No More Learning

Being unhappily taught what Good es Philofo-they had lost, by the Evils they suffer'd, they made fkrs. theirbestEfrprtstorepairtheirloss. ButsinceMan
in a state of Perfection had not strength enough to keep that Happiness he enjoy'd ; h o w should he be able when in a state of Corruption, to put himself in possession (if that true Good, of which Sin had d e p r i v e d h i m ? N o , 'tis n o t t o b e e x p e c t e d f r o m h i m , that he should conduct us back to our former Feli city. , This is the work of God and not of Man.
All the wife Pagans may in this respect be com- par'dtodrunkenMen,whowhiletheyhaveamind to return Home, knock at every Door, and take eve ryHousefortheirown. SomeremainsofReason still gave 'em a discovery of what they ought to seek ; and an inexhaustible Source of Blindness and Corruption, still hinder'd 'em from finding it, or if theyfounditfromembracingit. Socrateswasthe first of 'em, who was eminently distinguish'd from othersbyaclearerandpurerLight (whichperhaps
? '-* was
? ? 7he Life os Plated
i p
WastheRewardofhisModestyandHumility)and acquir'd a more sublime and certainknowledg ofthe DutiesofMan, oftheNatureofGod, oftheLaw ofNature,andofJustice. ThereforeP/atolaysof him, thatheaddedFiretoFire,therebysignifying, that by amassing together those degrees of Light,
which he found scatter'dup and down ; and giving 'em a new Lustre by his luminous and fruitful Mind, he spread Light far and near,and rais'dagreat Flame outofthat,which beforehistime,wasbutanum ber of little Sparks almost buried under the Ashes : But this sublime knowledg of his, was not without amixture of many Errors;sothattogainadvantage by his Doctrine, which has been preferv'd and im- prov'd by P/ato, care must be taken to separate the
T r u t h s w h i c h it p l e a s ' d G o d t o d i s c o v e r t o h i m , f r o m the Falshoods and Illusions, in which he himself in- volv'd'em. Thiswemay mostcertainlydo, since we have thetruemeasure ofTruth. inourHands, whichistheWordofGod. Allhefays,thatis conformable to this, is undoubtedly true; and m a y moreover serve to prove the Truths of the Christian Religion ;and whatever isopposite to it, isthe fruit ofFalshoodandError. AndtheDoctrineofPlato itselfhasthisadvantage, thatsuchanExamenas w e plead for is one of his principal Rules, and his firstPrinciple;forhemaintains, thatnothingought ever to be received in any Science, but what agrees
with *EternalTruth,andwiththeOraclesofGod. Plato founded the Old Academy on the Opinions of Pythagoras, those of Heraclitus, and those of Socrates, and by adding to the discoveries of these
greatMenthatLightwhichhehadacquir'dinhis Tiavels, and had deriv'd from the fame Springs, he
establishedaSect ofPhilosophersmuch more perfect than rhose that had appeared in the World before
him. However, Ishallnotlookbacksofarasthose
* By this Eternal Truth Plata means an ancient Tradition, whichhepretendsthefirstMeqreceivedfromGod, andtransmit ted to (heir Posterity.
Philqfo-
? ? 36
The Life of Plato; '
PhilosophersIhavemention'd, whoseOpinionsmay beseeninDiogenesLaertius. IllsaybutaWord ofthembytheway,andconfiningmyself*onlyto whatrelatestoP/ata. IshallfirstgiveanAccount o f h i s L i f e ? , a f t e r t h i s I s h a l l e x p l a i n h i s D o c t r i n e , and examin it with respect to Morality, Religion, Policy,PhysicksandLogick. Ishallasmuchas in m e lies, discover the Source, both of the Truths
and Errors he teaches : I shall speak of his way of treating the Subjects on which he insists: Frorri
thence I shall proceed to make a Judgment of his Stile ? , I shall speak of his Principal Interpreters,
aridinfineshallgiveaTranslationof someof his Dialogues ; the Method and- Subjects of which I shall explain j and here I shall remark whatever I thinkmaybestillofusetous. 'Tiswithsucha disposition of Mind as this, that we should read theWorksoftheHeathens;forthosewhoaretoo much enamour'd of 'em, and take up with them, never find enough Truth in 'em to give 'em Satis faction and Righteousness enough to fortifie 'em a- gainst Vice, but continue to want the true Food of Souls,andremainindigentofsolidVertue. This Method I speak of, is taught us by a * Learned
Father of the Church, and was followed by him self, as he informs us in the t Letter he wrote to Pope Damafus -, in which, after he had applied to thispurpose, the t Law God gave his People, con cerning a strange Woman, when taken Captive in War, who was not to be married to an Israelite, tillhehadcaus'dhertochangeherClothes, tobe purified, and to have her Nails and her Hair cut ; headds. |"WedothefamewhenwereadtheHea- " then Philosophers (who to us are thatstrange Wo-
* St. Jtromi. f Letter 145. t D ^ >> c*><</>. ar.
I Itaque & nos facere solemus quando Philosophos Icgimiw,' quando inmanus nostras iibri vcniunt sapientiae saecularis ; siquid i n c i s u t i l e r e p e r i m u s , a d n o s t r u m d o g m a c o n v c r t i m u s , si q u i d v c - ro superfluum, de Idolis, de amore, de cura saxularium rerun),' rixcradimus,hisCalviciumiaducimus,hxcinunguiummorem fen o acutissimo refecamcs.
& man)
? ? The Use of Plato. ^r C( m a n ) a n d w h e n t h e B o o k s o f t h e W i s d o m o f t h i s
"Worldfallintoourhands. Ifwefindany thing
" in V/# that isprofitable, we make use of it by re- w ferring it to our own Principles ; and when we
"findanythinguselessandsuperfluous, aswhenthey . " treat of Hols, of Love, and of the Care ofEarth- " ly andPeriflnible things, this we pare away. These " are the Clothes zvhich we take from this strange
"Woman;thesearctheAailsandHairwecutoff " with ajharp Injirument.
By this means we restore to the good Philosophy
and sound Theology of the Ancient Hebrews, what
the Greeks have itollen from 'em, for they are en richedonly with theirSpoils.
