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ORIGINAL SOURCES OF CULTURE. 43protected by the state ;and that a degree of intolerancewas produced, which led even to injustice and cruelty.But we do not find that the priestswere peculiarly activein such cases. It was the people which believed itselfinjured; or a political party; or individual demagogues,who had some particular objectin view. 1As the priests of the Greeks formed no distinct class insociety, it is evident, that they could have no such secretsystem of instructions, as was possessed by those of Egypt.No such system can therefore be contrasted with thepopular religion ; instead of it there were the mysteries ;but the initiated were not all of them priests, nor was itnecessary for every priest to be initiated into the mysteries.Any could be admitted to them, whose condition in life,and behaviour, were found to deserve the distinction.These regulations led to important consequences. Therewas in the nation no separate class, which claimed an exclusive rightto certain branches of scientific and intellectualculture; and preserved that exclusive right by means ofwritten characters, intelligible only to themselves. Thatwhich should be the common property, and is the noblestcommon property of humanity, was such among the Greeks.And this made it possible to unfold with freedom the spirit ofphilosophy. The oldest philosophy of the Greeks, as it appeared at first in the Ionic school, may have originally stoodin close union with and religion, may indeed have proceededfrom it ;for who does not perceive the near connexion between speculations on the elements of things, and those ancient representations of the gods as powers or objects ofnature. But religioncould not long hold philosophy inchains. It could not prevent the spirit of free inquiry fromawakening and gaining strength and hence it was ;possiblefor all those sciences, which are promoted by that spirit, toassume among the Greeks a decided and peculiar character.In the intellectual culture of the East, all scientific knowledge is connected with religion ; but as these were kept1Consult above every thing else, the oration of Andocides on the Profanation of the Mysteries, delivered on occasion of the well-known accusation ofAlcibiades and Ms friends. Did we not know that a political party was active in that affair, it would hardly seem intelligibleto us. It gives 9, remarkable proof of the ease with which the passions of the Athenians might bearoused, when any attack was made on the things they deemed sacred.