A supplement to the Athenian oracle : being a collection of the remaining questions and answers in the old Athenian mercuries intermixt with many cases in divinity, history, philosophy, mathematicks, love, poetry, never before publish'd. To which is prefix'd the history of the Athenian Society, and an essay upon learning / [by J. Dunton?] By a member of the Athenian Society.

  • Dunton, John, 1659-1733
Date:
1710
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A supplement to the Athenian oracle : being a collection of the remaining questions and answers in the old Athenian mercuries intermixt with many cases in divinity, history, philosophy, mathematicks, love, poetry, never before publish'd. To which is prefix'd the history of the Athenian Society, and an essay upon learning / [by J. Dunton?] By a member of the Athenian Society. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/516 (page 4)
    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 Catomade.a Speech againft him in the Senate (to whom his Embafly 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 dif- covers fo, great a Defire of Knowledg in them, that, fam confident, whoever should have fet fuch a Defign on foot there, would have, been exalted a- mong their Gods, and had di- vine and,immortal Honour paid to his Memory. + gl It is lefs to be wonder’d that the Churchmen, who at took .up ,the Platonick ,Princi- pies,,to engage in the Contro- verfial War ‘with the Hea- thens, did not promote any | thing like the Subjett of my’ prefent Difcourfe; fince they were too much employ’d in Difputes on the old Foundar, tion, to think of any new Pro- gre{s 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-, gainft one another, till. their | Contefts, as well as Learning, found a period in that fnunda- low’d boththem and the Roman Empire up together. After an Age of univerfal Ignorance, the Clergy again put them- felves upon Learning, at leaft aflum’d the Name of it; but itis not to be wonder’d, that they who out of the ill-under- ftood. Work. .of Arifforle com- pos’d an abfurd Body of Philo- keptup the uareafonable Humour of confining the Scien- ces within fuch,narrow bounds, that-many an-Age fcarce pro- duc’d one Layman. that, knew any thing of Letters; becanfe asit had -gain’d the, Philofo- phers Veneration, fo it woulc add to that which the bigotted World already paid to their GCharaéter; for by this means the, Clergy became undeniable Oracles, in both divine and profane Knowledge | The Schoolmens Heads were too much taken up with Sub- being all of the Clergy). to de- of making the But that .which .gave me the greateft caufe of wonder, was, fince the Benefit of Prin- ting, Books, and confequently Learning, grew more general, and with that an univerfal In- clination of moft Men to fpread 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, {ain notignorant that there, — femblance to the Athenian Ora- cle}