[ 26 ]
that no Loss of Fortune, no Menaces of Death, no Extremities of Torture, should make him give way, or frighten him from a known Duty."
These are some of the Noble Sentences we meet with in the Writings of the Stoicks ; what strains of Piety, what Instances of Humanity, what flights of Greatness are here? And to give them their due, they don't run out into Inconsistency, nor talk above their Principles. Whereas the Epicurean Doctrines if you take them rightly, have neither Substance nor Show in them.
But 'tis objected against the Stoicks, that they were but little follow'd, that they were not constant to their Party, and fail'd in the point of Practise. I shall touch upon all these.
And first of the Smallness of their Numbers; it seems this Sect had always fewer Disciples than any of the rest. The Epicureans had it clearly by Poll : They used to Flourish mightily upon the crowd of Proselytes which followed their Master. And Torquatus in Tully does not stick to affirm ; that the Bulk of the People [1] run after Epicurus, and that the Strength, tho' not the Reason, of Mankind, was undoubtedly on his side.
Neither is there any great wonder in all this. Strato the Natural Philosopher
- ↑ Cic de finib. 1. 2.
