Buthedidnotteachitforacertain
ty,aswe (hallseein Mtmm.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
NowthisismuchwhatIsaidbut,now,
that they are only temperate through Intempe- The IanCe> ' ' . changeof
That's very clear, Socrates. s\ Tafliom, is
Letus not beimpos'd upon, my dear Simmias. ">>*thetrue ThestraightRoadtoVertue, doesnotlyeinshiftingstover-
P l e a s u r e s f o r P l e a s u r e s , F e a r s f o r F e a r s , o r o n e M e - y y : f l o m is
lancholy Thought for another, and imitating those theonlytrue who changealargepieceofMoney, formanyCo>n;>>"*
imallones. ButWisdomistheonlytrueand*&? {%? **"**, alloyed Coin, for which all others must be given in r'khSTeari
Exchange. WiththatpieceofMoneywe purchasethatought all,Fortitude,Temperance,Justice. InaWord,thatt0be/""? -
Vertueisalwaystrue, which accompaniesWisdom,c]^eiat
without any dependance upon Pleasures, Grief,0/o>>*>>we
FearsoranyotherPassions. WhereasallotherVer-Estate. tuesstrip'dofWisdom, whichrunupona'perpetualrenutwith
Exchange,areonlyshadowsofVertue. TrueVer-^^^>> tue is really and in efted a purgation from all thdkdowlfrZ-
sortsofPassions. Temperance,Justice,Fortitudeandtue. PrudenceorWisdom itself,arenotexchangedTTMr<*~
forPassions; but cleanse us of them. And it is^jT prettyevident,thatthosewho instituted^thePurifi-a'nipUa- cations, call'd by us Teletes, i, e. Perfect Expiatiorts, tionsnotex- were Persons of no contemptible Rank, -Men . t>fcl">"ses-
great Genius's, w h o in the first Ages mean'd by fo*h^u*'? *~ Riddlestogiveustoknow (a) thatwhoever entersfev^&cT the other World without being initiatedand purified,The ancient shallbe hurled headlonginto the vastAbyls ;afcd"P'^ificati- that whoever arrives there after due purgation and "? "" mly
expiation,shallbelodgedin theApartmentof the^sKehU
Gods. For, asthe Dispensers Of thole Expiationssaid,many lay, There are many who bear the Thyrsus, butfew are devout,
Thatarepojfefidbythe. SpiritsrfGod. Now those{"'? '/'*" who arethusposfels'd, asJtakeit,arethetruePhi-r/i'Thyr
sus was a (a) There's a pleasant Passage to this purpose in the second spear'wrapt
BookofhisKepubl. Theyfay,Thatbyvertueofthese. Pu-';? p;nes0r riflcaiiohsand Sacrifices, we aredeliver'd from the Torments fVy carried ofHell;butifweneglect'emweshallbe liabletoalltheljthefit-
. Horrors of the fame. _ lowers of G K ? . lofbphers. Bacchus.
? ? ico
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
losophers. I have try'd all means to be listed in that number, and have made it the business of m y wholelife-timetocompassmyend. IfitpleaseGod, IhopetoknowinaMinute,thatmy Effortshavenot been ineffectual, and that Success has crown'd m y Endeavours. This, my dear Simmies, and my dear Cebes, isthe Apology with which I offer to justifie my notbeingtroubled or afflictedfor partingwith you and quitting my Governours inthisLife;hoping to find good Friends and Rulers there, as well as here.
This, the vulgar cannot digest. However, I shall besatisfiedifmyDefencetakebetterwithyou, than they did with m y Judges.
Socrateshaving thus spoke ; Cebes took up the Discourse to this purpose : Socrates, I subscribe to theTruthofallyouhavesaid. There'sonlyone thing that Men look upon as incredible, viz. what youadvancedoftheSoul. For(a)almostevery
Body fancies, that when the Soul parts from the Body,itisnomore,itdiesalong withit;inthe very minute of parting it vanishes, like a Vapour or
Smoak, whichfliesoffanddispersesandhasnoEx istence. Forifitsubsistedbyitself,weregather'd and retired into it self, and freed from all the above- m e n t i o n e d E v i l s -, t h e r e w e r e a f a i r a n d p r o m i s i n g Prospect, ascertainingtheTruth of what you have said. But,thattheSoullivesafterthedeathofa
Man, thatitissensible, that itactsand thinks, that I fay, needs both insinuation and solid proofs to make it go down.
(a)Thiswas theImagination os'thosewho denied the ImmortalityoftheSoul. TheAuthoroftheBookofWis dom,hasset'emintheirtrueColours. OurLife(Taysbe)is butaBreath;afterdeathityaniflieslikeaFapour, andj>afjesasa
Cloud, or a Mist dispersed by the Hays of the Sun. Then he tells us,thatthole who entertain 'emsciveswith such Language, were^not acquainted with the Secrets of God, for God created Man- incorruptible, afterhis own Image, and tl>e hope of the Righteous is suUofImmortality. NowthisisjustSocrates'sDoctrine.
Y(C)u
? ? ofthe ImmortalityoftheSoul. 101
You say right, Cebes,replies Socrates:But how stallwemanagethisAffair? Shallwe inthisinter view examine whether that is probable or not ?
I shall be mighty glad, fays Cebes, to hear your
Thoughts upon the Matter.
At least, fays Socrates^ I tannot think that any -*s*tyr>">l
M a n hearing us, tho5 he were a Comedian, would JSopha- jipbraidme withRaillery,andchargemewithnotneS5? ,/,? ,?
speaking of such Things as concern us very much, hu comedy Ifyouhave amindthatwe shouldtracethisAffairfthecimds
tothebottom;myOpinionis,thatweshouldpro-&? ? >> ceed in the following Method, in order to know *,>/,am>>-
whether the Souls ofthe Dead have a being in thesingbimfiif other World, or not. onh with
(b) 'Tis a very ancient Opinion, That Soulsquit-'"? fa
ting this World repair to the Infernal Regions, and returnafterthattoliveinthisWorld. Ifsobe, thatMen returntoLifeafterDeath,itfollowsne cessarily that during that interval their Souls are lodg'd in the lower Regions: For if they had not a Being, they-could not return tothisWorld. And
this will be a sufficient Proof of what we affirm, , (c) if we be convinc'd that the Living spring from
the Dead : If otherwise, then we must look out for other Proofs.
t. ? '? ,.
(*)The firstArgumentgroundedontheOpinionofthe Metempsychosis; which Socrates only makes use otto shew that it supposed the future Existence of Souls for a certain Truth.
