No More Learning

After I had wearied my self in examining all things,IthoughtitmyDutytobecautiousofal- voiding what happens to those who contemplate an Eclipse of the Sun : For they lose the fight of it, without they be so careful as to view its Reflection
in Water or any other Medium. A Bycontemplatingobjeiii Thought much like to that came into
* X Sr&Vfc m Head andIfearedIwouldlose
Mnd. * rbeyoughttobelook'd
the Eyes of the Soul, it I viewed Ob- jectswiththeEyesoftheBody, orem- pWd any0fmySensesinindeavour-
uponthoughaMedium,
W tfc*Medium>>Jfei- jngtQknQW>em> jthoughtjfbaM
M
have recourse to Reason, and contem plate the Truth of all Things as reflected from it. 'Tispossiblethe Simile I useinexplainingmy self, isnotveryiast (<z);ForImy selfcannotaffirm, that he who beholds Things in the Glass of Reason, sees 'em more by Reflection and Similitude, than he who beholds'emintheirOperations. However,theway I followed was this : From that time forward I
grounded all upon the Reason that seemed to be best, and took all for Truth, that I found confor mable to it, whether in Things or Causes. And what was not conformable I rejected, as being false. I'llexplainmy meaningmoredistinctly$forIfancy
you do not yet understand me.
I'llswear, says Cebes, I do not well understand
you.
But, after all, fays Socrates, I advance no new
thing. This is no more than what I have saida" thousand times, and particularly in the foregoing Dispute : For all that I aim at , is to demonstrate what fort of Cause this is, that I sought after so carefully: Ibegin with his Qualities, which are so much talked or, and which \ take for the Founda-
(a) H e justly checks himself: for Reasons are not like other Mediums: theygiveustoknow theEssenceofThings insome measure,whichtheOperationsdonot. . . . . . ,. 4
tlOTL
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul. i? i
tion. I say then, there is something thatisgood,fine,justandgreatofit ***immaterialande- self. If you grant me this Principle, t<<TMisi>>duush*yea>>e- Z. . *. ? 1 n. i r* r ceffaryrelationtotheIm- IhopebyittodemonstratetheCause, 2rtdityoftheSo>>i-J>>cb
andmakeouttheImmortalityofthe asaCausehutottsEffetis.
jjoul.
I grant it, says Cebes : you cannot be too quick
intersecting your Demonstration.
Mind what follows , and fee if you agree to it as. J. Take it,ifthereisany thing fine,besides fineness it self, it must be such by partaking of that firstgood:andsoofalltheotherQualities. Are
you of this Opinion ?
Iam.
I protest, cotinues Socrates,. I cannot well under- nis * *>> standalltheotherlearnedCauses, thatarecommon-Irm>
Jygivenus. ButifanyManaskmewhatmakesa
thing fine, whether the liveliness of its Colours, or
the just proportion of its Parts and the like ; I wave alltheseplausibleReasons whichserve . w onlytoconfoundme;andwithoutLe- whatcom? unicatesofthe remonyorArt,makeanswer,andper- firstfinebeing,\. e. oe- hapstoosimply,thatitsfinenessisonly cordingtotheproportionof
owingtothepresence,orapproach,or Z s ^ o / ^ X communicationoftheoriginalfineBe- prstCa>>fiosallThing,. ing, whatever be the way of that com
munication. ForIamnotyetcertaininwhatman
ner it is : I only k n o w certainly, that all these fine Things are render'd such by the presence of this fine Being. WhileIstandbythisPrinciple,IreckonI capnot be deceiv'd; and I a m perswaded, that I m a y safely make answer to all Questions whatsoever, that all fine Things owe their Fineness to the presence oftheabove-mentionedBeing. Arenotyouofthe- same mind?
Yes, sure, Soerates.
Are net great and small things render'd such in likemanner? IfOnetoldyou,thatsuchathingis Kk 4 larger
? ? \
iji
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
larger than another by the Head ; (a) would not you t h i n k t h e E x p r e s s i o n f a r f r o m b e i n g e x a c t ? , a n d w o u l d
not you make answer, that whatever is larger is render'd such by magnitude it self, and what is smal lerowesitslittlenesstolittlenessitself> Forifyou said, that such a thing is greater or smaller than anoi ther by the Head , I fancy you would fear bjjjg
censur'd, for making both the greater and MBer t h i n g t o b e s u c h b y t h e l a m e c a u s e ? , a n d b e a d e s , f o r
using such an Expression as seems to imply, that' the Head, which is a small part, makes the largnels of the greater, which in effect is a Monster ; for what can be more absurd than to lay, that a small Matter makesathinglarge> WouldnotyoufearsuchOb
jections>
. Yes, sure, replies Cebes, smiling.
