ON THE ARISTOTELIAN PHILOSOPHY.

MACROBIUS gives an account of an author who expresses himself thus: "Tum ille: Recte et hoc Aristoteles, ut cætera. Nec possum non assentiri viro, cujus inventis nec ipsa natura dissentit.”— Saturn. lib. vii. cap. 6.

The quantity of Latin and Greek in these pages is much to be regretted: because in consequence thereof the information will reach but few ladies, that the occasion on which this high compliment was paid to the infallible philosopher, whom Nature, the head of the sex, could not well venture to contradict, was most honourable to them. As philosophy was the topic of some of Cicero's dialogues, oratory of others, so the subject of the question in hand was wine: respecting which Aristotle, it seems, had laid down the following dogma; that women get drunk very seldom, but old men very often. The name of the gentleman who admitted the fact, in consideration of the authority, was Disarius but the very words above quoted intimate, that he was borne down, not convinced. Referring this point to the test of family experience, let us look at less hyperbolical testimonials to the character of a philosopher, who still exercises a considerable, though diminished influence over the opinions of the learned and the scientific. But as his works are extant to tell their own tale,

and as his opinions are before the world, operative in themselves, and the subjects of frequent criticism, not the mere objects of literary curiosity, my remarks on them will run into no considerable length.

"Cum omnis ratio diligens disserendi duas habeat partes; unam inveniendi, alteram judicandi: utriusque princeps, ut mihi quidem videtur, Aristoteles fuit."-Ciceron. Topic. cap. 2.

Casaubon thus expresses his opinion of Aristotle's superiority to the Stoics, in the knowledge of logic: Logicæ peritiam commendat: de qua multum se Stoïci jactabant: ego pueros puto fuisse, præ divino Aristotele: et eorum in hoc genere scripta λov xai pλnvapov, præ Aristotelis Organo: quo opere omnia mortalium ingenia (divina aut de rebus divinis semper excipio:) longe superavit." - In Persium, sat. v. lin. 86.

Rapin has this passage in his Reflections on Logic:- Il ne parût rien de réglé et d'étably sur la Logique, devant Aristote. Ce génie si plein de raison et d'intelligence, approfondit tellement l'abysme de l'esprit humain, qu'il en pénétra tous les ressors, par la distinction exacte, qu'il fit de ses opérations. On n'avoit point encore sondé ce vaste fond des pensées de l'homme, pour en connoistre la profondeur. Aristote fut le premier, qui découvrit cette nouvelle voye, pour parvenir à la science, par l'évidence de la démonstration, et pour aller géométriquement à la démonstration, par l'infaillibilité du syllogisme, l'ouvrage le plus accomply, et l'effort le plus grand de l'esprit humain. Voilà en abrégé l'art et la méthode de la Logique d'Aristote, qui est si seure, qu'on ne peut avoir de parfaite certitude dans le raisonnement que par

cette méthode: laquelle est une règle de penser juste, ce qu'il faut penser."-Num. iv. p. 374, 375.

That both the Logic and the Physics of Aristotle are the productions of an exalted genius, copious in invention, and profound in appreciation, is what no one will pretend to dispute with his panegyrists: but his defects are also so numerous, as to have made the emancipation of our schools from his dominion a subject of congratulatory joy. He forsook the path of his most eminent predecessors. The natural philosophers before him had accounted for the changes in the outward form of matter, from some new modification of its particles; but he, in his book De Generatione et Corruptione, maintained the doctrine of generation, properly so called. He likewise introduced a countless number of forms and qualities, distinct from substance, which bewildered his followers, and filled their mouths with a jargon about entities, and so forth, to abolish which, and to substitute the rationality of experimental philosophy, required the practical good sense of the seventeenth century, and such a genius as that of Bacon to give it its proper direction.

In Father Rapin's Comparison of Plato and Aristotle, he refers to Baronius's Ecclesiastical Annals of the years 120 and 208, and to the twentyseventh chapter of Eusebius's History, for the fact of divine honours paid to this philosopher.

