X I M. 1.*. ^A. K^ \_/ Xl/ iji A*, i^ k3« 



jcftions, by appealing to liis authority. A'jIo,- s?^, /yj/f 

 ^;'x;V, decided every difpute. Moreover, during the years 

 of initiation, the difciples were prohibited from feeing their 

 malter, or hearing his leftures, except from behind a curtain, 

 or receiving inllrndlion from fome inferior preceptor. 



To the members of the efoteric fehool (who were called 

 ywOTioi ofiAslai, genuine difciples) belonged the peculiar pri- 

 vilege of receiving a full explanation ot the whole doftrine 

 of Pythagoras, which was delivered to others in brief pre- 

 cepts and dogmas, under the concealment of fymbols. 

 Difciples of this clafs were permitted to take minutes of 

 their matter's leftures, in writing, as well as to propofe 

 queitions, and offer remarks, upon every fubjeft of difcourfe. 

 Thefe were particularly dilUnguifhed by the appellation of 

 the " Pythagoreans ;" they were alfo called " Mathema- 

 ticians," from the lludies upon vrhich they entered imme- 

 diately after their initiation. After having made a fuffi- 

 cient progrefs in geometrical fcience, they proceeded to the 

 ftudy of nature, the inveftigation of primary principles, and 

 the knowledge of God. Thofe who purfued thefe fublime 

 fpeculations were called " Theorills," and thofe who de- 

 voted themfelves more particularly to theology, were ftylcd 

 (7E(Sarixoi, religious. Others, according to their abilities and 

 inclinations, were engaged in the lludy of morals, economics, 

 and policy ; and were afterwards employed in managing the 

 atfairs of the fraternity, or fent into the cities of Greece, to 

 iallruCt them in the principles of government, or adilt them 

 in the inilitution of laws. 



The brethren of the Pythagorean college at Crotona, 

 called v.ijwf3.ov, coeiiol'iuin, about 6oo in number, lived toge- 

 ther as in one family, with their wives and children ; and 

 the whole bufinefs of the fociety was conduced with the 

 moil pcrfeft regularity. Every day commenced with deli- 

 beration upon the manner in which it fhould be fpent ; and 

 concluded with a retrofpedt of the events that had occurred, 

 and of the bufinefs that had been tranfafted. They rofe 

 before the fun, that they might pay him homage ; after 

 which they repeated feleft verfes from Homer and other 

 poets, and made ufeof mufic, both vocal and inftrumental, 

 to enliven their fpirits and fit them for the bufinefs of the 

 day. They then employed feveral hours in the ftudy of 

 fcience. Thefe were fucceeded by an interval of leifure, 

 which was commonly fpent in a folitary walk for the pur- 

 pofe of contemplation. The next portion of the day was 

 allotted to convcrfation. The hour immediately before 

 dinner was filled up with various kinds of athletic exer- 

 cifes. Their dinner confifted chiefly of bread, honey, and 

 water ; for after they were perfeftly initiated, they wholly 

 denied themfelves the ule of wine. The remainder of the 

 day was devoted to civil and doineftic affairs, converfation, 

 bathing, and religious ceremonies. 



The " exoteric" difciples of Pythagoras were taught, 

 after the Egyptian manner, by images and fymbols, ob- 

 fcure and almolt unintelligible to thofe who were not initiated 

 into the myfteries of the fehool ; and thofe who were ad- 

 mitted to this privilege were under the flri£left obligation of 

 fdence with regard to the recondite doftrines of their mafter. 

 The wifdom of Pythagoras, that it might not pafs into the 

 ears of the vulgar, was committed chiefly to memory ; and 

 when they found it neceifary to make ufe ot writing, they 

 took care not to fuffer their minutes to pafs beyond the limits 

 of the fehool. 



