Some Philosophers gave such lively and
forcible
Demonstrations of it in their Lectures, that the greatest part of their Disciples
laid violent Hands on themselves, in order to over takethathappierLife.
laid violent Hands on themselves, in order to over takethathappierLife.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
He answer'd.
That In w a s a m o d M a n ?
, f o r S o c r a t e s s h e w ' d a n i n c r e d i b l e W a r m t h i n pursuing whatever he took to be just.
THE
? ? THE
INTRODUCTION TO
PH? D0N. '
SOcrates inhisApologyandinhisG7/0 teachesus, howweoughttoformourLives;andherehe
instructs us how to die, and what Thoughts to en tertain at 'the hour of death. By explaining his own Views and Designs, which were the Springs of all his Actions, he furnishes us with a Proof of the m o s t i m p o r t a n t o f all T r u t h s , a n d o f t h a t w h i c h o u g h t to regulate our Life. For the Immortality of the Soul is a Point of such importance that itincludes all the Truths of Religion, and all the Motives that
oughttoexciteanddirectus. SothatourfirstDu ty is to satisfie ourselves in this Point : Self-Love, and meer human Interest ought to spur us up to understand it* not to speak, that there is not a more fatalConditionthantobe ignorantofthenatureof Death, which appears as terrible as unavoidable : ForaccordingtotheNotionwehaveofit,wemiy draw Consequences directly opposite, for managing the Conduct of our Lives and the Choice of our Pleasures.
Socrates spends the last day of his Life in discour sing with his Friends upon this great Subject : He unfolds all the Reasons that require the belief or the Immortality of the Soul,and refutes alltheOb jections they mov'd to the contrary, which are the veryfamethataremadeuseofatthisday. Hesi. - monstrates the Hope they ought to have of a hap
Ee3 pier
69
? ? 7P
the fatrodu? lhn to Phedon. ' ,
pier Life ; and lays before them, all that this blefc fed Hope requires, to make itsolid and lasting, t<j prevent their being deluded by a vain Hope, and aP ter all meeting with the Punishment allotted to the Wicked, instead of the Rewards provided for the Good.
This Conference was occasion'd by a Truth that was casually started, viz. That a true Philosopher ought to desire to die, and to endeavour it. This Position taken literally, seem'd to insinuate that a Philosopher might lay. violent Hands oh himself. But Socrates makes it out, that there's nothing more unjust; and that, for so much as Man is God's Creature and Property, he ought not not to remove
outofthisLifewithouthisOrders. What should
it be then that made the Philosopher have such a *n could iove for Death * ? What is the Ground of this
L"? 'ftLH? Pe-? Here we are Presented w"n the Grounds cftixgood assigns by a -Heathen Philosopher, viz. M a n is born
thingshe to know the Truth, but he can never attain to a existed in perfect Knowledge of it in this Life, by reason that
TM r
hisBody isan Obstacle;Perfect Knowledgeisre-
ierv'diortheLifetocome. ThentheSoulmust be Immortal , since after death it operates and knows. As for Man's being born for'the Know
ledge of Truth, that cannot be call'd in question, since he was born to know God,
From thence itfollows, that a true Philosopher hatesand contemnsthisBody,whichstandsinthe way of his Union to God, that he wishes to b& rid of it, and looks upon Death as a Passage to a better Life. This solid Hope gives Being to that true Temperance and Valour which is the Lot of true Philosophers;forotherMen areonly valiant through Fear, and temperate through Intemperance j theirVertueisonlyaSlavetoVice,? ? <? ' ? ? ?
They object to Socrates, That the Soul is nothing butaVapour,that vanishesand disperses itselfat death. SocratescombatsthatOpinionwithanAr
gument that has a great deal of strength in his ? . . ? . Mouth,
? ? The Introduction tq Phedoiu 71
Mouth, but becomes much stronger when supported by the true Religion, which alone can set it in its full Light. "The Argument is this : In Nature, contraries produce their contraries. <So that Death being an Operation of Nature, ought to produce Life,thatbeingitscontrary. AndbyConsequence theDeadmustbebornagain;theSoulthenisnot dead, since it must revive the Body.
Before we proceed further, 'tisfit to take notice of an Error, that is couch'd under this Principle, which only the Christian Religion can at once dis coverandrefute. 'Tis,thatSocratesandallother Philosophers are infinitely,mistaken in making Death anaturalthing. There'snothingmorefalse. Death issofar frombeingNatural,thatNatureabhorsit,
and it was far from the Design ofGod in the state in
whichManwas firstcreated. Forhecreatedhim
Holy, Innocent, and by consequence Immortal ; ' t w a s o n l y S i n t h a t b r o u g h t D e a t h i n t o t h e W o r l d ? ,
but this fatal League betwixt Sin and Death could not triumph over the Designs of God, who had created Man for Immortality : He knew how to ftatch the Victory out of their Hands, by bringing Man toLifeagain,evenintheShadesandHor rorsofDeathitself. ThusshalltheDeadrevive at the Resurrection, pursuant to the Doctrine os the Christians,which teaches that Death must give uptholewhomithasiwallow'ddown. Sothat the Principle that Socrates did not fully compre hend, isanunshaken Truth,which bearstheMarks of the ancient Tradition that the Heathens had al- ter'dand corrupted.
The third Argument alledg'd by Socrates^s a Proof o f t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l , is t h a t o f R e m e m brance5which. likewise bears theMarks of that ancientTradition corrupted bytheHeathens. To find out the Truth couch'd under this Argument, I advance the following Conjectures.
It seems the Philosophers grounded this Opinion of Remembrance upon some Texts of the Prophets Ee4 that
? ? ya
Ike Introduction to Phedonu
thatthey did notwell understand, such asthatof Jeremiah,BeforeIfornfdtheeinthe BellyIknew thee. And perhaps theirOpinion was fortifiedby the Idea's and Instinct we have of several things thatwereneverlearn'dinthisWorld. Inshort,we meet with unquestionable Marks of certain Resent ments that revive some Lights within our Minds,
prtheRemains ofapastGrandeurthatwelostby Sin. And from whence do those proceed > That inexplicable Cypher has no other l? ey but the K n o w ledgeofOriginalSin. OurSoulwascreatedse as to be adorn'd with all manner ofKnowledge suita bleto itsNature5andnow issensibleofitsbeing
depriv'd of the fame. The Philosophers felt this Misery , and were not admitted to know the true Causes in order to unriddle the Mystery,they invented thiscreation ofSouls before the Body,and a remem brancethat isthe Consequence thereof. But we w h o are guided by a surer Light, know, that if M a n
were not degenerate, he would still enjoy the full knowledge of the Truths he formerly knew j and ifhe. had neverbeen anyotherthancorrupted,he would have had no Idea's of these Truths. This untyes the Knot. Man had knowledge before he was corrupted, and after his Corruption forgot it. He can recover nothing but confus'd Idea's,and stands in need of a new Light to illuminate them. No human Reason could have fathom'd this. It faint ly unravell'd part of the Mystery as well as it could, and the Explication itgave discovers sorqe
footstepsoftheancientTruth. Foritpointsboth to the first state of Happiness and Knowledge, arid tothesecondofMiseryandObscurity. Thusmay we make an useful Application of the Doctrine of Remembrance, and the Errors of Philosophers may oftentimes serve to establish the most incomprehen sible Truths of the- Christian Religion, and shew that the Heathens did not want Traditions relating jo 'em.
The
? ? The Introduction to Phedon. *j
T h e f o u r t h A r g u m e n t is t a k e n f t o m t h e n a t u r e o f the Soul. Destruction reaches only compounded Bodies. Butwemayclearlyperceive,thattheSoul, issimpleandimmaterial, and bearsaresemblance of something divine,immortal and intelligent: for; it imbraces the fpure Essence of Things, it measures all by Idea's which are eternal Patterns, and unites itselftothemwhentheBodydoesnothinderit: So that'tisSpiritual,Indissoluble,and consequently Immortal, asbeingnotcapableordissolutionbyany o t h e r m e a n s t h a n t h e W i l l o f h i m w h o c r e a t e d it.
Notwithstanding the force of these Proofs, and theirtendencytokeepup thishopeintheSoul, So crates and his Friends o w n that 'tis almost impossible towardoffDoubtsandUncertainties. ForourRea sonistoo weakanddegeneratetoarriveatthefull knowledgeoftruthin thisWorld. Sothat'tisa wise Man's business, to chuse from amongst those
Arguments of the Philosophers, for the Immortality
of the Soul, that which to him seems best; and most
forcible, and capable to conduct him safely through
the dangerous Shelves of this Life, till he obtain a
full Assurance either of some Promise, or by some Divine Revelation? forthatistheonlyVesselthat's
securefromdanger. By thisthe mostrefin'dPaga nism pays Homage to the Christian Religion, and aUcolourorexcuseforIncredulityistookoff. For
the Christian Religion affords Promises,' Revelati
ons,and which isyet more considerable,the Accom
plishment of 'em.
T h e y m o v ' d t w o O b j e c t i o n s t o S o c r a t e s ? , o n e , t h a t
. the Soul is only the Harmony resulting from the just proportion of the qualities of the Body j the other, that tho' the Soul be more durable than the Body,yetitdiesatlastafterhavingmadeuseof severalBodies-,justasaMan diesafterhehas
worn severalSuitsofClothes.
