PYTHAGOREANS. 



to tlit> praftical fcience of arithmetic. It has been faid, in- 

 deed, tliat Pythagoras travelled, not only into Egypt and 

 Chaldsea, but even into the Indies, to inform his under- 

 ilanding with regard to all branches of fcirtice and prevalent 

 cuftoms ; and that after returning to his own country, being 

 unable to bear the tyranny ot Polycrates, he retired into the 

 eailern part of Italy, then called Magna Gr-.ecia, and efta- 

 blilhed his feft, denominated from thiscircumilance the " Ita- 

 lic Seft," or "Italic fchool." Whatever opinion is enter- 

 tained of this journey to the Eaft, to which Le Clerc gives 

 no credit, we mull altogether rejeft other ftories of his 

 vifiting the temple on mount Carmel, and remaining there 

 for feveral days, without food, palling among the inhabit- 

 ants for a good dxmon, and obtaining from them religious 

 honours ; and of his proceeding into India, and there 

 paffing through feveral ceremonies of the Mofaic law. 



Pythagoras, whilll he was iu Egypt, was introduced by 

 the recommendation of Polycrates, tyrant of Samps, to 

 Amafis, king ot Egypt, a diftinguiflied patron of literary 

 men, and thus obtained acccfs to the colleges of the priefts. 

 Having found it difficult to gain this privilege, he performed 

 many fevere and troublefome preliminary ceremonies, and 

 even fubmitted to circumcifion, a prefcribed condition of his 

 admiffion. He palled twenty-two years in Egypt, availing 

 himfelf of all pollible means of information with regard to 

 the recondite doftrines of the Egyptian priefts, as well as 

 their aftronomy and geometry, and Egyptian learning in its 

 molt unlimited extent. 



Many writers of reputation, both Pagan and Chrillian, 

 who flourifhed after the commencement of the Chrillian era, 

 relate, that after Pythagoras had left Egypt, he viiited the 

 Perfian and Chaldcean Magi, and proceeeded fo far as to have 

 intercourfe with the Indian Gymnofophifts. Jamblichus 

 allerts, that he was taken captive by the vidlorious army 

 of Cambyfes, and carried to Babylon, where he acquainted 

 himfelf with the learning and philofophy of the Eaft; and 

 that after the expiration of twelve years, when he was in the 

 6oth year of his age, he returned to Samog. The circum- 

 Itance of his having viiited the Perfian magi is alfo mentioned 

 by Cicero, Eufebius, Laftantius, and Valerius Maximus, 

 though they take no notice of his captivity. In this jour- 

 ney to the Eaft, as fome have maintained, he attended upon 

 the inilrudlions of the celebrated Perfian fage, Zoroafter ; 

 and otiiers, who have placed the life of Zoroafter in an 

 earlier period than that of Pythagoras, have allertcd, that 

 he converted with certain Jewifh prophets, who were at that 

 time in Babylon, in a ftate of captivity, and thus became 

 acquainted with the Jewifh laws and cuftoms. However, fe- 

 veral objeftions, particularly of a chronological kind, have 

 been alleged againft the narrative of Pythagoras's journey 

 to the Eaft. Chronologifls unanimoufly agree, that Cam- 

 byfes invaded Egypt in the fifth year of his reign, or the 

 third year of the 63d olympiad. According to Jamblichus, 

 Pythagoras, after ftaying twelve years in Babylon, and 

 vifiting feveral other countries, went into Italy in the 

 62d olympiad. The fame date is afiixed to this journey 

 by Diodorus and Clemens Alexandrinus ; whilil others place 

 it about fourteen years earher. Hence it appears, that if 

 Pythagoras left the Eaft before the 62(1 olympiad, after re- 

 maining there twelve years, he could not have been car- 

 ried thither by Cambyfes in the 63d olympiad. Moreover, 

 the whole narration of Pythagoras's journey into the Eaft is 

 Contradicl;ed by the exprefs authority of Antiphon (quoted 

 by Porphyry), who fays that Pythagoras, after his refidence 

 in Egypt, returned into Ionia, and opened a fchocil in his 

 own country ; and that, at the age of forty years, finding 

 himfelf haralTed by the tyranny of Polycrates, he withdrew 



Vol. XXIX. 



