ascribed to Longinus, that we find so many proofs of erudition, and so From this time, we have little information concerning this philofopher, till we find him, about the thirtieth year of his age, becoming, at Rome, a difciple of Plotinus, who had before 'this time acquired great fame as a teacher of philofophy. Porphyry was fix years a diligent student of the Eclectic fyftem; and became fo entirely attached to his master, and fo perfectly acquainted with his doctrine, that Plotinus efteemed him one of the greatest ornaments of his school, and frequently employed him in refuting the objections of his opponents, and in explaining to his younger pupils the more difficult parts of his writings: he even intrufted him with the charge of methodising and correcting his works: The fanatical spirit of the philofophy, to which Porphyry addicted himself, concurred with his natural propenfity towards melancholy to produce a resolution, which he formed about the thirty-fixth year of his age, of putting an end to his life; purpofing hereby, according to the Platonic doctrine, to release his foul from her wretched prison, the body. From this mad defign he was, however, diffuaded by his mafter, who advised him to divert his melancholy by taking a journey to Sicily, to visit his friend Probus, an accomplished and excellent man, who lived near Lilybæum. Porphyry followed the advice of Plotinus, and recovered the vigour and tranquillity of his mind. After the death of Plotinus, Porphyry, ftill remaining in Sicily, appeared as an open and implacable adverfary to the Chriftian religion. Some have maintained, that in his youth he had been a Christian; but of this there is no fufficient proof. It is not improbable that, whilst he was a boy, under the care of Origen, he gained some acquaintance with the Jewish and Christian scriptures. He wrote fifteen distinct treatises against Christianity, which the emperor Theodofius ordered to be deftroyed: an injudicious act of zeal, Vit. Plot. c. 21. Vit. Plot. c. 4. 5. a Vit. Plot. c. 11. Eunap, p. 14, 1 which the real friends of Christianity, no less than its enemies, will always regret: for truth can never fuffer by a fair and full difcuffion; and falsehood and calumny must always, in the iffue, serve the cause they are defigned to injure. The spirit of those writings of Porphyry which are loft, may be in fome measure apprehended from the fragments which are preferved by ecclefiaftical hiftorians. Many able advocates for Christianity appeared upon this occafion, the principal of whom were Methodius, Apollinaris, and Eusebius. So vehement and lasting was the indignation which was excited against the memory of Porphyry, that Conftantine, in order to caft the feverest poffible cenfure upon the Arian sect, published an edict', ranking them among the profeffed enemies of Christianity, and requiring that they fhould from that time be branded with the name of Porphyrians. Porphyry, after remaining many years in Sicily, returned to Rome, and taught the doctrines of Plotinus; pretending to be, not only a philofopher endued with fuperior wisdom, but a divine person, favoured with fupernatural communications from heaven. He himself relates, that in the fixty-eighth year of his age, he was in a facred extacy, in which he faw the Supreme Intelligence, the God who is fuperior to all gods, without an image. This vifion Auguftine" supposes to have been an illusion of some evil spirit: we are rather inclined to believe it to have been the natural effect of a heated imagination; unless indeed it be added to the long lift of fictions, with which the writings of Porphyry abound. He died about the year three hundred and four. Of his numerous works, the only pieces which have efcaped the depredation of time (except fundry fragments difperfed through various authors) are, his "Life of Pythagoras;" a book "On the Cave of the Nymphs in Homer;" "Homeric Questions;" "A Fragment on the Stygian Lake;" An Epiftle to Anebo, an Egyptian prieft;" "A Treatife on the Fabr. Bib. Gr. v. iv. p. 197. et Syllab. Script. de Ver. Ch. Rel. c. 3. Five Predicables," commonly prefixed to the logical works of Ariftotle;" "Thoughts on Intelligibles;" "A Treatise on Abftinence from Animal Food;" and "The Life of Plotinus," which contains alfo memoirs of Porphyry himself. Porphyry was, it must be owned, a writer of deep crudition; and had his judgment and integrity been equal to his learning, he would have deserved a distinguished place among the ancients. But neither the fplendour of his diction, nor the variety of his reading, can atone for the credulity, or the dishonesty, which filled the narrative parts of his works with fo many extravagant tales, or interest the judicious reader in the abstruse subtleties, and mystical flights, of his philofophical writings. The Alexandrian philofophy had, after Porphyry, many learned and able defenders. Among these, one of the most celebrated was his immediate fucceffor, JAMBLICHUS, a native of Chalcis in CaloSyria. He flourished, as may be inferred from the age of his pre→ ceptor