SOURCE: Jean Francois Sarasin, "An Essay in Vindication of Epicurus, and his Doctrine," in Epicurus's Morals, 1712.

[Although mistakenly attributed to St. Evremond for some decades, the essay on Epicurus's morals was actually composed by Sarasin, a seventeenth-century French intellectual and cardinal. His piece, reprinted many times in French and translated into English in 1712, represents one of the significant French attempts to revive Epicurus's reputation, particularly by reminding readers of the simplicity of his philolosophy.]

Our Modern Philosophers are very industrious to lessen the Reputation of Epicurus, they explode his Doctrine, not only as unworthy of a Philosopher, but as dangerous to the State; imagining that a Man must necessarily be vicious as soon as he becomes one of his Disciples. They take all Occasions to brand his Opinions as opposite to good Manners, and load his Name with Infamy and Reproach. Yet some among the Stockis who were his greatest Enemies have not used him thus roughly; their Praises agree not with the Modern Aspersions; they have attacked, but not vilified him, and the Writings they have left us, still speak in several Passages, the great Veneration and Esteem they had for him.

From whence then proceeds this so mighty Difference, and why are we no longer of Opinion with the Philosophers of Old? The reason is plain, we do not act like them, we make no enquiry, we do not sift Matters, we only adhere to what is told us, without instructing our selves in the true Nature of Things: We esteem those best which have the greatest Number of Approvers, and do not follow Reason, but the Resemblance of it. We hug our Erreurs, because they are justified by those of other Men, we had rather believe than judge, and are so unjust that we defend against Reason the spurious Opinions which have been handed down to us. Through this Infirmity hath Epicurus fallen under a general Aversion, and ignorant Men who know not his worth, have endeavoured to strike him out of the List of Philosophers; they have condemned him unknown, and banished him unheard, they never enquired into the Merits of his Cause, and seem to be afraid of his making his Defence, lest they should become Converts to the Superiour Excellence of his Divine Precepts.

The first and only reasonable pretence that Men had to slight his Doctrine was, the Lives of some Vicious Wretches, who abusing the Name of this Great Man, gave their Vices the Inscription of his Vertue; and thus fathering their Defects upon the Principles of his Philosopy, lessened the Reputation of his Sect. Multitudes flock'd to Places where they understood that Pleasure was commended, but the Misfortune was, they neither apprehended that Pleasure, nor understood the Praises bestowed upon it; they rested satisfied with the Name in general, not doubting, under the Authority of so great a Man, to screen their Debaucheries and Palliate the Lewdness of their Lives; so that, instead of Profiting in his School, and correcting their loose Inclinations, by the Good Instructions and Vertuous Example of that Philosopher, they even lost that which could only be left them the shame of Tripping, and proceeded so far as to extol Actions at which they blushed before, and to Glory in those Vices which they had formerly concealed. In short, following the bent of their own Vicious Appetites, they publickly, without Shame indulg'd themselves in the Pleasure they brought along with them, and not in that which their Great Master inculcated into them. However, the World judging by Appearances, and seeing Persons who styled themselves Philosophers thus extremely dissolute, that they made a Publick profession of their Failings, and cited Epicurus to countenance their Impurity, Laziness, Gluttony and Drunkenness, made no difficulty to pronounce this Philosophers Doctrine most pernicions and scandalous; and to compare his Disciples to the vilest Animal in Nature; Epicuri de grege Porcum, was a Sarcastick Expression of a Poet, reflecting upon the Followers of Epicurus, and representing them as Persons wallowing like Swine in all manner of sensuality, and more than beastly Pleasures. The Zeal of our Philosophers Adversaries hath so confounded his Opinion, with the Errors of his Disciples, that it is highly Criminal, with the generality of Mankind, to attempt his Vindication; though the greatest of his Enemies fix no greater Crime upon him than what he hath in common, with the rest of the Philosophers: Nay, even Christianity it self, suffers under the like Misfortune, and is disgraced by the scandalous Lives of base pretending Hypocritical Professors.

Thus unreasonably do ignorant Pretenders treat Epicurus, and set his Morals in a very bad Light, but the Wiser and more judicious sort, who (separating themselves from that Multitude, which hath ever been an Enemy to Wisemen; and which, upon a groundless Opinion, condemned the Divine Socrates, though approved of by the Gods) have taken a nearer and more perfect View of our Philosophers Life and Doctrine, not giving Credit to common Fame, or taking things upon Trust, but searching to the bottom, have upon the result of their Inquiry, given large and honourable Testimonies of his exalted Vertue and sublime Precepts. They have fully proved his Pleasure to be as severe as the Stoicks Vertue, that though his Title be soft and delicate, his Precepts are difficult; and that to be debauched like Epicurus, a Man must be as sober as Zeno.

And certainly it is very ridiculous and inconsistent to suppose, that our Philosopher should propagate Lewdness, or instruct his Disciples in the Practice of Vice; if we consider that his Friends and chief Followers were Rulers in the Grecian Cities; that his Reverence for the Gods, Love to his Country, Piety to his Parents, Liberality to his Countrymen, and gentleness to his Slaves, were so remarkably Eminent; that his Country, to reward such exemplary Virtue, erected Statues in his Honour. His Modesty kept him from engaging in Affairs of State; and his Temperance was so great, that his ordinary Diet was nothing but Bread and Water.

However, This Great Man apprehending that the Title he bestowed upon his Doctrine, might be made use of to countenance the sensual Inclinations of some, and others thereby induced to calumniate his Pleasure; as if he had foreseen the unjust Censure of succeeding Ages, and the Vicious Lives of his pretended Followers, hath prevented the World with a sufficient Justification of his Pleasure, and fully explained the same to be sober and severe. He banished from his Garden, where the Philosophiz'd with his Friends, all such as abused the Name of Pleasure, and considered Vice as the sovereign Good of Man, and Tranquillity of Life. For Proof whereof, I will produce you one of his Letters written to Menetaus; wherein he speaks thus,

Notwithstanding that we assert Pleasure to be the end of Man, we do not mean vile and infamous pleasure; such as proceeds from Taste and Gluttony: This is an unlikely Opinion of Persons that are Ignorant of or oppose our Precepts; they wrest them to an ill sense, and we separate our selves from their Company.

