Thoughts of making Learning more common. But that a Project of this nature would have been very grateful to the Romans, I think, is manifeft by the general Inclination of their Youth to Learning; of whom fuch vaft numbers flock'd to hear Carneades during his ftay in that City (when he was fent Ambaffador from the Athenians) that Marcus Cato made a Speech against him in the Senate (to whom his Embaffy was already, in fome fufpicion) and told them, That confidering the whole Youth of Rome were fuch Admirers of him, it were an eafy matter for him to perfuade them to any thing. This difcovers fo great Defire of Knowledg in them, that, I am confident, whoever fhould have fet fuch a Design on foot there, would have been exalted among their Gods, and had divlne and immortal Honour paid to his Memory. It is lefs to be wonder'd that the Churchmen, who at firft took up the Platonick Principles, to engage in the Controverfial War with the Heathens, did not promote any thing like the Subject of my prefent Difcourfe; fince they were too much employ'd in Difputes on the old Founda. tion, to think of any new Progrefs in Learning and after they had with fuccefs manag'd this Philofophy of Plato, to the Downfal of Idolatry, their Tribe began to employ it a gainst one another, till their Contefts, as well as Learning, found a period in that Inundation of Barbarity, which fwal low'd both them and the Roman Empire up together. After an Age of univerfal Ignorance, the Clergy again put themfelves upon Learning, at least affum'd the Name of it but it is not to be wonder'd, that they who out of the ill-underftood Work of Ariftotle compos'd an abfurd Body of PhiloJophy, kept up the unreasonable Humour of confining the Sciences within fuch narrow bounds, that many an Age scarce produc'd one Layman that knew any thing of Letters; becaufe as it had gain'd the Philofophers Veneration, so it would add to that which the bigotted World already paid to their Character: for by this means the Clergy became undeniable Oracles, in both divine and profane Knowledg. The Schoolmens Heads were too much taken up with Subtilties, and Notions deduc'd from these Principles (they too being all of the Clergy) to devife any means of making the rest of Men wiser than before. But that which gave me the greatest cause of Wonder, was, fince the Benefit of Printing, Books, and confequently Learning, grew more general, and with that an univerfal Inclination of moft Men to spread it ftill farther, that nothing of this nature fhould by any of the Great Men and Virtuofo's, of our own or foreign Nations, be found out before about a year fince. I am not ignorant that there is a Book call'd Sphinx TheologicoPhilofophica, that bears fome refemblance to the Athenian Ora * So call'd because few only, and those felect, were admitted to hear that Philofophy: from Axogaris, Aufcultatio, Hearing. Many learned Authors agree, that these Books were his Phyficks and Metaphyficks. + I am not ignorant that fome conclude that these Letters are fpurious, yet others are of a contrary Opinion, and prove at large the fe veral Abfurdities in thofe Acroamatick Books, which fo great a Man as Ariftotle could not be fuppos'd to be guilty of. B 3 From From hence we may fuppofe what Exactnefs and Reafon there was in Systems, compos'd after this Model; and I affure the Reader, the Author of the fore nam'd Book falls yet lower, and dwindles into Old wives Tales and common Sayings. In fhort, if any Men of Senfe fhall happen to fee that Book, they will find that it bears no likeness to the Athenian Oracle, but the Form of Question and Answer; the Authors of which Method, the Gentlemen of this Society are far from pretending to be, and it was made choice of, as the only way of fatisfying every one's Curiofity and Doubts, when each propos'd his own. I never yet (upon enquiry) could understand that any thing Jike this was ever advanc'd either before this time,.. or in any other Nation. England has the Glory of giving rife to two of the nobleft Designs that the Wit of Man is capable of inventing; and they are the Royal Society, for the experimental Improvement of Natural Knowledg; and the Athenian Society, for communicating not only that, but all other Sciences to all Men, as well as to both Sexes: and the laft will, I queftion not, be imitated, as well as the first, by other Nations. This leads me into a Confideration of the Advantages this Undertaking has afforded the World; which are fo many, and fo evident, that I may feem to the Judicious to lofe time in endeavouring to demonitrate what every Man of Senfe muft acknowledge. Yet, to filence the Enemies of Reafon as well as of the Athenian Society, I fhall Inftance in fome few particulars; as first, the Promotion of Printing. For as that Art contributed extremely to the fpreading and progress of Learning, fo has this Pro ject made grateful Returns already, to the encouragement at least of the Maflers of that Art, witnefs the Controversy with the Anabaptifts, the Quakers, and with Mr. Jones on the Subject of Ufury; which tho' it be ftretch'd into too great a Latitude by the Practices of fome, yet is with no reafon in the world abfolutely condemn'd by him; as this Learned Society have already made evident to any difcerning Judgment. Nor have the little Endeavours at an Anfwer, by fome nameless Scribler, mov'd me at all to think otherwife, he having not anfwer'd any Proof the Society brought (nor indeed do I be lieve he understood great part of them) but with a canting inconfiftent Ramble haftens to the end of his mighty Vindication. I fhall fay no more of this Controverfy now, becaufe it is not yet finish'd; and the other I fhall have occafion of fpeaking to in the Second Part of this Difcourse. But