Epicurus

Bom the 3d year of the 109th Olympiad; died the 2d of the 127th, aged 72 years.

Epicurus, of the femily of the Philaides, was bom at Athens, towards the 109th Olympiad. From the age of fourteen, he applied himself to the study of philosophy. He studied some time at Sa-mos, under Pamphilus, the Platouist; hut he never iadinired his doctrines: he therefore withdrew him-.telf from his school, and did not attach himself to any other master. It is. said that he taught gram* mar, but in a short time he became disgusted with this also. He read with much pleasure the works of Democritus, which assisted him in composing The system he afterwards formed. At the age of 32 he taught philosophy at Mitylene, and then at Laropsacus. After five years he returned to Athens, where he instituted anew sect. He purchased a beautiful garden, which he cultivated himself. It was there he established his school, and led a calm and quiet life with his disciples, whom he infltracted whilst they were walking and at work: anQ he made them repeat by heart the precepts wTtlch he gave them. People came from all parts of Gi*ece to have the pleasure of conversing with him, and contemplating him in his solitude. Epi-

CUIUS possessed great sincerity and candour of disposition. He was mild and afiable to every body; and had so affectionate and strong a feeling for his relations and for his friends^ that he consulted only their happiness, and devoted all he possessed to them. He expressly commanded his dbciples to have compa5sion for their slaves: he treated his own with peculiar humanity; he allowed them to study, and took the trouble to instruct them himself, along with his own disciples. Epicurus never took any other nourishment than bread and water, or the fruit and vegetables which grew in his garden. He said sometimes to his attendants, <' Bring me a little milk and cheese, in order that I may-have a treat." ** Such,** says Laertius, ** was the life of him who has been represented as a voluptuary V* Cicero, in his ** Tusculan Questions,** exclaims: ** Ah! with how little Epicurus contented himself!" llie disciples of Epicurus imitated the frugality and other virtues of their master: they, like himself, lived on fruit and vegetables; some took occasionally a little wine, b^t others never drank any thing but water. Epicurus did not wish them to have a common purse, like the disciples of Pythagoras, *^ because," ssud he, *' it is rather a mai'k of distrust amongst themselves, than of a perfect union." He believed there was nothing more noble than the study of philosophy; that young men could not begin it too soon, and that old ones ought never to relinquish it: since the object of it was to lire a happy life, consequently every body must be anxious to embrace it, llie felicity spoken of by philosophers, he maintallied to be a natural one; that U to say, a state of happuiesa at which it is possible to arrive in this life, by employiug the reason with which Natui'e has gifted us. Epicurus thought it consisted not in sensual pleasure, but in tranquillity of mind and bodily health. He had no other idea of supreme good than possessing these two blessings at the same time.

He reasoned, that virtue is the most powerful means of rendering life happy, because there is nothing more desirable than to live wisely and according to the rules of honesty; to have in oneself DO cause of reproach; to be guilty of no crime; to injure nobody; to do as much good as it is possible; and, in short, not to fail in any of the duties of life: he infers from this, that only the good can be happy, and that virtue is inseparable from tranqidllity. He was never tired of praising jsobriety and continence, which powerfully tend to preserve in the mind a settled calm, to ensure bodily health, and even to repair it when it has once been weakened. ** We ought," said he, ' to accustom ourselves to be satisfied with a little; it is the greatest wealth that can ever be acquired. The most common food affords as much pleasure, when there is absolute hunger, as the most delicious meats: people are always better when they live simply; the head is never disordered, the mind is free, and there is then always a capability to search after truth, aud to consider the reasons by whic)i we are induced to prefer one action to another." He showed, in short, that recreations which arc occasionally en - joyed arc much more relished, and the reverses of, z3 fortune much more easily endured, by persous who know how to be coutent<;d with the little that nature requires, than by those who aie accustomed to lire luxuriously and magnificently. ' We cannot," he would add, ** too cai-efuUy avoid that kind of debauchery which pollutes the body and bnxtifies the mind. However desirable pleasure may appear in itself, we ought to fly from it whea the evils in its train exceed the satisfaction which results from it. And in the same manner it w better to sufier any thing unpleasant, if it be sure to be recompensed by a good yet more considerable." He maintained, in opposition to the Cynics^ that indolence was positive pleasure, and that the pleasures of the mind were much more actual than those of the body: ** For," said he, ** the body feels only the present pain or pleasure, whereas the mind feels also the past and the future." He believed that the soul is corporeal, because -it acts upon the body and participates io all its joys and sorrows; wakes us in an instant from a sound sleep; and even makes us change colour, according to its own varying emotions. He holds, that unless the soul were corporeal, it could not possibly have any connexion with the body.