Thus you see, how careful he was to defend himself against Ignorance and Misconstruction, which he foresaw were the only two things capable to prejudice the World against him. His Life, though Innocent, Sober and Discreet, hath not, however, been free from Invectives and Detraction, which have been sufficiently answered and resulted, by learned and judicious Writers, who have taken the Pains to write our Philosophers Life, in which they have not failed, with clearness of Judgment and sound Reason, to vindicate his Reputation against the trifling Cavils of weak and partial Enemies. But, as it is not my Design to entertain you with a Detail of his Actions, but to defend his Pleasure; I shall refer you to Diogenes Laertius Gassendus, and others, for the relation of his Life; and Philosophise with you a while upon the Nature of that which hath so many Enemies; and enquire whether it be such as will exclude those who defend and follow it out of the Rank of Good and Wise Men.

Epicurus placeth the Felicity of Man in Pleasure, and esteemeth that Life happiest which is attended with an indolence of Body, and transquillity of Mind. And wherein can a Wiseman better place his Happiness than in a Serene and undisturb'd Mind? All the Motions of our Soul center in Pleasure, and those who condemn it must consequently condemn Nature, and accuse her of Faults in all her Works; for this Wise Mother hath mingled Delight with all our Actions, and by an admirable piece of Wisdom hath so ordered it, that as those Things which are most necessary, are the meanest, so they are most pleasing; and certainly had she not found out this innocent Slight, the World had perished long ago, and Man who is the noblest part thereof, neglecting his own Preservation, had left it a Prey to Wild Beasts. Who would trouble himself with eating, did not Pleasure as well as necessity invite him to it? Who would endure that Sleep should benum his Senses, take from him the use of Reason, and make him exchange Life with the image of Death; did not the sweetness of her Poppies allure him, and make the remedy as charming as it is shameful? So necessary is Pleasure to us, that the Indigence of our Nature contributes to it.

Pleasure is so interwoven in our Nature, that she stands not in need of an Advocate, and so prevalent are the Charms of her Beauty, that when she appears, all Opposition falls before her; and when absent, she is the Object of our Desires. The Stoicks vainly endeavour to enslave the Body to the Tyranny of the Soul. The Peripateticks wrangle much about what they do not understand, and are great Lovers of Wealth; the Academicks are Proud, Conceited and Vainglorious Pretenders to Universal Knowledge and Wisdom, but it is Epicurus alone that hath found out that Soveraign good, which is the Complement of an happy Life, and those only that follow his Steps are Rich, Powerful and Wise, and at once enjoy whatever is desireable.

The true Felicity of Life, and the Government of our Passions (from the Disorder of which none can absolutely and at all times defend themselves) hath been the Subject upon which Philosophers have chiefly employed their Studies, and is that part of Moral Philosophy which hath been oftnest enquired into; yet no one Point of the whole Body of Philosophy hath been treated of with greater Ostentation, and to less satisfaction. Some have taken great Pains to describe the Passions to us, and to discover their Causes and Effects, but never instructed us how to regulate and govern them; very careful they were to let us know our Disease, but unskillful or negligent in applying Remedies to Cure the same. Others of less Judgment but greater Zeal, have confounded them with Vices, and made no difference between the Motions of the Sensitive Appetite, and the Misgovernment of the Will, so that according to them, a Man cannot be passionate without being Criminal. Their Discourses which should have been Instructions to Vertue, were only so many Invectives against Vice, and hurried by a mistaken Zeal; they made the Distemper greater than it was, and the Cure less Practicable: Others again, vainly puft up with Pride, have pretended to stifle Passion, and to raise Man to the Condition of Angels. They have not feared to debase their Gods that they might exalt their Wiseman, and have often times made him happier than their Jupiter. They have given him the upper Hand of Fortune and Destiny, and make his Happiness to depend entirely upon his own Free Will; Pain and Pleasure they represent as imaginary Distractions, that Passions are the Sickness of the Soul, and that a Man must renounce his Liberty if he obey such insolent Masters. Thus they have framed a Wiseman only in Idea, and whilst they have endeavoured to make him equal or superiour to the Gods, they have made him less than Man.

Thus did these vain Pretenders to Wisdom busie themselves in a blind and eager pursuit after Happiness; but the more hast they made in a wrong way, the more Labor and Pains they took to be further from their Journies end. And though Wisdom and Happiness was the sole aim and drift of every one of them; yet they all took a different way to attain the desired End; and notwithstanding, amongst such different Opinions, one only could be in the right; each of them pretended to be that only one which could give access to Vertue, and put its Followers into the right way, passing by the rest as leading them astray and beside the Mark. In this, however, they unanimously agreed to explode the Doctrine of Epicurus, and to represent his Pleasure as Voluptuousness, his Philosophy as Vanity, and his Precepts such as plunged Men into all manner of Dissoluteness, but upon a due enquiry into the matter, we shall evidently find that these their heavy Censures of Epicurus, proceeded more from Pride and Ignorance, than from Knowledge and sound Judgment.

The Stoicks and all other Philosophers agree with Epicurus in this; that the true Felicity of Life is to be free from Perturbations, to understand our Duty towards God and Man to enjoy the Present, without any anxious Dependance upon the future, not to amuse our selves either with Hopes or Fears, to curb and restrain our unruly Appetites, to rest satisfied with what we have, which is abundantly sufficient; For he that is content wants nothing. He that can look Death in the Face and bid it Welcome, open his Door to Poverty, and bridle his Appetites, he is the Man (they all agree) whom Providence hath established in the Possession of consummate Happiness. The difference between them is this, the Stoicks and the other Philosophers deny the Passions, and rank them among things which are not in rerum Natura; Epicurus on the other Hand asserts them to be necessary to the Soul, that they are Seeds of Vertue, and that Joy must perfect that Felicity which desire hath begun. Their Happiness is purely Speculative, but that of Epicurus is practical.

