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cynics:pancrates

Pancrates

Philostratus, Lives of the Sophists 1.23

<blockquote>Lollianus of Ephesus was the first to be appointed to the chair of rhetoric at Athens, and he also governed the Athenian people, since he held the office of strategus in that city. The functions of this office were formerly to levy troops and lead them to war, but now it has charge of food-supplies and the provision-market. Once when a riot arose in the bread-sellers' quarter, and the Athenians were on the point of stoning Lollianus, Pancrates the Cynic, who later professed philosophy at the Isthmus, came forward before the Athenians and by simply remarking, “Lollianus does not sell bread but words,” he so diverted the Athenians that they let fall the stones that were in their hands. Once when a cargo of grain came by sea from Thessaly and there was no money in the public treasury to pay for it, Lollianus bade his pupils contribute, and a large sum was collected. This device proves him to have been a very ingenious man and prudent in public affairs, but what followed proved that he was both just and magnanimous. For by remitting the fee for his lectures he repaid this money to those who had subscribed it.
Transcribed. Source</blockquote>

cynics/pancrates.txt · Last modified: 2014/01/14 23:19 by 127.0.0.1

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