To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
BEfore haue we shewed that by the Grekes were the Poetes fyrst in high reputation, by reason of ther learning: afterwardes in* 1.1 Cyrus tyme began another kynd of learned men, whiche were called Philosophers, & of them were two sectes at one time: for some were philosophers of Ionia, & some were called philosophers of Ita∣ly.
The philosophers Ionici were in Ionia, they v∣sed greate diligence in naturall thinges, and sear∣chinge out the course of starres. The beginner of* 1.2 them was Thales, which diuided first for the Gre∣kes the yere in thre hundreth and thre score daies. For though they had before twelue monethes, yet were they constrayned to brynge the mouynge of the sonne to the course of the mone. Thales did al∣so shew first of the Eclypse in Grece, and found the poynte whan the daye and nyghte are equall, the which was no small conning. He had learned these thinges of the Egiptians, with whom God had kept this science. These Thales taught also that the soules are ymmortall: and he is the fyrste and true begynner of the philosophers of Grece.
The other parte of the philosophers, whyche* 1.3 are called the Italians, began by Pythagoras: for the same lyued also aboute the tyme of Cyrus, in that vttermost part of Italy, which bendeth to Si¦cilia, and was sometyme Grece. In the tyme of Py¦thagoras raigned at Rome Seruius Tullius: his scole was not occupied in Phisick and Astronomy, as the other, but in Arithmetick, Geometry & Mu¦sick. Pythagoras liued a very solytary lyfe wyth his disciples, and vsed sundry ceremonies, & taught many inconuenient thinges of the soules nature, that mens soules remoue into beastes to be puny∣shed. The Pythagorians taughte their doctrines priuatly amonge themselues: and it was commaun¦ded amonges them that noman shoulde publishe them, lest by reason of a doctryne not accustomed, the commune sort of men mighte be sturred ether
to discorde, or to a despisynge of good maners. But such kynde of phylosophers dured not longe: nother is it now necessary to speake more of the be¦gynnyng of philosophers. I would onely shewe i•• here, lest any man might be ignoraunt, what tyme the connyng of sciences began and encreased: wee shall hereafter in hys due place speake of them, whych haue before all other garnyshed and had in reuerence Philosophye, whereof there is not so great nomber. For very few are ther that be wor∣thy to be called wyth so excellent a name Phyloso∣pher, and therfore shall we not rehearse so many of them.
The Philo∣sophers were ••p••st •••• Cy∣rus tyme. The Philo∣sophers of Ionia and Italy.
Thales be∣gynner of philoso∣phers i•• Grece.
Pythagoras begynner of philoso∣phers of Italy.