educati- uthtFwn- ofYoung People,torenderthem asVertuousasmay dathnof be;asaGood GardinerbestoweshisfirstLabourznieoodPolicy.
Care on the Young Plants, and then pastes on to the others, Melitus doubtless takes the fame Course ; andbeginsby cuttingusupwho hindertheYoung Plants from sprouting and improving. After this
without doubt he'll extend hisbeneficent Labours to those Plants that are more advanc'd ; and will by this means do the greatest kindness imaginable to the City. ThisiswhatmaybeexpectedfromaPerson thatknowsso well haw tobegin atthe rightend.
Eut. I should be glad to see it, Socrates^ but I tremble for fear of the Contrary, *for in attacking youheseemstometoattacktheCityinthemost
lacredpartofit:ButIpraytellmewhathefays you do thus to corrupt Young People.
Soc. He fays I do such things as at first hearing must needs seem absurd and impossible, for he says Iam ForgerofGods, thatIintroduceNew Gods, anddonotbelievetheOldones. ThisistheCharge he has against me.
Eut. I understand you ; 'tis because yOu say you haveaGeniusthatdaylyguidesyou. Uponthis heaccusesyouofintroducingnew OpinionsinRe:
*TheGreekfays, ininjuringyoubehbourstoruinetheCity,unit beginsbytheFire-side, itwasaProverbinGreece,tobeginbythe Fire-side, when they spoke of beginning with what was most ex cellcrit and sacred J for tHe Fire side contain'd the DomesticR PodS; SothatthiswaiagreatEncoiriiurtiofSocritis. Wife Meri are to Cities what Dome-stick Gods are to Families.
T ligicn,
? ? 274 EWTfPH^OAt; or;
ligion, and comes to defame you in this Court, well knowingthattheMobisalwaysreadytoreceive thissortofCalumnies. WhatdonotImy selfmeet with, when in publick Assemblies I speak ofDivine things, and predict what shall come to pass > They alllaughatmeasaFool;notthatanyoneofthe things1haveforetoldhasfail'd ofitsAccomplish m e n t ? , b u t t h e B u s i n e s s i s t h i s , t h e y e n v y a l l s u c h a s weare. Andwhatremainsforustodo? Thebest w a y i s n e v e r t o t r o u b l e o u r H e a d s a b o u t i t -, b u t t o go onstillinourownway.
Soc. My dearEutyphran,isitsogreatanllnhap- piness to be laugh'd at > For at bottom I believe the Tinchi- Atheniansdon'tmuchtroubletheirHeadstoexamine
nflerof whetheraManhasagreatCapacityornot;provi- thes^-T ded he does not go about to teach others what he
tgrnswellknows. ButIbelieveifaManshouldmakeithis
rvitbth businesstoteach, theywouldbedown-rightAngry, Account eitheroutofEnvyasyouintimate,orforsomeo-
%wmoi t^ierseasonthatweknownot.
'minthe Eat. 1havenomindtotrytomy Cost,asyou Atisojtbe do, what Sentiments they have of me.
jpostlis.
$oc-That'sanotherMatter$*Itmay beyouareve
ry reserv'd, and do not willingly communicate your W i s d o m to others, whereas Ia m affraid they think the ove I bear to all Mankind engages me too freely toteach'emallIknow, notonlywithoutaskinga Reward, but even by preventing them, and pressing 'emtohearme. Butiftheywouldcontentthem
selves with laughing at me, as you fay they do at you,it would be no unpleasant thing to spend some hours in this Court in Laughing and Divertisement ; but if they take up theMatter in earnest, none but you Devinersknow whatwillbetheEventofit.
Eut. Perhapsyoumaysustainnodamage,butmay
* Socratts makes useof the Confession which he has dravtn out . of Eutyphron, to show by this Devincr the Character of thole w h o weresetuptoteachReligion. Theyneithertaught,norrefuted any thing, but through fear lefc tiie People in Superstition a n d Ig
norance.
come
? ? Of HOLINESS. . i7j
come to a happy Issue in your Business, as well as I in mine.
