Andaswemayobservethat God has not left so much as one part of the Uni
versewithoutimprintingonittheCharactersof
his God-head,thatMenmightbynomeansbeignorant o f i t ?
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
ThisNotionwasnot entirelyChimerical, sinceit.
hadalreadybeenputin practice in part among the Lacedemonians, and some other Nations 5 but that does not excuse it from being a most vitious Usage ?
, for the Authority of Customcan'trenderthatGoodwhichisinitsown NatureEvil.
ThisCommunityofThingsandPer sons can't conduct this Lawgiver to the end he pro poses, but on the contrary sets him at a greater dis tance from it, and makes him lose the advantage of all he has before established ; for instead of uni ting his Citizens this divides 'em, by breaking asun
der all Relations, and all the most sacred Ties of Nature, and trampling on Laws, and Religion, HonourandDecency. BeforetbeChristiansshew'cl
their
? ? The Lifeof Phto; 85
theirIndignationagainstaMaxim sofullofWick edness and Error, the Pagans discerned the falshood o f i t ? , f o r A r i s t o t l e a t t a c k s i t i n t h e I I B o o k o f
hisPoliticks. NayP/atohimselfabandonsitinhis 6thBook of Laws, where he restores all that honour to Marriage of which he had before di vestedit. ,
Besides this Fault, there is another taken notice of,andthatistheEducationofWomen, towhom heassignsthefameEmployments asMen commit tingto'emtheCommandofArmies,andtheGo
vernmentofStates. HefoundedthisNotionona Maxim of Socrates, who held, that Women were capableofthefameVertuesasMen, thotheycan't carrythem tothelastPerfection. Exceptingthese , two things, which yet occasion very solid, and veiy
useful Reflections, there isnothing among the Wri
tings of the Pagans, which better deserves to be read,
andretained,thanPlato'sBookofaRepublics and
those of Laws : They have a Beauty on 'em that
may be called Divine ^ and indeed they appear to
beaCopyofatrulydivineOriginal. Forthis
* Republick of which Plato gives an Idea, kBbe,
true Draught of the Common-wealth of the^fe-
brewsundertheConductofMoses. Weseeinboth
the lame Simplicity of Manners, the fame way of
living, and the fame end propos'd. The -Miseries of both proceed from the fame Causes ? , that ison
lyfrom theDisobedienceofthePeoplehandtheir
forgetfulness of their principal Duties ; and their
Prosperity always springs from their diligent Atten
dance on the fame Duties, and their readinessto 0-
bey. ButhereisonethingthatseemstobeveryMosesthe
remarkable. PlatowillhavehiswiseMantobeofJ*'? _ a wonderful Genius, and Temper ; he must have l0forms-bis had a miraculous and divine Education; he must wijeMan. fromhisYouthhavegivenMarksofhisgreatZeal --- forrhe Publick Good ; he must be fir, both for a ContemplativeandActiveLife;hemustbeanE-
* Plato'sRepublic! ? ,theDraughtofchatoftheHOrewi* G3 nemy
>' ,'
? ? U
The Life of Plata. 1
nemy ofGrandeur,andattainitonlyby Obedience5 this Obedience must be the occasion of his taking the Conduct of a People j he must govern them ac cordingtotheInstitutionsofGod to whom he isonly a Vicegerent ; Religion must be the principle and end of all his Enterprizes ; he must have both Se verityandMeekness;hemustbearm'dwithCou
rage and Temperance, with Justice and Wisdom ? , and must make it his business to render those w h o m hegovernstheFriendsofGod. Andthesearethe
-principal Strokes in Moses his Picture j so that if the Idea of our Philosopher does honour to this Le gislator, and his People whose Grandeur he repre s e n t s -, o n e m a y f a y t h e T r u t h a c c o m p l i s h e d i n o n e and t'other does yet more honour to the Philosopher,
by shewing his great Wisdom, and the extent of hi$ Mind. If Plato had had this Idea with out any knowledg of the History of Moses (which yet I do not believe) nothing can be imagined greater-,hewouldbemorethanaMan. And if he form'd it only on this History, which he had read, or learn'd by Tradition in Egypt ; it wafcavery greatDemonstrationof hisWisdom, that
h^Rscern'd the Beauty of it, and follow'dit as a Pattern.
I'untTon RsveUtion. Wise-manregulatesthoseunderhisConduct. First
As Moses r? gnlated the People of God, so Plato's
'he instructsthem inReligion, aboutwhich heestab l i s h e s n o t h i n g w i t h o u t h a v i n g c o n s u l t e d G o d -, t h a t is nothing but what is conformable to true Traditi ons,andancientOracles. Hefortifiesthemagainst thePoysonoftheTheologyofthePoetswho inter
mix Lies with the Truth, and against the Religion ofcredulousandsuperstitiousPeople. Heteaches 'emtobelievethereisoneonlytrueGod, who be inginfinitelyGood lovesMankind, andiswillingto render'emhappy,andwhoashe isalsoinfinitely
laws? Juftmakesnonehappybutthosewhoresemblehim, Torn. '2. andpunishessuchasdishonourthesacredCharacter hehadimprintedon'era, Hetells'emthatGoda*
yoe.
? ? Ihe Life ofPlato: 87
wearetaughtbyancient"Tradition* havinginhim selfthebeginnings themiddleandtheendosallthings, always goes on his way according to his Nature with
out ever stepping aside : H e is followed by Justice which never fails to punish the Transgressions commit
tedagainflhisLaw. ThosewhowouldbeHappy',_,- conformtothis Divine Justice with + Humility? ,pence0t^.
whereas he that becomesproud because os hisRiches,milky,.
Honours, orBeauty (forBeautyoftenbetraysyoung
people into Extravagancy and Folly) and who hag
presumption enough to think he has no need os a
Guide, but is capable of conducting both himself and others,isentirelyabandonedofGodforhisPride. A r\>iPiaifk-
Man inthisconditionjoinshimselftootherswhoaremintof tainted with thefame Vice ; and % turning all things PiHt*
upside down with extreme boldness, and most horrible presumption, hecomestobelookeduponbythepeople
assome great person : But soon after by the just judgment of God, he is seen to destroy himself, to subvert his own House, and to involve the whole
StateinhisRuine. Heexplainsto'emthePunish mentsthatarereservedfortheWicked. Theyare notlimited (layshe) totheMiseriesofthisLifet nortoHeathitself,fromwhichevenGoodMen are notexempted;forthese arePenaltiestoolight, and
short ; but they are horrible Torments which shall ne verhaveanend. Heencouragesthembythehope ofRewards,andaneverlastingstateofFelicity. He takes 10 great care of 'em that he obviates every thing that might occasion 'em to call in question the Divine Providence, and throw 'em into Impiety. One would think he had copied out of David's
* ThisiswhatGodfaysinIsa. 41. 4. /thiLordthefirst,and with the lastI am hi. f Plato here employs the fame cerm, whichthesacredWritersuse,toexpressonewhoisofahumble Spirir, ranr&vo< ; so that the Pagans, not only knew the name of theVertue, buttheVertueitself. i Platoheread mirably well represents4he Misery and Littleness of some Men, who think themselves great, and appear so in the Eyes of the People: And(hows, thattherearenoMentrulygreatbutsuchas humbly subpiit to the Divine Law.
G 4 Psalms -,
? ? 33 The Life of Plated
P s a l m s ? , f o r t h u s h e s p e a k s t o a Y o u n g M a n n o t
lidBoo&fwellinstructedintheDivineConduct. Toubavein Laws, youaNaturewhich havingsomethingDivineinit, Tom. a. leadsyoutobelievetheGods, buttheprosperityof
&
theWicked, whosehappinessissomuchboafledof,tho they are indeed very miserable, isready to leadyou in to Impiety : Ton can'tfee profligate Persons arrive at extreme Old Age without meeting with any remakable Calamity, andleavetheirChildren'sChildren after "em, HeirstotheirEstatesandfortune;youcan'tfee.
allthis(Ifay)withoutbeingshakenbyit. Toubave often heardfay, and have oftenseen withyour own Eyes , that the meanefi . Persons have ascended Thrones by their Crimes ; and upon this you dare
not down-right deny the Gods, nor accuse them ofbe- ing the cause of this ;for there issomething inyou, that restrainsyoufrom this, and opposes it: But. youaresofarseducedand deceivedbyyour follyand. Ignorance, that whileyou consessthere are Gods,you. reduce yourself to say they are regardless of hu maneAffairs. ARemedyoughttobespeedilyappli ed to remove this Distemper, before it has time to grow uponyou, andJo to precipitate you into the AbyssofImpiety. Perhapsitwillbenodifficult mattertoprove, thattheGodsextendtheirCareand Regardto thesmallestthingsaswellasthegreatest. And thatthedivineNaturebeingVertueitself,ex
tends its Providence over all.
And indeed he proves this with wonderful Solidi-
\.
pmfs oj
Provideue. ty. I'llonlygiveanAbridgmentoftheseProofs,
whichhaveyetmoreforceintheOriginal. IfGod Tom. 2. ^ySj^g)fj01ij. tajienocare0jMen, itwouldbe
eitherthroughMalice,orIgnorance, Weakness,Neg ligence or Laziness : But none, of these Vices, which are in as, can befound in God, who is infinitely
perfect ; who is Goodness, Knowledg, Wisdom, Pow er, Providence, andActivityittils. He takescare of allthings, for he created them, and they are his. HowthencanheneglectMen, whobelongtohimin a more particular manner ? Has God less Capacity^
? ? TbtLiseofVhto: gp
orishelessdiligentthanArtificers? Byhowmuch the more knowing these are ; byso much the moreper- feil are their Works, whether small or great, they
forgetting nothing that may conduce to the Improve mentof"em. AndshallGod,whoismostwife,most knowing, andhasaPower proportionatetohisWitt^ regard onlythegreatestthings; and negleffothers whichmaybestilljnoreeasilymended; asifhewas
idle, aud affraidofgiving himselftrouble ? This is followedwithotheradmirableProofs, whichitwould be too long to relate. In fine, he * shows, that
sooner or later God renders to every M a n according God atthe tohisWorks. TheRighteous,whohavebeenexposdlaP? "*? ' to Troubles in thisLife are recompencedin the other, fgtnt""dtrs
and the Wicked who have always enjoy'dthe Pleasures Manaccord-
oftheWorld,arepunishedinHell. Thisisnecesi*gtohis sarily infer'dfrom the Justice of God : 'Tis impos Ww^s,
Jible to avoid this Judgment which the Gods have fix'd by that Providence which you oppose, and of whichyoushallone day befatally convinced; don't
supposethatitwillnegligentlypassyouby. tTho
you should seek ashelter by hidingyourself in the
deepestCavernsoftheEarth; thoyoushouldhave
Wings, andtouldflyintotheheavenstohideyour
selfthere; theDivineProvidencewouldseizeyou
every where ; and you shall never avoid the Punish
mentsyoudeserve;whetherinthisWorld, crinHell, orinsome otherplaceyetmoreterrible.