Plato descended from a Brother of Solon, and consequently was of the Family of Codrus King of Athens, and thus his Genealogy may be Trac'd to Neptune by Neleus King of Pylos, from whom Codrw descended in the Fifth Generation : So that in respect of his Birth, his Nobility was as great as any the Pride of any Man can flatter themselves withal. Arifion having efpous'd his Cousin Ger man Periffione, * 'tispretendedthat Apolloappear'd to him in a Dream, and forbad him to approach hisWife, becauseshewaswithChildbyHim. Ari
fionobey'd; and now look'd upon PeriUione no more as his Wife, but as a Goddess, till she was deliver'dofPlato,o\\the Day of Apollo's f Nativity, astheDeliansaffirm. Plutarchmakesa Reflection upon this, which deserves not tobe forgot. He fays, Those thathavemade Apollo Plato'sFather, have donethatGod nodishonourinattributingtohimthe ProductionofaMan, whoisthePhysicianofSouls; and labours to cure 'em of the most violent Passions, and most dangerous Distempers. And St. Jerome
* These Suppositions were usual in chose Timei, for instance, there was soon after this, a W o m a n of the Kingdom of Pontus, who persuaded a multitude ot People that (fee was with Child by ApUo,andwasbroughttoBedofaSon,whowasnam'dSilems, , whomLyftndtrwaswillingtomakeuseoftocarry on theDesign hehadlaidtomakehimselfKingofSpartt. fThe7thofFeb.
some-
? ? 7k LifeofPlato:
somewhere observes, That those Philosophers who firstgave out this Fable, did not believe that he w h o m they look'd upon as the Prince of Wisdom, could be born of any other than a Virgin.
P / a t o w a s b o r n t h e first Y e a r o f t h e E i g h t y e i g h t h Olympiade, thatis426 Years beforethe Nativityof JesusChrifl. HewasatfirstcalFdArijiocles,af tertheName ofhisGrand-Farher:His Wrestling- Master calFd him Plato, from his broad square Shoulders ; and he continued ever after to bear this Name. InhisInfancyashewasoneDaysleeping under a Myrtle Tree, 'tis said a Swarm of Bees settledupon hisLips, which was taken asan Omen tosignifiethathisStyle wouldbeextreamlysweet. H e began his Studies under a Grammarian call'd Dio nysus, made his Exercises under Arison of Argos, learn'd Musick of Draco the Athenian j and under
Metellus of Agrigentum, he apply'd himself to
Painting and Poesy ; he even made some Tragedies
which he burnt when he was 20 Years of Age, after
hehadheardSocrates. TothisPhilosopherheen tirely adher'd ? , and having a marvellous Inclina
tion to Vertue, made so good a Proficiency by the DiscoursesofthisRighteousMan, thatat25Years of Age he gave such proofs of his extraordinary Wisdom, asmade itappearthathewasalreadyca pable of Governing a State.
The Lacedemonians had then made themselves Masters of Athens, and Lysander established there' theGovernmentof30, who atfirstRul'dwithsome
kind ofMildness, butsoonaftermade use ofa Ty rannicalPower. AtthisJuncturePlatogaveavery considerable Instance of the freedom of his Soul, and ihew'dhecouldnottruckletomake hisCourttoa
Tyrant. Lysander,whomadeallstooptohim,and had render'd himself formidable by his Cruelties, kept somePoetsabouthim,whomadeittheirbusi ness to celebrate his Glory, and flatter his Vanity. Antimachus and Niceratm were of this Number j. theymadeVersesinPraiseofLysander,bywayof
Emubf-'
? ? TheLifeofPhtol 33
lation-, he being, made Judge of their Perfor mance, gave the Prize to Nice-ratits. Antimacbus overborn with this Disgrace, suppressed his Poem. Plato who lov'dhim for hisfinePoetry, endeavour'd to encourage him, and without fearing Lysander's Resentment, told him, that he was not so much to
beblam'dashis Judge-,for(saidhe)Ignoranceis as bad a Distemper in the Eyes of the Mind, as blindness in those of the Body.
PlatosMerit which now began to be much taken noticeof, induc'dtheMinistersofTyrannytomake the greatest efforts they could to draw him to their Party, and to engage him to concern himself in the Government. Nothingwaspropos'dtohimbut
what was suitable to his Age, and agreeable to his Maxims. Indeed allhis Ambitionlayinadesire
of making the Knowledge he had acquir'd, servicea- bletohisCountrey? ,andhewas sofarpersuaded
bythePromisesofthoseThirtyTyrants, thathedid not deipair of inducing 'em at length to abandon t h e i r A r b i t r a r y M e t h o d s ? , a n d G o v e r n t h e C i t y w i t h
alltheWisdom andModerationofgoodMagistrates.
While he employ'd his Thoughts to this purpose
NightandDay, andwasinsearchofthemost pro
per means to make this Design successful, he care
fullyobserve alltheirSteps:Butsoonperceiv'd thattheMischiefgrewworseand worse? ,andthat
the Spirit of Tyranny was too deeply rooted, to leave him any hope of being able to destroy it. * These Thirty Tyrants filled the whole City with
Murders and Proscriptions-, and while he had a share in the Publick Affairs, itcame to this Point, that he must either be a Confederate in their Crimes, oraVictimtotheirFury. Thepressure-ofthisMis fortune, whichnonebutGodhimselfcouldredress; gaveachecktohisAmbition,andmadehim willing to wait for more favourable Times.
Fortunesoonappear'dwillingtosecond hisgood Intentions ; for the Thirty Tyrants were expell'd,
*SeeXenophon'sHistoryofGreece, Lib. a.
D and
? ? 54
The Life of Plato. '
and the Form of the Government quite changed.
Tnis gave a little Revival to Plata's Hopes, when
almostextiiiguiiiied. Butitwasnotlongbeforehe
perceiv'd thatthis new form ofGovernment was no
better chan the former ; and that the State everyday
receivdnew Wounds. NaySocrateshimselfwas
sacrificed upon this Revolution. The Laws were
trampled under foot, Order and Discipline were no
more regarded, and all Authority was in the Hands
ofthePeople, who were alwaysmore formidable
than any Tyrants could be. It was impossible to
rectify this Disorder, for a M a n that should under t a k e i t h a d n e e d o f g o o d f r i e n d s ? , a n d i n f o g r e a t a
Confusion, the Fidelity ot' old Friends becomes as suspectedasthatofnew onesisdangerous.
Plato knew not what to determine under these Circumstances. Hehadnoexpectationofhelpfrom the ne i-ibouring Cities, where Confusion reigned noleisthanitdidatAthens. In anAge wherein Philosophy was advane'd to its highest perfection, Injusticewzscarriedtothelastextremity, whichis theordinaryeffectofthatContempt ofTruthwhich Men sometimes manifest, when it shines upon 'em withthegreatestevidence. TiiisInundationofIn justice and Violence augmented the love which Plato boreroPhilosophy5HecasthimselfintoitsArms as into a safe Port, fully convine'd that the Welfare of Cities and of particular Persons depend on it ; and thatitisimpossibletobehappywithoutit. Atthis time he heard the Discourses of Cratylus w h o taught thePhilosophyosHeraclitm, andHermogeneswho taughtthatofParmenides. Heafterwardwentto
Megara to see Euclid who founded the Megarick
Sect. FromMegarahepals'dtoCyrenetoperfect
himselfintheMathematicksunderTheodoras, who
wasthegreatestMathematicianofhisTime. He then visited Egypt, and conversed a long time with
theEgyptianPriests, whotaughthimagreatpart of their Traditions, and made him acquainted with the Books of Moses, and those of the Prophets.