By the same reason would not you be afrraid to say,thattenismorethaneight, andsurpassesitby two ? And would not you rather fay, that ten are morethaneightbyquantity> Inlikemanner,of two Cubits would not you fay, they are larger than One by magnitude, rather than by the half? For still there's the fame occasion of fear.
You fay well.
But when one is added to one, or a thing divided
into halfs, would not you avoid saying, that in the
former Case addition makes one and one two, and
In the latter division makes one thing become two?
Andwouldnotyouprotest,thatyouknownoother fat"r'iEf~cause of the existence of things, than the participa-
fZdlnr'up-tl0n? ftne essencethat'speculiar toevery subject'; onthefirst and consequently no other reason why one and one
Truth, viz. makes two, but the participation of duality, as one G"hi)h 1Sonekytneparticipationofunity? Wouldnotyou
"Jhsistl'anddiscard these additions, divisions and all the other
fromwhencetec answers, and leave 'em to those who know more it proceeds.
(a) So;rates does not condemn the receiv'd Expressions, but means tn shew, that they do not reach the Nature and Essence of Thiny j and, being always ty'd to Matter, cannot bear up to the true EiUnce that does all.
ofanim-
than
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul I$j
than you do ? And, for fear of your own Shadow,
as the Proverb goes, or rather of your Ignorance,
would not you confine your self to this Principle >
And, if any one attack'd it, would not you let it
stand without daigning him an answer, tillyou had
surveyed all the consequences , to fee if they are of
a. piece or not ? And if afterwards you should be
obligedtogiveareasonforthem, wouldnotyoudoa trueway
itby havingrecoursetosomeoftheseotherHypotbe-? ffi^s /<<,that should appear to be the best ; and so proceed ? *^/,e
from Hypothesis to Hypothesis, till you lighted upon something that satisfied you, as being a sure and
standing truth ? At the fame time you would be loth FortheEf- toperplexand confound allthings asthoseDilpu-feflsaremt tantsdo,whocallallthingsinquestion. 'Tistrue,{*-^*'\? he these Disputants perhaps are not much cqncern'd for ^J>>rea^4 t h e t r u t h ? , a n d b y t h u s m i n g l i n g a n d p e r p l e x i n g a l l E s s e n c e o f things by an effect of their profound knowledge, Ctutst- theycaresuretopleasethemselves. Butasforyou,
if you are true Philosophers, you'll do as I fay. Simmias and Cebes jointly replied, that he said
well.
Echec, Indeed, Phedon, Ithink it no wonder ; for
to m y mind, Socrates explain'd his Principles with a wonderful neatness, sufficient to make an impression upon any Man ofcommon Sense.
Phed. All the Audience thought the same.
E c h e c . E v e n w e , w h o h a v e it o n l y a t s e c o n d h a n d , finditso. Butwhatwassaidnext?
Phed. IfIremember right,afterthey had granted,sySpecies, that the Species of things have a realSubfistance^^T^
and that the things participating of their Nature, Tea" of' taketheirdenominationfromthem; then,Ifay,So-things. , crates interrogated Cebes, as follows : whichfrisist,
If your Principle be true, when you fay Simmiaj 2 * ^ ^ S islarger than Socrates and lesser than Phedon-, doe/<~j? " hot you imply, that both Magnitude and Littleness
are lodged at the fame time in Simmies I
Yes, repliesCebes,
? ? . . But
? ? 154 Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
*Tis only But do not you own, that this Proposition, Sinr
fZZprism ! fniaS 1S toS? er than Socrates, is not absolutely and in ? omparyon. ^ ^ ^ tsue ^ por ^jmmiai jS not bigger because he
isSimmicu, butbecauseheispossessedofmagnitude. Neither is he bigger than Socrates because Socrates is Socrates, but because Socrates has littleness in the comparison withSimmias'smagnitude. NeitherisSim- tnias lesser than Phedon , because Phedon is Phedon, but because Phedon is big, when compared to Sim- mas, who islittle.
That's true.
