and Tloefeta had nevpr done fuch great Things ^^m mJkmmm^ Thrngs for Mankind, had they riot taken Pleafnre in doing Good, tho' it were at- tended with Pain and Labour. R^ulus had never returned to Carthafe^ haa he not Tightly confidered that breach of Faith -would have tormented his Mind with morie exquifite and durable Pains, than any hiis Body could endure. Neither had Fabricius rejeded the Royal JBp/re^r's.Profer, had not Wiidora convinced him that there was more Pleafure in an honeft undefiled Pover- ty, than was confiftent with fach Riches as were to be gained by lacrificing his Honour to the Enemy of his Country.
Thefe great Men, it is true, were not, as we can find, theprofefled Difciples of £- picurus \ but it is fufficient, that whatfbever is Praife worthy in their Examples, is to be found in the Doftrine of our Philofo- pher h and the World may know, that it was not Vertue alone which was the motive to their glorious Aftions *, or at leaflr, what they called Vertue, ought more right- ly to be called Pleafure. And yet, out of our Wifeman's School have proceeded Spi- rits truely Heroick ^ who in the midft of a corrupt Age, have performed Aftions as highly Honourable as any we have or can mention. Under the Reign of Nero^ tft? World as much admired the Death of Pe- tromtiSy as that of Seneca* The Emperor^s Tutor gained no Glory by Dying, which was not equally beftowed upon the Arbiter of his Pleafures ^ and the general Opinion was, that the Stoick w£) had alway* preached.
■■> t 190 Mbnfieur St. EvremontV preached up a Contempt of Life, did not quit it more generoufly, or with a braver Refolution, than PetronitUyVfho bad courted all its Pkafures.
I will not omit, therefore, for the Ho- nour of Epicurus •, to give you a fliort ac- count of the Life and Death of this his great Difciplc •, who without Ofience, mav be Rank'd amongfl: the Bravefl: and moft Illuftrious of Men* Pttromus became a Courtier under the Reign of the Emperor ClaudtHs; where following the Methods of the Court, he became infenfibly Luxurious \ tho' at the lame time, it was obferved, that he took no delight in the brutal plea- fiires of lx)ve, like Mefalina \ nor in thofe of theTableand Drunkenne{s,like Qaudim; only in a pliant and delicate manner, took aRelifli or both,rather to gratifie hisCurio- lity than indulge his Senfes. In this manner, he employed a part of the Day in Sleeping, and dedicated the Night to Bufinefs and Pleafure. His Houfe was the Rendezvous of the better fort of the People of Eome^ with whom he fpent his time, agreeably in the moft charming Pleafures j not like a Pro- digal, or Debauchee -, but like a nice and learned Artift in the Science of Voluptu- oufnefs. Having thus pafs'd away his Youth, in a Life of Softnefs and Tranquilli- ty, he refolved to convince thofe that doubted of his Abilities, that he was capa« ble of the weightieftAffairs in Government: For putting a ftop to his Pleafures, he ac- cepted the Office of Proconful of £iVA)iw/4, Went went into that Province, where he diC- charged all the Duties of his Place, with Applaufe J and having finifhed his employ, upon his return to Rontt^ was by the Em- peror Nero^ in Recompence of his Services, made Conful. This new Dignity gave hint a ready Accefs to the Emperor, who at firft honoured him with his efteem, and af- terwards, with his Friendftiip, inacknowr ledgment of the Sumptuous Entertain-- ments, he fometiraes gave that Prince, to refrelh him, when fatigued with the Toil of State Af&irs. The Confulate of Petrf- fiius being expired, without quitting the Court, he re-aflumed his firft manner of Living; and whether it proceded from his own inclination, or a defire to pleafe Ner0; he foon became one of the Emperors Con- fidents, who could find nothing agreeable to his Humour, but what was approved by Petronim \ thus being poflefled of the Au-» thority of deciding what might be accepta- ble, he gained the Sirnanie of Arbiter^ as Matter and Comptroler in thofe Af&irs. Nero^ in the firft part of his Reign, afted like a prudent wife Prince, and applied hirafelf with care to the management of the State. However Petronins obferved that he was naturally inclined to Luft and Senfu^ ality, and therefore, like an able Politician, being in PofTeffion of his Princes Mind, he feafoned it with honeft delights j and pro- cured bim all the innocent Charms imagi- nable, in order to remove the thought of feeking after others^ which would have been niorc 194 Monfieur St. Evremont'j more irregular, and of worfe confequence to the Common Wealth. Things continu- ed in this Pofture, while the Emperor Jcept himfelf within the bounds of Moderation 5 and fo long Petronius aded chearfuUy under him, as Intcndant of his Pleafures.
