‘210i 
FAT 
M. The fender; and not the bringer, who only did as 
he was bidden. 
5 . Do you not then fee how cruel and unjuft: it is in 
you to punifh us, who are merely fervants and inftru- 
mer.ts to execute the orders of Clotho ? and is it not 
equally'abfurd to honour and reward tho-fe benefactors to 
mankind who have generoufly beftc-wed what was never 
their own ? fince both of us merely fulfil the appoint¬ 
ments of deftiny. 
M. Since you are fo nice an examiner, Softratus, you 
may chance to difeovermany other things not altogether 
fo agreeable to reafon ; and you will obtain this by your 
enquiries—that you will be looked upon in the double ca¬ 
pacity of a robber and a fophift.—Mercury, fet this man 
free, and let us hear no more complaints of his pvmifit¬ 
ment.— But hark you, Softratus; do not you go and 
teach other dead men to afk impertinent quertions,' and 
■to be as fan.cy as yourfejf.” Cart’s Lucian, ii. 57. 
Thefe objections arc fo palpable, that feme of the 
'ftoics endeavoured to evade them, by denying that the 
appointments of fate-cafne to pat's by neceftity, or that 
fate entirely deftroys free-will. Tills was in particular the 
dodtrine of Chryftppus, who held that thofe were trot to be 
regarded Who in excufe for their own evil adtioiis attri¬ 
buted them to the force of deftiny ; he contradicted, there¬ 
fore, that maxim of Seneca, “ Deftiny is to blame ; no 
•one is'gniby through deftiny.” CEdipus, ver. 1019. Chry- 
fippus declares, that deftiny is not a fmfluary for tire 
wicked to fly to, and that they are to attribute their 
crimes to themfelves alone. And it was probably upon 
the fame principle that the pharifees admitted of deftiny 
and free-will at the fame time, though without (hewing 
how things fo oppoflte could be reconciled or fubfift to¬ 
gether. The pharifees, fays Jofephus, “ aferibe all to 
fate and to God ; and yet allow, that to ?.< 5 t right, or the 
contrary, is principally in the power of man, although 
fate does co-operate in every aftion.” St. Epiphanius, a 
ftrong defender of man’s free-will, had not read this paf- 
iage when he reafoned again!! the pharifees as if they ad¬ 
mitted of fate only. Saurin’s Dif. on Ezekiel’s Vilion. 
5. The fate of the Platonifts, or Academics, which 
fleered a middle courfe. St. Auguftine commends the 
Platonic philofophy, and fay's the Platonifts were not far 
from Chriftians; he adds, that it was by means of the 
Platonic fyftem that he was able to underftand the do&rine 
of the Trinity. Theauthorof Platonifme Devoile contends, 
that Chriftianity is only Platoftifm veiled or covered over. 
All tilings, fays Plato, are in fate, i.e. within its fphere 
orfeheme; but all tilings are not fated. And he thus 
explains the diftinftion : it is not in fate, fays he, that 
one man ftiall do fo and fo, and another fuffer fo and fo, 
for that would be definitive of our free agency and li¬ 
berty ; but, if any one ftiould choofe fuch a life, or do 
fuch or fuch things, then it is in fate that fuch things and 
fuch confequences ftiall enfue upon it. The foul, there¬ 
fore, is free and uncontrouled, and it lies within itfelf 
to a<Si or not; and there is no compulfion or r.eceftity 
here ; but what follows upon the adtion, (hall-be accom- 
plifhed according to fate, or to the conftitution of things; 
e.g. that Paris ftiould bear oft Helen by force, was fome- 
thing dependent on himfelf; but that war ftiould enfue, 
is the confequence. The fame philosopher, as cited by 
Kieroeles, obferves to this purpofe : The choice of ac¬ 
tion is in our own power ; but the juft award of retribu¬ 
tion of good or ill, which enfu'es upon the choice, lies in 
the breaft of thofe ethereal judges who are appointed 
under God. 