"Les Carpocratiens furent condamnez pour avoir mis l'image de ce Philosophe avec celle de JESUS CHRIST, et pour l'avoir adorée par une extravagance de zèle pour sa doctrine. Les Aëtiens furent excommuniéz par l'Eglise, et par les Arriens même,

dont ils éstoient sortis: parce qu'ils donnoient à leurs disciples les Catégories d'Aristote pour Catéchisme. Les Antinomiens allerent jusques à cet excès d'impiété, que de porter plus de respect à ce sage Payen, qu'à la Sagesse incréée."-Page 392.

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In another passage of the same work, he finds out a curious reason for the strong cry of the first reformers against the Peripatetics. "Mais rien ne fit plus d'honneur à la doctrine de ce grand homme dans le siècle passé, que les invectives atroces de Luther, de Melancthon, de Bucer, de Calvin, de Postel, de Paul Sarpy, et de tous ceux qui écrivirent alors contre l'Eglise Romaine. ils ne se plaignent tous d'Aristote que parce que la solidité de sa méthode donne un grand avantage aux Catholiques pour découvrir les ruses et les artifices des faux raisonnemens, dont se sert l'hérésie pour déguiser le mensonge et détruire la vérité."-Page 412. Here is an admission on the part of the Father, that Aristotle was deposed in our schools, and Protestantism (for we must not ask him to call it Reformation) established in our churches almost simultaneously: he says, because Aristotle's method of disputing was formidable to innovators: we say, because the rank luxuriance of his system overshadowed, choked up, and hindered the growth of true, healthful, and vital religion.

Suidas makes Aristotle Nature's secretary :-"OTI ̓Αριστοτέλης τῆς φύσεως γραμματεὺς ἦν, τὸν κάλαμον ἀποβρέχων εἰς νοῦν· ὅν οὐδὲν ἴσως ἐχρῆν τῶν χρησίμων, εἰ καὶ τεχνικώτερόν ἐστι καὶ περιττότερον ἐξειργασμένον, παραιτεῖσθαι.

To his reputation as a teacher during his lifetime, we have the sanction of Philip's judgment :Neque vero hoc fugit sapientissimum regem,

Philippum, qui hunc Alexandro filio doctorem accierit, a quo eodem ille et agendi acciperet præcepta et loquendi," Cic. de Orat. lib. iii.

It was after the residence of Aristotle for three years with Hermias, that Philip, king of Macedon, made himself master of Thrace, and almost of all Greece. Knowing Aristotle's high character, he wrote him a very civil letter of invitation, proposing the office of tutor to his son Alexander, who was then about fourteen years old. Aristotle accepted the office, and continued for eight years in the train of the young prince. The subjects of his tuition were, eloquence, natural philosophy, morals, politics, and the occult sciences. On this latter subject, Plutarch speaks of a private system of philosophy, which the professor withheld from all but his royal disciple, with respect to whose zeal for knowledge, we have the following account:"Alexandro Magno rege inflammato cupidine animalium naturas noscendi, delegataque hac commentatione Aristoteli, summo in omni doctrina viro, aliquot millia hominum in totius Asiæ Græciæque tractu parere jussa, omnium quos venatus, aucupia, piscatusque alebant: quibusque vivaria, armenta, alvearia, piscinæ, aviaria in cura erant: ne quid usquam genitum ignoraretur ab eo: quos percunctando, quinquaginta ferme volumina illa præclara de animalibus condidit: quæ a me collecta in arctum, cum iis quæ ignoraverat, quæso ut legentes boni consulant, in universis rerum naturæ operibus, medioque clarissimi regum omnium desiderio, cura nostra breviter peregrinantes.”—Plin. l. viii. cap.16.

Plutarch tells us, that Alexander was angry with his preceptor for having published any part of his lectures; and under the influence of such feelings,