" For only matter can be tDuchd, or touch.* ** Tangtrt mim et tangi, nisi corpus, nulla potest ret."

He imagined the soul to be nothing more than a coat of matter thinly spread over the whole of the body; of which it constituted a part, as much connected with it as the foot, the hand, or the head: henc6 he concludes that it is destroyed by deaths

BPICURUS. S59 thtt h ift dissipated like a vapour, and that it re* tains no consciouaness or feeling any more than the body; that consequently death is not to be feared, since it is no HI; either good or evil consisting entirely in consciousness: death, therefore, being a privation of all consciousness, is a thing which in no way concerns us, since we can never have any thing in common with it; as whilst we are, it is not; and when it is, we are not: when a man is in the world, it is indeed very natural for him to wish to remain, as long as he finds pleasure in it; bnt -he ought to fed no more reluctance in leaving it, than at rising from table, after making a hearty dinner. He said that few people knew how to use life properly; that every man, despising the present moment, locked to some future good, whence he was to derive his happiness, and was generally surprised by death, before he had thne to accomplish half his schemes; and that to this procrastination of felicity was owing the misery of human life: that tlierefore nothing was more proper than to enjoy the present moment, without antteipating the future; and that we ought not to estimate the happiness of life by the number of years we may remain upon the earth, but solely by the ei^oyments that may have fellen to our share. *' A short and agreeable life," said he, <' is much more desirable than a long and dull one. It is delicacies we look for at -an elegant entertainment; and not for a great number of ill dressed-dishes: if we acknowledge that after death we shall be for ever deprived of enjoyments, we must recollect also, that we shall no longer entertain a desire to possess them; any more

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than we had before we weit boru." He deemed it a great weakness to be afraid of the repreaentatiODA that were made of the infernal regions $ showing that the punishments of Tantalus, Sisyphus, lltyrus, and the Danaides, were ingenious allegories invented to exemplify the passions and anxieties with which men are tormented in this world; and that it was the business of a wise man to get rid of all such dreads, which only served to disturb the ei^oyment and tranquillity of life.

He made liberty to consist in complete indifference: he rejected fataliem, and looked upon the art of divination as a frivolous thing; it being impossible to know future events, since they are regulated by human caprice, and do not spring out of necessary causes.