Soc. Have you business here then ? are you Defen dant or Plaintiff?
Eut. Iam Plaintiff.
Soc. Whom do you prosecute? Eut,IfIshouldtellyou,youwouldtakemefor
a Foot
Soc. H o w ! D o you prosecute one that can't be
taken ? Has he got Wings ?
Eut. The Person I prosecute, instead of having
Wings, issooldthathecanscarcewalk.
Soc. Whoishe?
Eut. Tis my Father. ?
Soc. Your Father !
Eut. Yes my Father. Soc. Ofwhatdoyouaccusehim?
Eut. Of Murder.
Soc. Of Murder, good God ! That'san Accusati
on indeed above the comprehension of the People, who willneverconceivethatitcanbejust:anor dinaryManwouldhaveenoughtodotogiveitany tolerableColour.
*Thisisathingthatbelongs only to him who is arriv'd at the highest pitch of Wisdom.
Eut. You say true, Socrates, it belongs only to such a Person.
Soc Is it any one of your Relations that your F a t h e r h a s k i l i ' d ? W i t h o u t d o u b t i t m u s t b e s o >, for you would not prosecute your Father in a Court of justice for the sake of a Stranger.
Eut. What an Absurdity is that, Socrates, toAjalfePrin- think that in this respect there is any difference be- C'P1' ? t0T
tween a Relation and a Stranger ! The thing isequal hpjt? "t00 thatWhichoughtchieflytobeconsider'd, istoex-farbecomes amine whether the Person that has kili'd him, did hjuflicttxi
Imptt).
*FromthisPrincipleofSmattsitfollows byajustconse quence, thatitisonlyGod'sProvince to command and autho rizesuchActionsasappearsevereandcrueltoNature, whichit agreatTruth.
T2 it
? ? i76 EUTrfB^OKi or;
itjustlyorunjustly. . Ifitwasjustly, lieoughthot to be put to any trouble, but if unjustly, you are oblig'd to prosecute him^ whatever Friend shiporRelationthereisbetweenyou. Tohave theleastConversation with him istomakeyour self an Accomplice of his Crime, and so it is not to prosecute him to bring him to Punishment, whichalonecanpurifieandexpiateyouboth. But 'toapprizeyou oftheFact. The deceasedwas-oneof
ourFarmers, whorentedapieceofLand ofus when we dwelt at Naxus : This Man having one day drank too much fell into apassion,andwas sotrans portedwithRageagainstone ofourSlavesthathe kill'dhim. My Fatherorder'dhimtobecastintoa
deep Pit with his Hands and Feet bound, and imme diately sent hither to consult * one of those who
havetheInspectionofReligiousMatters, andCafes of Conscience, to know what he ? should do with
him, and in the mean time neglected this poor Pri soner, andlefthimwithoutsustenance,asanAssassin whole Life was of no Coniequence ; so that he dyed : Hunger, Cold and the Weight of his Chains kill'dhim, beforethePersonmyfatherhadsentre- turn'd. Upon thisourwholeFamilyfallsuponme, becauseIlorthesakeofanAssassin, accusemy Fa therofMurder, whichtheypretendhehasnotcom m i t t e d -, a n d i f h e h a d , t h e y m a i n t a i n I o u g h t n o t t o prosecutehim,because thedeceased was aVillainand
a Murderer,and besides they fay 'tis an impious Acti on for a Son to prefer a Criminal Process against his Father ; so blind are they about divine things, and so uncapable of discerning what isProfane and Impi ous, fromwhatisJustandHoly.
Soc. But, I pray, Eutyphron^ do you your self think you so accurately understand all Divine things, and that you can so precisely distinguish between what
* In Gwttjhere were Interpreters of divine things, who were publick Persons, towhom the People address'd themselves in all weightyCases. Thosewhowereanythingdevoutwouldnotun dertaketheleastthingwithouthavingfirstconsulted than.