But as there is no Beauty without some Moles, no Chrystal without some Specks; neither is Epicurus without his Imperfections, which (tho' it is not my Design to justifie are) however, easily pardonable if we consider the dark time he lived in, when there was scarce any Religion but sottish Idolatry, more Gods than Nations, and no other Light by which to steer his Course, than the dim Lamp of Nature. He seems rather to be honoured for coming so near to the Knowledge of the true God, than condemned for coming no nearer; rather to be admired for having such agreeable Conceptions of some of the Divine Attributes, than reproached for not comprehending them all, especially if we compare his Notions relating to the Gods, with those of the Elder Grecian Philosophers and Poets, as well as the common and received Opinions of those Days.

Who can blame our Philosopher, who sway'd by the highest Reason, trac'd Nature in her Primitive Innocence, and not only taught but practic'd Vertue to such an Excellence, as few in these days, to our Shame be it spoken, tho' we enjoy the glorious Sunshine of the Gospel, can equal? The Bounds Nature hath prescrib'd, are those of Justice and Equity; Avarice came not from Nature, she hath concealed Gold in the lowest Bowels of the Earth, and we have torn it from thence, Nature was not the Cause of Ambition, which torments us, she brought us into the World, and with Equality sends us out of it; we only differ from one another in as much as we corrupt her. We all equally enjoy Liberty, and the Sun; Servitude was introduc'd by Violence, and the first Kings were Tyrants. Is it Nature, think you, which incites to Luxury? The Poets, themselves, who have foisted Defects into the very Heavens, to screen their own Follies with Celestial Examples, and made Jupiter Wicked that they might be so themselves, durst not own such a Thought. In their Description of the Golden Age, they tell you, that Acorns were then Mens Food, that Rivers quenched their Thirst, that they dwelt in Caves, that they had no Cloaths to defend them against the Injuries of the Weather, and that they followed Nature in all their Actions. I readily grant, that there never was such a Constitution of Human Affairs; and that Mankind was never reduc'd to such a Level with Brutes: The Poets have indeed carried the Fiction too far, but their Design was to instruct us; that Excess proceedeth not from Nature; she doth not Prompt or Encourage us to it; Experience plainly teacheth, that the Necessities of Nature may be plentifully satisfied with slender and easily provided Fare. Hear how the incomparable Mr. Cowley, our English Pindar, expresses himself on the occasion.

In short, 'tis we that abuse the Gifts of Heaven, and the Advantages it confers upon us, since those things without which Nature cannot subsist are very compendious, and may be obtained with great Ease, without the violation of Justice, Liberality or Tranquillity. How then doth Nature require that a Man should abstain from those things which are submitted to him, and over which she hath made him Lord? No, We ought rather to use them, provide we use them according to Nature. We must so use things as that we may be without them, we must be their Masters, and not their Slaves; we must not be impatient for them, nor dejected at their Loss, enjoy them peaceably as occasion offers, and not pursue them with disquiet and fatigue.

There is no Condition of Life but may become a Wise Man, a Philosopher is not to be blamed for dwelling in a Palace, but in not having the Power to be contented with a Cottage; I shall not be scandalized at seeing him in his Robes, if he have not the Ambition of a King. Let Aristippus possess the Riches of Crœsus, what matter? He will throw them away when they incommode him. Let Plato be at Dionysius the Tyrants Table, yet in the midst of that abundance of Delicacies, he will feed only on Olives; the possession of Goods is not to be condemned, but our Slavery and Subjection to them; it is not Poverty will make us Wise, it may take from us, indeed, the Opportunity of committing some Faults; but there are others which it cannot remedy. The Cynicks Rags contribute not the least to Tranquillity or Moderation: Ambition dwelt with Diogenes in his Tub, and there it was he had the Insolence to insult Alexander, the haughtiest of all Mankind.

Undoubtedly, there is more difficulty to follow Nature in Affluence than in Necessity; the Spurs which our Delights make use of to try our Moderation, are much more keen than those which Adversity employs for that purpose; but the greater the Difficulty the more Glory in surmounting it, and the loss of false Joys secures to us a much better Possession of real ones. We are not sensible of a Felicity which costs us nothing, and for which we are indebted to chance, it must be given us by Wisdom and Prudence, if we would have a true Relish of it, and Pain must sometime usher us to pleasure: Suppose a Man should enter the Lists at the Olympick Games, with a Design to try his Strength and Skill; if no body encountred him, he might possibly be crowned; but nevertheless, that would not render him Victorious. Skilful Pilots gain their Reputation from Storms and Tempests. If Penelope's Chastity had not been try'd, the envious World would have said she only wanted Corrupters. Wherefore, let us not fly the World, nor fly the Court; let us not sculk in Deserts, from whence Philosophy fetch'd the primitive Mankind; let us possess Riches, and refuse not the administration of Publick Offices; if we are Wise, we may enjoy these Things without any Danger to our Ease and Tranquillity; we may fail happily amidst these Rocks, and view all with an unconcerned Eye. If we be stript of them by our not looking back, we may testify our Contempt, and that we were not wedded to them. It is shameful for a Wiseman to be weaker than those Desires, which as they are unnatural so are they vain and unnecessary, only in Opinion. This is Epicurus's Pleasure, this is what he calls living according to Nature, this is his Doctrine, and these his Sentiments.

Consider then, whether this Opinion deserves to be ill treated, and see whether we have Reason to despise it; whether this Pleasure pimps to Debauchery and Excess, and whether any thing can be more Sober or Chast. If you ask Epicurus what it is to live pleasantly, he will answer you, That it consists not in a Fondness for worldly Concerns, but in resisting corrupt Affections and Inclinations, contemning Honour, getting the mastery of Fortune; and in a Word, possessing an absolute Peace and Tranquillity of Mind. To this Point are all his Precepts leveled, in this you meet with Pleasure; and in this, indeed, we ought to seek it, not in the satisfaction of the Senses, nor in giving a loose to our Appetites. This Pleasure is too pure to depend upon the Body, it depends on the intellectual Part; Reason is its Mistress, Reason is its Rule, the Senses are only its Ministers: Besides, Whatever Delights we may hope for by indulging the Palate in Pleasures of the Sight, in Musick or Perfumes; if we do not receive them with a serene Mind we are deceived, we fall under the delusion of a false Joy, and take the Shadow of Pleasure for the real Substance. We will burn, if you please, the most costly Perfumes, we will Closet up our selves with Venus, we will Riot our selves upon Nectar and Ambrosia, and enjoy the utmost Pleasure the Poets have imagined, yet all will prove bitter if our Minds be disquieted and in spight of these Delights, sorrow will appear manifestly upon our Brows.

