"That tho a Man were admitted into Heaven to view the wonderful Fabrick of the World, and the Beauty of the stars, yet what would otherwise be Rapture and Extasie, would be but melancholy Amazement if he had not a Friend to communicate it to."
Archytas was an Ancient Greek mathematician, music theorist, statesman, and strategist from the ancient city of Taras (Tarentum) in modern Apulia, Southern Italy. He was a scientist and philosopher affiliated with the Pythagorean school and famous for being the reputed founder of mathematical mechanics and a friend of Plato.
"Among the mathematical problems Archytas solved or attempted to solve the duplication of the cube, for which purpose he attempted to find two mean proportionals between the two right lines formed by the section of a cylinder, as Laertius expresses it. ...Among his mechanical inventions is mentioned a wooden pigeon that could fly, of which Gellius speaks particularly. The invention of a rattle, perhaps a childs toy, is also attributed to him."
"His death, which is said to have been occasioned by a shipwreck, is made a subject of poetical description by Horace, who celebrates him as an eminent geographer and astronomer."
"The unwritten laws of the gods were promulgated against depraved manners, inflicting a severe destiny and penalty on the disobedient; and these unwritten laws are the fathers and leaders of those that are written, and of the dogmas established by men."
"The fragments of the works "On the Good and Happy Man," and "On Wisdom," were published by T. Gale in 1670, and were given again with other things in his "Opuscula Mythologica," Cambridge, 1671, 8vo.; Amsterdam, 1688, 8vo. The fragment of the Greek text of the work on the "Nature of the Universe," was published at Venice, 1561, 8vo.; with a Latin version by Dom. Pizimentius, under the title "Architæ Tar. X. Prædicamenta." ...A complete collection of the fragments was published by I. Cn. Orelli, Leipzig, 1821, 8vo. The "Political Fragments of Archytas, Charondas, &c., translated from the Greek by Thomas Taylor, was published at London, 1822, 8vo. There is a work by Nic. T. Reimer intitled "Archytas, eiusque Solutio Problematis Cubi Duplicationis," Göttingen, 1798, 8vo."
"Te maris et terrae numeroque carentis arenae Mensorem cohibent, Archyta, Pulveris exiqui prope litus parva Matinum Munera, nec quidquam tibi prodest The sea, the earth, the innumerable sand, Archytas, thou couldst measure; now, alas! A little dust on Matine shore has spannd That soaring spirit; vain it was to pass The gates of heaven, and send thy soul in quest Oer airs wide realms; for thou hadst yet to die."
"Even thee, thou measurer of earth and sea, thou counter of the sands, Archytas, how small a portion of earth contains thee now! It profits thee not to have searched the air and traversed the heavens since thou wert to die. So Tantalus, Tithonus, and Minos have died, and Pythagoras too with all his learning hath gone down once more to the grave. But so it is: all must die alike; some to make sport for Mars, some swallowed up in the deep: old and young go crowding to the grave: none escape: I too have perished in the waters. But grudge me not, thou mariner, a handful of earth: so may the storm spend itself on the woods while thou art safe and thy merchandize increases. Is it a small matter with thee to bring ruin on thy children? Yea, perhaps retribution awaits thyself: my curses will be heard, and then no atonement shall deliver thee. Tis but the work of a moment—thrice cast earth upon me and hasten on."