524 THE SPORT OF FORTUNE. 



had fo feverely been taught to know. But lie treated 

 them with cruelty and caprice ; and a burft of rage 

 againft one of them laid him in the grave in his eightieth 

 year. 



REMARKS ON THE GENUINENESS OF SOME PYTHAGO- 

 REAN WRITINGS* 



BY PROFESSOR TIEDEMANN. 



Obscurity and uncertainty in the accounts 

 of the antients have been univerfally complained of by 

 all fuch as have written on the pythagorean philofophy. 

 Brucker, and forne of his late followers, even go fo far 

 as to pretend, that whatever we know concerning this 

 philofophy is, for the moft part, if not altogether the 

 fictions of alexandrine enthuiiafts. Not that we are 

 abfolutely deftitute of accounts of the firft pythagorean 

 limes 5 but that thefe accounts appear to them under fo 

 lufpicious an afpecl, that they cannot venture to build 

 any -thing upon them. For, among other pythagorean 

 remains, two are ftill in being of the utmoft confe- 

 quence in regard to phyfiology ; one of Timaeus the 

 Locrian, the other of Ocellus the Lucanian. If thefe 

 two relics be really of that high antiquity which the 

 names of their authors fhould imply, we Ihould be 

 enabled not only to delignate, but alfo to afcertain 

 more accurately and confiftently than from any other 

 accounts, the true notions of the italian fchool con- 

 cerning the ftructure of the univerfe ; concerning the 

 nature of matter* and the deity himfelf. Thefe two, 



