by this man. Afterwards not to mention that he made great haste to grow rich, which should not be the business of a Philosopher, towards _Nero_ himself, how well did it become his Philosophy to play the Traitor against him, and to become a complice in the conspiracy of _Piso_? And then as good a Tragedian as he was, me thinks he doth in _extremo actu deficere_, when he must needs perswade _Paulina_, that excellent Lady his wife, to die with him: what should move him to desire it? it could in his opinion be no advantage to her, for he believ'd nothing of the immortality of the soul; I am not satisfied with the reason of _Tacitus_, _Ne sibi unice dilectam ad injurius relinqueret_, because he discredits it himself, in almost the next words, where he saith, _Nero_ bore her no ill will at all, (and would not suffer her to die) it must surely be then, because he thought he had not liv'd long enough (being not above 114 years old, so much he was) and had not the fortitude to die, unless he might receive some confirmation in it by her example. Now let any man judge what a precious Legacy it is that he bequeaths by his nuncupative will to his friends in _Tacitus_. _Conversus ad amicos_ (saith he) _quando meritis eorum referre gratiam prohiberetur, quod unum jam tamen et pulcherrimum habebat, imaginem vitæ suæ relinquere testatur_. It cannot be denyed of him, that he hath said very well; but yet it must as well be affirmed, that his Practice hath run counter to his Theory, to use the Author's phrase. _The_ Scepticks _that affirmed they knew nothing_.] The ancient Philosophers are divided into three sorts, _Dogmatici_, _Academici_, _Sceptici_; the first were those that delivered their opinions positively; the second left a liberty of disputing _pro et contra_; the third declared that there was no knowledge of any thing, no not of this very proposition, that there is no knowledge, according to that, _----Nihil sciri siquis putat, id quoq; nescit An sciri possit, quod se nil scire fatetur._ _The Duke of_ Venice _that weds himself to the Sea by a Ring of Gold_, etc.] The Duke and Senate yearly on _Ascension-day_ use to go in their best attire to the Haven of _Lido_, and there by throwing a Ring into the water, do take the Sea as their spouse. _Vid. Hist. Ital._ by _Will Thomas Cambrobrit_. _Busbequius_ reports that there is a custom amongst the Turks, which they took from the Greek Priests, not much unlike unto this. _Cum Græcorum sacerdotibus mos sit certo veris tempore aquas consecrando mare clausum veluti reserare, ante quod tempus non facile se committunt fluctibus; ab ea Ceremonia nec Turcæ absunt._ Busb. _Ep. 3. legat. Tursic._