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hundred to each, with a promife that they fhould enjoy it till an handsome establishment put them in a condition to do without it. It was on thefe gracious affurances that Mademoiselle de Suhm went to Berlin with the family of her deceafed brother. During the whole time the children's education continued, the King perfonally interested himself therein. As foon as the three fons arrived at the age of entering into the fervice, he placed them all as Enfigns in his troops; leaving them the penfion of three hundred crowns till they reached the rank of Captain. He did not intereft himself lefs in the eftablishment of the daughter, who married, in the courfe of time, Colonel Keith, after having enjoyed till her marriage the penfion he had affured to her. As to Mademoiselle de Suhm, the lived near thirty years at Berlin, enjoying to the end of her days, the penfion of fix hundred crowns which had been promifed her, befides many other precious teftimonies of the King's benevolence.'

In the foregoing extracts, we have corrected a few of the moft

evident mistakes, which, perhaps, were errors of the prefs.
$.A.B.

ORIGINAL.

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF QUINTUS SEXTIUS, THE PYTHA-
GOREAN PHILOSOPHER; in Answer to the Inquiries of CLERI-
CUS; whofe Letter was briefly noticed on the last Page of our
Review for October; alfo in the Correfpondence for Novem-

ber.

F QUINTUS SEXTIUS, whofe name was once celebrated, and whole writings were once eagerly perufed, very few

OF 78, 176. memorials remain. He flourished in the time of Auguftus, as

Eufebius has informed us, in his Chronicon (p. 200. Ed. Scal.), where he is called Σεξτος, Πυθαγορικος, which Hieronymus tranflates Sextus Philofophus Pythagoricus (p. 156.), after whom Lipfius places him in the fame age, in his Manud. ad Stoic. V. &. p. 642 & 677.

He feemed formed to rife in the republic, and was bleffed with fuch talents as might have taught him to afpire to the higheft civil honours (Seneca, Ep. 98.). He thrunk, however, from them, and declined accepting the tank of Senator, when it was offered to him by Julius Cæfar (Seneca, Ep. 98. Frienfhem. Suppl. in Liv. cxvi. 41.), in order to devote his time to the ftudies of philofophy (Plutarch de profect. Virtut. fent. V. vi. p. 288. edit. Reifke).

It appears, that he wished to establish a school at Rome, and that the tenets of his fect might principally be drawn from the doctrines of Pythagoras, though, in fome particulars, they might feem to follow the Stoics (Seneca, Ep. 64. Lipfius Manud. 1. vol. 8. p. 677. Brucker, Hift. Phil. Crit. V. 11. p. 87.), he was affifted by his fon (Seneca, Quæft. Nat. vii. fub fin.).

He foon found himfelf involved in many difficulties. His laws were tinctured with great feverity, and in an early period

of

of his eftablishment, he found his mind fo haraffed, and the harfhness of the doctrines, which he wifhed to eftablish, fo repulfive to his feelings, that he had nearly worked himself up to fuch an height of defperation, as to refolve on putting a period to his exiftence. (Plutarch, 1. c. vi. p. 288.)

Sextius appears to have ftudied at Athens, or at least to have refided there; for Pliny relates, that he purchafed all the olive plantations near that city, when he forefaw, that oil would be very dear (Plinii Hift. Nat. xviii. 68. vol. ii. p. 138. Ed. Harduin). Pliny alfo tells the fame ftory of Democritus, and a fimilar inftance of forefight is recorded of Thales by feveral authors. (Ariftotel. Polit. I. 7. Cicero de Divinat. I. 49. p. 115. Ed. Davis. Laertius in Thalet. I. 26. vol. i. p. 17.)

We fhall relate the little which is known of the school of the Sextii, and present our Readers with the few anecdotes of his followers which have been recorded.

FABIANUS. M. Annæus Seneca, in the Preface to his fecond book of Controverfie, vol. iii. p. 146. Ed. Gronov. informs us that FABIANUS the philofopher, whofe lectures he had attended, and whom he often mentions, ftudied under Sextius.

SOTION, the preceptor of Lucius A. Seneca, was a follower of the doctrine of Pythagoras and Sextius, in which he inftructed his fcholar, who ftates fome particulars, in which there was a difference between the tenets of thefe two philofophers. (Seneca, Epift. cviii.-V. ii. p. 534-Ep. xlix. Ib. p. 166. Lipfius, Manud. vol. viii. p. 642, and p. 661.) Sotion is alfo mentioned by other writers.