I will give you one Instance to prove this Assertion, and demonstrate to you how incapable that Man is of Pleasure, whose Mind is discomposed. You have read, no doubt, of that Feast which Tigellinus made for Nero, and may remember that great Debauch, the Noise whereof hath lasted to our Age; it seems to have been the utmost Effort of Prodigality, Art and Luxury, which succeeding Ages have not been able to rival, much less exceed. Agrippa's Pond was the Place pitch'd upon for this extravagant Repast; it was made upon a stately Bark, which being drawn by a great many others, seem'd insensibly to move. All the Barges were adorned with Gold, and inlay'd with Ivory; the Rowers were so many lovely Youths habited like Cupids. The Taste knew no Fowl, which it was not furnished with at that Entertainment; the Ocean provided it with Fish, and the Provinces of the Empire with diversity of Flesh. In short, every thing was there in Plenty and Perfection. I omit those infamous Houses erected on the Banks, which were stock'd with Women of the best Quality, and stark naked, Courtezans. The Night itself contributed to the Pleasure of his Debauch; its Shades were dissipated by an infinity of Lights, and its Silence agreeably disturb'd by the harmonious Consort of several Kinds of Musick. Would you know what delight Nero took in all these things, and whether he departed satisfied from this Entertainment? Consider only, that he carried with him thither, the Memory of his Crimes, and the sting of a bad Conscience, and you will readily conclude, that he had no real Satisfaction throughout the whole Entertainment; that he there felt the penitential Whip, and that though he appear'd outwardly gay and brisk, yet he was inwardly tormented with Horror and Despair. If he had any Joy, it was that of the Menades; he was obliged to his Drunkenness for that little Pleasure he enjoyed, and his Happiness encreased with the Diminution of his Reason. I conclude his whole Retinue under the same Circumstances; for, I conceive, neither Seneca, nor Thraseas Pœtus, nor Bareas Soranus, were of the number of the Guests; they lived according to Nature, admist the corruption of a most profligate and degenerate Age, and were consequently improper Company for such a Crew of Debauchees; doubtless such only were present, as endeared themselves to his Conversation by a Congruity of Manners, such as spurr'd him on in his Crimes, and pimp'd to his Lusts; before such, he had no Opportunity to blush, where an eager desire to excel each other in Vice, had stified all manner of Shame. Certainly, such vile Wretches were far from being Happy; there was no finding a sound Man in the whole Company, Pleasure could get no admittance into those Breasts which Lewdness had so entirely possessed. They were entirely govern'd by those Passions which destroy the Tranquillity of the Mind; and by consequence, were not in a Condition to relish that Pleasure we so much approve. Had our Philosopher been present at this Debauch, he would have declared the Truth before Nero, and in the Face of the whole World, he would not have feared Death, which he held indifferent, but would have boldly expressed his Mind after the following Manner.

Unhappy Prince! How wretchedly are you deceived in believing Pleasure is to be found in these Excesses! It is as far distant from them as you are from Lifes truest Happiness. You drag your Misery along with you, in all Places, wheresoever you go; and do what you will, you cannot hide your self one Moment from your Conscience. Cover your Table with Meats yet more delicious than those it now abounds with, add the richest Wines of Greece and Italy, or the whole World; Nay, heap up all that Luxury and Lust can think on or invent, yet you will find nothing in all these things to afford you Satisfaction, for tho' your Body be satiated, your Mind will still be in search after Pleasure. These are not the Things which render Life happy, it is prudence alone which directs you to the soveraign Good; it is she only, which will teach you to regulate your Desires according to Nature; and in this Rule it is that you will meet with what you cannot find in your Disorders; if any thing be wanting, turn your Eyes towards that common Mother, and she will give you, easily, wherewith to be content. Are you Thirsty? She hath every where placed Rivers and Springs where you may quench your Thirst. Hungry? Places where you will find Fruits to live on. If you are not satisfied with these things, you will never be satisifed with all your Excesses; consult your Hunger, and your Thirst, they will find Delights for you in the simplicity of Nature, and Bread and Water will serve you instead of the best Dish upon Earth you can call to mind, when you are in Necessity: But now you are not, so you give no time to your Stomach to digest your Meat; your Intemperance daily contracts Crudities, and accelerates the Hour of that Death which terrifies you with such dismal Apprehensions. Thus you make Feasts which afford you no Pleasure, because you strain Nature, forcing it to obey your Desires. But know this, your Desires interfere with your Nature, and the Errors of your Mind darken the Light of your Reason; wherefore flatter not your self with tasting Pleasure as you fondly imagine. There is nothing bounded but in Nature, whatever is repugnant to Nature is infinite, and consequently above us. Ambitious Subjects aspire to Crowns, if they became Kings, they would aim at being sole Monarchs of the Earth; if Monarchs, they would wish for Incense and Sacrifices: And the Fable of the Gyants informs us, that the Earth hath dared to contend with Heaven for its Dominion. It is the same with other Evil Appetites, none can be Happy but he that knows how to govern them, and as it belongs only to a Wise Man to undertake that Province, so it only belongs to him to sway the Universe. He only can extract Pleasure out of all these things; he alone uses Delights soberly, and possesseth them in their true Perfection. For your part, you dishonour the Race of Augustus, and are the Infamy of Mankind, over whom the Anger of the Gods hath given you the Command; but do what you please, you will be always Miserable, your Grief will harrass you at all times, and in all Places; you will never steal one Moment from your Conscience, and in the midst of all your Good Cheer, you will drink no Wine but what shall represent to you the Blood of those Innocents which your Cruelty hath shed on one base Pretence or other.

