Vobis, Juvenes, non Eruditis, haec scribuntur elementa: quibus paulum immorati, ad majora progredimini et ampliora; ad omnis scientiae, omnis elegantiae, artiumque bonarum inventores et excultores eximios scriptores Graecos et Romanos <perlegendos>. Dumque hos exprimitis, <v> puriores sacrarum literarum, quae miseris mortalibus certam vitae beatae spem reducunt, fontes aditote; ut animos vestros omni virtute exornetis, ad omnia officia honestiora instruatis, cognitionisque sitim ingenuam et laudabilem expleatis. {Animis igitur vestris medeatur Philosophia; inanes solicitudines detrahat, cupiditatibus liberet; pellat timores: ita morati sitis, ita animo et vita constituti, ut ratio postulat: neque hanc disciplinam ostentationem scientiae, sed legem vitae sanctissimam putetis, quam nemo sine scelere, nemo impunè spreverit; cujusque monitis parere, quantum animo conniti possumus, summa est naturae nostrae dignitas, summa sapientia, vitaeque prosperitas.}
Βίον αιροῦ τὸν ἄριστον,· ἡδὺν δ’ αὐτὸν ἡ συνήθεια ποιήσει.
Pythag.1
Ἤδη οὐ̑ν ἀξίωσον σεαυτὸν βιου̑ν ὡς τέλειον καὶ προκόπτοντα· καὶ πα̂ν τὸ βέλτιστον ϕαινόμενον ἔστω σοι νόμος ἀπαράβατος
Epictet. Enchir.2
Ἀνδρας γενομένους ὁ θεὸς παραδίδωσι τῇ ἐμϕύτῳ συνειδήσει ϕυλάττειν, ταύτης ὀῦν ϕυλακῦς μηδαμῶς καταϕρονητεόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῷ Θεῷ ἀπάρεστον, και τῷ ἰδίῳ συνειδότι ἐχθροι ἐσόμεθα.
Ejusd. Fragment.3
Αἱροῦ πρότερον τὰς επιθυμίας κολάζειν, ἤ διὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας κολάζεσθαι.
Ejusd.4
Ἑνὶ τέρπου καὶ προσαναπαύου, τὡ ἀπὸ πράξεως κοινωνικη̑ς μεταβαίνειν ἐπὶ πρα̂ξιν κοινωνικὴν σὺν μνήμῃ Θεοη̑.
M. Antonin.5
Ἐπὶ πὰση ὁρμῃ̑ καὶ σμικρου̑ καὶ μεγάλου πράγματος Θεὸν ἀεί που δει̑ καλου̑σιν.
Plato, in Tim.6
Ἀθανάτοις τε Θεοι̑ς καὶ ἡμι̑ν χάρματα δοίης.
incerti Poetae7
TO THE STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITIES.
The [In the] celebrated division of philosophy among the ancients {was into the rational or logical, the natural, and the moral. Their}<the branch that was called> moral philosophy contained these parts, ethicks taken more strictly, teaching the nature of virtue and regulating the internal dispositions; and the knowledge of the law of nature. This later contained, 1. the doctrine of private rights, or the laws <and rights> obtaining in natural liberty. 2. Oeconomicks, or the laws and rights of the several members of a family; and 3. Politicks, shewing the various plans of civil government, and the rights of states with respect to each other. The following books contain the elements of these several branches of moral philosophy; which if they are carefully studied may give the youth an easier access to the well known and admired works either of the ancients, Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, Cicero; or of the moderns, Grotius, Cumberland, Puffendorf, Harrington and others, upon this branch of philosophy.
The learned will at once discern how much of this compend is taken from the writings of others, from Cicero and Aristotle; and to name no other moderns, from Puffendorf’s smaller work, de officio hominis et civis, which that worthy and ingenious man the late Professor Gerschom Carmichael of Glasgow, by far the best commentator on that book, has so supplied and corrected that the notes are of much more value than the text. The reasons <ii> of my undertaking to compose anew a compend of this branch of philosophy, after so many such compends have been published by very learned men, were these; Every teacher must use his own judgment on these subjects, use his own method, and that disposition of the several parts, and those arguments which seem to him of greatest force, best suited to the apprehensions of the students, and aptest to touch their hearts on such subjects. And as the method and order which pleased me most is pretty different from what has of late prevailed; if it can be of any advantage in education, it must be of use to the students to have in their hands an abridgement, containing the method and the principal heads of argument, to recall to their memories the points more largely insisted upon in their lectures.1
The design of Ciceros books de officiis, which are so very justly admired by all, has been mistaken inconsiderately by some very ingenious men, who speak of these books as intended for a compleat system of morals or ethicks. Whereas Cicero expresly declares, that the doctrine concerning virtue, and the supreme good, which is the principal <and most necessary> part of ethicks, is to be found elsewhere. Nay in his own books de finibus, and Tusculan questions, he had previously treated these subjects more copiously.{*} And he tells us expressly,{†} that in his book de officiis he follows the <iii> Stoicks, and uses their way of treating this subject. Now ’tis well known that the Stoicks made such difference between virtue, which they counted the sole good, and the officia, or external duties of life, that they counted these duties among the things indifferent, neither morally good nor evil.{‡} The design then of these books de officiis is this; to shew how persons in higher stations, already well instructed in the fundamentals of moral philosophy, should so conduct themselves in life, that in perfect consistence with virtue they may obtain great interest, power, popularity, high offices and glory.2
In the second impression of this book some few additions seemed necessary and several amendments. The author once intended to have made references all along to the more eminent writers, antient or modern, who treated the several subjects. But considering that this could be of no use except to those who have the cited books at hand, and that such could easily by their indexes find the corresponding places for themselves: he spared himself that disagreeable and unnecessary labour. All who have looked into such subjects know that the general doctrine and foundations of morals may be found in the antients above mentioned, and in Dr. Cumberland, and in Lord Shaftesbury: and that scarce any question of the law of nature and nations is not <iv> to be found in Grotius, Puffendorf, especially with Barbeyrac’s copious notes, Harrington, Lock, or Bynkershoek, to mention no more. Nay in Barbeyrac one finds the principal authors who have published large dissertations on particular heads. Such as want more full discussions of any such points, must have recourse to these authors.3
These elementary books are for your use who study at Universities, and not for the learned. When you have considered them well, go on to greater and more important works. Go to the grand fountains of all the sciences, of all elegance; the inventers and improvers of all ingenious arts, the Greek and Roman writers: and while you are drawing from them what