Stoicism - College of Stoic Philosophers

86 STOICISM.to every preacher in his turn he would never find asafer or more experienced guidance than from thedoctors of the Porch, and that the only way toreach the realms of virtue was to follow Zenonand Chrysippus. But Lycinus replies," Suppose, myfriend, that I were to listen only to the prompting ofaffection and to follow your advice, who know nothingbut the Stoic dogmas, and have never travelled byanother route, ifany God were to recall to lifePythagoras,Plato, Aristotle and the rest, and they were tocome round and ply me with importunate questions,*What reason, or whose authority, friend Lycinus, hasmade you prefer Zenon and Chrysippus to ourselves,who are so much more venerable than they, dating asthey do from yesterday, and that without a word toWouldus, or getting any knowledge of our systems ? 'it be enough to urge that I had full confidence in theadvice of Hermotimus ? I am sure that they wouldsay in answer, We have no ' idea for our part whoyour Hermotimus is, and on his side he knows us nobetter. But you should not pass your judgment onus on the evidence of a man who knows only onepath in philosophy, and has not even thoroughly exploredthat one. Lawgivers, my friend, do not givetheir sanction to the jury if they act in that way andonly listen to one party in a trial without allowing theother side to speak. They require them to hear bothsides in turn, and weigh their words impartially thatthey may distinguish truth and falsehood."The dialogue continues for some time in this strain,with many ingenious arguments and illustrations, but