Epicurus's Morals
- Language:
- English
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Recorded or compiled by others
- Condition of the text:
- Some scanning errors (checked by hand against the text)
- Extent:
- ~56,200 words · 267 passages
Cite this work
- APAEpicurus. (n.d.). Epicurus's Morals. Digital reproduction: SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/epicurus/epicurus-s-morals
- MLAEpicurus. Epicurus's Morals. Digital reproduction, SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/epicurus/epicurus-s-morals.
- ChicagoEpicurus. Epicurus's Morals. Digital reproduction, SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/epicurus/epicurus-s-morals.
Reference to the edition that SigPhi reproduces: SigPhi is its digital reproduction, not its publisher. The edition's year is not in the metadata (hence "n.d."), and the translator appears only when recorded.
What it is about
Epicurus's Morals: an English volume whose own title page says it was translated from the Greek by John Digby, “with comments and reflections”.
Context and history
Not a text by Epicurus but a later English presentation of his ethics: the title page announces “comments and reflections”, and much of the volume is the editor's own exposition — it opens with an introduction on “the Wise Man” — not Epicurus's words. For Epicurus himself, the source in this catalogue is the Principal Doctrines. The scan keeps the old long s, which the OCR often reads as an f.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
the Pharifees among the J^ws) have been extravagant in tbe-Drfcription of their Wife' Man i the Qualifications tfiey have beftow'd upon him, have even drain'd their Imiginations •, the State they place him in, was the Work of thek Pride and VanityVand his Attributesare fi> manyWitnefles of their Folly. j This Man^ who had his Exiftehce only in ■ their Brains, is prefumptuous enough todi- ' fpute ExceHency, even With the Deity it . felf. He would perfwade People, that in the vileft Slavery, He is the Only Man that bears the Scepter, that ti^e alone rules the Commonwealth ^ that He is the Only Orator. Poet, Good Citi2ea,and true Friend j He dares to maintain, that uotwithftanding all the Deformities of Body, He's the onlf beautiful Perfon ; that in the greateft diftrefs. He's the only Rich Man •, and tho' extraded from the Dreggs of the People, He's the only Noble born. He knew all that the reft of Mankind wa* ignorant of ^ was incapable of Lyi^ig, fixtin his Opinion, out of the infult of th^ Paflions, and without the leaft dread of Torments ^ in Ihort, always of an even Temper, and ever in&llible. Neverthelefs, as thefe Philofophers reflcftcd, that the natural Difpofition of Man, caus'd in him fuch Motions, that if very violent and ftrong, were ftil'd Paflions,hard to overcome ^ and that thefe Sallies, pror ceeding from Temper and Conftitution, were infeparablc from Life ; they bethought thcmfelves,by certain fallacious Reafonipgs, B 3 to Ite E p I c u R u s'i Maralsy