12 THE GARDENS OF EPICURUS 



off, but all at great distance from the mark ; it may 

 be, none in sight. 



Yet in the midst of these and many other such dis- 

 putes and contentions in their natural philosophy, they 

 seem to agree much better in their moral ; and upon 

 their inquiries after the ultimate end of man, which 

 was his happiness, their contentions or differences 

 seemed to be rather in words, than in the sense of 

 their opinions, or in the true meaning of their several 

 authors or masters of their sects : all concluded that 

 happiness was the chief good, and ought to be the 

 ultimate end of man ; that as this was the end of 

 wisdom, so wisdom was the way to happiness. The 

 question then was, in what this happiness consisted ? 

 The contention grew warmest between the Stoics and 

 Epicureans ; the other sects in this point siding in a 

 manner with one or the other of these in their con- 

 ceptions or expressions. The Stoics would have it 

 to consist in virtue, and the Epicureans in pleasure ; 

 yet the most reasonable of the Stoics made the 

 pleasure of virtue to be the greatest happiness ; and 

 the best of the Epicureans made the greatest pleasure 

 to consist in virtue ; and the difference between these 

 two seems not easily discovered. AW agreed, the 

 greatest temper, if not the total subduing of passion, 