Thus would Epicurus have delivered himself, thus would he have justified his Philosophy, and thus reprov'd that Emperor's most abominable Vice and Folly: But as it is impossible that the Mind should truly relish Pleasure, if her Companion, the Body, labour under any Affliction. Epicurus, or rather Truth it self teaches, that Privation of corporal Pain is a very necessary Composition in that Supreme Good or Felicity of Life which Pleasure doth produce; and in truth, there is so close an Alliance between the Body and the Mind, that their Pleasures and their Sufferings are inseparable, the Mind cannot be entirely happy whilst Pain afflicts the Body; neither can the Body retain its Vigour if the Mind be afflicted and disturbed. Hence it evidently appears, that the Sum of all Pleasure consists only in the amotion of Pain, or in that State which follows upon that amotion; for where-ever Pleasure is, there can be nothing of Anxiety or Pain; and consequently it must be a great Pleasure not to be in Pain; for a further Proof whereof, if any Man doubt, let him consult those who have been tormented with the Gout, Cholick, Strangury, or any other acute Disease. Let the Stoicks boast as much as they please of the insensibility of their Sect, and that rigorous Vertue which makes a mock of Pain; one fit of the Stone, or such like Distemper, will fully convince them that their Bodies do not center with their Opinion, and that their Discourses, tho' most eloquent and sublime, are neither agreeable to Truth nor Humane Nature.

It will not be amiss to illustrate this Assertion with a suitable Example, and the same shall not be taken from the Crowd of pretending Philosophers. I will make use of a Name the Stoicks themselves shall not scruple to admit, and pitch upon a Person whose Vertues they never doubted of; Hercules shall bear witness to the Truth of what I assert; that Hercules whose Labours have gain'd him a Seat amongst the Gods, and rendred him so glorious to Men, that the Poets have always made choice of him as a perfect instance of the Force and Power of Wisdom. We will take a view of this Hero dying, and consider him in the last Actions of his Life; this invincible Man's Exit, we expect, should be like his Entrance, illustrious in performing something worthy of his Character, that he should say nothing which would sully his Noble Actions, or seem unworthy of his former Vertue. But alas, we are deceived, the strength of his Pain gets the Mastery of his Courage, his Constancy yields to the Heat of that Poyson which devours him; he does not only Complain, he Weeps, he Cries, he Howls; and it is with the utmost Effects of Rage and Despair, that he quits this Life to take his place among the Gods. Let not the Stoicks then rattle any longer of their Insensibility, nor pretend, that a Wise man may be happy in the midst of Tortures; neither let them despise Pain, to which Hercules himself was forced to yield, after so many Victories.

But if the Stoicks, in favour of this their darling Hero, reject the Authority of Poets, and the consent of Theatres, as representing Hercules contrary to the Truth: Possidonius, Master to Cicero, and by him stiled, the greatest of the Stoicks, will serve as an illustrious Example to prove the Truth of my assertion; here we shall see a main Pillar of the Porch stagger'd, and by consequence, the whole Fabrick ready to fall; Pompey the Great, understanding that this famous Philosopher lay grievously tormented with the Gout, made him a Visit, to see whether so great a Master was able to bear that Pain with the same Ease, now when aflicted, as he contemned and despised it by his florid Harangues, when in Health. The Philosopher was surprized at the Presence of so noble and unexpected a Guest; and judging that the true cause of his coming was something more than a friendly Visit, he bore the violence of his Pain with the utmost uneasiness; and tho' the extreme Agony thereof, made sweat trickle from him, in abundance; yet obstinately resolving not to contradict his former Doctrine, either by Words or Groans, before so great a Witness; in the midst of his Pain, cries out, I ne'er will own you to be an Evil; by which Expression, he only confirm'd his Noble Guest in his former Opinion: That the Doctrine of the Stoicks consisted more in haughty and vain glorious Expressions, than a right conformity to Truth and Reason. Cicero comes in as a full Proof of this Wiseman's Weakness: and Inconsistency; I have seen, says he, Possidonius the Greatest of the Stoicks, have as little power to undergo the Pains of the Gout, as my Host Nicomachus; a Person whom Tully accounted an ordinary sort of Fellow.

As I have given an Instance of Hercules in his last Moments, that I may fully dispatch this Point: I will examine that grand Question of the Stoicks. What think you of Hercules and Theseus, whose Lives were one continued Series of glorious Labours, which if they had not undertaken, the Earth had been over-run with Monsters and Injustice? By which Question, it is undeniably evident, that the Stoicks are nothing more than vain ignorant Pretenders, and blind Guides, who lead their Admirers on in a Wildgoose Chace, from which they have reaped nothing but Confusion, and made themselves ridiculous to all Ages. For, had they understood the Matter right, or had they not been blinded with Pride and Arrogance, they would readily have perceived that the Actions of these brave Men were so many shining Proofs of the Truth and Excellency of the Epicurean Doctrine; for as much as all their great and glorious Labours were undertaken and performed by them, in order to obtain that Pleasure, which our Philosopher, with so much Reason, affirms to be the Soveraign Good, and true Felicity of Life. Nature hath dispersed Pleasure through all her Actions; she useth it as a Motive and Assistance to us, in doing every thing that is Good and Commendable, and its recompence, when done, according to that received and approved Axiom, Vertue is its own Reward. Man's Life is full of Misery, and were not our Passions to be sweetned with Pleasure, they would end in Grief or Despair; we should be pressed to Death under the Load of our Misfortunes; and losing all hope of conquering our Enemies: We should likewise lose the Desire of resisting them. To heighten our Courage therefore, this wise Mother solicits us by Pleasure, and proposing that to us as a full recompence of all our Labours, encourageth us to despise Difficulties, and banish Fear; for though the Mind of Man be naturally ambitious; yet would she not attempt to obtain Vertue, and subdue Vice, were there not as much Pleasure as Glory in the Action; or to speak more properly, were there not an inward, excellent, and inexpressible Pleasure attending every such Glorious Attempt.

