2 10 HEROES OF SCIENCE. 



therefore travelled into Egypt, and thence into 

 Chaldaea. Polycrates, the ruler of the island in 

 which Pythagoras was born, appears to have as- 

 sisted him with the Egyptians by introductions. 

 The traveller noticed i not only the habits and 

 customs of the people/ne visited, but also the aspect 

 of the countries, andVthe method by which nature 

 wore the earth, and produced changes on the surface 

 of the ground. He-Appears to have been much 

 struck with the periodical nature of many natural 

 events, such as the succession of the seasons, the 

 time of rain and inundation, and of great heat, and 

 of all the common examples with which everyone 

 is familiar at the present day. Returning home he 

 soon became aware that he could not teach, unre- 

 servedly, what he had learned and discovered 

 during his travels, for fear of Polycrates, and he 

 left the island. Finally he settled at Croton, in 

 southern Italy, and he appears to have chosen the 

 locality, in order to propagate his moral and 

 political, as well as scientific opinions. Unfortu- 

 nately, this ardent scholar and teacher did not write 

 any books, but left that task to his pupils and suc- 

 cessors, so that much good sense is mixed with much 

 nonsense in the so-called doctrines of Pythagoras 

 which came from them. Some of his opinions are 

 very remarkable and striking, and he introduced 

 into his own country the statements of the Eastern 

 nations, that there has been a gradual deterioration 

 of the human race from an original state of virtue 

 and happiness. But his principal work regarding 



