No More Learning

W e now come to the manner in which Plato han
dles the Subjects of which he treats; and lhall en
deavour to discover the Beauties and Defects of his
Stile.
jfttr-vbat Heisaccus'dofneverproposinghisQuestions
tola*! ! *'AEmpiyanc*clearly, andofcastingbythismeansa thesubjectsgreatdealofobscurityonhisDialogues. Butto. ofwhichhi]udgewhetherthisReproachiswell orillfoun
t s
ded 'tis necessary to examine what belongs to M e thod. There are two forts ofMethod ; The first maybecall'dsimpleanddryh suchisthatofGe ometricianswho endeavouronly to proposethena ked Truths, and to draw just Conclusions from their Propositions. ThisMethodisverygood,andex tremely useful, when we have to do with Minds that are rational and free from all sorts of Preju dice:ButisworthnothingwhenwedealwithPeo ple prepossessed or unattentive, impatient or obsti nate.
? The Second Method which may be call'd com
poundedoxjkridisthatof Orators-7'tisproperly thefirstMethod extended and disguised by all the Ornaments that can render Arguments agreeable, and takes away that rudeness and dryneis from Pre cepts, which commonly hinderthereception of 'em. Ifwe examine Plato's works with reference to the first ofthese:'Tiscertainhedoesnotatfirstdash distinctly propose the Question on which he treats. But instead of being reproached he ought to be commended for this : ior he purpoiely rejected this Method to follow the other which is infinite lymore'useful,andhasmoreofArtinit. By
this means he cures a great many Passions, and destroys an infinite number of Prejudices, before they towhom hefpc. il:;',knowwhatheaimsat:and'tis
by this Course he convinces them with so much ? - , . . . . . . . . . . ,vi. . ? ,. strength/
? ? The Life of Plato. 151
strength of all the Truths he has a mind to teach.
But fay some, to what purpose serve those greatVhto'jpre-
Preambles which he sets at the head of his Dia- Mlbl"- logues ? These are necessary to accompany hisDe
sign 1 and as Plutarch fays when he speaks of the.
Dialogue which P/ato made of the Atlantick Island on Solons Memoirs ? , These are Superb gates and
magnificent Courts with which he purposely embellish es his great Edifices; ffat nothing may be wanting totheirBeauty, andthatallmaybeequallysplendid. HeactslikeagreatPrincewho whenhebuildsa
fine Pallace, adorns the Perch with Golden Pillars
tousethewordsofPindar. For'tisproperthat
what is first seen should be splendid and magnifi cent ? ,and should promise all that greatness which is
to be seen afterwards. IfPlato'sPreamblesshouldbeexcus'dforthefake ** ft:
oftheirgreatBeauty,andforthegenuineandad-'*"? **" mirable descriptions with which they abound ; yet e"'imi'
how cananyone excuse the frequentDigressions inwhichheengageshimself? Thisiswhatissaid by thosewhoneverhadthePatiencetoreadPlatoj orelsehavereadhimverycarelessly. 'Tistruethere are frequent Digressions in his Dialogues ; but these
Digressions never carry him entirely from his Sub ject; for he always employs them either to establish some greatTruthwhichheshallhave occasionfor i n t h e s e q u e l o f h i s d i s c o u r s e -, o r t o p r e v e n t t h e Readers mind with Authorities and Examples, or in fine to divert, and refresh him after a painful and serious research ; and in this Plato may be said,
to be the Greatest Inchanter that ever was in the World , for when he is giving you the proofs of the most necessary and solid Truths ; he takes care at the lame time to lead you into the sweet Meadows, Groves and Vallies which the Muses frequent.
Besides 'tis an incontestable M a x i m e that the O p e rationsoftheMindarenotliketheMotionsofan Arrow, AnArrowdoesnotgowell,UnlessitRee straight forward ; but the Mind makes no less pro-
L 4 grels
? ? iji
The Life of Plato. 1
gresswhenitturnsaside,orflopsataSubject, to consider it well on every side, and by the different r e l a t i o n s it h a s t o o t h e r t h i n g s , t h a n w h e n it g o e s o n directlytoitsend. TisloranArrowtogo,with o u t t u r n i n g , t o t h e M a r k w e a i m a t -, a n d i t a l ways misiesitsstroke,howlittlesoeveritdiverts fromit. ButtheMindofManisnotoblig'dtopro ceed so directly ? , but is often engag'd to consider
such Objects as are nearlyAllied to that it desires to know? ,andtotakeaturnaboutthemtoexamine
'em on all sides. This Circular Motion is no lels ftreight than that of an Arrow ; and these turnings and windings instead of leading us from the end, conductustoit. Thisissotruethatwhenwehave been thinking Plato was wandering from his design b y f r e q u e n t D i g r e s s i o n s -, w e a r e s t r a n g e l y s u r p r i z e d
to see, that that which reersl'd to carry him from it does indeed after a wonderful manner lead him to i t -, a n d t h a t t h e T r u t h s h e h a s e x p l a i n ' d i n d i f f e r e n t places being laid together, form and compleat his Demonstrations, which would have been neithercer tainnorright,ifhehad approach'd'embyadire? t Line.