. . . . IS
? ? f Of HOLINESS. 277.
isHoly, and what isProfane, that the State ofthe Cafe being as you fay, you can prosecute your Fa- ther without fearing to commit an impious Action >
Eut. Else I should be very uneasy ; and Eiity- pbron would scarce have any advantage above other
Men, if he did not understand all these things per
fectly well.
? Soc. O admirable Eutypbron, I fee'thenjhe best T<< tbt
Course I can take, is to become your Disciple, and ir'^tflAd-
before the Determination of my Process, to let^"m^idn Melitusknow, that I havehithertolook'duponit^ w# ,-? .
as the greatest advantage in the World, tohave astruttedin good Understanding in Divine Things, and to be iWfcw*. w e l l i n s t r u c t e d i n R e l i g i o n ? , b u t n o w s e e i n g h e a c
cuses me of falling into Error, and of rashly intro
ducing new Opinions about the Deity, I have put
myselfintoyourSchool. Sothat,Melitus(I'll',
fay) if you acknowledge Eutypbron^ to be a Per
sonofAbilityinthoseMatters,andthathehasgood
Notions i I declare to you I have embrac'd the lame Sentiments. 'Thereforeforbeartoprosecuteme any
farther. Andifonthecontrary,youthinkEuty- pbron is not Orthodox, cause the Master to be call'd in question before you meddle with the Scho- lar;heisthecauseofallthisMischief, 'tishe
thatruinsbothhisFatherandMe. Heruinsmein- teachingmeafalseReligion,andheruinshisFa- > ther in prosecuting him by the Principles of this fame Religion, which you account so pernicious -, and if he continues to proiecute me without any regard to m y Request, or leaves m e to pursue you, you will not fail to make your Appearance, and to speak the same thing which I shall have signified to him.
Eut, Upon my Word, Socrates-, if he is so impudentastoattackme, I(hallsoonfindhisweak fide, and shall at least run but half the Danger.
Soc. I know it very well, and that is the reason I a m so desirous of being your Disciple, being well affur'd, that no Person is so bold as to dare-look
T3 you,
? . " ?
,
? ? %<<% EurYPFi^on^ ot,
y o u i n t h e F a c e ? , n o n o t M e l i t u s h i m s e l f ; w h o l o o k s so intently, and who can see so well to the bottom
w Vtfinitim
of my Soul, that he accuses me of Impiety.
In the mean time then, tell me, I beseech you what you just now affirm'd, and which you know sowell,viz. whatisHoly andJust, Impiousand Unjust, inrespectofkillingMen forInstance,and soinallotherSubjectsthatmay offerthemselvesto
us. IsnotSanctityalwayslikeitselfinallfortsof Actions, and is not Impiety, which is it's conttary, always thefame too, sothatthesameIdea,the same Character ofImpiety isalways found,inevery thing which isimpious ?
Eut. Tis certainly so, Socrates.
Soc. What is it then that you call Pious and Ho ly, Profane and Impious >
Eut. I call that Pious and Holy, for Example, which I a m doing to day, namely to prosecute eve- XY Man who commits Murder, Sacrilege, and such
otherCrimes,whetheritbeFather,Mother, Bro-
which
Sfpntsjromther,oranyotherPerson. AndIcallitanimpious
bindzeal, thing to suffer the Criminal quietly to enjoy his
Crime. Ipray,Socrates,mindwellwhatIfay? ,
I'llgiveyouverycertainProofs, thatmyDefiniti onis*conformabletotheLaw. Ihavealreadymen- tion'd it to many Persons, and have made 'em con fess,thatthereisnothingmorejust, thannotto spare a wicked Man, lethim be who he will : All M e n are convinc'd that Jupiter is the best and most just of all the Gods, and all agree, that he put his
FatherinChains, becausehe, contrarytoallmanner ,ofJusticedevourdhisChildren. Saturnhadbefore treated his Father with yet greater Severity for some other Fault. And yet People cry out against me, when I prosecute m y Father for an Atrocious Act of Injustice ; and they fall into a manifest Contradicti
* Tissoindeed;butitisillappliedhere;andisnottrueon allOccasions, asitjsnotonthis. ThatwhichEutyphronherecalls theLaw,istheLawofNature,whichteachesustoiroitateGod inallweknowofh<<n.