(c)SinceallThingstakerife fromtheirContraries;Life cannotswervefromthecommonRule. NowisLifecome >> from Death, then the Soul has a Being. This is a certain Truths but can only be made out by the Resurrection. Where
fore St. "Paul tells the Opposers of that Truth; Thou Fool, that tphichthousowestitnotquickendexcessitdie, ICor. If. J6. So
crates goes upon the lame Principle, but 'tis only the Chri
stian Religion that can explain it. "Plato and Socrates had
some IdeaoftheResurrection,;buttheyspoil'ditbymin glingitwiththegrossDoctrineofTythagoras. Theydrew
false Consequences from a Principle that's very true in it
self. Besides this Principle has a very dangerous Error couch^underit,whichwerefutedinthePreface.
Gg 3 That's
? ? loi
Phedon; Or, A Dialogue
That's certain, fays Cebes.
But toassurecurselvesofthisTruth,repliesSo*
cratesy11s not sufficient to examine the Point up
on the Comparison with Men; but likewise upon
that with other Animals,- Plants, and whatever has a Vegetable Principle. ? By- that means, we'll be con-
. viric'd/thatallthings'arebornafterthefame manner; that is, whatever has a contrary, owes itsfirst rise toitscontrary. Forinstancehandsomeisthecon trarytougfytandjustofunjust. Andthefameis the Cafe of an infinite number of-other Things. Now let'sfeeifitbeabsolutelynecessary,thatwhat ever has a contrary, should spring from that contra ry : As when a Thing becomes bigger, of necessity it must formerly have been lesser,before itacquir'd thatmagnitude. And When itdwindlesintoalefler form, it must needs have been greater before itsdi minution. Inlikemanner,thestrongestarisesfrom the weakest, and theswiftest from theslowest.
That's a plain Truth, laysCebes.
And pray, continues Socrates, when a Tiling be
comes worse, was itnotformerlybetter; and when
it g r o w s just,1, is it n o t b e c a u s e it w a s f o r m e r l y m o r e unjust? -? '? '? :'1n. :l:
Yes, surely Socrates.
Then 'tis sufficiently prov'd that every Thing is
generatedbyitscontrary/ ? . Sufficiently,Socrates;. '"
Betweentwo But,Isnottherealwaysacertainmediumbetween contraries thesetwoContraries? TherearetwoBirths,ortwo thereisal- Processions, one of this from 'that, and another Of
daim*"1*"*^fr? m^'s' ^e me^iumbetweenagreaterand whichwe aleflerThing,is,increaseanddiminution. Thesame
maycall isthe Case of what we call mixing, separating, ti>eTaint heating,cooling,and allother Things/'/? insinitum.
Jr"tL. F? r>tho'nsometimesfallssoout,thatwehavenot Terms to express those Changes and Mediums^ yet Experience shews that by an absolute necessity,Things take rise from one another, and pass reciprocally from one to another through a medium.
? There's
? of the Immortality of the Soul. 103
There's no doubt of that. - ( ;i
And what, continues Socrates, has not Life like wise itsContrary, asawaking has sleeping ? '
Without doubt, fays Cebes. W h a t is that Contrary ?
Death.
SincethesetwoThingsarecontrary,do nottheyThtVnctf- take rife one from the other ? And between theseM <<fL'fi two, are there not two Generations, or two pro. /TM'>>iw>,
_-' -, ' andthatof Cessions? Deathfrom
Whynot? use.
But, fays Socrates, I am about to tell you how the now-mentiohcl Combination stands,and to lliew you the Original and Progress of each of these two
Thingswhich make uptheCompound. Praytell
me how awaking and sleeping are related. Does ? (f%c1""^ notsleepbegetwatchfulness,andwatchingsleep;* eef~
and isnot the generation of sleep, the falling asleep ; and that of watching, the awaking*
All very clear.
Now, pray view the Combination of Life and Death. IsnotDeaththecontraryofLife?
Yes. Anddoesnotonebreedtheother?
Yes, ? WhatisitthatLifebreeds? ? .
Death.
What isitthatDeathbreeds?
Itmustcertainly beLife.
Then, fays Socrates, all living Things and Men -Afuiiv,-oof
are bred from Death. So I think, fays Cebes.
And byConsequence, continues Socrates,ourSouls are lodg'd in the infernal World after our Death.
The Consequence seems just.
But ofthesetwo Generations,one,viz. Death, is very palpable ; it discovers it selfto the Eye, and istouchd bytheHand.
Most certainly.
oftheKe- fitrMm.
G g 4 Shall
? ? V>>4 Phedon : Qr, 4 Dialogue
isDeath Shall not we then attribute to Death the Virtue Aidnotfro-0? prCKiUCing itscontrary, as well as to Life? Or,
f ^ r C " shall we fay, that Nature is lame and maim'd oh
tmewoMthatscore?
bedtfetlirt. There's an absolute necessity, replies Cebes,of
ascribing to Death the Generation of itsContrary. WhatisthatContrary?
Reviving, orreturning toLife.
If there be such a thing as returning to Life, 'tis
nothing else but the Birth of the Dead returning toLife. Andthusweagree,thattheLivingareas much theProductoftheDead,astheDeadareof Living. Which isan incontestable Proof, thatthe Souls of the Dead must remain in some Place or
other,fromwhence theyreturntoLife. That,asItakeit,faysCebet,isaneceflary Con
sequence from the Principles w e have agreed on. And as 1 take it,Cebes, these Principles are well grounded:Consider'emyourself, (a)Ifallthese Contrarieshad not theirProductions and? Generati- \. ons in their turns, which make a Circle, and ifthere
were nothing but one Birth and one direct Pro duction from one to the other Contrary, without the return of the last Conttary to the first that pro- duc'd it5 were it not so, all Things would termi nate in the fame Figure, and be affected in the lame m a n n e r , a n d a t l a s t c e a s e t o b e b o r n . >?
Howdoyoufay,Socrates? "
There's no difficulty in conceiving what I now thelast *"av- *? tner*were notbingbutsleep,andifsleep
Trofosttion. did not produce watching, (b) 'tisplain that every thing would be an Emblem ofthe Fable of Endy- mion, and nothing would be seen any where, because the fame thing must happen to them that happen'd
(a) It Death did not give rife to Life, as Life does to Death, all Things would quickly be at an End, and turnble into theirPrimitive Chaos. . "'
(h) IfLife did not spring from Death, all Things would at lastsleeplikeEndymion,whom,theMoqn lull'deternallya- sleep, according to the Fable. . ' . ? . ? .
to
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul ioj
toQndymion,viz. theymustalwayssleep. Ifevery
thing were mingled, without any subsequent sepa
ration, w e should quickly see Anaxagoras\ Doctrine
fulfiU'd,andallThingsjumbledtogether. Atthe
lame rate,my dear Cebes, ifalllivingThingsdied,TbatUn
and being dead, continued such without reviving,-^ *
wouldnot allThingsunavoidably come toan end^*fj
atlast,insomuch thattherewould notbealivingqmchiy
Thing lestinbeing? For, iflivingThingsdid(c}tumbleinto. notarisefromdead ones,whenthe livingonesdie,their"Pri:
ofnecessityallThingsmustatthelastbeswallow'dTM TM
upbyDeath,and entirelyannihilated.