HemustneverhavereadPlato,whoaccuseshim ofbeing ignorantoftheMethod ofGeometricians. He knew itperfectly well, and designedlyforbearsthe
meAfrbottileofit. ALearnedMan,whoisverywellac-
Feuryinqu'aintedwithPlato,hasobserv'dbeforeme, thatno hitr'(#Man can moreaccurately proposethe State of a ojsudits. Question, more exactly divide a Subject, and exa
mineDefinitionsmorenicelythanhe. Heneverfor gets any of the things on which he has propos'd to treat ; He always returns to his Subject,' the fight of which he has never lost, what Digression soever he makes. Heoftenmarksoutthebeginningandend of each parr, and of every Digression by Propositi ons and Conclusions ; he often uses Recapitulations ; and when he keeps his proof at a distance, he always
takes care to make you remember the State of the QuestionV So that his Discourse has atonce the K
? ? The Life of Platcv 15J
berty of Conversation, and the accuracy of the most
M e t h o d i c a l Treatise. A n Ancient Philosopher has giv- Akin.
e n t h i s C o m m e n d a t i o n t o P / a t o ? , t h a t o s a l l t h e P h i - ? h ' v r *
lofophers he is the moji excellent and admirable for dividing and defining : which qualities denote him to be
a very expert Logician.
As for his Stile 'tissublime without heing Impe tuousandRapid. TisagreatRiver thedepthofv^fs
whichmakesitsmooth. TheprincipalCauseofthat Elevationwhichreignsinit, isthatheimitatesHo mer, more than any other Writers ; and has drawn from his Poesy as from a living Spring that which
hasfurnisli'daninfiniteNumberof Rivuletswhich hehasmadetorunfromit:NayheisHomer'sRi val 1 and indeed seems to have heap'd up so many magnificent things in his Treatises of Philosophy, and to have fallen so often upon Poetical Matters, and Expressions, only to dispute the Prize with this great Poetwithallhismight, likeanewWrestlerwho enters the Lists against one that has already receiv'd all the Acclamations, and is the Admiration of all Mankind. ThisistheJudgmentwhichLongings
makesofhim;butsincehegoesnotdeepenoughin
to the true Character of Plato, and understood but 'apartofit? ,Thatitmaybebetterknown, IhopeI
shallbepermittedtoexplainitalittlemore through ly, by adhering to what our Ancient Masters have said of it.
Thereareibmany differentmannersofcofnposing, Dion)fius thatindeedtheyareinnumerable. Foronemayfay,Halicarn.
the Countenances of M e n are not more different than Jl 5\fj? . theirwaysofWriting. 'TiswiththisArtas'tis^,f,titn. with that of Painting, the Professors of which make
very different Mixtures with tfje fame Colours, and Paintthe fameSubjectsafteraverydifferentMan
ner. Butthoughtholedifferencesaresoverynu
merous, when they are examined nicely and by de t a i l , y e t t h e y m a y b e r e d u e ' d t o t h r e e p r i n c i p a l o n e s ? ,
which go under borrow'd Names, for want of pro perones. TheFirstisaustereorrudeComposition. The
? ? 154 Tk LifeofPlato;
The Second is florid, or smooth. And the Thitd intermediate, which is compos'd of the other Two.
Austereorrough Composition resemblesthoseAn-
Aufltre trcient Buildings, the Stones of which are neither po- rudecompo- lifh'd, nor artificially plac'd j but yet are well fixM;
D? onvC anc*^avemoreSoliditythanBeauty,ithasmore ? <<? . 22,'&c. ? fNaturethanArt init-,anddepends more onthe PassionthanManners and Civility:Ithasnothing florid,5tisgreatandrigid, ifImaybepermittedto usesuchaTerm? ,'tiswithoutOrnament; andall
theGracesofitsavourmuchofAntiquity. This isthetrueCharacterofPindaryEschy/usand Tbucy- dides.
The Second, whichissmoothandflorid, isalmost smooth orentirely opposite to the other, It seeks the sweetest f l o r i d c o m - a n ( j s m o o t h e s t W o r d s -, a n d a v o i d s s u c h a s a r e h a r s l i
2$! and26. anc*roughwith all imaginable care. Thisfavours 'moreofArtthanNature, anddependsmore onpo liteMannersthanon thePassion. This istheCha
racterofHeJiod^Sapho, Anacreon, Simonides,andEu ripides among thePoets, and oflfocratesamong the Orators. ForofallthathavewritteninProsenonee- ver succeeded better than this Last.
The Third ismade up of both together 'tis com- Mix"dCom-pounded ofwhat isbest inthetwo former $and there- positim ' fbre excels them both ; for the perfection of Arts-
"btiilmtr a^ways cpnfists in a Medium, as well as that of jag. '27. 'Manners and Actions, and the whole Course of
Life.
TheWriters ofthiskinddiffermoreamong them
selves than those that have follow'd the two former methods,becauseofthedifferentmixture theyhave made of thole two Characters j for some have fal len more on the rough way, and others more on
the florid,
Homer, SophoclesJderodotusJdemoftKenesJPlato and
Ariftotle wrote in this last kind 5 but without contra d i c t i o n H o m e r is t h e m o s t t o b e a d m i r e d . T h e r e is n o partofhisPoemsbutiswonderfully diversifiedby these2sortsofComposition. Theywhohavefollow'd
him
? ? 7he Lifeof Plato; 155
fiimare snoreor lessexcellent5accordingasthey more or less approach this great Model. And as Platocomesnearertohimthanothers, 'tisthisthat
giveshim hisgreatestBeauts. TheFoundationoftheseThreeways,aswellas
ofallothersisFirstthechoiceofWords;Second- TbtFou>>* lythe regular placing of 'em, from which theref? TM< resultsadifferentHarmony, audinfinetheuseorti- '* i
gures,and alltheotherOrnaments ofDiscourse.
