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It was thus call'd from its Inventor Pyrrhicus, or tyyrrhus of Cydonia, who iirft taught the Cretans to march in Meafure and Cadence to Battel ; and to obferve the pace of the 'Pyrrhic Foot.
Others derive the Name from Tyrrbus Son of Achilles , who inftituted this Exercife at the Obfequies of his Father. Ariftotle fays, 'twas Achilleshimklf that invented it.
The Romans, alfo, call'd it Ludus Trojanus, the Trojan Game ; and Aldus Gellius, 1)ecurfus.
"Tis doubtlefs this Exercife that we fee reprefented on Medals by two Cavaliers in Front running with Launces, and the Word Decurfto in the Exergue.
PYRRHIC, in the Greek and Latin Poetry, a Foot con- fifling of two Syllables both fhort See Foot.
PYRRHONIANS, a Seel of antient Philofophers, fo call'd from their Founder Pyrrho. SeePniLosopiiER.
The diflinguifhing Chancier of this Philofopher was, that he profefs'd to doubt of every thing ; maintaining, that Men only judge of Truth and Falftiood from Ap- pearances. See Doubting.
On this Principle he kept himfelf in continual fufpenfion of Mind, never determining on any thing ; to avoid the In- conveniencies of Error and falfe Judgments. See Error, Falshood, £J?c.
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He endeavour'd toaffuage the Paffions of the Mind with Verfes, and Numbers; and made a Practice ofcompofing hisMind every Morn.ng by his Harp ; frequently finginf the Faans of '/hales. See Music. J 5 a
Exercifesof the Body made a 'confiderable part of his Dilciplme. See Gymnastic Exercife.
His School became fo popular, that Cities and People committed their Republics to the Government of his Scho- lars At : length, Porphyry adds, Envy ftirring up Sedi- tion againft em, they were opprefs'd ; and in time, their Learning, which they ever kept fecret, was loft ; except iome difficult things learnt by Rote by the Crowd of Hearers. For Pythagoras never committed any thing to Writing. ' °
Befide his public School, Pythagoras had a College in his own Houfe, which he call'd uni^w, Ctenobiim ■ In this were two Orders or Claffcs of Scholars, ijraeuui Ex- otcrict, call d alfo Aufcultantes ; and uemmeau,), Intrinfeci.
■ lhe former were Novices and Probationers, who were
kept uncer a long Examen, and even impofed a Quinquen- nial Silence, to teach them Modefty and Attention, accord-
mg to Apuleius; or, according to Clemens Alexandrians, to Thofe now diftinguifh d by the Name of Tyrrhenians teach them to abttraft their Minds from fenfible Oh efls or Seep ,cs, are Perfons who trom the great Number of and enure them to the pure Contemplation of the Deity. things that are dark and obfeure, and from the Averfion The latter were call'd Genmni, PerfeBi, Mathematici, ihey bear to popular Credulity, maintain that there is no- ™>'«>«»* -» ■
thing certain in the World. See Sceptics.
The truth is, Pyrrbonifm has feme foundation in Na- ture : We don't judge of things from their real Effences, but from their Relations to ourfelves. Moft of our Ideas we receive by means of our Senfes ; but our Senfes are not given us to judge of the Effences, but the Relations of things to ourfelves, i.e. how they may affect us, fo as to do us good or harm. See Sensation, Relation, Sense, £?<;.
Thus, e.gr. our Eyes don't give us the real Magnitudes of Objects, but their relative ones only. See Vision. See alfo Body and Matter.
The Academicks differ'd from tatPyrrbonians, in that they own'd there were fome things more like, or a-kin to Truth than others ; which the Pyrrhonians peremptorily denied. See Academics.
and Pythagoreans, by way of Eminence Tbefe alone
were let mto the Arcana and Depths of the real 'Pvthazo- ric Difcipline. J *
Clemens obferves.that thefe Orders correfponded very ex- actly to thofe among the Hebrews .- For in the Schools of the Prophets were two Orders, viz. the Sons of the Pro- phets, who were the Scholars ; and the Doflors or Mafters, who were alfo call'd TerfeBi. And among the Levites, the Novices or Tyro's, who had their Quinquennial Exer- cifes, by way of Preparation. Laftly, even among the Profe- lytes there were two Orders ; Exoterici, or Profelytes of the Gate ; and Intrinfeci or PerfeUi, or I'rofelvtes of the Covenant. He adds, 'tis highly probable that Pythagoras himfelf had been a Profelyte of the Gate, if not of the Covenant. See Prophecy.
