letters on literature-第9章

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Isis；　table…turning；　the　late　Mr。　Home；　religion；　and　mummery；　while

Christian　hymns　of　the　early　Church　were　being　sung；　perhaps　in　the

garrets　around；　outside　the　Temple　of　Isis。　　The　discovery　that　he

had　a　god　for　his　guardian　angel　gave　Plotinus　plenty　of　confidence

in　dealing　with　rival　philosophers。　　For　example；　Alexandrinus

Olympius；　another　mystic；　tried　magical　arts　against　Plotinus。　　But

Alexandrinus；　suddenly　doubling　up　during　lecture　with　unaffected

agony；　cried；　〃Great　virtue　hath　the　soul　of　Plotinus；　for　my　spells

have　returned　against　myself。〃　　As　for　Plotinus；　he　remarked　among

his　disciples；　〃Now　the　body　of　Alexandrinus　is　collapsing　like　an

empty　purse。〃



How　diverting　it　would　be；　Lady　Violet；　if　our　modern

controversialists　had　those　accomplishments；　and　if　Mr。　Max　Muller

could；　literally；　〃double　up〃　Professor　Whitney；　or　if　any　one　could

cause　Peppmuller　to　collapse　with　his　queer　Homeric　theory！

Plotinus　had　many　such　arts。　　A　piece　of　jewellery　was　stolen　from

one　of　his　protegees；　a　lady；　and　he　detected　the　thief；　a　servant；

by　a　glance。　　After　being　flogged　within　an　inch　of　his　life；　the

servant　（perhaps　to　save　the　remaining　inch）　confessed　all。



Once　when　Porphyry　was　at　a　distance；　and　was　meditating　suicide；

Plotinus　appeared　at　his　side；　saying；　〃This　that　thou　schemest

cometh　not　of　the　pure　intellect；　but　of　black　humours；〃　and　so　sent

Porphyry　for　change　of　air　to　Sicily。　　This　was　thoroughly　good

advice；　but　during　the　absence　of　the　disciple　the　master　died。



Porphyry　did　not　see　the　great　snake　that　glided　into　the　wall　when

Plotinus　expired；　he　only　heard　of　the　circumstance。　　Plotinus's

last　words　were：　　〃I　am　striving　to　release　that　which　is　divine

within　us；　and　to　merge　it　in　the　universally　divine。〃　　It　is　a

strange　mixture　of　philosophy　and　savage　survival。　　The　Zulus　still

believe　that　the　souls　of　the　dead　reappear；　like　the　soul　of

Plotinus；　in　the　form　of　serpents。



Plotinus　wrote　against　the　paganizing　Christians；　or　Gnostics。　　Like

all　great　men；　he　was　accused　of　plagiarism。　　A　defence　of　great　men

accused　of　literary　theft　would　be　as　valuable　as　Naude's　work　of　a

like　name　about　magic。　　On　his　death　the　Delphic　Oracle；　in　very

second…rate　hexameters；　declared　that　Plotinus　had　become　a　demon。



Such　was　the　life　of　Plotinus；　a　man　of　sense　and　virtue；　and　so

modest　that　he　would　not　allow　his　portrait　to　be　painted。　　His

character　drew　good　men　round　him；　his　repute　for　supernatural

virtues　brought　〃fools　into　a　circle。〃　　What　he　meant　by　his　belief

that　four　times　he　had；　〃whether　in　the　body　or　out　of　the　body；〃

been　united　with　the　Spirit　of　the　world；　who　knows？　　What　does

Tennyson　mean　when　he　writes：





〃So　word　by　word；　and　line　by　line；

The　dead　man　touch'd　me　from　the　past；

And　all　at　once　it　seem'd　at　last

His　living　soul　was　flashed　on　mine。



And　mine　in　his　was　wound　and　whirl'd

About　empyreal　heights　of　thought；

And　came　on　that　which　is；　and　caught

The　deep　pulsations　of　the　world。〃





Mystery！　　We　cannot　fathom　it；　we　know　not　the　paths　of　the　souls　of

Pascal　and　Gordon；　of　Plotinus　and　St。　Paul。　　They　are　wise　with　a

wisdom　not　of　this　world；　or　with　a　foolishness　yet　more　wise。



In　his　practical　philosophy　Plotinus　was　an　optimist；　or　at　least　he

was　at　war　with　pessimism。



〃They　that　love　God　bear　lightly　the　ways　of　the　worldbear　lightly

whatsoever　befalls　them　of　necessity　in　the　general　movement　of

things。〃　　He　believed　in　a　rest　that　remains　for　the　people　of　God；

