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38 lines
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<title>Homosexuality in 18th-cent. England: Immorality of the Ancient Philosophers, 1735</title>
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<meta name="description" content="Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook compiled by Rictor Norton">
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<meta name="keywords" content="Conyers Place, Greek philosophers, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, queer history, gay history, sodomites,
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homosexual history, eighteenth century history, homosexuality,
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Rictor Norton">
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<img src="kissing.jpg">
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</center><p> <font face="Times New Roman"> </font></p><h1>
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<font face="Times New Roman">Immorality of the Ancient Philosophers, 1735</font>
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<hr noshade size="8"> </font><font face="arial, helvetica"><small><p><b>NOTE</b><br> Reverend Conyers Place (1665-1738) was the Master of Dorchester Grammar School 1689-1736 and Rector of Woodford, Dorset. He wrote mostly about religious controversies, and also in support of Tory politics. The following excerpt from one of his books demonstrates that any educated man in the early eighteenth century would be fully aware of the fact that homosexuality was regularly practised by the ancient Greek philosophers, and that phrases such as "Platonic love" were evasive euphemisms for the practice of boy-love. Although the text is an attack on homosexuality, it could of course be read subversively, for anyone wishing to justify homosexuality would be directed to all the sources in Classical literature that defend and praise it. </p></small></font><p><font face="arial, helvetica"><small></small></font><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
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<hr noshade size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <p> And to give at last some Specimens of the Moralty of these so celebrated philosophical Hypocrites themselves, with regard as well to their Doctrines as their Practice, that our Religion of Nature Men cry up as so many Wonders of Virtue, that they canonize as their Heathen Saints, that are they Patriarchs and Fathers in Religion, to whose Works they refer us as their Scriptures, and to whose Lives for our Patterns, and then let them that likes them say, <i>Sit anima mea cum Philosophis</i>. </p><p> And first, we find them almost all charged, on undoubted Record, with the Guilt of [p.188] infamous and unnatural Lust, not only Fornication, Adultery, and Incest, but Pederasty and Sodomy, active and passive. </p><p> <i>Solon</i>, one of their seven wise Men, and the famous Lawgives of the <i>Athenians</i>, <i>Plutarch</i> tells us, (<i>Amat.</i>) not only himself used this infamous Trade of Sodomy, but recommended it as honest, and established it by Law, (<i>Chryysost.</i>) forbidding it only to Servants, or with them, as a refined Pleasure, proper only for the Ingenuous, and to be reserved to Men of Quality and Distinction; and he himself made Travel and a trading Voyage a Pretence for taking a lewd Jaunt with <i>Pisistratus</i> on that monstrous Account; and his buying up Girls for the publick Service of young Fellows; his instituting Brothel-Houses, and establishing them by Law, and endowing them with Immunities, his building a Temple to <i>Venus Pandemia</i>, at the Expence of Harlots, are Instances of his being a compleat Moralist. </p><p> <i>Socrates</i>, whom the Oracle, as he said himself, (<i>Xen.</i>) pronounced to be wiser than <i>Euripides</i>, who was wiser than <i>Sophocles</i>, and so to be sure the wisest of Men; tho' not much the wiser, I should think, for the Devil's saying so; . . . [p.189] </p><p> <i>Socrates</i>, I say, that was the Father and Founder of moral Philosophy, which is now advanced to the Title and Diognity of the Religion of Nature, tho' 'till then it had laid blended with Sophistry, Rhetorick, and Logick, which were what he chiefly professed, together with Fortune-telling; which, for the Enlargement of his Trade, he struck out from them all into a distinct Province, by the methodical Arrangement, and a formal Digestion of Actions relating to social Life into Virtues and Vices: This so pious and excellent <i>Socrates</i>, as an Instance of his Sapience in Morality, was deeply tained with this foul Diseas of Arsenocoitism <small>[anal coitus, i.e. sodomy]</small>, (<i>Philo de vita Contempl.</i>) and <i>Laertius</i> mentions both the Persons corrupted by him that Way, and by whom also himself was corrupted in Turn, being guilty both the active and passive Way; and one of the Articles of his Indictment was for debauching Youths, which cannot mean his corrupting their Principles with regard to their Gods, because then the two Articles of his [p.191] Indictment would have fallen into one and the same; neither does it appear that his Lectures had any Effect that way, by his Scholars renmouncing either the Gods or Religion of their Country, which Article he stoutly denies, and pleads not guilty to, but as to the Charge of debauching the carnal Way, he makes no Defence; and <i>Xenophon</i> (<i>Apol.</i>) only endeavours to extenuate by Attonement for it, by the excellent Principles that he instilled into them other ways; and these Youths must be ingenuous Youths, and those ofDistinction, as well because such only were his Disciples, and amongst whom his Conversation that way lay, as because by the Institution of their Founder it would not have been otherwise Capital; and he was so full of this sodomitical Form of Lust, that he betrays himself frequently guilty, and confirms his Indictment, and thereby shews that <i>Xantippe</i> was not so bad a Wife without the highest Provocation, as finding herself yoked to such an old beastly (<i>Silenus</i>) Baboon, so unnatural addicted; his Consciousness of which Guilt was enough to have stopt his M
