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the earth: Whenco me have something in common With God, and with the animal creation. Thus, since We are composed os these two elementa, the one of Whisi is endo in With light, thoother With daanes' a part of knowledge is oven to us, and a part os ignorance. Over this bridge, So to speah, Me may pMs .mithout any danger os falling; sor ait thoso Who have inclinodio sither fide, either toWards the lest hand or the right, havs fallen. But I will say hoW each pari has erred. The Academimargued hom obscure subjecta, against the natural philosophere, that there Was no knowledge; and satisfied With tho examplesos a se. incomprehensibis subjecis, they embraced ignoranceas though they had tahen aWay the wholo of knowledge, b cause they had tahen it aWay in pari. But natural philos phera, on the other hand, derived thela argument trom thoss
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the old age, as it mere, os philosophy, which might despatch it
sibis for something to be lino n. Os a similar character to this is that whicli is accustomed tobe proposed in the schools as an example of the hind of fallacycalled avatalon; that somo one had dreami that he aliould notbelleve dreams. For is lis did bellevo them, then it folio sthat he ouot not to belleus them. But is he did not bellevothem, then it follows that he ought to bolievo them. Thus, it nothing can be known, it is necessary that this saet must boknown, that nothing is known. But is it is known that nothingcan be known, the statement stat nothing can be known mustas a consequence bo false. Thus there is introduced a tenet opposed to itself, and destructivo of itfel . But tho evasive 'man wished to take aWay learning srom the other philosophers, that he might conceat it at his homo. For truly ho is not fortaking it from himself who assi s mything that he may talio it from others: but ho does not succeed; sor it shoms irael and betrus iis plunderer. HOW much more misely and truly hs would aet, is lis aliould mahe an exception, and say that theca es and systems of heavenly things only, or natural things, because they are hidden, cannot be known, for there is no one
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Which either nothing is learned, or something is even uniearned Where re, it ali inings cannot bo known, as the natural phil sophera thought, nor nothing, as this Academica taught, phil sopby is altogether extinguished. OCHAP. VII.- morat phil opis, and the elites Fod. Let us no pras to the other part oi philosophy, Wluch theythemselves cali morat, in Whicli is contained the method of the wholo os philosophy, since in natural philosophy them is onlydelight, in this there is utili also. And since it is more
dangerous to commit a fauit in arranging the condition os lissand in forming the character, greater diligence must M used, that κε may know lioW Wo ought in live. For in tho former
rave, they do no injury. But in this subject thero is no room for differencs os opinion, none for error. Ait must entertianthe samo sentimendi, and philosophy itasti must givo instru tions as it were With one mouth; bocause ii any error shali bocommitted, life is altogether overthrown. In that former par as there is lem danger, so there is more dissiculu; cause thoobscuriu of tho subject compeis us to Entertain different and various opinions. But in this, as there is more danger, so thereis leas dissicul ; becauso the very use os ius subjecta and datly experimenta are abis to leach What is truer and bellar. Letus see, thereiore, Whether they agres, Or What assistance) thsygivo us for the bellar guidance of lila. It is not necessa toenlarge on every potnt; let us select One, and especialty that
Whicli is tho chiei and principat thing, in Which the whole ol
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Wisdom centres and depends. Epicurus deems that tho chiet good consista in pleasuro os mind, Mistippus in pleasum ostiis body. Callipho and Dinomachus united virtus Withplemure, Diodorus With ths privation of pain. Hieronymus
placed the chisi good in the absenes of pain; tho Peripatetic' again, in the goods of the mind, tho body, and fortune. Thechisi good os Herillus is knowledge; that os Zeno, is live agreeably in natura; that os certain Stoica, in follo virtuo. Aristotis plaeed the chisi good in integrity and virtve. These
controversies of thoso men. This reaches us What is the trus
and highest Mod of man; but betore I begin is speis on this subjeci, ali those opinions must be refuted, that it may appear stat nono of thoso philosopherH Was Wise. Sinco the inqui is respecting the duty of man, ths clitet good of the chios animal ought to M placed in stat, Which it cannot havs incommon with the other animias. But M toeth ars the peculiarproperty of Wild beasis, horns of catile, and wings of birds, sommething peculiar to himself ought to attributed in man, without which ho mould loso the fixed ' order of his condition.
For that which is oven in ali for the purpose of life or generation, is indeed a natural good; but stili it is not ths greates
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not more necessam for them, becausa man can be relieve lis remedies and services, tho dumb animais cannot. The sameis true os those whicli they cali tho goods os fortuno; sor asman has need os refources for tho support os lise, so havs theyyneed of prey and pasture. Thus, is introducing a good Whicli is
not milhin the poWer of man, they made man altogether subjectis the poWer of another. Let us also hear Zeno, sor ho attimes dreams of virtus. The chiei good, he says, is to live in
accordance With nature. Theresore Me must live aster themanner of the brutes. For in these are found ali the thingswhieli ought to be absent from man : they are eager for
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pleasum and of tood does not exist in man alone, but also iu
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When both morda havs the samo signification and meaning
But no one has yet sald that the chiel Mod is Wisdom, thoughthis might mors properly havo been said. For knowledgo is insufficient for tho undorlahing of that whicli is good an lavoiding that which is evit, unieas virtuo also is added. Formany of the philosophera, though they discussed the naturo os Mod and evit things, yet from the compulsion os nature lived
in a manner different frem their discourae, because they memmithout virtve. But virtus united mitti knowledge is Wisdom. It romaina that Wo refuto those also Who judged virtuo irael to bo the chies good, and Marcus Tullius Was also of this opinion; and in thia they Wero veta inconsiderate. For virtuoitseli is not tho chiet good, but it is the contriver and mollier of the chios mod; for this cannot bo attained without virtve.
ciose at hand, that any one Who Wishes may grasp it Mithout any ossori of the mind But it me do not attain even to a commonand moderate good excepi by la ur, sinco good things are istheir naturo arduous and difficuli, whereas ovil things have adownward tenden , it folioWs that the greateat labour is nec
sary for tho attainment of tho greatest good. And is this ismost true, then them is need of anothor Viriue, that me may arrius at that virtve whicli is called the chisi good; but thisis incongruous md absurd, that virtuo fhould arrius at iissis means of itself. Is no good can be reached untem is labour,it is evident that it is virtve by which it is reached, since thesorco and office of Virtus consist in tho underisking and carr ing through of labo s. Therofore the chisi good cannot bestat by which it is necessary to arrive at another. But they,
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ot disgraco. But he saW that it might happen stat a binopinion is entertained respecting virtus by a depraved judyment, and therofore ho thought that deferencs should bo piadis What in the estimation of men constitutes a departum immWhat is right and good, becauso it is not in Our po er that virtus ahould bo honoured simply ior ita οὐ deseris. For hat is honourabisy character, excepi perpetuat hono , con
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pared Mith an answer, ultered this at random, that ho mi tynot be silent. But is lis had Men mise, ho ought is have considorod and reflected with himself; for it any one is ignorantos his own condition, he cannot even bo a man. But let usimagino that the saying mas not ulteria on the spur of the moment. Let us με ho. many and What great errora ha committed in thres Words. Firet, he erred in placing the wholoduty os man in the ves alone, referring nothing to the mind,