individualism
was another ideal which a later period revived. But the pivot round
which the emotions revolved was the love for a beloved individual, the
modern, European, fundamental motive, as opposed to the antique Platonic
cult of ideas. Thus Plato, too, was a citizen of the old world, at whose
threshold stood universal sexual intercourse, tolerating nothing
personal, knowing of no individuals, acknowledging only unchecked,
uncontrollable instinct, and whose decline was again characterised by
the extreme impersonality of ideas. It had traversed the path of human
existence in a huge cycle. Starting from an unconscious existence in
complete harmony with nature, it had passed through individualised man
to the loftiest spiritual conceptions in the impersonal world of ideas.

The Hellenic ideal of beauty was almost invariably realised in the male
form. The Greeks of the classical period disdained woman; she was for
them inseparably connected with base sensuality, but their contempt had
its source partly in a feeling of horror. The days when matriarchy was
the form of government were not very remote; it survived in a great
number of myths and also, subconsciously perhaps, in the soul of man. To
the Greek mind woman was the embodiment of the dark side of love, and it
was merely the logical conclusion of this conception when, at a later
period, she was regarded as the devil's tool. It is certain that the
origin of the idea must be sought in Plato's time.

In intercourse with women man dimly felt the vague elementary condition
from which he had struggled hard to emerge, and fled to the more
familiar companions of his own sex. Would not love between man and man
deliver him from the basely sensual, strengthen his spirituality and
lead him to the gods? In this connection Zeus is called in "Phaedros"
[Greek: philios], the maker of friendships. Plato, in propounding this
doctrine, drew thereby the most radical conclusion of the new,
apparently male, but at heart hermaphroditic ideal of civilisation,
conceived in the heroic epoch and elaborated and brought to perfection
by the Greek of classical times. This ideal was the victory of the
spiritual principle over promiscuous sexuality and irresponsible
propagation and, quite in the true Hellenic spirit, it was again
interpreted materially.

Because individualised love was an unknown quantity to the ancients,
they ornamented their sarcophagi with symbols of ecstatic life, with
danci