I t i s n e c e s s a r i l y s o , r e p l i e s C e b e s ? , a l l t h a t y o u
have said seems to be uncontestable.
As I take it, Cebes, there can be no Objection "rucertain
mad? againstthoseTruths5 neitherarewe mistakenthat^ h
i n r e c e i v i n g t h e m ; f o r 'tis c e r t a i n t h e r e is a r e t u r n y e f J t L r e toLife;'tiscertainthatthe LivingriseoutoftheilhJfwIu Dead-, that the Souls departed have a Being, andAwV. upon their return to this Life, the good Souls are <,
in a better , and the bad ones in a worse- Condi- ^XT^fs'"'
, tlOn. ^ seems only
What you now advance, fays Cebes interruptingn ownone Socrates,isonlyanecessary Consequenceofanotherreturnto Principle that I have often heard you lay down, viz. thfcf'^'
That (a) all our acquir'd Knowledge is only Re- ^h'ltoftbe membrance. For, if that Principle be true, we ^<</>>rr<<st*- must necessarily have learn'd at another time what m-
we calltomind inthis. Now that'simpossible,with
out our Soul had a Being before its being invested withthishumanform. So thatthisfamePrinciple, concludes theImmortality of the Soul.
But Cebes, fays Simmiai. interrupting him, what Demonstration havewe ofthatPrinciple? Prayre-
Cfj I've corrected this Passage, by reading ^u)jwmto j for without {/<< 'twas not Sense.
, (a) Socrates made use of that Principle* as being established
to his Hand, and a necessary Consequence os the Creation of
SoulsbeforetheBody.
Buthedidnotteachitforacertain ty,aswe (hallseein Mtmm. -. ? -. -. >
-
fresh
? ? I0? Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
freshmy Memory withit,foratpresentitisout
ofmyHead.
There's a very pretty Demonstration for it, re
pliesCebes. AllMenbeingdulyinterrogated,find out all Things of themselves : Which they' could neverdowithoutKnowledgeandrightReason. Put 'em atunawaresupontheFiguresofGeometry, and other things of that nature, they presently perceive
? . '? ;
v. ' that'tisasMssaid.
Simmias,saysSocrates,ifyou willnotrelyupon this Experience, pray try whether the fame method willnotbringyouovertoourSentiments. Doyou find great difficulty in believing that Learning is on
lyRemembring? *. ? . '. . T I do not find very much, replies Simmias ; but i
*? '*? ? wouldgladlylearnthatRemembranceyouspeakof. '. ' BywhatCebeshassaid,Ialmostrememberit,and Ibeginto believeit;butthatshallnot hinderme
? ' " to hear with pleasure the Arguments you can offer
Iarguethus,repliesSocrates. We allagree,that in order to remember, a Man must have known be fore what he then calls to mind.
Most certainly. .
(b) And let us likewise agree upon this, That
? > * Knowledge coming inacertainmanner isRemem brance. Ifay,inacertainmanner;forInstance, when a'Mah by seeing, hearing,or perceiving a thing by any. ofthe Senses, knows what itisthat thus strikesthe Senses; and at the fame time imagines to himself Another thing* independent of that K n o w ledge by Virtue of a quite different Knowledge ; do-ne>twejustlylay,thattheMan remembers the
"ThfogthatcomesthusintohisMind > Howdoyoufay,repliesSimmias?
1 fbssocfjtes's Proofs only conclude a remembrance of things once inown, and afterwards forgot in thisLife ; not of things W d intheotherWorld,fortheSoulisnotcreatedbefore the Body ' This Doctrine of Remembrance is ol admirable use for making out Original Sin, as I sliew'd in the Intro
duction, j say
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul. 107
I say, replies Socrates, for Example, that we know a Man by one fort ofKnowledge,and a Harp by another.
that's certain, quoth Simmias.
1Well then, continues Socrates, do not you know
what happens to Lovers, when they fee the Harp,
Habit, or any other Thing that their Friends or M i
stressesus'dto makeuse of? Itisjust,asIsaidbut
now. Upon seeingand knowing the Harp, they
form in their Thoughts the Image of the Person to
whom the Harp belongs. This is Remembrance.
Thus it often falls out, that one seeing Simmias, thinksofCeies, IcouldciteathousandotherIn-Byreas? >>
stances. ThisthenisRemembrance,especiallywhenf^'I"*"
theThingscall'dtomind aresuchashadbeenfor-wi>>chn-
gotthroughlengthoftimeorbeingoutoffight. cafion'd That's very certain, quoth Simmias. the! rbeing But,continuesSocrates,upon feeingthePicture1,^*t0~
ofaHorseorHarp,may notonecalltomindthe Man ? And uponseeing thePictureofSimmias,may not one think of Qebes ?
Sure enough, says Simmias.
Much more, continues Socrates,upon seeing the Picture of Simmias, will he call to mind Simmias himself.
A y , w i t h i e a s e .
. " ? . . . -,"
F r o m all these Instances w e infer, that R e m e m
brance isoccasion'd sometimes bythingsthatare? ' ;;
l i k e t h e t h i n g r e m e m b r e d -, a n d s o m e t i m e s b y t h i n g s thatareunlike. Butwhen oneremembersathing by virtue of a likeness, does itnot neceflarily come to pals, that the Mind at first view discovers whe therthe Picture does resemblethe. thing defign'd, lamely or perfectly. . . .
Itmustneedsbe so,repliesSimmias.
? Then pray mind whether your Thoughts ofwhat HtfteJisof
Iamabouttolayagreewithmine. Isnotthereanintdli- something that we call Equality? I do not speakffhlhmt "
oftheequalityobserv'dbetweenoneTreeandano-^;'"
ther, one Stone and another, and several other . ? '? -? '? ' things
? ? |oS
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
things that are alike. I speak of abstracted equa-~
lityofthings. Shallwecallthatiomethingorno
thing ?
Surely,we shouldcallitsomething? ,butthat
willonlycometopasswhenwe meantospeakPhi losophically and of marvellous things.
ButthendoweknowthisEquality?
Without doubt.
BtmtM! t>> (AE)FromwhencedowederivethatKnowledge?
&Tw- *s**nCft^om the thinSswe mention'dbutnow> *ltdgt? (flhu'Tisupon feeing equalTrees,equalStones, andie-
inteiiigibUveralotherthingsofthatnature,thatwe form the ? Totality IdeaofthatEquality,whichis. noteithertheTrees
f^s,jein or the Stones, but something distracted from all
t^World subjects. Do notyou finditsuch>Pray takeno rthstber*? tice. Th$ Stones and the Trees are always the firemust satne, and yet do not they sometimes appear un- krtfnr'd a[ >
sotiltOtlKT. *r, , Sure enough.
What ! Do equalthingsappearunequal? Or,does equality take up the form of unequality ?
