Page:The true intellectual system of the universe - the first part; wherein, all the reason and philosophy of atheism is confuted; and its impossibility demonstrated (IA trueintellectual1678cudw).pdf/41

 Rh Satisfaction which arises from thence. But we aim here at nothing more, than a Confirmation of this Truth, That the Atomical Physiology was both older than Democritus, and had no such Atheistical Original neither. And there wants not other Good Authority for this, That Pythagaras did borrow many things from the Jews, and translate them into his Philosophy.

XI. But there are yet other Considerable Probabilities for this, that Pythagoras was not unacquainted with the Atomical Physiology. And first from Democritus himself, who as he was of the Italick Row, or Pythagorick Succession; so it is recorded of him in Laertius, that he was a great Emulator of the Pythagoreans, and seemed to have taken all his Philosophy from them: Insomuch that if Chronology had not contradicted it, it would have been concluded, that he had been an Auditour of Pythagoras himself, of whom he testified his great admiration in a Book entitled by his Name. Moreover some of his Opinions had a plain Correspondency with the Pythagorick Doctrines, forasmuch as Democritus did not only hold, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, That the Atoms were carried round in a Vortex; but also together with Leucippus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, That the Earth was carried about the Middle or Centre of this Vortex (which is the Sun) turning in the mean time round upon its own Axis: And just so the Pythagorick Opinion is expressed by Aristotle, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉· That the Earth, as one of the Stars (that is a Planet) being carried round about the Middle or Centre (which is Fire or the Sun) did in the mean time by its Circumgyration upon its own Axis make day and night. Wherefore it may be reasonably from hence concluded, that as Democritus his Philosophy was Pythagorical, so Pythagoras his Philosophy was likewise Democritical or Atomical.

XII. But that which is of more Moment yet; we have the Authority of Ecphantus a famous Pythagorean for this, that Pythagoras his Monads, so much talked of, were nothing else but Corporeal Atoms. Thus we find it in Stobæus, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Ecphantus (who himself asserted the Doctrine of Atoms) first declared that the Pythagorick Monads were Corporeal, i.e. Atoms. And this is further confirmed from what Aristotle himself writes of these Pythagoreans and their Monads, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉· They suppose their Monads to have Magnitude: And from that he elsewhere makes Monads and Atoms to signifie the same thing, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉· Its all one to say Monades or small Corpuscula. And Gassendus hath observed out of the Greek Epigrammatist, that Epicurus his Atoms were sometimes called Monads too; Rh