The Magus, Book II: Biographia Antiqua: Aristotle

ARISTOTLE,

THE PERIPATETIC.

ARISTOTLE, commonly called the Prince of Philosophers, or the Philosopher, by way of excellence, was the founder of a sect which surpassed, and at length even swallowed up all the rest. Not but that it has had reverse of fortune in its turn; especially in the seventeenth century, in which it has been violently shaken, though the Catholic divines on the one side, and the Protestant on the other, have run (as to the quenching of fire) to its relief, and fortified themselves so strongly, by the secular arm, against the New Philosophy, that it is not like to lose its dominion. Mr. Moreri met with so many good materials in a work of father Rapin, that he has given a very large article of Aristotle, enough to dispense with any assistance. Accordingly, I design not to enlarge upon it as far as the subject might allow, but shall content myself with observing some of the errors which I have collected concerning this philosopher. It is not certain that Aristotle practised pharmacy in Athens while he was a disciple of Plato, nor is it more certain that he did not. Very little credit ought to be given to a current tradition that he learnt several things of a Jew, and much less to a story of his pretended conversion to Judaism. They who pretend that he was born a Jew, are much more grossly mistaken: the wrong pointing of a certain passage occasioned this mistake. They are deceived who say that he was a disciple of Socrates for three years, for Socrates died 15 years before Aristotle was born. Aristotle's behaviour towards his master Plato is variously related: some will have it that, through prodigious vanity and ingratitude, he set up altar against altar: that is, he erected a school in Athens during Plato's life, and in opposition to him: others say that he did not set up for a professor till after his master's death. We are

1. This justice, however, must be done to the blindest of his followers, that they have deserted him where he clashes with Christianity; and this he did in points of the greatest consequence, since he maintained the eternity of the world, and did not believe that providence extended itself to sublunary beings. As to the immortality of the soul, it is not certainly known whether he acknowledged it or not 2. In the year 1647, the famous capuchin, Valerian Magni, published a work concerning the Atheism of Aristotle. About one hundred and thirty years before, Marc Antony Venerius published a system of philosophy, in which he discovered several inconsistencies between Aristotle's doctrine, and the truths of religion. Campanella maintained the same in his book de Reductione ad Religionem, which was approved at Rome in the year 1630. It was not long since maintained in Holland, in the prefaces to some books, that the doctrine of this philosopher differed but little from Spinozism. In the mean time, if some Peripatetics may be believed, he was not ignorant of the mystery of the Trinity. He made a very good end, and enjoys eternal happiness. He composed a great number of books; a great part of which is come down to us. It is true some critics raise a thousand scruples about them. He was extremely honoured in his own city, and there were not wanting heretics who worshipped his image with that of Christ. There is extant some book which mentions, that, before the Reformation, there were churches in Germany in

PETER BAYLE.

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Footnotes

164:1 To be convinced of the weakness of these works, we need only read Gassendus in his Exercitationes Paradoxicæ adversos Aristoteleos. He says enough there against Aristotle's philosophy in general, to convince every unprejudiced reader that it is very defective; but he particularly ruins this philosopher's Logic. He was preparing, likewise, a criticism on his Natural Philosophy, his Metaphysics, and Ethics, in the same way; when, being alarmed at the formidable indignation of the peripatetic party against him, be chose rather to drop his work, than expose himself to their vexatious persecutions. In Aristotle's Logic and Natural Philosophy, there are many things which discover the elevation and profundity of his genius.

164:2 Pomponatius and Niphus had a great quarrel on this subject. The first maintained, that the immortality of the soul was inconsistent with Aristotle's principles: the latter undertook to defend the contrary. See the discourse of la Mothe le Vayer on the Immortality of the Soul, and Bodin, in page 15 of Pref. to Dæmonomania.