blessedness by giving themselves no concern
about man or his affairs. By such derisive promptings does Epicurus mock
at the religion of his country--its rituals, sacrifices, prayers, and
observances. He offers no better evidence of the existence of God than
that there is a general belief current among men in support of such a
notion; but, when brought to the point, he does not hesitate to utter
his disbelief in the national theology, and to declare that, in his
judgment, it is blind chance that rules the world.

[Sidenote: Epicureans of modern times.]

Such are the opinions to which the name of Epicurus has been attached;
but there were Epicureans ages before that philosopher was born, and
Epicureans there will be in all time to come. They abound in our own
days, ever characterized by the same features--an intense egoism in
their social relations, superficiality in their philosophical views, if
the term philosophical can be justly applied to intellects so narrow;
they manifest an accordance often loud and particular with the religion
of their country, while in their hearts and in their lives they are
utter infidels. These are they who constitute the most specious part of
modern society, and are often the self-proclaimed guardians of its
interests. They are to be found in every grade of life; in the senate,
in the army, in the professions, and especially in commercial pursuits,
which, unhappily, tend too frequently to the development of selfishness.
It is to them that society is indebted for more than half its
corruptions, all its hypocrisy, and more than half its sins. It is they
who infuse into it falsehood as respects the past, imposture as respects
the present, fraud as respects the future; who teach it by example that
the course of a man's life ought to be determined upon principles of
selfishness; that gratitude and affection are well enough if displayed
for effect, but that they should never be felt; that men are to be
looked upon not as men, but as things to be used; that knowledge and
integrity, patriotism and virtue, are the delusions of simpletons; and
that wealth is the only object which is really worthy of the homage of
man.

[Sidenote: The Middle Academy of Arcesilaus.]

[Sidenote: The New Academy of Carneades.]

[Sidenote: The duplicity of the later Academicians.]

[Sidenote: The fourth and fifth Academies.]

It now only remains in this chapter to speak of the later Platonism. The
Old Academy, of