For the reviewer, the representative sections of Philo's views
are the first half of Part XII of the Dialogues in which Philo
reduces the conflict between atheism and theism to a verbal
dispute. The reviewer concludes that "This reconciliation of
these two seemingly most distant opponents, is of more service to
true religion than volumes of divinity...." The reviewer is
reflecting the editorial slant of the London Review as a whole,
which tended to be religiously skeptical.
Thomas Hayter made efforts to establish clearly that Philo,
and not Cleanthes, speaks for Hume. The introductory comments to
his Remarks focus exclusively on this issue. After quoting
Pamphilius' portrayal of the three characters, Hayter argues,
From this representation one might at first be led to look
for Mr. H/UME\ himself under the mask of C/LEANTHES\, and to
expect from the mouth of C/LEANTHES\ the celebrated
Metaphysician's own sentiments. Let us consider however that
Mr. H/UME\, after the great nominal superiority attributed
to C/LEANTHES\, could not possibly, without appearance of
vanity, have appointed C/LEANTHES\ his representative. The
fact indeed indisputably is, that P/HILO\, not C/LEANTHES\,
personates Mr. H/UME\. C/LEANTHES\ assumes at times (p. 242
and 244) the tone of D/EMEA\: while P/HILO\ possesses in
general the sole exclusive privilege of retailing the
purport of Mr.
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