By no means,Socrates,
otherwise Then Equality and the thing which is equal are
Quality twodifferentthings.
<<ndi>>eqna- Mostcertainly.
UtyvoM But after all these equal things, which are dis-
jZZ'shL &rent from Equality, furnish us with the Idea and jett5whichKnowledge of that abstractedEquality.
* a con. tradicihit.
That's true, replies Simmias.
she cafeisthefame,whetherthisEqualitybear
a resemblance to the things that occasion'd its Idea, or not.
(<t)Socratesisoutinthinkingto provethattheknowledge of intelligible Qualities was acquir'd in the other World. That Knowledge isthe effectortheLightwithwhichGod illuminates the Soul, or the Tracks of the Impressions that arenotquitedefac'dby Sin:'TistheremainderoftheKnow ledge w e have lost, and of the Perfection w e have forfeited. So that, if the otbtr Lifebe taken in Socrttes's Sense, the Propo sition is false ; if in ours, for the slate of the Soul before Sin, 'tistrue.
? ? rof the immortality of the Soul.
i d g
Most certainly.
When, upon feeing one thing, you call to mind another. 'tisno matterifitbelikeitornot; stillit isremembrance.
Without doubt.
B u t - w h a t shall w e say'to this, continues Socrates ; *5? J/k/<<*-'
w h e n w e behold trees or other things that ate equal, / Z i f ^ w aretheyequal accordingtotheequalityofwhich/0^r/<<st<<* we havetheIdeajornot? thebad.
Very far from it.
u(R)*<*'
Thenweagreeuponthis. WhenaManfeesa thingbeforehim,andthinksitwouldbeequalto anotherthing,butatthefame timeisfarfrombe ing Ibperfectly equal, astheequalityofwhich he hastheIdea:Then,Ilay,(b)hewhothinksthus,
must necessarily have known beforehand this intel lectualBeing which the thingremsembles, butim perfectly.
There's an absolute Necessity for that.
And isnotthecasethefame,when wecompare things equal with the equality >
Sure enough, Socrates.
Then of necessity we must have known that E- quality before the time, in which we firstsaw the equal things, and thereupon thought, that they all
tended to be equal as equality it self, but could not reach it.
That's certain.
But we likewise agree upon this, That this**>>*>*>>>>"- Thought can be deriv'd from nothing else but one? /e V T '
r C r. c r*? i- ? i>><<. <"**theCon- or our benles, trom seeing, touching, or reelmg one/^we y
way or other : And the fame Conclusion will hold dramsfrom.
of all Beings, whether Intellectual or Sensible. All things will equally conclude for what you
design.
Then, 'tis from the Senses themselves that we
(b)Tho'hemusthaveknownit,itdoesnotfollowthat he knew it in the other Life, unless it be thereby meant the very instantof the Creation of the Soul.
*"f^fi-
derive
? ? rj. lp
Phedon : Oy, A Dialogue
derive this Thought ; that all the Objects of our Senses have a tendency towards this intellectual Equality,but comesshortofit. Isitnot?
Yes,without doubt, Socrates.
In effect, Simmias, (a) before we began to fee, . '. . 'feel,oruseourSenses,wemusthavehadtheknow
ledgeofthisintellectualEquality;elsewe could not be capable to compare it with the sensible things, and perceive that they have all a tendency towards it,but fall short of its Perfection.
That's a necessary Consequence from the Pre- v mises.
But is it not certain, That immediately after our Birth,wesaw,weheard,andmadeuseofourother Senses ?
Very true.
Then it follows, that before that time we had the knowledge of that Equality ?
Without doubt.
rbhConfe- (b)AndbyConsequencewewerepossess'dofit fimceis beforewewereborn.
i^we polsess'd Itbefore we were born, then we
knew things before we were born, and immediately afterour birth knew not only what isequal, what great, what small, but all other things of that na ture. For what we now advance ofEquality, is equally applicable to Goodness,Justice,Sanctityj and, in a word, to all other things that have a real
(a)Onemighthaveanswer'd,ThatwehadnotthatKnow
ledge beforewe were born,but receiv'ditafterwardsby
thegradualCommunicationofLightfromGod intotheSoul.
But, as 'tis certain that the Soul was created full of Light
and Perfection, so this Truth was known to the Pagans, and
upon that account Socrates's Friends were oblig'd to assent to
whathesaid. Andafterall,ifbythefirstLireoftheSoul, vwe . understand the very Instant of Creation, or the State of
the Soul before the Fall, the Proposition istrue.
(l>)We ""knewbeforewesinn'djwelostourKnowledge
-bysinning;andre-callitagainby VirtueoftheLightim partedbyGodtotheSon! . ' ,""
? ? w* SoIthink.
enje.
0E*
? ? ofthe Immortality of the Soul. ii%
(^Existence. So that of necessity we must have known all these thingsbefore we came into this World.
That's certain.
And being possess'dofthatKnowledge,ifwe did
not forget apace every Day, we should not only be
bornwithit,butretainitallourlife-time* Forto
know,isonlytopreservetheKnowledgewe have received,andnottoloseit. Andtoforget,isto
lose the Knowledge we enjoy'd before.
That's certain, Socrates.
Now, if, after having possess'd that Knowledge
beforewewereborn,andhavinglostitsince,we come to retrieve it by the ministry of our Senses, which we callLearning! , shall not we justly entitle it Remembrance ?
With a great deal of reason,Socrates.
(d) For we have agreed upon this-, That 'tisvery possible,thataMan seeing,hearing,orperceiving one things by any of his Senses, should frame to himself the imagination of another thing that he had forgot j to which the thing perceiv'd by the Senses has some relation, whether it resembles the
other,ornot. Sothatoneoftwothingsmustne cessarily follow. Either we were born with that Knowledge, and preserv'ditallalong;orelsere trievalitafterwardsbyway ofremembrance. Which ofthesetwo,do you pitchupon,Simmias? ,arewe b o r n w i t h t h a t K n o w l e d g e ; o r d o w e c a l l it t o m i n d after having had it and forgot if?
Indeed Socrates, I do not know which to chuse at present.
(c)The GreekExpositionisveryremarkable;itrunsthus; ThingsuponwhichwehaveputthisStamp,That'tisso. Thatis, to distinguish Things that have a true Existence, from sensi ble Things that have no true Existence. ? >
(d) Twas agreed before, Chat upon seeingone thing we c a l l t o m i n d a n o t h e r u n s e e n ;- a s u p o n s e e i n g a L u t e w e t h i n k of a Mistress ; upon seeing equal Trees, we call to mind Equality. -? -<-
* "<< '*
But
? ? I n
Phedon: (C)r, A Dialogue
inPlato?
t
i
Then you thinkallMen havenotthisKnow
ledge?
No sure.
(a) D o they call to mind then, the things they have known ?
That may be.
At what time did our Souls learn that Know ledge ? Itcannot be since we were Men.