Socrates, before he makes any Answer, stops a
little, and deplores the misfortune of Men, who by Rearing the Disputes of the Ignorant, that con
tradict
? ? 7 4
%! &. InttoAuttion to P h e d o m
,
tradicteverything, persuadethemselves,thatthere's no such thing as clear, solid and sensible Reasons, butthateverythingisuncertain. Likeasthose who being cheated by Men become Men-hatersj so they being imposed upon by Arguments, become ha t e r s o f R e a s o n -, t h a t i s , t h e y t a k e u p a n a b s o l u t e
hatred against all Reason in general, and will not hearanyArgument. SocratesmakesouttheInju sticeofthisProcedure. Heshewsthat,whentwo Things are equally uncertain, Wisdom directsusto chusethat which ismost advantageous with the leastdanger. Now,beyondalldispute,suchisthe Immortality of the Soul ; and therefore ought to beembrac'd. ForifthisOpinionprovetrueafter our Death, are not we considerable Gainers ? And ifit prove false, what do we lose ?
Then he attacks that Objection which represents the Soul as a Harmony, and refutesit by solid and convincing Arguments, which at the lame time prove the Immortality ofthe Soul.
His Arguments are these. Harmony always de pends upon the Parts that conspire together, and is never opposite to them ; but the Soul has no dc- pendance upon the Body, and always stands on the opposite fide. Harmony admits of less and more, buttheSouldoesnot:Fromwhence itwouldfol
low, that all Souls should be equal, that none of *em are vicious, and that the Souls of Beasts are equally good, and of the fame natute with those olMen: Which iscontrarytoallReason.
InMuficktheBodycommands theHarmony;but
inNaturetheSoulcommandstheBody. InMu fick, the Harmony can never give a sound contra-A
ry to the particular Sounds of the Parts that bend or unbend, or move ; but in Nature the Soul has a contrary sound to that of the Body : It attacks all its Passions and Desires, it checks, curbs and punishes theBody. So thatitmust needsbeofavery dif ferent and opposite nature ; which proves its Spiri tualityandDivinity. FornothingbutwhatisSpi-
' ritual
? ? 'the Introduction to Phedqh. ^
fual and Divine can be vyholly opposite to what is Material and Earthly.
The Second Objection was, That tho' the Soul might outlive the Body, yet that does not conclude itsImmortality:Sincewe know nothingtothecon trary, but that it dies at last, after having animated the Body several times.
In answer to this Objection, Socrates fays w e must tracethefirstOriginal ofthe Being andCorruption of Entities. If that be once agreed upon, we shall find no difficulty in determining what Things are corruptibleandwhatnot. ButwhatPathshallwe follow inthisEnquiryI Must itbethatofPhyficks? These Phyficks are so uncertain, that instead of be ing instructive , they only blind and mislead us. This he makes out from his own Experience. So that there's a necessity of going beyond this Sci ence, and having recourse to Metaphyficks, which alone can afford us the certain Knowledge of the Reasons and Causes of Beings, and of that which constitutestheirEssences. ForEffectsmay bedisco-
ver'dby theirCauses;buttheCausescanneverbe knownbytheirEffects. And uponthisaccountwe must have recourse to the Divine Knowledge, which Anaxagoras was so sensible of, that he ufher'd in his Treatise of Phyficks by this great Principle, ThatKnowledgeistheCauseofBeing. Butinstead
of keeping up to that Principle, he fell in again
with that of second Causes, and by that means de ceived the Expectation of his Hearers.
'<<? I n o r d e r t o m a k e o u t t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l ,
we mustcorrectthisorderofAnaxagoras,andsound to the bottom of the above-mention'd Principle: Which ifwe do,we shall besatisfied thatGod placed every Thing in the most convenient State. N o w this best and most suitable State must be the Object ofour Enquiry, vTo which purpose we must knowwherein theparticularGoodofeveryparticu lar Thing consists, and what the general Good of all Things is. This discovery will make out the Iitn mortality of the Soul. In
? ? the lntiodnSlioh to Phedon.
In this view Socrates raiseshisThoughts to imma terialQualities,and eternal Idea's;that is,he af firms thatthere'ssomething that isinitselfgood, fine, just and great, which is the first Cause : And that all Things in this World that are good, fine,
just, or great, are only such by the communication of that first Cause : Since there is no other Cause of the Existence of Things, but the participation of the Essence proper to each Subject.
This Participation is so contriv'd, that Contraries
areneverfoundinthefameSubject:From which
Principle it follows by a necessary Consequence, That"
the Soul,which gives Life to the Body, not as an acci
dental F o r m that adheres to it, but as a substantial
Form, subsisting in its self, and living formally by it
self, as the corporeal Idea, and effectually enlivening
the Body, can never be subject to Death, that being
the Opposite of Life : And that the Soul being unca-
pable of dying, cannot be worsted by any attack of
ihis E n e m y ; 'and is in effect imperishable, like the
immaterial Qualities, Justice, Fortitude and Tempe r a n c e ? , b u t w i t h t h i s d i f f e r e n c e , t h a t t h e s e i m m a
terial Qualities subsist independently and of them selves, as being the fame Thing with God himself; whereas the Soul is a created Being, that may be dissolv'dbytheWillofitsCreator. Inaword,the Soul stands in the fame relation to the Life of the Body, that the Idea of God does to the Soul.
The only Objection they could invent upon this Head,was,that the greatness of the Subject,and Man's natural Infirmity, are the two Sources of Man's di strustand incredulityupon thisHead. Whereupon Socrates endeavours to dry up those two Sources.
He attacks their Distrust by shewing that the
Opinion of the Soul's Mortality,suits all the Idea's of
God. For,bythisMortality,Vertuewouldbepre
judicialtoMen ofProbity,andVicebeneficialto the Wicked ? ,which cannot be imagin'd. So that
there's a necessity of another Life for rewarding the
g6o&- and punishing the bad. And the Soul being "? . . jut
? ? the lntrodu&ion to Phedcai;
7 7
Immortal, carries along with it into the other World, itsgood and bad Actions,itsVertues and Vices, whichare. the occasionofitseternalHappinessor Misery. ,From whence, by a necessary Consequence wemaygather,whatcareweoughttohaveofitin thisLifei
To put. astopto the torrentofIncredulity,he has recourse to two Things,which naturallydemand a great deference from Man, and cannot be denied withoutavisibleAuthority. Thefirstis*theGere- monies and Sacrifices of Religion itself,- which are only Representations of what would be put in ex ecution in Hell, The other is, the Authority of Antiquity, which maintain'd thb Immortality of the Soul : In pursuit of which, he mentions some anci ent Traditions, that point to the Truth published by Moses and the Prophets, notwithstanding the Fa blesthatoverwhelm"em. Thuswesee,aPagan, supplies the want of Proof, which is too natural to Man, and silences the most obstinate Prejudices, by having recourse to the Oracles of God, which they were in some measure acquainted with y and by so doing makes answer to Simmias, who had ob
jected that the Doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul,stoodinneedofsomePromiseorDivineRe velationtoprocureitsreception. Tho'someblin ded Christians reject the Authority of our Holy Writ,andrefusetosubmittoit;yetweseeaPa ganhadsomuchLightastomakeuseofittosup port his Faith, if I may so speak, and to strengthen his sweet Hope of a blessed Eternity. He shews, thatheknew how todistinguishthe fabulousPart ofaTraditionfromtheTruth,andaffirmsnothing . but what is conformable to the Scriptures, parti
c u l a r l y , t h e last J u d g m e n t o f t h e G o o d a n d t h e B a d ; the necessary Purgationofthose who departthis Life under a load of Sin ; the eternal Torments of those who committed mortal Sins in thisLife5the Pardon of Venial Sins after Satisfaction and Repen tance;theHappinessofthosewho duringthewhole
course
? ? *g
, . "JbeIntroductiontoPhedon.
Course of their Lives renounc'd the Pleasures of the Body, and Only courted the Pleasure oftrue Know ledgesthatis,theknowledgeofGod;andbeauti
fied their Souls with proper Ornaments, such as Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Liberty and Truth:
He doesnotjokeupon thegroundlessMetempsychosis, or return of Souls to animate Bodies in this Life ?
but speaks seriously, and shews that after Death all's over, the Wicked are thrown for ever into the bottomless Abyss, and the Righteous convey'd to the MansionsofBliss:Thosewho areneitherrighteous nor wicked, butcommittedSinsin thisLife,which they always repented of, are committed to Places of torment, till they be sufficiently purified.
When Socratesmade anend ofhisDiscourse,his 'Friends ask'd what Orders he would give concerning hisAffairs. TheonlyOrdersIgiveyou,reply'dhe, is to take Care of your selves, and to make your
selves as like to God as possible. Then they ask'd him,hoW hewouldbeinterr'd? ThisQuestionof fended him. He would not have himselfconfounded withhisCorps,whichwasonlytobeinterr'd. And tho' the Expression seems to import little, he shew'd that such false Expressions gave very dangerous
Wounds to the Souls of Men.
