THE GARDENS OF EPICURUS 9 



ease and felicity of life, by endeavouring to subdue, 

 or at least to temper their passions, and reduce their 

 appetites to what nature seems only to ask and to need. 

 And this design seems to have brought philosophy into 

 the world, at least that which is termed moral, and 

 appears to have an end not only desirable by every man, 

 which is the ease and happiness of life, but also in some 

 degree suitable to the force and reach of human nature : 

 for as to that part of philosophy which is called natural, 

 I know no end it can have, but that of either busying 

 a man's brains to no purpose, or satisfying the vanity 

 so natural to most men of distinguishing themselves, 

 by some way or other, from those that seem their 

 equals in birth, and the common advantages of it : and 

 whether this distinction be made by wealth or power, 

 or appearance of knowledge, which gains esteem and 

 applause in the world, is all a case. More than this, I 

 know no advantage mankind has gained by the progress 

 of natural philosophy, during so many ages it has had 

 vogue in the world, excepting always, and very justly, 

 what we owe to the mathematics, which is in a manner 

 all that seems valuable among the civilized nations, 

 more than those we call barbarous, whether they are 

 so or no, or more so than ourselves. 



How ancient this natural philosophy has been in the 