〃where　they　speak　not　one　with　the　other；　but；　as　we　understand　many

things　by　the　eyes　only；　so　does　soul　read　soul　in　heaven；　where　the

spiritual　body　is　pure；　and　nothing　is　hidden；　and　nothing　feigned。〃

The　arguments　by　which　these　opinions　are　buttressed　may　be　called

metaphysical；　and　may　be　called　worthless；　the　conviction；　and　the

beauty　of　the　language　in　which　it　is　stated；　remain　immortal

possessions。



Why　such　a　man　as　Plotinus；　with　such　ideas；　remained　a　pagan；　while

Christianity　offered　him　a　sympathetic　refuge；　who　can　tell？

Probably　natural　conservatism；　in　him　as　in　Dr。　Johnson

conservatism　and　tastecaused　his　adherence　to　the　forms　at　least

of　the　older　creeds。　　There　was　much　to　laugh　at　in　Plotinus；　and

much　to　like。　　But　if　you　read　him　in　hopes　of　material　for　strange

stories；　you　will　be　disappointed。　　Perhaps　Lord　Lytton　and　others

who　have　invoked　his　name　in　fiction　（like　Vivian　Grey　in　Lord

Beaconsfield's　tale）　knew　his　name　better　than　his　doctrine。　　His

〃Enneads；〃　even　as　edited　by　his　patient　Boswell；　Porphyry；　are　not

very　light　subjects　of　study。







LUCRETIUS







To　the　Rev。　Geoffrey　Martin；　Oxford。



Dear　Martin；〃How　individuals　found　religious　consolation　from　the

creeds　of　ancient　Greece　and　Rome〃　is；　as　you　quote　C。　O。　Muller；　〃a

very　curious　question。〃　　It　is　odd　that　while　we　have　countless

books　on　the　philosophy　and　the　mythology　and　the　ritual　of　the

classic　peoples；　we　hear　about　their　religion　in　the　modern　sense

scarcely　anything　from　anybody。　　We　know　very　well　what　gods　they

worshipped；　and　what　sacrifices　they　offered　to　the　Olympians；　and

what　stories　they　told　about　their　deities；　and　about　the　beginnings

of　things。　　We　know；　too；　in　a　general　way；　that　the　gods　were

interested　in　morality。　　They　would　all　punish　offences　in　their　own

department；　at　least　when　it　was　a　case　of　numine　laeso；　when　the

god　who　protected　the　hearth　was　offended　by　breach　of　hospitality；

or　when　the　gods　invoked　to　witness　an　oath　were　offended　by

perjury。



But　how　did　a　religiously　minded　man　regard　the　gods？　　What　hope　or

what　fears　did　he　entertain　with　regard　to　the　future　life？　　Had　he

any　sense　of　sin；　as　more　than　a　thing　that　could　be　expiated　by

purification　with　the　blood　of　slaughtered　swine；　or　by　purchasing

the　prayers　and　〃masses；〃　so　to　speak；　of　the　mendicant　clergy　or

charlatans；　mentioned　by　Plato　in　the　〃Republic〃？　　About　these　great

questions　of　the　religious　lifethe　Future　and　man's　fortunes　in

the　future；　the　punishment　or　reward　of　justice　or　iniquitywe

really　know　next　to　nothing。



That　is　one　reason　why　the　great　poem　of　Lucretius　seems　so　valuable

to　me。　　The　De　Rerum　Natura　was　written　for　no　other　purpose　than　to

destroy　Religion；　as　Lucretius　understood　it；　to　free　men's　minds

from　all　dread　as　to　future　punishment；　all　hope　of　Heaven；　all

dread　or　desire　for　the　interference　of　the　gods　in　this　mortal　life

of　ours　on　earth。　　For　no　other　reason　did　Lucretius　desire　to　〃know

the　causes　of　things；〃　except　that　the　knowledge　would　bring

〃emancipation；〃　as　people　call　it；　from　the　gods；　to　whom　men　had

hitherto　stood　in　the　relation　of　the　Roman　son　to　the　Roman　sire；

under　the　patria　potestas　or　in　manu　patris。



As　Lucretius　wrought　all　his　arduous　work　to　this　end；　it　follows

that　his　fellow…countrymen　must　have　gone　in　a　constant　terror　about

spiritual　penalties；　which　we　seldom　associate　in　thought　with　the

〃blithe〃　and　careless　existence　of　the　ancient　peoples。　　In　every

line　of　Lucretius　you　read　the　joy　and　the　indignation　of　the　slave

just　escaped　from　an　intolerable　thraldom　to　fear。　　Nobody　could

