the most general and easie Means to procure this freedom from Pain is Temperance and an exquisite Sobriety For by this Means we may if not altogether remove at least very much correct the hereditary Diseases avoid such as we contract by our own Miscarriages and free our selves from such as are already contracted Let us observe only That he who enjoys a freedom from Pain may without any bitterness possess the different kinds of Pleasures as well those of the Body as of the Mind and Health As Plutarch very well compares Health to the Tranquility of the Sea in regard the Sea gives an Opportunity to its Inhabitants to breed and conveniently to bring up their young so Health affords to all Men a Means to perform all the Functions of Life conveniently and without Pain Therefore saith he tho' Prodicus maintains and hath elegantly describ'd That Fire is the greatest Seasoning of our Life Nevertheless some may correct his Fancy and inlarge upon it by saying That Health gives a supernatural Relish seeing that neither boiled nor rost nor any other Meat whatever Haut Goust they have can give any Relish to such as are sick or to such whom some distemper hath put out of order whereas in a healthful Constitution every Morsel is pleasant and grateful to the Appetite Now the same may be said of the Pleasures that relate to the other Senses for to a sick Body the Delights which otherwise are lawful and honest displease the Smelling is not refresh'd with Sweet Odours the Ear cares not for Musick nor does the Sight rejoyce in beautiful Objects Nay our Entertainments Publick Shews our Recreations in Walking Hunting and other such like Divertisements cannot please and are of no service for want of this Seasoning and without which Pleasure it self as we have said is no Pleasure As all this is most certain in regard of these Pleasures of the Body it is doubtless much more in respect of that of the Mind for it is apparent that neither in Sickness or under any grievous Pain no Man can study read or meditate for while the Soul is united to this crasy and mortal Body there is such a Union between these two Parties that the Body cannot suffer but the Soul must feel it and be drawn tho' against its will from its most pleasing Objects for the afflicting Pain employs all the Thoughts and Attention of the Mind Happy therefore are they who by their natural Constitution enjoy a sound Health free from Pain and consequently more capable in taking Pleasure in the study of Wisdom Happy are likewise such who tho they have an infirm Body yet govern it with so much Prudence and correct it with that Temperance that if they dont altogether avoid all Pain yet they make it so light and easy to be born that it proves a small Impediment to the full enjoyment of the Pleasures of the Mind Therefore the First ought to take heed how they disturb or by their Intemperance weaken the sound Constitution of their Bodies and the other ought to amend theirs and to bring it as much as is possible to this State of Indolency And both of 'em should take care of their Bodies if it were only for the sake of the Soul which cannot be well while the Body is sick Here we must truly acknowledg that tho the chief part of Happiness consists in the Tranquility of the Mind yet we must not despise the other part which consists in the freedom from bodily Pain I confess there be some who believe that it is a crime when it concerns the chief good or the business of Man to joyn the advantages of the Body to them of the Mind and consequently believe That it is an unworthy Deed to joyn that freedom from bodily Pain with the Tranquility of the Mind But as these are Stoicks or such as affect to follow them I cannot but mention here what Cicero himself says against them when addressing himself to Cato he begins with this Principle of the Stoicks That we are recommended to our selves and that the first Inclination that Nature hath bestowed on us is Self-preservation that we may preserve our selves such as we ought to be that we are Men made up of Soul and Body and therefore according to our original and natural Inclination we must love these Things and make them the end of that chief Happiness which consists in the acquisition of such Things as are according to Nature Now saith he seeing these are our Opinions and that you assign that to be the End to live according to Nature shew us now how you can maintain That to live honestly is barely and absolutely the chief Good How have you so soon forsaken the Body and all those Things that are according to Nature If we sought for the chief Happiness not of Man but of some other Creature which were all Spirit that End that you speak of would not be the only End of that Spirit for it would desire Health and to be free from Pain it would desire also its own Preservation and whatsoever might tend to it and it would propose to it self to live according to Nature which is as we have said to possess all things agreable with Nature at least in some measure if not in the most considerable part Vertue alone say they is sufficient to render us happy and the Goods of the Body are but as it were small Appendages which are not capable of rendring Life more happy But truly a Man in grievous Pain would be very much obliged to him who would free him from it And if a wise Man were condemned by some Tyrant to encounter with Pain his mortal Foe he would muster up all his rational Faculties to assist and support him in so difficult and dangerous a Combat And then goes on Every Creature of whatsoever Nature loves it self for where is that Creature which forsakes it self or any part of it self or the use of that part or any of the things which are according to Nature and its state and frame Certainly no Person hath forgotten his first Constitution but retains his first Faculty from the beginning to the end How can it therefore be that only Man's Nature should suffer Man to forget his Body and should place his chief Happiness not in the whole but in one part of himself Wisdom hath not begot Man but hath found him begun by Nature If there were nothing to be perfected in Man but some Motions of the Soul that is to say of Reason Wisdom ought to have no other aim but Vertue which is the perfection of Reason So also if there were nothing to be perfected but the Body its chief end would be Health a freedom from Pain Beauty c. But here is a Question concerning the chief good of Man who is composed of Soul and Body Why dont we therefore seek his chief good in relation to his whole Nature They who place it in one or t'other
Dissolution of that part by which the Soul is tied and joyned to the Body tho the Soul by that means never perisheth so the Demons ought to be reputed Mortal because tho that Beam of the Divinity which makes up the principal and intelligent part of their Being never perisheth yet this part is separated from the thin Body unto which when it is united it is reputed a Demon. This is likely to have given occasion to what we have before spoken of their Opinion That the Demons did sometimes become Gods as heretofore the Egyptians believed concerning Isis and Osiris Hercules Liber and others as Plutarch observes And by that we may understand what Jupiter speaks in Ovid That he hath Demi-Gods Their dwells below a Race of Demi-Gods Of Nymphs in Waters and of Fauns in Woods Who tho not worthy yet in Heaven to live Let them at least enjoy that Earth we give But tho all this be full of fabulous Inventions however we may thereby perceive that the antient Philosophers allowed the existence of Demons and that several have treated about 'em and declared them to be of a Nature differing from the Divine Nature But if they have fancied them to have Bodies this Opinion is to be excused among those Philosophers because 't is but of later Ages that we have been better instructed that God alone was a Spirit without Body they being persuaded that Angels and the Souls of Men were made of a very fine and thin Substance and for that reason there is nothing to hinder the assigning to them Images tho they are persuaded also that they are Immortal by the special favour of God The Reason that induced these antient Philosophers to believe that there are Demons seems to be grounded upon the Notion they had of the Divine Providence for tho they believed that God takes care of all Things yet they fancied nevertheless that it did not become his glorious Majesty to extend his Care to every particular Person by himself and without some Ministers that might execute his Orders They therefore imagin'd that God keeps his Court in Heaven is attended by Ministers and Servants always ready to obey him by whose means he provides for all the World but especially for this inferior World They called these Ministers whom they acknowledged to be very nimble and active Beings and to us invisible Demons but they assigned the name of Genii to those whose chief office is to take care of Men. Now tho we cannot but acknowledge that they have hit upon a real Truth seeing 't is certain that there are Spirits and Angels in the World who are God's Ministers and who give their assistance especially to Men nevertheless this Opinion is to be understood with caution for to speak absolutely 't is not unbecoming the Majesty of God to do all Things and provide for all Things of himself for 't is from him that all his Ministers have received all their Strength and Power and 't is he who is present at the doing of every Thing and assists every particular Action by his Divine Influence So that God makes use of Ministers not because 't is below him not to make use of 'em or because he is not able to govern otherwise But because we suppose the State of the World to be such as he will have it and that he hath thought it convenient thus to order it But let this be as it will their Fancy appears not only conformable to this distinction of the Hierarchies and celestial Orders taken out of the Holy Scriptures but to those Doctors also and learned Divines who hold That God hath ordained particular Angels to watch for the preservation of divers kinds of Beings of several sorts of Animals and Plants c. And who judge that there is no Absurdity that there should be sometimes in the Air Demons or Spirits who by the permission or command of God do wonderful Things as to cause Showers of Blood of Stones Thunder and Storms or extraordinary Earthquakes And truly if we may believe Philo Those which the Philosophers call Demons are the same with those whom Moses names Angels namely Souls that fly about the Air that the Air might have its Creatures as well as the Earth the Water and the Fire have theirs Besides in Holy Writ we read of certain Powers of the Air Nay some use Inchantments against Demons who mix themselves in the black and thick Clouds from whence we usually apprehend the coming of Thunders Hail and Storms That which these same Philosophers speak of Genii namely that there is one Chief who governs a whole Nation and therefore called the Genius of the People or Nation and a particular Genius for every Man which is chiefly and properly stiled his Genius is also agreable with what we say in other Words The protecting Angel of a whole Nation and the Guardian Angel of every private and particular Person For God saith Epictetus hath given to every Man a tutelar Genius that watches continually that never Slumbers and cannot be deceived O Mortals when you have shut your Doors upon you and closed your Windows and that you are buried in Darkness never fancy your selves to be alone and take heed of acting any thing unjust You are not then alone God is in your Chamber and your Angel is there they have no need of Light to see what you are doing and contriving Plato speaks almost the very same Thing and is of Opinion That every one of us have our Guardian from whom we can conceal nothing and who is a constant Witness of every thing that we do whether it be Good or Evil and for whom we are to have a particular Respect These Philosophers also were persuaded that there were good and evil Genuii whom we name good and evil Angels for they thought that the good Things came from the Good and the Evil from the mischievous Angels Now that God suffers evil Angels or Demons to be the Enemies of Men and to endeavour to destroy them this relates to the general Providence of God who hath done nothing but for just and reasonable Ends tho not known nor discoverable to Men. And we may say in a Word that God suffers them as well that good Men might be exercised and that by their Sufferings and Patience they might deserve more as that the Wicked by their means might be Punished That which we ought here to add is That tho we are sometimes tempted by the Devil that we are not therefore to pretend that to be a sufficient Excuse for the Evil committed as if it were only the Work of the Devil for the Holy Scripture declares That every one is rather tempted and drawn by his own Lusts Hereby we ought to understand that we have no reason to fear so much the Devil as our selves and that we ought to accustom our selves to allay the Fire of our Concupiscence and Lust by Temperance that so we might the easier frustrate all
is Profitable and that which is Good to be but one and the same thing and therefore to the making up of what is Just and Right two things are prerequisite The First That it be Useful or that it hath Usefulness on its side The Second That it be prescribed and ordained by the common Consent of the Society for there is nothing perfectly Just but what the Society by common Agreement or Approbation hath thought fit to be observed 'T is true some are of Opinion That what things are Just are of their own Nature and unchangably so and that the Laws do not make 'em Just but that they only declare 'em and ordain 'em to be according to what they were naturally before Nevertheless 't is not so but herein 't is as in other things which are useful such as are those that concern our Health and a great many more such like wich are useful to some and hurtful to others and consequently vary from the End both in general and particular And truly as every thing ought always every where and to every one appear such as 't is by Nature because Nature never changes and is unalterable in all Occurrences pray tell me if the things that some name Just be every where at all times and in respect of all Persons really Just Are we not to consider that what is ordained and established by Laws and what is consequently Lawful and Just is not ordained nor admitted among all Nations but that some look upon 'em as indifferent and others reject 'em as prejudicial and unjust Are there not some who hold generally for useful that which nevertheless is not so and thus receive things which are not generally convenient only because that they seem so to them or to their Society and appear to have some general Utility or Advantage belonging to ' em We may then say for the most part that that is universally Just or agreeable with the Nature of Just which is useful or conformable to the Notion of Just that we have now given For to speak more particularly as Utility is otherwise and differing among the several Nations so likewise what is Just differs in the same manner so that what we fancy to be Just others look upon it as Unjust This being so when we enquire whether Just and Right is the same among all Nations I answer that universally 't is so that is something that is useful in the mutual Society but if we look to Particulars and consider the several sorts of People and the diversity of Circumstances we shall find that 't is not the same every where In a word a thing is and ought to be reputed Just or to have the Qualities of