The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 6 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and PrivateJefferson, Thomas
History
The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, Vol. 6 (of 9): Being His Autobiography, Correspondence, Reports, Messages, Addresses, and Other Writings, Official and Private
Jefferson, Thomas
United States -- Politics and government -- 1775-1783; United States -- Politics and government -- 1783-1865
Plato's system was "αγαθος" was eternal, self-existent, &c. His ideas,
his word, his reason, his wisdom, his goodness, or in one word his "Logos"
was omnipotent, and produced the universe from all eternity. Now! as far
as you and I can understand Hersey, Price and Plato, are they not of one
theory? Of one mind? What is the difference? I own an eternal solitude
of a self-existent being, infinitely wise, powerful and good, is to me
altogether incomprehensible and incredible. I could as soon believe the
Athanasian creed.
You will ask me what conclusion I draw from all this? I answer, I drop
into myself, and acknowledge myself to be a fool. No mind but one can see
through the immeasurable system. It would be presumption and impiety in
me to dogmatize on such subjects. My duties in my little infinitessimal
circle I can understand and feel. The duties of a son, a brother, a
father, a neighbor, a citizen, I can see and feel, but I trust the Ruler
with his skies.
Si quid novisti rectius, istis
Candidus imperti, si non, his utere, mecum.
This world is a mixture of the sublime and the beautiful, the base and
the contemptible, the whimsical and ridiculous, (according to our narrow
sense and trifling feelings.) It is an enigma and a riddle. You need
not be surprised, then, if I should descend from these heights to the
most egregious trifle. But first let me say, I asked you in a former
letter how far advanced we were in the science of aristocracy since
Theognis' Stallions, Jacks and Rams? Have not Chancellor Livingston and
Major General Humphreys introduced an hereditary aristocracy of Merino
Sheep? How shall we get rid of this aristocracy? It is entailed upon us
forever. And an aristocracy of land jobbers and stock jobbers is equally
and irremediably entailed upon us, to endless generations.
Now for the odd, the whimsical, the frivolous. I had scarcely sealed my
last letter to you upon Theognis' doctrine of well-born Stallions, Jacks
and Rams, when they brought me from the Post Office a packet, without
post mark, without letter, without name, date or place. Nicely sealed
was a printed copy of eighty or ninety pages, and in large full octavo,
entitled: Section first--Aristocracy. I gravely composed my risible
muscles and read it through. It is from beginning to end an attack upon me
by name for the doctrines of aristocracy in my three volumes of Defence,
&c. The conclusion of the whole is that an aristocracy of bank paper
is as bad as the nobility of France or England. I most assuredly will
not controvert this point with this man. Who he is I cannot conjecture.
The honorable John Taylor of Virginia, of all men living or dead, first
occurred to me.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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