No More Learning

Tfe; Who doubts it'^
Sue. Tell me, what do you call + Bach, the Sybile and our'Ampbilytus j when you zwft(4 denote their
pvfesBon. ? _rs;v
;Tbt\ What mould we call 'em but Peyiners)
Sac. Verywejl. Anfvjjermeaftefthg%memari ner about these: What do you call iiifpia^ and Per/anJe/\ when you would denote their profession by the Dominion, they Exercise ?
The. Tyrants, Ithinkjwhat otherName canwe
give 'errr* :
? ? Soc. Then every one who 4efoes to command all
tee People in this City, desires to acquire a Domi nionlike-theirs,aTyrannicalDominion, andtobe come a Tyrant. The. I think so.
*Hipphs, tht$onofPisiflratnsviaiTyramo{Atbmsfouryan> according to Timcydidts he succeeded his Father, and not Hippae thm. After he had reigned 4 years he was banished ; and 20 yearsafterhieExilewaskill'dactheBattleofMn^tbtm, where he bore Arms for the Persians.
? f BackwasaProphetwholongbeforeXerxesmade aDescent into Greece, predicted to the People all that should befal 'em, Herodotus relates some of his Prophesies in his VIII Book ; and looks upon 'em to be soformal and plain, since? theirAccomplish ment, that he says, he neither dares accuse these Oracles of sals- hood himself, nor suffer others so to do, or to refuse to give Cre ditto'em. AristophanesspeaksofthisPcrinerinhisComdy0] race. AsforMphilytus,Iknowsothingofhim.
?
Soc.
? ? Of WUVQM. 259
'Soc. This then is the Science with which you are ibmuchinLove.
The. . That isa natural Consequence jofwhat I have said.
Soc. Y o u are a Villain ! D o y o u desire to b e c o m e
our Tyrant ; and have the boldnets to complain that
your Father does not put you under the Conduct of
feme Person that may qualifie you forTyrany?
$Andyou,Demodocus;whoknowyourSon'sAmbi-
Q % and have wherewith to:fend him to be accom-
pltfo'd in this fineScience which he desires, are not y o u a f h a m ' d t o e n v y h i m t h i s H a p p i n e s s ? , a n d n o t
to provide him tome great Master ? But since he << o w c o m p l a i n s o f y o u , a s y o u i e e , i n m y P r e s e n c e ;? letusconsider-whithertosendhim, andifweknow any one whose Conversation may make him an ac- complish'd Tyrant.
Dem. Socrates,IbegofyouforGod's,sakeletusD . considerittogether. Foronsuchanoccasionasthisduals'
we have need ofgood Advice.
Soc, Hold a little, let us firstknow ofhim what
he thinks of the Matter.
Dem. You may ask him what you please.
Soc. Theages, if we had to do with Euripides,
who somewhere says,
Wife are the Tyrantsjxho with tV iv/fe Converse.
andshouldaskhim,Euripides, inwhatdoyoufay Tyrants become wife by the Conversation of wise Men ? Ifinsteadofthatheshouldtellus, Wifearethe'Plow-men, zvbowitht)fwifeConverse, we should not fail to ask him, in what are rhe Plow-men render'd wife ? Do you think he would give us any otljer answer than that they are render'd wise in that which belongs to Husbandry ?
The. No:HewouldgivenootherAnswer.
% This isan Ironie of Socrates founded on what Dtmodic*s said acthebeginningof thisDiscourse, vi\. thathisSon had an Ambi tionthatwasnotdishonourable. MarjiiutsRinniuand DrSims were equally mistaken here ; and not perceiving the Ironie corrup ted this Passage by their Trans! ition.
ibUheira. ist-,*>hich
stSS*'-* calls"""'
,
S2 Soc.
? ? 160
THE AGES }or,
Soc. Andifheshouldtellus,
Wife are the Cooks, who with the wife Converse, andweshouldaskhimwhereintheyaremadewife? What do you think he would answer ? Would he not say they are made wise in the Art of Cookery ?
The. Without doubt.