Just in a Society if its Usefulness respects all the Individuals associated but if it be not so 't is not properly to be called Just nor deserves to be so esteemed So that if a Thing or an Action having been useful in a Society if by any Accident or by any Alteration this Usefulness begins to cease that thing will also cease from being Just it being no longer so than only while it continues useful and profitable to Society And thus I suppose every one will judge who suffers not himself to be misled and blinded by vain and frivolous Discourses but has a general Respect to all things Of the Origin of Right and of Justice BUt to begin the Matter a little higher and trace it from its first Source Right Equity or Justice seem to be as ancient among Men even as mutual Societies are For in the beginning when Men were Vagabonds wandering up and down like Brutes and suffered many Inconveniences from those salvage Creatures and the Rigour of the Seasons some natural Inclination which they had for one another by reason of the similitude and mutual Resemblance of Bodies as well as Souls or Manners inclined 'em to unite together in small Societies the better to prevent in some measure such like Inconveniences by Building Cottages and so thereby strengthning themselves against the Cruelty of wild Beasts and the Severity of the Weather But because every one more regarded his own private Benefit than that of another this begot many Quarrels in reference to Eating and Drinking and upon the account of Women and other Conveniences of Life which they daily robb'd and forcibly depriv'd one another of until such time as they began to consider that they could not subsist quietly or live securely and conveniently unless they made some Contracts and agreed among themselves to do no Injury one to another so that if any wrong'd his Neighbours the rest were to punish him for it This then was the first Knot or Tie of Societies which as it supposed that every Person might have something belonging to him or what he might call his own either because he was the first possessor of it or because it was given him or because he had it by way of exchange or because he acquir'd it by his Industry I say this was the first Knot which confirmed to every private Person the possession of that which he thus challeng'd as his own Now this Knot or Agreement was nothing else but a common Law which all were bound to observe and which was to secure to every one his Right or Power to make use of that which thus appertained to him And thus upon this account the Law became the common Right of Societies I shall not here mention how a whole Society at length transfer'd their power of punishing to a certain select number of the wisest and honestest Men or it may be to one Person who was look'd upon as the wisest of all the rest I shall observe only two or three Things First That such in the Society were esteemed Just or observers of Justice who contenting themselves with their own Rights never invaded the Goods of others and by this means wronged no Body And such were deemed Unjust or doers of Wrong who being not satisfied with what was their own usurp'd the Rights of others and thus wronged 'em either by Robbing of 'em Beating or by Killing 'em or the like The Second relates to the preservation of Life as the thing that was the dearest to 'em of all and the strong confirmation of their Agreements or of their common Laws for the wise Legislators taking a particular Care of what best secur'd their Lives and minding also what usually happen'd among Societies declared That it was an horrible and abominable Crime to kill a Man and that a Murderer should be look'd upon as a most infamous Person and be shamefully put to Death for there was nothing more unreasonable than to kill his Fellow Creature for which Act we ought to have the greatest aversion and the rather because thereby accrued no advantage to Life and that this Deed could not proceed but from a Wickedness in Nature Thirdly That those who at first took care to promote the Utility of the Laws had truly no
be condemn'd because he laughed at that too great Credulity and Superstition of the Heathens as well in Relation to Divination as in Relation to the Demons but it is to be blamed in that at least he hath not believed in general the being of Spirits seeing that not only Religion but Reason assures us of their Existence as it did really perswade those Philosophers amongst whom Plutarch reckons principally Thales Pythagoras Plato the Stoicks besides Empedocles and some others who affirmed that there were Demons who are living Substances and there are also Heroes who are Souls either Good or Evil freed from their Bodies For tho' they have erred as well in Relation to their Substance as to the Qualities that they attributed to their Demons yet however they judged aright when they believed that there were such But seeing we are to discourse of Divination perhaps it will not be amiss to speak first something of the Demons unto whom it was commonly ascribed Of Demons or Spirits according to the Opinion of Antiquity LET us suppose that they are those unto whom the Holy Writ gives usually the Titles of Angels and sometimes Demons Devils or Satan when it speaks of the Apostate Angels The Heathens call them not only Demons but also Genii tho' amongst them they were reputed to be of a Divine Nature or of a Nature little lower than the Divine They were also named Gods and Demi-Gods and Sons of Gods but yet Bastards as being born of Nymphs c. Not to insist upon the saying of Aristotle that they were separated Substances because not Corporeal and according to his Disciples Intelligences because they have Understandings Intelligences in Latin signifying the same as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek if what Lactantius and Macrobius after Plato have taught us is really true This being premised now that we may the better understand what notion Pythagoras Plato and the rest of 'em had of Demons we must call to Mind what hath been said of the Soul of the World For they who have received this Opinion have fancied that these Demons as well as our Souls were nothing else but Particles or small parcels of the Soul of the World And because they believed also that the Soul of the World was the same as God they imagin'd that the Demons were Particles of the Divine Nature and from them seveveral Heretick have taken occasion to discourse of Angels in the same manner in the infancy of the Christian Church for they fancy them to be taken out of the Divine Substance These Philosophers therefore thought the Soul of the World to be like a vast and bottomless Ocean from whence proceeds Angels and the Souls of Men upon Condition to return back again and reunite at last after a time as so many little Streams that run into the Sea Plotinus seems to compare them to the Body of a Tree whereof Demons and Souls were as the Branches the little Twigs the Leaves the Flowers and the Fruits Thus they fancied that in the same manner as the Water that runs through the Earth carries with it something of the Substance of the Minerals through which it passeth so the Particles of the Soul of the World clothed it often with the Substance of the most subtil Bodies unto which they remained chiefly fixed and tied And as they judged that this Soul though it is diffused through all the World it resided nevertheless more particularly in the upper Region and consequently amongst the Stars and chiefly in the Sun So they believed that when the Celestial Bodies spread abroad their Influences to revive and entertain the earthly Beings that they proceed from Heaven as so many Beams from this Soul that revives all things and that they Incorporate or become Bodies in a differing manner in their Passage clothing themselves with a kind of Airy Habit and remaining afterwards some in the Air and the others proceeding as far as the Earth So that they have believed that these kind of Substances which are thus composed of a thin Body such as is the Air and of a Particle of the Soul of the World are the Demons and the Souls Demons when they continue free from any mixture of the grosser Bodies of this Earth I shall not examin their other Fancy That if the thin Body with which the Particles of the Soul of the World is clothed be found to be of a sweet kind and favourable Composure then in their Opinion they happen to be good Demons or Spirits but evil when it is sharp and malicious Neither shall I take notice of their other Imagination That when our Souls are departed out of our Bodies they become again Demons not immediately nor equally because retaining some Relicks of the Human Body they could not be Demons until they were entirely stript but only Heroes or demi-Gods Let these be mention'd only in reference to the Opinion of those who chiefly follow Hesiod who as Plutarch relates hath made mention of four sorts of Beings that are endowed with Reason the Gods the Demons the Heroes and Men I say those who follow Hesiod for Plato Pythagoras and others who believe these last to be the greatest Protectors of Demons have divided Rational Beings into three sorts namely Gods Demons and Men. Moreover we may shew by several Passages that they fancied these Demons to be of a certain middle Nature between the Gods and Men or as they speak upon the Confines of Immortals and Mortals But no Man better explained this Opinion than Apuleius for after that he had said that 't is by their Means and Mediation that there is a Correspondence between the Gods and Men and as the other Regions of the World have their Beings to inhabit and live there so the Superiour Region hath the Stars the Fire the small Animals mentioned by Aristotle the Sea Fish the Earth all our Terrestrial Animals So the Air ought not to be without its Inhabitants which are the Demons In this manner he explains himself The Bodies of the Demons saith he have very little weight which hinder them from ascending to the highest Regions nor are they so light as to fall down to the lowest They are Creatures of a third Nature suitable to the middle Region where they dwell They are between the Gods and Men being immortal as the Gods but subject to Passions as Men for as they are as we subject to Anger and to Mercy and like us suffer themselves to be overcome by Prayers and Intreaties by Gifts and Honours so they are like us stir'd up to Wrath by Injuries and Contempt In a Word saith he Daemones sunt genere animalia ingenio rationabilia animo passiva corpore aeria tempore aeterna Where you may observe what he saith of Eternity cannot agree with the Opinion of others who make them subject to Generation and Corruption unless we understand a long time for Eternity For as these last say Man is said to be Mortal because of the
not possibly Conceive because her Womb was closed up Another tells her that doubtless she was with Child because nothing is sealed or closed up in vain and without cause What ought we to think of that Conjectural Art which is to no other end but to delude and deceive us by the subtilty of Wit Is it that the great number of Observations and Precepts that the Stoicks have gathered concerning this matter signifies any thing else but a little Cunning and Subtilty which from some likelyhood carries its Conjecture now this way than another Suppose one should now find a Serpent twin'd about the young Roscius yet in his Cradle which perhaps was false but if there should be found one in the Cradle there is no great wonder because the Serpents are very common and numerous at Celoin they being often found by the Fire-side I know that these Soothsayers pretend that there is nothing more Illustrious nothing more Noble more Excellent than their Art I wonder why the Immortal Gods should be willing to shew such strange and miraculous Thing in favour of a Charlatan and that they would never shew so much Favour to a Scipio Africanus For as to that Divination which is without Art we might justly take for Fabulous such as that related amongst the Heathens of certain Spirits that appeared openly and familiarly discoursed and foretold things that were to come For to mention something of that of Brutus that told him that he should lose the Day at the Battel in the Fields of Philippi and that he would there appear to him We must observe that Brutus having revealed this Apparition the foregoing Night to Cassius the next Morning Cassius told him that this supposed Apparition or Spirit was but a Mist before his Eyes or of his deluded Imagination And that this was the more probable because Brutus was of a Melancholy Temper as Plutarch observes that the troubles of his Mind so oppressed him that he seldom slept and when he considered in what danger the Common-wealth was and remembred that Pompey had been unhappy in a like cause he pondred what Resolution he might take if things succeeded not well and that which is considerable ruminating and thinking upon these and such like things when the Night was well spent all his Camp very silent all their Lights out and he half asleep 't is no wonder that he then thought he had seen and heard his Genius or Spirit because he was perswaded by the Doctrines of his Sect being a Stoick that there were good and evil Spirits besides there are four Circumstances that discover in what disturbance his Mind was then in and that we may suppose him to have been but in a Slumber or as we say Dreaming or half asleep The first is that he enquired of his Servants if they had heard nothing This shews that he himself was doubtful whether this had happened to him awake or asleep The second that the Domesticks answered him that they had neither seen nor heard any thing nevertheless if it had been so they could not but have seen that monstrous Image or Appearance at least to have heard its Voice which Brutus declared to be to this effect I am O Brutus thy evil Genius thou shalt see me again at the Fields of Philippi The third that his Servants should have heard the Speech of Brutus to the Spirit when he askt it whether it was a God or Man and what it would have Ecquis tu Deorum aut hominum es Ecquid tibi vis qui ad nos venisti And that Word which he spake without being daunted after the Spirit had discoursed with him Videbo The fourth is that Brutus according to the Relation of Plutarch was settled in his Mind after that he had heard and advised with Cassius by whose reasoning he understood that all this was but a meer Dream But what shall we say of that famous Genius or Demon of Socrates 'T is true Socrates himself speaks of it diversly in several Places but as this Philosopher was altogether employed about prescribing Precepts of good Manners he may perhaps make use of this cunning to add a greater weight to his wholsome Admonitions for we may know well enough with what authority he speaks who is supposed to be divinely Inspired Besides when Simias in Plutarch made it his business to inquire of Socrates himself what this Genius was Socrates never answered him a Word This shews sufficiently that Socrates would not tell a lie by confirming it nor would deny it by answering for fear that his wholsome and good Councils should lose thereby their Authority and Influence So that we may suppose that the Genius of Socrates was nothing else but his Reason his Wisdom and Natural Prudence which had been empowered by a constant and continual Study of Philosophy and which discover'd to him what was best to be done and furnished him with those good Counsels which he imparted to his Auditors and this is so much the more probable because Xenocrates one of the Disciples and Successors of Plato and who consequently ought to know the Thoughts of Plato and of Socrates saith That he is happy who is inriched with a good Soul and that such a Soul is to every one of us a Genius or advising Spirit And Plato speaks in this manner of that most excellent part our Soul That God hath bestowed it upon us to be as our Demon that inhabits in the highest and loftiest Fortress of our Bodies and that he who takes care of that divine Spark within him and who emproves well his familiar Spirit becomes extraordinary Happy Clemens Alexandrius speaks almost to the same Purpose when he teaches That Happiness is nothing else but to emprove well our Spirit or Genius and that the principal part of our Souls is called by the name of Demon. As to what concerns that supposed Agitation by which the Spirit being as it were out of it self and seperated from all Matter foretold things to come this supposeth that the Spirit is a Particle of God or of the Soul of the World and by that means knows all things as being of the same Nature with God who is present in all Actions and every where and therefore is ignorant of nothing Now the Disciples of Plato and generally all those who are perswaded that our Soul is part of the Soul of the World fancy that when the Soul is ingaged in the Body it sees not plainly all things as that Soul doth whereof it is a Particle but nevertheless that it is in a possibility to see and know them first when it is stirred up by the strength of certain Diseases for Aristotle acknowledgeth that in those Persons who are troubled with Melancholy there seems something Divine which predicts the time to come Secondly when it withdraws its self in its own Being and is in a perfect Tranquility and Sequestring it self at the same moment from the Thoughts and Incumbrances of Corporeal
