Hermotimus

Lycinus Then, as you love me, answer this: when you first went in pursuit of philosophy, you found many gates wide open; what induced you to pass the others by, and go in at the Stoic gate? Why did you asspme that that was the only true one,

which would set you on the straight road to Virtue, while the rest all opened on blind alleys? What was the test you applied then? Please abolish your present self, the self which is now instructed, or half-instructed, and better able to distinguish between good and bad than we outsiders, and answer in your then character of a layman, with no advantage over me as I am now.

Hermotimus I cannot tell what you are driving at.

Lycinus Oh, there is nothing recondite about it. There are a great many philosophers—let us say Plato, Aristotle, Antisthenes, and your spiritual fathers, Chrysippus, Zeno, and all the rest of them; what was it that induced you, leaving the rest alone, to pick out the school you did from among them all, and pin your philosophic faith to it? Were you favoured like Chaerephon with arevelation from Apollo? Did he tell you the Stoics were the best of men, and send you to their school? I dare say he recommends different philosophers to different persons, according to their individual needs?

Hermotimus Nothing of the kind, Lycinus; I never consulted him upon it.

Lycinus Why? was it not a dignus vindice nodus? or were you confident in your own unaided discrimination?

Hermotimus Why, yes; I was.

Lycinus Then this must be my first lesson from you—how one can decide out of hand which is the best and the true philosophy to be taken, and the others left.

Hermotimus 1 will tell you: I observed that it attracted most disciples, and thence inferred that it was superior.

Lycinus Give me figures; how many more of them than of Epicureans, Platonists, Peripatetics? Of course you took a sort of show of hands.

Hermotimus Well, no; I didn’t count; I just guessed.

Lycinus Now, now! you are not teaching, but hoaxing me;

judge by guesswork and impression, indeed, on a thing of this importance! You are hiding the truth.

Hermotimus Well, that was not my only way; every one told me the Epicureans were sensual and self-indulgent, the Peripatetics avaricious and contentious, the Platonists conceited and vain; about the Stoics, on the contrary, many said they had fortitude and an open mind; he who goes their way, I heard, was the true king and millionaire and wise man, alone and all in one.