390 
The Chdrvaka System of Philosophy. 
[No. 4, 
interpret his dialogue between the gods and the materialist as in¬ 
volving a deeper meaning than a mere episode in a romance; its issue 
was premeditated and his sympathies were with the. aggressor. To 
him the contest was not one between truth and falsehood, hut simply 
between equally balanced alternatives of doubt, and materialism in 
his eyes was only one of the manifold varieties of possible opinion 
which might equally serve to amuse the mind in life’s weary play¬ 
ground. The true philosopher would look down on the busy scene, 
endless alike in aim and duration, from his axaTaX-pf/La as from Lucre¬ 
tius’ watch tower, 
Despicere unde quea9 alios, passimque videre 
Errare atque viam palantes quserere vitse. 
How different from the creed of Plato, as he puts it in the mouth 
of Simmias, in the immortal dialogue with Socrates in prison,—“ It 
seems to me, as perhaps it seems to thee, that to know the certainty 
of such matters in this life is impossible or at any rate most difficult; 
but he were the veriest craven who for all this would shrink from 
proving to the uttermost every opinion current among men, resolved 
never to desist until fairly worn out with exploring in every direc¬ 
tion. For one at least of three things we ought to achieve,—either to 
learn from others where truth is to be found or, may be, to find it our¬ 
selves,—or else if this be impossible, then to take the best and least 
disputable of human opinions, and risking our fortunes thereon like 
him who commits himself to a raft, to sail across this life, unless one 
can embark on some surer vessel or some divine demonstration.” 
