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Epicurus; but Cleanthes, lifting his head from the well, laughs at your doctrine and himself draws up the true principles, God and matter. And that the earth changes into water, and the water into air, and the air is borne upward, and the fire moves to the regions around the earth, and that the soul extends through the whole world, by partaking of which we are animated. Since these things are so many, then, another crowd flows to me from Libya, Carneades and Clitomachus and as many as are their pupils, trampling upon all the doctrines of the others, but they themselves openly declaring that all things are incomprehensible and that a false impression always lies alongside the truth. What then am I to do, having toiled for so long a time? And how shall I pour out so many doctrines from my mind? For if nothing is comprehensible, truth is gone from among men, and the celebrated philosophy is fighting with shadows rather than having knowledge of the things that are.

Then others from the ancient tribe, Pythagoras and his tribesmen, solemn and silent, hand down other doctrines to me like mysteries, and this, indeed, the great and secret saying, *he himself said it*: the monad is the beginning of all things. And from its figures and from its numbers the elements come to be. And he declares the number and the figure and the measure of each of these in this way: fire is made up of twenty-four right-angled triangles, contained by four equilateral ones. And each equilateral is composed of six right-angled triangles, whence they also liken it to a pyramid. And air is made up of forty-eight triangles, contained by eight equilateral ones. And it is likened to an octahedron, which is contained by eight equilateral triangles, each of which is divided into six right-angled ones, so that there are forty-eight in all. And water is made up of one hundred and twenty triangles, contained by twenty equal and equilateral ones, and is likened to an icosahedron, which is indeed composed of one hundred and twenty equal and equilateral triangles. And aether is made up of twelve equilateral pentagons and is similar to a dodecahedron. And the earth is made up of forty-eight triangles and is contained by six equilateral squares. And it is similar to a cube. For the cube is contained by six squares, each of which is divided into eight triangles, so that there are forty-eight in all. Pythagoras, then, measures the cosmos. But I, again becoming inspired, scorn my house and country and wife and children and these no longer concern me. But I myself ascend into the aether itself and taking the cubit from Pythagoras, I begin to measure the fire. For Zeus is not satisfied with measuring, but unless I myself, the great living being, the great body, the great soul, should ascend into heaven and measure the aether, the rule of Zeus is gone. And when I have measured and Zeus learns from me how many angles the fire has, I descend again from heaven and having eaten olives and figs and vegetables, I set out very quickly for the water and by cubit and finger and half-finger I measure the wet substance and I measure its depth, so that I may also teach Poseidon how great a sea he rules. And I go around the whole earth in a single day, collecting its number and its measure and its shapes. For I am persuaded that, being such and so great, I will not pass over even a span of the whole cosmos. But I know of the whole cosmos I will not pass over even a span, being such and so great. And I know both the number of the stars and of the fish and of the wild beasts and placing the cosmos on a scale, I can easily learn its weight. About these things, then, my soul has until now been eager to rule over the universe. But Epicurus, peeking out, says to me: You have indeed measured one cosmos for me, my dear friend, but there are many and infinite worlds. Therefore I am compelled again to measure other heavens, other aethers, and these many. Come now, without further delay, having provisioned myself for a few days, I will journey to the Epicurean worlds. The boundaries, then, Tethys and

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Ἐπίκουρε· ἀλλ' ὁ Κλεάνθης ἀπὸ τοῦ φρέατος ἐπάρας τὴν κεφαλὴν καταγελᾷ σου τοῦ δόγματος καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνιμᾷ τὰς ἀληθεῖς ἀρχὰς θεὸν καὶ ὕλην. καὶ τὴν μὲν γῆν μεταβάλλειν εἰς ὕδωρ, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ εἰς ἀέρα, τὸν δὲ ἀέρα ἄνω φέρεσθαι, τὸ δὲ πῦρ εἰς τὰ περίγεια χωρεῖν, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν δι' ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου διήκειν, ἧς μέρος μετέχοντας ἡμᾶς ἐμψυχοῦσθαι. Τούτων τοίνυν τοσούτων ὄντων ἄλλο μοι πλῆθος ἀπὸ Λιβύης ἐπιρρεῖ, Καρνεάδης καὶ Κλειτόμαχος καὶ ὅσοι τούτων ὁμιληταὶ πάντα τὰ τῶν ἄλλων δόγματα καταπατοῦντες, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀποφαινόμενοι διαρρήδην ἀκατάληπτα εἶναι τὰ πάντα καὶ ἀεὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ φαντασίαν ἀεὶ παρακεῖσθαι ψευδῆ. τί τοίνυν πάθω τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ ταλαιπωρήσας; πῶς δέ μου τῆς γνώμης ἐκχέω τὰ τοσαῦτα δόγματα; εἰ γὰρ μηδὲν εἴη καταληπτόν, ἀλήθεια μὲν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων οἴχεται,ἡ δὲ ὑμνουμένη φιλοσοφία σκιομαχεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἐπιστήμην ἔχει.