to the study thereof it hath given us Opportunity of great Improvement by reducing it to a more distinct and easy method than formerly and we find that the Disciples of the great Plato and of Xenophon also have left behind them curious and excellent Monuments nor have those who succeeded them as Aristotle and the Stoicks come short of handling it more methodically and at large THE First BOOK CONCERNING HAPPINESS CHAP. I. What Happiness is THo' Felicity or Happiness be properly the enjoyment of the Sovereign or Chief Good and therefore the most blessed Estate that can be desired yet because this Estate of Enjoyment comprehends this Sovereign Good it is for that Reason called by this Name It is also termed the Chief or the Ultimate Happiness the End of all Ends or The End for its Excellency because all other things are desired and sought after for it's sake And lastly that it is desired alone for it's own sake To this purpose Aristotle tells us That amongst the things that are desirable there must be something at last which is most desirable that so we might avoid an Infinity But here we may make two considerable Remarks The First is That we don't concern our selves here with that Happiness mentioned by the Sacred Pen-Men when they tell us how happy that Man is who being assisted with the Divine Influences betakes himself entirely to the Service of God and being filled with Faith and Hope and inflamed with Charity spends his Life in Peace and Tranquility Nor shall we Treat of that which may be called Natural Happiness because it may be obtained by the strength of Nature being such as the ancient Philosophers did not doubt but to enjoy here on Earth The Second is That by this Natural Felicity that we here Treat of is not to be understood such a state of Life as we can't imagin a better a more pleasant and more desirable in the which we cannot apprehend any evil nor think of any good thing which we shall not possess nor of any thing that we have a desire to do but we shall be able to accomplish it and that it shall remain fix'd and unchangeable But we understand such a certain state of Life in which we may be as happy as is possible in which there are abundance of good things and very few of any sort of evil and in which consequently we may lead as easie quiet and undisturbed a Life as the Condition of the Country the Society we Converse with the Constitution of our Bodies the manner of our Life our Age and other Circumstances will permit For to propose to our selves more than this or to affect during the Course of our Natural Life the highest Felicity is not to acknowledge but rather forget our selves to be Men that is to say weak and feeble Animals who by the Laws of Nature are subject to an infinite number of Mischiefs and Evils And in this sense it is that we usually say a Wise Man tho' tormented with exquisite Pains may nevertheless be happy not in a perfect and compleat sense but he may attain to that degree that we call Human Happiness which the Wise Man always enjoys in that measure that the Circumstances will permit because he don't increase his Misery either by Impatience or Despair but rather abates it by his Constancy And by this means he is happier or to speak more properly he is less miserable than if he suffered himself to be dejected as others in like Cases who bear not their Misfortunes with the same patience and constancy of Mind and who besides are not supplied with the same Encouragements from Wisdom as he hath such I mean as an innocent Life and a good Conscience void of offence which always afford great quiet and satisfaction to the Mind Wherefore 't is improper to use this kind of Expression That it is the same thing for a Wise Man to be burning in Phalaris 's Bull as to be solacing himself upon a Bed of Roses for it is of such things as Fire and Torments that he desires to be exempt and wishes much rather that they were not or that he might not suffer by them but when they come upon him he considers them as unavoidable Evils and suffers them with Courage so that he may say Vror sed invictus I burn it is true and suffer and sometimes I sigh and weep but for all this I am not vanquish'd nor overcome nor do I suffer my self to be transported with Despair which would render my Condition much more miserable Several Opinions concerning the efficient Cause of Happiness AT our first entring upon this Discourse we may observe that the efficient Causes of Happiness being nothing else but the Goods of the Soul of the Body or of Fortune some of the Philosophers have highly extolled the first some the second and others have included them all Those who chiefly recommend the Riches of the Mind as Anaxagoras propose for the obtaining of Happiness A Contemplative Life together with such a kind of Freedom which proceeds from profound Knowledge Possidonius requires Contemplation with a Dominion over the irrational part of Man Herillus generally and simply Learning or Knowledge Apollodorus and Lycus generally the Pleasures of the Mind Leucinus the Pleasures that proceed from honest things The Stoicks Zenon Cleanthes Aristus and the rest require Vertue Therefore these last proceeded so far as to say That if a Man possess'd Vertue it matter'd not whether he were sick or well All the rest by common Consent maintain'd that to live happily was nothing else but to live a Vertuous Life or as they express it according to Nature As for those who prefer the Riches and advantages of the Body and who chiefly aim at sensual Pleasures they were for that Reason Named the Voluptuous Voluptuarii Philosophi of whom we shall have occasion to discourse hereafter when we shall compare them with Epicurus At present we shall only take notice that they have had Aristippus for their Leader and with him the Cyrenaicks of whom we shall make mention afterwards and that the Annicerians who proceed from the Cyrenaicks aimed at no certain end of Life but at the Pleasure of every particular Action of what kind or Nature soever Lastly amongst such as prefer the Goods of Fortune they are generally the vulgar sort of People who look with a greedy desire some upon Riches some upon Honours some upon other things But amongst the Philosophers none are mention'd but such as joyn to these outward Advantages the perfections also both of the Mind and Body for this hath given occasion to the Poets to make these excellent representations of Happiness which they have borrowed from several Opinions of the Philosophers such as this which requires that good Fortune might accompany Vertue Virtus colenda Sors petenda a Diis bona Haec quippe duo cui suppetunt is vivere Et vir beatus bonus simul potest Another desires
well examin'd will settle the Mind and procure to it a real and solid Happiness Some Particulars needful to be examin'd and consider'd which will contribute very much to the Repose and Happiness of the Mind THE First Particular is the Knowledge and Fear of God And certainly this Philosopher had good Reason to recommend to us in the first place the right Ideas that we are to entertain of this Sovereign Being because he that hath a right Notion of him is so much inflamed with Love and Affection for God that he constantly endeavours to please him by an honest and a vertuous Life always trusting in his infinite Goodness and expecting all things from him who is the Fountain of all good By this means he spends his Life sweetly peaceably and pleasantly We shall not concern our selves here to shew the Existence of this Being seeing we have already done it elsewhere But shall only take notice that tho' Epicurus delivers some Notions that are very just and reasonable yet he hath others that are not to be entertained by pious Men tho' he interprets 'em after his own Fashion such are to be look'd upon as impious for he believes That God hath a Being as Lucretius makes him acknowledge in his first Book For whatsoe'er's Divine must live in Peace In undisturb'd and everlasting Ease Not care for us from Fears and Dangers free Sufficient to it 's own Felicity Nought here below nought in our Power it needs Ne'er smiles at good ne'er frowns at wicked deeds Now I say to believe such a supreme Being that exists to all Eternity is immortal and infinitely happy in it's own Nature enjoying all things within it self and stands in no need of us nor hath any Cause to fear that is not subject to Pain Anger nor other Passions are undeniable Truths and an Opinion that is Praise-worthy especially in a Heathen Philosopher but when he denies Providence as these Verses do intimate and when he thinks that it is not consisting with the highest Felicity as if God had no particular Care of Men That the Just are to expect nothing from his Goodness nor the Wicked are not to dread his Justice are such Opinions that our Reason and Religion will not permit us to entertain The second Particular relates to Death For as Aristotle observes Death is look'd upon as the most dreadful Evil because none is exempted being unavoidable Therefore Epicurus judges That we ought to accustom our selves to think upon it that we might learn by that means as much as is possible to free our selves from such Fears of Death as might disturb our Tranquility and consequently the Happiness of our Life and for that Reason he endeavours to perswade us that it is so far from being the most dreadful of all Evils that in it self it is no Evil at all And thus he argues Death saith he don't affect us and by consequence in respect of us is not to be judged an Evil for what affects us is attended by some but now Death is the privation of Sense He tells us also with Anaxagoras That as before we were capable of Sense it was not grievous to us to have no Sense so likewise when we shall have lost it we shall not be troubled at the want of it As when we are asleep we are not concerned because we are not awake So when we shall be dead it will not trouble us that we are not living He concludes with Archesilas That Death which is said to be an Evil hath this belonging to it that when it hath been present it hath never troubled any body And that it is through the Weakness of the Mind and the dismal Apprehensions that we have of Death that makes it seem so terrible to us when absent insomuch that some are struck dead with the very Fear of dying We may very well acknowledge That Death is the Privation of our External Sense or of Sense properly so called And Epicurus hath very good Reason to say That in Death there is nothing to be feared that may injure the Sight the Hearing the Smell the Tast or the Sense of Feeling for all these Senses cannot be without the Body and then the Body ceases to be or is dissolved But that which we are not to allow is what he affirms elsewhere That Death is also the Privation or Extinction of the Spirit or Understanding which is an internal Sense a Sense according to his Notion Therefore that we may not be hindred by this Impiety which has been sufficiently refuted in treating of the Immortality of the Soul let us proceed to give a Check to the extraordinary Apprehensions of Death and to those Fears that frequently disturb all the Peace and Quiet of our Life and with a sullen Blackness infect and poison all our most innocent Pleasures as Lucretius saith Those idle Fears That spoil our Lives with Jealousies and Cares Disturb our Joys with dread of Pains beneath And sully them with the black Fears of Death Let us therefore in the first place remember to give a Check to that fond Desire of prolonging our days without bounds Let us I say so remember this frail and infirm Condition of our Nature as not to desire any thing above it's Reach and Capacity Let us calmly and quietly without repining enjoy this Gift of Life whether it be bestowed upon us for a longer or a shorter time It is certain that our Maker may deprive us of it without doing us any wrong Let us thankfully acknowledge his Liberality from whom we have received it and add this to the number of those Benefits which we daily draw from his Bounty Nature favours us for a while with the use of the Prospect of those Enjoyments Be not angry that we must withdraw when the time is expired for we were admitted upon no other Terms but to yield our places to others as our Ancestors have done to us Our Bodies are naturally inclinable to Corruption and the manner of our Nativity renders our Death unavoidable If to be Born is pleasant let not our Dissolution be grievous to us to make use of Seneca's Words If the striving against this Fatality could any ways advantage us we should then perhaps approve of the Endeavours that are made but all our Strugglings are to no purpose we do but add to our pain The number of our Days is so appointed that the time of our Life slides away and is not to be recovered and we run our Race in such a manner that whether we will or not we are brought at last to the end As many Days as we pass over so many are cut off from that Life that Nature hath alotted to us So that Death being the Privation of Life we are dying continually as long as we live and that by a Death that carries not all at once but by degrees one step after another tho' the last is that unto which the Name of Death is assigned So true