Soc. And if he should say,
Wife are the Wrefllers', who with tV wife Con
verse: '?
Would he not upon the Repetition of the same
Question give us the fame Reply, that theyare made expertintheArtofWrestling? The. Yescertainly.
Soc. Thisbeingso,sincehetellsus, >
Wife are the Tyrants, who with tV wife Con verse :
. If we should ask him, Euripides, in what are those Tyrants render'd wise ? What answer do you think he would make us? in what would he make thisWisdomconsist? The. IprotestIcan'ttell.
Soc. Shall I tell you then?
The. Withallmyheart,ifyouplease.
Soc. He would say they were made wise in that
Art which Anacreon tells us, * the wife Callicrete knew perfectlywell. Don'tyourememberhisSongs?
The. Ido remember it.
Soc. Wellthendon'tyoudesiretobecommittedto theCareofsomeMan, whoisofthefameProfefli- ? on with this Virgin of Cyane, and knows like her
theArtof forming Tyrants, that you may become ourTyrant,audthatofthewholeCity? \
The. Socrates, you have play'd and jested on me a great while.
Soc. How ! Don't you fay you desire to acquire that Science which will teach you to govern all the Citizens ? Can you govern them without becoming their Tyrant ?
The* I could heartily wiih to become the Tyrant
* ThiswasaVirginwhoernploy'dherseisinteachingPoliticks, as Afpssia, Victim}, and some others did after her. The Verses whir-li Anacrton made on her arelost,
of
? ? Of WISDOM. . i6t
ofallMankind, andifthatbetoomuch, atleast ofthegrearestpartof'em;andIbelieve, Socrates, youwouldhavethe sameAmbitionaswelLasallother M e n : N a y perhaps it would so little content you to
be a Tyrant, that,you would be a God ; but I did xbisit not tell you that that was the thing I desir'd. famdtd on
Soc. What is it you desire ? Don't you fay you wb* So- desiretogovernCitizens? " ' ? *? **? *?
The. NottogovernthembyforceasTyrantsdo^thatMm
but by theirown Consent, as those great Men haxejbnldU- done which we have had in this City. **<<? to
Soc. What! asThemistocles, Pericles, Qmon,J5*<<J*'
andothergreatPoliticianshavedone? The. Yes.
Soc. Well then, if you had a mind to become very expert in the Art of Horsemanship, to what Mendoyouthinkyououghttoapplyyour. selfto become a good Horse-man ? Would you go to any other than Querries ?
The. Nocerrainly. *
Soc. Would you not make choice of the best Querries ; those that have the greatest Number of Horses i and such as ride not only their o w n Horses, butthoseofotherMen? ? .
The. Without doubt I should choose such.
q^ ^
Soc, And if you would become very expert at. /hooting, would you not address your self to the bestArchers;and tosuchasbestknowhowtouse all forts of Bows and Arrows ?
The. Yes, certainly.
Soc. Tell me then, since you have a mind to be come expert inPoliticks , do you think you can ac* quire this Skill in addressing your self to any beside great Politicians, who have a depth of Judgment in this. Science, and know how to conduct, not only their own City, but many others as well of the Greeks as the Barbarians. ^Or do you think by conver singwith any other fort of Persons, to become as expert a,s these great M e n ?
? The. Socrates. I have heard talk of some Dis
, S 3 courses
? ? %6i
. THEAGES. , or,
?
courses of yours t, which you made (as *tis said) to shew, that * the Sons of these great Politicians were no better than the Sons ofCobleoe-, and asfar asIcanjudg,'t'tsanundeniableTruth. Ishould
therefore be a great Fool to believe that any one of
'em,couldgivemehisWisdom,whichhedidnot
communicate to hisown Son, and which he ought tohavebestow'donhimmuchrather,ifhewereca
pable of doing it, than on a Stranger.