Thus, contiues Socrates, Simmias is called both big and little, as being between two : By partaking of bigness he is bigger than Socrates, and by parta king likewise of littleness he is lesser than Phedon, Then he smil'd and said, Methinks I have insisted t o o l o n g u p o n t h e s e t h i n g s -, b u t I s h o n l d n o t h a v e
amus'd m y self with these large Strokes, had not it been to convince you more effectually of the truth ofmy Principle:for,asItakeit,notonlymagni t u d e it s e l f c a n n o t b e a t t h e s a m e t i m e b i g a n d s m a l l :
m meamubutbesides,themagnitudethatisinusdoesnotad- VwTcmtL mit ? ^ littlene*"s> and has no mind to be surpassed5 rUicZnt~f? x either the magnitude flees and yields its place
termen i>> when it fees its Enemy approaching, or else it va- tbefame rushesandperishesentirely,and,whenonceithas Suijea. reCeiv'dit,itdesirestocontinueasitis. AsI,for
instance,havingreceiv'dlittleness,while I am as youleeme,cannotbutbelittle: forthat,whichis big does never attempt to be little: A n d in like m a n nerlittlenessneverencroachesuponmagnitude. In, one word , any of the Contraries,, while it is what it is, is never to be found with its contrary -, but ei ther disappears or perishes when the other comes
in.
Cebes agreed to it: but one of the Company, I
forgot who, addressed, himself to Socrates thus : In theNameofalltheGods,didyounotfaycontrary to what you now advance? Did not you conclude upon this, that greater things take rise from the
lesser,
? ? roftheImmortality oftheSoul. rey
lefler, and the lefler from the greater ; and, in a word, that contraries do still produce their contra ries? Whereasnow,asItakeit,youalledge,that can neverbe.
Whereupon Socrates put his Head further out of
the Bed, and, having heard the Objection, said to
him, Indeed you do well to put us in mind of what
w e said 5 but you do not perceive the difference be tweentheformerandthelatter. Intheformerwe^ asserted, that every contrary owes itsbeingtoitsJEJSST contrary;And inthelatterweteach,thatacon-X ? . traryisnevercontrarytoitself,neitherinus normher">but
inthecourseofnature(a). Therewespokeofthings22 "" thathadcontraries,meaningtocalleveryoneose ?
embytheirproperNames:butherewe speakofm^attfa
such things as give a denomination to their Subiects u u cttd>
1can never whichwetoldyou,couldneveradmitoftheircon-T ,
trades. Then,turningtoCebes,didnotthisObie- ' ction, fays he, likewise give you some trouble >
N o , i n d e e d , S o c r a t e s ^ r e p l i e s C e b e s -, I c a n a s s u r e you, that few things are capable to trouble me at present;''
Then we are agreed upon this simple Proposition,
fays Socrates , that 1i contrary can never be contrary
toitself ' ? That's true, fays Cebes.
Butwhatdoyoufaytothis? IsColdandHeat
any thing ? '? Yes sure.
What, isitlikeSnow and Fire? No, sure, Socrates.
(a) That is there h(C) spoke of sensible things which have contranes,andarecapableofreceivingtheseclnS reri- procalJy asalittlethingbecomesbig,andabigthinglittle |utherehe speaksofthethingsthemselves,thliSflSfe' contranes such as cold and het, which give name to the laffinhAEe-odg'dia-bythe';ownnaTMe>and<<? S2 f W f recTng tl\VTC(? ntra"es,forcoldcanneverbe comeheat,norheatcold. Theyarealways-whattheyare.
i? **? i? i,i . ,. . ,;. . . '.
Then
? ? 156 Pfaedon : Or, A Dialogue
Hespeaksos Thenyouown,thatHeatisdifferentfromFire, %eu*ndlandColdfromSnow? .
tahed Without question, Socrates.
fromtheir Ibelieveyou'lllikewiseown, thatwhentheSnow subjects, receivesHeat,itisnomorewhatitwas,buteither
givesway, ordisappearsforgoodandall,whenthe Heatapproaches. InlikemannertheFirewillei ther yield or be extinguished when the Cold pre vailsuponitjforthenitcannotbeFireandCold together.
'Tis so, says Cebes.
There are also some contraries that not only give
,
'*Ll! i&mt^erthingsdifferentfromit,which preserve itsfi-
name to their Species -9 but likewise impart it to o-
numbers. gure and form while they have a being. For in stance, Must not an odd thing have always the fame name ?
Yes, sure.
Is that the only thing that is so called ? Or, is not
there some other thing different from it, which must needs be called by the fame name, by reason that it belongstoitsnaturenevertobewithoutodds. Fo. r
for the ter-instance, Must not the ternary number be called not narynumberQ^ byjtsownname^butlikewisebythenameof
tZ'odd anoddnumber;tho'atthefametimetobeodd and to be three are two different things? N o w such is the nature of number three, five, and all other odd numbers; each of 'em isalways odd, and yet their nature is not the fame with the nature of the odd. Inlikemanner,evennumbers,suchastwo, four, eight, are all of 'em even, tho' at the lame timetheirnatureisnotthatoftheeven. Do not
, youownthis? v? HowcanIdootherwise,Cebes?