The choice of Words is first in Order, but the regularDispositionof'emisfirstinBeauty. This<<*<<*>><<? ?
issotrue, thatthebestchosenandnoblestWordsifrffg*^ thrown at a venture, without Method and Art, will gular fU_ quite spoil the Elegancy of the Thought ; whereas cingoj'tm. theworstchosenandmostvulgarWordswillmake
an indifferent Thought pass, when Art has taken care to put them in good Order; To be throughly convinc'dof thisTruth, aMan need onlypickout some of the finest Passages to be found in the Ora torsandPoets,andaltertheOrderandHarmonyof
'em without making any Alteration in the Words :, and he'll destroy the Beauty and Force of 'em: for by this means the Figures, Colours, Passionsand polite Mannersthatappearin'emwillbelost. Henceit is that the Beauties which shine in the Writings of these great M e n can't be discern0d but by those that
knowallthesedifferences. DionyfimHdicarnaffeus
with a great deal of reason compares the dispofiti-
on of Words to Hornet's Minerva s for as this God- Hdiorn.
dessbytouchingUlyffcswithherRingmadehimap-*? ' ^
pearonewhile little, deform'd, andlikeaBeggar,-? hkTru.
depress'dwithMiseryandAge-, andanotherwhileve-tinofcom-
rygreat andmarvellouslybeautiful hlothedifferentr^m, placing of the same Words make the Thoughts *? * "ndS;
appearonewhilepoorandlow, andanotherwhilew,toWm,^
rich and sublime. Divm-tor Platomaybecall'dDivineforthispart,andif heth,nirsni. were as happy in the choice of Words, as in the onof^ds.
Dispositionof'emhewouldequalHomer, andex-*nd! ^-
ceed all other Writers ; but he sometimes 1ails in his aoiat^tmm Lv<<? +*>'-. -i . . ? -". ? ? ? ? choice,
DhnyC
? ? 156
The Life (C)/"Plato.
choice, when he quits his ordinary Stile, to ffti uponextraordinaryanasublimeExpressions. While he keeps in a simple and natural way,nothing has more gracefulness, purityandsmoothnessthanhisDicti on. TisliketheChryttalStreamosaclearRiver. He then uses the molt common Terms, he only studies Accuracy and Perspicuity, and contemns al foreign Ornaments ; he only preserves a littleAir ofAntiquity, which isalmost insensible, and ierves to set off his Elegancy, and by Numbers varied with wonderful Art ; he every where spreads a char ming Harmony. But when he would exceed himself, andaffectstobegreat, thequitecontrarysometimes befallshim ? ,for besidesthathisDictionisleisa- greeable, less pure, and more embarrass'd ; he rails into Circumlocutions, whichbeingscatterdupand down without choice and without measure, have no Elegancy or Beauty -, and only make a vain show of a luxuriant richnessofLanguage : Instead of words that are proper, and of common uie, he
seeks only for such as are novel, foreign and an tique ; and instead of employing only such Figures as are wife and grave, and easily understood $ he isexcessiveinhisEpithets, hardinhisMetaphors, andextravagantinhisAllegories. WhenIfaythis Idon'tpretend thatthisalwayshappenstohim ;one must be either blind or stupid, not to be touch'd with aninfinitenumberofPassages, inwhich. he isas great and sublime as possible, and his Stile rises up to
theCharacterofWonderful. But I speakthisto sliewthatwhen hefalls,'tisonly inthatkindofStile, inwhich'tisimpossiblyforaMan alwaystosup porthimselfequally. Forthegreatandjnagnificept way is slippery and dangerous ^ and he that-wHfat tainitmustexposehimselftoFalls. Andindeed
none but a great Genius is capable of this noble Efforthand the FallsMen have had signify that they were led by a kind of Divine Ardour, which they could not govern. Therefore the sublime Me. fnd though it his very little Foundational
ways,
? ? ? najk 7heLifeos Plato. 157
flPH:ames thePrizefromthemiddleway, though it be never so happy and perfect.
Itmust moreover be laidtothepraiseof? lato,
that the places wherein he may be said to fall are
very few in comparison of those in which he has s u c c e e d e d t o a w o n d e r ? , a n d i f w e t a k e n o t i c e o f
'em, Yis not so much to censure them, as to ad mire that a Man rais'd lo high above the ordina ry pitch of humane Nature ; (hould not be able
topreserve himself from Faults in those places where he might so easily have avoided them $ and whereheseemstohaveknown'em. Forhesome times conleiles that what he fays isnot somuch like a wile and orderly Discourse, as a Dithyram- bick P o e m ; and that he speaks like a M a n posieis'd. This extravagant Enthusiasm is vicious ? , especially
in Matrers of Philosophy ; and he ought to have c o r r e c t e d i t , s e e i n g h e d i s c e r n ' d i t ? , a n d w a s s o c a r e f u l
andjealousofhisStile, thatatfourscoreYearsof Age, he did not cease to give new touches once and again to his Dialogues, and took so much pains with'em, thatafterhisDeath,thebeginning ofhis Books ofaRepublickwasfoundon hisWriting-Ta bles, alter'd twenty several ways.
