The Court of the Gentiles Part 2, Book 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of the Elatick Philoſophie, &c.
Of the Eleatick Sect, and its firſt Inſtitutor Xenophanes. Of Parmenides, and Zeno the firſt Inventor of Logick. Leucippus his Dogmes of Atomes, and Democritus's emproving the ſame. Democritus's skill in Phyſicks, Medicine, Ethicks, Mathematicks, and all the Liberal Sciences, with Mechanick Arts. His Travels, and Converſation with Egyptians, Chaldees, Jews, &c. Of the Heraclitians, Epicureans, and Scepticks.
§. 1. THe Pythagorick Sect, termed Italick, included under it the Eleatick, the Heraclitian, the Epicurean, and the Sceptick. The Eleatick Sect had for its firſt Founder Xenophanes the Colophonian;The Eleatick Sect. but its denomination, and name, it had from foreign, Elea, or Velia, a Town of the Lucans in Magna Graecia, of which Parmenides, Zeno, and Leucippus were; who being eminent perſons of this Sect, from them the Sect it ſelf was termed Eleatick. Thus Cicero, lib. 4. Acad. Qu…ſt. I find that Xenophanes was the Prince of this Noble Diſcipline: him Parmenides, and Zeno followed; from them this Sect was termed Eleatick, &c.
§. 2. Xenophanes lived about the time of Hieron King of Sicily, Xenophanes the Founder of the Eleatick Sect.and of Epicharmus the Poet; namely, about the LX Olympiad. Some affirme, that he had no Praeceptor; others ſay, he heard Boto the Athenian, or Archelaus the Maſter of Socrates: or as others, Parmeniſcus, and Oreſtades, Pythagoreans. He approved not fully of the Ionick, or Italick Sect, but delivered many Dogmes contrary both to Thales, and Pythagoras: Yet his Diſciples Parmenides, and Zeno, did in many things Pythagorize, and the whole Sect is reckoned but a Branch of the Italick, or Pythagorick Sect. Xenophanes writ his Philoſophie in Verſe; yet was he a profeſſed Enemie to the Mythologick Philoſophie of the Poets. For he writ againſt Homer, and Heſiod, and derided them for uttering ſuch Fables of the Gods. He held, Firſt, all things to be incomprehenſible, wherein he agreed with the Scepticks. Secondly, That God is one, Incorporeal, Eternal Being, having nothing common with Men, yet all-ſeeing, all-hearing, all-wiſe, &c. Thirdly, He held alſo the Soul to be of a Spiritual Nature. Fourthly, That the Sun conſiſts of a collection of little Fires, &c. ſee more of his Dogmes in Sextus the Philoſopher, and Athenaeus.
Parmenides's Philoſophie.§. 3. Parmenides was the Diſciple of Xenophanes, who yet differed from his Maſter in ſome things; and in many things Pythagorized. For he held only two Elements, Fire, and Earth, whereof the former he made to be the Active, the latter the Paſſive, or Material principle of all things. By the Fire Voſſius ſuppoſes he meant the Sun, and Stars, which have an Active Influence on all Generations, wherein he ſymbolized with the Pythagoreans, who held Fire to be the active, productive cauſe of all things; and that the Sun and Stars were of a Fierie Nature, as before, chap. 7. §. 10. Parmenides aſſerted alſo, that the firſt Principle of all things is One, and that this One is immoveable, and that this One is all: which aſſertion was the foundation of all his Dogmes concerning Ideas, for which he was ſo famous: the ſumme whereof was this, foreign, that all is one, and many: which Principles, and Opinions were evidently Pythagorean, and originally Scriptural; as before, chap. 8. §. 7. That Parmenides by his foreign one, meant God, is affirmed by Simplicius, and others, as Lud. Viv. in Aug. Civ. l. 8. c. 11. His Philoſophie was delivered in Verſe, yet not Mythick, &c.