Epicurus always spoke in the sublimest teims of the Divinity; and wished every one to entertain on that subject sentiments equally elevated as hts own: he expressly forbade any of his disciples to attribute to the Supreme Being any thing unworthy of immortality and perfect happiness; and remarked, that the really impious man was not he who disbelieved in the gods who were held in adoration by the vulgar, but he who fell into all the errors respecting them that the vulgar enter-tuned. He inculcated that our devotion was due to the Divinity on account of his perfections; and that we ought to render it to him on that consideration alone; and not from fear of punishment or bope of reward: he blamed the superatitiona which only served to abuse the credulity of the vulgar, and were oflxsa made a doak for the most iniquitous iFicuRos. 261 practices, llie religion of his ooantry did not consider the gods as exempt from human frailties; but he r^narded them as happy beings, residing in delightful places, where neither wind, nor ndn, nor sorrow, ever came; and where the air was always serene, the light always brilliant, and the conscioasness of their own felicity was their sole and sufficient occupation. He believed them to be entirely free from every thing that annoys and embarrasses mortals; and that, wholly independent of us for their happiness, they could not possibly be affected either by our good or bad actions; with which, indeed, he maintained they could not any way interfere, without involving their own felicity. Hence he deemed all invocations, prayers, and sacrifices, superflaous: and that there was nothing meritorious in having recourse tu the gods, and prostrating ourselves before their altars in aU our emergencies; for that we ought to submit to every thing which comes to pass, with an equal and unruffled mind. He adds, that men do not derive their ideas of the gods from reason; and that the fear which seems intuitive in us of these tranquil beings, originates often in the mere phantoms of our own imagination, which presents gigantic and hideous forms to us in our dreams. Sometimes these forms appear to. threaten us, in imperious and haughty tones suited to their majestic mien; we see them perform the moHt astonishing things, apparently at their pleasure; and as there is no place in which these phantoms do not appear, and as there are many wonderful effects of which the causes appear to be unknown, persons who are imenHghteiied, conteiAplatiiig the sun, the laooo^ the stars, and the regularity of their movements, immediately imagine these nocturnal spectres to be eternal and omnipotent beings: they assign to them the middle of the firmament for tiieir abode, because it is from there that they see the thunder, lightning, rain, hail, and snow, proceed: they make these beings preside oyer the conduct of this admirable machine of the world; and attribute to fiiem, in general, all the effects of which the causes lie hidden. '< Hence," says he, ' arise the immense niunber of altars that are to be found in all parts of the world;" and he believes that the worship which is offered up to the gods has no other origin than these groundless fears. Lucretius, agreeably to the doctrines of Epicurus, says, in speaking of the deli^tful dweBiag of the gods, that we are not to suppose that there exists any resemblance between them and the palaces that we see on earth; that the gods being of so fine a material that they do not come under the coguissance of our senses, and that we can scarcely even form an idea of tiiem, the places which they inhabit must of necessity be proportioned to the subtlety of thdr nature. All philosophers agree that, according to the ordinary course of nature, nothing can be produced from nothing; and that not any ^ing can be reduced to nothing. We' are taught by experience, that from the rulus of one body other bodies are produced, so that conse quently they must have one common origin; and it U this common origin that is called primitive matter: respecting this primitive matter, a variety cptcutVf. 863 of opinionB have been entettained. Epicurus be** lieved it to consist of atoms; that is to say, of small indivisible corpuscnles, of which he says all things are composed. Besides atoms, he admits another principle, namely, a vacmmi or void: he does not, however, consider it as a principle in the compositioa of bodies, he admits it only as connected with motion; ' for,' says he, *' if there were not small empty spaces spread throughout nature, there would be no such thing as motion; the wiiole mass of matter would remain perpetually pressed together lilce a roclc, and consequently would never be susceptible of any reproduction." He maintains that these atoms have existed from all eternity ) that their forms, though finite, are varied to a degree which is beyond our comprehension; and that each distinct form is slill a combination of an'alraost in« finite number of atoms: he attributed their motion to their own weight; that they united by the force of collision; that the various combinations in which they arranged themselves produced the various effects which we see in nature; that consequently all those effects were attributable to chance alone, which had caused the fortuitous assemblage of a certain number of atoms of a certain form. These atoms he compared to the letters of the alphabet, which form diffisrent words, accordingly as they may be differently arranged. Thus, for instance, the words are and ear, although composed of the same letters, are of quite different significations: that in consequence of their different arrangement, and in the same manner, atoms formed' very different bodies; according to the different forms and

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proportions in which they might he arranged. Ne* Terd)eless, he maintained that all sorts of atoms are not all alike proper for the composition of all sorts of bodies; for instance,. it appeal's highly probable that those atoms which compose a fleece of wool, are not equally fit to compose ar diamond; as we may see many words which are formed without one letter among them in common. He imagined these small bodies to be in perpetual motion; that. therefore nothing in nature remained long in the same state; that some diminished, whilst others augmented from the fragments of those that were thus diminished. Some decayed, whilst others acquired fresh vigour; hence, that the duration of every thing in. the universe is only tempiu-ary. Yet, that as in proportion that one body wastes, the atoms which are detached from it combine with others, and form another body altogether different from that to which they had formerly belonged, so nothing can entirely perish, though the existence of ^1 things in any given form be only temporary; and that though at last every thing may seem to disappear, yet nothing can ever be utterly lost or annihilated.

Epicurus supposed that there had been a period when all the atoms were in a state of separation frofti each other; that by fortuitous combiuation they at length composed an infinite number of worlds; each of which will perish at the end of a finite period; either by fire, as if the sun were to approach so. near the earth as to burn it up, or by some great and terrible shock, which will instantaneously plunge every thing into disorder, and irretrievably destroy the machinery of the world;

In short, that thia variety of worlds may be made to perish ID a variety of ways; but that, from the wreck of each, others will be formed, which will immediately begin to produce new animals.

