Part IV.

t Laert.
Laert.
I C H T H Y A S
^ 'TCHTHTAS Son of Metallus^ an eminent JL perfon,is remembred amongft thefe Phi-
lofophers that are derived from Euciid:To hitn Diogenes the Cynick dedicated a-Dialogua
CLINOMACHUS.
t ^^j^Mongft thefe delcended from
_ was likewife CLINOM A CHUS,
a Thurian : He firft wrote concerning Ana-
xiomes, [Propofitions] Catogorems^ [that part of a Proportion which is predicated of other] and the like. ]
49
S T 1 L P O.
Laert.
C H A P. I. Stilpo Hh ^Life.
f Laert. nit. Diogenii.
Lib. 4.
¥qT/LPO was of Megara in Hellas •, he lived O in the time of the firft Dtolomy : Of the Mafters which he heard are reckoned,
EucM the founder of this School : But this agrees not with his time, as was before oblerved.
Some followers of Etrclid.,
Thrajymachus o? Corinth.^EnQndto Ichthyas : So Heraclides ^ttQ&Qth.
I Diogenes thQ Cynick. >•
Daficles.^ a Theban.^ who heard Crates l^e Cy- nick.^ his own Brother.
Dioclides of Megara.
Cicero laith, he was vefy acute, much ap¬ proved by thole times : His Friends (faith he ) writ, he was much inclined to Wine and Wo¬ men, yet relate not this in his dilpraife but, rather in his commendations, that he by Lear¬ ning fo fubdued and reprcft his vicious Nature, that none ever faw him drunk, none ever difco- vered any Lalcivioulhels in him. Pita-arch mag¬ nifies his height of Courage, mixed with meek- nefsand temperance.
He was much addifilcd to civil Affiiirs. Be- fide^ his Wife, he kept company with Nicareta, d Courtezan : He had a Daughter of ill fame, whom Simmiasyi Syraciifian., his intimate friend, Married Ihe living incontinently, one told Stilpo fhe was a diftionour to him : 'No mcre^ faith he, than I am an honour to her.
Ptolomeiis Soter much efteemed. him, and when he took Pofleflion of Megara by Conqueft, gave him money, and invited him along with him to E-gypt : Of the money he took a little, but abfo- lutely refufed the Journey : Going to Mgina^^ ftayed there till Ptolotny''?, return. Demetrius Son of Antigonus.^ upon the taking of Megara.^ gave order that his houfe might be preferved, and whatfoever belonged to him, reftored j and bidding him give them an inventory of luch things as he had loft-, he laid that he had loft no¬ thing that belonged to him, for none had taken away his Learning •, his Learning and know¬ ledge were both kit. '
With Demetrius he dilputed of Hujmanity lb efficacioully, that he became a ftudious Au¬ ditor of him.
^ Concerning Minervds Statue, carv’d by Phi¬ dias., he asked a Man whether Minerva^zugh.- ter of Jove wexQ a God he affirrhedi ftie was : But this, faith he, is not of Jove, hut of Phidias-^ to vvhich the other alTented ; Then, faitli he, ftie is not a God. Hereupon being cited to the Court of Areopagus, he denied it not, but juljifi- ed it, averring Ihe was not a God, fct a God- dels : But the Areopagites nothing latisfied with this evafion, ordered that he Ihould depart the City. Hereupon Theodorus lirnam’d fald in derilion, How came Stilpo to know this, did he put alide her vail, and look upon her breaft ? Theodorus was bold of Speech, but Stilpo re- ferved, in fo much, as being demanded by Cra¬ tes, whether the Gods delighted in bent knees and Prayers: Thou fool, laithhe,donotque- ftion me in publick, but when we are alone to¬ gether.
He was lincereand plain, yoldojalt artifice. Crates the Cynick , not anfwerit^ liim, but ATO'Trd^J'oflof^ I knew faith he, you would Ipeak any thing rather than that wj^ch is decent.
Crates in propounding a queftion-del-i^red a Fig to him, which he took and ear : Crates pre- fently cryed out, that he had loft his fig: Yes, faith he,and your quettionalfo, of which that was in earneft. . . >
Seeing Crates half frozen in cold weather, j laith he, methifiks you want 'iud]U Kolm,
/(-which one way impli^ a new Garment piuoth^t I way both a ■ Garment and Wit) Crates aihamed,
’ anfwered thus.