? : on,
? ? Of HOLINESS. 179
on, in judging so differently of the Actions ofthose Gods,andmine,* inwhichIhadnootherdesign than that of imitating them.
Soc. Isthisthething,Eutyphron,whichhasbrought metodaytothisBar; becausewhenIam toldthese Tales of the Gods I can't hear 'era without Pain > IsthistheCrimewithwhichIam goingtobecharg'd> If you who are so able in Matters of Religion a- gree with the People in this, and believe thesesto ries 'tis absolutely necessary that I should believe 'em too, who confess ingenuously that I know nothing of these Matters ; shall Ipretend to be wiser than m y Teachers, and make head against them ? Therefore IbegofyouinthenameofthatGodwho presides over Friendship, do not deceive me, do you believe allthesethings you fay?
Eut. I not only believe these, but others too that &>><<kufi | are more surprizing,of which the People are wholly ***'*" ignorant. S S b
Soc. You seriouslybelievethenthattherearegreatvertknown Quarrels, Animosities and Wars among the Gods ? <<>>/;to
You believeallthoseothersPassionsreignamong'em,thof'*** which are so surprizing, and are represented by Poets *%' mtiar
and Painters in their Poems and Pictures, which are expos'd to view in all parts of our Temples ; and f
are wrought with variousColours in that mysterious Tapistry, which is carried in procession to the Cita
del every fifth Year, during the 'Panathsnea? _, _,<<- must we receive all these things as so many great ^iaJ^ Truths, Eutyphron.
Eut. Not onlythese,Socrates^. butagreatmany others besides, as I told you just now, which Iwill
* TheimitationofthosefalseGoIscouldonly producevery il Actions, as the Poets themselves have acknowledged.
f This Tapistry was the Sail of MUtrvtfs Ship, on which the Principal Actions of this Goddess were describ'd in Needle-work} which after it had been expos'd in the Ship ar the beginning of the Feast, was carried in Procession. The Ship was rolPd along on firmGroundtotheTempleofCeresatEleufaf,fromwhenceit was brought back, and canted to the Citadel ; and theS. a. ue of theGoddess was atlastadorn'd with it.
T4 ex-
? ? lU
BUtlffB^ONi or,
explaintoyouifyouplease^anduponmyword they'll make you wonder.
Soc. No, they will not make me wonder much, butyoumayexplain'emtomeanothertimewhen youaremore atleisure;Iprayendeavournowto
explain to m e w h a t I ask'd you,a little m o r e clearly ; foryouhaveriotyetfullyanswer'dmy Questioayou have not taught me what Holiness is. You have onb/toldmethatthat. isaholythingwhichyou
do in'accusing your Father of Murder
Eut. And1havetoldyoutheTruth,
Soc. Itmaybesojbutaretherenotagreatma ny other things which you call Holy > '? '
Eut. Without doubt there are.
Soc. I intreat you therefore to remember that whatIask'dyouwasnottoteachmeoneortwo holy'Things among a greatmany othersthat are so %oo; but to give me a clear and distinct Idea of the Nature of Holinels, and of that which causes allholyThingstobeholy. Foryoutoldmeyour self, that there is only one and the fame Character whichmakesallholyThingstobewhat theyarej as there is one that 'makes Wickedness to be always WickednessY don'tyourememberit?
