76. In the legislative systems of the Greeks, particularly those of Lycurgus, Zaleucus, Charondas, and Solon, we observe a high sense of liberty, a profound observation of the human heart, and great political prudence and experience. The sentences of the Seven Wise Men,' and the ancient Gnomic poets, contain, it is true, nothing more than rules of practical wisdom, expressed with energy and conciseness; but they evince, even at this early period, an advancement in civilization, and a maturity of reason for the pursuits of science, whenever an occasion should present itself to facilitate their prosecution.

1 From the XLth to the LVIIth Olympiad.

PART THE FIRST.

FIRST PERIOD.

GREEK AND ROMAN PHILOSOPHY.

FROM THALES TO JOHN OF DAMASCUS; i. e. FROM 600 YEARS B.C. TO THE END OF THE EIGHTH CENTURY.

Progress of the understanding towards knowledge, but without a clear perception of the principles which should direct it. BRANDIS, Geschichte der Griechisch-Römischen Philosophie. CREUZER'S Symbolik. (Above § 66).

SCHLOSSER'S Universal-historische Uebersicht, Part 1.

OTTFRIED MULLER, Prolegomena zu einer wissenchaftlicher Mythologie.

77. The Greeks, who had derived from foreigners the first seeds of civilization, distinguished themselves above all the other nations of antiquity, by their taste for poetry, for the arts, and sciences. The position of their country, their religion, their political constitution, and their love of liberty, contributed to develope, in all its originality and grandeur, the native genius of their country. They thus were betimes matured for philosophy, and engaged in the pursuit of it, even from the earliest date of their political liberty (§ 75).

78. A philosophical spirit having been once awakened among the Greeks, continued to extend its dominion. They devoted their attention to the most important objects of science (theoretically and practically); introduced method into their researches, forming a system of scepticism in opposition to dogmatism, and rarely failing to apply these speculative inquiries to purposes of real life. The Greek thinkers have justly been regarded by succeeding ages as models, as well for their spirit of research and investiga tion, as for the results to which these have led, both in the

manner and the matter of their philosophical inquiries; but above all, for a certain character of elegance and urbanity, and a command of philosophical language, which satisfies at once the judgment and the taste.

79. Their philosophy did not arrive at this perfection at once; it began by disjointed speculations on the external world. The habit of reflection which grew out of these first essays, the diversity of the results at which they arrived, and the continually increasing sense of a want of unity and harmony in their conclusions, recalled wandering speculation to the contemplation of the human mind as the ultimate source of all certain knowledge; and philosophizing became more enlarged, more methodical, and more systematic. In after times, the discord of different systems, the prevalence of a subtile scepticism, the oppression of the scientific spirit under a load of historical erudition, eventually diverted the mind from the investigation of its own properties; till the philosophers of Greece, having borrowed from those of the East some of their opinions, in the hope of attaining to something like positive knowledge, fell, instead, into syncretism and mysticism. It is true that the passionate enthusiasm which mixed itself up with this latter philosophy, belonged in part to the natural character of the Greeks.

80. The history of Grecian philosophy may, therefore, be divided into three periods analagous to the ages of man; his youth-his maturity-and his decrepitude. Period the first an ardent spirit of speculation, but with limited views and deficient in system; from Thales to Socrates, i. e. from 600 to 400 B.C. Period the second: a spirit of inquiry more universal, more systematic; both dogmatical and scepti cal; from Socrates to the union of the Porch and the Academy, i. e. from 400 to 60 B.C. Period the third: cultivation of Greek philosophy by the Jews and the Romans, and its declension; philosophical learning, without a philosophical spirit; sceptical speculations under a more learned aspect, but speedily lost in mystical and enthusiastical fancies, and destroyed by the union of Grecian literature with that of the Orientals: prevalence of Christi

1 Syncretism denotes eclecticism without digesting the compound into a system. Mysticism admits the emotions and sensations as well as the Reason as a source of authority.-ED.

anity; from Enesidemus to John of Damascus ; i. e. from the year 60 B.C. to the eighth century.'

Authorities for the history of Grecian philosophy. 81. These are twofold; direct and indirect. The first are the works of the philosophers themselves, of which only a portion have come down to us entire, and for the most part consist of unconnected fragments, which have inflicted on the learned a prodigious deal of labour to arrange and illustrate them. The indirect sources consist in notices and information respecting the lives, the doctrines, and labours of the philosophers, which are to be found in subsequent writers of whatever description; whether presented to us in detached and unconnected pieces, or in a more complete form, and with a systematic arrangement. To this class belong: 1st. The writings of philosophers which contain accounts of the theories of their predecessors; among others, the works of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero (§ 180), Seneca, Plutarch (§ 185), Sextus Empiricus (§ 189, sqq.), Simplicius (§ 220). 2dly. The collection of Diogenes Laertius, Philostratus, Eunapius; the history of philosophy ascribed to Galen," and that of Origen; with the collections of the Pseudo-Plutarch,' and of Stobæus. 3dly.