Stilpo at Megara I faw opprefl, ■
Where vaji Typhoeus lieswhb.weight 9pprejl. To hear him wrangle many Scholars ca^e, pair Truth to chafe .away was. all thcif apn.
At Athens he wrought lo much upon tihe People that they- would run our of their Shops
- to
150
PHMDO.
ART.
“'f Laerf.
Fla.
^ Lavrt.
too fee him ; T^hey voonder at thee^ Stilpo ^feid one to him) a Monjier : No, faith he, but as a true Man.
As he was fpeaking with Crates, in the midft of their difcourfe he went away to buy Filh ; Crates purfiied him, crying out, that he gave over the Diftourfe : No, faith he, I carry along the 'Difcourfe zvith me y but I leave ydu. the Difcourfe mil fiay, the fijh muji be bought
Being asked, what is harder than a Stone, he anfwered, a fool.
pofed the manner of fpeaking, but took not away theicourfe f life, or abolijhed thingsfs moji evident.
^ He afferted the chief good to be a mind not * Sena. e- fiibjeft to Paflion. ?•
CHAP. II.
His Fhilofophy. '
^ TTE was Matter of the Megarick School,
JCjL excellent in Erijiick Dilutes, by his fubtle Tenents and Difcourfes beautifying him- felf, his Country and Friends.
He took away all Species (Univerfals) af¬ firming, that he who faith, a Manj denotes not any Man, the Term being not proper to this or that perfon, for why to one rather than to another, therefore not to this 5 and again , that which we fee is not an Herb, for an Herb was many years ago. Therefore this was not an Herb.
tHe likewife denied one thing to be predi¬ cated of another, arguing thus ^ ‘ If running be predicated of an Horfe, the fubjefl is not the lame with the predicate the definition of man is one thing, that ofgood another, lb an Horfe is a differing thing from running, for upon de¬ mand, we give feveral definitions of each lor if a Man, and good, or an Horfe, and run¬ ning were the lame, how could good be predicated of Food or Phyfick, and running ot a Hole, which are things fo difterent?Thus he admitted no conjunQiionwith the Subjeft, in things which are in a fubjefl , or predicated of a fubjefl, but conceived that both thefe, unlefs they be the very fame with the fubjeft, cannot be predicated of it, even not as an Ac¬ cident. This, though it were one of thofe little Sayings which Stilpo Iportively ufed to cafl: out amongft the Sophitters, Colotes the Epi¬ curean oppofed fo eagerly, that he framed a large difcourfe againft grounded only
upon this affertion, (which yet he neither re¬ felled nor refolved) aifirming that by hold¬ ing one thing is not predicated of another, he takes away good Lifej But that Stilpo (laith Flutarch)was offended only at fame words,and op-
CHAP. III.
His Dfciples.
+ IITE far exceeded others in fluent difcourfe t
XJL and learning, that he converted almoft all Greece to ihQ Megarick Seft. Philippus of Megara laith he drew
Metrodorus firnamed the Theoretick,2sA Ti- magoras the Geloan, from Theophrajius. ■ .
ClitarchuszndSimmias ftom Arifotle the Cy- reneean, ^
Of Dialefficks, from Ariftides.
Diphilus, Son of Euphantus, and Myrmex,Son •
of Exenatus coming to dilpute againft him, became both followers of him : Thus far Phi- lippus : He likewife attraQied
Phfidemus the Per'ipatetick, excellent in Na¬ tural Philolbphy.
Alcimus, the moft eminent Oratour at that time in Greece.
Zeno the Phoenician, an Epicurean Philofo- pher.
Crates, and others ^ in a word, whomlbever he vvould himfelf.
Heraclides laith, that the Citiean,fG\it\d.- er of the Stoical Se£l:,was his Difciple.
CHAP. IV. His Death, Writings.
HErmippus affirmeth that he died of Age ; but drank a draught of Wine to haften
his end.
Suidas faith, he wrote 20 Dialogues 5 Eaer- tius but nine j and thofe not very efficacious 5 their Titles thefe.
