The Lucian of Samosata Project

Dialogues of the Dead | Dialogi Mortuorum

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 20:04:50 +0000

Dialogues of the Dead | Dialogi Mortuorum

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

The Dialogues of the Dead are amongst the best known, and, perhaps, the best written parts of Lucian's works. As they explain and illustrate the characters of the gods, heroes, and men universally known, and subjects universally intersecting, they have been much read and admired.

Dialogues of the Dead

1

Diogenes. Pollux

Diog . Pollux, I have a commission for you; next time you go up - and I think it is your turn for earth tomorrow- if you come across Menippus the Cynic - you will find him about the Craneum at Corinth, or in the Lyceum, laughing at the philosophers' disputes - well, give him this message:- Menippus, Diogenes advises you, if mortal subjects for laughter begin to pall, to come down below, and find much richer material; where you are now, there is always a dash of uncertainty in it;the question will always intrude - who can be quite sure about the hereafter? Here, you can have your laugh out in security, like me; it is the best of sport to see millionaires, governors, despots, now mean and insignificant; you can only tell them by their lamentations, and the spiritless despondency which is the legacy of better days. Tell him this, and mention that he had better stuff his wallet with plenty of lupines, and any unconsidered trifles he can snap up in the way of pauper doles or lustral eggs.

Pol . I will tell him, Diogenes. But give me some idea of his appearance.

Diog . Old, bald, with a cloak that allows him plenty of light and ventilation, and is patched all colours of the rainbow; always laughing, and usually gibing at pretentious philosophers.

Pol . Ah, I cannot mistake him now.

Diog . May I give you another message to those same philosophers?

Pol . Oh, I don't mind; go on.

Diog . Charge them generally to give up playing the fool, quarrelling over metaphysics, tricking each other with horn and crocodile puzzles and teaching people to waste wit on such absurdities.

Pol . Oh, but if I say anything against their wisdom, they will call me an ignorant blockhead.

Diog . Then tell them from me to go to the devil.

Pol . Very well; rely upon me.

Diog . And then, my most obliging of Polluxes, there is this for the rich:- O vain fools, why hoard gold? why all these pains over interest sums and the adding of hundred to hundred, when you must shortly come to us with nothing beyond the dead-penny?

Pol . They shall have their message too.

Diog . Ah, and a word to the handsome and strong; Megillus of Corinth, and Damoxenus the wrestler will do. Inform them that auburn locks, eyes bright or black, rosy cheeks, are as little in fashion here as tense muscles or mighty shoulders; man and man are as like as two peas, tell them, when it comes to bare skull and no beauty.

Pol . That is to the handsome and strong; yes, I can manage that.

Diog . Yes, my Spartan, and here is for the poor. There are a great many of them, very sorry for themselves and resentful of their helplessness. Tell them to dry their tears and cease their cries; explain to them that here one man is as good as another, and they will find those who were rich on earth no better than themselves. As for your Spartans, you will not mind scolding them, from me, upon their present degeneracy?

Pol . No, no, Diogenes; leave Sparta alone; that is going too far; your other commissions I will execute.

Diog . Oh, well, let them off, if you care about it; but tell all the others what I said.

2

Before Pluto: Croesus, Midas, and Sardanapalus v. Menippus

Cr . Pluto, we can stand this snarling Cynic no longer in our neighbourhood; either you must transfer him to other quarters, or we are going to migrate.

Pl . Why, what harm does he do to your ghostly community?

Cr . Midas here, and Sardanapalus and I, can never get in a good cry over the old days of gold and luxury and treasure, but he must be laughing at us, and calling us rude names; 'slaves' and 'garbage,' he says we are. And then he sings; and that throws us out.- In short, he is a nuisance.

Pl . Menippus, what's this I hear?

Me . All perfectly true, Pluto. I detest these abject rascals! Not content with having lived the abominable lives they did, they keep on talking about it now they are dead, and harping on the good old days. I take a positive pleasure in annoying them.

Pl . Yes, but you mustn't. They have had terrible losses; they feel it deeply.

Me . Pluto! you are not going to lend your countenance to these whimpering fools?

Pl . It isn't that: but I won't have you quarrelling.

Me . Well, you scum of your respective nations, let there be no misunderstanding; I am going on just the same. Wherever you are, there shall I be also; worrying, jeering, singing you down.

Cr . Presumption!

Me . Not a bit of it. Yours was the presumption, when you expected men to fall down before you, when you trampled on men's liberty, and forgot there was such a thing as death. Now comes the weeping and gnashing of teeth: for all is lost!

Cr . Lost! Ah God! My treasure-heaps -

Mid . My gold -

Sar . My little comforts -

Me . That's right: stick to it! You do the whining, and I'll chime in with a string of GNOTHI-SAUTONS, best of accompaniments.

3

Menippus. Amphilochus. Trophonius

Me . Now I wonder how it is that you two dead men have been honoured with temples and taken for prophets; those silly mortals imagine you are Gods.

Amp . How can we help it, if they are fools enough to have such fancies about the dead?

Me . Ah, they would never have had them, though, if you had not been charlatans in your lifetime, and pretended to know the future and be able to foretell it to your clients.

Tro . Well, Menippus, Amphilochus can take his own line, if he likes; as for me, I am a Hero, anddo give oracles to anyone who comes down to me. It is pretty clear you were never at Lebadea, or you would not be so incredulous.

Me . What do you mean? I must go to Lebadea, swaddle myself up in absurd linen, take a cake in my hand, and crawl through a narrow passage into a cave, before I could tell that you are a dead man, with nothing but knavery to differentiate you from the rest of us? Now, on your seer-ship, what is a Hero? I am sure I don't know.

Tro . He is half God, and half man.

Me . So what is neither man (as you imply) nor God, is both at once? Well, at present what has become of your diviner half?

Tro . He gives oracles in Boeotia.

Me . What you may mean is quite beyond me; the one thing I know for certain is that you are dead - the whole of you.

4

Hermes. Charon

Her . Ferryman, what do you say to settling up accounts? It will prevent any unpleasantness later on.

Ch . Very good. It does save trouble to get these things straight.

Her . One anchor, to your order, five shillings.

Ch . That is a lot of money.

Her . So help me Pluto, it is what I had to pay. One rowlock-strap, fourpence.

Ch . Five and four; put that down.

Her . Then there was a needle, for mending the sail; ten-pence.

Ch . Down with it.

Her . Caulking-wax; nails; and cord for the brace. Two shillings the lot.

Ch . They were worth the money.

Her . That's all; unless I have forgotten anything. When will you pay it?

Ch . I can't just now, Hermes; we shall have a war or a plague presently, and then the passengers will come shoaling in, and I shall be able to make a little by jobbing the fares.

Her . So for the present I have nothing to do but sit down, and pray for the worst, as my only chance of getting paid?

Ch . There is nothing else for it;- very little business doing just now, as you see, owing to the peace.

Her . That is just as well, though it does keep me waiting for my money. After all, though, Charon, in old days men were men; you remember the state they used to come down in,- all blood and wounds generally. Nowadays, a man is poisoned by his slave or his wife; or gets dropsy from overfeeding; a pale, spiritless lot, nothing like the men of old. Most of them seem to meet their end in some plot that has money for its object.

Ch . Ah; money is in great request.

Her . Yes; you can't blame me if I am somewhat urgent for payment.

5

Pluto. Hermes

Pl . You know that old, old fellow, Eucrates the millionaire - no children, but a few thousand would-be heirs?

Her . Yes - lives at Sicyon. Well?

Pl . Well, Hermes, he is ninety now; let him live as much longer, please; I should like it to be more still, if possible; and bring me down his toadies one by one, that young Charinus, Damon, and the rest of them.

Her . It would seem so strange, wouldn't it?

Pl . On the contrary, it would be ideal justice. What business have they to pray for his death, or pretend to his money? they are no relations. The most abominable thing about it is that they vary these prayers with every public attention; when he is ill, everyone knows what they are after, and yet they vow offerings if he recovers; talk of versatility! So let him be immortal, and bring them away before him with their mouths still open for the fruit that never drops.

Her . Well, they are rascals, and it would be a comic ending. He leads them a pretty life too, on hope gruel; he always looks more dead than alive, but he is tougher than a young man. They have divided up the inheritance among them, and feed on imaginary bliss.

Pl . Just so; now he is to throw off his years like Iolaus, and rejuvenate, while they in the middle of their hopes find themselves here with their dream-wealth left behind them. Nothing like making the punishment fit the crime.

Her . Say no more, Pluto; I will fetch you them one after another; seven of them, is it?

Pl . Down with them; and he shall change from an old man to a blooming youth, and attend their funerals.

6

Terpsion. Pluto

Ter . Now is this fair, Pluto,- that I should die at the age of thirty, and that old Thucritus go on living past ninety?

Pl . Nothing could be fairer. Thucritus lives and is in no hurry for his neighbours to die; whereas you always had some design against him; you were waiting to step into his shoes.

Ter . Well, an old man like that is past getting any enjoyment out of his money; he ought to die, and make room for younger men.

Pl . This is a novel principle: the man who can no longer derive pleasure from his money is to die!- Fate and nature have ordered it otherwise.

Ter . Then they have ordered it wrongly. There ought to be a proper sequence according to seniority. Things are turned upside down, if an old man is to go on living with only three teeth in his head, half blind, tottering about with a pair of slaves on each side to hold him up, drivelling and rheumy-eyed, having no joy of life, a living tomb, the derision of his juniors,- and young men are to die in the prime of their strength and beauty. 'Tis contrary to nature. At any rate the young men have a right to know when the old are going to die, so that they may not throw away their attentions on them for nothing, as is sometimes the case. The present arrangement is a putting of the cart before the horse.

Pl . There is a great deal more sound sense in it than you suppose, Terpsion. Besides, what right have you young fellows got to be prying after other men's goods, and thrusting yourselves upon your childless elders? You look rather foolish when you get buried first; it tickles people immensely; the more fervent your prayers for the death of your aged friend, the greater is the general exultation when you precede him. It has become quite a profession lately, this amorous devotion to old men and women,- childless, of course; children destroy the illusion. By the way though, some of the beloved objects see through your dirty motives well enough by now; they have children, but they pretend to hate them, and so have lovers all the same. When their wills come to be read, their faithful bodyguard is not included: nature asserts itself, the children get their rights, and the lovers realize, with gnashings of teeth, that they have been taken in.

Ter . Too true! The luxuries that Thucritus has enjoyed at my expense! He always looked as if he were at the point of death. I never went to see him, but he would groan and squeak like a chicken barely out of the shell: I considered that he might step into his coffin at any moment, and heaped gift upon gift, for fear of being outdone in generosity by my rivals; I passed anxious, sleepless nights, reckoning and arranging all; 'twas this, the sleeplessness and the anxiety, that brought me to my death. And he swallows my bait whole, and attends my funeral chuckling.

Pl . Well done, Thucritus! Long may you live to enjoy your wealth,- and your joke at the youngsters' expense; many a toady may you send hither before your own time comes!

Ter . Now I think of it, it would be a satisfaction if Charoeades were to die before him.

Pl . Charoeades! My dear Terpsion, Phido, Melanthus,- every one of them will be here before Thucritus,- all victims of this same anxiety!

Ter . That is as it should be. Hold on, Thucritus!

7

Zenophantus. Callidemides

Ze . Ah, Callidemides, and how did you come by your end? As for me, I was free of Dinias's table, and there died of a surfeit; but that is stale news; you were there, of course.

Cal . Yes, I was. Now there was an element of surprise about my fate. I suppose you know that oldPtoeodorus?

Ze . The rich man with no children, to whom you gave most of your company?

Cal . That is the man; he had promised to leave me his heir, and I used to show my appreciation. However, it went on such a time; Tithonus was a juvenile to him; so I found a short cut to my property. I bought a potion, and agreed with the butler that next time his master called for wine (he is a pretty stiff drinker) he should have this ready in a cup and present it; and I was pledged to reward the man with his freedom.

Ze . And what happened? this is interesting.

Cal . When we came from bath, the young fellow had two cups ready, one with the poison for Ptoeodorus, and the other for me; but by some blunder he handed me the poisoned cup, and Ptoeodorus the plain; and behold, before he had done drinking, there was I sprawling on the ground, a vicarious corpse! Why are you laughing so, Zenophantus? I am your friend; such mirth is unseemly.

Ze . Well, it was such a humorous exit. And how did the old man behave?

Cal . He was dreadfully distressed for the moment; then he saw, I suppose, and laughed as much as you over the butler's trick.

Ze . Ah, short cuts are no better for you than for other people, you see; the high road would have been safer,if not quite so quick.

8

Cnemon. Damnippus

Cne . Why, 'tis the proverb fulfilled! The fawn hath taken the lion.

Dam . What's the matter, Cnemon?

Cne . The matter! I have been fooled, miserably fooled. I have passed over all whom I should have liked to make my heirs, and left my money to the wrong man.

Dam . How was that?

Cne . I had been speculating on the death of Hermolaus, the millionaire. He had no children, and my attentions had been well received by him. I thought it would be a good idea to let him know that I had made my will in his favour, on the chance of its exciting his emulation.

Dam . Yes; and Hermolaus?

Cne . What his will was, I don't know. I died suddenly,- the roof came down about my ears; and now Hermolaus is my heir. The pike has swallowed hook and bait.

Dam . And your anglership into the bargain. The pit that you digged for other…

Cue . That's about the truth of the matter, confound it.

9

Simylus. Polystratus

Si . So here you are at last, Polystratus; you must be something very like a centenarian.

Pol . Ninety-eight.

Si . And what sort of a life have you had of it, these thirty years? you were about seventy when I died.

Pol . Delightful, though you may find it hard to believe.

Si . It is surprising that you could have any joy of your life - old, weak, and childless, moreover.

Pol . In the first place, I could do just what I liked; there were still plenty of handsome boys and dainty women; perfumes were sweet, wine kept its bouquet, Sicilian feasts were nothing to mine.

Si . This is a change, to be sure; you were very economical in my day.

Pol . Ah, but, my simple friend, these good things were presents - came in streams. From dawn my doors were thronged with visitors, and in the day it was a procession of the fairest gifts of earth.

Si . Why, you must have seized the crown after my death.

Pol . Oh no, it was only that I inspired a number of tender passions.

Si . Tender passions, indeed! what, you, an old man with hardly a tooth left in your head!

Pol . Certainly; the first of our townsmen were in love with me. Such as you see me, old, bald, blear-eyed, rheumy, they delighted to do me honour; happy was the man on whom my glance rested a moment.

Si . Well, then, you had some adventure like Phaon's, when he rowed Aphrodite across from Chios; your God granted your prayer and made you young and fair and lovely again.

Pol . No, no; I was as you see me, and I was the object of all desire.

Si . Oh, I give it up.

Pol . Why, I should have thought you knew the violent passion for old men who have plenty of money and no children.

Si . Ah, now I comprehend your beauty, old fellow; it was the Golden Aphrodite bestowed it.

Pol . I assure you, Simylus, I had a good deal of satisfaction out of my lovers; they idolized me, almost. OftenI would be coy and shut some of them out. Such rivalries! such jealous emulations!

Si . And how did you dispose of your fortune in the end?

Pol . I gave each an express promise to make him my heir; he believed, and treated me to more attentions than ever; meanwhile I had another genuine will, which was the one I left, with a message to them all to go hang.

Si . Who was the heir by this one? one of your relations, I suppose.

Pol . Not likely; it was a handsome young Phrygian I had lately bought.

Si . Age?

Pol . About twenty.

Si . Ah, I can guess his office.

Pol . Well, you know, he deserved the inheritance much better than they did; he was a barbarian and a rascal; but by this time he has the best of society at his beck. So he inherited; and now he is one of the aristocracy; his smooth chin and his foreign accent are no bars to his being called nobler than Codrus, handsomer than Nireus, wiser than Odysseus.

Si . Well, I don't mind; let him be Emperor of Greece, if he likes, so long as he keeps the property away from that other crew.

10

Charon. Hermes. Various Shades

Ch . I'll tell you how things stand. Our craft, as you see, is small, and leaky, and three-parts rotten; a single lurch, and she will capsize without more ado. And here are all you passengers, each with his luggage. If you come onboard like that, I am afraid you may have cause to repent it; especially those who have not learnt to swim.

Her . Then how are we to make a trip of it?

Ch . I'll tell you. They must leave all this nonsense behind them on shore, and come aboard in their skins. As it is, there will be no room to spare. And in future, Hermes, mind you admit no one till he has cleared himself of encumbrances, as I say. Stand by the gangway, and keep an eye on them, and make them strip before you let them pass.

Her . Very good. Well, Number One, who are you?

Men . Menippus. Here are my wallet and staff; overboard with them. I had the sense not to bring my cloak.

Her . Pass on, Menippus; you're a good fellow; you shall have the seat of honour, up by the pilot, where you can see every one.- Here is a handsome person; who is he?

Char . Charmoleos of Megara; the irresistible, whose kiss was worth a thousand pounds.

Her . That beauty must come off,- lips, kisses, and all; the flowing locks, the blushing cheeks, the skin entire. That's right. Now we're in better trim;- you may pass on.- And who is the stunning gentleman in the purple and the diadem?

Lam . I am Lampichus, tyrant of Gela.

Her . And what is all this splendour doing here, Lampichus?

Lam . How! would you have a tyrant come hither stripped?

Her . A tyrant! That would be too much to expect. But with a shade we must insist. Off with these things.

Lam . There, then: away goes my wealth.

Her . Pomp must go too, and pride; we shall be overfreighted else.

Lam . At least let me keep my diadem and robes.

Her . No, no; off they come!

Lam . Well? That is all, as you see for yourself.

Her . There is something more yet: cruelty, folly, insolence, hatred.

Lam . There then: I am bare.

Her . Pass on.- And who may you be, my bulky friend?

Dam . Damasias the athlete.

Her . To be sure; many is the time I have seen you in the gymnasium.

Dam . You have. Well, I have peeled; let me pass.

Her . Peeled! my dear sir, what, with all this fleshy encumbrance? Come, off with it; we should go to the bottom if you put one foot aboard. And those crowns, those victories, remove them.

Dam . There; no mistake about it this time; I am as light as any shade among them.

Her . That's more the kind of thing. On with you.- Crato, you can take off that wealth and luxury and effeminacy; and we can't have that funeral pomp here, nor those ancestral glories either; down with your rank and reputation, and any votes of thanks or inscriptions you have about you; and you need not tell us what size your tomb was;remarks of that kind come heavy.

Cra . Well, if I must, I must; there's no help for it.

Her . Hullo! in full armour? What does this mean? and why this trophy?

A General . I am a great conqueror; a valiant warrior; my country's pride.

Her . The trophy may stop behind; we are at peace; there is no demand for arms.- Whom have we here? whose is this knitted Drow, this flowing beard? 'Tis some reverend sage, if outside goes for anything; he mutters; he is wrapped in meditation.

Men . That's a philosopher, Hermes; and an impudent quack not the bargain. Have him out of that cloak; you will find something to amuse you underneath it.

Her . Off with your clothes first; and then we will see to the rest. My goodness, what a bundle: quackery, ignorance, quarrelsomeness, vainglory; idle questionings, prickly arguments, intricate conceptions; humbug and gammon and wishy-washy hair-splittings without end; and hullo! why here's avarice, and self-indulgence, and impudence! luxury, effeminacy and peevishness!- Yes, I see them all; you need not try to hide them. Away with falsehood and swagger and superciliousness; why, the three-decker is not built that would hold you with all this luggage.

A Philosopher . I resign them all, since such is your bidding.

Men . Have his beard off too, Hermes; only look what a ponderous bush of a thing! There's a good five pounds'weight there.

Her . Yes; the beard must go.

Phil . And who shall shave me?

Her . Menippus here shall take it off with the carpenter's axe; the gangway will serve for a block.

Men . Oh, can't I have a saw, Hermes? It would be much better fun.

Her . The axe must serve.- Shrewdly chopped!- Why, you look more like a man and less like a goat already.

Men . A little off the eyebrows?

Her . Why, certainly; he has trained them up all over his forehead, for reasons best known to himself.- Worm! what, snivelling? afraid of death? Oh, get on board with you.

Men . He has still got the biggest thumper of all under his arm.

Her . What's that?

Men . Flattery; many is the good turn that has done him.

Phil . Oh, all right, Menippus; suppose you leave your independence behind you, and your plain - speaking, and your indifference, and your high spirit, and your jests!- No one else here has a jest about him.

Her . Don't you, Menippus! you stick to them; useful commodities, these, on shipboard; light and handy.- Yourhetorician there, with your verbosities and your barbarisms, your antitheses and balances and periods, off with the whole pack of them.

Rhet . Away they go.

Her . All's ready. Loose the cable, and pull in the gangway; haul up the anchor; spread all sail; and, pilot, look to your helm. Good luck to our voyage!- What are you all whining about, you fools? You philosopher, late of the beard,-you're as bad as any of them.

Phil . Ah, Hermes: I had thought that the soul was immortal.

Men . He lies: that is not the cause of his distress.

Her . What is it, then?

Men . He knows that he will never have a good dinner again; never sneak about at night with his cloak over his head, going the round of the brothels; never spend his mornings in fooling boys out of their money, under the pretext of teaching them wisdom.

Phil . And pray are you content to be dead?

Men . It may be presumed so, as I sought death of my own accord.- By the way, I surely heard a noise, as if people were shouting on the earth?

Her . You did; and from more than one quarter.- There are people running in a body to the Town-hall, exulting over the death of Lampichus; the women have got hold of his wife; his infant children fare no better,- the boys are giving them handsome pelting. Then again you hear the applause that greets the orator Diophantus, as he pronounces the funeral oration of our friend Crato. Ah yes, and that's Damasias's mother, with her women, striking up a dirge. No one has tear for you, Menippus; your remains are left in peace. Privileged person!

Men . Wait a bit: before long you will hear the mournful howl of dogs, and the beating of crows' wings, as they gather to perform my funeral rites.

Her . I like your spirit.- However, here we are in port. Away with you all to the judgement-seat; it is straight ahead. The ferryman and I must go back for a fresh load.

Men . Good voyage to you, Hermes.- Let us be getting on; what are you all waiting for? We have got to face the judge, sooner or later; and by all accounts his sentences are no joke; wheels, rocks, vultures are mentioned. Every detail of our lives will now come to light!

11

Crates. Diogenes

Cra . Did you know Moerichus of Corinth, Diogenes? A shipowner, rolling in money, with a cousin called Aristeas, nearly as rich. He had a Homeric quotation:- Wilt thou heave me? shall I heave thee?

When Ajax and Odysseus have wrestled for some time without either's producing any impression, and the spectators are getting tired of it, the former proposes a change in tactics. “Let us hoist - try you with me or I with you.” The idea evidently is that each in turn is to offer only a passive resistance, and let his adversary try to fling him thus.' Leaf .]

Diog . What was the point of it?

Cra . Why, the cousins were of equal age, expected to succeed to each other's wealth, and behaved accordingly. They published their wills, each naming the other sole heir in case of his own prior decease. So it stood in black and white, and they vied with each other in showing that deference which the relation demands. All the prophets, astrologers, and Chaldean dream-interpreters alike, and Apollo himself for that matter, held different views at different times about the winner; the thousands seemed to incline now to Aristeas's side, now to Moerichus's.

Diog . And how did it end? I am quite curious.

Cra . They both died on the same day, and the properties passed to Eunomius and Thrasycles, two relations who had never had a presentiment of it. They had been crossing from Sicyon to Cirrha, when they were taken aback by a squall from the north-west, and capsized in mid-channel.

Diog . Cleverly done. Now, when we were alive, we never had such designs on one another. I never prayed for Antisthenes's death, with a view to inheriting his staff - though it was an extremely serviceable one, which he had cut himself from a wild olive; and I do not credit you, Crates, with ever having had an eye to my succession; it included the tub, and a wallet with two pints of lupines in it.

Cra . Why, no; these things were superfluities to me - and to yourself, indeed. The real necessities you inherited from Antisthenes, and I from you; and in those necessities was more grandeur and majesty than in the Persian Empire.

Diog . You allude to –

Cra . Wisdom, independence, truth, frankness, freedom.

Diog . To be sure; now I think of it, I did inherit all this from Antisthenes, and left it to you with some addition.

Cra . Others, however, were not interested in such property; no one paid us the attentions of an expectant heir; they all lad their eyes on gold, instead.

Diog . Of course; they had no receptacle for such things as we could give; luxury had made them so leaky - as full of holes as a worn-out purse. Put wisdom, frankness, or truth into them, and it would have dropped out; the bottom of the bag would have let them through, like the perforated cask into which those poor Danaids are always pouring. Gold, on the other hand, they could grip with tooth or nail or somehow.

Cra . Result: our wealth will still be ours down here; while they will arrive with no more than one penny, and even that must be left with the ferryman.

12

Alexander. Hannibal. Minos. Scipio

Alex . Libyan, I claim precedence of you. I am the better man.

Han . Pardon me.

Alex . Then let Minos decide.

Mi . Who are you both?

Alex . This is Hannibal, the Carthaginian: I am Alexander, the son of Philip.

Mi . Bless me, a distinguished pair! And what is the quarrel about?

Alex . It is a question of precedence. He says he is the better general: and I maintain that neither Hannibal nor (I might almost add) any of my predecessors was my equal in strategy; all the world knows that.

Mi . Well, you shall each have your say in turn: the Libyan first.

Han . Fortunately for me, Minos, I have mastered Greek since I have been here; so that my adversary will not have even that advantage of me. Now I hold that the highest praise is due to those who have won their way to greatness from obscurity; who have clothed themselves in power, and shown themselves fit for dominion. I myself entered Spain with a handful of men, took service under my brother, and was found worthy of the supreme command. I conquered the Celtiberians,subdued Western Gaul, crossed the Alps, overran the valley of the Po, sacked town after town, made myself master of the plains, approached the bulwarks of the capital, and in one day slew such a host, that their finger-rings were measured by bushels, and the rivers were bridged by their bodies. And this I did, though I had never been called a son of Ammon; I never pretended to be a god, never related visions of my mother; I made no secret of the fact that I was mere flesh and blood. My rivals were the ablest generals in the world, commanding the best soldiers in the world; I warred not with Medes or Assyrians, who fly before they are pursued, and yield the victory to him that dares take it.

Alexander, on the other hand, in increasing and extending as he did the dominion which he had inherited from his father, was but following the impetus given to him by Fortune. And this conqueror had no sooner crushed his puny adversary by the victories of Issus and Arbela, than he forsook the traditions of his country, and lived the life of a Persian; accepting the prostrations of his subjects, assassinating his friends at his own table, or handing them over to the executioner. I in my command respected the freedom of my country, delayed not to obey her summons, when the enemy with their huge armament invaded Libya, laid aside the privileges of my office, and submitted to my sentence without a murmur. Yet I was a barbarian all unskilled in Greek culture; I could not recite Homer, nor had I enjoyed the advantages of Aristotle's instruction; I had to make a shift with such qualities as were mine by nature.- It is on these grounds that I claim the preeminence. My rival has indeed all the lustre that attaches to the wearing of a diadem, and - I know not - for Macedonians such things may have charms: but I cannot think that this circumstance constitutes a higher claim than the courage and genius of one who owed nothing to Fortune, and everything to his own resolution.

Mi . Not bad, for a Libyan.- Well, Alexander, what do you say to that?

Alex . Silence, Minos, would be the best answer to such confident self-assertion. The tongue of Fame will suffice of itself to convince you that I was a great prince, and my opponent a petty adventurer. But I would have you consider the distance between us. Called to the throne while I was yet a boy, I quelled the disorders of my kingdom, and avenged my father's murder. By the destruction of Thebes, I inspired the Greeks with such awe, that they appointed me their commander-in-chief; and from that moment, scorning to confine myself to the kingdom that I inherited from my father, I extended my gaze over the entire face of the earth, and thought it shame if I should govern less than the whole. With a small force I invaded Asia, gained a great victory on the Granicus, took Lydia, lonia, Phrygia,- in short, subdued all that was within my reach, before I commenced my march for Issus, where Darius was waiting for me at the head of his myriads. You know the sequel: yourselves can best say what was the number of the dead whom on one day I dispatched hither. The ferryman tells me that his boat would not hold them; most of them had to come across on rafts of their own construction. In these enterprises, I was ever at the head of my troops, ever courted danger. To say nothing of Tyre and Arbela, I penetrated into India, and carried my empire to the shores of Ocean; I captured elephants; I conquered Porus; I crossed the Tanais, and worsted the Scythians - no mean enemies - in a tremendous cavalry engagement. I heaped benefits upon my friends: I made my enemies taste my resentment. If men took me for a god, I cannot blame them; the vastness of my undertakings might excuse such a belief. But to conclude. I died a king: Hannibal, a fugitive at the court of the Bithynian Prusias - fitting end for villainy and cruelty. Of his Italian victories I say nothing; they were the fruit not of honest legitimate warfare, but of treachery, craft, and dissimulation. He taunts me with self-indulgence: my illustrious friend has surely forgotten the pleasant time he spent in Capua among the ladies, while the precious moments fleeted by. Had I not scorned the Western world, and turned my attention to the East, what would it have cost me to make the bloodless conquest of Italy, and Libya, and all, as far West as Gades? But nations that already cowered beneath a master were unworthy of my sword.- I have finished, Minos, and await your decision; of the many arguments I might have used, these shall suffice.

Sci . First, Minos, let me speak.

Mi . And who are you, friend? and where do you come from?

Sci . I am Scipio, the Roman general, who destroyed Carthage, and gained great victories over the Libyans.

Mi . Well, and what have you to say?

Sci . That Alexander is my superior, and I am Hannibal's, having defeated him, and driven him to ignominious flight. What impudence is this, to contend with Alexander, to whom I, your conqueror, would not presume to compare myself!

Mi . Honestly spoken, Scipio, on my word! Very well, then: Alexander comes first, and you next; and I think we must say Hannibal third. And a very creditable third, too.

13

Diogenes. Alexander

Diog . Dear me, Alexander, you dead like the rest of us?

Alex . As you see, sir; is there anything extraordinary in a mortal's dying?

Diog . So Ammon lied when he said you were his son; you were Philip's after all.

Alex . Apparently; if I had been Ammon's, I should not have died.

Diog . Strange! there were tales of the same order about Olympias too. A serpent visited her, and was seen in her bed; we were given to understand that that was how you came into the world, and Philip made a mistake when he took you for his.

Alex . Yes, I was told all that myself; however, I know now that my mother's and the Ammon stories were all moonshine.

Diog . Their lies were of some practical value to you, though; your divinity brought a good many people to their knees. But now, whom did you leave your great empire to?

Alex . Diogenes, I cannot tell you. I had no time to leave any directions about it, beyond just giving Perdiccasmy ring as I died. Why are you laughing?

Diog . Oh, I was only thinking of the Greeks' behaviour; directly you succeeded, how they flattered you! their elected patron, generalissimo against the barbarian; one of the twelve Gods according to some; temples built and sacrifices offered to the Serpent's son! If I may ask, where did your Macedonians bury you?

Alex . I have lain in Babylon a full month today; and Ptolemy of the Guards is pledged, as soon as he can get a moment's respite from present disturbances, to take and bury me in Egypt, there to be reckoned among the Gods.

Diog . I have some reason to laugh, you see; still nursing vain hopes of developing into an Osiris or Anubis! Pray, your Godhead, put these expectations from you; none may re-ascend who has once sailed the lake and penetrated our entrance; Aeacus is watchful, and Cerberus an awkward customer. But there is one thing I wish you would tell me: how do you like thinking over all the earthly bliss you left to come here - your guards and armour-bearers and lieutenant-governors,your heaps of gold and adoring peoples, Babylon and Bactria, your huge elephants, your honour and glory, those conspicuous drives with white-cinctured locks and clasped purple cloak? does the thought of them hurt? What, crying? silly fellow! did not your wise Aristotle include in his instructions any hint of the insecurity of fortune's favours?

Alex . Wise? call him the craftiest of all flatterers. Allow me to know a little more than other people about Aristotle; his requests and his letters came to my address; I know how he profited by my passion for culture; how he would toady and compliment me, to be sure! now it was my beauty - that too is included under The Good; nowit was my deeds and my money; for money too he called a Good - he meant that he was not going to be ashamed of taking it. Ah, Diogenes, an impostor; and a past master at it too. For me, the result of his wisdom is that I am distressed for the things you catalogued just now, as if I had lost in them the chief Goods.

Diog . Wouldst know thy course? I will prescribe for your distress. Our flora, unfortunately, does not include hellebore; but you take plenty of Lethe-water - good, deep, repeated draughts; that will relieve your distress over the Aristotelian Goods. Quick; here are Clitus, Callisthenes, and a lot of others making for you; they mean to tear you in pieces and pay you out. Here, go the opposite way; and remember, repeated draughts.

14

Philip. Alexander

Phil . You cannot deny that you are my son this time, Alexander; you would not have died if you had beenAmmon's.

Alex . I knew all the time that you, Philip, son of Amyntas, were my father. I only accepted the statement of the oracle because I thought it was good policy.

Phil . What, to suffer yourself to be fooled by lying priests?

Alex . No, but it had an awe-inspiring effect upon the barbarians. When they thought they had a God to deal with, they gave up the struggle; which made their conquest a simple matter.

Phil . And whom did you ever conquer that was worth conquering? Your adversaries were ever timid creatures, with their bows and their targets and their wicker shields. It was other work conquering the Greeks: Boeotians, Phocians, Athenians; Arcadian hoplites, Thessalian cavalry, javelin-men from Elis, peltasts of Mantinea; Thracians, Illyrians, Paeonians; to subdue these was something. But for gold-laced womanish Medes and Persians and Chaldaeans,- why, it had been done before: did you never hear of the expedition of the Ten Thousand under Clearchus? and how the enemy would not even come to blows with them, but ran away before they were within bow-shot?

Alex . Still, there were the Scythians, father, and the Indian elephants; they were no joke. And myconquests were not gained by dissension or treachery; I broke no oath, no promise, nor ever purchased victory at the expense of honour. As to the Greeks, most of them joined me without a struggle; and I dare say you have heard how I handledThebes.

Phil . I know all about that; I had it from Clitus, whom you ran through the body, in the middle of dinner, because he presumed to mention my achievements in the same breath with yours. They tell me too that you took to aping the manners of your conquered Medes; abandoned the Macedonian cloak in favour of the candies, assumed the upright tiara, and exacted oriental prostrations from Macedonian freemen! This is delicious. As to your brilliant matches, and your beloved Hephaestion, and your scholars in lions' cages,- the less said the better. I have only heard one thing to your credit: you respected the person of Darius's beautiful wife, and you provided for his mother and daughters; there you acted like a king.

Alex . And have you nothing to say of my adventurous spirit, father, when I was the first to leap down within the ramparts of Oxydracae, and was covered with wounds?

Phil . Not a word. Not that it is a bad thing, in my opinion, for a king to get wounded occasionally, and to face danger at the head of his troops: but this was the last thing that you were called upon to do. You were passing for a God; and your being wounded, and carried off the field on a litter, bleeding and groaning, could only excite the ridicule of the spectators: Ammon stood convicted of quackery, his oracle of falsehood, his priests of flattery. The son of Zeus in aswoon, requiring medical assistance! who could help laughing at the sight? And now that you have died, can you doubt that many a jest is being cracked on the subject of your divinity, as men contemplate the God's corpse laid out for burial, and already going the way of all flesh? Besides, your achievements lose half their credit from this very circumstance which you say was so useful in facilitating your conquests: nothing you did could come up to your divine reputation.

Alex . The world thinks otherwise. I am ranked with Heracles and Dionysus; and, for that matter, I took Aornos, which was more than either of them could do.

Phil . There spoke the son of Ammon. Heracles and Dionysus, indeed! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Alexander; when will you learn to drop that bombast, and know yourself for the shade that you are?

15

Antilochus. Achilles

Ant . Achilles, what you were saying to Odysseus the other day about death was very poor-spirited; I should have expected better things from a pupil of Chiron and Phoenix. I was listening; you said you would rather be a servant on earth to some poor hind 'of scanty livelihood possessed,' than king of all the dead. Such sentiments might have been very well in the mouth of a poor-spirited cowardly Phrygian, dishonourably in love with life: for the son of Peleus, boldest of allHeroes, so to vilify himself, is a disgrace; it gives the lie to all your life; you might have had a long inglorious reign in Phthia, and your own choice was death and glory.

Ach . In those days, son of Nestor, I knew not this place; ignorant whether of those two was the better, I esteemed that flicker of fame more than life; now I see that it is worthless, let folk up there make what verses of it they will. 'Tis dead level among the dead, Antilochus; strength and beauty are no more; we welter all in the same gloom, one no better than another; the shades of Trojans fear me not, Achaeans pay me no reverence; each may say what he will; a man is a ghost, 'or be he churl, or be he peer.' It irks me; I would fain be a servant, and alive.

Ant . But what help, Achilles? 'tis Nature's decree that by all means all die. We must abide by her law, and not fret at her commands. Consider too how many of us are with you here; Odysseus comes ere long; how else? Is there not comfort in the common fate? 'tis something not to suffer alone. See Heracles, Meleager, and many another great one; they, methinks, would not choose return, if one would send them up to serve poor destitute men.

Ach . Ay, your intent is friendly; but I know not, the thought of the past life irks me - and each of you too, if I mistake not. And if you confess it not, the worse for you, smothering your pain.

Ant . Not the worse, Achilles; the better; for we see that speech is unavailing. Be silent, bear, endure - that is our resolve, lest such longings bring mockery on us, as on you.

16

Diogenes. Heracles

Diog . Surely this is Heracles I see? By his godhead, 'tis no other! The bow, the club, the lion's-skin, the giant frame; 'tis Heracles complete. Yet how should this be?- a son of Zeus, and mortal? I say, Mighty Conqueror, are you dead? I used to sacrifice to you in the other world; I understood you were a God!

Her . Thou didst well. Heracles is with the Gods in Heaven,

And hath white-ankled Hebe there to wife.

I am his phantom.

Diog . His phantom! What then, can one half of anyone be a God, and the other half mortal?

Her . Even so. The God still lives. 'Tis I, his counterpart, am dead.

Diog . I see. You're a dummy; he palms you off upon Pluto, instead of coming himself. And here are you, enjoyinghis mortality!

Her . 'Tis somewhat as thou hast said.

Diog . Well, but where were Aeacus's keen eyes, that he let a counterfeit Heracles pass under his very nose, and never knew the difference?

Her . I was made very like to him.

Diog . I believe you! Very like indeed, no difference at all! Why, we may find it's the other way round, that you are Heracles, and the phantom is in Heaven, married to Hebe!

Her . Prating knave, no more of thy gibes; else thou shalt presently learn how great a God calls me phantom.

Diog . H'm. That bow looks as if it meant business. And yet,- what have I to fear now? A man can die but once. Tell me, phantom,- by your great Substance I adjure you - did you serve him in your present capacity in the upper world? Perhaps you were one individual during your lives, the separation taking place only at your deaths, when he, the God, soared heavenwards, and you, the phantom, very properly made your appearance here?

Her . Thy ribald questions were best unanswered. Yet thus much thou shalt know.- All that was Amphitryon in Heracles, is dead; I am that mortal part. The Zeus in him lives, and is with the Gods in Heaven.

Diog . Ah, now I see! Alcmena had twins, you mean,- Heracles the son of Zeus, and Heracles the son of Amphitryon? You were really half-brothers all the time?

Her . Fool! not so. We twain were one Heracles.

Diog . It's a little difficult to grasp, the two Heracleses packed into one. I suppose you must have been like a sort of Centaur, man and God all mixed together?

Her . And are not all thus composed of two elements,- the body and the soul? What then should hinder the soul from being in Heaven, with Zeus who gave it, and the mortal part - myself - among the dead?