But the Emperor, fometime after, com- plying with his Nature, changed his Con- duft, not only in refpeft to the Publick Af- fairs of the Empire, but in relation, alfi) to his more private and Domeftick A^irs 5 to his Sports and Recreations. He liftened to others, rather than to Petronius ', and in- fenfibly plunging himfelf into Debauchery, he abandoned himfelf to his Paflions 1 and became as Monftrous in his Pleafures, as before he had been Nice, and Delicate. The high advancement of Petronius drew upon him theEnvy of all thofe who courted the Princes Favour, and of all others TtgeUinus Captain of the Petrorian Guards, was a molt dangerous Rival. This Man, from an obfcure Birth, had in a fliort time, by his corrupt Manners, gained an ablblute fway over the Emperors Temper •, and as he knew his blind-fide perfeftly well, he fet himfelf ferioufly to bring about the ruin of his Competitor *, and by fuch means as very much endangered the Ruine of the Empire. The curious Artful Pleafures in- vented by PctroniiiSy were of a more refined Nature, than the grofs Debauches of 77- gellintis J who foreleeing that the Credit PecromMj thereby, gained with the Em* pcror, would always be an Obftacle to his Defigns i Defigns; endeavoured therefore, to pofleft himfelf, entirely, of the Princes Heart, and engage him in the fouleft Brutalities, For Nero'^ no fooncr, hearkned to the Perfwa- lions of Tigellinusj but he fignalized his Power by the Deaths of Sylla and RubelUus Plautusy Perfbns dreaded by them, for their eminent Vertues, and in great Efteem and Favour with the People \ thus proceed-^ ing from one Degree of Infamy to another^ arrived, at laft, to fuch an Excefs, that all manner of Crimes were perpetrated by him. Our ancient Favourite thus fupplanted in his Employment, by the Artifices of a new one, and. highly difgufted at the horrible Aftions he had feen, gave way to his Suc- ceflbr i withdrew from Court, indulg- ed himfelf in the Pleafures of a Retired Life •, and then wrote that incomparable Satyr, in which he fo exadly rcprefents th*e Nature and Charader of Nero^ and under feigned Names of Lewd and Vicious Per- fons, expofed the Vices of that infamous Prince and Court. Whilfl: Petronius thus lived in a retired Tranquillity, T^gelllnns laboured with all his Power to deftroy him, and to eftablifti his own Fortune upon the Ruine of his Rival •, for he greatly feared, that i( Petronius were once reinftated in his Matters Favour, he might, by the Means of honeft Pleafures, have reftored Nero to him- felf, to the great Blefling of all Honeft Men, and the Confufion of TigeUinw^ and others, his molt flagitious Pimps and Pan* ders i Knowing, therefore, that the Prince ^ O wai rtH was naturally inclined to Cruelty % he in- finuates that Petrmlm was too familmt widi Stevlnusj not to be concerned in /V/J's Cour fpiracy, and having fuborned one of Tetro- mush Slaves to fwear againfl: his Mailer, to deprive him of all Means to )uftifie himielf, he fends the greateft part of his Domefticks to Prifon. Nero was well enough plealed to find an Opportunity of parting with a Man who was become a check to his Af&irs; for the Vicious cannot endure the pretence of fach whofe Sight reproaches them with their abominable Praftices \ he readily re- ceived the Accufation againfl Petronius^ and ordered him to be apprehended at Cumesj when the Emperor made a Voyage thither, and Petronms fhould be one of the Company, but as it required time to deliberate, whc- .ther they ought to put a Man of his Figure to Death, without clear proof of the Crimes he ftood charged with: Petroniw perceiving that his Life was a burthen to his Prince, and that he only wanted fome colourable Pretext to take it away ^ that he mi^ht no longer be the fport of Slaves and Villains, he refolved to die. However, that he might not give himfclf a Precipitate Death, he opened his Veins, then clofed them again, that he might have time to converfe with his Friends, who came to fee him, in his laft Moments, which he fpent not in Di- fcourfes of the Immortality of the Soul, and thofe celebrated Axioms which the Pride of Philofophers had.invented to acquireGlory, and a Vain Opinion of Conftancy, but with the the rficitel of curious Pieces of Poetry s and to coavince the Spcftators that he did not die, butpnlyceafe to live. He continued iis ordinary Fuhd^ions, took a pirticnlar Account of the Behaviour of hisDomefticks, pnnillied fome, and rewarded others j late, as ufual, at his Table -, and. flept very qui- etly •, infbniuch,that he rather feemed a Man in perfed Health, than one that was Dy- ing ^ at length, perceiving the time draw near of (baking off Bllortality, after ufing a little Exercife, he fell into a calm and gen- tle Slumber •, io that his Death, tho' vio- lent, appeared to his Friends as if it had been nktural. Thus fell the Great, the Vo- luptuous P^fr^»/ir/ a Sacrifice to the Ingrati- tude of iV^r^r, and the Ambition oiTtgetti" nus* Boaft no more then of the Divine &- crates^ and that conftancy and firmnefs of Mind wherewith he drank the Poifbn \ Pr- tronius yields not to him in the leaft parti- cular: l^z^yPetronitu may claim the advan- tage of having quitted a Life infinitely more delicious than that of the Greek Philofo- pher, with the fame ferenity of Mind, and * the ikme equality of Countenance.