Ἄλλοι τοίνυν ἀπὸ τῆς παλαιᾶς φυλῆς Πυθαγόρας καὶ οἱ τούτου συμφυλέται σεμνοὶ καὶ σιωπηλοὶ παραδιδόασιν ἄλλα μοι δόγματα ὥσπερ μυστήρια, καὶ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ μέγα καὶ ἀπόρρητον τό αὐτὸς ἔφα· ἀρχὴ τῶν πάντων ἡ μονάς. ἐκ δὲ τῶν σχημάτων αὐτῆς καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀριθμῶν τὰ στοιχεῖα γίνεται. καὶ τούτων ἑκάστου τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τὸ μέτρον οὕτω πως ἀποφαίνεται· τὸ μὲν πῦρ ὑπὸ τεσσάρων καὶ εἴκοσι τριγώνων ὀρθογωνίων συμπληροῦται τέσσαρσιν ἰσοπλεύροις περιεχόμενον. ἕκαστον δὲ ἰσόπλευρον σύγκειται ἐκ τριγώνων ὀρθογωνίων ἕξ, ὅθεν δὴ καὶ πυραμίδι προσεικάζουσιν αὐτό. ὁ δὲ ἀὴρ ὑπὸ τεσσαράκοντα ὀκτὼ τριγώνων συμπληροῦται περιεχόμενον ἰσοπλεύροις ὀκτώ. εἰκάζεται δὲ ὀκταέδρῳ, ὃ περιέχεται ὑπὸ ὀκτὼ τριγώνων ἰσοπλεύρων, ὧν ἕκαστον εἰς ἓξ ὀρθογώνια διαιρεῖται, ὥστε γίνεσθαι τεσσαράκοντα ὀκτὼ τὰ πάντα. τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ὑπὸ ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι τριγώνων συμπληροῦται, ἴσοις καὶ ἰσοπλεύροις εἴκοσι περιεχόμενον, εἰκάζεται δὲ εἰκοσαέδρῳ, ὃ δὴ συνέστηκεν ἐξ ἴσων καὶ ἰσοπλεύρων τριγώνων εἴκοσι καὶ ἑκατόν. ὁ δὲ αἰθὴρ συμπληροῦται δώδεκα πενταγώνοις ἰσοπλεύροις καὶ ὅμοιός ἐστι δωδεκαέδρῳ. ἡ δὲ γῆ συμπληροῦται ἐκ τριγώνων μὲν ὀκτὼ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα περιέχεται δὲ καὶ τετραγώνοις ἰσοπλεύροις ἕξ. ἔστι δὲ ὁμοία κύβῳ. ὁ γὰρ κύβος ὑπὸ ἓξ τετραγώνων περιέχεται, ὧν ἕκαστον εἰς ὀκτὼ τρίγωνα διαιρεῖται, ὥστε γίνεσθαι τὰ πάντα ὀκτὼ καὶ τεσσαράκοντα. Τὸν μὲν δὴ κόσμον ὁ Πυθαγόρας μετρεῖ. ἐγὼ δὲ πάλιν ἐνθέως γενόμενος τῆς μὲν οἰκίας καὶ πατρίδος καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν παιδίων καταφρονῶ καὶ τούτων οὐκέτι μοι μέλει. εἰς δὲ τὸν αἰθέρα αὐτὸν αὐτὸς ἀνέρχομαι καὶ τὸν πῆχυν παρὰ Πυθαγόρου λαβὼν μετρεῖν ἄρχομαι τὸ πῦρ. οὐ γὰρ ἀπόχρη μετρῶν ὁ Ζεύς, ἀλλ' εἰ μὴ καὶ τὸ μέγα ζῷον τὸ μέγα σῶμα ἡ μεγάλη ψυχὴ αὐτὸς εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέλθοιμι καὶ μετρήσαιμι τὸν αἰθέρα, οἴχεται ἡ τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἀρχή. ἐπειδὰν δὲ μετρήσω καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς παρ' ἐμοῦ μάθῃ, πόσας γωνίας ἔχει τὸ πῦρ, πάλιν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνω καὶ φαγὼν ἐλαίας καὶ σῦκα καὶ λάχανα τὴν ταχίστην ἐπὶ τὸ ὕδωρ στέλλομαι καὶ κατὰ πῆχυν καὶ δάκτυλον καὶ ἡμιδάκτυλον μετρῶ τὴν ὑγρὰν οὐσίαν καὶ τὸ βάθος αὐτῆς ἀναμετρῶ, ἵνα καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα διδάξω, πόσης ἄρχει αλάσσης. τὴν δὲ γῆν ἅπασαν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ περιέρχομαι συλλέγων αὐτῆς ζὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ τὸ έτρον καὶ τὰ σχήματα. πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς οὐδὲ σπιθαμὴν παρήσω τοιοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ὤν. οἶδα δὲ σμου παντὸς οὐδὲ σπιθαμὴν παρήσω τοιοῦτος καὶ τηλικοῦτος ὤν. οἶδα δὲ ἐγὼ καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ τῶν ἰχθύων καὶ τῶν θηρίων καὶ ζυγῷ τὸν κόσμον ἱστὰς εὐκόλως τὸν σταθμὸν αὐτοῦ δύναμαι μαθεῖν. Ἀμφὶ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα μέχρι νῦν ἐσπούδακεν ἡ ψυχή μου τῶν ὅλων ἄρχειν. προκύψας δέ μοί φησιν Ἐπίκουρος· σὺ μὲν δὴ κόσμον ἕνα με μέτρηκας, ὦ φιλότης, εἰσὶ δὲ κόσμοι πολλοὶ καὶ ἄπειροι. πάλιν οὖν ἀναγκάζομαι μετρεῖν οὐρανοὺς ἄλλους αἰθέρας ἄλλους, καὶ τούτους πολλούς. ἄγε δὴ μηκέτι μέλλων ἐπισιτισάμενος ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν εἰς τοὺς Ἐπικουρείους κόσμους ἀποδημήσω. τὰ μὲν οὖν πέρατα Τηθὺν καὶ