into Italy ; and according to tliis account, we have no in- 

 terval for the fuppofed eaftcrn expedition. The reality of 

 this expedition is teftified either by certain Alexandrian Pla- 

 tonilts, who were defirous of exalting, as much as pofliblc, 

 the wifdom of thofe ancient philofophirs, whom they confi- 

 dercd as the oracles of wifdom, or by certain Jewitli and 

 Chriftian writers, who were difpofed to credit every tale 

 which tended to give probabili' y to the opinion that the Py- 

 thagorean dodrine was derived from the Oriental philofo- 

 phers, and ultimately from the Hebrew fcriptures. In ci- 

 ther cafe the authenticity of the relation is hable to juft fufpi- 

 cion ; nor is there any probable argument to prove, that 

 Pythagoras received inftruftion from any prophet of the 

 Hebrew nation, during his fuppofed refidence at Babylon. 

 Brucker concurs with thofe writers who are difpofed to re- 

 jetl this ftory of Pythagoras's eailern journey as a mere fic- 

 tion, and who concludes that, having never pail'ed froni^ 

 Egypt to the Eaft, he returned thence immediately to 

 Samos. The ftory of his having vifited the northern Druids 

 is fo deflitute of probability and of evidence, as to merit no 

 regard. 



After his return from Egypt to his native ifland, he 

 wifhcd to communicate the benefit of his twenty years' 

 refearclies and ftudics to his fellow-citizens, and with this 

 view he attempted to inftitute a fchool for their inflrudlion 

 in the elements of fcience ; propofing to adopt the Egyptian 

 mode of teaching, and to communicate his doArines under 

 a fymbolical form : but the Samians were either too flupid 

 or too indolent to profit by his inftruftions. Although he 

 was obliged to relinquiih his defign, he did not altogether 

 abandon it. In order to engage the attention of his coun- 

 trymen by fome other means, he repaired to Delos ; and 

 after prefenting an offering of cakes to Apollo, he there 

 received, or pretended to receive, moral dogmas from the 

 prieftefs, which he afterwards delivered to his difciples under 

 the character of divine precepts. With the fame views he 

 alfo vifited the ifland of Crete, fo celebrated in mythological 

 hiftory ; where he was conducted by the Corybantes, or 

 priefts of Cybele, into the cave of mount Ida, in which 

 Jupiter is faid to have been buried. Here he converfed with 

 Epimenides, an eminent pretender to prophetic powers, and 

 was by him initiated into the moft facred myfteries of Greece. 

 About the fame time he vifited Sparta and Ehs, and was 

 prefent during the celebration of the Olympic games, where 

 he is faid to have exhibited a golden thigh to Abaris, in order 

 to convince him that he was Apollo. Befides other places 

 which he vifited during his flay in Greece, he repaired to 

 PhUus, where he firft affumed the appellation of philofopher, 

 (See PuiLOSOPHEn.) Having thus added to the ftores of 

 learning which he had previoufly accumulated, and acquired 

 a kind of authority which was calculated to command 

 refpetl, he returned to Samos, and made a fecond attempt, 

 more fuccefsful than his firft, for ellablifliing a fchool of 

 philofophy. In a femicircular kind of building, which the 

 Samians had ufed as a place of refort for public bufinefs, 

 he delivered with an affumed authority of a facred nature, 

 popular precepts of morality ; and he alfo provided for 

 himfelf a fecret cave, into which he retired with his intimate 

 friends and profetled difciples, and here he gave his foU 

 lowers daily inflruftions, accompanied with a conCderable 

 parade of myftery, in the more abftrufe parts of philofophy. 

 His fame, and the multitude of his followers, increafed. 

 What he failed to accomplifh by the mere force of learning 

 and ability, he effefted by concealing his doftrines under 

 the veil ot myflerious fymbols, and iffuing forth his pre- 

 cepts as refponfes from a divine oracle. About the begin- 

 ning of the 59th olympiad, Pythagoras, defirous of efcaping 



R the 