It appears probable, from this view of the subject, that the very world which we inhabit is only a heap of ruins from some mighty and overwhelming destruction: in proof of which we have only to contemplate the dreadful gulphs which the sea pre^ sents; the lofty chains of mountains, and the long ledges of rocks, some of which lie horizontally, others rise perpendicularly, others are thrown across. Witness also the inequalities even in the bowels of the earth; the subterranean rivers, lakes, and caverns, which they contain; and also the still greater inequalities to be found on its face, intersected as it is with seas, lakes, straits, islands, and mountains..

Epicurus supposes the universe to be infinite: that this gi'and whole has neither centre nor boundaiies: and that from whatever imaginary point we may diverge, there is an infinite space to traverse^ of which it is Impossible ever to arrive at the end.

He considered it mere wealsness and vanity to imagine, that the gods had framed this world for the sake of the human race. *< It is not very likely," said he, ** that, after remaining so long in a state of tranc^uillity, they should think of changing their original mode of life for a different one; it is moreover fair to infer, by the imperfections which may be discovered in it, that this world cannot be the production of the gods."

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He believed that man and all other animals ori« gmally came out of the earth In the same manner as we see it teeming with rats, moles, and insects of every species. He supposes the earth in its primitive state to have been fot and nitrous; that being gradually heated by the sun, it put forth herbage and shrubs, and began to throw up on its surface a great number of small tumours, in the same way that mushrooms spring up; that these tumours coming to maturity, the skin swelled and broke, and gave liberty to a little animal, whidi, creeping out from the moisture that had generated it, began to respire; and that as soon as these little animals were thus bom,^there issued from the same tumours that had served them as thdr wombs, streams of milk. wherewith to nourish them. Among the vast numbers of animals thus brought forth, many monsters were to be found-^ some without heads, others without feet; some without mouths, others mere trunks; so that some were unable to take nourishment, and others to propagate their species: hence there only renudned such as were perfectly orgamsed, and from them we derived all the different spedes of animal life which we find now existing.. The earth In its primitive state was not, according to Epicurus, subjected to such extremes of heat and cold, and vicissitudes of the seasons, as at present. All things were then in theur infancy: the race of men, newly sprung from the earth, were much more robust than we are; their bodies were covered with shaggy hur like the bears; they neither required nor knew the use of garments;

and t^e coarsest food sufficed to nourish them. Wheiiever night happened to come upon them, there they threw themselves naked on the earth to sleep; and if it chanced to rain, they crept beneath the bushes for shelter. They had not yet begun to congregate together. Every one thought only of himself, and laboured only for his individual wants. Among other productions of the earth, were trees, which, increasing every day, had formed vast forests. Men, therefore, began to live upon acorns, wild apples, and the fruits of the arbutus. In procuring these they were often exposed to rencontres with bears and lions, and they began to go in par-ties, in order that they might be better enabled to defend themselves from these ferocious animals. They next r^ed small huts, occupied themselves In the chase, and contrived to make themselves garments from the skins of the animals they killed. They chose wives for themselves, and each lived in bis own hut, with the woman that he selected. From the intercourse between these pairs arose children, who softened by theur infantine endearments the ferocious humour of their father. Such was the origm of society. Neighboiurhood begot friendship, and injuries were mutually avoided. At first, sigTis only were made use of to signify wants, but afterwards they found it more convenient to invent certain names, which they bestowed at random upon objects, and gradually proceeded from them to form a jargon which they' made use of as a vehicle for the interchange of their thoughts. The use of fire was discovered to them by the sun, without farther coutrivance: they at first baked in its rays the meats which they procured In the chase; but one day a flash of lightning chanced to fall upon a heap of combustible matter, and set it on a blaze in a moment. Hie men, who already knew the value of fire, instead of extinguishing it, endeavoured carefully to presenre it; and every one carried a portion of it to his own hut, and used it to dress his victuals. After this, towns were built and lands divided; the shares were not, however, parcelled out with impartiality, The strongest and most cunning helped themselves to the best portions, constituted themselves kings, forced others to obey them, and built citadels to avoid being subjugated in their turns by their neighbours. In those days men had no other weapons of defence than their hands, nails, and teeth, or sticks and stones: such were the arms with which they settled their ^sputes. Being induced for some cause or otlier to set fire to forests, they discovered veins of metal, which, being melted by the heat, ran along the little cracks in the earth: delighted with its brilliancy, they imagined, seeing that it was capable of being liquified by fire, that they might mould it into any form they wished. At first they only tliought of applying it to arms; they, therefore, esteemed copper much more highly than gold; finding that weapons of gold would not take by any means so sharp an edge as those of copper. I'bey afterwards made use of this metal likewise for bits, plough-shares, and, in short, for every thing else that it was fit for. Before the invention of iron, clothes were made ot various matei'ials knit togedier; but as soon as It was found that this metal could be made subser^ ▼lent to all the purposes of life, means were devised for weaving stuffb and linens for the increased GOUvenienoe of the haman race. For.the art of sowhig they were indebted to Nature herself.

