SOP 
SOP 
356 
SOP -in-wine, s. A kind of pink. 
Bring in coronations, and sops-in-wine, 
Worn of paramours. Spenser. 
Sops-in-wine, a flower in colour much like a carnation, 
but differing in smell and quantitie. Notes on the Shep. 
Cal. 
SOPE, s. See Soap. 
SOPH. s. [from sophista, Lat.] A young man who has 
been two years at the university. 
Three Cambridge sophs, and three pert templars came, 
The same their talents, and their tastes the same; 
Each prompt to query, answer and debate, 
And smit with love of poesy and prate. Pope. 
SOPHI, or Sofi, a title of quality, given to the em¬ 
peror of Persia; importing as much as wise, sage or philo¬ 
sopher. 
The title is by some said to have taken its rise from a 
young shepherd thus named, who attained to the crown of 
Persia in 1370; others derive it from the sophoi, or sages, 
anciently called magi. Vossius gives a different account of 
the word: sophi, in Arabic, he observes, signifies wool; 
and lie adds, that it was applied by the Turks out of derision 
to the kings of Persia, ever since Ishmael’s time ; because, 
according to their scheme of religion, he is to wear no other 
covering on his head, but an ordinary, red, woollen stuff; 
whence the Persians are also called hazlebasches, q. d. 
red-heads. But Bochart assures us, that sophi, in the ori¬ 
ginal Persian language, signifies one that is pure in his reli¬ 
gion, and who prefers the service of God in all things: and 
derives it from an order of religious called by the same 
name. 
SOPHIA, a town of Russia; 15 miles south of St. 
Petersburg. It has a magnificent church, built on the plan 
of the church of St. Sophia at Constantinople. Popula¬ 
tion 600. 
SOPHIA POINT, the north-east point of entrance into 
Port Frederick, on the north shore of King George’s archi¬ 
pelago. Lat. 58. 12. N. long. 224. 42. E- 
SOPHIANA, a village of Aderbijan, in Persia; 24 miles 
north-west of Tauris. 
SO'PHICAL, adj. [from trotpia, Gr.; wisdom.] Teach¬ 
ing wisdom.—All those books which are called sopkical, 
such as the wisdom of Sirach, &c., tend to teach the Jews the 
true spiritual meaning of God’s economy. Harris. 
SOPHIS, or Sofees, denote a kind of order of religious 
among the Mahometans in Persia, answering to what are 
otherwise called derviscs ; and among the Arabs and In¬ 
dians, faquirs. 
SOPHIS, is the denomination of a sect of modern philo¬ 
sophers among the Persians, whose name is derived either 
from the Greek word for a sage, or from the mantle which 
they used to wear in some provinces of Persia. Their fun¬ 
damental tenets are, that nothing exists absolutely but God: 
that the human soul is an emation from his essence; and, 
though separated for a time from its heavenly source, will 
be finally reunited with it: that the highest possible hap¬ 
piness will arise from its reunion ; and that the chief good 
of mankind, in this transitory world, consists in as perfect 
an union with the eternal Spirit, as the incumbrances of 
a mortal frame will allow : that, for this purpose, they 
should break all connection with extrinsic objects, and pass 
through life without attachments, as a swimmer in the ocean 
strikes freely without the impediment of clothes: that they 
should be straight and free as the cypress, whose fruit is 
hardly perceptible; and not sink under a load, like fruit- 
trees attached to a trellis: that, if mere earthly charms have 
power to influence the soul, the idea of celestial beauty must 
overwhelm it in extatic delight: that, for want of apt words 
to express the divine perfections with the ardour of devotion, 
we must borrow such expressions as approach the nearest to 
our ideas, and speak of beauty and love in a transcendant 
and mystical sense: that, like a reed torn from its native 
bank, like wax separated from its delicious honey, the soul of 
man bewails its disunion with melancholy music, and sheds 
burning tears like the lighted taper, waiting passionately for 
the moment of its extinction, as a disengagement from 
earthly trammels, and the means of returning to its only 
Beloved. 