While
? ? IbeLtfeof Plato. ? ><
While he was at Memphis there arriv'd a Lacede monian whowassentbyAgesilamtodesirethePriest Connuphts to explain a certain Inscription which was fdtindonaCopperPlatein. theTombofAlcmene. This Priest after he had spent three days in looking
over all forts of Figures and Characters, aniwer'd, that the Letters of this Plate were such as were used in Egypt, inthetimeofP/"<? /v? <<s, that Herculej1. had carried them into Gteece, and that they con tainsanAdmonitionwhichGod gavetheGreeksto live in Peace ; by instituting Sports in honour of rhe
Muses, by the study of Philosophy, and other parts of Learning, and by disputing one against another With Reasons, and Words of justice, with a design onlytoknowtheTruthandtofollowtheDictates ofit. TisprobablethisPriestwasnotabletoread theInscription,butwiselymade useofsofavourable
an occasiontoappeasetheGrecian Wars, whichwas infinitely better than if he had read it-
This Stratagem of Connuphis was soon serviceable toPlatoforalikedesign^forwhenhewasupon his return with Simmia*, and on the Coast of Caria, he met some Men that came from Delos; who en treated him to explain a very terrible Prediction which they had received from the Oracle of Apollo. The Purport of it was, that the Miseries under which the Greeks labour'd should not cease, till they had doubled the Cubical Altar which was in hisTemple. Theytoldhimtheyhadattemptedto put this Order in execution, but that when they had doubled each side of the Altar, instead of making it
double as they hop'd to have done,' and as the G o d requir'd, theymade iteightfold;whichmade 'em fear the continuation of their Calamities. Plato calling to mind what the Egyptian Priest had done, told 'em, that God did but mock the Greeks for their Contempt of Sciences ? , and by reproaching 'em of their Ignorance and Stupidity, exhorted 'em seriously to apply themselves to the study of Geo
metry, which alone would make 'em able to find D2 two
? ? j6
The Life of Plato:
two proportional Lines to double a Cubical Body by equallyaugmentingallitsDimensions. Andadded, that ifthey had a mind to correct: their Work, it was but to address themselves to Eudoxus or heli con;butthatGodhadnodesignatalltohave his Altar doubled, and that the only thing he requir'd by the Oracle was, that they should lay down their Arms to converse with the Muses, and moderate their Passionsby the Study of Letters, and Sciences; in rendering mutual Love and Service, instead of
hatinganddestroyingoneanother. Hewentafter this into Italy, where he heard Philolaus and Eury- tus, who were Pythagorean Philosophers. 'From thence he pais'd into Sicily to fee the Wonders of that Island : By this time he had arrived to forty
. 'YearsofAge.
This Voyage, which was purely the effectof his
Curiosity, laid the first foundations of the Liberty ' of Syracuse, and made way for those great things that were put in Execution by Dion, * the Brother-in-Law and Favourite ofDoinyJius the Elder. Therewasatthattime aYoung Man who was
Su Plu-naturally Couragious and Magnanimous;butha- tarchintheving had a Servile Education under a Tyrant, and lift */ Di- being accustom'd to the Submissions and Slavery of a
Cringing and Timerous Courtier, and which is yet more pernicious, brought up in Luxury, Opulence, and Laziness, would have suffer'd those precious Seeds cf Vertue to die in his Soul, had not Plato reviv'dthembyhisDiscourses. Hehadnosooner heard the Precepts of this Philosopher, but his Mind was so infiam'd with the loveof Vertue, that he desir'd nothing so much as to embrace and fol low it. And perceiving with what facility Plato had chang'd his Mind, he believd he might pro duce the fame effect upon that of Dionyjius too, and couldnotresttillhehadengag'dthisPrinceto haveaConferencewithhim. Dionyjius,whothen
* For he was the Son of Hissaims, whose Daughter Dimjfiu had married.
enjoy'd
? ? The Lifeos Plato. \l
enjoy'da great deal of Leisures-consented to this En- terview. Their Discourse was wholly on Vertue,and they presently fell into a Dispute about the Nature of truefortitude: Platoprov'dthatthiscouldby nomeansbeattributedtoTyrants,whoaresofar from being Valiant and Brave, that they are more
WeakandTimorousthanSlaves. Theyafterwards came to speak of Utility, and of Justice. Plato Ihew'd that nothing could be properly said to be useful, but that which is Honest and Just;and madeitappear,thattheLifeofJustMen was happy amidst the greatest Adversity ; and that of the Unjust miserable in the very bosom of
Prosperity. Bionysiuswhofoundhimselfconvinc'd
by his own Experience, could no longer hold the
Discourse, but with a pretence of making a Jest of
his Morals, told him bis Discoursesfavour'd of OldAge; towhichP/atoreplied,thatbisfavoured
of Tyranny. This Prince not accustom'd to hear such odious Truths, ask'd him very importunately forwhathecameinto 5icily? Platoanswer'dthat, HecamethithertoseekagoodMan. Andbythy Speech, replied Dionysius, itseems thou baft not
yet found one.
In another Conference which was no less smart
than the former, the Tyrant to intimate to Plato, thathe ought to conduct himself with more Cau tionbeforehim,andnottousesoprovokingaLi bertyofSpeech, mention'dthesetwoVersestohim. ,
-* In every Tyrant's Court He a meer Slave becomes' who enters free.
Plato return'd him these two Lines, changing the. latterthus,
-In every Tyrant's Court
Who enters'free, shall nere become a Slave.
tosignifiethataTrue Philosophercan neverlose
* These are cwo Lines of Sophocles. .
D3 to&
? ? 8
The Ufa of Plato.
hisLiberty. DionfearingthePrince'sDispleasure
hereupon would have some fatal effect, ask d a
DismissionforPlato,thathemighttakethe advan^
tage of a Vessel that was to carry back Poluides the
Lacedemonian Ambassador. D/o/Tvyfozs gave him leave
to go ? ,but pressed the Ambassador with great im
portunity, either to take P/ata's Life away by the way, or at least to sellhim? ,assuring him, this
woulddohimno injury. ForifheisaJustMan (fayshe)he'llbeasbappyinSlaveryasinthe enjoy mentofLiberty, "TissaidPoluidescarriedhimto
? theIsleofAEgina, whereaLawhadbeenpublished, by which all Athenians that mould come ashoar there, were order'd to be put to death. Plato there forewastaken,andbroughtbeforetheJudges. He expected his Sentence without shewing any token
o f f e a r ? , w h i c h m a d e o n e o f * e m t h i n k f i t t o s a y , that he was a Philosopher, and not an Athenian.