well　have　believed　on　any　other　evidence　that　the　classical　people

had　a　gloomy　Calvinism　of　their　own　time。　　True；　as　early　as　Homer；

we　hear　of　the　shadowy　existence　of　the　souls；　and　of　the　torments

endured　by　the　notably　wicked；　by　impious　ghosts；　or　tyrannical；

like　Sisyphus　and　Tantalus。　　But　when　we　read　the　opening　books　of

the　〃Republic；〃　we　find　the　educated　friends　of　Socrates　treating

these　terrors　as　old…wives'　fables。　　They　have　heard；　they　say；　that

such　notions　circulate　among　the　people；　but　they　seem　never　for　a

moment　to　have　themselves　believed　in　a　future　of　rewards　and

punishments。



The　remains　of　ancient　funereal　art；　in　Etruria　or　Attica；　usually

show　us　the　semblances　of　the　dead　lying　at　endless　feasts；　or

receiving　sacrifices　of　food　and　wine　（as　in　Egypt）　from　their

descendants；　or；　perhaps；　welcoming　the　later　dead；　their　friends

who　have　just　rejoined　them。　　But　it　is　only　in　the　descriptions　by

Pausanias　and　others　of　certain　old　wall…paintings　that　we　hear　of

the　torments　of　the　wicked；　of　the　demons　that　torture　them　and；

above　all；　of　the　great　chief　fiend；　coloured　like　a　carrion　fly。

To　judge　from　Lucretius；　although　so　little　remains　to　us　of　this

creed；　yet　it　had　a　very　strong　hold　of　the　minds　of　people；　in　the

century　before　Christ。　　Perhaps　the　belief　was　reinforced　by　the

teaching　of　Socrates；　who；　in　the　vision　of　Er；　in　the　〃Republic；〃

brings　back；　in　a　myth；　the　old　popular　faith　in　a　Purgatorio；　if

not　in　an　Inferno。



In　the　〃Phaedo；〃　for　certain；　we　come　to　the　very　definite　account

of　a　Hell；　a　place　of　eternal　punishment；　as　well　as　of　a　Purgatory；

whence　souls　are　freed　when　their　sins　are　expiated。　　〃The　spirits

beyond　redemption；　for　the　multitude　of　their　murders　or　sacrileges；

Fate　hurls　into　Tartarus；　whence　they　never　any　more　come　forth。〃

But　souls　of　lighter　guilt　abide　a　year　in　Tartarus；　and　then　drift

out　down　the　streams　Cocytus　and　Pyriphlegethon。　　Thence　they　reach

the　marsh　of　Acheron；　but　are　not　released　until　they　have　received

the　pardon　of　the　souls　whom　in　life　they　had　injured。



All　this；　and　much　more　to　the　same　purpose　in　other　dialogues　of

Plato's；　appears　to　have　been　derived　by　Socrates　from　the　popular

unphilosophic　traditions；　from　Folk…lore　in　short；　and　to　have　been

raised　by　him　to　the　rank　of　〃pious　opinion；〃　if　not　of　dogma。　　Now；

Lucretius　represents　nothing　but　the　reaction　against　all　this　dread

of　future　doom；　whether　that　dread　was　inculcated　by　Platonic

philosophy　or　by　popular　belief。　　The　latter　must　have　been　much　the

more　powerful　and　widely　diffused。　　It　follows　that　the　Romans；　at

least；　must　have　been　haunted　by　a　constant　dread　of　judgment　to

come；　from　which；　but　for　the　testimony　of　Lucretius　and　his

manifest　sincerity；　we　might　have　believed　them　free。



Perhaps　we　may　regret　the　existence　of　this　Roman　religion；　for　it

did　its　best　to　ruin　a　great　poet。　　The　sublimity　of　the　language　of

Lucretius；　when　he　can　leave　his　attempts　at　scientific　proof；　the

closeness　of　his　observation；　his　enjoyment　of　life；　of　Nature；　and

his　power　of　painting　them；　a　certain　largeness　of　touch；　and　noble

amplitude　of　mannerthese；　with　a　burning　sincerity；　mark　him　above

all　others　that　smote　the　Latin　lyre。　　Yet　these　great　qualities　are

half…crushed　by　his　task；　by　his　attempt　to　turn　the　atomic　theory

into　verse；　by　his　unsympathetic　effort　to　destroy　all　faith　and

hope；　because　these　were　united；　in　his　mind；　with　dread　of　Styx　and

Acheron。



It　is　an　almost　intolerable　philosophy；　the　philosophy　of　eternal

sleep；　without　dreams　and　without　awakening。　　This　belief　is　wholly