can this shorten the long state of Death For tho' thy Life shall numerous Ages fill The State of Death shall be Eternal still And he that dies to day shall be no more As long as those who perish'd long before If Nature saith he again should in anger speak to us in this manner What Cause hast thou O Mortal to Weep and to Complain of Death If thy former Life hath been easie and pleasant and if thou hast known how to make use of the good things and delights that I have afforded thee why dost thou not as a Guest depart when thou art full and satisfied with Life and why dost thou not accept fond Creature of the agreeable Repose that is offered thee But if otherwise thy Life hath been to thee a burthen and if thou hast suffered my Bounties to perish why desirst thou more to mispend them after the same manner for I can give thee no new thing And if thou shouldst live thousands of years thou wilt but still see the same things repeated over again If Nature should speak to us in this Language should we not have reason to approve of this Discourse and own that it hath cause to Reproach us in this manner Fond Mortal what 's the matter thou dost sigh Why all these Tears because thou once must die And once submit to strong Necessity For if the Race thou hast already run Was pleasant if with joy thou saws't the Sun If all thy Pleasures did not pass thy Mind As thro' a Sieve but left some Sweets behind Why dost thou not then like a thankful Guest Rise cheerfully from Life's abundant Feast And with a quiet Mind go take thy Rest But if all those Delights are lost and gone Spent idly all and Life a burthen grown Then why fond Mortal dost thou ask for more Why still desire t' increase thy wretched store And wish for what must wast like those before Not rather free thy self from Pains and Fear And end thy Life and necessary care My Pleasures always in a Circle run The same returning with the yearly Sun And thus tho' thou dost still enjoy thy Prime And tho' thy Limbs feel not the rage of Time Yet I can find no new no fresh Delight The same dull Joys must vex thy Appetite Altho' thou coud'st prolong thy wretched Breath For numerous Years much more if free from Death At least we must acknowledge that a Wise Man who hath lived long enough to consider the World ought of his own accord to submit himself to the Course of Nature when he perceives that his time is come and cannot but suppose that his Race is Run and that the Circle that he hath finish'd is compleat and if this Circle is not to be compared to Eternity it is however with the continuance of the World As to what relates to the whole Prospect of Nature he hath often beheld the Heavens the Earth and other things included in the World He hath often seen the rising and the setting of the Coelestial Bodies He hath taken notice of several Eclipses and many other Phaenomenas or unusual Appearances in the Skye the constant succession of the Seasons and in a word many particular Generations many Corruptions and Transmutations And as to those things which relate to Mankind he hath seen or at least hath heard and understood from History the Transactions that have happen'd from the beginning of Peace and of War of Faith kept and violated of a Polite Life and of a rude and barbarous Behaviour of Laws Establish'd and Abolish'd of Kingdoms and Commonwealths in their first Birth and Declension and generally all other things that he hath any knowledge of or which have been told him and with which he is in any wise acquainted as if he had been present when they first happen'd So that he ought to consider that all the time that is gone before him relates to him as if his Life were begun with the things themselves And because we must judge of the future by the time past he ought also to think that all the subsequent time relates to him in the same manner and that there shall be nothing hereafter but what hath been already that there is nothing but the Circumstances of things that alter and that all things in general steer the same common Course and make the like appearances so that Holy Writ hath reason to say The thing that hath been it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done again and there is no new thing under the Sun Is there any thing whereof it may be said see this is new From whence we may conclude that a Wise Man ought not to fancy his Life short for by casting his eye upon the time past and foreseeing the time to come he may extend it to as great a length as the duration of the Universe Moreover tho' Epicurus had cause to say That it is ridiculous to assert that there is no evil in Death when it is present and yet to dread it and be troubled when it must come as if there were any reason to be disturbed for that which is absent which when present never gives us the least sorrow Nevertheless because other Considerations represent Death dreadful as the Evils and Pains that Usher it and those that we think will be its necessary Attendants Seneca therefore makes it his business to recommend divers Considerations wherein he shews that tho' Death in it self is no Evil yet it appears so much in that Notion that it ought not to be lookt upon as an indifferent thing for as he expresseth himself Death is not indifferent in the same manner as it is indifferent whether the Hairs of my head be of one length or not for Death is to be reckon'd amongst those things which tho' they be no real Evils yet they appear to be so for we love our selves and naturally desire to subsist and preserve our selves and we have an innate aversion from a dissolution because it seems to deprive us of many advantages and draws us away from that plenty of Enjoyments unto which we are accustomed There is yet one thing more which causeth us to dread Death We know the things present but we are altogether Strangers to those unto which we are a going and therefore we fear that which is unknown Besides we have a natural dread of Darkness into which we imagin that Death is leading us So that tho' Death is indifferent yet it is not of the number of those things that are easily to be despised we ought to inure and harden our Minds by a long accustomed Habit to enable us the more willingly to undergo and encounter with the dismal approaches of Death The Third Particular relates to the abominable Opinion of the Stoicks who were perswaded that in some Cases Men had the liberty to kill themselves for thus you see Seneca represents them arguing It is certainly a great
out the strangest means to deliver our selves from it and to procure our Death Et saepe usque adeo mortis formidine vitae Percipit ingratos odium lucisque videnda Vt sibi conciscant moerenti pectore lethum But this extraordinary Fear causeth by degrees a certain kind of Melancholy which depresseth the Heart enfeebles the Spirits and obstructs all the operations of Life It stops Digestion and draws upon us many Diseases that are the immediate Causes of Death However the Opinion of the Stoicks is not only contrary to the Sacred Precepts of our Religion but is also contrary to Nature and right Reason We must except some certain Persons who being directed by a Particular and Divine Instinct have been instrumental in procuring their own Deaths as Samson and others in the Old-Testament and Sophronia and Pelagia since the New for Nature furnishes all sorts of Animals with a Natural love of Life and there is none besides Man let them be tormented with never so grievous pain but labours to preserve Life as much as they can and to avoid Death This is a sign that none but Man doth by his mistaken Opinions corrupt the Institution of Nature when he refuseth the benefit of Life and advanceth his Death he acts then by a wickedness peculiar to himself for the true state of Nature is to be consider'd in the general body of the Creatures and not in some few individuals of one single Species that hasten their own destruction and cast away themselves before the time appointed by Nature From hence we may conclude that such are injurious to God and Nature who being design'd and order'd to perform a certain Race stop in the middle of their Course of their own accord and who being appointed to watch forsake and abandon their Post without waiting for Orders from their Superiors Besides Reason forbids us to be Cruel against the Innocent who never did us any harm and by consequence it don't allow that we should act inhumanly upon our selves from whom we never experienced any Hatred but rather too much Love Moreover upon what occasion can our Vertue appear more conspicuous than in suffering Courageously the Evils that our hard Fortune imposes upon us To die saith Aristotle because of our Poverty or for Love or for some other mischievous accident is not the act of a Man of Spirit and Courage but of a mean and timorous Soul for it is the part of a weak Mind to shun and flye from things hard to be endured Stout Men saith Curtius are wont to despise Death rather than to hate Life 'T is the trouble and impatience of Suffering that carries the Cowards to base Actions that makes them despised and scorned Vertue leaves nothing unattempted and Death is the last thing with which we must Encounter but not as timerous lazy and unwilling Souls I shall not here stay to examin the Opinion of those who imagining saith Lactantius that the Souls are Eternal have therefore kill'd themselves as Cleanthes Chrysippus and Zeno expecting to be transported at the same time to Heaven or as Empedocles who cast himself in the Night into the Flames of Mount-Aetna that by disappearing so suddenly the World might think that he was gone to the Gods or as Cato who was during his Life-time a Follower of the vanity of the Stoicks who before he kill'd himself as it is Reported had read Plato 's Book of the Eternity of the Soul or finally as Cleombrotus who after he had read the same Book cast himself down a Precipice This is a Cursed and Abominable Doctrin that drives Men out of their Lives Neither shall I trouble my self with that Cyrenaick of Hegesius who Disputed so Elegantly concerning the Miseries of Life and the Blessed Place of the Souls after Death that King Ptolomy was forced to forbid him to speak in Publick because so many of his Disciples after they had heard him destroyed themselves as Cicero Reports and some others For the Evils that we indure in this Life may happen to be so great and increase in such a manner that when the time of Death is come the loss of Life may not be unpleasant and that in such a Case Death may be esteem'd as the Haven that shelters us from the Miseries and Torments of Life But to aggravate our Afflictions so far as to beget in us a scorn and hatred of Life is to be injurious and unthankful to Nature as if the Gift of Life that hath been bestowed upon us for our use were to be rashly cast away or as if we were not to accept of it any longer nor honestly and quietly to enjoy it as long as is possible 'T is true what Theognis said formerly That it were much better for Men not to be Born or to Die as soon as they are Born is a Celebrated Saying Non nasci res est mortalibus optima longe Nec Solis radiis acre videre Jubar Aut natum Ditis quamprimum lumen adire This is confirmed by the Example of Cleobis of Biton of Agamedes of Pindarus and of some others who having Petitioned the Gods to grant to them the thing which was best and most desirable were admitted to this great favour To die in a short time Answerable to this is the Custom of the Thracians who wept at the Birth of their Children but Congratulated the Happiness of such as Died. Not to mention Menander who wish'd a young Man dead because he was well beloved by the Gods Quem diligunt Dii Juvenis ipse interit Nor to say any thing of that Famous Sentence Vitam nemo acciperet si daretur scientibus That no body would accept of Life willingly if it were given to them that knew what it were But pray who will believe that Theognis and the rest have spoken seriously and without any Restriction I say without any Restriction for if they would have it that it is better for such only who are to be miserable all their Lives that they had not been Born or to have Died at the very moment of their Birth the Saying might be tolerable and allowable but to speak this in relation to all Men is to affront Nature the Mistriss both of our Life and Death that hath ordered and appointed our Birth and our Dissolution as she hath all other things for the preservation of the Universe It were to expose our selves to be contradicted if not by all yet by the most part of Men who are not weary of Life but seek to preserve it as carefully as they can For Life as we have already observed hath something in it very pleasing and lovely therefore he that speaks in this manner shall feel himself bound and held fast and I am apt to believe that he may be like the Old Man in Aesop who sent Death back again tho' he had often called for it before or like another who refused to make use of the Dagger that he had desired to be
shall hear what he saith next When we say that Pleasure is the main End we mean neither the Pleasures of Debauchery nor the other sensual Delights which terminate in the very moment of enjoyment and by which the Senses are only gratified and pleased as some ignorant Persons and who are not of our Opinion or who being enviously bent against us do thus Interpret But we only understand this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To feel no pain in the Body and to have no trouble in the Soul for 't is not the Pleasure of continual Eating and Drinking nor the Pleasure of Love nor that of Rare Dainties and delicious Bits of large and well-furnish'd Tables that make a Pleasant Life but a sound Judgment assisted by Sobriety and consequently by a serenity and tranquility of Mind which throughly enquires into the Causes why we ought to embrace or avoid any thing and that drives away all mistaken Opinions or false Notions of things which might raise much perplexity in the Soul I might add another Passage which I shall only mention Venereorum usus nunquam prodest praeclareque agitur nisi etiam noceat That the Delights of Venus are not only unprofitable but it is very rare if they be not mischievous But this ingenuous and plain Declaration of his meaning is sufficient to justifie him from the slanderous Accusations of his Enemies Let us nevertheless take notice of the difference and contrariety that Laertius puts between Epicurus and Aristippus for this difference or antithesis shews clearly that Epicurus believed no other Pleasure to be the End but that which consists in a constant Repose namely a freedom from pain of Body and trouble of Mind But Aristippus would have it consist in that Pleasure of the Body which is chiefly Communicated to us by action or by which our Senses are actually pleased and gratified This contrariety I say discovers Epicurus's Opinion to have been misrepresented and taken in a wrong sense such as Aristippus's deserved So that all the Reproaches that were due to Aristippus have been cast by this mistake upon Epicurus and the other hath escap'd unblemish'd The Famous Dispute of Torquatus in Cicero plainly discovers this Truth Hear his words I will explain saith Torquatus what that Pleasure is that I may prevent all cause of mistake in them who understand not the matter and that I may make them apprehend that this Doctrin which they fancy to be loose and debauch'd is Grave Chast and Regular We do not pursue that Pleasure which gratifies Nature with a little seeming sweetness and that is relish'd by the Senses with a haut-gust But we esteem that to be the chief Pleasure that is taken without any sense of Pain for as Thirst and Hunger are allayed by Eating and Drinking this deliverance freedom or privation from that which is troublesom and uneasie causeth Pleasure so in all other things a deliverance from Pain begets Pleasure Epicurus therefore admits of no Medium between Pain and Pleasure for he maintained that what appear'd to some to be a Medium namely the privation from all Pain was not only a Pleasure but the chief Pleasure In truth he that rightly understands himself and knows what ails him or what Condition he is in he must needs be either in Pleasure or in Pain Now Epicurus was of Opinion that the chief Pleasure consisted in a privation from all Pain and by Consequence that Pleasure may be diversified and distinguished but not augmented and encreas'd We might here produce