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[255]
But now, this Apollonius Molo was one of these foolish and proud
men. However, nothing that I have said was unknown to those that were real
philosophers among the Greeks, nor were they unacquainted with those frigid
pretensions of allegories [which had been alleged for such things]; on
which account they justly despised them, but have still agreed with us
as to the true and becoming notions of God; whence it was that Plato would
not have political settlements admit to of any one of the other poets,
and dismisses even Homer himself, with a garland on his head, and with
ointment poured upon him, and this because he should not destroy the right
notions of God with his fables. Nay, Plato principally imitated our legislator
in this point, that he enjoined his citizens to have he main regard to
this precept, "That every one of them should learn their laws accurately."
He also ordained, that they should not admit of foreigners intermixing
with their own people at random; and provided that the commonwealth should
keep itself pure, and consist of such only as persevered in their own laws.
Apollonius Molo did no way consider this, when he made it one branch of
his accusation against us, that we do not admit of such as have different
notions about God, nor will we have fellowship with those that choose to
observe a way of living different from ourselves, yet is not this method
peculiar to us, but common to all other men; not among the ordinary Grecians
only, but among such of those Grecians as are of the greatest reputation
among them. Moreover, the Lacedemonians continued in their way of expelling
foreigners, and would not indeed give leave to their own people to travel
abroad, as suspecting that those two things would introduce a dissolution
of their own laws: and perhaps there may be some reason to blame the rigid
severity of the Lacedemonians, for they bestowed the privilege of their
city on no foreigners, nor indeed would give leave to them to stay among
them; whereas we, though we do not think fit to imitate other institutions,
yet do we willingly admit of those that desire to partake of ours, which,
I think, I may reckon to be a plain indication of our humanity, and at
the same time of our magnanimity also.
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