one of the most celebrated philosophers of antiquity, was born at Clazomenae in Ionia about the 7th Olympiad. He was disciple of Anaximenes; and gave up his patrimony, to be more at leisure for the study of philosophy. He went first to Athens, and there taught eloquence; after which, having put himself under the tuition of Anaximenes, he gave lessons in philosophy in the same city. There he only gave to some particular friends and disciples, and with extreme caution. This, however, did not prevent, but rather was the cause of, his being accused of impiety, and thrown into prison, notwithstanding the credit and influence of Pyrrho, who was his disciple and intimate. Having been condemned to exile, he calmly yielded to the efforts of envy, and opened school at Lampsaicum, where he was extremely honoured during the remainder of his life, and still more after his death, having had statues erected to his memory. He is said to have made some predictions relative to the phenomena of nature, upon which he wrote some treatises. His principal tenets may be reduced to the following:—All things were in the beginning confusedly placed together, without order and without motion. The principle of things is at the same time one and multiplex, which obtained the name of homoeomeries, or similar particles, deprived of life. But there is beside this, from all eternity, another principle, namely an infinite and incorporeal spirit, who gave these particles a motion; in virtue of which, such as are homogeneous united, and such as were heterogeneous separated according to their different kinds. In this manner all things being put into motion by the spirit, and similar things being united to such as were similar, such as had a circular motion produced heavenly bodies, the lighter particles ascended, those which were heavy descended. The rocks of the earth, being drawn up by the force of the air, took fire, and became stars, beneath which the sun and moon took their stations. Thus he did not look upon the stars as divinities.