Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	time_n	world_n	4,351	5	4.4326	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38503	The life, and philosophy, of Epictetus with The embleme of humane life, by Cebes / rendred into English, by John Davies of Kidwelly.; Vie d'Epictète et sa philosophe. English	Boileau, Gilles, 1631-1669.; Davies, John, 1625-1693.; Epictetus. Selections. English.	1670 (1670)	Wing E3152; ESTC R873	61,390	238

remaining four Books He afterwards made a little Treatise which he called Enchiridion which is an Abridgment of all the Moral Philosophy of Epictetus which is yet extant and indisputabl'y one of the most excellent Pieces of Antiquity But what I am extreamly astonish'd at is that a person so highly learned as Lipsius whose illuminated judgment sound its way into the greatest obscurities of the Stoick Philosophy and who made it his principal study should imagine that Epictetus was the Author of that Enchiridion and how he mist observing that Simplicius expressly affirms at the very beginning of his Book that the Enchiridion was compos'd by Arrian and that it was an extract of the noblest and most considerable Maximes of Epictetus's Philosophy The Translator of Arrians Discourses into French so well known by the Philarchus of Monsieur de Balzac is guilty of the same Errour Arrian had also written another very large Book of the Life and Death of Epictetus which is clearly lost Marcus Aurclius speaks of another Book intituled The Commentaries of Epictetus which he had very exactly read over But in all probability these Commentaries are no other than the Discourses of Epictetus whereof I have already spoken For Arrian in the Preface he made before thosse Discourses calls them also the Commentarie● of Epictetus I conceive the equivocation proceeded from the two publications made of that Book during the life of Arrian who possbly gave it different Titles I am also of opinion that those Discourses were much larger than we now find them and it may be that instead of four there were five or six Books of them This is so far certain that Gellius cites a passage of the fifth Book of Arrian's Discourses And Stobaeus relates several passages of the same Author now not extant elsewhere It is possible also that Arrian left out several things at the second publication which was made of his Book and reduc'd the six Books he had made to four However it be I cannot allow what is affirm'd by Suidas that Epictetus writ much For if we ever so little consult what hath been written by Arrian or reflect on the Maximes maintain'd by him we shall hardly be induc'd to any imagination of it There are also certain Answers which some pretend that he made to the Emperour Hadrian But there needs only the reading of them to discover their being supposititious and that they are falsely attributed to him Wolsius put us sometime in hopes that we should see Epictetus's Letters which were as he was told in the Library of Florence But it is very likely that he who told him that News was not well informed of the truth and that we may long expect the publishing of them Of what Disease Epictetus died or at what time is not well known True it is that Suidas affirmes he died under the reign of Marcus Aurelius But I much question the truth of it Salmasius who hath been very large as to this particular brings several reasons to make it appear that Suidas was mistaken The first is that the same Suidas affirms that Epictetus was a slave to Epaphroditus who was Captain of the Life-Guard to Nero. Now from the death of Nero to Marcus Aurelius's advancement to the Empire there are near ninety four years Nay before Epictetus was in a condition to do Epaphroditus any service and to come from Hierapolis to Rome he must be of some Age. So that according to this computation he must have lived near a hundred and twenty years which is not easily believ'd And yet there may be somewhat in the conjecture though not enough to make it convictive for it is possible as Lipsius hath well observ'd that he did not serve Epaphroditus till after the death of Nero. Yet Lipsius may be answer'd by alledging that Epaphroditus is here stiled Captain of Nero's Life Guard which argues that Nero was then living Salmasius's second reason is that Marcus Aurelius numbers not Epictetus among those whom he had heard He only affirms that he had seen his Commentaries by the means of Junius Rusticus who sent him them This reason seems to me much weaker than the former For besides that Epictetus might at that time be retir'd to Nicopolis he died haply at the beginning of Marcus Aurelius's Reign And Suidas affirms only that he came to the time of that Emperour And so though Epictetus had lived till the beginning of his Reign it is possible that Emperour might not see the Commentaries of Epictetus till after his death The third reason alledged by Salmasius seems to me to be of no validity at all He saies that Epictetus's Lamp was sold in Lucian's time and thence he infers that Epictetus was then dead But this does not prove any thing For there are very high probabilities if not certainty that Lucian died not till after Marcus Aurclius And so that Lamp might have been sold in Lucian's time though Epictetus liv'd to the time of that Emperour Nay it is possible it was sold in the Life-time of Epictetus and in that case there would be no difficulty The fourth Reason is That A. Gellius who writ in the time of Antoninus Pius or at the beginning of Marcus Aurelias's Reign affirmes of Epictetus thus The memory of Epictetus the Philosopher is yet fresh The passage is not faithfully set down by Salmasius For it is precisely said in Aulus Gellius That Epictetus also was a slave is of fresh Memory That is it was of fresh memory that Epictetus had been a Slave and not simply that he had been To conclude The last Reason brought by Salmasius is that Aulus Gellius speaks in another place in these Terms I have heard Favorinus say that Epictetus said c. So that since Favorinus died under the Emperour Hadrian Salmasius infers that Epictetus could not have liv'd up to the time of Marcus Aurelius This reason is not convictive because Favorinus might inform Aulus Gellius of what Epictetus said though Epictetus were not dead Yet must we allow it some ground For Aulus Gellius who writ in the time of Antoninus Pius the Predecessor of Marcus Aurelius when he speaks of Epictetus expresses himself in these Terms Epictetus said That venerable Old Man said I have been inform'd by such a one that Epictetus said Which clearly argues that he was not then living And what makes me the more inclinable to this opinion is that it is probable that Arrian had not made any collection of the Discourses of Epictetus till after the death of that Philosopher And if so it is impossible that what is affirmed by Suidas should be true and that Epictetus liv'd up to the time of Marcus Aurelius For in the time of Aulus Gellius who as hath been observed writ under Antoninus Pius these Discourses were already published and generally known True it is that Arrian might have made that Book in the Life-time of Epictetus