the Bookfellers and Printers are not the only Gainers in this Affair; that Branch of the Royal Revenue, the Poft (I mean both the General and Penny-Poft) being not inconfiderably improv'd by it; they having in the first Year receiv'd fome Thousands of Let ters: ters: So that it feems to me the Intereft of the Government to espouse the Quarrel of this Society, fo far as to fupprefs any Interloper, the Refult of whofe unjuft Endeavors must be the Ruin of fuch an increafing Advantage to to their Majefty's Intereft. But I fhall fay more of this in my laft Part, and here fhall leave the Benefit, that arifes from the Athenian Oracle, to the Purfes of both the Publick and Private, to confider a little of that which the Mind, the nobler part of Mankind, will reap from it, that being its chief Aim and Defign, the others but accidental. What an Improvement this will be to Learning, I prefume none, that will give themfelves leifure to reflect, can be infenfible of; for a diffufing Knowledg, among all that Heaven has made capable, muft certainly be the occafion of more Discoveries in Truth and Nature, becaufe the number of the Learned will be increas'd: Of the Learned, I fay, for I cannot fee any reafon why Languages fhould be thought fo neceffary an Ingredient for the compofing a Scholar, if it were not for the opening the Secrets that are lock'd up in them, which Prifon this Noble Society's Undertaking will in time free them from for indeed 'tis very hard that thofe, whose Pockets could nor arrive to better Education, and yet are bleft with abler Brains than many who spend their time in Books, fhould be hinder'd from thofe Advantages they could fo well make ufe of. The French have remov'd in fome measure this Obftacle, and made all Au thors familiar to every one that can but read and underftand their Own MotherTongue, by tranflating all Books of any Value into their own Language. 'Tis true, we have imitated them a little in that way, but under a different Capacity; for here there are a fort of little ignorant Foreigners, who understand neither our Tongue, nor that from whence they translate, imploy'd by the Bookfellers on this difficult Task, because they murder a nobler Author cheaper than a Man of Parts will do him Justice, and like a Spaniard will live upon a Clove of Garlick, and work hard for what will but fuffice to buy them a great Coat to keep them from the Cold: This is the Caufe we have few good Tranflations. Whereas the French are more accurate, becaufe they who give themfelves to Undertakings of that kind among them, are fuch whofe Bufinefs is Learning, and who are otherwife provided for, than to depend on the Generofity of a Bookfeller for their Bread. And whilft a Bufinefs of that Confequence is carry'd on by fuch Hands, we have no reason to expect any greater Performances But had we the good For tune to have all the Arts and Sciences, and all the fine Thoughts of all thofe great Men who have writ, they would be fo voluminous, that B 4 many many a Man of Senfe would labour under as great a Difficulty as before, both for Time to perufe, and Mony to purchase them. But this Difficulty is quite remov'd by the Athenian Society; for one hour in a Week may be fufficient to perufe this Work, in which every one may find the Marrow of what great Authors have writ on any curious Subject, with the Improvement of many ingenious and learned Men upon it. Nor is the Reader confin'd to that filly Magifterial Argument of fome of the old Ariftotelians, an ipfe dixit, but is only defir'd to yield to the force of Reason it felf; and what Authorities are brought will eafily be feen to be fupernumerary Proof, unlefs about Matter of Fact, and the Verity of any Paffage in Hiftory as that of Jofephus about our Saviour Jefus Chrift, which can be decided by nothing but the Teftimony of all Ages up to the time when fuch Book was writ; which is a much more natural and rational way to come to the Truth, than by the conjectural Argument of fome opinionated Men of this prefent Age, who would needs prefer a mere Guefs to a Cloud of Witneffes, a Method quite contrary to all the Juftice and Proceedings in the World. : If the Reader will confider what I have faid, I am confident he can't but in Juftice acquit me of Flattery, when I hall fay, that all the Endeavors of the great Men of all Nations and Ages from the beginning of Learning to this time, have not contributed to the Increase of Knowledg, fo much as this Inftitution of the Athenian Society. What the Antients did I have already, in a few words, difcufs'd; and tho' I will not deny, that the Advance which has been made fince the Reftoration of Learning is very extraordinary, yet it must be granted that it falls fhort of this. 'Tis true, it was great to caft off Authorities, and to have recourfe alone to Reafon and Experiment, the only fure Foundation of all Learning, without which we spend out our Years in painful Study, to fill our Heads with falfe and empty Notions, foreign enough from Truth, which is the Aim of all Study; for without a pretty good Affurance of that, the Mind can never be fatisfied. But tho' the Treasure of Knowledg increas'd fo vaftly, yet the Poffeffors of this Treafure did not grow much more numerous than of old; fo that the Benefit of it reach'd only to fuch as could go to the Expence of Studying at the chargeable Places call'd Univerfities (few elfe being the better for this new Revolution in the Empire of Wisdom;) moft of the rest of Mankind were an ignorant Generation, that bore the Form, the Shape, the Image of Men, and had the ufe of their Tongue to make known their Thoughts; but it was only to discover, how very little difference there was betwixt them and their younger Brothers the Brutes. The Learned dealt |