Zeno the Eleatick.§. 4. Zeno the Eleatick was Diſciple of Parmenides, but originally of Tarſis, or according to others of Sidon, as Suidas: whence we may preſume, he could not but have ſome Traditions or Notices of the Jewiſh Myſteries. Logick invented by Zeno the Eleatick, Voſſius Hiſt. Graec. l. 4. c. 2. p. 437.This Zeno is ſaid to be the firſt that Invented Logick: So Ariſtotle in Sophiſta, and Laertius in Zeno the Eleatick; ſo Galen, or Aëtius in his Book foreign, tells us, foreign, Zeno the Eleatick is reported to be the firſt Author of Contentions, or Dialectick Philoſophie: Yet others make Euclid the Megarick, (Scholar to Socrates, and firſt Inſtitutor of the Megarick Sect) to be the Author of Eriſtick, or Dialectick Philoſophie: But the Reconcilement is eaſie. For although Parmenides, and his Scholar Zeno the Eleatick, were the firſt who brought up Dialectick, or Logick Diſputations; yet Euclid, who (as Diogenes reports) was much verſed in Parmenides's Books, might much improve the ſame, and commend it to thoſe of his Sect: ſo Voſſ. de Phil. l. 2. c. 11. Parag. 3.
§. 5. Next follows Leucippus Diſciple of Zeno the Eleatick, Leucippus his Dogmes of Atomes.whom ſome make to be an Eleatick, others a Mileſian, others an Abderite. He is ſaid to be the firſt amongſt the Grecians, that aſſerted Atomes to be the firſt principles of all things. So Laertius in Leucippus foreign. Leucippus firſt laid down Atomes as the Principles, &c. where Laertius more fully explains this Doctrine. Thus alſo Galen, or Aëtius foreign, having ſpoken of Zeno the Eleatick, addes foreign. Of this man Leucippus the Abderite being hearer, firſt conceived the Invention of Atomes. Clemens Alexandrinus calls him a Mileſian, and ſaies, that he placed, as firſt Principles, foreign. Epiphanes, ſaies he, was foreign. Lactantius lib. 3. Inſtitut. makes him the firſt that dreamt of Atomes, from whom Democritus received them, as Epicurus from him. Yet Ariſtotle, lib. 1. de Generat. ſaies, that Empedocles (Diſciple of Pythagoras, and Parmenides) held the ſame Opinion of Atomes. The ſame is affirmed by Plutarch. de Placit. Phil. l. 1. c. 24. Laertius alſo tells us, that Anaxagoras aſſerted the ſame. And 'tis probable that Pythagoras, and Parmenides (Empedocles's Preceptors) held Atomes to be the firſt Principles: which Dogmes they received (as we may preſume) from Mochus the great Phenician Phiſiologiſt, who was the firſt among the Pagan Philoſophers, that aſſerted this Doctrine of Atomes, which he received by Tradition from Moſes's ſtorie of the Creation, as before, Book 1. chap. 3. parag. 18.
§. 6.Democritus's Opinion of Atomes. Democritus the Abderite (as to Phyſicks) Diſciple of Lencippus, followed him in this Doctrine of Atomes: for he held, there was an infinitie of Atomes ſcattered up, and down the Vacuum (which the Phenicians called Chaos) which being coagmentated, or ſemented together, were the material Principle of all Bodies, yea of the humane Soul; and that all Motion was cauſed by theſe Atomes: to which he aſcribed three Properties. Firſt, Magnitude, though the leaſt, yet ſome. Secondly, Figure, which was various, and infinite. Thirdly, Pondus, or impetus, which cauſed their ſwift Motion, Lud. Vives in August. Civit. l. 11. c. 5. gives this account of theſe Dogmes. Democritus, ſaies he, affirmed, that the firſt Principles of Nature were little Bodies flying up, and down through the immenſe Vacuum, which had Figure, and Magnitude, yet were indiviſible; wherefore he called them Atomes, foreign. Epicurus followed him, who added to them Pondus, weight (or impetus, foreign) Thus theſe ſmall individuous Bodies, being endowed with various Figures, or Formes, Magnitudes, & Pondus's extreamly divers, as alſo by a fortuitous agitation toſſed up & down through the immenſe Vacuum, were by various chances mix'd together, and coagmentated into infinite Worlds, produced, increaſed, and deſtroyed, without any certain Cauſe, or Counſel. Thus Lud. Vives. Of which more hereafter in Epicurus.