Hegoesandbathes. HisWifeandChildrenare
broughttohim* Hetalksto'emaminute,andthen dismisses'em. UponhiscomingoutoftheBath, theCupispresentedto'him. Hetakesit,recollects his Thoughts within himself, prays, and drinks it OffwithanadmirabletranquillityofMind. Find ing that he approach'd his End, he gave 'em to k n o w thathe resign'dhisSoul into the Hands ofhim who gave it, and of the true Physician who was coming to heal it. This was the exit of Socrates. Paga nism never afforded such an admirable Example: AndyetacertainmodernAuthorissoignorantof itsBeauty, that he places itinfinitely below that of tetronius, the famous Disciple of Epicurus, He did not emplcy the last Hours of bis Lrfe^ says that
Author,
? ? the Introduction to Phedori
7* Author , in discoursing of the Immortality of the
Saul, &c. but having chosen a more pleasurable and
naturalsortofDeath,imitatedthesweetness ofthe
Swans, and causedfome^agreeable and touching Verf a
toberecitedtohim. Thiswasa fineimitation:It
seemsPetroniusfungwhattheyreadtohim. But
thiswasnotall. Neverthelesscontinueshe,here servedsomeMinutesforthinking ofhisAffairs,and
distributedRewards tosome ofhis Slaves,andpmifRd ethers.
Letthem talk0/Socrates,fayshe, andboastof his Constancy and Bravery in drinking up the Pay- s o n . '. P e t r o n i u s i s n o t b e h i n d h i m ; n a y , h e i s j u s t l y entitledto a preference upon thescore of hisforsaking
a U s e infinitely more delightful than that of the Sage Grecian, and that too with thesame Tranquillity of Mind, andEvenness ofTemper.
WehavenoneedoflongComments,tomakeout the vast difference between the death of Socrates, and that of thisEpicurean, whom Tacitus himself,not withstanding hisPaganism, did not dare to applaud. On one side, we are presented with the view of a. Man , that spent his last Minutes in making his* Friends better, recommending to them the hopes of a blesled Eternity, and shewing what that Hope re- requiresofthem:A ManthatdiedwithhisEyes intent upon God, praying to him, and blessing him, without any reflections upon his Enemies who con demnedhimsounjustly. Ontheotherfidewemeet with a voluptuous Person, in w h o m all Sentiments of Vertue are quite extinguished ; who, to be rid of his own Fears, occasions his own Death, and in his exit would admit of no other Entertainment but agreeable Poems and pleasant Verses;who spent the last Minutes of his Time in rewarding those of his Slaves, who doubtless had been the Ministers and Accomplices of his Sensualities,and leeing those punish'd, who perhaps had shewn an aversion to his Vices,anddiflerv'dhimintheway ofhisPleasures. A good Death ought to be usher'd in by a good
Life
? ? the Introduction to Phedon*
Life. Now,aLifespent;inVice,Effeminacyand Debauchery, ismuch shortofone entirelytakenup in the Exercise of Vertue, and the solid Pleasures pf true Knowledge, and adorn'd with the venerable Ornaments of Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Liber ty,andTruth. OneofSocrates'sdyingwordswas, that/ thole who entertain'd bad Discourses upon Death, wounded the Soul very dangerously. And whatwould nothehavelaidoftholewho scruple not towrite 'em ?
But 'tis probable this Author did not foresee the Consequence of thisunjust Preference. He wrote like a Mali of this World, thai: never knew Socrates. Had he known him, he had certainly form'd ajuster Judgment. And, in likemanner, iffiehad khovin Seneca or P/utdrcb, he had never equall'd or pre- fer'd Petronius to them. Had he made the best use ofhis Understanding, he Would have seen Rea sonstodoubtthatthePetroniusnow read,isnot the Petronius of Tqcitus, whose Death he so much admires, and would have met with some just Ob-
lections, which at least give occasion to suipect its beingsuppositions. ButtoreturntoSocrates.
HisDoctrine, ofDeath'sbeingnoAffliction5but on the contrary, a Passage to a happier Lise, made a considerable Progress.
Some Philosophers gave such lively and forcible Demonstrations of it in their Lectures, that the greatest part of their Disciples
laid violent Hands on themselves, in order to over takethathappierLife. PtolomsusPhiladelpbuspro hibited tiegesias of Cyrenc to teach it in his School, forfearofdispeoplinghisCountries. AndthePo ets of that Prince's Court fiding with their Prince, ascommonlythey do,us'dallmean? todecrythat Doctrine^andthosewho were prevail'dUpon toem braceit. 'TwastheirperniciousComplaisancethat occasion'd what we now read in Callimachus against the Immortality of the Soul ; and above all that fa mous Epigram, Cicero alledges to have been writ against Qeombrotus of Ambracia7 but was certainly
design'd
? ? Phedon : Or, A Dialogue] &c; 8j
defigh'dlikewiseagainstPlata. Tistothispurpose. CleombrotusofAmbracia hayingpaidbis lastCom
pliment to the Sun, threw himselfheadlongfrom the topofaTower intoHell;Notthathehaddoneany thing worthy ofDeath;but only had readPlatos Treatise oftheImmortalityoftheSoul.
But, after all, it redounds to the Glory of So crates and Plato, and the Doctrine of the Immorta lity of the. Soul ; that none but such Enemies as these oppose it.
Phedon:Or,A Dialogsof the Immortality of the SouL
Ecbecrdtes and Phedoul Echec. ~? \bedon, were you by when Socrates drank
JL thePoyson,ordidanyBodygiveyouan Account h o w he behav'd in thatjuncture ?
Phed. Iwaspresent. . ,i. _ ? .
Echec. What were his lastWords then,and how iu Mabi- dy'd he ? You'll oblige me much with the relation :'*** of For the PUiafians have but little Correspondence P. 1^"15'?
with the Athenians, and 'tis a great while since we pej0TMn-i had any Stranger from Athens toacquaint us how nesus. things wept. W e only heard that he dy'd after drinking the Poylbn ; but could not understand any Particulars relating to his Death.
Phed. What ! Did not you hear how he was ar- raign'd ?
Echec. Yes truly, some Body told us that -,and w e thought itstrange that his Sentence was so long in being put in execution after his Trial.
Phed. *Thathappen'donlybychance. Forthe
* Tbedon's Discourse implies that the time of the Ships de parture was uncertain : 'Twas either anticipated or retarded, asthe ConditionoftheShip,andotherOccurrencesrequired. This uncertainty occasions the Difficulty of rinding the true Date of Sofutes's Death. (
Ff day
? ? 82.
Pheddn: Or, A Dialogue
day before his Trial, the Stern of the Sacred Ship which the Athenians fend every Year to Delos, was crown'd for the Voyage.
Echec. WhatisthatSacredShip?
Phed. IfyoubelievetheAthenians,itisthefame Ship in which Theseus transported the 14. young Children to Creet, and brought 'em safe back again ; and 'tis said the Athenians at that time vow'd to Apollo, that if the Children were preserv'd from the impending Danger, they would send every Year to Delos Presents and Victims aboard the fame Ves sel. And this they do ever since. As soon as the Ship is clear'd and ready to put to Sea, they purifie the City, and observe an inviolable Law for put ting none to Death before the return of the Ship. N o w sometimes it stays long out, especially if the Windsbecontrary. ThisFestival,whichisproper ly call'd Theoria, commences when the Priest of Apollohascrown'd theSternoftheShip. Now, as I told you, this happen'd on the day preceeding So-. crates's Trial. And 'twas upon that Account that he was kept so long in Prison, after his Commit ment.
Echec. And during his Imprisonment, what^ did hedo? Whatsaidhe? Whowas withhim? Did the Judges order him to be kept up from Visits ? AnddidhediewithouttheAssistanceofhisFriends?
Phed. Not at all ; several of his Friends stay'd with him to the last Minute.
Echec. Ifyou're at leisure, pray relate the whole , Story.
Phed. At present I have nothing to do, and so shallendeavourtosatisfieyourDemands. *Besides, I take the greatest Pleasure in the World, in speak ing, or hearing others ipeak of Socrates.
* "Phedon had been infinitely oblig'd to Socrates ; for being taken Prisoner in War, and sold to a Merchant that bought Slaves;Socrates,whowasmightyfondofihisGenius,obiig'd Mcika&es or Crito to ransom him ; and receiv'd him into tne Number of his Friends and Disciples.
Echec.
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul.
8j
Echec. Assure your self, Shedon you shall not take more pleasureinipeaking, thanIinhearing. Begin pray, and above all, take Care to omit no thing.
Shed. You'll be surpris'd when you hear what a
Condition I was then in. I was so far from being
sensibly touch'd with the misfortune of a Friend
whom Iloved very tenderly, and who died before my Eyes? ,thatIenvy'dhisCircumstances,andcould
.
not forbear to admire the Goodness, Sweetness and Tranquillity that appear'd in all his Discourses, and
the Bravery he fhew'd upon the approach of Death.
