The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

CHAP. XII.

His Person and Vertues.

a 1.1 AS concerning his person, he was slender, having little eyes, and a small voice. When he was young, Laertius and Plu∣tarch affirm, he had a great hesitation in his speech.b 1.2 He went in a rich habit, and wore rings: his beard was shaven, his hair cut short; he had a high nose, if we credit the head put up by Ful∣vius Ursinus, found at Rome, at the bottome of the Quirinall hill. He was of a sickly constitution, troubled with a naturall weaknesse of stomack, and frequent indispositions, which he over-mastered by his Temperance.

Saint Hierome affirmeth, he was the Prince of Philosophers, an absolute Prodigie, and great miracle in nature, into whom seemeth to have been infused whatsoever mankinde is capable of.

He was extreamly pious towards God and Man, upon which subject, Fortunius Licetus hath lately written two books.

Eusebius, Cassiodorus, and others affirm, that many persons, emi∣nent for sanctity, especially followers of School-learning, have, through the means of Aristotles Philosophy, been carried on to Inspection into the highest doctrines of true Faith; as, that there is one God, &c.

As concerning his gratitude to men, besides those instances already mentioned to Pro••enus and his sonne, to Hermias and his sister, to his Master Plato, to his own Mother, Brother, and Coun∣try, and infinite others; many Philosophers, whose opinion he takes occasion to alledge, he mentions with their due praise: of which were his Master Plato (of whom we have already spoken) whom, as we have said, he sometimes mentioned honourably, and sometimes concealeth his name, where he preferreth his own opinion. Amongst others, of whom he maketh honourable mention, are observed Democritus, in his first book de Generatione; Diogenes Apolloniates in the same book, Anaxag••ras, in the first of his Metaphysicks.

For that he was very moderate, the Interpreter of his life con∣firmes, instancing in his book of Ca••egorems, where he saith, We ought not to de••ermine any thing hastily, but to consider often, and to doubt o•• e••ery thing, is not unusefull. And again, in his book of Good, We mu•••• remember, being men, not only that we are happy, but that we ought to be able to prove it by firm reason. And again, in his Ethicks to Nicomachus: Man is our friend, Truth our friend; but above all, we ought to honour Truth. And in his Meteorologicks: As concerning th••se, we doub•• of some of them, others we touch superficially. And in the same, not once or twice, but infinite times, Men do happen upon the same opinions, therefore we ought not to be proud of our owne wisdome, in any thing whereof we conceive our selves to be ••he Inven∣tors.

The common report therefore (grounded upon no authority) that he collected the books of the antient Philosophers, and ha∣ving taken out of them what he intended to confute, burnt them, is manifestly false; for any one that reads Cicero, will finde, they were most of them extant in his time.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Laert.
• b 1.2

  Aelian. var. hist.