Gale endeavours to prove, that Pythagoras borrow'd his
XeCfeTOobferyes, that the Pyrrhonians, in affirming Philofophy from that "of the 7ews', to This encTpro'ducina that there is nothing certain, were the moft affuming and the Authorities of many of the Fathers, and antient Au- decihveofall 1 nilolophers ; once they mull have firft ex- thors ; and even pointing out the Tracks and Footfleps of amin d all things, to be able to determine precifely that all Jtfofes in feveral pams of Pythagoras's DoBrine. things are uncertain. Pythagoras taught.
It may be added, that the very Principle of the Pyrrho- ' b/«bs dellroys itfelf: For if there be nothing certain, then muft that Dogma itfelf be precarious; and if no one thing be more probable or liker to Truth than another, why (hall the Principle of the Pyrrhonians be believed preferably to the oppofite one ; fince itfelf is come at in the fame way as our other Knowledge.
PYTHAGOREANS, a Sefl of antient Philofophers, who retain'd to the Doctrines of Pythagoras. See Philo- sopher.
The Founder of this Sect was of Samos, the Son of a Lapidary, and Pupil of Pherycides ; who flourifh'd about thefeventh Olympiad, i.e. about 500 Years before thrift.
This Sect was alfo call'd the Italic Sell, or Italic School, becaufe Pythagoras, after travelling into Egypt. Cbaldea, and even into the Indies, to inform his Understanding ; re- turning home to his own Country, and there unable to bear the Tyranny of Polycrates, or Solifon, retir'd into the Eaftern Part of Italy, then call'd the Greater Greece, and there taught and form'd his Sect. See Ionic.
He is held to have excell'd in every part of Science : Laertins fays, among the Chaldees and Hebrews he learnt Divination, and the Interpreting of Dreams; in Egypt he learnt all the Myfteties of thePriefts, and the whole Syftem
of Symbolical Knowledge, with all their Theology
Porphyry adds, that he learnt the Mathematical Sciences in his Travels ; Geometry from the Egyptians, the Doc- trine of Numbers and Proportions from the Phxnicians, and Aftronomy from the Chaldeans ; Morality, and Theology he learnt chiefly from the Magi.
He was the firft who affum'd the Title Philofopher ; the Sages till his time having bore the arrogant Title rrcpoi. See Philosopher.
Jamblicus obferves, that in Pbanicia he converfed with the Prophets and Philofophers, the Succeffors of Mochus the Phyiiologift ; which Mochus, Selden and fome others will have to be Mofes.
His School in Italy was at Crotona 5 where he is faid to have been attended by no lefs than 600 Scholars— His Houfe was call'd the Temple of Ceres, and the Street where it flood the Mufsum. See Museum.
Out of his School proceeded the greateft Philofophers and Legiflators, Zaleiicus, Charonidas, Archytas Por- phyry fays, as foon as he artiv'd in Italy he had an Auditory
That God is one ; that he is a moil fimple, incorruptible, and invifible Being ; and therefore only to be worfhipped with a pure Mind, with the fimpleft Rites, and thofe prefcribed by himfelf '
Zaertius obferves, that he made Unity the Principle of all things ; hence arofe Duality, gfc. See Unity, (£c.
In his Conversation with the Egyptians, he learnt abun- dance of Secrets about Numbers; to which he attributed fo much, that he even attempted to explain all things in Nature by Numbers In effect, itjvasa common Opi- nion of the antient Philofophers, that the Species of Things have to each other the Nature and Relation of Numbers; and that the Univerfe, and all Things therein, were produced according to certain Numbers, inherent in the Creator's Mind. See Creator.
Hence Porphyry obferves, the Pythagoreans ftudied the Doctrine of Numbers with great Attention : Since the in- corporeal Forms, and firft 'Principles of Things, i.e. the Divine Ideas, could not be deliver'd in Words, they had recourfe to De.monftrai.ion by Numbers 5 and thus call'd the common Reafon and Ciufe of Unity, Identity, and Equality, by the Name One.
2. Pythagoras further taught, that there is a Relation or Kin-fhip between the Gods and Man ; and therefore the
Gods take care of Man Which, Clemens A'.exandrinus
fays, is apparently borrow'd from the Chriftian Doflrine of Providence. See Providence.
| Pythagoras alfo afferted a Metempfychofis, or Tranfmigra- tion of Souls ; and therefore the Immortality of the Soul. See Metempsychosis.
3. He taught, that Virtue is Harmony, Health, and e- very good thing; and that God, and therefore every thing, confifts of Harmony. See Harmony.
Pythagorean, or Pythagoric Syftem, among the Antients, was the fame with the Copernican Syftem among the Moderns. See System.
It was thus call'd, as having been maintained and culti- vated by Pythagoras, and his Followers; not that it was invented by him, for it was much older. See Coperni- can Syftem.
Pythagoric 'Theorem, or Proportion, is the 47th of the firft Book of Euclid. See Triangle and Hyeothe- nuse.
Pythagoric Tetraclys. See Tetr&ctys.
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