No More Learning

Eut. Iconfessit.
Soc. W e are farther agreed that that which isbe lov'd of the Gods is belov'd of 'em only because" they love it ; and that it is not true, to' fay they love it, because it is belov'd.
Eut. That'sright.
Soc. * But, my dear Eutyphron^ ifthat which is belov'd of th6 Gods, and that which isHoly were did
,lame thing, seeing that which isHoly is belov'd on lybecauseitisHoly, ItwouldfollowthattheGods should love that which they love, only because itis belov'dof 'em : And on the otherhand, ifthatwhich is belov'd of the Gods were lov'd only because they love it, than it would be true likewise. to lay, that which isHoly, isHoly, only because'tisbelov'dof them. Bythisthereforeyoufeethatthosetwo
terms, belov'd of the Gods and Holy are very diffe rent. One isbelov'dbecause theGods lovehim, and another is lov'd only because he deserves to be lov'd. Thus,mydearEutypbroa,whenyoushould h a v e g i v e n m e a n e x a c t a n s w e r w h a t it is t o b e H o l y , to be sure you were not willing to explain to me whereintheEssenceof itconsists byanaccurateDc: finition, but were content to shew one of its Quali ties, which is that of being belov'd of the Gods, but you have not given m e an Account of the Nature ofit. Iconjureyoutherefore,ifyouthinkfit,dis coverthisgreatsecrettome, andbeginningwithit
from itsveryPrinciple, teachme preciselytoknow what Holiness is,without having respect to any thing
* FprifthesetwoTeriiisBtltv'dandH$l)werethefttriething, one rriightbe put for t'other, whence all that Absurdity would fol low which Stratis represents here.
mi
? ? Of HOLINESS. . , ij$
that is adventitious^ as whether it be belov'd of the V<<r vhn Godsornot. Forweshallhavenodisputeabout'? *&>>* that. Comethen,tellmefreely? ,whatisittobej? /K5
Ho/y,andwhattobeProfane. . , ,. . } ,. ,; onemaysaf. Eut. But,SocratesIknowriothowtoexplainrrlyh k? ^:
ThoughtstoyouonthisSubject-,forallthatwelay? *f% ? ' down vanishes. from us, and does not continue fix'dbJedofGoi, andstablein,whatConditionsoeverweputit, -
Sac. AllthePrinciples, Eutypbron,whichyouhave . estahltfh'd are somewhat like* the figures of Deda- lusoneof. my Ancestors. IfIhadattested'emtd
be sure you would not have fail'd to jeer and re proach me, as ifI had derived thispretty Quality of
making things that flip out of a Man's Hands,
when he thinkshe holds 'em fastest:But itunhappi
lyfallsoutthat'tisyouthathaveasserted'em. There
fore I must seek for some other turns of Raillery, for
'tiscertainyourPrinciplesgiveustheflip, asyou feeverywell. ,. ,I . _. ?
. Eut. Formy part,Socrates,Ineednotseekanyo- ther turn of Raillery : that suites you perfectly well : for 'tis not I that inspire our reasonings with this Instability, which hinders 'em from fixing,but you are the Deda/us. . IfI were alone^ I tell you they wouldcontinuefirmandsteady. . ,. , ;
(She. ThenIammoreexpertinmyArtthanDeda- luswas, hecouldonlygivethisMobilitytohis own Works, whereas itseems Igive itnot only to myown,butalsotothoseofotherMen:audthat whichisyetmorestrangeis. thatIam thusexpert against m y will ; for I should m u c h rather choose
. *Diddlu&v/atanexcellentOrver, who madeStamesthatha4 Springswithin'cm,,bymeansofwhich they wouldstartoutand goalongasittheyhadbeenalive, therewere. ca/osortsof'em, asappearsbywhacissaidinMmm WhatSocratessayshereof Deddus, that he was one of his Aricestos, is only in Raillery. htdtlm descended from the Kings of Athens; and Socrates was ve ry, far sri m having the Vanity of pretending to be of that Family,. His meaning is orrfy this, that he knew, how to make himself. Wings,asDedilnsdid,toflytowardsHeavcti, andtora^sehis MiridtothekhowledgofdivineThings. ThisMatterttasspo- Ren of in the first Alcibiades.