Every thingthatIsaw, furnish'dme withaProof
that he did not pals to the Shades below with
out the assistance ofsome Deity, that took Care to
conduct him and put him in possession of that tran
scendent Felicity of the Blessed. ' But, as on one
hand, these Thoughts stifled all the Sentiments of Compassion, that might seem' due at such a morti
fying fight : So on the other hand, they leflen'd the Pleasure I was wont to have in hearing all his other Discourses, as affectingme with that sorrowful re
flexion, that in the space of a Minute this divine Man-wouldleaveusforever. ThuswasmyHeart
toss'd with contrary Motions, that I could not de
fine. Twas not properly eitherPleasure or Grief,
but aconfusedmixtureofthesetwoPassions,which produc'd almost the lamb effect in all the By-stan-
ders. OnewhilewemeltedintoTears;andano-***/*"*? . ther while gave surprising Signs of real Joy and sen- ^ j , ^ " siblePleasure. Aboveall,Apollodorusdistinguiflsdkenofin himself upon this Occasion ; you knoW his hu-'kApo- mour. lo? y-
Echec. No Body knows itbetter^
Shed. In him was the difference of these Moti ons most observable. As for me and all the rest,' our Behaviour was not so distinguishing, as being fnix'd with the Trouble and Confusion I spoke of just now,
t f i Echec,
? ? $4
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
Echec. W h o was there then besides your self?
Fbed. There were no other Athenians^ but Apol- lodorus, Critobulus, and hisFather Crito, Hermogenes^ Epigenes,E/chines, Antijibenes, Cte/ippus,Menexe- mus^andafewmore. Platowassick.
Echec. Were there no Strangers ?
F b e d . Y e s ? , S i m m i a s t h e T h e b a n ^ w i t h * C e b e s ,
and Phedondes; and from Megara, Euclides and
Terpswn.
Echec. What! Were not Arifiippus and Gfeaw-
Zwtf#. s there ?
PH No,sure;tfor'tissaidtheywereatAE-
gina.
Echec. W h o was there besides ?
Fbed. I believe I have named most of thole that
were there.
Echec. Let's hear then what his last Discourses
were.
* 'Tis the fame Cebeswho made the Table that we now have ; which is an Explication of ah Allegorical Table, that he supposes to have been in the Temple of Saturn at Thebes ; and contains a very ingenious Scheme of a Man's whole Life. IthintsatalltheDoctrinesofSocrates,andthe Styleresem bles that of Vlato.
tTheDelicacyandSaltofthisSatyristhusexplmn'dby DemetriusVhaleraus. "Plato,fayshe,had a mind to suppress the Scandal that Arifiiffns and cleombrotut drew upon them-* selves, by feasting at AEgina, when Socrates their Friend and MasterwasinPrison,withoutdaigningtogotoseehim,or even to assist on the day of his Death, tho' they were then at the entry of the Athenian Harbour. Had he told the whole Story, the Invective had been too particular. But with an admirable Decency and Artfulness he introduces Vbe- den, giving a Lilt ofthose who assisted at his Death, and making Answer to the Question, (Whether they were there or not ? ) That they were at AEgina ; pointing at once to theirDebaucheryandIngratitude. Thisstroakisthemore biting, that the Thing it self paints out the Horror of the Action,andnothethatspeaks. Vlato. mightsecurelyhave attackd ^irtstifpH* and Cleombrotus-,but he chose rather to make use of this Figure, which in effect gives the greater Blow. This isanota'oiePiece ofdelicateSatyr. Mitcntm by charging Vlato with slander upon this score prejudiced himself,' more than Vlato, who wisl always be cry'd up for having this Zeal for his Master.
shed.
? ? ofthe ImmortalityoftheSoul. 85
Fhed. I shall endeavour to give you a full Ac count:Forwe nevermissedone day invisitingSo crates. TothisEndwemeteverymorninginthe Place where he was try'd, whichjoyn'd to the Pri son-,andtherewewaitedtillthePrisonDoors ' wereopen5atwhichtimewewentstraighttohim,
and commonly palled the whole day with him. OnthedayofhisExecution,wecame thithersoo ner than ordinary, having heard as we came out of the City that the Ship was return'd from Debs.
Whenwearriv'dtheGoalerthatusedtoletusin,
came out to us and defir'd we should stay a little andnotgointillhecametoconductus. For,fays^jfim*-
he, the eleven Magistrates are now untying So-^Jft"e0_ crates, and acquainting him that he must die, asw/<<<< <<. / this day. When we came inwe found SocratestheVri/t, *unty'd, and hisWife Xantippe (you know her)^Pl'";
fittingbyhimwithoneofhisChildreninherArmsj^TSw-
and as soon as she spy'd us, she fell a crying and torsoft . makinganoise,asyouknowWomen commonly$<<. -<<>>'? ? ;
do onsuch Occasions. Socrates,saidhe,thisisthet! h'? '
laji time your Friends Jhallfee you. Upon which
Svcrates turning to Crito, says, Critoiprayfend this
Woman home. Accordingly it- was done. Crito's ? Folks carry'd Xantippe oft, who beat her Face and
cry'dbitterly. InthemeantimeSocrates^fictiro,up
on theBed,softlystroakstheplaceofhi*Legwp. crcihvv/ea. theChainhadbeenty'd,andfays,Tomymindvviiai/. -r ? <<<*
Men callPleasure,isa pretty oddfortofaTnlhg,>>/? -'>>><<'>> which agrees admirably well with Pain; rho5 Peo
ple believe ic isquite contrary, because they cannot
meet in one and the same Subject. For w::ojver
enjoys the one, must unavoidably be pofless a ," m e other, as if they were naturallyjoyn'd.
HadAEsopbeenawareofthisTruth,perhapslie had made a Fable of it-,and had told us ,? >n
'* At Athens, afterthe Sentence waspronoune'd enrheCri minal, they untyM him, as being a Vidtim to Deau>>3 w. ic;i it was not lawful to keep in Chains.
Ff3 God
? ? 86 Phedon: Or, A Dialogue
Socrates GoddesigningtoreconcilethesetwoEnemies,and feigning notjjeingabletocompasshisEnd,contentedhirn-
Gds ty'd sc^ witn tJr^nS tnem t0 one Chain ; so that ever ? pleasure sincetheonefollowstheother,accordingtomy
<mdTaintoExperienceatthisMinute. ForthePainoccasion'd onechain, by my Chain, isnow follow'd by a great deal of
? &? ? Measure.
ofarMe. Iam infinitelyglad,repliesCebes interrupting
him, that you have mention'd AEsop. For by so doingyouhaveputitinmyHeadtoaskyouaQue stionthatmany haveask'dofme,oflate,especially
Evenus of Evenus. The Question relates to your Poems in
Eh^acT tuTMngtneFablesofAEsopintoVerse,andmaking To*,the a Hymn to Apollo, They want to know what first'that mov'd you, that never made Verses before, to turn said Habit Poet fince y0U came into the Prison ? IfEvenus asks
JJXJ ? the fameQuestionofmeagain,asIknow hewill, whatwouldyouhavemetofay?
You have nothing to do, fays Socrates, but to tell WI>m mov'd him the plain matter of Fact as it stands-, viz. That Socratesto\jjd notatz\\meantorivalhiminPoetry,forI
a,afieThuknew such an attempt was above my reach-, but
condemn*- tio>>,
orderZtTM
onty to trace tne meaning of some Dreams, and put myselfinacapacityofobeying,incasePoetry happen'd to be the Musick that they allotted for myExercise. Foryoumultknow,thatallmylife- x^me Islave had Dreams, which always recommend-
'hmtoap- ed the fame Thing tome, sometimes in one Form flyhimselfandsometimesinanother. Socrates,saidthey,ap<
toMtsick. plyyourselftoMustek. ThisIalwaystookfora.
simple Exhortation, like that commonly given to
Wisdomu tno^ wn0 runK-aces5orderingme topursuemy
theperfitt. wonted course of Lise, and carry on the study of estMustek. Wisdom, thatImademywholeBusiness,whichis
themostperfectMusick. ButsincemyTrial,the Festival of Apollo having retarded the execution of my Sentence, Ifinsied these Dreams might have
Howtofan-order'd me to apply my self to that vulgar and fjffi7e'S commotl f? rt ? f Musick : And since I was departing
hir exit t^s World, I thought it safer to sanctifie m y self . by
? ? cf the Immortality of the Soul. 87
by obeying the Gods, and essaying to make Verses, thantodisobeythem. PursuanttothisThought,>Tisnot
my firstEssay was aHymn totheGod whole Fesli-verseUt val was then celebrated. After that I consider'dF*i>iethat that atruePoetoughtnotonlytomake Discourses^ak"*7j<>-
inVerse,butlikewiseFables. Nowfindingmyselfu^fiU not disposed to invent new Fables,Iapply'dmy<alengthin self to those of AEsop, and turn'd'thbse into Verse Aristotle'* thatcamefirstintomy Mind. Poeticon.
This, m y dear Cebes, is the Answer you're to give Evenus. Assurehim,thatIwishhimallhappiness; and tell him, that if he be wife, he'll follow me. For inallappearance Iam tomake my Exitthis Day, since the Athenians have given Orders to that effect.
What fort of Counsel isthat you give to Evenus, repliesSymmias;IhaveseenthatManoften:And
? bywhatIknowofhim,Icanpromiseyouhe'llne ver follow you with his Will.
