Part VI.

AKISTOtLE.
229
CHAP. III.
Hovo he heard Plato*
it Ammon,
% Laerh
iVe mundi 4 Vet. Interp.
a T T Aving attained the Age of 1 7 years, he Jrl went (in obedience to the Pythian Ora¬ cle, which advifed him to addi£l himfelf to Phi- lolbphy)to Athens^ Laertius faith(out of Apollo- dorus)i\i2Lt\sQ was then but fevenieen years old, in which year Nauftgenes was Archon,D/ Halicarnaffeus faith, it was the year following, at what time Polyzeliis was Archou, perhaps it was upon Nau^genes^s going out of his Office, whom Polyzelus fucceeded. But b Emnenits is much milfaken, who faith, he was thirty years old when he came firft to Plato^ perhaps ( as Nunneftus conjeflures) becaufe he had read in Plato^ that Dialeftick ought not to be ftudied till the thirtieth Year. And no lefs err Ammoni- us^ (if he be Author of that Life) and Olympi- odorus^ who affirm, that Arifiotle coming to Athens in the feventeenth year of his Age, heard Socrates three years, whereas Socrates was put to Death when Laches was Archon, thirty two years before Nauftgenes^ under whom Arijiotle was fcventeen years old.
Being recommended to Plato^ he became liis Dilciple, and lb continued twenty years, as an Epiftle of his to Philip (cited by the old Interpreter of his Life) did teftifie.
much loved him, and admired his acute- nefs of Apprehenfion, and diligence in ftudy ^ for' which (c Philoponus idXxk)Plato ufed to call him the Mind of the School, and when j he was not at hisLe£fures, he would fay. The In- tetleEl is not here ^ or, as Phodiginus^ the Philo- fopher of Truth is abfentAnd comparing his ac- cutenefs with the dulnefs of Xenocrates^ Pluto was wont to fay, c What an Horfe^ and what an Afs have I to yoak together ? Xenocrates needs a Spur^ Atiftotle a Bit.
f Whilft he lived with Plato., he was ex- treamly ftudious, and given to Reading, info much that called hishoufe,?^^ houje of the great Reader., and would often fay, g Let us go to the great Reader's Houfe. This may be confirm¬ ed by that great number of ancient Authors which are cited in his Works. And though h Laertiuslfixh&x: in his own,or Carneades's words) faith,that Arifiotle hath thruff in as many fenten- ces of old Authors in his writings,as both Zeno and Chryfippus 5 yet every one that is acquaint¬ ed with the Writings of ilr/y?£>r/^,knoweth how judicioufly and concifely he giveth an account of their Opinions, not for Offentation, but difqui- fition.
Some report there was a great enmity betwixt 3. 19. Plato and Arifiotle i which firft arofe from Pla¬ to's diflike.of his manner of Habit : Pox.,Arifiotle wore rich Garments, and rich Shooes, and contra¬ ry to Plato's rule, cut his hair fhort, and vvore Rings. He had likewife ( fay they) a fcof nful • • derifion in his look, and tenacious contradiH: ion in his difeourfe, which P/^/i? not approving, pre¬ ferred befbie him Xenocrates fpeufippus .,Amyclas and others, to whom he communicated his Do- ftrine and many favours, but repudiated Arifio¬ tle., who thereupon, whilft Plato was yet a- live, fet up a Shcool in oppofitionto him, in the
I tLaert.
I
i f Ammon.
I
8 Interp.
bVin. Epic.
Lyceum-., at which ingratitude, Plato much trouhhd f hid, Arijiotle lac/is at us m young Colts at the Damm that foaled them., when they have fucked their fll., and 1 for that reafon, ufually l /Elian, nori called Arijiotle the Colt. hip. 5. 9, Hel-
ta They add, that Xenocrates being gone apiid
to his Country, and Speuftppus not well Arijiotle came into Plato's School with fome oiJa/Elkn. his followers,and circumvented him with fallaci¬ ous arguments, whereupon Plato retired to his own houfe, and there taught privately, leaving A- rijiotle in poffelfion of the School, which he kept xi\d Xenocrates returning, ejebfed him, and re-in- ftated Plato. The chief Author of this repo'n feems to have bee Arijioxenes., cited by n Eu- febius, who as c Suidas oblerves, aflbon zsiuanlTb- Arijiotle was dead, calf many Afperfions upon® inArijhx; him, out of a malicious revenge, becaufe Ari¬ jiotle preferred Theophrajius befbre him in the fucceflion of the School, notwithftanding that Arijioxenus had gained a great name and credit among the Dilciples.
^utas AmmoniKsaxguQs., it is not likely that Arifiotle., if he would, could have ejeHcd Plato out of the School, or have obtained Licenfe to ere£f a new one in oppofition to him, ffr as much as at the fame time Chabrias and Twiahe- usflato's kirfiTien,were in great power, and Ge¬ nerals of the Forces. Yet fome there
are, who affirm this, grounding it only on Ari- Jiotle's contradibfing oi Plato in many things; to which Ammonius anfwers, that Arijiotle doth not fimply contradibl Plato., but thofe who mif- interpret his Writings. For if he do fometimes contradRl Plato., what w^onder ? Seeing that therein he fblloweth Plato his Author , whole faying it was, that Truth ought to be preferred before all things -, as allb that Saying, Socrates indeed is dear, but Truth moft dear. And elfe- where. What Socrates faith, w'e muft nor fb • much regard, as we ought to be folicitous con¬ cerning Truth. The fame courfe Arifiotle took, if at any time he confuted Plato's Affertion , therein obeying him by fbllownng the Truth ^ and it is obferved by p fome, that he is very fparing in naming him, where he oppofeth hispiw/«r(/e DoHrine, and that thrice he makes honourable mention of him in his q Rhetorick, his Book of the World, (if that be his) and his r Pro-"^ rrM.’u^io. blems.
True therefore it is,' (, as Apollodorus, Diony- i Laert.
Jius Halicarnajfeus-, but efpecially Arijiotle himfelf; in his t Epiftle to Philip , affirm) that he was a conlfant, fedulous hearer of Plato * twenty Years, “ unto the thirty feventh of his 'ifet. interp. Age,even until Plato diedjand then was lb great an honourer of his Memory, that in teftimony of his extraordinary AffeHion, he erected an Altar to him, bearing this Lifcription :
k Liter ft
X This Altar Ariftotle’x Hand did raife x Ammon.
To Plato, whom the Impious muji not praife.
y Olympiodorus fpeaking of the honour which Arijiotle gavQ to his Mafter,co,nfirmeth it by this y Comment. Argument,that he writ a whole Oration ija com-^’"''^* mendation of Plato, wherein he fiilf made a re¬ lation of his Life, then praifed him. He adds, that Arijiotle in his Elegies to Eudemus, extols him thus :
And
in
/
Csnm
230
AKI STOT LE.