Phaedrus — Plato
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p. 206Again, Socrates, let me mention another way of speaking about justice and injustice, which is not confined to the poets, ^ but is also found in prose writers. The universal voice of ^ mankind is saying that justice and virtue are honorable, but grievous and toilsome ; and that the pleasures of vice and injustice are easy of attainment, and are only censured by law and opinion.
They say also that honesty is generally less profitable than dishonesty ; and they are quite ready to call wicked men happy, and to honor them both in public and private when they are rich or have other sources of power, while they despise and neglect those who may be weak and poor, even though acknowledging that these are better than the others.
But the most extraordinary of all their sayings is about virtue and the^q^s^ they say that the gods apportion calami tylihd evil to many good men, and good and happiness to the evil.
And mendicant prophets go to rich men's doors and persuade them that they have a power committed to them of making an atonement for their sins or those of their fathers by sacrifices or charms, with rejoicings and games ; and they promise to harm an enemy, whether just or unjust, at a small charge ; with magic arts and incantations binding the will of Heaven to do their work.
And the poets are the authorities to whom they appeal, some of them dispensing indulgences out of them, as when the poet sings, — ** Vice may be easily found, and many are they who follow after her ; the way is smooth and not long. But before virtue the gods have set toil," and a path which they describe as tedious and steep.
Others, again, cite Homer as a witness that the gods may be influenced by men, as he also says, — * ' The gods, too, may be moved by prayers ; and men pray to them and turn away their wrath by sacrifices and entreaties, and by libations and the odor of fat, when they have sinned and transgressed.
And they produce a host of books written by Musaeus and Orpheus, who are children of the Moon and the Muses " — that is what they say — -according to which they perform their ritual, ' Musaeus was the son of Selene (se-le'ne), goddess of the Moon. Orpheus was the son of the Muse Calliope and of Apollo, who as god of song and poetry was called the leader of the Muses.
THE REPUBLIC 20/ and persuade not only individuals, but whole cities, that expiations and atonements for sin may be made by sacrifices and amusements which fill a vacant hour, and are equally at the service of the living and the dead ; the latter they call ^ mysteries,^ and they redeem us from the pains of hell, ^ but if we neglect them no one knows what awaits us.
He proceeded : And now when the young hear all this said about virtue and vice, and the manner in which gods and men regard them, how are they likely to be affected, my dear Socrates ; those of them, I mean, who are quickwitted, and, like bees on the wing, light on everything which they hear, and thence gather inferences as to the character and way of life which are best for them ?
Probably the youth will say to himself in the words of Pindar — " Can I by justice or by crooked ways of deceit ascend a loftier tower, which shall be a house of defense to me all my days ? " For what men say is that, if I am really just without being thought just, this is no good, but evident pain and loss. But if, though unjust, I acquire the character of justice, a heavenly life is to be mine.
Since then, as philosophers say, appearance is master of truth and lord of bliss, to appearance I must wholly devote myself. Around and about me I will draw the simple garb of virtue, but behind I will trail the subtle and crafty fox, * See Symposium, note 32. * On true and false worship, compare : " Now, God is the measure of all things in a sense far higher than any man could be, as the common saying affirms.
And he who would be dear to God must, as far as is possible, be like him, and such as he is. Wherefore the temperate man is the friend of God, for he is like him ; and the intemperate man is unlike him, and different from him, and unjust.
And the same holds of other things, and this is the conclusion, which is also the noblest and truest of all sayings : That for the good man to offer sacrifices to the gods, and hold converse with them by means of prayers and offerings, and every kind of service, is the noblest and best of all things, and also the most conducive to a happy life, and very fit and meet.
But with the bad man, the opposite of this holds ; for the bad man has an impious soul, whereas the good is pure ; and from one who is ]X)lIuted, neither a good man nor God is right in receiving gifts. And, therefore, the unholy waste their much service upon the gods, which, when offered by any holy man, is always accepted of them." — Plato, Laws IV., 716.
Compare the attitude of the Old Testament prophets toward ritualism : " To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saitb the Lord : I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts ; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. *' When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hands, to tread my courts ? " Bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto me ; the p. 208as Archilochus/^ first of sages, counsels. But I hear some one exclaiming that wickedness is not easily concealed ; to which I answer that nothing great is easy. Nevertheless, this is the road to happiness ; and the way by which we must go, following in the steps of the argument ; and as to concealment, that may be secured by the cooperation of societies and political clubs.
And there are professors of rhetoric who teach the philosophy of persuading courts and assemblies ; and so, partly by persuasion and partly by force, I shall make unlawful gains and not be punished. Still I hear a voice saying that the gods cannot be deceived, neither can they be compelled.
But what if there are no gods ? or, suppose that the gods have no care about human things — in either case the result is the same, that we need not trouble ourselves with concealment.
And even if there are gods, and they have a care of us, yet we know about them only from the traditions and genealogies of the poets ; and these are the very persons who say that they may be influenced by prayers and offerings.) ■ Let us be consistent then, and new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
"Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth ; they are a trouble to me ; I am weary to bear them. " And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : your hands are full of Dlood. " Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doing from before mine eyes ; cease to do eviL " Learn to do well." — Isaiah i. 11-17.
" I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. ** Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them : neither will I regard the peace offerings of your Tat beasts. " Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. " But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. " — Amos v. 21-24.
" Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? shall I give my first-bom for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul ? " — Micah vi. 7. " To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country ? your burnt offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweet unto me." — Jeremiah vi. 20.
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight." — Proverbs xv. 8. " For thou desirest not sacrifice ; else would I give it : thou delightest not in burnt offering. *• The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."— Psalms vi. 16, 17. " Archilochus (ar-kfl'o-kus, 714? -676 B.C.) : Greek lyric poet, noted especially for his satire.
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