What, fays Socrates, is not Everius a Philoso-^^ pher > * ? vhiioso-
I think so, says Symmiat. piTM ; or
Then, replies Socrates, he, and all others that are *#* be's" worthy of that Profession, will be willing to M-sorryVoet'
lowme. Iknow hewillnotkillhimself,forthat,Self->>>>*rdcr theyfay,isnotlawful.
THE
? ? THE
INTRODUCTION TO
PH? D0N. '
SOcrates inhisApologyandinhisG7/0 teachesus, howweoughttoformourLives;andherehe
instructs us how to die, and what Thoughts to en tertain at 'the hour of death. By explaining his own Views and Designs, which were the Springs of all his Actions, he furnishes us with a Proof of the m o s t i m p o r t a n t o f all T r u t h s , a n d o f t h a t w h i c h o u g h t to regulate our Life. For the Immortality of the Soul is a Point of such importance that itincludes all the Truths of Religion, and all the Motives that
oughttoexciteanddirectus. SothatourfirstDu ty is to satisfie ourselves in this Point : Self-Love, and meer human Interest ought to spur us up to understand it* not to speak, that there is not a more fatalConditionthantobe ignorantofthenatureof Death, which appears as terrible as unavoidable : ForaccordingtotheNotionwehaveofit,wemiy draw Consequences directly opposite, for managing the Conduct of our Lives and the Choice of our Pleasures.
Socrates spends the last day of his Life in discour sing with his Friends upon this great Subject : He unfolds all the Reasons that require the belief or the Immortality of the Soul,and refutes alltheOb jections they mov'd to the contrary, which are the veryfamethataremadeuseofatthisday. Hesi. - monstrates the Hope they ought to have of a hap
Ee3 pier
69
? ? 7P
the fatrodu? lhn to Phedon. ' ,
pier Life ; and lays before them, all that this blefc fed Hope requires, to make itsolid and lasting, t<j prevent their being deluded by a vain Hope, and aP ter all meeting with the Punishment allotted to the Wicked, instead of the Rewards provided for the Good.
This Conference was occasion'd by a Truth that was casually started, viz. That a true Philosopher ought to desire to die, and to endeavour it. This Position taken literally, seem'd to insinuate that a Philosopher might lay. violent Hands oh himself. But Socrates makes it out, that there's nothing more unjust; and that, for so much as Man is God's Creature and Property, he ought not not to remove
outofthisLifewithouthisOrders. What should
it be then that made the Philosopher have such a *n could iove for Death * ? What is the Ground of this
L"? 'ftLH? Pe-? Here we are Presented w"n the Grounds cftixgood assigns by a -Heathen Philosopher, viz. M a n is born
thingshe to know the Truth, but he can never attain to a existed in perfect Knowledge of it in this Life, by reason that
TM r
hisBody isan Obstacle;Perfect Knowledgeisre-
ierv'diortheLifetocome. ThentheSoulmust be Immortal , since after death it operates and knows. As for Man's being born for'the Know
ledge of Truth, that cannot be call'd in question, since he was born to know God,
From thence itfollows, that a true Philosopher hatesand contemnsthisBody,whichstandsinthe way of his Union to God, that he wishes to b& rid of it, and looks upon Death as a Passage to a better Life. This solid Hope gives Being to that true Temperance and Valour which is the Lot of true Philosophers;forotherMen areonly valiant through Fear, and temperate through Intemperance j theirVertueisonlyaSlavetoVice,? ? <? ' ? ? ?
They object to Socrates, That the Soul is nothing butaVapour,that vanishesand disperses itselfat death. SocratescombatsthatOpinionwithanAr
gument that has a great deal of strength in his ? . . ? . Mouth,
? ? The Introduction tq Phedoiu 71
Mouth, but becomes much stronger when supported by the true Religion, which alone can set it in its full Light. "The Argument is this : In Nature, contraries produce their contraries. <So that Death being an Operation of Nature, ought to produce Life,thatbeingitscontrary. AndbyConsequence theDeadmustbebornagain;theSoulthenisnot dead, since it must revive the Body.
Before we proceed further, 'tisfit to take notice of an Error, that is couch'd under this Principle, which only the Christian Religion can at once dis coverandrefute. 'Tis,thatSocratesandallother Philosophers are infinitely,mistaken in making Death anaturalthing. There'snothingmorefalse. Death issofar frombeingNatural,thatNatureabhorsit,
and it was far from the Design ofGod in the state in
whichManwas firstcreated. Forhecreatedhim
Holy, Innocent, and by consequence Immortal ; ' t w a s o n l y S i n t h a t b r o u g h t D e a t h i n t o t h e W o r l d ? ,
but this fatal League betwixt Sin and Death could not triumph over the Designs of God, who had created Man for Immortality : He knew how to ftatch the Victory out of their Hands, by bringing Man toLifeagain,evenintheShadesandHor rorsofDeathitself. ThusshalltheDeadrevive at the Resurrection, pursuant to the Doctrine os the Christians,which teaches that Death must give uptholewhomithasiwallow'ddown. Sothat the Principle that Socrates did not fully compre hend, isanunshaken Truth,which bearstheMarks of the ancient Tradition that the Heathens had al- ter'dand corrupted.
The third Argument alledg'd by Socrates^s a Proof o f t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l , is t h a t o f R e m e m brance5which. likewise bears theMarks of that ancientTradition corrupted bytheHeathens. To find out the Truth couch'd under this Argument, I advance the following Conjectures.
It seems the Philosophers grounded this Opinion of Remembrance upon some Texts of the Prophets Ee4 that
? ? ya
Ike Introduction to Phedonu
thatthey did notwell understand, such asthatof Jeremiah,BeforeIfornfdtheeinthe BellyIknew thee. And perhaps theirOpinion was fortifiedby the Idea's and Instinct we have of several things thatwereneverlearn'dinthisWorld. Inshort,we meet with unquestionable Marks of certain Resent ments that revive some Lights within our Minds,
prtheRemains ofapastGrandeurthatwelostby Sin. And from whence do those proceed > That inexplicable Cypher has no other l? ey but the K n o w ledgeofOriginalSin. OurSoulwascreatedse as to be adorn'd with all manner ofKnowledge suita bleto itsNature5andnow issensibleofitsbeing
depriv'd of the fame. The Philosophers felt this Misery , and were not admitted to know the true Causes in order to unriddle the Mystery,they invented thiscreation ofSouls before the Body,and a remem brancethat isthe Consequence thereof. But we w h o are guided by a surer Light, know, that if M a n
were not degenerate, he would still enjoy the full knowledge of the Truths he formerly knew j and ifhe. had neverbeen anyotherthancorrupted,he would have had no Idea's of these Truths. This untyes the Knot. Man had knowledge before he was corrupted, and after his Corruption forgot it. He can recover nothing but confus'd Idea's,and stands in need of a new Light to illuminate them. No human Reason could have fathom'd this. It faint ly unravell'd part of the Mystery as well as it could, and the Explication itgave discovers sorqe
footstepsoftheancientTruth. Foritpointsboth to the first state of Happiness and Knowledge, arid tothesecondofMiseryandObscurity. Thusmay we make an useful Application of the Doctrine of Remembrance, and the Errors of Philosophers may oftentimes serve to establish the most incomprehen sible Truths of the- Christian Religion, and shew that the Heathens did not want Traditions relating jo 'em.
The
? ? The Introduction to Phedon. *j
T h e f o u r t h A r g u m e n t is t a k e n f t o m t h e n a t u r e o f the Soul. Destruction reaches only compounded Bodies. Butwemayclearlyperceive,thattheSoul, issimpleandimmaterial, and bearsaresemblance of something divine,immortal and intelligent: for; it imbraces the fpure Essence of Things, it measures all by Idea's which are eternal Patterns, and unites itselftothemwhentheBodydoesnothinderit: So that'tisSpiritual,Indissoluble,and consequently Immortal, asbeingnotcapableordissolutionbyany o t h e r m e a n s t h a n t h e W i l l o f h i m w h o c r e a t e d it.
Notwithstanding the force of these Proofs, and theirtendencytokeepup thishopeintheSoul, So crates and his Friends o w n that 'tis almost impossible towardoffDoubtsandUncertainties. ForourRea sonistoo weakanddegeneratetoarriveatthefull knowledgeoftruthin thisWorld. Sothat'tisa wise Man's business, to chuse from amongst those
Arguments of the Philosophers, for the Immortality
of the Soul, that which to him seems best; and most
forcible, and capable to conduct him safely through
the dangerous Shelves of this Life, till he obtain a
full Assurance either of some Promise, or by some Divine Revelation? forthatistheonlyVesselthat's
securefromdanger. By thisthe mostrefin'dPaga nism pays Homage to the Christian Religion, and aUcolourorexcuseforIncredulityistookoff. For
the Christian Religion affords Promises,' Revelati
ons,and which isyet more considerable,the Accom
plishment of 'em.
T h e y m o v ' d t w o O b j e c t i o n s t o S o c r a t e s ? , o n e , t h a t
. the Soul is only the Harmony resulting from the just proportion of the qualities of the Body j the other, that tho' the Soul be more durable than the Body,yetitdiesatlastafterhavingmadeuseof severalBodies-,justasaMan diesafterhehas
worn severalSuitsofClothes.
