There is no difficulty in giving an explanation of this unfortunate condition. Greek intellectual life had passed the period of its maturity, and was entering on old age. Moreover, the talent which might have been devoted to the service of science was in part allured to another pursuit, and in part repressed. Alexandria had sapped Athens, and in her turn Alexandria was sapped by Rome. From metropolitan pre-eminence she had sunk to be a mere provincial town. The great prizes of life were not so likely to be met with in such a declining city as in Italy or, subsequently, in Constantinople. Whatever affected these chief centres of Roman activity, necessarily influenced her; but, such is the fate of the conquered, she must await their decisions. In the very institutions by which she had once been glorified, success could only be attained by a conformity to the manner of thinking fashionable in the imperial metropolis, and the best that could be done was to seek distinction in the path so marked out. Yet even with all this restraint Alexandria asserted her intellectual power, leaving an indelible impress on the new theology of her conquerors. During three centuries the intellectual atmosphere of the Roman empire had been changing. Men were unable to resist the steadily increasing pressure. Tranquillity could only be secured by passiveness. Things had come to such a state that the thinking of men was to be done for them by others, or, if they thought at all, it must be in accordance with a prescribed formula or rule. Greek intellect was passing into decrepitude, and the moral condition of the European world was in antagonism to scientific progress. CHAPTER VII. THE GREEK AGE OF INTELLECTUAL DECREPITUDE. THE DEATH OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY. _Decline of Greek Philosophy: it becomes Retrospective, and in Philo the Jew and Apollonius of Tyana leans on Inspiration, Mysticism, Miracles._ NEO-PLATONISM _founded by Ammonius Saccas, followed by Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblicus, Proclus.--The Alexandrian Trinity.--Ecstasy.--Alliance with Magic, Necromancy._ _The Emperor Justinian closes the philosophical Schools._ _Summary of Greek Philosophy.--Its four Problems: 1. Origin of the World; 2. Nature of the Soul; 3. Existence of God; 4. Criterion of Truth.--Solution of these Problems in the Age of Inquiry--in that of Faith--in that of Reason--in that of Decrepitude._ _Determination of the Law of Variation of Greek Opinion.--The Development of National Intellect is the same as that of Individual._ _Determination of the final Conclusions of Greek Philosophy as to God, the World, the Soul, the Criterion of Truth.--Illustrations and Criticisms on each of these Points._ [Sidenote: Decline of Greek philosophy.]