Diog . Yes, yes, my esteemed son of Amphitryon,- that would be all very well if you were a body; but you see you are a phantom, you have no body. At this rate we shall get three Heracleses.

Her . Three ?

Diog . Yes; look here. One in Heaven: one in Hades, that's you, the phantom: and lastly the body, which by this time has returned to dust. That makes three. Can you think of a good father for number Three?

Her . Impudent quibbler! And who art thou ?

Diog . I am Diogenes's phantom, late of Sinope. But my original, I assure you, is not 'among th' immortal Gods,'but here among dead men; where he enjoys the best of company, and snaps my ringers at Homer and all hair-splitting.

17

Menippus. Tantalus

Me . What are you crying out about, Tantalus? standing at the edge and whining like that!

Tan . Ah, Menippus, I thirst, I perish!

Me . What, not enterprise enough to bend down to it, or scoop up some in your palm?

Tan . It is no use bending down; the water shrinks away as soon as it sees me coming. And if I do scoop it up and get it to my mouth, the outside of my lips is hardly moist before it has managed to run through my fingers, and my hand is as dry as ever.

Me . A very odd experience, that. But by the way, why do you want to drink? you have no body - the part of you that was liable to hunger and thirst is buried in Lydia somewhere; how can you, the spirit, hunger or thirst any more?

Tan . Therein lies my punishment - soul thirsts as if it were body.

Me . Well, let that pass, as you say thirst is your punishment. But why do you mind it? are you afraid ofdying, for want of drink? I do not know of any second Hades; can you die to this one, and go further?

Tan . No, that is quite true. But you see this is part of the sentence: I must long for drink, though I have no need of it.

Me . There is no meaning in that. There is a draught you need, though; some neat hellebore is whatyou want; you are suffering from a converse hydrophobia; you are not afraid of water, but you are of thirst.

Tan . I would as life drink hellebore as anything, if I could but drink.

Me . Never fear, Tantalus; neither you nor any other ghost will ever do that; it is impossible, you see; just as well we have not all got a penal thirst like you, with the water running away from us.

18

Menippus. Hermes

Me . Where are all the beauties, Hermes? Show me round; I am a new-comer.

Her . I am busy, Menippus. But look over there to your right, and you will see Hyacinth, Narcissus, Nireus, Achilles, Tyro, Helen, Leda,- all the beauties of old.

Me . I can only see bones, and bare skulls; most of them are exactly alike.

Her . Those bones, of which you seem to think so lightly, have been the theme of admiring poets.

Me . Well, but show me Helen; I shall never be able to make her out by myself.

Her . This skull is Helen.

Me . And for this a thousand ships carried warriors from every part of Greece; Greeks and barbarians were slain, and cities made desolate.

Her . Ah, Menippus, you never saw the living Helen; or you would have said with Homer,

Well might they suffer grievous years of toil Who strove for such a prize.

We look at withered flowers, whose dye is gone from them, and what can we call them but unlovely things? Yet in the hour of their bloom these unlovely things were things of beauty.

Me . Strange, that the Greeks could not realize what it was for which they laboured; how short-lived, how soon to fade.

Her . I have no time for moralizing. Choose your spot, where you will, and lie down. I must go to fetch new dead.

19

Aeacus. Protesilaus. Menelaus. Paris

Aea . Now then, Protesilaus, what do you mean by assaulting and throttling Helen?

Pro . Why, it was all her fault that I died, leaving my house half built, and my bride a widow.

Aea . You should blame Menelaus, for taking you all to Troy after such a light-o'-love.

Pro . That is true; he shall answer it.

Me . No, no, my dear sir; Paris surely is the man; he outraged all rights in carrying off his host's wife with him. He deserves throttling, if you like, and not from you only, but from Greeks and barbarians as well, for all the deaths he brought upon them.

Pro . Ah, now I have it. Here, you - you Paris! you shall not escape my clutches.

Pa . Oh, come, sir, you will never wrong one of the same gentle craft as yourself. Am I not a lover too, and a subject of your deity? against love you know (with the best will in the world) how vain it is to strive; 'tis a spirit that draws us whither it will.

Pro . There is reason in that. Oh, would that I had Love himself here in these hands!

Aea . Permit me to charge myself with his defence. He does not absolutely deny his responsibility for Paris'slove; but that for your death he refers to yourself, Protesilaus. You forgot all about your bride, fell in love with fame, and, directly the fleet touched the Troad, took that rash senseless leap, which brought you first to shore and to death.

Pro . Now it is my turn to correct, Aeacus. The blame does not rest with me, but with Fate; so was my threadspun from the beginning.

Aea . Exactly so; then why blame our good friends here?

20

Menippus. Aeacus. Various Shades

Me . In Pluto's name, Aeacus, show me all the sights of Hades.

Aea . That would be rather an undertaking, Menippus. However, you shall see the principal things. Cerberus here you know already, and the ferryman who brought you over. And you saw the Styx on your way, and Pyriphlegethon.

Me . Yes, and you are the gate-keeper; I know all that; and I have seen the King and the Furies. But show me the men of ancient days, especially the celebrities.

Aea . This is Agamemnon; this is Achilles; near him, Idomeneus; next comes Odysseus; then Ajax, Diomede, and all the great Greeks.

Me . Why, Homer, Homer, what is this? All your great heroes flung down upon the earth, shapeless, undistinguishable; mere meaningless dust; 'strengthless heads,' and no mistake.- Who is this one, Aeacus?

Aea . That is Cyrus; and here is Croesus; beyond him Sardanapalus, and beyond him again Midas. And yonder is Xerxes.

Me . Ha! and it was before this creature that Greece trembled? this is our yoker of Hellesponts, our designer ofAthos-canals?- Croesus too! a sad spectacle! As to Sardanapalus, I will lend him a box on the ear, with your permission.

Aea . And crack his skull, poor dear! Certainly not.

Me . Then I must content myself with spitting in his ladyship's face.

Aea . Would you like to see the philosophers?

Me . I should like it of all things.

Aea . First comes Pythagoras.

Me . Good-day, Euphorbus, alias Apollo, alias what you will.

Py . Good-day, Menippus.

Me . What, no golden thigh nowadays?

Py . Why, no. I wonder if there is anything to eat in that wallet of yours?

Me . Beans, friend; you don't like beans.

Py . Try me. My principles have changed with my quarters. I find that down here our parents' heads are in no way connected with beans.

Aea . Here is Solon, the son of Execestides, and there is Thales. By them are Pittacus, and the rest of the sages, seven in all, as you see. Me . The only resigned and cheerful countenances yet. Who is the one covered with ashes, like a loaf baked in the embers? He is all over blisters.

Aea . That is Empedocles. He was half-roasted when he got here from Etna.

Me . Tell me, my brazen-slippered friend, what induced you to jump into the crater?

Em . I did it in a fit of melancholy.

Me . Not you. Vanity, pride, folly; these were what burnt you up, slippers and all; and serve you right. All that ingenuity was thrown away, too: your death was detected.- Aeacus, where is Socrates?

Aea . He is generally talking nonsense with Nestor and Palamedes.

Me . But I should like to see him, if he is anywhere about.

Aea . You see the bald one? Me . They are all bald; that is a distinction without a difference.

Aea . The snub-nosed one.

Me . There again: they are all snub-nosed.

Soc . Do you want me, Menippus?

Me . The very man I am looking for.

Soc . How goes it in Athens?

Me . There are a great many young men there professing philosophy; and to judge from their dress and their walk, they should be perfect in it.

Soc . I have seen many such.

Me . For that matter, I suppose you saw Aristippus arrive, reeking with scent; and Plato, the polished flatterer from Sicilian courts?

Soc . And what do they think about me in Athens?

Me . Ah, you are fortunate in that respect. You pass for a most remarkable man, omniscient in fact. And all the time - if the truth must out - you know absolutely nothing.

Soc . I told them that myself: but they would have it that that was my irony.

Me . And who are your friends?

Soc . Charmides; Phaedrus; the son of Clinias.

Me . Ha, ha! still at your old trade; still an admirer of beauty.

Soc . How could I be better occupied? Will you join us?

Me . No, thank you; I am off, to take up my quarters by Croesus and Sardanapalus. I expect huge entertainment from their outcries.

Aea . I must be off, too; or someone may escape. You shall see the rest another day, Menippus.

Me . I need not detain you. I have seen enough.

21

Menippus. Cerberus

Me . My dear coz - for Cerberus and Cynic are surely related through the dog - I adjure you by the Styx, tell me how Socrates behaved during the descent. A God like you can doubtless articulate instead of barking, if he chooses.

Cer . Well, while he was some way off, he seemed quite unshaken; and I thought he was bent on letting the people outside realize the fact too. Then he passed into the opening and saw the gloom; I at the same time gave him a touch of the hemlock, and a pull by the leg, as he was rather slow. Then he squalled like a baby, whimpered about his children, and, oh,I don't know what he didn't do.

Me . So he was one of the theorists, was he? His indifference was a sham?

Cer . Yes; it was only that he accepted the inevitable, and put a bold face on it, pretending to welcome the universal fate, by way of impressing the bystanders. All that sort are the same, I tell you - bold resolute fellows as far as the entrance; it is inside that the real test comes.

Me . What did you think of my performance?

Cer . Ah, Menippus, you were the exception; you are a credit to the breed, and so was Diogenes before you. You two came in without any compulsion or pushing, of your own free will, with a laugh for yourselves and a curse for the rest.

22

Charon. Menippus. Hermes

Ch . Your fare, you rascal.

Me . Bawl away, Charon, if it gives you any pleasure.

Ch . I brought you across: give me my fare.

Me . I can't, if I haven't got it.

Ch . And who is so poor that he has not got a penny?

Me . I for one; I don't know who else.

Ch . Pay: or, by Pluto, I'll strangle you.

Me . And I'll crack your skull with this stick.

Ch . So you are to come all that way for nothing?

Me . Let Hermes pay for me: he put me on board.

Her . I dare say! A fine time I shall have of it, if I am to pay for the shades.

Ch . I'm not going to let you off.

Me . You can haul up your ship and wait, for all I care. If I have not got the money, I can't pay you, can I?

Ch . You knew you ought to bring it?

Me . I knew that: but I hadn't got it. What would you have? I ought not to have died, I suppose?

Ch . So you are to have the distinction of being the only passenger that ever crossed gratis?

Me . Oh, come now: gratis! I took an oar, and I baled; and I didn't cry, which is more than can be said for any of the others.

Ch . That's neither here nor there. I must have my penny; it's only right.

Me . Well, you had better take me back again to life.

Ch . Yes, and get a thrashing from Aeacus for my pains! I like that.

Me . Well, don't bother me.

Ch . Let me see what you have got in that wallet.

Me . Beans: have some?- and a Hecate's supper.

Ch . Where did you pick up this Cynic, Hermes? The noise he made on the crossing, too! laughing and jeering at all the rest, and singing, when everyone else was at his lamentations.

Her . Ah, Charon, you little know your passenger! Independence, every inch of him: he cares for no one. 'TisMenippus.

Ch . Wait till I catch you –

Me . Precisely; I'll wait - till you catch me again.

23

Protesilaus. Pluto. Persephone

Pro . Lord, King, our Zeus! and thou, daughter of Demeter! Grant a lover's boon!

Pl . What do you want? who are you?

Pro . Protesilaus, son of Iphiclus, of Phylace, one of the Achaean host, the first that died at Troy. And the boon I ask is release and one day's life.

Pl . Ah, friend, that is the love that all these dead men love, and none shall ever win.

Pro . Nay, dread lord, 'tis not life I love, but the bride that I left new wedded in my chamber that day I sailed away - ah me, to be slain by Hector as my foot touched land! My lord, that yearning gives me no peace. I return content if she might look on me but for an hour.

Pl . Did you miss your dose of Lethe, man?

Pro . Nay, lord; but this prevailed against it.

Pl . Oh, well, wait a little; she will come to you one day; it is so simple; no need for you to be going up.

Pro . My heart is sick with hope deferred; thou too, O Pluto, hast loved; thou knowest what love is.

Pl . What good will it do you to come to life for a day, and then renew your pains?

Pro . I think to win her to come with me, and bring two dead for one.

Pl . It may not be; it never has been.

Pro . Bethink thee, Pluto. 'Twas for this same cause that ye gave Orpheus his Eurydice; and Heracles had interest enough to be granted Alcestis; she was of my kin.

Pl . Would you like to present that bare ugly skull to your fair bride? will she admit you, when she cannot tell you from another man? I know well enough; she will be frightened and run from you, and you will have gone all that way for nothing.

Per . Husband, doctor that disease yourself: tell Hermes, as soon as Protesilaus reaches the light, to touch him with his wand, and make him young and fair as when he left the bridal chamber.

Pl . Well, I cannot refuse a lady. Hermes, take him up and turn him into a bridegroom. But mind, you sir, a strictly temporary one.

24

Diogenes. Mausolus

Diog . Why so proud, Carian? How are you better than the rest of us?

Man . Sinopean, to begin with, I was a king; king of all Caria, ruler of many Lydians, subduer of islands, conqueror of well-nigh the whole of Ionia, even to the borders of Miletus. Further, I was comely, and of noble stature, and a mighty warrior. Finally, a vast tomb lies over me in Halicarnassus, of such dimensions, of such exquisite beauty as no other shade can boast. Thereon are the perfect semblances of man and horse, carved in the fairest marble; scarcely may a temple be found to match it. These are the grounds of my pride: are they inadequate?

Diog . Kingship - beauty - heavy tomb; is that it?

Mau . It is as you say.

Diog . But, my handsome Mausolus, the power and the beauty are no longer there. If we were to appoint an umpire now on the question of comeliness, I see no reason why he should prefer your skull to mine. Both are bald, and bare of flesh; our teeth are equally in evidence; each of us has lost his eyes, and each is snub-nosed. Then as to the tomb and the costly marbles, I dare say such a fine erection gives the Halicarnassians something to brag about and show off to strangers:but I don't see, friend, that you are the better for it, unless it is that you claim to carry more weight than the rest ofus, with all that marble on the top of you.

Mau . Then all is to go for nothing? Mausolus and Diogenes are to rank as equals?

Diog . Equals! My dear sir, no; I don't say that. While Mausolus is groaning over the memories of earth, and the felicity which he supposed to be his, Diogenes will be chuckling. While Mausolus boasts of the tomb raised to him byArtemisia, his wife and sister, Diogenes knows not whether he has a tomb or no - the question never having occurred to him;he knows only that his name is on the tongues of the wise, as one who lived the life of a man; a higher monument than yours,vile Carian slave, and set on firmer foundations.

25

Nireus. Thersites. Menippus

Ni . Here we are; Menippus shall award the palm of beauty. Menippus, am I not better-looking than he?

Me . Well, who are you? I must know that first, mustn't I?

Ni . Nireus and Thersites.

Me . Which is which? I cannot tell that yet.

Ther . One to me; I am like you; you have no such superiority as Homer (blind, by the way) gave you when he called you the handsomest of men; he might peak my head and thin my hair, our judge finds me none the worse. Now, Menippus, make up your mind which is handsomer.

Ni . I, of course, I, the son of Aglaia and Charopus,

Comeliest of all that came 'neath Trojan walls.

Me . But not comeliest of all that come 'neath the earth, as far as I know. Your bones are much like other people's; and the only difference between your two skulls is that yours would not take much to stove it in. It is a tender article, something short of masculine.

Ni . Ask Homer what I was, when I sailed with the Achaeans.

Me . Dreams, dreams. I am looking at what you are; what you were is ancient history.

Ni . Am I not handsomer here, Menippus?

Me . You are not handsome at all, nor anyone else either. Hades is a democracy; one man is as good as another here.

Ther . And a very tolerable arrangement too, if you ask me.

26

Menippus. Chiron

Me . I have heard that you were a god, Chiron, and that you died of your own choice?

Chi . You were rightly informed. I am dead, as you see, and might have been immortal.

Me . And what should possess you, to be in love with Death? He has no charm for most people.

Chi . You are a sensible fellow; I will tell you. There was no further satisfaction to be had from immortality.

Me . Was it not a pleasure merely to live and see the light?

Chi . No; it is variety, as I take it, and not monotony, that constitutes pleasure. Living on and on, everything always the same; sun, light, food, spring, summer, autumn, winter, one thing following another in unending sequence,- I sickened of it all. I found that enjoyment lay not in continual possession; that deprivation had its share therein.

Me . Very true, Chiron. And how have you got on since you made Hades your home?

Chi . Not unpleasantly. I like the truly republican equality that prevails; and as to whether one is in light or darkness, that makes no difference at all. Then again there is no hunger or thirst here; one is independent of such things.

Me . Take care, Chiron! You may be caught in the snare of your own reasonings.

Chi . How should that be?

Me . Why, if the monotony of the other world brought on satiety, the monotony here may do the same. You will have to look about for a further change, and I fancy there is no third life procurable.

Chi . Then what is to be done, Menippus?

Me . Take things as you find them, I suppose, like a sensible fellow, and make the best of everything.

27

Diogenes. Antisthenes. Crates

Diog . Now, friends, we have plenty of time; what say you to a stroll? we might go to the entrance and have a look at the new-comers - what they are and how they behave.

Ant . The very thing. It will be an amusing sight - some weeping, some imploring to be let go, some resisting; when Hermes collars them, they will stick their heels in and throw their weight back; and all to no purpose.

Cra . Very well; and meanwhile, let me give you my experiences on the way down.

Diog . Yes, go on, Crates; I dare say you saw some entertaining sights.

Cra . We were a large party, of which the most distinguished were Ismenodorus, a rich townsman of ours, Arsaces, ruler of Media, and Oroetes the Armenian. Ismenodorus had been murdered by robbers going to Eleusis over Cithaeron, I believe. He was moaning, nursing his wound, apostrophizing the young children he had left, and cursing his foolhardiness. He knew Cithaeron and the Eleutherae district were all devastated by the wars, and yet he must take only two servants with him- with five bowls and four cups of solid gold in his baggage, too. Arsaces was an old man of rather imposing aspect; he expressed his feelings in true barbaric fashion, was exceedingly angry at being expected to walk, and kept calling for his horse. In point of fact it had died with him, it and he having been simultaneously transfixed by a Thracian pikeman in the fight with the Cappadocians on the Araxes. Arsaces described to us how he had charged far in advance of his men, and the Thracian, standing his ground and sheltering himself with his buckler, warded off the lance, and then, planting his pike, transfixed man and horse together.

Ant . How could it possibly be done simultaneously?

Cra . Oh, quite simple. The Median was charging with his thirty-foot lance in front of him; the Thracian knocked it aside with his buckler; the point glanced by; then he knelt, received the charge on his pike, pierced the horse's chest -the spirited beast impaling itself by its own impetus -, and finally ran Arsaces through groin and buttock. You see what happened; it was the horse's doing rather than the man's. However, Arsaces did not at all appreciate equality, and wanted to come down on horseback. As for Oroetes, he was so tender-footed that he could not stand, far less walk. That is the way with all the Medes - once they are off their horses, they go delicately on tiptoe as if they were treading on thorns. He threw himself down, and there he lay; nothing would induce him to get up; so the excellent Hermes had to pick him up and carry him to the ferry; how I laughed!

Ant . When I came down, I did not keep with the crowd; I left them to their blubberings, ran on to the ferry, and secured a comfortable seat for the passage. Then as we crossed, they were divided between tears and sea-sickness, and gave me a merry time of it.

Diog . You two have described your fellow passengers; now for mine. There came down with me Blepsias, the Pisatan usurer, Lampis, an Acarnanian freelance, and the Corinthian millionaire Damis. The last had been poisoned by his son, Lampis had cut his throat for love of the courtesan Myrtium, and the wretched Blepsias is supposed to have died of starvation; his awful pallor and extreme emaciation looked like it. I inquired into the manner of their deaths, though I knew very well. When Damis exclaimed upon his son, 'You only have your deserts,' I remarked,-'an old man of ninety living in luxury yourself with your million of money, and fobbing off your eighteen-year son with a few pence! As for you, sirAcarnanian'- he was groaning and cursing Myrtium -, 'why put the blame on Love? it belongs to yourself; you were never afraid of an enemy - took all sorts of risks in other people's service - and then let yourself be caught, my hero, by the artificial tears and sighs of the first wench you came across.' Blepsias uttered his own condemnation, without giving me time to do it for him: he had hoarded his money for heirs who were nothing to him, and been fool enough to reckon on immortality. I assure you it was no common satisfaction I derived from their whinings.

But here we are at the gate; we must keep our eyes open, and get the earliest view. Lord, lord, what a mixed crowd! and all in tears except these babes and sucklings. Why, the hoary seniors are all lamentation too; strange! has madam Life given them a love-potion? I must interrogate this most reverend senior of them all.- Sir, why weep, seeing that you have died full of years? has your excellency any complaint to make, after so long a term? Ah, but you were doubtless a king.

Pauper . Not so.

Diog . A provincial governor, then?

Pauper . No, nor that.

Diog . I see; you were wealthy, and do not like leaving your boundless luxury to die.

Pauper . You are quite mistaken; I was near ninety, made a miserable livelihood out of my line and rod, was excessively poor, childless, a cripple, and had nearly lost my sight.

Diog . And you still wished to live?

Pauper . Ay, sweet is the light, and dread is death; would that one might escape it!

Diog . You are beside yourself, old man; you are like a child kicking at the pricks, you contemporary of the ferryman. Well, we need wonder no more at youth, when age is still in love with life; one would have thought it should court death as the cure for its proper ills.- And now let us go our way, before our loitering here brings suspicion on us: they may think we are planning an escape.

28

Menippus. Tiresias

Me . Whether you are blind or not, Tiresias, would be a difficult question. Eyeless sockets are the rule amongus; there is no telling Phineus from Lynceus nowadays. However, I know that you were a seer, and that you enjoy the unique distinction of having been both man and woman; I have it from the poets. Pray tell me which you found the more pleasant life, the man's or the woman's?

Ti . The woman's, by a long way; it was much less trouble. Women have the mastery of men; and there is no fighting for them, no manning of walls, no squabbling in the assembly, no cross-examination in the law-courts.

Me . Well, but you have heard how Medea, in Euripides, compassionates her sex on their hard lot - on the intolerable pangs they endure in travail? And by the way - Medea's words remind me did you ever have a child, when you were a woman, or were you barren?

Ti . What do you mean by that question, Menippus?

Me . Oh, nothing; but I should like to know, if it is no trouble to you.

Ti . I was not barren: but I did not have a child, exactly.

Me . No; but you might have had. That's all I wanted to know.

Ti . Certainly.

Me . And your feminine characteristics gradually vanished, and you developed a beard, and became a man? Or did the change take place in a moment?

Ti . Whither does your question tend? One would think you doubted the fact.

Me . And what should I do but doubt such a story? Am I to take it in, like a nincompoop, without asking myself whether it is possible or not?

Ti . At that rate, I suppose you are equally incredulous when you hear of women being turned into birds or trees or beasts,- Aedon for instance, or Daphne, or Callisto?

Me . If I fall in with any of these ladies, I will see what they have to say about it. But to return, friend, to your own case: were you a prophet even in the days of your femininity? or did manhood and prophecy come together?

Ti . Pooh, you know nothing of the matter. I once settled a dispute among the Gods, and was blinded by Hera for my pains; whereupon Zeus consoled me with the gift of prophecy.

Me . Ah, you love a lie still, Tiresias. But there, 'tis your trade. You prophets! There is no truth in you.

29

Agamemnon. Ajax

Ag . If you went mad and wrought your own destruction, Ajax, in default of that you designed for us all, why put the blame on Odysseus? Why would you not vouchsafe him a look or a word, when he came to consult Tiresias that day? you stalked past your old comrade in arms as if he was beneath your notice.

Aj . Had I not good reason? My madness lies at the door of my solitary rival for the arms.

Ag . Did you expect to be unopposed, and carry it over us all without a contest?

Aj . Surely, in such a matter. The armour was mine by natural right, seeing I was Achilles's cousin. The rest of you, his undoubted superiors, refused to compete, recognizing my claim. It was the son of Laertes, he that I had rescued scores of times when he would have been cut to pieces by the Phrygians, who set up for a better man and a stronger claimant than I.

Ag . Blame Thetis, then, my good sir; it was she who, instead of delivering the inheritance to the next of kin, brought the arms and left the ownership an open question.

Aj . No, no; the guilt was in claiming them - alone, I mean.

Ag . Surely, Ajax, a mere man may be forgiven the sin of coveting honour - that sweetest bait for which each one of us adventured; nay, and he outdid you there, if a Trojan verdict counts.

Aj . Who inspired that verdict? I know, but about the Gods we may not speak. Let that pass; but cease to hate Odysseus? 'tis not in my power, Agamemnon, though Athene's self should require it of me.

30

Minos. Sostratus

Mi . Sostratus, the pirate here, can be dropped into Pyriphlegethon, Hermes; the temple-robber shall be clawed by the Chimera; and lay out the tyrant alongside of Tityus, there to have his liver torn by the vultures. And you honest fellows can make the best of your way to Elysium and the Isles of the Blest; this it is to lead righteous lives.

Sos . A word with you, Minos. See if there is not some justice in my plea.

Mi . What, more pleadings? Have you not been convicted of villainy and murder without end?

Sos . I have. Yet consider whether my sentence is just.

Mi . Is it just that you should have your deserts? If so, the sentence is just.

Sos . Well, answer my questions; I will not detain you long.

Mi . Say on, but be brief; I have other cases waiting for me.

Sos . The deeds of my life - were they in my own choice, or were they decreed by Fate?

Mi . Decreed, of course.

Sos . Then all of us, whether we passed for honest men or rogues, were the instruments of Fate in all that we did?

Mi . Certainly; Clotho prescribes the conduct of every man at his birth.

Sos . Now suppose a man commits a murder under compulsion of a power which he cannot resist, an executioner, for instance, at the bidding of a judge, or a bodyguard at that of a tyrant. Who is the murderer, according to you?

Mi . The judge, of course, or the tyrant. As well ask whether the sword is guilty, which is but the tool of his anger who is prime mover in the affair.

Sos . I am indebted to you for a further illustration of my argument. Again: a slave, sent by his master, brings me gold or silver; to whom am I to be grateful? who goes down on my tablets as a benefactor?

Mi . The sender; the bringer is but his minister.

Sos . Observe then your injustice! You punish us who are but the slaves of Clotho's bidding, and reward these, who do but minister to another's beneficence. For it will never be said that it was in our power to gainsay the irresistible ordinances of Fate?

Mi . Ah, Sostratus; look closely enough, and you will find plenty of inconsistencies besides these. However, I see you are no common pirate, but a philosopher in your way; so much you have gained by your questions. Let him go, Hermes; he shall not be punished after that. But mind, Sostratus, you must not put it into other people's heads to ask questions of this kind.

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead, Excerpts

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead, Excerpts

<blockquote>Before Pluto: Croesus, Midas, and Sardanapalus v. Menippus

Cr . Pluto, we can stand this snarling Cynic no longer in our neighbourhood; either you must transfer him to other quarters, or we are going to migrate.

Pl . Why, what harm does he do to your ghostly community?

Pl . Menippus, what's this I hear?

Pl . Yes, but you mustn't. They have had terrible losses; they feel it deeply.

Me . Pluto! you are not going to lend your countenance to these whimpering fools?

Pl . It isn't that: but I won't have you quarrelling.

Me . Well, you scum of your respective nations, let there be no misunderstanding; I am going on just the same. Wherever you are, there shall I be also; worrying, jeering, singing you down.

Cr . Presumption!

Cr . Lost! Ah God! My treasure-heaps -

Mid . My gold -

Sar . My little comforts -

Me . That's right: stick to it! You do the whining, and I'll chime in with a string of GNOTHI-SAUTONS, best of accompaniments.

Menippus. Amphilochus. Trophonius

Me . Now I wonder how it is that you two dead men have been honoured with temples and taken for prophets; those silly mortals imagine you are Gods.

Amp . How can we help it, if they are fools enough to have such fancies about the dead?

Me . Ah, they would never have had them, though, if you had not been charlatans in your lifetime, and pretended to know the future and be able to foretell it to your clients.

Tro . Well, Menippus, Amphilochus can take his own line, if he likes; as for me, I am a Hero, and do give oracles to any one who comes down to me. It is pretty clear you were never at Lebadea, or you would not be so incredulous.

Tro . He is half God, and half man.

Me . So what is neither man (as you imply) nor God, is both at once? Well, at present what has become of your diviner half?

Tro . He gives oracles in Boeotia.

Me . What you may mean is quite beyond me; the one thing I know for certain is that you are dead - the whole of you.

Charon. Hermes. Various Shades

Ch . I'll tell you how things stand. Our craft, as you see, is small, and leaky, and three-parts rotten; a single lurch, and she will capsize without more ado. And here are all you passengers, each with his luggage. If you come on board like that, I am afraid you may have cause to repent it; especially those who have not learnt to swim.

Her . Then how are we to make a trip of it?

Her . Very good. Well, Number One, who are you?

Men . Menippus. Here are my wallet and staff; overboard with them. I had the sense not to bring my cloak.

Her . Pass on, Menippus; you're a good fellow; you shall have the seat of honour, up by the pilot, where you can see every one.- Here is a handsome person; who is he?

Char . Charmoleos of Megara; the irresistible, whose kiss was worth a thousand pounds.

Her . That beauty must come off,- lips, kisses, and all; the flowing locks, the blushing cheeks, the skin entire. That's right. Now we're in better trim;- you may pass on.- And who is the stunning gentleman in the purple and the diadem?

Lam . I am Lampichus, tyrant of Gela.

Her . And what is all this splendour doing here, Lampichus?

Lam . How! would you have a tyrant come hither stripped?

Her . A tyrant! That would be too much to expect. But with a shade we must insist. Off with these things.

Lam . There, then: away goes my wealth.

Her . Pomp must go too, and pride; we shall be overfreighted else.

Lam . At least let me keep my diadem and robes.

Her . No, no; off they come!

Lam . Well? That is all, as you see for yourself.

Her . There is something more yet: cruelty, folly, insolence, hatred.

Lam . There then: I am bare.

Her . Pass on.- And who may you be, my bulky friend?

Dam . Damasias the athlete.

Her . To be sure; many is the time I have seen you in the gymnasium.

Dam . You have. Well, I have peeled; let me pass.

Her . Peeled! my dear sir, what, with all this fleshy encumbrance? Come, off with it; we should go to the bottom if you put one foot aboard. And those crowns, those victories, remove them.

Dam . There; no mistake about it this time; I am as light as any shade among them.

Her . That's more the kind of thing. On with you.- Crato, you can take off that wealth and luxury and effeminacy; and we can't have that funeral pomp here, nor those ancestral glories either; down with your rank and reputation, and any votes of thanks or inscriptions you have about you; and you need not tell us what size your tomb was; remarks of that kind come heavy.

Cra . Well, if I must, I must; there's no help for it.

Her . Hullo! in full armour? What does this mean? and why this trophy?

A General . I am a great conqueror; a valiant warrior; my country's pride.

Her . The trophy may stop behind; we are at peace; there is no demand for arms.- Whom have we here? whose is this knitted Drow, this flowing beard? 'Tis some reverend sage, if outside goes for anything; he mutters; he is wrapped in meditation.

Men . That's a philosopher, Hermes; and an impudent quack not the bargain. Have him out of that cloak; you will find something to amuse you underneath it.

Her . Off with your clothes first; and then we will see to the rest. My goodness, what a bundle: quackery, ignorance, quarrelsomeness, vainglory; idle questionings, prickly arguments, intricate conceptions; humbug and gammon and wishy-washy hair-splittings without end; and hullo! why here's avarice, and self-indulgence, and impudence! luxury, effeminacy and peevishness!- Yes, I see them all; you need not try to hide them. Away with falsehood and swagger and superciliousness; why, the three-decker is not built that would hold you with all this luggage.

A Philosopher . I resign them all, since such is your bidding.

Men . Have his beard off too, Hermes; only look what a ponderous bush of a thing! There's a good five pounds' weight there.

Her . Yes; the beard must go.

Phil . And who shall shave me?

Her . Menippus here shall take it off with the carpenter's axe; the gangway will serve for a block.

Men . Oh, can't I have a saw, Hermes? It would be much better fun.

Her . The axe must serve.- Shrewdly chopped!- Why, you look more like a man and less like a goat already.

Men . A little off the eyebrows?

Her . Why, certainly; he has trained them up all over his forehead, for reasons best known to himself.- Worm! what, snivelling? afraid of death? Oh, get on board with you.

Men . He has still got the biggest thumper of all under his arm.

Her . What's that?

Men . Flattery; many is the good turn that has done him.

Phil . Oh, all right, Menippus; suppose you leave your independence behind you, and your plain - speaking, and your indifference, and your high spirit, and your jests!- No one else here has a jest about him.

Her . Don't you, Menippus! you stick to them; useful commodities, these, on shipboard; light and handy.- You rhetorician there, with your verbosities and your barbarisms, your antitheses and balances and periods, off with the whole pack of them.

Rhet . Away they go.

Her . All's ready. Loose the cable, and pull in the gangway; haul up the anchor; spread all sail; and, pilot, look to your helm. Good luck to our voyage!- What are you all whining about, you fools? You philosopher, late of the beard,- you're as bad as any of them.

Phil . Ah, Hermes: I had thought that the soul was immortal.

Men . He lies: that is not the cause of his distress.

Her . What is it, then?

Men . He knows that he will never have a good dinner again; never sneak about at night with his cloak over his head, going the round of the brothels; never spend his mornings in fooling boys out of their money, under the pretext of teaching them wisdom.

Phil . And pray are you content to be dead?

Men . It may be presumed so, as I sought death of my own accord.- By the way, I surely heard a noise, as if people were shouting on the earth?

Her . You did; and from more than one quarter.- There are people running in a body to the Town-hall, exulting over the death of Lampichus; the women have got hold of his wife; his infant children fare no better,- the boys are giving them handsome pelting. Then again you hear the applause that greets the orator Diophantus, as he pronounces the funeral oration of our friend Crato. Ah yes, and that's Damasias's mother, with her women, striking up a dirge. No one has tear for you, Menippus; your remains are left in peace. Privileged person!

Men . Wait a bit: before long you will hear the mournful howl of dogs, and the beating of crows' wings, as they gather to perform my funeral rites.

Her . I like your spirit.- However, here we are in port. Away with you all to the judgement-seat; it is straight ahead. The ferryman and I must go back for a fresh load.

Men . Good voyage to you, Hermes.- Let us be getting on; what are you all waiting for? We have got to face the judge, sooner or later; and by all accounts his sentences are no joke; wheels, rocks, vultures are mentioned. Every detail of our lives will now come to light!

Menippus. Tantalus

Me . What are you crying out about, Tantalus? standing at the edge and whining like that!

Tan . Ah, Menippus, I thirst, I perish!

Me . What, not enterprise enough to bend down to it, or scoop up some in your palm?

Tan . It is no use bending down; the water shrinks away as soon as it sees me coming. And if I do scoop it up and get it to my mouth, the outside of my lips is hardly moist before it has managed to run through my fingers, and my hand is as dry as ever.

Tan . Therein lies my punishment - soul thirsts as if it were body.

Me . Well, let that pass, as you say thirst is your punishment. But why do you mind it? are you afraid of dying , for want of drink? I do not know of any second Hades; can you die to this one, and go further?

Tan . No, that is quite true. But you see this is part of the sentence: I must long for drink, though I have no need of it.

Me . There is no meaning in that. There is a draught you need, though; some neat hellebore is what you want; you are suffering from a converse hydrophobia; you are not afraid of water, but you are of thirst.

Tan . I would as life drink hellebore as anything, if I could but drink.

Me . Never fear, Tantalus; neither you nor any other ghost will ever do that; it is impossible, you see; just as well we have not all got a penal thirst like you, with the water running away from us.

Menippus. Hermes

Me . Where are all the beauties, Hermes? Show me round; I am a new-comer.

Her . I am busy, Menippus. But look over there to your right, and you will see Hyacinth, Narcissus, Nireus, Achilles, Tyro, Helen, Leda,- all the beauties of old.

Me . I can only see bones, and bare skulls; most of them are exactly alike.

Her . Those bones, of which you seem to think so lightly, have been the theme of admiring poets.

Me . Well, but show me Helen; I shall never be able to make her out by myself.

Her . This skull is Helen.

Me . And for this a thousand ships carried warriors from every part of Greece; Greeks and barbarians were slain, and cities made desolate.

Her . Ah, Menippus, you never saw the living Helen; or you would have said with Homer,

Well might they suffer grievous years of toil Who strove for such a prize.

We look at withered flowers, whose dye is gone from them, and what can we call them but unlovely things? Yet in the hour of their bloom these unlovely things were things of beauty.

Me . Strange, that the Greeks could not realize what it was for which they laboured; how short-lived, how soon to fade.

Her . I have no time for moralizing. Choose your spot, where you will, and lie down. I must go to fetch new dead.

Menippus. Aeacus. Various Shades

Me . In Pluto's name, Aeacus, show me all the sights of Hades.

Aea . That would be rather an undertaking, Menippus. However, you shall see the principal things. Cerberus here you know already, and the ferryman who brought you over. And you saw the Styx on your way, and Pyriphlegethon.

Me . Yes, and you are the gate-keeper; I know all that; and I have seen the King and the Furies. But show me the men of ancient days, especially the celebrities.

Aea . This is Agamemnon; this is Achilles; near him, Idomeneus; next comes Odysseus; then Ajax, Diomede, and all the great Greeks.

Aea . That is Cyrus; and here is Croesus; beyond him Sardanapalus, and beyond him again Midas. And yonder is Xerxes.

Me . Ha! and it was before this creature that Greece trembled? this is our yoker of Hellesponts, our designer of Athos-canals?- Croesus too! a sad spectacle! As to Sardanapalus, I will lend him a box on the ear, with your permission.

Aea . And crack his skull, poor dear! Certainly not.

Me . Then I must content myself with spitting in his ladyship's face.

Aea . Would you like to see the philosophers?

Me . I should like it of all things.

Aea . First comes Pythagoras.

Me . Good-day, Euphorbus, alias Apollo, alias what you will.

Py . Good-day, Menippus.

Me . What, no golden thigh nowadays?

Py . Why, no. I wonder if there is anything to eat in that wallet of yours?

Me . Beans, friend; you don't like beans.

Py . Try me. My principles have changed with my quarters. I find that down here our parents' heads are in no way connected with beans.

Aea . Here is Solon, the son of Execestides, and there is Thales. By them are Pittacus, and the rest of the sages, seven in all, as you see. Me . The only resigned and cheerful countenances yet. Who is the one covered with ashes, like a loaf baked in the embers? He is all over blisters.

Aea . That is Empedocles. He was half-roasted when he got here from Etna.

Me . Tell me, my brazen-slippered friend, what induced you to jump into the crater?

Em . I did it in a fit of melancholy.

Me . Not you. Vanity, pride, folly; these were what burnt you up, slippers and all; and serve you right. All that ingenuity was thrown away, too: your death was detected.- Aeacus, where is Socrates?

Aea . He is generally talking nonsense with Nestor and Palamedes.

Me . But I should like to see him, if he is anywhere about.

Aea . You see the bald one? Me . They are all bald; that is a distinction without a difference.

Aea . The snub-nosed one.

Me . There again: they are all snub-nosed.

Soc . Do you want me, Menippus?

Me . The very man I am looking for.

Soc . How goes it in Athens?

Me . There are a great many young men there professing philosophy; and to judge from their dress and their walk, they should be perfect in it.

Soc . I have seen many such.

Me . For that matter, I suppose you saw Aristippus arrive, reeking with scent; and Plato, the polished flatterer from Sicilian courts?

Soc . And what do they think about me in Athens?

Me . Ah, you are fortunate in that respect. You pass for a most remarkable man, omniscient in fact. And all the time - if the truth must out - you know absolutely nothing.

Soc . I told them that myself: but they would have it that that was my irony.

Me . And who are your friends?