in the like that are not any way disturb'd thereat it is the opinion which he hath conceiv'd thereof that torments him Then use your utmost endeavours to undeceive him and to recover him out of evil Opinion Nay if you think it convenient you may pretend sadness and a certain fellow-feeling of his affliction But have a care that Grief do not effectually seize your heart while you think only to personate it Remember your self that you are to act here the part which the Master of the Revels hath been pleas'd to assign you If your part be short be short in the acting of it if it be long be content to go through with it If he have appointed you to do that of a poor Man endeavour to acquit your self in the action as well and as naturally as you can If fine if he have impos'd upon you that of a Prince or a Lame person or a Tradesman it is your concern to act according to what is assign'd you and hath been directed by another If it chance that you hear a Crow croaking be not the least troubled at it But let this be your immediate reflection I am not the person threatned by that Crow it may haply be my Body or the little Estate I am possess'd of or my Reputation or my Children or my Wife for as to my own part there is not any thing but presages happiness to me in regard that of whatever shall happen it depends only on my self to make all the advantage I can You may be invincible if you undertake not any engagement but such as you are assur'd of the success thereof and where the obtaining of the Victory depends only on your self If you observe any one advanc'd to Dignities or in favour and credit be not surpriz'd at the outward appearance of it and say not that he is therefore happy For since the true tranquillity of the mind consists in our wishes only of what depends on our selves the lustre of Grandeurs ought not to raise any envy or jealousy in us Nor should you entertain any ambition of being a Senator a Consul or an Emperour the only business you are to mind is Freedom That ought to be the ultimate end of all your pretensions Now to attain that there is but one way which is to slight whatever depends not on us Remember also it is not either he who injuries you nor yet he who smites you that offends you but it is the Opinion you have conceiv'd thereof When therefore any one shall occasion your being angry know that not he but your own Opinion hath incens'd you Accordingly you ought to be very carefull that you be not transported by your passion for if you delay it for ever so little a while you will the more easily overcome it Let Death Banishment and all those other things which the greatest part of Men put into the number of Evils be your daily Meditation but let your thoughts be particularly fixt on Death For by this means you will never have any mean and servile consideraton nor ever wish any thing with passion If you have a design to perfect your self in the study of Philosophy prepare your self before you undertake any thing to endure the derision of all the World It will be said to you How are you become a Philosopher of a sudden Whence came you by that severe aspect Laugh at all that conditionally that what is said be not true and that you have not that gravity wherewith you are reproached Do you only demean your self so towards what seems best to you that nothing be able to divert you from it and continue constant thereto as if God had appointed you to do so If you persist in the same resolution and prove constant in the same estate you will become the object of their admiration who before derided you If on the contrary you flag and if once you give way to any change of resolution all you have done will only occasion others to repeat their derisions of you Suffer not your mind to be distracted with imaginations of this kind that you will not be consider'd and that you will not be respected and honoured For if it were an evil not to receive honour the consequence would be that it were in the power of another to make us unhappy Which cannot be in regard that the same reason which exempts us from being involv'd in Vice by the act of another exempts us also from being involv'd in evil by the act of another Is it a thing at our disposal to be advanc'd to soveraign dignities or to be invited to great Feasts or in fine to be possess'd of all the other goods not dependent on us No it is clearly out of our reach How then can you say that you shall live in Disesteem and Ignominy if you have not the enjoyment of these kinds of things How I say can you complain that you shall not be respected when you are to confine all your desires and all your pretensions within your self and what depends on you where you are allow'd to exalt your self as much as you please You will haply reply if I live so I shall never be in a condition to serve my Friends Ah! How are you mistaken How do you imagine that this proposition is to be understood a man is oblig'd to assist his Friends T is not thereby meant that he is to supply them with Mony or to make them Citizens of Rome since that is not in our power and that it is impossible for one to bestow that on another which he hath not himself I foresee the answer you will make me to wit that a Man is to use all industry to raise himself to wealth and credit that he may be able to relieve his Friends in their necessities But if you can shew me a way whereby they may be attain'd without hazarding the loss of vertuous Inclination Sincerity and Generosity I promise you that I will attempt alwaies to do it If then you expect from me that I should hazard the loss of my own goods to endeavour the acquisition of others for you which are not true goods consider whether you are not unjust and unreasonable Reflect then whether you ought not to make greater account of a sincere vertuous and faithfull Friend than of Mony Do therefore all that lies in your power to preserve these qualities in me and never press me to do any thing which may reduce me into a capacity of loosing them You may yet possibly make this further reply that by this means you will not be able to serve your Country But what do you mean by those words 'T is true you will not be able to adorn it with Triumphal Arches or publick Baths They are not Smiths who furnish the City with Shoes nor hath it Arms from Shoemakers 'T is well that every one act according to his profession What do you imagine