PYTHAGOREANS. 



the tyrannical government exercifed in his native ifland by 

 Syloibn, the brotlicr of Polycrates, left Samoa, and, as 

 we have already hinted, palled over into Italy, and attempted 

 to edablifh his fchool among the colonies of Magna Gr;ecia. 

 It is probable that, in order to obtain credit with the 

 populace, he about this time pretended to poflefs a power 

 of performing miracles, and praftifed many arts of im- 

 pollure. The firft place at which he arrived in Italy was 

 Crotona, a city in the bay of Tarentum, the inhabitants of 

 which were very corrupt in their manners. But fuch were his 

 reputation and influence, that he was treated with great refpeft, 

 and people of all clalTes afiembled to hear Iiis difcourfes ; 

 infomuch that the manners of the citizens were foon totally 

 changed from great luxury and licentioufncfs to llritt 

 fobrieiy and frugality. It is faid that 600 (fomc fay 2000), 

 perfons were prevailed upon to fubmit to the ftrift dif- 

 cipline which he required, and to throw their effefts into a 

 common Hock for the benefit of the whole fraternity. The 

 influence of his philofophy extended from Crotona to 

 many other cities of Magna Grsecia, and obtained for 

 Pythagoras from his followers a degree of refpedt little 

 fhort of adoration. If he had contented himfelf with de- 

 livering doftrines of philofophy and precepts of practical 

 w^fdom, he might probably have continued his labours, 

 without moleftation, to the end of his life. But he mani- 

 feft:ed a ftrong propenfity towards political innovations ; 

 and he employed his influence in urging the people to the 

 ftrenuous aflertion of their rights, againll the encroachments 

 of their tyrannical governors. This courfe of conduft raifed 

 againft him a very powerful oppofition, which he was 

 unable to refill and contend againll, and which obliged him 

 to retire to Metapontum. Here he found himfelf llill fur- 

 rounded with enemies, and was under a ncceffity of feeking 

 an afylum in the temple of the Mufes, where, not being 

 fupplied by his friends with fufficient food, he perilhed with 

 hunger. The time of his death is uncertain ; but accord- 

 ing to the Chronicon of Eufebius, he died in the third year 

 of the 68th olympiad, B. C. 506, after having lived, ac- 

 cerding to the mofl probable ftatement of his birth, to the 

 age of 80 years. After his death his followers paid a fuper- 

 ftitious refpeft to his memory. They erefted llatues in 

 honour of him, converted his houfe at Crotona into a 

 temple of Ceres, the ftreet in which it flood was called tlie 

 Mufeum, and appealed to him as a divinity, fwearing by 

 his name. ' 



