★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
done without a God, yet sure Archimides could not
have imitated and Explained the Motions of the heavenly
bodies so as he did without a Genius more than human;
and, for my part, I cannot help thinking, but that the
Professors of these Arts, which are more generally known,
are not without inspiration: for I cannot think a Man
can compose a good and Solid piece of poetry without —
being actuated by some celestial influence, or that an
Orator can speak an Oration abounding with sounding
Words and fertile Sentiments, without Abilities rather
more than human. moreover what is Philosophy —
which is the mother of all arts, but, as Plato expresses
it, the Gift, as I, the Invention, of the Gods? this first
taught us the Worship of the gods; our duty towards men,
which is applied to Society: moderation and magnanimity;
That took off as it were the film from our Eyes, that we
might see the top, the bottom, the beginning, the End,
and the Middle of things. That power seems to me ——
altogether divine, which effected so many and so great
things. for what is memory? what is invention? ——
certainly that, than which God has no greater attribute.
for I do not think that Gods are delighted with nectar
or ambrosia, being waited on by Youth; nor do I give
heed to Homer, who says that Ganymede was snatched
away by the Gods, on account of his beauty, to be
38
Identifier: | JB/537/103/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 537.
|
|||
---|---|---|---|
1761-01-27 |
|||
537 |
Tusculan Questions |
||
103 |
|||
002 |
|||
Copy/fair sheet |
|||
Jeremy Bentham |
|||