But there remains one Objeftion ftill, againft Epicurus h his afferting the lawful- nefs and expediency of Self-Murther.- This is certainly a very heavy Charge, but it is plain,that in this as in all other,his Enemies have had more regard to the weight, than the Truth of the Crime they charge him with, not confidering that at the fame tinte the weight of the Objeftion lay fuller up- O 2 on 1 96 Monjleur St. EvremontV ■pi^ on themfelves. Sclf-murthcr is undoubted- ly a very heinous and abominable Crime t if we confider it, either as a Chriffiian or a Philofopher dt is a Violation of the Law of Nature; and exprefly repugnant to the Law of God. That we may not therefore feem to juftifie that in our Philoibpher, which God, the Church, nay, moral Phi- lofophy itfelf, fo highly Condemns: Let us compare the DoSrine and Praftice of £^ cm-US', with the Doftrine and Prafticc of thofe, who fo vehemently exclaim ag^inft him •, and if I cannot fully clear him in this point, 1 Ihall at leaft prove, that he was not fmglc in his Opinion •, and that his Ene- mies were much more guilty herein than hinifclf. Every Jl/fan ovght^ lays Epicurusj to make it his care fo to Live^ that Life nutf not he a burthen to him ^ and not to be willing te 1 fiirt rcith Life^ till either Nature^, or fome inr Tolrrable Cafe call vfon him to furrender it \ I a?'d lii that Cafe-i rve are to weigh ferioufly^ ' tvhcthcr It be more commendable for us to fiaf \ till De^ith come to as^ or to go and meet it \ for i tkovgh it be an Evil indsed for us to live in ' Ntccjfty^ yet there is no Ncceffity for us to live \ hi ncctjfity: Since Nature hath beenfo kind^ to give us though but one Door into the World., yet many Doers out of it. But although there be fume Cifes fo cxtrcam^ that in reJpeSl ofthem^ nr are to Lift en and fly to the SanUuary of Death *, yet we £:re not to attempt any thing in thjit kind^ but when it may be done Opportmiely ar:d Cmmtndably* Thus you fee in what li- mited Senfc our Philofopher delivered this Do- Doftrine; it is not to be purfued<^ udlefs feme intolerable Cafe require it; nor theih nei- - ther, except it may be done Offortfihely and Ommendahly* And what is this: iiitolerable Cafe, which may jnftifie a Man-Vpllintarily to leap over the Battlemeht^ of Life? Do his Precepts any where Ihew it? l^d.* '■ Poverty it cannot be, for Wife and Boun- tiful Nature hath fo provided againft that •, that thofe things which are neceflary are eafie to be procured y whereas thofe things which are unneceflary, are hard to come by. Jfyou live according to Nature^ you jhall never be Poor 5 if according to Opinion'^ you Jhall never be Rich \ Nature defires little^ Opinion is never Satisfied. Neither can it be wnen any Pain whatfoever afflifts the Body. No Pain is both intolerable and perpetual \ for if it be long, it muft be light, and if great, Ihort *, it is either determined of itfelf, and fucceeded, if not by an abfolute Indolence, yet by a very gfeat Mitigation •, or it is determined by Death, in which there can be no Pain. Neither can it be when the Mind is loaded or oppreffed 9 for difcontent of Mnd is not grounded upon Nature^ but ufon meer Opinion of Evil; and it is Reafon alone which makes Life ' Happy and Pleafant v by expelling all fuch falfe Conceits or Opinion s-^ as may any way difiurb the Mnd. Why then doth Eficurm fo high- ly extol that Perfon, who when forae into- lerable Cafe calls upon him to furrender his Life, leaps over the Battlements, of Life bravely? To this I anfwer. Our Philofo- pher was of a Modeft, Humble Temper *^' O 3 and Monfieur St. EvremontV and Difpofition; not pofitive and Dogma-, tical as his Enemies generally