Soc . Charmides; Phaedrus; the son of Clinias.

Me . Ha, ha! still at your old trade; still an admirer of beauty.

Soc . How could I be better occupied? Will you join us?

Me . No, thank you; I am off, to take up my quarters by Croesus and Sardanapalus. I expect huge entertainment from their outcries.

Aea . I must be off, too; or some one may escape. You shall see the rest another day, Menippus.

Me . I need not detain you. I have seen enough.

Menippus. Cerberus

Cer . Well, while he was some way off, he seemed quite unshaken; and I thought he was bent on letting the people outside realize the fact too. Then he passed into the opening and saw the gloom; I at the same time gave him a touch of the hemlock, and a pull by the leg, as he was rather slow. Then he squalled like a baby, whimpered about his children, and, oh, I don't know what he didn't do.

Me . So he was one of the theorists, was he? His indifference was a sham?

Cer . Yes; it was only that he accepted the inevitable, and put a bold face on it, pretending to welcome the universal fate, by way of impressing the bystanders. All that sort are the same, I tell you - bold resolute fellows as far as the entrance; it is inside that the real test comes.

Me . What did you think of my performance?

Cer . Ah, Menippus, you were the exception; you are a credit to the breed, and so was Diogenes before you. You two came in without any compulsion or pushing, of your own free will, with a laugh for yourselves and a curse for the rest.

Charon. Menippus. Hermes

Ch . Your fare, you rascal.

Me . Bawl away, Charon, if it gives you any pleasure.

Ch . I brought you across: give me my fare.

Me . I can't, if I haven't got it.

Ch . And who is so poor that he has not got a penny?

Me . I for one; I don't know who else.

Ch . Pay: or, by Pluto, I'll strangle you.

Me . And I'll crack your skull with this stick.

Ch . So you are to come all that way for nothing?

Me . Let Hermes pay for me: he put me on board.

Her . I dare say! A fine time I shall have of it, if I am to pay for the shades.

Ch . I'm not going to let you off.

Me . You can haul up your ship and wait, for all I care. If I have not got the money, I can't pay you, can I?

Ch . You knew you ought to bring it?

Me . I knew that: but I hadn't got it. What would you have? I ought not to have died, I suppose?

Ch . So you are to have the distinction of being the only passenger that ever crossed gratis?

Me . Oh, come now: gratis! I took an oar, and I baled; and I didn't cry, which is more than can be said for any of the others.

Ch . That's neither here nor there. I must have my penny; it's only right.

Me . Well, you had better take me back again to life.

Ch . Yes, and get a thrashing from Aeacus for my pains! I like that.

Me . Well, don't bother me.

Ch . Let me see what you have got in that wallet.

Me . Beans: have some?- and a Hecate's supper.

Ch . Where did you pick up this Cynic, Hermes? The noise he made on the crossing, too! laughing and jeering at all the rest, and singing, when every one else was at his lamentations.

Her . Ah, Charon, you little know your passenger! Independence, every inch of him: he cares for no one. 'Tis Menippus.

Ch . Wait till I catch you –

Me . Precisely; I'll wait - till you catch me again.

Nireus. Thersites. Menippus

Ni . Here we are; Menippus shall award the palm of beauty. Menippus, am I not better-looking than he?

Me . Well, who are you? I must know that first, mustn't I?

Ni . Nireus and Thersites.

Me . Which is which? I cannot tell that yet.

Ther . One to me; I am like you; you have no such superiority as Homer (blind, by the way) gave you when he called you the handsomest of men; he might peak my head and thin my hair, our judge finds me none the worse. Now, Menippus, make up your mind which is handsomer.

Ni . I, of course, I, the son of Aglaia and Charopus,

Comeliest of all that came 'neath Trojan walls.

Ni . Ask Homer what I was, when I sailed with the Achaeans.

Me . Dreams, dreams. I am looking at what you are; what you were is ancient history.

Ni . Am I not handsomer here, Menippus?

Me . You are not handsome at all, nor any one else either. Hades is a democracy; one man is as good as another here.

Ther . And a very tolerable arrangement too, if you ask me.

Menippus. Chiron

Me . I have heard that you were a god, Chiron, and that you died of your own choice?

Chi . You were rightly informed. I am dead, as you see, and might have been immortal.

Me . And what should possess you, to be in love with Death? He has no charm for most people.

Chi . You are a sensible fellow; I will tell you. There was no further satisfaction to be had from immortality.

Me . Was it not a pleasure merely to live and see the light?

Chi . No; it is variety, as I take it, and not monotony, that constitutes pleasure. Living on and on, everything always the same; sun, light, food, spring, summer, autumn, winter, one thing following another in unending sequence,- I sickened of it all. I found that enjoyment lay not in continual possession; that deprivation had its share therein.

Me . Very true, Chiron. And how have you got on since you made Hades your home?

Chi . Not unpleasantly. I like the truly republican equality that prevails; and as to whether one is in light or darkness, that makes no difference at all. Then again there is no hunger or thirst here; one is independent of such things.

Me . Take care, Chiron! You may be caught in the snare of your own reasonings.

Chi . How should that be?

Me . Why, if the monotony of the other world brought on satiety, the monotony here may do the same. You will have to look about for a further change, and I fancy there is no third life procurable.

Chi . Then what is to be done, Menippus?

Me . Take things as you find them, I suppose, like a sensible fellow, and make the best of everything.

Menippus. Tiresias

Me . Whether you are blind or not, Tiresias, would be a difficult question. Eyeless sockets are the rule among us; there is no telling Phineus from Lynceus nowadays. However, I know that you were a seer, and that you enjoy the unique distinction of having been both man and woman; I have it from the poets. Pray tell me which you found the more pleasant life, the man's or the woman's?

Ti . What do you mean by that question, Menippus?

Me . Oh, nothing; but I should like to know, if it is no trouble to you.

Ti . I was not barren: but I did not have a child, exactly.

Me . No; but you might have had. That's all I wanted to know.

Ti . Certainly.

Me . And your feminine characteristics gradually vanished, and you developed a beard, and became a man? Or did the change take place in a moment?

Ti . Whither does your question tend? One would think you doubted the fact.

Me . And what should I do but doubt such a story? Am I to take it in, like a nincompoop, without asking myself whether it is possible or not?

Ti . At that rate, I suppose you are equally incredulous when you hear of women being turned into birds or trees or beasts,- Aedon for instance, or Daphne, or Callisto?

Ti . Pooh, you know nothing of the matter. I once settled a dispute among the Gods, and was blinded by Hera for my pains; whereupon Zeus consoled me with the gift of prophecy.

Me . Ah, you love a lie still, Tiresias. But there, 'tis your trade. You prophets! There is no truth in you.
Source</blockquote>

Lives & Writings on the Cynics

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 00:47:02 +0000

<html>

</html>

Lives & Writings on the Cynics

Source¹⁾

<html>Scroll DOWN page to view all Cynics</html>

† = No available online resources

“The nude Cynic fears no fire for his tub; if broken, he will make himself a new house to-morrow, or keep it repaired with clamps of lead.” Juvenal, Satires (XIV.308ff)

Mythical Figures

Heracles : Model figure for the Cynics; Heracles' life and trials were upheld by the Cynics to be an example of good behavior by living with the best principles.
Momus : In Greek mythology the god of satire, mockery, censure, writers, poets; a spirit of evil-spirited blame and unfair criticism. His name is related to μομφή, meaning 'blame' or 'censure'. He is depicted in classical art as lifting a mask from his face.²⁾
Theseus : Founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were identified with an archaic religious and social order.³⁾
Typhon (Typhoeus) : Considered to be the most dangerous creature in mythology, the Cynics used Typhon as an archetype for what is perverse in the order of things. Just as Zeus struck-down Typhon in mythology, the imaginary Typhon needs to be vanquished in order for people to achieve freedom. Typhon is also related to the word “typhos” which translates as “smoke”. The Cynics believed that this smoke was representative of the chaos and illusion found in everyday living and beliefs.

Cynic Precursors

Anacharsis : Scythian philosopher who travelled from his homeland on the northern shores of the Black Sea to Athens in the early 6th century BC and made a great impression as a forthright, outspoken “barbarian”, a forerunner of the Cynics, though none of his works have survived.⁴⁾
Heraclitus : Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, a native of the Greek city Ephesus, Ionia, on the coast of Asia Minor. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. From the lonely life he led, and still more from the riddling nature of his philosophy and his contempt for humankind in general, he was called “The Obscure” and the “Weeping Philosopher”.⁵⁾
Hesiod : Hesiod's Works and Days work lays out the five Ages of Man, as well as containing advice and wisdom, prescribing a life of honest labour and attacking idleness and unjust judges (like those who decided in favour of Perses) as well as the practice of usury. It describes immortals who roam the earth watching over justice and injustice. The poem regards labor as the source of all good, in that both gods and men hate the idle, who resemble drones in a hive.⁶⁾
Homer : Author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.⁷⁾
Socrates
Xenophanes : Poetry criticized and satirized a wide range of ideas, including Homer and Hesiod, the belief in the pantheon of anthropomorphic gods and the Greeks' veneration of athleticism. He is the earliest Greek poet who claims explicitly to be writing for future generations, creating “fame that will reach all of Greece, and never die while the Greek kind of songs survives.”⁸⁾

Historically Authenticated Cynics

Agathobulus of Alexandria - Antiochus of Cilicia

Agathobulus of Alexandria 2nd Century AD : There is evidence that Agathobulus was an important person in his own time (see evidence of Plutarch); Agathobulus placed particular emphasis on some of the ascetic aspects of Cynicism: shamelessness and endurance of pain.
Anaximenes of Lampsacus 4th Century BC : Anaximenes was a pupil of Zoilus and, like his teacher, wrote a work on Homer. As a rhetorician, he was a determined opponent of Isocrates and his school. He is generally regarded as the author of the Rhetoric to Alexander, an Art of Rhetoric included in the traditional corpus of Aristotle's works.⁹⁾ Anaximenes is considered to be the first to speak extemporaenously.
Androsthenes of Aegina 4th Century BC
Antiochus of Cilicia 2nd and 3rd Century AD

Antisthenes of Athens

Antisthenes of Athens Ca. 445 - 336 BC : Originally a subject of Gorgias the rhetorician, Antisthenes became disciple of Socrates. Antisthenes adopted the teachings of Socrates with an emphasis on Socratic ethics. He stressed living an ascetic life in accordance with Nature and Virtue. Many later writers considered Antisthenes to be the founder of Cynic philosophy.¹⁰⁾

Asclepiades - Cleomenes of Constantinople

Asclepiades 2nd half of 4th Century AD : Cynic philosopher. He is mentioned by the emperor Julian whom Asclepiades visited at Antioch in 362. Ammianus Marcellinus describes how Asclepiades accidentally destroyed the temple of Apollo at Daphne in Antioch, when some candles he lit set light to the woodwork, burning down the temple.¹¹⁾
Avidienus 1st Century BC
Besas 4th Century AD †
Betion 3rd Century BC
Bion of Borysthenes Ca. 335 - 245 BC : Influential in his time, Bion of Borysthenes was an ecletic figure in the 3rd Century BC. Bion's life and writings have the spirit of Cynicism and it is presumed that he contributed to the development of the diatribe.
Cantharus 2nd Century AD
Carneades 1st Century AD
Cercidas of Megalopolis Ca. 290 - 220 BC : Poet, Cynic philosopher, and legislator for his native city Megalopolis. A papyrus roll containing fragments from seven of his Cynic poems was discovered at Oxyrhynchus in 1906.¹²⁾
Chytron Fourth Century AD
Cleanthes of Assos Ca. 331 - 231 BC
Cleomenes 4th and 3rd Centuries BC : Pupil of Crates of Thebes, and is said to have taught Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus, the latter of whom would go on to teach Menedemus.¹³⁾
Cleomenes of Constantinople 4th Century AD †

Crates of Thebes

Crates of Thebes Ca. 360 - 280 BC : Crates gave away his money to live a life of poverty on the streets of Athens. He married Hipparchia of Maroneia who lived in the same manner that he did. Respected by the people of Athens, he is remembered for being the teacher of Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism. Various fragments of Crates' teachings survive, including his description of the ideal Cynic state.¹⁴⁾

Crescens - Diocles

Crescens Attested in 154 AD : Cynic philosopher who attacked the Christians, and was in turn, attacked by Justin Martyr. Eusebius, writing 150 years later, accused him of causing Justin's death.¹⁵⁾
Demetrius ? †
Demetrius of Alexandria Ca. 300 BC
Demetrius of Corinth 1st Century AD : Cynic philosopher from Corinth, who lived in Rome during the reigns of Caligula, Nero and Vespasian (37-71 AD). He was the intimate friend of Seneca, who wrote about him often, and who describes him as the perfect man.¹⁶⁾
Demetrius of Sunium 2nd Century AD
Demonax of Cyprus Ca. 70 - 170 AD : Greek Cynic philosopher. Born in Cyprus, he moved to Athens, where his wisdom, and his skill in solving disputes, earned him the admiration of the citizens. He taught Lucian, who wrote a Life of Demonax in praise of his teacher. When he died he received a magnificent public funeral.¹⁷⁾
Didymus, nicknamed Planetiades 1st Century AD
Diitrepes ?
Dio Chrysostom Ca. 40 - after 112 AD
Diocles ? †

Diogenes of Sinope

Diogenes of Sinope 4th Century BC : Along with Antisthenes and Crates of Thebes, Diogenes is considered one of the founders of Cynicism. The ideas of Diogenes, like those of most other Cynics, must be arrived at indirectly. No writings of Diogenes survived even though he is reported to have authored over ten books, a volume of letters and seven tragedies. Cynic ideas are inseparable from Cynic practice; therefore what we know about Diogenes is contained in anecdotes concerning his life and sayings attributed to him in a number of scattered classical sources. Diogenes maintained that all the artificial growths of society were incompatible with happiness and that morality implies a return to the simplicity of nature. So great was his austerity and simplicity that the Stoics would later claim him to be a wise man or “sophos”. Diogenes had nothing but disdain for Plato and his abstract philosophy. Diogenes viewed Antisthenes as the true heir to Socrates, and shared his love of virtue and indifference to wealth, together with a disdain for general opinion. Diogenes shared Socrates' belief that he could function as doctor to men's souls and improve them morally, while at the same time holding contempt for their obtuseness. Plato once described Diogenes as “a Socrates gone mad.” Many anecdotes of Diogenes refer to his dog-like behavior, and his praise of a dog's virtues.¹⁸⁾

Diogenes the Sophist - Menestratus

Diogenes the Sophist 1st Century AD
Domitius ? †
Echecles of Ephesus 4th and 3rd Centuries BC
Favonius 1st Century AD
Gorgias ? †
Hegesianax ?
Hegesias of Sinope 4th Century BC
Heraclius 4th Century AD : Cynic philosopher, against whom the emperor Julian wrote in his seventh oration.¹⁹⁾
Heras Ca. 75 AD
Hermodotus 1st Century AD †
Hipparchia of Maronea 4th and 3rd Centuries BC : Cynic philosopher, and wife of Crates of Thebes. She was born in Maroneia, but her family moved to Athens, where Hipparchia came into contact with Crates, the most famous Cynic philosopher in Greece at that time. She fell in love with him, and, despite the disapproval of her parents, she married him. She went on to live a life of Cynic poverty on the streets of Athens with her husband.²⁰⁾
Honoratus 2nd Century AD
Horus 4th Century AD † : Cynic philosopher and Olympic boxer who was victorious at the Olympic games in Antioch in 364.²¹⁾
Iphicles 4th Century AD
Isidorus 1st Century BC
Maximus Hero of Alexandria 4th Century AD †
Meleager of Gadara Ca. 135 - 50 BC : Poet and collector of epigrams. He wrote some satirical prose, now lost, and he wrote some sensual poetry, of which 134 epigrams survive. He also compiled numerous epigrams from diverse poets in an anthology known as the Garland, and although this does not survive, it is the original basis for the Greek Anthology.²²⁾
Menander, nicknamed Drumos 4th Century BC
Menedemus of Lampsacus 3rd Century BC : Cynic philosopher, and a pupil of the Epicurean Colotes of Lampsacus.²³⁾
Menestratus 1st Century AD †

Menippus of Gadara

Menippus of Gadara 1st Half of the 3rd Century BC : Cynic and satirist. His works, which are all lost, were an important influence on Varro and Lucian. The Menippean satire genre is named after him. Considered with Antisthenes, Crates, and Diogenes to one of the most important Cynics due to his influence on the satirical genre.²⁴⁾

Menippus of Lycia - Zeno of Citium

Menippus of Lycia 1st Century AD
Metrocles of Maronea 3rd Century BC : Cynic philosopher from Maroneia. He studied in Aristotle’s Lyceum under Theophrastus, and eventually became a follower of Crates of Thebes who married Metrocles’ sister Hipparchia. Very little survives of his writings, but he is important as one of the first Cynics to adopt the practice of writing moral anecdotes (chreiai) about Diogenes and other Cynics.²⁵⁾
Monimus of Syracuse 4th Century BC : According to Diogenes Laërtius, Monimus was the slave of a Corinthian money-changer who heard tales about Diogenes of Sinope from Xeniades, Diogenes' master. In order that he might become the pupil of Diogenes, Monimus feigned madness by throwing money around until his master discarded him. Monimus also became acquainted with Crates of Thebes.²⁶⁾
Musonius Rufus 1st Century AD
Oenomaus of Gadara 2nd Century AD : Pagan Cynic philosopher. He is known principally for the long extracts of a work attacking oracles, which have been preserved among the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea.²⁷⁾
Onesicritus of Astyalaea 380/375 - 305/300 BC : Greek historical writer, who accompanied Alexander on his campaigns in Asia. He claimed to have been the commander of Alexander's fleet but was actually only a helmsman; Arrian and Nearchus often criticize him for this. When he returned home, he wrote a history of Alexander's campaigns. He is frequently cited by later authors, who also criticize him for his inaccuracies.²⁸⁾
Onesicritus of Aegina 4th Century BC
Ouranios Kunikos ? †
Pancrates 2nd Century AD : Cynic philosopher. Philostratus relates, that when the celebrated sophist Lollianus was in danger of being stoned by the Athenians in a tumult about bread, Pancrates quieted the mob by exclaiming that Lollianus was not a bread-dealer (Greek: ἀρτοπώλης) but a word-dealer (Greek: λογοπώλης). Alciphron also mentions a Cynic philosopher of this name in his fictitious letters.²⁹⁾
Paniscus ? †
Parmeniscus ?
Pasicles of Thebes 4th Century BC
Peregrinus Ca. 100 - 165 AD : Cynic philosopher, from Parium in Mysia. Leaving home at a young age, he first lived with the Christians in Palestine, before eventually being expelled from that community and adopting the life of a Cynic philosopher and eventually settling in Greece. He is most remembered for committing suicide by giving his own funeral oration and cremating himself on a funeral pyre at the Olympic Games in 165. By 180 CE, a statue of Peregrinus had been erected in his home city of Parium; it was reputed to have oracular powers.³⁰⁾
Philiscus of Aegina 4th Century BC : Cynic philosopher from Aegina who lived in the latter half of the 4th century BC. He was the son of Onesicritus who sent Philiscus and his younger brother, Androsthenes, to Athens where they were so charmed by the philosophy of Diogenes of Sinope that Onesicritus also came to Athens and became his disciple. According to Hermippus of Smyrna, Philiscus was the pupil of Stilpo. He is also described as an associate of Phocion. The Suda claims that he was a teacher of Alexander the Great, but no other ancient writer mentions this. Aelian, though, has preserved a short exhortation by Philiscus addressed to Alexander: Take care of your reputation; don't become a plague or a great disaster, bring peace and health. The Suda mentions that Philiscus wrote dialogues including one called Codrus. Satyrus claimed that the tragedies ascribed to Diogenes were, in fact, written by Philiscus. Among the dialogues ascribed to Diogenes by Sotion, one is entitled Philiscus.³¹⁾
Phocion the Good 4th Century BC
Polyzelus ?
Saloustios 5th Century AD †
Secundus the Silent Philosopher Beginning of the 2nd Century AD : Cynic or Neopythagorean philosopher who lived in Athens in the early 2nd century, who had taken a vow of silence. An anonymous text entitled Life of Secundus (Latin: Vita Secundi Philosophi) purports to give details of his life as well as answers to philosophical questions posed to him by the emperor Hadrian. The work enjoyed great popularity in the Middle Ages.³²⁾
Serenianus 4th Century AD
Sochares ? †
Sotades of Maronea 3rd Century BC : Sotades was born in Maroneia, either the one in Thrace, or in Crete. He was the chief representative of the writers of obscene and even pederastic satirical poems, called Kinaidoi, composed in the Ionic dialect and in the “sotadic” metre named after him. The sotadic metre or sotadic verse, which has been classified by ancient and modern scholars as a form of ionic metre, is one that reads backwards and forwards the same, as “llewd did I live, and evil I did dwell.” These verses have also been called palindromic.³³⁾
Sphodrias ?
Stilpo of Megara Ca. 360 - 280
Teles Middle of the 3rd Century BC : Seven extracts of the lectures of Teles, totalling about thirty pages, are preserved by Stobaeus, although Stobaeus' own selections come from an earlier epitome by an otherwise unknown Theodorus.Thus what survives is a series of extracts from extracts, and it is quite possible that in between Teles and Theodorus, or Theodorus and Stobaeus, the writings went through a further editing process. The seven extracts are: Περὶ τοῦ δοϰεῖν ϰαὶ τοῦ εἶναι - On Seeming and Being, Περὶ αὐταρκείας - On Self-Sufficiency, Περὶ φυγῆς - On Exile, Σύγκρασις πενίας καὶ πλούτου - A Comparison of Poverty and Wealth, Περὶ τοῦ μὴ εῖναι τέλος ἡδονὴν - On Pleasure not being the Goal of Life, Περὶ περιστάσεων - On Circumstances, Περὶ ἀπαθείας - On Freedom from Passion. As a writer Teles has been regarded as being deficient in both literary and logical virtues, but this may reflect the way in which his works have been edited and compressed by Theodorus, Stobaeus, and others. The value of his writings lies in the fact that they are the earliest Cynic discourses (diatribes) to survive, and they provide an insight into the Hellenistic world in which Teles lived. His works make frequent mention of Socrates and Diogenes, and he preserves important fragments from the works of Crates of Thebes, Metrocles, Stilpo and Bion of Borysthenes. Without him we would know little about the Cynic diatribe in the 3rd-century BC, and we would know much less about Bion.³⁴⁾
Theagenes of Patras 2nd Century AD : Cynic philosopher and close friend of Peregrinus Proteus. He is known principally as a character who appears in Lucian's The Death of Peregrinus (Latin: De Morte Peregrini), where he is introduced as praising Peregrinus' desire to kill himself by self-immolation.³⁵⁾
Theombrotus 4th and 3rd Centuries BC
Theomnestus ?
Thrasyllus 4th Century BC
Timarchus of Alexandria 2nd Half of the 3rd Century BC
Varro 116 - 27 BC
Xanthippus ?
Xeniades of Corinth 4th Century BC
Zeno of Citium Ca. 335 - 263

Anonymous Cynics

Unknown Cynic 1 4th Century BC
Unknown Cynic 2 4th and 3rd Centuries BC †
Unknown Cynic 3 4th and 3rd Centuries BC
Unknown Cynic 4 1st Century BC and 1st Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 5 1st Century AD
Unknown Cynic 6 1st Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 7 1st Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 8 2nd Century AD
Unknown Cynic 9 2nd Century AD
Unknown Cynic 10 2nd Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 11 2nd Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 12 4th Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 13 4th Century AD †
Unknown Cynic 14 4th Century AD †

Cynics in Epistles

Recipients of the Cynic Epistles DIOGENES EPISTLES Agesilaus (22), Amynander (21), Anaxlaus (19), Anniceris (27), Antalcides (17), Apolexis (13|16|18), Aruecas (49), Charmidas (50), Epimenides (51), Eugnesius (8), Hippon (25), Lacydes (23|cf.37), Melesippe (42), Melesippus (20|41), Phaennylus (31), Phanomachus (33), Rhesus (48), Sopolis (35), Timomachus (36)

Recipients of the Cynic Epistles CRATES EPISTLES Aper (35), Dinomachus (36), Eumolpus (13), Ganymedes (23), Hermaiscus (4), Lysis (10), Mnaso (9), Orion (12), Patrocles (19)

Pancrates II
Phynichus of Larissa †
The Son of Philometor

Fictitious Cynics

Agathocles †
Alcidamas
Carneius of Megara
Cebes of Cyzicus
Crato
Cyniscus
Cynulcus †
Herophilus
Hyperides
Musonius of Babylon
Myrtilus †
Nicion, called Dog Fly †
Theodorus †
Thesmopolis

Mistaken Cynic

Nabal

Known as "Dogs"

¹⁾

Based on Appendix A from The Cynics: The Cynic Movement in Antiquity and Its Legacy by R. Bracht Branham and Marie-Odile Goulet-Cazé

²⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momus

³⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theseus

⁴⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacharsis

⁵⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus

⁶⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesiod

⁷⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer

⁸⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophanes

⁹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaximenes_of_Lampsacus

¹⁰⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisthenes

¹¹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asclepiades_the_Cynic

¹²⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercidas

¹³⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleomenes_the_Cynic

¹⁴⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crates_of_Thebes

¹⁵⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescens_the_Cynic

¹⁶⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrius_the_Cynic

¹⁷⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonax

¹⁸⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenes_of_Sinope

¹⁹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclius_the_Cynic

²⁰⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipparchia_of_Maroneia

²¹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horus_%28athlete%29

²²⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meleager_of_Gadara

²³⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menedemus_the_Cynic

²⁴⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menippus

²⁵⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrocles

²⁶⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monimus

²⁷⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oenomaus_of_Gadara

²⁸⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onesicritus

²⁹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancrates_of_Athens

³⁰⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrinus_Proteus

³¹⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philiscus_of_Aegina

³²⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secundus_the_Silent

³³⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotades_of_Maroneia

³⁴⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teles

³⁵⁾

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theagenes_of_Patras

Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition | Icaromenippus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 20:13:16 +0000

Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition | Icaromenippus

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

This dialogue, which is also called “Above the Clouds”, has a great deal of easy wit and humour in it without the least degree of stiffness and obscurity. It is equally severe on the gods and philosophers, and colors the pagan system with absurdity.
- Based on Francklin

Menippus and a Friend

1

Me. Let me see, now. First stage, Earth to Moon, 350 miles. Second stage, up to the Sun, 500 leagues. Then the third, to the actual Heaven and Zeus’s citadel, might be put at a day’s journey for an eagle in light marching order.

Fr. In the name of goodness, Menippus, what are these astronomical sums you are doing under your breath? I have been dogging yon for some time, listening to your suns and moons, queerly mixed up with common earthly stages and leagues.

Me. Ah, you must not be surprised if my talk is rather exalted and ethereal; I was making out the mileage of my journey.

Fr. Oh, I see; using stars to steer by, like the Phoenicians?

Me. Oh no, travelling among them.

Fr. Well, to be sure, it must have been a longish dream, if you lost yourself in it for whole leagues.

2

Me. Dream, my good man? I am just come straight from Zeus. Dream, indeed!

Fr. How? What? Our Menippus a literal godsend from Heaven?

Me. ’Tis even so; from very Zeus I come this day, eyes and ears yet full of wonders. Oh, doubt, if you will. That my fortune should pass belief makes it only the more gratifying.

Fr. Nay, my worshipful Olympian, how should I, ‘a man begotten, treading this poor earth,’ doubt him who transcends the clouds, a ‘denizen of Heaven,’ as Homer says? But vouchsafe to tell me how you were uplifted, and where you got your mighty tall ladder. There is hardly enough of Ganymede in your looks to suggest that you were carried off by the eagle for a cupbearer.

Me. I see you are bent on making a jest of it. Well, it is extraordinary; you could not be expected to see that it is not a romance. The fact is, I needed neither ladder nor amorous eagle; I had wings of my own.

Fr. Stranger and stranger! this beats Daedalus. What, you turned into a hawk or a crow on the sly?

Me. Now that is not a bad shot; it was Daedalus’s wing trick that I tried.

3

Fr. Well, talk of foolhardiness! did you like the idea of falling into the sea, and giving us a Mare Menippeum after the precedent of the Icarium?

Me. No fear. Icarus’s feathers were fastened with wax, and of course, directly the sun warmed this, he moulted and fell. No wax for me, thank you.

Fr. How did you manage, then? I declare I shall be believing you soon, if you go on like this.

Me. Well, I caught a fine eagle, and also a particularly powerful vulture, and cut off their wings above the shoulder-joint… But no; if you are not in a hurry, I may as well give you the enterprise from the beginning.

Fr. Do, do; I am rapt aloft by your words already, my mouth open for your bonne bouche; as you love me, leave me not in those upper regions hung up by the ears!

4

Me. Listen, then; it would be a sorry sight, a friend deserted, with his mouth open, and sus. per aures.— Well, a very short survey of life had convinced me of the absurdity and meanness and insecurity that pervade all human objects, such as wealth, office, power. I was filled with contempt for them, realized that to care for them was to lose all chance of what deserved care, and determined to grovel no more, but fix my gaze upon the great All. Here I found my first problem in what wise men call the universal order; I could not tell how it came into being, who made it, what was its beginning, or what its end. But my next step, which was the examination of details, landed me in yet worse perplexity. I found the stars dotted quite casually about the sky, and I wanted to know what the sun was. Especially the phenomena of the moon struck me as extraordinary, and quite passed my comprehension; there must be some mystery to account for those many phases, I conjectured. Nor could I feel any greater certainty about such things as the passage of lightning, the roll of thunder, the descent of rain and snow and hail.

5

In this state of mind, the best I could think of was to get at the truth of it all from the people called philosophers; they of course would be able to give it me. So I selected the best of them, if solemnity of visage, pallor of complexion and length of beard are any criterion — for there could not be a moment’s doubt of their soaring words and heaven-high thoughts — and in their hands I placed myself. For a considerable sum down, and more to be paid when they should have perfected me in wisdom, I was to be made an airy metaphysician and instructed in the order of the universe. Unfortunately, so far from dispelling my previous ignorance, they perplexed me more and more, with their daily drenches of beginnings and ends, atoms and voids, matters and forms. My greatest difficulty was that, though they differed among themselves, and all they said was full of inconsistency and contradiction, they expected me to believe them, each pulling me in his own direction.

Fr. How absurd that wise men should quarrel about facts, and hold different opinions on the same things!

6

Me. Ah, but keep your laughter till you have heard something of their pretentious mystifications. To begin with, their feet are on the ground; they are no taller than the rest of us ‘men that walk the earth’; they are no sharper-sighted than their neighbours, some of them purblind, indeed, with age or indolence; and yet they say they can distinguish the limits of the sky, they measure the sun’s circumference, take their walks in the supra-lunar regions, and specify the sizes and shapes of the stars as though they had fallen from them; often one of them could not tell you correctly the number of miles from Megara to Athens, but has no hesitation about the distance in feet from the sun to the moon. How high the atmosphere is, how deep the sea, how far it is round the earth — they have the figures for all that; and moreover, they have only to draw some circles, arrange a few triangles and squares, add certain complicated spheres, and lo, they have the cubic contents of Heaven.

7

Then, how reasonable and modest of them, dealing with subjects so debatable, to issue their views without a hint of uncertainty; thus it must be and it shall be; contra gentes they will have it so; they will tell you on oath the sun is a molten mass, the moon inhabited, and the stars water-drinkers, moisture being drawn up by the sun’s rope and bucket and equitably distributed among them.

8

How their theories conflict is soon apparent; next-door neighbours? no, they are miles apart. In the first place, their views of the world differ. Some say it had no beginning, and cannot end; others boldly talk of its creator and his procedure; what particularly entertained me was that these latter set up a contriver of the universe, but fail to mention where he came from, or what he stood on while about his elaborate task, though it is by no means obvious how there could be place or time before the universe came into being.

Fr. You really do make them out very audacious conjurers.

Me. My dear fellow, I wish I could give you their lucubrations on ideas and incorporeals, on finite and infinite. Over that point, now, there is fierce battle; some circumscribe the All, others will have it unlimited. At the same time they declare for a plurality of worlds, and speak scornfully of others who make only one. And there is a bellicose person who maintains that war is the father of the universe.

9

As to Gods, I need hardly deal with that question. For some of them God is a number; some swear by dogs and geese and plane-trees. Some again banish all other Gods, and attribute the control of the universe to a single one; I got rather depressed on learning how small the supply of divinity was. But I was comforted by the lavish souls who not only make many, but classify; there was a First God, and second and third classes of divinity. Yet again, some regard the divine nature as unsubstantial and without form, while others conceive it as a substance. Then they were not all disposed to recognize a Providence; some relieve the Gods of all care, as we relieve the superannuated of their civic duties; in fact, they treat them exactly like supernumeraries on the stage. The last step is also taken, of saying that Gods do not exist at all, and leaving the world to drift along without a master or a guiding hand.

10

Well, when I heard all this, I dared not disbelieve people whose voices and beards were equally suggestive of Zeus. But I knew not where to turn for a theory that was not open to exception, nor combated by one as soon as propounded by another. I found myself in the state Homer has described; many a time I would vigorously start believing one of these gentlemen;

But then came second thoughts.

So in my distress I began to despair of ever getting any knowledge about these things on earth; the only possible escape from perplexity would be to take to myself wings and go up to Heaven. Partly the wish was father to the thought; but it was confirmed by Aesop’s Fables, from which it appears that Heaven is accessible to eagles, beetles, and sometimes camels. It was pretty clear that I could not possibly develop feathers of my own. But if I were to wear vulture’s or eagle’s wings — the only kinds equal to a man’s weight — I might perhaps succeed. I caught the birds, and effectually amputated the eagle’s right, and the vulture’s left wing. These I fastened together, attached them to my shoulders with broad thick straps, and provided grips for my hands near the end of the quill-feathers. Then I made experiments, first jumping up and helping the jump by flapping my hands, or imitating the way a goose raises itself without leaving the ground and combines running with flight. Finding the machine obedient, I next made a bolder venture, went up the Acropolis, and launched myself from the cliff right over the theatre.

11

Getting safely to the bottom that time, my aspirations shot up aloft. I took to starting from Parnes or Hymettus, flying to Geranea, thence to the top of the Acrocorinthus, and over Pholoe and Erymanthus to Taygetus. The training for my venture was now complete; my powers were developed, and equal to a lofty flight; no more fledgeling essays for me. I went up Olympus, provisioning myself as lightly as possible. The moment was come; I soared skywards, giddy at first with that great void below, but soon conquering this difficulty. When I approached the Moon, long after parting from the clouds, I was conscious of fatigue, especially in the left or vulture’s wing. So I alighted and sat down to rest, having a bird’s-eye view of the Earth, like the Homeric Zeus,

Surveying now the Thracian horsemen’s land, Now Mysia,

and again, as the fancy took me, Greece or Persia or India. From all which I drew a manifold delight.

Fr. Oh well, Menippus, tell me all about it. I do not want to miss a single one of your travel experiences; if you picked up any stray information, let me have that too. I promise myself a great many facts about the shape of the Earth, and how everything on it looked to you from your point of vantage.

Me. And you will not be disappointed there, friend. So do your best to get up to the Moon, with my story for travelling companion and showman of the terrestrial scene.

12

Imagine yourself first descrying a tiny Earth, far smaller than the Moon looks; on turning my eyes down, I could not think for some time what had become of our mighty mountains and vast sea. If I had not caught sight of the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharus tower, I assure you I should never have made out the Earth at all. But their height and projection, with the faint shimmer of Ocean in the sun, showed me it must be the Earth I was looking at. Then, when once I had got my sight properly focused, the whole human race was clear to me, not merely in the shape of nations and cities, but the individuals, sailing, fighting, ploughing, going to law; the women, the beasts, and in short every breed ‘that feedeth on earth’s foison.’

Fr. Most unconvincing and contradictory. Just now you were searching for the Earth, it was so diminished by distance, and if the Colossus had not betrayed it, you would have taken it for something else; and now you develop suddenly into a Lynceus, and distinguish everything upon it, the men, the beasts, one might almost say the gnat-swarms. Explain, please.

13

Me. Why, to be sure! how did I come to leave out so essential a particular? I had made out the Earth, you see, but could not distinguish any details; the distance was so great, quite beyond the scope of my vision; so I was much chagrined and baffled. At this moment of depression — I was very near tears — who should come up behind me but Empedocles the physicist? His complexion was like charcoal variegated with ashes, as if he had been baked. I will not deny that I felt some tremors at the sight of him, taking him for some lunar spirit. But he said: ‘Do not be afraid, Menippus;

A mortal I, no God; how vain thy dreams.

I am Empedocles the physicist. When I threw myself into the crater in such a hurry, the smoke of Etna whirled me off up here; and now I live in the Moon, doing a good deal of high thinking on a diet of dew. So I have come to help you out of your difficulty; you are distressed, I take it, at not being able to see everything on the Earth.’ ‘Thank you so much, you good Empedocles,’ I said; ‘as soon as my wings have brought me back to Greece, I will remember to pour libations to you up the chimney, and salute you on the first of every month with three moonward yawns.’ ‘Endymion be my witness,’ he replied, ‘I had no thought of such a bargain; I was touched by the sight of your distress. Now, what do you think is the way to sharpen your sight?’

14

‘I have no idea, unless you were to remove the mist from my eyes for me; the sight seems quite bleared.’ ‘Oh, you can do without me; the thing that gives sharp sight you have brought with you from Earth.’ ‘Unconsciously, then; what is it?’ ‘Why, you know that you have on an eagle’s right wing?’ ‘Of course I do; but what have wings and eyes to do with one another?’ ‘Only this,’ he said; ‘the eagle is far the strongest-eyed of all living things, the only one that can look straight at the sun; the test of the true royal eagle is, his meeting its rays without blinking.’ ‘So I have heard; I wish I had taken out my own eyes when I was starting, and substituted the eagle’s. I am an imperfect specimen now I am here, not up to the royal standard at all, but like the rejected bastards.’ ‘Well, you can very soon acquire one royal eye. If you will stand up for a minute, keep the vulture wing still, and work the other, your right eye, corresponding to that wing, will gain strength. As for the other, its dimness cannot possibly be obviated, as it belongs to the inferior member.’ ‘Oh, I shall be quite content with aquiline vision for the right eye only,’ I said; ‘I have often observed that carpenters in ruling their wood find one better than two.’ So saying, I proceeded to carry out my instructions at once. Empedocles began gradually to disappear, and at last vanished in smoke.

15

I had no sooner flapped the wing than a flood of light enveloped me, and things that before I had not even been aware of became perfectly clear. I turned my eyes down earthwards, and with ease discerned cities, men, and all that was going on, not merely in the open, but in the fancied security of houses. There was Ptolemy in his sister’s arms, the son of Lysimachus plotting against his father, Seleucus’s son Antiochus making signs to his step-mother Stratonice, Alexander of Pherae being murdered by his wife, Antigonus corrupting his daughter-inlaw, the son of Attalus putting the poison in his cup; Arsaces was in the act of slaying his mistress, while the eunuch Arbaces drew his sword upon him; the guards were dragging Spatinus the Mede out from the banquet by the foot, with the lump on his brow from the golden cup. Similar sights were to be seen in the palaces of Libya and Scythia and Thrace — adulteries, murders, treasons, robberies, perjuries, suspicions, and monstrous betrayals.

16

Such was the entertainment afforded me by royalty; private life was much more amusing; for I could make that out too. I saw Hermodorus the Epicurean perjuring himself for 40 pounds, Agathocles the Stoic suing a pupil for his fees, lawyer Clinias stealing a bowl from the temple of Asclepius, and Herophilus the cynic sleeping in a brothel. Not to mention the multitude of burglars, litigants, usurers, duns; oh, it was a fine representative show!