' Eur, O ho, yes, I remember it. Soc. Thenteachme toknowwhatthisCharacter
is, thai Imay 'have italways before my Eyes, and may useitas the trueModel, and realOriginal, thatsoImay'beinaConditiontoaffirmof every thing which I see you or others do, that that which r e s e m b l e s , it is h o l y , a n d t h a t w h i c h d o e s n o t r e s e m
ble itiswicked.
'Eut. Ifthat'sit,youdesire,Socrates^\amready
tosatisfieyou. Soc. Trulythat'swhatIwouldhave* ASesimd 'Eut. IlaythenthatHolinessisthatwhichisa-
Df/somostf/greabletotheGods, andWickednessisthatwhich jAfif/f. -? }sdisagreableto'em. ? '' '
Soc. Verywell,Eutyphxon, you. haveatlastan
swerdmipreciselyaccordingtomyQuestion. But
I don't vet know whether you lpeak true : However ->? . *? ? . --. ? ? _, . ? -. surely.
? ? Os HOLINESS. 181
surelyyou will know how to convince me of the Truth of what you advance.
Eut. I'llansweryou.
Soc. Come then,letuslaydownwhat we fay plainly. AholyThing,oraholyMan,isaThing, oraMan thatisagreabletoGod-,awickedThing, orawickedMan, isaMan, orThingthatisdisa- g r e a b l e t o h i m ? , t h u s w h a t i s H o l y a n d w h a t i s W i c k
ed are directly opposite ; axe they not ? Eut. That'sbeyond contradiction.
Soc. I think this is very well lay'd down. Eut. Ithink so too, Socrates.
Soc. But have w e not also affirm'd that * the Gods have frequent Animosities and Contentions among themselves, and are often embroil'd and divided one against another ? Eut. Yes, without doubt.
Soc. Therefore let us now examine what may be the Occasion of that difference of Sentiments that produces those Quarrels and thatEnmity among 'em. IfyouandIshoulddisputeaboutNumbers, toknow which was the greater, would this difference make us Enemies, and carry us to all manner of Excesses andViolences? Shouldwe notimmediatelysetour selves to reckon, that w e might presently be of the sameMind>
Eut. Tis very true, we should so.
Soc. And ifwe should dispute about thedifferent bigness of Bodies, should w e not presently go about
measuring 'em, and would not that ibon put an end, to our Dispute? ?
Eut. Itwould so.
Soc. AndifweshouldcontestaboutWeight,would not our Difference be soon determin'd by means ofa pair of Scales?
Eut. Nodoubtofit.
Soc. Well then, what isthere, about which, if we should come to dispute Without having a cer tain Rule, to which we might recur, we should be-
* SocratesrefutesthisDefinitionof Holiness, by shewing thac ^tcan'tsubsistwiththeirTheology. ? ? '? .
'"-*"*? ? '"'? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? come
? ? i8i
EUTrTHGLON; of,
come irreconcileable Enemies, and fall into an ex travagant Passion one against the other > Perhaps none of these things at present occurs to your Mind. I'll tell you some of 'em, and you shall judge whe ther I am inthe right. Isitnot what isJust and Un just, Comely and Indecent, Good and Evil? Arenot not these the things about which we every day dif fer, and not finding a sufficient Rule to make us ac cord, we fallinto thegreatestEnmity ? When Ifay WeIspeakofallMankindingeneral.
Eut. Thatindeedisthe,trueCauseofallourLaw- suites, and all our Wars.
Soc. Arid if it be true, that the Gods are at Vari a n c e a m o n g t h e m s e l v e s a b o u t a n y t h i n g , m u s t it n o t - necessarily be some one of these ?
Eut. Itmustneedsbeso.
Soc. * According toyou then,Excellent Eutypbron, the Gods aredivided about what isJustand Unjust, ComelyandIndecent-,GoodandEvil. Forifthey did notcontest about these things, they would have no occasion of wrangling, but would be always uni tedjwouldtheynot> Eut. Youfayveryright.
&v. And the things which each God takes to be Comely, Good and Just, are lov'd by him, and the contrary hated.