PraymindwhatIinferfromthence. 'Tis,that not only those contraries which are incapable of re ceivingtheircontraries^butallother things which
are not opposite one to another, and yet have al
ways their contraries \ all these things, I fay, are u n c a p a b l e o f r e c e i v i n g a f o r m o p p o s i t e t o t h e i r o w n ? ,
* . , and
? ? of the Immortality of the SokU i$7
and either disappear or perish upon the appearance oftheoppositeform. Forinstance:Numberthree will sink a thousand times rather than become an evennumberwhile,itcontinuestobethree. Isit
not so?
Yes, sure, replies Cebei.
But, after aLl, fays Socrates, t w o are not contrary
to three. No, lure.
Then the contrary Species are not the only things Astwocm- that refuse admission to their contraries ; since, as ** <<>>>>? >>*
you fee, orher things that aft not contrary cannot TM J i TM abide the approach of that which has the least slia-tiJti,ty'art dow ofcontrariety. notcam*-.
That's certain. ? *>>? DoyoudesirethenthatIshoulddefine'emas
near as possible ?
Ay, withal my Heart, Socrates.
Must notContrariesbesuchthingsasgivesuchTl,edesim-
a form to that in which they are lodg'd, that it isthnfcm- not capable of giving admission to another thing that'stran"'
contrary to them ?
Howdoyoufay?
I fay as I said but now. Wherever the Idea orForm
of three is lodg'd, that thing must of necessity con tinue not only to be three but to be odd.
Whodoubtsthat?
And by consequence 'tis impossible for the Idea or Form that's contrary to its constituent Form, ever to approach.
That's a plain cafe.
Well, is not the constituent Form an odd ?
Yes.
Is not even the Form that's contrary to the odd?
Yes.
Then the Form ofeven is never lodg'd in three ? No, sure.
Then threeisuncapableofbeingeven?
Most certainly.
And that, because three is odd ?
Yes, sure N o w
? ?
ij8
Phedcin:Or, A Dialogue
N o w this is the conclusion I mean'd to prove, That some things, that are not contrary to one ano- ther, are as uncapable of that other thing, as if it were truly a contrary ; as for instance, tho' three is not contrary to an even number, yet itcan never ad mitofit. Fortwobringsalwayssomethingcontrary to an odd number, like fire to cold, and several other things. Would not you agree then to this definition, that A contrary does not only refuse ad
mission to itscontrary, but likewise to that which being not contrary brings upon it something of a con trary nature, which by that fort of contrariety, de
stroys itsform *
, 1prayyouletme hearthatagain,laysCebes$for
ftis worth the while to hear it often.
I fay, number five will never be an even number -,
just as ten, which is its double, will never be oddj no more than three fourths, or a third part, or any other part of a whole will never admit of the form andideaofthewhole. Doyounotunderstandme,do youtakemeup,anddoyouagreewithwhatIfay?
I understand you ; I apprehend you to a Miracle 5 and I agree with you too.
Sinceyouunderstandme, faysSocrates;prayan- iwermeas1doyou-,thatis,answerme, notwhat t ask, but something else, according to the Idea and ExampleIhavegivenyou-,Imean, thatbesidesthe true and certainway ofanswering spoken ofalready, Ihaveyetanotherinmy viewthatspringsfrom
torthesian-thatandisfullyassure. Forinstance,ifyouask swersstill me,what itis,thatbeingintheBody, makes ithot, I ? "*e rmm I would not give you this ignorant, tho-1 sure An-
fornewque-_ i i - j T i iij siio? s,andfoswerstnat t,S"eat:butwoulddrawamoreparti-
tbtre')no cularAnswerfromwhatwehavebeenspeakingof). -nd. We an(iwouldtellyou,thatitisFire:And,ifyou
w ! hit lhould ask what il is that makes the Body fick> * re'ZrfiTM would not fay, 'twas the Disease but the Fever.
thesirstcau- I f y o u a s k m e w h a t m a k e s a N u m b e r o d d , I w o u l d fitorthe nottellyou,thatitistheodnefs,butunity,andso
("Jfri of the rest.
