Page:The battle of the books - Guthkelch - 1908.djvu/309

Rh rest. Even Aristotle himself, whose nobility was not extraordinary, made laws for the Abderitans. Zaleucus, as we have seen above, was but a shepherd and a slave. Eudoxus the Cnidian made laws to his own citizens; and yet he was so poor, that Theoniedon a physician bore his charges at Athens; and his friends made a purse for him, when he was to travel to Egypt. And Protagoras was lawgiver to the Thurians, and yet at first he was no better than a porter to carry burdens. Why then must Stesichorus be one of the greatest men in Sicily, because he had a brother a lawgiver? The Examiner, we see, will still be true to his old way of reasoning: for one may fairly infer the very contrary from it, that he was but of middle and ordinary quality. Well, but he must needs be one of the greatest men there; because he made an apologue to the Himeraeans against Phalaris, about the horse and his rider, and the stag. And is that such a proof of his wealth and greatness above the low temptations of money and presents? Menenius Agrippa made such another apologue to the Romans, and yet he was so very poor that he left not enough to bury him. There's another apologue too of Æsop's, mentioned by