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 EƲCLIDES.

EƲclides, born at Megara, adjoyning to the Isthmus, as some assert, or in Gelo, as Alexander affirms in his Successions, is reported to have been a great admirer

of Parmenides, whose writings he con∣tinually studied. From him the Megarici took their denomination, afterwards cal∣led Eretrici, and after that Dialectici: So nam'd by Dionysius the Carthaginian, be∣cause they always wrote by way of Que∣stion and Answer.

To this great Man, says Hermodotus, re∣pair'd Plato and all the rest of the Philoso∣phers, after the death of Socrates, fearing the cruelty of the thirty Tyrants.

He allow'd but one Supream Good, tho' he gave it several Names. For sometimes he call'd it Prudence; sometimes God, and at other times, the Great Intelligence. He deny'd whatever was contrary to the Supream Good, affirming there was no such thing. For which he brought his Proofs, not by way of Assumption, but by way of Inference and Conclusion.

He also condemn'd the use of Allegories in Disputations.

For, said he, they con∣sist either of Similitudes or Dissimili∣tudes. If of Similitudes, then it behoves the Disputant to insist upon the Simili∣tude, rather than upon those things for which the Illustration is intended. If of Dissimilitudes, then the Comparison is to no purpose.

Timon therefore derides him, together with the rest of the Socratics in the following Lines.

Phaedo be hang'd, with all his Rakeshame Crew, I neither mind 'em, nor their Trifles view. Nor their fam'd Euclid neither; fam'd! for what? For plaguing Megara with brawling Chat.

He wrote six Dialogues, entitl'd Lam∣prias, Aeschines, Phoenix, Crito, Alcibiades, and Eroticum. To Euclid succeeded Eu∣bulides the Milesian, who form'd in wri∣ting several Moods and Figures in Logic, by way of Interrogation, under the names of the Fallacious, the Latent, the Electra, the Involv'd, the Sorite, the Horned, and the Bald; of which Timon,

Contentious Euclid with his Horned Queries, And ranting Bumbast his admirers wearies; Yet after all his babling thus by rote Demosthenes's R sticks in his Throat.

For Demosthenes seems to have been once his hearer, but because he pronounc'd the Letter R worse than his Master, he for∣sook his Master that could not remedy his impediment. As for Eubulides, it is ma∣nifest that he was a great Enemy to Ari∣stotle, in whose writings he finds a thou∣sand faults. Now among the rest that succeeded Eubulides, Alexinus was one;

famous for a Brangler, and a Man of strong parts; for which reason he was call'd Alexinus; but against no Man so much embitter'd as against Zeno.

This Alexinus, as Hermippus relates, tra∣velling from Elis to Olympia, there divul∣ged his Philosophy; at what time, being ask'd by his Scholars, why he tarry'd there? He reply'd, That he intended to set up a new Sect, and give it the Title of Olym∣piac. Thereupon his Scholars finding their Provision spent, and the place very un∣healthy, left Alexinus to shift for himself, with one Servant only. Afterwards, as he was swimming in the River Alpheus, the sharp end of a Reed ran into his Body, of which wound he dy'd. Which occa∣sion'd this Epigram of our own.

'Twas then no story, that a Nail should lame The Foot of one that in a River swam; For Alexinus in Alpheus found The cursed Reed that gave him his death's wound.

He not only wrote against Zeno and Ephorus the Historian, but several other Treatises. Euphantus also the Olynthian, was another admirer and follower of Eu∣bulides, who wrote the Story of his own Times, and several Tragedies, which won

him great Reputation at the Public Exer∣cises. He was also Tutor to King Antigo∣nus, to whom he wrote a Treatise of Re∣gality, and Kingly Government, very much applauded among the Learned, and dy'd meerly of old Age. Eubulides had also several other Scholars, and among the rest Apollonius, Sur-nam'd Cronus.