DoyouunderstandwhatImean? I
? ? ofthe Immortality of the Soul. ij$>>
Iunderstandyou perfectlywell, repliesCebesl
Answerme, then,continuesSocrates$what makes Redoet** theBody live? fyuseb*
TheSoul. . >*"* 1Is the Soul always the fame ? .
How shoulditbeotherwise.
Does theSoulthencarryLifealongwithitinto fill the Bodies it enters ?
Most certainly.
Is there any thing that's contrary to Life, or is there nothing ?
Yes, Death is the Contrary of Life. a, thtw
Then the Soul will never receive that which is<<>> *>mort contrarytowhatitcarriesinitsBosom? That'sa******** neceflaryConsequence from our Principles. thZ^i'edJ,
'Xis a plain Consequence, says Cebes. umthmm.
ButwhatNamedowegivetothatwhichrefuses>>w>>tiw! admission to the Idea and Form of Evenness ?
'Tisthe odd Number.
How dowecallthatwhichneverreceivesJustice, and that which never receives Good ?
The one iscalled Injustice, and the other EviL
And how do we call that which never admits of Death?
Immortal.
Does the Soul admit of Death ?
No.
(a) Then the Soul is immortaL
Most certainly.
Isthatfullydemonstrated, orwastheDemonstra
tion imperfect ?
Itisfullymade out, Socrates.
(b) If an odd Number of necessity were incorrup
tible, would not three be so too? .
0) His meaning is, that the Soul is as far from dying, a* Good from giving admission to Evil, or Justice to Injustice, <* an Odd toEven: andthattheSoulisimmortal,asne cessarily as three is odd.
(I>) If the Soul be immortal, it is incorruptible, i, t. it re sists and triumphs over all the Assaults of Death.
Whc
? ? 160
Pfiedon: Or, A Dialogue Whodoubtsit? ? ? . ? :. . . >. . -.
If whatever is without Heat were necessarily in- corruptible,wouldnotSnow, whenputt,otheFire, withdraw it self safe from the Danger? For since it cannot perisli, kmwill never receive the Heat not withstanding its being held to the Fire.
Whatyoulayistrue.
Inlikemanner, ifthatwhichisnotsusceptible of Cold, were by a natural Necessity exempted from perishing, tho1 a whole River were thrown upon the Fire, it would never go out, but, on the contrary,
. ;would come off with its full force.
There's an absolute Necessity for that, fays Ce-
ties.
? . Then of necessity we must fay the fame of what
is immortal , If that which is immortal is incorrup tible, tho' Death approach to the Soul, it shall ne ver fallin the Attack : For, as we said but now, the Soul will never receive Death, and will never die-,
j u s t as" t h r e e o r a n y o d d N u m b e r w i l l n e v e r b e e v e n ; T i r e w i l l n e v e r b e C o l d -, n o r i t s H e a t b e t u r n ' d i n t o
Coldness.
(a) Perhaps some may answer, That 'tistrue, the
odd can never become even, by the accession of what is even, while it continues odd -, but what should hinder the even to take up the room of the odd whenitcomestoperish? TothisObjection(b)it cannot be answer'd, that the odd does not perish, foritisnotincorruptible. Hadweestablish'ditsin corruptibility, we should justly have maintain'd, thatnotwithstandingtheattacksoftheeven, theodd
(a) Socratesprevents an Objection, tis. That the Soul, while it is a Soul, does not receive Death ; but, upon the approach ofDeath,itceasestobewhatitwas. Tothishegivesasa tisfactoryAnswer.
"(b) He means, that a real and sensible odd cannot become even by the arrival of an even occasioning the disappearance of the odd : for a real odd is not exempted from perishing. But the Soul is immortal, as three isodd, so that it cannot die, but continues for ever, as well as Life, Justice, the Pro portions of Numbers, an intelligible Odd, &t.
of
? ? of theImmortalityoftheSoul. i6x
or three would stillcome off without loss : and we should have asserted the same, of Fire, Heat, and such other things, should not we?
Most certainly, says Cebes*
And, by consequence, ifwe agree upon this, that everyimmortalthingisincorruptible, itwillnecefla- - rily follow, not only that the Soul is immortal, but thatitisincorruptible. And ifwe cannotagreeupon that, we must look out for other Proof.
There's no occasion for that, Socrates, replies G? < bes-, for what is it that should avoid Corruption and Death, ifanimmortalandeternalBeingbeliableto them ?
All the World will agree, ikysSocrates, thatGodj and Life it self, and whatever 'tis that is immortal, does not perish.
(a) At least, says Cebes, all M e n will profess so.
The Consequence is absolutely necessary and cer tain.
