’Parlons selon les lumieres naturelles.  S’il y a un Dieu, il est infiniment incomprehensible; puisque, n’ayant ni principes ni bornes, il n’a nul rapport a nous; nous sommes done incapables de connaitre ni ce qn’il est, ni s’il est.’—­(See Arago, Biographie de Condorcet, p. lxxxiv., prefixed to his edition of Condorcet’s works.)]

[Footnote 6:  The indictment under which Socrates was condemned at Athens, as reported by Xenophon at the commencement of the Memorabilia, ran thus—­’Socrates is guilty of crime, inasmuch as he does not believe in those Gods in whom the City believes, but introduces other novelties in regard to the Gods; he is guilty also, inasmuch as he corrupts the youth.’

These words express clearly a sentiment entertained not merely by the Athenian people, but generally by other societies also.  They all agree in antipathy to free, individual, dissenting reason; though that antipathy manifests itself by acts, more harsh in one place, less harsh in another.  The Hindoo who declares himself a convert to Christianity, becomes at the same time an outcast ([Greek:  aphrhetor, athhemistos, anhestios]) among those whose Gods he has deserted.  As a general fact, the man who dissents from his fellows upon fundamentals of religion, purchases an undisturbed life only by being content with that ‘semi-liberty under silence and concealment,’ for which Cicero was thankful under the dictatorship of Julius Caesar.  ’Obsecro—­abiiciamus ista et semi-liberi saltern, simus; quod assequemur et tacendo et latendo’ (Epist. ad Attic, xiii. 31).  Contrast with this the memorable declaration of Socrates, in the Platonic Apology, that silence and abstinence from cross-examination were intolerable to him; that life would not be worth having under such conditions.]

[Footnote 7:  Aeschyl.  Prometh., 996-1006—­

pros tauta, rhipthestho men aithaloussa phlox, leykoptherps de niphadi kai bronthemasin chthonhiois kykhato phanta kahi tarassheto gnhampsei gar ouden tondhe m’——­ eiseltheto se mhepot, hos ego, Dios gnhomen phobetheis, thelhynoys genhesomai, kai liparheso ton mhega stygohymenon gynaikomhimois hyptihysmasin cherhon, lyshai me dhesmon tonde toy pantos oheo.

Also v. 1047, et seq.  The memorable ode of Goethe, entitled Prometheus, embodies a similar vein of sentiment in the finest poetry.]

[Footnote 8:  Euripid Hippol., 10—­

(Aph) oh gar me thaeseos pais, ’Amazonos tokos monos politon taesde gaes Troizaenias legei kakistaen daimonon pephukenai Phoibou d’ adelphaen Artemin,—­ tima, megiotaen daimonon aegoumenos—­

  (Hipp.) taen saen dhe Khyprin pholl’ hego Chairein lhego—­
  (112.)

See also v. 1328—­1402.]

[Footnote 9:  Herodot. t. 32.  O Kroise, epistumenon me to theion pan eohn phthonerohn te kai taraxodes, epeirotas ahnthropaeion pragmhaton pheri; also iii. 40]

[Footnote 10:  See Eurip.  Hipp., 6-96-149.  The language of the attendant, after his affectionate remonstrance to Hippolytus had been disregarded, supplicating Aphrodite to pardon the recalcitrancy of that virtuous but obstinate youth, is characteristic and touching (114-120.)]