Butitmay besaidthisFaultpleas'dhim,orthat,be cause he fear'd the Simplicity of Socrates would not be always relish'd, he had a mind to raise it by the Sublimity of Tbucyiid. es and Gorgiaf, however in imitating theirVertues, he did not take sufficientpre cautionagainsttheirVices. ThisistheJudgment which Dionyjius Halicamaffeus makes of him inhis Treatise oftheAncientOrators? ,andhesupports itinthe AnswerwhichhemakestothegreatPom- peywhotookP/Wspart. InthisAnswerheproves to him the Truth of this Censure, and makes it appear,thatheisofthefamemindhimself;and
farther shows, that the Ancients, as Demetrius Pba- lereus^andsome others,hadpassedthefameJudg ment before him.
Longing whoissofine,sosure,andsoexacta Critick
? ? ? I58 The Life of Phto: sitn.
Critickwas ofthefameOpinioii4w#te>>iAges-l^fcfr Dionyjixs tialicarnaffeus. Heiicknowledgesaswell as this Latter that Plato writes after a divine manner in abundance of places, and at the fame time, proves, like him too,by palpable Instances, thathe issome times too figurative in his expressions -,and that by a certain fury of discourse he suffers himself to betransportedtoharshand extravagantMetaphors, and to a vain allegorical Pomp, which can't choose butfrequentlylanguish. Thisisadefectwhichhe might have avoided, as Demetrius lays, if he had used proper Terms more frequently than Meta phors.
But to finish this Character in few words, by re
sumingwhathasbeenalreadysaid. InGeneral
there isnothing more harmonious and touching than
Plato's Diction-, he joins the force of the greatest Orators, with the Graces of the greatest Poets ? ,
he isvery fruitful and luxuriant ; he so perfectly describes Manners and Passions, and forms Charac terssowell, thatallthePersonshebringsinevery where appear what they seem'd to be at first view. There is nothing more perfect when he keeps him selfwithintheBounds ofordinaryLanguage^but he sometimes falls when he strives to soar very high, thohisFallsarenotcommon, andyettheplaces wherein he shows himself pompous and magnifici- ent are very frequent ; so that even in this kind of writing there are a thousand things to be admir'd in hisBookswherethereisonetocondemn'd. ^
Having spoken of Plato's Stile, w e come to speak a word or twos of his. Commentators, and Inter preters. . ^. . ?
. We havebuttwoLatinTranslationsofthisPhi losopher'sWorks, thatofMarsdiuslicihus,and thatofJohndeSerres,whocompos'dtheHistory ofYrwceundertheTitleofanInventory (orRe gister. ) N e i t h e r o f ' e m w i l l e v e r m a k e P l a t o to' b e w e l l understood. Howevertheformerseemstomethebest for the literalSense,and 'tis certain,that it1has fewei
? ? T h e Life of Plated
( c p
faults. MarsiliusYicinuswasaLearnedandLabo rious M a n ; but being too speculative and abstracted he loses all the advantage of his Translation by his Explication, inwhichhestrainsAllegoriesandMys teriestoanexorbitantdegree. Itwouldhavebeena great uneasiness to him to understand any thing sim
ply, tho Plato often speaks with great Simplicity - and by this means he endeavours to justify a great many Errors into which Plato fell ? , for he every
where finds a fense, not only commodious and ex cusable, but orthodox ; he always looks on him with aprofoundrespectasaManinspir'dofGodh and is perswaded there is no Mystery in the Christian
Religion, but he knew it : I don't fay in the Wri tingsof theProphetsonly, butinthoseoftheEvan gelists and Apostles.
John de Setres was a Man of less Ability than Marsilius Yicinus, . nor did he understand Greek
near so well as he, so that his Translation abounds
with Faults, and essential Faults too, which corrupt See the Ab-
the Sense : but he is yet more to blame for entire- bot^^f> \ychangingtheorderoftheDialogues, anddispo-JJ2S ? s sing 'em into different Classes ; not according to the pag. 297.
Subjects, but the Titles of 'em, which are com m o n l y f a l s e ? , w h i c h m a k e s t h e R e a d e r , w h e n h e
seeks for that in the Dialogue which is promised in the Title, and does not find it, accuse Plato of be ing very defective in his Proofs, and of wandering from his Subject ; so that he has not the Patience to hear him.
The only thing in his Work, that seems to me worthy of any great Commendation, is his small Marginal Notes ; in which he gives a naked discovery of Plato's Method 5 for tho Plato was willing to conceal it, to render, his Dialogues t h e m o r e d i v e r t i n g -, i t w a s f i t s o m e P e r s o n s h o u l d give himself the trouble of unfolding this Art tho roughly, which the Readers would not always un ravel of themselves : This is a very great help, and indeed is very useful to make the Beauties of the
Method Plato follow'd appear to. good advantage. ? ? ? In
? ? pjato.