This word spoken after a jesting manner, sav'd his Life. He,wasonlycondemn'dtobe sold,andwas immediatelybought forThirty*Mina'sbyaCyre- niannamed Anniceris, who set him at Liberty,lent himbacktoAthens,andwouldbynomeansbere- imburs'd ; telling them, That as the Athenians were not the only Persons who knew Plato's Merit, so t h e y w e r e n o t t h e o n l y P e r s o n s w h o w e r e w o r t h y to. renderhimService. However,Platofaysnothing pf alltheseparticularsinhisSeventhLetter, where he speaks of this Voyage into Sicily h and sis pro bable he would not have forgotten to speak at least of his Benefactor,
AftertheDeathof Dionyjiusthe Elder,hisSon
Dionyjius the Younger succeeded ; who had been veryillEducated? ,forhisFather, whowasjealous
evenofhisown Children, had alwaysstrictlykept him from Company ; lest if he should come to knowhimself,andtoconversewithMenofSense, who were weary of Slavery, he should Conspire againsthim. ThisYoungPrincewasnosoonerup-
f About Sixty Pound Sterling, or something more.
OH
? ? The Life of Plato. 39
on the Throne, but he was so dazzled with his Grandeur, that he knew not where he was, and so became an eafie prey to his Courtiers, who forgot nothing that might corrupt him, and became the in genious and industrious Ministers of his Pleasures. Nothing was to be seen in the Pallace but horrible Corruption of Manners and Excesses. They had
Debauches that held Tor Three Months together, during which time, all Wife and Sober Men, whose presence alone would have cendemn'd ci disturb'd these shameful Divertisements, were forbidden to
enter. Dion, whose concern for the State made him fear the Pleasures of the Young Dionyjioe more than ever he had fear'dthe Cruelty of hisFather, lost no opportunity of letting him know what Precipices were before him, and how certain his Fall would be $ and believing hisVices sprang only from Ignorance and Idleness, he endavoured to put him upon some Honourable Exercises, and tomake him inLovewiththeSciences,especiallythatwhich aimsattheReformationofManners. Hetoldhim, nothing but Vertue could give him a solid Happiness, whichwould extenditsInfluencetoallhisPeople. That his Father had in vain flatterd himself, that
hehadlefthimanEmpirebound with Adamantine Chains, since these Chains would loon be soften'd byhisDebauches. ThatFearandForcewerenot the true Supports of a Throne, but the Affection and Love of Subjects, which, he said, was always the consequence of the Vertue and Justice of Prin-
'ces. He represented to him, that True Grandeur consists not in having great Equipages, superb Pallaces, sumptuous Fumiture,/ and fine Clothes 5 but in having the Pallace of the Mind royally a- dorn'd : And that none but Ylato was capable of communicating to him all the Vertues that ought to embellishaPrince'sSoul. Byentertaininghimwith such Discourses as these, in which he always thus intermix'd the great Truths he had learn'd from this Philosopher^ he inspir'd him with such
D4 an
? ? 40
7 he Life os Phto.
,an ardent, or rather furious desire to draw him to ;his Court, and to put himself under his Direction, Ithat he lent Couriers to Athens with very pressing
Letters of his own, accompanied with other Letters of Dio/1% and of allthe Pythagorean Philosophers that were inGreat Greece ; who entreated him ve- S earnestlytotakethe advantageofthefavourable
pportunity the Divine Providence offer'd him, to make a Philosopher of a King ; and conjur'd him to come with expedition, before the Debauches of theCourthadmade thisPrincealterhisResolution, w h o at present was passionately in Love with Philo sophy.
These great Promises did not immediately move Vlato,whoknewYoungPeopletoowell, topro mise himself any thing certain from the Flashes of a Young Prince, whole Inclinations commonly are variousand opposite, and frequently pass suddenly off;andinwhomtheLoveofVenuedoesnotal ways take root deeply enough to resist the Efforts ofthoseViceswhichattaquehimonallsides. So that Tlato did not know how to resolve on this Voyage; butatlength,afterhehadconsider'd, that in curing only one Man, he should make a
whole Nation happy, and that perhaps God was
openingaway forhim here, actuallytosetonfoot
that Perfect Government of which he had already
giventheIdeainthefirstBooks ofhis Common
wealth ; he resolv'dto go, not out of Vanity, or to
acquireRiches,ashisEnemieshave accusedhim-,
but was overcome only by the respect: he bore to ? himself, that he might not give the World an oc
casion to reproach him, that he only discours'd of Vertue, but never voluntarily put himself ina Con dition to reduce it to practise.
To theseReasonstherewasaddedanotherMotive m u c h m o r e p r e s s i n g ? , a n d t h a t w a s , t h a t i t w o u l d b e
a shame for him to abandon Dion in the dangerous Circumstances he was in, attack'd on all fides by the Calumnies of his Enemies ; w h o because they could
not
? ? The Life of Plato: 41
not bear the-Severity of his Manners, and the W i s dom of his Conduct, endeavour'd to render him sus pected to Dionysus, and who would infallibly de stroyhim, if this Prince had time given him to re lapseintohisformerDisorders. ThiscasttheBal
ance indetetmining Plato to quit hisEmployments at64yearsofAge, togoyitmaybewithtoomuch Confidence, as himself confesses, to deal with the Caprices of a young Tyrant.
He was received in Sicily with all possible marks ofHonour. Dionysuswasnotcontentonlytofend himaGalleyadorn'dwithRibbands, asifhehad beenaGod, butalsowenthimselftoreceivehimat
thePortinamagnificentCharriot, intowhichhe took hirrii and render'd thanks to the Gods by a pub- lick Sacrifice for his Arrival, as the greatest Felicity that could happen ro his Government.
This so happy beginning had yet happier Conse q u e n c e s -, f o r , a s i f s o m e G o d h a d a p p e a r ' d a n d t a k e n Measure in changing of Hearts-, the whole Court lecamesoreform'd, atleastinappearance, thatthe 'allace of Dionyjius was more like a School of Phi- osophers, or a sacred Temple, than the place of a
Tyrant's Residence.
Some days after'Plato'sArrivalthetimeofan
Anniversary Sacrificecame about, which was wont to be offer'd in the Castle for the Prince's Prosperity.
The HeraldhavingaccordingtotheCustom, pro nounced with a loud Voice the solemn Prayer in this Form, May itplease the Gods long tomaintain the Tyranny,andtopreservetheTyrant. Dionysuswho began to hate those Names, cry'd aloud to him. Whatwiltthouneverleavecursingme? Bywhich words 'twasjudg'dtheDiscoursesofPlkohadmade a real and strong Impression on his M i n d : This m a d e allthose that favour'd this Tyrannical Form of Go
vernment, believe 'twas best to lose no time, and that it w a s n e c e i l a r y t o r u i n e D i o n a n d P l a t o b e f o r e t h e y had acquir'd Authority and Power enough over the Tyrant, to render all their Efforts useless. They
soon
? ? 4i
The Life ofPlato.
soon found 3n occasion very favourable to their de
sign, nor did they fail to make their advantage ofit.
