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strive to ascertain from the gods by means of the art of soothsaying, for that to whomsoever the gods were propitious
to them they showed these things.'
(3) Plato, in his celebrated dialogue entitled Phaedo in which he gives an account of Socrates' last discourse
on the night before his death, represents Simmias, one of Socrates' disciples, as stating his opinion, in which Socrates
agreed with him, in these words: 'It 1 seems to me, Socrates, just as it does to thee also, that during the
present life it is either an impossible or a very difficult thing to know for certain about such matters as these . . .
. For we ought, in reference to them, to accomplish at least some one of these things: either to learn how they are, or
to discover, or, if it is impossible to do so, to accept at least the best and most irrefragable of human opinion
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and, embarking upon this as upon a raft, to venture to sail over the sea of life—unless one should be able to cross
over more safely and with less danger upon a more solid vessel, or upon some divine word.' Here he shows how needful he
felt the guidance of a divine revelation to show men how to pass through this life without being shipwrecked on their
voyage to the far distant and unseen shore of eternity. It should be remembered that Plato, the author of this dialogue,
was born 429 B.C. and died 347 B.C.
(4) The wise and thoughtful Greek historian Thucydides, who was born about 471 B.C., in reflecting upon men's
conduct, tells us that, in his opinion, 'All 1 men have by nature been led to sin both privately and
publicly, and there is no law which will hinder them from this.'
5) Solon, the wise Athenian philosopher and lawgiver, was born about 638 B.C. He is reported to have said: 'The will
of the gods is entirely hidden from men.'
(6) The philosopher Aristotle was a disciple of Plato and the tutor of the great conqueror, Alexander of Macedon, who
in the east is often called the 'Possessor of the Two Horns '
(ذو
القرنين) Aristotle's wisdom is famous in almost all lands. He
was born 384 B.C. and died 322 B.C. He held
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