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<blockquote>
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<blockquote>
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—— <i>et de virtute locuti<br> clunem agitant.</i>
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</blockquote>
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</blockquote> <p> As the Crime itself did. </p><p> </p>
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<blockquote>
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<i>Inter Socraticos notissima fossa Cinedos.</i>
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</blockquote> <p> The divine <i>Plato</i>, tho' he is said to disapprove it in his <i>Laws</i>, and some have attempted to clear him from it, yet is made to sully his divine Character with the Guilt of it by <i>Laertius</i> in his Life, by <i>Aulus Gellius</i> (<i>Book</i> 18, 19.) by <i>Plutarch</i> (<i>de educ. Lib.</i>) by <i> Aristippus</i>, and as having had great Variety of both Sexes, as <i>Stella</i>, <i>Dion</i>, <i>Phedrus</i>, <i>Alexis</i>, of the Male Kind; insomuch that lewd Women used to quote him as their Patron, from hius Dogma that Women ought to be common, (<i>Book</i> 4. <i>de Repub.</i> and <i> Arrian on Epict.</i>). <i>The Grecian Philosophers</i>, says <i>Grotius</i>, (<i>Book</i> 2. <i>de ver. Rel. Christ.</i>) <i>seem to have took Pains to cover their sodomitical Turpitude, by putting an honest Name to it: </i> And <i>Philo</i>, tho' a Friend to <i>Plato</i> (<i>de vit. Contempl.</i>) looked upon <i>his Banquet to be nothing but a Scene of unnatural Lust, where </i>[p.195] <i>Men are not represented as running mad for Love ofWomen, but Men for Love of Men</i>; and <i>Xenophon</i>'s Banquet is just such another Scene of monstrous Lewdness, where <i>Socrates</i> is the chief Actor and Promoter; and all their Cant of <i>spiritual Love, and their celestial Cupid, and heavenly Venus</i>, is but gilding over their detestable Obscenity with fine Epithets; and under the Notion of philosophizing in this so precious Banquet, fit to be acted in Sodom, putting upon Mankind their Turpitudes as artificial Integument, in which were wrapped up mysteriously refined Truths and Pleasures of the same Name, but more excellent Kind and Nature: Of the same Mind, as to this Banquet, were <i>Lucian</i> (<i>de Amor.</i>) and others. . . . [p.196] . . . </p><p> <i>Menedemus</i> is marked with sodomitical Practice with a Lad that was <i>Asclepiades</i>'s Minion, his Friend, Brother, and Son-in-Law. </p><p> <i>Aristtippus</i> taught, like manner, that a Philosopher might steal, commit Adultery, and Sacrilege, when Opportunity offered; and mightl publickly, without Shame, lie with Women or Boys, as his Inclination led him. (<i>Diog. Laert.</i>) </p><p> <i>Phedo</i> got himself a Lifelihood by the infamous Trade of prostituing his Body, having the moral <i>Socrates</i> for one of his Customers (<i>Diog. Laert.</i>) who brought him out of a Brothel-house for his own particular Use. . . . [p.197] </p><p> . . . <i>Eudoxus</i> was a Pathick. (<i>Laert. Book</i> 7.) </p><p> <i>Bion</i>, the Platonick, was a prophane and scandalous Wretch as ever lived, so notorious for debauching both Sexes, that he was called the Corrupter of Youth. (<i>Laert. Book</i> 4.) </p><p> <i>Aristotle</i> had both his <i>Hebe</i>'s and his <i>Ganymede</i>'s still about him; is charged with Sodomy with his Cousin <i>Hermias the Eunuch</i>; and with so much at the same time on his Concubind <i>Pythais</i>, that he sacrificed to her, and write a Paean or religioius Hymn in Praise of this his Goddess; who, like several others, were deified for their Lewdness, and had their religious Rites and Mysteries publickly and solemnly observed, suitable to their Characters. And that he died the Man he [p.198] lived, appears by the Provision made for his natural Children in his last Will, and by the Number of Boys he kept; <i>my Will is, that none of my Boys be sold</i>, (<i>Diog. Laert.</i>) for by the Quality of this Stock, we may perceive what Trade the Owner drove with it; and speaking of <i>Minos</i>, that just Law-giver of <i>Crete</i>, instituting masculine <i>Venery</i>, he calls his doing this a wise and philosophical Institution. <i>He instituted many Things Philosopher like, and Sodomy for one</i>; and gives <i>this political Reason for it, that Women might overstock the Community with too many Children</i>. He is also charged with Covetousness to a high Degree, and everlastingly laing at <i>Alexander</i> a Beggar for more; whom, in Return for his Benefactions, he is supposed at last to have poisoned; and compleated his Wickedness with Self-Murder. </
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<hr noshade size="3"> </font><p><font face="Times New Roman"> </font><font face="arial, helvetica"><small>SOURCE: Conyers Place, <i>Reason an Insufficient guide to conduct Mankind in Religion</i>, London: Printed for J. Roberts, at the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane, 1735, pp. 188-203. </small></font></p><p><font face="arial, helvetica"><small> </small></font></p><p><font face="arial, helvetica"><small>CITATION: If you cite this Web page, please use the following citation:<br> Rictor Norton (Ed.), "Immoralitt of the Ancient Philosophers, 1735", <em>Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook</em>, 28 April 2007 <http://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/philoso.htm>.</small></font></p><font face="arial, helvetica"> </font><p><font face="arial, helvetica"> </font><font face="Times New Roman"> </font></p>
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<hr noshade size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"> <h3>Return to <strong><a href="index.htm">Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England</a></strong></h3> <p></p></font> </td>
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