Soc. What would yo do then, Theages^ ifyou had a
Son that follow'd you so closely every day, telling you' hehadamindtobeagreatPainter? andcomplained continually that y o u w h o w e r e his Father, w o u l d not beartheleastexpencetosatisfyhisdesire$ while on the other sidehe despis'd the mostexcellentMas ters,and refus'd to go to School to 'em to learn their Art? Ilaythefameifhehadamindtoplaywell o n t h e F l u t e , o r t o b e a n e x c e l l e n t H a r p e r ? , s h o u l d
youknowanyotherway togratifyhim,oranyother People to send hinrto ; when he should refuse such Masters?
The. For m y part I know not what could be done.
Soc. This is exactly the fame course that you take with your . Father : H o w then can you be liirpriz'd and complain, that he knows not what to do with you,norwheretofendyoutomakeyouanAccom
plishedMan? icritlieswhollyatyourownDoor. If
you will, he will immediately put you under the "Conduct of our best Masters ; and such as are most expertinPoliticks: Youhave nothingtodo butto choose your Teacher; They'll ask nothing of you. Sothatyoumay laveyourMoney,andacquirewith them more Reputation among the People, t than
you can obtain in the Conversation of any other.
* AllrhosegreatPoliticianscouldnotteachtheirChildrento, he wife-, a sure sign that Wisdom can't be taught; there ii no thingof itinMan, butwhatGod putsintohim,asSocratesproves inorc ar ! ,:rge in his . vinsn.
t For-the common People are very illJudges, and may be ea sily iltcc iv'd, hey constantly t-ke those -Men for the most wi<? a'gd. skillful, who are most bold and insolent,
? ? ,0f WISDOM. 263
The. Well then, Socrates, are not you likewise one of those Great M e n >if youll suffer. me to attend you 'tisenough, I'llseekfornootherMaster.
Soc. WhatisthatyoufayTheages?
Dem. AhSocrates, MySonhaslaidverywell,
andyouwoulddomeagreatKindness! No,Ihave
nogreaterHappinessthantofeemy Sonpleasdwith y o u r C o m p a n y ? ,< a n d t h a t y o u a f e s o g o o d a s t o p e r
mithimtotakethisLiberty. Iamafham'd'tofay
how much I desire it; but I entreat you both for
God's fake, you, Socrates, to receive m y Son ; aud
yort, Son, never to seek any other Master than So
crates. Bythismeansyou'llbothdelivermefromSocrates my greatestTroubleandFears. ForIam continu-wafthm
allyreadytodiewith FearlestmySonshouldfall^rdy^PirfL into the Hands of some Person that will corrupt him. atAthens, The. Well, Sir, you may lay aside your Fears on *** TMkom
myaccount,ifyouarebuthappyenoughtopersuade*/? * ? Socrates,andengagehimtobetroubledwithme. hlfchildrin Dem. Son, you have Reason. I'll now apply without
my self tonone butyou, Socrates-,and nottoa-damn. m u s e y o u w i t h s u p e r f l u o u s D i s c o u r s e ? , I a m r e a d y
togivemy selfup toyou,andallthatIhaveinthe World:Youmayentirelydisposeofme, ifyou will love my Theages, andprocurehim allthat good, you are capable of doing him.
Soc. I"don't wonder, DemoAocus, that you are so
very importunate, ifyou believe your Son may fe-whatought ceive Advantage from me ; for I know nothing" bethe
about which a wife Father ought to be more earnest*"^ a andcareful that! aboutwhatconcernshisSon-,and'wTiF* whatmaymakehimagoodMan. Butthatwhichther. surprizesme, andwhich! can'scomprehend,is,how youcametothinkme capable-ofrendringyouthis
great peice of Service^ aid of forming him into a^ goodCitizen:Andhowcamehetoimaginemeto be in a better Condition of assisting him than hisFa ther ? For in-the first place you have liv'd longer in, theWorld thanI;you haveexercisedthePrincipal Offices, and are the most considerable Person in your
S 4 Town;
? ? x64 T. HEAGES; or,
F o r t h e c i - T o w n ? , a n d n o n e i s m o r e h o n o u r ' d o r e s t e e m ' d t h a n tf>><<<<>>? you,inalltherestoftheCity.