losethetrainof hisReasoning. The Obscurities w e find in 'em result either from the Customs of his Time, or the Opinions of the Ancient Philosophers j into which Commentators give very little Light. The knowledg of 'em ought to be sought in the reading of Ancient Authors, which are more useful tomakeaMan understandPlato,thanallthathave labour'dtoexplainhisDoctrine. TheseCommenta tors however are not to be flighted, but deserve to be read for their own sake, without any regard to Plato'sPhilosophy. Atleasttherearefiveof'em, ofwhichImaymakethisAccount:MaximusTyrius undertheEmperourMarcusAurelhcs, inthesecond Century:Plotinusinthethird, PorphyriustheScho lar of Plotinus, and lamblichus the Scholar of Por
p h y r i u s i n t h e f o u r t h -, a n d P r o c l u s i n t h e s i x t h . The last was a very great Philosopher, and so skillfulintheMechanicks, thatheequal'd,ande-
vensurpassedArchimedes himselfindiversthings:
But his Vanity was yet more remarkable than his In genuity ? , when to encourage the Emperour Anasta-
Jius, towhom ithadbeenpredicted,thatheshould
bekill'dwithaClapofThunder,hebuiltaTower
for him that was to be Proof against the Artillery of Heaven:forthisTowerprov'duseless? ,and the
Emperour was kill'd with Thunder which he was sodesiroustoescape. We havemoreoversixBooks of this Proclus on Plato's Theology, and Theolo gicalInstitutions. HisWordsareverydifficultto beunderstood, becauseheisveryabstracted. But whenaMan canpenetrate'em, he'llfind'emvery profound,andfullofadmirablethings. Aswhen
160 7beLife of Plato. '
In fine, if Marsilim Ficimts errs in running every where too far into Mysteries ; John de Serres runs into the contrary Fault, in taking things too simply : for 'tis by this means he charges a great many very innocent things, and which may receive a good fense to Plato's Account, as so many Crimes.
TheCom- PlatoexplainshisThoughtssoclearlyhimself} mtntitorsofthat a Man needs nothing but Attention, not to
he
? ? ? she Lifeos Plato. itfi
he explains what Plato fays, that that which unites u s t o G o d i s L o v e , T r u t h , a n d F a i t h -, a n d s h o w s FaithnobetheonlycauseofInitiation; For(lays he) this Initiati i is made neither by knowledg nor discerning^ btt by a Medium which is Jingle and. strongershinallKnowledges, thatis,bythesi
lence which faith inspires in raising up our Souls to G o J, and plunging them into that Sea, which can ne verbecomprehended. Buthemustbereadwithi greatdeal ofJudgment andprecaution; forthese things that are so admirable are mix'd with a great many ErroiS, into which he was thrown by that ha tred with which he was always animated against the Christians.
Iamblulhis is1considerable in thathe perfectly- Well explains the Opinions of the Egyptians, and Chaldeansaboutdivinethings: Besidesinexplain* ing these Mysteries he often gives great Discove ries that may be useiullyemploy'dto elucidate abun dance ofDifficulties in the holyScriptures -,and isfull ofMaximsthatmaybeofgreatuse. Thegreatest fault Or lamblichus is, that in treating of these very sublime Subjects he often mows himself credulous and superstitious.
Porphyrius was of Tyre, he was call'dMalcho. And therefore Longinus, in his Letters, calls' hirri the King of Tyre, because Malcho, in the Pheniciaii Language, signifies a King, for the lame reason he is nam'd Porphyrius, which signifies one cloatlfd tvithpurple;thatistolay,aKing. TheAncients have preserved to us many things which he wrote bn the Philosophy of Plato and Pythagoras : but he was a Man of a wicked Mind, and very fatyri- cal? ,andwas moreoversoinclin'dtoMagick, that
this sacrilegious Curiosity of his obscur'd the great-
testDiscoveries ofTruth which he had received from
Plato: HisTreatiseofAbstinenceisthebest,and most useful thing he composed.
PlotinminmyOpinionexcelsalltherest. Not
butthatheisoftenveryabstracted andhardtobe M under ?
? ? 6i
The Life of Plato.
understood ? ,but in general he is more intelligi
ble than Prochts ; and for Morality much Advan
tage may be reap'd from his Writings. And 'tis
happy thathis finestTreatises are the most plain and
intelligible. Longinus fays of him, that he has
more clearly explain'd the Principles of Plato and
PythagorasthananyPhilosopherbeforehim. He says
his Writings are worthy of the Esteem, and Ve neration of all Men ? , and adds, that though the
greatest part of the Matters on which he treats seem to him incomprehensible $ and 'do not affect: him 5 he can never*be weary in admiring his Stile, the SolidityofhisThoughtsand Conceptions,thedepth ofhisresearches, and the trulyPhilosophical man ner in which he handles his subjects.
When Longinw lays, he is not always affected with the Subjects which Plotinus handles, he prin cipallyrespectswhathewroteonIdeas. ForLon
ginus had Iabour'd to refute Porphyrius, who was brought over to the Sentiment or P/otinus after ha ving written against him : That is Longinus could not conceive the Doctrine of Ideas, and was of Ari-
Jiot/e's sentiment, w h o took what Diogenes had said toridiculethisOpinion,tooliterally: ForDioge nes being one day at Table with Plato ; and being fallen in Conversation upon immaterial and eternal Exemplars,fayshetoPlato. Ifeevery wellthereis
a Goblet and a Table, but Ifee neither Gobleity norTableity, To whichPlatoanswer'd,'Tisbecause thou haft bodily Eyes which can fee a Goblet and aTable,butnotthoseoftheMind, whichalonesee Gobleity and Tableity.
Never did any Disciple do more honour to his Master than Plotinus did to Plato both by his M a n ners and Doctrine.