Fh>m the beginning of the world, it had been evident that the aooms which fell from oalis, produced other trees exactly like the oaks themselves; aoeordlngly, men, when they were desirous of ha^bigoaks grow in any particular spot, planted acorns; and as the same result was produced from the same cause, with respect to all other plants, in« dividuals each sowed l^at gnun of which he had most need. The next observation that presented itself was, that in every species whatsoever, the Increase depended greatly on the degree of culti« vadon which the soU received; and hence the attention of the community was quickly turned to agriculture.

Until this period strength and address had sufficed to maintain superiority; but no sooner had gold made its appearance, and mankind suffered themselves to be dazzled by its brilliancy, than every one sought to hoard it up for himself. Some enriched themselves greatly by this means; and the consequence was, that the people soon abandoning their first sovereigns, who had no other merit than their strength or cunning, attached themsdves solely to those who had wealth. The kings were massacred, and the government descended into the hands of the people: laws were framed, and magistrates appointed to enforce obedience to them,

2a3 and to reguUte public business. In proportion as mankind thus departed from their orig^insd ferodty, they began to cultivate the pleasures of sodety, and to make entertainments for each other, at which, after having eaten and drank of the best fare they had to offer, they solaced themselves with listening to the warblings of the birds; and afterwards endeavoured to imitate them, and composed songs which they sung to the same notes that they had learned from the birds, ^fhe soothing murmur of the winds, as they passed over the brooks, suggested to them the invention of flutes, and the ttdmiratiou with which they gazed on the celestial bodies induced them to turn their attention to astronomy. Avarice, likewise, began to exert its influence over their actions. They made war upon each other, for the purpose 'of dispossessing others of their property; this afforded excitement to poets to describe the valiant exploits that took place in these engagements, and for painters to represent them; and the tranquillity and abundant leisure which they possessed in the Intervals of peace that succeeded these wars, afforded them the opportunity of perfecting themselves in the arts originally suggested to them by necessity, and even to invent new ones to increase the conveniences of life.

To the objection which was opposed to this theory of Epicurus, that the earth no longer Inrottght forth men, lions, dogs, or other animals, he replied, that the fecundity of the earth was exhausted by age, as a woman advanced in years no longer bears children; that lands newly cultivated produce much greater crops the iii*st years than in sacceeding ones; that when a forest is cat down, the same ground no longer fumiebes Auch.trees as have been rooted up,.but only a degenerate and dvrarfish race, such as thorns, briers, and other underwood. He ai^es, moreover, that there may be, even at the pnesent time, rabbits, hares, foxes, bears, and other animals, brought forth in a perfect state by the earth alone; but that such events oocurriug only in solitary places, where we cannot have evidence of the fact, we ans unwilling to ad- ' mit it, any more than that of rats being produced out of the earth, because we ourselves have never seen any other than what were produced by other rats.

Philosophers are divided in their opinion as to what ought to be considered as the test of truth. Epicurus maintains that there is no other criterion of it than that which is afforded us by our senses; and that it is by relation to them alone that we can distinguish thmgs that are true from those that are false..