'
U to
? ? 19o
EHirfHWtli or;
to have m y Discourses continue fix'd and unmovatte4 than to have all the Riches of Tantalus together withalltheSkillofDeda/usmyProgenitor. But
enoughofthisJesting. Seeingyouareairraidot theTrouble, 111 endeavour to ease you,and to open a shorterwaytoconductmy selftotheknowledgeof whatisHoly. Andyou(hallfeeifitdoesnotap pear to be of absolute necessity that whatever is Holy is Just. Eut. It cannot be otherwise.
Soc. DoyouthinkwhateverisJustisHoly,or whateverisHoly isJust? ordo yousupposethatthat w h i c h i s J u s t i s n o t a l w a y s H o l y ? , b u t o n l y t h a t t h e r e aresomeJustthingsthatareHoly, and otherswhich
are not so?
Eut. Ican'twellcomprehendwhatyoumean, bo-
crates.
Soc. AndyetyouhavetwogreatAdvantagesabove
me ? ,having both more Youth, and more Capacity thanI. But,asIjustnowtoldyou,swimmingin the Delicious abundance of your Wisdom, you are affraid ofputting your selfto much trouble. Shake off, I beseech you, this effeminate Softness, and ap plyyourselfalittletothinking-, what I say is notveryhardtobeunderstood. ForIfayjustthe contrary to what the Poet asserts, who to excuse
himself for not singing the Praises of Jupiter, fays, Shame every vchtre keeps company with fear.
I a m n o t a t a l l o f h i s M i n d -, s h a l l I t e l l y o u i n w h a t >
Eut. You'il oblige me in so doing.
Soc. I think 'tis not true that Shame always ac
companiesFear-? forIthinkwe everyDay feePeo ple in Fear of Sickness and Poverty, who yet are netatallasham'dofthethingstheyfear. Don't
you think so too ? Eut. IamofthesameMind.
Soc. On thecontraryFearalwaysfollowsShame; for is there any one w h o is astiam'd, and put into Confusion by any Action, who does not at the fame timefeavthedishonourthatistheConsequenceof it?
Eut. It can't be otherwise, he must be affraid of it. Soc*
? ? Of HOLINESS. i9i
Soc Thenitisnottruetofay,
Shame everywhere keeps company kmth Pear,
But we should lay,
Bear every where keeps company with Shame.
for 'tisfalse that shame iscontinually found with fear, fear having more extent than shame : indeed /name isonepartoffear,as theunequalisonepartof Number. Whereveryoufindanumberyoudonot necessarily find it unequal ? , but wherever it is une:
qual,thereyounecessarilyfindaNumber. Doyou understand me now ?
E/a. Very well.
Soc. This iswhatIjustnowask'dyou;vis. if
wherever thatwhich isjust isto be found, there is
also that which is Holy; and if wherever that which
is Holy is to be found, there is also that which is
Just? Now itappearsthatthatwhichisHolyisnot
a l w a y s f o u n d w i t h t h a t w h i c h i s J u s t -, f o r t h a t w h i c h
isHolyisapartofthatwhichisJust. Shallwe
thenlaythisdownasaPrinciple,orareyouofi different Sentiment ? ? . ?
EnY. 'Tis a Principle that can't be contested.
Soc. N o w mind what follows : if that which is HolyisapartofthatwhichisJust^wemustfind B u t w h a t p a r t o f t h a t w h i c h is J u s t t h a t w h i c h is H o l y is. Asifyou shouldaskme whatpartofNum beristhatwhich isequal,andwhatNumberisits Ishouldanswer, thatitis*theljbfce/e,andnotthe Scalene : Don't you think so as well as I >
E u t . Y e s c e r t a i n l y . _? . , ? t
Soc. Nowdoyouinlikemannerfeeifyoucan
informme whatpartofthatwhichisjustthatwhich
isHolyis;thatImay letMelitus know, that 'tis
bestforhim to forbear to do me any fartherInjustice
inaccusingme ofImpiety,me,who,Ifay,havebeen
perfectly instructed by you what Piety and Holiness,
and their Contraries are. .
,. *WxJibfctltsignifiesthaiwhichhastwoequalfiJes,forthe f even. Nfljnberdivide*itselfintocw<jequalpans. And theSciitnt
isihiiwhichha'stwounequalSides. ^
? ? ioi EUTTTB^ONi or,
a third E"t. For m y part, Socrates, I think that Holiness Definition andPietyistthatpartofwhatisJustwhich con- ivbicbat cernstheCareandWorshipoftheGods,andthatall bottomhas tjiereft0f-ltisthatwhich properlyrespectsMen.
Tmhinil Soc-VeryweI1:YettbereissomelittleMatterstill butthtse'wanting. ForIdonotwellunderstandwhatyou
falseTeach-meanbythisWord [Care]IsthisCareoftheGods trs hadnot tjie fan1e wjtj1 that which w e take about all other
wthHi If it.
things ? For w e every day fay, that none but a Quer- fyknowshowtotakecareofaHorse,andtolook wellafterhim,dowenot>
Eut. Yes doubtless,
Soc. Then the Caxe of Horses properly belongs to the Querry's Art.
Eut. Itdoes so.
Soc. AllMen arenotfittotakecareofDogs,and
to look after them, but only the Hunts-man. ? Eat. None but he.
Soc. Then the Care of Dogs properly belongs to the Art of Hunting.
Eut. Without doubtitdoes.
Soc. AnditbelongstotheGraziertotakecareof Oxen. ? :! -
Eut. True.
Soc N o w Holiness and Piety is the Care of the Gods;Isnotthiswhatyoufay?
Eut. Yes, certainly.
Soc. HasnotallCareforitsend, thegoodandad vantage of that which istaken care of? Don't you every day fee that the Horses which an able Querry takesCareofbecome better, andmore fitforservice than others ?
Eut. Yes, without doubt. '
Soc. Does not the care which a good Hunts-man takes of Dogs, and that which a good Grazier f This is true: but the Pagans had falseIdeas of it ; becaule
theydidnotunderstand thatthiscareofGod whichconsistson our partinoheyinghim, inconformingtohisholyWill,andinresign ing our selves to him, was preceded by his care of us in creating us,andinenlighteningourKindsjand thisisvhaSocmUs teaches m other places.
takes
? ? Of HOLINESS. ioj
takes of Oxen make both the one and the other bet ter ? and m a y not the like be said of all other Care ? Orcanyou thinkthatCaretendstohurtandspoilthat which is taken care of ? Eut. N o certainly.
Soc. Then it tends to make it better. Eut. That'sright. ?
Soc. Then Holiness, being the Care we take ofthe
Gods, tends to their Advantage ^ and so the end of
itmustbeto. make'embetter. Butwouldyoudare
to assert when you do any holy Action, that you make M*fs' T
anyoneoftheGodsbetterbyit? 'gj*% Eut. Iam farenoughfromutteringsuchhorridthingtotht
Blasphemy. . advantage SocNordoIthinkyouhaveanysuchThought;? fG"^
Iam veryfarfromsuchaSupposition:and'tisfor this Reason I ask'd you what this Care of the Gods is, being persuaded that was not your meaning.
Eut. You havedoneme Justice, Socrates^
Soc. Somuch forthat:Buttellmethen,what fort of Care of the Gods is Holiness ?
Eut. ''TisoftheNatureofthatCarewhich Ser vants take of their Masters.
Soc. I understand you, that is to. fay, Holinels is a kind of Servant to the Gods.
Eut. You hit it.
Soc. Can youtellme what Physicians operateby- MeansoftheArtofMedicinewhichistheirServant? . Do nottheyrestoreHealth> Eut. Ye>
Soc. What do the.
Ship-Carpenters, who are in- Portsdo? ,and*what doourArchitectsperform bytha
M i n i s t r y o f t h e i r S e r v a n t ? . D o n ' t t h e f o r m e r b u i l d Ships and the latter Houses ?
Eut. Yes certainly.
Soc. *WhatthendotheGodsperform,bytheMi nistry of their Servant ? For you must certainly know-
* Socrates would hereby insinuate what he elsewhere reache? , thatGod by theMinistryofHolinessworkstheConversionot Souls, that thisConversion produces Love, and that this Lore en-, sages us to render him that which appertains to hiin, and which wecannotinnocentlyrefusehim, . . . ','. " . . ''',> .
U 3 this,
? ? |94
EUTtrH%QH. , or,
this,fince you pretend to know Religion better than any Man. in the World beside.
slut. And IhaveReasontomake thatpretence.
Soc. Tellmethen,Ibeseechyou,whatwonder ful work isit that the. Gods perform by making use of our Service ?
