two great new schools of the Hellenistic period, the Stoics and Epicureans, werecontemporaneous in their foundation. Their founders, Zeno and Epicurus, were born at aboutthe same time, and settled in Athens as heads of their respective sects within a few years of eachother. It is therefore a matter of taste which to consider first. I shall begin with the Epicureans,because their doctrines were fixed once for all by their founder, whereas Stoicism had a longdevelopment, extending as far as the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who died in A.D. 180.The main authority for the life of Epicurus is Diogenes Laertius, who lived in the third centuryA.D. There are, however, two difficulties: first, Diogenes Laertius is himself ready to acceptlegends of little or no historical value; second, part of his Life consists in reporting thescandalous accusations brought against Epicurus by the Stoics, and it is not always clearwhether he is asserting something himself or merely mentioning a libel. The scandals inventedby the Stoics are facts about them, to be remembered when their lofty morality is praised; butthey are not facts about Epicurus. For instance, there was a legend that his mother was a quackpriestess, as to which Diogenes says:"They (apparently the Stoics) say that he used to go round from house to house with his motherreading out the purification prayers, and assisted his father in elementary teaching for amiserable pittance.