The five days debate at Cicero's house in Tusculum between master and sophister.

SECT. XXXV.—in the Academy.

THEY relate of Timothy the Athenian, and prime Noble-man in that State, that having supp'd with Plato, he was greatly taken with the enter∣tainment, and seeing him on the morrow, said, your Suppers not only please at the present, but also do much good the next day. Whereas we have not the free and clear use of our understand∣ing, when we are stuffed with Meat and Drink. There is an excellent Epistle of Plato's to Dions Re∣lations, wherein is written to this effect, almost in the very words. When I was come thither, that Life which was cry'd up for happy, full of Italian and Sy∣racusian Feasts; no ways agreed with me, twice a day

to be gorg'd, never to lye single; and other Consequents of such a Life; wherein no man will ever he made wise, and sober much less. For what Nature can ever be of such an admirable Temper? How then can a Life be pleasant, where there is neither Prudence nor Sobriety? whence the Error of (e) Sardana∣palus, the most wealthy King of Syria, is discerna∣ble; who commanded it to be engrav'd on his Mo∣nument.

This have I, what I eat, and what did sate My greedy Lust; farewel both Wealth and State!

What else, saith Aristotle, would one write upon a Beasts Sepulcher, and not a Kings? He saith he hath now he is dead, what, whilst he was alive, he had no longer than during the enjoyment; why then should Riches be wanted, or wherein doth not Po∣verty suffer us to be happy? In Images, I warrant, Pictures, Plays. If any one be taken with these, do not mean men more enjoy them, than they who have the greatest store of them? for there is in our City abundance of all such things belonging to the Publick, and expos'd. Those which private men have, are neither so many, and they seldom see them, only when they come into their Country Houses. And then too, fell some remorses, when they call to mind (f) how they came by them. The day would fail, if I should go about to make an Apo∣logy for Poverty; since the matter is plain, and Nature it self minds us every day, how few things she wants, how small, how cheap.

(e) Sardanapalus.] He was the last King of Assyria, overthrown by Arbaces the Mede: at Anchiale was a Monu∣ment erected for him, on a Marble Base the Statue of a Man in Brass, with his right Thumb apply'd to his middle Finger; underneath was insorib'd;

Sardanapalus, Son of Anacyndaraxes, built Anchiale and Tarsus in one day. Stranger, do you eat, drink and play, for all else is not worth this.

The posture above is of one giving a fillip.

(f) How they came by them.] The Villas of Noble-men were garnish'd with these Rarities from the Pillage of the Provinces in the time of their own, or their Ancestors Go∣vernment.