The lives, opinions, and remarkable sayings of the most famous ancient philosophers. The first volume written in Greek, by Diogenes Laertius ; made English by several hands ...

THE LIFE of EPIMENIDES.

EPimenides (according to Theopompus and several others) was the Son of Phaestius: Of Dosiades, as some say; as others, of Agesarchus: However it were, he was by Birth a Cretan, born in Gnossus, where according to the nature of the Vil∣lage, he is said to have chang'd his shape.

It is reported of him, that when he was young, his Father sent him a field to fetch home a Wether; but that he in the heat of the day, turning aside out of the way enter'd into a Cave, and there falling a sleep, slept on for fifty seven years toge∣ther. When he awak'd, he went to seek the Wether, as one that believ'd he had slept not above an hour or two; but not finding it, he return'd to the Village. Where when he saw an unexpected change of unknown Faces, and found the

Land in the possession of a stranger, he hasten'd to the City. At what time when he enter'd his own House, he was ask'd who he was, and what he would have? He began to be in a deep amaze, till be∣ing with much ado known by his younger Brother, who was now grown into years, from him he understood the whole Truth. Upon which his fame flying over all Greece, he was look't upon as one belov'd of the Gods. Whence it came to pass, that the Athenians being afterwards in∣fected with a sore Pestilence, upon the an∣swer which they receiv'd from the Oracle, that their City was to be purify'd, they sent Nicias, the Son of Niceratus, into Creet to bring away Epimenides. Who coming in the forty seventh Olympiad, purify'd the City, and so the Plague ceas'd. To which purpose he took certain black and white Sheep, and driving 'em to the next Village, let 'em go which way they plea∣sed of their own accord, ordering those that follow'd 'em, to kill 'em in the place where they rested, and then to Sacrifice 'em to the peculiar Deity. Insomuch that to this day there are to be seen several Al∣tars in several of the Athenian Villages, erected to an unknown Deity, in memo∣ry of this Expiation. But by others, the cause of that Pestilence is attributed to

the Cylonian Fact, for which two young Men Cratinus and Ctesibius dy'd, and so the City was freed from the present Calamity. Thereupon the Athenians order'd a Ta∣lent to Epimenides, and provided him a Ship to carry him back to Creet. But he refusing the money, desired only to make a League of Friendship between the Athe∣nians and the Gnossians; and so returning home, within a short time after he dy'd, in the hundred fifty seventh year of his Age, according to Phasgo, in his History of long Livers: As the Cretans relate, in his two hundred ninety ninth year: But, as Xenophanes the Colophonian testifies that he heard by report, in his hundred fifty fourth.

He wrote the History of the Curetes, and Corybants, and the Pedigree of the Gods, to the number of six thousand Ver∣ses. Also concerning the building and furniture of the Ship Argos, and Jason's Voyage to Colchos to the number of six thousand five hundred Verses. In Prose he wrote of the Sacrifices and Common∣wealth of the Cretans; and of Minos and Rhadamanthus, to the number of four thousand Verses. He also erected among the Athenians a Temple to the Venerable Gods, as Lobon testifies in his Treatise of the Poets. He is also said to be the first

that erected Temples, and purify'd Hou∣ses and Fields by Processions and Sacri∣fices.

Some there are, who assert that he ne∣ver slept, but only retir'd himself out of the way, busily employ'd about the cut∣ting of Roots. There is also an Epistle of his to Solon, concerning the Republic which Minos erected among the Cretans. But Demetrius the Magnesian, in his Trea∣tise of the Poets, denies the Epistle to be Legitimate, as not being writt'n in the Cretan, but Attic Language, and that not very ancient neither. However I found another Epistle of his in these words.

Epimenides to Solon.

BE of good courage, my dear Friend. For had the Athenians been accustomed to servitude, and wan∣ted good Laws, when Pisistratus erected his Tyranny, he had establish'd himself for ever. But now he has not enslav'd a sordid People; but such as remembring Solon's Laws, bemoan themselves out of meer shame, and will no longer brook his severity. But though Pisistratus have invaded the Liberty of the City, yet I hope the Tyranny will not descend to his Successors. And therefore I would

not have thee wander about too far, but come into Creet, where there is no single Monarch to trouble thee. And beware that none of his friends do light upon thee by the way, lest mischief befall thee.

Some there are, by the report of Deme∣trius, who affirm, that he receiv'd his Food from the Nymphs, which he preserv'd in the Hoof of an Ox; of which he took a little at Times, never needing Evacuati∣on; but that he was never seen to Eat. Timaeus also makes mention of him in his Second Book.

Others there are who say, that the Cre∣tans offer'd Sacrifices to him, as a God; for they aver him to have been most skill∣ful in Divination. And therefore obser∣ving the Munictrian Port among the Athe∣nians, he told 'em, that if they knew what Calamities that place would bring upon their City, they would tear it up with their Teeth. He is said to be the first who call'd himself Aeacus, and foretold the Lacedaemonians the Bondage which they should endure under the Arcadians, often pretending that he rose from death to life. Theopompus also relates, That when he was laying the Foundations of a Temple to the Nymphs, a voice was heard

from Heaven, Not to the Nymphs, but to Jove himself. He likewise foretold the Cretans the issue of the War between the Lacedaemonians and Arcadians; in which War being deserted by the Orchomenians, they fell into the power of their Ene∣mies.

There are not wanting some who af∣firm▪ That he waxed old in so many days as he slept years, which Theopompus also te∣stifies: And Murianus asserts, That he was by the Cretans call'd Curetes. The Lace∣daemonians preserv'd his Body within their City, being advis'd so to do by a certain Oracle, as Sosibius the Lacedaemonian re∣ports.

There were two more of the same name besides, the one a writer of Genealogies; and the second, one that writ the Histo∣ry of Rhodes in the Doric Dialect.