Neitheryou nor
ursTernsvourSon^eeanvofxhi^sAdvantagesinme. But trBur- ifTbeagesdespisestheConversationofourPoliti-
w u h s .
c i a n s ? , a n d i s l o o k i n g a f t e r t h o s e P e r s o n s w h o p r o misetoeducateYouth well, we-havehereProaicus
ofGw, Gorgia*theLeontine, FolusofAgrigentum, and divers others, w h o are of so great Ability, that as they go their Rounds from City to City, they m a k e a shift. topersuade theyoung People ofalttheno blestandrichestFamilies, whomightbeinstructed Gratis by one oftheir own Citizens whom they w o u l d please to choose ^ they m a k e a shift I fay, to p e r s u a d e ' e m t o r e n o u n c e t h o s e o f t h e i r o w n C i t y -, a n d to adhere to them, tho' they must pay 'em great Summs, and after all think themselves under great Obligationsto'em. *ThesearetheMenthatyou, and your Son should choose, instead of thinking of me-,for1know noneofthosepoliteandhappy Sciences : I would indeed understand 'em with all my heart,butIhavealwaysprofess'dtoacknowledge thatIknow nothing(asImay fay)unlessitbeone littleSciencetwhichonlyrespectsLove. AndI formy part,dareboastofbeingmoreprofoundin thisScience,suchasitis, thananyofmyPredeces sors, or those of the present Age.
The. Sir, you see very well, Socrates will not troublehimselfwithme? ,ifhewould, Ishouldve
ryreadilyputmy selfunderhisConductsbuthe jests when he thus speaks of himself -, for I know divers of m y Equals, and others of a more advanc'd A g e t h e n m i n e ? , w h o b e f o r e t h e y a t t e n d e d t o h i m h a d
no great matter of merit ; but since they have enjoy'd
$ ThisisanTronicwhichSeeratisufntoridiculethatexcessive eagerness,withwhichtheAthenianstantotheseSophists, who were good for nothing but to corrupt their Minds.
t Socratesmeans, that he was only fittoinspireMen with the love of Wjldr m. With ut this Love all is dead. This is a Princ;p! e 01 Life, rrd, as jic elsewhere says, the most speedy, most'cc tain and most efficacious help which God has given Men tg bring 'em to supream Happiness,
? ? Os WISDOM. i6f
his Conversation are in a littletime become the fi n e s t M e n i n t h e W o r l d -, a n d f a r s u r p a s s t h o s e t o whom they weremuchinferiorbefore.
Soc. Tbeqges,Do youknowhowthiscomestopals>
The. YestrulyIknow itverywell, and if you were will willing ? , I should soon be like those
young Men,'and should have no occasionto envy 'em. Soc. You are mistaken, my dear Theages^ and
areveryfarfromthetruth^whichIamnowgo
ing to inform you * I have had by the Favour of
God, ever since I was born, a Genius that always
accompanies, and governs me. This Genius isaVoice
which whenever it speaks to me always diverts me
from what I have a mind to do, and never prompts
metoit. WhenanyoneofmyFriendscommuni
cates any design to me,if I hear thisVoice,'tis a certain
sign that God does not approve of this design, but
would divert him from it. I'll name several Per
sonstoyou,whoareWitnessesofwhatIfay. You
know theGallantCharmides,Glaucorfs Son:He
came to me one day to acquaint me with a design
he had to go and contend at the t Nemean Games.
Hehadno. soonerbeguntocommunicatethisMat- .
ter to me, but I heard the Voice ; Therefore I en-
deavour'dtodissuadehimfromit, andsaidthusto vhim? ,assoonasyou begantoopenyourMouthI
heardtheVoiceoftheGeniusthatguidesme, there foreIentreatyounottogo. He replied,perhaps this Voice advertises you that I shall not be Crown'd : but if I don't obtain the Victory, I shall however exercisemy self-,Ishallengagewiththerest,and thatisenough. Withthesewordsheleftme,and went to the abovesaid Exercises. You may know
* IhavehadbytheFavourofGod, theGreekfays0ek//oif(*
by a Divine Lot, that is to speak properly by Predestination ; and
consequentlybythefavourotGod. twi^y. isherethefamething
as xAwf(C)- in the Writings of St. Paul, as that Learned and Pious
Personwhohas latelymadeasmallextractofPlatohasobserv'd
beforeme.