Plato had alreadyperswaded D'wnysius todismiss
ten thousaud Forreigners which compos'd his Guard,
to disband ten thousand Horse, with the greatest
part of his Infantry, and to reduce the 400 Galleys,
which he always kept equip'd, to a very small n u m
ber. Those illdesigningMenmisrepresentedthis
Advice, and would have perswaded Dionysias that
Dion had engag'd thisSophist to induce him to dis
trusthisGuards, andtherestofhisTroops, thatib
the Athenians finding him without defence might
come and ravage Sicily, and revenge themselves for t h e L o s s e s t h e y h a d s u s t a i n e d u n d e r N i c i a s ? , o r e l s e
with a design to expel him, and to take his place himselfintheThrone. ThisCalumny, whichwas plausibleenoughtosurprizeaTyrant, didnothow ever produce half the effect: they expected from it. Only Dion became a Victim to the Anger ofDionyfi- us, who caus'd him to be put on board a Vessel in h i s P r e s e n c e ? , a n d s h a m e f u l l y b a n i s h e d h i m .
At-thesametime itwas reportedatSyracuse, that hehadalsoputPlatotodeath; butthisStoryhad no foundation -, for Dionysioe on the contrary re doubledhisCaressestowardshim, eitherbecausehe believed, that he had been first deluded by the Ar tifices of Dion, or else because indeed he himself could not tell h o w to live without seeing and hear ing him.
The Love he had for Plato augmented every day, and advanc'd to that excess, that he became as jea lous of him, as of a Mistress, and us'd his utmost Efforts, to oblige him to prefer his Friendship to that of Dion : But, as Plato said, he took a wrong Course to obtain thisPreference ; for he endeavour'd to acquire itonly by demonstrations ofan ambitious and tyrannical Love, instead of meriting it, if that had been possible, by a conformity of Manners,, in makinganImprovementofhisMaxims, anduniting himselftohimbythebondsofVertue. HisTi-
moutousness
? ? 7heLife ofPlato^ 43
mouroushess rather than his 111humour hinder'd him from taking this method : for tho he passionately lov'dPlato, hescarcedar'dtoseehim butbystealth, for fear of irritating such as were displeas'd with thisIntimacybetween'em; sothathealwaysfluc
tuated between desire, and fear, and thereby render'd all Plato's Exhortations useless to him, andremain'd aSlavetohisVices. Howeverbecausehefear'dhe would leaveSicilywithout hispermission, heorder'd him to lodge in the Castle, on pretence co do him honour,butinrealitytosecurehisPerson. There
he endeavour'd to gain his Heart by the most magni ficentOffershecouldthinkof. He fliew'dhimhis Treasures, and told him all that he desir'd of him wastobecomeMasterofhisForces,andofallhis Power, provided he would love him more than Dion. FewPhilosopherswouldhaveresistedsuch powerfulTemptations. ButPlato,whocouldmake V ertue give place to Vice in his Soul, constantly told him,thathewouldlovehimasmuchasDion,when oncehewasastrulyvertuousasHe. Thisthrew the Tyrant into an horrible Rage ; he threaten'd him with Death, and the next moment beg'd pardon for allhisViolence. Platowouldhavefo^undhisPrison moretolerable, ifhehadbeentheObjectofhisHa
tred;forhewaseverydayoblig'dtousenewMa nagement to make the Obligations of Hospitality a- greewiththeInterestsofPhilosophy. Infine,he had the good Fortnne tobe deliver'dfrom thisCap tivity. ForaWarbrokeout,whichsoredDionys ustosendhimbackintoGreece. Athisdeparture he would have loaded him with Presents, which Platorefus'd, contenting himself with thePromise hemade him ofrecallingDion,vthentheWar should beonceended. WhenhewasreadytoembarkDiony-
fiussaidtohim. Plato,whenthouartintheAca demy with thyPhilosophers thou wiltspeak illofme. Godforbid (reply'd Plato) that voc should have so much time to lose in the Academy ax to talk ofYYxo- nysius, Thedisinteresiedr. elsofPlatoappear'don
many
? ? 44
Tk LifeofPlato. '
many occasions, as his Rivals themselves could not chusebutgrant. Dionyjiushavingamindtomake Presents to the Philosophers of his Court, and put ting it to their choice what to have, Ariftippus de- fir'dMoney, and Plato ask'donly for Books; upon which ArijiippushelngralliedforhisAvarice,made answer, Plato loves Books, and I love Money.
As he return'd into Greeee he pass'd by Olympia to
fee the Games ; and there gave marks of a Modesty
notmuch differing from deep Humility, and suchas deseivetoberemarked. Hehappenedtolodgewith
some Strangers of considerable Note ; He eat with 'em,pass'dwholeDaysintheirCompany, livdaf teramostsimpleandordinarymanner, withoutever speaking a word to 'em either of Socrates or the A- cademy;andwithoutlettingthemknowanything more of himself than that his Name was Plate. These Strangers were extremely pleas'd that they hadfoundaManofsosweetandsociableaTem per ; but because he spoke only of very common Matters, they never thought he was that Philoso pher,whoseNamewassowellknown.
The Games being ended, they went with him to Athens, where he furnished 'em with Lodgings; they were no'Tooner come thither, but they entreat ed him to carry 'em to fee that great Man, who borethelameName withhim,andwastheDisci pleofSocrates. Platotold'emsmiling,thathim selfwastheMan. TheseStrangerswerefurpriz'd,
that they had so long polTess'd so great a Person a- mong 'em without knowing him ? ,and could not
sufficiently admire that he had liv'd with 'em after
1so plain and simple a manner, and that he had shown ? that by the sweetness of his Manners alone, without
,thehelp of hisWit and Eloquence, he could gain ^the friendship of allPersons with whom he con- nvers'd.
Some time after this, he gave the People * Plays, , for which Dion furnished the Habits, and was at
* They'werc Tngedies.
all
? ? 7keLifeof Plato. " 45
all the Charge : P/ato being willing to let him have thisHonour, thathis Magnificencemight acquire him ayetgreaterInterestintheGood-Will ofthe Athenians. ItisnotknownwhetherDionmadea long stay at Athens ; this only is certain, that Plata
forgotnothing thatmight induce him to moderate his Resentment, and not to attempt any thing a- gainstDionyfius. Herepresentedtohim,thatthe Injustice that had been done him, and the ill Con-
? duct of that Prince, were not a lawful occasion of takingup Arms against him ? ,That he ought to re
ducehimbyReason,ortowaitforsomeChangeof
Fortune. ^ that he could nothave recourseto force, without doing himself a very great injury? ,and
bringingentireruinuponSicilybesides. Andtodis
posehimthebettertorelishthese Maxims, heen-
deavour'd to make him pleasant and gay by inno c e n t D i v e r t i s e m e n t s ? , a n d a b o v e a l l , b y t h e C o n v e r
sation of his Nephew Pseufippus, which was very agreeable, and this succeeded for some time.