were; and therefore tho' he had nilly anfwered aU t^e Arguments which have ever yet been made ufe of to juftifie that abominable Crime, and had plainly demonftra ted that it wasRidica- lous for a Man out of a Wearinefs of Life^ to fly to Death as a Sanduary *, when his owb Imprudence and Irregular Courle of Life^ is the only Caufe of that Wearinefs. But as our Philofopher would no^pofitively deter- mine, but that fuch extream Cafe, m\^t at fome time or other happen \ for which Philofophy could find no other or more pro- per remedy than Death \ then and then on- ly he encourages to diffatcbj and leap ^vtr the Battlements of Life bravely ^ for neither is it ft for hinS'^ who thinks of fight to Sleep, mr are we to defpair of a happy Exitj even from the greatefi difficvlties; in Cafe we neither ha* fien before our Time^ nor let it flip when it comes* And the Praftice of EficttruS'^ fnlly evinces that he was very carefnl, not to tei- ften before his time ■> for he endured the Tormenting Pains of the Stone in the Blad- der, and other molt acute Difeafes for many Years together, with a moll admirable patience, and invincible Courage; and waited till extream old Age gently put out his Lamp of Life.
On the contrary, if we enquire into the Dodrine and Praftice of other Philofophers j we (hall foon find that tlie Stoicks not only approved of it, but ftriftly enjoyncd Men to Embrace Death Voluntarily j and from their ^"^ 5jeir own Hands. The Doftrine you have from CFr^tf, who in his Treatife De LegibuS', 'mplicitely Commends it in thefe Words: ' tiuJige th^ Man wrthy of Omdernnatiofi', who hSs l^lmfeifi if he 4o it neither by order of &ate^ nor (^felled by any intolerable or inevl" table chance of Fortunes nor Off raffed by any Ignominy of a Poor and AftferablelAfe ^ and in ms id Tufcvim Qpeliion, he expreflyeh- joyhs it in thefe Words: That Rule ought to be obferved in lAfe-,^ which prevails in tfie (Sreciati P^afls V either let a Man drinl^ or let him leave the Cbfnfoj^; becaufe a Man Jhould drink with the fame Freedom as others doj orh awav^ leafi bting Sgher^ he fijould he abujed by his drunken CQmpanions j fo if you cannot bear the h juries of torijine'^ yen ought to avoid them by Flight. Agreeable hereunto was Aeir Praftice i for thus Zeno^ Father of the Stoicks, a Man of themoft Spotlefs Cha- racter of any of the Philofophers, having by a fell bruifed one of his Fingers, inter- preted it as a Summons to the Grave, went prefently home and Hanged himfelf, and was therefore by Diogenes Laertim^ honour* cd with this Elogy: A mofi happy Man who Jafc'i founds and without Difcafe-, departed this Life. Thm pemofihenesy to prevent being beholding to any one, but himielf, either for his Life or Death, drank mortal Poifon out of that Quill, which had given him im- mortal Life long before. Thus alfo U^- modes to prevent his Pollution, by the unnatural heat, of a luftful Greek Tyrant j who attempted to force him, leaped into a O4 ^ 20O Moj?fieur St. EvremontV a Copper of Scalding Water: And thus Qeamhest ChryfippHs^ and EmfedocUs brake open the Gates of Death, and forced their Paflage into another World. To theft we may add the Memorable Examples, of that Prince of Roman Wifdom, ( as La^lantim calls him) Cato^ who with his own Hands and Sword, opened a Flood-gate in his Bowels, to let his Life flow out, having the Night before,prepared himfelf to fall brave- ly, by reading tlaroh Dilcourfe on the Im- mortality of the Soul ^ and of the Famous Cleombrotus^ who upon no other inducement, than Platoh Reafons in the fame Difcourfc, threw himfelf from a Precipice, as if he went inftantly to experiment the Truth of what he had fo lately Read.