No sure. . ,-. ,. ? ,. .
that they are only temperate through Intempe- The IanCe> ' ' . changeof
That's very clear, Socrates. s\ Tafliom, is
Letus not beimpos'd upon, my dear Simmias. ">>*thetrue ThestraightRoadtoVertue, doesnotlyeinshiftingstover-
P l e a s u r e s f o r P l e a s u r e s , F e a r s f o r F e a r s , o r o n e M e - y y : f l o m is
lancholy Thought for another, and imitating those theonlytrue who changealargepieceofMoney, formanyCo>n;>>"*
imallones. ButWisdomistheonlytrueand*&? {%? **"**, alloyed Coin, for which all others must be given in r'khSTeari
Exchange. WiththatpieceofMoneywe purchasethatought all,Fortitude,Temperance,Justice. InaWord,thatt0be/""? -
Vertueisalwaystrue, which accompaniesWisdom,c]^eiat
without any dependance upon Pleasures, Grief,0/o>>*>>we
FearsoranyotherPassions. WhereasallotherVer-Estate. tuesstrip'dofWisdom, whichrunupona'perpetualrenutwith
Exchange,areonlyshadowsofVertue. TrueVer-^^^>> tue is really and in efted a purgation from all thdkdowlfrZ-
sortsofPassions. Temperance,Justice,Fortitudeandtue. PrudenceorWisdom itself,arenotexchangedTTMr<*~
forPassions; but cleanse us of them. And it is^jT prettyevident,thatthosewho instituted^thePurifi-a'nipUa- cations, call'd by us Teletes, i, e. Perfect Expiatiorts, tionsnotex- were Persons of no contemptible Rank, -Men . t>fcl">"ses-
great Genius's, w h o in the first Ages mean'd by fo*h^u*'? *~ Riddlestogiveustoknow (a) thatwhoever entersfev^&cT the other World without being initiatedand purified,The ancient shallbe hurled headlonginto the vastAbyls ;afcd"P'^ificati- that whoever arrives there after due purgation and "? "" mly
expiation,shallbelodgedin theApartmentof the^sKehU
Gods. For, asthe Dispensers Of thole Expiationssaid,many lay, There are many who bear the Thyrsus, butfew are devout,
Thatarepojfefidbythe. SpiritsrfGod. Now those{"'? '/'*" who arethusposfels'd, asJtakeit,arethetruePhi-r/i'Thyr
sus was a (a) There's a pleasant Passage to this purpose in the second spear'wrapt
BookofhisKepubl. Theyfay,Thatbyvertueofthese. Pu-';? p;nes0r riflcaiiohsand Sacrifices, we aredeliver'd from the Torments fVy carried ofHell;butifweneglect'emweshallbe liabletoalltheljthefit-
. Horrors of the fame. _ lowers of G K ? . lofbphers. Bacchus.
? ? ico
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
losophers. I have try'd all means to be listed in that number, and have made it the business of m y wholelife-timetocompassmyend. IfitpleaseGod, IhopetoknowinaMinute,thatmy Effortshavenot been ineffectual, and that Success has crown'd m y Endeavours. This, my dear Simmies, and my dear Cebes, isthe Apology with which I offer to justifie my notbeingtroubled or afflictedfor partingwith you and quitting my Governours inthisLife;hoping to find good Friends and Rulers there, as well as here.
This, the vulgar cannot digest. However, I shall besatisfiedifmyDefencetakebetterwithyou, than they did with m y Judges.
Socrateshaving thus spoke ; Cebes took up the Discourse to this purpose : Socrates, I subscribe to theTruthofallyouhavesaid. There'sonlyone thing that Men look upon as incredible, viz. what youadvancedoftheSoul. For(a)almostevery
Body fancies, that when the Soul parts from the Body,itisnomore,itdiesalong withit;inthe very minute of parting it vanishes, like a Vapour or
Smoak, whichfliesoffanddispersesandhasnoEx istence. Forifitsubsistedbyitself,weregather'd and retired into it self, and freed from all the above- m e n t i o n e d E v i l s -, t h e r e w e r e a f a i r a n d p r o m i s i n g Prospect, ascertainingtheTruth of what you have said. But,thattheSoullivesafterthedeathofa
Man, thatitissensible, that itactsand thinks, that I fay, needs both insinuation and solid proofs to make it go down.
(a)Thiswas theImagination os'thosewho denied the ImmortalityoftheSoul. TheAuthoroftheBookofWis dom,hasset'emintheirtrueColours. OurLife(Taysbe)is butaBreath;afterdeathityaniflieslikeaFapour, andj>afjesasa
Cloud, or a Mist dispersed by the Hays of the Sun. Then he tells us,thatthole who entertain 'emsciveswith such Language, were^not acquainted with the Secrets of God, for God created Man- incorruptible, afterhis own Image, and tl>e hope of the Righteous is suUofImmortality. NowthisisjustSocrates'sDoctrine.
Y(C)u
? ? ofthe ImmortalityoftheSoul. 101
You say right, Cebes,replies Socrates:But how stallwemanagethisAffair? Shallwe inthisinter view examine whether that is probable or not ?
I shall be mighty glad, fays Cebes, to hear your
Thoughts upon the Matter.
At least, fays Socrates^ I tannot think that any -*s*tyr>">l
M a n hearing us, tho5 he were a Comedian, would JSopha- jipbraidme withRaillery,andchargemewithnotneS5? ,/,? ,?
speaking of such Things as concern us very much, hu comedy Ifyouhave amindthatwe shouldtracethisAffairfthecimds
tothebottom;myOpinionis,thatweshouldpro-&? ? >> ceed in the following Method, in order to know *,>/,am>>-
whether the Souls ofthe Dead have a being in thesingbimfiif other World, or not. onh with
(b) 'Tis a very ancient Opinion, That Soulsquit-'"? fa
ting this World repair to the Infernal Regions, and returnafterthattoliveinthisWorld. Ifsobe, thatMen returntoLifeafterDeath,itfollowsne cessarily that during that interval their Souls are lodg'd in the lower Regions: For if they had not a Being, they-could not return tothisWorld. And
this will be a sufficient Proof of what we affirm, , (c) if we be convinc'd that the Living spring from
the Dead : If otherwise, then we must look out for other Proofs.
t. ? '? ,.
(*)The firstArgumentgroundedontheOpinionofthe Metempsychosis; which Socrates only makes use otto shew that it supposed the future Existence of Souls for a certain Truth.
(c)SinceallThingstakerife fromtheirContraries;Life cannotswervefromthecommonRule. NowisLifecome >> from Death, then the Soul has a Being. This is a certain Truths but can only be made out by the Resurrection. Where
fore St. "Paul tells the Opposers of that Truth; Thou Fool, that tphichthousowestitnotquickendexcessitdie, ICor. If. J6. So
crates goes upon the lame Principle, but 'tis only the Chri
stian Religion that can explain it. "Plato and Socrates had
some IdeaoftheResurrection,;buttheyspoil'ditbymin glingitwiththegrossDoctrineofTythagoras. Theydrew
false Consequences from a Principle that's very true in it
self. Besides this Principle has a very dangerous Error couch^underit,whichwerefutedinthePreface.
