Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/273

251 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 251 into the self-same nature."* How he reconciled these doctrines with the evidence of the senses, we are not sufficiently informed ; but he does not appear to have worked out the pantheistic doctrine of one God comprehending all things with the logical consistency and definiteness of ideas which we shall find in his successor. Probably, however, he considered all experience and tradition as mere opinion and apparent truth. Xenophanes did not hesitate to represent openly ihe anthropo- morphic conceptions of the Greeks concerning their gods as mere pre- judices. " If (said he) oxen and lions had hands wherewith to paint and execute works as men do, they would paint gods with forms and bodies like their own; horses like horses, oxen like oxen." t Homel- and Hesiod, the poets who developed and established these anthropo- morphic conceptions, were considered by Xer.ophanes as corruptors of genuine religion. " These poets are not contented with ascribing human qualities and virtues to the gods, but have attributed to them everything- which is a shame and reproach among men, as thieving, adultery, and deceit."! This is the first decided manifestation of that discord which henceforth reigned between poets and philosophers, and, as is well known, was still carried on with much vehemence in the time of Plato. § 11. Xenophanes was followed by Parmenides of Elea, who, as we know from Plato, was born about Olymp. 66. 2, and passed some time at Athens, when he was about 65 years old.§ It is therefore possible that in his youth he may have conversed with Xenophanes, although Aristotle mentions with doubt the tradition that he was the disciple of the latter philosopher. It is, however, certain that the philosophy of Parmenides has much of the spirit of that of Xenophanes, and ditfers from it chiefly in having reached a maturer state. The all-comprehen- siveness of the Deity, which appeared to Xenophanes a refuge from the difficulties of metaphysical speculation, was demonstrated by Par- menides by arguments derived from the idea of existence. This mode of deductive reasoning from certain simple fundamental principles (analogous to mathematical reasoning) was first employed to a great extent by Parmenides. His whole philosophy rests upon the idea of existence, which, strictly understood, excludes the ideas of creation and ovrrt yko if&ov 1001 il^wroufii llf <v ralr'o ri srajv ailXviro, trui 01 hi [ol ?] Bill •Xavrti atlXKifj.li oi fj-iav us tyvtru ktto.6 0/j.oiu.i. The first metaphor is taken from a journey, the second from the balance. f Clem. Alex. Strom, v. p. 601. fragm, G. Karsten. + Sext. Empir. ad Mathem. ix. p. 193. fr. 7. Karsten. § Parmenides came, at the at;e of Go, with Zeno, who was at the nge of 40, to great Pan aihenrca. (See Plato Parmen. p. 127.) Socrates (born, in Olymp. 77. 3 or 4; was then o-fifya via;, but jet old enough to take a part in philosophical dis- cussions, and therefore probably about the age of 20. Accordingly this philoso- phical meeting (unless it be a pure invention of Plato) cannot be placed before Olymp. 82. 3 ; from which date the rest follows.
 * This is tho meaning of the passage in Sext. Empir. Hypot. i. 224.'