Socrates, before he makes any Answer, stops a
little, and deplores the misfortune of Men, who by Rearing the Disputes of the Ignorant, that con
tradict
? ? 7 4
%! &. InttoAuttion to P h e d o m
,
tradicteverything, persuadethemselves,thatthere's no such thing as clear, solid and sensible Reasons, butthateverythingisuncertain. Likeasthose who being cheated by Men become Men-hatersj so they being imposed upon by Arguments, become ha t e r s o f R e a s o n -, t h a t i s , t h e y t a k e u p a n a b s o l u t e
hatred against all Reason in general, and will not hearanyArgument. SocratesmakesouttheInju sticeofthisProcedure. Heshewsthat,whentwo Things are equally uncertain, Wisdom directsusto chusethat which ismost advantageous with the leastdanger. Now,beyondalldispute,suchisthe Immortality of the Soul ; and therefore ought to beembrac'd. ForifthisOpinionprovetrueafter our Death, are not we considerable Gainers ? And ifit prove false, what do we lose ?
Then he attacks that Objection which represents the Soul as a Harmony, and refutesit by solid and convincing Arguments, which at the lame time prove the Immortality ofthe Soul.
His Arguments are these. Harmony always de pends upon the Parts that conspire together, and is never opposite to them ; but the Soul has no dc- pendance upon the Body, and always stands on the opposite fide. Harmony admits of less and more, buttheSouldoesnot:Fromwhence itwouldfol
low, that all Souls should be equal, that none of *em are vicious, and that the Souls of Beasts are equally good, and of the fame natute with those olMen: Which iscontrarytoallReason.
InMuficktheBodycommands theHarmony;but
inNaturetheSoulcommandstheBody. InMu fick, the Harmony can never give a sound contra-A
ry to the particular Sounds of the Parts that bend or unbend, or move ; but in Nature the Soul has a contrary sound to that of the Body : It attacks all its Passions and Desires, it checks, curbs and punishes theBody. So thatitmust needsbeofavery dif ferent and opposite nature ; which proves its Spiri tualityandDivinity. FornothingbutwhatisSpi-
' ritual
? ? 'the Introduction to Phedqh. ^
fual and Divine can be vyholly opposite to what is Material and Earthly.
The Second Objection was, That tho' the Soul might outlive the Body, yet that does not conclude itsImmortality:Sincewe know nothingtothecon trary, but that it dies at last, after having animated the Body several times.
In answer to this Objection, Socrates fays w e must tracethefirstOriginal ofthe Being andCorruption of Entities. If that be once agreed upon, we shall find no difficulty in determining what Things are corruptibleandwhatnot. ButwhatPathshallwe follow inthisEnquiryI Must itbethatofPhyficks? These Phyficks are so uncertain, that instead of be ing instructive , they only blind and mislead us. This he makes out from his own Experience. So that there's a necessity of going beyond this Sci ence, and having recourse to Metaphyficks, which alone can afford us the certain Knowledge of the Reasons and Causes of Beings, and of that which constitutestheirEssences. ForEffectsmay bedisco-
ver'dby theirCauses;buttheCausescanneverbe knownbytheirEffects. And uponthisaccountwe must have recourse to the Divine Knowledge, which Anaxagoras was so sensible of, that he ufher'd in his Treatise of Phyficks by this great Principle, ThatKnowledgeistheCauseofBeing. Butinstead
of keeping up to that Principle, he fell in again
with that of second Causes, and by that means de ceived the Expectation of his Hearers.
'<<? I n o r d e r t o m a k e o u t t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l ,
we mustcorrectthisorderofAnaxagoras,andsound to the bottom of the above-mention'd Principle: Which ifwe do,we shall besatisfied thatGod placed every Thing in the most convenient State. N o w this best and most suitable State must be the Object ofour Enquiry, vTo which purpose we must knowwherein theparticularGoodofeveryparticu lar Thing consists, and what the general Good of all Things is. This discovery will make out the Iitn mortality of the Soul. In
? ? the lntiodnSlioh to Phedon.
In this view Socrates raiseshisThoughts to imma terialQualities,and eternal Idea's;that is,he af firms thatthere'ssomething that isinitselfgood, fine, just and great, which is the first Cause : And that all Things in this World that are good, fine,
just, or great, are only such by the communication of that first Cause : Since there is no other Cause of the Existence of Things, but the participation of the Essence proper to each Subject.
This Participation is so contriv'd, that Contraries
areneverfoundinthefameSubject:From which
Principle it follows by a necessary Consequence, That"
the Soul,which gives Life to the Body, not as an acci
dental F o r m that adheres to it, but as a substantial
Form, subsisting in its self, and living formally by it
self, as the corporeal Idea, and effectually enlivening
the Body, can never be subject to Death, that being
the Opposite of Life : And that the Soul being unca-
pable of dying, cannot be worsted by any attack of
ihis E n e m y ; 'and is in effect imperishable, like the
immaterial Qualities, Justice, Fortitude and Tempe r a n c e ? , b u t w i t h t h i s d i f f e r e n c e , t h a t t h e s e i m m a
terial Qualities subsist independently and of them selves, as being the fame Thing with God himself; whereas the Soul is a created Being, that may be dissolv'dbytheWillofitsCreator. Inaword,the Soul stands in the fame relation to the Life of the Body, that the Idea of God does to the Soul.
The only Objection they could invent upon this Head,was,that the greatness of the Subject,and Man's natural Infirmity, are the two Sources of Man's di strustand incredulityupon thisHead. Whereupon Socrates endeavours to dry up those two Sources.
He attacks their Distrust by shewing that the
Opinion of the Soul's Mortality,suits all the Idea's of
God. For,bythisMortality,Vertuewouldbepre
judicialtoMen ofProbity,andVicebeneficialto the Wicked ? ,which cannot be imagin'd. So that
there's a necessity of another Life for rewarding the
g6o&- and punishing the bad. And the Soul being "? . . jut
? ? the lntrodu&ion to Phedcai;
7 7
Immortal, carries along with it into the other World, itsgood and bad Actions,itsVertues and Vices, whichare. the occasionofitseternalHappinessor Misery. ,From whence, by a necessary Consequence wemaygather,whatcareweoughttohaveofitin thisLifei
To put. astopto the torrentofIncredulity,he has recourse to two Things,which naturallydemand a great deference from Man, and cannot be denied withoutavisibleAuthority. Thefirstis*theGere- monies and Sacrifices of Religion itself,- which are only Representations of what would be put in ex ecution in Hell, The other is, the Authority of Antiquity, which maintain'd thb Immortality of the Soul : In pursuit of which, he mentions some anci ent Traditions, that point to the Truth published by Moses and the Prophets, notwithstanding the Fa blesthatoverwhelm"em. Thuswesee,aPagan, supplies the want of Proof, which is too natural to Man, and silences the most obstinate Prejudices, by having recourse to the Oracles of God, which they were in some measure acquainted with y and by so doing makes answer to Simmias, who had ob
jected that the Doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul,stoodinneedofsomePromiseorDivineRe velationtoprocureitsreception. Tho'someblin ded Christians reject the Authority of our Holy Writ,andrefusetosubmittoit;yetweseeaPa ganhadsomuchLightastomakeuseofittosup port his Faith, if I may so speak, and to strengthen his sweet Hope of a blessed Eternity. He shews, thatheknew how todistinguishthe fabulousPart ofaTraditionfromtheTruth,andaffirmsnothing . but what is conformable to the Scriptures, parti
c u l a r l y , t h e last J u d g m e n t o f t h e G o o d a n d t h e B a d ; the necessary Purgationofthose who departthis Life under a load of Sin ; the eternal Torments of those who committed mortal Sins in thisLife5the Pardon of Venial Sins after Satisfaction and Repen tance;theHappinessofthosewho duringthewhole
course
? ? *g
, . "JbeIntroductiontoPhedon.
Course of their Lives renounc'd the Pleasures of the Body, and Only courted the Pleasure oftrue Know ledgesthatis,theknowledgeofGod;andbeauti
fied their Souls with proper Ornaments, such as Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Liberty and Truth:
He doesnotjokeupon thegroundlessMetempsychosis, or return of Souls to animate Bodies in this Life ?
but speaks seriously, and shews that after Death all's over, the Wicked are thrown for ever into the bottomless Abyss, and the Righteous convey'd to the MansionsofBliss:Thosewho areneitherrighteous nor wicked, butcommittedSinsin thisLife,which they always repented of, are committed to Places of torment, till they be sufficiently purified.
When Socratesmade anend ofhisDiscourse,his 'Friends ask'd what Orders he would give concerning hisAffairs. TheonlyOrdersIgiveyou,reply'dhe, is to take Care of your selves, and to make your
selves as like to God as possible. Then they ask'd him,hoW hewouldbeinterr'd? ThisQuestionof fended him. He would not have himselfconfounded withhisCorps,whichwasonlytobeinterr'd. And tho' the Expression seems to import little, he shew'd that such false Expressions gave very dangerous
Wounds to the Souls of Men.