some Witnesses of this matter Certainly Seneca may be heard and credited before all others as being without doubt a Person of great worth unspotted Reputation of an Exemplary Life and Manners and addicted to a Sect which had chiefly drawn upon Epicurus all the shame and disgrace that is commonly cast upon him instead of Aristippus being thereunto encouraged by the evil sense and meaning that they have given to his words According to Epicurus saith Seneca there are two Advantages required to the compleating the Sovereign Good or Chief Happiness of Man The First is That the Body may be without Pain The Second That the Mind may be calm and sedate These advantages don't increase if they be compleat for how can that which is full increase When the Body is free from Pain what can be added to that Freedom when the Mind enjoys it self and is quiet what may be added to this Tranquility Like as the Serenity of the Heavens is perfect and can't admit of any other new degrees of Light when it is absolutely clear and without the least shadow or mist Thus the Condition of Man is perfect when he hath taken care of his Body and Soul making his chief Happiness to consist in the advantages of both together in a Freedom from all trouble of Mind and from all pain of Body for we may then say that such a Man is arrived to the full accomplishment of all his Desires And if beside all this there happens to him an additional Repose it don't increase his chief Good but it only seasons it for this compleat Happiness the perfection of the Human Nature is comprehended in the quiet of the Body and the Mind In which words we may take notice that Seneca expresseth clearly and plainly Epicurus's Opinion as it is related by Laertius Moreover because that Epicurus gave the Name of Chief Good or Compleat Happiness to a freedom from Bodily Pain and a perfect Tranquility of Mind the loose and Debauched Persons of his time took incouragement from thence mistaking the word Pleasure and boasting that they had a Philosopher to countenance their Debaucheries For this Reason Seneca argues with them in this manner in his Book of a Happy-Life 'T is not Epicurus that forces or perswades them to Luxury and Debauchery but being accustomed to these Vices they endeavour to conceal their Vices under the Covert of Philosophy and they flock together when they hear Pleasure mentioned with Praise Non ab Epicuro impulsi luxuriantur sed vitiis dediti luxuriam suam in Philosophiae sinu abscondunt eo concurrunt ubi audiunt laudari Voluptatem Without doubt it is not the Pleasure of Epicurus which is esteem'd and sought after I know how sober and innocent that Pleasure is But they skip at the Name of Pleasure seeking some protection and veil from their Lasciviousness and filthy Delights Nec aestimatur Voluptas illa Epicuri ita enim me Hercules sentio quam sobria ac sicca sit sed ad nomen ipsum advolant quaerentes libidinibus suis patrocinium aliquod ac velamentum My Opinion saith he again is for I will speak it in despight of the Vulgar The things that Epicurus teacheth are fair and just and have something of solid and serious if we consider them exactly for his Pleasure is reduc'd to very few things He prescribes to it the very same Rules that we do to Vertue and appoints it to be Obedient to Nature
which is easily contented Mea quidem sententia invitis hoc nostris popularibus dicam Sancta Epicurum recta praecipere si propius accesseris tristia Voluptatibus enim illa ad parvum exile revocatur quam nos Virtuti Legem dicimus eam ille dicit Voluptati Jubet illam parere Naturae Parum autem est Luxuriae quod Naturae satis est Will you then understand what it is He that saith that the Happiness of Life consists in Idleness in Good Cheer in Ease and Wanton Pleasures and calls that Happiness seeks a good Excuse to an evil Cause and when he comes flattering himself with the softness of the Name he follows not that Pleasure which he hears Praised but that which he brings with him and when once he begins to believe his Vices to be consistent with the Doctrines professed he freely adheres to them no longer disguising and acting them in secret but boldly and openly proclaiming them to the World Thus he concludes I don't say what many don't scruple to affirm That the Sect of Epicurus is the encourager of infamous Crimes and lewd Debaucheries But this is what I say it is ill spoken of I confess but without Cause and this cannot easily be discovered but by more narrowly prying into the very first grounds of their Opinions The meer name of Pleasure occasions the mistake and casts an odium upon it Itaque non dico quod plerique nostrum Sectam Epicuri flagitiorum Magistram esse sed illud dico male audit infamis est immerito neque hoc scire quisquam potest nisi interius fuerit admissus Frons ipsa dat locum Fabulae ad malam spem invitat We may after the Testimony of Seneca bring that of Plutarch who tho' he was an Enemy of Epicurus yet he hath done him so much right as to say That the things that were objected against him rather proceeded from vulgar Mistakes than from the Truth of the matter Besides in another place he merrily cries out upon the Pleasure of Epicurus and his Disciples O the vast Pleasure and Felicity that there is in being insensible either of Sorrow or Pain Elsewhere he saith Tho' Epicurus placeth the Sovereign Happiness in a perfect Rest and as it were in a Center of Quiet c. And in another place That young Persons will learn from Epicurus that Death doth not so much affect us that the Riches of Nature are limited that Felicity and a Happy-Life don't consist in abundance of Silver or in Large Possessions in Dominion or in Power but in a freedom from Pain in the Government of our Passions and in that Disposition of the Mind which confines all things within the limits of Nature From hence it is evident that the chief Happiness of Epicurus is not that Pleasure which is in Motion or in the pleasing of our Senses but rather that which is and appears in Rest in a freedom from trouble We might here farther add the Testimonies of Tertullian of St. Gregory Nazianzen of Ammonius of Stobeus of Suidas of Lactantius and of many others amongst the Ancients who tho' being no entire Friends of Epicurus yet some of them have declared that the Pleasure that Epicurus recommends was nothing else but a peaceable State agreeing with Nature and not a mean and sordid Pleasure Others have said That between Epicurus and Aristippus there was this difference that Aristippus placed the chief Happiness in the Pleasure of the Body but Epicurus in that of the Mind Others That the Pleasure which the Disciples of Epicurus propose to themselves for their End certainly is not a sensual and a Bodily Pleasure but a quiet Temper of the Soul which is inseparable from a Vertuous and an Honest Life Others as Lactantius after he had abated of the warmth of his Stile he saith That Epicurus maintains the chief Happiness to be in the Pleasures of the Mind and Aristippus in that of the Body I speak of the Ancients within these two hundred years that is to say towards the end of the ignorant Ages we have amongst others John Gerson and Gemistus Pletho that speak and verifie the same The first having mentioned divers Opinions concerning Happiness declares that some are of Opinion that Man's Happiness consists in the Pleasures of the Mind or in a peaceable Tranquility of Spirit such as was that of Epicurus mentioned often by Seneca in his Epistles with very much respect But as to the other Epicurus quoth he Aristippus Sardanapalus and Mahomet who placed it in the Pleasures of the Body they were no Philosophers Here we must pardon the ignorance of that Age and the common vogue if he hath imagined that there have been two of that Name The second Named Gemistus Pletho Treating of the Delight of Contemplation shews That Aristotle never taught any other Doctrin than that of Epicurus who placed the Chief Happiness in the Pleasures of the Mind Now it is not without Reason that I have insinuated that since these Men there hath sprung up an Happier and a more Learned Age that have revived Learning that lay almost Languishing for since that time an infinite number of knowing Men are risen up who have entertained better thoughts of that Philosopher as Philelphus Alexander ab Alexandro Volateranus Johannes Franciscus Picus and many more What shall we say then to those who Charge him with a contrary Opinion Nothing else but what hath been spoken in the Apology of his Life namely that the Stoicks who very much hated him for Reasons there expressed at large have not only misunderstood his Opinion but they have also forged and publish'd in his Name scandalous Books whereof they themselves were the Authors that they might the more easily gain credit to their Malicious Insinuations and fasten upon him their Calumnies without suspicion Now one of the Causes of their hatred against him was that Zenon their Principal Leader was naturally melancholy austere rude and severe and his Disciples following their Guide affected the same Air and a severe Meen This hath caused the Vertue of the Stoicks or their Wisdom to be represented as some very austere and reserved thing and in regard that caused them to be admired and respected by the Common-People and that we suffer our selves willingly to be carried away to vain-glory and to be puft up with Pride if we don't take great heed to prevent it they fancied themselves to be the only possessors of Wisdom and therefore they boasted that he alone was the Wiseman whose Soul was strengthned and fortified with the Vertue of the Stoicks that he alone was fit to be a King a Captain a Magistrate a Citizen for such were their Expressions an Orator a Friend Beautiful Noble and Rich. And that such a one never repents is not touch'd with Remorse cannot receive Affronts is ignorant of nothing never doubts of any thing is free from Passion is always at Liberty full of Joy and Content
Infamous and Dishonest hath that in it which causes great Pain and Uneasiness From whence it is that as Vertue and Goodness is attended by many and great Advantages so Vice or Wickedness is succeeded by many and great Evils So that in short among the things which are to be desired in order to obtaining our chief Good Vertue is that which we are chiefly to aim at and among the things that we are to shun in order the better to avoid the greatest Evils Vice and Wickedness is that which we are chiefly to fly from Lastly This Doctrin seems to be very conformable to the Sacred Rules of Faith By which as we believe that our chief Good or Happiness consists in enjoying the everlasting Delights and Joys in Heaven So we believe That our greatest Unhappiness or Misery consists in being tormented in Hell with uspeakable Tortures in everlasting Flames CHAP V. That a Wise Man is only capable of enjoying Moral Vertue WE have hitherto treated of Pleasure as it is generally understood We shall now speak of that particular specifick Pleasure unto which a Wise Man confines himself as being in its own Nature not only very easie to be obtain'd but also most lasting and free from Repentance In a word that Pleasure that we before called the Tranquility of the Mind and the exemption of the Body from Pain now we have great Reason to call it most Natural for at this sort of Pleasure Nature seems chiefly to aim as not having regard to other Pleasures which are always shifting and in a constant Motion any otherwise than to make them useful in the obtaining this as for Instance It hath appointed the Pleasure of Tasting to make the action of Eating more grateful and by that means to oblige us to the Act whereby to satisfie our Hunger which is that pain we feel and caused by the cravings of an empty Stomach But in reference to the satisfaction and tranquility of Mind which we enjoy when Hunger is appeas'd This Nature hath reserv'd as her last End and designed it as her chief Good We have great reason to say that it is very easie to be obtain'd because it is in every one's Power to moderate his Desires by supplying himself with things necessary for his Body whereby to free it from Pain and thereby render his Mind calm and easy I say That it is very lasting because other Pleasures pass away in a Moment and free from us whereas this continues the same unless it be interrupted and perish by our own Miscarriages Lastly I describe it to be very free from Repentance for all other Pleasures may be attended by some Evil whereas this is altogether innocent and draws upon us no such Mischief I know that Cicero at first quarrels very much with Epicurus because he gives the Term of Pleasure to this Tranquility and freedom from Pain which he pretends to be proper to nothing but that which consists in Motion or to those things which please the Senses But methinks Cicero should not differ with him about a bare Word for suppose according to common Custom we did not call this Tranquility of Mind and freedom from Bodily Pain Pleasure Why should we hinder Epicurus the giving it that Name and esteeming it so great a Pleasure that among all others that bear that name none is to be compared with it This hath been and always will be allowed in cases of Opinion especially here where Pleasure and that which is Good and Desirable are the same thing Therefore this State or Condition of Life which of all other seems most desirable may be very well esteem'd and called Pleasure Besides we may not only bring Aristotle here to controll him in express words That there is a greater Pleasure in Repose than in Action but also St. Chrysostom who thus expresseth himself For what is Pleasure but to be free from Inquietude Trouble Fear and Despair and generally to be exempt from such kind of Passions Pray which of these two may be said truly to enjoy Pleasure He who is furiously distracted by Passions and so continually overcome with vicious Lusts that he hath no command of himself or He who is free from all these Disturbances and rests in Philosophy as a quiet Haven I may truly call that Pleasure when the Soul is in such a State that it is in no wise disquieted nor disturbed by any bodily Passion That which Cicero objects concerning Children and Brutes which are as the Looking-glasses of uncorrupted Nature and yet desire not that Pleasure which is in Rest of which we have been speaking but only that which is in Motion seems to make most against us But let his Judgment of the Brutes and the Nature of Animals be what it will tho' they came into the World uncorrupted and are well instructed for the obtaining their End after they have satisfied their Pain which is caused by some Want naturally they tend to Rest contrary to several Men who being corrupted in their Imagination constantly cut out and make to themselves Work by provoking the Appetite and never stop at any thing Whatever be the case of the Beasts we shall speak only of Men of whom it is certain whatever is Objected is easily Answer'd by what we have already mentioned For in the first Place Nature hath appointed a fix'd Pleasure for the chief End And tho' Action be design'd as a necessary Means to obtain it it makes use of the Pleasure which is in Motion that the Action might pass with more Delight and Satisfaction From whence it happens That tho' Man or any other Creature seems to be more apparently and expresly stir'd up and inclin'd to active Pleasure nevertheless this hinders not but at the same time he really and secretly tends to that which is stable and that by the Instinct or Bent of Nature who looks upon it as her chief Aim and principal End Besides because Man's Understanding in process of time is corrupted vitiated apt to make divers gross Mistakes and as we commonly say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make that Principal which is but Accessory he sets up a fleeting moving Pleasure for his principal Mark and by abusing this Pleasure by his Intemperance he draws upon himself a Mischief when he loseth that Pleasure which is more fix'd and solid and which Nature hath made the First and Principal and this is succeeded by Sorrow and Repentance For this cause it is that Epicurus adviseth That Wisdom should interpose which teacheth Man to govern his Pleasure that is to say to consider and look upon the Assistant as Assistant and the Principal as Principal In the mean while we need not concern our selves much about what the Cyrenaicks Object in Cicero That this Pleasure of Epicurus is like the condition of a sleeping Person For he hath declared That his Tranquility and freedom from Pain is not to be Stupified but to be in such a State that all the actions of our Life