1 Consult also + AST, Epochs of Greek Philosophy, in the Europa of FR. SCHLEGEL, vol. ii, No II.

2 DIOGENES LAERTIUS, De vitis, dogmatibus, et apophthegmatibus clarorum Philosophorum, curâ MARC. MEIBOMII, Amst. 1692, 2 vols. 4to. Curâ P. DAN. LONGOLII, 2 vols. 1739, 8vo. Lips. 1759, 8vo. Cum Notis Variorum, cura HUBNERI et JACOBETZ, 4 vols. 8vo. Lips. 1828-33. 3 FLAV. PHILOSTRATI Vita Sophistarum in Philostratorum Operibus, Gr. et Lat. c. not. OLEARII, Lips. 1709, fol.

♦ EUNAPII Vitæ Philosophorum et Sophistarum, ed. JUNIUS, Antwerp. 1568, 8vo. Ed. COMMELIN, Heidelb. 1596, 8vo. Ed. SCHOTT, Geneva, 1616, 8vo. Cum Notis WYTTENBACH et BOISSONADE, 2 vols. 8vo. Amst. 1822.

5 CLAUDII GALENI Liber περὶ φιλοσοφου ἱστορίας, in Hippocratis et Galeni Operibus ex edit. CARTERII, tom. II, p. 21, seq.

6 ORIGENIS pilosopoúμeva in JAC. GRONOVII Thes. Antiq. Græc., tom. X. (Also published by)

Jo. CHPH. WOLFF, Compendium Historiæ Philosophicæ antiquæ, sive Philosophumena quæ sub Origenis nomine circumferuntur, Hamb. 1706 -1716, 8vo.

7 PLUTARCHUS, De placitis Philosophorum, sive de Physicis Philosophorum decretis, ed. CHR. DAN. BECK. Lips. 1787, 8vo.

8 Jon. STOBEI Ecloga Physica et Ethica, ed A. H. L. HEEREN, Gött.

4

The works of other Greek and Latin authors, such as Athenæus,' Aulus Gellius, Macrobius, Suidas. 4thly. The writings of the ecclesiastical Fathers; Clemens Alexandrinus, Örigen, Eusebius, Lactantius, Augustine (§ 232), Nemesius, Photius (§ 235).

CHAPTER FIRST.

FROM THALES TO SOCRATES (FIRST PERIOD of
GRECIAN PHILOSOPHY.)

Partial and Unsystematic Speculation.

HENR. STEPHANI Poesis Philosophica, Paris, 1573, 8vo. 'Hein Toiŋoi, seu Gnomici Poetæ Græci, ed. BRUNCK. Argent. 1784. 4to. And the Works on the Seven Sages and the Legislators of the Greeks.

SCIPIO AQUILIANUS, De placitis Philosophorum ante Aristotelem, Milan, 1615, 4to. Op. GE. MONALIS, Venet. 1620, 4to. Ed. CAR. PHIL. BRUCKER, Lips. 1756, 4to.

D. TIEDEMANN, First Philosophers of Greece, Leips. 1780, 8vo. G. GUST. FULLEBORN, On the History of the first ages of Grecian Philosophy. In his Collection, Fasc. I.

J. GOTTL. BUHLE, Comment. de Veterum Philosophorum Græcorum ante Aristotelem conaminibus in arte Logicâ inveniendâ et perficiendâ. Comment. Soc. Scient. Gött. tom. X.

FRIED. BOUTERWEK, De primis Philosophorum Græcorum decretis physicis. Comment. Soc. Gött. tom. II, 1811.

KIEFHABER, Sprüche der Sieben Weisen Griechenlands, 1830. DILTHEY, Griechische Fragmente in Prosa and Poesie. Gesammelt, übersetzt und erläutert. Erstes Heft. Fragmente der Sieben Weisen &c. 1836.

WAGNER, De Periandro septem sapientibus annumerato, 1828.

See also the works enumerated above, § 75, on the Greek Mythology, particularly on ORPHEUS, HOMER, and HESIOD, and the Gnomic poets.

1792-1801, 2 parts in 4 vols. Sermones, Francf. 1781, fol. Ed. Nic. SCHOW, Lips. 1797, 8vo.

1 ATHENAI Deipnosophistarum, libri XV, ed. CASAUBON, Lugd. 1657 -64, 2 vols. fol. Jo. SCHWEIGHÆUSER, Argent. 1801-7, 14 vols. 8vo. Cura DINDORFII, 3 vols. 8vo. Lips. 1827.

Fragments of the History of Ancient Philosophy, drawn from the Nights of AULUS GELLIUS, Lemgo, 1785, 8vo.

Noctes Atticæ, Henr. Steph. 1585. GRONOV. Lugd. Batav. 1706. 4to. etc. Cura CONRADI, 2 vols. 8vo. Lips. 1762. Cura LEON, 2 vols. 8vo. Götting. 1824.

3 MACROBII Saturnal. ed. JAC. GRONOVIUS, Lugd. Bat. 1670, 8vo. Ed. ZEUNE, Lips. 1774, 8vo.

4 The modern works on the history of philosophy among the Greeks, have been mentioned, § 38, I, a and b.