Itwashethat firstsaid, Godwas mmfd merely by bis Mercy to give our Souls only Mcrtal Chains. By which he signifies that it was an Effect of his Compassions that he gave us Bodies subject to Death j thatsowemightnotalwaysbeexpos'dtotheMi- ieries of this Life. . H e
? ? The Life o Plato. ' ? i? >>
H e was convinc'd that our Souls draw all their Light and Sagacity only from that intelligible Light which created 'em ; that the Soul has no Nature superiortoitbutthatofGodalone? andthatthe
Angels and other Celestial Spirits derivetheirHap piness and Knowledg from no other Source than thatwhichenlightensus,andrendersushappy. His Manners were yet more admirable than his Doc trine. HeallhisLifedespis'dVain-Glory,Riches and Pleasures ; and his Probity was so generally known ; that the most considerable persons ofboth Sexes, when theydyed, entrustedhim with theirE- states and Children ; as not being able to find a more faithful Depositary, ormore sacredAsylum.
MaximusTyrimwroteonHomer'sDoctrine, and on the Matters of Philosophy 5 almost all the Dis courses which we have of his do either directly or indirectly respect P. Jo's Philosophy. The Rea
ding of 'em is very agreable and very useful : But they supply us with no more Aid lor the understand ing of the Difficulties of Plata, than alltherest. And in this reipect o~e may fay the uselessness of these Commencaries pro, es the truth of one ot'Plato's Sentements, who held, . hat it verves to very little
purpose to write on thole sublime uciences, and that the true manner of teachbg 'em is by Conversation; which is the only way to perswade a M a n after jach a manner, that he lhall not have the least difficul ty remain upon his Mind, and chat he shall be ca pable of convincing another of the same thing : For Wenever Well understanddTruth-? ifwearenot in a condition on all v)ccasioiis to make it known to such as have all necehary Dispositions to receive it. AndchiswaslikewisethereasonthatPlatowas more known, and better understood at Rome in Ci cero'stimethanheisnow. Becausehewasread intheCompany ofPhilosophers, and nothingshor tens Difficulties so much as Living Commenta ries; UnhappilyforustheselivingCommentaries sirenow very rare, or to speak more plainly are
M2 not
? ? 164' ^e Life of Plato;
not"tobeTound. ForofallourPhilosophersthere
isnot one who has closely applied himself to the readingofPlato,aNegligencenottobeexcused. If
the reading of Plato should not render us more Learned,'tiscertainhoweverthatitmightmake us better, less proud, and more wise, not only with thatHumane Wisdomwhichqualifiesusexternally to fill up all the Duties of our civil Life ; but also with that soveraign Wisdom which disposes us toobeyGod, andtolubjectourselvestotheTruths ofReligion,andwhichalonemakesupthe trueCha racter of a Philosopher.
Beingthereforedestituteof allhelp from'living Commentaries, fortheunderstandingofPlato-, lap- plymy selftoPlatohimself, andshallendeavourto give a faithful Translation accompanied with some Remarks, in those places which are most diffioultand ofgreatestImportance. Itmaybethebacilityofread inghiminthisdresswillattractsomeReaders. But howeverthe successbe, Ishallneverrepentofhav ing employ'd my time in translating some Trea tises of a truly divine Philosopher since he had the gloriouspriviledgofbeinginthehandofGod an Instrument of Light and Grace for the Conversion of St. Augujlin;andperhapsmay be so tosome ofus.
-*-"? ? -? ? ? ? ? 1
The
? ? The Argument of the
First ALC1BIADES.
I N this Dialogue- which is Intituled Of HU- M A N E - N A T U R E, Pla,to attempts to cure our Pride and Self-love, by setting the Infirmi
ties and Defetfs of Humane Nature in the clearest. Light h and by prescribing the means which ought to be us'd to reform it, with the care we ought to take- osourselves. Thematterinquestionthereforeisto know whatWe ourSelvesare-,"andabove allthat
part of the Dialogue which treats of this appears to- beDivine, forhereYhxo. teaches,thatWlm. isthe reasonable Soul, which participates of Understand ing,andmakesuseoftheBody. TheSoulasrea
sonable, makes use ofher Reason to refleEt on herself-^ andtoknow herown Necessities;assheparticipates ofUnderstanding,fhe makes useofthistoraiseherup. toward God,and to know herself in that resplendent
Light, inwhichonlywecanleableperfealytoview our selves ; and to know what is good, profitable, lovely^ just, in a word tbe true Good, of which that istheFountain: And'tisthisknowledgalonethatsets us right, and which by directing our Aflions renders themusefulbothtoour,selvesandothers. . Butthat it may not be thought that it absolutely depends on us to acquire this Perfection, he assures us that all our. Efforts will be useless without the assistance of God. We shallfindherebesidesthisother. Truthsassur
prizing in a Pagan ;for instance, that which he says ofthetwoforts ofIgnorance,oneofwhichisgood andi'otherevil; andwhatheteachesusconcerning farticularthings,thattheknowledg oftheseisnotsis-
M 3 ficient
? M
? ? \&6 1heArgumentostheFirst. Alcibiades^
ficient toproduce the Peace and Union os States and
families ; and that we have need of the knowledg of
universal things, which alone produces Charity the Mother ofUnion. l'Tis not necessary here toJet off
alltheBeautiesofthisDialogue, Ishallonlyremark in general, that all these Dialogues are as so many piecesoftheTheatre-, Comedyreignsinsome os'em,
and. Tragedyinothers. Thisisofthelattetkind;
and in some sort resembles Sophocles his Oedipus.
