26 MEMOIR OF ARISTOTLE. 



gerated by his enemies) was in him merely an ac- 

 cessory which neither altered his character, nor 

 weakened that ardent desire for knowledge, which, 

 even in the vigour of manhood, and amidst the 

 gaieties of Athens, continued to he the master pas- 

 sion of his soul. There are other reasons of discord 

 stated by Laertius, who says, that Plato disliked the 

 scornful derision of his looks, and could not endure 

 his impertinent contradiction of his prelections ; on 

 which account his friendship was withdrawn, and 

 transferred to more submissive pupils. The repu- 

 diated favourite, he adds, opened a school in the 

 Lyceum, in opposition to his master ; at which the 

 indignant sage severely remarked, that his ungrate- 

 ful disciple resembled " the young foals that kicked 

 their dams when they had sucked their fill;" and, 

 from this circumstance, Aristotle was usually called 

 the Colt. These charges, however, are generally ad- 

 mitted to have been malicious aspersions cast upon 

 his memory, and invented after his death. Their 

 origin is ascribed to Aristoxenus, who took this me- 

 thod of revenge, because Aristotle refused to make 

 him successor in his school, having given the pre- 

 ference to Theophrastus. That he contradicted 

 Plato, and perplexed him with ingenious sophistries, 

 is highly probable, considering the boldness with 

 which lie determines questions beyond the reach of 

 human intellect ; but, as Arnmonius observes, this is 

 nothing wonderful, since Plato frequently contradicts 

 himself. As for the assertion, that he was guilty oi 



