Part V.

CAKNEADE S.
22
Cfc. Acad, fuft. 4-
Cic. Acad .
4*^. 4.
inconfiderable matters, we make ufc of proba¬ ble fhantalie, only for Judgment •, in things of fome moment, of urdi ft railed Phanrafie ^ in things that concern well and happy Living tircimcurrcnt Phantafie.
And as in things of great moment they take divers Phantalies, fo in different Circumilances the never follow the fame •, for they fay , fhey attend only probable Phaiitafie in fuch things wherein the circumlfapce of time allow- eth not a flridf Examination : As for inftance ; The Enemy purlues a Man ^ he coming to a • ("ave, takes a Phantafie, that there are f'ome Enemies there lying in wait : Tranfported by this Phantafie as probable, he fhunneth and fly-
C El A P. III.
\Jpon what occajion he z^as font on an EM)d{]y la Rome.
E Athenians being fined bv the Rd ^ .
X mans about 500 Talents, at 'the fuit of cauEoll 7, the Oropians and Sicyonians^ for deffroying 14. Wr. Oropi/s^ d City of Bceotia ^ fent three Philolo-tw- i. 5- phers on an Embaflie to the Roman Senate, to procure a mitigation of this fine,which had been impofed upon them without hearing their de¬ fence -, Carneades the . Academick^ Diogenes the Stokk^ and CritrlausXhQ R or ipal click. About the
eth from the Cave, following the probability I time of this Embailie, there is much difagree- of that Phantafie, before he accurately and dili- 1 ment amongft Authors. A. GelHiis Eiirh, they
Ve pH. lib. 1
Lam.
gently examine whether there really be any Enemies in Ambufh in that Cave or no. Rroba^ L'le Phantafie is followed by circumcurrent , in thofe things in which time allows a curious Examination of each particular, to ufe judg¬ ment upon the incurring thing. As a Man coming into a dark Room, and feeing a Rope rolled up, thinking it to be a Serpent, he flies away •, but afterwards returning, he examines the truth, and perceiving it not to ftir, begins to think it is not a Serpent ^ but withal con- fidering, that Serpents are fometimes frozen ornummed with the cold, he flrikes it with his Staff: And having thus by Circumcurence examined the Phantafie which incurred to him, he affenteth that the Phantafie he had taken of that Body as a Serpent, is falfe. And again, as I faid, when we manifeflly behold, we affent that this is true , having firft over run in our Thoughts that our Senfes are all entire , and that we behold this waking, not in a dream ^ that the Air is perfpicuous, and a convenient diftance from the ObjeQ:. Hereby we receive a creditable Phantafie, when- we have time enough to examine the particulars concerning the thing feen. It is the fame in nndiftraBed Phantafie, which they admit, when there is nothing that can retrafl us, as we laid of Mc- nelaus. Hitherto Sextus.
Yet though nothing can be perceived , a wife Man may confent to that which is not per¬ ceived ^ that is, he may opinionate ^ but fo as he knowethhimfelf to opinionate, and that there is nothing wliich can be comprehended and perceived.
Ele afferted the ultimate end, to be the enjoy- n;ent of Natural Principles, which faith Cicero.^ he maintained, not that he really thought fo but in oppofition to the Sioicks.
He read the Books of the Sioicks very dili, gently, and difputed againlf them with fo good fuccefs, that it gave him occafion to lay ^ // Chrylippus had not been., I had not been.
Oitoniachus ufed to fay of him, he could never underftand what he really held ^ for_he would fometimes argue on one fide, fometimes on the other and by the Calumny of his Wit, faith Cicero., many times deride the befl caufes. Of the Sorites ufed by him, See Sextus Em¬ piricus..
came after the fecond Punick War, and ma- keth Ennius later than their coming ^ which Petavius juftly conceiveth to be falle, for as much as Ennius died in the 585th year from the buildii^ of the City. But atfirmeth this Embafly to have been when P. Scipio and M.Alarcellus were Confuls, which vt'as the 5 603d Year of the City, which Cafaulon ap- proveth.
Each of thefc Philofophers, -to fliew his Learning, made choice of many eminent parts of the City, where they difcouifed before great multitudes of people to the adfniration of all. The Eloquence ot Carneades was violent and rapid ^ that of Critolaus., neat and fmooth, that of Diogenes modefl and fober. Carneades one day difputed copioufly concerniong Juftice before and Cato., the greatelf Orators that time. The next day he fiibverted all hejnjf/W. 51* had faid before by contrary Arguments, and took away that Juflice which he had fb much commended. This he did the better to con¬ fute thofe, that afferted any thing. Thatdif- pute whereby he overthrew Juftice is recorded in Cicero^ by L. Eurius.
To thele three Philofophers reforted all Aie ftudious young Men, and frequently heard and praifed them. Chiefly the Iweetnefs of Car- neades.^ which was of greateft power, and no Icfs fame than power, attrabfing eminent ajid benign Hearers, filled the Ciity with noife like a great Wind ^ and it was reported that a Grecian perfon, qualified to Admiration, at- trailing all, had infufed a ferious Affetbion into the young Men, whereby forgetting other divertifements and pleafures , they were car¬ ried on as it were, with' a kind of madnefs to Philofophy. This pleafedall the Rw;w;7i-, who gladly beheld their Sons inftruHed in Greek Learning by fuch excellent Men. Only Cato at the firft noife of Admiration of the Greek Learning, was troubled,^ fearing the young Men flrould apply themlelves that way, and fo prefer the glory of Eloquence before Aefion and Military Difeipline. The lame of Philo¬ fophers encreafing in the City, and C.. Acilius.,
(whom A. Gellius and Alacrobius call Cecilius) an eminent perfon, having at his own Requelt been the Interpreter of their firft Oration to the Senate; Cato (who was then very old) under a fair pretence, moved, that thefe Phi¬ lofophers might be lent out of the. City, and
tonaing.
GAKN EAVES.
224