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

508 POSElDONIUS. POSEIDONIUS.
Poseidonius adhered to the division of philosophy Plato and Aristotle. In some respects his vies s
usual among the ancients, into physics, ethics, and approximated to the Pythagorean doctrines. (Sext.
dlalectics (Diog. Laert. vii. 39), comparing the first Empir. Adv. Ml/Iath. vii. 933; Caien. de Hijpp. et
to the blood and flesh of an animal, the second to Plat. Plac. v. p. 171.) It seems to have been his
the bones and nerves, the last to the soul. (Sextus object as far as possible to banish contradiction
Emp. adv. /alath. vii. 19; Diog. Lairt. vii. 40.) from philosophy, and bring all the systems which
He recognised two principles (adpXai) —passive had been propounded into harmony with each
(matter), and active (God). IHis physical doctrines other, and to iiifuse into the decaying vitality of
were, in the main, those of the Stoics generally, philosophical thought something of the vigour of
though he differed from them in some particulars. past tinles. But that he could suppose the docHe held that the vacuum beyond the universe was trines of Zeno, Aristotle and Plato capable of reconnot infinite, but only large enough to allow of the ciliations with each other, shows that lie could not
dissolution of the universe (he discarded the doc- have seized very distinctly the spirit of each. To
trine of its destruction by fire, Phil. Jud. de Aet. give anything like plausibility to this attempt, it
laLundi, ii. p. 497,'ed. Mang.). He considered the was of course necessary to introduce considerable
heaven as the governing principle (T- O'/7ieovCcKO') modifications into the Stoic doctrines. In somen
of the universe (Diog. Laert. vii. 139.) He cul- points however in which he differed from Panaetivated astronomy with considerable diligence, end, tius he rather returned to the views of the earlier
unlike Panaetitus, was a believer in astrology (Cic. Stoic philosophers. His fourfold division of virtue
de Div. ii. 42). Poseidonius also constructed a is apparently that followed by Cicero in his 1Be
planetary macline, or revolving sphere, to exhibit Offciis. lie did not think virtue by itself suffithe daily motions of the sun, moon and planets. cielt for perfect hiappiness, unless accompanied by
(Cic. de Nat. Deor. ii. 34.) Ile inferred that the external, bodily good. (Diog. Labrt. vii. 128.)
sun is larger than the earth, among other reasons The summum bonunm he considered to be the livimig
because the shadow cast by the earth is conical. in the contemplation of the truth and order of all
(Diog. Labrt. vii. 144; Macrob. ad bllwn. Si1?. things, antd the fashioniing oneself, as far as posi. 20.) Its greater apparent mnagnitude as it sets sible, in accordance therewith, being led aside as
he attributed to its being seen through dense and little as possible by the irrational part of the soul.
misty air, and supposed that if we could see it (Clem. Alex. Strom. ii. p. 416.) In the classificathrough a solid wall it would appear larger still. tion of the faculties of the soul he returned to the
((Cleomedes, Cycl. T/leor. ii: p. 430.) Ile calcu- system of Plato, dividing them into season, emotion,
lated the diameter of the sun to be 4,000,000 and appetite (esucmvoI' 5ioecovEuEvovs s7sllas u-rTpic~'
stadia, on the assumption that the orbit of -the sun vvid/Lewv, ErslOvuTLr71cs se Kal avIAoesio0s Ka AXowas ].0,000 times the circumference of the earth, y7ys-Tras, Galenus, 1. c. viii. p. 319), with which diand that it is withill a space of 400 stadia N. and vision he considered questions of practical morality
S. that the sun casts no shadow. (Cleonmedes, I. c. to be intimately connected (Galen. I. c. iv. p. 284, v.
p. 452.) The distance between the earth and the p. 291). It wsas apparently to keep up a bond of
sun he set down at above 502,000,000 stadia. connection with the Stoic dogmas that he spoke of
(Piin. II. N. ii. 21.) Tile moon also he considered these uvvduests as all belonging to one essence
to be larger than the earth, and composed of trans- (Galen. I. c. vi. p. 298), though other features of
parent elements, though on account of its great size his system are not easily reconcilable with that
the rays of the sun do not pass through it in view. But instead of regarding the 7rd'gr of the
eclipses. (Stob. Ecl. Pilys. i. p. 59; Cleoiu. 1. c. ii. soul as beinlg, or ensuing upon, judgments (tKpTeais'
p. 500.) His view of the milky way, that it is of an of the reason, he deduced them from the irratiounal
igneous nature, not so dense as stars, but more so faculties of the soul, appealing to the fact that
than light, and intended to warm those parts of emotion and appetite manifest themselves in irrathe universe which the sun's heat does not reach, tiosal'beings. HIe connected affections and perwas extensively adopted. (Macrob. I. c. i. 15.) turlations of the mind with external influences,
Poseidoniums's calculation of the circumference of the union cf the soul with the body, and the inthe earth differed widely from that of Eratosthenes. fluence of tile latter upon the former, sone conlie made it only 180,000 stadia, and his measure- ditions of masn being predominantly bodily, others
nuleat was pretty generally adopted. His calcu- spiritual; some passing fromn the body to the soul,
lation was founded on observations of the star others from the soul to the body. This idea he
Carlous made in Spain, not, as Cleomedes says, in carried out to the permaiemllt modifications of chaRhodes. (Strab. ii. p. 119; Cleorn. 1. c. i. 8.; racter produced by particular bodily orgaunisations,
comlp. Mainnert, Geoyr. vol. i. p. 105, &c.) The fouuldilng thereon a sort of physiognomical system.
shape of the habitable part of the earth he compared (Galen. 1. e. v. p. 290.) He somuetimes spoke of
to thaut of a sling, the greatest extent being from I appetite as corresponding to vegetable life, emoE. to W. (Strab. ii. p. 267; Agathemerus, ap. tion to animal life, reason to the properly hunlan
IHudson. Geogr. MIin. vol. ii. p. 2.) Of the conl- (1. c. p. 170).
nection between the moon and the tides he was None of the writings of Poseidonius has come
well aware. (Strab. iii. p. 173.) Strabo frequently down to us entire. We find mention of the followrefers to Poseidonius as one of the most distin- ing:-1. nIepi secv, consisting of at least thirteen
guished geographers. A great number of passages, books (Diog. Laert. vii. 138). 2. repl g/avTrtIc,
contaiiiiiug the views of Poseidonius on various in five books. Poseidonius defended divination,
other geographical and astronomical points, has and analysed its foundations. 3. liepi Euapouies.
been collected by Bake. 4. rlepl'HpaJ'v tKal natimoue,. 5. v-LKOcs XAdyos,
As the basis of his ethical and mental philosophy consisting of at least fifteen books (Diog. Laelrt. vii.
Poseidonius took the Stoic system, though with 140). 6. HIepl ir/ysov. 7.'E 7lo-ios TVO^ fIAiTdc'ot
conlsiderable modifications, for he held it possible TtLacnov. 8. nlep! KEseo. 9. IlEpL lUezecsppWv: Dioto amalgamate with it much of the systems of genles LaErtius cites from the seventeenth book of