Eut. They perform many very great and wonder ful things. -
Soc. The Generals of our Army perform many great Things too'-/'but yet there is always one thing
that isthe Principal, and that isthe Victory they ob tain in Battel ? , Is it not >
'Eut. Tisso.
Soc. And the Graziers do many good things, but
the Principal is that of supplying Mankind with food by theirLabour. Eut. I grant it.
Soc. Well then, of all those good Things which the Gods operate by the Ministry of our Holiness, what isthe Principal ?
; Eut. Ijustnowtoldyou,Socrates^thatthereneeds moretimeandpainstoarriveat anaccurateknow ledgeofalltheseThings. AllthatIcan*tellyou in general, is, that to please the Gods by Prayers andSacrifices,isthatwhichwecallHoliness. And 4 inthisconsiststheWelfareofFamiliesandCities, whereastodispleasetheGods, isImpietywhichut terly mines and subverts every thing.
'Soc'. Indeed, Eutygbron, you might have told me whatIask'dinfewerwords,ifyouhadpleas'd; 'Tis easy to leeyouhave no Mind to instructme,for when vou seem to'bejuft in theway todo it, you present-' fystrikeoffagain;Ifyouhadbutanswer'dme aWord more, Ihadverywellunderstood*heNatureofHo- lipels. Butnow, (forhethatasksmustfollowhim w h o is ask'd) don't you fay, Holiness is the Art of sacrificingandprayirg> :Eut. YesthatIdp.
' ' t { c c . T o s a c r i f i c e , i s t o g i v e t o t h e G o d s . . ,' T o p r a y is to ask of 'em. ' . Eut. 'Tis right, Socrates. '? :
* I<< what the Sasetv cr Ruine of Families, Cities and States coefifis,evenbytheConfessionoftheblindestPagaar, -N
^'? '. r. s,-. >>. ,? . ! . ? 4. u-? ;? ;. ? ',. . . >>,',. i? i. -. Sec.
? ? Of HOLINESS. ipj
"* Soc. ItfollowsthenfromyourDiscourses,thatafourth Holiness is * the Science of giving to the Gois,and Dlfijtie't I
asking of them. * % % ? . Eut. Socnites, youperfectlycomprehendmymea-butthermh
ing. ofvhich Soc. TisbecauseIaminlovewithyourWisdom,ff'f'(R)
andgivemyselfupentirelyto it. You need notdidmm- fearthatIshallletone of your Words fall to thederstand. Ground. TellmethenwhatisthisArtofpleasing
t h e G o d s ? D o y o u f a y it is t o g i v e to. ' e m a n d t o a s k of'em>
Eut. Most certainly.
Soc. To ask well, must we not ask such things aswehaveneedtoreceiveofthemI
Eut. And what then ?
Soc. And to give well, must we not give them in exchange suchThings as they have need to receive. ofus? ForitwouldbeaFollytogiveanyonesuch Thingsashedoesnotwant, butareentirelyuseleis to him. Eut. You say very well.
Soc. Holiness, m y dear Eutypbron, is then a kind of Traffick betwixt the Gods and Men.
Eut. Letitbeso, ifyouwillhaveitso.
Soc. Iwouldnothaveitso,ifitbenotso:But tell
me,what advantage do theGods receivefrom the Pre
sentswhich we make 'em? For theadvantagewe de- All th(
rive from them is very evident since w e have not the Goods of
leastGood, butwhatprocedsfromtheirLiberality. Mencome- O f what advantage then are our Offerings to the Gods ? irm Gcd'
Are we socrafty, as todraw allthe Profit ofthis
Commercetoour selves,whiletheyderiveno. Ad
vantage from it ? Eut. Socrates,doyouthinktheGodscanever '?
draw any advantage from the Things they receive fromus?
* ThisfourthPefinitionisadmirable. SotHttisdesignsbyitto shewthatHolinessleadsustoaskofGod, hisSpirit,hisAssistance andGrace;andtoaskevenourselvesofhim;for'tisonhimour veryBeingdepends; andthatitalsoengagesusto. giveourselves tohim. AndthismakesupthewholeofReligion.
U4 Soc.
? ? |5>>4 EUTr<PB<HON-, or,
"" Soc. Towhatpurposethendoall'purOfferings
serve?
Eut. They servetofignifieourVeneration,and
Respect to 'em, and the desire w e have to please 'em.
