The Religion of Nature Delineated by William Wollaston (mystery books to read .txt) 📕

Non est dubium, quin religio nulla sit, ubicunque simulachrum est: “Without doubt, there can be no true religion where there are any images.” (Lactantius, Divine Institutes.) ↩

Ὡς γὰρ ἔργον σώματος τὸ σωματικῶς τι ἐπιτελέσαι, οὕτω καὶ ψυχῆς ἔργον τὸ ταῖς ἐννοίαις τὰς ἀρεσκούσας φαντασίας τελησιουργῆσαι ὡς θέλει, διὸ καὶ τὰς ἐννοίᾳ ἁμαρτίας μὴ ὡ; φαντασίας ἁπλῶς, ἁλλ᾿ ὡς ἔργα ἐν ψυχῇ γινόμενα δίκαιον κρίνεσθαι: “For as, when anything is done by the body, it is done grossly, so, when anything is done by the soul, it is done according to its own will, and by such representations as are agreeable to its thoughts; wherefore, it is but reasonable to think that sins in our thoughts are not mere imaginations only, but works really done in the soul.” (St. Basil, De Vera Integritate Virginitatis.) ↩

Θεοπρεπῶς ἅπαντα νοοῦντες: “To think nothing but what is worthy of God.” (St. Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis.) ↩

We use them (and speak as the Jews everywhere inculcate, כלשון בני אדם: “according to the language of men”) only ἀπορίαι οἰκείας προσηγορίας⁠ ⁠… τὰ ὀνόματα παρ᾽ ἡμῖν ἀγαπώμεναi μεταφέροντες: “for want of proper words⁠ ⁠… we convert our favorite words into metaphors.” (Plotinus, Enneads.) ↩

Mollissima corda Humano generi dare se natura fatetur, Quæ lachrymas dedit, hæc nostri pars optima sensûs⁠ ⁠… separat hoc nos à grege mutorum, etc.: “Nature confesses that she has given to mankind hearts that are very soft (and easy to be affected). She has given them tears, which are the best part of our senses⁠ ⁠… for these distinguish us from brute creatures.” (Juvenal, Satires.) ↩

The ratio of G to M + q is different from that of G to M − q: and yet G remains unaltered. ↩

Πῶς ἂν⁠ ⁠… δοίη τῷ πρὸς τὰς όρμὰς αὐτεξουσίῳ μὴ αἰτοῦντι ὁ διδόναι πεφυκὼς θεός: “Why should God, who is in his own nature beneficent, give anything to a being whose appetites are in his own power, if he does not ask it?” (Hierocles, Commentary on the Carmen Aureum.) ↩

Τῶν ἀρίστων οὐκ ἔστιν ἔπαινος, ἀλλὰ μεῖζόν τι καὶ βέλτιον: “Something, greater and better than praise, belongs to that which is perfectly good.” (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics.) Therefore ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τἀγαθὸν: “God and perfect goodness” are above praise. Οἱ τοὺς θεοὺς ἔπαινοῦντες γελοῖοι ἐισιν ἀυτοὺς ἐξισοῦντες: “They who praise the Gods make themselves ridiculous, for that is to equal them with ourselves.” (Andronicus of Rhodes [from a commentary on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics sometimes attributed to Andronicus —⁠Editor].) ↩

Cleon, only a songster [ἀιδὸς], had a statue at Thebes, kept as sacred, when Pindar himself had none. See the story in Athenæus. (Deipnosophistae.) ↩

What Seneca says, of Alexander, is true of many another hero: pro virtute erat felix temeritas: “that his successful rashness was esteemed virtue.” (De Beneficiis.) ↩

Tumes alto Druforum sanguine, tanquam Feceris ipse aliquid, etc.: “You puff yourself up because you are of the noble blood of the Drusi, as if you had done some (great) thing yourself.” (Juvenal, Satires.) ↩

Gloria quantalibet quid erit, si gloria tantum est? “What signifies the highest degree of glory, if it be only mere glory?” (Juvenal, Satires.) ↩

היום כאן ומחר בקבר היום חי ומחר רימה: “Today here, and tomorrow in the grave; now a man, and then a worm.” (Judah ben Samuel, Sefer Hasidim.) ↩

Κτῆμα σφαλερώτατον: “A very uncertain possession.” (Philo Judaeus, On Abraham.) ↩

Even the great pyramid in Egypt, though it still remains, has not been able to preserve the true name of its builder, which is lost; one may justly wonder how. ↩

Τά ὀνόματα τῶν πάλαι πολυυμνήτων νῦν τρόπον τινὰ γλωσσήματά ἐστι: “The names of those, who in former times were very much celebrated, are now some way or other become quite obsolete.” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.) ↩

Μικρὸν ἡ μηκίστη ὑστεροφημία, καὶ ἀυτὴ δὲ κατὰ διαδοχὴν ἀνθρωπαρίων τάχιστα τεθνηξομένων, καὶ οὐκ εἰδότων οὐδὲ ἑαυτούς, οὔτιγε τὸν πρόπαλαι τεθνηκότα: “The longest fame amongst posterity is but short, by reason of the quick succession by poor mortals dying, who know neither themselves, nor any that died some time ago.” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.) ↩

Expende Hannibalem: quot libras in duce summo Invenies? “Weigh Hannibal in the scales, and see how many pounds there remain of that great commander.” (Juvenal, Satires.) ↩

Μέχρι τοῦδε ὁι ἔπαινοι ἀνεκτοί ἐισιν, εἰς ὅσον ἂν ὁ ἐπαινούμενος γνωρίζῃ ἕκαστον τῶν λεγομένων προσὸν ἑαυτῷ· τὸ δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο ἀλλότριον, κ.τ.λ.: “Praises may be borne, so long as the person praised knows that all the things which are said belong to him, but all that is beyond this is nothing to the purpose.” (Lucian, Pro Imaginibus.) ↩

Μακαρίσασ ἀυτὸν [Ἀχιλλέα] ὅτι καὶ ζῶν φίλου πιστοῦ, καὶ τελευτήσας μεγάλου κήρυκος ἔτυχεν: “He esteemed him [Achilles] happy, because he had a faithful friend while living, and one that celebrated him highly after he was dead.” (Plutarch, Life of Alexander.) ↩

As Psaphon was celebrated by the birds, singing Μέγας θεὸς ψάφων: “Psaphon is a great God.” (Maximus Tyrius, Dissertations.) ↩

Honoribus aucti⁠ ⁠… cùm diis gratias agimus, tum nihil nostræ laudi assumptum arbitramur: “When honors are heaped upon us⁠ ⁠… and we return thanks to the Gods, we do not then take any of the merit to