might be done calmly and sedately as we have already said As he allows not that the Life of a Wise Man should be as a Torrent so he don't approve that it should be like a still and stinking Pool but rather like the Water of a River that glides along quietly and without Noise This is one of his Maxims That when Pain is removed Pleasure is not increas'd but only diversified and altered As if he would have said That when we have attain'd to this quiet State free from Pain there is truly nothing to be desired greater or to be compared to it but in the mean while there remain several pure and innocent Pleasures wherewith this State if not abused is Embelished in the manner of a Field which becoming Fruitful affords divers Fruits or in the manner of a Meadow which we see covered over with an admirable diversity of Flowers when the Earth is brought to be in a good Temper For this State is like a Spring out of which all the Pleasures that are Pure and Sincere are drawn For this cause therefore it ought to be esteem'd as the chief Pleasure in regard it is an universal Relish by which all the Actions of our Life are seasoned and by which consequently all our Pleasures are sweetned and become grateful And to speak all in a Word Without which no Pleasure can be Pleasure In reality What Satisfaction can there be if the Mind be troubled or the Body tormented with Pain It is a Proverb That if the Vessel be not clean it Sowers whatever is put into it Sincerum est nisi vas quodcumque infundis acescit Whoever therefore is desirous of pure sincere Pleasures he must prepare himself to receive them without any Mixture or Alloy that is By attaining as much as is possible to this State of Rest and Tranquility that we have described I add the words as much as is possible for As we have observed already The frailty of our human Nature wont suffer us to be absolutely and perfectly Happy for so compleat a Felicity altogether free from Trouble and Pain and crowned with all manner of Delights belongs to God alone and to them whom he calls to a better Life So that in this present World some have a greater some a less share of Afflictions and Pains He that will deal wisely ought to endeavour as much as the weakness of his Nature will permit to settle himself in that condition in which he may be as little sensible of Grief and Pain as is possible for by this means he will obtain these two Advantages which chiefly contribute to his present Happiness and which Wise Men have acknowledged to be almost the only solid and desirable Advantages of Life The Health of the Body and of the Mind Sunt Sanitas Mens gemina vitae bona Optandum est ut sit Mens sana in Corpore sano And that Epicurus never designed that his Pleasure should extend to a Sottishness or a privation of Sense and Action may be proved by what he was pleased with in his Retirements either in Meditating or in Teaching or in taking care of his Friends But let it suffice us here to say That from that state and condition of Life did arise certain Thoughts which of all things in the World were the most pleasing and delightful Namely when any shall call to mind the Storms that he hath couragiously weather'd in which some are yet tossed up and down he fancies himself as it were in a safe Haven possessing a calm and a serene Tranquility which Lucretius in his Second Book pleasantly sets forth 'T is pleasant when the Seas are rough to stand And view another's Danger safe at Land Not ' cause he 's Troubled but 't is sweet to see Those Cares and Fears from which our selves are free He tells us also That it is very pleasant to look from a high Tower upon two great Armies drawn up in Battel without being concerned in the Danger 'T is also Pleasant to behold from far How Troops Engage secure our selves from War But there is nothing so pleasant as to see our selves by the help of Learning and Knowledge advanc'd to the Top of Wisdom's Temple from whence as from an high Station serene and quiet we may see Men involved in a thousand Miseries without being concern'd But above all 'T is pleasantest to get The top of high Philosophy and sit On the calm peaceful flourishing Head of it Whence we may view deep wond'rous deep below How poor forsaken Mortals Wandring go Seeking the path to Happiness some aim At Learning Wit Nobility or Fame Others with Cares and Dangers vex each Hour To reach the Top of Wealth and Sovereign Power Whilst frugal Nature seeks for only Ease A Body free from Pains free from Disease A Mind from Cares and Jealousies at Peace Of the Tranquility of the Mind in particular BUt to say something more particularly of the Tranquility of the Mind let us again repeat That by this Expression we don't understand a slow and lazy Temper nor a sluggish and languishing Idleness But as Cicero Explains it out of Pythagoras and Plato Placida quietaque constantia in animi parte rationis principe A sweet and peaceable Constacy of Mind Or as Democritus says An excellent equal and sweet Constitution and Temper of Mind which makes the Man settl'd and unshaken in such a manner and to such a degree that whether he be Employed or at Leisure whether Prosperity favour him or Adversity frowns upon him he continues always Equal always like Himself and will not suffer himself to be Transported by an excess of Joy nor dejected by Grief and Sorrow In a Word he is at no time disturbed by such-like Passions Therefore this Tranquility of Mind was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies freedom from Trouble and Disquietness for in the same manner as a Ship is said to be in quiet not only when it is becalm'd in the middle of the Sea but likewise chiefly when it is driven by a favourable Gale which indeed causeth it to sail swift but nevertheless quietly and steddily Thus the Mind is said to be in Tranquility not only when it is at rest but more especially when it undertakes great and excellent Things without being disturb'd inwardly and without losing any part of its Steddiness On the contrary as a Ship is said to be disturb'd not only when it is carried away with the contrary Winds but when it is beaten by those that rise out of the very Waters thus the Mind is said to be disquieted not only when in its proceedings it is carried away with divers Passions but likewise when in the midst of Rest Care Grief and Fear are continually gnawing and fretting it and rendring it uneasy These therefore and such like are the Passions which by disturbing our Tranquility interrupt the Happiness of our Lives Cicero Speaks of them in this manner The turbulent Motions and the
Practice of Vertue it inquires wherein consists the chief Good and the chief Evil whither all our Actions ought to tend and what is the Rule of Life we ought to steer by Moreover he who shall have consider'd the strong Revolutions of Things since the beginning of the World the Rise Progress Consistency Declension and Over-throw of Kingdoms Common-wealths Religions Opinions Laws Customs Manners and the present Ways and Methods of Living now in Vogue which our Fore-fathers would have rejected such as our Ancestors seriously followed and which we now laugh at and such possibly as will hereafter please our Posterity yet could we but at present see them we should laugh at and deride These Fashions and Customs tho' they change in some particular things may in general be said to be the same and are only a Sign of the Frailty Lightness and Inconstancy of Mankind And thus it always happens that Men by their Lightness live continually miserable being carried away by Ambition or Covetousness or some other Passion They don't see how much it is their Concern to free themselves from such Cares to be content with little to live within themselves and to spend their Life peaceably without so much noise He I say who shall have employ'd his Mind in such Contemplations will doubtless feel extraordinary Delight and will be very happy in his Thoughts especially if he considers all things as from that high and sacred Tower from whence as we said Vertue looks down upon the several Actions and Affairs of Men their Ambition their Pride their Vanity their sordid Covetousness and the rest before hinted Of Freedom from Pain in particular NOw to speak something concerning Freedom from Pain It seems not so much in our Power to free our selves from Pain in our Bodies as to ease our selves of Troubles in our Minds for tho' it is difficult to stop the Passions in their full Career and check their exorbitant Motions yet if we except such as have a Conjunction with Pain such as are particularly Hunger and Thirst which create a desire of Eating and Drinking it seems in respect of the others as they arise in us from Opinion so they may if we keep our selves from the Influence of that Opinion be check'd and curb'd But in relation to the Pains of the Body tho' we may take care not to draw them upon our selves outwardly nor stir them up inwardly yet it often happens that the Temper which we derive from our Mother's Womb is such that upon that very account we are liable to many Pains during the course of our Lives 'T is not without Reason therefore that Esop feigned that when Prometheus was to temper the Clay with which he was to make Man made use of no Water but of Tears for by that he had a design to teach us that the Nature of our Bodies is such that it is partly subject to outward and partly to inward Mischiefs and seeing it is impossible but some will often befal us of necessity we must suffer some Pain I should be endless to enumerate the Particulars of this kind that may befal us either from Tyrants from Fools from all sorts of Animals from Heat from Cold from Fevers Gout Defluctions c. I shall only observe that such who have been sometimes tormented with them may tell with what earnestness they wished to be freed and how much they would have given to be delivered Certainly there is no Person that labours under an acute Distemper and is grievously tormented with Pain but when he considers such as are in Health esteems them very happy and wonders that they don't acknowledge the greatness of the Advantage they enjoy it being so considerable that no worldly Enjoyments can stand in competition with or be accounted a valuable Exchange for Health Wherefore in all Ages Men have highly extoll'd it But as every Book is full of its own Praises I shall only take notice what an antient Poet saith That the greatest Benefit that can befall frail Man is to enjoy Health Fragili viro optima res bene valere And as another says Nothing can be more advantageous to us than to be free from Pain and Diseases Si ventri bene est si lateri est pedibusque tuis nil Divitiae poterunt Regales addere majus Now what I have here observ'd is to prove that it is not without ground what I have asserted That to be free from Sickness or bodily Pain is part of our Happiness Truly tho' light Pains and such as are of a short continuance may be easily supported and tho' we willingly undergo great ones when they are in order either to avoid greater Evils or for the obtaining of greater Pleasures yet there is no Man so fond of Pain for Pain 's sake but would willingly be quit of it if it were not in order to the obtaining something better which could not be acquir'd without it Men commonly extol Zenon and Anaxarcas for the constancy they express'd against the Tyrants in their greatest Tortures And Calanus also and Peregrinus are much celebrated for freely offering themselves to the Flames But supposing it had been in their Power to have purchased as much Glory by any other Means I refer it to your self whether they would have made this Choice Cicero likewise very much extolleth Possidonius for that being grievously tormented with the Gout when Pompey visited him at Rhodes he told him That he was very sorry that he could not hear him to which Possidonius answer'd You may if you please and I will not suffer so great a Person to come to me in vain He tells us that he began to discourse to him excellently viz. That there is nothing Good but that which is honest And when his Pains assaulted him often during the Interview he as often said Thou wilt never prevail upon me O Pain tho' never so grievous to make me confess thee to be an Evil. But tho' Possidonius patiently endured the Pains that he could not avoid yet you can't but imagine that he would rather have been free from 'em and been able to discourse without ' em We may here add That if as we have already said Pain is the chief Evil it necessarily follows that a freedom from Pain should be the chief Good and the rather because Nature seems to have bestowed upon us an inclination for nothing else but for this freedom For when any Pain happens to us whether by Hunger or by any other Desire we are naturally carried to that Action by which we may remove that Pain and if any Pleasure intervenes we have observed that Nature adds it as an Encouragement to the Action needful to obtain that freedom from Pain And probably we may consequently add by what Means we may obtain so great an Advantage But besides the divers Remedies which may be taken from the convenient Precautions and from the Medicinal Art which relate not to Moral Philosophy we may say That