Hegoesandbathes. HisWifeandChildrenare
broughttohim* Hetalksto'emaminute,andthen dismisses'em. UponhiscomingoutoftheBath, theCupispresentedto'him. Hetakesit,recollects his Thoughts within himself, prays, and drinks it OffwithanadmirabletranquillityofMind. Find ing that he approach'd his End, he gave 'em to k n o w thathe resign'dhisSoul into the Hands ofhim who gave it, and of the true Physician who was coming to heal it. This was the exit of Socrates. Paga nism never afforded such an admirable Example: AndyetacertainmodernAuthorissoignorantof itsBeauty, that he places itinfinitely below that of tetronius, the famous Disciple of Epicurus, He did not emplcy the last Hours of bis Lrfe^ says that
Author,
? ? the Introduction to Phedori
7* Author , in discoursing of the Immortality of the
Saul, &c. but having chosen a more pleasurable and
naturalsortofDeath,imitatedthesweetness ofthe
Swans, and causedfome^agreeable and touching Verf a
toberecitedtohim. Thiswasa fineimitation:It
seemsPetroniusfungwhattheyreadtohim. But
thiswasnotall. Neverthelesscontinueshe,here servedsomeMinutesforthinking ofhisAffairs,and
distributedRewards tosome ofhis Slaves,andpmifRd ethers.
Letthem talk0/Socrates,fayshe, andboastof his Constancy and Bravery in drinking up the Pay- s o n . '. P e t r o n i u s i s n o t b e h i n d h i m ; n a y , h e i s j u s t l y entitledto a preference upon thescore of hisforsaking
a U s e infinitely more delightful than that of the Sage Grecian, and that too with thesame Tranquillity of Mind, andEvenness ofTemper.
WehavenoneedoflongComments,tomakeout the vast difference between the death of Socrates, and that of thisEpicurean, whom Tacitus himself,not withstanding hisPaganism, did not dare to applaud. On one side, we are presented with the view of a. Man , that spent his last Minutes in making his* Friends better, recommending to them the hopes of a blesled Eternity, and shewing what that Hope re- requiresofthem:A ManthatdiedwithhisEyes intent upon God, praying to him, and blessing him, without any reflections upon his Enemies who con demnedhimsounjustly. Ontheotherfidewemeet with a voluptuous Person, in w h o m all Sentiments of Vertue are quite extinguished ; who, to be rid of his own Fears, occasions his own Death, and in his exit would admit of no other Entertainment but agreeable Poems and pleasant Verses;who spent the last Minutes of his Time in rewarding those of his Slaves, who doubtless had been the Ministers and Accomplices of his Sensualities,and leeing those punish'd, who perhaps had shewn an aversion to his Vices,anddiflerv'dhimintheway ofhisPleasures. A good Death ought to be usher'd in by a good
Life
? ? the Introduction to Phedon*
Life. Now,aLifespent;inVice,Effeminacyand Debauchery, ismuch shortofone entirelytakenup in the Exercise of Vertue, and the solid Pleasures pf true Knowledge, and adorn'd with the venerable Ornaments of Temperance, Justice, Fortitude, Liber ty,andTruth. OneofSocrates'sdyingwordswas, that/ thole who entertain'd bad Discourses upon Death, wounded the Soul very dangerously. And whatwould nothehavelaidoftholewho scruple not towrite 'em ?
But 'tis probable this Author did not foresee the Consequence of thisunjust Preference. He wrote like a Mali of this World, thai: never knew Socrates. Had he known him, he had certainly form'd ajuster Judgment. And, in likemanner, iffiehad khovin Seneca or P/utdrcb, he had never equall'd or pre- fer'd Petronius to them. Had he made the best use ofhis Understanding, he Would have seen Rea sonstodoubtthatthePetroniusnow read,isnot the Petronius of Tqcitus, whose Death he so much admires, and would have met with some just Ob-
lections, which at least give occasion to suipect its beingsuppositions. ButtoreturntoSocrates.
HisDoctrine, ofDeath'sbeingnoAffliction5but on the contrary, a Passage to a happier Lise, made a considerable Progress.
Some Philosophers gave such lively and forcible Demonstrations of it in their Lectures, that the greatest part of their Disciples
laid violent Hands on themselves, in order to over takethathappierLife. PtolomsusPhiladelpbuspro hibited tiegesias of Cyrenc to teach it in his School, forfearofdispeoplinghisCountries. AndthePo ets of that Prince's Court fiding with their Prince, ascommonlythey do,us'dallmean? todecrythat Doctrine^andthosewho were prevail'dUpon toem braceit. 'TwastheirperniciousComplaisancethat occasion'd what we now read in Callimachus against the Immortality of the Soul ; and above all that fa mous Epigram, Cicero alledges to have been writ against Qeombrotus of Ambracia7 but was certainly
design'd
? ? Phedon : Or, A Dialogue] &c; 8j
defigh'dlikewiseagainstPlata. Tistothispurpose. CleombrotusofAmbracia hayingpaidbis lastCom
pliment to the Sun, threw himselfheadlongfrom the topofaTower intoHell;Notthathehaddoneany thing worthy ofDeath;but only had readPlatos Treatise oftheImmortalityoftheSoul.
But, after all, it redounds to the Glory of So crates and Plato, and the Doctrine of the Immorta lity of the. Soul ; that none but such Enemies as these oppose it.
Phedon:Or,A Dialogsof the Immortality of the SouL
Ecbecrdtes and Phedoul Echec. ~? \bedon, were you by when Socrates drank
JL thePoyson,ordidanyBodygiveyouan Account h o w he behav'd in thatjuncture ?
Phed. Iwaspresent. . ,i. _ ? .
Echec. What were his lastWords then,and how iu Mabi- dy'd he ? You'll oblige me much with the relation :'*** of For the PUiafians have but little Correspondence P. 1^"15'?
with the Athenians, and 'tis a great while since we pej0TMn-i had any Stranger from Athens toacquaint us how nesus. things wept. W e only heard that he dy'd after drinking the Poylbn ; but could not understand any Particulars relating to his Death.
Phed. What ! Did not you hear how he was ar- raign'd ?
Echec. Yes truly, some Body told us that -,and w e thought itstrange that his Sentence was so long in being put in execution after his Trial.
Phed. *Thathappen'donlybychance. Forthe
* Tbedon's Discourse implies that the time of the Ships de parture was uncertain : 'Twas either anticipated or retarded, asthe ConditionoftheShip,andotherOccurrencesrequired. This uncertainty occasions the Difficulty of rinding the true Date of Sofutes's Death. (
Ff day
? ? 82.
Pheddn: Or, A Dialogue
day before his Trial, the Stern of the Sacred Ship which the Athenians fend every Year to Delos, was crown'd for the Voyage.
Echec. WhatisthatSacredShip?
Phed. IfyoubelievetheAthenians,itisthefame Ship in which Theseus transported the 14. young Children to Creet, and brought 'em safe back again ; and 'tis said the Athenians at that time vow'd to Apollo, that if the Children were preserv'd from the impending Danger, they would send every Year to Delos Presents and Victims aboard the fame Ves sel. And this they do ever since. As soon as the Ship is clear'd and ready to put to Sea, they purifie the City, and observe an inviolable Law for put ting none to Death before the return of the Ship. N o w sometimes it stays long out, especially if the Windsbecontrary. ThisFestival,whichisproper ly call'd Theoria, commences when the Priest of Apollohascrown'd theSternoftheShip. Now, as I told you, this happen'd on the day preceeding So-. crates's Trial. And 'twas upon that Account that he was kept so long in Prison, after his Commit ment.
Echec. And during his Imprisonment, what^ did hedo? Whatsaidhe? Whowas withhim? Did the Judges order him to be kept up from Visits ? AnddidhediewithouttheAssistanceofhisFriends?
Phed. Not at all ; several of his Friends stay'd with him to the last Minute.
Echec. Ifyou're at leisure, pray relate the whole , Story.
Phed. At present I have nothing to do, and so shallendeavourtosatisfieyourDemands. *Besides, I take the greatest Pleasure in the World, in speak ing, or hearing others ipeak of Socrates.
* "Phedon had been infinitely oblig'd to Socrates ; for being taken Prisoner in War, and sold to a Merchant that bought Slaves;Socrates,whowasmightyfondofihisGenius,obiig'd Mcika&es or Crito to ransom him ; and receiv'd him into tne Number of his Friends and Disciples.
Echec.
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul.
8j
Echec. Assure your self, Shedon you shall not take more pleasureinipeaking, thanIinhearing. Begin pray, and above all, take Care to omit no thing.
Shed. You'll be surpris'd when you hear what a
Condition I was then in. I was so far from being
sensibly touch'd with the misfortune of a Friend
whom Iloved very tenderly, and who died before my Eyes? ,thatIenvy'dhisCircumstances,andcould
.
not forbear to admire the Goodness, Sweetness and Tranquillity that appear'd in all his Discourses, and
the Bravery he fhew'd upon the approach of Death.