He afterwards shews, that not only they shall be funiihed w h o deny the Divine Being, dispute against
rovidence, or blaspheme God, by layinghe suitersthevunifr-
himself to be bribed by the Offerings of the Wick- mvtofim. ed, hut also such as have heard theie Blasphemies ? ,fsiouS? Pef' and yet neglect: to bring the Authors of"'em beforesmsstated-
\ j
'?
theJudgeswhoaresettopunish'em. Healsoin-TbtPiinijh- stitutesPenaltiesforthosewhobytheirown private"f^^c
*Tom. 2. +ThisiswhatDavidCiysinalmostthefame^'J? TM'
Terms, Psal. 130. 7,8. Whithershall1gofromthysprit>whither. . '" fyall 1 fie from thy Presence? if I ascend up into Heaven thou arttkere,,ne
. ifImal(imi BtdinHtU, beholdtt<mautkre.
Audio. -
? ? fif}jm *w '"'
hasamindtoofferSacrificesbemustgointothepub- lickTemples;beistoputbisViSimsandOfferings;
intotheHands of thePriestsand Priestesses,towhose Care thesacred Altars are committed, there he tnust make his\Prayers,wherethosethatcometoworshipmay
joinwithhim. foritdoesnotbelongtoeveryMan toconsecrateAltars; but 'tisthework ofavery enlighten d Mind.
To cure Men of Superstition and Idolatrywhich thenreignedsomuchintheWorld, Platoforgets nothingthatmightinduce 'emtorenderGodarati onalWorship. Forthispurposeheendeavoursto.
raise theirMinds in giving them an Idea of God, which might in some sort agree with his Essence, which mortal Eyes can't see but very imperfectly. Thestrokeswithwhich heforms thisIdeaareseat- ter'dupanddowninallhisWorks. Theprincipal
po The Life ofPlato.
Particular Authority teach or practice in their Houses particu- Formsof Jarporms0fWorship, andtopreventthisInconve-
Si^niencjr, heapplieshimselftodiscovertheCauseof ,,". it. HesaysthiscommonlyproceedsfromWomen, Boolof an(*wea^Minds,whentheyfindthemselvesinany Lavs. danger, or under any adverse Circumstances ; or w h e n Tom. 2. onthecontrarytheymeetwithunexpectedProspe
rs origin rity, or are in some transport of Joy ; or in fine, ? /SKpirsti-wjjen their Imagination is disturb'd by some fright, tuns. j-Qtjiat^ ? -anCy. ^ jiaye^eenSpectres, either
Th'd"lnhnwa^ingorsleeping. ForsuchPeopleasthesewhen
"hyaTt i? thisCondition,arewonttovowtoofferthefirst mrrj. v thing that comes into their Heads : they promise
wisd. 14. Sacrifices and Images -, and fill their Houses with
2 ? "
C h a p p e l s a n d A l t a r s ? , o r s e t u p p a r t i c u l a r f o r m s o f Devotion, which by degrees degenerate into dread ful Superstitions, or impious Novelties, which en tirely ruin both Religion and good Manners ; for what isit thatcan't enter into the head of a M a n or Woman, thatisweak orperverted? and'tisforthis reasonPlatoforbidsInnovationsinWorship, and
makesthisLaw, Thatnoprivatepersonjhould. ba. ve
T>omt(lie\
cbappfls eitheraChappe/orAltarinbisHouse,butwhenhe
<>f
? ? The Life of Plato: 9i
of 'emwhichIhavecollected^arethesethatfollow.
God is one, eternal, immutable, incomprehensible
Being. Hecreated,anddisposedallthingsbyhisWif w^atGod
dom; hemaintainsandpreserves allthings byhis is. Providence;heisinallplaces, andnoplacecan containhim. He isallthings,andyetheisnone of those things which are by him, and have received
theirbeingfromhim. forheisgreaterthanEs senceitself: heseesallthings,knowsallthings,and penetratesthemostsecretthoughts; hefillstheCa pacity of the Deeps, and the Immensity of the Hea vens -, all Knovoledg, Good, Vertue, Light, Life areonlyinhim,andareHimself Heisatthefame timeinfinitelyGoodandinfinitelyfust. Helovesmen withasingular AffeSion;and created"em onlyto render 'em happy : But as he is Holiness and Justice itself he makes none happy but those who resemble
him in Righteousness and Holiness : And punishes
those who have corrupted thesacred Charaffer he had impressedon*embycreating'emafterhisown
Image.
He lays, none butGod cancurealltheInfirmities
of Men.
He teaches that God nor only hates Liars, and UistPtrj>>-
perjur'dpersons, butalsosuchasswearvainlyandZ,*^TM" unnecessarily,andwhodebaseandprofanetheMajesiv^ ^ tyofhisName, by usingit rashlyonalloccasions,>>/God.
whereas itoughttobementionedwithallpossible Sanctity and Purity of Mind.
The generalityofPhilosophersweredivideda- bout the Nature of the Chief Good : Some made it consist in the knowledg of Arts and Sciences, others in Pleasures, and others in Authority and Power. Plato opposes all these Errors ; and shews that the SupremeGoodisnottobefoundintheSciences? , seing these and Vices often appear together in the famePersons,and'tisverycommonforMentoa-
buse 'em:He provesthatPower can'trenderaMan
h a p p y w i t h o u t J u s t i c e >, a n d ( h e w s t h a t w h i c h M e n W a t . P l e a - callPleasures,namelysensualDelights, arebyno^msar-s'
means
? ? i
means of the nature of that Pleasure which can give us the Supreme Happiness : For they are the Conse-. quence of Humane Weakness and Infirmity-, and maybecalledtheDaughtersofSorrow: theyare alwayshatchingbutneverexist. 'Tisthereforea ridiculous thing to make the chief Good consist in that which has no Essence of it self, but only springsfromourMiseriesandNecessities. Hemore over proves it by other Reasons no less solid, which m a y be seen in their proper place.
2%
The Life of Plato?
He does not content himself to shew wherein the in us chief Good is not to be found ; he also teaches Phiieb. whereitis',andtheforceofhisreasoningispre-
wKeiAo- rifely this : The Chief Good must be perfect, lelf-
TofZ'n existent,self-sufficient,thefirstandlastendofall tbisSubjeft. things ; and the only scope of all Mankind in ge- A*dintheneral. KnowledgorPleasurearetheonlythings VIB"! inwhichonecanwithany(hadowofReasonmake
'Llick. tneChiefGoodconsist-,butitcanneitherbefound '" ' in Knowledg without Pleasure, nor in Pleasure without Knowledg : It must therefore of necessity
consistinthat which unitesthesetwo things toge ther, and possesses 'em in the highest degree, and that isGod.
inthe vi Nay, fays he, That Knowledg and Truth of f"\? ffewhlcnGod JstneCausecan'tbetheChiefGood,for
Tom2 ^}cyareinfinitelykTsbeautifulandlessperfedthan God, whoseImagetheydobutveryimperfeUlyrepre
sents arLightisbutaveryimperfedrepresentation astheSun. SothattheSupremeGood,beinggreater\ more august,and more perfett than Truth and Know-
,. ledg,canbenootherthanGpdhimself. Therefore Phedon? ll1Snott0^ef? un^butinGodwhoisthesole Treasure and perfection of Light ; and the Author of trueand solidPleasures. Whence he infersthat whileweareonEarth, wecan'tacquirethisChief Good but after an imperfect manner ; and shall not e n j o y i t f u l l y t i l l a f t e r D e a t h ? , b e c a u s e w e c a n ' t t i l l
then know clearly what we knew only obscurely during this Life : And this is one of his proofs for the
? ? The Life of Plato* 93 t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l ? , n a m e l y b e c a u s e i t i s
capable of-Action and Knowledg after Death. But'tisnotenoughforaPhilosophertopoint ,
out the Supreme Good, unless he also shew the wayofobtainingit? ,andthisiswhat P/atodoes
withmarvellousSolidity. Forheprovesthat,tobe Happy,wemustbeunitedtoGod^ thatinorderto be united to him, we must resemble him inHoliness and Righteousness-, that to obtain these Gifts at his hand we mustask'em inPrayer, andthatourPrayers
o u g h t t o b e a n i m a t e d w i t h L o v e ; w h i c h h e c a l l s t h e [/<< h k B a n -
Surest,and most EffectualCourse Men can take toquct.
lead 'em to Happiness : for a blessed Immortality is thefruitofLove. Therefore a LearnedInterpre-Mmmu . terofPlatehighlycommendsSocrates forhaving J"w'
known, that to raise our Souls to the Enjoyment of God,we musttakeReasonandLoveforourGuides. Reason teaches us the right way, and hinders us from wandering out of it, and Love by its sweet Perswasions and insinuating Graces,makes us findall things easy, and softensthe Labour and Toil, which is inseperable from the Conflicts we must go through-
Heshews,thereisnothingmorenaturaltoMan- jnhu kindthanLove. TheynaturallyloveeverythingPhedr. that is fair and beautiful, because their Souls are de- liv'dfromtheVerySourceofBeauty. Buteverything
that in some sort resembles this Primitive Beauty moves 'em more or less, according as their Souls aremoreorlessstrictlyunitedtotheirBodies. So that those whose Souls are most difingaged in every Beauty adore that Sovereign Beauty whose com- pleat Idea they have, and. for which indeed they were born. And this Adoration produces in 'em Temperance, Fortitude,Wisdom, andallotherVer- tues. ButthosewholinkdownandWallowinMat
t e r ? , a n d n o l o n g e r p r e s e r v e a n y I d e a o f t h e S o v e
reignBeauty, runfuriouslyafterimperfectandtran sitoryBeauties;and withoutFear orWitplunge themselves into all forts of Filthiness and Impurity.
I
? ? 94 7heLifeofPhtol
Icaii't here stand to remark on each Subject the
great Truths which are taught by this Philosopher,
anddeserveourAttention:What Ipropos'dtomy selfwasonlytorelateafewof'em? ,togivesome
Idea of 'em, and hereby to excite the Curiosity of the Reader : The rest will be more advantageously seen in their Source.
