EPICTETUS, a Stoic philosopher of Hierap6lis, originally a slave, was expelled from Rome by Domitian, but returned after his death and gained the esteem of Hadrias. and M. Aurelius ; he opposed the doctrine at suicide, which had been so strongly adopted by the other Stoics ; hisEnchirid'ion, a faithful picture of Stoicism, is a resume' of his lectures, compiled and published by Arrian.
EPICURUS, "13-1-cf"-rus, a celebrated philo sopher, born in Samos, 342 n.c., was the son of poor parents, but was early sent to school, where he distinguished himself by his clever ness and acuteness, at the age of 12 puzzling his preceptor, who had recited to him the verse of Hesiod,"flzot fait trinitritsro xeio5 yt:ter', x,r.X (First Chaos was created), with the question, Who created it ? " The teacher answered that only philosophers knew ; whereon Epicurus said, " 'then philosophers alone henceforth shall instruct me." After extensive travels, he went, 3o6, to Athens, then thronged with the Academics, Cynics, Petipatetics, Cyrenaics, and Stoics : there he established himself, and taught in a garden (n inn); whence his fol lowers were called The Philosophers of the Garden, and he soon attracted many disciples by the sweetness and gravity of his manners and by his social virtues. He taught that the
Supreme Good was Happiness,—not such as arises front sensual gratification, but from the enjoyments of the mind and the practice of Virtue. His doctrine was misrepresented and grossly maligned by the other schools, from whose misrepresentations the term Epicurean ism has become popularly identical with sen sualism. His physical philosophy was the Atomism of Democrftus. His health was impaired by constant labour, and he died, 270, of a painful internal disease, the agonies of which he bore with great fortitude. His followers showed great respect to his memory, observing his birthday with unusual festivity, and devoting a month to mirth and innocent amusements. Epicurus is said to have written no less than 30o volumes. His philosophy, so beautifully expounded in Lucretius's poem De Rilruni Nettie,* was a development of the Cyrenaic school, and was rapidly spread by his numerous followers, who, however, in practice departed from its great principle, and, justly meriting the reproaches falsely heaped on Epicurus, substituted sensual gra tification for the practice of Virtue, and con tributed greatly to the general destruction of morals under the Roman empire.