tho' he reproved them objecting and representing before their Eyes their own Actions which is a very safe and very convenient way of Reproving proper to re-call the Minds of Men to Peace and Reason We may upon this occasion mention Seneca's Expression as proceeding from the School of Epicurus That those Persons live the most agreeable and pleasant Lives who make Pleasure the least of their Care And they enjoy the greatest Riches who stand least in need of ' em For a magnificent way of Living consists chiefly in the ostentation of Riches he who thinks that he doth not stand in need of 'em and therefore fears not the loss of 'em may without 'em make a very pleasant Use of 'em and the rather because he who supposes he cannot live happily without 'em fears the loss of 'em and while that Fear possesses him he cannot quietly enjoy 'em it being impossible to enjoy any thing we call Good which brings Trouble and Disquietude along with it The miserarable Wretch saith he immediately after passionately desires to increase his Stores more and more and while he is blinded with that Passion he forgets to enjoy 'em he examins his Receipts makes up his Accounts goes to the Exchange turns over his Kalendar and of a rich Man he becomes a Factor We shall be Rich with much greater Satisfaction when we shall understand that to be Poor is not so mischievous as we suppose But let us rest satisfied with this Instance at present As it was a pleasant Remark of Socrates when seeing the great quantity and variety of the Wares that were expos'd to Sale to be able to say How many things are there that I have no occasion for So likewise if any Person perhaps sees himself in Possession of all those things and at the same time when he considers his Houses his Moveables his Attendants his Table his Cloathing and all other his Enjoyments he finds himself inwardly in a Temper and Ability to say I have indeed all these things but I can live very well without ' em I have not an absolute need of 'em I could live at ease in a House less Magnificent and meanlier furnished I could well be without that great number of Attendants these rare and exquisite Dishes this rich Attire If any I say is in that happy Disposition of Mind he may doubtless enjoy with pleasure his Plenty and Glory For he will understand that he may with ease want a great number of things for which when we have a too earnest love and longing they do rather disturb the Peace of our Lives And by this means he will be the more ready patiently to bear the loss of 'em upon any Misfortune hapning and the rather because he will find that they are not absolutely necessary for him Neither will he take so much Pains nor undergo so many Fatigues and Troubles as is usual to increase 'em when he shall consider that he can enjoy more of true and solid Pleasure in a larger Measure than he now possesseth when he enjoys less That what he may gather up more will not be for his own advantage but either for his Heirs or it may be for some ungrateful Wretches or for Prodigals or for Flatterers or for Thieves and nevertheless that he must disturb his Quiet and cast himself into a Sea of Trouble Pain and Sorrow to procure 'em for them And here we may also observe that Seneca had very good Reason to make use of this Sentence of Epicurus That if any Man having all the Necessaries requisite for Life and thinks himself not Rich enough tho' he were the Lord of all the World he would still be miserable For if any Man who is in a moderate State fancies that he cannot live as happily as others who are in a higher and more eminent Station truly tho' this Man should not only equal but out-do them in their Splendour and Grandeur he would not hereby become more happy but would still remain miserable and never be satisfied because of the restless Nature of his Passions which when they have once pass'd the Bounds appointed by Nature keep no measures and can never be satiated As for that other celebrated Maxim That whatsoever is necessary for Nature may easily be obtained and that what is hard to be got is not needful This is a Sentence that Stobeus and others have borrowed out of Epicurus and which they mention in other Terms Let Thanks be returned to kind Nature which hath so ordered every thing that what is needful is easie to be obtained and what is difficult is not of necessity Cicero is of the same Opinion when he makes Epicurus say That he judged that Nature alone was sufficient to make a wise Man Rich and that natural Riches are easie to be got for Nature is content with little And Seneca saith That according to the Opinion of Epicurus Not Hunger not Thirst not to feel Cold are the Limits that Nature prescribes to it self That to satisfy Hunger and Thirst there is no need of dwelling in sumptuous Palaces nor to lay any Restraint upon our selves with that supercilious and sullen Gravity nor to venture on the Ocean nor to follow Armies That which Nature requires is easily to be obtain'd and obvious to all the World That Sweat is the Price of Superfluities such as make the Magistrates attend the Courts the Captains their Tents and the Pilots their Ships in the midst of the dangerous and tempestuous Seas 'T is the greatest Wealth to live content With little such the greatest Joy resent And bounteous Fortune still affords supply Sufficient for a thrifty Luxury I confess through the Tyranny and Cruelty of some Men innocent Persons may sometimes want the necessities of Life and others by Accident or by their own Folly may fall into that Condition that things needful may be wanting to them But as for Dame Nature certainly she is no niggard to Men she who is the common Nurse of all Creatures If she hath made them subject to Hunger she hath likewise bestowed upon 'em her Fruits her Corn and her Herbs to appease it If she suffers them to Thirst she affords them plenty of Springs in every Place If the Air be either Cold or Hot Nature allows them a Skin thick and hard enough to bear these Inconveniences as it is experienced in the Skin of the Face and if the other parts of the Body are more tender and sensible it affords us the Shades of the Trees of the Caves and other cool Places or the Warmth of the Sun-shine the Fire the Sheeps Wool to preserve and defend us against other Enormities It hath also given us as much Foresight and Caution as the Ants to provide things needful for the time to come tho' many times we despise the Providence of that little Creature that after the Winters approach never ventures out of its private retreat but in a prudent and wise manner enjoys quietly in Winter
every one should have and possess to himself something which is not lawful for another to take away because there is nothing more agreeable with Nature than to preserve our selves safe and secure which would be impossible among the Quarrels and Violences unto which Men would be continually subject and liable if all Things did so belong to all Men that every one might have Right over his Neighbour's Goods and might lawfully take them away at his Pleasure Sixthly That our Housholds chiefly those of Princes and great Persons are far from the plainness of our Ancestors when Men reckoned among the principal Possessions of a Family the Wife and the Ox. Vxoremque Bovemque jugalem When a cold Cave was all the House which contained the Fire the domestick Gods the Houshold-Goods and all the Stock under the same Roof Cum frigida parvas Praeberet spelunca domos ignemque laremque Et pecus dominos communi clauderet umbra Lastly That the Oeconomick Prudence is divided into four Parts The Nuptial or that of a married State in relation to the Wife The Paternal in respect of the Children The Lordly or Magisterial which relates to the Servants and Slaves The Possessions which respects the Goods Possessions and other Enjoyments of the Family Of the Nuptial Prudence and its several Duties AS for what concerns among other things the Nuptial Prudence it is most certain that the first and principal Duty is to chuse a good Wife for he who endeavours to marry with Beauty Nobility or Riches rather than Virtue is striving doubtless to load himself with a tedious and troublesome Cross When the Election is made and the Marriage consummated the Husband ought in such a manner to labour to gain the Love of his Spouse by all the Expressions of Affection and Respect that she may easily see her own Happiness and be persuaded that she could never meet with a better Husband a more honest Man nor a more suitable and more pleasant Companion Yet this ought to be managed with so much Moderation and Discretion that no occasion may be given to her to become Insolent and that with the Love she bears to her Husband she may not forget the Respect that she owes him For tho' there is an Equality between the Husband and the Wife there are a great many things in which the Husband ought to have the Pre-eminence and if in such Cases he yields by chance to the Ambition of the Woman he will quickly find himself under a most intolerable Yoke and with the loss of his Authority he will lose also his Peace and Quiet He ought likewise to train her up and instruct her in such a manner in the Management of Domestick Affairs that he may leave to her the ordinary Care and Command of the Family and may himself be better able to look after the Concerns abroad By this means she will share in the Government and ease her Husband of those Cares which are of less Moment and within the reach and capacity of the Female Sex He must also acquaint her with such of his Designs which he knows do not exceed the capacity of her Understanding and which he believes she will keep secret if there be any need of Concealment that she may thereby understand that she is not slighted and that her Husband desires that she may have a share in his Affairs and that if she is to be concerned in doing any thing she may perform it more satisfactorily and with greater affection Besides as she is admitted to be a Fellow-labourer she will add to his Joy upon good success and lessen his Grief upon ill I need not mention that he ought not to violate his conjugal Faith that he has plighted to her for this were to do her a great Injustice and to incline her to return him the like besides this is apt to beget a certain Indignation and Aversion in her with a domestick Hatred never to be reconciled attended with perpetual Quarrels not to mention something else which too commonly attends the furious Jealousie of a Woman Quid non possit foemina furens Lastly if she hath neither Modesty nor Manners and after that the Husband hath applyed all possible industry to make her better if she remains still untractable it is not lawful doubtless to destroy her as it was among the Romans the Greeks and the Gauls according to thee too cruel Laws of their Country but in such a case it is convenient either to separate or to resolve to submit with Courage and to alleviate with Patience the Evil that we cannot Remedy especially if there be Children that so the Follies and Infamy of the Mother and the Discredit of the Family may not be divulged But we must here acknowledge the Truth That the brutish Temper and ill Conduct of Men oftner make Marriages unhappy than the Lightness Unconstancy Vanity and Ambition of Wives Therefore the modern Persians have a common Proverb That the Husband who hath an ill Wife don't deserve to be married They mean thereby That a Man who dares venture upon Marriage ought besides the certain knowledge of his bodily Strength to know at the first beginning how to manage and order the Mind and Temper of his Wife so as to make her become good Now if he be defective in this it will be accounted his Fault his want of skill or complacency of Temper and consequently his incapacity of rendring Matrimony so easie and agreeable as it ought to be Of paternal Prudence and its several Duties THE principal Office of paternal Prudence seems chiefly to have regard to the begetting of Children because from hence proceeds the Temper of the Body and consequently the Disposition and Inclination either to Good or Evil Manners It is not therefore without Reason that this Reproach is so common Genuit te Parens ebrius cum foret Thy Father was Drunk when he begot thee But if we should advise Men what Plato Aristotle Plutarch and others have taught concerning the Age the Season the Manners of Living the preceding Continency and other things requisite they would but little regard it being carried to the Act by a blind and lustful Fury so that it is a hazard if the Off-spring thus engendred prove virtuous or otherwise and Children thus casually begotten are educated such as they are born Therefore if we consider this Duty the First thing will be to look carefully to Children in their Infancy to take a principal care that if the Mother hath not the Patience to suckle her Infant and to give it the Breast and that Milk which Nature hath bestowed upon her for that purpose to make choice of a Nurse of a good Disposition sound Constitution and good Temper for certainly this first Nourishment hath a great influence upon the remaing part of our Life upon the health of our Bodies and the disposition of our Minds The Second thing is to train 'em up in good Manners and give 'em
is not impossible if you will strive with all your Courage Learn by degrees to be Continent and if you cannot abstain one Day of two at least abstain one in a Week for by this means it will happen that in a little while you will attain three Days of Abstinence afterwards Six and after that you will be Conqueror during whole Weeks and Months But above all things remember that as it is almost impossible but that many things must intervene which may divert you from your Design so you ought to keep steady and fixt to your Resolution You must break through all Obstacles You must proceed still on and be continually going forward You must consider with your self that it is a great weakness to express so early a Repentance and being a Man as you are to shew nothing less than your Manhood Consider what a satisfaction you will have when the Fatigue will be over and that you shall find that you have got the Victory whereas if you suffer your self to be meanly overcome a troublesome and uneasy Repentance will attend you but otherwise you will applaud and approve of your Happiness when you shall have bravely obtained the Conquest You will also from thence receive new Strength to help you to overcome again in a like Temptation and if you continue you will find that by degrees you will alter the evil Habit that you will draw your self out of a cruel Bondage deliver your self from a base Tyranny and instead of a dark and clouded Spirit it will become clear and Serene instead of a feeble and diseased Body it will become strong and vigorous and instead of a languishing and short Life it will become healthy and long Not to mention here the loss of Reputation and Goods neither shall I instance in those other odious Mischiefs which are known to all the World I shall not here trouble my self to inform you That it is usual to subdivide these two kinds of Temperance each into two Parts so that they assign four parts commonly subject to Temperance whereof Two of them relate to the Tast namely Abstinence and Sobriety the First concerns our Eating the Second our Drinking and the other Two relate to Venery namely Chastity and Modesty The First concerns the Act it self and the Latter some Circumstances such as are Kisses Approaches Embraces Looks and Discourses c. I shall not insist here to prove that Modesty is either Chastity it self and principally that of Virginity which being once lost as the Poet saith can never be retrieved Nulla reparabilis arte Laesa Pudicitia est deperit illa semel Or if it be understood for that Virtue that gives a check to the Circumstances that we have named it ought not to be esteemed so much a part subject to Prudence as a potential part of Chastity I will only observe in relation to Modesty which is so called from the word Modest being a kind of a Guard to Chastity that tho Nature produces nothing whereof we ought to be ashamed as an obscene Thing and therefore among Nations who own no Obscenity neither in the Members of the Body nor in the Language or Names that are given to them for as to this we are to refer our selves to common Usage nevertheless among those People who do own any such thing we are to refrain from them and we are not to banish Modesty which obligeth us to forbear them for let it be either Nature or Law or Custom which makes things to be esteemed Brave Good or Honest 't is always Nature that commands them to be observed which is to be obeyed for the common Good in which the Happiness and Welfare of every private Person as due to him of common right is comprised Therefore Cicero discourses excellently well upon this Point We are not to hearken to the Cynicks who Laugh at us because we esteem things to be filthy and undecent in Words which are not really so indeed and on the contrary Things that are really Wicked and Dishonest we don't stick to mention by their proper Names As to Steal to Cheat to commit Whoredom which indeed is Vnjust and Dishonest and yet is spoken without any Obscenity To beget Children is an honest Act but