Porphyry, about the beginning of the fourth century. His first instructor was Anatolius, who prefided in a Peripatetic school in Alexandría; but he foon left this school, and became a disciple of Porphyry. He became perfect master of all the mysteries of the Plotinian system, and taught it with fuch credit and fuccefs, that difciples crowded to his school from various quarters. Though he fell far fhort of Porphyry in eloquence, he won the affections of his followers by the freedom with which he conversed with them upon philofophy, and was, at the fame time, careful to excite their admiration, and command their reverence, by high pretenfions to theurgical powers. He aftonished them with wonders, which he profeffed to perform by means of an intercourfe with invifible beings. Hence he was called, The Moft Divine and Wonderful Teacher. The writings of Jamblichus discover extensive reading; but his ftyle is fo deficient in accuracy and elegance, that even his encomiaft, VOL. II. a 2 Fabric. Bib. Gr. v. iv. p. 180. Eunapius, 1 Eunapius, acknowledges it more likely to difguft than to allure the reader. He borrows freely from other writers, particularly Porphyry, without the fmalleft acknowledgment. His philofophical works are exceedingly obfcure, but are valuable as authentic documents respecting the Alexandrian school. "The Life of Pythagoras;" "An Exhortation to the Study of Philofophy;" "Three Books on Mathematical Learning;" "A Commentary upon Nicomachus's Inftitutes of Arithmetic ;" and "A Treatise on the Myfteries of the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Affyrians," are all the writings of Jamblichus now extant *. The time and place of his death are uncertain; but, from a paffage of Eunapius, in which he fays, that his disciple Sopater went, after his master's death, to the court of Conftantine, it appears probable that Jamblichus died before that emperor, that is, about the year three hundred and thirty-three. This Jamblichus must be diftinguished from the perfon of the fame name, to whom the emperor Julian dedicates his epiftles; for Julian was scarcely born at the time when Porphyry's fucceffor died. The school of Jamblichus produced many Eclectic philofophers, who were dispersed through various parts of the Roman empire. But the fate of one of their number, Sopater, who was put to death by order of the emperor (probably for infidious practices against the peace of the ftate) and the difcredit into which the Pagan theology was now, through the general spread of Christianity, almost univerfally fallen, induced these philofophers to propagate their tenets, and practice their myfteries, with caution and concealment. In this state of depreffion the fect continued through the reigns of Conftantine and Conftantius. But under the emperor Julian, who apoftatifed from the Chriftian faith, the Alexandrian fect revived, and again flourished in great vigour. Many pretenders arose, who, under the cloak of philofophy, practised magical deceptions with great fuccefs, and industriously diffeminated myfticism and enthusiasm. Their Fab. Bib. Gr. v. iv. p. 289. Ed. Gale, Ox. 1678. Kufter, Amft. 1707. biographer biographer is Eunapius, a writer of the fame school, who relates, and seems to have credited, many marvellous ftorics. The immediate fucceffor of Jamblichus, was ADESIUS', of Cappadocia. After the example of his master, he pretended to fupernatural communications with the deity, and practifed theurgic arts. Among the wonderful events which are faid to have happened to him, one of the moft ludicrous is, that, in anfwer to his prayers, his future fate was revealed to him in hexameter verfes, which fuddenly appeared upon the palm of his left-hand. Towards the close of his life, he left his school in Cappadocia to the care of his disciple and friend EUSTATHIUS, and removed to Pergamus, where he had a numerous train of followers. Of Euftathius, his wife Sofipatra, and his fon Antoninus, several tales are related by Eunapius, which only ferve to expose the fraud of these pretended philofophers, and the credulity of their biographer. EUSEBIUS, of Myndus in Caria, though one of the difciples of Ædefius, appears, from a conference which he had with Julian, to have confidered all pretenfions to intercourfe with dæmons, or inferior divinities, as illufions of the fancy, or tricks of imposture; and to have difcouraged them, as unworthy of the purity and fublimity of true philofophy. His defign feems to have been, to restore the contemplation of Intelligibles, or Ideas, as the only real and immutable natures, according to the doctrine of Porphyry, and of Plato himself: but the fanatical doctrine of an intercourse between dæmons and men, and the arts of theurgy founded upon this doctrine, were now too generally established, and found too useful, to be difmiffed. Eufebius of Myndus was therefore lefs acceptable to the emperor Julian than another difciple of Ædefius, Maximus of Ephefus. MAXIMUS, according to Eunapius, was, through the recommendation of his master, appointed by Conftantius preceptor to Julian: |