for as in that Piece we fee a Prince who from the
highest Pinacle of Grandeur, and after he had been
lookd W o n as a G o d falls into a most deplorable stafe
of Misery ; W e here in like manner see Alcibiades,
aster having been counted worthy ofthegreatest Ho
nours, obliged to acknowledg that he deserves only to
beaSlave. Theythatareshock'datthepassionate
mannerinwhichSoctax. esspeakstoAlcibiades atthe
beginning of this Dialogue',, will cease to be offended
w h e n t h e y h a v e r e a d i t o u t -, f o r t h e y ' l l t h e n s e e ' t k a very innocent Pa/son ; designed onlyfor the advance
mentofVertue. ToungPeoplewouldbeveryhappy, if they always found friends that lov'd 'em as truly and piously as Socrates loved Alcibiades ;for as Plu tarchT^yx, He did not seek with him an Efferminate
Pleaiiire unworthy of a Man, but cured the Corrup t i o n o f h i s S o u l , f i l f d t h e V o i d o f h i s M i n d -, a n d repress'dhisextravagantVanity, He endeavour'dto lead him out ofDarkness and conduit him to the true Light. 'TknotdifficulttofixtheTimeinwhich Plato supposes this Dialogue, to have been made, since hetellus'Alcibiadeswas theninthe20thTearof his Age-, it'must have been therefore in the 7,d Tear ofthe LXXXVII Olympiade, oneTearbeforethe death ofPetlcles.
ThisDialogueisfMxnv7if(M, thatisSocratesy2>ma nages the matter, as to make Alcibiades of himself find out the Truths which he has a mind to te'acb
him. '
*\ '. *. THE
? ? THE
First ALCIBIADESX OR
Of theNatureofMan.
Socrates) Alcibiades.
Socrates. ^ " " \ Sojv of Clin'uis, you are without O doubt surpriz'd, that since I was the first thatlov'd you, Ishould
likewise be the laft^and that where as others have pursued you with their importunate,
Visits, I have been so many Years without speak
ingtoyou. 'TisnoHumane Considerationthathas r e t a i n e d m e ? , B u t a r e g a r d a l t o g e t h e r * D i v i n e ; w h i c h
111explaintoyouhereafter. Atpresentwhilethat
Godwhoconductsme laysmeundernorestrainti
Imakeuseofthepermissionhe givesmetoaccost
you ;and I hope our Conversation for the time to,
come will not be disagreeable to him. I have hi therto observ'd withjoy? >howyouhaveconducted
yourselftowardsmy Rivalsjamongthatgreatnum berofproudandhaughtyMen whohaveadher'dto, you, th^re is not one whorn you have not fhock'd, byyourloftyCarriage. AndIamnowwillingto. tell you the cause of the Contempt you have had
for'em/ YouthinkyouhavenoneedofanyMan;
* A Regard altogether divine) he means he was not willingto speaktohimwithoutthePermissionofGod* underwhoseCon-. ductheis, and that God would not sufferhim tospeak, during the greatTenderness of Alcibiades his Youth, which would have render'dallhisInstructionsuseless. SeetheArgumentofthe. ApologyabouttheGeniusthatconductedStcrates. . ; .
j, f
M4 so
1*7
? ? i 168 TheFirstAlcibiades,? or,
for literally has Nature, as you suppose, indulged you with all the Goods both of Body and Mind.
pt Pride for first of all * you think your selfto be one of a/Alcibi- thefinestandbestmadeMen intheWorld? ,andJtis
'sides,andverv. certaininthisyouarenotmistaken^ inthe pnasonojkcim& place you are 'faifibleof the Advantage of
' 0
t y o u r b i r t h ? , f o r y o u a r e o f t h e m o s t I l l u s t r i o u s H o u s e o f A t h e n s -, w h i c h i ? t h e m o s t c o n s i d e r a b l e o f
alltheCitiesof'Greece. OnyourFathersfideyou have atgreat many vetjjpowetfalRelations and Friends'to support you on all Occasions : You have nolessNumber, norlessconsiderablein,Qualityon yourMother's. SiSe^andthatnvri&lrytfuthink yet more augments your Reputation, is that your Father left you Ptricks for your Guardian; whose Autho rity isso great, that he does what he pleases not on ly in this City, but likewise in all Greece^ and a- rrrong the most powerful ofthe Barbarous Nations. ImightalsospeakofyourRiches,' ifIdidnotknow that theseare the least/occasion 6f your 'Vanity. $ AU these great''Advantages have inspired you with so much Pride, that you have despis d all your Admirers as Ibmany Inferioursnot worthy ofloving you, Accordinglytheyhaveallleftyou, andyou havevery well obferv'dit^therefore. Iam verylure you can't'sufficiently wonder what reasons I can have tocontinueinmy former passion-,andareconside ringwhathopeIcanyethave tofollowyouafter all my Rivals have retired.
f" Plutanh reports, that the Beauty of Alcibiades, kept in a fbrld state, through all the Ages of his Life ; an4 that the faying o? Empidn, That theAutumn tf handsoa Moris'gay, was verified inhim. Y '?
i On the fide of his Father Cliniai, he descended from Earjt- fisets, the Son of Ajax ; and on the side of his Mother Dinomacbej
he was Ahmieonides, and descended from Megacles. ,
| The rrost noted and strongest Passions Aldbiadts had, were a boundless Vanity *hich made him endeavour to carryall before him with an Air of Haughtiness, and an unlimited Ambition,
which,madeeitherasuperior, or'equal,alwaysseemintolerable
(whim; thismade drchefttttuhy, Greecemid notbeartwo Alci- ! >iadcs,Plutar. "?
