Ἑρμότιμος ἢ Περὶ Αἱρέσεων

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15–16

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? 5

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. 5