? {? One of the four famous Games of Greece,which were celebrated
once in three Years near the City ({Nemei in Ptlofmtiefus in hoT ^ur ofArchemews, fiom
? ? t66
TBEAGESiOt]
fromhisownMouthwhatbefelhim, anditwell deservesyourNotice. AndifyouwouldaskQi- tomacus, the Brother of * Timarchus, what this lat ter told him when he was goiug to dye for having deipis'dtheAdmonitionormygoodGenius;and again what was said to him by Evathlus who was so famous for running Races, and who entertained Timarchus when he fled, he would tell you that Timarchus said to him in express Terms *****
The. What did he fay to him, Socrates'?
Soc. I am going to die because I would not believe Socrates. AndifyouarecurioustoknowtheStory, I'Htellityou. When Timarchusrosefrom Table with Philemon the Son of Philemonides, to go and killNicioertheSonofHerqfcamander, fornonebut they two were in the Conspiracy, as he rose up he saidtome, Whatdoyoufaytome,Socrates? you have nothing to do but toflay allhere and drink toge ther ; I am obliged to be gone, but will return in a momentifIcan. Upon thisIheardtheVoice, and immediately calling him back said to him ? , I beg you would not go out, m y good Geniu9 has given his wontedSignal. Uponwhichhestayed:Butsome time after rises up again, and fays : Socrates I ant going. TheVoicewasrepeated, andIstop'dhim 3gain. Infinebecausehewouldescapemeherose up the third time without saying any thing to me ? , and taking his Opportunity when my Thoughts wereotherwiseemploy'd,hestip'dout, anddidthat which brought him to his End ; This was the reason he told his Brother he was going to die because he wouldnotbelieveme. Youmayalsolearnfrom marJ ? f our Citizens what I told 'em about the Ex-
Govtrnmu
0fAicibia-peditionofSicily, andthe ShocksthatourArmy
d<<and wouldreceivethere. Butnottomentionthingsthat- Nicias. arepaf^0fwhichyoumaybeeasilyinform'dby
thosethatknow'emperfectlywelljYoumaynow
* I suppose this isTimtrchus ofcbtronia who defir'd to be mrerr'd nearoneofSocrateshisSonswhodiedalittlebefore. Icould nercr find any footstep of this History elsewhere.
make
? ? Of WISDOM. i67 make tryalof tillsSignal which my goodGenius ?
commonly gives me, that you may fee whether he speakstrue. ForwhenthebraveSanmonwentfor t h e A r m y I h e a r d t h i s V o i c e ? , a n d h e i s n o w g o i n g
with*ThrafyllnsagainstEphefus, andtheotherCi tiesof Ionia; Iam persuaded he'll dye there, or some Misfortune will befal him * and t I very muchfearthatEnterprizewillnotsucceed. Ihave told you all this tp make you comprehend, that e- venforthosewhoarewillingtoadheretome, all dependsonthisgoodGeniusthatgovernsme. |jFor thosewhom heopposescanneverderiveanyadvan tagefromme:Ican'tsomuchashaveanyConver
sion with 'em. There are many whom he does nothindermefrom,seeing;andyetthesemake no
greaterproficiencythantheformer;butthose, whose Conversation with me is approved and favour'd by
thisgood Geniusaresuchasyoutoldmeofjustnowj who inaverylittletimemake averygreatprogress-, in some this Progress is stable and permanent, and takesdeepRoot;and inothers'tisbutforatime: That is while they are with me they advance after asurprizingmanner? ,buttheynosooner leaveme b u t t h e y r e t u r n t o t h e i r f o r m e r C o n d i t i o n ? , a n d d o n ] t
atalldifferfromtheGeneralityofMen. Thisis what happen'd to Aridides, the Son of Lysimacbus,
* Thnsytlus was chosen General with Tbrafybritu the 4* year
of the 9 2 Olympiade.
f Indeed the Athenians were beaten and repuls'd at Ephtfus.