Every thingthatIsaw, furnish'dme withaProof
that he did not pals to the Shades below with
out the assistance ofsome Deity, that took Care to
conduct him and put him in possession of that tran
scendent Felicity of the Blessed. ' But, as on one
hand, these Thoughts stifled all the Sentiments of Compassion, that might seem' due at such a morti
fying fight : So on the other hand, they leflen'd the Pleasure I was wont to have in hearing all his other Discourses, as affectingme with that sorrowful re
flexion, that in the space of a Minute this divine Man-wouldleaveusforever. ThuswasmyHeart
toss'd with contrary Motions, that I could not de
fine. Twas not properly eitherPleasure or Grief,
but aconfusedmixtureofthesetwoPassions,which produc'd almost the lamb effect in all the By-stan-
ders. OnewhilewemeltedintoTears;andano-***/*"*? . ther while gave surprising Signs of real Joy and sen- ^ j , ^ " siblePleasure. Aboveall,Apollodorusdistinguiflsdkenofin himself upon this Occasion ; you knoW his hu-'kApo- mour. lo? y-
Echec. No Body knows itbetter^
Shed. In him was the difference of these Moti ons most observable. As for me and all the rest,' our Behaviour was not so distinguishing, as being fnix'd with the Trouble and Confusion I spoke of just now,
t f i Echec,
? ? $4
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
Echec. W h o was there then besides your self?
Fbed. There were no other Athenians^ but Apol- lodorus, Critobulus, and hisFather Crito, Hermogenes^ Epigenes,E/chines, Antijibenes, Cte/ippus,Menexe- mus^andafewmore. Platowassick.
Echec. Were there no Strangers ?
F b e d . Y e s ? , S i m m i a s t h e T h e b a n ^ w i t h * C e b e s ,
and Phedondes; and from Megara, Euclides and
Terpswn.
Echec. What! Were not Arifiippus and Gfeaw-
Zwtf#. s there ?
PH No,sure;tfor'tissaidtheywereatAE-
gina.
Echec. W h o was there besides ?
Fbed. I believe I have named most of thole that
were there.
Echec. Let's hear then what his last Discourses
were.
* 'Tis the fame Cebeswho made the Table that we now have ; which is an Explication of ah Allegorical Table, that he supposes to have been in the Temple of Saturn at Thebes ; and contains a very ingenious Scheme of a Man's whole Life. IthintsatalltheDoctrinesofSocrates,andthe Styleresem bles that of Vlato.
tTheDelicacyandSaltofthisSatyristhusexplmn'dby DemetriusVhaleraus. "Plato,fayshe,had a mind to suppress the Scandal that Arifiiffns and cleombrotut drew upon them-* selves, by feasting at AEgina, when Socrates their Friend and MasterwasinPrison,withoutdaigningtogotoseehim,or even to assist on the day of his Death, tho' they were then at the entry of the Athenian Harbour. Had he told the whole Story, the Invective had been too particular. But with an admirable Decency and Artfulness he introduces Vbe- den, giving a Lilt ofthose who assisted at his Death, and making Answer to the Question, (Whether they were there or not ? ) That they were at AEgina ; pointing at once to theirDebaucheryandIngratitude. Thisstroakisthemore biting, that the Thing it self paints out the Horror of the Action,andnothethatspeaks. Vlato. mightsecurelyhave attackd ^irtstifpH* and Cleombrotus-,but he chose rather to make use of this Figure, which in effect gives the greater Blow. This isanota'oiePiece ofdelicateSatyr. Mitcntm by charging Vlato with slander upon this score prejudiced himself,' more than Vlato, who wisl always be cry'd up for having this Zeal for his Master.
shed.
? ? ofthe ImmortalityoftheSoul. 85
Fhed. I shall endeavour to give you a full Ac count:Forwe nevermissedone day invisitingSo crates. TothisEndwemeteverymorninginthe Place where he was try'd, whichjoyn'd to the Pri son-,andtherewewaitedtillthePrisonDoors ' wereopen5atwhichtimewewentstraighttohim,
and commonly palled the whole day with him. OnthedayofhisExecution,wecame thithersoo ner than ordinary, having heard as we came out of the City that the Ship was return'd from Debs.
Whenwearriv'dtheGoalerthatusedtoletusin,
came out to us and defir'd we should stay a little andnotgointillhecametoconductus. For,fays^jfim*-
he, the eleven Magistrates are now untying So-^Jft"e0_ crates, and acquainting him that he must die, asw/<<<< <<. / this day. When we came inwe found SocratestheVri/t, *unty'd, and hisWife Xantippe (you know her)^Pl'";
fittingbyhimwithoneofhisChildreninherArmsj^TSw-
and as soon as she spy'd us, she fell a crying and torsoft . makinganoise,asyouknowWomen commonly$<<. -<<>>'? ? ;
do onsuch Occasions. Socrates,saidhe,thisisthet! h'? '
laji time your Friends Jhallfee you. Upon which
Svcrates turning to Crito, says, Critoiprayfend this
Woman home. Accordingly it- was done. Crito's ? Folks carry'd Xantippe oft, who beat her Face and
cry'dbitterly. InthemeantimeSocrates^fictiro,up
on theBed,softlystroakstheplaceofhi*Legwp. crcihvv/ea. theChainhadbeenty'd,andfays,Tomymindvviiai/. -r ? <<<*
Men callPleasure,isa pretty oddfortofaTnlhg,>>/? -'>>><<'>> which agrees admirably well with Pain; rho5 Peo
ple believe ic isquite contrary, because they cannot
meet in one and the same Subject. For w::ojver
enjoys the one, must unavoidably be pofless a ," m e other, as if they were naturallyjoyn'd.
HadAEsopbeenawareofthisTruth,perhapslie had made a Fable of it-,and had told us ,? >n
'* At Athens, afterthe Sentence waspronoune'd enrheCri minal, they untyM him, as being a Vidtim to Deau>>3 w. ic;i it was not lawful to keep in Chains.
Ff3 God
? ? 86 Phedon: Or, A Dialogue
Socrates GoddesigningtoreconcilethesetwoEnemies,and feigning notjjeingabletocompasshisEnd,contentedhirn-
Gds ty'd sc^ witn tJr^nS tnem t0 one Chain ; so that ever ? pleasure sincetheonefollowstheother,accordingtomy
<mdTaintoExperienceatthisMinute. ForthePainoccasion'd onechain, by my Chain, isnow follow'd by a great deal of
? &? ? Measure.
ofarMe. Iam infinitelyglad,repliesCebes interrupting
him, that you have mention'd AEsop. For by so doingyouhaveputitinmyHeadtoaskyouaQue stionthatmany haveask'dofme,oflate,especially
Evenus of Evenus. The Question relates to your Poems in
Eh^acT tuTMngtneFablesofAEsopintoVerse,andmaking To*,the a Hymn to Apollo, They want to know what first'that mov'd you, that never made Verses before, to turn said Habit Poet fince y0U came into the Prison ? IfEvenus asks
JJXJ ? the fameQuestionofmeagain,asIknow hewill, whatwouldyouhavemetofay?
You have nothing to do, fays Socrates, but to tell WI>m mov'd him the plain matter of Fact as it stands-, viz. That Socratesto\jjd notatz\\meantorivalhiminPoetry,forI
a,afieThuknew such an attempt was above my reach-, but
condemn*- tio>>,
orderZtTM
onty to trace tne meaning of some Dreams, and put myselfinacapacityofobeying,incasePoetry happen'd to be the Musick that they allotted for myExercise. Foryoumultknow,thatallmylife- x^me Islave had Dreams, which always recommend-
'hmtoap- ed the fame Thing tome, sometimes in one Form flyhimselfandsometimesinanother. Socrates,saidthey,ap<
toMtsick. plyyourselftoMustek. ThisIalwaystookfora.
simple Exhortation, like that commonly given to
Wisdomu tno^ wn0 runK-aces5orderingme topursuemy
theperfitt. wonted course of Lise, and carry on the study of estMustek. Wisdom, thatImademywholeBusiness,whichis
themostperfectMusick. ButsincemyTrial,the Festival of Apollo having retarded the execution of my Sentence, Ifinsied these Dreams might have
Howtofan-order'd me to apply my self to that vulgar and fjffi7e'S commotl f? rt ? f Musick : And since I was departing
hir exit t^s World, I thought it safer to sanctifie m y self . by
? ? cf the Immortality of the Soul. 87
by obeying the Gods, and essaying to make Verses, thantodisobeythem. PursuanttothisThought,>Tisnot
my firstEssay was aHymn totheGod whole Fesli-verseUt val was then celebrated. After that I consider'dF*i>iethat that atruePoetoughtnotonlytomake Discourses^ak"*7j<>-
inVerse,butlikewiseFables. Nowfindingmyselfu^fiU not disposed to invent new Fables,Iapply'dmy<alengthin self to those of AEsop, and turn'd'thbse into Verse Aristotle'* thatcamefirstintomy Mind. Poeticon.
This, m y dear Cebes, is the Answer you're to give Evenus. Assurehim,thatIwishhimallhappiness; and tell him, that if he be wife, he'll follow me. For inallappearance Iam tomake my Exitthis Day, since the Athenians have given Orders to that effect.
What fort of Counsel isthat you give to Evenus, repliesSymmias;IhaveseenthatManoften:And
? bywhatIknowofhim,Icanpromiseyouhe'llne ver follow you with his Will.
What, fays Socrates, is not Everius a Philoso-^^ pher > * ? vhiioso-
I think so, says Symmiat. piTM ; or
Then, replies Socrates, he, and all others that are *#* be's" worthy of that Profession, will be willing to M-sorryVoet'
lowme. Iknow hewillnotkillhimself,forthat,Self->>>>*rdcr theyfay,isnotlawful.
