Part IX-

EMP ED OCLEb.
By a (mallfirait ; Hire's Charibdis {cat^ /iKd bae the munn'r 'ing flumes do threat
"To re-mforce cnce move their dreadjul irCy And ‘vomit jet agahi Ae-vouring fire j Belching it fionb out of his Jco.y jaws,
P/htfio he at Hea-ven in-, lightning flafaes throws. All bough tbisifie for.fmidry things may feern Famous , and many Nations it efieem,
Rcnc\u’n'd for wealthy and many gallant men j Tet ^ever had it ought more glorious, then f This Perfonage, nought more miraculous,
M.ere'holy, or which was more precious.
His Fafie droine , and his li'ventions rare J Ihi fii uits of that rich breafi do jo declare An tiniaierfal knowledg, that fame doubt Whether or no he jfrurg fiom human root.
Of His Parentage, Laertius gives this account. Empedocles, as filippobotus faith, was an Agrigen- tine, Son of Meto, Ton of Empedocles, which T/- confirms in his Sixteenth Book of Hifiories, fay ing, that there was one Empedocles an eminent Perfon, Grandfather to the Poet. Hermippus faith the fame. 'Likewife Heraclides, in hisTrea- tife concerning Iflands; affirms that his Grand¬ father was of a Noble family, and kept Chariot- Horfes, And Eratoflhenes ^Ain his Olympionica, faith, that the Father of A/efo was Victor in the 71 Olympiad, upon the teflimony of Arifiotle. But y^//’o//o/icj «Tthe@rammarian faith,it was that E.mpedocles who vvas fon of Meto. Glaucus writes, that he. came to the Thmians, at fuch time as they had newly built their City ; and not long after adds, They, who relate that he was bani- Ihed his Country , and came to Syracufe and fought with the Syracufians againft the Athenians,- feem to me to be quite miltaken. For either Empedocles at that ti.me was dead , ot very old: the latter is not likely, for Arifiotle faith, that he and Heraclitus dy’d in the Sixtieth year of their age. But he who w'on the Race in the Seventy- firft Olympiad, ^vvasot the fame name, asAppol- lodorus hath fet down the time. Satyrus in his Lives, faith, that Empedocles was fon of and that hehimfelf had a fon named Exanetus ; and that in the fame Olympiad Empedocles won the Horfe-race, and the fon was Vidtor at wreft- ' ling, or, as Heraclides, won the Foot-race. But I find in the Commentaries of Favorinus, that in the Olympiac Games, Empedocles facrific’d an Ox made of honey and flower, and that he had a Brother named Calhcrfitides. But Telauges fon oi Pythagoras, m \\i% Epiftle to P hilohus fa.\th, that Empedocles was fon of Archinomus : That he was of Agrigentum in Sicily, he himfelf profeffeth in his Luflrations, beginning thus.
Friends, who in fipacious Agrigentum dwell, &c.
Thus much ( faith Laertius ) of his defeent.
CHAP. II.
. : His Mafiers.
a Laeri. in the Ninth book of his Hiftory
I affirms,' he heard Pythagoras', adding, that he w.as taken Healing a differtation of his, fas Plato alfo was ) and thereupon expelled out
of their Society, and that he mentions Pythagoras in his Verfes, faying,
'Mopgfi thefe was one in things ftthlimefi skill'd j
His mind With all the wealth of Learning fill' d.
Eat fome there are who fay, he meant this of Parfkenides. Neanthes relates , that until Philo- lam .and Empedocles, the Pythagoreans communi¬ cated their Difeourfes 5 but, after that Empedo- c/w'diyuiged them in his Poems, they made an order nocto communicate any thing to an Epick Poet. They fay likewife, that Plato was pro¬ hibited in the like manner.
But which of the Pythagoreans Empedocles heard, he tells not ;.\he Epifile which goes a- broad under the name of Telauges, affirming, Empedocles was Difciple to Hippafm and Brontmus, deferves no credit.
Theopbrafim faith, he was an ^Emulator and Imitator of Parmenides in his Poetry j for he among other things writ a Difeourfe concern¬ ing Nature.
Hermippus faith he, he was notan /Emulator of Parmenides, but of Xenophnnes, with whom he lived and imitated bis Poetry, and afterwards applied himfelf to the Pythagoreans. But Alci- damas, in, his Phyfick, relates, that Zeno and Empedocles heard Parmenides at the fime time ; at laft both left him. Zeno went and ftudied Philofophy by himfelf j Empedocles went and heard. Anaxagoras- and Pythagoras^ and imitated the one in Ws gravity of life and deportment ; the other in his Phyfiology.
Empedocles, faith Phileftratus, repeated by Sui- das, is reported to have followed the Pythagorean Philofophy, which is confirmed by many Verfes of his, as chis.
Farewell, friends, mortal I (hall be no more.
And this,
A Boy 1 was, then did a Maid become.
Befides the Ox which he made of meal, and facrificed in Olympia, fhews , that he approved the way of Pythagoras. \
CHAP. in.
How he lived amongfi the Agrigentines j his Power and Authority.
{a relates, that Meto dying, there a Lain.
began a Tyranny : But Empedocles per- fwaded the Agrigentines to give over fedition, and to endeavour a civil parity ; and that he himfelf being very rich, beftowed Dowries upon many Virgins that had none, and thereupon clothed himfelf in Purple, and wore a Golden Girdle, as Vhavormus affirms, and a Delphick Crown, and had fervants attending on him ; his ^ look fevere and conftant. After this manner he went. And the Citizens thatriiet him paid fuch refped to him, as if thofe had been the marks of Regal Authority.
Neverthelefs, he was, as Arifiotle affirms, ve¬ ry free, and aveife from taking any Government
upon