There are two forts of Ignorance, the one Natu ral, which is good or evil, according to th6 good o r ill u s e t h a t is m a d e o f it, a n d t h e o t h e r A c q u i r e d , and always good : For this latter is the Ignorance ofthosewho
aftertheyhavelearnedallthatMen
can know, are convinc'd that they know nothing.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
-- -- yi Phedon, OftheImmortallityoftheSoul.
81 Laches, Of Valour 184 Protagoras, AgainsttheSophists.
233 The Rivals, Of Philosophy.
-- < 326
Bayenrslis-cihiec 1 Stastsbibliothek
THE
2<< 272 298
? MOnbhen J
? f J
\r;k . . . ">
) r,I"?
? ? DISCOURSE CONCERNING
Pi AT
7"Hat iseveryDay seentobefalthe Noblest Houses, whose Great Names areusurp'd by obscureFa milies, so that the true Heirs w h o only have right to bear 'em are in
time no longer distinguished, has been the fate of Philosophy. A greatnumberofArtsandSciences whichindeedmay beofuseintheirplaces, butare worthy onlytobetheSlavesofthatScience which
alone renders our Lives equally good and happy, have seiz'donthisMagnificentName, andrender'd itcontemptibleintheEyesofMen. We havenow noIdeaofatruePhilosopher, sincethisAugustTi tle islavishlybestowedonafortofcuriousandlazy People, who make ittheir onlybusiness tounder
standsomeofthe. secretsofNature, andspendthe timeof theirLifeinmakingExperiments onth>> weight oftheAir,andthevertuesoftheLoadstone.
ThisNamehasbeenstillmoredegradedinbeing
given to those, whose unsatiable Avarice chains 'emDayandNighttoaFurnace$? asifGold,the
greatest quantity ofwhich isnot comparable to the least Vertue, were the end ofPhilosophy. . In fine M e n are not content with having given it such ble mishes as these, but have also render'd the Name,
B odious
? ? A 'Discourseon Plato.
-odious in throwing it away on those Libertines, w h o by a pretended Force a Esprit, or strength of Thought, whichatbottomisnobetterthanWeak ness and Ignorance, live rather like Beasts than Men. Is itthen to be wonder'd at that Philosophy is mis takenand neglected, and thatMen no longerpay herthatrespectandveneration, whichsheformerly- excitedintheirMinds ? Aiham'd ofbeing confoun ded with the Daughters of the Earth, she isreas- cended to Heaven, from whence Socrates brought her.
The Athenians heretofore by a publick decree forbad, that the Names of HarmoAius, and Aristo- gito/i,who had deliver'dtheirCountreyfrom the Tyranny of Hippiat and Hipparchus, shouldever be given to Slaves : for they thought it a horrible Indignity by so shameful a Communication to blast
thoseNames thatweredevotedtothepublickLi berty. Philosophy is another Deliverer, she tri umphs over Vices, overthrows Impiety, and con foundstheWisdomoftheWorld. 'Tissomewhat greaterthantheArts,andthanwhatMen commonly call the Sciences ? , 'tis the love of true Wisdom, theknowledgofDivineandHumaneThings,that is to say,the Science o f G o d , a Science w h i c h teaches us to know the relation which our Souls necessarily bear totheirCreator, andby and inhim, toall rationalCreatures, and which produces thecertain knowledge of all our Duties, towards God, our Neighbours and our Selves.
To betrulyaPhilosopheristohaveTemperance, Justice and rortitude, to love the Truth, to avoid Sensual Pleasures, to despise Riches, to weaken, as mucji asmay be, thebands that fastenthe Soul to theBody,tohateandcontemnthisBodywhichis
alwaysopposingWisdom, torenounceallourDe sires, to fear neither the Poverty, nor Shame, nor Reproach we may be expos'd to, for thefake of RighteousnessandTruth;todogoodtoMankind even our very Enemies : to have nothing in view,
,. . . but
? ? A DiscourseonHato^
b n t h o w t o d i e w e l l ? , a n d f o r t h i s e n d t o r e n o u n c e
one's self and every thing else. , This is the Idea the wisest Heathens had of Philosophy.
This being suppos'd, nothing can be more fitand useful, than to follow the certain, and vifible Pro gress which they made in theirresearchafter those Truths, and to see to what degree of knowledge it pleasedGodtolead'em. Ifwedon'tmakesuchan Examenasthis,wecan'tspeakof'emwithJudg ment, and without falling into a false account of Things, asithasoftenhappen'd, andstillhappens everydaytothemostLearnedMen. Whenever they speak of the Heathens, they bear witness against
themselves that they never well read 'em, and that they have only an imperfect Idea of 'em, for they impute such Sentiments to 'em as they never had, a n d d e n y ' e m o t h e r s w h i c h t h e y h a d i n r e a l i t y ? , which is a great piece of Injustice : nay it seems (ifImaysoipeak) todiminishsomewhatfromthe MercyandJustice. ofGod, nottoacknowledgall the Testimonies he was pleased to give of himself amongthePagans, inthoseTimesthatwerecor rupted withthemostabominableIdolatry, inorder to reduce 'em to the true Religion.
ThisNegligenceisthemoreblamable-. inthata
M a n needs only to read Plato, to be perfectly in*
form'd of the extent of their Knowledg : For his
Writings have amassed together all the Truths that
were fcatter'd up and down in the Works of other p h i l o s o p h e r s ? , a n d w i t h t h e a d v a n t a g e o f n e w D i s
coveriesofhisown, theycomposeasitwereaBo dy ofDoctrinewhichcontainsthehighestperfecti on of Knowledg to be found among the Heathens.
LetaMan readneversolittleofhim withatten tion, and reflect upon what he teaches, and he'll easily discern, that God, to stop the mouth of In credulity, w a s long since preparing the w a y for the conversion of the Heathens, which had been so of7 t e n p r e d i c t e d b y t h e P r o p h e t s -, f o r w a s i t n o t t h e
worn of God, and'akindofPreludiumoftheir B2 Con-
? ? A Discourse onPlata
Conversion, that a Heathen in the most Idolatrous CityintheWorld, andalmost400yearsbeforethe light of the Gospel illuminated the Universe, should declare and prove a good part of the Truths of the Christian Religion.
The CircumstanceoftheTime isremarkable,for
Plato began to write immediately after the three
lastProphetsthatwereinIsrael. Sothatassoon
astheProphets ceased among theJews, God raises u p P h i l o s o p h e r s t o e n l i g h t e n t h e G e n t i l e s ? , a n d d i
vers of the Principles of the Gospel are taught at Athens. Where'tisprov'd,
ThatthereisbutoneGod, thatweoughttolove andserve him, and to endeavour to resemble him in HolinessandRighteousness; thatthisGodrewards Humility, andpunishesPride.
'ThatthetrueHappinessofMan consistsinbeing unitedtoGod, andhisonlyMiseryinbeingsepara tedfrom him.
That the Soul is mere Darkness, unless it be illu minatedbyGod; thatMenareuncapableevenof prayingwell, unlessGod teaches''emthatPrayer,
which alone can be useful to 'em.
That there is nothing solid and substantial but
Piety, thatthisistheSourceofVertues, andthatit is thegift-of God.
That "tisbetter to die than tosin.
That we ought continually to be learning to die, and yet to endure life, in obedience to God.
T h a t " "tis a C r i m e t o h u r t o u r E n e m i e s , a n d t o r e venge ourselvesfor the Injuries we have received.
That 'tisbetter tosuffer wrong than to do it.
That G o d is thesole Cause of Good,and cannot be the CauseofEvil, whichalwaysproceedsonlyfromour Disobedience, andtheillusewemakeofourLiberty.
That Self-loveproduces that Discord and Division which reign among Men, and is the cause of their Si/is-,thattheloveofourNeighbours, whichproceeds
from the Ivve of God at itsPrinciple, produces that sacred Union which makes Families, Republicks, and Kingdoms happy. That
? ? A Discourse on Platos j
That theWorllh nothingbutCorruption, thatwe oughttoflyfromit,tojoinourselvestoGod, who a l o n e i s o u r H e a l t h a n d L i f e -, a n d t h a t w h i l e w e l i v e in this World we aresurrounded by Enemies, and
have a continual Combate to endure, which requires on our part a refinance without intermiffion -, and that we cannot conquer, unless God or his Angels come to our help.
ThattheWORD fram'dtheWorld,andrendered*h&'
itvisible;thattheknowledgoftheWORD makes usliveveryhappilyherebelow, andthattherebywe obtain Felicity after Death.
ThattheSoulisimmortal, thattheDeadshall rife again, that thereshall be afinal Jndgment both ofthe Righteous and ofthe Wicked, when M e n shall appear only with their Vertues or Vices, which
shall be the occasion of their eternal Happiness or Misery.
ButIforbeartoproceed, that Imay not repeat that here,which will be found in its full extent else where. Yet I cannot chuse but add, that Plato had so
great and true an Idea of perfect Righteousness, and
was so. throughly acquainted with the corruption of
Mankind, thathemakesitappear, *thatifaMan
perfectly righteous should come upon Earths he
would findibmuch oppositionintheWorld, that he would be imprison'd, reviled, scourged, and in
fine crucified by such who, tho they were extremely
wicked,wouldyetpassforrighteousMen. Socra
teswasthefirstproofofthisDemonstration. For
as St. Justin fays, the-Devils seeing this Philoso
pher made their Nullity appear by the discovery of theTruth, and that heendeavouredtoreclaimMen
from givingthem religiousWorship;? thesemali ciousSpiritssoordertsthematterbymeans ofMeiv who were corrupt and took pleasure in Vice, that thisrighteousMan wasputtoDeath asifhehad' been an impious Person, that liv'd without God in- World, and introduc'd new Gods.
*JntheII. BookofhisCommoikwcalth. Temra.
B 3 There,.
? ? A DiscourseonPlato,
Therearesome who pretendthe abovementioned Passage of"Plato is a Prophesy, because the Terms don't agree with the Circumstances of Socrates, w h o was put to death only by a draught of Poyson, but precisely lute with thpse of the Saviour of the
World, whowasbothscourgedandcrucified.
But we shall not pr-eiiime tomake aProphet of
ourPhilosopher,fromwhomReasonalone, when
mov'd by the injustice of Men, might extort such e x a g g e r a t e d E x p r e s s i o n s ? , b u t s h a l l c o n t e n t o u r s e l v e s
toenquirewhattheremay beinhisWritingscon formabletothedesignsofGod, whoalwaysdesir'd theSalvation of Men, and oftenmade use. of the Pagans for the execution of his eternal Decrees;
We understandbytheHolyScripture,whichis
theonlyLamp ofTruth, thatnaturalReligionwas t h e f i r s t u s e M e n m a d e o f t h e i r R e a s o n ? , . t h a t L u s t
and irregular Passions having c6rrupted their Reason,
they abandon'd themselves to the sacrilegious wor
s h i p o f I d o l s -, a n d t h a t G o d t o s t o p t h e c o u r s e o f
this. Abomination made himself known a second
time,andgavetheJewishLaw^ whichasitre-
viv'dinthemindsofMen thePrinciplesoftheLaw
ofNature, soitpromis'd. a more sacredand perfect
Covenant which the Righteous were to expect, and
which alone was capable of triumphing over Death 5
and so alone able to conduct M e n to a glorious I m mortality. ? ? ;. ;,; ' '. ' '?
Plato seems to have been acquainted with the Divine Conduct in this matter, and to endeavour to reclaim the Heathens by. the fame means.
He. endeavours toreestablishNatural Religion by opposing Paganism which was the corruption of it.
- He gives a Law which in its principal heads is entirely conformable to the Tradition of the He brews, andthePreceptsofMosesandtheProphets^ fromwhom hehasborrowedthatwhichismost rational and substantial in his Works.
