lity be made out from the Scripture it self. Poets were the chief Upholders of the Religion and the Philofophy in ufe among the Heathens; both these were at the first taught in fhort Maxims, which, that they might be the better receiv'd, and the more easily retain'd in Memory, were put into Verse, without any farther Ornament than just what was neceffary to give a clear and full Expreffion to their Notions and Precepts. n Socrates and the Philofophers of his time had a value for the Verses of Theognis, and those which go under the Name of Pythagoras, are at least as antient as Chryfippus, who alledg'd their Authority. Solon himself wrote Elegies, whereof fome Remains are ftill preferv'd. This gave the Poets a mighty Reputation, and we find not only Solon, but others of them quoted and appeal'd to by Demofthenes and fchines in the Courts of Judicature, as well as by Philofophers in their Difcourses. But the Poets for the more delightful Entertainment of the People, not only indulg'd themselves in that antient and useful way of Instruction by Fables (for he P was hardly efteem'd a Poet, who had been the Author of none) but they became the Promoters of all manner of fuperftitious and idolatrous Worship; the Oracles were deliver'd in Verfe, every Poet wrote fomething in honour of the falfe Gods, and ¶ Socrates himself, during his Imprisonment, n Xenoph. Conviv. & Memorab. I. i. Er múdos, 'cy's ag285, Plat, Phæd, Apud A. Gell. I. vi. c. 2, μέλλοι ποιητὴς ', ποι Plat. ib. made made a Hymn in praife of Apollo. By which means the Original Notions of Religion and Vertue were fo obfcured and corrupted, that it was impoffible in any humane way to provide a fufficient Remedy. Plato complain'd of the Fictions of Poets; but when he fet himself to recover Men to a true Sense and Notion of things by the help of some antient Traditions, which he had met withal, he fell into very abfurd and finful Errors, and both he and Socrates practis'd the Idolatries of their Country. They afferted many excellent Truths, which they had receiv'd, as they profess'd, from Antiquity; but whenever they argu'd any Point, they commonly fell into Mistakes, which oftentimes were of very ill Confequence. So weak a thing is Humane Wisdom without the Guidance of Divine Revelation! And of this the Philofophers were fo fenfible, that divers of them would have it thought, that they had fome fupernatural Assistance, tho' they were able to bring no fufficient Proof of it. The Pretences of others deferve no Regard, their Impostures were too notorious to admit of any Denial or Excufe. The Genius of Socrates may be fuppos'd Worthy of more Confideration yet it amounts to no more than this, that Socrates declared, that a certain Genius had accompany'd him from his Childhood, which of ten forbad hinr, to do what he had defign'd but never put him upon doing of any thing; and by the Information of this Genius, he often forewarn'd his Friends of the ill Succefs of t what they were about to undertake. But after the best Search I have been able to make concerning this Genius of Socrates, I cannot but look upon it as an intricate and perplext Bufinefs. r Gaffendus endeavours to prove at large, that it was only an Artifice and Pretence, to gain the greater Credit to his Doctrine. It may fuffice in this place to obferve, that Xenophon acquaints us, that when he advised with Socrates, whether he should follow Cyrus in his Expedition, Socrates fent him to the Oracle of Apollo, who, he faid, was to be confulted in obfcure and uncertain Affairs; which affords no very advantageous Character either of Socrates himself, or of his Genius. * Tully informs us, that Antipater the Stoick had made a Collection of fuch things as Socrates's Genius had difcover'd to him; but whatever they were, it appears that Tully had little regard to them. And this we are fure of, that all the Philosophy of Socrates ended in nothing but Uncertainties: For when he had just before his Death discours'd of the State after this Life, the most that he could fay to his Friends in Conclufion, was, " that they had a Noble Prize before them, great Hopes, and a glorious Venture, and therefore ought to poffefs and charm their Minds with thofe Thoughts. The Suggestions of his Genius fignify'd little to him, if it left him no better instructed, as to a future State, in the last Mo ments of his Life. It must be acknowledg'd that Socrates made great Improvements in the Moral and useful part of Philosophy: He was of an excellent Understanding, loving and belov'd of honest Men, and had Courage and Refolution enough to bear the Affronts and withstand the Malice of others; he minded none but the practical Do&rines of Philosophy, and tho' he never had travell❜d in fearch after Learning, as it was the Custom in those Ages for Philofophers to do, but scarce ever ftirr'd out of Athens, yet he knew how to make the best use of the Notions which were brought to him by those, who had been in foreign Countries. It must be confefs'd, that if Plato had not made Socrates the Author of things which he had never said, as not onXenophon, but Socrates himself declared, but had given us as plain an Account of Socrates's Philosophy, as Arrian has of that of Epictetus, we might have known more of him than we now are able to do. But from what Plato and Xenophon have faid of Socrates, we may be affur'd, that he did not refrain from idolatrous Worship, nor reject the Heathen Oracles, nor deliver his own Doctrines, without much Uncertainty and Diffidence. X Plato carry'd his Philofophy to far greater Heights than Socrates had done, and the fublimer parts of it were not to be discover'd to the A. Gell, 1. xiv. c.3. Diog. Laert. in Platon. Vulgar; Vulgar; which were fo difficult, that he declares to y Dionyfius, that Men of great Abilities, and as great Application and Industry, after the Study of Thirty Years, at last, with much ado, understood them. 2 One of Plato's Acquaintance obferv'd, that most that apply'd themselves to the Study of his Philofophy, when they were young, could hardly get to understand it in their old Age: which he illuftrated by an odd Comparison from a Jest of Antiphanes, of Words spoken in a certain City in Winter, that were frozen, and never heard, but upon a Thaw the next Spring. Some things were not to be written at all, or so obscurely as not to be intelligible, if they should fall into the hands of Men, who were not fit to be trusted with the Secret of them; and he acknowledgeth that his best and only fure Argument for the Immortality of the Soul, without the Knowledge of which, all Philofophy can be but of little worth, was from a antient and facred Tradition. The Notions and Traditions, which Plato had brought from other Countries, with his delightful way of fetting them forth, gain'd him great Reputation; fome Attempts were made by himself and those of his Sect, to bring his Laws into practice, and to erect a Commonwealth after the Model of them; his Name and Memory was had in great Efteem, his Birth-day was kept, and the Solemnity of it was renew'd about two hundred Years ago, by fome of his Admirers, ▾ Epist. 2. Plutarch. de Profectu Virtut. Epift. 7, |