Democritus

Born in the 3d year of the 77th Olympiad { died in the 4th yeai' of the 150tb, having lived 109 years.

The most commonly received opinion respecting the philosopher Democritus is, that he was a native of Abdera; though others affirm that he belonged to Miletus, and was called an Abderan only because he had retired to that city. At first he studied under certain Magi and Chaldeans who had been left at his father's house by Xerxes» king of Persia, who had taken up his quarters there, when on his way to make war agiunst the Greeks. From these teachers he learned theology and astronomy. He aftenyards attached himself to the philosopher Lucippus, who instructed him in physics. His passion for study was so great, thsU; he passed whole days alone, sliut up in a little cottage in the middle of a garden. One day his father brought an ox to him, which he wished him to sacrifice, and left it bound to a corner of the cottage. So deeply was Democritus buried in meditation, that he neither heard what his father said, nor saw the ox, though it was fas tened close to him; and when his fother came a second time, he had to rouse him out of his abstnu> tion, and point out the ox which was to be sacrideed standing at hfi side. After remaining a conMderable time under the instructions of Ludppus, Democritus resolved to travel, in order to become acquainted with the learned men of other countries-, and to enrich his mhid with every Icind of knowledge. He divided his inheritance with his brothers; leaving them the estates, and appropriating to himsdf the ready money, which, though the smallest, was to him the most desii'able portion; inasmuch as it would enable him to defray the expenses of his journey, and make what experiments he might wish in philosophy. He first went into Egypt, where he applied himself to geometry: he then visited Ethiopia, Persia, and Chaldea; and his curiosity at last tempted him to penetrate into the heart of India, in order to instruct himself in the science of the Gymnosopbists. Though so anxious himself to know men of learning, he was by no means willing to be known by them. His indtnation led him to live'in retirement; and, that the place of his abode might not be known, he used often to sleep in caves, and even in the tombs. He showed himself, however, at the Court of IGng Darius; and seeing that monarch one day much afflicted at the death of the wife whom he most loved, Democritus promised, by way of consoling him, that he would bring her to life again, provided Darius would find him, in the whole compass of his dominions, three persons who should never have known unhappiness, iU' order, that their names shoiild be engraven on the tomb, in place of that of the deceased queen. It soon appeared, however, that throughout all Asia, not even one individual could be found who was n3 unacquainted with sorrow. Hie phiioaoi^r then embraced that opportunitj to show Darins the unreasonableness of his grief, since he was only called upon to bear his burthen of uneasiness, in common with the rest of mankind.

On the return of Democritus to AbderA, he liTed in retirement and in great pov^Nty, for ht had in fact spent all he had possessed, in traTelHog and \ii philosophical experiments; so that Damascus, his brother, was obliged to afford him the means of subsistence. By the law, those who had dissipated their property might be denied burial in the tombs of their fothers. Democritus having rendered himself liable to this punishment, and being unwilling that his enemies should have any thing to reproach him with, he one day in public redted a work of his own composition, which he had entitled " Diacosmos." This piece was found to contain BO much ezcdlence, that Demooitus was Immediately exempted from the rigovr of the law; he was moreover presented wi& five hundred talents, and statues in honour of him were erected in the public places.

Democritus vtras a perpetual laugher. His bursta of merriment were founded on the profound views he took of human folly and vanity, whidi were oontlttually suggesting a thousand ddmerical dangers in a world which, according to his views, was solely directed by chance, and the fortiatous combinatioa of the atoms of which it was composed. Juvenal, affluding to the city of Abdera, the air of wideh is very thick, and the inhabitants very stupid, remariu, that the wisdom of this philosopher suilldently pfoves that great characters may occasionally arise, even when all around them is dtilness and ignorance. The same poet says, that the sorrows of men were equally ridicolous in the eye of Democrkua as their joys; and equally excited his laughter: and represents him as possessing a mind the finn- ■ess of which nothing could subdue, insomuch that be ma^t be sidd to trample on fortune^ in chains benea^ hia feet.

The iahabitants of Abdera, seeing Democritus always laughing, took it into their heads that he must be mad. They accordingly entreated Hippo-crates to come and prescribe for him. Hippocrates went to Abdera ¥rith his remedies. He first offered milk to his supposed patient. Democritus, looking at it attentively, said, << This is the milk of a black goat, which has only yeaned once .' Hippocrates, wondering how he could know this, entered into farther conversadon with him, and was astonished with his extraordinary wisdom and science. The ^ysidaa then pronounced it to be the Abderans who required hellebore, and not the philosopher to whom they wished him to administer it. Hippoerates after this returned home extremely surprised art; tiie result of his visit. Democritus beUeved, as he had been taught by his master Ludppns, that the drst principles of all things were atoma and a Tacuum: that, as from nothing, nothmg could be produced, so there was not any thing that could ever be reduced to nothing: that atama w«re, in consequence of their extreme hardness, secored fitom corruption, change, or any other spedes of alteration: that from these atoms an lufiQite number of worlds were formed ^ each of which perished at a certain period, and that another was immediately composed out of the remains* The human soul he supposed to be the same as the principle of life; and that it consisted of an assemblage of atoms; as did also the sun, moon, and stars: that these atoms had a rotatory motion, which was the cause of the generation of all things; and this rotatory motion being always the same, Democritus became a fatalist, and believed all things to be the result of Necessity. Epicurus built on the same foundation as Democritus; but being unwilling to admit the doctrine of Necessity, he was forced to have recoiu^e to that of inclination, as will be shown in his life. Democritus taught that the soul diffused itself throughout every part of the body; and he accounted for our having sensation in all these parts, by supposing that every atom in the soul corresponds with a similar atom in the body.

Of the heavenly bodies, Democritus held that they move in open space, and consequently cannot be attached to solid spheres; that they have only one simple movement, which is towards the west; that they are propelled along by the rapid vortex of a fluid matter, in the centre of which is the earth; and that the velocity of each is diminished in pro^ portion as it approaches the earth, because the violence of motion at.the circumference is dlmi<^ Aished by degrees asdt draws nearer to the centre: that thus, those which appeared to be moving to«> wards the east, were in reality slowly moving to« wards the west; and accordingly the. fixed stars, moving more rapidly than the others, finish their revolution in twenty-four hours and some minutes; and the moon, which moves the most slowly of all, does not complete its revolution in less than twenty-five hours; so that it does not move, said he, towards the more easterly stars by its own proper motion, but is left behind by the more westerly stars, which make up to it again in thirty days after.

Democritus, it is said, was so devoted to study, that he deprived himself of sight, in order that be mi£^t not be expected to turn his attention to any other pursuit. The way that he accomplished his design was by exposbg a plate of brass to the sun, the rays of which being reflected from the bi*a8s to his eyes, gradually by the heat deprived him of the power of vision.

When Democritus found himself oppressed with years, and near his end, he perceived that his sister was uneisy lest his death shotdd take place before the celebration of the festival of Ceres, in which case her mourning would prevent her from attending the mysteries of the goddess; he therefore ordered hot bread to be brought, and Icept up his natural warmth by means of the vapour from it, until the three days of the festival were finished, when he removed the bread and immediately expired. He was at that time, according to received opinions, 109 years old.