Democritus's skill in Natural Philoſophie, Experiments, & Medicine.§. 7. Democritus writ alſo, according to Suidas, foreign, of the greater World its Government, &c. (but this Piece Theophraſtus aſcribes to Leucippus) Likewiſe foreign, a Tract of the nature of the World. Laertius addes, amongſt the genuine Works of Democritus, foreign, his little Government of the World. He had an excellent skill in the Experimental part of Natural Philoſophie. Plin. lib. 21. c. 11. ſaies, he left behind him many things of Plants. Petronius Arbiter, ſaies of him, That he drew forth the Juices of all Herbs; neither was the virtue of Stones hid from him. That he was an excellent Anatomiſt, appears by Hippocrates's Character of him, who being ſent for by Democritus's Friends to cure him of a Frenetick Diſtemper, which they fancied him, by reaſon of his continual Smiling, to labor under: Hippocrates found him buſied in the Anatomizing of Animals, and skilful therein, ſo that ever after they contracted an intimate Friendſhip, and correſpondence by Letters. Democritus was exactly skilled in Medicine alſo, wherein he writ foreign, an order for Diet, and Cures. For which skill Democritus is greatly extolled by Celſus, lib. 2. cap. 5. what his opinions were ſee Laertius, Sextus Empericus, but principally Stobaeus in his Phyſicks.
§. 8. Democritus was in like manner skilled in Ethicks; wherein he made the end of humane life to be foreign Tranquillitie, which he called foreign, or foreign, a good, perpetual ſtate of things, foreign, See Heſychius, and Suidas in foreign, yea Democritus ſeems to be well skilled in the whole Encyclopaedia, or bodie of Philoſophie. Laertius ſaies, he was accounted in Philoſophie foreign, as having joyned together, foreign, Phyſicks, Ethicks, Mathematicks, the Circle of the Liberal Sciences, & all Mechanicks. He was a great Traveller in the Oriental parts; He went to Babylon, and there converſed with the Chaldeans (and as it's likely, alſo with the Jews, who were called Chaldeans) as Aelian. Ʋar. Hiſt. lib. 4. c. 20. from whom he learned Theologie, and Aſtrologie. He is ſaid to have written a book foreign of the ſacred letters in Babylon (perhaps from Jewiſh traditions) and another called foreign, as Laertius. He was alſo in Egypt, whence he had his Geometrie, and as we may ſuppoſe, many Jewiſh traditions alſo, eſpecially concerning Solomon's experimental Philoſophie, wherein Democritus excelled. He flouriſhed about the LXXV. Olympiad; and was contemporarie with Socrates.
§. 9. There were other branches of the Italick, or Pythagorick Sect; as the Heraclitian inſtituted by Heraclitus an Epheſian, Branches of the Italick ſect. The Heraclitian.a perſon of a great ſpirit, who flouriſhed about the 69 Olympiad, and was famous for his skill in Natural Philoſophie, from whom Plato is ſaid to have derived his Phyſicks. He in ſome things Pythagorized, eſpecially in that great Pythagorean Principle, That Fire is the Principle of all things. They reckon alſo as branches of the Pythagorick Sect, the Epicurean, The Epicureanwhich ſprang immediately from the Eleatick: and ſo originally from the Italick: as likewiſe the Sceptick, The Sceptick.which had its foundation in the Eleatick Schole from foreign the contentious dialectick diſputations of Parmenides, and Zeno, which were taken up, in the old Academie, inſtituted by Plato, and called therein foreign, Probationarie, or Problematick Diſputations; wherein the Matter being only things dubious, they diſputed pro, and con. as they liſted. Which way of dubious Diſputation, was ſo well improved in the New Academies, and by Pyrrho, and his followers, as that they came to denie that any thing was certain, or knowable; whence they are called foreign. But of theſe in their places.