FLAVIANUS was alfo a follower of Sextius, if we may believe. Lipfius, in a note on Seneca, Epift. lix. He cites, however, as Brucker obferves (vol. ii. p. 90.), none of the ancients, to defend his affertion.-Both Lipfius, however, and Brucker, tell us, that this Flavianus is mentioned by Seneca Rhetor, in the Preface to the third Book of Controverfies. In the paffage to which they refer, the name of Flavianus does not occur, though we find that of FABIANUS, vol. iii. p. 222. whom we have juft mentioned.

CRASSITIUS, a native of Tarentum, embraced the doctrines of Sextius. He was a famous teacher at Rome, and arrived at fuch a degree of reputation, that he was compared with Verrius. Flaccus, and his auditors were very numerous. He was attended even by many of the nobility. Among thefe was the fon of Julius Antonius, the Triumvir.-At length, however, he fuddenly difmiffed his fchool, and went over to the fect of Quintus Sextius the philofopher. Such is the account which Suetonius gives, in his Lives of illuftrious Grammarians, vol. ii. p. 381. Edit. Burmanni; p. 1084, Ed. Pitifei.

In the text of these two editions, for those preceding them merit less attention, the paffage ftands thus: "Tranfiit ad Quinti Septimii philofophi fectam." In the notes, Statius fuppofes this to be the fame Septimius, to whom Horace writes. Cafaubon tells us, that Codd. Pithai et Petavii read Sexti, as Burman adds that Cod. Vo. does. Nic. Faber, from the firft of these manufcripts, long fince, in a Note on Seneca, Contr. II. Præf. corrected Septimii into Sextii. This change, however, the Editors have not ventured to make, though we do not imagine that any SEPTIMIUS ever formed a fet at Rome, though it is well known that SEXTIUs did.

. CELSUS. Cornelius Celfus, on the authority of several manuscripts of Quintilian, is to be numbered among the scholars, or rather imitators of Sextius. This opinion was firft started by Andreas Schottus, in his treatise De claris apud Senecam Rhetoribus. In the paffage at prefent we read: "Scripfit non parum multa CORNELIUS CELSUS, Scepticos fecutus, non fine cultu et nitore." Inftead of Scepticos, Schottus inferts Sextios. Burman has left the queftion undecided, in his note on the place, which is in the tenth Book of the Infit. Orator. X. page 920. nor has Capperonier, who fucceeded him, done more.

One

These are the only followers of the Sextian fchool, with whofe names we remember to have met in the ancient writers. great cause why fo few of this fect have been mentioned, probably was, that the feet itself was never very numerous. For Seneca relates that it was of fhort duration (Quæft. Natural. VII. vol. ii. p. 843.), and it is not to be fuppofed, that a fchool of philofophy would be abolished, while it is crowded with auditors.

The decline and fall of this fchool are lamented by Seneca, in the paffage which we have juft quoted: "SEXTIORUM nova et Romani roboris felta, inter initia fua, cum magno impetu cœpiffet, exftinita eft." Vol. ii. 843. On this occafion, we shall not, perhaps, be much inclined to join our forrows with those of the philofopher! Sincerely, however, do we regret the loss of the writings, which Seneca praifes in fuch exalted terms of commendation. (Epist. LXIV.)

Of the works of Sextius, a few fragments alone remain ; and whether any of them formed a part of the work, which Seneca admired fo much, cannot now be determined. His tenets, as far as we can collect from thefe reliquia, feem to have been principally derived from the doctrines delivered by Pythagoras. In them, however, in their prefent imperfect ftate, we can trace evident marks of á ftrong and vigorous mind, and of an acute and penetrating understanding. We shall mention a few of his Dietata.

• Quod

"Quod dari poffet, eripi poffe," intelligebat, fays Seneca, Ep. XCVIII. vol. ii. p. 485. This knowledge, aided by his love of philofophy, produced his rejection of the fenatorial honours. He lived in turbulent times, and could not but be well acquainted with the horrors into which the republic had been plunged, during the civil wars, and therefore declined a rank, which might only lead to deftruction. (Brucker e Seneca, vol. ii. p. 87.)

He recommended an examination of the actions of the day, to his fcholars, when they retired to reft. Seneca de Ia, III. vol. i. P. 149. This precept exactly agrees with the lines in the Golden Verses:

Μηδ' ύπνον μαλακοισιν -&c. ver. 40.

The Reader may confult Lipfius, Manud. vol. viii, p. 821.

