Part X.

HEKACLITVS.
4?9
a Cic. La¬ in. SiC. itrom. I.
b Ad Am- fhid. c iitftb.
I Serm. 21.
d Adv, Coltt.
^ e Laert, f Suid.
g Strom, I.
where
perhaps
read tto~
M(zci.5n>i
viov
h Laert. li , ibid.
Italickt all the Setfts that fprung out of it, tho^igb fome of them had their beginning far from Italy, were included under the general notion of Ita- lick. Of thefc there were four ; the HeracUtian, the Eleatuk , the Septick ( or Vhyrro»ian ) and the Epicurean.
The Author of the firft was Heraclitus, an {a ) Ephe/ian , his Father, by Laertius , called FlyJO} by Clemens Baujo, by SuiJas Blojf'o, or Fltuto, cr ( faith he J as others Heracion : He bad alfoan Uncle. Heracleodorus, whom hementions in hisf^) Epiftles,
CO Ariflonymus faith, That whiles he was yet young, he was thewifeft'ofallruen, becaufe he knew that he knew nothing ; Laertius, that he was admirable from his Childhood; for, whilft he was young, heufed to fay, that he knew no- ^ thing ; and when he was grown up, that he knew all things.
Laertius adds, That h'e heard no man, but pro- ^ fefs'd that he him' elf made inc^uiry, and foujchr cut all things of himfelf. But the learned Cajaubon juftly doubts, That Laertius miftakes the mean¬ ing of thofe words, and that they rather refer to a ftrit^f enquiry, which he ufedto make into himfelf, according to the Motto, Know
thy felf I to which effect, commends
ais a memorable faying of his, 1 have been jeeking out my jelf. And Laertius himfelf acknowledg- eth, upon the teftimony Sot ion, tha.tJome af¬
firmed , he heard Xenophanes ; to whom Suidas adds, Hippalus the Pythagorean.
( e ) He flourifhed about the 69th Olympiad, (/^ in the time of Darius Hyfiafpis.
CHAP. II.
How he lived at Ephefus.
LAertius faith, He was of a high fpirit, con¬ temning others, as appears by a Book of his ( perhaps the Fifth Book of Politicks, out of which ig) Clemens feems to cite the fame Sen¬ tence ) wherein he faith, “ Much Learning infituBs “ not the Mind, for then it would have inflruBed ‘‘ Hefiod and Pythagoras, as aljo Xenophanes and HecatcEUS, for there is but one vJtfe thing ; which IS to know when to govern all by all : He ‘‘ alfo Jaid, That Homer dijerved to be thrown out of the Schools and beaten, as alfo Archilochus.
■ As a further (h) Argument of the greatnefs of his Spirit, Antijlhenss relates. That he gave the Kingdom to his Brother; Laertius, That be¬ ing defired to take upon him the Supreme Power, he (lighted it, becaufe the City was prepaffefs'd with an ill way of Government ; and retiring to the Temple of Diana, play’d at Dice there with the Boys, faying to the Ephefians that flood about him, “ PEorfl of Men, what do you wonder at ! Is it not better to do thus, than to govern you ? Much offended was he with the Ephefians, fof that they had banifhed his Friend Hermodorus, in whofe behalf he reproved them fharply, writing thus ; The Ephefians deferveto die aU Children, and to leave their City to Children, for that they cafi out Hermodorus, the moft excellent amongjl them, fay¬ ing, Let not one of Hs b^ more excellent than the refi j and if there be any fucb, let him go to another place, and live amovgjl other People.
pcs.
Darim (i) King of Pcrfia, wrote to the Ephe- * flans, to repeal the Banifhment of Hermodorus, and to reffere him to his Patrimony. He wrote alfo to Heraclitus, inviting him to come and live widi him ; the Letter was to this effed:
(k) } King Darius falute Heraclitus the Ephe- fan. a wife Per Ton. • Grtuc. &
YO U have put forth a Book concerning Hature, hard to be undtrjhood and interpreted ^ but by fo much as I underfland of it, it feems to promife the Theory of the whole H^orld, and of the things that depend hereon, which corfifis in Divine Motion', and by many Quefions and DoBrines, as well to thofe who are skilful w the Greek Learning, as to others vers'd in Meteorology, and other Learning, to doubt what IS the true meaning of what you have written. King T)3.nni therefore, 0/’ Hyff afpes, deftres ts parti¬ cipate of your Leayning, and of the Greek Infiitution.
Come as foon as you can to my Prefence, and Royal Palace ; for the Greeks, for the mof part, are not objeqmous to wife men, hut defpije the good things which they deliver. PPith me you fh all have the frft place, and daily Honour and Titks', your way of li¬ ving fhall be as noble as your Inflrufhons.
But Hraclitus refufed his offer, returning him this Anfwer.
Heraclints to Darius the King, Son of Hyflaf- , Health.
AL L men living refrain from Truth andjuflice, and purfue JJ/tjaTiablene(s and Aam-glory, by reafon of then Folly ^ but I, having forgot all Evil, and fhunning the fociety of imbred Envy and ride, will never come to the Kingdom of Perlia, being con¬ tented with a little, according to my own mind.
(1) Demetrius affirms, he flighted the Athenians j alfo, who had a great refpeCl for him.
He continually bewailed the wicked lives of men, and as often as he came abroad amongfi them fell a weeping, confdenng that all things which are done, are rnifery.
CHAP. III.
His Retirement.
At rbela/l, faith Laertius,- growing into a great hatred of mankind, he retired to the mountains, and lived there, feeair.g upon Grafs and Herbs ^ the diflike which he had of the being much
exafperated by adifrefpedt they fhewed to him ; whence, (m) Dimeinus affirms, that the m Laert, Ephefians flighting him, he beto-k himftlP to a pri¬ vate Life', iheoccafion is related, by ‘hi.nfelf in two Epiftles to Hermodorm ; the firfl is this,
Heraclitus to Hermodorus.
Be not angry any longer in your own Caufe, Hermodorus ; Euthycles, Son of that Nyeho- phon who committed Sacrilege, hath Indided me of impiety ( overcoming me by his igno¬ rance, who am excellent in Wifdom ) for that upon the Altar by which I flood, I wrote my , Name, making my felf, of a Man , ’a God.
Thus I fhall be condemned of impiety by the impious. What think you I fhall feem impi¬ ous to them for dilfenting from them in opini¬ on concerning the Gods. If blind Men were to judg of Sight, they would fay, that Blindnefs wereSght: but, O ye ignorant Men, teach us firft what God is, that when you declare us robe
impious.
HER AC L IT V S.
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