And, byconsequence;, continues Socrates, when ? M a n comes to die, his mortal and corruptible Part dies; but the immortal Part goes off safe and tri umphs over Death.
That's plain and evident.
Then, m y dear Cebes, if there be any such thing as an immortal and incorruptible Being, such is the theSoul; and by consequence ourSoulsshalllive hereafter*
I have nothing to object, fays Cebes ; and cannot but yield to your Arguments. But if Simmias or any of the Company has any thing to offer, they'll do well not to stifle it j for w h e n will they find another
(a) Cebes means, that M e n will be forc'd to fay so, because, perhaps, theyhavenotLightenoughto defeat theseReasons, tho 'tispossibletheyarenoneofthebest. Socratespresently smells this to be the Importance of Cebes's Words; and, on thatview, makesthisincomparableReply, ThattheGods will yet more agree to it; meaning to give us to know, that Truth is more Truth in the Intellect of God, than in the
MindofMan,whichisalwaystooweaktocomprehendit.
LI* occa-
? ? 162 Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
occasiQn for discoursing and satisfying themselves
upon these important Subjects >
;,. ,,. , For my part, fays Smmias, I cannot
AE S S AE t t . butsubscribetowhatSocrateshassaid: nes! ofMm,aret>>ogreat butIown,thattheGreatnessofthe
occasions of their >>ncer- Subject and the natural Weakness or taintywithreferencetothe jfa OCCaslOn Within me a fort of Di- ImmortalityoftheSouL . ^ ^ Incredulity,
You have-not only spoke well, fays Socrates5 but besides, notwithstanding the apparent Certainty of our first Hypothesis, 'tis needful you should re
sume them, in order to a more leisure-
HeexhortshitFriendsto j? view andtoconvinceyourlelfmore
surveysArgumentsmore cjearly^d effectually. If yOU Under-
maturely after his Death. ZT ,< r ry ? 1 ~ '11 ? ,:il;? r,1. . beingpervadedthatthl stand'emsufficiently,you11willingly
moretheydwellupon'em, secondmy Thoughts, asmuch asispoi- themorethey'llbecon- g^leforaMantodo:andwhenyou yintdofthewtruth. aK once fully convinc>d9 you'll need
no other Proof.
That's well said, repliesCebes.
(a) There's one thing more, my TherewardingtheGood friends thatisaveryjustThought,
and punishing the Wicked . ^ jf tsie Soul js imm0Ital, It
co^rftitf standsinneedtocultivatingandim-
taiityoftheSmi,require provement,notonlyintheTime,that ourCareoftheSoulinthis w? Q^\tneTime ofLife? ,butforthe
Lif'-
Future, or what we call the Time of
Eternity :for ifyou think justly upon this Pointjou'U finditverydangerous to neglect the Soul. Were Death the Dissolution of the whole Man, it would be (b)agreatAdvantagetotheWickedafterDeath,
(a) 'Tis not enough that the Understanding be convinc'd of the Immortality of the Soul : T h e Affections must likewise be mov'd. TowhichendherepresentstheConsequencesotthat importantTruth, andallthatitrequires.
(b) The Wicked would be happv, if the Soul were mor tal. This Principle has a considerable Proof of the Immortali ty of the Soul couch'd in it; for, if the Soul were mortal,
Vertue would be pernicious to theGood, and Vice would be serviceabletotheWicked,whichisunworthyotGod. And by consequence there must be anotherLife, forrewarding the
Good, and punishing the Bad.
? ? of the Immortality ofthe Soul. \63
toberidatonceoftheirBody, theirSoul, andtheir"fl*s0>>l
Vices. ButforasmuchastheSoulisimmortal,the"TM*. "0"
onlyWay toavoidthoseEvilsandobtainSalvation,[i^tthl"
istobecomeGood andWife:foritcarriesnothingWorldsbut alongwithit,butitsgoodorbadActions,andits>>"W <<?
Vertues or Vices, which are the cause of itseternal***-*#<<>>>>* H a p p i n e s s o r M i s e r y , c o m m e n c i n g f r o m t h e first M i nuteofitsarrivalintheotherWorld. AndVissaid,
that after the Death of every individual Person, the
Demon or Genius, that was Partner with it and con ducted it during Life, leads it to a certain Place, where all the Dead are oblig'd to appear in order to be judg'd, and from thence are conducted by a Guide totheWorldbelow. And,aftertheyhavethere
received, their good or bad Deserts, and continued
there their appointed Time, another Conductor brings
'em back to this Life , after several Revolutions of
Ages. NowthisRoadisnotaplainunitedRoad,
else there would be no occasion for Guides, and no
BodywouldmisstheirWay:Butthereareseveral
By-ways and Cross-ways^ asIconjecturefromthe
Method of our Sacrifices and religious Ceremonies.
