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PHILOSOPHY

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EPICURUS.

INTRODUCTION.

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THE only sect of Grecian philosophy that remains to be considered, as coming within ob. ject, of a comparison of them with the system of revelation, is that of Epicurus which arose presently after that of the Stoics, to which it was, in many respects, opposite and hostile; the one being remarkable for its austerity, and the other for its ease in the conduct of life; the one for a belief in a divine providence, as superintending every thing in the world, and the other for the utter neglect and contempt of religion in every form. There was also another source of opposition and hostility between the two. All the philosophers who had prececded Epicurus, the Stoics among the rest, had deserted the plain maxims of Socrates, and spent

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the greatest part of their time on Logic and Metaphysicks, of no use whatever in the conduct of life; whereas Epicurus, following the steps of their common master, held all their subtle disputations on these subjects in the greatest contempt, and made the true enjoyment of life the great object of his philosophy. And considering that the great doctrine of a future state was in fact excluded from all their systems, there was more of reason and good sense in the maxims of Epicurus than in theirs; especially as, though he maintained that pleasure was the great end of life, he did not, as we shall see, mean sensual pleasure, but the happiness of man upon the whole, in which temperance, and every virtue, was an essential ingredient.

Epicurus also differed from other philosophers in the circumstances of his teaching, more resembling a society of friends, than that of master and scholars. Their meetings were held in a private garden of his own; and the friendship of this fraternity Cicero spake of in the highest terms. (Acad. Lib. 20.) though they had not every thing in common, like the disciples of Pythagoras.

Though we have no proper treatise of Epicurus, we have several of his letters preserved by Diogenes Laertius, especially one to Herodotus, in

which he professes to give an outline of his princi ples. And the poem of Lucretius contains a developement of the whole of his philosophy. From these it is easy to form a very complete idea of his tenets; and from these, and some of his sayings quoted by Seneca, the following account is given.

SECTION I.

Of God and of the Structure of the Universe.

Epicurus's triumph over religion in all its forms, and thereby delivering men from the fear of death, was the great boast of all his followers, this victory (Lucretius, says Lib. i. V. 78.) has raised men from earth to heaven, and by this means he has conferred greater benefit on mankind than Ceres in giving them bread, or Bacchus in giving them wine (Ib. Lib. v. V. 15.) Religion he considered as having done unspeakable mischief to mankind, and in particular instances the sacrifice of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon to Diana, of which he gives a very affecting description. (Lucret. Lib. i. V. 85.)

Epicurus did not, however deny the existence. of gods, and though this is commonly thought to

have been only with a view to his safety; since by an open profession of atheism he would have been exposed to the rigour of the Athenian laws, I think he might have been very sincere in that opinion; thinking, with all other philosophers, that every part of the universe was replete with inhabitants, suited to their natures, the gods occupying the higher regions, demons the middle, and men the earth. What he openly maintained was that, tho' there are gode they take no thought about the affairs of this world. "The gods," he says (Diog. Laert. pag. 785.) "are immortal "and happy beings *** but not such as the "vulgar opinion makes them to be;" and having said that happiness is two fold, he adds that supreme happiness is that of the gods which ad, "mits of no addition." (Ib 783-4.)

The reason that he gives for this opinion is, that happiness could not consist with the trouble and care which he thought must attend the government of the world, though he seems to have thought that they had something to do in the upper regions, which are nearest to them. Speaking of the motions, and other properties of meteors, he says (Ib. 755.) "They are not directed by any

"who has all happiness and immortality. For it ⚫ is inconsistent with happiness to have business, "and cares, or to be affected by anger, or favour, "These belong to beings subject to infirmity, and

fear, who stand in need of others." Again he says, (Ib. 735.) "Whoever is happy, and immor"tal, neither has any troublesome business him"self, nor gives trouble to others; and in consequence of this he is neither moved by anger or favour."

As to the charge of impiety he says, (Ib. 786.) "he is not guilty of impiety who takes from the

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multiplicity of Gods, but he who adopts the opi"nion of the multitude concerning them," cretius ascribes the origin, and the frightful effects of religion upon the human mind, in part to what people see, or imagine they see, in dreams, as well as to the regular course of the heavenly bodies, and to the terror excited by storms, thunder, lightening, earthquakes, &c. For seeing no cause of these things, men ascribe them to some unknown invisible beings, whose power was great, and tremendous. (Lucret. Lib. v. V. 1165. &c.

Considering the vulgar superstition. and the serious effects of it in human sacrifices. prostituti

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