Fr. I must say, Menippus, I should have liked the details here too; it all seems to have been very much to your taste.

Me. I could not go through the whole of it, even to please you; to take it in with the eyes kept one busy. But the main divisions were very much what Homer gives from the shield of Achilles: here junketings and marriages, there courts and councils, in another compartment a sacrifice, and hard by a mourning. If I glanced at Getica, I would see the Getae at war; at Scythia, there were the Scythians wandering about on their waggons; half a turn in another direction gave me Egyptians at the plough, or Phoenicians chaffering, Cilician pirates, Spartan flagellants, Athenians at law.

17

All this was simultaneous, you understand; and you must try to conceive what a queer jumble it all made. It was as if a man were to collect a number of choristers, or rather of choruses, and then tell each individual to disregard the others and start a strain of his own; if each did his best, went his own way, and tried to drown his neighbour, can you imagine what the musical effect would be?

Fr. A very ridiculous confusion.

Me. Well, friend, such are the earthly dancers; the life of man is just such a discordant performance; not only are the voices jangled, but the steps are not uniform, the motions not concerted, the objects not agreed upon — until the impresario dismisses them one by one from the stage, with a ‘not wanted.’ Then they are all alike, and quiet enough, confounding no longer their undisciplined rival strains. But as long as the show lasts in its marvellous diversity, there is plenty of food for laughter in its vagaries.

18

The people who most amused me, however, were those who dispute about boundaries, or pride themselves on cultivating the plain of Sicyon, or holding the Oenoe side of Marathon, or a thousand acres at Acharnae. The whole of Greece, as I then saw it, might measure some four inches; how much smaller Athens on the same scale. So I realized what sort of sized basis for their pride remains to our rich men. The widest-acred of them all, methought, was the proud cultivator of an Epicurean atom. Then I looked at the Peloponnese, my eyes fell on the Cynurian district, and the thought occurred that it was for this little plot, no broader than an Egyptian lentil, that all those Argives and Spartans fell in a single day. Or if I saw a man puffed up by the possession of seven or eight gold rings and half as many gold cups, again my lungs would begin to crow; why, Pangaeus with all its mines was about the size of a grain of millet.

Fr. You lucky man! what a rare sight you had! And how big, now, did the towns and the people look from there?

19

Me. You must often have seen a community of ants, some of them a seething mass, some going abroad, others coming back to town. One is a scavenger, another a bustling porter loaded with a bit of bean-pod or half a wheat grain. They no doubt have, on their modest myrmecic scale, their architects and politicians, their magistrates and composers and philosophers. At any rate, what men and cities suggested to me was just so many ant-hills. If you think the similitude too disparaging, look into the Thessalian legends, and you will find that the most warlike tribe there was the Myrmidons, or ants turned men. Well, when I had had enough of contemplation and laughter, I roused myself and soared

To join the Gods, where dwells the Lord of storms.

20

I had only flown a couple of hundred yards, when Selene’s feminine voice reached me: ‘Menippus, do me an errand to Zeus, and I will wish you a pleasant journey.’ ‘You have only to name it,’ I said, ‘provided it is not something to carry.’ ‘It is a simple message of entreaty to Zeus. I am tired to death, you must know, of being slandered by these philosophers; they have no better occupation than impertinent curiosity about me — What am I? how big am I? why am I halved? why am I gibbous? I am inhabited; I am just a mirror hung over the sea; I am — whatever their latest fancy suggests. It is the last straw when they say my light is stolen, sham, imported from the sun, and keep on doing their best to get up jealousy and ill feeling between brother and sister. They might have been contented with making him out a stone or a red-hot lump.

21

‘These gentry who in the day look so stern and manly, dress so gravely, and are so revered by common men, would be surprised to learn how much I know of their vile nightly abominations. I see them all, though I never tell; it would be too indecent to make revelations, and show up the contrast between their nightly doings and their public performances; so, if I catch one of them in adultery or theft or other nocturnal adventure, I pull my cloud veil over me; I do not want the vulgar to see old men disgracing their long beards and their virtuous calling. But they go on giving tongue and worrying me all the same, and, so help me Night, I have thought many a time of going a long, long way off, out of reach of their impertinent tongues. Will you remember to tell Zeus all this? and you may add that I cannot remain at my post unless he will pulverize the physicists, muzzle the logicians, raze the Porch, burn the Academy, and put an end to strolling in the Lyceum. That might secure me a little peace from these daily mensurations.’

22

‘I will remember,’ said I, and resumed my upward flight to Heaven, through

A region where nor ox nor man had wrought.

For the Moon was soon but a small object, with the Earth entirely hidden behind it. Three days’ flight through the stars, with the Sun on my right hand, brought me close to Heaven; and my first idea was to go straight in as I was; I should easily pass unobserved in virtue of my half-eagleship; for of course the eagle was Zeus’s familiar; on second thoughts, though, my vulture wing would very soon betray me. So, thinking it better not to run any risks, I went up to the door and knocked. Hermes opened, took my name, and hurried off to inform Zeus. After a brief wait I was asked to step in; I was now trembling with apprehension, and I found that the Gods, who were all seated together, were not quite easy themselves. The unexpected nature of the visit was slightly disturbing to them, and they had visions of all mankind arriving at my heels by the same conveyance.

23

But Zeus bent upon me a Titanic glance, awful, penetrating, and spoke:

Who art thou? where thy city? who thy kin?

At the sound, I nearly died of fear, but remained upright, though mute and paralysed by that thunderous voice. I gradually recovered, began at the beginning, and gave a clear account of myself — how I had been possessed with curiosity about the heavens, had gone to the philosophers, found their accounts conflicting, and grown tired of being logically rent in twain; so I came to my great idea, my wings, and ultimately to Heaven; I added Selene’s message. Zeus smiled and slightly unbent his brow. ‘What of Otus and Ephialtes now?’ he said; ‘here is Menippus scaling Heaven! Well, well, for today consider yourself our guest. Tomorrow we will treat with you of your business, and send you on your way.’ And therewith he rose and walked to the acoustic centre of Heaven, it being prayer time.

24

As he went, he put questions to me about earthly affairs, beginning with, What was wheat a quarter in Greece? had we suffered much from cold last winter? and did the vegetables want more rain? Then he wished to know whether any of Phidias’s kin were alive, why there had been no Diasia at Athens all these years, whether his Olympieum was ever going to be completed, and had the robbers of his temple at Dodona been caught? I answered all these questions, and he proceeded:—‘Tell me, Menippus, what are men’s feelings towards me?’ ‘What should they be, Lord, but those of absolute reverence, as to the King of all Gods?’ ‘Now, now, chaffing as usual,’ he said; ‘I know their fickleness very well, for all your dissimulation. There was a time when I was their prophet, their healer, and their all,

And Zeus filled every street and gathering-place.

In those days Dodona and Pisa were glorious and far-famed, and I could not get a view for the clouds of sacrificial steam. But now Apollo has set up his oracle at Delphi, Asclepius his temple of health at Pergamum, Bendis and Anubis and Artemis their shrines in Thrace, Egypt, Ephesus; and to these all run; theirs the festal gatherings and the hecatombs. As for me, I am superannuated; they think themselves very generous if they offer me a victim at Olympia at four-year intervals. My altars are cold as Plato’s Laws or Chrysippus’s Syllogisms.’

25

So talking, we reached the spot where he was to sit and listen to the prayers. There was a row of openings with lids like well-covers, and a chair of gold by each. Zeus took his seat at the first, lifted off the lid and inclined his ear. From every quarter of Earth were coming the most various and contradictory petitions; for I too bent down my head and listened. Here are specimens. ‘O Zeus, that I might be king!’ ‘O Zeus, that my onions and garlic might thrive!’ ‘Ye Gods, a speedy death for my father!’ Or again, ‘Would that I might succeed to my wife’s property!’ ‘Grant that my plot against my brother be not detected.’ ‘Let me win my suit.’ ‘Give me an Olympic garland.’ Of those at sea, one prayed for a north, another for a south wind; the farmer asked for rain, the fuller for sun. Zeus listened, and gave each prayer careful consideration, but without promising to grant them all;

Our Father this bestowed, and that withheld.

Righteous prayers he allowed to come up through the hole, received and laid them down at his right, while he sent the unholy ones packing with a downward puff of breath, that Heaven might not be defiled by their entrance. In one case I saw him puzzled; two men praying for opposite things and promising the same sacrifices, he could not tell which of them to favour, and experienced a truly Academic suspense of judgement, showing a reserve and equilibrium worthy of Pyrrho himself.

26

The prayers disposed of, he went on to the next chair and opening, and attended to oaths and their takers. These done with, and Hermodorus the Epicurean annihilated, he proceeded to the next chair to deal with omens, prophetic voices, and auguries. Then came the turn of the sacrifice aperture, through which the smoke came up and communicated to Zeus the name of the devotee it represented. After that, he was free to give his wind and weather orders:— Rain for Scythia today, a thunderstorm for Libya, snow for Greece. The north wind he instructed to blow in Lydia, the west to raise a storm in the Adriatic, the south to take a rest; a thousand bushels of hail to be distributed over Cappadocia.

27

His work was now pretty well completed, and as it was just dinner time, we went to the banquet hall. Hermes received me, and gave me my place next to a group of Gods whose alien origin left them in a rather doubtful position — Pan, the Corybants, Attis, and Sabazius. I was supplied with bread by Demeter, wine by Dionysus, meat by Heracles, myrtle-blossoms by Aphrodite, and sprats by Posidon. But I also got a sly taste of ambrosia and nectar; good-natured Ganymede, as often as he saw that Zeus’s attention was engaged elsewhere, brought round the nectar and indulged me with a half-pint or so. The Gods, as Homer (who I think must have had the same opportunities of observation as myself) somewhere says, neither eat bread nor drink the ruddy wine; they heap their plates with ambrosia, and are nectar-bibbers; but their choicest dainties are the smoke of sacrifice ascending with rich fumes, and the blood of victims poured by their worshippers round the altars. During dinner, Apollo harped, Silenus danced his wild measures, the Muses uprose and sang to us from Hesiod’s Birth of Gods, and the first of Pindar’s odes. When we had our fill and had well drunken, we slumbered, each where he was.

28

Slept all the Gods, and men with plumed helms, That livelong night; but me kind sleep forsook;

for I had much upon my mind; most of all, how came it that Apollo, in all that time, had never grown a beard? and how was night possible in Heaven, with the sun always there taking his share of the good cheer? So I had but a short nap of it. And in the morning Zeus arose, and bade summon an assembly.

29

When all were gathered, he thus commenced:—‘The immediate occasion of my summoning you is the arrival of this stranger yesterday. But I have long intended to take counsel with you regarding the philosophers, and now, urged by Selene and her complaints, I have determined to defer the consideration of the question no longer. There is a class which has recently become conspicuous among men; they are idle, quarrelsome, vain, irritable, lickerish, silly, puffed up, arrogant, and, in Homeric phrase, vain cumberers of the earth. These men have divided themselves into bands, each dwelling in a separate word-maze of its own construction, and call themselves Stoics, Epicureans, Peripatetics, and more farcical names yet. Then they take to themselves the holy name of Virtue, and with uplifted brows and flowing beards exhibit the deceitful semblance that hides immoral lives; their model is the tragic actor, from whom if you strip off the mask and the gold-spangled robe, there is nothing left but a paltry fellow hired for a few shillings to play a part.

30

‘Nevertheless, quite undeterred by their own characters, they scorn the human and travesty the divine; they gather a company of guileless youths, and feed them with solemn chatter upon Virtue and quibbling verbal puzzles; in their pupils’ presence they are all for fortitude and temperance, and have no words bad enough for wealth and pleasure: when they are by themselves, there is no limit to their gluttony, their lechery, their licking of dirty pence. But the head and front of their offending is this: they neither work themselves nor help others’ work; they are useless drones,

Of no avail in council nor in war;

which notwithstanding, they censure others; they store up poisoned words, they con invectives, they heap their neighbours with reproaches; their highest honours are for him who shall be loudest and most overbearing and boldest in abuse.

31

‘Ask one of these brawling bawling censors, And what do you do? in God’s name, what shall we call your contribution to progress? and he would reply, if conscience and truth were anything to him: I consider it superfluous to sail the sea or till the earth or fight for my country or follow a trade; but I have a loud voice and a dirty body; I eschew warm water and go barefoot through the winter; I am a Momus who can always pick holes in other people’s coats; if a rich man keeps a costly table or a mistress, I make it my business to be properly horrified; but if my familiar friend is lying sick, in need of help and care, I am not aware of it. Such, your Godheads, is the nature of this vermin.

32

‘There is a special insolence in those who call themselves Epicureans; these go so far as to lay their hands on our character; we take no interest in human affairs, they say, and in fact have nothing to do with the course of events. And this is a serious question for you; if once they infect their generation with this view, you will learn what hunger means. Who will sacrifice to you, if he does not expect to profit by it? As to Selene’s complaints, you all heard them yesterday from this stranger’s lips. And now decide upon such measures as shall advantage mankind and secure your own safety.’

33

Zeus had no sooner closed his speech than clamour prevailed, all crying at once: Blast! burn! annihilate! to the pit with them! to Tartarus! to the Giants! Zeus ordered silence again, and then, ‘Your wishes,’ he said, ‘shall be executed; they shall all be annihilated, and their logic with them. But just at present chastisement is not lawful; you are aware that we are now in the four months of the long vacation; the formal notice has lately been issued. In the spring of next year, the baleful levin-bolt shall give them the fate they deserve.’

He spake, and sealed his word with lowering brows.

34

‘As to Menippus,’ he added, ‘my pleasure is this. He shall be deprived of his wings, and so incapacitated for repeating his visit, but shall today be conveyed back to Earth by Hermes.’ So saying, he dismissed the assembly. The Cyllenian accordingly lifted me up by the right ear, and yesterday evening deposited me in the Ceramicus. And now, friend, you have all the latest from Heaven. I must be off to the Poecile, to let the philosophers loitering there know the luck they are in.

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Menippus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:48:13 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Menippus

<blockquote>Menippus. Philonides

Me. All hail, my roof, my doors, my hearth and home! How sweet again to see the light and thee!

Phi. Menippus the cynic, surely; even so, or there are visions about. Menippus, every inch of him. What has he been getting himself up like that for? sailor’s cap, lyre, and lion-skin? However, here goes.— How are you, Menippus? where do you spring from? You have disappeared this long time.

Me. Death’s lurking-place I leave, and those dark gates Where Hades dwells, a God apart from Gods.

Phi. Good gracious! has Menippus died, all on the quiet, and come to life for a second spell?

Me. Not so; a living guest in Hades I.

Phi. But what induced you to take this queer original journey?

Me. Youth drew me on — too bold, too little wise.

Phi. My good man, truce to your heroics; get off those iambic stilts, and tell me in plain prose what this get-up means; what did you want with the lower regions? It is a journey that needs a motive to make it attractive.

Me. Dear friend, to Hades’ realms I needs must go, To counsel with Tiresias of Thebes.

Phi. Man, you must be mad; or why string verses instead of talking like one friend with another?

Me. My dear fellow, you need not be so surprised. I have just been in Euripides’s and Homer’s company; I suppose I am full to the throat with verse, and the numbers come as soon as I open my mouth. But how are things going up here? what is Athens about?

Phi. Oh, nothing new; extortion, perjury, forty per cent, face-grinding.

Me. Poor misguided fools! they are not posted up in the latest lower-world legislation; the recent decrees against the rich will be too much for all their evasive ingenuity.

Phi. Do you mean to say the lower world has been making new regulations for us?

Me. Plenty of them, I assure you. But I may not publish them, nor reveal secrets; the result might be a suit for impiety in the court of Rhadamanthus.

Phi. Oh now, Menippus, in Heaven’s name, no secrets between friends! you know I am no blabber; and I am initiated, if you come to that.

Me. ’Tis a hard thing you ask, and a perilous; yet for you I must venture it. It was resolved, then, that these rich who roll in money and keep their gold under lock and key like a Danae ——

Phi. Oh, don’t come to the decrees yet; begin at the beginning. I am particularly curious about your object in going, who showed you the way, and the whole story of what you saw and heard down there; you are a man of taste, and sure not to have missed anything worth looking at or listening to.

Me. I can refuse you nothing, you see; what is one to do, when a friend insists? Well, I will show you first the state of mind which put me on the venture. When I was a boy, and listened to Homer’s and Hesiod’s tales of war and civil strife — and they do not confine themselves to the Heroes, but include the Gods in their descriptions, adulterous Gods, rapacious Gods, violent, litigious, usurping, inces-uous Gods —, well, I found it all quite proper, and indeed was intensely interested in it. But as I came to man’s estate, I observed that the laws flatly contradicted the poets, forbidding adultery, sedition, and rapacity. So I was in a very hazy state of mind, and could not tell what to make of it. The Gods would surely never have been guilty of such behaviour if they had not considered it good; and yet law-givers would never have recommended avoiding it, if avoidance had not seemed desirable.

In this perplexity, I determined to go to the people they call philosophers, put myself in their hands, and ask them to make what they would of me and give me a plain reliable map of life. This was my idea in going to them; but the effort only shifted me from the frying-pan into the fire; it was just among these that my inquiry brought the greatest ignorance and bewilderment to light; they very soon convinced me that the real golden life is that of the man in the street. One of them would have me do nothing but seek pleasure and ensue it; according to him, Happiness was pleasure. Another recommended the exact contrary — toil and moil, bring the body under, be filthy and squalid, disgusting and abusive — concluding always with the tags from Hesiod about Virtue, or something about indefatigable pursuit of the ideal. Another bade me despise money, and reckon the acquisition of it as a thing indifferent; he too had his contrary, who declared wealth a good in itself. I will spare you their metaphysics; I was sickened with daily doses of Ideas, Incorporeal Things, Atoms, Vacua, and a multitude more. The extraordinary thing was that people maintaining the most opposite views would each of them produce convincing plausible arguments; when the same thing was called hot and cold by different persons, there was no refuting one more than the other, however well one knew that it could not be hot and cold at once. I was just like a man dropping off to sleep, with his head first nodding forward, and then jerking back.

Yet that absurdity is surpassed by another. I found by observation that the practice of these same people was diametrically opposed to their precepts. Those who preached contempt of wealth would hold on to it like grim death, dispute about interest, teach for pay, and sacrifice everything to the main chance, while the depreciators of fame directed all their words and deeds to nothing else but fame; pleasure, which had all their private devotions, they were almost unanimous in condemning.

Thus again disappointed of my hope, I was in yet worse case than before; it was slight consolation to reflect that I was in numerous and wise and eminently sensible company, if I was a fool still, all astray in my quest of Truth. One night, while these thoughts kept me sleepless, I resolved to go to Babylon and ask help from one of the Magi, Zoroaster’s disciples and successors; I had been told that by incantations and other rites they could open the gates of Hades, take down any one they chose in safety, and bring him up again. I thought the best thing would be to secure the services of one of these, visit Tiresias the Boeotian, and learn from that wise seer what is the best life and the right choice for a man of sense. I got up with all speed and started straight for Babylon. When I arrived, I found a wise and wonderful Chaldean; he was white-haired, with a long imposing beard, and called Mithrobarzanes. My prayers and supplications at last induced him to name a price for conducting me down.

Taking me under his charge, he commenced with a new moon, and brought me down for twenty-nine successive mornings to the Euphrates, where he bathed me, apostrophizing the rising sun in a long formula, of which I never caught much; he gabbled indistinctly, like bad heralds at the Games; but he appeared to be invoking spirits. This charm completed, he spat thrice upon my face, and I went home, not letting my eyes meet those of any one we passed. Our food was nuts and acorns, our drink milk and hydromel and water from the Choaspes, and we slept out of doors on the grass. When he thought me sufficiently prepared, he took me at midnight to the Tigris, purified and rubbed me over, sanctified me with torches and squills and other things, muttering the charm aforesaid, then made a magic circle round me to protect me from ghosts, and finally led me home backwards just as I was; it was now time to arrange our voyage.

He himself put on a magic robe, Median in character, and fetched and gave me the cap, lion’s skin, and lyre which you see, telling me if I were asked my name not to say Menippus, but Heracles, Odysseus, or Orpheus.

Phi. What was that for? I see no reason either for the get-up or for the choice of names.

Me. Oh, obvious enough; there is no mystery in that. He thought that as these three had gone down alive to Hades before us, I might easily elude Aeacus’s guard by borrowing their appearance, and be passed as an habitue; there is good warrant in the theatre for the efficiency of disguise.

Dawn was approaching when we went down to the river to embark; he had provided a boat, victims, hydromel, and all necessaries for our mystic enterprise. We put all aboard, and then,

Troubled at heart, with welling tears, we went.

For some distance we floated down stream, until we entered the marshy lake in which the Euphrates disappears. Beyond this we came to a desolate, wooded, sunless spot; there we landed, Mithrobarzanes leading the way, and proceeded to dig a pit, slay our sheep, and sprinkle their blood round the edge. Meanwhile the Mage, with a lighted torch in his hand, abandoning his customary whisper, shouted at the top of his voice an invocation to all spirits, particularly the Poenae and Erinyes,

Hecat’s dark might, and dread Persephone,

with a string of other names, outlandish, unintelligible, and polysyllabic.

As he ended, there was a great commotion, earth was burst open by the incantation, the barking of Cerberus was heard far off, and all was overcast and lowering;

Quaked in his dark abyss the King of Shades;

for almost all was now unveiled to us, the lake, and Phlegethon, and the abode of Pluto. Undeterred, we made our way down the chasm, and came upon Rhadamanthus half dead with fear. Cerberus barked and looked like getting up; but I quickly touched my lyre, and the first note sufficed to lull him. Reaching the lake, we nearly missed our passage for that time, the ferry-boat being already full; there was incessant lamentation, and all the passengers had wounds upon them; mangled legs, mangled heads, mangled everything; no doubt there was a war going on. Nevertheless, when good Charon saw the lion’s skin, taking me for Heracles, he made room, was delighted to give me a passage, and showed us our direction when we got off.

We were now in darkness; so Mithrobarzanes led the way, and I followed holding on to him, until we reached a great meadow of asphodel, where the shades of the dead, with their thin voices, came flitting round us. Working gradually on, we reached the court of Minos; he was sitting on a high throne, with the Poenae, Avengers, and Erinyes standing at the sides. From another direction was being brought a long row of persons chained together; I heard that they were adulterers, procurers, publicans, sycophants, informers, and all the filth that pollutes the stream of life. Separate from them came the rich and usurers, pale, pot-bellied, and gouty, each with a hundredweight of spiked collar upon him. There we stood looking at the proceedings and listening to the pleas they put in; their accusers were orators of a strange and novel species. Phi. Who, in God’s name? shrink not; let me know all.

Me. It has not escaped your observation that the sun projects certain shadows of our bodies on the ground.

Phi. How should it have?

Me. These, when we die, are the prosecutors and witnesses who bring home to us our conduct on earth; their constant attendance and absolute attachment to our persons secures them high credit in the witness-box.

Well, Minos carefully examined each prisoner, and sent him off to the place of the wicked to receive punishment proportionate to his transgressions. He was especially severe upon those who, puffed up with wealth and authority, were expecting an almost reverential treatment; he could not away with their ephemeral presumption and superciliousness, their failure to realize the mortality of themselves and their fortunes. Stripped of all that made them glorious, of wealth and birth and power, there they stood naked and downcast, reconstructing their worldly blessedness in their minds like a dream that is gone; the spectacle was meat and drink to me; any that I knew by sight I would come quietly up to, and remind him of his state up here; what a spirit had his been, when morning crowds lined his hall, expectant of his coming, being jostled or thrust out by lacqueys! at last my lord Sun would dawn upon them, in purple or gold or rainbow hues, not unconscious of the bliss he shed upon those who approached, if he let them kiss his breast or his hand. These reminders seemed to annoy them.

Minos, however, did allow his decision to be influenced in one case. Dionysius of Syracuse was accused by Dion of many unholy deeds, and damning evidence was produced by his shadow; he was on the point of being chained to the Chimera, when Aristippus of Cyrene, whose name and influence are great below, got him off on the ground of his constant generosity as a patron of literature.

We left the court at last, and came to the place of punishment. Many a piteous sight and sound was there — cracking of whips, shrieks of the burning, rack and gibbet and wheel; Chimera tearing, Cerberus devouring; all tortured together, kings and slaves, governors and paupers, rich and beggars, and all repenting their sins. A few of them, the lately dead, we recognized. These would turn away and shrink from observation; or if they met our eyes, it would be with a slavish cringing glance — how different from the arrogance and contempt that had marked them in life! The poor were allowed half-time in their tortures, respite and punishment alternating. Those with whom legend is so busy I saw with my eyes — Ixion, Sisyphus, the Phrygian Tantalus in all his misery, and the giant Tityus — how vast, his bulk covering a whole field!

Leaving these, we entered the Acherusian plain, and there found the demi-gods, men and women both, and the common dead, dwelling in their nations and tribes, some of them ancient and mouldering, ‘strengthless heads,’ as Homer has it, others fresh, with substance yet in them, Egyptians chiefly, these — so long last their embalming drugs. But to know one from another was no easy task; all are so like when the bones are bared; yet with pains and long scrutiny we could make them out. They lay pell-mell in undistinguished heaps, with none of their earthly beauties left. With all those anatomies piled together as like as could be, eyes glaring ghastly and vacant, teeth gleaming bare, I knew not how to tell Thersites from Nireus the beauty, beggar Irus from the Phaeacian king, or cook Pyrrhias from Agamemnon’s self. Their ancient marks were gone, and their bones alike — uncertain, unlabelled, indistinguishable.

When I saw all this, the life of man came before me under the likeness of a great pageant, arranged and marshalled by Chance, who distributed infinitely varied costumes to the performers. She would take one and array him like a king, with tiara, bodyguard, and crown complete; another she dressed like a slave; one was adorned with beauty, another got up as a ridiculous hunchback; there must be all kinds in the show. Often before the procession was over she made individuals exchange characters; they could not be allowed to keep the same to the end; Croesus must double parts and appear as slave and captive; Maeandrius, starting as slave, would take over Polycrates’s despotism, and be allowed to keep his new clothes for a little while. And when the procession is done, every one disrobes, gives up his character with his body, and appears, as he originally was, just like his neighbour. Some, when Chance comes round collecting the properties, are silly enough to sulk and protest, as though they were being robbed of their own instead of only returning loans. You know the kind of thing on the stage — tragic actors shifting as the play requires from Creon to Priam, from Priam to Agamemnon; the same man, very likely, whom you saw just now in all the majesty of Cecrops or Erechtheus, treads the boards next as a slave, because the author tells him to. The play over, each of them throws off his gold-spangled robe and his mask, descends from the buskin’s height, and moves a mean ordinary creature; his name is not now Agamemnon son of Atreus or Creon son of Menoeceus, but Polus son of Charicles of Sunium or Satyrus son of Theogiton of Marathon. Such is the condition of mankind, or so that sight presented it to me.

Phi. Now, if a man occupies a costly towering sepulchre, or leaves monuments, statues, inscriptions behind him on earth, does not this place him in a class above the common dead?

Me. Nonsense, my good man; if you had looked on Mausolus himself — the Carian so famous for his tomb —, I assure you, you would never have stopped laughing; he was a miserable unconsidered unit among the general mass of the dead, flung aside in a dusty hole, with no profit of his sepulchre but its extra weight upon him. No, friend, when Aeacus gives a man his allowance of space — and it never exceeds a foot’s breadth —, he must be content to pack himself into its limits. You might have laughed still more if you had beheld the kings and governors of earth begging in Hades, selling salt fish for a living, it might be, or giving elementary lessons, insulted by any one who met them, and cuffed like the most worthless of slaves. When I saw Philip of Macedon, I could not contain myself; some one showed him to me cobbling old shoes for money in a corner. Many others were to be seen begging — people like Xerxes, Darius, or Polycrates.

Phi. These royal downfalls are extraordinary almost incredible. But what of Socrates, Diogenes, and such wise men?

Me. Socrates still goes about proving everybody wrong, the same as ever; Palamedes, Odysseus, Nestor, and a few other conversational shades, keep him company. His legs, by the way, were still puffy and swollen from the poison. Good Diogenes pitches close to Sardanapalus, Midas, and other specimens of magnificence. The sound of their lamentations and better-day memories keeps him in laughter and spirits; he is generally stretched on his back roaring out a noisy song which drowns lamentation; it annoys them, and they are looking out for a new pitch where he may not molest them.

Phi. I am satisfied. And now for that decree which you told me had been passed against the rich.

Me. Well remembered; that was what I meant to tell you about, but I have somehow got far astray. Well, during my stay the presiding officers gave notice of an assembly on matters of general interest. So, when I saw every one flocking to it, I mingled with the shades and constituted myself a member. Various measures were decided upon, and last came this question of the rich. Many grave accusations were preferred against them, including violence, ostentation, pride, injustice; and at last a popular speaker rose and moved this decree. Decree

‘Whereas the rich are guilty of many illegalities on earth, harrying and oppressing the poor and trampling upon all their rights, it is the pleasure of the Senate and People that after death they shall be punished in their bodies like other malefactors, but their souls shall be sent on earth to inhabit asses, until they have passed in that shape a quarter-million of years, generation after generation, bearing burdens under the tender mercies of the poor; after which they shall be permitted to die. Mover of this decree — Cranion son of Skeletion of the deme Necysia in the Alibantid [Footnote: The four names are formed from words meaning skull, skeleton, corpse, anatomy.] tribe.’ The decree read, a formal vote was taken, in which the people accepted it. A snort from Brimo and a bark from Cerberus completed the proceedings according to the regular form.

So went the assembly. And now, in pursuance of my original design, I went to Tiresias, explained my case fully, and implored him to give me his views upon the best life. He is a blind little old man, pale and weak-voiced. He smiled and said:—‘My son, the cause of your perplexity, I know, is the fact that doctors differ; but I may not enlighten you; Rhadamanthus forbids.’ ‘Ah, say not so, father,’ I exclaimed; ‘speak out, and leave me not to wander through life in a blindness worse than yours.’ So he drew me apart to a considerable distance, and whispered in my ear:—‘The life of the ordinary man is the best and most prudent choice; cease from the folly of metaphysical speculation and inquiry into origins and ends, utterly reject their clever logic, count all these things idle talk, and pursue one end alone — how you may do what your hand finds to do, and go your way with ever a smile and never a passion.’

So he, and sought the lawn of asphodel.

It was now late, and I told Mithrobarzanes that our work was done, and we might reascend. ‘Very well, Menippus,’ said he, ‘I will show you an easy short cut.’ And taking me to a place where the darkness was especially thick, he pointed to a dim and distant ray of light — a mere pencil admitted through a chink. ‘There,’ he said, ‘is the shrine of Trophonius, from which the Boeotian inquirers start; go up that way, and you will be on Grecian soil without more ado.’ I was delighted, took my leave of the Mage, crawled with considerable difficulty through the aperture, and found myself, sure enough, at Lebadea.
Source</blockquote>

Menippus | Necyomantia

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 20:17:22 +0000

Menippus | Necyomantia

A Necromantic Experiment

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

This dialogue was undoubtedly designed by Lucian as a parody on the 11th Book of Homer's Odyssey, describing the descent of Odysseus to the Infernal Regions. The ancient critics have assigned the title “nekromantia”, or the Book of Necromancy, to the work. There also seems to be an allusion to the Oracle of Trophonius, and the ceremonies observed by all of those who consulted it, as accurately and minutely described by Pausanias.

Menippus. Philonides

1

Me. All hail, my roof, my doors, my hearth and home! How sweet again to see the light and thee!

Phi. Menippus the cynic, surely; even so, or there are visions about. Menippus, every inch of him. What has he been getting himself up like that for? sailor’s cap, lyre, and lion-skin? However, here goes.— How are you, Menippus? where do you spring from? You have disappeared this long time.

Me. Death’s lurking-place I leave, and those dark gates Where Hades dwells, a God apart from Gods.

Phi. Good gracious! has Menippus died, all on the quiet, and come to life for a second spell?

Me. Not so; a living guest in Hades I.

Phi. But what induced you to take this queer original journey?

Me. Youth drew me on — too bold, too little wise.

Phi. My good man, truce to your heroics; get off those iambic stilts, and tell me in plain prose what this get-up means; what did you want with the lower regions? It is a journey that needs a motive to make it attractive.

Me. Dear friend, to Hades’ realms I needs must go, To counsel with Tiresias of Thebes.

Phi. Man, you must be mad; or why string verses instead of talking like one friend with another?

2

Me. My dear fellow, you need not be so surprised. I have just been in Euripides’s and Homer’s company; I suppose I am full to the throat with verse, and the numbers come as soon as I open my mouth. But how are things going up here? what is Athens about?

Phi. Oh, nothing new; extortion, perjury, forty per cent, face-grinding.

Me. Poor misguided fools! they are not posted up in the latest lower-world legislation; the recent decrees against the rich will be too much for all their evasive ingenuity.

Phi. Do you mean to say the lower world has been making new regulations for us?

Me. Plenty of them, I assure you. But I may not publish them, nor reveal secrets; the result might be a suit for impiety in the court of Rhadamanthus.

Phi. Oh now, Menippus, in Heaven’s name, no secrets between friends! you know I am no blabber; and I am initiated, if you come to that.

Me. ’Tis a hard thing you ask, and a perilous; yet for you I must venture it. It was resolved, then, that these rich who roll in money and keep their gold under lock and key like a Danae ——

Phi. Oh, don’t come to the decrees yet; begin at the beginning. I am particularly curious about your object in going, who showed you the way, and the whole story of what you saw and heard down there; you are a man of taste, and sure not to have missed anything worth looking at or listening to.

3

Me. I can refuse you nothing, you see; what is one to do, when a friend insists? Well, I will show you first the state of mind which put me on the venture. When I was a boy, and listened to Homer’s and Hesiod’s tales of war and civil strife — and they do not confine themselves to the Heroes, but include the Gods in their descriptions, adulterous Gods, rapacious Gods, violent, litigious, usurping, incestuous Gods —, well, I found it all quite proper, and indeed was intensely interested in it. But as I came to man’s estate, I observed that the laws flatly contradicted the poets, forbidding adultery, sedition, and rapacity. So I was in a very hazy state of mind, and could not tell what to make of it. The Gods would surely never have been guilty of such behaviour if they had not considered it good; and yet law-givers would never have recommended avoiding it, if avoidance had not seemed desirable.

4

5

6

7

Taking me under his charge, he commenced with a new moon, and brought me down for twenty-nine successive mornings to the Euphrates, where he bathed me, apostrophizing the rising sun in a long formula, of which I never caught much; he gabbled indistinctly, like bad heralds at the Games; but he appeared to be invoking spirits. This charm completed, he spat thrice upon my face, and I went home, not letting my eyes meet those of anyone we passed. Our food was nuts and acorns, our drink milk and hydromel and water from the Choaspes, and we slept out of doors on the grass. When he thought me sufficiently prepared, he took me at midnight to the Tigris, purified and rubbed me over, sanctified me with torches and squills and other things, muttering the charm aforesaid, then made a magic circle round me to protect me from ghosts, and finally led me home backwards just as I was; it was now time to arrange our voyage.

8

He himself put on a magic robe, Median in character, and fetched and gave me the cap, lion’s skin, and lyre which you see, telling me if I were asked my name not to say Menippus, but Heracles, Odysseus, or Orpheus.

Phi. What was that for? I see no reason either for the get-up or for the choice of names.

Me. Oh, obvious enough; there is no mystery in that. He thought that as these three had gone down alive to Hades before us, I might easily elude Aeacus’s guard by borrowing their appearance, and be passed as an habitue; there is good warrant in the theatre for the efficiency of disguise.

9

Dawn was approaching when we went down to the river to embark; he had provided a boat, victims, hydromel, and all necessaries for our mystic enterprise. We put all aboard, and then,

Troubled at heart, with welling tears, we went.

For some distance we floated downstream, until we entered the marshy lake in which the Euphrates disappears. Beyond this we came to a desolate, wooded, sunless spot; there we landed, Mithrobarzanes leading the way, and proceeded to dig a pit, slay our sheep, and sprinkle their blood round the edge. Meanwhile the Mage, with a lighted torch in his hand, abandoning his customary whisper, shouted at the top of his voice an invocation to all spirits, particularly the Poenae and Erinyes,

Hecat’s dark might, and dread Persephone,

with a string of other names, outlandish, unintelligible, and polysyllabic.

10

As he ended, there was a great commotion, earth was burst open by the incantation, the barking of Cerberus was heard far off, and all was overcast and lowering;

Quaked in his dark abyss the King of Shades;

11

We were now in darkness; so Mithrobarzanes led the way, and I followed holding on to him, until we reached a great meadow of asphodel, where the shades of the dead, with their thin voices, came flitting round us. Working gradually on, we reached the court of Minos; he was sitting on a high throne, with the Poenae, Avengers, and Erinyes standing at the sides. From another direction was being brought a long row of persons chained together; I heard that they were adulterers, procurers, publicans, sycophants, informers, and all the filth that pollutes the stream of life. Separate from them came the rich and usurers, pale, pot-bellied, and gouty, each with a hundredweight of spiked collar upon him. There we stood looking at the proceedings and listening to the pleas they put in; their accusers were orators of a strange and novel species. Phi. Who, in God’s name? shrink not; let me know all.

Me. It has not escaped your observation that the sun projects certain shadows of our bodies on the ground.

Phi. How should it have?

Me. These, when we die, are the prosecutors and witnesses who bring home to us our conduct on earth; their constant attendance and absolute attachment to our persons secures them high credit in the witness-box.

12

13

14

15

16

17

Phi. Now, if a man occupies a costly towering sepulchre, or leaves monuments, statues, inscriptions behind him on earth, does not this place him in a class above the common dead?

Me. Nonsense, my good man; if you had looked on Mausolus himself — the Carian so famous for his tomb —, I assure you, you would never have stopped laughing; he was a miserable unconsidered unit among the general mass of the dead, flung aside in a dusty hole, with no profit of his sepulchre but its extra weight upon him. No, friend, when Aeacus gives a man his allowance of space — and it never exceeds a foot’s breadth —, he must be content to pack himself into its limits. You might have laughed still more if you had beheld the kings and governors of earth begging in Hades, selling salt fish for a living, it might be, or giving elementary lessons, insulted by anyone who met them, and cuffed like the most worthless of slaves. When I saw Philip of Macedon, I could not contain myself; someone showed him to me cobbling old shoes for money in a corner. Many others were to be seen begging — people like Xerxes, Darius, or Polycrates.

18

Phi. These royal downfalls are extraordinary almost incredible. But what of Socrates, Diogenes, and such wise men?

Me. Socrates still goes about proving everybody wrong, the same as ever; Palamedes, Odysseus, Nestor, and a few other conversational shades, keep him company. His legs, by the way, were still puffy and swollen from the poison. Good Diogenes pitches close to Sardanapalus, Midas, and other specimens of magnificence. The sound of their lamentations and better-day memories keeps him in laughter and spirits; he is generally stretched on his back roaring out a noisy song which drowns lamentation; it annoys them, and they are looking out for a new pitch where he may not molest them.

19

Phi. I am satisfied. And now for that decree which you told me had been passed against the rich.

Me. Well remembered; that was what I meant to tell you about, but I have somehow got far astray. Well, during my stay the presiding officers gave notice of an assembly on matters of general interest. So, when I saw every one flocking to it, I mingled with the shades and constituted myself a member. Various measures were decided upon, and last came this question of the rich. Many grave accusations were preferred against them, including violence, ostentation, pride, injustice; and at last a popular speaker rose and moved this decree.

