Pyrrho

Lived about the time of Epicurus, towards ihe end of the 120th Olympiad.

Pyrrho established the sect called Pyrrfaonista or Sceptics; he was the sod of Plistarchus, of the city of Elea, in the Peloponnesus: — he first studied the art of painting, then he was a disciple of Dryso, and afterwards of the philosopher Anaarchus, to whom he attached himself so much, that he followed him even to India. Pyrrho, during this long journey, conversed particularly with the Magi, the Oymnosophists, and all the Eastern philosophers. After Instructing himself as to the source of all their opinions, he found nothing which could satisfy him: it appeared to him that all things were incomprehensible; that truth was concealed in the depth of an abyss; and that there was nothing more reasonable than to doubt every thing, and never to decide. He maiutamed that all men regulated their lives from certain received opinions; that each one acted but from habit; that they examined passing events agreeably to the laws and customs established in each country, but that they knew not whether these laws were in themselyes good or bad.

PYftRHO. j}45 til the be^nning of his career Pyrrfao wai ankDown; lie exercised his art as a psdiiter, and they preserved for a long tkne at Elea several of his works in which he had best succeeded. His life was very solitary, and he never returned into sodety. He often took long journeys, and never told any body where he intended going. He suffered much, and complained of nothing. He trusted so little to the guidance of his senses, that he never left the path he was pursuing, either for rocks, or precipices, or any other peril. It appeared that he preferred the chance of danger rather than the trouble of avoiding a chariot: some of his friends, therefore, always followed him, and took care to warn him of his situation on such occasions; He possessed an equal temper, and habited hloofiself at all times in the same fashion. When he conversed, and the person to whom he spoke for any reason withdrew and left him alone, he yet continued his discourse till he had finished it, just as if he was still listened to: he treated every body with the same indifference. The reputation of Pyrrho extended itself in a short time throughout Greece; and a number of people embraced his doc* trine: those of Elea, after having convinced themselves of his merit, had so much veneration for him that they created him sovereign pontiff of their religion. Every body regarded him as a man truly just, free from all kinds of discontent, vanity, and superstition. Indeed, the philosopher Simon assures us that he was regarded as a minor deity upon earth: he passed his life tranquillv with hts sister Philista, who professed herself a sage. He y3 iU6 PYRRHd.

Went to market to sell his own poultry and pigs, and he cleaned his house himself. A dog one day attempted to bite him; Pyrrho repulsed him: some one reminded him that this did not accord with his principles. ** Ah!** answered he, ' it is indeed dimcult to divest oneself of prejudices, and it requires the greatest perseverance to become superior to the generality of men; to this end every exertion should be made, and to effect it the force of all our reasoning must be employed." Another time, as he was sailing in a small bark, the wind suddenly threatened a storm: the vessel was in danger of perishing. All those who had accompanied Pyrrho were in a state of the greatest apprehension. Pyrrho remained perfectly tranquil amidst the tempest. He drew the attention of his companions to a little pig which continued eating near them, as contentedly as if the vessel had been in port; and remarked to them that wise men should endeavour to imitate the example of this Httle animal^ in order to be calm undei all circumstances.

Pyrrho was troubled with an ulcer; the person who dressed it was one day obliged to perform on it a most painful operation, by cutting it, and applying caustic to the part affected. Pyrrho never allowed that he suffered the least pain, nor did his countenance betray any.

This philosopher believed that the highest degree of perfection which could be attained in this world was to abstiun from deciding on any subject: his disciples all agreed in this respect; they never advanced a positive opinion: one party among them^ however, sought truth, hoping to cUsooyer it; and others despaired of ever succeeding In the search. Some believed that they might affirm one thing, which was, that they certiunly Icnew nothing; whilst others would scarcely venture even to make that assertion.

Some of these opinions were entertuned before IPyrrho existed; but as no one had till that time professed absolutely to doubt all things, to him these sceptical principles have been entirely ascribed. Hie reason which induced this philosopher in all cases to suspend his judgment was, the convictions that we know nothing except by the relation which one thing bears to another; and that we are ignorant ourselves of what they really are. I'lie leaves of the willow^ for example, are sweet to goats, and bitter to men; hemlock is nutritious to quails, and occasions death to men. Dimophon, the purveyor of Alexander, felt, in the shade, the same heat that others experience in the sun; the rays of which seemed only to chill him. Andron of Argus traversed the sands of Lybia without thirst. Tliat which is just in one country is in another the reverse; as that which is virtue amongst certain nations, is in others vice. In Persia, fathers marry their daughters; and with the Greeks, this is a shameful crime. The Masa-getae do not require constancy in the married state; with other nations such an opinion is repulsive. Theft is a merit amongst the Cilicians, and the Greeks make it punishable. Aristippus has a certain idea of pleasure, Aiitisthenes another; Epicurns a distinct one from either. Some believe in t^ providence of God, others deny it. The Egyptiaus bury their dead, the Indians bum them, and the Paconians throw them into rivers. That which appears to have one certain colour from the light of the sun, derives another from the reflection of the moon, and still another from the qmdle. llie neck of a pigeon, according to the different sides on which we examine it, seems to have a variety of colours. Wine tal^en moderately supplies temporary strength; when drunk in lai^ge quantities, it impairs the senses and deprives the mind of its powers. That which is to the right of one person, is to the left of another. Greece, which, with regard to Italy, is to the east, is west with regai'd to Persia. That which in some places is considered a miracle, is in others a common occurrence. The same man is to some persons a father, and to others a brother. In short, the cobtnidiction which they met with in every thing, rendered Pyrrfao and his disciples incompetent to define any thing, because t^ev believed that there was nothing in the world which was absolutely known to w by itself. They required in every thing a comparison which proved a relation to some other thing previously existing. As they acknowledged no certain truth, they of necessity banished all sorts of demonstrations $ for, said they, all demonstmtipn ought to be derived from something clear and evident, and which requires no proof: there is nothing in the world which can be of this nature; since, should things appear evident to us, we should be obliged to prove the truth of the reasoning which malses us converts to tlus heUef.

Pyrrho, lil^e Horner^ compared man to the leaves of trees, which perpetually succeed each other, and are constantly replaced by new ones. Whilst he lived he was regarded with the greatest veneration, and he died after having attained his 90th year.