Platortgu- AfterhehaswithwonderfulAccuracyestablish- iiusalitheed all that relatesto Religious Worship ;he inlikd
civil AEi- manner provides for what concerns civil Matters. m "'**'HecreatesMagistrates, proposesLaws,andforgets
nothingthatmayaugment, andsecurethewelfare of -theCommon-wealth ; for he is not-content only toregulateMarriages, Divorces, the Education of Children, Wills, Guardianships, War, Peace, and other principal Matters ; but descends into a sur prizingParticularity.
Andaswemayobservethat God has not left so much as one part of the Uni versewithoutimprintingonittheCharactersof his God-head,thatMenmightbynomeansbeignorant o f i t ? , s o P l a t o h a s n o t l e f t a n y p a r t o f h u m a n e L i f e ,
whether private or publick, without a Regulation bysomePreceptorLaw,topreventtheCommissi on of Faults and Injuries in it.
XrthBook
*LUwu thing one finds, which another has lost. He fays,
He determineswhat oughttobedonewithany
TbeDuty of*f ^e Jh? u^ fin^ a Treasure he would, not touch inch as findlt-> * & he had consulted the Diviners, and they had aTnafure. assured him he might appropriate it to himself.
This Treasure (fays he) has some Owner ; we must therefore wait till this Owner, or' his Heirs come to demand it; for we ought to obey the haw which fays, Thou shalt not take away that
whichthouhaftnotlaiddown, and thatotherLaw whichisnotlessancient* Thoushalt nottake ano therMan'sGoods. ThisTreasureinourCoffersis notso valuable as the Progress we make in Versus and Justice ; when tae have the Courage to despise it. Besides,ifweappropriateittoourownuse,'tis a Spring ofCurses to our YdftlilieSi
t
Seeaiist'
? ? ' The Life of Plato. 9 5
Because Injustice reigns chiefly in Trade ; he is Trade. u n m i n d f u l o f n o t h i n g t h a t m a y p r e v e n t i t ? , a n d g o e s
sofaras to forbid the Seller * to,make two Words, ani. ja. ljly to commend what be is about tofell.
To prevent the Manners of Foreigners from cor-Travelling. rupting those of his Citizens, and that when these arecorrupted theLaws may not berender'duseless
by 'em, he does not permit every one to travel indif
ferently ; but is for having the State make choice of thosetowhom thisLibertyshallbegranted. They mustbeabove40YearsofAge-,theymustbeMen ofSobriety and Wisdom, and capable of remarking what is good in other Commonwealths ; and they
must make a faithful report of Things at their re t u r n -, t h a t t h e L a w s t h a t a r e r e c e i v e d m a y b e a u g mented or corrected by theirMemoirs, and the Go vernment by this means be brought to greater per fection.
Men rejoice when they are happy, and think Tbeorigi themselves happy when they rejoice. Hence itisofFeasts, thattheyhavesuchapropensiontoPleasure. GodshoJs**>><* compassionately accommodates himself to this s0^^'&c*
naturalInclination, andextractingGoodoutofEvil
makesuseofitasaverypropermeanstoconfirm Men inwhatisGood? ,andthattheymightnever
losesightoftheReligionwhichheestablished. So that to hinder 'em from throwing themselves into those Excesses to which Nature when abandon'd ro it self carries them, he was pleased to institute Feasts for his People by Moses, and order'd him to regulateeverythingtobeobserv'din'em. Traditi-. on had preserv'd some remembrance of these Institu tions, for some Vestiges of 'em are found in Plato, who attributes 'em to the Egyptians in hislidBook ofLaws,wherehecomplainsofthetoogreatLi berty that was allow'd the Poets in all the Cities of
* Solomoncondemn'dthefameabuseintheBuyerwhoslights whatheisbuying, andafterhehasgotit,boastsasifhehadout wittedtheSeller. Itisnaught, itisnaught(faiththeBuyer)but *>btnbeisgonebistvaythenbeboastt. Prov. 20. 14.
" Greece,
? ? 9 6
Ihe Use of Plato; <<
Tom. a. The cart which the ancient ? ? gyptians too^ to pre vent all
forts of No. velties,
Greece, to keep young People under the Conduct of veryperniciousMaximsbytheirVerses. Heaffirms that it was otherwise in Egypt, where there were
ery wise Laws to hinder this Corruption. " The ancient Egyptians (fays he) knew that Children ought to be early accustom'd to such Gestures, Looks and Motions, as are honest and decent ; and that they should not be suffers either to hear or}earnanyotherVerses,orSongs, butsuchas werefittoinipire'erriwithVertue. Therefore they took care to regulate the Dances and Songs thatbelong'dtotheirFeastsandSacrifices. Nay> they pufh'd this Matter yet farther -7 for they never fuffer'd any Painters or Statuaries to inno vate any thing in their Art, to invent any new Subjects, or any new Habits. And hence it is (fays he), that inrespect of what concerns these Arts and Musick, you shall find no W o r k through out all Egypt that his been made for ten thousand' Yearspast, which isform'd any otherwise than
thosepieceswhicharemadeatpresent. They are all alike, they are neither fairer, nor more de- form'd. TheArtremainsstillthefame,theRules ofitthefame. And thereisnothingmoread mirable, or more worthy of a good Law-giver, and of a wise Administrator of Governments than to have regulated and fixed all these Matters that have a regard to Pleasure, and particularly that which respects Musick : And to do this is the Work, eitherofGodhimself,orofsomedivine Man. SothatalltheirDances,alltheirPoesy, all theirSongs were sanctified; and not the least thing was suffefd which did not answer the de
sign of. the established Religion, and which was not worthy of the Feasts that were celebrated by 'em. ThisindeedisaveryremarkableTraditi
o n ? , a n d F l a t o d o e s n o t f a i l t o m a k e a v e r y g o o d l n >
p r o v e m e n t o f i t ; f o r h e " p u r s u e s t h e f a m e * d e s i g n 5, andinstitutesFeastsforhisPeople, thatduringthe timeoftheirRelaxationfromLabour^ theymight
rends*'
? ? TheLifeof Plato. " 97
render homage to God, and testify their Gratitude tohim forallthebenefitstheyreceivedfromhis Divine Hand. He suffers nothing to be acted at
theseFeasts,butwhatwasSacredorInnocent. He forbidsallsuchPoetryandMufickasmightbe inju rious to the Honour of God, or dangerous to the
M a n n e r s o f M e n -, a n d o n l y r e c e i v e s i i i c h a s m i g h t
tend to rectify and instruct the Minds of the Peo
ple. The Ancient Hebrews used onlyLyrick Poesie, whichinsingingthePraisesofGod, and those of1^ f? ffie
VertuousMen, raisestheCourage, andexcites De-lat'a^ votion. Andthiswas alsotheonlykindofPoesiebrews, inuseamong thefirstGreeks, asappears bya Pas sigeofPlutarchinhisTreatiseofMusick. TheThepnsii
Ancient Greeks (says he) were unacquainted with the ? i tf:eFirft Mufick of the Theatre, they employ'd this Art only 0m^s'
in honouring the Gods, and in infruiting of Youth;
for there were then no Theatres in their Cities, Mustek was reserved for the Temples where the
Gods were honoured in Songs, and where thePraises
ofvertuousMen werefung. While Platoauthorizes this Lyrick Poesie, he also receives other Poems which were already established, and which it was
impossible toextirpateanddestroy:Butwe shall
see what precautions he takes to purge and to discharge 'em of -that Poyson which rendered 'em so
dangerous*
The Greeks being extrearrily addicted to the plea
sure of Mufick, this inordinate Passion had made 'em receive all the Works of Poets and Musicians, which had at last so alter'dand transforms the An
cientPoesieandMusick,thatinsteadofthat Wis-Vii8ul
dom, Gravity and Sanctity that reign'd in the Plea- ^Jjf*?
lures of their Ancestors, nothing was found intheirs 0y -^hat
butFolly,Effeminacy,and Impiety. Platothere-importance fore seeks to re-establish this Ancient Purity, and it>> t0n'
h for a perpetual prohibition of any alteration in**'*" ni Musick. Itisnottobeimagined(fayshe)whata^/p/JAE.
weight and force there is in Plays and other Plea-faresofthe fures,eitherfor the Support or Ruin of Discipline and pose.
. ;
H Laws.
? ? 5>S
The Life of Plato;
Laws. IfAlterationsbesufferedcontinuitytobe
made in 'era ; and young people be continually ac custom d to new Pleasures, every day to have new Pieces, new Ornaments, and Dances ; and to esteem none but those who can furnish this unlimited Varie-
Thepirnid-ty,therecanbenothing morepernicioustoaState, ousconfe- fcr tfjjs insensibly changes the Manners of young
IhrGutl peopk'? >S? ^ttheycannolongerendureanything Men have that is Ancient ; and only value Novelties ; and this
for Nott! - ties.
opens a Door to all the most dangerous Errors both in rejpettof Politicks, andReligion.
TheseAlterations aredangerous ineverything; but especially inMusick, because all Mufick being an Imitation, that only ought to be suffer'd, which imitateswhatisgoodand useful? ,the otherbeing
rather a Plague than a Play, which he explains af
terasensiblemannerby this Example, which ap
pears to m e to deserve our attention.
Tortvxttt jfwefhouilfee(fayShe)atourSacrifices,after
ulistoil-rf)eViffimswere consumed intheFire, aMan ap- hftrate. theproach the Altars, and extravagantly utter Blafphe*
horrorif }njesan^ Impieties;shouldwenotthinkallhisFa* pemaous m;iywouldlook7^ponthisasagreatMisfortune, and
averyfatalOmen? ThatwhichisdoneinourTime inthepubhekShowsAndPlays,isnotmuchdifferent fromthis. ForaftertheMagistrateshaveSacrificed, we fee divers Choirs of Mustek come, and in the
view of ourTem'ples and Altars they utter most exe
crable things against these very Altars, contradict
the Principles of Religion by their Impiom Maxims,
and affetl the Souls of their Auditors by their inde
centExpressions, lasciviousDances,andtheireffemi
nateandvoluptuoj(sTunes. Oughtnotthisthen to be abolished, and the Poets obliged to submit to
ThispuffjgeotherRules? AndsinceallPoets arenotcapableof istakenoutknowing what istruly excellent and good ; ought we
Boo'ofhisnott0ma^e c^0,ce? fsuch whointheirImitations Repub! canfollowtheIdeaofBeautyandDecency? That young people may receive improvement by every thing,
as being in a very advantageous place, and that all . . . . . . which
? ? The Lifeos Plato. pp
which strikes their Eyes and Ears arising from a
goodfund, thatisfromaSubjetlwhichisexcellent initself may belikeagoodAir whichhavingpassed
through who(some Places, carries health along with it,andmayinsensiblyaccustomthemtoloveand imi
tate those Discourses, and conform all the Alfions of their Lives to them.