The Pleasure which our Philosopher recommends, is, the enjoyment of a real pleasing Good; such as fills the Soul with Content; swallows up Desire in Fruition, and banisheth Sorrow and Fear, so that he excludes from thence all those false Delights which spring from Indigence, or end in Sorrow, for as they are desired with so much Anxiety as far exceeds the Pleasure they promise; they are such Enemies likewise to our Peace, that it is impossible to taste of them, without disordering our Nature; they wound, at once, both our Soul and Body, they weaken the one, and corrupt the other; they are worse Remedies than the Evils they would Cure; they are constantly attended with Repentance, Sorrow and Shame, and dare not appear to publick View; for being conscious that they lessen our Reputation, they seek out Shade, and court Solitude and Silence; they would blush, were they forced to discover themselves, and Confusion would so overwhelm them, that all their Joy would be turned into bitterness and mourning. The solid Pleasures are those of the Mind; and Man cannot enjoy Peace and Tranquillity, unless that which is the noblest Part, whereof he is composed, be Happy; the Knowledge of Truth, and Practice of Vertue, ought to be his chief Delight; he must remember that the Body is the Souls Slave, and that in choice of Pleasures it is reasonable that the Soveraign have the Preference. Those which the Soul relisheth, are the truest; and if any Man be of another Opinion, we may conclude him void of Reason, Sense, and Understanding. The Pleasures of the Senses are limitted, whereas those of the Soul have no Bounds; the Pleasures of the Body are Strangers, those of the Soul are Natural; the former may be taken from us without great Difficulty, but Death itself cannot deprive us of the latter, which tho' it rob us of our Riches, cannot rob us of our Vertues; the Pleasures of the Body are Transitory and Dangerous, but the Tranquillity of the Mind produceth true and solid Content, and is a Permanent and Essential Good.

Now, though we do esteem Pleasure as a real Good, and Pain to be a real Evil; yet we do not affirm that we ought always to pursue the one, and avoid the other: For it may be convenient for us, at sometimes, to suffer Pain, that we may, afterwards, enjoy more abundant and satisfactory Pleasure, and to abstain from some Pleasures, lest they draw upon us more grievous Pain, for some things there are, which tho' they yield some Pleasure, yet they are of such a Nature as to occasion Pains much greater than themselves. It was this Maxim that made Regulus put himself again into the Hands of his enraged Enemies, where the Cruelties of his Tormenters were less painful to him than his Remorse would have been, had he broke his Faith and Promise. It was this Maxim that made Fabricius despise the offered Treasures of the King of Epirus, whereby he lost also those Evil Desires which attend the Possession of Riches, and preserved to himself that repose of Mind, which is the chief of Pleasures, and Supreme Good. To this Maxim may be referred all those great Deeds, and commendable Actions, done by the Heroes of former Ages; you will find that if they at any time embraced Pain, it was to avoid a much greater, or if they refused some Pleasures, it was by such abstinence to obtain others much more solid and satisfactory. For to what other Motive can we ascribe those their illustrious Actions. They would not have turned their Backs upon Riches, embraced Poverty, or hunted after Enemies, Difficulties, and Pain; had they not found therein that Pleasure which is the only solid Good, and Complement of a Happy Life. Hercules and Theseus had never done such great Things for Mankind, had they not taken Pleasure in doing Good, tho' it were attended with Pain and Labour. Regulus had never returned to Carthage, had he not rightly considered that breach of Faith would have tormented his Mind with more exquisite and durable Pains, than any his Body could endure. Neither had Fabricius rejected the Royal Epirof's Profer, had not Wisdom convinced him that there was more Pleasure in an honest undefiled Poverty, than was consistent with such Riches as were to be gained by sacrificing his Honour to the Enemy of his Country.

These great Men, it is true, were not, as we can find, the professed Disciples of Epicurus; but it is sufficient, that whatsoever is Praise worthy in their Examples, is to be found in the Doctrine of our Philosopher; and the World may know, that it was not Vertue alone which was the motive to their glorious Actions; or at least, what they called Vertue, ought more rightly to be called Pleasure. And yet, out of our Wiseman's School have proceeded Spirits truely Heroick; who in the midst of a corrupt Age, have performed Actions as highly Honourable as any we have or can mention. Under the Reign of Nero, the World as much admired the Death of Petronius, as that of Seneca. The Emperor's Tutor gained no Glory by Dying, which was not equally bestowed upon the Arbiter of his Pleasures; and the general Opinion was, that the Stoick who had always preached up a Contempt of Life, did not quit it more generously, or with a braver Resolution, than Petronius, who had courted all its Pleasures.

I will not omit, therefore, for the Honour of Epicurus; to give you a short account of the Life and Death of this his great Disciple; who without Offence, may be Rank'd amongst the Bravest and most Illustrious of Men. Petronius became a Courtier under the Reign of the Emperor Claudius; where following the Methods of the Court, he became insensibly Luxurious; tho' at the same time, it was observed, that he took no delight in the brutal pleasures of Love, like Mesalina; nor in those of the Table and Drunkenness, like Claudius; only in a gallant and delicate manner, took a Relish of both, rather to gratifie his Curiosity than indulge his Senses. In this manner, he employed a part of the Day in Sleeping, and dedicated the Night to Business and Pleasure. His House was the Rendezvous of the better sort of the People of Rome, with whom he spent his time, agreeably in the most charming Pleasures; not like a Prodigal, or Debauchee; but like a nice and learned Artist in the Science of Voluptuousness. Having thus pass'd away his Youth, in a Life of Softness and Tranquillity, he resolved to convince those that doubted of his Abilities, that he was capable of the weightiest Affairs in Government: For putting a stop to his Pleasures, he accepted the Office of Proconsul of Bithynia, went into that Province, where he discharged all the Duties of his Place, with Applause; and having finished his employ, upon his return to Rome, was by the Emperor Nero, in Recompence of his Services, made Consul. This new Dignity gave him a ready Access to the Emperor, who at first honoured him with his esteem, and afterwards, with his Friendship, in acknowledgment of the Sumptuous Entertainments, he sometimes gave that Prince, to refresh him, when fatigued with the Toil of State Affairs. The Consulate of Petronius being expired, without quitting the Court, he re-assumed his first manner of Living; and whether it proceded from his own inclination, or a desire to please Nero; he soon became one of the Emperors Confidents, who could find nothing agreeable to his Humour, but what was approved by Petronius; thus being possessed of the Authority of deciding what might be acceptable, he gained the Sirname of Arbiter, as Master and Comptroler in those Affairs. Nero, in the first part of his Reign, acted like a prudent wise Prince, and applied himself with care to the management of the State. However Petronius observed that he was naturally inclined to Lust and Sensuality, and therefore, like an able Politician, being in Possession of his Princes Mind, he seasoned it with honest delights; and procured him all the innocent Charms imaginable, in order to remove the thought of seeking after others; which would have been more irregular, and of worse consequence to the Common Wealth. Things continued in this Posture, while the Emperor kept himself within the bounds of Moderation; and so long Petronius acted chearfully under him, as Intendant of his Pleasures.