AfterDionyfiushadendedtheWar, hefear'dthe TreatmenthehadgivenPlato,wouldgivehim dis credit among the Philosophers and make him pass for their E n e m y ,therefore he sent for the most Learn edMen ofItaly,andheldAssembliesinhisPallace, where he strove by a foolish Ambition to surpass
'em all in Eloquence, and depth of Knowledge, and impertinently utter'dwhat he had retain'd of Plato's Discourses : But these having place only in his M e mory, without reaching his Heart, the Source was soonexhausted. He thenbecamesensibleofwhat hehad lost, innot making a better improvement of that Treasure of Wisdom, and in not retaining it withhim. SothathebegantolongforPlatoa-
gain with extream impatience ; which he signified tohimbyfrequentLetters. Platoexcus'dhimself onaccount of his Age, and of the failure of Dio nyfiusinnotperforminganythingthathe had pro
mised. Infine,DionyfiusnotabletobearhisRefu sal any longer, oblig'd Arckyta* to write to him, and
? ? 46
7he Life of Plato;
and to engage his Word, that he might come in
safety, and that Dionysus would perform his Pro
misetohim. AtthesametimehesentaGalley
with some of his Friends, of which number Archi- d e m u s t h e P h i l o s o p h e r w a s o n e ? , t h e y a s s u r ' d P / a t a
of Dionyjiushis vehement Love to Philosophy, and presented the~following Letter from him.
WhatIdesrewiththegreatestardor is,thatthou wouldjisuffer tbyselfto bepersuadedtocomespeedi ly into Sicily. 1 will do for Dion whatever thou
shaltdesire? ,forIampersuadedthou wiltdejireno thing but what is Just, to which I will always very readily submit : But if thou refuse to come, I de clare to thee, that I will never do any thing thatshall beagreeabletothee,eitherinthe Affairsof"Dion, orinanythingelse whereinthyInterest isconcern ed, &c.
This Letter, which savour'd more of a Tyrant than of a Philosopher, would have had an effect contrary to his wishes, if Dion had not added his Solicitations, and Entreaties, conjuring Plato not to abandonhim;and ifall thePhilosophersof Italy and Sicily had not written to him, that if he refus'd to come, he would render 'em all suspected in the mind of Dionysus, who would certainly imagine, that he had insinuated them into his favour, only thattheymightbetrayhim. Anditwasthisthat
determin'd Plato to go the third time into Sicily, when he was Seventy Years of Age.
His Arrival rais'd the hopes of all the People, who fiatter'dthemselves that his Wisdom would at last subdue the Tyranny they were under ; and Dio nysus express'd, on this occasion, a Joy not to be describ'dbyWords. Heorder'dhimtoLodgein the Apartment of the Gardens, and had such Con fidence in him, that he allow'd him access to his Personatalltimeswithoutbeingsearch'd. Plato immediately used all the Addreis he had to know ifhehadatruedesireofbecomingVertuous. He
* tells
? ? * InhisVII. Letter. Tom. 3.
IheLise os Plato. a7
* tells us himself after what manner he made "the T r y a l o f i t ? , b u t h e s o o n p e r c e i v ' d , t h a t h e w a s
called thither only out of Vanity, and to deprive DionoftheSocietyofafaithfulFriend. Whenhe would have propos'd the recalling of this Exil#, he was so far from accommodating hisAffairs, that heentirelyruin'd'em. Dionysiusforbad hisInten- dants to fend Dion his Revenues, on pretence that allhisEstatebelong'd to his Son Uipparinus, who washisNephew;towhom byconsequencehewas theNaturalGuardian. Platohighlyprovok'dby this Act of Injustice, defir'd leave to be gone. Dio nysius promised to order him a Vessel, but put itoff from one Day to another, and after he had thus a-
mus'd him for a considerable time, he one Day told him,ThatifhewouldcontinuewithhimoneTear longer, he would send Dion allhis Estate, provided he would place it in Peloponefus or at Athens, that he should only enjoy the Revenue of it, and that he
should not have power to take away the Principal,
withouttheconsentofPlatoandhisFriends. For,
saidhe, Icannottrusthim, butam jealoushewould
employthisMoneyagainstme. Platoacceptedthis offer, but Dionysius deceiv'd him ? again ; for after
the Season fitforhisEmbarking was past, he saidhe
would restore but one half of Dion's Estate, and
would reserve the other half for his Son : And
some time after he caus'd all he had to bepublickly
fold, at any Rate, and without speaking a word of ittoPlato? ,who atlengthweariedwithhisDissimu
lation and Lyes, and convinc'd that Philosophy was tooweak andtenderathingtoopposetotherigourof a Tyrant, thought of nothing elsebut how toquit
Sicily. Butitwasimpossibleforhimtogowith out Permission, and a very difficult thing to obtain leave, new Obstacles being every day rais'd against it. Dionysiuscontinuedstillinpublickto(hewhim allmanner of respect, and continually multiplied his Caresses^But atlastPlato having warmly espous'd
the
? ? 48
The Use of Plato;
theInterestsofTheodotusand Heraclides, who were wrongfully accus'd of causing Troops to be Levy'd,, theirmisunderstandingopenlybrokeout. Dionysius order'dPlatotoleavetheApartmentof theGardens, on pretence that the Ladies of the Court were to make a Sacrifice there, which was to continue ten Days ^ and appointed him a Lodging without the CastleinthemidstofhisGuards, thatso(asitwas suppos'd) the Soldiers, who had been long incensed against him, because he was for having 'em disband' ed, or their Pay diminished, might sacrificehim to theirResentment. SomeAthenianswarn'dP/atoof his danger, and Plato instantly gave advice of it to Archytas,whowasatTarentum. Arcbytasimme diatelydispatch'dawayaGalleywith30Oars, and wrote to Dionysius to put him in mind, that he had promis'd Plato, that he should be entirely secure ; and that he could neither detain him, nor suffer any
Indignitiestobe offer'dhim, without an open Viola tion of his own Word, of which he desir'd both him, and allMen of Honesty and Honour to be Guarantees. This awaken'd that remainder of shame whichwasintheTyrant'sMind, sothat he atlast permitted Plato to return into Greece.
Thus much for the occasion of Plato's third Voy
age$forwhichhisEnemieshavemadesomanyEf f o r t s t o d e c r y h i m ? , a s i f h e r e t u r n ' d i n t o S i c i l y o n l y
for the fake of the delicious Table Dionysius kept ; and to immerse himself in all the Pleasures that reign'dinthisPrince'sCourt. Diogenes,whohad a great deal of Wit, but a very satyrical Genius -, andwho couldnotfeethegreatStatePlatoliv'din without Envy, was the first who thought good to
throwthisReproachonhim. Forseeinghimone day eat nothing but Olives at a great Feast, he laid to him ;since the Love of Dainties made you go into Sicily, why do you despise ''emso much here ? I assure youDiogenes, repliedPlato, Iforthemostpart eat nothing but Olives when I was in Sicily ; What need had you then to go to Syracuse, fays Diogenes? W a s
it
? ? 5 Maxim. Tyr. ch. j.
she lifeos Plata.