Xmpb. B<w? I. ThereforePlutarchfaysintheLifeofAlcibiidts that Thx*fyBM his Army was terribly gall'd under the Walls of Epbefus:andthathimemeryof thisDefeattheEpbesianserected a Trophy of Brass to the shame of the Athenians.
UAremarkablePassage HerearelourStatesofMen. Some arerejectedofGod fortheirWickedness, whichcan'tbehid from him, others are tolerated for a time ; God gives 'em time to fee, and learn, but they are not attentive, and 'tisonly their own fault, thattheymakenoprogress. Othersareapprov'd,buttheselast succeed very differently: In some the good Seed falling into good Ground takesdeep root, and inothersitflourishesbutforatime5
astheGospelsaysofthose_whoreceivetheWof"din flonyPlaces oramongThorns. ThisistheTruthSqsratesdesignstoteachin
this Place.
r'"- '? '? '-'? ? a n d
? ? 2<SS THEAGESi of,
? and Grandson to Aristides, while he was with me
he made a very strange Progress in a very (host time but being oblig'd to go in some Expedition, he em- bark'd :At his return he found that* Thucydides the Son of Melefias,a. ni Grandson of Thucydides had been w i l l i n g t o b e a c q u a i n t e d w i t h m e ? , b u t i t h a p p e n ' d
the day before, I know not how, that he fell out withmeforsomeWordswe hadindisputing. Now Arijiidescomingtofeeme, afterthefirstComple ments? ,Socrates, lays he, I am just now toldthat Thucydides is angry with you, and ath with a greatdealofHaughtinessasifhe weresomewhat morethanordinary Tistrue,laidI. +ha,Repli ed he, what does he no longer remember what a Slave hewas beforehesaw you ? 'Tisvery likelyhehasfor gotten it, said I. Iruly Socrates, added he, A ve ryridiculousthinghashappen'dtome. Ipresently ask'dhimwhatitwas. 'Tisthis,saidhe. Before I went for the Army, I was capable of discoursing withMen ofthegreatestfense$and was notinfe-
riour to any of 'em in Conversation. I made as hand some a figure as another \ and always kept company withthe\bestandmostpoliteMen1couldfind. Where as now 'tis quite contrary, I carefully avoid 'em, I am so much ashamed ofmy Ignorance. Iask'd him ifthisFaculty hadlefthim suddenlyorgradually. Heanswer'dme,thatitlefthimgradualy. Well how didyou come by it, said I, ivas it while you were Learningsomethingosme, orsomeotherway? I'll tellyou Socrates, reply'd he, 'Tis a thing that will
seem incredible,butyet'tisverytrue:%1couldne ver learn any thing of you, as you know very well. * TheGrand-SonofThucydideswho rivall'dPericlesintheGo
vernment.
f MenarenobetterthanvileSlavesbefore theyhave attended
to Philosophical Discourses.
j] J e e r a t e s c a l l s t h o s e g o o d a n d p o l i t e , w h o s p e n t t h e i r t i m e i n
discoursing on solid and agreeable Subjects.
t HemeansheIearn'dnothingthathadmade adeepandlasting
Impression on his Mind, he had Opinions only, and not Science ilnrehehadbeenbyhimself, butwasmoreknowingwhenhewas \rith Socrates.
How
? ? Of WISDOM. 169
howeverImadesomeproficiency, ifIwasbutinthe
fameHouse*whereyou were,tho*notinthefame Room5whenIcouldbeinthefameRoomIadvanced
ftillmore-, and wheneveryou/poke, Isensiblyfound
my selfimproveyet more when 1 had my Eyes uponyou,
than when I looJCd another way : But this Progress
was incomparably greater, when I fat nearyou and touched you, whereas now all this Habit isutterly
vanished. Thus you fee, Theages, what fort of
Conversationistobehadwithme. tIfitplease
God, you'll advance considerably, and in a very little
time ; otherwise your Endeavours will be fruitless.
