Lions, Horfes, Eagles, and other Creatures, ufe not Swords, Bucklers, and Inftruments of War: Their Limbs are their Weapons, fome their Horns, fome their Bills, fome their Wings; to one is given Swiftness; to another Bignefs; to a third Swimming. No irrational Creature ufeth a Sword, but keeps ⚫ itself within the Laws of its Creation, except MAN that doth not fo, which brings the heavier Blame, because he hath the great• eft Understanding. You must leave your Wars, and your Wickedness, which you ratify by a Law, if you would have me leave my Severity. I have overcome Pleasure, I have overcome Riches, I have overcome Ambition, I have mastered Flattery: Fear hath nothing to object against me, Drunkenness hath nothing to charge upon me, Anger is afraid of me: I have won the Garland, in fighting against thefe Enemies.'. -This, and much more, did he write in his Epiftles to Hermodorus, of his Complaints against the great Degeneracy of the Ephefians. And in an Epiftle to Aphidamus, he writes, "I am fallen fick, Aphidamus, of a Dropfy; whatfoever is of us, if it get the Dominion, it becomes a Disease. Excefs of Heat, is a Fever; Excels ' of Cold, a Palfy; Excefs of Wind, a Cholick : My Disease cometh from Excefs of Moisture. The Soul is SOMETHING DIVINE, which keeps all thefe in a due Proportion. I know the Nature of the World; I know that of Man; I know Diseases; I know Health:

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Health: 1 will cure myfelf, I will imitate God, who makes equal the Inequalities of the World: But if my Body be over-preft, it muft defcend to the Place ordained; however, my Soul shall not defcend; but being a Thing immortal, I fhall afcend on high, where an heavenly Manfion fhall receive me.' A most weighty and pathetical Difcourfe: They that know any Thing of God, may savour fomething divine in it. O! that the degenerate Chriftians of thefe Times, would but take a View of the Virtue, Temperance, Zeal, Piety, and Faith of this Heathen, who, notwithstanding that he lived five hundred Years before the Coming of Christ in the Flesh, had thefe excellent Sentences. Yet again, he taught that God punifheth not by taking away Riches;

he rather alloweth them to the Wicked to difcover them; for Poverty may be a Vail. Speaking of God, How can that Light which never fets, be ever hidden or obfcur'd? Juftice,' faith he, fhall feize one Day upon Defrauders and Witneffes of falfe Things. Unless a Man hopes to the End, for that which is to be hoped for, he fhall not find that which is unfearchable;' which Clemens, an ancient Father, apply'd to Ifa. vi. Unless you believe, you Shall not understand. Heraclitus derided the Sacrifices of Creatures; Do you think,' faith he, to pacify God, and cleanfe yourselves, by polluting yourfelves with Blood?' As if a Man fhould go into the Dirt to cleanse himfelf. Which theweth a Sight of a more fpi

ritual Worship, than that of the Sacrifices of Beafts. He lived folitary in the Mountains; had a Sight of his End: And as he was prepared for it, fo he rejoiced in it. Thefe certainly were the Men, who having not a Law without them, became a Law unto themselves, Rom. 2. fhewing forth the Work of the Law written in 14. their Hearts. And who, for that Reason fhall judge the Circumcifion, and receive the Reward of WELL-DONE, by him who is Judge of Quick and Dead.

§. XVI. DEMOCRITUS would say, 'That he had lived to an extraordinary Age, by keeping himself from Luxury and Excefs. That a little Eftate went a great Way with Men that were neither covetous nor prodigal. • That Luxury furnished great Tables with Variety; and Temperance furnisheth little ones. That Riches do not confift in the Poffeffion, but right Ufe of Wealth.' He was a Man of great Retirement, avoiding publick Honours and Employments: Bewail'd by the People of Abdera as mad, whilft indeed he only fmiled at the Madness of the World.

Plat.

Laert.

§. XVII. SOCRATES, the moft religious and learned Philofopher of his Time, and of whom Apoleg. 'tis reported, Apollo gave this Character, That Dig he was the wifeft Man on Earth, was a Man Helvic. of a fevere Life, and inftructed People gratis, Cic. in juft, grave, and virtuous Manners: For Queft. 1. which, being envied by Ariftophanes, the vainenoph. comical Wit of that Age, as one fpoiling the Trade of Plays, and exercifing the generality Orat.

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Tuf.

Brut.

of Liban

Apol.

Hift. Schol. Artift.

of the People with more noble and virtuous Varro. Things, was reprefented by him in a Play, in which he rendered Socrates fo ridiculous, that the Vulgar would rather part with Socrates in earneft, than Socrates in jeft; which made Way for their impeaching him as an Enemy to their Gods; for which they put him to Death. But in a fhort Space, his eighty Judges, and the whole People, fo deeply refented the Lofs, that they flew many of his Accufers: Some hang'd themfelves; none would trade with them, nor anfwer them a Question. They erected feveral Statues to his Praife; they forbad his Name to be mentioned, that they might forget their Injuftice: They call'd home his banish'd Friends and Scholars. And, by the most wife and learned Men of that Age, it is obferved, that famous City, Athens, was punished with the most dreadful Plagues that ever raged amongst them; and all Greece, with it, never profpered in any confiderable Undertaking; but from that Time always decay'd. Amongst many of his fober and religious Maxims, upon which he was accustomed to difcourfe with his Difciples, these are some.

He taught every where, 'That an upright Man, and an happy Man, are all one. They that do Good, are employed; they that spend their Time in Recreations, are idle. To do Good is the best Courfe of Life; he only is idle, who might be better employ'd. An Horfe is not known by his Furniture, but Qualities; fo Men are to be efteemed far

• Virtue

• Virtue not Wealth.' Being asked, Who Stob. 4. 6 lived without Trouble?' He anfwered, "Those Stob. 2. who are confcious to themselves of no evil 18. Thing.' To one who demanded, What Mem. 3. • was Nobility?' He answered, A good Senec.

Xenoph.

Stob. 32.

Epift. 1. Temper, and Difpofition of Soul and Body. 103. They who know what they ought to do, Stob. 28. and do it not, are not wife and temperate, Xen. but Fools and stupid.' To one that com- Mem. 1. plained, he had not been benefited by his Travels; Not without Reafon,' fays Socrates,

Ælian. 9.

Stob. 37.

Xcn.

thou didst travel with thyfelf:' Intimating, he knew not the eternal Mind of God, to direct and inform him. Being demanded, 'What • Wisdom was?' Said, 'A virtuous Compo'fure of the Soul.' And, being asked, 'Who 'were wife?' Anfwered, Thofe that fin not.' Seeing a young Man rich, but ignorant of heavenly Things, and purfuing earthly Pleasures; 'Behold,' fays he, a golden Slave. Soft Stob. 37. Ways of Living beget neither a good Confti- Stob. 87. tution of Body nor Mind. Fine and rich Mem. 3, 4. 'Cloaths are only for Comedians.' Being de- lian. manded, From what Things Men and Wo- Ver. Hift. men ought to refrain?' He anfwered, 'Plea'fure.' Being afked, What Continence and Temperance were?' Said, 'Government of coporeal Defires and Pleafures. The Wicked live to eat, &c. but the Good eat to live. Temperate Perfons become the most excellent: Eat that which neither hurts the Body < nor Mind, and which is easy to be gotten.' One faying, 'It was a great matter to abstain

'from

9.