Decree

20

‘Whereas the rich are guilty of many illegalities on earth, harrying and oppressing the poor and trampling upon all their rights, it is the pleasure of the Senate and People that after death they shall be punished in their bodies like other malefactors, but their souls shall be sent on earth to inhabit asses, until they have passed in that shape a quarter-million of years, generation after generation, bearing burdens under the tender mercies of the poor; after which they shall be permitted to die. Mover of this decree — Cranion son of Skeletion of the deme Necysia in the Alibantid tribe.’ The decree read, a formal vote was taken, in which the people accepted it. A snort from Brimo and a bark from Cerberus completed the proceedings according to the regular form.

21

So he, and sought the lawn of asphodel.

22

It was now late, and I told Mithrobarzanes that our work was done, and we might reascend. ‘Very well, Menippus,’ said he, ‘I will show you an easy short cut.’ And taking me to a place where the darkness was especially thick, he pointed to a dim and distant ray of light — a mere pencil admitted through a chink. ‘There,’ he said, ‘is the shrine of Trophonius, from which the Boeotian inquirers start; go up that way, and you will be on Grecian soil without more ado.’ I was delighted, took my leave of the Mage, crawled with considerable difficulty through the aperture, and found myself, sure enough, at Lebadea.

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Icaromenippus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:48:36 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Icaromenippus

<blockquote>Menippus and a Friend

Me. Let me see, now. First stage, Earth to Moon, 350 miles. Second stage, up to the Sun, 500 leagues. Then the third, to the actual Heaven and Zeus’s citadel, might be put at a day’s journey for an eagle in light marching order.

Fr. In the name of goodness, Menippus, what are these astronomical sums you are doing under your breath? I have been dogging yon for some time, listening to your suns and moons, queerly mixed up with common earthly stages and leagues.

Me. Ah, you must not be surprised if my talk is rather exalted and ethereal; I was making out the mileage of my journey.

Fr. Oh, I see; using stars to steer by, like the Phoenicians?

Me. Oh no, travelling among them.

Fr. Well, to be sure, it must have been a longish dream, if you lost yourself in it for whole leagues.

Me. Dream, my good man? I am just come straight from Zeus. Dream, indeed!

Fr. How? What? Our Menippus a literal godsend from Heaven?

Me. ’Tis even so; from very Zeus I come this day, eyes and ears yet full of wonders. Oh, doubt, if you will. That my fortune should pass belief makes it only the more gratifying.

Me. I see you are bent on making a jest of it. Well, it is extraordinary; you could not be expected to see that it is not a romance. The fact is, I needed neither ladder nor amorous eagle; I had wings of my own.

Fr. Stranger and stranger! this beats Daedalus. What, you turned into a hawk or a crow on the sly?

Me. Now that is not a bad shot; it was Daedalus’s wing trick that I tried.

Fr. Well, talk of foolhardiness! did you like the idea of falling into the sea, and giving us a Mare Menippeum after the precedent of the Icarium?

Me. No fear. Icarus’s feathers were fastened with wax, and of course, directly the sun warmed this, he moulted and fell. No wax for me, thank you.

Fr. How did you manage, then? I declare I shall be believing you soon, if you go on like this.

Me. Well, I caught a fine eagle, and also a particularly powerful vulture, and cut off their wings above the shoulder-joint…. But no; if you are not in a hurry, I may as well give you the enterprise from the beginning.

Fr. Do, do; I am rapt aloft by your words already, my mouth open for your bonne bouche; as you love me, leave me not in those upper regions hung up by the ears!

Me. Listen, then; it would be a sorry sight, a friend deserted, with his mouth open, and sus. per aures.— Well, a very short survey of life had convinced me of the absurdity and meanness and insecurity that pervade all human objects, such as wealth, office, power. I was filled with contempt for them, realized that to care for them was to lose all chance of what deserved care, and determined to grovel no more, but fix my gaze upon the great All. Here I found my first problem in what wise men call the universal order; I could not tell how it came into being, who made it, what was its beginning, or what its end. But my next step, which was the examination of details, landed me in yet worse perplexity. I found the stars dotted quite casually about the sky, and I wanted to know what the sun was. Especially the phenomena of the moon struck me as extraordinary, and quite passed my comprehension; there must be some mystery to account for those many phases, I conjectured. Nor could I feel any greater certainty about such things as the passage of lightning, the roll of thunder, the descent of rain and snow and hail.

Fr. How absurd that wise men should quarrel about facts, and hold different opinions on the same things!

Me. Ah, but keep your laughter till you have heard something of their pretentious mystifications. To begin with, their feet are on the ground; they are no taller than the rest of us ‘men that walk the earth’; they are no sharper-sighted than their neighbours, some of them purblind, indeed, with age or indolence; and yet they say they can distinguish the limits of the sky, they measure the sun’s circumference, take their walks in the supra-lunar regions, and specify the sizes and shapes of the stars as though they had fallen from them; often one of them could not tell you correctly the number of miles from Megara to Athens, but has no hesitation about the distance in feet from the sun to the moon. How high the atmosphere is, how deep the sea, how far it is round the earth — they have the figures for all that; and moreover, they have only to draw some circles, arrange a few triangles and squares, add certain complicated spheres, and lo, they have the cubic contents of Heaven.

Then, how reasonable and modest of them, dealing with subjects so debatable, to issue their views without a hint of uncertainty; thus it must be and it shall be; contra gentes they will have it so; they will tell you on oath the sun is a molten mass, the moon inhabited, and the stars water-drinkers, moisture being drawn up by the sun’s rope and bucket and equitably distributed among them.

Fr. You really do make them out very audacious conjurers.

Me. My dear fellow, I wish I could give you their lucubrations on ideas and incorporeals, on finite and infinite. Over that point, now, there is fierce battle; some circumscribe the All, others will have it unlimited. At the same time they declare for a plurality of worlds, and speak scornfully of others who make only one. And there is a bellicose person who maintains that war is the father of the universe. [Footnote: Variously attributed to Heraclitus, who denies the possibility of repose, and insists that all things are in a state of flux; and to Empedocles, who makes all change and becoming depend on the interaction of the two principles, attraction and repulsion.]

As to Gods, I need hardly deal with that question. For some of them God is a number; some swear by dogs and geese and plane-trees. [Footnote: Socrates made a practice of substituting these for the names of Gods in his oaths.] Some again banish all other Gods, and attribute the control of the universe to a single one; I got rather depressed on learning how small the supply of divinity was. But I was comforted by the lavish souls who not only make many, but classify; there was a First God, and second and third classes of divinity. Yet again, some regard the divine nature as unsubstantial and without form, while others conceive it as a substance. Then they were not all disposed to recognize a Providence; some relieve the Gods of all care, as we relieve the superannuated of their civic duties; in fact, they treat them exactly like supernumeraries on the stage. The last step is also taken, of saying that Gods do not exist at all, and leaving the world to drift along without a master or a guiding hand.

But then came second thoughts.

Surveying now the Thracian horsemen’s land, Now Mysia,

and again, as the fancy took me, Greece or Persia or India. From all which I drew a manifold delight.

Fr. Oh well, Menippus, tell me all about it. I do not want to miss a single one of your travel experiences; if you picked up any stray information, let me have that too. I promise myself a great many facts about the shape of the Earth, and how everything on it looked to you from your point of vantage.

Me. And you will not be disappointed there, friend. So do your best to get up to the Moon, with my story for travelling companion and showman of the terrestrial scene.

Me. Why, to be sure! how did I come to leave out so essential a particular? I had made out the Earth, you see, but could not distinguish any details; the distance was so great, quite beyond the scope of my vision; so I was much chagrined and baffled. At this moment of depression — I was very near tears — who should come up behind me but Empedocles the physicist? His complexion was like charcoal variegated with ashes, as if he had been baked. I will not deny that I felt some tremors at the sight of him, taking him for some lunar spirit. But he said: ‘Do not be afraid, Menippus;

A mortal I, no God; how vain thy dreams.

Fr. I must say, Menippus, I should have liked the details here too; it all seems to have been very much to your taste.

Me. I could not go through the whole of it, even to please you; to take it in with the eyes kept one busy. But the main divisions were very much what Homer gives from the shield of Achilles: here junketings and marriages, there courts and councils, in another compartment a sacrifice, and hard by a mourning. If I glanced at Getica, I would see the Getae at war; at Scythia, there were the Scythians wandering about on their waggons; half a turn in another direction gave me Egyptians at the plough, or Phoenicians chaffering, Cilician pirates, Spartan flagellants, Athenians at law.

All this was simultaneous, you understand; and you must try to conceive what a queer jumble it all made. It was as if a man were to collect a number of choristers, or rather of choruses, [Footnote: The Greek chorus combined singing with dancing.] and then tell each individual to disregard the others and start a strain of his own; if each did his best, went his own way, and tried to drown his neighbour, can you imagine what the musical effect would be?

Fr. A very ridiculous confusion.

Me. Well, friend, such are the earthly dancers; the life of man is just such a discordant performance; not only are the voices jangled, but the steps are not uniform, the motions not concerted, the objects not agreed upon — until the impresario dismisses them one by one from the stage, with a ‘not wanted.’ Then they are all alike, and quiet enough, confounding no longer their undisciplined rival strains. But as long as the show lasts in its marvellous diversity, there is plenty of food for laughter in its vagaries.

Fr. You lucky man! what a rare sight you had! And how big, now, did the towns and the people look from there?

Me. You must often have seen a community of ants, some of them a seething mass, some going abroad, others coming back to town. One is a scavenger, another a bustling porter loaded with a bit of bean-pod or half a wheat grain. They no doubt have, on their modest myrmecic scale, their architects and politicians, their magistrates and composers and philosophers. At any rate, what men and cities suggested to me was just so many ant-hills. If you think the similitude too disparaging, look into the Thessalian legends, and you will find that the most warlike tribe there was the Myrmidons, or ants turned men. Well, when I had had enough of contemplation and laughter, I roused myself and soared

To join the Gods, where dwells the Lord of storms.

I had only flown a couple of hundred yards, when Selene’s feminine voice reached me: ‘Menippus, do me an errand to Zeus, and I will wish you a pleasant journey.’ ‘You have only to name it,’ I said, ‘provided it is not something to carry.’ ‘It is a simple message of entreaty to Zeus. I am tired to death, you must know, of being slandered by these philosophers; they have no better occupation than impertinent curiosity about me — What am I? how big am I? why am I halved? why am I gibbous? I am inhabited; I am just a mirror hung over the sea; I am — whatever their latest fancy suggests. It is the last straw when they say my light is stolen, sham, imported from the sun, and keep on doing their best to get up jealousy and ill feeling between brother and sister. They might have been contented with making him out a stone or a red-hot lump.

‘I will remember,’ said I, and resumed my upward flight to Heaven, through

A region where nor ox nor man had wrought.

But Zeus bent upon me a Titanic glance, awful, penetrating, and spoke:

Who art thou? where thy city? who thy kin?

At the sound, I nearly died of fear, but remained upright, though mute and paralysed by that thunderous voice. I gradually recovered, began at the beginning, and gave a clear account of myself — how I had been possessed with curiosity about the heavens, had gone to the philosophers, found their accounts conflicting, and grown tired of being logically rent in twain; so I came to my great idea, my wings, and ultimately to Heaven; I added Selene’s message. Zeus smiled and slightly unbent his brow. ‘What of Otus and Ephialtes now?’ he said; ‘here is Menippus scaling Heaven! Well, well, for today consider yourself our guest. To-morrow we will treat with you of your business, and send you on your way.’ And therewith he rose and walked to the acoustic centre of Heaven, it being prayer time.

As he went, he put questions to me about earthly affairs, beginning with, What was wheat a quarter in Greece? had we suffered much from cold last winter? and did the vegetables want more rain? Then he wished to know whether any of Phidias’s kin were alive, why there had been no Diasia at Athens all these years, whether his Olympieum was ever going to be completed, and had the robbers of his temple at Dodona been caught? I answered all these questions, and he proceeded:—‘Tell me, Menippus, what are men’s feelings towards me?’ ‘What should they be, Lord, but those of absolute reverence, as to the King of all Gods?’ ‘Now, now, chaffing as usual,’ he said; ‘I know their fickleness very well, for all your dissimulation. There was a time when I was their prophet, their healer, and their all,

And Zeus filled every street and gathering-place.

Our Father this bestowed, and that withheld.

His work was now pretty well completed, and as it was just dinner time, we went to the banquet hall. Hermes received me, and gave me my place next to a group of Gods whose alien origin left them in a rather doubtful position — Pan, the Corybants, Attis, and Sabazius. I was supplied with bread by Demeter, wine by Dionysus, meat by Heracles, myrtle-blossoms by Aphrodite, and sprats by Posidon. But I also got a sly taste of ambrosia and nectar; good-natured Ganymede, as often as he saw that Zeus’s attention was engaged elsewhere, brought round the nectar and indulged me with a half-pint or so. The Gods, as Homer (who I think must have had the same opportunities of observation as myself) somewhere says, neither eat bread nor drink the ruddy wine; they heap their plates with ambrosia, and are nectar-bibbers; but their choicest dainties are the smoke of sacrifice ascending with rich fumes, and the blood of victims poured by their worshippers round the altars. During dinner, Apollo harped, Silenus danced his wild measures, the Muses uprose and sang to us from Hesiod’s Birth of Gods, and the first of Pindar’s odes. When we had our fill and had well drunken, we slumbered, each where he was.

Slept all the Gods, and men with plumed helms, That livelong night; but me kind sleep forsook;

Of no avail in council nor in war;

‘Ask one of these brawling bawling censors, And what do you do? in God’s name, what shall we call your contribution to progress? and he would reply, if conscience and truth were anything to him: I consider it superfluous to sail the sea or till the earth or fight for my country or follow a trade; but I have a loud voice and a dirty body; I eschew warm water and go barefoot through the winter; I am a Momus who can always pick holes in other people’s coats; if a rich man keeps a costly table or a mistress, I make it my business to be properly horrified; but if my familiar friend is lying sick, in need of help and care, I am not aware of it. Such, your Godheads, is the nature of this vermin.

He spake, and sealed his word with lowering brows.

‘As to Menippus,’ he added, ‘my pleasure is this. He shall be deprived of his wings, and so incapacitated for repeating his visit, but shall today be conveyed back to Earth by Hermes.’ So saying, he dismissed the assembly. The Cyllenian accordingly lifted me up by the right ear, and yesterday evening deposited me in the Ceramicus. And now, friend, you have all the latest from Heaven. I must be off to the Poecile, to let the philosophers loitering there know the luck they are in.
Source</blockquote>

Croesus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 17:03:23 +0000

<html>

</html>

Croesus

<html><a rel=“license” href=“http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/”><img src=“http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png” style=“border-style: none;” alt=“Public Domain Mark” /></a> This work (by <a href=“https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki” rel=“dct:creator”>https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki</a>), identified by <a href=“http://meninpublishing.org” rel=“dct:publisher”>Frank Redmond</a>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</html>

Authored by Frank Redmond, 2012

Croesus Receiving Tribute from a Lydian Peasant

<blockquote>Croesus - Midas here, and Sardanapalus and I, can never get in a good cry over the old days of gold and luxury and treasure, but he must be laughing at us, and calling us rude names; 'slaves' and 'garbage,' he says we are. And then he sings; and that throws us out.- In short, he is a nuisance.\\</blockquote>
- Dialogues of the Dead II

Croesus, the ancient king of the Lydians, has had a fascinating afterlife. He is the first main character to appear in Herodotus and many of his anecdotes of Croesus are memorable. The conversation with Solon comes to mind. Croesus also had afterlife in the works of Lucian. See the quote above.

Croesus even lives on into today as a fabulously wealthy individual. Cite Wikipedia:

In Greek and Persian cultures the name of Croesus became a synonym for a wealthy man. Croesus' wealth remained proverbial beyond classical antiquity: in English, expressions such as “rich as Croesus” or “richer than Croesus” are used to indicate great wealth to this day.

As such, I think it will be interesting to trace Croesus' appearances in the works of Lucian in this post.

Timon the Misanthrope

<blockquote>Pl . Ah, those are special cases, Hermes. I do not go on my own feet on those occasions, and it is not Zeus who sends me, but Pluto, who has his own ways of conferring wealth and making presents; Pluto and Plutus are not unconnected, you see. When I am to flit from one house to another, they lay me on parchment, seal me up carefully, make a parcel of me and take me round. The dead man lies in some dark corner, shrouded from the knees upward in an old sheet, with the cats fighting for possession of him, while those who have expectations wait for me in the public place, gaping as wide as young swallows that scream for their mother’s return.

Then the seal is taken off, the string cut, the parchment opened, and my new owner’s name made known. It is a relation, or a parasite, or perhaps a domestic minion, whose value lay in his vices and his smooth cheeks; he has continued to supply his master with all sorts of unnatural pleasures beyond the years which might excuse such service, and now the fine fellow is richly rewarded. But whoever it is, he snatches me up, parchment included, and is off with me in a flash; he used to be called Pyrrhias or Dromo or Tibius, but now he is Megacles, Megabyzus, or Protarchus; off he goes, leaving the disappointed ones staring at each other in very genuine mourning-over the fine fish which has jumped out of the landing-net after swallowing their good bait.

The fellow who has pounced on me has neither taste nor feeling; the sight of fetters still gives him a start; crack a whip in his neighbourhood, and his ears tingle; the treadmill is an abode of awe to him. He is now insufferable — insults his new equals, and whips his old fellows to see what that side of the transaction feels like. He ends by finding a mistress, or taking to the turf, or being cajoled by parasites; these have only to swear he is handsomer than Nireus, nobler than Cecrops or Codrus, wiser than Odysseus, richer than a dozen Croesuses rolled into one; and so the poor wretch disperses in a moment what cost so many perjuries, robberies, and swindles to amass.\\</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Tim . Come, spade, show your mettle; stick to it; invite Thesaurus to step up from his retreat…. O God of Wonders! O mystic priests! O lucky Hermes! whence this flood of gold? Sure, ’tis all a dream; methinks ’twill be ashes when I wake. And yet — coined gold, ruddy and heavy, a feast of delight!

O gold, the fairest gift to mortal eyes! be it night, or be it day, Thou dost outshine all else like living fire.

Come to me, my own, my beloved. I doubt the tale no longer; well might Zeus take the shape of gold; where is the maid that would not open her bosom to receive so fair a lover gliding through the roof?

Talk of Midas, Croesus, Delphic treasures! they were all nothing to Timon and his wealth; why, the Persian King could not match it. My spade, my dearest smock-frock, you must hang, a votive offering to Pan. And now I will buy up this desert corner, and build a tiny castle for my treasure, big enough for me to live in all alone, and, when I am dead, to lie in. And be the rule and law of my remaining days to shun all men, be blind to all men, scorn all men. Friendship, hospitality, society, compassion — vain words all. To be moved by another’s tears, to assist another’s need — be such things illegal and immoral. Let me live apart like a wolf; be Timon’s one friend — Timon.

All others are my foes and ill-wishers; to hold communion with them is pollution; to set eyes upon one of them marks the day unholy; let them be to me even as images of bronze or stone. I will receive no herald from them, keep with them no truce; the bounds of my desert are the line they may not cross. Cousin and kinsman, neighbour and countryman — these are dead useless names, wherein fools may find a meaning. Let Timon keep his wealth to himself, scorn all men, and live in solitary luxury, quit of flattery and vulgar praise; let him sacrifice and feast alone, his own associate and neighbour, far from [Footnote: Reading, with Dindorf, hekas o‘n for ekseio‘n .] the world. Yea, when his last day comes, let there be none to close his eyes and lay him out, but himself alone.

Be the name he loves Misanthropus, and the marks whereby he may be known peevishness and spleen, wrath and rudeness and abhorrence. If ever one burning to death should call for help against the flames, let me help — with pitch and oil. If another be swept past me by a winter torrent, and stretch out his hands for aid, then let mine press him down head under, that he never rise again. So shall they receive as they have given. Mover of this resolution — Timon, son of Echecratides of Collytus. Presiding officer — the same Timon. The ayes have it. Let it be law, and duly observed.

All the same, I would give a good deal to have the fact of my enormous wealth generally known; they would all be fit to hang themselves over it…. Why, what is this? Well, that is quick work. Here they come running from every point of the compass, all dusty and panting; they have smelt out the gold somehow or other. Now, shall I get on top of this knoll, keep up a galling fire of stones from my point of vantage, and get rid of them that way? Or shall I make an exception to my law by parleying with them for once? contempt might hit harder than stones. Yes, I think that is better; I will stay where I am, and receive them. Let us see, who is this in front? Ah, Gnathonides the flatterer; when I asked an alms of him the other day, he offered me a halter; many a cask of my wine has he made a beast of himself over. I congratulate him on his speed; first come, first served.''\\</blockquote>
Dialogues of the Dead

II

<blockquote>Before Pluto: Croesus, Midas, and Sardanapalus v. Menippus

Cr . Pluto, we can stand this snarling Cynic no longer in our neighborhood; either you must transfer him to other quarters, or we are going to migrate.

Pl . Why, what harm does he do to your ghostly community?

Cr . Midas here, and Sardanapalus and I, can never get in a good cry over the old days of gold and luxury and treasure, but he must be laughing at us, and calling us rude names; ‘slaves’ and ‘garbage,’ he says we are. And then he sings; and that throws us out.— In short, he is a nuisance.

Pl . Menippus, what’s this I hear?

Me . All perfectly true, Pluto. I detest these abject rascals! Not content with having lived the abominable lives they did, they keep on talking about it now they are dead, and harping on the good old days. I take a positive pleasure in annoying them.

Pl . Yes, but you mustn’t. They have had terrible losses; they feel it deeply.

Me . Pluto! you are not going to lend your countenance to these whimpering fools?

Pl . It isn’t that: but I won’t have you quarrelling.

Me . Well, you scum of your respective nations, let there be no misunderstanding; I am going on just the same. Wherever you are, there shall I be also; worrying, jeering, singing you down.

Cr . Presumption!

Me . Not a bit of it. Yours was the presumption, when you expected men to fall down before you, when you trampled on men’s liberty, and forgot there was such a thing as death. Now comes the weeping and gnashing of teeth: for all is lost!

Cr . Lost! Ah God! My treasure-heaps —

Mid . My gold —

Sar . My little comforts —

Me . That’s right: stick to it! You do the whining, and I’ll chime in with a string of GNOTHI-SAUTONS, best of accompaniments.

F.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>XX

Menippus. Aeacus. Various Shades

Me . In Pluto’s name, Aeacus, show me all the sights of Hades.

Aea . That would be rather an undertaking, Menippus. However, you shall see the principal things. Cerberus here you know already, and the ferryman who brought you over. And you saw the Styx on your way, and Pyriphlegethon.

Me . Yes, and you are the gate-keeper; I know all that; and I have seen the King and the Furies. But show me the men of ancient days, especially the celebrities.

Aea . This is Agamemnon; this is Achilles; near him, Idomeneus; next comes Odysseus; then Ajax, Diomede, and all the great Greeks.

Me . Why, Homer, Homer, what is this? All your great heroes flung down upon the earth, shapeless, undistinguishable; mere meaningless dust; ‘strengthless heads,’ and no mistake.— Who is this one, Aeacus?

Aea . That is Cyrus; and here is Croesus; beyond him Sardanapalus, and beyond him again Midas. And yonder is Xerxes.

Me . Ha! and it was before this creature that Greece trembled? this is our yoker of Hellesponts, our designer of Athos-canals?— Croesus too! a sad spectacle! As to Sardanapalus, I will lend him a box on the ear, with your permission.

Aea . And crack his skull, poor dear! Certainly not.

Me . Then I must content myself with spitting in his ladyship’s face.

Aea . Would you like to see the philosophers?

Me . I should like it of all things.

Aea . First comes Pythagoras.

Me . Good-day, Euphorbus, alias Apollo, alias what you will.

Py . Good-day, Menippus.

Me . What, no golden thigh nowadays?

Py . Why, no. I wonder if there is anything to eat in that wallet of yours?

Me . Beans, friend; you don’t like beans.

Py . Try me. My principles have changed with my quarters. I find that down here our parents’ heads are in no way connected with beans.

Aea . Here is Solon, the son of Execestides, and there is Thales. By them are Pittacus, and the rest of the sages, seven in all, as you see. Me . The only resigned and cheerful countenances yet. Who is the one covered with ashes, like a loaf baked in the embers? He is all over blisters.

Aea . That is Empedocles. He was half-roasted when he got here from Etna.

Me . Tell me, my brazen-slippered friend, what induced you to jump into the crater?

Em . I did it in a fit of melancholy.

Me . Not you. Vanity, pride, folly; these were what burnt you up, slippers and all; and serve you right. All that ingenuity was thrown away, too: your death was detected.— Aeacus, where is Socrates?

Aea . He is generally talking nonsense with Nestor and Palamedes.

Me . But I should like to see him, if he is anywhere about.

Aea . You see the bald one? Me . They are all bald; that is a distinction without a difference.

Aea . The snub-nosed one.

Me . There again: they are all snub-nosed.

Soc . Do you want me, Menippus?

Me . The very man I am looking for.

Soc . How goes it in Athens?

Me . There are a great many young men there professing philosophy; and to judge from their dress and their walk, they should be perfect in it.

Soc . I have seen many such.

Me . For that matter, I suppose you saw Aristippus arrive, reeking with scent; and Plato, the polished flatterer from Sicilian courts?

Soc . And what do they think about me in Athens?

Me . Ah, you are fortunate in that respect. You pass for a most remarkable man, omniscient in fact. And all the time — if the truth must out — you know absolutely nothing.

Soc . I told them that myself: but they would have it that that was my irony.

Me . And who are your friends?

Soc . Charmides; Phaedrus; the son of Clinias.

Me . Ha, ha! still at your old trade; still an admirer of beauty.

Soc . How could I be better occupied? Will you join us?

Me . No, thank you; I am off, to take up my quarters by Croesus and Sardanapalus. I expect huge entertainment from their outcries.

Aea . I must be off, too; or some one may escape. You shall see the rest another day, Menippus.

Me . I need not detain you. I have seen enough.

F. </blockquote>
Menippus

<blockquote>When I saw all this, the life of man came before me under the likeness of a great pageant, arranged and marshalled by Chance, who distributed infinitely varied costumes to the performers. She would take one and array him like a king, with tiara, bodyguard, and crown complete; another she dressed like a slave; one was adorned with beauty, another got up as a ridiculous hunchback; there must be all kinds in the show. Often before the procession was over she made individuals exchange characters; they could not be allowed to keep the same to the end; Croesus must double parts and appear as slave and captive; Maeandrius, starting as slave, would take over Polycrates’s despotism, and be allowed to keep his new clothes for a little while. And when the procession is done, every one disrobes, gives up his character with his body, and appears, as he originally was, just like his neighbour. Some, when Chance comes round collecting the properties, are silly enough to sulk and protest, as though they were being robbed of their own instead of only returning loans. You know the kind of thing on the stage — tragic actors shifting as the play requires from Creon to Priam, from Priam to Agamemnon; the same man, very likely, whom you saw just now in all the majesty of Cecrops or Erechtheus, treads the boards next as a slave, because the author tells him to. The play over, each of them throws off his gold-spangled robe and his mask, descends from the buskin’s height, and moves a mean ordinary creature; his name is not now Agamemnon son of Atreus or Creon son of Menoeceus, but Polus son of Charicles of Sunium or Satyrus son of Theogiton of Marathon. Such is the condition of mankind, or so that sight presented it to me.</blockquote>

Charon

<blockquote>Her . That is Cyrus, son of Cambyses, who transferred to the Persians the ancient empire of the Medes. He has lately conquered Assyria, and reduced Babylon; and now it looks as if he meditated an invasion of Lydia, to complete his dominion by the overthrow of Croesus.

Ch . And whereabouts is Croesus?

Her . Look over there. You see the great city with the triple wall? That is Sardis. And there, look, is Croesus himself, reclining on a golden couch, and conversing with Solon the Athenian. Shall we listen to what they are saying?

Ch . Yes, let us.

Cr. Stranger, you have now seen my stores of treasure, my heaps of bullion, and all my riches. Tell me therefore, whom do you account the happiest of mankind ?

Ch . What will Solon say, I wonder?

Her . Trust Solon; he will not disgrace himself.

So . Croesus, few men are happy. Of those whom I know, the happiest, I think, were Cleobis and Biton, the sons of the Argive priestess .

Ch . Ah, he means those two who yoked themselves to a waggon, and drew their mother to the temple, and died the moment after. It was but the other day.

Cr . Ah. So they are first on the list. And who comes next ?

So . Tellus the Athenian, who lived a righteous life, and died for his country .

Cr . And where do I come, reptile ?

So . That I am unable to say at present, Croesus; I must see you end your days first. Death is the sure test;— a happy end to a life of happiness .

Ch . Bravo, Solon; you have not forgotten us! As you say, Charon’s ferry is the proper place for the decision of these questions.— But who are these men whom Croesus is sending out? And what have they got on their shoulders?

Her . Those are bars of gold; they are going to Delphi, to pay for an oracle, which oracle will presently be the ruin of Croesus. But oracles are a hobby of his.

Ch . Oh, so that is gold , that glittering yellow stuff, with just a tinge of red in it. I have often heard of gold, but never saw it before.

Her . Yes, that is the stuff there is so much talking and squabbling about.

Ch . Well now, I see no advantages about it, unless it is an advantage that it is heavy to carry.

Her . Ah, you do not know what it has to answer for; the wars and plots and robberies, the perjuries and murders; for this men will endure slavery and imprisonment; for this they traffic and sail the seas.

Ch . For this stuff? Why, it is not much different from copper. I know copper, of course, because I get a penny from each passenger.

Her . Yes, but copper is plentiful, and therefore not much esteemed by men. Gold is found only in small quantities, and the miners have to go to a considerable depth for it. For the rest, it comes out of the earth, just the same as lead and other metals.

Ch . What fools men must be, to be enamoured of an object of this sallow complexion; and of such a weight!

Her . Well, Solon, at any rate, seems to have no great affection for it. See, he is making merry with Croesus and his outlandish magnificence. I think he is going to ask him a question. Listen.

So . Croesus, will those bars be any use to Apollo, do you think?

Cr . Any use! Why there is nothing at Delphi to be compared to them.

So . And that is all that is wanting to complete his happiness, eh?— some bar gold?

Cr . Undoubtedly.

So . Then they must be very hard up in Heaven, if they have to send all the way to Lydia for their gold supply?

Cr . Where else is gold to be had in such abundance as with us?

So . Now is any iron found in Lydia?

Cr . Not much.

So . Ah; so you are lacking in the more valuable metal.

Cr . More valuable? Iron more valuable than gold?

So . Bear with me, while I ask you a few questions, and I will convince you it is so.

Cr . Well?

So . Of protector and protege, which is the better man?

Cr . The protector, of course.

So . Now in the event of Cyrus’s invading Lydia — there is some talk of it — shall you supply your men with golden swords? or will iron be required, on the occasion?

Cr . Oh, iron.

So . Iron accordingly you must have, or your gold would be led captive into Persia?

Cr . Blasphemer!

So . Oh, we will hope for the best. But it is clear, on your own admission, that iron is better than gold.

Cr . And what would you have me do? Recall the gold, and offer the God bars of iron?

So . He has no occasion for iron either. Your offering (be the metal what it may) will fall into other hands than his. It will be snapped up by the Phocians, or the Boeotians, or the God’s own priests; or by some tyrant or robber. Your goldsmiths have no interest for Apollo.

Cr . You are always having a stab at my wealth. It is all envy!

Her . This blunt sincerity is not to the Lydian’s taste. Things are come to a strange pass, he thinks, if a poor man is to hold up his head, and speak his mind in this frank manner! He will remember Solon presently, when the time comes for Cyrus to conduct him in chains to the pyre. I heard Clotho, the other day, reading over the various dooms. Among other things, Croesus was to be led captive by Cyrus, and Cyrus to be murdered by the queen of the Massagetae. There she is: that Scythian woman, riding on a white horse; do you see?</blockquote>

Sale of Creeds

<blockquote>First D . You would have been just the creed for Croesus’s son! But I have a tongue in my head; I have no ambition to be a statue. And after the five years’ silence?</blockquote>

Apology for the Dependant Scholar

<blockquote>Dear Sabinus,

I have been guessing how you are likely to have expressed yourself upon reading my essay about dependants. I feel pretty sure you read it all and had a laugh over it; but it is your running and general comment in words that I am trying to piece on to it. If I am any good at divination, this is the sort of thing: To think that a man can set down such a scathing indictment of the life, and then forget it all, get hold of the other end of the stick, and plunge headlong into such manifest conspicuous slavery! Take Midas, Croesus, golden Pactolus, roll them into one, multiply them, and could they induce him to relinquish the freedom which he has loved and consorted with from a child? He is nearly in the clutches of Aeacus, one foot is on the ferryman’s boat, and it is now that he lets himself be dragged submissively about by a golden collar. [Footnote: Omitting as a scholium, with Dindorf and Fritzsche, the words: hoia esti ton tryphonton plousion ta sphingia kai ta kourallia.] There is some slight inconsistency between his life and his treatise; the rivers are running up-hill; topsy-turvydom prevails; our recantations are new-fashioned; the first palinodist</blockquote>

Alexander

<blockquote>These directions were precisely followed; the lions swam across to the enemy’s bank, where they were clubbed to death by the barbarians, who took them for dogs or a new kind of wolves; and our forces immediately after met with a severe defeat, losing some twenty thousand men in one engagement. This was followed by the Aquileian incident, in the course of which that city was nearly lost. In view of these results, Alexander warmed up that stale Delphian defence of the Croesus oracle: the God had foretold a victory, forsooth, but had not stated whether Romans or barbarians should have it.</blockquote>

Defence of the Portrait Study

<blockquote>You used the word flattery. To dislike those who practise it is only what you should do, and I honour you for it. But I would have you distinguish between panegyric proper and the flatterer’s exaggeration of it. The flatterer praises for selfish ends, cares little for truth, and makes it his business to magnify indiscriminately; most of his effects consist in lying additions of his own; he thinks nothing of making Thersites handsomer than Achilles, or telling Nestor he is younger than any of the host; he will swear Croesus’s son hears better than Melampus, and give Phineus better sight than Lynceus, if he sees his way to a profit on the lie. But the panegyrist pure and simple, instead of lying outright, or inventing a quality that does not exist, takes the virtues his subject really does possess, though possibly not in large measure, and makes the most of them. The horse is really distinguished among the animals we know for light-footed speed; well, in praising a horse, he will hazard:

The corn-stalks brake not ‘neath his airy tread.

He will not be frightened of ‘whirlwind-footed steeds.’ If his theme is a noble house, with everything handsome about it,

Zeus on Olympus dwells in such a home,

we shall be told. But your flatterer would use that line about the swineherd’s hovel, if he saw a chance of getting anything out of the swineherd. Demetrius Poliorcetes had a flatterer called Cynaethus who, when he was gravelled for lack of matter, found some in a cough that troubled his patron — he cleared his throat so musically!</blockquote>

Zeus Cross-Examined

<blockquote>Cyn . Now even granting that you do, what is the use of knowing what one has to expect, when one can by no possibility take any precautions? Are you going to tell me that a man who finds out that he is to die by a steel point can escape the doom by shutting himself up? Not he. Fate will take him out hunting, and there will be his steel: Adrastus will hurl his spear at the boar, miss the brute, and get Croesus’s son; Fate’s inflexible law directs his aim. The full absurdity of the thing is seen in the case of Laius:

Seek not for offspring in the Gods’ despite; Beget a child, and thou begett’st thy slayer.

Was not this advice superfluous, seeing that the end must come? Accordingly we find that the oracle does not deter Laius from begetting a son, nor that son from being his slayer. On the whole, I cannot see that your prophecies entitle you to reward, even setting aside the obscurity of the oracles, which are generally contrived to cut both ways. You omitted to mention, for instance, whether Croesus —‘the Halys crossed’— should destroy his own or Cyrus’s mighty realm.’ It might be either, so far as the oracle goes.

Zeus . Apollo was angry with Croesus. When Croesus boiled that lamb and tortoise together in the cauldron, he was making trial of Apollo.</blockquote>

Zeus Tragoedus

<blockquote>Da. About oracles, friend, the less said the better; I shall ask you to choose your instances, you see. Will Apollo’s answer to the Lydian suit you? That was as symmetrical as a double-edged knife; or say, it faced both ways, like those Hermae which are made double, alike whether you look at front or back. Consider; will Croesus’s passage of the Halys destroy his own realm, or Cyrus’s? Tet the wretched Sardian paid a long price for his ambidextrous hexameter.</blockquote>

The Rooster

<blockquote>Lydian Croesus is troubled because his son is dumb; Persian Artaxerxes, because Clearchus is raising a host for Cyrus; Dionysius, because Dion whispers in Syracusan ears; Alexander, because Parmenio is praised. Perdiccas has no peace for Ptolemy, Ptolemy none for Seleucus. And there are other griefs than these: his favourite is cold; his concubine loves another; there is talk of a rebellion; there has been muttering among a half-dozen of his guards. And the bitterness of it is, that his nearest and dearest are those whom he is most called on to distrust; from them he must ever look for harm. One we see poisoned by his son, another by his own favourite; and a third will probably fare no better.</blockquote>

The Ship or Wishes

<blockquote>Ly . Why, it is not clear how long this life of affluence is to last. Who knows? You may be sitting one day at your solid gold table, just putting out your hand for a slice of that peacock or capon, when, at that very moment, off flies animula vagula , and Adimantus after her, leaving his all a prey to crows and vultures. Need I enumerate instances? There have been rich men who have died before they knew what it was to be rich; others have lived to be robbed of their possessions by some malign spirit who waits upon wealth. The cases of Croesus and Polycrates are familiar to you. Their riches were greater far than yours; yet at one stroke they lost all. But leaving them out of the case, do you consider that you have good security for the continuance of your health? Look at the number of rich men whose lives are made miserable by their infirmities: some are crippled, others are blind, others have internal diseases. Say what you will, I am sure that for double your wealth you would not consent to be a weakling like rich Phanomachus; not to mention the artful designs, the robberies, the envy, and the unpopularity that are inseparable from wealth. See what troubles your treasure will land you in!</blockquote>

Menippus of Lycia

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:31:48 +0000

Menippus of Lycia

Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana - Book 4 §25

<blockquote>Now there was in Corinth at that time a man named Demetrius, who studied philosophy and had embraced in his system all the masculine vigor of the Cynics. Of him Favorinus in several of his works subsequently made the most generous mention, and his attitude towards Apollonius was exactly that which they say Antisthenes took up towards the system of Socrates: for he followed him and was anxious to be his disciple, and was devoted to his doctrines, and converted to the side of Apollonius the more esteemed of his own pupils.

Among the latter was Menippus a Lycian of twenty-five years of age, well endowed with good judgment, and of a physique so beautifully proportioned that in mien he resembled a fine and gentlemanly athlete. Now this Menippus was supposed by most people to be loved by a foreign woman, who was good-looking and extremely dainty, and said that she was rich; although she was really, as it turned out, not one of these things, but was only so in semblance.

For as he was walking all alone along the road towards Cenchraea, he met with an apparition, and it was a woman who clasped his hand and declared that she had been long in love with him, and that she was a Phoenician woman and lived in a suburb of Corinth, and she mentioned the name of the particular suburb, and said: “When you reach the place this evening, you will hear my voice as I sing to you, and you shall have wine such as you never before drank, and there will be no rival to disturb you; and we two beautiful beings will live together.”

The youth consented to this, for although he was in general a strenuous philosopher, he was nevertheless susceptible to the tender passion; and he visited her in the evening, and for the future constantly sought her company as his darling, for he did not yet realize that she was a mere apparition.

Then Apollonius looked over Menippus as a sculptor might do, and he sketched an outline of the youth and examined him, and having observed his foibles, he said: “You are a fine youth and are hunted by fine women, but in this case you are cherishing a serpent, and a serpent cherishes you.”

And when Menippus expressed his surprise, he added: “For this lady is of a kind you cannot marry. Why should you? Do you think that she loves you?”

