Lives of the Stoics 107
him. And he opposed Arcesilaus; when he saw a deformed bull with a
womb he said, "Woe is me! Arcesilaus has been given an argument to
use against [trusting] clear facts". 163. To the Academic [sceptic] who
said that he grasped nothing he said, "Do you not see the man sitting
next to you?" And when the other said no, he said, "Who blinded you,
who took away the brightness of your eyesight?" ...
- Herillus of Carthage said that knowledge was the goal, i.e., always
living by referring everything to a life with knowledge and not being
discredited by ignorance. And knowledge is a condition concerned with
the reception of presentations, which is immune from being upset by
argument. He once said that there was no goal, but that it changed in
accordance with the circumstances and the facts, just as the same bronze
becomes a statue of Alexander or of Socrates. The goal and the subordi-
nate goal are different; for even men who are not wise aim at the latter,
while only the wise man aims at the former. And the things between
virtue and vice are indifferent. His books are short but are full of vigour
and include some counter-arguments aimed at Zeno ....
- Cleanthes of Assos, son of Phanias. He was a boxer at first,
according to Antisthenes in his Successions. He arrived in Athens with
four drachmas, as some say, and meeting Zeno he began to philosophize
most nobly and stayed with the same doctrines. He was famous for his
love of hard work; since he was a poor man he undertook to work for
wages. And by night he laboured at watering gardens, while by day he
exercised himself in arguments ....
- ... When someone said that Arcesilaus did not do what he ought
to do, he said, "Stop it and do not blame the man; for even if he abolishes
appropriate action by his argument, at least he supports it by his deeds."
And Arcesilaus said, "I am not flattered." In response to which Cleanthes
said, "Yes, I am flattering you by claiming that you say one thing and
do another." ...
174 .... When someone criticized him for his old age, he said, "I too
want to make my exit. But when I consider everything and see that I
am completely healthy and able to write and to read, I continue to
wait." ...
... 175 .... And he died as follows. He got badly swollen gums, and
on the orders of his doctors he abstained from food for two days. And
somehow he got so much better that the doctors allowed him to eat his
customary diet, but he would not agree to this, instead saying that the
way was already prepared for him; and so he abstained for the rest of
his days and died, according to some, at the same age as Zeno did; he
had studied with Zeno for nineteen years ....
- As we said above, Sphaerus from the Bosporus also studied with
