A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

34: EPICURUS; EPICURUITS.
which he established his philosophical' scho6l. Sur- states that he wrote about 30'0 voluhmes (iXAL5V "poL).
rounded by numerous friends and pupils and by his His works, however, are said to have been full of rethree brothers, Neocles, Charidemus, and Aristobu- petitions and quotations of authorities. A list of the
lus,? who likewise devoted themselves to the study best of his works is given by Diogenes (x. 27, &c.),
of philosophy, Epicurus'spent the remainder of his and among them we may mention the Ilepl PVoesWS
life in his garden at Athens. His mode of living in 37 books, IIepl dTJo/wv Kac KEog,'ETrvroUr) arp
was simple, temperate, and cheerful, and the asper- 7rpas pvalolvos, npos To'or MeyaptKo)s &La7ropLat,
sions of comic poets'and of later philosophers who KUpla 86eati, lEpl rev, Ipep s, IpL KpT'plov i Kiavov,
were opposed to his philosophy and describe him as Xaipepr6lyos 7 7repl aecW, niEpl alar in three books;
a person devoted to sensual pleasures, do not seem IIEspI T's s' Te7?r6o y7wvlas, rllepi elpeapVyJ,S
entitled to the least credit, although they have suc- rIepl ei IhcJ, HIep1 &iceaoo'yv-s eael qV, ahAAwv
ceeded in rendering his name proverbial with pos- dpeT'cv, and'EsrraroAna. Of his epistles four are
terity for a sensualist or debauchee. The accounts preserved in Diogenes. (x. 22, 35, &c., 84, &c.,
of his connexion with Leontium, Marmarium, and 122, &c.) The first is very brief and was adother well known hetaerae of the time, perhaps be- dressed by Epicurus just before his death to Idolong to the same- kind'of slander and calumny in meneus. The three others are of far greater imwhich his enemies indulged. The life in Diogenes portance: the first. of them is addressed to one
Laertius affords abundant proof that Epicurus was Herodotus, and contains an outline of the Canon and
a man of simple, pure, and temperate habits, a the Physica; the second,addressed to Pythocles,conkind-hearted friend, and even a patriotic citizen. tains his theory about meteors, and the third,' which
He kept aloof from the political parties of the is'addressed to Menoeceus, gives a concise view of
time, and took no part in public affairs. His his ethics, so that these three Epistles, the genuinemaxim was Ad0e &LOSeas, which was partly the ness of which can scarcely be doubted, furnish us
result of his peculiar philosophy, and partly of the an outline of his whole philosophical system. An
political condition of Athens, which drove men to abridgement of them. is preserved in Eudocia,
seek in themselves happiness and consolation for p. 173, &c. They were edited separately by
the loss of political freedom. During the latter Niirnberger in his edition of the tenth book of
period of his life Epicurus was afflicted with severe Diogenes Laertius, Niirnberg., 1791, 8vo. The
sufferings, and for many years he was unable to letters, to Herodotus and Pythocles were edited
walk. In the end his sufferings were increased separately, by J. G. Schneider under the title of
by the formation of a stone in his bladder, which Epicuri Physica et Meteorologica duabus Episterminated fatally after a severe illness of a fort- tolis comprehensa, Leipzig, 1813, 8vo. These
night. He bore his sufferings with a truly philo- letters, together with the above mentioned Kv'plae
sophical patience, cheerfulness, and courage, and 8o'ai, that is, forty-four propositions containing the
died at the age of 72,in Olymp. 127.2, or B.c. 270. substance of the ethical philosophy of Epicurus,
His will, which is preserved in Diogenes Lairtius which are likewise preserved in Diogenes, must be
(x. 16, &c.), shews the same mildness of character our principal guides in examining and judging of
and the same kind disposition and attachment to the Epicurean philosophy. All the other works of
his friends, which he had manifested throughout Epicurus have perished, with the exception of a
life. Among his many pupils Epicurus himself considerable number of fragments. Some parts of
gave the preference to Metrodorus of Lampsacus, the above-mentioned work, Ilep) d0dews, espewhom he used to call the p/ilosop/ler, and whom he cially of the second and eleventh books, which
would have appointed to succeed him (Diog. treat of the e'r;aca, have been found among the
Laert. x. 22, &c.); but Metrodorus died' seven rolls at Herculaneum, and are published in C.
years before. his master, and in his will Epicurus Corsini's Volumin. Herculara. vol. ii. Naples, 1809,
appointed Hermarchus of Mytilene:his successor from which they were reprinted separately by
in the management of his school at Athens. J. C. Orelli, Leipzig, 1818, 8vo. Some fragments
Apollodorus, the Epicurean, wrote a life of Epicu- of the tenth book' of the same work have been
Ius, of which Diogenes made great use' in his ac- edited by J. Th. Kreissig in. his Comment. de
count of Epicurus, but this is now lost, and our Sallust. Histor. Fraym. p. 237, &c. If we may
principal source of information respecting Epicurus judge of the style of Epicurus from these few
is the tenth book of Diogenes Lad'rtius, who how- remains, it must be owned that it is clear and
ever, as usual, only puts together what lhe'finds in animated, though it is not distinguished for aly
others'; but at the same time he furnishes us some other peculiar merits.
very- important documents, such as his will, four With regard to the philosophical system of Epiletters and the lJptai UJhat, of which we shall curus, there is scarcely a philosopher in all antiquity
speak below.' With the account of Diogenes who boasted so much as Epicurus of being indewe have to compare the philosophical poem of Lu- pendent of all his predecessors, and those who
cretius, and the remarks and criticisms which are were believed to have been his teachers were
scattered in the works of later Greek and Roman treated by him with scorn and bitter hostility.
writers, nearly all of whom, however, wrote in a He prided himself upon being an ato0roaLec'sO,
hostile spirit about Epicurus and his philosophy but. even a superficial glance at his philosophy
and must therefore be used with great caution. shews that he was not a little indebted to the
Among them we must mention'Cicero in his philo.' Cyrenaics on the one hand and to Democritus
sophical treatises, especially the'De Finibus, on the other. As far as the ethical part' of his phiand the De lrTatura Deo-cnz; Seneca in his losophy is concerned thus much may be admitted;
letter to Lucilius, and some treatises of Plutarch in that' like other systems- of the time, it arose from
his so-called Moralia. the peculiar circumstances in which the Greek
Epicurus appears td have'been one of the most states were placed. Thinking men were led to
prolific of all the ancient Greek writers. Diogenes seek within them that which they could not find
Lanrtius (x. 26), who calls him 7roAvypaxqmcavaeraos, without. Political freedom had to a great extent