Gg 3 That's
? ? loi
Phedon; Or, A Dialogue
That's certain, fays Cebes.
But toassurecurselvesofthisTruth,repliesSo*
cratesy11s not sufficient to examine the Point up
on the Comparison with Men; but likewise upon
that with other Animals,- Plants, and whatever has a Vegetable Principle. ? By- that means, we'll be con-
. viric'd/thatallthings'arebornafterthefame manner; that is, whatever has a contrary, owes itsfirst rise toitscontrary. Forinstancehandsomeisthecon trarytougfytandjustofunjust. Andthefameis the Cafe of an infinite number of-other Things. Now let'sfeeifitbeabsolutelynecessary,thatwhat ever has a contrary, should spring from that contra ry : As when a Thing becomes bigger, of necessity it must formerly have been lesser,before itacquir'd thatmagnitude. And When itdwindlesintoalefler form, it must needs have been greater before itsdi minution. Inlikemanner,thestrongestarisesfrom the weakest, and theswiftest from theslowest.
That's a plain Truth, laysCebes.
And pray, continues Socrates, when a Tiling be
comes worse, was itnotformerlybetter; and when
it g r o w s just,1, is it n o t b e c a u s e it w a s f o r m e r l y m o r e unjust? -? '? '? :'1n. :l:
Yes, surely Socrates.
Then 'tis sufficiently prov'd that every Thing is
generatedbyitscontrary/ ? . Sufficiently,Socrates;. '"
Betweentwo But,Isnottherealwaysacertainmediumbetween contraries thesetwoContraries? TherearetwoBirths,ortwo thereisal- Processions, one of this from 'that, and another Of
daim*"1*"*^fr? m^'s' ^e me^iumbetweenagreaterand whichwe aleflerThing,is,increaseanddiminution. Thesame
maycall isthe Case of what we call mixing, separating, ti>eTaint heating,cooling,and allother Things/'/? insinitum.
Jr"tL. F? r>tho'nsometimesfallssoout,thatwehavenot Terms to express those Changes and Mediums^ yet Experience shews that by an absolute necessity,Things take rise from one another, and pass reciprocally from one to another through a medium.
? There's
? of the Immortality of the Soul. 103
There's no doubt of that. - ( ;i
And what, continues Socrates, has not Life like wise itsContrary, asawaking has sleeping ? '
Without doubt, fays Cebes. W h a t is that Contrary ?
Death.
SincethesetwoThingsarecontrary,do nottheyThtVnctf- take rife one from the other ? And between theseM <<fL'fi two, are there not two Generations, or two pro. /TM'>>iw>,
_-' -, ' andthatof Cessions? Deathfrom
Whynot? use.
But, fays Socrates, I am about to tell you how the now-mentiohcl Combination stands,and to lliew you the Original and Progress of each of these two
Thingswhich make uptheCompound. Praytell
me how awaking and sleeping are related. Does ? (f%c1""^ notsleepbegetwatchfulness,andwatchingsleep;* eef~
and isnot the generation of sleep, the falling asleep ; and that of watching, the awaking*
All very clear.
Now, pray view the Combination of Life and Death. IsnotDeaththecontraryofLife?
Yes. Anddoesnotonebreedtheother?
Yes, ? WhatisitthatLifebreeds? ? .
Death.
What isitthatDeathbreeds?
Itmustcertainly beLife.
Then, fays Socrates, all living Things and Men -Afuiiv,-oof
are bred from Death. So I think, fays Cebes.
And byConsequence, continues Socrates,ourSouls are lodg'd in the infernal World after our Death.
The Consequence seems just.
But ofthesetwo Generations,one,viz. Death, is very palpable ; it discovers it selfto the Eye, and istouchd bytheHand.
Most certainly.
oftheKe- fitrMm.
G g 4 Shall
? ? V>>4 Phedon : Qr, 4 Dialogue
isDeath Shall not we then attribute to Death the Virtue Aidnotfro-0? prCKiUCing itscontrary, as well as to Life? Or,
f ^ r C " shall we fay, that Nature is lame and maim'd oh
tmewoMthatscore?
bedtfetlirt. There's an absolute necessity, replies Cebes,of
ascribing to Death the Generation of itsContrary. WhatisthatContrary?
Reviving, orreturning toLife.
If there be such a thing as returning to Life, 'tis
nothing else but the Birth of the Dead returning toLife. Andthusweagree,thattheLivingareas much theProductoftheDead,astheDeadareof Living. Which isan incontestable Proof, thatthe Souls of the Dead must remain in some Place or
other,fromwhence theyreturntoLife. That,asItakeit,faysCebet,isaneceflary Con
sequence from the Principles w e have agreed on. And as 1 take it,Cebes, these Principles are well grounded:Consider'emyourself, (a)Ifallthese Contrarieshad not theirProductions and? Generati- \. ons in their turns, which make a Circle, and ifthere
were nothing but one Birth and one direct Pro duction from one to the other Contrary, without the return of the last Conttary to the first that pro- duc'd it5 were it not so, all Things would termi nate in the fame Figure, and be affected in the lame m a n n e r , a n d a t l a s t c e a s e t o b e b o r n . >?
Howdoyoufay,Socrates? "
There's no difficulty in conceiving what I now thelast *"av- *? tner*were notbingbutsleep,andifsleep
Trofosttion. did not produce watching, (b) 'tisplain that every thing would be an Emblem ofthe Fable of Endy- mion, and nothing would be seen any where, because the fame thing must happen to them that happen'd
(a) It Death did not give rife to Life, as Life does to Death, all Things would quickly be at an End, and turnble into theirPrimitive Chaos. . "'
(h) IfLife did not spring from Death, all Things would at lastsleeplikeEndymion,whom,theMoqn lull'deternallya- sleep, according to the Fable. . ' . ? . ? .
to
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul ioj
toQndymion,viz. theymustalwayssleep. Ifevery
thing were mingled, without any subsequent sepa
ration, w e should quickly see Anaxagoras\ Doctrine
fulfiU'd,andallThingsjumbledtogether. Atthe
lame rate,my dear Cebes, ifalllivingThingsdied,TbatUn
and being dead, continued such without reviving,-^ *
wouldnot allThingsunavoidably come toan end^*fj
atlast,insomuch thattherewould notbealivingqmchiy
Thing lestinbeing? For, iflivingThingsdid(c}tumbleinto. notarisefromdead ones,whenthe livingonesdie,their"Pri:
ofnecessityallThingsmustatthelastbeswallow'dTM TM
upbyDeath,and entirelyannihilated.