So that a temperate wife Soul follows its Guide, thi Sacrifi- andisnotignorantofwhathappens toit:butthe"*"**Ce-
Soul,that'snail'dtoitsBody,asIsaidjustnowj;~;? that is inflam'd with the love of it, and has;been Were only
long its Slave, after much strugling and suffering in Figmi. thisvisibleWorld, 4satlastdragg'dalongagainltitsTl"Lie. d! d
Will by the Demon allotted for itsGuide: and when ^^thT'' it arrives at that fatal Rendezvous of all Souls, ifIt Truth. has been guilty of any Impurity , or polluted with Murder, or has committed any of those atrocious Crimes, that desperate and lostSouls are commonly
guilty of, the other Souls abhor it and avoid its Company : It finds neither Companion nor Guide, but wanders in a fearful Solitude and horrible De- fart; till after a certain time Necessity drags it into the Mansions it deserves ; whereas the temperate and pure Soul, has theGods themselves for itsGuides and Conductors, and. goes to cohabit with them in
LI 2 the
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Phedon: Or, A Dialogue
theMansionsofPleasureprepar'dforit; For,my Friends, there are several marvellous Places in the Earth ; and 'tis not at all such as the Defcribers of it arewonttomakeit,(a)asIwastaughtbyonewho k n e w It very well.
H o w do you sayj, Socrates, says Simmias, interrup
ting him? I have likewise heard several things of
theEarth,butnotwhatyouhaveheard. Where
fore I wish you would be pleas'd to tell us what you
know. Torecountthattoyou,mydearSimmias,Ido
not believe we have any occasion for (b) Glaucm's Art. ButtomakeouttheTruthofit,isamore difficult Matter, and I question if all G/aucus's Art can reach it. Such an Attempt is not only above m y R e a c h ? , b u t s u p p o s i n g i t w e r e n o t , t h e s h o r t TimeIhaveleftmewillnotsuffermetoimbarque
insolongaDiscourse. AHthatleando,is,togive give you a general Idea of this Earth and the Places it contains.
That will be enough, fays Simmias.
, In the first place, continues Socrates, Iam per
suaded, that if the Earth is plac'd in the middle of Heaven, (the Air) as they fay it is, it stands in no
(a) Socratesdoesnotmentionwho taughthimthisDoctrine of the pure Earth : But it is no hard matter to find out the Author. Vrocltuhimselfacknowledges,thatSocratesandVia* o w ' d t h i s i d e a t o t h e S a c r e d T r a d i t i o r t o f t h e E g y p t i a n s , t h a t is totheHebrews,ax)Himvcuyv7r\iovhg? pi)&M7ttt? c/dijhx>>. In Tim. lib. i.
(b) When they mean'd to imply the difficulty of a thing, they were wont to fay, by way or Proverb, That they flood in need cf G/aucus's Art, who, from a Man, became a Sea- Gcd. ButthosewhocommentuponthisProverb,alledgeit was made uponanotherGIancus,who inventedtheForgingof Iron. Brit1amindue'dtobelievethecontrary,bytins,that the Fable of Glaucm, the Sea-God, was founded upon his be
ing an excellent Diver ; to which it is probable Socrates- allu ded:Inearnest,ifonewould visittheEarth hespeaksof,of which ours is'only a Sediment, he mull be a better Diver than G/aucus, in order ro pass the Currents and Seas that divide 'em. He must raise his Thoughts above all Earth or materiel Things,
need
? ? ofthe ImmortalityoftheSoul. i6j
need either of Air or any other Support to prevent its fall: for Heaven it self is wrapp'd equal ly about it, and its own equilibrium issufficient to keep it up : for whatever is equally pois'd in the middle of a thing, that presses equally upon it, can not incline to either fide, and consequently stands firm andunmovable. ThisIamconvinc'dof.
You have reason so to be, replies Simmias.
Iam furtherpersuaded,thattheEarthisvery largeandspacious,andthatwe onlyinhabitthat part of it whith reaches from the River Pha/is to the Straits of Gibraltar, upon which we are seatter'd like so many Ants dwelling in Holes, or like Frogs thatresideinsomeMarshneartheSea. Thereare
several other Nations that inhabit its other Parts thatare unknown to us: for all over the Earth there are Holes jof all Sizes and Figures, always fjll'd with gross Air, and cover'd with thick Clouds, and over flown by the Waters that rush in on all sides.
