The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties [By G.L. Craik]. Continuation (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: same time loved and venerated almost as a father, not only by his numerous pupils, but by all ranks of his fellow-citizens, who, on his death, in 1812, felt that their University and city had lost the man who had been for half a century its chief distinction. CHAPTER III. OBSCUBE OEIOIN AND HUMBLE STATION: ?EPICTETUS; PBOTAGORAS; CLEANTHES; HAUY; WINCKELMAN; ABNIGIO; DUVAL; BANDINELLI; SCALIGEB; PBOTOGENKS; BAUDOUIN; OELLI; METASTASIO; HAYDN; OPIE; PABINI; PRIDEAUX; INIGO JONES; CHIEF JUSTICE SAUNDEES; LINNAEUS; LOMONOSOFF; BEN JONSON; THE M1LNEB8; JOHN HUNTEB. Heyne's first disadvantage, of being born in a sphere of life unfavourable even to the awakening of the passion for knowledge, is one which aspiring minds have often overcome. Not to mention the cases of JEsop, Publius Sybus, and Tebence, all of whom were originally slaves, Epictetus, the celebrated Stoic philosopher, was born in the same condition, and spent many years of his life in servitude. Having been at last fortunate enough to obtain his freedom, he retired to a small hut; and, when he was barely able to procure the necessaries of life, devoted himself to the study of philosophy. We have seen that the principal record of the doctrines of this philosopher was one of the works edited by Heyne, while at Dresden; and he used to relate that his fortitude, amid the difficulties that he had to struggle with at the time, was not a little strengthened and upheld by the precepts of severe virtue and determined endurance which he found in the system of the old Stoic. Epictetus's own conduct was strikingly in conformity with the lessons he taught, at least if we may believe one of the stories which are told of him. It is said, that before he had obtained his liberty, his master, a brutal man, chose ...