Now the admirable Plato, no bad authority on such matters, would have us reject the salutation Joy altogether; it is a mean wish, wanting in seriousness, according to him; his substitute is Prosperity, which stands for a satisfactory condition both of body and soul; in a letter to Dionysius, he reproves him for commencing a hymn to Apollo with Joy, which he maintains is unworthy of the Pythian, and not fit even for men of any discretion, not to mention Gods.

 Pythagoras the mystic has vouchsafed us no writings of his own; but we may infer from his disciples, Ocellus the Lucanian and Archytas, for instance, that he headed his letters neither with Joy nor Prosperity, but recommended beginning with Hail. At any rate all the Pythagoreans in writing to one another (when their tone is serious, that is) started with wishing Health, which they took to be the prime need of soul and body alike, and to include all human blessings, The Pentagram See Pythagoras in Notes. ,
that interlaced triple triangle which served them as a sort of password, they called by the name Health. They argued that

 

Health included Joy and Prosperity, but that neither of those two was coextensive with Health. Some of them gave to the Quaternion See Pythagoras in Notes. , which is their most solemn oath, and sums their perfect number, the name of Beginning of Health. Philolaus might be quoted.

 But I need hardly go so far back. Epicurus assuredly rejoiced in joy—pleasure was the chief Good in his eyes; yet in his most earnest letters (which are not very numerous), and in those to his most intimate friends, he starts with Hail. And in tragedy and the old comedy you will constantly find it used quite at the beginning. You remember,

 Hail to thee, joy be thine— 
which puts health before rejoicing clearly enough. And says Alexis:
 All hail, my lord; after long time thou comest. 
Again Achaeus:
 I come in sorry plight, yet wish thee health. 
And Philemon:
 Health first I ask, and next prosperity, 
 Joy thirdly, and to owe not any man. 
As for the writer of the drinking-song mentioned in Plato, what says he?—‘Best is health, and second beauty, and third wealth’; joy he never so much as names. I need hardly adduce the trite saw:
 Chief of them that blessings give, 
 Health, with thee I mean to live. 

But, if Health is chief, her gift, which is the enjoyment of health, should rank before other Goods.

 I could multiply these examples by the thousand from poets, historians, philosophers, who give Health the place of honour; but you will not require any such childish pedantry of me,

 

wiping out my original offence by another; I shall do better to add a historical anecdote or two which occur to me as relevant.