"There isanother pure Earth above the pure Hea- Theideaof ven where theStarsare, which iscommonly call'dth>>sure
AEther. TheEarthweinhabitisproperlynothingf**! ^] else but the Sediment of the other, and its grosser\^i{^/ef partwhichflowscontinuallyintothoseHoles. WetheVmphets,
are immur'd in those Cells, tho3 we are not sensiblefromwhence of it, and fancy we inhabit the upper part of the 'kEgypti- pure Earth ; much after the fame rate, as if one li-;"s
ving in the Deeps of the Sea should fancy his Ha bitation to be above the Waters ; and, when he sees the Sun and other Stars through the Waters, should fancytheSeatobetheHeavens-,and,byreasonof , his Heaviness and Weakness, having never put forth
his Head orrais'dhimselfabovetheWaters, should never know that the Place we inhabit is purer and neater than his, and should never meet with any Persontoinformhim. ThisisjustourCondition: we aremew'dupwithinsomeHoleoftheEarth, and fancy we live at the top of all; we take the
Air for the true HeavenSj in which the Stars run
LI 3 their j
? ? 166
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
theirrounds. AndthecauseofourMistakeisour Heaviness and Weakness that keep us from sur
mounting this thick and muddy Air. Ifany could mount up with Wings to the upper Surface, he would no sooner put his Head out of this gross Air, hut he would behold what's transacted in those blef fed Mansions ; just as the Fishes, skipping above the
1 SurfaceoftheWaters,leewhat'sdoneintheAirin whichwebreath. Andifhewerea For thetrue Heayens Man fit for long Contemplation, he andtrueLightcannotbe won\c\find\tt0bethetrueHeavenand f m S > 3 . W thetrueLight,inaword tobethetrue
Earth. Forthisharmthatweinhabit, these Stones and all these Places are entirelycor rupted and gnaw'd, just as whatever is in the Sea is corrodedbythesharpnessoftheSalts. AndtheSea producesnothingthat'sperfectorvaluable. Itcon
tainsnothingbutCavesandMud ;and Socrates undervalued wnerever any Ground isfound, there's
alltheTrodwUionsofthe ,. , \ c, . ,: sea,whichwenowesteem nothingbutdeepSloughs, nothingcpm-
jbmuch.
parabletowhatwehavehere. Now
the Things in the other Mansions are more above what we have here, than what we have hereisabovewhatwemeetwithintheSea. And, in order to make you conceive the Beauty of this
Hire Earth situated in the Heayens, if you please, s i' 1 1 t e l l y o u a p r e t t y S t o r y t h a t ' s w o r t h y o u r h e a r ing.
We shallhearit,saysSimmias, withagreatdeal of Pleasure.
(a) Firstofall,my dearSimmiaf,continuesSocra tes, ifone looks upon thisEarth from a high Place, they fay, it looks like one of our Packs cover'd with twelveWeltsofdifferentColours. Foritisvary'd withagreaternumberofdifferentColours, ofwhich those made use of by our Painters are but sorry Pat-
(a) This Description of the Beauty of this pure Earth, the Mansion of the Blessed, is grounded on the J4th Chapter of JJaial}} and the 18th of f. zechiel,
terns.
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul. i$j
terns. FortheColoursofthisEarthareinfinitely morecleanandlively. OneisanadmirablePurple5 anothjp Colour of Gold, more sparkling than Gold it self^a third a White more lively than the Snow, and so on of all the rest, the Beauty whereof leaves allourColoursherefarbehindit. TheChinksof thisEartharefill'dwithWaterandAir, whichmake
up an infinity of admirable Shallows, so wonder fullydiversifiedbythatinfinitevarietyof Colours.
In this so perfect an Earth, every thing has a Per fectionanswerabletoitsQualities. TheTrees,Flow ers, Fruits, and Mountains are charmingly beautiful} they produce all forts of precious Stones, of an in
comparable Perfection, Cleannels and Splendour; those we esteem so much here, such as Emeralds, Jasper and Saphir, are but small parcels of them. There isnotoneinthatblessedEarththatisnotin finitelymoreprettythananyofours. TheCauseof all which is, that all these precious Stones are pure, neither gnaw'd nor spoil'd by the sharpneis of the Salts, or the corruption of the Sediment or Dregs that fall from thence into our lower Earth, where
they assemble, and infect not only the Stones and the Earth, butthePlantsandAnimals, withallfortsof Pollution and Diseases.