r gold; it is not a
garland of olive branches or of small age, nor any such public sign of
commendation; but every good man hath his own conscience bearing witness
to himself, and by virtue of our legislator's prophetic spirit, and of
the firm security God himself affords such a one, he believes that God
hath made this grant to those that observe these laws, even though they
be obliged readily to die for them, that they shall come into being
again, and at a certain revolution of things shall receive a better life
than they had enjoyed before. Nor would I venture to write thus at this
time, were it not well known to all by our actions that many of our
people have many a time bravely resolved to endure any sufferings,
rather than speak one word against our law.

32. Nay, indeed, in case it had so fallen out, that our nation had not
been so thoroughly known among all men as they are, and our voluntary
submission to our laws had not been so open and manifest as it is, but
that somebody had pretended to have written these laws himself, and had
read them to the Greeks, or had pretended that he had met with men out
of the limits of the known world, that had such reverent notions of God,
and had continued a long time in the firm observance of such laws
as ours, I cannot but suppose that all men would admire them on a
reflection upon the frequent changes they had therein been themselves
subject to; and this while those that have attempted to write somewhat
of the same kind for politic government, and for laws, are accused
as composing monstrous things, and are said to have undertaken an
impossible task upon them. And here I will say nothing of those other
philosophers who have undertaken any thing of this nature in their
writings. But even Plato himself, who is so admired by the Greeks on
account of that gravity in his manners, and force in his words, and that
ability he had to persuade men beyond all other philosophers, is little
better than laughed at and exposed to ridicule on that account, by those
that pretend to sagacity in political affairs; although he that shall
diligently peruse his writings will find his precepts to be somewhat
gentle, and pretty near to the customs of the generality of mankind.
Nay, Plato himself confesseth that it is not safe to publish the true
notion concerning God among the ignorant multitude. Yet do some men look
upon Plato's discourses as no better than certain idle words set off
with great art