When repose was earned and now, after reaching the highest place, glory, laying care aside, seeks refuge in a private life, genius again wins reward from other tasks. No part of life is lost: all that is withdrawn from the law courts is devoted to the study, and thy mind in turn either bestows its efforts on the State or its leisure on the Muses. Once more thou readest the secrets of ancient Athens, examining the discoveries with which each sage has enriched posterity and noting what hosts of disciples the varying schools produce.
For some hold that air[172] is the first beginning of all things, others that water is, others again derive the sum of things from fire. Another, destined to
[172] Claudian refers to the early Ionian philosophers. Anaximenes believed that air was the first principle of all things, Thales said water, Heraclitus fire. l. 72 refers to Empedocles who postulated the four elements and two principles, love and hate, which respectively made and unmade the universe out of the elements. The “_hic_” of l. 75 may be Democritus or it may refer to the Sceptic, Pyrrho. The “_hic_” of l. 76 is Anaxagoras, the friend of Pericles. “_Ille_” (79) may be taken to refer to Leucippus, the first of the atomic philosophers; he postulated infinite space. “_Hi_” (82) = Democritus, Epicurus, and other atomists. “_Alii_” (83) are the Platonists.
alter in Aetnaeas casurus sponte favillas dispergit revocatque deum rursusque receptis nectit amicitiis quidquid discordia solvit. corporis hic damnat sensus verumque videri 75 pernegat. hic semper lapsurae pondera terrae conatur rapido caeli fulcire rotatu accenditque diem praerupti turbine saxi. ille ferox unoque tegi non passus Olympo inmensum per inane volat finemque perosus 80 parturit innumeros angusto pectore mundos. hi vaga collidunt caecis primordia plagis. numina constituunt alii casusque relegant. Graiorum obscuras Romanis floribus artes inradias, vicibus gratis formare loquentes 85 suetus et alterno verum contexere nodo. quidquid Socratico manavit ab ordine, quidquid docta Cleantheae sonuerunt atria turbae, inventum quodcumque tuo, Chrysippe, recessu, quidquid Democritus risit dixitque tacendo 90 Pythagoras, uno se pectore cuncta vetustas condidit et maior collectis viribus exit. ornantur veteres et nobiliore magistro in Latium spretis Academia migrat Athenis, ut tandem propius discat, quo fine beatum 95 dirigitur, quae norma boni, qui limes honesti; quaenam membra sui virtus divisa domandis obiectet vitiis; quae pars iniusta recidat, quae vincat ratione metus, quae frenet amores; aut quotiens elementa doces semperque fluentis 100