PART XIII. ETICURUS. 605

The Third Part
O F
PHILOSOPHY.
E T H I C or MORALS.
IT refteth that we fpeak of Ethick^ or the Philo (ophy of Manners ; neither is it with¬ out caul'e that we faid at firft,that this is to be efteemed the principal Part of Philofophy, becaufe that which is of Nature would be ufelefs, unlefs it conferr’d to the End of Life with an Ethical Confideration, Even Prudence itfelf, - which belongs to this Part, therefore excels Natural Philofophy, becaufe it rules it, and uf- cth it as a means to Moral Philofophy.
In faying this Part concerns the End ofLife^ I ' ihewwhyit is commonly called the Philofophy concerning Life and Manners, or concerning the Inftitution of the Adfions of Life, ( for Manners are no other than the cuftomary Actions of Hu¬ man Life ^ ) likewife concerning the End, that is, the extream or greateft of the Goods which weperfue-and concerning things eligible and avoidable, inafmuch as it prefcribeth the elefti- on of fuch things as conduce to that End, and the avoidance of fuch as divert from it.
For the End of Life, by the tacit Confent of all Men, is Felicity and fmce almoft all mifs of that End, mult it not happen either, for that they propofe not to themfelves that Felicity which they ought, or for that they ufe not the right means to attain it ?
When we behold fo many, who, abounding • in all things necelTary to the ufe of Life, (fwira- ming in Wealth,adorn’d with Titles, flourilhing in a hopeful lifue , in Fine, poflefs’d of all things commonly vefteemcd defirable, ) are notwith. Handing anxious and querulous, full of cares and folicitudes, diftraded with terrors, in a word, leading a miferable life - thence we may infer, that they know not wherein true Felicity con- fills, and by what means it may be attained .• Their Hearts refembling a Veffel, which either being leaky and full of holes, can never be fil¬ led j or being tainted with ill liquor, corrupts and fpoils whatfoever it receives.
I It is therefore worth our pains,by the benefit of this Philofophy, ( which treats of the End and of Felicity, h to cleaofe and mend our heart, |hat it may be fatisfi’d with a little,and be plea- fed in the enjoying of any thing, we Philo- fophiz.c not for fhew, but ferioufly ; for it is requi- fte, not that we feem found, hut that we be found : Sense, 13. We muIt Philofophixe forthwith, and not defer it to the morrowvfor even to day it concerns us Wdi VC -happilyj and it is a mifebiefof Folly that * - - ■ > ' ' ... o2
it always begins to live, or defers to begin, but in the mean time liveth never.
A ftrauge thing, it is ! IVe have been born once, we cannot be born twice, and Age mujl have an lot. Stob.feml End • Tet thou, O Man, though the Morrow be not i5. in thy power, in confidence of living to Morrow, putfi thyfelf off to the future, and lofefl the pre- fent : So mens lives wajle with delays and hence it is that fome of us die in the midfi ofbufinefs ; Eve¬ ry man leaves the World as if he bad but new¬ ly entred it •, and therefore old men are upbraid¬ ed with Infancy, becaufe, as if employed in bu- fin^fs that concerns them not, they do not take notice-that they live, and fo their whole life paf- feth away without the benefit of life, '
Let us therefore endeavor fo to live, that we may not repent of the time paft ♦, and fo enjoy the prefent, as if the morrow nothing concern¬ ed us. He moft fweetly attains the motrrow, who leaft needs o.r defires the morrow •, and that hour, overtakes a man moft welcom, whereof he had framed to himfelf.the leafl: hope. And fince it is troublefomi alw(tys to begin life^let life hs z\- Seme. ways to us as it Were perfed and obfolute, and as if there wanted nothing to its meafurci The life of a Fool 1 is unpleafanty it is timorous, it is Sence- whoUy carried on to the future-, let us endeavor that ours be pleafant, fecure, not only prefeiit, but even now fetled in fafety.
•Doubtlefs the. way to flie Folly, istoalccnd that Watch-tower (as it were)of wife men,from whence we may behold the reft wandring, and, in life, vainly feeking life. If you think it plea- fant,fromLand to behold Mariners driving with Storms; or, without endangering yourfelf, fee Armies joining Battel ^ certainly nothing can be rtiqre delightful, than from the calm Throne of Wifdom, to view the Tumults and Conten¬ tions of Fools, Not that it is pleafant that o^ thers be afflicted, but it pleafeth that we are not involved in the fame evils.
But that we may in fome meafure,to onr abi¬ lity, helpthofe who defire to attain this height of Wifdom, we will collbft our meditations up¬ on thefe things, treating firft of Felicity, which is man’s greateft good, and then of thofe things which conduce to the making and preferving it," • which are nothing elfe but iht Virtues x.\\trtk- felves.
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' CHAR
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EPICURUS.