[36] Plato (429-347 B.C.). One of the most illustrious philosophers of all time. Probably no other philosopher has contributed so much as Plato to the moral and intellectual training of the human race. This pre-eminence is due not solely to his transcendent intellect, but also in no small measure to his poetic power and to that unrivaled grace of style which led the ancients to say that if Jove should speak Greek he would speak like Plato. He was a remarkable example of that universal culture of body and mind which characterized the last period of ancient Greece. He was proficient in every branch of art and learning and was such a brilliant athlete that he contended in the Isthmian and Pythian games. [37] Gowns. The black gown worn occasionally in America and always in England at the universities; the distinctive academic dress is a cap and gown. [38] Pecuniary foundations. Gifts of money for the support of institutions of learning. [39] Wit is here used in its early sense of intellect, good understanding. [40] Valetudinarian. A person of a weak, sickly constitution. [41] Mincing. Affected. [42] Preamble. A preface or introduction. [43] Dumb abyss. That vast immensity of the universe about us which we can never understand. [44] I comprehend its laws; I lose my fear of it. [45] Silkworms feed on mulberry-leaves. Emerson describes what science calls "unconscious cerebration." [46] Ripe fruit. Emerson's ripe fruit found its way into his diary, where it lay until he needed it in the preparation of some lecture or essay. [47] I. Corinthians xv. 53. [48] Empyrean. The region of pure light and fire; the ninth heaven of ancient astronomy. "The deep-domed empyrean Rings to the roar of an angel onset." [49] Ferules. According to the methods of education fifty years ago, it was quite customary for the teacher to punish a school-child with his ferule or ruler. [50] Oliver Wendell Holmes cites this last sentence as the most extreme development of the distinctively Emersonian style. Such things must be read not too literally but rapidly, with alert attention to what the previous train of thought has been. [51] Savoyards. The people of Savoy, south of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. [52] Emerson's style is characterized by the frequent use of pithy epigrams like this. [53] Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). A great English philosopher and mathematician. He is famous as having discovered the law of gravitation. [54] Unhandselled. Uncultivated, without natural advantages. A handsel is a gift. [55] Druids. The ancient priesthood of the Britons in Cæsar's time. They had immense power among these primitive peoples. They were the judges as well as the priests and decided all questions. It is believed that they made human sacrifices to their gods in the depths of the primeval forest, but not much is known of their rites.