I t i s n e c e s s a r i l y s o , r e p l i e s C e b e s ? , a l l t h a t y o u
have said seems to be uncontestable.
As I take it, Cebes, there can be no Objection "rucertain
mad? againstthoseTruths5 neitherarewe mistakenthat^ h
i n r e c e i v i n g t h e m ; f o r 'tis c e r t a i n t h e r e is a r e t u r n y e f J t L r e toLife;'tiscertainthatthe LivingriseoutoftheilhJfwIu Dead-, that the Souls departed have a Being, andAwV. upon their return to this Life, the good Souls are <,
in a better , and the bad ones in a worse- Condi- ^XT^fs'"'
, tlOn. ^ seems only
What you now advance, fays Cebes interruptingn ownone Socrates,isonlyanecessary Consequenceofanotherreturnto Principle that I have often heard you lay down, viz. thfcf'^'
That (a) all our acquir'd Knowledge is only Re- ^h'ltoftbe membrance. For, if that Principle be true, we ^<</>>rr<<st*- must necessarily have learn'd at another time what m-
we calltomind inthis. Now that'simpossible,with
out our Soul had a Being before its being invested withthishumanform. So thatthisfamePrinciple, concludes theImmortality of the Soul.
But Cebes, fays Simmiai. interrupting him, what Demonstration havewe ofthatPrinciple? Prayre-
Cfj I've corrected this Passage, by reading ^u)jwmto j for without {/<< 'twas not Sense.
, (a) Socrates made use of that Principle* as being established
to his Hand, and a necessary Consequence os the Creation of
SoulsbeforetheBody.
Buthedidnotteachitforacertain ty,aswe (hallseein Mtmm. -. ? -. -. >
-
fresh
? ? I0? Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
freshmy Memory withit,foratpresentitisout
ofmyHead.
There's a very pretty Demonstration for it, re
pliesCebes. AllMenbeingdulyinterrogated,find out all Things of themselves : Which they' could neverdowithoutKnowledgeandrightReason. Put 'em atunawaresupontheFiguresofGeometry, and other things of that nature, they presently perceive
? . '? ;
v. ' that'tisasMssaid.
Simmias,saysSocrates,ifyou willnotrelyupon this Experience, pray try whether the fame method willnotbringyouovertoourSentiments. Doyou find great difficulty in believing that Learning is on
lyRemembring? *. ? . '. . T I do not find very much, replies Simmias ; but i
*? '*? ? wouldgladlylearnthatRemembranceyouspeakof. '. ' BywhatCebeshassaid,Ialmostrememberit,and Ibeginto believeit;butthatshallnot hinderme
? ' " to hear with pleasure the Arguments you can offer
Iarguethus,repliesSocrates. We allagree,that in order to remember, a Man must have known be fore what he then calls to mind.
Most certainly. .
(b) And let us likewise agree upon this, That
? > * Knowledge coming inacertainmanner isRemem brance. Ifay,inacertainmanner;forInstance, when a'Mah by seeing, hearing,or perceiving a thing by any. ofthe Senses, knows what itisthat thus strikesthe Senses; and at the fame time imagines to himself Another thing* independent of that K n o w ledge by Virtue of a quite different Knowledge ; do-ne>twejustlylay,thattheMan remembers the
"ThfogthatcomesthusintohisMind > Howdoyoufay,repliesSimmias?
1 fbssocfjtes's Proofs only conclude a remembrance of things once inown, and afterwards forgot in thisLife ; not of things W d intheotherWorld,fortheSoulisnotcreatedbefore the Body ' This Doctrine of Remembrance is ol admirable use for making out Original Sin, as I sliew'd in the Intro
duction, j say
? ? of the Immortality of the Soul. 107
I say, replies Socrates, for Example, that we know a Man by one fort ofKnowledge,and a Harp by another.
that's certain, quoth Simmias.
1Well then, continues Socrates, do not you know
what happens to Lovers, when they fee the Harp,
Habit, or any other Thing that their Friends or M i
stressesus'dto makeuse of? Itisjust,asIsaidbut
now. Upon seeingand knowing the Harp, they
form in their Thoughts the Image of the Person to
whom the Harp belongs. This is Remembrance.
Thus it often falls out, that one seeing Simmias, thinksofCeies, IcouldciteathousandotherIn-Byreas? >>
stances. ThisthenisRemembrance,especiallywhenf^'I"*"
theThingscall'dtomind aresuchashadbeenfor-wi>>chn-
gotthroughlengthoftimeorbeingoutoffight. cafion'd That's very certain, quoth Simmias. the! rbeing But,continuesSocrates,upon feeingthePicture1,^*t0~
ofaHorseorHarp,may notonecalltomindthe Man ? And uponseeing thePictureofSimmias,may not one think of Qebes ?
Sure enough, says Simmias.
Much more, continues Socrates,upon seeing the Picture of Simmias, will he call to mind Simmias himself.
A y , w i t h i e a s e .
. " ? . . . -,"
F r o m all these Instances w e infer, that R e m e m
brance isoccasion'd sometimes bythingsthatare? ' ;;
l i k e t h e t h i n g r e m e m b r e d -, a n d s o m e t i m e s b y t h i n g s thatareunlike. Butwhen oneremembersathing by virtue of a likeness, does itnot neceflarily come to pals, that the Mind at first view discovers whe therthe Picture does resemblethe. thing defign'd, lamely or perfectly. . . .
Itmustneedsbe so,repliesSimmias.
? Then pray mind whether your Thoughts ofwhat HtfteJisof
Iamabouttolayagreewithmine. Isnotthereanintdli- something that we call Equality? I do not speakffhlhmt "
oftheequalityobserv'dbetweenoneTreeandano-^;'"
ther, one Stone and another, and several other . ? '? -? '? ' things
? ? |oS
Phedon : Or, A Dialogue
things that are alike. I speak of abstracted equa-~
lityofthings. Shallwecallthatiomethingorno
thing ?
Surely,we shouldcallitsomething? ,butthat
willonlycometopasswhenwe meantospeakPhi losophically and of marvellous things.
ButthendoweknowthisEquality?
Without doubt.
BtmtM! t>> (AE)FromwhencedowederivethatKnowledge?
&Tw- *s**nCft^om the thinSswe mention'dbutnow> *ltdgt? (flhu'Tisupon feeing equalTrees,equalStones, andie-
inteiiigibUveralotherthingsofthatnature,thatwe form the ? Totality IdeaofthatEquality,whichis. noteithertheTrees
f^s,jein or the Stones, but something distracted from all
t^World subjects. Do notyou finditsuch>Pray takeno rthstber*? tice. Th$ Stones and the Trees are always the firemust satne, and yet do not they sometimes appear un- krtfnr'd a[ >
sotiltOtlKT. *r, , Sure enough.
What ! Do equalthingsappearunequal? Or,does equality take up the form of unequality ?
By no means,Socrates,
otherwise Then Equality and the thing which is equal are
Quality twodifferentthings.
