So with the lamps of the wise virgins, lighted at night in the great darkness of ignorance, which the Scripture signified by "night." Wise souls, pure as virgins, understanding themselves to be situated amidst the ignorance of the world, kindle the light, and rouse the mind, and illumine the darkness, and dispel ignorance, and seek truth, and await the appearance of the Teacher.
"The mob, then," said I, "cannot become a philosopher."[1]
"Many rod-bearers there are, but few Bacchi," according to Plato. "For many are called, but few chosen."[2] "Knowledge is not in all,"[3] says the apostle. "And pray that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith."[4] And the Poetics of Cleanthes, the Stoic, writes to the following effect:
"Look not to glory, wishing to be suddenly wise,
And fear not the undiscerning and rash opinion of the many;
For the multitude has not an intelligent, or wise, or right judgment,
And it is in few men that you will find this."[5]
And more sententiously the comic poet briefly says:
"It is a shame to judge of what is right by much noise."
For they heard, I think, that excellent wisdom, which says to us, "Watch your opportunity in the midst of the foolish, and in the midst of the intelliiient continue."[6] And again, "The wise will conceal sense."[7] For the many demand demonstration as a pledge of truth, not satisfied with the bare salvation by faith.
"But it is strongly incumbent to disbelieve the dominant wicked,
And as is enjoined by the assurance of our muse
Know by dissecting the utterance within your breast."
"For this is habitual to the wicked," says Empedocles, "to wish to overbear what is true by disbelieving it." And that our tenets are probable and worthy of belief, the Greeks shall know, the point being more thoroughly investigated in what
