Voff. Epift. in a letter, dated July 1633.

Tom. II. P. 220.

to the archduke Albert: he was even appointed governor of the castle of Louvain, in which place he died the 17th of September 1646.

He was the author of an immenfe number of works, most of which however are small; and no man seemed ever more perfuaded than he of the maxim of a Greek poet, that "a 66 great book is always a great evil." He affected to interfperfe his writings with ftrokes of wit, and fometimes fucceeded pretty well, but was often guilty of puns and quibbles. He published a book in 1633, while there was a truce negotiating between his catholic majesty and the United Provinces, intitled, Statera Belli & Pacis, "The Ballance of Peace and War" in which, fays Mr. Bayle, he fhewed himself better acquainted with the true interest of his catholic majesty; thạn they, who applied themselves folely to ftate-affairs. It made a great noise, and had like to have ruined him: for he spoke with too much freedom of things, which policy fhould have kept fecret. Gerard Voffius, his good friend, in the conclufion of a letter, wherein he expreffes his fears for Puteanus, fays, "Would to God he were obliged to hear only, what "Phalaris is reported to have faid to Sterichorus, on an occa"fion pretty much like this: Mind only the mufes, your la "bors will be glorious enough."

The commendations bestowed on him by the learned, and the honors done him by fome Princes, may be seen in Blount's Cenfura Authorum Celebriorum, and Bullart's Academie des Sciences in the latter of which may be read the following paffage. "It was the prodigious learning of Puteanus, "which, having won the heart of Urban VIII. determined "that great pope to fend him his picture in a golden medal, "very heavy, with fome copies of his works. It was that "fame learning, which engaged cardinal Frederic Borromeo "to receive him into his palace when he returned to Milan. "It was also his learning, which made him tenderly be"loved by the count de Fuentes, governor of Milan; and af"wards by the archduke Albert, who, having promoted him "to Juftus Lipfius's chair, admitted him alfo most honorably into the number of his counsellors. Laftly, it was his "learning, which made him so much esteemed in the chief "courts of Europe, and occafioned almost all the princes,

66

"the

"the learned men, the ambaffadors of kings, and the gene"rals of armies, to give him proofs of their regard in the "letters they wrote him; of which above fixteen thousand "were found in his library, all placed in a regular order. "He had the glory to fave the king of Poland's life, by explaining an enigmatical writing drawn up in unknown "characters, which no man could read or understand, "and which contained the scheme of a confpiracy against " that prince."

His works are divided into five volumes folio, the second of which contains his letters: befides which another collection of letters was published at Louvain in 1662, by the care of his fon-in-law Xiftus Anthony Milfer, governor of the caftle of Louvain. Puteanus was charged with writing a fatyr against our king James I, intitled, If. Cafauboni Corona Regia, &c. but falfely: it is now thoroughly believed, that Scioppius was the author of that moft bitter and outrageous piece.

PYRRHO, an eminent philofopher of antiquity, was born at Elis, and flourished in the time of Alexander, about the 11th olympiad. He was at first a painter; but happening on some writings of Democritus, applied himself afterwards to philofophy. Anaxarchus, the Abderite, was his mafter; whom he attended so far in his travels, that he even conversed with the Gymnosophists in India, and with the Magi. He established a fect, whofe fundamental principle was, that there is nothing true or falfe, right or wrong, honeft or dishonest, just or unjust; that there is no ftandard in any thing, but that all things depend upon law and cuftom, and that uncertainty and doubt belong to every thing. From this continual feeking after truth, and never finding it, the fect obtained the name of Sceptic; as it was fometimes called Pyrrhonian, from its founder.

Diogen.
Laert. de

vit. Philof.

The manner of life, which the philofopher obferved, was very ridiculous, as the ancients have defcribed it. He fhunned nothing, nor took any care, but went ftraight forward upon every thing. Chariots, precipices, dogs, and the like, Stanley's moved not him to turn the leaft out of the way; but he Lives of the was always faved by his friends that followed him. He ufed phers.

to

Philofo

to walk out alone, and feldom fhewed himself to thofe of his own family. He affected a state of the utmost indifference, infomuch that he held it wrong to be moved with any thing. Anaxarchus happening to fall into a ditch, Pyrrho went on without offering to help him, or shewing the least emotion: which, when fome blamed, Anaxarchus is faid to have commended as worthy of a philofopher. Another time, being at fea in a ftorm, and all around him being dejected and confounded, he very quietly and compofedly fhewed them a pig feeding in the fhip, and faid, that " a wife man ❝ought to be fettled in the fame indisturbance."

This fort of wisdom, whatever might be pronounced upon it in an age of common sense, exalted Pyrrho to fo much honor with his fellow-citizens, that they made him chief prieft, and on his account paffed a decree of immunity for all philofophers. He died at ninety years of age, leaving nothing behind him in writing: but a fummary of his principles is tranfmitted to us by Sextus Empericus, an acute and learned author of his fect, whofe Pyrrhoneæ hypotheses, or ten books of the fceptic philofophy, are tranflated by our learned Stanley, and inferted in his valuable and useful work,

Of the Lives and Opinions of the Philofophers." Epicurus is faid to have admired the converfation of Pyrrho, and to have been continually queftioning him.

