SEXTUS EMPIRICUS. THE PYRRHONISTS. 271 



narratives, than to ascertain and deliver the truth. It cannot be denied, 

 however, that some philosophers proceeded to considerable lengths in 

 throwing doubt on the most common maxims ; and that both the 

 minute controversies of the sophists, and the embarrassing objections 

 of Socrates, operated in a powerful manner in unsettling the notions of 

 subsequent inquirers. Without reverting to remote periods, or renew- 

 ing the details which we have already given of the ACADEMIC sects, 

 we shall content ourselves with some observations on those who are 

 strictly called the members of the Sceptic or Pyrrhonic school, 



Pyrrho was a native of Elis, and flourished about the CXth Olym- p vrr h . 

 piad. Even from the scanty details of his life which have been B - c - 34 - 

 transmitted to us, we can perhaps trace, with a considerable degree 

 of probability, the source of that entire scepticism on all points of 

 moral evidence and of abstract reasoning, for which he was peculiarly 

 distinguished. We learn, that after having abandoned the study of 

 painting, to which he had applied himself in early youth, and having 

 devoted his time to philosophical pursuits, he directed his attention 

 principally to the works of Democritus, and received the instructions 

 of Anaxarchus, whom he accompanied in the expedition of Alexander 

 the Great into India, where he conversed with the magi and gymno- 

 sophists. 1 



Now we know that Democritus expressed in most positive terms 

 his opinion of the uncertainty of human knowledge, and the impossi- 

 bility of finding truth, which he was in the habit of describing as sunk 

 in some deep well ; 2 we know, too, that from the school of Democritus 

 came Metrodorus the Chian, who placed in the very beginning of one 

 of his works the maxim, That we are ignorant of all things, and even 

 of the truth of this very assertion ; 3 and that among the disciples of 

 Metrodorus was Anaxarchus, the tutor of Pyrrho. When to these 

 circumstances we add the fact mentioned by Strabo, that the Brach- 

 mans, a branch of the sect of Indian gymnosophists, maintained that 

 nothing was in its nature good or bad, but was only such in appearance, 4 

 we possess some of the principal points which, if considered in 

 conjunction with the effects of natural disposition, enable us in a great 

 measure to account for that tendency to scepticism in P) T rrho, which 

 was no doubt increased and elicited by the overbearing arrogance of 



1 Diog. Laert. in Vit. ; Aristocl. ap. Euseb. de Praepar. Evang. lib. xiv. c. 18 ; 

 Lucian, in Bis Accusat. ; Suid. in Hvppcav. 



2 Democritus (pronunciat) quasi in puteo quodam sic alto ut fundus sit nullus 

 veritatem jacere demersam. Lactant. Instit. lib. iii. c. 27. Comp. Cic. Academ. 

 Quaest. ; Diog. Laert. lib. ix. sec. 72. 



3 Cic. Academ. Quaest. lib. i. Chius Metrodorus initio libri qui est de Natura 1 : 

 Nego, inquit, scire nos, sciamusne aliquid, an nihil sciamus ; ne id ipsum quidem 

 nescire, aut scire, scire nos ; nee omnino, sitne aliquid, an nihil sit. JSee also Diog. 

 Laert. in Vit. Anaxarch. lib. ix. sec. 58. 



4 Strab. lib. xv. Sects of men who professed universal doubt, seem to have 

 flourished in many other nations, e. g. the Hairetis among the Turks, the Medab- 

 berim among the Arabians, &c. 



