Manes. You may fee how dull a fasting wit is; therefore, Pfyllus, let us go to fupper with Granichus: Plato is the beft fellow of all philofophers. Give me him that reads in the morning in the school, and at noon in the kitchen..

Pfyllus. And me.

Grani. Ah, firs, my master is a king in his parlour for the body; and a God in his study for the foul. Among all his men he commendeth one that is an excellent mufician, then stand I by and clap another on the fhoulder and fay, this is a paffing good cook.

Manes. It is well done, Granichus; for give me pleafure that goes in at the mouth, not the ear: I had rather fill my guts than my brains."

Pfyllus. I ferve Apelles, who feedeth me, as Diogenes doth Manes; for at dinner the one preacheth abftinence, the other commendeth counterfeiting: When I would eat meat, he paints a fpit; and when I thirst, O, ' faith he, is not this a fair pot? and points to a table, which contains the banquet of the gods, where are many dishes to feed the eye, but not to fill the gut.

Gra. What doft thou then?

Pl. This doth he then, bring in many examples that fome have lived by favours, and proveth that much eafter it is to grow fat by colours, and tells of birds that have been fatted by painted grapes in winter; and how many have fo fed their eyes with their miftrefs's picture, that they never defir'd to take food, being glutted with the delight in their favours. Then doth he fhew me counterfeits, fuch as have furfeited with their filthy and loathfome vomits, and with the riotous bacchanals of the god Bacchus, and his disorderly crew, which are painted all to the life in his fhop. To conclude, I fare hardly, tho' I go richly, which maketh me when I fhould begin to fhadow a lady's face, to draw a lamb's head, and fometime to fet to the body of a maid, a fhoulder of mutton; for Semper animus meus eft in patinis.

Manes. Thou art a god to me; for could I fee but a cook's-fhop painted, I would make mine eyes fat as butter. For I have nought but sentences to fill my maw;

as

as, plures occidit crapula quam gladius: mufa jejunantibus amica: repletion killeth delicately. And an old faw of abftinence by Socrates: the belly is the head's grave. Thus with fayings, not with meat, he maketh a gallimafrey.

Gran. But how do'st thou then live?

Manes. With fine jefts, fweet air, and the dogs alms.

Gran. Well, for this time, I will ftaunch thy gut; and, among pots and platters, thou shalt fee what it is to ferve Plato.

Pfyl. For joy of Granicus, let's fing.

Manes. My voice is as clear in the evening as in the morning,

Gran. Another commodity of emptiness.

[Song:

Act. I. Scen. 3.

Melippus, Plato, Ariftotle, Crifippus, Crates, Cleanthes, Anaxarchus, Alexander, Hepheftion, Parmenio, Clytus.

Melip⋅ I

Had never fuch ado to warn fcholars to come before a king: First, I came to Crifippus, a tall lean old mad man, willing him prefently to appear before Alexander: he flood ftaring on my face, neither moving his eyes nor his body: I I urging him to give fome anfwer, he took up a book, fat down, and faid nothing. Meliffa, his maid, told me it was his manner, and that oftentimes he was fain to thruft meat into his mouth; for that he would rather ftarve than ceafe ftudy. Well, thought I, feeing bookish inen are fo blockith and fo great clerks fuch fimple courtiers, I will neither be partaker of their commons nor their commendations. From thence I came to Plato, and to Ariftotle, and to divers others, none refufing to come, faving an old ob Vol. II. fcure

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fcure fellow, who, fitting in a tub turn'd towards the fun, read Greek to a young boy; him when I will'd to ap pear before Alexander, he anfwer'd, If Alexander would fain fee me, let him come to me; if learn of me, let him come to me; whatsoever it be, let him come to me. Why, faid I, he is a king; he anfwer'd, Why I am a philofopher. Why, but he is Alexander; ay, but I am Diogenes. I was half angry to fee one fo crooked in his fhape, to be fo crabbed in his fayings. So, going my way, I faid, Thoa fhalt repent it, if thou comeft not to Alexander: nay, fmiling anfwer'd he, Alexander may repent it, if he come not to Diogenes; virtue must be fought, not offer'd: and fo turning himself to his cell, he grunted I know not what, like a pig under a tub.But I must be gone, the philofophers are coming.

