University of Virginia Library

[The brave Empedocles, defying fools]

The brave Empedocles, defying fools,
Pronounced the word that mortals hate to hear—
“I am divine, I am not mortal made;
I am superior to my human weeds.”
Not Sense but Reason is the Judge of truth;
Reason 's twofold, part human, part divine;
That human part may be described and taught,
The other portion language cannot speak.