Judge then ifitbe not more advantagous, and safe for
you toapply your selftoone oftholeMasterswho abmdfrm
are constantly succesful with all their Scholars, than Banter<< tofollowme, withallthehazardsyoumustrun. tbtSefbip.
The. I'lltellyou, Socrates, what we ought to do inmy Opinion. When we begintolive together, let us try this G o d that conducts us : If he approves ourConversation;IamatthetopofmyWishes: if hedisapproves it;letus immediately consider whatCoursetotake,andwhetherIoughttoseek another Master, or should endeavour to appease this God * by Prayers, by Sacrifices, or any other . Expiations, which our Deviners teach.
Dem. Don'topposethe youngMan'sDesiresany longer. Theagesspeaksverywell.
Soc. If you think 'tis best to do so ; with allm y heart. Iagreewithyou.
* TherearefourDegreesofLight,accordingasyoumoreor lessapproachwifeMen. 'TissomethingtolodginthefameHouse,
'tis a littlemore to be in the fame R o o m ; Vis a yet greater advan tagetohaveone'sEyesa/waysupon'em;thatsoonemayloose noneoftheirWords, butthegreatestbenefitofall,i*tobenear 'em,andifImaysospeak,tobealwaysglew'dto'em. Few Personsaresocenfirm'dinWisdom, thatthey canlose sightof 'emwithImpunity,andwithoutgreatdamage. Thesedifferenc Degrees are still more remarkable in proportion to the Approach wemaketothedivineWisdom. IbelievethisisalltheMystery
Socrattsdesign*toteachhere. WefeeadmirableProofsofthis Truth intheWritingsoftheSaints.
+ ForalltheGood weeitherdo,orreceive,comesfromGod. ? TherearcbutthreewaysMencanusetoappeasetheAngerof
God, Prayers, Sacrifices, and Purifications. The
? ? 270
The ARGUMENf OF
EUTYPHROM ? i. ". iij/'
I N alltimes,aa&ia? <<$Religionsthere. havebeen superstitious Persons <W& Mifocrifes. , Both thesehaveoffer'dalmostthe-sum InjurytoGod,
and equally hurt Religion,? . Plato introduces one of theseQharaffersinthisDialogue-,for'tisnot easy
to determine whether Eutypteon afts-,sufexsttiipusly or hypocritically; theformer, inmost probakle, Eu- typhxongoesabouttoaccusehn ownfatherosMur der-, This is 4 very unnatural step'- But on the o- therhand'tisthestepofaMan who. consultsnot flesh and Blood ; when thaQuestio* k about doing an A S ionso agreeable to Gad at thai of bringing a Cri minaltoPunishment. TheBusinessinhandthere
fore here is to. examine this ASion to know if it be
just. AndPlatorenewsthisDiscoursetoridicule
thefalse Religions of the Pagans, and the Plurality
ofGods, togetherwiththerestoftheirfables:And.