49
// at a time when Attica,produced no Olives ? Never was any Calumny more ill founded than t h i s ? , t h e r e f o r e a n * A n c i e n t P h i l o s o p h e r s p e a k i n g
of the Advantages of an active Life, made no diffi
culty of commending P/ato for this Voyage of his,
of the true Motive of which he gives us an account.
For he lays, it was for one of bis Friends, who was deprivedofhisEstateand banished,thatPlatohadthe
Courage to go and face a very formidable Tyrant,
andtoexposehimselftohisHatred, andallthedan gerswithwhichthatthreatenedhim. IntheLetter
which Plato wrote to Dion's Friends soon after this
Voyage, hetakesnoticeinexpressTerms, Thatthe
splendid Tables of Italy and Sicily extremely dis pleasedhim; andthathecouldnotwithoutHorror
look on the Custom these People had of filling them selveswithWineandMeattwiceaday,andofaban doningthemselvestoallmannerofDebauchery. When aMan (fays,he)hasbeenaccustomedtotheseEx
cessesfrom hisTouth, 'ttshardlypossiblefor him ever to be reclaimed (how goodsoever his natural Disposi
tionmay otherwisebe)soantobecometemperateand wise:How muchlessmayhepretendtootherVirtues? H e afterwards adds ; M y Life would be insupportable tome, isIweresuchaSlavetothosePa/Jions.
As Plato pass'dthrough Peloponnesus he ibundDion at the Olympick Games, and gave him an account of all the Proceedings of Dionysus. Dion more tOuch'd with the Injuries Plato had received, and with the Risque he had run, than with all the Acts of Injusticethathadbeenoffer'dtohimself; sworehe would attempt to be reveng'd. Plato did all he could to divert him from thisThought,but when he saw all his endeavours were in*vain,- he predicted to him whatMiserieshewasgoingtooccasion,andde- clar'd to him, that he must not expect either Assistance orAdvicefromhim? ,andsincehehadhadtheHo
nourtoeatattheTableofDionyfius, tolodge in his Pallace, and to participate of the fame Sacrifices
Tm t
E . with
? ? 50 The Life of Plato.
w i t h h i m -, h e s h o u l d a l w a y s r e m e m b e r t h e O b l i g a tions to which this engag'd him : And that on the other hand, to answer the Friendship he had for Dion, he would stand Neuter, always ready to per-
. formtheFunctionsofagoodMediatortoreconcile 'em, and always equally opposite to their Designs, whenever they went about to destroy one another.
* Dion gathered ibme Troops together, went into
Sicily, deftroy'd the Tyrannical Government, expelFd the Tyrant, and restored Liberty to his Countrey.
'Tis well known what Mischiefs were occafion'd by thisEntetprize. Itbeingadifficulttilingtopreserve
Justice andlnnocence long, amidst the disorders of Arms, above all those of a Civil War ; Dion had the unhappiness only by one Action to stain the Glo r y o f a l l t h e r e s t -, f o r h e p e r m i t t e d t h e M u r d e r o f neraclides, which did not remain long unpuniih'd -, forDion was assassinatedbyCallipjtustheAthenianin the midst of his Successes and Triumphs.
After the Death of Dion his Relations and nearest Friends wrote to Plato, to entreat his Advice in the deplorable Condition to which they were then re- duc'd ; some of 'em having a mind to revive the Tyranny, andothersusingtheirutmostEffortstore establishthePopularGovernment. Platowroteto
'em, t 'That a State would never be happy either under
aTyranny, ortoogreataliberty, thattheMedium
was to yield Obedience tosuch Kings as were them-
selvesjiibjelltotheLaws: thatgreatLibertyand greatServitudezeereequallydangerous, andproduced
a l m o s t t h e f a m e E f f e f f s ? , t h a t t h e O b e d i e n c e w h i c h w a s given merely to Men, was always excejjive, and as exorbitantastheirLujls. Thattherecouldbeno
Moderation buronly |j/;/thatObedience which is
render d to God, who being always thefame, always requitedthefame thingsatthehandsofhisSubjeQs;
that it was only this that couldmake Nations happy,
* See Dion's Life, in Plutarch. tThisisthe8thLetter. Tom. 3. . | God's Yoke casier than Man's.
and
? ? TheUfeofVhtol ji
andthattheywho wouldobeyGodmujlobeytheLaw, thattheLaw wastheGodofWisemen, andLicenti ousnesstheGodofFooh. Thathethereforeadvised 'em to constitute three Kings, the Son of Dion, the Son of Dionysus who was expelled, and the Son of
Dionysus the Elder, to chuse by their order such a numberofOldMen astheyshouldthink fit,who . should take the care of making Laws, and regulating theGovernment oftheState,astheKingsshould have the iuperintendance of Sacred and Religious Matters, and of all other things firto be left at the
DisposalofBenefactors. Thatitwouldafterthis be needful'to create 35 Guardians or Conservators of theLaws, whoshouldhavethedispositionofPeace
and War, in conjunction with the Senate and People. That Criminal Matters should be judged by these 35ConservatorsoftheLaws,towhomtheremight be joined for Commissaries, the most aged and most honestofthoseSenators, thathadlaiddowntheir Charge: That theKings shouldnotassistatthese Judicial Acts ; because being * Priests they could not, without defiling themselves, and derogating from their Character, condemn any one to Death, Exile,orImprisonment. Healsoparticularlyen- joyn'd 'em to drive out the Barbarians from all the Places they possess'd in Sicily, and to reestablish the
ancient Inhabitants in their room. ' Platolurviv'dDionbut5or6years, whichtime
hespentintheAcademy,notbeingwillinginany manner to intermeddle with theGovernment, because hesaw theMannersoftheCitizenswereverymuch deprav'd. TheCyrenianssentDeputiestohim;to
entreat him to go and give 'em Laws, whicluKe re
fused, telling'em, theyweretoofondofRiches-,
andthathedidnotbelieveitpossible,thatsorich a
PeoplecouldbesubjeUtotheLaws. The Thebans madethefameRequesttohim,andhegaveJemthe
like Refusal ; because, he said, he perceived they
weretoogreatEnemiestoEquality. ButHesent
* TheHoyakyjoinedwiththePriesthood.
E2 his
? ? \i
The Life of Plato. '
hisDisciplesintothoseplaces,wherethePeople were in a disposition to conform themselves to hisMaxims.