From all that hath been faid, we. may at length conclude, that Eficums was a Perlbn of a Sublime Wit, and profound Judgment \ a great Mailer of Temperance, Sobriety, Continence, Fortitude, and all other Ver- tues, no Patron of Impiety: Gluttony, Drunkennefs, Luxury, or any other lur temperance •, that he was the greateft of all Philofophers, that the Doftrine which he Taught, was of all others the jnoft Condu- cible to a happy Life ^ and fuch as none be- fides himfelf ever Taught, by the pure light of Nature, unaflifted by Grace: Nay^ thonph Eficurta and his Doftrine, havp been Exploded and Rejefted; through thQ l£;norance of fbme, and the Malice of o- thers ^ I will not be afraid to fay, that Good and Pious Chiftians^ are the the truefi Eplcur reans \ re^s i they only have a right Notion of that undeniable Truth, which he fo Strenu- oufly inculcates, viz^That aU Felicity conjifls in Pleafure i they only know, that to exercifi onefilfi to have a Cmfcience void of Offence '^ both towards God^ and towards Man^ is a Fradice full of Pleafure, in this Life •, and will be rewarded with Inexpreffible and Eternal Joys in the World to Come. Whereas oa the other Hand, the Confcioufnefs of aa ill ipent Life, is a conftant and infeparable Tormentor, which perpetually haunts and afflifts the Guilty in this World, and will be a never dying, ever gnawing Worm of Mifery to them in the next. In fliort, if we do not with Epicurus Place our Happinefs, in Pleafure, and run that Race which is fet before us, with Cheerfulnefs •, it will be vain for us to expeft to hear at the laft Day, that joyful Salutation of our Great Captain and Saviour \ Well done thou good and faithful Ser* vantj enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord* ISO' ISO CRATES HIS ADVICE T O DEMONICUS ■ Tranflated from the Greek, Bv Mr. P/GBT: HBI^Jwi 205 ISOCRATES His Advice to DEMONICUS.
WE aregoing,D^tf»if ii/,todifcourIc of Things, that will afford us aa Opportunity of diftinguilhing between the Good and Bad Men, in refe- rence to their Sentiments *, there's a World of difference between them, even in their Converfation and Behaviour, for the one has only a regard to his Friends, when he is with 'em, the other Loves 'em at never fo remote a Diftance •, the Friendfhip of the one is deftroy'd in a little time, the other feenis to be permanent and lafting i as 'tis natural then to think that they who are in purfuit of Vertue and Honour, will take for their Patterns the Virtuous, rather than the Wicked. I prefent you with this Difcourfe as a diftinguilhing Token of our mutual Friendfhip, and a clear Demonftra- tion of the Familiarity IJiad with fffpfonkus^ for Children are not only entitled to their Paternal Eltate, but alio to the Friendfhip and Intimacy of their Parents Acquaintanoe.
Now liberates his Advice to Now I have the Comfort to fee not only Fortune willing to favour our Delign; but O{)portunity likewife to declare it felf for us. For you feem defirous.of Inftimdioo, and 1 make Profeflion of inftru&ing. You are in purfuit of Wifdom and Ptuloibphy, and I take iipon me to Guide and Direa in thole Studies.
They who write to their Friends exhor* tatory Difcourfes, dilcharge a very^good Office, and do a very good Deed h butitbat^ notwithftanding, is not the chief Task of Pbilofbphy. For they who inform Youth,. not only how to attain to aPowerfiil an^ perfwadifTg Style, but how to corred their Lives and Manners, are by fo much the more ufeful to their Difciples, than the o- thers, that thefe teach them only how to fpeak, while thefe inform 'cm how to live; we therefore, not finding any real Occafi- on, for the firft Part, and having chiefly in View the latter, (hall take upon^ us, on- ly to advife you, in reference to thofe Things, to the Profecution of which Youth ought to be fpurred up and excited, and thofe which they ought chiefly to decline and fbun; and at the ftme time to prefcribe what Perfons they ought to pitch upon for their Converfacion, and how they ought to difpofe and Oeconoraife their Life \ for they alone who have followed this Track, have been able truly to attain to Vertue, than which, there is not a more eftimable, nor ccjually valuable Good \ as for Beauty, 'tis cither deftroy'd with time, or impaired by Sickliberates his Advice to Demonicus. 207 ■■■ >■