“Indeed I do,” said the youth, “since she behaves to me as if she loves me.”

“And would you then marry her?” said Apollonius.

“Why, yes, for it would be delightful to marry a woman who loves you.”

Thereupon Apollonius asked when the wedding was to be. “Perhaps tomorrow,” said the other, “for it brooks no delay.”

Apollonius therefore waited for the occasion of the wedding breakfast, and then, presenting himself before the guests who had just arrived, he said: “Where is the dainty lady at whose instance ye are come?”

“Here she is,” replied Menippus, and at the same moment he rose slightly from his seat, blushing.

“And to which of you belong the silver and gold and all the rest of the decorations of the banqueting hall?”

“To the lady,” replied the youth, “for this is all I have of my own,” pointing to the philosopher's cloak which he wore.

And Apollonius said: “Have you heard of the gardens of Tantalus, how they exist and yet do not exist?”

“Yes,” they answered, “in the poems of Homer, for we certainly never went down to Hades.”

“As such,” replied Apollonius, “you must regard this adornment, for it is not reality but the semblance of reality. And that you may realize the truth of what I say, this fine bride is one of the vampires, that is to say of those beings whom the many regard as lamias and hobgoblins. These beings fall in love, and they are devoted to the delights of Aphrodite, but especially to the flesh of human beings, and they decoy with such delights those whom they mean to devour in their feasts.”

And the lady said: “Cease your ill-omened talk and begone”; and she pretended to be disgusted at what she heard, and in fact she was inclined to rail at philosophers and say that they always talked nonsense. When, however, the goblets of gold and the show of silver were proved as light as air and all fluttered away out of their sight, while the wine-bearers and the cooks and all the retinue of servants vanished before the rebukes of Apollonius, the phantom pretended to weep, and prayed him not to torture her nor to compel her to confess what she really was.

But Apollonius insisted and would not let her off, and then she admitted that she was a vampire, and was fattening up Menippus with pleasures before devouring his body, for it was her habit to feed upon young and beautiful bodies, because their blood is pure and strong.

I have related at length, because it was necessary to do so, this the best-known story of Apollonius; for many people are aware of it and know that he incident occurred in the center of Hellas; but they have only heard in a general and vague manner that he once caught and overcame a lamia in Corinth, but they have never learned what she was about, nor that he did it to save Menippus, but I owe my own account to Damis and to the work which he wrote.
Source</blockquote>

Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Book 6

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 17:03:26 +0000

<html>

</html>

Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Book 6

Antisthenes

1. Antisthenes, the son of Antisthenes, was an Athenian. It was said, however, that he was not of pure Attic blood. Hence his reply to one who taunted him with this: “The mother of the gods too is a Phrygian.” For his mother was supposed to have been a Thracian. Hence it was that, when he had distinguished himself in the battle of Tanagra, he gave Socrates occasion to remark that, if both his parents had been Athenians, he would not have turned out so brave. He himself showed his contempt for the airs which the Athenians gave themselves on the strength of being sprung from the soil by the remark that this did not make them any better born than snails or wingless locusts.

2. To begin with, he became a pupil of Gorgias the rhetorician, and hence the rhetorical style that he introduces in his dialogues, and especially in his Truth and in his Exhortations. According to Hermippus he intended at the public gathering for the Isthmian games to discourse on the faults and merits of Athenians, Thebans and Lacedaemonians, but begged to be excused when he saw throngs arriving from those cities.

Later on, however, he came into touch with Socrates, and derived so much benefit from him that he used to advise his own disciples to become fellow-pupils with him of Socrates. He lived in the Peiraeus, and every day would tramp the five miles to Athens in order to hear Socrates. From Socrates he learned his hardihood, emulating his disregard of feeling, and thus he inaugurated the Cynic way of life. He demonstrated that pain is a good thing by instancing the great Heracles and Cyrus, drawing the one example from the Greek world and the other from the barbarians.

3. He was the first to define statement (or assertion) by saying that a statement is that which sets forth what a thing was or is. He used repeatedly to say, “I'd rather be mad than feel pleasure,” and “We ought to make love to such women as will feel a proper gratitude.” When a lad from Pontus was about to attend his lectures, and asked him what he required, the answer was, “Come with a new book, a new pen, and new tablets, if you have a mind to” (implying the need of brains as well). When someone inquired what sort of wife he ought to marry, he said, “If she's beautiful, you'll not have her to yourself; if she's ugly, you'll pay for it dearly.” Being told that Plato was abusing him, he remarked, “It is a royal privilege to do good and be ill spoken of.”

4. When he was being initiated into the Orphic mysteries, the priest said that those admitted into these rites would be partakers of many good things in Hades. “Why then,” said he, “don't you die?” Being reproached because his parents were not both free-born, “Nor were they both wrestlers,” quoth he, “but yet I am a wrestler.” To the question why he had but few disciples he replied, “Because I use a silver rod to eject them.” When he was asked why he was so bitter in reproving his pupils he replied, “Physicians are just the same with their patients.” One day upon seeing an adulterer running for his life he exclaimed, “Poor wretch, what peril you might have escaped at the price of an obol.” He used to say, as we learn from Hecato in his Anecdotes, that it is better to fall in with crows than with flatterers; for in the one case you are devoured when dead, in the other case while alive.

5. Being asked what was the height of human bliss, he replied, “To die happy.” When a friend complained to him that he had lost his notes, “You should have inscribed them,” said he, “on your mind instead of on paper.” As iron is eaten away by rust, so, said he, the envious are consumed by their own passion. Those who would fain be immortal must, he declared, live piously and justly. States, said he, are doomed when they are unable to distinguish good men from bad. Once, when he was applauded by rascals, he remarked, “I am horribly afraid I have done something wrong.”

When brothers agree, no fortress is so strong as their common life, he said. The right outfit for a voyage, he said, is such as, even if you are shipwrecked, will go through the water with you.

6. One day when he was censured for keeping company with evil men, the reply he made was, “Well, physicians are in attendance on their patients without getting the fever themselves.” “It is strange,” said he, “that we weed out the darnel from the corn and the unfit in war, but do not excuse evil men from the service of the state.” When he was asked what advantage had accrued to him from philosophy, his answer was, “The ability to hold converse with myself.” Some one having called upon him over the wine for a song, he replied, “Then you must accompany me on the pipe.” When Diogenes begged a coat of him, he bade him fold his cloak around him double.

7. Being asked what learning is the most necessary, he replied, “How to get rid of having anything to unlearn.” And he advised that when men are slandered, they should endure it more courageously than if they were pelted with stones. And he used to taunt Plato with being conceited. At all events when in a procession he spied a spirited charger he said, turning to Plato, “It seems to me that you would have made just such a proud, showy steed.” This because Plato was constantly praising horseflesh. And one day he visited Plato, who was ill, and seeing the basin into which Plato had vomited, remarked, “The bile I see, but not the pride.”

8. He used to recommend the Athenians to vote that asses are horses. When they deemed this absurd, his reply was, “But yet generals are found among you who had had no training, but were merely elected.” “Many men praise you,” said one. “Why, what wrong have I done?” was his rejoinder. When he turned the torn part of his cloak so that it came into view, Socrates no sooner saw this than he said, “I spy your love of fame peeping through your cloak.” Phanias in his work on the Socratics tells us how some one asked him what he must do to be good and noble, and he replied, “You must learn from those who know that the faults you have are to be avoided.” When some one extolled luxury his reply was, “May the sons of your enemies live in luxury.”

9. To the youth who was posing fantastically as an artist's model he put this question, “Tell me, if the bronze could speak, on what, think you, would it pride itself most?” “On its beauty,” was the reply. “Then,” said he, “are you not ashamed of delighting in the very same quality as an inanimate object?” When a young man from Pontus promised to treat him with great consideration as soon as his boat with its freight of salt fish should arrive, he took him and an empty wallet to a flour-dealer's, got it filled, and was going away. When the woman asked for the money, “The young man will pay,” said he, “when his boatload of salt fish arrives.” Antisthenes is held responsible for the exile of Anytus and the execution of Meletus.

10. For he fell in with some youths from Pontus whom the fame of Socrates had brought to Athens, and he led them off to Anytus, whom he ironically declared to be wiser than Socrates; whereupon (it is said) those about him with much indignation drove Anytus out of the city. If he saw a woman anywhere decked out with ornaments, he would hasten to her house and bid her husband bring out his horse and arms, and then, if the man possessed them, let his extravagance alone, for (he said) the man could with these defend himself; but, if he had none, he would bid him strip off the finery. Favourite themes with him were the following. He would prove that virtue can be taught; that nobility belongs to none other than the virtuous.

11. And he held virtue to be sufficient in itself to ensure happiness, since it needed nothing else except the strength of a Socrates. And he maintained that virtue is an affair of deeds and does not need a store of words or learning; that the wise man is self-sufficing, for all the goods of others are his; that ill repute is a good thing and much the same as pain; that the wise man will be guided in his public acts not by the established laws but by the law of virtue; that he will also marry in order to have children from union with the handsomest women; furthermore that he will not disdain to love, for only the wise man knows who are worthy to be loved.

12. Diocles records the following sayings of his: To the wise man nothing is foreign or impracticable. A good man deserves to be loved. Men of worth are friends. Make allies of men who are at once brave and just. Virtue is a weapon that cannot be taken away. It is better to be with a handful of good men fighting against all the bad, than with hosts of bad men against a handful of good men. Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes. Esteem an honest man above a kinsman. Virtue is the same for women as for men. Good actions are fair and evil actions foul. Count all wickedness foreign and alien.

13. Wisdom is a most sure stronghold which never crumbles away nor is betrayed. Walls of defence must be constructed in our own impregnable reasonings. He used to converse in the gymnasium of Cynosarges (White hound) at no great distance from the gates, and some think that the Cynic school derived its name from Cynosarges. Antisthenes himself too was nicknamed a hound pure and simple. And he was the first, Diocles tells us, to double his cloak and be content with that one garment and to take up a staff and a wallet. Neanthes too asserts that he was the first to double his mantle. Sosicrates, however, in the third book of his Successions of Philosophers says this was first done by Diodorus of Aspendus, who also let his beard grow and used a staff and a wallet.

14. Of all the Socratics Antisthenes alone is praised by Theopompus, who says he had consummate skill and could by means of agreeable discourse win over whomsoever he pleased. And this is clear from his writings and from Xenophon's Banquet. It would seem that the most manly section of the Stoic School owed its origin to him. Hence Athenaeus the epigrammatist writes thus of them:

Ye experts in Stoic story, ye who commit to sacred pages most excellent doctrines - that virtue alone is the good of the soul: for virtue alone saves man's life and cities. But that Muse that is one of the daughters of Memory approves the pampering of the flesh, which other men have chosen for their aim.

15. Antisthenes gave the impulse to the indifference of Diogenes, the continence of Crates, and the hardihood of Zeno, himself laying the foundations of their state. Xenophon calls him the most agreeable of men in conversation and the most temperate in everything else.

His writings are preserved in ten volumes. The first includes:

A Treatise on Expression, or Styles of Speaking. Ajax, or The Speech of Ajax. Odysseus, or Concerning Odysseus. A Defence of Orestes, or Concerning Forensic Writers. Isography (similar writing), or Lysias and Isocrates. A Reply to the Speech of Isocrates entitled “Without Witnesses.”

Vol. 2 includes:

Of the Nature of Animals. Of Procreation of Children, or Of Marriage: a discourse on love. Of the Sophists: a work on Physiognomy. 16. On Justice and Courage: a hortative work in three books. Concerning Theognis, making a fourth and a fifth book.

In the third volume are treatises:

Of the Good. Of Courage. Of Law, or Of a Commonwealth. Of Law, or Of Goodness and Justice. Of Freedom and Slavery. Of Belief. Of the Guardian, or On Obedience. Of Victory: an economic work.

In the fourth volume are included:

Cyrus. The Greater Heracles, or Of Strength.

The fifth contains:

Cyrus, or Of Sovereignty. Aspasia.

The sixth:

Truth. Of Discussion: a handbook of debate. Satho, or Of Contradiction, in three books. 17. On Talk.

The seventh volume contains the following:

On Education, or On Names, in five books. On the Use of Names: a controversial work. Of Questioning and Answering. Of Opinion and Knowledge, in four books. Of Dying. Of Life and Death. Of Those in the Underworld. Of Nature, in two books. A Problem concerning Nature, two books. Opinions, or The Controversialist. Problems about Learning.

In the eighth volume are:

On Music. On Commentators. On Homer. On Wickedness and Impiety. On Calchas. On the Scout. On Pleasure.

The ninth volume contains:

Of the Odyssey. Of the Minstrel's Staff. Athena, or Of Telemachus. Of Helen and Penelope. Of Proteus. Cyclops, or Of Odysseus. 18. Of the Use of Wine, or Of Intoxication, or Of the Cyclops. Of Circe. Of Amphiaraus. Of Odysseus, Penelope and the Dog.

The contents of the tenth volume are:

Heracles, or Midas. Heracles, or Of Wisdom or Strength. Cyrus, or The Beloved. Cyrus, or The Scouts. Menexenus, or On Ruling. Alcibiades. Archelaus, or Of Kingship.

This is the list of his writings.

Timon finds fault with him for writing so much and calls him a prolific trifler. He died of disease just as Diogenes, who had come in, inquired of him, “Have you need of a friend?” Once too Diogenes, when he came to him, brought a dagger. And when Antisthenes cried out, “Who will release me from these pains?” replied, “This,” showing him the dagger. “I said,” quoth the other, “from my pains, not from life.”

19. It was thought that he showed some weakness in bearing his malady through love of life. And here are my verses upon him:

<blockquote>Such was your nature, Antisthenes, that in your lifetime you were a very bulldog to rend the heart with words, if not with teeth. Yet you died of consumption. Maybe some one will say, What of that? We must anyhow have some guide to the world below.</blockquote>

There have been three other men named Antisthenes: one a follower of Heraclitus, another a native of Ephesus, and the third of Rhodes, a historian.

And whereas we have enumerated the pupils of Aristippus and of Phaedo, we will now append an account of the Cynics and Stoics who derive from Antisthenes. And let it be in the following order.

Diogenes

20. Diogenes was a native of Sinope, son of Hicesius, a banker. Diocles relates that he went into exile because his father was entrusted with the money of the state and adulterated the coinage. But Eubulides in his book on Diogenes says that Diogenes himself did this and was forced to leave home along with his father. Moreover Diogenes himself actually confesses in his Pordalus that he adulterated the coinage. Some say that having been appointed to superintend the workmen he was persuaded by them, and that he went to Delphi or to the Delian oracle in his own city and inquired of Apollo whether he should do what he was urged to do. When the god gave him permission to alter the political currency, not understanding what this meant, he adulterated the state coinage, and when he was detected, according to some he was banished, while according to others he voluntarily quitted the city for fear of consequences.

21. One version is that his father entrusted him with the money and that he debased it, in consequence of which the father was imprisoned and died, while the son fled, came to Delphi, and inquired, not whether he should falsify the coinage, but what he should do to gain the greatest reputation; and that then it was that he received the oracle. On reaching Athens he fell in with Antisthenes. Being repulsed by him, because he never welcomed pupils, by sheer persistence Diogenes wore him out. Once when he stretched out his staff against him, the pupil offered his head with the words, “Strike, for you will find no wood hard enough to keep me away from you, so long as I think you've something to say.” From that time forward he was his pupil, and, exile as he was, set out upon a simple life.

22. Through watching a mouse running about, says Theophrastus in the Megarian dialogue, not looking for a place to lie down in, not afraid of the dark, not seeking any of the things which are considered to be dainties, he discovered the means of adapting himself to circumstances. He was the first, say some, to fold his cloak because he was obliged to sleep in it as well, and he carried a wallet to hold his victuals, and he used any place for any purpose, for breakfasting, sleeping, or conversing. And then he would say, pointing to the portico of Zeus and the Hall of Processions, that the Athenians had provided him with places to live in.

23. He did not lean upon a staff until he grew infirm; but afterwards he would carry it everywhere, not indeed in the city, but when walking along the road with it and with his wallet; so say Olympiodorus, once a magistrate at Athens, Polyeuctus the orator, and Lysanias the son of Aeschrio. He had written to some one to try and procure a cottage for him. When this man was a long time about it, he took for his abode the tub in the Metron, as he himself explains in his letters. And in summer he used to roll in it over hot sand, while in winter he used to embrace statues covered with snow, using every means of inuring himself to hardship.

24. He was great at pouring scorn on his contemporaries. The school of Euclides he called bilious, and Plato's lectures waste of time, the performances at the Dionysia great peep-shows for fools, and the demagogues the mob's lacqueys. He used also to say that when he saw physicians, philosophers and pilots at their work, he deemed man the most intelligent of all animals; but when again he saw interpreters of dreams and diviners and those who attended to them, or those who were puffed up with conceit of wealth, he thought no animal more silly. He would continually say that for the conduct of life we need right reason or a halter.

25. Observing Plato one day at a costly banquet taking olives, “How is it,” he said, “that you the philosopher who sailed to Sicily for the sake of these dishes, now when they are before you do not enjoy them?” “Nay, by the gods, Diogenes,” replied Plato, “there also for the most part I lived upon olives and such like.” “Why then,” said Diogenes, “did you need to go to Syracuse? Was it that Attica at that time did not grow olives?” But Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History attributes this to Aristippus. Again, another time he was eating dried figs when he encountered Plato and offered him a share of them. When Plato took them and ate them, he said, “I said you might share them, not that you might eat them all up.”

26. And one day when Plato had invited to his house friends coming from Dionysius, Diogenes trampled upon his carpets and said, “I trample upon Plato's vainglory.” Plato's reply was, “How much pride you expose to view, Diogenes, by seeming not to be proud.” Others tell us that what Diogenes said was, “I trample upon the pride of Plato,” who retorted, “Yes, Diogenes, with pride of another sort.” Sotion, however, in his fourth book makes the Cynic address this remark to Plato himself. Diogenes once asked him for wine, and after that also for some dried figs; and Plato sent him a whole jar full. Then the other said, “If some one asks you how many two and two are, will you answer, Twenty? So, it seems, you neither give as you are asked nor answer as you are questioned.” Thus he scoffed at him as one who talked without end.

27. Being asked where in Greece he saw good men, he replied, “Good men nowhere, but good boys at Lacedaemon.” When one day he was gravely discoursing and nobody attended to him, he began whistling, and as people clustered about him, he reproached them with coming in all seriousness to hear nonsense, but slowly and contemptuously when the theme was serious. He would say that men strive in digging and kicking to outdo one another, but no one strives to become a good man and true.

28. And he would wonder that the grammarians should investigate the ills of Odysseus, while they were ignorant of their own. Or that the musicians should tune the strings of the lyre, while leaving the dispositions of their own souls discordant; that the mathematicians should gaze at the sun and the moon, but overlook matters close at hand; that the orators should make a fuss about justice in their speeches, but never practise it; or that the avaricious should cry out against money, while inordinately fond of it. He used also to condemn those who praised honest men for being superior to money, while themselves envying the very rich. He was moved to anger that men should sacrifice to the gods to ensure health and in the midst of the sacrifice should feast to the detriment of health. He was astonished that when slaves saw their masters were gluttons, they did not steal some of the viands.

29. He would praise those who were about to marry and refrained, those who intending to go a voyage never set sail, those who thinking to engage in politics do no such thing, those also who purposing to rear a family do not do so, and those who make ready to live with potentates, yet never come near them after all. He used to say, moreover, that we ought to stretch out our hands to our friends with the fingers open and not closed. Menippus in his Sale of Diogenes tells how, when he was captured and put up for sale, he was asked what he could do. He replied, “Govern men.” And he told the crier to give notice in case anybody wanted to purchase a master for himself. Having been forbidden to sit down, “It makes no difference,” said he, “for in whatever position fishes lie, they still find purchasers.”

30. And he said he marvelled that before we buy a jar or dish we try whether it rings true, but if it is a man are content merely to look at him. To Xeniades who purchased him he said, “You must obey me, although I am a slave; for, if a physician or a steersman were in slavery, he would be obeyed.” Eubulus in his book entitled The Sale of Diogenes tells us that this was how he trained the sons of Xeniades. After their other studies he taught them to ride, to shoot with the bow, to sling stones and to hurl javelins. Later, when they reached the wrestling-school, he would not permit the master to give them full athletic training, but only so much as to heighten their colour and keep them in good condition.

31. The boys used to get by heart many passages from poets, historians, and the writings of Diogenes himself; and he would practise them in every short cut to a good memory. In the house too he taught them to wait upon themselves, and to be content with plain fare and water to drink. He used to make them crop their hair close and to wear it unadorned, and to go lightly clad, barefoot, silent, and not looking about them in the streets. He would also take them out hunting. They on their part had a great regard for Diogenes and made requests of their parents for him. The same Eubulus relates that he grew old in the house of Xeniades, and when he died was buried by his sons.

32. There Xeniades once asked him how he wished to be buried. To which he replied, “On my face.” “Why?” inquired the other. “Because,” said he, “after a little time down will be converted into up.” This because the Macedonians had now got the supremacy, that is, had risen high from a humble position. Some one took him into a magnificent house and warned him not to expectorate, whereupon having cleared his throat he discharged the phlegm into the man's face, being unable, he said, to find a meaner receptacle. Others father this upon Aristippus. One day he shouted out for men, and when people collected, hit out at them with his stick, saying, “It was men I called for, not scoundrels.” This is told by Hecato in the first book of his Anecdotes. Alexander is reported to have said, “Had I not been Alexander, I should have liked to be Diogenes.”

33. The word “disabled”, Diogenes held, ought to be applied not to the deaf or blind, but to those who have no wallet. One day he made his way with head half shaven into a party of young revellers, as Metrocles relates in his Anecdotes, and was roughly handled by them. Afterwards he entered on a tablet the names of those who had struck him and went about with the tablet hung round his neck, till he had covered them with ridicule and brought universal blame and discredit upon them. He described himself as a hound of the sort which all men praise, but no one, he added, of his admirers dared go out hunting along with him. When some one boasted that at the Pythian games he had vanquished men, Diogenes replied, “Nay, I defeat men, you defeat slaves.”

34. To those who said to him, “You are an old man; take a rest,” “What?” he replied, “if I were running in the stadium, ought I to slacken my pace when approaching the goal? ought I not rather to put on speed?” Having been invited to a dinner, he declared that he wouldn't go; for, the last time he went, his host had not expressed a proper gratitude. He would walk upon snow barefoot and do the other things mentioned above. Not only so; he even attempted to eat meat raw, but could not manage to digest it. He once found Demosthenes the orator lunching at an inn, and, when he retired within, Diogenes said, “All the more you will be inside the tavern.” When some strangers expressed a wish to see Demosthenes, he stretched out his middle finger and said, “There goes the demagogue of Athens.”

35. Some one dropped a loaf of bread and was ashamed to pick it up; whereupon Diogenes, wishing to read him a lesson, tied a rope to the neck of a wine-jar and proceeded to drag it across the Ceramicus. He used to say that he followed the example of the trainers of choruses; for they too set the note a little high, to ensure that the rest should hit the right note. Most people, he would say, are so nearly mad that a finger makes all the difference. For, if you go along with your middle finger stretched out, some one will think you mad, but, if it's the little finger, he will not think so. Very valuable things, said he, were bartered for things of no value, and vice versa. At all events a statue fetches three thousand drachmas, while a quart of barley-flour is sold for two copper coins.

36. To Xeniades, who purchased him, he said, “Come, see that you obey orders.” When he quoted the line,

<blockquote>Backward the streams flow to their founts,</blockquote>

Diogenes asked, “If you had been ill and had purchased a doctor, would you then, instead of obeying him, have said 'Backward the streams flow to their founts'”? Some one wanted to study philosophy under him. Diogenes gave him a tunny to carry and told him to follow him. And when for shame the man threw it away and departed, some time after on meeting him he laughed and said, “The friendship between you and me was broken by a tunny.” The version given by Diocles, however, is as follows. Some one having said to him, “Lay your commands upon us, Diogenes,” he took him away and gave him a cheese to carry, which cost half an obol. The other declined; whereupon he remarked, “The friendship between you and me is broken by a little cheese worth half an obol.”

37. One day, observing a child drinking out of his hands, he cast away the cup from his wallet with the words, “A child has beaten me in plainness of living.” He also threw away his bowl when in like manner he saw a child who had broken his plate taking up his lentils with the hollow part of a morsel of bread. He used also to reason thus: “All things belong to the gods. The wise are friends of the gods, and friends hold things in common. Therefore all things belong to the wise.” One day he saw a woman kneeling before the gods in an ungraceful attitude, and wishing to free her of superstition, according to Zolus of Perga, he came forward and said, “Are you not afraid, my good woman, that a god may be standing behind you? – for all things are full of his presence – and you may be put to shame?”

38. He dedicated to Asclepius a bruiser who, whenever people fell on their faces, used to run up to them and bruise them.

All the curses of tragedy, he used to say, had lighted upon him. At all events he was

<blockquote>A homeless exile, to his country dead. A wanderer who begs his daily bread.</blockquote>

But he claimed that to fortune he could oppose courage, to convention nature, to passion reason. When he was sunning himself in the Craneum, Alexander came and stood over him and said, “Ask of me any boon you like.” To which he replied, “Stand out of my light.” Some one had been reading aloud for a very long time, and when he was near the end of the roll pointed to a space with no writing on it. “Cheer up, my men,” cried Diogenes; “there's land in sight.”

39. To one who by argument had proved conclusively that he had horns, he said, touching his forehead, “Well, I for my part don't see any.” In like manner, when somebody declared that there is no such thing as motion, he got up and walked about. When some one was discoursing on celestial phenomena, “How many days,” asked Diogenes, “were you in coming from the sky?” A eunuch of bad character had inscribed on his door the words, “Let nothing evil enter.” “How then,” he asked, “is the master of the house to get in?” When he had anointed his feet with unguent, he declared that from his head the unguent passed into the air, but from his feet into his nostrils. The Athenians urged him to become initiated, and told him that in the other world those who have been initiated enjoy a special privilege. “It would be ludicrous,” quoth he, “if Agesilaus and Epaminondas are to dwell in the mire, while certain folk of no account will live in the Isles of the Blest because they have been initiated.”

40. When mice crept on to the table he addressed them thus, “See now even Diogenes keeps parasites.” When Plato styled him a dog, “Quite true,” he said, “for I come back again and again to those who have sold me.” As he was leaving the public baths, somebody inquired if many men were bathing. He said, No. But to another who asked if there was a great crowd of bathers, he said, Yes. Plato had defined Man as an animal, biped and featherless, and was applauded. Diogenes plucked a fowl and brought it into the lecture-room with the words, “Here is Plato's man.” In consequence of which there was added to the definition, “having broad nails.” To one who asked what was the proper time for lunch, he said, “If a rich man, when you will; if a poor man, when you can.”

41. At Megara he saw the sheep protected by leather jackets, while the children went bare. “It's better,” said he, “to be a Megarian's ram than his son.” To one who had brandished a beam at him and then cried, “Look out,” he replied, “What, are you intending to strike me again?” He used to call the demagogues the lackeys of the people and the crowns awarded to them the efflorescence of fame. He lit a lamp in broad daylight and said, as he went about, “I am looking for a man.” One day he got a thorough drenching where he stood, and, when the bystanders pitied him, Plato said, if they really pitied him, they should move away, alluding to his vanity. When some one hit him a blow with his fist, “Heracles,” said he, “how came I to forget to put on a helmet when I walked out?”

42. Further, when Meidias assaulted him and went on to say, “There are 3000 drachmas to your credit,” the next day he took a pair of boxing-gauntlets, gave him a thrashing and said, “There are 3000 blows to your credit.” When Lysias the druggist asked him if he believed in the gods, “How can I help believing in them,” said he, “when I see a god-forsaken wretch like you?” Others give this retort to Theodorus. Seeing some one perform religious purification, he said, “Unhappy man, don't you know that you can no more get rid of errors of conduct by sprinklings than you can of mistakes in grammar?” He would rebuke men in general with regard to their prayers, declaring that they asked for those things which seemed to them to be good, not for such as are truly good.

43. As for those who were excited over their dreams he would say that they cared nothing for what they did in their waking hours, but kept their curiosity for the visions called up in their sleep. At Olympia, when the herald proclaimed Dioxippus to be victor over the men, Diogenes protested, “Nay, he is victorious over slaves, I over men.” Still he was loved by the Athenians. At all events, when a youngster broke up his tub, they gave the boy a flogging and presented Diogenes with another. Dionysius the Stoic says that after Chaeronea he was seized and dragged off to Philip, and being asked who he was, replied, “A spy upon your insatiable greed.” For this he was admired and set free.

44. Alexander having on one occasion sent a letter to Antipater at Athens by a certain Athlios, Diogenes, who was present, said:

<blockquote>Graceless son of graceless sire to graceless wight by graceless squire.</blockquote>

Perdiccas having threatened to put him to death unless he came to him, “That's nothing wonderful,” quoth he, “for a beetle or a tarantula would do the same.” Instead of that he would have expected the threat to be that Perdiccas would be quite happy to do without his company. He would often insist loudly that the gods had given to men the means of living easily, but this had been put out of sight, because we require honeyed cakes, unguents and the like. Hence to a man whose shoes were being put on by his servant, he said, “You have not attained to full felicity, unless he wipes your nose as well; and that will come, when you have lost the use of your hands.”

45. Once he saw the officials of a temple leading away some one who had stolen a bowl belonging to the treasurers, and said, “The great thieves are leading away the little thief.” Noticing a lad one day throwing stones at a cross (gibbet), “Well done,” he said, “you will hit your mark.” When some boys clustered round him and said, “Take care he doesn't bite us,” he answered, “Never fear, boys, a dog does not eat beetroot.” To one who was proud of wearing a lion's skin his words were, “Leave off dishonouring the habiliments of courage.” When some one was extolling the good fortune of Callisthenes and saying what splendour he shared in the suite of Alexander, “Not so,” said Diogenes, “but rather ill fortune; for he breakfasts and dines when Alexander thinks fit.”

46. Being short of money, he told his friends that he applied to them not for alms, but for repayment of his due. When behaving indecently in the marketplace, he wished it were as easy to relieve hunger by rubbing an empty stomach. Seeing a youth starting off to dine with satraps, he dragged him off, took him to his friends and bade them keep strict watch over him. When a youth effeminately attired put a question to him, he declined to answer unless he pulled up his robe and showed whether he was man or woman. A youth was playing cottabos in the baths. Diogenes said to him, “The better you play, the worse it is for you.” At a feast certain people kept throwing all the bones to him as they would have done to a dog. Thereupon he played a dog's trick and drenched them.

47. Rhetoricians and all who talked for reputation he used to call “thrice human,” meaning thereby “thrice wretched.” An ignorant rich man he used to call “the sheep with the golden fleece.” Seeing a notice on the house of a profligate, “To be sold,” he said, “I knew well that after such surfeiting you would throw up the owner.” To a young man who complained of the number of people who annoyed him by their attentions he said, “Cease to hang out a sign of invitation.” Of a public bath which was dirty he said, “When people have bathed here, where are they to go to get clean?” There was a stout musician whom everybody depreciated and Diogenes alone praised. When asked why, he said, “Because being so big, he yet sings to his lute and does not turn brigand.”

48. The musician who was always deserted by his audience he greeted with a “Hail chanticleer,” and when asked why he so addressed him, replied, “Because your song makes every one get up.” A young man was delivering a set speech, when Diogenes, having filled the front fold of his dress with lupins, began to eat them, standing right opposite to him. Having thus drawn off the attention of the assemblage, he said he was greatly surprised that they should desert the orator to look at himself. A very superstitious person addressed him thus, “With one blow I will break your head.” “And I,” said Diogenes, “by a sneeze from the left will make you tremble.” Hegesias having asked him to lend him one of his writings, he said, “You are a simpleton, Hegesias; you do not choose painted figs, but real ones; and yet you pass over the true training and would apply yourself to written rules.”

49. When some one reproached him with his exile, his reply was, “Nay, it was through that, you miserable fellow, that I came to be a philosopher.” Again, when some one reminded him that the people of Sinope had sentenced him to exile, “And I them,” said he, “to home-staying.” Once he saw an Olympic victor tending sheep and thus accosted him: “Too quickly, my good friend, have you left Olympia for Nemea. “Being asked why athletes are so stupid, his answer was, “Because they are built up of pork and beef.” He once begged alms of a statue, and, when asked why he did so, replied, “To get practice in being refused.” In asking alms – as he did at first by reason of his poverty – he used this form: “If you have already given to anyone else, give to me also; if not, begin with me.”

50. On being asked by a tyrant what bronze is best for a statue, he replied, “That of which Harmodius and Aristogiton were moulded.” Asked how Dionysius treated his friends, “Like purses,” he replied; “so long as they are full, he hangs them up, and, when they are empty, he throws them away.” Some one lately wed had set up on his door the notice:

<blockquote>The son of Zeus, victorious Heracles, Dwells here; let nothing evil enter in.</blockquote>

To which Diogenes added “After war, alliance.” The love of money he declared to be mother-city of all evils. Seeing a spendthrift eating olives in a tavern, he said, “If you had breakfasted in this fashion, you would not so be dining.”

51. Good men he called images of the gods, and love the business of the idle. To the question what is wretched in life he replied, “An old man destitute.” Being asked what creature's bite is the worst, he said, “Of those that are wild a sycophant's; of those that are tame a flatterer's.” Upon seeing two centaurs very badly painted, he asked, “Which of these is Chiron?” (worse man). Ingratiating speech he compared to honey used to choke you. The stomach he called livelihood's Charybdis. Hearing a report that Didymon the flute-player had been caught in adultery, his comment was, “His name alone is sufficient to hang him.” To the question why gold is pale, his reply was, “Because it has so many thieves plotting against it.” On seeing a woman carried in a litter, he remarked that the cage was not in keeping with the quarry.

52. One day seeing a runaway slave sitting on the brink of a well, he said, “Take care, my lad, you don't fall in.” Seeing a boy taking clothes at the baths, he asked, “Is it for a little unguent or is it for a new cloak?” Seeing some women hanged from an olive-tree, he said, “Would that every tree bore similar fruit.” On seeing a footpad he accosted him thus:

<blockquote>What mak'st thou here, my gallant? Com'st thou perchance for plunder of the dead?</blockquote>

Being asked whether he had any maid or boy to wait on him, he said “No.” “If you should die, then, who will carry you out to burial?” “Whoever wants the house,” he replied.

53. Noticing a good-looking youth lying in an exposed position, he nudged him and cried, “Up, man, up, lest some foe thrust a dart into thy back!” To one who was feasting lavishly he said:

<blockquote>Short-liv'd thou'lt be, my son, by what thou – buy'st.</blockquote>

As Plato was conversing about Ideas and using the nouns “tablehood” and “cuphood,” he said, “Table and cup I see; but your tablehood and cuphood, Plato, I can nowise see.” “That's readily accounted for,” said Plato, “for you have the eyes to see the visible table and cup; but not the understanding by which ideal tablehood and cuphood are discerned.”

54. On being asked by somebody, “What sort of a man do you consider Diogenes to be?” “A Socrates gone mad,” said he. Being asked what was the right time to marry, Diogenes replied, “For a young man not yet: for an old man never at all.” Being asked what he would take to be soundly cuffed, he replied, “A helmet.” Seeing a youth dressing with elaborate care, he said, “If it's for men, you're a fool; if for women, a knave.” One day he detected a youth blushing. “Courage,” quoth he, “that is the hue of virtue.” One day after listening to a couple of lawyers disputing, he condemned them both, saying that the one had no doubt stolen, but the other had not lost anything. To the question what wine he found pleasant to drink, he replied, “That for which other people pay.” When he was told that many people laughed at him, he made answer, “But I am not laughed down.”

55. When some one declared that life is an evil, he corrected him: “Not life itself, but living ill.” When he was advised to go in pursuit of his runaway slave, he replied, “It would be absurd, if Manes can live without Diogenes, but Diogenes cannot get on without Manes.” When breakfasting on olives amongst which a cake had been inserted, he flung it away and addressed it thus:

<blockquote>Stranger, betake thee from the princes' path.</blockquote>

And on another occasion thus:

<blockquote>He lashed an olive.</blockquote>

Being asked what kind of hound he was, he replied, “When hungry, a Maltese; when full, a Molossian – two breeds which most people praise, though for fear of fatigue they do not venture out hunting with them. So neither can you live with me, because you are afraid of the discomforts.”

56. Being asked if the wise eat cakes, “Yes,” he said, “cakes of all kinds, just like other men.” Being asked why people give to beggars but not to philosophers, he said, “Because they think they may one day be lame or blind, but never expect that they will turn to philosophy.” He was begging of a miserly man who was slow to respond; so he said, “My friend, it's for food that I'm asking, not for funeral expenses.” Being reproached one day for having falsified the currency, he said, “That was the time when I was such as you are now; but such as I am now, you will never be.” To another who reproached him for the same offence he made a more scurrilous repartee.

57. On coming to Myndus and finding the gates large, though the city itself was very small, he cried, “Men of Myndus, bar your gates, lest the city should run away.” Seeing a man who had been caught stealing purple, he said:

<blockquote>Fast gripped by purple death and forceful fate.</blockquote>

When Craterus wanted him to come and visit him, “No,” he replied, “I would rather live on a few grains of salt at Athens than enjoy sumptuous fare at Craterus's table.” He went up to Anaximenes the rhetorician, who was fat, and said, “Let us beggars have something of your paunch; it will be a relief to you, and we shall get advantage.” And when the same man was discoursing, Diogenes distracted his audience by producing some salt fish. This annoyed the lecturer, and Diogenes said, “An obol's worth of salt fish has broken up Anaximenes' lecture-class.”

58. Being reproached for eating in the market-place, “Well, it was in the market-place,” he said, “that I felt hungry.” Some authors affirm that the following also belongs to him: that Plato saw him washing lettuces, came up to him and quietly said to him, “Had you paid court to Dionysius, you wouldn't now be washing lettuces,” and that he with equal calmness made answer, “If you had washed lettuces, you wouldn't have paid court to Dionysius.” When some one said, “Most people laugh at you,” his reply was, “And so very likely do the asses at them; but as they don't care for the asses, so neither do I care for them.” One day observing a youth studying philosophy, he said, “Well done, Philosophy, that thou divertest admirers of bodily charms to the real beauty of the soul.”

59. When some one expressed astonishment at the votive offerings in Samothrace, his comment was, “There would have been far more, if those who were not saved had set up offerings.” But others attribute this remark to Diagoras of Melos. To a handsome youth, who was going out to dinner, he said, “You will come back a worse man.” When he came back and said next day, “I went and am none the worse for it,” Diogenes said, “Not Worse-man (Chiron), but Lax-man (Eurytion).” He was asking alms of a bad-tempered man, who said, “Yes, if you can persuade me.” “If I could have persuaded you,” said Diogenes, “I would have persuaded you to hang yourself.” He was returning from Lacedaemon to Athens; and on some one asking, “Whither and whence?” he replied, “From the men's apartments to the women's.”

60. He was returning from Olympia, and when somebody inquired whether there was a great crowd, “Yes,” he said, “a great crowd, but few who could be called men.” Libertines he compared to fig-trees growing upon a cliff: whose fruit is not enjoyed by any man, but is eaten by ravens and vultures. When Phryne set up a golden statue of Aphrodite in Delphi, Diogenes is said to have written upon it: “From the licentiousness of Greece.” Alexander once came and stood opposite him and said, “I am Alexander the great king.” “And I,” said he, “am Diogenes the Cynic.” Being asked what he had done to be called a hound, he said, “I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.”