Mqfchus,
Ariff 'ippus or Callias,
Ptolemdcus,
Chaerecrates,
Mitrocles,
Anaximenes,
Ep'igenes,
To his Daughter, Arifotle.
He had a Son named Dryfo, a Philplbphef alfo.
T HE
ELEACK and ERETRIACK SECTS.
P H iE D O.
T
iHE Eleack Sefl was inftituted by Phado, an Elean of a noble Fa¬ mily -, it chanced that he was taken by Thieves or Pyrates , and fold to a Houfe of common diflioneft Refort i where being forced to fit at the door, he was obferved by Socrates in palling, who
noting the ingenuity'of his countenance (which was extraordinary) perfwaded ( as Laertius laith) Alcibiades or Plato, or (as A. Gellius ,) Cebes to buy him, from which time he ad- diQed himfelf diligently to Philofophy, and was a conftant Difeiple of Socrates -, fo much affefled by Plato, that he called that moft ex¬ cellent
■I
R T. IV.
ME NED EM VS.
cellent difcourle of the immortality of the Soul, after him, 'Phado.
He inftituted a Se£l: called from him E/eack The Dialogues afcribed to him were
Zopyrus^
Medus.^
S'mon^
Anfimachusj or ttieO/d JSIan^
Nicias.
Simmias^
A/cibiades^
Critolaus.
fP(W£tius doubts whether any of thefe were j. written by Phado Medus is by fome aicribed ^ch. to Mf chines^ and by others to PolUnus'^ as are alfo Antimachm and the Scythian difcourfes.
PL I S T H E N E S.
The Se£l was continued by was fucceeded by Menedmus and
hencs OiVi Elean ^ Succeffbr lo Phado Afclepiades-. •
M ENE D EMU S.
C H A P. 1.
His Country^ Parents^ Teachers.
'i
I '•
jwEnedemus was one of thofe Philofo- phers that continued the School of Phiido^ which hitherto was called Eleack., but from Menedemus was termed Eretriack : he was an Eretrian.^ Son of C/iJihenes j CUjihenes was of the Family of the Theopropid^ • yet tho’ noble by defcent, Mechanick by profeffion and indigent , Ibme affirm he was a maker of Tents (He/ychius lllujtris terms him an Archi- teft) adding tiiat he taught both Arts to his Son Menedemus that when Menedemus wrote a decree, an Alexinian Philolbpher reproved him, laying, It becomes not a Wife Man to frame both Tents and decrees.
Alenedemus being lent by the Eretrians with a command of Soldiers to Megara., went ftom thence to Athens to Xtezi Plato at the Academy, with whom he was fo taken, that he gave over his Military Employment.
By Afclepiades a Phlyafian^ his intimate Friend, he was carried to Stilpo at Megara, whom they both heard i thence taking a Jour¬ ney to P/A, they met with Anchypillus and Mojehus-^ who belonged to the School oi'Phado.
Some affirm he delpifed . Plato and Xenocra- /d‘r,and Parcebates the Cyrenaan but admired Stilpo^ concerning whom being demanded his opinion, he only anfwered that he was free.
CHAP. II.
His School and Philofophy.
^ "O Effig returned home to Eretria^ he let up
J3 a School, and taught Philofophy there; the EliacA School being thus transferred to Ere- //•/Vz,was from thencelor^pard call’d Eretriack.
In his School there was no order of place, no Seats round about it •, but as every Man chanced to be fitting, or ftanding, or walking, in the fame pollutes they heard him.
He held , that there was but one vertue and good, reprehending thole who allerted more ; whence of one who held there were many Gods, he demanded ironically hew many ? and whether be thought there tvere more than an hundred?
He was of a veilatile wit, and in compo-
\
fure of his Speech -a , difficult advedary: . he turned himfelf every way, and found fome- thing to lay for every thing : He was very Litigious, as Antijihenes in his fucceffions afffims and ufed this quellion. What is not the Jame.^ is different from that with which it is not fame > Yes. To benefit is not the fame with good^ there¬ fore good doth not benefit. He took away ^ Nega- ' tive Propofitions., leaving only the Affirmative '., and ofthele he admitted the Simple, only •, but rejebled thole which were not fimplc.,. calling them conjeyned and complex. ^
Heraclides laithpche was a Platonick, and te¬ nded DialeHick. Hexinus asking, whether he hadfigiven over beating his Father j I Neither did beat him., faith he, nor have given over. The other replied. Either fay yes or noy:o diffoive the Ambiguity. It is ridiculous., laith he, to follow your Laws., when a Man may withfiand them in the very entrance. ; ■ ••
He writ not, or compofed any thing, becaule (laith Antigonus Caryfiius) he was of no Certain opinion 5 yet in dilpute he was lb vehement, that he many times went away with black and blue Eyes.
CHAP. III. His manner of Living.
t T T E contrabled a llriH: ffiendlhip wit6 Af- JLJ- nothing inferiour to that oft^'^”'^*
Pilades to Orefles : Afclepiades was the Elder, whence there went a common faying, that he was the Poet, Menedennts the Playerl . '
^ When they were yet both young, Philolb)^ phers, and indigent, they. Were, cited to the Court' of Areopagus, to give account (. i :accor- f seeiifeof ding to &/ the whole day amongft Philolbphers without any Labour,and having no Eftate) they fuiblift- ed,and were in lb good d condition ; They de- fired that one of the Mailers of th^lcbraffibo Prifon might be lent for ; whOj when he came,
•attelled, that they went down every night in¬ to
52
P A R T. iV,
MEN EDEMV S.
to the Prifon, where the common Malefa£tors ground, and did their grind , and in pay of their Labour, received two drachms ; At which the Areopcigites much wondring,- bettowed as an honourable reward upon them, two hundred Drachms.
They had other Patrons that beftowed Gifts upon them; ArchepolidesgA\Qt\\Qm three thou- fand pieces of Silver •, they both contended which fliould receive laft, and in conclufion , neither accepted it. The ch^ef perfbns that received them were Hipponkus^ a Macedonian^ and Mgetor a 'Lamiean . ^getor gave each of them thirty Mirne. Jthpponkus giv^Mcnedeinus two thoufand drachms towards the marriage of his Daughters, whiclvas Herac/ides ikiihpwQiQ three, by his Wife Oropia.
For Afckpiades ijidlplenedemus took each of them a Wife ; Afckpiades- married the Dau gh- tQi^Alenedemus the Mother; Afclepiades''s Wife dying, took the Wife oi Menedemus: Mene- demus being made a chief Magillrate, married a rich Wife; notwithffanding,hc allow'd his firft Wife an equal intereft in the government of the Houfe. Afckpiades having liv’d with Me in great plenty;; yet with great tern
perance, died old at Ereiria. At that time,
one, whonn Afckpiades much loved, coming late at night, intending to have feafted with him, the Servants fhut him out of doors : But Menedemus bad them let him in, laying Afck¬ piades would admit him even under Ground.
Menedemus -vi2S much given to Entertain¬ ments, and, becaufe the Country was unwhole- Ibme, made many Feafts': What order he ob- ferved therein is thus delivered by Antigonus Caryjiius^ and out of him (though not cited) by Laertius. He dined ^qt' with one or two Companions at the mold f: if any came to him, they were admitted after dinner was ended ; if they came fooner than the fet time , they walked Ihort turns before the door, and deman¬ ded of the Servants what courle was carried if they told them fiih-broth (with which
in
they began their Dinner ) they went away j if any Flefh, they went into a room prepared for that pUTpole. In Summer time, Menedemus had the Couches or Beds of his Dining-room covered with Flags, and Rulhes, in Winter with Sheeps skins. Every gueft brought a Cufhi- on ; the Cup they had was no bigger than a large Spoon : inftead of Sweet-meats they had Lupines^ and Beans : fometimes fuch fruit as the Seafon afforded j in Summer Pomgranates, in Spring, Pulle, in Winter, Figgs. This Lyco- phron the Chalcidian confirms in his Satyrical Comedy upon Menedemus.^\Aisx^Siknus Ipeaks thus totheSat;^rs.
To every guej} ; about vile Lupines saent^
With xchich the Beggaks Tables fcarce content.
Whillt tliey drank (after the fealf Menede¬ mus propofed queldions, and inltead) of a de¬ left gave them difeourfe, wdiich excited all to temperance and continence .• T'hele continued- Ibmetimes till the crowing of the Cock broke them off, much againlf the will of his guclls, who never thought they had enough of them.
CHAP. IV.
His civil Employments.
He was fiift contemned by his Country- men, and called Dog and Fool; but at
laft fo much honoured by them, that they com¬ mitted the government of the Commonwealth to his charge, + and paid him yearly two hun- -t Laen. dred Talents, whereof he fent back fifty.
After he applied himfelf to civil bufineff, he was fo thoughtful, that going to put Incenle into a Cenfer, he put it befides. Crates re¬ proaching him for undertaking pu’nlick em¬ ployments, he fent him to Prilbii; whereupon as he chanced to pals by. Crates role up and la- luted him with the Tide Agamemnonian,
Leader of the City.
He was fent Ambaflador from the Eratri- ans to Ttolomy.^ and to Lyfimachus (much ho¬ noured wherefoever he came) and to Demetrius.^ all three Kings of Alacedonia^.^ of whom De- ^ metrius firlt reigned, then Lyfimachus.^ and after - him (Pyrrhus intervening) Ptolomy.
Some accufed him to Demetrius, that he would betray his City to Ptolomy, of wff ich charge he acquitted himlelf by an Epiltle , be¬ ginning thur, Menedemus to King Demetrius, health. I hear that you are informed many things concerning us, 8ic. advifing him to take heed of one of thofe that were his Fnemies, named 'us. When he was on Embaffv to Deme¬
an
trills, he Ipoke very earneftly and effebtually concerning Oropus.
Antigonus allb, King of Alacedonia, loved him exceedingly, and profeft himlelf his EH- fciple : In his behalf he made a Decree, clear andvoid of oftentation, beginning thus; Eoraf much as King Antigonus, having overcome the j Barbarians in Light, returneth into his own Coun¬ try faving good fuccefs in all his undertakings : The Senate and People have thought good. See.
Sons impious of a pious Father , I (Tod fee) with your delicts and fports comply : But never by the Gods at fuch a Leaf In Caria, Rhodes, or Lydia was a Gueji. how plentiful !
And not long after.
A little Pci half full of Water clear. Rated at 'Earthings five a boy did bear
T
CHAP. V.
His Vertues and Apothegms.
Menedemus was of exceeding gravity, for which Crates deriding him, laid, AfekpiadthQ Philiafian^ and the proud Ere- irian,'dndTimon. •
His fupercilious burabaft fpeech begins. _ In feverity he was fo awful , that Eury locus being invited by Antigonus, together with Clippides, a youth oTCyzicum, refuted to go, fearing Ale- nedemusP\Q\Ad know it.
In
p
art IV. MEN E DEMVS.
In reproof lie was bitt?rand bold^ of which haertiits iiittanceth his Sayings to a young Man- over-confident, to Hieroc/rs^ &c. To an Adulterer boaiting, ^c. To a young Man cry-, ing, ^c.
Antigdnus asking , whether hs fliohld go to a Luxurious_^ Banquet 5 not fpeaking whe- ther he fiiould go or not, he bad him lend them word that he was a King’s Son.
One who intruded himfelf upon him, and difcourfed very ablbrdly , he asked if he had a Farm 5 he anfwered, many ; Go then, faith he, and look after them, left in lofing your Rufticity, you lofe them alfo.
To one asking, whether a good Man may take a Wife, he faid, Do you think I am good or not ? The other affenting-; but I (laith he ) have taken one.
Not able to limit the Prodigality of one who invited him to Supper, he filently repro¬ ved him, eating nothing but Olives.
This freedom brought him into danger when he was in Cyprus with Nicocreon^ together with his Friend AJclepiaies y for, the King having invited him with the reft of the Philolophers to a Monthly Feaft, faid, this conven¬
tion if it be good, ought to be every day •, if otherwile, this day is too much : The Tyrant anfwered, that he had fet apart that day to converfe with Philofophers. A\enedemiis per- lifting in his affertion, dernonftrated from What he had faid of the Sacrifice, that Philofophers ought to be heard at all times. Whereupon if one of the Muficians had not helped them - to efcape, they had been put to/ death, whence the Ship being endangered by a Storm, Afcle- piades laid, that the humanity of the Mufician preferved them, the roughnefs of M.enedc77i^is had undone them.
He was negligent, and ( as we faid) carelels in every thing that concerned the order of his . School •, likewife high-minded, and covetous of Glory : inlbmuch that when he and Afclepl firft exercifed the trade of Building, piades was feen upon the houfe top carrying Clay ; but AienedcTnus^ if he efpied any Man palling by, hid himfelf.
He was fomewhat enclined to Superftition ^ having eaten in a Cook's Shop the Flefh of fomething that had died of it felf ignorantly with Afclepiades^ as foon as he knew it, he grew Sick, and looked Pale, till Afclepiades reproved him, faying. He was Tiot fick of the Ale at ^ but of faticy.
In all other refpefls he was a perfbn of a great and free Soul, in ftrength even in his old age equal to thofe who wreftled in Exercife, ftrong made, fwarthy of Complexion, fat and corpu¬ lent-, but of indifferent ftature, as appears (faith Laertius) by his Statue in Eretria^ in the old Stadium, fo exaflly carved, that it expref feth the naked proportion of his Limbs.
He loved and Lycophro/t the Tragick
Poet, and Atitagoras thQ Rhodiati^ but above all he was ftudious of Hottter y next of the Lyricks'^
I then Sophocles : In he aflign’d the fe- jCond place to Achaus ^ the firft to Alfchylus j whence to thofe in the State who defended the contrary part, he laid thus,
Thefwift in Erne 'outjlripi are by the flow ,
. A Torioife thus a77 Eagle 777(?y outgoi
I Thefe are \ eifes of Ach^us they therefore are miftaken, who fay he read .nothing but the Aledea of EuripideL which is put among the Poems of J^eophron the SicyoniL ^
Oi' Bion^ who fpoke with much diligence againft Prophets, he faid, he ttiunhcz-ed the dead.
To one who faid, the greateft good is to enjoy thofe things which we defire 5 it is a much great¬ er^ faith he,/^ de fire thofe thhip which are fitting.
He was violent fas w'e fiid) in controverfie, but moft affible in cpnverfation and Aftion : Alexinus^ whom in cfifpute he had often cir¬ cumvented and bitterly derided, he, gratified in deed ^ taking care for the fife Conduft of his Wife from Delphi to Chalcis^ the way being much infefted with Thieves.
He was an excellent Friend, as is manifeft from his affeflion to Afclepiades^ of which we have already Ipoken, only to Lerfdtus^ he wasconftantly a profeft Enemy ^ for it ’was known that Vv^hen Antigonus fot Alenedemus his fake would have reftored the Eretrians to their- firft Liberty, withftoOd it : whereupon
at a Feaft Menedemus openly inveighed againft him, ufing amongft many others this expreffi- on i He is indeed aLhilofopher.^ but of all Ale n that are^ weir^ or ever fhall be^ the mojl wicked.
CHAP. VL
His departure fro77t Eretria, and Death.
The ff icndfhip he held with AntigonusyniAQ him fufpe£ted by his own Country-men, as if he meant to betray the City to him • of which being accufed by ,Ari^(?i/(?;®,yi’,hefied,and lived a while at Oropus in the Temple of Am- phiaraus : Thence Lome golden Cups chancing to be ftollen,he was by a publick decree of the Beotians forbidden .to ftay there any longer, whereupon he returned privately into his Coun¬ try, and taking his Wife and Children along with him, went from thence to Antigonus^ where he died of grief.
But Heraclides on the contrary affirmeth,that whilft he was Praefe£l: of tho Eretrians fio often defended his Country againft thofe who would have made Demetrius Tyrant thereof j Neither would he therefore have betrayed it to Antigo- nus but that was felfly laid to his charge j he afterwards went to AntigoTius^ petitioning that he would reftore his Country to their Liberties ;• which Antigonus denying, he out of Grief faft- ed feven days, and fo died. The fame relation is delivered by Antigonus Caryjlius, Heraclides faith, he lived 84 years.
THE-
0
THE
t.i:
■ -■i
»54
1 1 'to. .. fi