But the Emperor, sometime after, complying with his Nature, changed his Conducct, not only in respect to the Publick Affairs of the Empire, but in relation, also to his more private and Domestick Affairs; to his Sports and Recreations. He listened to others, rather than to Petronius; and insensibly plunging himself into Debauchery, he abandoned himself to his Passions; and became as Monstrous in his Pleasures, as before he had been Nice, and Delicate. The high advancement of Petronius drew upon him the Envy of all those who courted the Princes Favour, and of all others Tigellinus Captain of the Petrorian Guards, was a most dangerous Rival. This Man, from an obscure Birth, had in a short time, by his corrupt Manners, gained an absolute sway over the Emperors Temper; and as he knew his blind-side perfectly well, he set himself seriously to bring about the ruin of his Competitor; and by such means as very much endangered the Ruine of the Empire. The curious Artful Pleasures invented by Petronius, were of a more refined Nature, than the gross Debauches of Tigellinus; who foreseeing that the Credit Pecronius, thereby, gained with the Emperor, would always be an Obstacle to his Designs; endeavoured therefore, to possess himself, entirely, of the Princes Heart, and engage him in the foulest Brutalities. For Nero, no sooner, hearkned to the Perswasions of Tigellinus, but he fignalized his Power by the Deaths of Sylla and Rubellius Plautus, Persons dreaded by them, for their eminent Vertues, and in great Esteem and Favour with the People; thus proceeding from one Degree of Infamy to another, arrived, at last, to such an Excess, that all manner of Crimes were perpetrated by him. Our ancient Favourite thus supplanted in his Employment, by the Artifices of a new one, and highly disgusted at the horrible Actions he had seen, gave way to his Successor; withdrew from Court, indulged himself in the Pleasures of a Retired Life; and then wrote that incomparable Satyr, in which he so exactly represents the Nature and Character of Nero, and under feigned Names of Lewd and Vicious Persons, exposed the Vices of that infamous Prince and Court. Whilst Petronius thus lived in a retired Tranquillity, Tigellinus laboured with all his Power to destroy him, and to establish his own Fortune upon the Ruine of his Rival; for he greatly feared, that if Petronius were once reinstated in his Masters Favour, he might, by the Means of honest Pleasures, have restored Nero to himself, to the great Blessing of all Honest Men, and the Confusion of Tigellinus, and others, his most flagitious Pimps and Panders; Knowing, therefore, that the Prince was naturally inclined to Cruelty; he insinuates that Petronius was too familiar with Stevinus, not to be concerned in Piso's Conspiracy, and having suborned one of Petronius's Slaves to swear against his Master, to deprive him of all Means to justifie himself, he sends the greatest part of his Domesticks to Prison. Nero was well enough pleased to find an Opportunity of parting with a Man who was become a check to his Affairs; for the Vicious cannot endure the presence of such whose Sight reproaches them with their abominable Practices; he readily received the Accusation against Petronius, and ordered him to be apprehended at Cumes, when the Emperor made a Voyage thither, and Petronius should be one of the Company; but as it required time to deliberate, whether they ought to put a Man of his Figure to Death, without clear proof of the Crimes he stood charged with: Petronius perceiving that his Life was a burthen to his Prince, and that he only wanted some colourable Pretext to take it away; that he might no longer be the sport of Slaves and Villains, he resolved to die. However, that he might not give himself a Precipitate Death, he opened his Veins, then closed them again, that he might have time to converse with his Friends, who came to see him, in his last Moments, which he spent not in Discourses of the Immortality of the Soul, and those celebrated Axioms which the Pride of Philosophers had invented to acquire Glory, and a Vain Opinion of Constancy, but with the recital of curious Pieces of Poetry; and to convince the Spectators that he did not die, but only cease to live, He continued his ordinary Functions, took a particular Account of the Behaviour of his Domesticks, punished some, and rewarded others; sate, as usual, at his Table; and slept very quietly; insomuch, that he rather seemed a Man in perfect Health, than one that was Dying; at length, perceiving the time draw near of shaking off Mortality, after using a little Exercise, he fell into a calm and gentle Slumber; so that his Death, tho' violent, appeared to his Friends as if it had been natural. Thus fell the Great, the Voluptuous Petronius a Sacrifice to the Ingratitude of Nero, and the Ambition of Tigellinus. Boast no more then of the Divine Socrates, and that constancy and firmness of Mind wherewith he drank the Poison; Petronius yields not to him in the least particular: Nay, Petronius may claim the advantage of having quitted a Life infinitely more delicious than that of the Greek Philosopher, with the same serenity of Mind, and the same equality of Countenance.