To this purpose he makes the following Law. Thevrr Let nonehesoinsolentastosinganythingbefidesBo? k. ? s. , ourSacredHymns, ortoalterandvarythereceivedIfasaf,"f
DancesanymorethanourotherLaws, And ifanyp^uts
onedisobeythisStatute, letthe Conservators ofthe
Laws, togetherwith the Priests and Priestesses take cognizance of it. Tom. 2. A
TothisLawheaddedanother:LetnoPoetirfoZrtZd hisImitations, departfrom any ofthe Maxims which poetical theCityhas received asgoodand just;norlethimImitations,
presume toshew hisCompositions to any privateMan ju^gts
* tillthey have been seen, and app'rovd by Judges established. establijh'dforthatpurpose, andbytheConservatorsf*f*dgiof of the Laws. ""?
IntheIIBookoftheRepublick,hehadmadeju&it'sfa
thefameLawforthosePoetswho compos'dthepointedto Fables that were taught to Children : He was foriudse? f. having Judges to approve the Good and reject the Fablts'
Evil.
He usesthefamePrecautionsaboutComediesandcomedies,
Tragedies, ashe does about Songs, Dances, andall/*^i<<- btherImitations. HethinksComediesnecessarytoa$p *? f
makeMenknowwhatisridiculous,andtoexposegj;# Vicesthatarerepresentedin'em. For(sayshe)oneiaws. can'tknow whatiscomely and serious, unless one knowswhatisindecentandridiculous. Andtoac
quire Prudence and Wisdom, we must know their
* Vlitd rook this too from die Tradition of the Ancient He- brewSjfor they had Judges appointed to try all new Piece? which weremadeeitherinPro'eorVerse,andthesereceivedonlysuch aswere conformable to Religion, and rejected the rest. They alsoprohibitedthesingingof HymnsandSongsbyanyotherthan thecommonandreceivedTunes. Eifeb. jnparit. Eymgel. XII ii. ti if. '
: H 2 contraries
? ? ioo
lie use of Plato.
contraries. NotthatanyManwhohasanytintture of Vertue can equally ad what isgood andevil, de centand indecent, but it's needfulheshould know these things for fear he should through ignorance fallinto what isridiculous, andshoulddo or fay any thingunbecominghim. Butwe'llmakeuseonlyof Slaves or Mercenary Strangers to make these Imita tions,andallfreeMen andWomenshallbeforbid
den to be concern'din 'em, cr tolearn 'em.
A s for Tragical Poets (says he) who boaji of ifnita-
Tngfdits
w rtetn-t\nggreatandseriousAtlions; whenanyof'emcome
intoourCity,andaskifwe arewillingtoreceive
'emamong us,andfee theirTragedies, what answer shall we make these Divine Men? Methinks we oughttomake'emthisreturn, friends,weareem
ploy'dinTragediesaswellasyou,andwemakethe beft and finest we can, fer our Policy is only an imi tationofthemojiresin'd andexcellentwayoflivingj thisisthe true fort of Tragedy with which we are acquainted. SoifyouarePoets,wepretendtothe
fame thing, and declare our selves your Rivals in that Koble Imitation which can be perfeffed only by theLaw. Thereforedonothopetobesoeasilyper mitted lo build Theatres in our publick Places, and
Thusvttst01Tliro^uceSkilfulAffors thatshallextend their who intheir Voices beyond oars, and tellour Wives and Children,
firithtgs andallthepeopleonthefameSubjeffs,thingsdi- tontridtiljrefflyoppositetocurInfruffions. Wemustbequite
^Mixtms destituteofcommonSense,befere-wecangiveyou. condtmntd. permission to Alt, till the established Judges bave de
termined whether what you fay isgood and useful,
and whether itought to be made publickor not. There- fore, TeutenderDarlingsojthesoftMuses,putyour
Compositions into the hands of the Judges, who will comparethemwithou/~s;andifwhatyoufayisbet terthanwhatwefay,we'llgiveyou leavetoAll; otherwise it can't possibly be done, and therefore 'tts in vain to expels it.
PlatohastreatedthisbusinessofPlaysand Shows thoroughly, because 'tis a very important matter in relation
? ? The Lifeos Plato. 101
relation to States-, all he fays of it is admirable, and deserves to be carefully recollected. What I have recited is sufficient to give a just Idea of it : Wise Men may make on it what Reflections they thinkfit:My scopehasbeenonlytoshowthatPlato after the Example of Moses, would permit only such Divertifements as were decent, and tended to supportReligion, oratleastwerenotcontrarytoit. They who are for advancing farther, and for parti cularlyexamining theconformity theLaws ofPlato have in many things, with those that were given the
PeopleofGod, willstillbetterdiscoverthisResem blanceh which made Clemens Alexandrinus fay,that Moses assisted Plato in making his Laws; and' that Platowas onlyMosesspeakingtheAttickLanguage. Not but that some Laws are to be found inPlato ve
ry remote from the Spirit of Moses, and very contra ry to Equity : but the number of 'em is but small.
The Emperour Marcus Aurehm had reason to lay, That such a Commonwealth as Plato's is not to beexpelledinthisWorld. Notbutthattherehad already heen one which was still better, and more wisely constituted; and when Antoninus said this therewasoneinfinitelymoreperfect, ofwhichthe former was but a shadow ; but it was the work of G o d -, a n d n o n e b u t G o d c a n p u t t h i s I d e a i n t o A c t , because 'tis only he that can change the Hearts'of Men:ofwhichwehaveaveryevidentProof. A
greatEmperourhadamind toestablishPlatos. Re- publick in his Territories, to which purpose he em ploys divers Philosophers whose Knowledg was ve ryextensive, andtheirEloquenceveryperswasive: hut all his Efforts were in vain, he could never gain his end so m u c h as to establish it in one single Vil
lage-, whereas the Christian Religion was establish. ed by the Ministry ofilliterate Men, and that in spite oftheEmperours themselves.
As for Physicks in which also Meraphyficks are r,vsl. y comprehended;Platointhefirstplaceacknowledges' ' that since we are but Men, we mult not hope per
? il i fcctly
? ipi
The Life of Plato.
flctlytogaintheknowledgesNature, andthatall a Philosopher can do is to find out Probabilities -, pure and simple Truths being only known to God, whoalonecandiscover'em,toMen. Afterthisac knowledgment he divides Nature into two parts, Sprit which acts, and Matter upon which it acts.
He calls the Spirit which acts, a Being eternal, infinite, very good, immutable, which hath neither beginning nor end, but. is always the sarne, and he callsMatter, aMasswithoutformandvoid,which is always ready to be produe'd, and never exists.
Atimeuf,HisWordsareremarkable. Eirst(fayshe)allthese torn,3. thingsoughttobewelldistinguished,andwemust well establish what it is thai always exists and is never
froditeld; and what itisthatneverexists, and isal waysproducing. Thefirjiisnotconceivedbutbythe Understanding assistedbyReason. Thiswe discern
Maturhn>>tobealwaysoneandthefame. Andtheotherisonly tya-ipa. opinable,thatisknownbyOpinionassistedbytheSen
t i m e n t d i v e s t e d o f R e a s o n -, i v h i c h w e s e e t o b e a l w a y s producing,anddyingwithouteverexisting. There- Wbi ctUid f? re he gives Matter the N a m e of Other, because of
o. hcrand thecontinualChangesitundergoes:Healsogivesit Necessity. theNameofNecejfity,becauseitonlyfollowsthe
order and determination of the Spirit which governs it.
He also sometimes calls Matter Eternal, which has given occasion to some to accuse him of believ ingitto have been with God from all Eternity. But a Philosopher who in so many places maintains the unity of G o d could not fall into io gross an Error : IfMatterwereEternal, itmustthenbeGod, and sotherewouldbetwoGods, contrarytowhathe
. . . had laiddown. When thereforePlatocallsMatter itEternd! Eternal he would not be understood as if it visibly
subsistedfromallEternity, butthatitsubsistedintel ligibly in the eternal Idea of God ; and in this re- . specttheWorldissometimeslaidtobeEternal. Let us lee the very Terms Plato uses, which will leave
asijoroomtodoubtwhathisThoughtswere. Tb^ Pattern
? ? 7be Life ofPhtol 103
Patter/2oftheWorld (sayshe) isfromallEternity-,Jn^Tjme. and the World, thisvijible World is from the begin- us,Tom. 3. ning of Time, and will always thus fubfijl alone. . Plato could not think Matter to be Eternal : seeing
heaffirmstheSoultobeolderthantheBody ? ,for
iftheSoulisolderthantheBody,theBodymust
needs have been created, and consequently can't be
Eternal. AndforthisreasonhecallsGodtheFather orCreator,andFormeroftheWorld. BytheQua- neWmli
lityof Creator he signifies that he made the World7 jJ^J*'' out of Nothing, and by that of Former he figni- " H'
fies, that God after-he had created it, gave it its Form and orderly Disposition. Plato derived this Idea from the Tradition of the Hebrews, of which the Greeks had some knowledg long before him^ as
appears from Hefod's speaking of the Birth of the
Chaos. PerhapsalsohehadreadtheseWordsin
hi the Prophesy of Isaiah, God himself that,formed cbap. &f. '. li the Earth and made it, he hath efablijhed it.
OfthiscreatedMatterGod formedtheWorld,by separatinganddisposingtheElements, whichhaving simple qualities of themselves, form by their diffe rentUnion, andvariousFiguresaninfinitenumber of compounded Qualities : for Matter isdivisible to Infinity.
The Universe must necessarily comprehend all sen s i b l e t h i n g s ? , f r o m w h e n c e P l a t o d r a w s t h r e s C o n s e
quences : The first is that it can be but one : For therecanbenothingbeyondAll. Thesecondisthat it is o f a Spherical Figure-, because besides that that isthemostperfectofallFigures, 'tistheonlyone that can agree to a Being that comprehends any thing. . And thethirdisthatitcanhavenoendbutonly by theWill ofhimwhoform'dit;forsincetheChange ofallBeings can never proceed but from that which is without 'em, and since there is nothing out of the
World, thereisbyconsequencenothingthatcande stroyitbutGod inwhom alonetheWorld iscontained.
SeeingthetwofirstQualitiesoftheWorldareto. * ^ be,visibleandpalpable,-, andsircethereisnothing
H 4 visible
? ?
der all Relations, and all the most sacred Ties of Nature, and trampling on Laws, and Religion, HonourandDecency. BeforetbeChristiansshew'cl
their
? ? The Lifeof Phto; 85
theirIndignationagainstaMaxim sofullofWick edness and Error, the Pagans discerned the falshood o f i t ? , f o r A r i s t o t l e a t t a c k s i t i n t h e I I B o o k o f
hisPoliticks. NayP/atohimselfabandonsitinhis 6thBook of Laws, where he restores all that honour to Marriage of which he had before di vestedit. ,
Besides this Fault, there is another taken notice of,andthatistheEducationofWomen, towhom heassignsthefameEmployments asMen commit tingto'emtheCommandofArmies,andtheGo
vernmentofStates. HefoundedthisNotionona Maxim of Socrates, who held, that Women were capableofthefameVertuesasMen, thotheycan't carrythem tothelastPerfection. Exceptingthese , two things, which yet occasion very solid, and veiy
useful Reflections, there isnothing among the Wri
tings of the Pagans, which better deserves to be read,
andretained,thanPlato'sBookofaRepublics and
those of Laws : They have a Beauty on 'em that
may be called Divine ^ and indeed they appear to
beaCopyofatrulydivineOriginal. Forthis
* Republick of which Plato gives an Idea, kBbe,
true Draught of the Common-wealth of the^fe-
brewsundertheConductofMoses. Weseeinboth
the lame Simplicity of Manners, the fame way of
living, and the fame end propos'd. The -Miseries of both proceed from the fame Causes ? , that ison
lyfrom theDisobedienceofthePeoplehandtheir
forgetfulness of their principal Duties ; and their
Prosperity always springs from their diligent Atten
dance on the fame Duties, and their readinessto 0-
bey. ButhereisonethingthatseemstobeveryMosesthe
remarkable. PlatowillhavehiswiseMantobeofJ*'? _ a wonderful Genius, and Temper ; he must have l0forms-bis had a miraculous and divine Education; he must wijeMan. fromhisYouthhavegivenMarksofhisgreatZeal --- forrhe Publick Good ; he must be fir, both for a ContemplativeandActiveLife;hemustbeanE-
* Plato'sRepublic! ? ,theDraughtofchatoftheHOrewi* G3 nemy
>' ,'
? ? U
The Life of Plata. 1
nemy ofGrandeur,andattainitonlyby Obedience5 this Obedience must be the occasion of his taking the Conduct of a People j he must govern them ac cordingtotheInstitutionsofGod to whom he isonly a Vicegerent ; Religion must be the principle and end of all his Enterprizes ; he must have both Se verityandMeekness;hemustbearm'dwithCou
rage and Temperance, with Justice and Wisdom ? , and must make it his business to render those w h o m hegovernstheFriendsofGod. Andthesearethe
-principal Strokes in Moses his Picture j so that if the Idea of our Philosopher does honour to this Le gislator, and his People whose Grandeur he repre s e n t s -, o n e m a y f a y t h e T r u t h a c c o m p l i s h e d i n o n e and t'other does yet more honour to the Philosopher,
by shewing his great Wisdom, and the extent of hi$ Mind. If Plato had had this Idea with out any knowledg of the History of Moses (which yet I do not believe) nothing can be imagined greater-,hewouldbemorethanaMan. And if he form'd it only on this History, which he had read, or learn'd by Tradition in Egypt ; it wafcavery greatDemonstrationof hisWisdom, that
h^Rscern'd the Beauty of it, and follow'dit as a Pattern.
I'untTon RsveUtion. Wise-manregulatesthoseunderhisConduct. First
As Moses r? gnlated the People of God, so Plato's
'he instructsthem inReligion, aboutwhich heestab l i s h e s n o t h i n g w i t h o u t h a v i n g c o n s u l t e d G o d -, t h a t is nothing but what is conformable to true Traditi ons,andancientOracles. Hefortifiesthemagainst thePoysonoftheTheologyofthePoetswho inter
mix Lies with the Truth, and against the Religion ofcredulousandsuperstitiousPeople. Heteaches 'emtobelievethereisoneonlytrueGod, who be inginfinitelyGood lovesMankind, andiswillingto render'emhappy,andwhoashe isalsoinfinitely
laws? Juftmakesnonehappybutthosewhoresemblehim, Torn. '2. andpunishessuchasdishonourthesacredCharacter hehadimprintedon'era, Hetells'emthatGoda*
yoe.
? ? Ihe Life ofPlato: 87
wearetaughtbyancient"Tradition* havinginhim selfthebeginnings themiddleandtheendosallthings, always goes on his way according to his Nature with
out ever stepping aside : H e is followed by Justice which never fails to punish the Transgressions commit
tedagainflhisLaw. ThosewhowouldbeHappy',_,- conformtothis Divine Justice with + Humility? ,pence0t^.
whereas he that becomesproud because os hisRiches,milky,.
Honours, orBeauty (forBeautyoftenbetraysyoung
people into Extravagancy and Folly) and who hag
presumption enough to think he has no need os a
Guide, but is capable of conducting both himself and others,isentirelyabandonedofGodforhisPride. A r\>iPiaifk-
Man inthisconditionjoinshimselftootherswhoaremintof tainted with thefame Vice ; and % turning all things PiHt*
upside down with extreme boldness, and most horrible presumption, hecomestobelookeduponbythepeople
assome great person : But soon after by the just judgment of God, he is seen to destroy himself, to subvert his own House, and to involve the whole
StateinhisRuine. Heexplainsto'emthePunish mentsthatarereservedfortheWicked. Theyare notlimited (layshe) totheMiseriesofthisLifet nortoHeathitself,fromwhichevenGoodMen are notexempted;forthese arePenaltiestoolight, and
short ; but they are horrible Torments which shall ne verhaveanend. Heencouragesthembythehope ofRewards,andaneverlastingstateofFelicity. He takes 10 great care of 'em that he obviates every thing that might occasion 'em to call in question the Divine Providence, and throw 'em into Impiety. One would think he had copied out of David's
* ThisiswhatGodfaysinIsa. 41. 4. /thiLordthefirst,and with the lastI am hi. f Plato here employs the fame cerm, whichthesacredWritersuse,toexpressonewhoisofahumble Spirir, ranr&vo< ; so that the Pagans, not only knew the name of theVertue, buttheVertueitself. i Platoheread mirably well represents4he Misery and Littleness of some Men, who think themselves great, and appear so in the Eyes of the People: And(hows, thattherearenoMentrulygreatbutsuchas humbly subpiit to the Divine Law.
G 4 Psalms -,
? ? 33 The Life of Plated
P s a l m s ? , f o r t h u s h e s p e a k s t o a Y o u n g M a n n o t
lidBoo&fwellinstructedintheDivineConduct. Toubavein Laws, youaNaturewhich havingsomethingDivineinit, Tom. a. leadsyoutobelievetheGods, buttheprosperityof
&
theWicked, whosehappinessissomuchboafledof,tho they are indeed very miserable, isready to leadyou in to Impiety : Ton can'tfee profligate Persons arrive at extreme Old Age without meeting with any remakable Calamity, andleavetheirChildren'sChildren after "em, HeirstotheirEstatesandfortune;youcan'tfee.
allthis(Ifay)withoutbeingshakenbyit. Toubave often heardfay, and have oftenseen withyour own Eyes , that the meanefi . Persons have ascended Thrones by their Crimes ; and upon this you dare
not down-right deny the Gods, nor accuse them ofbe- ing the cause of this ;for there issomething inyou, that restrainsyoufrom this, and opposes it: But. youaresofarseducedand deceivedbyyour follyand. Ignorance, that whileyou consessthere are Gods,you. reduce yourself to say they are regardless of hu maneAffairs. ARemedyoughttobespeedilyappli ed to remove this Distemper, before it has time to grow uponyou, andJo to precipitate you into the AbyssofImpiety. Perhapsitwillbenodifficult mattertoprove, thattheGodsextendtheirCareand Regardto thesmallestthingsaswellasthegreatest. And thatthedivineNaturebeingVertueitself,ex
tends its Providence over all.
And indeed he proves this with wonderful Solidi-
\.
pmfs oj
Provideue. ty. I'llonlygiveanAbridgmentoftheseProofs,
whichhaveyetmoreforceintheOriginal. IfGod Tom. 2. ^ySj^g)fj01ij. tajienocare0jMen, itwouldbe
eitherthroughMalice,orIgnorance, Weakness,Neg ligence or Laziness : But none, of these Vices, which are in as, can befound in God, who is infinitely
perfect ; who is Goodness, Knowledg, Wisdom, Pow er, Providence, andActivityittils. He takescare of allthings, for he created them, and they are his. HowthencanheneglectMen, whobelongtohimin a more particular manner ? Has God less Capacity^
? ? TbtLiseofVhto: gp
orishelessdiligentthanArtificers? Byhowmuch the more knowing these are ; byso much the moreper- feil are their Works, whether small or great, they
forgetting nothing that may conduce to the Improve mentof"em. AndshallGod,whoismostwife,most knowing, andhasaPower proportionatetohisWitt^ regard onlythegreatestthings; and negleffothers whichmaybestilljnoreeasilymended; asifhewas
idle, aud affraidofgiving himselftrouble ? This is followedwithotheradmirableProofs, whichitwould be too long to relate. In fine, he * shows, that
sooner or later God renders to every M a n according God atthe tohisWorks. TheRighteous,whohavebeenexposdlaP? "*? ' to Troubles in thisLife are recompencedin the other, fgtnt""dtrs
and the Wicked who have always enjoy'dthe Pleasures Manaccord-
oftheWorld,arepunishedinHell. Thisisnecesi*gtohis sarily infer'dfrom the Justice of God : 'Tis impos Ww^s,
Jible to avoid this Judgment which the Gods have fix'd by that Providence which you oppose, and of whichyoushallone day befatally convinced; don't
supposethatitwillnegligentlypassyouby. tTho
you should seek ashelter by hidingyourself in the
deepestCavernsoftheEarth; thoyoushouldhave
Wings, andtouldflyintotheheavenstohideyour
selfthere; theDivineProvidencewouldseizeyou
every where ; and you shall never avoid the Punish
mentsyoudeserve;whetherinthisWorld, crinHell, orinsome otherplaceyetmoreterrible.
He afterwards shews, that not only they shall be funiihed w h o deny the Divine Being, dispute against
rovidence, or blaspheme God, by layinghe suitersthevunifr-
himself to be bribed by the Offerings of the Wick- mvtofim. ed, hut also such as have heard theie Blasphemies ? ,fsiouS? Pef' and yet neglect: to bring the Authors of"'em beforesmsstated-
\ j
'?
theJudgeswhoaresettopunish'em. Healsoin-TbtPiinijh- stitutesPenaltiesforthosewhobytheirown private"f^^c
*Tom. 2. +ThisiswhatDavidCiysinalmostthefame^'J? TM'
Terms, Psal. 130. 7,8. Whithershall1gofromthysprit>whither. . '" fyall 1 fie from thy Presence? if I ascend up into Heaven thou arttkere,,ne
. ifImal(imi BtdinHtU, beholdtt<mautkre.
Audio. -
? ? fif}jm *w '"'
hasamindtoofferSacrificesbemustgointothepub- lickTemples;beistoputbisViSimsandOfferings;
intotheHands of thePriestsand Priestesses,towhose Care thesacred Altars are committed, there he tnust make his\Prayers,wherethosethatcometoworshipmay
joinwithhim. foritdoesnotbelongtoeveryMan toconsecrateAltars; but 'tisthework ofavery enlighten d Mind.
To cure Men of Superstition and Idolatrywhich thenreignedsomuchintheWorld, Platoforgets nothingthatmightinduce 'emtorenderGodarati onalWorship. Forthispurposeheendeavoursto.
raise theirMinds in giving them an Idea of God, which might in some sort agree with his Essence, which mortal Eyes can't see but very imperfectly. Thestrokeswithwhich heforms thisIdeaareseat- ter'dupanddowninallhisWorks. Theprincipal
po The Life ofPlato.
Particular Authority teach or practice in their Houses particu- Formsof Jarporms0fWorship, andtopreventthisInconve-
Si^niencjr, heapplieshimselftodiscovertheCauseof ,,". it. HesaysthiscommonlyproceedsfromWomen, Boolof an(*wea^Minds,whentheyfindthemselvesinany Lavs. danger, or under any adverse Circumstances ; or w h e n Tom. 2. onthecontrarytheymeetwithunexpectedProspe
rs origin rity, or are in some transport of Joy ; or in fine, ? /SKpirsti-wjjen their Imagination is disturb'd by some fright, tuns. j-Qtjiat^ ? -anCy. ^ jiaye^eenSpectres, either
Th'd"lnhnwa^ingorsleeping. ForsuchPeopleasthesewhen
"hyaTt i? thisCondition,arewonttovowtoofferthefirst mrrj. v thing that comes into their Heads : they promise
wisd. 14. Sacrifices and Images -, and fill their Houses with
2 ? "
C h a p p e l s a n d A l t a r s ? , o r s e t u p p a r t i c u l a r f o r m s o f Devotion, which by degrees degenerate into dread ful Superstitions, or impious Novelties, which en tirely ruin both Religion and good Manners ; for what isit thatcan't enter into the head of a M a n or Woman, thatisweak orperverted? and'tisforthis reasonPlatoforbidsInnovationsinWorship, and
makesthisLaw, Thatnoprivatepersonjhould. ba. ve
T>omt(lie\
cbappfls eitheraChappe/orAltarinbisHouse,butwhenhe
<>f
? ? The Life of Plato: 9i
of 'emwhichIhavecollected^arethesethatfollow.
God is one, eternal, immutable, incomprehensible
Being. Hecreated,anddisposedallthingsbyhisWif w^atGod
dom; hemaintainsandpreserves allthings byhis is. Providence;heisinallplaces, andnoplacecan containhim. He isallthings,andyetheisnone of those things which are by him, and have received
theirbeingfromhim. forheisgreaterthanEs senceitself: heseesallthings,knowsallthings,and penetratesthemostsecretthoughts; hefillstheCa pacity of the Deeps, and the Immensity of the Hea vens -, all Knovoledg, Good, Vertue, Light, Life areonlyinhim,andareHimself Heisatthefame timeinfinitelyGoodandinfinitelyfust. Helovesmen withasingular AffeSion;and created"em onlyto render 'em happy : But as he is Holiness and Justice itself he makes none happy but those who resemble
him in Righteousness and Holiness : And punishes
those who have corrupted thesacred Charaffer he had impressedon*embycreating'emafterhisown
Image.
He lays, none butGod cancurealltheInfirmities
of Men.
He teaches that God nor only hates Liars, and UistPtrj>>-
perjur'dpersons, butalsosuchasswearvainlyandZ,*^TM" unnecessarily,andwhodebaseandprofanetheMajesiv^ ^ tyofhisName, by usingit rashlyonalloccasions,>>/God.
whereas itoughttobementionedwithallpossible Sanctity and Purity of Mind.
The generalityofPhilosophersweredivideda- bout the Nature of the Chief Good : Some made it consist in the knowledg of Arts and Sciences, others in Pleasures, and others in Authority and Power. Plato opposes all these Errors ; and shews that the SupremeGoodisnottobefoundintheSciences? , seing these and Vices often appear together in the famePersons,and'tisverycommonforMentoa-
buse 'em:He provesthatPower can'trenderaMan
h a p p y w i t h o u t J u s t i c e >, a n d ( h e w s t h a t w h i c h M e n W a t . P l e a - callPleasures,namelysensualDelights, arebyno^msar-s'
means
? ? i
means of the nature of that Pleasure which can give us the Supreme Happiness : For they are the Conse-. quence of Humane Weakness and Infirmity-, and maybecalledtheDaughtersofSorrow: theyare alwayshatchingbutneverexist. 'Tisthereforea ridiculous thing to make the chief Good consist in that which has no Essence of it self, but only springsfromourMiseriesandNecessities. Hemore over proves it by other Reasons no less solid, which m a y be seen in their proper place.
2%
The Life of Plato?
He does not content himself to shew wherein the in us chief Good is not to be found ; he also teaches Phiieb. whereitis',andtheforceofhisreasoningispre-
wKeiAo- rifely this : The Chief Good must be perfect, lelf-
TofZ'n existent,self-sufficient,thefirstandlastendofall tbisSubjeft. things ; and the only scope of all Mankind in ge- A*dintheneral. KnowledgorPleasurearetheonlythings VIB"! inwhichonecanwithany(hadowofReasonmake
'Llick. tneChiefGoodconsist-,butitcanneitherbefound '" ' in Knowledg without Pleasure, nor in Pleasure without Knowledg : It must therefore of necessity
consistinthat which unitesthesetwo things toge ther, and possesses 'em in the highest degree, and that isGod.
inthe vi Nay, fays he, That Knowledg and Truth of f"\? ffewhlcnGod JstneCausecan'tbetheChiefGood,for
Tom2 ^}cyareinfinitelykTsbeautifulandlessperfedthan God, whoseImagetheydobutveryimperfeUlyrepre
sents arLightisbutaveryimperfedrepresentation astheSun. SothattheSupremeGood,beinggreater\ more august,and more perfett than Truth and Know-
,. ledg,canbenootherthanGpdhimself. Therefore Phedon? ll1Snott0^ef? un^butinGodwhoisthesole Treasure and perfection of Light ; and the Author of trueand solidPleasures. Whence he infersthat whileweareonEarth, wecan'tacquirethisChief Good but after an imperfect manner ; and shall not e n j o y i t f u l l y t i l l a f t e r D e a t h ? , b e c a u s e w e c a n ' t t i l l
then know clearly what we knew only obscurely during this Life : And this is one of his proofs for the
? ? The Life of Plato* 93 t h e I m m o r t a l i t y o f t h e S o u l ? , n a m e l y b e c a u s e i t i s
capable of-Action and Knowledg after Death. But'tisnotenoughforaPhilosophertopoint ,
out the Supreme Good, unless he also shew the wayofobtainingit? ,andthisiswhat P/atodoes
withmarvellousSolidity. Forheprovesthat,tobe Happy,wemustbeunitedtoGod^ thatinorderto be united to him, we must resemble him inHoliness and Righteousness-, that to obtain these Gifts at his hand we mustask'em inPrayer, andthatourPrayers
o u g h t t o b e a n i m a t e d w i t h L o v e ; w h i c h h e c a l l s t h e [/<< h k B a n -
Surest,and most EffectualCourse Men can take toquct.
lead 'em to Happiness : for a blessed Immortality is thefruitofLove. Therefore a LearnedInterpre-Mmmu . terofPlatehighlycommendsSocrates forhaving J"w'
known, that to raise our Souls to the Enjoyment of God,we musttakeReasonandLoveforourGuides. Reason teaches us the right way, and hinders us from wandering out of it, and Love by its sweet Perswasions and insinuating Graces,makes us findall things easy, and softensthe Labour and Toil, which is inseperable from the Conflicts we must go through-
Heshews,thereisnothingmorenaturaltoMan- jnhu kindthanLove. TheynaturallyloveeverythingPhedr. that is fair and beautiful, because their Souls are de- liv'dfromtheVerySourceofBeauty. Buteverything
that in some sort resembles this Primitive Beauty moves 'em more or less, according as their Souls aremoreorlessstrictlyunitedtotheirBodies. So that those whose Souls are most difingaged in every Beauty adore that Sovereign Beauty whose com- pleat Idea they have, and. for which indeed they were born. And this Adoration produces in 'em Temperance, Fortitude,Wisdom, andallotherVer- tues. ButthosewholinkdownandWallowinMat
t e r ? , a n d n o l o n g e r p r e s e r v e a n y I d e a o f t h e S o v e
reignBeauty, runfuriouslyafterimperfectandtran sitoryBeauties;and withoutFear orWitplunge themselves into all forts of Filthiness and Impurity.
I
? ? 94 7heLifeofPhtol
Icaii't here stand to remark on each Subject the
great Truths which are taught by this Philosopher,
anddeserveourAttention:What Ipropos'dtomy selfwasonlytorelateafewof'em? ,togivesome
Idea of 'em, and hereby to excite the Curiosity of the Reader : The rest will be more advantageously seen in their Source.