Respecting the understanding, he maintained that in its primitive state it resembles a blank sheet of paper, being devoid of any idea or impression whatsoever; that when the corporeal organs are fully formed, it gradually receives knowledge through the medium of the senses; that it becomes enabled to think on things absent; and thus is liable to deceive itself, by taking for present, that which is ab' sent; and even occasionally, that which does not exist at all. That in judging by the senses, on the contrary, we can never be deceived, as by them we can only perceive objects which are actually present.

and oonBequeutly can nevw be mistaken as to tte reaHty of their existence. ** None but a madman, therefore^" says Epicurus, ** will be satisfied with arguments or reasons independent of the coDCurjrence of hU senses.'*

The nature of vision has been explained by pba^ losophers in a variety of ways. Epicurus imagined that from all bodies a number of their aerial forms were perpetually flying off, exactly resemUing the bodies from which they were thus detached; that the ahr Was fi^ of these fine subtle forms, and that it was by means of them that we were enabled to form our perceptions of es^mal ^ings. He held that scent, heat, sound, light, and other 8en<> sible qualities, are not simple perceptions of the mittd,^ but positive and external as they seem; and that a certain quantity of matter, agitated in a cer* tain manner, actually constituted scent, soimd, Ught, heat, and other sensible qualities, indepeu'^ dent of any sentient being: that, for example in a flower garden, small particles are perpetually de» taching themsdves fi!om the flowers, and fill the 1^ all around wi^ deUcious odours, sinoiilar to what we ourselves should perceive were we walking in the garden; that in Uie same manner when a bell tings the surrounding atmosphare is filled with sharp tremulous sounds, such as vibrate In oar ears on hearing It; that as soon aa the sm begins to appear, the air is filled with briUiant appearances, like liie light which shines upon our eyes; and that when the same tiding appears diflbrent to two different animals, it i$ because these animals differ from each other ib their internal organisatlon; that, for instance, the reason why the leaves of the willow appear bitter to man and sweet to the goat is, that goats and men are not constructed In the same manner internally.

The Stoics, who, notwithstanding the sevc;rity of their professions, were vain to an excess, were extremely jealous of the number of friends and followers that attached themselves to Epicurus; whose philosophy was, moreover, very different from that of the Stoic school. They not only tried by every means in their power to decoy him, but even propagated many infamous calumnies of him in tlieir writings. Hence it is that posterity, who have chiefly known Epicurus through the representation of the Stoics, have suffered themselves t6 be deceived into the idea that he was a man of delwuched habits; whereas he was exemplary for the purity, consistency, and moderation of his conduct in every respect. An bonouriable testimony in favour of his chastity is borne to him by St. Gregory:— * *' Epicurus," says this father of the church, '' do-fines the object of human existence to be enjoyment; but lest any one might imagine that it could be sensual pleasure which he meant, he set an example in his own life of unimpeachable chastity and uniform temperance; confirming the sincerity of his precepts by the purity of his practice."

Epicurus always declined taking any part in the government of the republic, preferring a life of leisure and tranquillity to the anxiety of state affairs. The statues publicly erected to him by the /Uhenians sufficiently testify the esteem in which be was held. Those who once attached thems^lvtia

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to him never left him> with the exception of Me* trodonu, who quitted him to study in the academy under Cameades, but returned at the end of six months, and remained with him until his own death, which toolE place a short time before that of Epicurus.

Ilie reputation of the school of Epicurus, always maintuned its original splendour; and when all other systems were almost abandoned, his was held in unabated esteem. He was still teachmg at Athens, when he was taken iU in that city of a retention of urine^ which was the source of the most ezqiusite sufferings to him. Perceiving that his existence was drawing to its close, he affranchised a number of his slaves, disposed of his effects, and ordered that his own birUi-day, and that of each of his parents, should be annually solemnised about the tiaxh day of the month Oameleon, or January. He blequeathed his garden and his books to HermacoB of Mitylene, who succeeded to him on condition that they should descend in succession to all those who mig^t in future fill the same place. He wrote to Idomeneus as follows:—

** Thanks to the Gods I am at length arrived at the last and happiest day of my life. I am so tormented with the violence of my disease, so racked with puns in the bladder and intestines, that it is impossible to imagine a state of greater torture. In the midst of all my snfierings, however^ I find eonsobdon in the retrospect of my life, and the thought that to me philosophy is indebted for many of its soimdest arguments. I conjure you by the attachment you have always evfaioed for ne aw} for my docirineSy to take care of the children of Metrodorus." A fortnight after the commencement of hia attack, Epicurus went into a warm bath prepared expressly for him. As soon as he entered, he asked for a glass of pine wine, and having drank it, expired immediately afterwards, in the very act of exhorting his friends and disciples who were standing around him, to bear him and the precepts he had given them, in their remembrance. Hie Athenians testified the most lively grief at his death, which took place in the hmidred and twenty-seventh Olympiad.