F/ato was naturally an Enemy to Pride andOstfcn- tation 5 and soughtfornothing butTruth, Simplici ty,andJustice. HisBehaviourwascourteousand sweet,temper'dwithGravity. Hewasneverseen to laugh immoderately, nor to be extremely angry. One may judge ofthe Mildness of hisTemper by the course he took for the Reformation's his Nephew . Tfeitsippw,whowasexcessivelydebauch'd. When his Parents had turn'd him out of Doors, he rook him to his House, and entertain'd him as if he had never heard a word of his Debauches : His Friends amaz'd and fhock'd at a procedure that seem'd to themtocarryIbmuch insensibilityinit,blam'dhim for not labouring to reform his Nephew, and save himfromutterruine. Hetold'emhewaslabour ing more effectually than they imagin'd j in letting him fee by his manner of Living, what an infinite difference there is between Vice and Vertue, and be tweenhonourableandbasethings. Andindeedthis Method succeeded so well, that it inspir'd Fseujip- f m with a very great respect for him, and a violent desireto imitate him, and to devote himselfto the study of Philosophy, in which he afterwards made a very great progress.
His way of speaking was so agreeable and insinu ating, that he never fail'd to make an Impression on thosethatheardhim, One dayashewaswalking a little way out of the City, with some of his Dis ciples and Friends, He met Timothy the Athenian General returning from the Army in the greatest heightofhisFortune, andatatimewhentheAthe
nians knew not how sufficientlyto honour hismerit, while they gave him the greatest Testimonies how muchtheyadmiredandrespectedhim. TheGene ral making a stop, would needs hear his Discourses, inwhichheinsisted,neitheronTaxes, northeequip- ? ingofFleets, northesubsistenceofTroops, buton
ertue,andtheDominionaManoughttohawover his
? ? 7be Life of Plato; 53
his Passions j whereby he only aim'd at the Explica tion of the Nature of the Chief Good. ,Timothy struck with the Truth and Elegancy of hisMaxims, cry'd out, 0 happy Life, 0 true felicity! by which words he signified, he was convinc'd that all
the Glory and Honour he enjoy'd were nothing m comparison of the Happiness of a Philosopher, and thatwithoutthestudyof Wisdom nosolidGood was attainable.
As Temperance is accounted the firstVertue of a Philosopher, so 'tis said of Plato, that he was al ways very grave and sober, and always liv'd a single
Life ; but there is reason to doubt whether his Celi bacy was the Effect of his Sobriety and Chastity ; for there areyet inbeing some Verses which he made
on a certain Miss o'f Colophon, nam'd Archeanaffa^
whom he lov'd, tho she was grown old. 1have ( f a y s h e ) w i t h m e A r c h e a n a s s a t h e A l i s s ? ? , L o v e f t ! / /
l i e s i n a m b u s h i n h e r W r i n k l e s . 'H o w u n h a p p y w e r e y o u that were exposed to her Glances in her Touth ! a-
midji what flameshavenotyou liv'd? He alsolov'd another, call'dXantippe. He requestedherFavours inverypressingTerms, andwiththosefineReasons which are since become the * commonplaces of those lasciviousMorals,whichnow reignononeofour Theaters, from whence they insensiblyglide intoour Cities and Houses, viz. That Beauty is a flower which very speedily withers ; that if Persons don't make haste to love, they lose their Touth to no pur
pose, and that old Age comesswiftly towards us, to
ravish our pleasant Days, and all our Delightsfrom
us.
'Tis true, 'tis said to excuse Plato, that these
Verses are not his, but compos'd by Arijiippus. , w h o imputed'emtohimtodegradehim,andtorevenge himselfonhimforhisRailleries. Butthereisnot muchgotbythisApology, ifitbetruethathehad yet more Criminal Passions, and that he lov'd Dion, Phaedrus,Alexis,Agathon,andAster. IntheVer-
* NJ. Vifptmix in his Satyr aeainstWomen,
E3 ? ses
? ? 54
V* LifeosPlato.
seshemade on'emheexpresseshimselfinsuchTerms as the heat of a poetick Fancy alone could not in spire. HewritesthustoDion,ThoumakejlmySoul love thee even to Folly. He fays to Aster, that be could wish himself to be the Sky, that he might be full of Eyes to look on him ; and expresses himself after a yet more licentious manner, when he speaks to Agathon. "Tistrue,afterall,theseVersesmaybe s u p p o s i t i t i o u s -, b u r i f t h e y a r e r e a l l y h i s , t h e r e i s
ground to 'believe they were only the Faults of his Youth, which are the less surprizing, because com mitted in an Age, wherein all Greece was tainted withhorribleEnormities. SocratesandhisPhilo sophy soon drew him out of this miserable State, by making him comprehend the horrid Evil ofthose brutalPassions. Hewasnotcontenttobecuredof 'em himself, but also labour'd to make others par take of the fame advantage, and to furnish 'em with Remedies against this mortal Poyson : for he vehe
mently opposes them in all his Writings, and parti
cularly in his firstBook of Laws, where he con
demns the Government of Lacedemonia, and that of
Crete, because of their publick. Exercises, * which produced and fomented those abominable Flames in W o
men towards Women, and in Men towards Men, by aperversionoftheir,naturaluse. Andhecallsthis detestable and infamous Crime ; one of. the most au- daciom and execrable Sins, which Intemperance could cause to be committed against God.
In the third Book of his Common-wealth, after he had prov'd that there is no Pleasure more furious than that which is caused by irregular Love, and thatitisinseparablefrom InsolenceandIntempe rance:He adds;tButtrueLoveconsistsinloving that which is decent and becoming, and in loving ac cordingtoalltheLawsofTemperance andMustek. PlatousesthisWord tosignifytheperfectAccord withReasonandHarmony, whichresultsfromall the Vertues, Kothing that is violent and furious,
1 Tcm. 2, f Tom. 2.
? or
? The Lifeos Plato; 5j
or that approaches Intemperance and Disorder ought tobetolerated, andconsequentlynoMan oughttopro posetohimselfanyCriminalPleasure. Thereforea
Lawshouldbemade, permittingMentoloveyoung
People, provided they love 'em as a Father loves his
Son ; and that they have no other end but to incite
"em to every thing that is honourable and comely ;and
that they never give the least suspicion of any vici
ous thought, or criminal desire. And that if they make a default herein, they be looked on as i? ifamous
persons, who have renounced all Honour and Vcriue. Plato deserves to be highly commended for having lov'd his Brothers with an extream tenderness; for
as'tissaidofPollux,thathewouldnotbeaGod alone, but chose rather to be a Semi-Deity together with his Brother, and to (hare with him in a mortal State, that so he might make him partake of his Immortality-, Plato in like manner was willing to communicate to his Brothers the Glory which him self only was capable of acquiring by his Works. In his Books of a Common-wealth he ascribes some very considerable parts to Adimantus and Qlaucon -, and lie makes Antiphon, the youngest of 'em all, speak in his Parmenides, whereby he has render'd 'em all three as immortal as himself.
H e never employ'd his W i t to revenge the perso
nal Injuries he receiv'd, but to revenge those that
wereoffer'dhisFriends,ortheTrurh. Itcan'tbe
shown that he said one Word of Timon, who had, ? oftenattack'dhim. Andheanswei'dDiogenes-his
Witticisms only in a jestingway, without ever speak ing of him in his Writings.
Plato one day having made a great Treat for the Friends of Dionysus ?