Platortgu- AfterhehaswithwonderfulAccuracyestablish- iiusalitheed all that relatesto Religious Worship ;he inlikd
civil AEi- manner provides for what concerns civil Matters. m "'**'HecreatesMagistrates, proposesLaws,andforgets
nothingthatmayaugment, andsecurethewelfare of -theCommon-wealth ; for he is not-content only toregulateMarriages, Divorces, the Education of Children, Wills, Guardianships, War, Peace, and other principal Matters ; but descends into a sur prizingParticularity.
Andaswemayobservethat God has not left so much as one part of the Uni versewithoutimprintingonittheCharactersof his God-head,thatMenmightbynomeansbeignorant o f i t ? , s o P l a t o h a s n o t l e f t a n y p a r t o f h u m a n e L i f e ,
whether private or publick, without a Regulation bysomePreceptorLaw,topreventtheCommissi on of Faults and Injuries in it.
XrthBook
*LUwu thing one finds, which another has lost. He fays,
He determineswhat oughttobedonewithany
TbeDuty of*f ^e Jh? u^ fin^ a Treasure he would, not touch inch as findlt-> * & he had consulted the Diviners, and they had aTnafure. assured him he might appropriate it to himself.
This Treasure (fays he) has some Owner ; we must therefore wait till this Owner, or' his Heirs come to demand it; for we ought to obey the haw which fays, Thou shalt not take away that
whichthouhaftnotlaiddown, and thatotherLaw whichisnotlessancient* Thoushalt nottake ano therMan'sGoods. ThisTreasureinourCoffersis notso valuable as the Progress we make in Versus and Justice ; when tae have the Courage to despise it. Besides,ifweappropriateittoourownuse,'tis a Spring ofCurses to our YdftlilieSi
t
Seeaiist'
? ? ' The Life of Plato. 9 5
Because Injustice reigns chiefly in Trade ; he is Trade. u n m i n d f u l o f n o t h i n g t h a t m a y p r e v e n t i t ? , a n d g o e s
sofaras to forbid the Seller * to,make two Words, ani. ja. ljly to commend what be is about tofell.
To prevent the Manners of Foreigners from cor-Travelling. rupting those of his Citizens, and that when these arecorrupted theLaws may not berender'duseless
by 'em, he does not permit every one to travel indif
ferently ; but is for having the State make choice of thosetowhom thisLibertyshallbegranted. They mustbeabove40YearsofAge-,theymustbeMen ofSobriety and Wisdom, and capable of remarking what is good in other Commonwealths ; and they
must make a faithful report of Things at their re t u r n -, t h a t t h e L a w s t h a t a r e r e c e i v e d m a y b e a u g mented or corrected by theirMemoirs, and the Go vernment by this means be brought to greater per fection.
Men rejoice when they are happy, and think Tbeorigi themselves happy when they rejoice. Hence itisofFeasts, thattheyhavesuchapropensiontoPleasure. GodshoJs**>><* compassionately accommodates himself to this s0^^'&c*
naturalInclination, andextractingGoodoutofEvil
makesuseofitasaverypropermeanstoconfirm Men inwhatisGood? ,andthattheymightnever
losesightoftheReligionwhichheestablished. So that to hinder 'em from throwing themselves into those Excesses to which Nature when abandon'd ro it self carries them, he was pleased to institute Feasts for his People by Moses, and order'd him to regulateeverythingtobeobserv'din'em. Traditi-. on had preserv'd some remembrance of these Institu tions, for some Vestiges of 'em are found in Plato, who attributes 'em to the Egyptians in hislidBook ofLaws,wherehecomplainsofthetoogreatLi berty that was allow'd the Poets in all the Cities of
* Solomoncondemn'dthefameabuseintheBuyerwhoslights whatheisbuying, andafterhehasgotit,boastsasifhehadout wittedtheSeller. Itisnaught, itisnaught(faiththeBuyer)but *>btnbeisgonebistvaythenbeboastt. Prov. 20. 14.
" Greece,
? ? 9 6
Ihe Use of Plato; <<
Tom. a. The cart which the ancient ? ? gyptians too^ to pre vent all
forts of No. velties,
Greece, to keep young People under the Conduct of veryperniciousMaximsbytheirVerses. Heaffirms that it was otherwise in Egypt, where there were
ery wise Laws to hinder this Corruption. " The ancient Egyptians (fays he) knew that Children ought to be early accustom'd to such Gestures, Looks and Motions, as are honest and decent ; and that they should not be suffers either to hear or}earnanyotherVerses,orSongs, butsuchas werefittoinipire'erriwithVertue. Therefore they took care to regulate the Dances and Songs thatbelong'dtotheirFeastsandSacrifices. Nay> they pufh'd this Matter yet farther -7 for they never fuffer'd any Painters or Statuaries to inno vate any thing in their Art, to invent any new Subjects, or any new Habits. And hence it is (fays he), that inrespect of what concerns these Arts and Musick, you shall find no W o r k through out all Egypt that his been made for ten thousand' Yearspast, which isform'd any otherwise than
thosepieceswhicharemadeatpresent. They are all alike, they are neither fairer, nor more de- form'd. TheArtremainsstillthefame,theRules ofitthefame. And thereisnothingmoread mirable, or more worthy of a good Law-giver, and of a wise Administrator of Governments than to have regulated and fixed all these Matters that have a regard to Pleasure, and particularly that which respects Musick : And to do this is the Work, eitherofGodhimself,orofsomedivine Man. SothatalltheirDances,alltheirPoesy, all theirSongs were sanctified; and not the least thing was suffefd which did not answer the de
sign of. the established Religion, and which was not worthy of the Feasts that were celebrated by 'em. ThisindeedisaveryremarkableTraditi
o n ? , a n d F l a t o d o e s n o t f a i l t o m a k e a v e r y g o o d l n >
p r o v e m e n t o f i t ; f o r h e " p u r s u e s t h e f a m e * d e s i g n 5, andinstitutesFeastsforhisPeople, thatduringthe timeoftheirRelaxationfromLabour^ theymight
rends*'
? ? TheLifeof Plato. " 97
render homage to God, and testify their Gratitude tohim forallthebenefitstheyreceivedfromhis Divine Hand. He suffers nothing to be acted at
theseFeasts,butwhatwasSacredorInnocent. He forbidsallsuchPoetryandMufickasmightbe inju rious to the Honour of God, or dangerous to the
M a n n e r s o f M e n -, a n d o n l y r e c e i v e s i i i c h a s m i g h t
tend to rectify and instruct the Minds of the Peo
ple. The Ancient Hebrews used onlyLyrick Poesie, whichinsingingthePraisesofGod, and those of1^ f? ffie
VertuousMen, raisestheCourage, andexcites De-lat'a^ votion. Andthiswas alsotheonlykindofPoesiebrews, inuseamong thefirstGreeks, asappears bya Pas sigeofPlutarchinhisTreatiseofMusick. TheThepnsii
Ancient Greeks (says he) were unacquainted with the ? i tf:eFirft Mufick of the Theatre, they employ'd this Art only 0m^s'
in honouring the Gods, and in infruiting of Youth;
for there were then no Theatres in their Cities, Mustek was reserved for the Temples where the
Gods were honoured in Songs, and where thePraises
ofvertuousMen werefung. While Platoauthorizes this Lyrick Poesie, he also receives other Poems which were already established, and which it was
impossible toextirpateanddestroy:Butwe shall
see what precautions he takes to purge and to discharge 'em of -that Poyson which rendered 'em so
dangerous*
The Greeks being extrearrily addicted to the plea
sure of Mufick, this inordinate Passion had made 'em receive all the Works of Poets and Musicians, which had at last so alter'dand transforms the An
cientPoesieandMusick,thatinsteadofthat Wis-Vii8ul
dom, Gravity and Sanctity that reign'd in the Plea- ^Jjf*?
lures of their Ancestors, nothing was found intheirs 0y -^hat
butFolly,Effeminacy,and Impiety. Platothere-importance fore seeks to re-establish this Ancient Purity, and it>> t0n'
h for a perpetual prohibition of any alteration in**'*" ni Musick. Itisnottobeimagined(fayshe)whata^/p/JAE.
weight and force there is in Plays and other Plea-faresofthe fures,eitherfor the Support or Ruin of Discipline and pose.
. ;
H Laws.
? ? 5>S
The Life of Plato;
Laws. IfAlterationsbesufferedcontinuitytobe
made in 'era ; and young people be continually ac custom d to new Pleasures, every day to have new Pieces, new Ornaments, and Dances ; and to esteem none but those who can furnish this unlimited Varie-
Thepirnid-ty,therecanbenothing morepernicioustoaState, ousconfe- fcr tfjjs insensibly changes the Manners of young
IhrGutl peopk'? >S? ^ttheycannolongerendureanything Men have that is Ancient ; and only value Novelties ; and this
for Nott! - ties.
opens a Door to all the most dangerous Errors both in rejpettof Politicks, andReligion.
TheseAlterations aredangerous ineverything; but especially inMusick, because all Mufick being an Imitation, that only ought to be suffer'd, which imitateswhatisgoodand useful? ,the otherbeing
rather a Plague than a Play, which he explains af
terasensiblemannerby this Example, which ap
pears to m e to deserve our attention.
Tortvxttt jfwefhouilfee(fayShe)atourSacrifices,after
ulistoil-rf)eViffimswere consumed intheFire, aMan ap- hftrate. theproach the Altars, and extravagantly utter Blafphe*
horrorif }njesan^ Impieties;shouldwenotthinkallhisFa* pemaous m;iywouldlook7^ponthisasagreatMisfortune, and
averyfatalOmen? ThatwhichisdoneinourTime inthepubhekShowsAndPlays,isnotmuchdifferent fromthis. ForaftertheMagistrateshaveSacrificed, we fee divers Choirs of Mustek come, and in the
view of ourTem'ples and Altars they utter most exe
crable things against these very Altars, contradict
the Principles of Religion by their Impiom Maxims,
and affetl the Souls of their Auditors by their inde
centExpressions, lasciviousDances,andtheireffemi
nateandvoluptuoj(sTunes. Oughtnotthisthen to be abolished, and the Poets obliged to submit to
ThispuffjgeotherRules? AndsinceallPoets arenotcapableof istakenoutknowing what istruly excellent and good ; ought we
Boo'ofhisnott0ma^e c^0,ce? fsuch whointheirImitations Repub! canfollowtheIdeaofBeautyandDecency? That young people may receive improvement by every thing,
as being in a very advantageous place, and that all . . . . . . which
? ? The Lifeos Plato. pp
which strikes their Eyes and Ears arising from a
goodfund, thatisfromaSubjetlwhichisexcellent initself may belikeagoodAir whichhavingpassed
through who(some Places, carries health along with it,andmayinsensiblyaccustomthemtoloveand imi
tate those Discourses, and conform all the Alfions of their Lives to them.
