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

CHAP. V.

His Vertues and Apothegmes.

MENEDEMUS was of exceeding gravity, for which Crates deriding him, said,

Asclepiad the Phliasian, and the proud Eretrian, and Timon.

He supercilious bumbast speech begins. In this severity he was so awfull, that Eurylochus being invited by Antigonus, together with Clippides, a youth of Cyzicum, refused to go, fearing Mene∣demus should know it.

In reproof he was bitter and bold, of which Laertius instanceth his sayings to a young man over-confident, to Hierocles, &c. to an Adulterer boasting, &c. to a young man crying, &c.

Antigonus asking his advice, whether he should go to a luxu∣rious banquet; not speaking whether he should go or not, he bad him send them word, that he was a Kings son.

One who intruded himselfe upon him, and discoursed very absurdly, he asked, if he had a farm; he answered, many: Go then, saith he, and look after them, le••t in losing you rusticity you lose them also.

To one asking, whether a good Man may take a Wife, he said, Do you think I am good or not? The other assenting; But, I (saith he) have taken one.

Not able to limit the prodigality of one who invited him to supper, he silently reproved him, eating nothing but Olives.

This freedome brought him into danger when he was in Cy∣prus with Nicocreon, together with his friend Asclepiades; for, the King having invited him with the rest of the Philosophers to a Monthly feast, Menedemus said, this convention if it be good, ought to be every day; if otherwise, this day is too much: The Tyrant answered, that he had set apart that day to converse with Philosophers. Menedemus persisting in his assertion, demon∣strated from what he had said of the sacrifice, that Philosophers ought to be heard at all times. Whereupon if one of the Musi∣cians had not helped them to escape, they had been put to death, whence the Ship being endangered by a storm, Asclepiades said, that the humanity of the Musician preserved them, the rough∣nesse of Menedemus had undone them.

He was negligent, and (as we said) carelesse in every thing that concerned the order of his School; likewise high-minded, and covetous of glory: insomuch that when he and Asclepiades first exercised the trade of building, Asclepiades was seen upon the house top carrying clay; but Menedemus, if he espied any man passing by, hid himselfe.

He was somewhat enclined to superstition; having eaten ••n a Cookes shope the flesh of something that had died of it selfe ig∣norantly with Asclepiades, as soon as he knew it, he grew sick, and looked pale, till Asclepiades reproved him, saying, He was not sick of the meat, but of phancy.

In all other respects he was a person of a great and free soul▪ in strength even in his old age equall to those who wrastled in exercise, strong made, swarthy of complexion, sat and corpulent; but of indifferent stature, as appears (saith Laertius) by his sta∣tue in Eretria, in the old Stadium, so exactly carved, that it ex∣presseth the naked proportion of his limbs.

He loved Aratus and Lycophron the Tragick Poet, and Antago∣ras the Rhodian, but above all he was studious of Homer; next of the Lyricks; then of Sophocles: In Satyres he assigned the second place to Achaeus; the first to Aeschylus, whence to those in the state who defended the contrary part, he said thus,

The swift in time outstript are by the slow, A Tortoise thus an Eagle may outgo.

These are verses of Achaeus; they therefore are mistaken, who say he read nothing but the Medea of Euripides, which is put a∣mong the Poems of Neophron the Sicyonian.

Of Bion, who spoke with much diligence against Prophets, he said, he murthered the dead.

To one who said, the greatest good is to enjoy those things which we desire; it is a much greater saith he, to desire those things which are fitting.

He was violent (as we said) in controversie, but most affable in conversation and action: Alexinus, whom in dispute he had of∣ten circumvented and bitterly derided, hee gratified in deed; taking care for the safe conduct of his Wife from Delphi to Chal∣cis, the way being much infested with Theeves.

He was an excellent friend, as is manifest from his affection to Asclepiades, of which we have already spoken, only to Persaeus, he was constantly a profest enemy, for it was known that when Antigonus for Menedemus his sake would have restored the Eretrians to their first liberty, Persaeus withstood it, whereupon at a Feast Menedemus openly enveigh'd against him, using amongst many others this expression; he is indeed a Philosopher, but of all men that are, were, or ever shall be the most wicked.