[228]Charon in Lucian, as he wittily feigns, was conducted by Mercury to such a place, where he might see all the world at once; after he had sufficiently viewed, and looked about, Mercury would needs know of him what he had observed:  He told him that he saw a vast multitude and a promiscuous, their habitations like molehills, the men as emmets, “he could discern cities like so many hives of bees, wherein every bee had a sting, and they did nought else but sting one another, some domineering like hornets bigger than the rest, some like filching wasps, others as drones.”  Over their heads were hovering a confused company of perturbations, hope, fear, anger, avarice, ignorance, &c., and a multitude of diseases hanging, which they still pulled on their pates.  Some were brawling, some fighting, riding, running, sollicite ambientes, callide litigantes for toys and trifles, and such momentary things, Their towns and provinces mere factions, rich against poor, poor against rich, nobles against artificers, they against nobles, and so the rest.  In conclusion, he condemned them all for madmen, fools, idiots, asses, O stulti, quaenam haec est amentia?  O fools, O madmen, he exclaims, insana studia, insani labores, &c.  Mad endeavours, mad actions, mad, mad, mad, [229]_O saeclum insipiens et infacetum_, a giddy-headed age.  Heraclitus the philosopher, out of a serious meditation of men’s lives, fell a weeping, and with continual tears bewailed their misery, madness, and folly.  Democritus on the other side, burst out a laughing, their whole life seemed to him so ridiculous, and he was so far carried with this ironical passion, that the citizens of Abdera took him to be mad, and sent therefore ambassadors to Hippocrates, the physician, that he would exercise his skill upon him.  But the story is set down at large by Hippocrates, in his epistle to Damogetus, which because it is not impertinent to this discourse, I will insert verbatim almost as it is delivered by Hippocrates himself, with all the circumstances belonging unto it.

When Hippocrates was now come to Abdera, the people of the city came flocking about him, some weeping, some intreating of him, that he would do his best.  After some little repast, he went to see Democritus, the people following him, whom he found (as before) in his garden in the suburbs all alone, [230]"sitting upon a stone under a plane tree, without hose or shoes, with a book on his knees, cutting up several beasts, and busy at his study.”  The multitude stood gazing round about to see the congress.  Hippocrates, after a little pause, saluted him by his name, whom he resaluted, ashamed almost that he could not call him likewise by his, or that he had forgot it.  Hippocrates demanded of him what he was doing:  he told him that he was [231]"busy in cutting up several beasts, to find out the cause of madness and melancholy.”  Hippocrates commended his work, admiring his happiness and leisure.  And why, quoth Democritus, have not