61. He was gathering figs, and was told by the keeper that not long before a man had hanged himself on that very fig-tree. “Then,” said he, “I will now purge it.” Seeing an Olympian victor casting repeated glances at a courtesan, “See,” he said, “yonder ram frenzied for battle, how he is held fast by the neck fascinated by a common minx.” Handsome courtesans he would compare to a deadly honeyed potion. He was breakfasting in the marketplace, and the bystanders gathered round him with cries of “dog.” “It is you who are dogs,” cried he, “when you stand round and watch me at my breakfast.” When two cowards hid away from him, he called out, “Don't be afraid, a hound is not fond of beetroot.”

62. After seeing a stupid wrestler practising as a doctor he inquired of him, “What does this mean? Is it that you may now have your revenge on the rivals who formerly beat you?” Seeing the child of a courtesan throw stones at a crowd, he cried out, “Take care you don't hit your father.” A boy having shown him a dagger that he had received from an admirer, Diogenes remarked, “A pretty blade with an ugly handle.” When some people commended a person who had given him a gratuity, he broke in with “You have no praise for me who was worthy to receive it.” When some one asked that he might have back his cloak, “If it was a gift,” replied Diogenes, “I possess it; while, if it was a loan, I am using it.” A supposititious son having told him that he had gold in the pocket of his dress, “True,” said he, “and therefore you sleep with it under your pillow.”

63. On being asked what he had gained from philosophy, he replied, “This at least, if nothing else – to be prepared for every fortune.” Asked where he came from, he said, “I am a citizen of the world.” Certain parents were sacrificing to the gods, that a son might be born to them. “But,” said he, “do you not sacrifice to ensure what manner of man he shall turn out to be?” When asked for a subscription towards a club, he said to the president:

<blockquote>Despoil the rest; off Hector keep thy hands.</blockquote>

The mistresses of kings he designated queens; for, said he, they make the kings do their bidding. When the Athenians gave Alexander the title of Dionysus, he said, “Me too you might make Sarapis.” Some one having reproached him for going into dirty places, his reply was that the sun too visits cesspools without being defiled.

64. When he was dining in a temple, and in the course of the meal loaves not free from dirt were put on the table, he took them up and threw them away, declaring that nothing unclean ought to enter a temple. To the man who said to him, “You don't know anything, although you are a philosopher,” he replied, “Even if I am but a pretender to wisdom, that in itself is philosophy.” When some one brought a child to him and declared him to be highly gifted and of excellent character, “What need then,” said he, “has he of me?” Those who say admirable things, but fail to do them, he compared to a harp; for the harp, like them, he said, has neither hearing nor perception. He was going into a theatre, meeting face to face those who were coming out, and being asked why, “This,” he said, “is what I practise doing all my life.”

65. Seeing a young man behaving effeminately, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “that your own intention about yourself should be worse than nature's: for nature made you a man, but you are forcing yourself to play the woman.” Observing a fool tuning a psaltery, “Are you not ashamed,” said he, “to give this wood concordant sounds, while you fail to harmonize your soul with life?” To one who protested that he was ill adapted for the study of philosophy, he said, “Why then do you live, if you do not care to live well?” To one who despised his father, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “to despise him to whom you owe it that you can so pride yourself?” Noticing a handsome youth chattering in unseemly fashion, “Are you not ashamed,” he said, “to draw a dagger of lead from an ivory scabbard?”

66. Being reproached with drinking in a tavern, “Well,” said he, “I also get my hair cut in a barber's shop.” Being reproached with accepting a cloak from Antipater, he replied:

<blockquote>The gods' choice gifts are nowise to be spurned.</blockquote>

When some one first shook a beam at him and then shouted “Look out,” Diogenes struck the man with his staff and added “Look out.” To a man who was urgently pressing his suit to a courtesan he said, “Why, hapless man, are you at such pains to gain your suit, when it would be better for you to lose it?” To one with perfumed hair he said, “Beware lest the sweet scent on your head cause an ill odour in your life.” He said that bad men obey their lusts as servants obey their masters.

67. The question being asked why footmen are so called, he replied, “Because they have the feet of men, but souls such as you, my questioner, have.” He asked a spendthrift for a mina. The man inquired why it was that he asked others for an obol but him for a mina. “Because,” said Diogenes, “I expect to receive from others again, but whether I shall ever get anything from you again lies on the knees of the gods.” Being reproached with begging when Plato did not beg, “Oh yes,” says he, “he does, but when he does so –

<blockquote>He holds his head down close, that none may hear.</blockquote>

Seeing a bad archer, he sat down beside the target with the words “in order not to get hit.” Lovers, he declared, derive their pleasures from their misfortune.

68. Being asked whether death was an evil thing, he replied, “How can it be evil, when in its presence we are not aware of it?” When Alexander stood opposite him and asked, “Are you not afraid of me?” “Why, what are you?” said he, “a good thing or a bad?” Upon Alexander replying “A good thing,” “Who then,” said Diogenes, “is afraid of the good?” Education, according to him, is a controlling grace to the young, consolation to the old, wealth to the poor, and ornament to the rich. When Didymon, who was a rake, was once treating a girl's eye, “Beware,” says Diogenes, “lest the oculist instead of curing the eye should ruin the pupil.” On somebody declaring that his own friends were plotting against him, Diogenes exclaimed, “What is to be done then, if you have to treat friends and enemies alike?”

69. Being asked what was the most beautiful thing in the world, he replied, “Freedom of speech.” On entering a boys' school, he found there many statues of the Muses, but few pupils. “By the help of the gods,” said he, “schoolmaster, you have plenty of pupils.” It was his habit to do everything in public, the works of Demeter and of Aphrodite alike. He used to draw out the following arguments. “If to breakfast be not absurd, neither is it absurd in the market-place; but to breakfast is not absurd, therefore it is not absurd to breakfast in the marketplace.” Behaving indecently in public, he wished “it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly.” Many other sayings are attributed to him, which it would take long to enumerate.

70. He used to affirm that training was of two kinds, mental and bodily: the latter being that whereby, with constant exercise, perceptions are formed such as secure freedom of movement for virtuous deeds; and the one half of this training is incomplete without the other, good health and strength being just as much included among the essential things, whether for body or soul. And he would adduce indisputable evidence to show how easily from gymnastic training we arrive at virtue. For in the manual crafts and other arts it can be seen that the craftsmen develop extraordinary manual skill through practice. Again, take the case of flute-players and of athletes: what surpassing skill they acquire by their own incessant toil; and, if they had transferred their efforts to the training of the mind, how certainly their labours would not have been unprofitable or ineffective.

71. Nothing in life, however, he maintained, has any chance of succeeding without strenuous practice; and this is capable of overcoming anything. Accordingly, instead of useless toils men should choose such as nature recommends, whereby they might have lived happily. Yet such is their madness that they choose to be miserable. For even the despising of pleasure is itself most pleasurable, when we are habituated to it; and just as those accustomed to a life of pleasure feel disgust when they pass over to the opposite experience, so those whose training has been of the opposite kind derive more pleasure from despising pleasure than from the pleasures themselves. This was the gist of his conversation; and it was plain that he acted accordingly, adulterating currency in very truth, allowing convention no such authority as he allowed to natural right, and asserting that the manner of life he lived was the same as that of Heracles when he preferred liberty to everything.

72. He maintained that all things are the property of the wise, and employed such arguments as those cited above. All things belong to the gods. The gods are friends to the wise, and friends share all property in common; therefore all things are the property of the wise. Again as to law: that it is impossible for society to exist without law; for without a city no benefit can be derived from that which is civilized. But the city is civilized, and there is no advantage in law without a city; therefore law is something civilized. He would ridicule good birth and fame and all such distinctions, calling them showy ornaments of vice. The only true commonwealth was, he said, that which is as wide as the universe. He advocated community of wives, recognizing no other marriage than a union of the man who persuades with the woman who consents. And for this reason he thought sons too should be held in common.

73. And he saw no impropriety either in stealing anything from a temple or in eating the flesh of any animal; nor even anything impious in touching human flesh, this, he said, being clear from the custom of some foreign nations. Moreover, according to right reason, as he put it, all elements are contained in all things and pervade everything: since not only is meat a constituent of bread, but bread of vegetables; and all other bodies also, by means of certain invisible passages and particles, find their way in and unite with all substances in the form of vapour. This he makes plain in the Thyestes, if the tragedies are really his and not the work of his friend Philiscus of Aegina or of Pasiphon, the son of Lucian, who according to Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History wrote them after the death of Diogenes. He held that we should neglect music, geometry, astronomy, and the like studies, as useless and unnecessary. 74. He became very ready also at repartee in verbal debates, as is evident from what has been said above.

Further, when he was sold as a slave, he endured it most nobly. For on a voyage to Aegina he was captured by pirates under the command of Scirpalus, conveyed to Crete and exposed for sale. When the auctioneer asked in what he was proficient, he replied, “In ruling men.” Thereupon he pointed to a certain Corinthian with a fine purple border to his robe, the man named Xeniades above-mentioned, and said, “Sell me to this man; he needs a master.” Thus Xeniades came to buy him, and took him to Corinth and set him over his own children and entrusted his whole household to him. And he administered it in all respects in such a manner that Xeniades used to go about saying, “A good genius has entered my house.”

75. Cleomenes in his work entitled Concerning Pedagogues says that the friends of Diogenes wanted to ransom him, whereupon he called them simpletons; for, said he, lions are not the slaves of those who feed them, but rather those who feed them are at the mercy of the lions: for fear is the mark of the slave, whereas wild beasts make men afraid of them. The man had in fact a wonderful gift of persuasion, so that he could easily vanquish anyone he liked in argument. At all events a certain Onesicritus of Aegina is said to have sent to Athens the one of his two sons named Androsthenes, and he having become a pupil of Diogenes stayed there; the father then sent the other also, the aforesaid Philiscus, who was the elder, in search of him; but Philiscus also was detained in the same way.

76. When, thirdly, the father himself arrived, he was just as much attracted to the pursuit of philosophy as his sons and joined the circle – so magical was the spell which the discourses of Diogenes exerted. Amongst his hearers was Phocion surnamed the Honest, and Stilpo the Megarian, and many other men prominent in political life. Diogenes is said to have been nearly ninety years old when he died. Regarding his death there are several different accounts. One is that he was seized with colic after eating an octopus raw and so met his end. Another is that he died voluntarily by holding his breath. This account was followed by Cercidas of Megalopolis (or of Crete), who in his meliambics writes thus:

<blockquote>Not so he who aforetime was a citizen of Sinope, That famous one who carried a staff, doubled his cloak, and lived in the open air. 77. But he soared aloft with his lip tightly pressed against his teeth And holding his breath withal. For in truth he was rightly named Diogenes, a true-born son of Zeus, a hound of heaven.</blockquote>

Another version is that, while trying to divide an octopus amongst the dogs, he was so severely bitten on the sinew of the foot that it caused his death. His friends, however, according to Antisthenes in his Successions of Philosophers, conjectured that it was due to the retention of his breath. For he happened to be living in the Craneum, the gymnasium in front of Corinth. When his friends came according to custom and found him wrapped up in his cloak, they thought that he must be asleep, although he was by no means of a drowsy or somnolent habit. They therefore drew aside his cloak and found that he was dead. This they supposed to have been his deliberate act in order to escape thenceforward from life.

78. Hence, it is said, arose a quarrel among his disciples as to who should bury him: nay, they even came to blows; but, when their fathers and men of influence arrived, under their direction he was buried beside the gate leading to the Isthmus. Over his grave they set up a pillar and a dog in Parian marble upon it. Subsequently his fellow-citizens honoured him with bronze statues, on which these verses were inscribed:

<blockquote>Time makes even bronze grow old: but thy glory, Diogenes, all eternity will never destroy. Since thou alone didst point out to mortals the lesson of self-sufficingness and the easiest path of life.</blockquote>

79. We too have written on him in the proceleusmatic metre:

<blockquote>a. Diogenes, come tell me what fate took you to the world below? d. A dog's savage tooth.</blockquote>

But some say that when dying he left instructions that they should throw him out unburied, that every wild beast might feed on him, or thrust him into a ditch and sprinkle a little dust over him. But according to others his instructions were that they should throw him into the Ilissus, in order that he might be useful to his brethren.

Demetrius in his work On Men of the Same Name asserts that on the same day on which Alexander died in Babylon Diogenes died in Corinth. He was an old man in the 113th Olympiad.

80. The following writings are attributed to him. Dialogues:

Cephalion. Ichthyas. Jackdaw. Pordalus. The Athenian Demos. Republic. Art of Ethics. On Wealth. On Love. Theodorus. Hypsias. Aristarchus. On Death. Letters.

Seven Tragedies:

Helen. Thyestes. Heracles. Achilles. Medea. Chrysippus. Oedipus.

Sosicrates in the first book of his Successions, and Satyrus in the fourth book of his Lives, allege that Diogenes left nothing in writing, and Satyrus adds that the sorry tragedies are by his friend Philiscus, the Aeginetan. Sotion in his seventh book declares that only the following are genuine works of Diogenes: On Virtue, On Good, On Love, A Mendicant, Tolmaeus, Pordalus, Casandrus, Cephalion, Philiscus, Aristarchus, Sisyphus, Ganymedes, Anecdotes, Letters.

81. There have been five men who were named Diogenes. The first, of Apollonia, a natural philosopher. The beginning of his treatise runs thus: “At the outset of every discourse, methinks, one should see to it that the basis laid down is unquestionable.” The second – of Sicyon – who wrote an “Account of Peloponnesus.” The third, our present subject. The fourth, a Stoic born at Seleucia, who is also called the Babylonian, because Seleucia is near Babylon. The fifth, of Tarsus, author of a work on poetical problems, which he attempts to solve.

Now the philosopher is said by Athenodorus in the eighth book of his Walks to have always had a sleek appearance owing to his use of unguents.

Monimus

82. Monimus of Syracuse was a pupil of Diogenes; and, according to Sosicrates, he was in the service of a certain Corinthian banker, to whom Xeniades, the purchaser of Diogenes, made frequent visits, and by the account which he gave of his goodness in word and deed, excited in Monimus a passionate admiration of Diogenes. For he forthwith pretended to be mad and proceeded to fling away the small change and all the money on the banker's table, until at length his master dismissed him; and he then straightway devoted himself to Diogenes. He often followed Crates the Cynic as well, and embraced the like pursuits; whereupon his master, seeing him do this, was all the more persuaded that he was mad.

83. He came to be a distinguished man; so much so that he is even mentioned by the comic poet Menander. At any rate in one of his plays, The Groom, his words are:

<blockquote>One Monimus there was, a wise man, Philo, But not so very famous. a. He, you mean, Who carried the scrip? b. Nay, not one scrip, but three. Yet never a word, so help me Zeus, spake he To match the saying, Know thyself, nor such Famed watchwords. Far beyond all these he went, Your dusty mendicant, pronouncing wholly vain All man's supposings.</blockquote>

Monimus indeed showed himself a very grave moralist, so that he ever despised mere opinion and sought only truth.

He has left us, besides some trifles blended with covert earnestness, two books, On Impulses and an Exhortation to Philosophy.

Onesicritus

84. Onesicritus some report to have been an Aeginetan, but Demetrius of Magnesia says that he was a native of Astypalaea. He too was one of the distinguished pupils of Diogenes. His career seems to have resembled that of Xenophon; for Xenophon joined the expedition of Cyrus, Onesicritus that of Alexander; and the former wrote the Cyropaedia, or Education of Cyrus, while the latter has described how Alexander was educated: the one a laudation of Cyrus, the other of Alexander. And in their diction they are not unlike: except that Onesicritus, as is to be expected in an imitator, falls short of his model.

Amongst other pupils of Diogenes were Menander, who was nicknamed Drymus or “Oakwood,” a great admirer of Homer; Hegesias of Sinope, nicknamed “Dog-collar”; and Philiscus of Aegina mentioned above.

Crates

85. Crates, son of Ascondas, was a Theban. He too was amongst the Cynic's famous pupils. Hippobotus, however, alleges that he was a pupil not of Diogenes, but of Bryson the Achaean. The following playful lines are attributed to him:

<blockquote>There is a city Pera in the midst of wine-dark vapour, Fair, fruitful, passing squalid, owning nought, Into which sails nor fool nor parasite Nor glutton, slave of sensual appetite, But thyme it bears, garlic, and figs and loaves, For which things' sake men fight not each with other, Nor stand to arms for money or for fame.</blockquote>

86. There is also his widely circulated day-book, which runs as follows:

<blockquote>Set down for the chef ten minas, for the doctor One drachma, for a flatterer talents five, For counsel smoke, for mercenary beauty A talent, for a philosopher three obols.</blockquote>

He was known as the “Door-opener” – the caller to whom all doors fly open – from his habit of entering every house and admonishing those within. Here is another specimen of his composition:

<blockquote>That much I have which I have learnt and thought, The noble lessons taught me by the Muses: But wealth amassed is prey to vanity.</blockquote>

And again he says that what he has gained from philosophy is

<blockquote>A quart of lupins and to care for no one</blockquote>

This too is quoted as his:

<blockquote>Hunger stops love, or, if not hunger, Time, Or, failing both these means of help, – a halter.</blockquote>

87. He flourished in the 113th Olympiad.

According to Antisthenes in his Successions, the first impulse to the Cynic philosophy was given to him when he saw Telephus in a certain tragedy carrying a little basket and altogether in a wretched plight. So he turned his property into money, – for he belonged to a distinguished family, – and having thus collected about 200 talents, distributed that sum among his fellow-citizens. And (it is added) so sturdy a philosopher did he become that he is mentioned by the comic poet Philemon. At all events the latter says:

<blockquote>In summer-time a thick cloak he would wear To be like Crates, and in winter rags.</blockquote>

Diocles relates how Diogenes persuaded Crates to give up his fields to sheep pasture, and throw into the sea any money he had.

88. In the home of Crates Alexander is said to have lodged, as Philip once lived in Hipparchia's. Often, too, certain of his kinsmen would come to visit him and try to divert him from his purpose. These he would drive from him with his stick, and his resolution was unshaken. Demetrius of Magnesia tells a story that he entrusted a banker with a sum of money on condition that, if his sons proved ordinary men he was to pay it to them, but, if they became philosophers, then to distribute it among the people: for his sons would need nothing, if they took to philosophy. Eratosthenes tells us that by Hipparchia, of whom we shall presently speak, he had a son born to him named Pasicles, and after he had ceased to be a cadet on service, Crates took him to a brothel and told him that was how his father had married.

89. The marriage of intrigue and adultery, he said, belonged to tragedy, having exile or assassination as its rewards; while the weddings of those who take up with courtesans are material for comedy, for as a result of extravagance and drunkenness they bring about madness.

This man had a brother named Pasicles, who was a disciple of Euclides.

Favorinus, in the second book of his Memorabilia, tells a pleasant story of Crates. For he relates how, when making some request of the master of the gymnasium, he laid hold on his hips; and when he demurred, said, “What, are not these hip-joints yours as much as your knees?” It was, he used to say, impossible to find anybody wholly free from flaws; but, just as in a pomegranate, one of the seeds is always going bad. Having exasperated the musician Nicodromus, he was struck by him on the face. So he stuck a plaster on his forehead with these words on it, “Nicodromus's handiwork.”

90. He carried on a regular campaign of invective against the courtesans, habituating himself to meet their abuse.

When Demetrius of Phalerum sent him loaves of bread and some wine, he reproached him, saying, “Oh that the springs yielded bread as well as water!” It is clear, then, that he was a water-drinker. When the police-inspectors found fault with him for wearing muslin, his answer was, “I'll show you that Theophrastus also wears muslin.” This they would not believe: so he led them to a barber's shop and showed them Theophrastus being shaved. At Thebes he was flogged by the master of the gymnasium – another version being that it was by Euthycrates and at Corinth; and being dragged by the heels, he called out, as if it did not affect him:

<blockquote>Seized by the foot and dragged o'er heaven's high threshold</blockquote>

91. Diocles, however, says that it was by Menedemus of Eretria that he was thus dragged. For he being handsome and being thought to be intimate with Asclepiades the Phliasian, Crates slapped him on the side with a brutal taunt; whereupon Menedemus, full of indignation, dragged him along, and he declaimed as above.

Zeno of Citium in his Anecdotes relates that in a fit of heedlessness he sewed a sheepskin to his cloak. He was ugly to look at, and when performing his gymnastic exercises used to be laughed at. He was accustomed to say, raising his hands, “Take heart, Crates, for it is for the good of your eyes and of the rest of your body.

92. You will see these men, who are laughing at you, tortured before long by disease, counting you happy, and reproaching themselves for their sluggishness.” He used to say that we should study philosophy to the point of seeing in generals nothing but donkey-drivers. Those who live with flatterers he declared to be as defenceless as calves in the midst of wolves; for neither these nor those have any to protect them, but only such as plot against them. Perceiving that he was dying, he would chant over himself this charm, “You are going, dear hunchback, you are off to the house of Hades, – bent crooked by old age.” For his years had bowed him down.

93. When Alexander inquired whether he would like his native city to be rebuilt, his answer was, “Why should it be? Perhaps another Alexander will destroy it again.” Ignominy and Poverty he declared to be his country, which Fortune could never take captive. He was, he said, a fellow-citizen of Diogenes, who defied all the plots of envy. Menander alludes to him in the Twin Sisters in the following lines:

<blockquote>Wearing a cloak you'll go about with me, As once with Cynic Crates went his wife: His daughter too, as he himself declared, He gave in marriage for a month on trial.</blockquote>

We come now to his pupils.

Metrocles

94. Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of Hipparchia. He had been formerly a pupil of Theophrastus the Peripatetic, and had been so far corrupted by weakness that, when he made a breach of good manners in the course of rehearsing a speech, it drove him to despair, and he shut himself up at home, intending to starve himself to death. On learning this Crates came to visit him as he had been asked to do, and after advisedly making a meal of lupins, he tried to persuade him by argument as well that he had committed no crime, for a prodigy would have happened if he had not taken the natural means of relieving himself. At last by reproducing the action he succeeded in lifting him from his dejection, using for his consolation the likeness of the occurrences. From that time forward Metrocles was his pupil, and became proficient in philosophy.

95. Hecato in the first book of his Anecdotes tells us he burned his compositions with the words:

<blockquote>Phantoms are these of dreams o' the world below.</blockquote>

Others say that when he set fire to his notes of Theophrastus's lectures, he added the line:

<blockquote>Come hither, Hephaestus, Thetis now needeth thee.</blockquote>

He divided things into such as are procurable for money, like a house, and such as can be procured by time and trouble, like education. Wealth, he said, is harmful, unless we put it to a worthy use.

He died of old age, having choked himself.

His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.

Hipparchia

96. Hipparchia too, sister of Metrocles, was captured by their doctrines. Both of them were born at Maroneia.

She fell in love with the discourses and the life of Crates, and would not pay attention to any of her suitors, their wealth, their high birth or their beauty. But to her Crates was everything. She used even to threaten her parents she would make away with herself, unless she were given in marriage to him. Crates therefore was implored by her parents to dissuade the girl, and did all he could, and at last, failing to persuade her, got up, took off his clothes before her face and said, “This is the bridegroom, here are his possessions; make your choice accordingly; for you will be no helpmeet of mine, unless you share my pursuits.”

97. The girl chose and, adopting the same dress, went about with her husband and lived with him in public and went out to dinners with him. Accordingly she appeared at the banquet given by Lysimachus, and there put down Theodorus, known as the atheist, by means of the following sophism. Any action which would not be called wrong if done by Theodorus, would not be called wrong if done by Hipparchia. Now Theodorus does no wrong when he strikes himself: therefore neither does Hipparchia do wrong when she strikes Theodorus. He had no reply wherewith to meet the argument, but tried to strip her of her cloak. But Hipparchia showed no sign of alarm or of the perturbation natural in a woman.

98. And when he said to her:

<blockquote>“Is this she Who quitting woof and warp and comb and loom?”</blockquote>

she replied, “It is I, Theodorus, – but do you suppose that I have been ill advised about myself, if instead of wasting further time upon the loom I spent it in education?” These tales and countless others are told of the female philosopher.

There is current a work of Crates entitled Epistles, containing excellent philosophy in a style which sometimes resembles that of Plato. He has also written tragedies, stamped with a very lofty kind of philosophy; as, for example, the following passage:

<blockquote>Not one tower hath my country nor one roof, But wide as the whole earth its citadel And home prepared for us to dwell therein.</blockquote>

He died in old age, and was buried in Boeotia.

Menippus

99. Menippus, also a Cynic, was by descent a Phoenician – a slave, as Achacus in his treatise on Ethics says. Diocles further informs us that his master was a citizen of Pontus and was named Baton. But as avarice made him very resolute in begging, he succeeded in becoming a Theban.

There is no seriousness in him; but his books overflow with laughter, much the same as those of his contemporary Meleager.

Hermippus says that he lent out money by the day and got a nickname from doing so. For he used to make loans on bottomry and take security, thus accumulating a large fortune.

100. At last, however, he fell a victim to a plot, was robbed of all, and in despair ended his days by hanging himself. I have composed a trifle upon him:

<blockquote>May be, you know Menippus, Phoenician by birth, but a Cretan hound: A money-lender by the day – so he was called – At Thebes when once on a time his house was broken into And he lost his all, not understanding what it is to be a Cynic, He hanged himself.</blockquote>

Some authorities question the genuineness of the books attributed to him, alleging them to be by Dionysius and Zopyrus of Colophon, who, writing them for a joke, made them over to Menippus as a person able to dispose of them advantageously.

101. There have been six men named Menippus: the first the man who wrote a History of the Lydians and abridged Xanthus; the second my present subject; the third a sophist of Stratonicea, a Carian by descent; the fourth a sculptor; the fifth and sixth painters, both mentioned by Apollodorus.

However, the writings of Menippus the Cynic are thirteen in number:

Necromancy. Wills. Epistles artificially composed as if by the gods. Replies to the physicists and mathematicians and grammarians; and A book about the birth of Epicurus; and The School's reverence for the twentieth day.

Besides other works.

Menedemus

102. Menedemus was a pupil of Colotes of Lampsacus. According to Hippobotus he had attained such a degree of audacity in wonder-working that he went about in the guise of a Fury, saying that he had come from Hades to take cognisance of sins committed, and was going to return and report them to the powers down below. This was his attire: a grey tunic reaching to the feet, about it a crimson girdle; an Arcadian hat on his head with the twelve signs of the zodiac inwrought in it; buskins of tragedy; and he wore a very long beard and carried an ashen staff in his hand.

103. Such are the lives of the several Cynics. But we will go on to append the doctrines which they held in common – if, that is, we decide that Cynicism is really a philosophy, and not, as some maintain, just a way of life. They are content then, like Ariston of Chios, to do away with the subjects of Logic and Physics and to devote their whole attention to Ethics. And what some assert of Socrates, Diocles records of Diogenes, representing him as saying: “We must inquire into

<blockquote>Whate'er of good or ill within our halls is wrought.”</blockquote>

They also dispense with the ordinary subjects of instruction. At least Antisthenes used to say that those who had attained discretion had better not study literature, lest they should be perverted by alien influences. 104. So they get rid of geometry and music and all such studies. Anyhow, when somebody showed Diogenes a clock, he pronounced it a serviceable instrument to save one from being late for dinner. Again, to a man who gave a musical recital before him he said:

<blockquote>By men's minds states are ordered well, and households, Not by the lyre's twanged strings or flute's trilled notes.</blockquote>

They hold further that “Life according to Virtue” is the End to be sought, as Antisthenes says in his Heracles: exactly like the Stoics. For indeed there is a certain close relationship between the two schools. Hence it has been said that Cynicism is a short cut to virtue; and after the same pattern did Zeno of Citium live his life.

105. They also hold that we should live frugally, eating food for nourishment only and wearing a single garment. Wealth and fame and high birth they despise. Some at all events are vegetarians and drink cold water only and are content with any kind of shelter or tubs, like Diogenes, who used to say that it was the privilege of the gods to need nothing and of god-like men to want but little.

They hold, further, that virtue can be taught, as Antisthenes maintains in his Heracles, and when once acquired cannot be lost; and that the wise man is worthy to be loved, impeccable, and a friend to his like; and that we should entrust nothing to fortune. Whatever is intermediate between Virtue and Vice they, in agreement with Ariston of Chios, account indifferent.

So much, then, for the Cynics. We must now pass on to the Stoics, whose founder was Zeno, a disciple of Crates.

Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

Menippus of Gadara | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §99-101

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:45:40 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §99-101

<blockquote>99. Menippus, also a Cynic, was by descent a Phoenician – a slave, as Achacus in his treatise on Ethics says. Diocles further informs us that his master was a citizen of Pontus and was named Baton. But as avarice made him very resolute in begging, he succeeded in becoming a Theban.

There is no seriousness in him; but his books overflow with laughter, much the same as those of his contemporary Meleager.

Hermippus says that he lent out money by the day and got a nickname from doing so. For he used to make loans on bottomry and take security, thus accumulating a large fortune. 100. At last, however, he fell a victim to a plot, was robbed of all, and in despair ended his days by hanging himself. I have composed a trifle upon him:

May be, you know Menippus, Phoenician by birth, but a Cretan hound: A money-lender by the day – so he was called – At Thebes when once on a time his house was broken into And he lost his all, not understanding what it is to be a Cynic, He hanged himself.

Some authorities question the genuineness of the books attributed to him, alleging them to be by Dionysius and Zopyrus of Colophon, who, writing them for a joke, made them over to Menippus as a person able to dispose of them advantageously.

101. There have been six men named Menippus: the first the man who wrote a History of the Lydians and abridged Xanthus; the second my present subject; the third a sophist of Stratonicea, a Carian by descent;[62] the fourth a sculptor; the fifth and sixth painters, both mentioned by Apollodorus.

However, the writings of Menippus the Cynic are thirteen in number:

Besides other works.
Source</blockquote>

The Lucian of Samosata Project

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 00:37:07 +0000

The Lucian of Samosata Project

Momus' objection to Hephaestus' man was this: he should have made a window in the man's chest, so that when it was opened, his thoughts and designs, his truth or falsehood, might have been apparent. - Hermotimus 20

A website dedicated to advancing the writings of Lucian of Samosata

Lucian of Samosata (c. 120 AD - c. 200 AD) was the author of more than 70 known dialogues & treatises and is considered the supreme Ancient Greek satirist. Throughout his writings, Lucian interconnects the stories of gods and men, rich and poor, philosopher and skeptic, tyrant and subject, all with an eye for entertainment and humor. Lucian, an Assyrian by birth, held a strong command over the Greek language and his style harkens back to dialogues by Plato, writings by Attic writers in the Classical Age, and cynical satire by Menippus. With a keen eye to the follies of man and commentary on the universal aspects of human behavior, Lucian left us a treasure trove (Thesaurus) of delightful writings that will challenge and amuse his readers for centuries to come.

Charon: Representative character in many of Lucian's dialogues.

'I thought I should like to see what life is like; what men do with it, and what are these blessings of which they all lament the loss when they come down to us.'

Why read Lucian?

Lucian was a man of the world: Lucian was not involved in metaphysical speculation or purely academic pursuits. Lucian was far from being a dogmatist - in fact, his works can be seen as a repudiation of dogmatism. As we would say today, Lucian was proudly “down-to-earth”. While practicing rhetoric throughout the Roman World, he gave presentations of his works, reaching out for for a receptive audience. His writings were not meant for a select few followers; on the contrary, his works were presented in the open for every man to hear. Always in-tune with his surroundings, Lucian saw society with a practical yet ironic stance. See Dipsas, Menippus, & The Dependent Scholar
Lucian had a strong, idiosyncratic sense of humor: Lucian liked to lampoon just about everyone, from drunken philosophers to fame-seekers to the very gods themselves. Lucian wrote for people who hold nothing as sacred. His writings touch all aspects of the world (but with a twist). See The Parasite, The Rooster, & Zeus Tragoedus
Lucian was an erudite individual, schooled in the principles of his time: Lucian's pages are teeming with references to all sorts of characters ranging from Zeus to, for example, Brasidas, a Spartan general from the first half of the Peloponessian War. Both large and small characters, fictional and real, vie for attention on his pages. For anyone with the faintest classical education, Lucian provides profound classical depth to his writings, making him a joy to read. The best and often the most well known stances of classical authors can be found in his writings. See Charon, Timon the Misanthrope, & Dialogues of the Gods
Lucian praised common sense and sensible living: For all the laughs, all readers of Lucian are struck by his ethical stances on important issues that transcend the centuries. More often then not they appeal to the common sense notions residing in us all. Lucian uses his satire as a way to cut through the fog and illusion to find the most logical and practical path. See Alexander, The Death of Peregrine, & Nigrinus
Lucian was skeptical and attempted to dispel clouded thinking: Lucian taught us to look beyond appearances to the see the exposed reality. In the cloudiness of our current reality, it is easy to see how lies can become truth and truth become lies. Surely like Menippus, Lucian liked to show how our preconceptions and ideas about things, people, and events are sometimes not what they appear to be. Menippus would say (echoing Diogenes) that we live in a state of tuphos. We often cannot see the entire picture and we make judgments based on partial input. Lucian challenged us to see the world rightly and not get caught up in conspiracies, lies, and obfuscation. See Hermotimus, The True History, & The Liar
Lucian's writings record aspects of the Classical World that would have otherwise been lost: The range of Lucian's interests and the quality content that has survived from him is astonishing. He makes one of the first references to the Christians; Lucian mentions texts that have been lost to history; Lucian wrote about practices and beliefs that either have no other parallels or are more in-depth than other sources; Lucian wrote about alternate histories and stories that differed from the traditional; Lucian gives us greater insight into pagan religion and practices; Lucian provides an excellent look into classical philosophy without delving too far into actual discourses, proofs, and axioms.See Prometheus On Caucasus, Sale of Creeds, Heracles, & Remarks Of an Illiterate Book Fancier.

Who was Lucian? - Biographical Profile of Lucian of Samosata

Solid Evidence

Lived from around 120 AD to 200 AD
Of Syrian (or Assyrian) ethnicity
Born at Samosata on the Euphrates (in the old Kingdom of Commagene)
Lived under multiple Roman Emperors: Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus (co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius), Commodus, and perhaps Pertinax
Wrote using the Attic prose of the 5th and 4th centuries BC

Evidence from Lucian's Writings

Visited or lived in: Samosata, Ionia, Greece, Italy, Gaul (modern France), Athens, Rome, & Egypt
Before setting out in a career as a rhetorician, Lucian trained with his uncle to become a sculpter

Other Evidence

Hellenic culture influenced Lucian from an early age due to existing Greek traditions in the Middle East
Lifetime overlapped with the Second Sophistic, which may have influenced Lucian's emphasis on rhetoric
Lucian may have spoken Aramaic as a first language

Read the Complete Works of Lucian with Table of Contents

Read Lucian in Greek (Download PDF)

Luciani Samosatensis Opera - Ad Optimorum Librorum Fidem. Tauchnitz, 1829. Digitized by Google: 08/29/07.

Featured Adjuncts

Cyrenaics Resource: Only place online to find the majority of references and writings of the Cyrenaics, the ancient hedonists.
Cynic Lives and Writings: A comprehensive library of references to Cynic teachings and persons.
Demonax - Hellenic Library: Comprehensive online resource with almost all Greek writings from antiquity.
Lucian Blog: Links, articles, and images of interest to the developer of lucianofsamosata.info
Lucian Wiki: Essays and entries on sundry topics.
Vico Ricorso: Library of reblogs for the philosopher Giambattista Vico
Phalaris - The Source Material: Phalaris is a colorful character mentioned in Lucian who was best known for his exquisite torture device, the Brazen Bull.

Lucian Ngram: 1800 - 2000

Everything you would need to know about an Ngram is found at this LINK.

The brief explanation is that it represents the percentage of books that are topically related to the search terms. It's so much more, but that's the brief answer.

* Readings below by year:

1800 - 0.0000003532%
1820 - 0.0000004051%
1840 - 0.0000012342%
1860 - 0.0000008093%
1880 - 0.0000013365%
1900 - 0.0000010402%
1920 - 0.0000009700%
1940 - 0.0000014185%
1960 - 0.0000024709%
1980 - 0.0000020414%
2000 - 0.0000026114%
Overall, a 639.35% increase from 1800 to 2000.

Photius, an ancient commentator: thoughts on Lucian

Read Lucian's declamation On Phalaris and his various Dialogues of the Dead and Courtesans, and other works on different subjects, in nearly all of which he ridicules, the ideas of the heathen. Thus he attacks their silly errors in the invention of gods; their brutal and ungovernable passions and lack of restraint; the monstrous fancies and fictions of their poets; their consequent errors in statesmanship; the irregular course and changes and chances of their life; the boastful behaviour of the philosophers, full of nothing but pretence and idle opinions; in a word, his aim is, as we have said, to hold up the heathen to ridicule in prose. He seems to be one of those persons who regard nothing seriously; ridiculing and mocking at the opinions of others, he does not state what opinions he himself holds, unless we may say that his opinion is that one can know nothing for certain. His style is excellent, his diction clear, suitable and expressive; he shows a special liking for distinctness and purity united with brilliancy and appropriate dignity. His composition is so well fitted together that the reader does not seem to be reading prose, but an agreeable song, whose nature is not too obtrusive, seems to drop into the listener's ears. In a word, as already said, his style is charming, but not in keeping with the subjects which he himself has determined to ridicule. That he was one of those who held that nothing could be known for certain is shown by the following inscription in the work:

“I, Lucian, wrote this, I who am skilled in what is old and foolish;

For what men think wise is foolish.

So then nothing that the mind of man can conceive is certain;

What you admire, seems ridiculous to others.”

Flowing Praise of Wieland

His shining qualities are certainly not without blemishes; neither the man nor the author are entirely blameless: who will pretend to deny it, or attempt to justify him in all respects? A head so clear and cool might easily, by his natural abhorrence of everything that bore the appearance of fanaticism, in some cases be led farther than many good people would be inclined to follow him. Such a lively and spirited wit, in the gaiety of his heart, may likewise be betrayed into a dry jest, and a partial judgment; or a too keen rebuke may be apt to slip out. An author of the second century, when good taste was beginning to give way to a passion for being new and original, when the elegant diction of the ancients was beginning to be superseded by a cramped, starched and quaint neological style, overloaded with artificial flowers and frippery, must, notwithstanding his nice tact in the true and beautiful, and with all his earnest endeavors to form himself by the most perfect models of better times, here and there have a dash of the present. All the three cases are sometimes, though but seldom, applicable to our author: but these spots are obliterated by so many substantial beauties and merits, that they come into no consideration. Indeed I know not which of all the old writers can be brought in competition with him for fertility of genius, for a union of the several species of ingenuity, for wit, humor, taste and elegance, for the talent of conferring the grace of novelty on the most common and familiar topics, and for combining all these means of pleasing, with a sound judgment, the most diversified and agreeable branches of knowledge, and with all that polish which a happy constitution of nature, nursed by the muses, can only acquire in the great world and in the conversation of select characters. Though it is not to be denied, that after a lapse of seventeen hundred years, from the alterations that have ensued in customs and manners, in religion and the whole constitution of society, from the advantages which in some respects we have over them, brought on by fortunate conjunctures, the progress of culture, extension of science, and other contingencies, his modern readers must lose not a little : yet as after deducting this loss, so much still remains ; since, notwithstanding so many disadvantages, he has always entertainment and charms for almost every kind of reader ; since, after so great an interval of time, his humor is still diverting, his satire still applicable, his pictures of manners still fresh and vivid, his raillery, in general, still fine and agreeable, and (what is not the least surprising) even his inventions so often copied and imitated by modern writers ; since, familiarized therefore as we are with them, they always retain such an air of originality, such an appropriate action and character, we are enabled to imagine the effects they must have produced upon the people of his time, and how much he must have delighted and enchanted the Greeks, who were so extremely sensible to the charms of genius, and particularly to the siren-strains of wit and eloquence.