Solebat Sextius dicere, Jovem plus non poffe, quam bonum virum. Seneca, Ep. LXXIV. vol. ii. p. 279. This fentiment bas been examined by Lipfius, Manud. vol. viii. p. 789. and by Rhodoginus, in his Lectiones Antiquæ, XVIII. 14. p. 842..

Sextius taught that the road ad Aftra, was by frugality, temperance, and fortitude. Seneca, Ep. LXXIII. vol. ii. p. 278. A lecture on this fubject might do no differvice to the present age,

Sextius ufed to recommend holding a looking-glafs before perfons who were difordered with paffion. Seneca de Ira, II. vol. p. 90. We find the fame idea, though without any mention of Sextius, in Plutarch, in his Effay De, ira cohibenda, vol. vii. P. 789. Ed. Reiskii.

He ftrongly enjoined his fcholars to abstain from the eating of animal food, not indeed from the reafons prefcribed by Pythagoras, but from motives, which feem very confiftent with other parts of his doctrines. Seneca, Ep. CVIII. vol. ii. p. 534.

He wrote in the Greek language, though Romanis moribus philofophans. (Seneca, Epift. LIX. vol ii. p. 210.) Seneca, therefore, has always given us his own tranflations of his fentiments; which we fufpect to have been alfo done by Claudianus Mamertus Prefbyter, who quotes from him, in his work De Anima, II. IX.

There are, however, a few fragments from the writings of Sextius preferved in their original Greek, among the Loci communes fententiarum, ex S. Scriptura, veteribus theologis et fecularibus fcriptoribus collei by the two Monks, Antonius and Maximus, who followed in fome measure the plan of Stobeus. Their collections were firft published by Frofchoverus, Tiguri, MDXLVI. The laft edition of them was printed at the end of Stobeus, Aurel. Allobr. 1609, and to this, as it is the most common, we fhall refer our Readers. They will find fome quotations from Sextius (whofe name in the margin is improperly changed into Sextus), in p. 8. 42. 96. 194. 197. 215. and 228. We are also inclined to believe with Gale (Praf. ad Mytholog. Scriptor.),

that

that fome of the paffages in Stobeus, which are attributed to Pythagoras, are the production of our philofopher. Neither Pythagoras, indeed, nor his early difciples, ever committed any thing to writing, but his later followers, in order to do honour to his memory, and, perhaps, to their own works, published their productions under the name of their mafter. In the fame manner the ancient Egyptian priests and prophets uttered their compofitions, as the genuine works of Mercury.

There is extant alfo a collection of Sententia tranflated from the Greek by Ruffinus Prefbyter, who attributed them to Xyftus, or Sextus II. in order to raise the character of the Romish ecclefiaftics for they have been, in our opinion, fully proved to be the production of Sextius the philofopher.

The character indeed of Ruffinus, from the teftimony given by St. Hierom and others, is fufficient alone to render any production published by him very fufpicious. He feems to have been, in the prefent inftance, inftigated by the motive which we have affigned to his conduct; and, in order to prevent difcovery, he feems to have interpolated the fententia in a few instances.

Thefe Sententia Sextii have been frequently published: 1507. Lugd. 4to. a Sim- 16-. in Bibliotheca Patrum, phorians Champerio.

1514. Wittemburg. cum Au-
reis Pythagoræ.
1516. Bafil. a B. Rhenano.
1615. Helmftad. 8vo. cum
Pifano et Thaleffio.

1671. Cantab. } a Galeo.

1688. Amft.

1693. Amft. a Petro Poiret, poft Idea Theologiæ Chriftianæ, &c.

1725. Lipf. a Sibero +. To the first publication of Sextius, Lugd. 1507, Simphorianus Champerius adds a work of his own de quadruplici vita, Theologia Afclepii, and the Oration of Ifocrates ad Demonicum.

Gale

In the edition at Helmftadt, in octavo, 1615, under the auspices of Johannes a Fuchre, we find united with our Author, Sententiæ Laurentii Pifani, et Thelaffii Epifcopi, the former of whom celebrates the Sententia of Sextius, as if they were divina oracula, and avows that he has imitated them in his own work. inferted them in his Collection of ancient mythological, ethic, and phyfical writers, Cantab. 1671, and Amft. 1688, in which the title affixed to them runs thus: Sextii Philofophi Sententia, e Græco in Latinum a Ruffino verfa.

*This appears from the testimony of the ancients themfelves, and has been recorded by many modern critics. Lipfius Manud. ad Stoic. viii. p. 640.

There may be other editions of Sextius. These are all which have met our notice.

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