Chap. VIIL ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 145 



parts of philofophy, which treat of God and Nature : Whereas 

 (p^ovi^oi only denotes a man who excels in the virtue of prudence, 

 or (p^ovr/G-tg, as it is called in Greek, of which the fubjed: is the acci- 

 dents or contingents only of human life. But this virtue of Prudence 

 is very juftly fet at the head of the four cardinal virtues: For it go- 

 verns and diredts them all, and fets bounds to their excefles, or fhows 

 wherein they are deficient ; in fo much, that Ariftotle fays, that the 

 other three virtues are to be confidered as modifications or particu- 

 lar applications of prudence to the acSlions of men. He diftinguifh- 

 es alfo betwixt a-.p^av and eyx^arrjg : The firfl is a man who has no 

 inclination to vicious pleafures, and whofe mind, therefore, in that 

 refped:, is entirely trooi, or correal ; whereas g'^;^^ r;?s is a man who 

 has vicious inclinations, but is able to reftrain them. He diftin- 

 guifhes aiib, with refped: to vices, betwixt the ajtoXao-TGC and the 

 Qiic^arng; The firft is a man who is led by principle to purfue vicious 

 pleafures, thinking them his greateft happinefs; the other is a man 

 who has the principle of virtue in him, but it is overcome by the 

 temptations to vice. 



In his four treatifes upon Morals, he has not only defined and 

 defcribed moft accurately the different virtues and vices, but he has 

 enlarged upon every thing that can make life happy, and particular- 

 ly upon friendfhip. Upon this lubjedt, he has beftowed no lefs than 

 two entire books in his Nicomache'ia^ the 8th and 9th. The firft of 

 16 chapters ; the fecond of i 2. He has fpoken alfo of it in the firft 

 book of the Magna Moralia^ cap. 32. and in the feven laft chapters 

 of the fecond book, the firft of them a very long one, are all upon 

 the fubjcd: of friendlhip; and, in his Eudem'ta^ he has beftowed al- 

 moft the whole laft book upon it, all except the two laft chapters. 



I will only add fome obfcrvations more upou Ariftotlc's dodrine 



of Morals. He fuppofes all the virtues to be *«|f/c, or hahitSy formed 



Vol. V. T by 



