Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

238 THE FORMATION OF CHRISTP^NDOM" Damis, when you are alone and philosophise, keepme before your eyes."" Now here," says Philostratus, " the account ofDamis ends, but I can find no certain account howApollonius died, if indeed he did die. Some say helived to be eighty, some ninety, some more than ahundred years old, sound in all his body, and moreagreeable than in his youth." The story whichPhilostratus seems to prefer is that he lived in Cretemore honoured than ever, and used to frequent thetemple of Diana, which was guarded by savage dogs,who however did not bark at him, but fawned uponhim even when he approached at untimely hours.The priests who had the care of the temple seeing thisseized him and bound him, as if he were not only amagician but a robber, saying that he had given thedours a sop to tame them. About midnight he freedhimself from his chains, and called those who had boundhim, to show that he did nothing in secret. Then heran to the gates of the temple, which opened beforehim and closed after him, but the voice of virginssinging was heard, and their song was, " Leave theearth-Come to heaven-Come : " as if they told himto ascend on high. i ^^^Looking back on the life which has been thusepitomised, we find it divides itself into six periods.The first embraces the birth of Apollonius, his education,and manner of life as a Pythagorean, or ratheras a new Pythagoras, more than equal to the original.The second contains his visit to the Indian Brahmans,to test and confirm, as it were, his doctrine, the doctrine,that is, embodving the Greek wisdom, andall the civilisation and glory which it has produced.1 Book viii. 30.