But there remains one Objection still, against Epicurus; his asserting the lawfulness 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 considering that at the same time the weight of the Objection lay fuller upon themselves. Self-murther is undoubtedly a very heinous and abominable Crime; if we consider it, either as a Christian or a Philosopher; it is a Violation of the Law of Nature; and expresly repugnant to the Law of God. That we may not therefore seem to justifie that in our Philosopher, which God, the Church, nay, moral Philosophy itself, so highly Condemns: Let us compare the Doctrine and Practice of Epicurus, with the Doctrine and Practice of those, who so vehemently exclaim against him; and if I cannot fully clear him in this point, I shall at least prove, that he was not single in his Opinion; and that his Enemies were much more guilty herein than himself. Every Man ought, says Epicurus, to make it his care so to Live, that Life may not be a burthen to him; and not to be willing to part with Life, till either Nature, or some intolerable Case call upon him to surrender it; and in that Case, we are to weigh seriously, whether it be more commendable for us to stay till Death come to us, or to go and meet it; for though it be an Evil indeed for us to live in Necessity, yet there is no Necessity for us to live in necessity: Since Nature hath been so kind, to give us though but one Door into the World, yet many Doors out of it. But although there be some Cases so extream, that in respect of them, we are to hasten and fly to the Sanctuary of Death; yet we are not to attempt any thing in that kind, but when it may be done Opportunely and Commendably. Thus you see in what limited Sense our Philosopher delivered this Doctrine; it is not to be pursued, unless some intolerable Case require it; nor then neither, except it may be done Opportunely and Commendably. And what is this intolerable Case, which may justifie a Man Voluntarily to leap over the Battlements of Life? Do his Precepts any where shew it? No. Poverty it cannot be, for Wise and Bountiful Nature hath so provided against that; that those things which are necessary are easie to be procured; whereas those things which are unnecessary, are hard to come by. If you live according to Nature, you shall never be Poor; if according to Opinion, you shall never be Rich; Nature desires little, Opinion is never Satisfied. Neither can it be when any Pain whatsoever afflicts the Body. No Pain is both intolerable and perpetual; for if it be long, it must be light, and if great, short; it is either determined of itself, and succeeded, if not by an absolute Indolence, yet by a very great Mitigation; or it is determined by Death, in which there can be no Pain. Neither can it be when the Mind is loaded or oppressed; for discontent of Mind is not grounded upon Nature, but upon meer Opinion of Evil; and it is Reason alone which makes Life Happy and Pleasant; by expelling all such false Conceits or Opinions, as may any way disturb the Mind. Why then doth Epicurus so highly extol that Person, who when some intolerable Case calls upon him to surrender his Life, leaps over the Battlements of Life bravely? To this I answer, Our Philosopher was of a Modest, Humble Temper and Disposition; not positive and Dogmatical as his Enemies generally were; and therefore tho' he had fully answered all the Arguments which have ever yet been made use of to justifie that abominable Crime, and had plainly demonstrated that it was Ridiculous for a Man out of a Weariness of Life, to fly to Death as a Sanctuary; when his own Imprudence and Irregular Course of Life, is the only Cause of that Weariness. But as our Philosopher would not positively determine, but that such extream Case, might at some time or other happen; for which Philosophy could find no other or more proper remedy than Death; then and then only he encourages to dispatch, and leap over the Battlements of Life bravely; for neither is it fit for him, who thinks of flight to Sleep; nor are we to despair of a happy Exit, even from the greatest difficulties; in Case we neither hasten before our Time, nor let it slip when it comes. And the Practice of Epicurus, fully evinces that he was very careful, not to hasten before his time; for he endured the Tormenting Pains of the Stone in the Bladder, and other most acute Diseases for many Years together, with a most 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 Doctrine and Practice of other Philosophers; we shall soon find that the Stoicks not only approved of it, but strictly enjoyned Men to Embrace Death Voluntarily; and from their own Hands. The Doctrine you have from Cicero, who in his Treatise De Legibus, implicitely Commends it in these Words: I judge that Man worthy of Condemnation, who kills himself; if he do it neither by order of State, nor Compelled by any intolerable or inevitable chance of Fortune; nor Oppressed by any Ignominy of a Poor and Miserable Life; and in his 2d Tusculan Question, he expresly enjoyns it in these Words: That Rule ought to be observed in Life, which prevails in the Grecian Feasts; either let a Man drink, or let him leave the Company; because a Man should drink with the same Freedom as others do, or go away, least being Sober, he should be abused by his drunken Companions; so if you cannot bear the Injuries of Fortune, you ought to avoid them by Flight. Agreeable hereunto was their Practice; for thus Zeno, Father of the Stoicks, a Man of the most Spotless Character of any of the Philosophers, having by a fall bruised one of his Fingers, interpreted it as a Summons to the Grave, went presently home and Hanged himself, and was therefore by Diogenes Laertius, honoured with this Elogy : A most happy Man who safe, sound, and without Disease, departed this Life. Thus Demosthenes, to prevent being beholding to any one, but himself, either for his Life or Death, drank mortal Poison out of that Quill, which had given him immortal Life long before. Thus also Democles to prevent his Pollution, by the unnatural heat, of a lustful Greek Tyrant; who attempted to force him, leaped into a Copper of Scalding Water: And thus Cleanthes, Chrysippus, and Empedocles brake open the Gates of Death, and forced their Passage into another World. To these we may add the Memorable Examples, of that Prince of Roman Wisdom, (as Lactantius 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 himself to fall bravely, by reading Plato's Discourse on the Immortality of the Soul, and of the Famous Cleombrotus, who upon no other inducement, than Plato's Reasons in the same Discourse, threw himself from a Precipice, as if he went instantly to experiment the Truth of what he had so lately Read.

From all that hath been said, we may at length conclude, that Epicurus was a Person of a Sublime Wit, and profound Judgment; a great Master of Temperance, Sobriety, Continence, Fortitude, and all other Vertues, no Patron of Impiety: Gluttony, Drunkenness, Luxury, or any other Intemperance; that he was the greatest of all Philosophers, that the Doctrine which he Taught, was of all others the most Conducible to a happy Life; and such as none besides himself ever Taught, by the pure light of Nature, unassisted by Grace: Nay, though Epicurus and his Doctrine, have been Exploded and Rejected; through the Ignorance of some, and the Malice of others; I will not be afraid to say, that Good and Pious Christians, are the the truest Epicureans; they only have a right Notion of that undeniable Truth, which he so Strenuously inculcates, viz. That all Felicity consists in Pleasure; they only know, that to exercise one self, to have a Conscience void of Offence, both towards God, and towards Man, is a Practice full of Pleasure, in this Life; and will be rewarded with Inexpressible and Eternal Joys in the World to Come. Whereas on the other Hand, the Consciousness of an ill spent Life, is a constant and inseparable Tormentor, which perpetually haunts and afflicts the Guilty in this World, and will be a never dying, ever gnawing Worm of Misery to them in the next. In short, if we do not with Epicurus Place our Happiness, in Pleasure, and run that Race which is set before us, with Cheerfulness; it will be vain for us to expect to hear at the last Day, that joyful Salutation of our Great Captain and Saviour; Well done thou good and faithful Servant, enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord.