m furely, it was then matter of reproach, as it is now; fhewing thereby both want of knowledge, though called a philofopher, and his great defire to obtain it of one that could teach him. None of these used to go to plays, balls, treats, &c. They found more serious employ. ments for their minds, and were examples of temperance to the world.-I will repeat fome of his grave fentences, as reported by Laertius, and others; namely, That those are only noble, who are virtuous. That virtue was felffufficient to happiness: that it confifteth in ac. tions, not requiring many words, nor much learning, and is felf-fufficient to wisdom: for that all other things have reference thereunto. That men fhould not govern by force, nor by laws, unless good, but by juftice." To a friend, complaining he had loft his notes, Thou fhouldft have writ them upon thy mind,' faith he, and not in a book. Thofe who would never die, must live juftly and piously.' Being asked what learning was beft, 'That,' faith he, which unlearneth evil. To one that praised a life full of pleasures and delicacies: Let the fons of my enemies,' faith he, live delicately' counting it the greatest mifery. We ought,' faith he, to aim at fuch pleafures as follow honest labour; and not those which go before it. When at any time he faw a woman richly dreffed, he would, in a way of reproach, bid her husband bring out his horfe and arms: meaning, if he were prepared to justify the injuries fuch wantonness Diog. Laert. Agel, lib. c. 5. Laert. Stob. P Ibid. 177. r ufed to produce, he might the better allow thofe dangerous freedoms: 'Otherwise,' faith he, pluck off her rich and gaudy attire.' He is faid to exclaim bitterly against pleasures; often faying, I had rather be mad, than addicted to pleasure, and fpend my days in decking and feeding my carcafe. Thofe,' fays he, who have once learned the way to temperance and virtue, let them not offer to entangle themselves again with fruitless stories, and vainlearning; nor be addicted to corporeal delicacies, which dull the mind, and will divert and hinder them from the purfuit of those more noble and heavenly virtues.' Upon the death of his beloved master Socrates,' he instituted a sect called Cynics; out of whom came the great fect of the Stoics: both which had these common principles, which they daily, with great and unwearied diligence, did maintain and instruct people in the knowledge of, viz. No man is wife and happy, but the good and vir- ́ tuous man. That not much learning, nor ftudy of many things was neceffary. That a wife man is never drunk nor mad: that he never finneth; that a wife man is void of paffion: that he is fincere, religious, grave: that he only is divine. That fuch only are priests and prophets that have God in themselves. And that his law is imprinted in their minds, and the minds of all men: that fuch a one only can pray, is innocent, meek, temperate, ingenious, noble, a good magistrate, father, fon, master, Laert. vit. Mem. Laert. Plut. de Rep. Stoi. Cic. de "Lactant. de Ira Dei, cap. 10. fervant, and worthy of praise.' On the contrary, that wicked men can be none of these : that the fame belongs to men and women. Their diet was slender, their food only what would fatisfy nature." Their garments exceeding mean. Their habitations folitary and homely. They affirmed, those who lived with fewest things, and were contented, most nearly approached God, who wants nothing. They voluntarily defpifed riches, glory, and nobility, as foolifh fhews and vain fictions, that had no true and folid worth or happiness in them. They made all things to be good and evil, and flatly denied the idle ftories of fortune and chance. Certainly thefe were they, who having no external law, became a law unto themselves; and did not abuse the knowledge they had of the invifible God; but to their capacities inftructed men in the knowledge of that righteous, ferious, folid, and heavenly principle, which leads to true and everlasting happiness all thofe that embrace it, X f. XX. Xenocrates refufed Alexander's prefent, yet treated his ambaffadors after his temperate and fpare manner; faying, 'You fee I I have no need of your master's bounty, that am fo well pleased with this.' He would fay, that one ought not to carry one's eyes or one's hands into another man's houfe; that is, be a bufy body. That one ought to be moft circumfpect of one's actions before children, left. by example, one's faults fhould outlive one's * Plat. Pl. Ph. 16. Cic. Tul. Queft. 4. Diog. Laert. vit. Mem. Stob. y L.ert. Val, Max. 4. 3. 2. 16. Cic. pro. Fel. Val. Max. 7. 2 felf. He faid pride was the greatest obftruction to true knowledge. His chastity and integrity were remarkable and reverenced in Athens: Phryne, the famous Athenian courtezan, could not place a temptation upon him, nor Philip king of Macedon a bribe, though the reft fent in the embaffy were corrupted. And being once brought for a witness, the judges rofe up, and cried out, Tender no oath to Xenocrates, for he will speak the truth.' A refpect they did not allow to one another. Holding his peace at fome detracting difcourfe, they asked him, why he spoke not? Because,' faith he, 'I have fometimes repented of fpeaking, but never of holding my peace.' 6 §. XXI. Bion would fay, that great men walk in flippery places: that it is a great mifchief not to bear affliction: that ungodlinefs is an enemy to affurance. He faid to a covetous man, that he did not poffefs his wealth, but his wealth poffeffed him; abftaining from ufing it,, as if it were another man's. In fine, that men ought to pursue a courfe of virtue, without regard to the praife or reproach of men. §. XXII. Demonax feeing the great care that men had of their bodies, more than of their minds; They deck the house,' faith he, but flight the master.' He would fay, that many are inquifitive after the make of the world, but are little concerned about their own, which were a science much more worthy of their pains. To a city that would establish the gladiators, or prize-fighters, he faid, that they ought first to overthrow the altar of mercy; intimating the cruelty of fuch practices. One aking him, why he turned philofopher; Becaufe,' faith he, I am a man.' He would fay of the priests of Greece, if they could better inftruct the people, they could not give them too much; but if not, the people could not give them too little. He lamented the un-, profitablenefs of good laws, by being in bad men's hands. §. XXIII. Diogenes was angry with critics, that were nice of words, and not of their own actions; with musicians, that tune their inftruments, but could not govern their paffions; with aftrologers, that have their eyes in the fky, and look not to their own goings; with orators, that study to speak well, but not to do well; with covetous men, that take care to get, but never use their eftates; with those philofophers, that defpife greatnefs, and yet court great men; and with those that facrifice for health, and yet furfeit themselves with eating their facrifices. One time, difcourfing of the nature, pleasure, and reward of virtue, and the people not regarding what he faid, he fell a finging; at which every one pressed to hear; whereupon he cried out, in abhorrence of their ftupidity, O God, how much more is the world in love with folly, than with wisdom!' Seeing a man fprinkling himself with water, after having done fome ill thing, Unhappy man,' faith he, • doft thou not know that the errors of life are not to be washed away with water?' To one who faid, life is an ill thing; he anfwered, Life is not an ill thing, but an |