FA'TED, adj. Decreed by fate : 
She fled her father’s rage, and with a train, 
Driv’11 by the fouthern blafts, was fated here to reign. 
Dry den. 
Determined in any manner by fate : 
Heraukward love indeed was oddly fated-, 
She and her Polly were too near related. Prior. 
F A T 
Endued with any quality by fate. The ftruchure ufed by 
Dryden is unulual : 
Bright Vuleanian arms. 
Fated from force cf fteel by Stygian charms, 
Sufpended flione on high. Dry den's Aineas. 
Inverted with the pow’er of fatal determination.—The 
fated fky gives us free (cope. Shakefpeare. 
FATES, in mythology. See Pau.Cj'E. 
FATH'EMITES, Fat'emites, or Fathimites, the 
defeendants of Mahomet by Fathema, cr Fatima, his 
daughter. They never enjoyed the khalifat of Mecca c.r 
Bagdad, but reigned in Barbary, and in Egypt. Sefe 
thofe articles ; vol. ii. p. 710 ; and vol. vi. p. 318. 
FA'THER, f. [poe^Seja, Sax. This word is found 
likewife in the Persian language.] He by whom the fon 
or daughter is begotten.— Father is a notion fttperinduced 
to the lubftance, or man, and refers only to an add of that 
tiling called man, whereby he contributed to the genera-- 
tioii cf his own kind. Locke. 
He (hall forget 
Father and mother, and to his wife adhere. Milton. 
The firft anceftor. — Abraham is - the father of us all. 
Rom. iv. 16.—The appellation of an old man.—A poor 
blind man was accounted conning in prognofticating wea¬ 
ther : Empfom, a lawyer, faid in (corn, Tell me, father , 
when doth the fun change! The old man anfwered, 
When fuch a wicked .lawyer as you goeth to heaven. 
Camden. —The title of any man reverend (or age, learn¬ 
ing, and piety : 
You (hall find one w-ell accompanied 
With re verend fathers and well learned biftiops. Skakefp. 
One who has given origin to any tiling good or bad.— 
Jubal was tiie father of all fuch as handle the harp and 
organ. Gen. iv. 21.—The eccleliaftical writers of the 
firft centuries; the early propagators of the Chriftian 
faith.—Men may talk of the fathers, and magnify the 
fathers, and fecr.t to make the authority of the fathers 
next to infallible; and yet expofe them to contempt. 
Stillingfleet. —One who a£!s with paternal care and ten¬ 
derness.—I wasa father to the poor. Job. xxix. 16.—He 
hath made me a father to Pharoah, and lord of all his 
houfe. Gen. xlv. 8.—The title of a popifh confeftbr.— 
There was a father of a convent, very much renowned 
for his piety and exemplary life ; and as perfons under 
any great affliction applied themfelves to the mol! emi¬ 
nent confeflors, our beautiful votafy took the opportunity 
of confelling herfelf to this celebrated father. Addijon.— 
The title of a fenator of old Rome : 
From hence the race of Alban fathers come, 
And the long glories of majeftic Rome. Dryden. 
The appellation of the firft perfon of the adorable Tri¬ 
nity.— The eternal Son of God efteemed it his meat and 
drink to do the will of his Father, and for his obedience 
alone obtained the greateft glory. Taylor. —Thecontpel- 
lation of God as Creator.—We have one Father, even 
God. John, viii. 41.—Almighty and mod merciful Father. 
Com. Prayer. 
To FA'THER, v. a. To take; to adopt as a fon or 
daughter: 
Ay, good youth, 
And rather father thee than mafter thee. Shakefpeare. 
To fupply with a father of certain qualities : 
I am no ftrongdr than my fex, 
Being (o father’d and fo hufbanded. Shakefpeare. 
To adopt a compofition : 
Men of wit, 
Often father’d what he writ. Swift. 
To aferibe to any one as his offspring, or production : 
with on. —Left we Teem to father any thing upon them 
more than is their own, let them read. Hooker. 
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