Ocellus Lucanus: On the Nature of the Universe

Iamblichus.

Lucanians: Ocellus and Ocylus, brothers. Oresander, Cerambus, Dardaneus, Malias. (Ocellus and Ocylus, brothers, of Lucania; Oresander, Cerambus, Dardaneus, Malias) Caspar Barthius also reports this (if, however, I am permitted to add more recent writers to the ancient ones) in Adversaria, book 54, ch. 9. In that place, when he was reviewing Ocellus's opinion regarding the changes transmitted by him in chapter 1, text 3 of this work, he makes mention of the author thus:

Barthius

Ocellus the Lucanian, whose little book is a certain arrangement of Pythagorean decrees, reports that all things that are born have two changes, etc.

Furthermore, Laertius, in the Life of Archytas, seems to have suggested that he preceded Plato, and likewise Aristotle, in age, so that any of them could easily have drawn elegant dogmas from his works; for he inserted this letter from Archytas to Plato, in which, although Nogarola read Oukillō (Ocylus), nevertheless the most diligent interpreter of Laertius, Thomas Aldobrandinus (who corrected it by comparing codices, and whose text and version I shall follow in this and the following letter), reads Okellō (Ocellus). It is as follows:

Archytas

You do well that you have recovered from your illness; for you yourself have sent word of this, and Damiscus also reported it. Regarding the commentaries, we have undertaken the business and went to the Lucanians, and met with the descendants of Ocellus. Those, then, concerning laws, kingship, piety, and the origin of all things, we have ourselves and have sent some to you; the rest cannot be found at present, but if they are found, they will follow.

You do well that you have emerged from your illness; for you yourself wrote this, and Damiscus announced it. Concerning the commentaries, however, we have undertaken the task, and came to the Lucanians, and with Ocellus'