[Exit. Plato. It is a difficult controverfy, Ariftotle, and rather to be wonder'd at than believ'd, how natural caufes should work fupernatural effects.

Arift. I do not fo much stand upon the apparition feen in the moon, neither the Dæmonium of Socrates, as that I cannot, by natural reason, give any reason of the ebbing and flowing of the fea, which makes me, in the depth of my fludies, to cry out, O ens entium miferere mei!

XPlato Cleanthes and you attribute fo much to nature, by fearching for things which are not to be found, that whilft you ftudy a cause of your own, you omit the occafion itself. There is no man fo favage in whom refleth not this divine particle, that there is an omnipotent, eternal, and divine mover, which may be call'd God.

Cleant. I am of

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you term God, ftrument of all the movings.

mind, that the first mover, which

"

which we attribute to nature. The earth, which is mats, Twinmeth on the fea, feafons divided in themselves, "Fruits growing in themfelves, the majefty of the sky, the whole firmament of the world, and whatsoever elle appeareth miraculous, what inan' almost of mean capaA tu agboke City but can b prove it natural. Anaxar.

Anaxar. These caufes fhall be debated at our philo fophers feaft, in which controverfy I will take part with Ariftotle, that there is natura naturans, and yet not God...

Crat, And I with Plato, that there is Deus optimus maximus, and not nature.

"

Arift. Here cometh Alexander.

Alex. I fee, Hephestion, that thefe philofophers are here attending for us.

Hepbeft. They are not philofophers, if they knew not their duties.

101

Alex. But I much marvel Diogenes fhould be lo dogged,.

Hepheft. I do not think but his excufe will be better than Melippus' meffage.

Alex. I will go fee him, Hepheftion, because I long to fee him that would command Alexander to come, to whom all the world is like to come.Ariftotle and the reft, fince my coming from Thebes to Athens, from a place of conqueft to a palace of quiet, I have refolved with myself in my court to have as many philofophers as I had in my camp foldiers. My court shall be a school, wherein I will have ufed as great doctrine in peace, as I did in war difcipline.

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Arift. We are all here, ready to be commanded, and glad we are that we are commanded; for that nothing better becometh kings than literature, which maketh them come as near to the gods in wisdom, as they do in dignity

Alex. It is fo, Ariftotle; but yet there is among you, yea and of your bringing up, that fought to destroy Alexander Califtenes, Ariftotle, whofe treasons against his prince shall not be borne out with the reasons of his philofophy

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Arift. If ever mischief enter'd into the heart of Califtenes, let Calistenes suffer for it; but that Aristotle ever imagined any fuch thing of Califtenes, Ariftotle doth deny..

Alex. Well, Aristotle, kindred may blind thee, and affection me; but, in kings caufes, I will not ftand to

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Scholars

fcholars arguments. This meeting thall be for a cont. mandment, that you all frequent my court, inftruct the young with rules, confirm the old with reasons : let your lives be anfwerable to your learnings, left my proceedings be contrary to my proinifes.

Hephef. You faid you would ask every one of them a queftion, which yeflernight none of us could anfwer. Alex. Twill-Plato, of all beafts which is the subtileft?

Plato. That which man hitherto never knew.

Alex. Ariftotle, how fhould a man be thought ca God?

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Arift. In doing a thing impoffible for a man.{1 Alex. Crifippus, which was firft, the day, or the night?

Crifp. The day, by a day.

Alex. Indeed, ftrange questions must have strange anfwers. Cleanthes, what fay you, is life or death the tronger?

Clean. Life, that fuffereth fo many troubles.

Alex. Crates, how long fhould a man live?

Crates. Till he think it better to die than to live.

Alex. Anaxarchus, whether doth the fea or the earth bring forth moft creatures ?

Anax. The earth; for the fea is but a part of the earth.

Alex. Hepheftion, methinks they have anfwer'd all well, and in fuch questions I mean often to try them.

Hepheft. It is better to have in your court a wife man, than in your ground a golden mine. Therefore would I leave war to ftudy wisdom, were I Alexander

Alex. So would I, were I Hepheftion. But come, let us go and give release, as I promis'd to our Theban thralls. [Exeunt.

Plato. Thou art fortunate, Ariftotle, that Alexander is thy fcholar.

Arift. And all you happy, that he is your fovereign.

Crifip. I could like the man well, if he could be consented to be but a man.