Produced by Jake Jaqua
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"Philosophy," says Hierocles, "is the purification and perfection of humanlife. It is the purification, indeed, from material irrationality, and themortal body; but the perfection, in consequence of being the resumption ofour proper felicity, and a reascent to the divine likeness. To effect thesetwo is the province of Virtue and Truth; the former exterminating theimmoderation of the passions; and the latter introducing the divine form tothose who are naturally adapted to its reception."
Of philosophy thus defined, which may be compared to a luminous pyramid,terminating in Deity, and having for its basis the rational soul of manand its spontaneous unperverted conceptions,—of this philosophy, August,magnificent, and divine, Plato may be justly called the primary leaderand hierophant, through whom, like the mystic light in the inmostrecesses of some sacred temple, it first shone forth with occult andvenerable splendour.[1] It may indeed be truly said of the whole of thisphilosophy, that it is the greatest good which man can participate: forif it purifies us from the defilements of the passions and assimilates usto Divinity, it confers on us the proper felicity of our nature. Hence itis easy to collect its pre-eminence to all other philosophies; to showthat where they oppose it, they are erroneous; that so far as theycontain any thing scientific they are allied to it; and that at best theyare but rivulets derived from this vast ocean of truth.
—————————[1] In the mysteries a light of this kind shone forth from the adytum ofthe temple in which they were exhibited.—————————
To evince that the philosophy of Plato possesses this preeminence; thatits dignity and sublimity are unrivaled; that it is the parent of allthat ennobles man; and, that it is founded on principles, which neithertime can obliterate, nor sophistry subvert, is the principal design ofthis Introduction.
To effect this design, I shall in the first place present the reader withthe outlines of the principal dogmas of Plato's philosophy. The undertakingis indeed no less novel than arduous, since the author of it has to treadin paths which have been untrodden for upwards of a thousand years, andto bring to light truths which for that extended period have beenconcealed in Greek. Let not the reader, therefore, be surprised at thesolitariness of the paths through which I shall attempt to conduct him,or at the novelty of the objects which will present themselves in thejourney: for perhaps he may fortunately recollect that he has traveledthe same road before, that the scenes were once familiar to him, and thatthe country through which he is passing is his native land. At, least, ifhis sight should be dim, and his memory oblivious, (for the objects whichhe will meet with can only be seen by the most piercing eyes,) and hisabsence from them has been lamentably long, let him implore the powerof wisdom,
From mortal mists to purify his eyes,
That God and man he may distinctly see.
Let us also, imploring the assistance of the same illuminating power, beginthe solitary journey.
Of all the dogmas of Plato, that concerning the first principle of thingsas far transcends in sublimity the doctrine of other philosophers of adifferent sect, on this subject, as this supreme cause of all transcendsother causes. For, according to Plato, the highest God, whom in theRepublic he calls the good, and in the Parmenides the one, is not onlyabove soul and intellect, but is even superior to