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The Example Of Epicurus

  1. At a time when human life - before the eye of all - lay foully prostrate upon the Earth, crushed down under the weight of religion, which showed its head from the quarters of heaven with hideous aspect, glowering down upon men, it was a man of Greece who was the first to venture to lift up his mortal eyes, and stand up to Religion, face to face. 1

  1. This man could not be discouraged by stories of gods, nor by thunderbolts, nor by the threatening roar of heaven. These served only to spur him on, filling him with courage and the desire to be the first among men to burst the bars holding fast the gates of Nature. 2

  2. Thus the living force of his soul won the day. On he passed, far beyond the flaming walls of the world, traversing the immeasurable universe through mind and spirit. 3

  3. And from there, he returned again to us - a conqueror - to relate those things that can be, and those that can not, and to tell us on what principle each thing has its powers defined, its boundary-mark set deep. 4

  4. By his victory, the terror of religion is trampled underfoot, and we, in turn, are lifted to the stars. 5

  5. This man of Greece then saw that mortals had attained those things which their needs required, that their lives had been established in safety, and that they abounded in wealth and honor and fame, and were proud of the good names of their children. 6

  6. Yet he also saw that not one, for all that, had a heart that was less anguished, but all lived with tortured minds, without respite, and raging with complaints. 7

  7. And then he understood that it was the vessel - a false view of life - that wrought the disease, corrupting and tainting all that was gathered within it, and he saw that this vessel was so leaky and full of holes that it could never be filled. 8

  8. So with words of truth he purged the heart of man, setting limits to desires and fears, explaining the truth about the highest good toward which we all should strive, and pointing out the path whereby we may work toward that goal on a straight course. 9

  9. He explained the nature of evil in mortal affairs, and how these evils come to pass by chance, or by force of Nature, rather than by the will of the gods. (Lucretius Book 6, Line 9)

  10. And he showed from what gates we must march forth to combat each one, proving to us that it is mostly in vain that men toss their hearts in gloomy billows of care. (Lucretius Book 6, Line 9)

  11. For just as children tremble and fear everything in the dark, so do we - even in the light - dread things that are not a bit more to be feared than the imagination of children. (Lucretius Book 6, Line 9)

  12. These terrors and darknesses of mind must be dispelled, but not by gleaming shafts of daylight. Terrors such as these can only be scattered by study of the laws of Nature. (Lucretius Book 6, Line 9)

  13. And so he taught us to grasp the principles of things above, the principles by which the sun and moon go on their courses, and the forces by which every thing on Earth proceeds. [Lucretius Book 1, Line 127][^4]

  14. And he taught that above all we must find out by keen reasoning the nature of the soul and of the mind, and the nature of those things that frighten us when we are under the influence of disease, or buried in sleep, or when we seem to see or hear those who are long dead, and whose bones the Earth holds in its embrace. (Lucretius Book 1, Line 127)

  1. Lucretius Book 1, Line 62. Bailey: "When the life of man lay foul to see and grovelling upon the earth, crushed by the weight of religion, which showed her face from the realms of heaven, lowering upon mortals with dreadful mien, ’twas a man of Greece who dared first to raise his mortal eyes to meet her, and first to stand forth to meet her: him neither the stories of the gods nor thunderbolts checked, nor the sky with its revengeful roar, but all the more spurred the eager daring of his mind to yearn to be the first to burst through the close-set bolts upon the doors of nature. And so it was that the lively force of his mind won its way, and he passed on far beyond the fiery walls of the world, and in mind and spirit traversed the boundless whole; whence in victory he brings us tidings what can come to be and what cannot, yea and in what way each thing has its power limited, and its deepset boundary-stone. And so religion in revenge is cast beneath men’s feet and trampled, and victory raises us to heaven." For this text in its original setting, see: Epicurus Achievement↩
  2. [Lucretius Book 1, Line 62] For text see Footnote 1 1↩
  3. [Lucretius Book 1, Line 62] For text see Footnote 1 1↩
  4. [Lucretius Book 1, Line 62] For text see Footnote 1 1↩
  5. [Lucretius Book 1, Line 62] For text see Footnote 1 1↩
  6. Lucretius Book 6, Line 9. Bailey: " For when he saw that mortals had by now attained well-nigh all things which their needs crave for subsistence, and that, as far as they could, their life was established in safety, that men abounded in power through wealth and honours and renown, and were haughty in the good name of their children, and yet not one of them for all that had at home a heart less anguished, but with torture of mind lived a fretful life without any respite, and was constrained to rage with savage complaining, he then did understand that it was the vessel itself which wrought the disease, and that by its disease all things were corrupted within, whatsoever came into it gathered from without, yea even blessings; in part because he saw that it was leaking and full of holes, so that by no means could it ever be filled; in part because he perceived that it tainted as with a foul savor all things within it, which it had taken in. And so with his discourse of truthful words he purged the heart and set a limit to its desire and fear, and set forth what is the highest good, towards which we all strive, and pointed out the path, whereby along a narrow track we may strain on towards it in a straight course; he showed what there is of ill in the affairs of mortals everywhere, coming to being and flying abroad in diverse forms, be it by the chance or the force of nature, because nature had so brought it to pass; he showed from what gates it is meet to sally out against each ill, and he proved that ’tis in vain for the most part that the race of men set tossing in their hearts the gloomy billows of care." For this text in its original setting see: Epicurus Saw the Defect In the Jar↩
  7. [Lucretius Book 6, Line 9] For text see Footnote 6 6↩
  8. [Lucretius Book 6, Line 9] For text see Footnote 6 6↩
  9. [Lucretius Book 6, Line 9] For text see Footnote 6 6↩