<<ndi>>eqna- Mostcertainly.
UtyvoM But after all these equal things, which are dis-
jZZ'shL &rent from Equality, furnish us with the Idea and jett5whichKnowledge of that abstractedEquality.
* a con. tradicihit.
That's true, replies Simmias.
she cafeisthefame,whetherthisEqualitybear
a resemblance to the things that occasion'd its Idea, or not.
(<t)Socratesisoutinthinkingto provethattheknowledge of intelligible Qualities was acquir'd in the other World. That Knowledge isthe effectortheLightwithwhichGod illuminates the Soul, or the Tracks of the Impressions that arenotquitedefac'dby Sin:'TistheremainderoftheKnow ledge w e have lost, and of the Perfection w e have forfeited. So that, if the otbtr Lifebe taken in Socrttes's Sense, the Propo sition is false ; if in ours, for the slate of the Soul before Sin, 'tistrue.
? ? rof the immortality of the Soul.
i d g
Most certainly.
When, upon feeing one thing, you call to mind another. 'tisno matterifitbelikeitornot; stillit isremembrance.
Without doubt.
B u t - w h a t shall w e say'to this, continues Socrates ; *5? J/k/<<*-'
w h e n w e behold trees or other things that ate equal, / Z i f ^ w aretheyequal accordingtotheequalityofwhich/0^r/<<st<<* we havetheIdeajornot? thebad.
Very far from it.
u(R)*<*'
Thenweagreeuponthis. WhenaManfeesa thingbeforehim,andthinksitwouldbeequalto anotherthing,butatthefame timeisfarfrombe ing Ibperfectly equal, astheequalityofwhich he hastheIdea:Then,Ilay,(b)hewhothinksthus,
must necessarily have known beforehand this intel lectualBeing which the thingremsembles, butim perfectly.
There's an absolute Necessity for that.
And isnotthecasethefame,when wecompare things equal with the equality >
Sure enough, Socrates.
Then of necessity we must have known that E- quality before the time, in which we firstsaw the equal things, and thereupon thought, that they all
tended to be equal as equality it self, but could not reach it.
That's certain.
But we likewise agree upon this, That this**>>*>*>>>>"- Thought can be deriv'd from nothing else but one? /e V T '
r C r. c r*? i- ? i>><<. <"**theCon- or our benles, trom seeing, touching, or reelmg one/^we y
way or other : And the fame Conclusion will hold dramsfrom.
of all Beings, whether Intellectual or Sensible. All things will equally conclude for what you
design.
Then, 'tis from the Senses themselves that we
(b)Tho'hemusthaveknownit,itdoesnotfollowthat he knew it in the other Life, unless it be thereby meant the very instantof the Creation of the Soul.
*"f^fi-
derive
? ? rj. lp
Phedon : Oy, A Dialogue
derive this Thought ; that all the Objects of our Senses have a tendency towards this intellectual Equality,but comesshortofit. Isitnot?
Yes,without doubt, Socrates.
In effect, Simmias, (a) before we began to fee, . '. . 'feel,oruseourSenses,wemusthavehadtheknow
ledgeofthisintellectualEquality;elsewe could not be capable to compare it with the sensible things, and perceive that they have all a tendency towards it,but fall short of its Perfection.
That's a necessary Consequence from the Pre- v mises.
But is it not certain, That immediately after our Birth,wesaw,weheard,andmadeuseofourother Senses ?
Very true.
Then it follows, that before that time we had the knowledge of that Equality ?
Without doubt.
rbhConfe- (b)AndbyConsequencewewerepossess'dofit fimceis beforewewereborn.
i^we polsess'd Itbefore we were born, then we
knew things before we were born, and immediately afterour birth knew not only what isequal, what great, what small, but all other things of that na ture. For what we now advance ofEquality, is equally applicable to Goodness,Justice,Sanctityj and, in a word, to all other things that have a real
(a)Onemighthaveanswer'd,ThatwehadnotthatKnow
ledge beforewe were born,but receiv'ditafterwardsby
thegradualCommunicationofLightfromGod intotheSoul.
But, as 'tis certain that the Soul was created full of Light
and Perfection, so this Truth was known to the Pagans, and
upon that account Socrates's Friends were oblig'd to assent to
whathesaid. Andafterall,ifbythefirstLireoftheSoul, vwe . understand the very Instant of Creation, or the State of
the Soul before the Fall, the Proposition istrue.
(l>)We ""knewbeforewesinn'djwelostourKnowledge
-bysinning;andre-callitagainby VirtueoftheLightim partedbyGodtotheSon! . ' ,""
? ? w* SoIthink.
enje.
0E*
? ? ofthe Immortality of the Soul. ii%
(^Existence. So that of necessity we must have known all these thingsbefore we came into this World.
That's certain.
And being possess'dofthatKnowledge,ifwe did
not forget apace every Day, we should not only be
bornwithit,butretainitallourlife-time* Forto
know,isonlytopreservetheKnowledgewe have received,andnottoloseit. Andtoforget,isto
lose the Knowledge we enjoy'd before.
That's certain, Socrates.
Now, if, after having possess'd that Knowledge
beforewewereborn,andhavinglostitsince,we come to retrieve it by the ministry of our Senses, which we callLearning! , shall not we justly entitle it Remembrance ?
With a great deal of reason,Socrates.
(d) For we have agreed upon this-, That 'tisvery possible,thataMan seeing,hearing,orperceiving one things by any of his Senses, should frame to himself the imagination of another thing that he had forgot j to which the thing perceiv'd by the Senses has some relation, whether it resembles the
other,ornot. Sothatoneoftwothingsmustne cessarily follow. Either we were born with that Knowledge, and preserv'ditallalong;orelsere trievalitafterwardsbyway ofremembrance. Which ofthesetwo,do you pitchupon,Simmias? ,arewe b o r n w i t h t h a t K n o w l e d g e ; o r d o w e c a l l it t o m i n d after having had it and forgot if?
Indeed Socrates, I do not know which to chuse at present.
(c)The GreekExpositionisveryremarkable;itrunsthus; ThingsuponwhichwehaveputthisStamp,That'tisso. Thatis, to distinguish Things that have a true Existence, from sensi ble Things that have no true Existence. ? >
(d) Twas agreed before, Chat upon seeingone thing we c a l l t o m i n d a n o t h e r u n s e e n ;- a s u p o n s e e i n g a L u t e w e t h i n k of a Mistress ; upon seeing equal Trees, we call to mind Equality. -? -<-
* "<< '*
But
? ? I n
Phedon: (C)r, A Dialogue
inPlato?
t
i
Then you thinkallMen havenotthisKnow
ledge?
No sure.
(a) D o they call to mind then, the things they have known ?
That may be.
At what time did our Souls learn that Know ledge ? Itcannot be since we were Men.
No sure. . ,-. ,. ? ,. .