To this purpose he makes the following Law. Thevrr Let nonehesoinsolentastosinganythingbefidesBo? k. ? s. , ourSacredHymns, ortoalterandvarythereceivedIfasaf,"f
DancesanymorethanourotherLaws, And ifanyp^uts
onedisobeythisStatute, letthe Conservators ofthe
Laws, togetherwith the Priests and Priestesses take cognizance of it. Tom. 2. A
TothisLawheaddedanother:LetnoPoetirfoZrtZd hisImitations, departfrom any ofthe Maxims which poetical theCityhas received asgoodand just;norlethimImitations,
presume toshew hisCompositions to any privateMan ju^gts
* tillthey have been seen, and app'rovd by Judges established. establijh'dforthatpurpose, andbytheConservatorsf*f*dgiof of the Laws. ""?
IntheIIBookoftheRepublick,hehadmadeju&it'sfa
thefameLawforthosePoetswho compos'dthepointedto Fables that were taught to Children : He was foriudse? f. having Judges to approve the Good and reject the Fablts'
Evil.
He usesthefamePrecautionsaboutComediesandcomedies,
Tragedies, ashe does about Songs, Dances, andall/*^i<<- btherImitations. HethinksComediesnecessarytoa$p *? f
makeMenknowwhatisridiculous,andtoexposegj;# Vicesthatarerepresentedin'em. For(sayshe)oneiaws. can'tknow whatiscomely and serious, unless one knowswhatisindecentandridiculous. Andtoac
quire Prudence and Wisdom, we must know their
* Vlitd rook this too from die Tradition of the Ancient He- brewSjfor they had Judges appointed to try all new Piece? which weremadeeitherinPro'eorVerse,andthesereceivedonlysuch aswere conformable to Religion, and rejected the rest. They alsoprohibitedthesingingof HymnsandSongsbyanyotherthan thecommonandreceivedTunes. Eifeb. jnparit. Eymgel. XII ii. ti if. '
: H 2 contraries
? ? ioo
lie use of Plato.
contraries. NotthatanyManwhohasanytintture of Vertue can equally ad what isgood andevil, de centand indecent, but it's needfulheshould know these things for fear he should through ignorance fallinto what isridiculous, andshoulddo or fay any thingunbecominghim. Butwe'llmakeuseonlyof Slaves or Mercenary Strangers to make these Imita tions,andallfreeMen andWomenshallbeforbid
den to be concern'din 'em, cr tolearn 'em.
A s for Tragical Poets (says he) who boaji of ifnita-
Tngfdits
w rtetn-t\nggreatandseriousAtlions; whenanyof'emcome
intoourCity,andaskifwe arewillingtoreceive
'emamong us,andfee theirTragedies, what answer shall we make these Divine Men? Methinks we oughttomake'emthisreturn, friends,weareem
ploy'dinTragediesaswellasyou,andwemakethe beft and finest we can, fer our Policy is only an imi tationofthemojiresin'd andexcellentwayoflivingj thisisthe true fort of Tragedy with which we are acquainted. SoifyouarePoets,wepretendtothe
fame thing, and declare our selves your Rivals in that Koble Imitation which can be perfeffed only by theLaw. Thereforedonothopetobesoeasilyper mitted lo build Theatres in our publick Places, and
Thusvttst01Tliro^uceSkilfulAffors thatshallextend their who intheir Voices beyond oars, and tellour Wives and Children,
firithtgs andallthepeopleonthefameSubjeffs,thingsdi- tontridtiljrefflyoppositetocurInfruffions. Wemustbequite
^Mixtms destituteofcommonSense,befere-wecangiveyou. condtmntd. permission to Alt, till the established Judges bave de
termined whether what you fay isgood and useful,
and whether itought to be made publickor not. There- fore, TeutenderDarlingsojthesoftMuses,putyour
Compositions into the hands of the Judges, who will comparethemwithou/~s;andifwhatyoufayisbet terthanwhatwefay,we'llgiveyou leavetoAll; otherwise it can't possibly be done, and therefore 'tts in vain to expels it.
PlatohastreatedthisbusinessofPlaysand Shows thoroughly, because 'tis a very important matter in relation
? ? The Lifeos Plato. 101
relation to States-, all he fays of it is admirable, and deserves to be carefully recollected. What I have recited is sufficient to give a just Idea of it : Wise Men may make on it what Reflections they thinkfit:My scopehasbeenonlytoshowthatPlato after the Example of Moses, would permit only such Divertifements as were decent, and tended to supportReligion, oratleastwerenotcontrarytoit. They who are for advancing farther, and for parti cularlyexamining theconformity theLaws ofPlato have in many things, with those that were given the
PeopleofGod, willstillbetterdiscoverthisResem blanceh which made Clemens Alexandrinus fay,that Moses assisted Plato in making his Laws; and' that Platowas onlyMosesspeakingtheAttickLanguage. Not but that some Laws are to be found inPlato ve
ry remote from the Spirit of Moses, and very contra ry to Equity : but the number of 'em is but small.
The Emperour Marcus Aurehm had reason to lay, That such a Commonwealth as Plato's is not to beexpelledinthisWorld. Notbutthattherehad already heen one which was still better, and more wisely constituted; and when Antoninus said this therewasoneinfinitelymoreperfect, ofwhichthe former was but a shadow ; but it was the work of G o d -, a n d n o n e b u t G o d c a n p u t t h i s I d e a i n t o A c t , because 'tis only he that can change the Hearts'of Men:ofwhichwehaveaveryevidentProof. A
greatEmperourhadamind toestablishPlatos. Re- publick in his Territories, to which purpose he em ploys divers Philosophers whose Knowledg was ve ryextensive, andtheirEloquenceveryperswasive: hut all his Efforts were in vain, he could never gain his end so m u c h as to establish it in one single Vil
lage-, whereas the Christian Religion was establish. ed by the Ministry ofilliterate Men, and that in spite oftheEmperours themselves.
As for Physicks in which also Meraphyficks are r,vsl. y comprehended;Platointhefirstplaceacknowledges' ' that since we are but Men, we mult not hope per
? il i fcctly
? ipi
The Life of Plato.
flctlytogaintheknowledgesNature, andthatall a Philosopher can do is to find out Probabilities -, pure and simple Truths being only known to God, whoalonecandiscover'em,toMen. Afterthisac knowledgment he divides Nature into two parts, Sprit which acts, and Matter upon which it acts.
He calls the Spirit which acts, a Being eternal, infinite, very good, immutable, which hath neither beginning nor end, but. is always the sarne, and he callsMatter, aMasswithoutformandvoid,which is always ready to be produe'd, and never exists.
Atimeuf,HisWordsareremarkable. Eirst(fayshe)allthese torn,3. thingsoughttobewelldistinguished,andwemust well establish what it is thai always exists and is never
froditeld; and what itisthatneverexists, and isal waysproducing. Thefirjiisnotconceivedbutbythe Understanding assistedbyReason. Thiswe discern
Maturhn>>tobealwaysoneandthefame. Andtheotherisonly tya-ipa. opinable,thatisknownbyOpinionassistedbytheSen
t i m e n t d i v e s t e d o f R e a s o n -, i v h i c h w e s e e t o b e a l w a y s producing,anddyingwithouteverexisting. There- Wbi ctUid f? re he gives Matter the N a m e of Other, because of
o. hcrand thecontinualChangesitundergoes:Healsogivesit Necessity. theNameofNecejfity,becauseitonlyfollowsthe
order and determination of the Spirit which governs it.
He also sometimes calls Matter Eternal, which has given occasion to some to accuse him of believ ingitto have been with God from all Eternity. But a Philosopher who in so many places maintains the unity of G o d could not fall into io gross an Error : IfMatterwereEternal, itmustthenbeGod, and sotherewouldbetwoGods, contrarytowhathe
. . . had laiddown. When thereforePlatocallsMatter itEternd! Eternal he would not be understood as if it visibly
subsistedfromallEternity, butthatitsubsistedintel ligibly in the eternal Idea of God ; and in this re- . specttheWorldissometimeslaidtobeEternal. Let us lee the very Terms Plato uses, which will leave
asijoroomtodoubtwhathisThoughtswere. Tb^ Pattern
? ? 7be Life ofPhtol 103
Patter/2oftheWorld (sayshe) isfromallEternity-,Jn^Tjme. and the World, thisvijible World is from the begin- us,Tom. 3. ning of Time, and will always thus fubfijl alone. . Plato could not think Matter to be Eternal : seeing
heaffirmstheSoultobeolderthantheBody ? ,for
iftheSoulisolderthantheBody,theBodymust
needs have been created, and consequently can't be
Eternal. AndforthisreasonhecallsGodtheFather orCreator,andFormeroftheWorld. BytheQua- neWmli
lityof Creator he signifies that he made the World7 jJ^J*'' out of Nothing, and by that of Former he figni- " H'
fies, that God after-he had created it, gave it its Form and orderly Disposition. Plato derived this Idea from the Tradition of the Hebrews, of which the Greeks had some knowledg long before him^ as
appears from Hefod's speaking of the Birth of the
Chaos. PerhapsalsohehadreadtheseWordsin
hi the Prophesy of Isaiah, God himself that,formed cbap. &f. '. li the Earth and made it, he hath efablijhed it.
OfthiscreatedMatterGod formedtheWorld,by separatinganddisposingtheElements, whichhaving simple qualities of themselves, form by their diffe rentUnion, andvariousFiguresaninfinitenumber of compounded Qualities : for Matter isdivisible to Infinity.
The Universe must necessarily comprehend all sen s i b l e t h i n g s ? , f r o m w h e n c e P l a t o d r a w s t h r e s C o n s e
quences : The first is that it can be but one : For therecanbenothingbeyondAll. Thesecondisthat it is o f a Spherical Figure-, because besides that that isthemostperfectofallFigures, 'tistheonlyone that can agree to a Being that comprehends any thing. . And thethirdisthatitcanhavenoendbutonly by theWill ofhimwhoform'dit;forsincetheChange ofallBeings can never proceed but from that which is without 'em, and since there is nothing out of the
World, thereisbyconsequencenothingthatcande stroyitbutGod inwhom alonetheWorld iscontained.
SeeingthetwofirstQualitiesoftheWorldareto. * ^ be,visibleandpalpable,-, andsircethereisnothing
H 4 visible
? ?