It appears, from the hiftory of this philofopher, that 

 with all his talents and learning, he owed much of his 

 celebrity and authority to impofture. His whole manner 

 of life confirms this opinion. Clothed in a long white robe, 

 with a flowing beard, and, as fome fay, with a golden crown 

 on his head, he preferved among the people, and in the 

 prefence of his difciples, a commanding gravity and majefty 

 of afpeft. He recurred to mufic for promoting the tran- 

 quillity of his mind, frequently finging, for this purpofe, 

 hymns of Thales, Hefiod, and Homer. He had fuch an 

 entire command over himfelf, that he was never feen to ex- 

 prefs, in his countenance, grief, joy, or anger. He refrained 

 from animal food, and confined himfelf to a frugal vege- 

 table diet, excluding from his fimple bill of fare, for 

 myftical reafons, pulfe or beans. By this artificial demeanour, 

 Pythagoras appeared among the vulgar as a being of an 

 order fuperior to the common condition of humanity, and 

 perfuaded them that he had received his dodlrinc from 

 heaven. Pythagoras married Theano of Crotona, or, as 

 fome fay, of Crete, by whom he had two fons, Telauges 

 and Mnefarchus, who, after his death, took the charge of 

 his fchool. Whether this philofopher left behind him any 



writings has been a fubjedt of difpute. Many works have 

 been enuirierated under his name by Laertiut., Jamblichus, 

 and Pliny ; but it is the declared opinion of Plutarch, 

 Jofephus, I^ucian, and others, that there were no genuine 

 works of Pythagoras extant ; and it appears highly pro- 

 bable, from the pains which he took to confine his doftrine 

 to liis own fchool during his life, that he never committed 

 his pliilofophical fyltem to writing, and that the pieces to 

 which his name was affixed at an early period, were written 

 by fome of his followers, upon the principles imbibed in 

 his fchool. The famous golden verfes attributed to Pytha- 

 goras, and illuftrated with a commentary by Hierocles, 

 were not written by our philofopher, but arc to be afcribed 

 to Epicharmus, or Em])edocles. They may, iiowever, be 

 confidered as a brief fummary of his popular dodtrines. 



His " Method of inflruction," formed upon the Egyptian 

 model, was " exoteric," and " efoteric," that is, pubhc and 

 private. Thofe auditors, who attended his public leftures, 

 did not properly belong to his fchool ; but followed their 

 ufual mode of living. His feledt difciples, called his com- 

 panions and friends, were fuch as fiibmitted to a peculiar 

 plan of difcipline, and were admitted, by a long courfe of 

 inftrudlion, into all the myfterics of his efoteric dodlrine. 



Previoufly to the admiflion of any perfon into this fra- 

 ternity, Pythagoras examined his features and external ap- 

 pearance ; inquired how he had been accultomed to behave 

 towards his parents and friends ; marked his manner of 

 laughing, conterfing, and keeping filence ; and obferved 

 what paffions he was mofl inclined to indulge ; with what 

 kind of company he chofe to aflbciate ; how he parted his 

 leifure moments ; and what incidents appeared to excite in 

 him the ftrongell emotions of joy or forrow. Nor after 

 this examination was any one admitted into his fociety, till 

 he was fully perfuaded of the docility of his difpofition, 

 the gentlenefs of his manners his power of retaining in 

 filence what he was t-aught, and, in fine, his capacity of 

 becoming a true philofopher. After the firft probationary 

 admiffion, the fortitude and felf-ccmmand of the candidate 

 were put to the trial by a long courfe of fevere abftinence 

 and rigorous exercife. The courfe of abftinence and felf- 

 denial comprehei.ded food and drink, and clothing, all which 

 were of the moft plain and fimple kind : and the exercifes 

 prefcribed were fuch as could not be performed without pain 

 and fatigue. To teach them humility and induftn-, he 

 cxpofed them, for three years, to a continued courfe of 

 contradiftion, ridicule, and contempt, among their fellows. 

 In order to reftrain the powerful paflion of avarice, he 

 required his difciples to fubmit to voluntary povsrty ; he 

 deprived them of all command over their own property,- by 

 cafting the pofleffions of each individual into a common 

 ftock, to be diftributed by proper ofiicers, as occafion re- 

 quired. After this fequeftration of their goods, they lived 

 together on the footing of perfetl equality, and fat down 

 together daily at a common table. If any one afterwards 

 repented of the conneftion, he was at hberty to depart, and 

 might reclaim, from the genera! fund, his whole contribution. 

 That his difciples might acquire a habit of entire docility, 

 Pythagoras enjoined upon them, from their firft admiflion, 

 a long term of filence, called f;^Efii/5ir,. This initiatory 

 filence, which probably confifted in refraining from fpeech, 

 not only during the hours of inftruftion, but through the 

 vi'hole term of initiation, continued from two to five years, 

 according to the propenfity difcovered by the pupil towards 

 conceit and loquacity. With regard to hinifelf, this was a 

 judicious expedient, as it checked impertinent curiofity, and 

 prevented every inconvenience of contradiftion. Accord- 

 ingly his difciples filenced all doubts and refuted all ob- 

 1 1 jeftions, 



