Chapter 4. MELISSUS
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Melissus,
the son of Ithaegenes, was a native of Samos. He was a pupil of
Parmenides. Moreover he came into relations with Heraclitus, on
which occasion the latter was introduced by him to the Ephesians,
who did not know him,
1 as Democritus was to the citizens of Abdera by
Hippocrates. He took part also in politics and won the approval of
his countrymen, and for this reason he was elected admiral and won
more admiration than ever through his own merit.
In his view
the universe was unlimited, unchangeable and immovable, and was
one, uniform
and full of matter. There was no
real, but only apparent, motion. Moreover he said that we ought not
to make any statements about the gods, for it was impossible to have
knowledge of them.
According to Apollodorus, he flourished in
the 84th Olympiad.
2