yet to use the proper Term is Obscene and Immodest For our part let us follow the dictates of Nature and let us abstain from all that our Eyes or Ears cannot honestly endure let our Carriage our Gate our Sitting our Lying down our Countenance our Eyes and our Hands observe the Rules of Modesty And hear what he says in another Place After he had shewn that there is nothing more indecent and unbecoming than in serious and weighty Matters to mix loose and light Expressions Says he Thus Pericles treated the Poet Sophocles very wisely who while sitting upon the Bench with him in open Court espied a beautiful young Damsel pass by and not being able to contain himself cried out What a Beauty is there before us Pericles answered O Sophocles 't is becoming a Judge upon the Bench to be Modest and Grave not only in respect to his Hands but in respect to his Eyes also Of Mildness and Gentleness WE shall now speak something as to the other parts of Temperance which some name Subject Parts others Potential But Mildness seems truly to belong rather to Fortitude than to Temperance in that it relates to Truth which ariseth because of Pain and because it resides in that part of the Appetite which derives its name from Wrath namely in the irascible part therefore it seems to deserve to be plac'd under Fortitude Nevertheless as it is the property of Fortitude to raise and encourage and of Temperance to check and depress and that in respect of Wrath the Mind hath not so much need to be incited and stir'd up as to be curb'd and kept in for this reason it is commonly placed under Temperance However Aristotle teacheth That Mildness or Gentleness ought to be reckoned among the Virtues because 't is a Mediocrity or a Medium between two Extremes the one a Temper inclinable to Wrath as when a Man is either sooner or in a higher degree enraged than he ought against one who deserves it not or for some frivolous Causes The other a simple Meekness or want of Anger as when a Man is not angry when and against whom and for such Reasons as he ought to be angry for he declares that under certain Circumstances 't is not only lawful but also requisite and needful to be so and that because Nature it seems hath not only given Man an Inclination to Anger but also because that this Passion is as a Spur that stirs us up and encourages us to repel not only private Injuries but likewise puts us upon securing our selves against such publick Dangers and Calamities as may affect our Country Parents Relations c. and all good Men. By this means our private and publick Welfare is secured and maintained and
natural Law or according to Nature not only because there is nothing more Natural or more according to Nature than Society and Society being not able to subsist without this Precept it ought also to be esteemed Natural But also because God seems to have imprinted it in the Hearts of all Men and that this Law contains in such a full manner all the other Laws of Society that no Man can invade the Right of another but he must violate this Law Therefore this Law alone ought to be look'd upon as the Rule of all our Actions that concern our Neighbour And truly as every one desires that his Right may be Religiously preserved to him so that no Man may attempt upon it he need but think the same thing of others and to put himself in their Place and Condition to understand what he ought or what he ought not to do Therefore as there is nothing nearer at Hand and more ready nor more infallible than our own Conscience every one may consult himself and he alone may be his own proper and true Casuist So that he who seeks for others seems not so much disposed to be willing to do to another what he would not have done to himself as to not dare to do it if he hath not some Body upon whom he may cast the Blame And upon this Point Cicero treats very well in his Offices That those who prohibit any thing to be done whereof there is a Question whether it be Just or Unjust cannot prescribe any Rule nor Precept more useful and reasonable because Equity here appears and is plainly discoverable and that our doubting is a sign that we think or design to do Evil. Bene praecipiunt qui vetant quidquam agere quod dubites aequum sit an iniquum aequitas enim lucet ipsa per se dubitatio autem cogitationem significat injuriae Upon this Subject I remember what Monsieur de la Moignon first President of the Parliament of Paris a wise and learned Judge said to us one Day as we were walking in his shady Retirement in the Wood de Baville That that Maxim of Cicero if it were duly practis'd among Men would be of a wonderful use and that for what concerns those who have such sort of doubts and trouble themselves to seek for Casuists to support them he had read an excellent Saying in a Spanish Author That such Persons seek to pick a Quarrel or to play the Cheat with the Law of God Quieren pley tear contra la lay de Dios. Let us observe more-over that the Holy Scriptures have said very well That the Law was not made for the Just because he who is truly Just observes it not out of fear of the Punishments that the Law threatens but out of a love for Justice it self and out of a respect for it so that if there were no Law nor Magistrates he would notwithstanding still live in Obedience to Law and Justice Therefore that excellent Expression of Menander is thought praise-worthy If you be Just your Manners will be to you instead of Laws And the Answer of Aristotle is remarkable when he was questioned what Profit he had found and received from the study of Philosophy To do said he of my own accord and without constraint what others do for fear of the Laws This obliged Horace to say That we ought not to do any thing for fear of Punishment Nihil esse faciendum formidine poenae From whence we may remark that Corrections and Punishments are not only ordained for the Wicked and Criminals that they may perish and be extinct but that by their Destruction they may also terrify and restrain others as Seneca observes and according to Lactantius who brings in Plato saying That a wise and prudent Man punishes not because 't is a Crime for he cannot make that which is already done to be undone but that others may not commit the same Crimes But let us hearken to Epicurus discoursing of the great Advantages that there are in observing Justice That there is great Reason to live up to Justice JVstice having been established by a common Agreement every one ought to think that he is born and admitted into the Society whereof he is a Member upon this Condition either express or understood That he shall do wrong to no Man nor no Man to him and thus we must either keep to this Agreement or depart out of the Society seeing that he is suffered there but upon the same Condition that he was admitted From whence it follows that as naturally he don't desire to be evilly dealt withal he ought not to deal ill with others nor do to others what he would not that others should do to him This being granted we may say that the Laws have been established in favour and for the sake of wise Men not to hinder them from committing Injustice but to prevent others from doing them wrong for of their own accord they are so inclined that if there were no Laws they would injure no body for they have limited their Desires and confined them to the necessities of Nature to supply which there is no need of doing Injustice for there is no Pleasure Nature allows of which will cause us to wrong any body for those exorbitances and irregular Desires which proceed from our vain and unruly Passions and Lusts are the only Causes of Mischief The Truth is the Products of the Earth such as Corn Fruits Water c. are to be obtain'd without any great difficulty and the enjoyment of these as often as Hunger and Thirst excite us afford us no small Pleasure and Satisfaction without being hereby tempted to Riot and Excess or to commit Robberies or other enormous Crimes upon our Neighbours which Men are more apt to become liable to and guilty of when they indulge their extravagant Lusts in living splendidly and sumptuously and by unjustly heaping up of Riches to maintain such their Extravagances Nor shall I here stand to take notice of Particulars such who are not satisfied with decent Habits with one Habitation nor one Wife and so of the like who passing the Bounds that Nature hath appointed are daily hurried away by their Passions and endless Desires beyond all Limits Moreover as the wise Man acts all things for himself and for his own Good and Satisfaction there is nothing that will contribute more to this purpose than in carefully observing the Rules of Justice for when he renders unto every one what belongs to him and that he does wrong to no Man he preserves and supports as much as in him lies the Society in which his own Safety is involved he provokes no body to do him Injury neither doth he fear the Penalties and Punishments which the Publick Laws threaten So that his Conscience being free from Guilt he is at quiet and ease within himself without any private Checks or Gripes which is one main design of Justice to procure and the most excellent
and greatest Advantage that we can reap from it But we must not fancy that he who hath secretly broken the Laws unknown to Men may enjoy as much Peace and quiet of Mind as he who is truly Just For as I have already said tho' he hath acted in the dark yet he cannot be assured that the Fact shall always remain concealed Tho' Crimes may indeed be done secretly yet this is no Security neither doth it advantage a Man who commits a wicked Deed to conceal himself for tho' he has had the good fortune of keeping the Fact conceal'd hitherto yet he hath no Assurance that it shall always so continue Tho' a wicked Act may at present seem to be quite forgot and as it were buried out of sight yet it is uncertain whether it will remain so till death few Wickednesses are so secretly acted but they give some cause of Suspicion for tho' at first they are only privately whisper'd yet soon after they are publickly talk'd of and then Fame spreads them and then a Process is begun and the Sentence suddainly follows Nay many there have been who have discovered themselves either in a Dream or in a Frenzy or in Drink or by letting fall an unadvised Word by the by So that tho' a wicked Man deceives as we say both the Gods and Men yet he must always remain uneasie and in a fear that his Wickednesses will at one time or another be detected From hence it is that tho' Injustice of it self and in its own Nature be no Evil because what is Just here is reputed Vnjust elsewhere nevertheless 't is an Evil because of that Fear that it stirs up in us which causeth a wicked Man to be continually tormented with remorse of Conscience so that he is still suspicious of something and apprehensive that his Wickednesses will come to the Knowledge of those who are appointed to punish them Wherefore there is nothing more conducive to our Security and our living Happily than to live honestly and observe inviolably those Contracts which we have entred into for the Preservation of the publick Peace Therefore a just Man seems to stand in Opposition to an unjust for as the one is free from Troubles and Apprehensions of Evils so the other on the contrary is continually allarm'd by ' em What is it therefore that can be more convenient and profitable to us than Justice and more hurtful than Injustice Can constant Troubles and perplexing Fears be pleasant and diverting to any Man Since therefore that Justice is so great a Good and Injustice so great an Evil let us sincerely love and embrace the former and altogether abominate the latter And if by chance our Mind should happen to be sometimes in an even Balance and doubtful what to do let us have always before our Eyes and in our Thoughts the Example of some good Man whom we may propose to imitate as a Pattern and so live as if he were a constant Inspector of our Actions and Privy to our most intimate Designs This Advice will be of use to us not only to keep us from committing Injustice but also from doing any thing in secret inconsistent with honest Dealing This just Man that we plac'd before us will serve to keep us in some awe and make us more watchful over our Actions we shall continually have some regard to him and say to our selves I would not do so if he saw it and why should I dare to do so in his absence he would blame me for it as a wicked thing why should I not fly from Evil of my own accord Do then every thing as if some body still look'd upon you for if you have this Veneration for any Person else you will quickly have it for your self Cicero treats excellently upon this Subject If every one saith he for his own particular Advantage should be always ready and prepared to intrench upon his Neighbour's Right and strip him of his Goods we should quickly perceive the ruin of human Society which is so agreeable to Nature just as if each particular Member should fancy that by attracting the Blood and Spirits from its Member it would be the better able to support it self but hereby we should find our selves much disappointed for certainly this would at length much weaken and decay the whole Body And thus all Societies and Communities of Men must needs be destroyed if every one the better to support his own Interest should violently take from and strip his Neighbour of what is his Indeed this may be said to be lawful and no ways to infringe the Bonds of Society viz. to be more careful and industrious in acquiring the things necessary and useful for the conveniency of Life but to use Fraud or Violence to dispossess another and endeavour to enrich our selves by our Neighbours miseries is more contrary to the Laws of Nature even than Death it self than Poverty than Pain than all the most dreadful things that may befal us There is nothing truly useful but what is Just and Honest and nothing Just and Honest but what is truly useful these are reciprocal and whosoever endeavours to separate 'em offers at the most pernicious thing that can befal human Life for from thence spring Murders false Witnesses Thieveries and innumerable other Mischiefs They judge of the usefulness of things by a wrong Medium and tho' they escape the Penalties of the Laws which they break yet they escape not the Disgrace and Infamy which to a generous Mind is far more grievous and intolerable They consider not that of all other worldly Goods the most important and considerable is the Reputation of an honest of a just and of a good Man and that there is no Profit or Advantage that can recompence this loss The Life of an unjust Man is full of Troubles Jealousies and Fears Gripings of Conscience and Anxiety of Mind and what Good what Profit can there be in such a Way that if he were depriv'd of it he would be honoured and respected by all the World 'T is therefore impossible that true and real Profit should be separated from Justice and that it should accompany or be joined to Injustice Now as Justice and Injustice are contrary the first being free from Trouble the other always encompass'd with it what greater Advantage can an honest and good Man desire to attain to than that which Justice affords him And what greater Mischiefs can a wicked Man dread than that which Injustice is attended with For what Profit or Satisfaction is to be had from Cares Fears and perpetual Inquietudes Whether we may wrong any Man without doing him an injury AS 't is one thing to do an unjust Act another to do an injury seeing that a Man may do an unjust Act and not believe it or perhaps fancying it to be Just So it is most certain that we can do no injury but when we have a design to do it and so he who doth it