toshew, thatthey who then pastfor the most intelli
gent Persons in Matters ef Religion, had ivdeqd no knowledg of it, and rendered God onlyfalse Worship,
whichdishonourdhim. ThisisasgreataDesignas
hecouldhavej andheexecutesitwithmarvellous,
Address, to which purpose the Person against whom
Socrates had disputedserves extremely well. For
E u t y p h r o n w a s n o o r d i n a r y M a n -, h e w a s a D e v i n e r - ^ andconsequentlyclothrd withthe QnraUer, anden
trusted with the Office of instruUing others in Religi on. Nothing can be more ingenious, and natural than the beginning of this Dialogue, where Plaw
----
with
? ? TheArgumentosEutyphroru l^i
withgreatSimplicityandModesty, andwithoutthe least appearance of Affettation, discovers at first view, not only the Charaffer of Eutyphron, and that , ofallsuperstitiousPersons^ whobytheirRgfigious Miftdfys art comiqohfo fanned to the Cpqmijfion of allforts of Injuries and Crimes ; but also that of'So crates, that of his Persecutors, and in general, that oftheAthenians. ThisDialogueisfullasexcellent PreceptsofMoralityandReligion. There'sagreat
dealofIngenuityand Subtiltyinit:The livelyDe scriptions, the frequent Ironies, and fatyrical Strokesadmirablydiversifyit. W(u. thereeverseen a moresubtilepiece of Satyr than that which Plato makesagainstMe\\tos? Me isnotcontentsomention hisName, andinwhatpartoftheCityhewasborn;
b u t l i k e w i s e d r a w s h i s P i l l u r e t, a n d y e t a l l t h e s e I n
dicationscan'tmakehimknowntoEutyphron. He
that accuses Socrates, and thinks himself capable of
reforming the Commonwealth, byshewing what it is
thatcorruptsTouth,andoverthrowsReligion, isnei
therknowntohimwhomheaccuses, nortotheMi
nifiesofthat Religionofivhichhepretendstobe
thegreatSupport. AlltheotherlikeStrokeswillbe
easily observ d in Reading, and the Beauty of theCha-
raclerofthesuperstitiousMan, zohobelievesathing
only because he believes it, and who is always near
the Truth without ever attaining it, will be plainly discerned. TheReaderwillseewithPleasure,that
Eutyphron is a good honest Man, who has upright Intentions, but isso full of respetl for the Fables thathave beentaughthim, thathereceives''emallas
sacred without ever entertaining the leastsuspicion concerning''em; heissoswell'dwithPride, andfull of that precipitant Confidence, which Superstition commonly inspires, that he publishes his Visions as certain Truths, not to be contradicted by any Man. AndSocrates,whomakes,asifhewere willingto be instruUed, receives his DotJrine with refin'd Iro- nies^and ambiguous Railleries-, and at length confutes it zvith abundance of Strength and Solidity.
EU-
? ? 171
EUTVPHRON, OR
, OfHoliness.
Eutyfbron, Socrates.
fbiiKing's Etfs. TX TKatNews Socrates? What have you left Torchwas y \ theCompanyofLyceustocomehither Vu"h? " intotheKing'sPorch? youhavenobusinesstobring
filersthe youhither,asIhave.
ceramiquc, Soc. 'Tissomewhatworsethanbusiness,Eutyphron,
tvhirtout theAthenianscallitanAccusation.
tjthenine g^ How doyousay>tnen 'tislikelysomebo-
S$5? dyaccusesyou,*forIcanneverbelieveyouwould
calledthe accuseany one.
Kite,pre- Soc. Youareintheright.
fidtdior EutWdlwhoisyourAccuser?
TmZfd Soc. Idon'tknowverywellmyfelt;Itake toi^Cog- himtobeaYoungMan whoisnotyetknown,I niseanaof thinkhisNameisMelitus,heisoftheTownofPit- r i o & Z theus ? If y? u remember any one of that Quarter LiofOat'ofthe'CitywhobearsthatName, who hasLank ragesthat Hair, a Thin Beardand a Crooked Nose, thatisthe were com- J^lan.
Tina Re Eut- Ido,1,t remember any such Person, Socrates, Ueiti 'butIpray,whatistheChargehebringsagainstyou?
Soc. WhatistheCharge? Why 'tissuchaone asshewshimtobenoOrdinaryMan. For'tisno
*Thisisveryremarkable. Entffbronwhoisgoingtoaccuse M s o w n F a t h e r c a n ' t b e l i e v e t h a t S << r << f u is c a p a b l e o f a c c u s i n g a n y Man. PUtomakesuseeitheroftheprecipitancyofthisSuperstiti ous Man, or of the good opinion he has of himself, to insinuate thatatA'. btnshonestMen never drovetheTradeof Accusers.
little
? ? ofnolitress:~ i7;
little thing to be so knowing in such Important and Sublime matters at an Age ib little advanc'd as his. He faysheknows how ourYoutharecorrupted,and who they are that corrupt 'em. He seems to be someableMan who.