SO'PHISM, s. [sophisme, Fr.; sophisma, Lat.] A fal¬ 
lacious argument; an unsound subtilty; a fallacy.—When a 
false argument puts on the appearance of a true one, then if 
is properly called a sophism or fallacy. Watts. 
SO'PHIST, s. [sophists, Fr.; sophista, Lat.] A profes¬ 
sor of philosophy_The court of Croesus is said to have been 
much resorted to by the sophists of Greece in the happy 
beginning of his reign. Temple. 
The term sophist, which is now reproachful, was anciently 
honourable, and carried a very innocent idea. St. Augus¬ 
tine observes, it signifies a rhetor, or professor of eloquence : 
such as were Lucian, Athenaeus, Libanus, &c. Suidas, 
and after him Olar. Celsius, in an express dissertation on 
the Greek sophists, tells us, that the appellation was ap¬ 
plied indifferently to all who excelled in any art or science: 
whether divines, lawyers, physicians, poets, orators or 
musicians. 
Solon is the first who appears to have ever borne the ap¬ 
pellation of sophist, which is given him by Isocrates; after¬ 
wards, it was scarcely ever given, except to philosophers and 
declaimers. 
In the time of Socrates, there was in Athens a large 
body of professional preceptors of eloquence, distinguished 
by the appellation of sophists. By the mere pomp of 
words, these men made a magnificent display of wisdom, 
upon a slight foundation of real knowledge; and they 
taught an artificial structure of language, and a false me¬ 
thod of reasoning; by means of which they were able, in 
argument, to make the worse appear the better cause. 
Whilst they arrogated to themselves the merit of every kind 
of learning, they publicly practised the art of disputing with 
plausibility on either side of any question, and professed to 
teach this art to the Athenian youth. By these imposing 
pretensions, they collected, in their schools, a numerous 
train of young men, who followed them in hope of acquiring 
those talents, which would give them influence and autho¬ 
rity in popular assemblies. In such high repute were these 
sophists, that they were literally supported, not only by 
contributions from their pupils, but by a regular salary 
from the state ; and were in many instances distinguished by 
public honours, and employed in offices of magistracy. Of 
their enmity to Socrates, we have given an account under his 
biographical article. 
The title sophista was in great credit among the Latins in* 
the twelfth century, and in the time of St. Bernard; but it 
began to lose ground in Greece as early as Plato’s time; on 
account of Protagoras and Gorgias, who made a sordid 
traffic of it, by selling eloquence for money. Hence Seneca 
calls the sophists quacks, or empirics. 
Cicero says, that the title sophisti was in his time given 
to such as professed philosophy with too much ostentation, 
in order to make a trade of it, by running from town to 
town, to retail their deceitful science. A sophist, there¬ 
fore, was then, as now, a rhetor, or logician, who makes 
it his business to ensnare and perplex people, by frivolous 
distinctions,- vain reasonings, aud captious discourses. 
SO'PHISTER, s. [ sophiste, Fr.; sophista, CaC] A dis¬ 
putant fallaciously subtle ; an artful but insidious logician.— 
Not all the subtle objections of sophisters and rabbies, 
against the gospel, so much prejudiced the reception of it, as 
the reproach of those crimes with which they aspersed the 
assemblies of Christians. Rogers. —A professor of philo¬ 
sophy ; a sophist. This sense is antiquated. —Alcidimus 
the sophister hath arguments to prove, that voluntary and 
extemporal far excelleth premeditated speech. Hooker. 
To SOPHISTER, v. a. To maintain by a fallacious ar¬ 
gument. Obsolete. —It is well sophistered of you both; 
preposterous are your judgments evermore: ye judge evil! 
good, and goodevill. Ld. Gobham in 1413. 
SOPHI'STICAL, or Sqphi'stic, adj. [sophistique, Fr., 
from 