AndhesupportsthisLawbyagreatmanyPrin ciples more sublime than thole of natural Religion, and
? ? A DiscourseonPlato.
andoftheiawofMoses; andbyclearandexpress Promises of spiritual and eternal Blessings, which the Christian Religion alone can make Men enjoy, and which Moses and the Prophets only promised under the Veil,and Figures of temporal Enjoyments. So that Plato is not content to give a Testimony only to natural Religion, and the Jewish Law, but alsoinsomesortpaysHomagetoChristianity; in piercing by a supernatural Light into* a part of those Shadows and Figures that cover'd it j and in proposing most ofthe greatestMotives and glorious Objects, which it has always employ'd to raise
Men above themselves, and tomake them Masters of their Passions.
* A happyImmortality (layshe) isagreatPrize set before us, and a great Objctl os Hope, which should engage us to labour all the time ofour Life to
acquireWisdomandVertue. Thisthereadingonly ofthesetwofirstVolumns willcompleatlysetin itstrue Light.
'Tiscommonly enquir'don thisSubject, how the Books of Moses and those of the Prophets could cometoPlato'sknowledg. Iwillnotundertake to prove that therewere Greek Translations ofem beforethatoftheSeptuagint, 'tistoodifficulta
matter to support that Supposition, and I must confessIcanfindnosolidfoundationforit. But I'll declare what seems most probable to me.
Afterthe departure of the Israelites out of Egypt, they almost always continued their Commerce with theEgyptians. TheytradedintheirCountry, they sometimes desir'dtheirassistanceagainsttheirEne mies, and often enter'd into Treaties and Alliances, withthem. Bythesemeansthememoryofallthat had happen'd to their Nation was easily preserv'd among those People, t The Captivity of King Jehoachaz, whom Phar<wh Kechoch carried away
-Prisoner about the beginning of the 42 Olvmpiade^ and i: the dwelling of"the Prophets Jeremiah and
*Vol. 2. fa Kings23. $J"". 43.
B 4. 'Earach
? ? 8
A DiscourseonPlato.
. t
Barach inEgypt some years after with ttemiserable remainderoftheJews, thattheKingofBabylon had test in Judaea, could not suffer the Egyptians, to forgetthesethings. / ' **
About this time Pythagoras travell'd into Egypt^
from whence he brought these Traditions into'
Greece ; his Disciples communicated them to So c r a t e s , w h o a c q u a i n t e d P l a t o w i t h ' e m ? , a n d h e , t o
be more perfectlyinstructedin'em,went tothefame place where he might fee not only the Grand- Children but the Children of such as had convers'd with the Fugitives that retired thither with those Prophets. Andperhaps'tisnoill-foundedSupposi tion, that by his frequent Conversation with them he learned enough of their Language to read those Originals himself, of which the Egyptians, who were a very curious People, might have Copies. But whether he read 'em, or knew nothing of 'em, but what he learnedinConversation, 'tiscertainhe could draw that Tradition which he calls Sacred fromnootherSource. Forheharmonizessowell with those Originals in many things, not only in respectoftheTruthsthemselves, butmoreoverin theverymannerofhisExpressions, thatonewould oftenthinkhetranslates'em. Fromwhom,unless
from the Hebrews, could the Egyptians have a Tra
dition containing such wonderful Doctrine, and of
which neverany otherPeople had heard, beforethe
peculiar People of Gcd were instructe&init-? ? 'But 'tissaid-there-aremany Errors intermix'd
with the Writings of Plato -, that in his Explica
tionx>fthegreatestTruths, heisfullofDoubts and Uncertainty ,? and 'tis observ'd that Socrates
constantlyprofessesthatheknowsnothing: What advantage can be received from a man that knows nothing but his o w n Ignorance? . And. 'tis fit these Objectionsshouldhave'anAnswer. '
? ? T i s c e r t a i n P l a t o i s n o t w i t h o u t h i s E r r o r s ; b u t
when they come to be strictly examin'd, there are
to be found in 'em some Traces oi" ancienj Traditi- . ? ? ? '? ? ' ' 'ons,*,
? ? A discourseonPlato,.
o n s , a n d P r e d i c t i o n s o f t h e P r o p h e t s ? , a n d i f t h e s e
Traces are compar'd with the Doctrine ofthe/Holy Scripture, one may discover the Source of thole Errors, which by this means become one of the ProofsoftheTruthoftheChristianReligion. For we mustbeforc'dtoacknowledgthattheHeathens hadadimsightofdiversgreatTruths, whichbe cause they were not to be fully unveiled till the coming oftheAEejfiah, were involved inDarkness
toothicktobepenetratedbytheirEyes. Andthis was predicted by the Prophets, who all declar'd thatChristjhoulibetheLightoftheWorld. None but Jesus Christ was able to discover to 'em those Mysteries, whichwere,to,bekeptsecretbeforehis coming. Therefore'tisnoverysurprizingthing, thatsuchPersonsasattemptedtopenetrate * theie Mysteries, only by the Light of their Reason, did evaporate into vain Imaginations. And for this reason we. ought not to pretend to give a clear Expli cation of the Truths of Religion by the Notions of this Philosopher ;but on the contrary should explain hisNotionsbytheseTruths, thisisthewaytodis playLighteverywhere,anddissipateallErrors. And when his Principles accord well with those Truths, wemayvvithverygocdadvantagemakeuseofthe
proofs he has given of 'em.
. The Doubts and Uncertainty, ofwhich he,isre
proached, about the most essential Points, are so far from shaking his Principles, that they only give thegreaterConfirmationto'em,andonemay fay that Certainty and Conviction spring from these veryDoubts. ForinstanceinhisPboedon,where he is treating of the great Objects, of our Hope in the other Life, he insinuates that 'tis a very diffi cult matter certainly to know the Truth of these things, while, we livehere, and thathow strong soever the proofs are, on which we may found an
* Such as the Doctrine of the Tiinity, the Resurrection, the
FallofMan, and the Creation of the Souls, of Men before their Sodjes. ? -t? ' r-
*. '. -, Ex
? ? %o
A 'DiscourseonPlato^
Expectation of a happy Eternity, the greatness of theSubjectandthenaturalInfirmitiesofMan are inexhaustible Springs of Doubts and Uncertainties ; for these spring up in multitudes from the stock of corrupt Nature, which opposes the most manifest Truths, and resists the most evident proofs which Reasoncanproduce. Whatwastobedonethento dissipatetheseDoubts? TheProphetshadspoken, but their Oracles were yet obseure, and men might not discern in their Words the Divine Spirit that animated'em. Itwasnecessarythat-Godhimself shouldspeak. NothinglessthananexpressPromise, nothing less than a plain Divine Revelation could entirely disperse the Clouds of Ignorance and Incre dulity, and convert these Doubts into Certainties. This is what * Plato confesses in express Terms. For he brings in some Philosophers that render Ho magetoGod, callinghisPromisestheVesselin whichnodangeristobefeared, andtheonlyonein which we can happily accomplish the Voyage of this 1-ife, on a Sea Jo tempefluoits and full of Rocks. Thus we see where his Doubts terminated ? , they
led Men to acknowledg the need they had of a God, toassure'emoftherealityofthegreatBles
singsforwhichtheyhop'd. Andthisisaccom? p l i T h e d i n t h e C h r i s t i a n R e l i g i o n ? , w h i c h a s i t i s t h e
onlyReligionthathasGod foritsTeacher, sohas alsothePromisesofEternalHappiness, of which
the Prophets spake, and of which Plato had a g l i m p s e ? , a n d f o r w h i c h t h e w o r d o f t h i s G o d ; - b y
the confession even of these Pagans, is a most Certain Security. Sothat,bytheacknowledgmentofthe most enlighten'd Heathens, there are how no reason able Doubts concerning the Truth of the Christian R e l i g i o n ? , t h a t b e i n g t h e o n l y V e s s e l i n w h i c h w e canneverbelost. And thisiswhattheProphets predicted,, that in Jesus Christ Life and Immorta lity (hould be fully brought to Light, and that he should be the desire of Nations.
*InhisPhoedon. Vcl. 2.
'Tis
? ? J DiscourseonPlato. 11
Tis' not only in these principal Points that P/ato d o u b t s , b u t a l m o s t i n e v e r y t h i n g ? , a n d h i s d o u b t s
have given occasion to many to make a'wrong judgment of theAcademick Philosophy ; for it has "been imagined that it asserted nothing, but accoun ted all things equally uncertain, which is a very
unjustSupposition. SocratesandPlatowerenotof the number of those Philosophers, whole fluctua ting njinds kept 'em continually wandering, so that theyhadnonx'dandsteadyPrinciples. Thiswas their Principle and Rule -, They taught that men couldnotofthemselveshaveanyOpinion butwhat was founded only on Probabilities ; but that when God enlighten'd'em,thatwhich was no more than OpinionbeforenowbecameScience:And thisthey explain'dbyaprettyComparison. Dedah/smade two sorts of Statues that could walk. With this difference, the one sort had a Spirng which stop'd 'em when one pleas'd, and the other had none; so thatwhentheywereletgo,theyrunalongtothe endoftheirLine,andcouldnotbestop'd. The latter were not of so great a Price, but the former wereverydear. NowSocratesandPlatocompar'd Opinion to these Statues, that could not be stop'd ; for Opinion is not stable, but is subjecttochange, butwhen -tisrestrain'dandfix'dbyreasoningdrawn from Causes which the Divine Light discovers to
us, then Opinion becomes Science, and is fix'd and
steady, like thole Statues which had that governing
Springaddedto'em. Sothattheirmeaningwas,
that Opinion turns only on Probability, which is
always like moving Sand, but thatScience restson
Certainty and Truth, which are a firm Foundation.
Thus Socrates and Platodisputed about every thing,
whiletheyhadonlyOpinionsjbutwhentheseO-
pinions after serious researches and long labour, were become Science by the Divine Light ? , then
theyaffirm'dwhattheyknew. Tillthenall. was doubtfulanduncertainto'em. ButtheleDoubts weremore wifeandsafethantheArroganceofthole
positive
? ? i?
A DiscourseonPlato^
positive Philosophers, that rashly affirm,d every thing, and always took Opinion for Science.
TheThirdObjectionagainstSocrates; That he onlyknewthatheknewnothing, isnomoresolid t h a n t h e f o r m e r -, a n d i s t o b e a n s w e r ' d b y t h e f a m e Principle: andifIam notmistaken, we shallfind in this Ignorance a maivellousFundofKnowledg.
There are two forts of Ignorance, the one Natu ral, which is good or evil, according to th6 good o r ill u s e t h a t is m a d e o f it, a n d t h e o t h e r A c q u i r e d , and always good : For this latter is the Ignorance ofthosewho aftertheyhavelearnedallthatMen can know, are convinc'd that they know nothing. This was Socrates his Ignorance, it was * a learned. Ignorancethatknozasitself. Hehadrunthrough Astronomy, Geometry, Physicks, Metaphysicks, Poetry, Polite Learning, &c. and saw the vanity of'em. Heevenundertakestoprovethatallthese Sciences are either useless or dangerous, and that nothingbuttheknowledgofGodcanmakeushap py, that where this Divine Science is not, there can be no Good, and consequently that there is a-
fort of Ignorance more useful than the Sciences ; for this ignorance seeks not for knowledg in it self,' well knowing ithasnone, but only inGod who is pleas'dtofillitsVacuum. Itwasforthisreason, Socrates always began his Instructions with an Affir mationthatheknewnothing. Bythishe-signified
that our Souls have no true knowledg of any thing, anyfartherthantheyareenlightnedbyGod. That they should always look on that piercing Light, in which alone they can fee Light ; and that w h e n they turn their Looks another way they necessarily fall back into Obscurity, and produce nothing but
theWorksofDarkness. LettheProudWifeMen oftheWorldappear, and. comparethemselveswith, this Ignorant Man.
* Tjs an Expression of Socratts, which states two forts of Ignorance, one that is ignorant of itself, and t'other that knows it self.
So
? ? A ViscourseonPtitdl ij
So much for one of the uses that may be made
of Plato'sWritings, which ought to be look'd up
on as so many Titles belonging to Christianity,
found long ago among the Pagans, and are so
much the more venerable, in that Ib much as is
found in 'em is faithfully copied from those which t h e P r o p h e t s h a v e l e f t u s ? , a n d i n t h a t w h i c h w e
findalteredandcorrupted, wemayhoweverdis cover the Vestiges of those Truths which these ir reproachable Witnesses publisli'd.
The second use that may be made of 'em, and which is no less considerable than the former, is that by this means we may be confirm'd in the knowledg of a greatmany Christian Truths which are prov'd in 'em with such a Strength and Evi dence, as no reasonable M a n can resist.
Religiononlyproposesthem ; foritbelongsnot to the Majesty of a God to prove the Necessity, Justice,andTruthofallhecommands. Hemakes Men lovewhatherequires,andthatismorethan toproveittobereasonable. ButaPhilosopher, who hasnoAuthorityoverusanyfartherthanhe PerswadesusbyhisReasons, isobligedtogive
r o o f s o f e v e r y t h i n g h e a d v a n c e s ? , a n d t h u s P l a t o
does, and his Proofs can't chuse but be very agree able to them that believe, and very useful to Un believers, if they are but willing to attend a little
to 'em for their Instruction. SomeLearnedandZealousPerson,whoiswell
r e a d i n E c c l e s i a s t i c a l H i s t o r y ^ w i l l p e r h a p s f a y ? , i f
Platobesouseful, whencecomethosethundering
Censures, which some of the Fathers of the Church,
and above all, St. Chrysostom have let fly against
him >ItwouldbeasufficientAnswertothis,mould
Ionlyoppose toitthosegreatPraises, which other
Fathershavegivenhim, especiallySt. Augufiin: Butisittobeimagined, thatthatthefamePrin
ciples that charm'd St. Augusts were displeasing toSt. Chrysostom? No certainly: The Spirit of God is not divided, and Truth always appears to
those
? ? i4
A. DiscourseonPlato;
thosewhomGodispleasedtoilluminate. I'll therefore endeavour to shew from whence this di? ference of their Sentiments proceeded.
ThePhilosophyofPlatowaslook'dontwodif ferent ways, which have given occasion to two ve ry opposite Opinions concerning it.
Christian Philosophers look'd upon it as a Doc- trine, which by it's Principles naturally led to the ChristianReligion.
A n d P a g a n P h i l o s o p h e r s c o n s i d e r e d it a s a D o c trine, which containd Morals as perfect as thole of Christianity, and which might even take place of this holy Religion.
In the firstrespect itwas worthy of allthe En comiums that have been given it by the greatest Doctors of the Church, who came out of his School.
And on the second Account it deserved the great estAnathema. The defectsof thisPhilosophycould notbetoomuch aggravated,norcouldthosehaugh ty Philosophersthatvaluedthemselves somuch up onit,betoomuchabased;fortheWisdomofthe
Wise, and the Knowledg cf the Learned are no betterthanFolly, iftheyleadusnottotheknow ledgofJesusChrist. PlatohimselfbyhisPrin ciples,wouldfurnishuswithArms, toopposethole ofhisAdmirers, thatshouldbe16senseless,asto takeupwithhisOpinions, andshuttheirEyesa- gaintt the bright Truths of Religion.
But this Difference isnow ceased: There are nownoneofthoseignorantPersons. NoBodyis so blind to prefer, or even compare Plato and So crates, IwillnotsaytotheEvangelistsorApostles, buttothemeanestChristian. Sothatthereisno danger in setting a value on those Truths which are found inPlato, and in rendering them all the Fh> nourtheydeserve. Theyarenotthelessworthy of our respect,because they proceed from the mouth ofaHeathen. DidnotGodtakeBalaamfroma- mong the Gentiles, to communicate his Spirit to
him
? ? A DiscourseonPlated 1^
him? WhenWerenderhomagetotheTruthsfore toldby thatcovetousandcorruptProphet, wedon't honourtheProphet,butHimbywhomhewasin- spir'd. ForasSt. Ambroselays,*'Ttsnotthede
sert of him who prophesies, but the Oracle of him who calls, and which the Grace of God reveals. The greatertheDarknesswas that benighted those Times, the more esteem we ought to have for PlatoandSocrates,whomGodseemstohavecho s e n t o b e t h e first H e r a u l d s o f t h o s e g r e a t T r u t h s , a n d if I may venter to fay it, the fore-runners of St. Paul, in the most superstitious, and idolatrous CityintheWorld. 'TwastheDoctrineofthese
Philosophers that had produced and cherished those Sparks of knowledg, which thisgreatApostle found in the Hearts of some of the Athenians, concern ingtheResurrectionoftheDead, andtheImmor tality of the Soul.
What respectwe have for thisDoctrine willturn to the Glory of the Christian Religion : For if the Conformity of a part of Plato's Opinions, with what is revealed to us in the Gospel, hassoraised thisPhilosopher'sName, thatheiscalledthedi vinePhilosopher:What EsteemandVenerationdo they deserve, whose Minds and Hearts are fill'd with all the Truths of Christianity, and who are fed with the Celestial Doctrine, which our Lord Jesus Christ learned of God the Father, and came himself toteachus>
This Conformity of Plato, with the Doctrines of the Gospel, lastYear engag'd a Learned and Pi ous Ecclefiastique, to give a small Extract of it, which was very well received by the Publick. This Extract, which was made in the Pallace, and under the Eye of one of the best and most learned Arch-Bishops G o d has given his Church, is a great Elogium on the Doctrine of this Philosopher. What greater Appprobation can it have than that
* Non confitetitismeritum, fed vocantisoraculumest reve- lanwDeiGratia. S. Amtr,Lib. 6. F-ftst. 37-
of
? ? \6
A DiscourseonPlato?
1
of aPrelate, who sostronglyadherestotheword ? of Truth, and is so diligent in instructing the
People in it himself, as well as in causing others to instruct 'em.
Another great Advantage to be gained out of Plato'sWritings, isthai:a Man may form hisJudg mentby 'em^ andacquirethatJustness ofMind, and accuracy of reasoning, which are necessary in all conditionsiof Life, in order to discern Truth from Error, that he may taketherightfideinall Affairsthatoccur. ForthePhilosophyofSocrates is the source of good Sense, as * tierace himself ackn6wledges.
There is no Book in the World thatteaches, so well as this, the Art of confuting Sophists, who by their poysonous Maxims, labour to corrupt the Minds of Men, and to destroy Truth and good Sense. AstherewillalwaysbesuchImpostorsto befound, thisArtwillalwaysbeofverygreatuse, andthere'snoManteachesitlikePlato. Thereis nothing more compleat than his Logick, which in fallibly gains its Point in every thing it undertakes ; and'tisimpossibleforaMan todefendhimselffrom theforceofit. Itmaybecompar'dtotheSun, which when it rises, scarce makes us feel its Heat, butgraduallyencreasesit, sothatatlengthitbe
comes to hot to be endur"d.
Ishallnotspeak oftheCharms ofhisDialogues?
which are unexpressible: There are no Satyrs or Comedies that come near 'em. W 6 can no wherefindsuchsharpnessofWit, somanyGraces, anddecentturnsofThought, norsomuchvariety eitherofConceptions orExpressions: Norwere Ironies'ever sofinelymanag'd;sothat 'tisnot so much an Entertainment of Reading as an Inchant-
ment. IntheLifeof"PlatoIhavesufficientlyex posed to view the advantages of Dialogue above
allotherwaysof treatingaSubject. I shall here only add that that which contributes most torendefc
* In Arcc Pcetic. V. gro
it
? ? A 'DiscourseonPlatoi ty
it ib agreeable and useful, isthatTruth comes gradu a l l y o u t o f t h e B o w e l s o f t h e D i s p u t e ? , J u s t a s w h e n
Pictures are unrolled we fee the Persons'represented rise up by degrees,- tillat lastthey appear in their full Proportion : and there is nothing more agree abletotheMindthanthespringingupofTruthaf ter this manner, the insensible progress of which even l e a v e s t h e S o u l t i m e t o b e b e f o r e h a n d w i t h it, a n d t d foresee its appearance. N o w a Truth which our Minds have as it were divined, pleases us much more than that which has been formally prov'd to us,
which most commonly only irritates and makes us uneasy.
These Dialogues have been the admiration of all Ages : In the Reign of Trajan they were still so much esteemedatRom, thattheyoccafion'dthein troducing of a Custom which was received with great applause ; they us'dto chuse the finest of these Dialogues, and make their Children learn them by Heart, that so they might at their Feasts recite 'em at Table, with those different Tones and Gestures that were suitable to theManners and Characters of
the different Persons w h o m Plato brings in speaking. 'TistruethisCustom lastednotlong-, butthat whichputanendtoitwasnolesshonourablethan thatwhichintroduc'dit; ForthePhilosophersthat cOndemn'd and abolished it,did so only because they
accounted Plato too sublime to be so used, and be cause they could not endure that Dialogues so seri ous and*solid should serve for a Divertissement at Table, and be heard amidst the Merriment, Noise andTumultofaFeast. AndthisSentimentoftheirs was supported by the Authority ofPlato,himself* who inhisBanquet, beingto speakoftheEnd of Man, oftheSovereignGoodandotherTheological Matters, does not push on his Demonstrations very f a r ? , h e d o e s n o t , a c c o r d i n g t o h i s o r d i n a r y C u s t o m , imitate a vigorous Wrestler, w h o never lets go' his Hold, andwholockshisAdversarysocloselythat hecan'tescapehim; but. hesoftenshisProofsand
C makes'
? ? 18
A DiscourseonPlatoi
makes 'em pleasant, and attracts his Auditors by the
insinuation of Fables arid Examples, which seem to be contrived not so much to convince as to divert
'. em. FornoQuestionsoughttobestartedatTable but such as may move the Soul after an agreeable andusefulmanner, andsuchaseveryonemayeasily understand,andthoseoughttobebanish'd (touse theWords otDemocritus)thatarethorny,and out of which'tisdifficulttoextricateone'sself. TheDis course at Table ought to be for every one, like the Wine, and such as propose there abstracted and difficult Questions, exile thence, this kind of C o m munity, and renew the Feast of the Fox and the Crane.
IfI had only consider'd the Eloquence, the Strength andHarmonyoftheseWritings, IconfessIshould never have had the courage to translate 'em ; in doing which, eitherthroughmy own deiect,orthatofthe LanguageinwhichIwrite, Ihavehadthe'uneasi nessof findingmy selfunable topreserveamulti tude of Beauties and Elegancies that render these
DialoguesMaster-pieces,nottobeequall'd. ButI consider'd, that seeing they contain'd Matters of so greatImportanceandNecessity, itwouldbeagreat piece of Folly, to be so superstitious about Terms, as to deprive Mankind of so great an Advantage. And by good hap, that which is the most useful can'tbe hurtby my Translation. Itpreserves the Art of Logick, and all the Truth which Socrates provesbythatmeans,andthat'senough. Those Beauties which consist only in Expression are not so necessary, and we may easily forego 'em, provided weenjoyothers; andnotdolikeacertainWriter ofthelastAge,whoafterhehadmadeverygood
Reflectionson Socrates, and had acknowledged him to be an admirable pattern in all great Qualities, amuses and perplexes himself with Trouble, that a Soul so lovely had met with a Body so deform'd, and disagreeable to its Beauty. Which is as if a Souldier in reading the great Actions of Cesar or
Alexander
? ? rA Discourse on Plato, 19
Alexander instead of making advantage of His read ing, and learning the Art of War, should distress and afflict: his Mind, because one was bald, and t'other inclin'd hisHeadononeside.
But itmay be I have less reason to fear how it will go with rhy Translation, than how Socrates himself willescape. Our Age so much resembles thatwhereinthisPhilosopherliv'd,thatinall ap- jpearance,ifthiswifeMan now findssomeintelli gent Judges who will do Him Justice, he'll find a greater number of Persons extreamly prejudic'd; Who will be sure to condemn him. In an Age wherein nothing is esteem'd but Riches ; wherein
that Slavery, which leads to Wealth, is prefefd
to Liberty, and M e n chuse rather to nourish the . Vi-
tes of others by their Flatteries, than to augment
their own Vertues by their Labour. The Tempe
rance, Frugality, Fortitude, Justice and Liberty of Socrates will be laugh'd at ? and this will be hue the
accomplishmentofwhathepredicted. *IfmyFel low-Citizens (says he) have not been able to endufe my Alaxims, much less will they be tolerable to Strangers.
The greatest part will not give themselves so muchtroubleastoreadhim. tTheywillmuch lboner read the Milesian Tables, as St. Jerome fays, that is such Pieces as corrupt the Heart and Mind,
than Dialogues which inspire nothing but Wisdom; And among those that will read him, many will do it only out of Curiosity, for in our Time we maymakethesameComplaintthatwasmadehere
tofore by Taunts the Philosopher, anancientCom mentator on Plato. One asks for Plato's Dialogue oftheBanquet,tohavethepleasure ofseeing,the ExceileS'ofAlcibiades. Another. forhisPhoedrm, because 'tis a Treatise of Criticism, and the Ora tion of Tysas is examin'd in it; and others desire
* Apology 69. f Mulcoq; pars major est Milesias fabulis revolventium, quam Platonis Libros; St. Jerome in the Priface <<) UsXll Book on Isaiah.
C 2 those
? ? io
A Discourse on Plato^
thoseDialogueswhichhave the greatestReputation, and are accounted the best Pen'd,only for a frivolous Pleasure ; and not one of all these thinks of e m bellishing his Mind by reading of these Books, so
as to become more Modest, Temperate, Just, Pa tient, and Pious.
But those who will prove the least favourable to Socrates, area sortof Men who highly valuethem selves upon their refin'd Wit ; and a great many of thosewhoaretakenwiththePompandGayappear ances of the World.
The former not having Eyes piercing enough to discover the secret Light of those hidden Beauties that adorn these Dialogues, will count Socrates a Dull and Languid Author, because he has no Witti cisms,norGentileTurns. AnobscurePersonwho never did any thing worthy to be read, shall call in question the Reputation of Socrates, a Person who has been an honour to Humane Nature by theEx cellency of his Understanding ; and shall prefer him self to him, trampling under his Feet * the Tejii- tnonies which allthe learned Men of Antiquity, and allGreecehaverendred him,thatforgoodSense, Wit, 'Pleasantness, Subtilty, Strtngth, Variety and. Abundance, heexcelledallthateverhadappearedin theWorld. AManmusthaveagreatStockof good Opinion of himself, to appeal from so solemn aJudgment, andtomake hisappealtohimselftoo.
The latterarecommonly corruptedby reading fri volous Books, which are wholly Compos'd for Ostentation, and as Montagne fays, can't perceive Riches unless they make a pompous Show, and Ib h a v e a d i s g u s t f o r e v e r y t h i n g t h a t is P l a i n a n d S i m p l e -, b e i n g p e r s u a d e d t h a t w h a t i s N a t u r a l a n d E a s y , is a Kin to Dulness and Stupidity. These will think itbelow'emtoattendtoaPhilosopherwho enter- tains'em only with such Discourses as they countVul- garand Trivial,whoisscarceevertobefound outof Shops-, who talks only of Husband-men, Smiths,.
Z Cictrtinhis3dBooliof Oratory.
Masons,
? ? A Discourse on Plato. '
2 v
Masons, Carpenrers, Shoemakers, and Taylors and is eternally hammering on the fame Subjects and representing the same Images. '
9 There are not wanting good Reasons to prove to
em, thatasaMan sometimesisthoughtplump and in good Cafe, when he is only swelPd and bloated- 10 that which is frequently taken for Accuracy of Judgment, is the Effect of some Distemper/and notatallthemark ofaniceandfineRelish. The highestandmostsublime Conceptionsareoftenhid
underaformthatappearsVileand Contemptible, Are not the most Celestial Truths propos'd to vk m the Gospel under Popular Images and Modes of Ex
pression, like those us'd by Socrates? That which creeps on the Earth, is no less capable than that whichisraisdtotheHeavens, ofservingforaRe presentation to let the greatest Secrets,both o f N a t u r e andGraceintoourUnderstanding. Nay,manytimes tnemolt bimpleand Common Ideas arethemost
propertoimpressTruthontheMinds ofMen,forbe sidesthatthesearemoreproportionate tous, theydo
not Transport usout of our selves asthemost Mag nificentIdeasda Ifnonebutgreatanddaziing Imagescouldstrikeus, Godwouldnothavefaii'dto have constantly employ'd 'em, and since'tisno more difficult for him to change Men than to illuminate
em, he would have been so far from making his spirit stoop to the Manners and Customs of those whom he inspired; that on the contrary he would have transform'dtheirMannersandCustoms,tosub.
ject e m in some sort to his Spirit, and yes he did not dp thus. When he inspires Daniel, he leaves himtospeaklikeaManEducatedinaRoyalCourt h e u s e s o n l y G r e a t a n d M a g n i f i c e n t I d e a s -, a n d w h e n he inspires a Shepherd, such a one as Amos, he leaveshim toexplainhimselfbysuchTermsaswere moltfamiliartohim hbuttheTruthiseverywhere equally sublime, and as it receives no accession to its Lustre by the Majesty of Figures, so neither does it lose, any thing of its Glory by their Simpli-
C? city
? ? %I
A DiscourseonPlato.
city. Socraieswassowellpersuaded, thatthisSim plicity was alone capable to move and correct the Minds of Men, that when Critiaf, the'most Cruel of theThirty Tyrants, commanded him to let all
the Artificers alone, and talk no more of 'em, he answer'd ; * I muji then let all those Consequences a* lonetoo,whichIdrawfrom*em,and mustspeakno mere, either of Holiness or Justice, or any otherDu ties that become a Good Man. ? '
But perhaps our Censors will have less deference forthe Authority of Reasons, that for that of Ex amples : Tis therefore necessary to give them an Account of what pais'd in the Time of Socrates himself; and to (new 'em the Characters, both of his Friends and Enemies.
Ontheonesidewerethemost stupidandmost
corruptamongthePeople,someofwhom,through
ignorance, laugh'd at his Morality, and the manner
pf his Behaviour : Others through the Corruption ? of theirHearts, couldnotendure his Generous Li
berty.
On theotherside,Persons ofthe greatest Ho
nour, and of chief Note in the Commonwealth ; Pericles, Niciaf, Xenophon, Apollodorus, Criton, Critobulus, Eschinoe, Antifthenes, &c. These found infiniteCharmsinhisConversation. Whoisitthat isignorantof Alcibiades? No Man had more Wit, pratruergustofthings? ,hewasoneofthebest made, Bravest, most Gallant, most Magnificent, most Ambitious, and Nicest Men in the World -,
he was at the Head of the Athenians, he comman ded their Armies, he had won severalBattles,he had glitter'd in the Courts of Kings, and had not been rudely treated by Queens. According to the M a x i m s of the World, there's nothing more Bright and Il lustriousthansuchaManasthis. Yetthisfame Alcibiadesamidstall-thisGloryandPomp, issofar* frombeingoffendedatSocrateshisway andman ner of Deportment, which-were so opposite to his own, that,henosoonerbecameacquaintedwithhim,
* Xtntph. intheistBookoftheMemorableThingsofSoeratts* ''. ',':? /? '? . '. '? :">'? ,',:. -'-j"v\ i. i. '? >>V i:';. ,. ,. ,; ",but
? ? clistifiic. 30. 18.
A DiscourseonPlato^ 15
but he was struck with such a sense of his Merit, and the solid Gracefulness of his Conversation, that he knew not how to leave him ? ,he was enchanted
with his Discourses, which he preferd tothe most e x c e l l e n t M u f i c k ? , * h e c o n f e s s e s , t h a t a M a n c o u l d
neitherhear him speak, nor even hear others repeat
whathehadsaid,withoutbeingtransported. The
Force and Truth of his Words drew Tears from
him, and made him even leap for Joy. He com-
par'dhim to certain Statues of Satyrs and Silenes,
which were made to open and shut; to look on the o u t - s i d e o f ' e m , n o t h i n g w a s m o r e u g l y ? , b u t w h e n
they were open'd, allthe Deities were found in'em together. Hehardlylov'dorrespectedanyonebe sideshim,andhenevermet. withhim,buthetook off from his own Head the Crown, which he, ac cordingtotheCustom,woreondaysofCeremony,
andputitontheHead ofSocrates. Thereforethereisnomedium,wemustjudgeof?
Socrates either as the worst and meanest of the Athe niansdid, orlikePeric/esandAJcibiades-ywe may take our Choice.
All these Contradictions which I have foreseen, and which indeed may make these Dialogues be come tothegreatestpartofReaderstlikethose exquisite Dainties that were formerlyset on Tombs, have not diseourag'd me, but only convinc'd me
that a. bare Translation, though never so exact and faithful, would not make a iufficient impression on theMindsofsome Men, ifitwerenotsupported by something, that might prevent all these Iqcon- veniencies, or at least a good part of 'em-, and I could think but of two ways to succeed inthis,
Thefirstwas,toplaceanArgumentattheHead of everyDialogue,toexplaintheSubjectofit,to unfoldtheArtandMethod ofit,andtotakepar ticular notice ofevery thinginitof the greatest im-
* IntheDialogueoftheBanquet.
t O^uafiappositionesEpularum circumposu^ Sepulchro, Ec-
C 4 portance.
? ? ^4
A DiscourseonPlato^
portance. TheArgumentsofMarsiliusYicinus6,9
not go to the Matter of Fact ; besides, they are tod
abstracted, and are abundantly more difficult to be'
understood than -the Dialogues themselves. And
those of IV Serres are too wide and indefinite, they
never well fix the State of the Question, or the Quality of the Proofs ? , nor do they eVer explain ei
therPlato'sDesign,orhisAddress. Now anArgu ment ought to be a faithful Guide always to attend the Reader, to conduct him where-ever he goes,and alwaystosethim intotherightPath.
The secondway was tomake Remarks toelucidate the principal Difficulties^ render the hidden Beau ties discernable, to explain the Train of Reasoning,, and the Solidity of the Principles and 'Proofs, and tohelptodiscoverwhat isfalse,from that which istrue.
Marsilius Yicinus did not so much as think of this*
Be Serres on thisAccount ismOreusefulthanhej
forbyhisMarginal Notesheatleasthinders'you
from losing the Thread of Plato's Reasoning, and
makes you comprehend the Train and Progress of his
Proofs : But yet he abandons you in the greatest dif ficulties. ? '. . -? -
In the Time of Maximus Tyrius, that is in the secondAge, itwasvery earnestlydesired,thatsome one would undertake to elucidate those obscure and knotty Pasiages of Plato-, above all in what respects his Opinions in Theology, and many Philosophers l a b o u r ' d i n t h i s W o r k , a s m a y b e s e e n i n h i s L i f e -y butwithsolittle success,thatinsteadofresolving the Difficulties, they have increased 'em. They, have scarce assisted m e once or twice in the Ten Dia logues which I have Translated ^ and they would have very often led me into Mistakes if I would havefollowed'em. -: >''?
Bayenrslis-cihiec 1 Stastsbibliothek
THE
2<< 272 298
? MOnbhen J
? f J
\r;k . . . ">
) r,I"?
? ? DISCOURSE CONCERNING
Pi AT
7"Hat iseveryDay seentobefalthe Noblest Houses, whose Great Names areusurp'd by obscureFa milies, so that the true Heirs w h o only have right to bear 'em are in
time no longer distinguished, has been the fate of Philosophy. A greatnumberofArtsandSciences whichindeedmay beofuseintheirplaces, butare worthy onlytobetheSlavesofthatScience which
alone renders our Lives equally good and happy, have seiz'donthisMagnificentName, andrender'd itcontemptibleintheEyesofMen. We havenow noIdeaofatruePhilosopher, sincethisAugustTi tle islavishlybestowedonafortofcuriousandlazy People, who make ittheir onlybusiness tounder
standsomeofthe. secretsofNature, andspendthe timeof theirLifeinmakingExperiments onth>> weight oftheAir,andthevertuesoftheLoadstone.
ThisNamehasbeenstillmoredegradedinbeing
given to those, whose unsatiable Avarice chains 'emDayandNighttoaFurnace$? asifGold,the
greatest quantity ofwhich isnot comparable to the least Vertue, were the end ofPhilosophy. . In fine M e n are not content with having given it such ble mishes as these, but have also render'd the Name,
B odious
? ? A 'Discourseon Plato.
-odious in throwing it away on those Libertines, w h o by a pretended Force a Esprit, or strength of Thought, whichatbottomisnobetterthanWeak ness and Ignorance, live rather like Beasts than Men. Is itthen to be wonder'd at that Philosophy is mis takenand neglected, and thatMen no longerpay herthatrespectandveneration, whichsheformerly- excitedintheirMinds ? Aiham'd ofbeing confoun ded with the Daughters of the Earth, she isreas- cended to Heaven, from whence Socrates brought her.
The Athenians heretofore by a publick decree forbad, that the Names of HarmoAius, and Aristo- gito/i,who had deliver'dtheirCountreyfrom the Tyranny of Hippiat and Hipparchus, shouldever be given to Slaves : for they thought it a horrible Indignity by so shameful a Communication to blast
thoseNames thatweredevotedtothepublickLi berty. Philosophy is another Deliverer, she tri umphs over Vices, overthrows Impiety, and con foundstheWisdomoftheWorld. 'Tissomewhat greaterthantheArts,andthanwhatMen commonly call the Sciences ? , 'tis the love of true Wisdom, theknowledgofDivineandHumaneThings,that is to say,the Science o f G o d , a Science w h i c h teaches us to know the relation which our Souls necessarily bear totheirCreator, andby and inhim, toall rationalCreatures, and which produces thecertain knowledge of all our Duties, towards God, our Neighbours and our Selves.
To betrulyaPhilosopheristohaveTemperance, Justice and rortitude, to love the Truth, to avoid Sensual Pleasures, to despise Riches, to weaken, as mucji asmay be, thebands that fastenthe Soul to theBody,tohateandcontemnthisBodywhichis
alwaysopposingWisdom, torenounceallourDe sires, to fear neither the Poverty, nor Shame, nor Reproach we may be expos'd to, for thefake of RighteousnessandTruth;todogoodtoMankind even our very Enemies : to have nothing in view,
,. . . but
? ? A DiscourseonHato^
b n t h o w t o d i e w e l l ? , a n d f o r t h i s e n d t o r e n o u n c e
one's self and every thing else. , This is the Idea the wisest Heathens had of Philosophy.
This being suppos'd, nothing can be more fitand useful, than to follow the certain, and vifible Pro gress which they made in theirresearchafter those Truths, and to see to what degree of knowledge it pleasedGodtolead'em. Ifwedon'tmakesuchan Examenasthis,wecan'tspeakof'emwithJudg ment, and without falling into a false account of Things, asithasoftenhappen'd, andstillhappens everydaytothemostLearnedMen. Whenever they speak of the Heathens, they bear witness against
themselves that they never well read 'em, and that they have only an imperfect Idea of 'em, for they impute such Sentiments to 'em as they never had, a n d d e n y ' e m o t h e r s w h i c h t h e y h a d i n r e a l i t y ? , which is a great piece of Injustice : nay it seems (ifImaysoipeak) todiminishsomewhatfromthe MercyandJustice. ofGod, nottoacknowledgall the Testimonies he was pleased to give of himself amongthePagans, inthoseTimesthatwerecor rupted withthemostabominableIdolatry, inorder to reduce 'em to the true Religion.
ThisNegligenceisthemoreblamable-. inthata
M a n needs only to read Plato, to be perfectly in*
form'd of the extent of their Knowledg : For his
Writings have amassed together all the Truths that
were fcatter'd up and down in the Works of other p h i l o s o p h e r s ? , a n d w i t h t h e a d v a n t a g e o f n e w D i s
coveriesofhisown, theycomposeasitwereaBo dy ofDoctrinewhichcontainsthehighestperfecti on of Knowledg to be found among the Heathens.
LetaMan readneversolittleofhim withatten tion, and reflect upon what he teaches, and he'll easily discern, that God, to stop the mouth of In credulity, w a s long since preparing the w a y for the conversion of the Heathens, which had been so of7 t e n p r e d i c t e d b y t h e P r o p h e t s -, f o r w a s i t n o t t h e
worn of God, and'akindofPreludiumoftheir B2 Con-
? ? A Discourse onPlata
Conversion, that a Heathen in the most Idolatrous CityintheWorld, andalmost400yearsbeforethe light of the Gospel illuminated the Universe, should declare and prove a good part of the Truths of the Christian Religion.
The CircumstanceoftheTime isremarkable,for
Plato began to write immediately after the three
lastProphetsthatwereinIsrael. Sothatassoon
astheProphets ceased among theJews, God raises u p P h i l o s o p h e r s t o e n l i g h t e n t h e G e n t i l e s ? , a n d d i
vers of the Principles of the Gospel are taught at Athens. Where'tisprov'd,
ThatthereisbutoneGod, thatweoughttolove andserve him, and to endeavour to resemble him in HolinessandRighteousness; thatthisGodrewards Humility, andpunishesPride.
'ThatthetrueHappinessofMan consistsinbeing unitedtoGod, andhisonlyMiseryinbeingsepara tedfrom him.
That the Soul is mere Darkness, unless it be illu minatedbyGod; thatMenareuncapableevenof prayingwell, unlessGod teaches''emthatPrayer,
which alone can be useful to 'em.
That there is nothing solid and substantial but
Piety, thatthisistheSourceofVertues, andthatit is thegift-of God.
That "tisbetter to die than tosin.
That we ought continually to be learning to die, and yet to endure life, in obedience to God.
T h a t " "tis a C r i m e t o h u r t o u r E n e m i e s , a n d t o r e venge ourselvesfor the Injuries we have received.
That 'tisbetter tosuffer wrong than to do it.
That G o d is thesole Cause of Good,and cannot be the CauseofEvil, whichalwaysproceedsonlyfromour Disobedience, andtheillusewemakeofourLiberty.
That Self-loveproduces that Discord and Division which reign among Men, and is the cause of their Si/is-,thattheloveofourNeighbours, whichproceeds
from the Ivve of God at itsPrinciple, produces that sacred Union which makes Families, Republicks, and Kingdoms happy. That
? ? A Discourse on Platos j
That theWorllh nothingbutCorruption, thatwe oughttoflyfromit,tojoinourselvestoGod, who a l o n e i s o u r H e a l t h a n d L i f e -, a n d t h a t w h i l e w e l i v e in this World we aresurrounded by Enemies, and
have a continual Combate to endure, which requires on our part a refinance without intermiffion -, and that we cannot conquer, unless God or his Angels come to our help.
ThattheWORD fram'dtheWorld,andrendered*h&'
itvisible;thattheknowledgoftheWORD makes usliveveryhappilyherebelow, andthattherebywe obtain Felicity after Death.
ThattheSoulisimmortal, thattheDeadshall rife again, that thereshall be afinal Jndgment both ofthe Righteous and ofthe Wicked, when M e n shall appear only with their Vertues or Vices, which
shall be the occasion of their eternal Happiness or Misery.
ButIforbeartoproceed, that Imay not repeat that here,which will be found in its full extent else where. Yet I cannot chuse but add, that Plato had so
great and true an Idea of perfect Righteousness, and
was so. throughly acquainted with the corruption of
Mankind, thathemakesitappear, *thatifaMan
perfectly righteous should come upon Earths he
would findibmuch oppositionintheWorld, that he would be imprison'd, reviled, scourged, and in
fine crucified by such who, tho they were extremely
wicked,wouldyetpassforrighteousMen. Socra
teswasthefirstproofofthisDemonstration. For
as St. Justin fays, the-Devils seeing this Philoso
pher made their Nullity appear by the discovery of theTruth, and that heendeavouredtoreclaimMen
from givingthem religiousWorship;? thesemali ciousSpiritssoordertsthematterbymeans ofMeiv who were corrupt and took pleasure in Vice, that thisrighteousMan wasputtoDeath asifhehad' been an impious Person, that liv'd without God in- World, and introduc'd new Gods.
*JntheII. BookofhisCommoikwcalth. Temra.
B 3 There,.
? ? A DiscourseonPlato,
Therearesome who pretendthe abovementioned Passage of"Plato is a Prophesy, because the Terms don't agree with the Circumstances of Socrates, w h o was put to death only by a draught of Poyson, but precisely lute with thpse of the Saviour of the
World, whowasbothscourgedandcrucified.
But we shall not pr-eiiime tomake aProphet of
ourPhilosopher,fromwhomReasonalone, when
mov'd by the injustice of Men, might extort such e x a g g e r a t e d E x p r e s s i o n s ? , b u t s h a l l c o n t e n t o u r s e l v e s
toenquirewhattheremay beinhisWritingscon formabletothedesignsofGod, whoalwaysdesir'd theSalvation of Men, and oftenmade use. of the Pagans for the execution of his eternal Decrees;
We understandbytheHolyScripture,whichis
theonlyLamp ofTruth, thatnaturalReligionwas t h e f i r s t u s e M e n m a d e o f t h e i r R e a s o n ? , . t h a t L u s t
and irregular Passions having c6rrupted their Reason,
they abandon'd themselves to the sacrilegious wor
s h i p o f I d o l s -, a n d t h a t G o d t o s t o p t h e c o u r s e o f
this. Abomination made himself known a second
time,andgavetheJewishLaw^ whichasitre-
viv'dinthemindsofMen thePrinciplesoftheLaw
ofNature, soitpromis'd. a more sacredand perfect
Covenant which the Righteous were to expect, and
which alone was capable of triumphing over Death 5
and so alone able to conduct M e n to a glorious I m mortality. ? ? ;. ;,; ' '. ' '?
Plato seems to have been acquainted with the Divine Conduct in this matter, and to endeavour to reclaim the Heathens by. the fame means.
He. endeavours toreestablishNatural Religion by opposing Paganism which was the corruption of it.
- He gives a Law which in its principal heads is entirely conformable to the Tradition of the He brews, andthePreceptsofMosesandtheProphets^ fromwhom hehasborrowedthatwhichismost rational and substantial in his Works.
AndhesupportsthisLawbyagreatmanyPrin ciples more sublime than thole of natural Religion, and
? ? A DiscourseonPlato.
andoftheiawofMoses; andbyclearandexpress Promises of spiritual and eternal Blessings, which the Christian Religion alone can make Men enjoy, and which Moses and the Prophets only promised under the Veil,and Figures of temporal Enjoyments. So that Plato is not content to give a Testimony only to natural Religion, and the Jewish Law, but alsoinsomesortpaysHomagetoChristianity; in piercing by a supernatural Light into* a part of those Shadows and Figures that cover'd it j and in proposing most ofthe greatestMotives and glorious Objects, which it has always employ'd to raise
Men above themselves, and tomake them Masters of their Passions.
* A happyImmortality (layshe) isagreatPrize set before us, and a great Objctl os Hope, which should engage us to labour all the time ofour Life to
acquireWisdomandVertue. Thisthereadingonly ofthesetwofirstVolumns willcompleatlysetin itstrue Light.
'Tiscommonly enquir'don thisSubject, how the Books of Moses and those of the Prophets could cometoPlato'sknowledg. Iwillnotundertake to prove that therewere Greek Translations ofem beforethatoftheSeptuagint, 'tistoodifficulta
matter to support that Supposition, and I must confessIcanfindnosolidfoundationforit. But I'll declare what seems most probable to me.
Afterthe departure of the Israelites out of Egypt, they almost always continued their Commerce with theEgyptians. TheytradedintheirCountry, they sometimes desir'dtheirassistanceagainsttheirEne mies, and often enter'd into Treaties and Alliances, withthem. Bythesemeansthememoryofallthat had happen'd to their Nation was easily preserv'd among those People, t The Captivity of King Jehoachaz, whom Phar<wh Kechoch carried away
-Prisoner about the beginning of the 42 Olvmpiade^ and i: the dwelling of"the Prophets Jeremiah and
*Vol. 2. fa Kings23. $J"". 43.
B 4. 'Earach
? ? 8
A DiscourseonPlato.
. t
Barach inEgypt some years after with ttemiserable remainderoftheJews, thattheKingofBabylon had test in Judaea, could not suffer the Egyptians, to forgetthesethings. / ' **
About this time Pythagoras travell'd into Egypt^
from whence he brought these Traditions into'
Greece ; his Disciples communicated them to So c r a t e s , w h o a c q u a i n t e d P l a t o w i t h ' e m ? , a n d h e , t o
be more perfectlyinstructedin'em,went tothefame place where he might fee not only the Grand- Children but the Children of such as had convers'd with the Fugitives that retired thither with those Prophets. Andperhaps'tisnoill-foundedSupposi tion, that by his frequent Conversation with them he learned enough of their Language to read those Originals himself, of which the Egyptians, who were a very curious People, might have Copies. But whether he read 'em, or knew nothing of 'em, but what he learnedinConversation, 'tiscertainhe could draw that Tradition which he calls Sacred fromnootherSource. Forheharmonizessowell with those Originals in many things, not only in respectoftheTruthsthemselves, butmoreoverin theverymannerofhisExpressions, thatonewould oftenthinkhetranslates'em. Fromwhom,unless
from the Hebrews, could the Egyptians have a Tra
dition containing such wonderful Doctrine, and of
which neverany otherPeople had heard, beforethe
peculiar People of Gcd were instructe&init-? ? 'But 'tissaid-there-aremany Errors intermix'd
with the Writings of Plato -, that in his Explica
tionx>fthegreatestTruths, heisfullofDoubts and Uncertainty ,? and 'tis observ'd that Socrates
constantlyprofessesthatheknowsnothing: What advantage can be received from a man that knows nothing but his o w n Ignorance? . And. 'tis fit these Objectionsshouldhave'anAnswer. '
? ? T i s c e r t a i n P l a t o i s n o t w i t h o u t h i s E r r o r s ; b u t
when they come to be strictly examin'd, there are
to be found in 'em some Traces oi" ancienj Traditi- . ? ? ? '? ? ' ' 'ons,*,
? ? A discourseonPlato,.
o n s , a n d P r e d i c t i o n s o f t h e P r o p h e t s ? , a n d i f t h e s e
Traces are compar'd with the Doctrine ofthe/Holy Scripture, one may discover the Source of thole Errors, which by this means become one of the ProofsoftheTruthoftheChristianReligion. For we mustbeforc'dtoacknowledgthattheHeathens hadadimsightofdiversgreatTruths, whichbe cause they were not to be fully unveiled till the coming oftheAEejfiah, were involved inDarkness
toothicktobepenetratedbytheirEyes. Andthis was predicted by the Prophets, who all declar'd thatChristjhoulibetheLightoftheWorld. None but Jesus Christ was able to discover to 'em those Mysteries, whichwere,to,bekeptsecretbeforehis coming. Therefore'tisnoverysurprizingthing, thatsuchPersonsasattemptedtopenetrate * theie Mysteries, only by the Light of their Reason, did evaporate into vain Imaginations. And for this reason we. ought not to pretend to give a clear Expli cation of the Truths of Religion by the Notions of this Philosopher ;but on the contrary should explain hisNotionsbytheseTruths, thisisthewaytodis playLighteverywhere,anddissipateallErrors. And when his Principles accord well with those Truths, wemayvvithverygocdadvantagemakeuseofthe
proofs he has given of 'em.
. The Doubts and Uncertainty, ofwhich he,isre
proached, about the most essential Points, are so far from shaking his Principles, that they only give thegreaterConfirmationto'em,andonemay fay that Certainty and Conviction spring from these veryDoubts. ForinstanceinhisPboedon,where he is treating of the great Objects, of our Hope in the other Life, he insinuates that 'tis a very diffi cult matter certainly to know the Truth of these things, while, we livehere, and thathow strong soever the proofs are, on which we may found an
* Such as the Doctrine of the Tiinity, the Resurrection, the
FallofMan, and the Creation of the Souls, of Men before their Sodjes. ? -t? ' r-
*. '. -, Ex
? ? %o
A 'DiscourseonPlato^
Expectation of a happy Eternity, the greatness of theSubjectandthenaturalInfirmitiesofMan are inexhaustible Springs of Doubts and Uncertainties ; for these spring up in multitudes from the stock of corrupt Nature, which opposes the most manifest Truths, and resists the most evident proofs which Reasoncanproduce. Whatwastobedonethento dissipatetheseDoubts? TheProphetshadspoken, but their Oracles were yet obseure, and men might not discern in their Words the Divine Spirit that animated'em. Itwasnecessarythat-Godhimself shouldspeak. NothinglessthananexpressPromise, nothing less than a plain Divine Revelation could entirely disperse the Clouds of Ignorance and Incre dulity, and convert these Doubts into Certainties. This is what * Plato confesses in express Terms. For he brings in some Philosophers that render Ho magetoGod, callinghisPromisestheVesselin whichnodangeristobefeared, andtheonlyonein which we can happily accomplish the Voyage of this 1-ife, on a Sea Jo tempefluoits and full of Rocks. Thus we see where his Doubts terminated ? , they
led Men to acknowledg the need they had of a God, toassure'emoftherealityofthegreatBles
singsforwhichtheyhop'd. Andthisisaccom? p l i T h e d i n t h e C h r i s t i a n R e l i g i o n ? , w h i c h a s i t i s t h e
onlyReligionthathasGod foritsTeacher, sohas alsothePromisesofEternalHappiness, of which
the Prophets spake, and of which Plato had a g l i m p s e ? , a n d f o r w h i c h t h e w o r d o f t h i s G o d ; - b y
the confession even of these Pagans, is a most Certain Security. Sothat,bytheacknowledgmentofthe most enlighten'd Heathens, there are how no reason able Doubts concerning the Truth of the Christian R e l i g i o n ? , t h a t b e i n g t h e o n l y V e s s e l i n w h i c h w e canneverbelost. And thisiswhattheProphets predicted,, that in Jesus Christ Life and Immorta lity (hould be fully brought to Light, and that he should be the desire of Nations.
*InhisPhoedon. Vcl. 2.
'Tis
? ? J DiscourseonPlato. 11
Tis' not only in these principal Points that P/ato d o u b t s , b u t a l m o s t i n e v e r y t h i n g ? , a n d h i s d o u b t s
have given occasion to many to make a'wrong judgment of theAcademick Philosophy ; for it has "been imagined that it asserted nothing, but accoun ted all things equally uncertain, which is a very
unjustSupposition. SocratesandPlatowerenotof the number of those Philosophers, whole fluctua ting njinds kept 'em continually wandering, so that theyhadnonx'dandsteadyPrinciples. Thiswas their Principle and Rule -, They taught that men couldnotofthemselveshaveanyOpinion butwhat was founded only on Probabilities ; but that when God enlighten'd'em,thatwhich was no more than OpinionbeforenowbecameScience:And thisthey explain'dbyaprettyComparison. Dedah/smade two sorts of Statues that could walk. With this difference, the one sort had a Spirng which stop'd 'em when one pleas'd, and the other had none; so thatwhentheywereletgo,theyrunalongtothe endoftheirLine,andcouldnotbestop'd. The latter were not of so great a Price, but the former wereverydear. NowSocratesandPlatocompar'd Opinion to these Statues, that could not be stop'd ; for Opinion is not stable, but is subjecttochange, butwhen -tisrestrain'dandfix'dbyreasoningdrawn from Causes which the Divine Light discovers to
us, then Opinion becomes Science, and is fix'd and
steady, like thole Statues which had that governing
Springaddedto'em. Sothattheirmeaningwas,
that Opinion turns only on Probability, which is
always like moving Sand, but thatScience restson
Certainty and Truth, which are a firm Foundation.
Thus Socrates and Platodisputed about every thing,
whiletheyhadonlyOpinionsjbutwhentheseO-
pinions after serious researches and long labour, were become Science by the Divine Light ? , then
theyaffirm'dwhattheyknew. Tillthenall. was doubtfulanduncertainto'em. ButtheleDoubts weremore wifeandsafethantheArroganceofthole
positive
? ? i?
A DiscourseonPlato^
positive Philosophers, that rashly affirm,d every thing, and always took Opinion for Science.
TheThirdObjectionagainstSocrates; That he onlyknewthatheknewnothing, isnomoresolid t h a n t h e f o r m e r -, a n d i s t o b e a n s w e r ' d b y t h e f a m e Principle: andifIam notmistaken, we shallfind in this Ignorance a maivellousFundofKnowledg.
There are two forts of Ignorance, the one Natu ral, which is good or evil, according to th6 good o r ill u s e t h a t is m a d e o f it, a n d t h e o t h e r A c q u i r e d , and always good : For this latter is the Ignorance ofthosewho aftertheyhavelearnedallthatMen can know, are convinc'd that they know nothing. This was Socrates his Ignorance, it was * a learned. Ignorancethatknozasitself. Hehadrunthrough Astronomy, Geometry, Physicks, Metaphysicks, Poetry, Polite Learning, &c. and saw the vanity of'em. Heevenundertakestoprovethatallthese Sciences are either useless or dangerous, and that nothingbuttheknowledgofGodcanmakeushap py, that where this Divine Science is not, there can be no Good, and consequently that there is a-
fort of Ignorance more useful than the Sciences ; for this ignorance seeks not for knowledg in it self,' well knowing ithasnone, but only inGod who is pleas'dtofillitsVacuum. Itwasforthisreason, Socrates always began his Instructions with an Affir mationthatheknewnothing. Bythishe-signified
that our Souls have no true knowledg of any thing, anyfartherthantheyareenlightnedbyGod. That they should always look on that piercing Light, in which alone they can fee Light ; and that w h e n they turn their Looks another way they necessarily fall back into Obscurity, and produce nothing but
theWorksofDarkness. LettheProudWifeMen oftheWorldappear, and. comparethemselveswith, this Ignorant Man.
* Tjs an Expression of Socratts, which states two forts of Ignorance, one that is ignorant of itself, and t'other that knows it self.
So
? ? A ViscourseonPtitdl ij
So much for one of the uses that may be made
of Plato'sWritings, which ought to be look'd up
on as so many Titles belonging to Christianity,
found long ago among the Pagans, and are so
much the more venerable, in that Ib much as is
found in 'em is faithfully copied from those which t h e P r o p h e t s h a v e l e f t u s ? , a n d i n t h a t w h i c h w e
findalteredandcorrupted, wemayhoweverdis cover the Vestiges of those Truths which these ir reproachable Witnesses publisli'd.
The second use that may be made of 'em, and which is no less considerable than the former, is that by this means we may be confirm'd in the knowledg of a greatmany Christian Truths which are prov'd in 'em with such a Strength and Evi dence, as no reasonable M a n can resist.
Religiononlyproposesthem ; foritbelongsnot to the Majesty of a God to prove the Necessity, Justice,andTruthofallhecommands. Hemakes Men lovewhatherequires,andthatismorethan toproveittobereasonable. ButaPhilosopher, who hasnoAuthorityoverusanyfartherthanhe PerswadesusbyhisReasons, isobligedtogive
r o o f s o f e v e r y t h i n g h e a d v a n c e s ? , a n d t h u s P l a t o
does, and his Proofs can't chuse but be very agree able to them that believe, and very useful to Un believers, if they are but willing to attend a little
to 'em for their Instruction. SomeLearnedandZealousPerson,whoiswell
r e a d i n E c c l e s i a s t i c a l H i s t o r y ^ w i l l p e r h a p s f a y ? , i f
Platobesouseful, whencecomethosethundering
Censures, which some of the Fathers of the Church,
and above all, St. Chrysostom have let fly against
him >ItwouldbeasufficientAnswertothis,mould
Ionlyoppose toitthosegreatPraises, which other
Fathershavegivenhim, especiallySt. Augufiin: Butisittobeimagined, thatthatthefamePrin
ciples that charm'd St. Augusts were displeasing toSt. Chrysostom? No certainly: The Spirit of God is not divided, and Truth always appears to
those
? ? i4
A. DiscourseonPlato;
thosewhomGodispleasedtoilluminate. I'll therefore endeavour to shew from whence this di? ference of their Sentiments proceeded.
ThePhilosophyofPlatowaslook'dontwodif ferent ways, which have given occasion to two ve ry opposite Opinions concerning it.
Christian Philosophers look'd upon it as a Doc- trine, which by it's Principles naturally led to the ChristianReligion.
A n d P a g a n P h i l o s o p h e r s c o n s i d e r e d it a s a D o c trine, which containd Morals as perfect as thole of Christianity, and which might even take place of this holy Religion.
In the firstrespect itwas worthy of allthe En comiums that have been given it by the greatest Doctors of the Church, who came out of his School.
And on the second Account it deserved the great estAnathema. The defectsof thisPhilosophycould notbetoomuch aggravated,norcouldthosehaugh ty Philosophersthatvaluedthemselves somuch up onit,betoomuchabased;fortheWisdomofthe
Wise, and the Knowledg cf the Learned are no betterthanFolly, iftheyleadusnottotheknow ledgofJesusChrist. PlatohimselfbyhisPrin ciples,wouldfurnishuswithArms, toopposethole ofhisAdmirers, thatshouldbe16senseless,asto takeupwithhisOpinions, andshuttheirEyesa- gaintt the bright Truths of Religion.
But this Difference isnow ceased: There are nownoneofthoseignorantPersons. NoBodyis so blind to prefer, or even compare Plato and So crates, IwillnotsaytotheEvangelistsorApostles, buttothemeanestChristian. Sothatthereisno danger in setting a value on those Truths which are found inPlato, and in rendering them all the Fh> nourtheydeserve. Theyarenotthelessworthy of our respect,because they proceed from the mouth ofaHeathen. DidnotGodtakeBalaamfroma- mong the Gentiles, to communicate his Spirit to
him
? ? A DiscourseonPlated 1^
him? WhenWerenderhomagetotheTruthsfore toldby thatcovetousandcorruptProphet, wedon't honourtheProphet,butHimbywhomhewasin- spir'd. ForasSt. Ambroselays,*'Ttsnotthede
sert of him who prophesies, but the Oracle of him who calls, and which the Grace of God reveals. The greatertheDarknesswas that benighted those Times, the more esteem we ought to have for PlatoandSocrates,whomGodseemstohavecho s e n t o b e t h e first H e r a u l d s o f t h o s e g r e a t T r u t h s , a n d if I may venter to fay it, the fore-runners of St. Paul, in the most superstitious, and idolatrous CityintheWorld. 'TwastheDoctrineofthese
Philosophers that had produced and cherished those Sparks of knowledg, which thisgreatApostle found in the Hearts of some of the Athenians, concern ingtheResurrectionoftheDead, andtheImmor tality of the Soul.
What respectwe have for thisDoctrine willturn to the Glory of the Christian Religion : For if the Conformity of a part of Plato's Opinions, with what is revealed to us in the Gospel, hassoraised thisPhilosopher'sName, thatheiscalledthedi vinePhilosopher:What EsteemandVenerationdo they deserve, whose Minds and Hearts are fill'd with all the Truths of Christianity, and who are fed with the Celestial Doctrine, which our Lord Jesus Christ learned of God the Father, and came himself toteachus>
This Conformity of Plato, with the Doctrines of the Gospel, lastYear engag'd a Learned and Pi ous Ecclefiastique, to give a small Extract of it, which was very well received by the Publick. This Extract, which was made in the Pallace, and under the Eye of one of the best and most learned Arch-Bishops G o d has given his Church, is a great Elogium on the Doctrine of this Philosopher. What greater Appprobation can it have than that
* Non confitetitismeritum, fed vocantisoraculumest reve- lanwDeiGratia. S. Amtr,Lib. 6. F-ftst. 37-
of
? ? \6
A DiscourseonPlato?
1
of aPrelate, who sostronglyadherestotheword ? of Truth, and is so diligent in instructing the
People in it himself, as well as in causing others to instruct 'em.
Another great Advantage to be gained out of Plato'sWritings, isthai:a Man may form hisJudg mentby 'em^ andacquirethatJustness ofMind, and accuracy of reasoning, which are necessary in all conditionsiof Life, in order to discern Truth from Error, that he may taketherightfideinall Affairsthatoccur. ForthePhilosophyofSocrates is the source of good Sense, as * tierace himself ackn6wledges.
There is no Book in the World thatteaches, so well as this, the Art of confuting Sophists, who by their poysonous Maxims, labour to corrupt the Minds of Men, and to destroy Truth and good Sense. AstherewillalwaysbesuchImpostorsto befound, thisArtwillalwaysbeofverygreatuse, andthere'snoManteachesitlikePlato. Thereis nothing more compleat than his Logick, which in fallibly gains its Point in every thing it undertakes ; and'tisimpossibleforaMan todefendhimselffrom theforceofit. Itmaybecompar'dtotheSun, which when it rises, scarce makes us feel its Heat, butgraduallyencreasesit, sothatatlengthitbe
comes to hot to be endur"d.
Ishallnotspeak oftheCharms ofhisDialogues?
which are unexpressible: There are no Satyrs or Comedies that come near 'em. W 6 can no wherefindsuchsharpnessofWit, somanyGraces, anddecentturnsofThought, norsomuchvariety eitherofConceptions orExpressions: Norwere Ironies'ever sofinelymanag'd;sothat 'tisnot so much an Entertainment of Reading as an Inchant-
ment. IntheLifeof"PlatoIhavesufficientlyex posed to view the advantages of Dialogue above
allotherwaysof treatingaSubject. I shall here only add that that which contributes most torendefc
* In Arcc Pcetic. V. gro
it
? ? A 'DiscourseonPlatoi ty
it ib agreeable and useful, isthatTruth comes gradu a l l y o u t o f t h e B o w e l s o f t h e D i s p u t e ? , J u s t a s w h e n
Pictures are unrolled we fee the Persons'represented rise up by degrees,- tillat lastthey appear in their full Proportion : and there is nothing more agree abletotheMindthanthespringingupofTruthaf ter this manner, the insensible progress of which even l e a v e s t h e S o u l t i m e t o b e b e f o r e h a n d w i t h it, a n d t d foresee its appearance. N o w a Truth which our Minds have as it were divined, pleases us much more than that which has been formally prov'd to us,
which most commonly only irritates and makes us uneasy.
These Dialogues have been the admiration of all Ages : In the Reign of Trajan they were still so much esteemedatRom, thattheyoccafion'dthein troducing of a Custom which was received with great applause ; they us'dto chuse the finest of these Dialogues, and make their Children learn them by Heart, that so they might at their Feasts recite 'em at Table, with those different Tones and Gestures that were suitable to theManners and Characters of
the different Persons w h o m Plato brings in speaking. 'TistruethisCustom lastednotlong-, butthat whichputanendtoitwasnolesshonourablethan thatwhichintroduc'dit; ForthePhilosophersthat cOndemn'd and abolished it,did so only because they
accounted Plato too sublime to be so used, and be cause they could not endure that Dialogues so seri ous and*solid should serve for a Divertissement at Table, and be heard amidst the Merriment, Noise andTumultofaFeast. AndthisSentimentoftheirs was supported by the Authority ofPlato,himself* who inhisBanquet, beingto speakoftheEnd of Man, oftheSovereignGoodandotherTheological Matters, does not push on his Demonstrations very f a r ? , h e d o e s n o t , a c c o r d i n g t o h i s o r d i n a r y C u s t o m , imitate a vigorous Wrestler, w h o never lets go' his Hold, andwholockshisAdversarysocloselythat hecan'tescapehim; but. hesoftenshisProofsand
C makes'
? ? 18
A DiscourseonPlatoi
makes 'em pleasant, and attracts his Auditors by the
insinuation of Fables arid Examples, which seem to be contrived not so much to convince as to divert
'. em. FornoQuestionsoughttobestartedatTable but such as may move the Soul after an agreeable andusefulmanner, andsuchaseveryonemayeasily understand,andthoseoughttobebanish'd (touse theWords otDemocritus)thatarethorny,and out of which'tisdifficulttoextricateone'sself. TheDis course at Table ought to be for every one, like the Wine, and such as propose there abstracted and difficult Questions, exile thence, this kind of C o m munity, and renew the Feast of the Fox and the Crane.
IfI had only consider'd the Eloquence, the Strength andHarmonyoftheseWritings, IconfessIshould never have had the courage to translate 'em ; in doing which, eitherthroughmy own deiect,orthatofthe LanguageinwhichIwrite, Ihavehadthe'uneasi nessof findingmy selfunable topreserveamulti tude of Beauties and Elegancies that render these
DialoguesMaster-pieces,nottobeequall'd. ButI consider'd, that seeing they contain'd Matters of so greatImportanceandNecessity, itwouldbeagreat piece of Folly, to be so superstitious about Terms, as to deprive Mankind of so great an Advantage. And by good hap, that which is the most useful can'tbe hurtby my Translation. Itpreserves the Art of Logick, and all the Truth which Socrates provesbythatmeans,andthat'senough. Those Beauties which consist only in Expression are not so necessary, and we may easily forego 'em, provided weenjoyothers; andnotdolikeacertainWriter ofthelastAge,whoafterhehadmadeverygood
Reflectionson Socrates, and had acknowledged him to be an admirable pattern in all great Qualities, amuses and perplexes himself with Trouble, that a Soul so lovely had met with a Body so deform'd, and disagreeable to its Beauty. Which is as if a Souldier in reading the great Actions of Cesar or
Alexander
? ? rA Discourse on Plato, 19
Alexander instead of making advantage of His read ing, and learning the Art of War, should distress and afflict: his Mind, because one was bald, and t'other inclin'd hisHeadononeside.
But itmay be I have less reason to fear how it will go with rhy Translation, than how Socrates himself willescape. Our Age so much resembles thatwhereinthisPhilosopherliv'd,thatinall ap- jpearance,ifthiswifeMan now findssomeintelli gent Judges who will do Him Justice, he'll find a greater number of Persons extreamly prejudic'd; Who will be sure to condemn him. In an Age wherein nothing is esteem'd but Riches ; wherein
that Slavery, which leads to Wealth, is prefefd
to Liberty, and M e n chuse rather to nourish the . Vi-
tes of others by their Flatteries, than to augment
their own Vertues by their Labour. The Tempe
rance, Frugality, Fortitude, Justice and Liberty of Socrates will be laugh'd at ? and this will be hue the
accomplishmentofwhathepredicted. *IfmyFel low-Citizens (says he) have not been able to endufe my Alaxims, much less will they be tolerable to Strangers.
The greatest part will not give themselves so muchtroubleastoreadhim. tTheywillmuch lboner read the Milesian Tables, as St. Jerome fays, that is such Pieces as corrupt the Heart and Mind,
than Dialogues which inspire nothing but Wisdom; And among those that will read him, many will do it only out of Curiosity, for in our Time we maymakethesameComplaintthatwasmadehere
tofore by Taunts the Philosopher, anancientCom mentator on Plato. One asks for Plato's Dialogue oftheBanquet,tohavethepleasure ofseeing,the ExceileS'ofAlcibiades. Another. forhisPhoedrm, because 'tis a Treatise of Criticism, and the Ora tion of Tysas is examin'd in it; and others desire
* Apology 69. f Mulcoq; pars major est Milesias fabulis revolventium, quam Platonis Libros; St. Jerome in the Priface <<) UsXll Book on Isaiah.
C 2 those
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A Discourse on Plato^
thoseDialogueswhichhave the greatestReputation, and are accounted the best Pen'd,only for a frivolous Pleasure ; and not one of all these thinks of e m bellishing his Mind by reading of these Books, so
as to become more Modest, Temperate, Just, Pa tient, and Pious.
But those who will prove the least favourable to Socrates, area sortof Men who highly valuethem selves upon their refin'd Wit ; and a great many of thosewhoaretakenwiththePompandGayappear ances of the World.
The former not having Eyes piercing enough to discover the secret Light of those hidden Beauties that adorn these Dialogues, will count Socrates a Dull and Languid Author, because he has no Witti cisms,norGentileTurns. AnobscurePersonwho never did any thing worthy to be read, shall call in question the Reputation of Socrates, a Person who has been an honour to Humane Nature by theEx cellency of his Understanding ; and shall prefer him self to him, trampling under his Feet * the Tejii- tnonies which allthe learned Men of Antiquity, and allGreecehaverendred him,thatforgoodSense, Wit, 'Pleasantness, Subtilty, Strtngth, Variety and. Abundance, heexcelledallthateverhadappearedin theWorld. AManmusthaveagreatStockof good Opinion of himself, to appeal from so solemn aJudgment, andtomake hisappealtohimselftoo.
The latterarecommonly corruptedby reading fri volous Books, which are wholly Compos'd for Ostentation, and as Montagne fays, can't perceive Riches unless they make a pompous Show, and Ib h a v e a d i s g u s t f o r e v e r y t h i n g t h a t is P l a i n a n d S i m p l e -, b e i n g p e r s u a d e d t h a t w h a t i s N a t u r a l a n d E a s y , is a Kin to Dulness and Stupidity. These will think itbelow'emtoattendtoaPhilosopherwho enter- tains'em only with such Discourses as they countVul- garand Trivial,whoisscarceevertobefound outof Shops-, who talks only of Husband-men, Smiths,.
Z Cictrtinhis3dBooliof Oratory.
Masons,
? ? A Discourse on Plato. '
2 v
Masons, Carpenrers, Shoemakers, and Taylors and is eternally hammering on the fame Subjects and representing the same Images. '
9 There are not wanting good Reasons to prove to
em, thatasaMan sometimesisthoughtplump and in good Cafe, when he is only swelPd and bloated- 10 that which is frequently taken for Accuracy of Judgment, is the Effect of some Distemper/and notatallthemark ofaniceandfineRelish. The highestandmostsublime Conceptionsareoftenhid
underaformthatappearsVileand Contemptible, Are not the most Celestial Truths propos'd to vk m the Gospel under Popular Images and Modes of Ex
pression, like those us'd by Socrates? That which creeps on the Earth, is no less capable than that whichisraisdtotheHeavens, ofservingforaRe presentation to let the greatest Secrets,both o f N a t u r e andGraceintoourUnderstanding. Nay,manytimes tnemolt bimpleand Common Ideas arethemost
propertoimpressTruthontheMinds ofMen,forbe sidesthatthesearemoreproportionate tous, theydo
not Transport usout of our selves asthemost Mag nificentIdeasda Ifnonebutgreatanddaziing Imagescouldstrikeus, Godwouldnothavefaii'dto have constantly employ'd 'em, and since'tisno more difficult for him to change Men than to illuminate
em, he would have been so far from making his spirit stoop to the Manners and Customs of those whom he inspired; that on the contrary he would have transform'dtheirMannersandCustoms,tosub.
ject e m in some sort to his Spirit, and yes he did not dp thus. When he inspires Daniel, he leaves himtospeaklikeaManEducatedinaRoyalCourt h e u s e s o n l y G r e a t a n d M a g n i f i c e n t I d e a s -, a n d w h e n he inspires a Shepherd, such a one as Amos, he leaveshim toexplainhimselfbysuchTermsaswere moltfamiliartohim hbuttheTruthiseverywhere equally sublime, and as it receives no accession to its Lustre by the Majesty of Figures, so neither does it lose, any thing of its Glory by their Simpli-
C? city
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city. Socraieswassowellpersuaded, thatthisSim plicity was alone capable to move and correct the Minds of Men, that when Critiaf, the'most Cruel of theThirty Tyrants, commanded him to let all
the Artificers alone, and talk no more of 'em, he answer'd ; * I muji then let all those Consequences a* lonetoo,whichIdrawfrom*em,and mustspeakno mere, either of Holiness or Justice, or any otherDu ties that become a Good Man. ? '
But perhaps our Censors will have less deference forthe Authority of Reasons, that for that of Ex amples : Tis therefore necessary to give them an Account of what pais'd in the Time of Socrates himself; and to (new 'em the Characters, both of his Friends and Enemies.
Ontheonesidewerethemost stupidandmost
corruptamongthePeople,someofwhom,through
ignorance, laugh'd at his Morality, and the manner
pf his Behaviour : Others through the Corruption ? of theirHearts, couldnotendure his Generous Li
berty.
On theotherside,Persons ofthe greatest Ho
nour, and of chief Note in the Commonwealth ; Pericles, Niciaf, Xenophon, Apollodorus, Criton, Critobulus, Eschinoe, Antifthenes, &c. These found infiniteCharmsinhisConversation. Whoisitthat isignorantof Alcibiades? No Man had more Wit, pratruergustofthings? ,hewasoneofthebest made, Bravest, most Gallant, most Magnificent, most Ambitious, and Nicest Men in the World -,
he was at the Head of the Athenians, he comman ded their Armies, he had won severalBattles,he had glitter'd in the Courts of Kings, and had not been rudely treated by Queens. According to the M a x i m s of the World, there's nothing more Bright and Il lustriousthansuchaManasthis. Yetthisfame Alcibiadesamidstall-thisGloryandPomp, issofar* frombeingoffendedatSocrateshisway andman ner of Deportment, which-were so opposite to his own, that,henosoonerbecameacquaintedwithhim,
* Xtntph. intheistBookoftheMemorableThingsofSoeratts* ''. ',':? /? '? . '. '? :">'? ,',:. -'-j"v\ i. i. '? >>V i:';. ,. ,. ,; ",but
? ? clistifiic. 30. 18.
A DiscourseonPlato^ 15
but he was struck with such a sense of his Merit, and the solid Gracefulness of his Conversation, that he knew not how to leave him ? ,he was enchanted
with his Discourses, which he preferd tothe most e x c e l l e n t M u f i c k ? , * h e c o n f e s s e s , t h a t a M a n c o u l d
neitherhear him speak, nor even hear others repeat
whathehadsaid,withoutbeingtransported. The
Force and Truth of his Words drew Tears from
him, and made him even leap for Joy. He com-
par'dhim to certain Statues of Satyrs and Silenes,
which were made to open and shut; to look on the o u t - s i d e o f ' e m , n o t h i n g w a s m o r e u g l y ? , b u t w h e n
they were open'd, allthe Deities were found in'em together. Hehardlylov'dorrespectedanyonebe sideshim,andhenevermet. withhim,buthetook off from his own Head the Crown, which he, ac cordingtotheCustom,woreondaysofCeremony,
andputitontheHead ofSocrates. Thereforethereisnomedium,wemustjudgeof?
Socrates either as the worst and meanest of the Athe niansdid, orlikePeric/esandAJcibiades-ywe may take our Choice.
All these Contradictions which I have foreseen, and which indeed may make these Dialogues be come tothegreatestpartofReaderstlikethose exquisite Dainties that were formerlyset on Tombs, have not diseourag'd me, but only convinc'd me
that a. bare Translation, though never so exact and faithful, would not make a iufficient impression on theMindsofsome Men, ifitwerenotsupported by something, that might prevent all these Iqcon- veniencies, or at least a good part of 'em-, and I could think but of two ways to succeed inthis,
Thefirstwas,toplaceanArgumentattheHead of everyDialogue,toexplaintheSubjectofit,to unfoldtheArtandMethod ofit,andtotakepar ticular notice ofevery thinginitof the greatest im-
* IntheDialogueoftheBanquet.
t O^uafiappositionesEpularum circumposu^ Sepulchro, Ec-
C 4 portance.
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portance. TheArgumentsofMarsiliusYicinus6,9
not go to the Matter of Fact ; besides, they are tod
abstracted, and are abundantly more difficult to be'
understood than -the Dialogues themselves. And
those of IV Serres are too wide and indefinite, they
never well fix the State of the Question, or the Quality of the Proofs ? , nor do they eVer explain ei
therPlato'sDesign,orhisAddress. Now anArgu ment ought to be a faithful Guide always to attend the Reader, to conduct him where-ever he goes,and alwaystosethim intotherightPath.
The secondway was tomake Remarks toelucidate the principal Difficulties^ render the hidden Beau ties discernable, to explain the Train of Reasoning,, and the Solidity of the Principles and 'Proofs, and tohelptodiscoverwhat isfalse,from that which istrue.
Marsilius Yicinus did not so much as think of this*
Be Serres on thisAccount ismOreusefulthanhej
forbyhisMarginal Notesheatleasthinders'you
from losing the Thread of Plato's Reasoning, and
makes you comprehend the Train and Progress of his
Proofs : But yet he abandons you in the greatest dif ficulties. ? '. . -? -
In the Time of Maximus Tyrius, that is in the secondAge, itwasvery earnestlydesired,thatsome one would undertake to elucidate those obscure and knotty Pasiages of Plato-, above all in what respects his Opinions in Theology, and many Philosophers l a b o u r ' d i n t h i s W o r k , a s m a y b e s e e n i n h i s L i f e -y butwithsolittle success,thatinsteadofresolving the Difficulties, they have increased 'em. They, have scarce assisted m e once or twice in the Ten Dia logues which I have Translated ^ and they would have very often led me into Mistakes if I would havefollowed'em. -: >''?