Soc. Then Holinessdoes no^ profit, butplealethe Gods? ? -? "? ? "?
'? Eut. Yes without doubt.
Soc. Then that which is Holy is only that which pleasestheGods. '"''''v
? 'Eut. 'Tis only that.
Soc. When you speak thus to me, do you won der that your Discourse is not fix'dand steady ^ and dare you-'accuse me ofbeing the Beda/us, thatgives itthiscontinualMotion^You1,Ilay,who area thousandtimesmoreingenious than thatgreatArtist,
and give your Words a thousand different Turns >
Don't you find that your Discourse1makes only a
Circle. Yourememberverywell,thatthatwhichis
Holy and that which is agreable to the Gods were
not counted the fame Thing by. us just now y but
wereacknowledg'dtobeverydiflerent, Don'tyou rememberthis'>? :-? ;- ? ?
Eut. ' I do.
Soc. Well, and don't you consider that you now
fay/ that which is Holy is that which pleases the
? ods. Isnotwhatpleases'emagreableto'em> :Eut. Mostcertainly. ? - ?
Soc. Then oneofthesetwo Things'must be grant
ed. Eitherthatwedidnotwelldistinguishjustnow;
or if w e did, that w e are n o w fallen into a false de finition. ': ' ' '? '" l
Eut. That'splain.
Soc. Then we must begin all again, in our enqui ry after Holiness ^ for I shall hot be weary nor dis- courag'dtill you have infbrm'd me what it' is. I kg youwouldnotdespiseme;butbendyourMind, with all the Application ydu can' to teach m e "the truth, foryou know if, ifany Jylanalive does ; and Iwillnotletyougo, likeanotherProteus,'tillyou
haveinstructedfat. Forifyouhadnotaperfect '""" ? '*>? ---. u'ii . J ;? _? ? . Know
? ? Of HOLINESS. 297
Knowledge of what is Holy and Profane, doubtless
you would never for the lake of a wretched Far mer haveundertakentoaccuseyourFatherofMur
der,when'thegoodoldMan Hoops undertheBur- 'denofAge, andhasalreadyoneFootintheGrave:
Butwouldhavebeenieiz'dwithHonourtofeeyour Whatit<< selfabout to commit (itmay be) an impious Act. tosearGod, iaiwouldhave-fear'dtheGods, andrespectedMen. ^ftm
So that I cannot doubt but you think you know per fectlywell,whatHoliness,anditsContraryare. In form m e therefore, most Excellent Eutypbron, and do not hide your Thoughts from me.
Eui. We'llreserveitforanothertime,*fornowoi/f"*. **<<
Iam alittleinhaste, and 'tistime forme toleaveyou. fhkSHper- ' Soc. Alas, my dear Eutyphron, what do you la-stUms " tend to do ! This hasty Motion of yours ravishes Man, he is fromme thegreatestandsweetestofa'll'myhopes. i*P. C0Bs0,m-
For I ttattefd m y self, that after I had learn'd b i ^ f you,whatHolinessis,anditsContrary, Ishouldeasi-thingshim.
ly have got out of Melity^ hisClutches, by making/*'/ capable it plainlv appear to him, that Eutypbron had per- ? ftacl~'ins
fectly. instructedme inDivineThings, thatIgno-Jjfm raneeshouldnever more prompt me tointroduce{*<<*>him- ofmy oneHeadnewOpinionsabouttheDeity;and/<<'/. thatmy Lifeshouldbemoreholyforthefuture.
* TheAncientsinformusthatEutyphrongotsomeadvantageby this Conversation of Socrates: for he drop'd his Prosecution, and SethisFatheralone. By which'tiseasytosee,thattheseDia-
oguesofPlatowerenotmadeuponfeign'dSubjects, buthada verytrueandrealFoundation, aswell asthosewhichXenophonhas preserv'd to us,
An
? ? *9*
An Abridgment <t OF THE
First ALCIBIADES, OR
OftheNatureofMan.
Alsibiadeswis oneofthemostambitiousandmost HaughtyMen intheWorld. HisBirth,? his
Beauty, hisRiches, andtheCreditofhisTutorPe- ric/es, had so puffed him up, that, he thought noPersonsoworthyashimselftocommandtheA- theiiians, and to go to their first Assembly to get himself declar'd theft Captain-General.