Clemens obferves, that the two orders above defcribed 



correfponded very exaftly to thofe among the Hebrews ; 



/ for in the fchools of the prophets there were two clafles, 



viz. the fons of the prophets, who were the fcholars ; and 



the doiSors or mailers, who were alfo called perfedi ; and 

 among the Levites, the novices or tyros, who had their 

 quinquennial exercifes, by way of preparation. Laftly, 

 <-ven among the proielytes there were two orders ; exoterici, 

 or profelytes of the gate ; and tnlrinfeci or pcrfcdi, profe- 

 lytes of the covenant. He adds, it is highly probable, that 

 Pythagoras himfelf had been a profelyte of the gate, if not 

 of the covenant. 



Gale endeavours to prove, that Pythagoras borrowed 

 his philofophy from that of the Jev/s ; to this end pro- 

 ducing the authorities of many of the lathers, and ancient 

 authors ; and even pointing out the tracks and footfteps of 

 Mofcs in feveral parts of Pythagoras's dodtrine. 



After the diilolution of the affembly of Pythagori^'s 

 difciples by tlie faftion of Cylo, a man of wealth and oif- 

 tinftion at Crotona, it was thought neceffary by Lyfis and 

 Archippus, in order to preferve the Pythagorean doftrine 

 from oblivion, to reduce it to a fyllematic fummary ; at the 

 fame time, however, ftrongly enjoining their children to 

 preferve thefe memoirs fecret, and to tranfmit them in con- 

 fidence to their pollerity. From this time books began to 

 multiply amon'4 the followers of Pythagoras, till at length, 

 in the time of Plato, Philolaus expofed the Pythagorean 

 records to fale, and Archytas of Tarentum gave Plato a 

 copy of his commentaries upon the aphorifms and precepts 

 of his mailer. Of the imperfeft records of the Pythagorean 

 philofophy left by Lyfis, Archytas, and others, nothing 

 has efcaped the wreck of time, except perhaps fundry frag- 

 ments collefted by the dihgenceof Stobsus, concerning the 

 authenticity of which there are fome grounds for fufpicion ; 

 and which, if admitted as genuine, will only exhibit an ira- 

 perfeft view of the moral and political doctrine of Pytha- 

 goras under the difguife of fynibolical and enigmatical lan- 

 guage. The ftrift injunftion of fecrecy, which was given 

 by oath to the initiated Pythagoreans, has effeftually pre- 

 vented any original records of their dodlrine concerning 

 Nature and God from palfmg down to pollerity. On this 

 head we are to rely entirely for information, and indeed 

 concerning the whole doftrine of Pythagoras, upon Plato 

 and his followers. Plato himfelf, while he enriched his 

 fyilem with llores from the magazine of Pythagoras, ac- 

 commodated the Pytliagorean dodlrines, as he alfo did thofe 

 of his mailer Socrates, to his own fyilem, and thus gave an 

 imperfect, and, we may fuppofe, in many particulars, a 

 falfe reprefentation of the dodrines of the Samian philo- 

 fopher. It was farther corrupted by the followers of Plato, 

 even in the old academy, and afterwards in the Alexandrian 

 fehool. To which we may add, that the doftrine of Pytha- 

 goras itfelf, probably in its original ftate, and certainly in 

 every form under which it has been tranfmitted to us, was 

 obfervcd, not only by fymbolical, but by mathematical lan- 

 guage, which is rather adapted to perplex than to illuftrate 

 metaphyfical conceptions. In this fault Pythagoras was 

 afterwards imitated by Plato, Adftotle, and others. 



We extraft from Brucker the following faint delineation 

 of the Pythagorean philofophy : The end of philofophy is 

 to free the mind from thofe incumbrances, which hinder its 

 progrefs towards perfeftion, and to raife it to the con- 

 templation of immutable truth, and the knowledge of divine 

 and fpiritual objeds. This efteft muil be produced by eafy 

 Iteps, left: the mind, hitherto converfant only with fenfible 

 things, (hould revolt at the change. The firft; ftep towards 

 wifdom is the ftudy of mathematics, a fcience which con- 

 templates objetls that lie in the middle way between cor- 

 poreal and incorporeal beings, and as it were on the confines 

 of both, and which moft advantageoufly inures the mind to 

 R 2 contemplation. 