Alc'ib.
? ? QftheNatureofMan, \6y
Alcibiades. But one thing which without doubt you don't know, Socrates, is that you have prevented me but a Moment, and that I designed to speak to youfirsttoasktheReasonofyourObstinacy. What
doyoumean, orwhatisityouhopefor,thatyou troubleme afterthismanner, usingyourutmostdi ligence continually to attend m e in every place w h i ther 1go ? for in fine I can't enough wonder at your
Deportment\andyou'lldome apleasuretotellme once for all to what you pretend.
Socrat. That is you'll freely hear me, seing you havea mindtoknowmy Thoughts;I(hallthere forenow speaktoyou, astoonewhowillhave patience to hear me, and will not take Occasion to get away from me,
Alcib: Yes, you may Ib.
Socrat. Consider well to what you engage your self* that you may not be iiirpriz'd, ifI find it as hard for me to make an end, as ithas been tobegin.
Alcib. Speak,Socrates,I'llgiveyou asmuch time
as you please.
S o a - a t . W e l l t h e n I ' l l O b e y y o u ? , a n d t h o u g h i t b e
averydifficultthingforaMan tospeaktoaPer sonheloves,who yetdoesnotlovehim;Imusttake theCouragetotellyoumythoughts. Formypart, Alcibiades, ifI had always seen you devoted to your Vanity and Grandeur, and in the design of living,, as you have hitherto done, in your Luxury and Softness , I should also have long ago renoune'd my Passionforyou? ,atleastIflattermy selfthat Ishouldhavedoneso. ButnowIamgoingtodis cover to You your own Thoughts, which are very different ftom those you have had formerly ; and by thisyou'llknow thatthe reason ofmy obstinateper sistinginfollowingyouupanddown, was,tostu dyYou. Iamreadytothink,thatifsomeGod
shouldallon asudden say toyou, Alcibiades-, would you rather choose to, live with all the Advantages you have at, present, than to. die, ifyou were withal forbidden to aspire to the Possession of yet greater
for
? ? 170
The First Alcibiades } orj
forthefnture. Iamreadytothink,Ilay,thatyou would choose to die : So that this appears to be t h e h o p e w i t h w h i c h y o u flatter y o u r self, a n d w h i c h makes you in love with Life : You are perswaded, that you (hall have no sooner harangued the Athe nians, and that will be within a very little time, but you'll make 'em sensible you deserve to be ho- nour'dmore tha. nPeric/es,oranyofourgreatestCiti zens-,that you(hallsoon beMasterofthisCity; and that your Power (hall extend over all the Ci ties of Greece, and over the Barbarous Nations thatinhabitourContinent. AndifthisGodshould fartherfay, Alcibiades, you(hallbeKingofallEu rope j but you (hall not extend your Dominion o- v e r t h e P r o v i n c e s o f A s i a -, I b e l i e v e y o u w o u l d n o t b e w i l l i n g t o l i v e f o r s o s m a l l a E m p i r e -, u n l e l s you could fill the whole World with the noise of your Name. You esteem none but Cyrus and Xerxes -, and as you are charm'd with their Glory, you propose them as Patterns for your- imitation. ThesearetheViewsyouhave. Iknowit,and'tis not mere conjecture. You very well know I fay nothing but the Truth, and therefore perhaps you'll a s k m e . -, w h a t r e t p e c t , S o c r a t e s , h a s t h i s . P r e a m b l e of yours to that you had a mind to fay to explain
to me the reasons you have to follow me every where? I'llimmediatlysatisfyyouofthat,O Son ofQinias. 'Tisbecausethe*greatProjectsyou form in your head can never be put in Execution with outmy Assistance;somuch PowerhaveIoverall yourAffairs,andoveryourselftoo. Andhenceit is without doubt, that the God who governs me, has never suffer'd me to speak to you till now, and 1 have been long waiting for his Permission. N o w therefore as you hope that, when you have
convinc'dyourFellow-Citizensthatyou areworthy ofthegreatestHonours,theywillmakeyouMas ter oftheirFortunes;I alsohope youwill make
* The Designs of the Ambitious can't succeed but by the Coun selsoftheWise.
me
? ? r OftheNatureosMan. ' " iyi
me MasterofyourConduct, whenIhaveconvinc'd you, thatIam more worthy ofthisHonour than any other Person, and that you have neither Guardi an, Friend nor Brother that can give you that great P o w e r t o w h i c h y o u a s p i r e ? , t h e r e i s n o n e b u t I t h a t
candoitwiththehelpofGod. Whileyouwere
Younger,andhadnotthisgreatAmbition, Godwas not pleas'dto suffer me ? to ipeak to you, that my
Wordsmightnotbethrownaway. Nowhegives meleavetobreakSilence? ,andyou areindeedin
a better Disposition to hear me.
Alcib. I confeis, Socrates, * you seem to. me a
more strangePerson since you have begun to speak thanwhileyouweresilent;thoindeedIhaveal waystakenyouforanoddfortofaMan.