PYTHAGORAS, one of the greateft men of antiquity, came into the world towards the 47th olympiad, four descents from Numa, as Dionyfius of Halicarnaffeus has proved; that is, about 590 years before Chrift. His father Mnemorchus of Samos, who was a graver by trade, and dealt in rings and other trinkets, went with his wife to Delphos, a few days after his marriage, there to fell fome goods during the feast; and, while he stayed there, received an oraculous anfwer from Apollo, who told him, that if he embarked for Syria, the voyage would be very fortunate to him, and that his wife would there bring forth a son, who fhould be renowned for beauty and wifdom, and whofe life would be a bleffing to pofterity. Mnemarchus obeyed the God, and Pythagoras was born at Sidon; and being brought to Samos, was educated there answerably to the great hopes

that

that were conceived of him. He was called "the youth "with the fine head of hair ;" and, from the great qualities, which appeared in him early, foon regarded as a good genius fent into the world for the benefit of mankind.

Samos in the mean time afforded no philofophers, capable of fatisfying his ardent thirst after knowledge; and therefore, at eighteen years of age, he refolved to travel, in queft of them elsewhere. The fame of Pherecydes drew him first to the island of Syros; whence he went to Miletus, where he converfed with Thales. Then he went to Phoenicia, and stayed fome time at Sidon, the place of his birth and from Sidon into Egypt, where Thales and Solon had been before him. Amafis, king of Egypt, received him very kindly; and, after having kept him fome time at his court, gave him letters for the priests of Heliopolis. The Egyptians were very jealous of their sciences, which they very rarely imparted to ftrangers: nor even to their own countrymen, till they had made them pafs through the fevereft probations. The priests of Heliopolis fent him to thofe of Memphis; and they directed him to the ancients of Diofpolis, who not daring to disobey the king, yet unwilling to break in upon their own laws and customs, received Pythagoras into their noviciate: hoping, he would foon be deterred from farther pursuits by the rigorous rules and ceremonies, which were a neceffary introduction to their myfteries. But they were deceived: Pythagoras went thro' all with wonderful patience; fo far as even to admit the circumcifion, if fome authors are to be credited.

After having remained twenty-five years in Egypt, he went to Babylon; afterwards to Crete; and thence to Sparta, to instruct himself in the laws of Minos and Lycurgus. Then he returned to Samos; which, finding under the tyranny of Polycrates, he quitted again about the 62d olympiad, and vifited the countries of Greece. Going through Peloponnefus, he stopped at Phlius, where Leo then reigned; and, in his converfation with this prince, fpoke with fo much eloquence and wisdom, that Leo was at once ravished and furprifed. He afked him at length, "wha: profeffion "he followed :" Pythagoras answered, "None, but, that . he was a philofopher." For, difpleafed with the lofty ti

tle

tle of fages and wife men, which his profeffion had hitherto affumed, he changed it into one more modest and humble; calling himself a philofopher, that is, a lover of wifdom. Leo afked him, "what it was to be a philosopher, "and the difference there was between a philofopher and "other men?" Pythagoras anfwered, that "this life might "well be compared to the Olympic games: for, as in that "vaft affembly, fome come in fearch of glory, others in "fearch of gain, and a third fort, more noble than the two "former, neither for fame nor profit, but only to enjoy the "wonderful spectacle, and to fee and know what paffes in "it; fo we in like manner come into the world, as into a place of public meeting, where fome toil after glory, others "after gain, and a few, contemning riches and vanity, apr ply themselves to the study of nature. These last, fays he, "are they, whom I call philofophers:" and he thought them by far the nobleft of the human kind, and the only part which spent their lives fuitably to their nature; for he was wont to fay, that "man was created to know and to con"template."

From Peloponnefus he paffed into Italy, and fettled at Croton; where the inhabitants, having fuffered great lofs in a battle with the Locrians, degenerated from industry and courage into softness and effeminacy. Pythagoras thought it a task worthy of himself, to reform this city, and accordingly began to preach to the inhabitants all manner of virtues; and, though he naturally met at firft with great oppofition, yet at length he made fuch an impreffion on his hearers, that the magiftrates themfelves, aftonished at the folidity and ftrength of reason with which he fpake, prayed him to interpofe in the affairs of the government, and to give fuch advices, as he fhould judge conducive to the good of the state. When Pythagoras had thus reformed the manners of the citizens by preaching, and established the city by wife and prudent counfels, he bethought himself of laying fome foundation of the wisdom he profeffed, and, in order to establish his fect, opened a school. It is not to be wondered at, that a croud of difciples offered themselves to a man, of whose wisdom such prodigious effects had been now seen and heard. They came to him from Greece, and from Italy;

but