Zeitgeist | Page Ranking

Ranking based on number of visitors to each page

Visit to read texts: Texts and Library

The True History
The Way to Write History
Dialogues of the Gods
Phalaris, I
Dialogues of the Dead
The Death of Peregrine
Dialogues of the Hetaerae
Timon the Misanthrope
Nigrinus
Life of Demonax
Menippus
The Vision
Herodotus and Aetion
A Literary Prometheus
Dialogues of the Sea-Gods
The Liar
Hermotimus, or the Rival Philosophies
The Syrian Goddess
Of Pantomime
Saturnalia
Zeuxis and Antiochus
Anacharsis, a Discussion of Physical Training
Sale of Creeds
Toxaris: A Dialogue of Friendship
A Feast of Lapithae
Slander, a Warning
Trial in the Court of Vowels
Alexander the Oracle-Monger
Charon
Zeus Cross-Examined
The Cynic
The Fly, an Appreciation
Cronosolon
Heracles, an Introductory Lecture
Phalaris, II
Prometheus on Caucasus
The Dependent Scholar
The Fisher
Remarks Addressed to an Illiterate Book-Fancier
Voyage to the Lower World
The Double Indictment
The Rhetorician's Vade Mecum
Zeus Tragoedus
A Slip of the Tongue in Salutation
Saturnalian Letters
The Parasite, a Demonstration that Sponging is a Profession
The Scythian
A Portrait-Study
The Rooster
Of Mourning
A Word with Hesiod
Dionysus, an Introductory Lecture
Lexiphanes
Patriotism
The Hall
The Runaways
Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition
Of Sacrifice
The Purist Purized
The Ship: Or, the Wishes
The Tyrannicide
Toxaris: A Dialogue of Friendship
Dipsas, the Thirst-Snake
Swans and Amber
Demosthenes
Harmonides
The Disinherited
Defence of the 'Portrait-Study'
The Gods in Council
Apology for 'The Dependent Scholar'

Licensing

Text captions from Wikipedia (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License)
Hosting powered by CentOS Linux (GNU General Public License)
Lucian Wiki powered by Dokuwiki (GNU General Public License Version 2)
Lucian Blog powered by WordPress.org (GNU General Public License Version 2)
To the extent possible under law, the webmaster, F. Redmond, has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to The Lucian of Samosata Project. This work is published from: United States.
The Lucian Wiki and Lucian Blog have separate licensing.

Resources: Lucian of Samosata Project

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 03:21:18 +0000

Resources: Lucian of Samosata Project

Library of resources grouped by language for download
Both primary and secondary source material with descriptions
All downloadable material exists in the public domain

Ancient Greek | ἑλληνικά

Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics: Lucian, A Selection
www.cambridge.org/aus/lucian
A text geared towards Greek students, the Cambridge Series presents some of Lucian's dialogues in Greek with commentary.

Download Greek Originals
Luciani_Samosatensis_Opera_vol1.pdf (PDF)
Luciani_Samosatensis_Opera_vol2.pdf (PDF)
Luciani_Samosatensis_Opera_vol3.pdf (PDF)
Luciani_Samosatensis_Opera_vol4.pdf (PDF)
1829 Greek Editions. Complete collection of Lucian's works.

Greek with English facing text
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by A. M. Harmon, Vol. 1 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by A. M. Harmon, Vol. 2 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by A. M. Harmon, Vol. 3 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by A. M. Harmon, Vol. 4 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by A. M. Harmon, Vol. 5 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by K. Kilburn, Vol. 6 (PDF)
Loeb Library, Lucian translated by M. D. MacLeod, Vol. 7 (PDF)
1913 Edition. The Loeb Classical Library is a series of books, today published by Harvard University Press, which presents important works of ancient Greek and Latin Literature in a way designed to make the text accessible to the broadest possible audience, by presenting the original Greek or Latin text on each left-hand leaf, and a fairly literal translation on the facing page. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674990159

Inline Translation of Lucian
Inline Translation of Lucian as recommended by Mr. Locke (PDF)
1838 Edition. Contains The Dream, Of Charon and Hermes and Different Dead Men, Convocation of Gods, other dialogues in Ancient Greek

Lucian Selected Writings
Lucian Selected Writings edited by Francis Allinson (PDF)
1905 - English footnotes & Introductions with Greek text. The Dream or Life of Lucian, Charon, Vera Historia B, Vitarum Auctio and Piscator, Dialogi Deorum, Dialogi Marini, Dialogi Mortuorum, The Life's-End of Peregrinus.

Lucian: Charon and Timon
Lucian: Charon and Timon (PDF) Presented by B.J. Hayes, Edited by T.R. Mills.

Luciani Quae Extant et Quae Feruntur ad Optimorum Librorum Lectiones
Luciani Quae Extant et Quae Feruntur ad Optimorum Librorum Lectiones (PDF) 1885.

Lucianus
Lucianus recognovit Iulius Sommerbrodt (PDF)

Luciani Menippus et Timon
Luciani Menippus et Timon by E.C. Mackie 1891. Menippus, Timon, Notes to Menippus, Notes to Timon. (PDF)

Select Dialogues of Lucian in Latin and Greek with Notes in English
Select Dialogues of Lucian in Latin and Greek with Notes in English by Edward Murphy 1818. (PDF)

Luciani Somnium Charon Piscator et De Luctu with English Notes by W.E. Heitland 1880. (PDF)

English

Certain Select Dialogues of Lucian by Francis Hickes
Certain Select Dialogues of Lucian by Francis Hickes (PDF)
1634 Edition. Selections.

Dialogues of Lucian translated by John Carr
Dialogues of Lucian from the Greek translated by John Carr Vol. 1 (PDF)
Dialogues of Lucian from the Greek translated by John Carr Vol. 2 (PDF)
1774 Edition. Complete collection.

Dialogues of Lucian translated by Thomas Francklin
Lucian of Samosata translated by Thomas Francklin Vol. 1 (PDF)
Lucian of Samosata translated by Thomas Francklin Vol. 2 (PDF)
1780 Edition. Complete collection. Introductions for each piece.

Dialogues of Lucian translated by Christopher Wieland
Lucian of Samosata translated by Christopher Wieland Vol. 1 (PDF)
Lucian of Samosata translated by Christopher Wieland Vol. 2 (PDF)
1820 Edition. Complete collection. Plenitude of footnotes.

Lucian Vera Historia, Commentary in English
Lucian Vera Historia by C.S. Jerram
1879 Edition. Full commentary of Vera Historia in English. (PDF)

Lucian's Dialogues
Lucian's Dialogues translated by Howard Williams (PDF)
1888 Edition. Dialogues of the Gods, Of the Sea-Gods, and Of the Dead; Zeus the Tragedian, The Ferry-Boat, or The Tyrant, The Convicted Zeus, The Convention of the Gods, Menippus: or the Oracle of the Dead.

Selections from Lucian
Selections from Lucian translated by Emily Smith (PDF)
1892 Edition. The Dream, Zeus the Tragedian, The Sale of Lives, The Rooster, The Ferry, A True History, Toxaris or Friendship, Loukios or the Ass, The Halcyon.

Six Dialogues of Lucian
Six Dialogues of Lucian introduction by Sidney Irwin (PDF)
1894 Edition. Icaromenippus, or, Getting up the Clouds; The Dream, or the Rooster; The Ship, or The Wishes; The Parasite, or Professional Diner-Out; The Lover of Falsehood; Nigrinus.

Lucian's Wonderland
Lucian's Wonderland (PDF)
1899 - A Translation of the Vera Historia by St. J. B. Wynne Willson, relating Adventures on Sea, in the Islands, in the Air, in the Whale's Belly, etc.

Lucian, the Syrian Satirist
Lucian, the Syrian Satirist by Henry Hime (PDF)
1900 Edition. Biography of Lucian.

Lucian's True History
Lucian's True History translated by Francis Hickes. (PDF)
1902 Edition. Translated by Francis Hickes. Illustrated by William Strang, J.B. Clark, and Aubrey Beardsley with an introduction by Charles Whibley.

Translations from Lucian
Translations from Lucian by Augusta Davidson (PDF)
1902 Edition. The Sale of Philosophers, Concerning Paid Companions, Hermotimus or the Sects, The True History, Alexander, or the False Prophet, Zeus the Tragedian, The Orator's Guide.

Works of Lucian of Samosata
Works of Lucian translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, Vol. 1 (PDF)
Works of Lucian translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, Vol. 2 (PDF)
Works of Lucian translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, Vol. 3 (PDF)
Works of Lucian translated by H. W. Fowler and F. G. Fowler, Vol. 4 (PDF)
1905 Edition

Faenum Publishing: Intermediate Greek Readers
Lucian's A True Story | Hayes and Nimis (PDF)
Lucian's On the Syrian Goddess | Hayes and Nimis (PDF)
Lucian's The Ass | Hayes and Nimis (PDF)
Modern Editions - 2012

Visit Faenum Publishing for more information.

Visions of Lucian 3: Remarks Addressed to an Illiterate Book-Fancier / In Spite of Your Art: A Word with Lucian

Caption: By 175AD the literary satirist Lucian of Samosata was at the peak of his powers. He was wealthy, famous, wildly popular, and — we may assume — contented. Until, that is, he made the acquaintance of a fellow Assyrian in Athens possessed of a remarkable collection of books. Lucian’s disgust on discovering that these books were less for reading than for show resulted in him composing, and then publishing, a poison pen letter so vicious that it stands as a blot on even his rogue’s legacy.

Today we know that letter as Remarks Addressed to an Illiterate Book-Fancier. In this new tête-bêche edition, Nicholas Jeeves first reproduces the Remarks in full, and in the companion piece In Spite of Your Art, goes on to interrupt Lucian’s afterlife to address him with a few choice remarks of his own…

Order from eBay: Multia Small Edition, Remarks Addressed to an Illiterate Book-Fancier / In Spite of Your Art: A Word with Lucian by Lucian of Samosata and Nicholas Jeeves

The Public Domain Review: Lucian's Dialogues of the Gods
:: A project of the Open Knowledge Foundation ::

Caption: With the twenty-six short comic dialogues that made up Dialogues of the Gods, the 2nd-century writer Lucian of Samosata took the popular images of the Greek gods and re-drew them as greedy, sex-obsessed, power-mad despots. Nicholas Jeeves, editor of a new edition for PDR Press, explores the story behind the work and its reception in the English speaking world. Source: The Public Domain Review

Please enjoy this linked article - an abridged version of the book's introduction: Divine Comedy: Lucian Versus The Gods

Order from the PDR Press: Lucian's Dialogues of the Gods

Penguin Classics - - Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches, trans. by Keith Sidwell.
http:%%//%%us.penguingroup.com/...Chattering_Courtesans_Lucian
http:%%//%%www.amazon.com/Chattering-Courtesans-Sardonic-Sketches
Published by Penguin Classics since 2005.

Oxford World Classics - - Selected Dialogues, trans. by C. D. N. Costa.
http:%%//%%ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/lucian
http:%%//%%www.amazon.com/Lucian-Selected-Dialogues-Oxford-Classics
The preferred English translation for the modern reader.

Transaction Publishing - - Selected Satires of Lucian, trans. by Lionel Casson
http:%%//%%www.transactionpub.com/Selected-Satires-of-Lucian.html
http:%%//%%www.amazon.com/Selected-Satires-Lucian-Norton-Library
Another book of selected translations.

Lucian of Samosata: Works
http:%%//%%www.amazon.com/Works-Lucian-Samosata
The complete collection of Lucian's works trans. by Fowler. “The Syrian Goddess” is not included in this collection.

Intermediate Greek Readers

Visit Faenum Publishing for more information.

Lucian's A True Story: An Intermediate Greek Reader: Greek Text with Running Vocabulary and Commentary | Nimis, Hayes

http://www.faenumpublishing.com/lucians-a-true-story.html

Lucian's The Ass: An Intermediate Greek Reader | Nimis, Hayes

http://www.faenumpublishing.com/lucians-the-ass.html

Lucian's On the Syrian Goddess: An Intermediate Greek Reader | Nimis, Hayes

http://www.faenumpublishing.com/lucians-on-the-syrian-goddess.html

Latin (Latine)

Observationum Lucianearum specimen 1
Observationum Lucianearum specimen 1 by Schwidon, Carolus 1848. (PDF)

De Necyomantia dialogo Luciani genuino
De Necyomantia dialogo Luciani genuino by Fritzsche, Franz Volkmar 1864. (PDF)

Dr. Siemonsen quaestiones Lucianeae
Dr. Siemonsen quaestiones Lucianeae by Siemonsen 1866. (PDF)

Epiphyllidea Lucianeas
Epiphyllidea Lucianeas by Fritzsche, Franz Volkmer 1881. (PDF)

De Luciani re metrica
De Luciani re metrica by Friedrichsmeier, Friedrich 1889. (PDF)

De Ludani dialogo Toxaride
De Ludani dialogo Toxaride by G. Kretz 1890-1891. (PDF)

Analecta critica ad Lucianum
Analecta critica ad Lucianum by O. Spath 1896. (PDF)

De Ioanne Katrfario Luciani imitatore
De Ioanne Katrfario Luciani imitatore by Schmacher, Franz 1898. (PDF)

Vindiciae Lucianeae
Vindiciae Lucianeae by Sorof, Gustav 1898. (PDF)

Lucianus num auctor dialogi Erotas existimandus sit
Lucianus num auctor dialogi Erotas existimandus sit by Lauer, Gullelmus 1899. (PDF)

Scholia in Lucianum
Scholia in Lucianum edited by Hugo Rabe 1906. (PDF)

De Lucieni scholiis quaestiones selectae 1908. De Lucieni scholiis quaestiones selectae by Winter, Wilhelm Richard (PDF)

De Luciani scholiorum fontibus
De Luciani scholiorum fontibus by Helm, Carolus 1908. (PDF)

German (In Deutsch)

Lucian von Samosata Samtrliche Berfegerman von Bieland 1788. (PDF)

Characteristik Lucians von Samosata bon Karl Georg Jacob 1832. (PDF)

Tragodie voin Podagra von Dr. Karl Friedrick Hermann 1852. (PDF)

Schriften des Lucian von Dr. Karl Jakobitz 1865. (PDF)

Lucian als Aesthetiker von Motz, F. 1875. (PDF)

Ueber Lukians Hermotimos von Schwarz, Ant 1877. (PDF)

Lukian and Horax von Heinrich, Alfred 1885. (PDF)

Lukians Satiren gegen den Glauben seiner Zeit von Dr. Oscar Schmidt 1899-1900. (PDF)

Lucian und Menipp von Rudolf Helm 1906. (PDF)

Novellenkranze Lukians von Otmar Schissel von Fleschenberg 1912. (PDF)

French (En Francias)

Oeuvres Completes de Lucien de Samosate
Oeuvres complètes de Lucien de Samosate I (PDF)
Oeuvres complètes de Lucien de Samosate II (PDF)

Lucien de Samosate, philosophe
Lucien de Samosate, philosophe par M. Emile Guimet (PDF)

Dialogues des Dieux
Dialogues des Dieux, Au Fil des lectures; Lecture - R. Depasse et Victoria (Audio)

Dialogues des morts
Dialogues des morts (texte grec) par M. Ditandy (PDF)

Dialogues des Courtisanes
Dialogues Des CourtisanesTraduction et notices par A.J. Pons; Illustrations par H. Scott et F. Meaulle 1881. (PDF)

La Luciade ou L'ane de Lucius de Patras
La Luciade ou L'ane de Lucius de Patras 1818. (PDF)

Italian (In Italiano)

Opere Di Luciano
Opere Di Luciano. Voltate in Italiano da Luigi Settembrini 1862. Complete works. (PDF)

Dutch (In Het Nederlands)

Lucianus De Dood Van Peregrinus
Lucianus De Dood Van Peregrinus. D Plooij en J.C. Koopman 1915. (PDF)

Video/Audio

Trips to the Moon Voice Recording, text by Thomas Francklin

Embedded via HTML5

Full Audio Version: tripstothemoonaudio.mp3, text by Thomas Francklin

Sections of Trips to the Moon

Introduction mp3

Writing History - Part 1 mp3

Writing History - Part 2 mp3

True History - Introduction and Part 1 mp3

True History - Part 2 mp3

Icaromenippus mp3

Trips to the Moon Cover jpg

Online Resources

Perseus Project.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/
Flagship collection, under development since 1987, covers the history, literature and culture of the Greco-Roman world. Greek, Latin, and English texts.

Wikipedia: Lucian of Samosata.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucian_of_samosata
Lucian's article on the world's largest encyclopedia.

The Gutenberg Project.
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks.

Tertullian.org - Introduction to Lucian.
http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/lucian_intro.htm
Introduction to Lucian's texts by A.M. Harmon, 1913.

Tertullian.org - Passing of Peregrinus Overview.
http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/peregrinus.htm
Overview of Passing of Peregrinus from a Christian Fathers website.

The Encyclopedia of Science.
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/L/Lucian.html
Viewing Lucian's “True Story” and “Icaro-Menippus” as early science fiction.

Early Christian Writings.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/lucian.html
Directory and information of Lucian's stance on Christianity.

Letters to Dead Authors by Andrew Lang - Lucian of Samosata.
http://www.online-literature.com/andrew_lang/letters_dead_authors/6/
Fictional letter addressed to Lucian from Andrew Lang.

what-when-how Profile of Lucian.
http://what-when-how.com/literature/lucian-literature/
“In Depth” profile of Lucian on an author aggregate site.

Lucian of Samosata Dialogues

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 01:24:06 +0000

Lucian of Samosata Dialogues

A Feast of Lapithae - A parody of Plato's Symposium. A philosophers' banquet ends in drunken violence.

Anacharsis, a Discussion of Physical Training - A dialogue between Solon and Anacharsis about athletics.

A Portrait-Study - A eulogy of Panthea, the mistress of the Roman emperor Lucius Verus. Critics have doubted the sincerity of the praise.

A Word with Hesiod - Lycinus (Lucian) mocks the prophetic claims of the poet Hesiod.

Charon - A dialogue between Hermes and Charon about the vanity of human wishes.

Cronosolon - A severe satire on the ridiculous rites and ceremonies which made a part of the Saturnalia, towards the end of this little tract he exposes the absurdity of some convivial customs and recommends others in their stead.

Defence of the 'Portrait-Study' - A defence of his essay Portrait-Study

Demosthenes, an Encomium - Praise of the orator Demosthenes.

Dialogues of the Dead - 30 miniature dialogues set in the Underworld. Among the most famous of Lucian's works.

Dialogues of the Gods - 25 miniature dialogues mocking the Homeric conception of the Greek gods.

Dialogues of the Hetaerae - 15 miniature dialogues between hetairai. The style is influenced by the New Comedy and the mimes of authors such as Herondas.

Dialogues of the Sea-Gods - 15 miniature dialogues involving the Greek Sea-Gods.

Hermotimus, or the Rival Philosophies - The longest of Lucian's works. A philosophical dialogue, modelled on those of Plato, between an old Stoic, Hermotimus, and Lycinus (who represents Lucian himself).

Herodotus and Aetion - An account of how the historian Herodotus and the painter Aetion both publicised their works at the Olympic Games. It contains a description of Aetion's picture of the marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxana.

Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition - Imitating Icarus, Menippus makes himself a pair of wings and flies up to the gods where he learns that Zeus has decided to destroy all philosophers as useless.

Lexiphanes - A satire on linguistic pretentiousness.

Menippus - The Cynic philosopher Menippus visits the Underworld to ask Teiresias which is the true philosophy.

Nigrinus - A diatribe against the city of Rome put into the mouth of the philosopher Nigrinus.

Of Pantomime - A defence of the Roman art of pantomime.

Timon the Misanthrope - A dialogue involving Timon of Athens. Lucian's work influenced the play by Shakespeare.

Toxaris, A Dialogue of Friendship - A dialogue between the Scythian Toxaris and the Greek Mnesippus about friendship, inspired by the Scythian worship of Orestes and Pylades.

Prometheus on Caucasus - Prometheus defends himself against the charges of stealing meat from Zeus, stealing fire from heaven and creating mankind.

Sale of Creeds - Zeus puts various philosophers up for sale in a slave market.

Saturnalia - A description of the Roman festival of Saturnalia.

Saturnalian Letters - Letters about wealth, Saturnalia, and related affairs.

The Cynic - A dialogue between Lycinus (i.e. Lucian) and a Cynic philosopher.

The Double Indictment - Lucian defends his literary style against his critics.

The Fisher - A sequel to Philosophies for Sale.

The Gods in Council - A dialogue in which Momus complains that too many foreigners and mortals have been admitted to the ranks of the Greek gods. His targets include Dionysus, Apis and Anubis.

The Liar - A collection of tall tales, including the story of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

The Parasite, a Demonstration that Sponging is a Profession - Lucian ironically proves that parasitism is the highest of all art forms.

The Purist Purized - Satirizing the euphuists of Lucian’s day

The Rooster - The poor cobbler Micyllus threatens to kill a rooster which has woken him from a dream of riches. The rooster explains that he is a reincarnation of Pythagoras. He grants Micyllus the power of invisibility so he can show him the private life of the rich and prove the cobbler is far better off in his poverty.

The Runaways - An attack on contemporary Cynics.

The Ship, or the Wishes - The sight of a huge Egyptian grain-ship prompts a discussion among friends about what they most desire. Adeimantus would have the ship filled with gold and live a life of luxury; Samippus would like to be a world-conquering king; Timolaus wants magic powers, including invisibility. After hearing them all, Lycinus (Lucian), says that he is content with the privilege of laughing at the others, especially when they claim to be philosophers.

Voyage to the Lower World - A group of dead people, including the tyrant Megapenthes, are carried to the Underworld in Charon's boat. Only the cobbler Micyllus accepts his fate with resignation.

Zeus Cross-Examined - A dialogue concerning the contradiction between the power of fate and divine omnipotence.

Zeus Tragoedus - A parody of Greek tragedy and a discussion of the conflicting Stoic and Epicurean ideas about the nature of the gods.

Repudiation of Stoicism in Dialogues of the Dead?

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 17:03:28 +0000

<html>

</html>

Repudiation of Stoicism in Dialogues of the Dead?

Authored by Frank Redmond, 2012

In Dialogues of the Dead XXI, Lucian seems to be proposing an argument against the ethics of Stoicism. Lucian's use of the paradigm of Socrates, considered a sage by all ancient authorities, is very clever. See here:

<blockquote> XXI

Menippus. Cerberus

Me . My dear coz - for Cerberus and Cynic are surely related through the dog - I adjure you by the Styx, tell me how Socrates behaved during the descent. A God like you can doubtless articulate instead of barking, if he chooses.

Cer . Well, while he was some way off, he seemed quite unshaken; and I thought he was bent on letting the people outside realize the fact too. Then he passed into the opening and saw the gloom; I at the same time gave him a touch of the hemlock, and a pull by the leg, as he was rather slow. Then he squalled like a baby, whimpered about his children, and, oh, I don't know what he didn't do.

Me . So he was one of the theorists, was he? His indifference was a sham?

Cer . Yes; it was only that he accepted the inevitable, and put a bold face on it, pretending to welcome the universal fate, by way of impressing the bystanders. All that sort are the same, I tell you - bold resolute fellows as far as the entrance; it is inside that the real test comes.

Me . What did you think of my performance?

Cer . Ah, Menippus, you were the exception; you are a credit to the breed, and so was Diogenes before you. You two came in without any compulsion or pushing, of your own free will, with a laugh for yourselves and a curse for the rest. </blockquote>

When people spoke of indifference in Lucian's time, Stoicism almost had to have come up in the conversation. I think Lucian is pointing out how impossible the Stoic notion of indifference in the face of adversity is. If even the uber-sage Socrates looked into the abyss and was spooked, then how is anyone else supposed to survive the experience with complete indifference? The trip to Hades is tough for everyone and the only philosophy that can prepare one for the journey is the crude Cynicism of Diogenes and Menippus. They were so well practiced in their art, they went to Hades willingly. Socrates, even though it may seem he wanted to make the trip to Hades, couldn't cut it after all.

Glossary for Lucian

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:10:50 +0000

Glossary for Lucian

Jump to ...

A, Academy - Aurelius, M.
B, Bacchus - Busiris
C, Cadmus - Cyrus
D, Daedalus - Dromo
E, Electra - Exadius
F, Fates - Favorinus
G, Galatea - Gylippus
H, Harmonia - Hyperides
I, Iambulus - Ixion
J
K
L. Labdacids - Lysippus
M, Maeandrius - Mysteries
N, Narcissus - Numa
O, Odysseus - Otis
P, Pactolus - Python
Q
R, Rhadamanthus - Rhea
S, Sabazius - Styx
T, Taenarum - Tyro
U, Uranus
V, Vologesus III
W
X, Xenocrates - Xerxes
Y
Z, Zamolxis - Zopyrus

Lucian was well versed in both contemporary and ancient culture including being educated in poetry, historical writing, painting, and prose literature. Lucian's knowledge of Hellenic culture makes his works excellent resources for Hellenic study. Much can be absorbed by reading Lucian even through his unique perspective of satire and humor. Lucian uses his in-depth knowledge of Hellenic culture in all its forms to add layer upon layer of depth to his writings. It is our task to peel back the layers and retrieve the meaning of Lucian's works. This Glossary is a comprehensive guide to Classical references throughout Lucian's works and aids in understanding Lucian.

A

ACADEMY. A grove or garden in the suburbs of Athens, in which Plato taught; afterwards used as a name for the school of philosophy that acknowledged him as its founder. For Plato's characteristic doctrines, see under PLATO. Lucian's references to the school are (1) as eristic or argumentative. The Socratic method of eliciting truth being by discussion, and the Academy being descended from Socrates through Plato, it might be regarded as especially argumentative. (2) as disputing the possibility of judgement, and urging suspension. The Academy is divided into the Old, Middle, and New; of which the Middle Academy neglected the positive teachings of Plato, and developed rather the destructive analytic method of Socrates. approaching nearly to the position of the Sceptics or followers of Pyrrho.

ACHILLES. Son of Peleus and the Goddess Thetis. When his mother gave him the choice between a glorious life and a long one, he chose the former; but, when interviewed by Odysseus on the occasion of the latter's visit to Hades, regretted his choice. Among the arms given him by Thetis was a shield on which Hephaestus had represented various scenes of peace and war.

ACTAEON. A huntsman who, having seen Artemis bathing, was punished by being torn to pieces by his own hounds.

ADONIS. A beautiful youth beloved by Aphrodite. Died of a wound received from a boar on Lebanon; but was allowed to spend half each year with Aphrodite on earth.

AEACUS. A son of Zeus, deified after death, and given authority in Hades.

AËDON. A woman who, having accidentally killed her own son, was compassionately changed by Zeus into a nightingale.

AEGIS. Zeus's goat's-skin shield, which he transferred to Athene, who attached to it the head of Medusa. See GORGONS.

AEGYPTUS. Brother of Danaus, who for fear of him fled with his fifty daughters from Libya to Argos.

AENIANES. An insignificant Greek tribe south of Thessaly.

AESCHINES (1). Born 389 B.C. The great rival of Demosthenes. Son of a humble elementary schoolmaster. Accused by Timarchus, retorted by convicting him of immorality. According to Demosthenes, was in the pay of Philip of Macedon, and a traitor to Athens.

AESCHINES (2). A philosopher, pupil of Socrates, and author of dialogues.

AËTION. A painter, probably contemporary with Lucian, and not to be identified with the Aëtion (flourished 350 B.C.) mentioned by Pliny.

AGAMEMNON. King of Mycenae and leader of the Greeks against Troy. After his return, was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her paramour Aegisthus. His son Orestes and daughter Electra, with Pylades, avenged him.

AGATHOBULUS. Unknown philosopher, teacher of Demonax and Peregrine.

AGATHON. Athenian tragic poet, friend of Euripides and Plato.

AGENOR. King of Phoenicia, son of Posidon, father of Cadmus and Europa.

AGLAÏA. 'The bright one,' one of the Graces, mother of Nireus.

AJAX (1). Son of Telamon, greatest Greek warrior next to Achilles. Claimed the latter's arms after his death, and when they were adjudged to Odysseus went mad, slew sheep in mistake for Greeks, and then committed suicide.

AJAX (2). Son of Oïleus, king of Locris. Slain by Posidon for defying his power when wrecked.

ALCAEUS. The wrestler mentioned in The Way to write History (9), probably lived about 40 A.D.

ALCAMENES. Athenian sculptor, 428 B.C.

ALCESTIS. Wife of Admetus. He was allowed by Apollo to find a substitute to die instead of him; she alone consented, died, and was brought back from the dead by Heracles.

ALCIBIADES. Son of Clinias, Athenian statesman, and chief instigator of the disastrous Sicilian expedition. Banished for sacrilege. Afterwards recalled with great rejoicings.

ALCINOÜS. King of Phaeacia. Entertained Odysseus on his way home from Troy, and heard the story of his adventures.

ALCMENA. Wife of Amphitryon, and mother, by Zeus, of Heracles.

ALEXANDER (1) of Macedon. Son of Philip and Olympias, but represented by legend as begotten by Ammon, the Libyan Zeus. Taught by Aristotle. Killed his best friend Clitus in his cups, carried about Callisthenes, suspected of plotting, in an iron cage. Overthrew the empire of Darius at Issus and Arbela, 333 and 331 B.C. Married the Bactrian Roxana among others. In India, defeated King Porus and took the virgin fortress Aornus. Died at Babylon, handing his ring to Perdiccas.

ALEXANDER (2) of Pherae. Tyrant. Murdered 357 B.C. by his wife Thebe.

ALEXANDER (3) of Abonutichus. 'The narrative of Lucian would appear to be a mere romance, were it not confirmed by some medals of Antoninus and M. Aurelius' (Smith's Dictionary of Biography and Mythology).

ALPHEÜS. River in Arcadia and Elis, partly subterranean, which gave rise to the tale.

AMALTHEA. A nymph who fed Zeus with goat's milk. The goat's horn, broken off by Zeus, became the cornucopia.

AMMON. See ZEUS.

AMPHION. When he played the lyre, the stones moved of their own accord to make the walls of Thebes.

AMPHITRITE. Wife of Posidon.

AMPHITRYON. Husband of Alcmena and putative father of Heracles.

ANACEUM. Temple of Castor and Pollux.

ANACHARSIS. Scythian prince. Visited Athens about 594 B.C.

ANACREON. Lyric poet of Teos. Sang of love and wine. Died 478 B.C.

ANAXAGORAS. Philosopher accused of impiety at Athens 450 B.C. Saved by Pericles.

ANAXARCHUS. Philosopher, accompanied Alexander into Asia, 334 B.C.

ANDROMEDA Her mother Cassiopeia, queen of Ethiopia, 'set her beauty's praise above the sea-nymphs,' for which Andromeda had to be exposed to a sea-monster. She was rescued by Perseus.

ANTEA. See BELLEROPHON.

ANTIOCHUS. King of Syria, 280-261 B.C. Called Soter after his victory over the Galatians. Son of Seleucus; fell in love with his step-mother Stratonice, whom his father ceded to him.

ANTIOPE. Mother by Zeus of Amphion and Zethus.

ANTIPATER. Macedonian general, left as regent by Alexander in Macedonia, of which he became king after Alexander's death.

ANTISTHENES. Athenian philosopher, about 400 B.C. Founder of the Cynics.

ANUBIS. Dog-headed Egyptian God, identified by the Greeks with Hermes.

ANYTUS. See under SOCRATES.

AORNUS. The word means unvisited by birds. See under ALEXANDER (1).

APHRODITE. Goddess of love, born of the sea foam, mother by Zeus of Eros, by Bacchus of Priapus, by Hermes of Hermaphrodites, and by the mortal Anchises of Aeneas. Her girdle or cestus conferred magic beauty on the wearer. Often called 'Golden' by Homer. Worshipped under the titles of Urania (heavenly) and Pandemus (common). Wife of Hephaestus.

APIS. Egyptian bull-God. Some details are given in Sacrifice (15).

APOLLO. Son of Zeus and Leto. Represented as youthful, beautiful, beardless, long-haired. Brother of Artemis and father of Asclepius by Coronis. Doctor, harpist, president of the Muses, archer, sender and averter of pestilence, giver of oracles at Delphi, &c. Lover of Daphne, who changed to a laurel to escape him, Hyacinth, whom he accidentally killed with a quoit, and Branchus, to whom he gave oracular power at Didyma, afterwards called Branchidae. When Zeus slew Asclepius with the thunderbolt, Apollo killed the Cyclopes who had forged it; he was punished by being compelled to serve as a mortal on earth, where he kept the flocks of Admetus, and built the wall of Troy for Laomedon. Called Lycean as slayer of wolves, and Pythian from Pytho or Delphi.

APOLLONIUS (1) Rhodius. An Alexandrine poet, zoo B.C., author of the Argonautica.

APOLLONIUS (2) of Tyana. Born 4 B.C. A Pythagorean who pretended to miraculous powers.

APOLLONIUS (3). Stoic philosopher, sent for by Antoninus Pius to instruct his adopted son M. Aurelius.

ARCHELAÜS, king of Macedonia, 453-399 B.C. A great patron of letters.

ARCHIAS. An actor employed by Antipater for political purposes.

ARCHILOCHUS. An iambic poet of Paros, 690 B.C.

AREOPAGUS. An ancient Athenian council and law-court.

ARES. God of war, son of Zeus and Hera. Intrigued with Aphrodite.

ARETE. Wife of Alcinous.

ARETHUSA. A nymph. Pursued by the river-god Alpheus, fled to Sicily, where she became a fountain.

ARGO. The ship that went on the quest of the Golden Fleece; built by Athene, who inserted a plank from the Dodonaean oak, which gave prophecies.

ARGUS. The hundred-eyed guard of Io.

ARIADNE. See THESEUS.

ARION. Famous harper, 625 B.C. For his story, see Dialogues of Sea-Gods, viii.

ARISTARCHUS. See HOMER.

ARISTIDES. Athenian statesman called 'the just.' Great rival of Themistocles. Died poor. Date of death, 468 B.C.

ARISTIPPUS. Philosopher of Cyrene, founder of the Cyrenaic school. See CYRENAICS. Disciple of Socrates. Spent some time at the court of Dionysius. Flourished 370 B.C.

ARISTOGITON (1). With Harmodius, slew Hipparchus, brother of the Athenian tyrant Hippias, 554 B.C. The tyranny fell shortly after, and the two friends had the credit of liberating Athens.

ARISTOGITON (2). Athenian orator and adversary of Demosthenes.

ARISTOPHANES. Athenian writer of comedy, 444-380 B.C. Socrates is ridiculed in his Clouds.

ARISTOTLE. Philosopher, 384-322 B.C. Founder of the Peripatetic school, which see. Taught Alexander of Macedon, and Demosthenes.

ARMENIA. The Parthian war waged by Lucius Verus, 162-165 A.D., was begun in consequence of a Roman legion's being cut to pieces in Armenia by Vologesus, king of Parthia.

ARRIAN. A Bithynian philosopher and historian, pupil of Epictetus. He was made a Roman citizen and attained the consulship. Wrote the Anabasis Alexandri, and the Discourses and Enchiridion of Epictetus.

ARTEMIS. Daughter of Leto and sister of Apollo. Virgin, huntress. Under the name Ilithyia, presides over childbirth. Worshipped at Tauri in Scythia with human sacrifice.

ARTEMISIUM. The scene of Athenian naval victories before Salamis over the Persians.

ASCLEPIUS. Son of Apollo and Coronis. The God of medicine and health. For restoring the dead to life was slain by Zeus with the thunderbolt. Afterwards admitted to Olympus as a God.

ASTYANAX. Infant son of Hector and Andromache. Flung from the walls of Troy by the Greeks.

ATHAMAS. By Hera's command married Nephele, by whom he had Phrixus and Helle. His begetting Learchus and Melicertes by the mortal Ino offended Hera, who drove him mad. Ino threw herself with Melicertes into the sea, and both became sea-gods, called Leucothea and Palaemon. Phrixus and Helle, saved by Nephele from Ino's persecution, had fled upon the Golden Ram, from which Helle falling gave her name to the Hellespont.

ATHENE. Sprang full-armed from the brain of Zeus. Remained a virgin. Carried Medusa's head on the aegis given to her by Zeus. Personification of power and wisdom. Gave breath to the men moulded of clay by Prometheus. Special patroness of Athens, where she was known as Polias, or city-goddess.

ATHENIANS. The Athenians thought themselves 'autochthones', produced from the very soil of Attica.

ATHOS. Mountain in Chalcidice, at the foot of which Xerxes cut a canal for his armada against Greece, to avoid the storms that prevailed there.

ATROPUS. See FATES.

ATTALUS II. King of Pergamum, poisoned by his son or nephew.

ATTHIS. A history of Attica, by Philochorus, about 300 B.C.

ATTIS. Phrygian shepherd, beloved by Rhea, who made him vow celibacy. Being driven mad by Rhea for violating this vow, he mutilated himself; and this became the custom among Rhea's priests, the Galli.

AUGEAS. See HERACLES.

AULIS. A port in Boeotia. See IPHIGENIA.

AURELIUS, M. Roman emperor, 161–180 A.D. Engaged in war with the Marcomanni and Quadi for almost the whole of his reign.

B

BACCHUS. See DIONYSUS.

BACIS. A prophet (or several prophets) to whom oracles were attributed.

BELLEROPHON. A Corinthian prince. Having slain a man, fled for purification to Proetus of Argos, whose wife Antea fell in love with him and, being repulsed, accused him to Proetus. Proetus sent him to the king of Lycia with a letter requesting his execution. To ensure his death, the king told him to kill the monster Chimera (goat, serpent, and lion),which the winged horse Pegasus, however, enabled him to do.

BENDIS. A Thracian Goddess, identified with the Greek Artemis.

BRANCHUS. See APOLLO.

BRASIDAS. The most distinguished Spartan in the first part of the Peloponnesian War. Trying to dislodge Demosthenes from Pylos, ran his galley ashore, and fainted from the wounds received.

BRIMO. 'Grim.' A name of Persephone.

BRISEÏS. Daughter of the Trojan Brises. Being captured, fell to Achilles's share, from whom she was taken by Agamemnon.

BULIS and SPERCHIS. Two Spartans, given up to Xerxes to atone for his heralds' having been slain; the king refused to retaliate.

BUSIRIS. King of Egypt, who used to sacrifice all strangers to Zeus. When he attempted to offer Heracles, Heracles offered him.

C

CADMUS. Came from Tyre, once an island, to Greece, bringing with him the Phoenician alphabet. Told at Delphi to follow a certain cow, and build a town where she should lie down; built the Cadmea, citadel of Thebes. Having slain a dragon that guarded a well, was told to sow its teeth, from which sprang the Sparti, or sown men, afterwards Thebans. Married Harmonia, by whom he had Semele and other children.

CALAMIS. Sculptor, 440 B.C. For Sosandra see note on Portrait-Study (4).

CALANUS. Indian gymnosophist. Accompanied Alexander in India. Being ill at eighty-three, burnt himself.

CALISTO. Beloved by Zeus. Turned by the jealous Hera into a bear, and by Zeus into the constellation of that name.

CALLIMACHUS. Famous Alexandrine grammarian and poet. Wrote eight hundred works. 260 B.C.

CALLIMEDON. Athenian orator in the Macedonian interest.

CALLISTHENES. A philosopher, who, accompanying Alexander, offended him by rude criticism. The king had him carried about in chains, which caused his death by disease.

CALYPSO Nymph of Ogygia, where Odysseus was shipwrecked. Promised him immortality if he would remain; he refused, and the Gods compelled her to let him go.

CAMBYSES. Son of Cyrus the Great, and king of Persia, 529-522 B.C.

CASSIOPEIA. See ANDROMEDA.

CASTALIA. Fountain on Mount Parnassus, in which Apollo's priestess had to bathe before giving an oracle.

CASTOR and POLLUX. Also called Dioscuri, and Anaces. Sons of Zeus and Leda, one mortal, the other immortal; the mortal being killed, the two were allowed to divide the other's immortality, spending alternate days in the upper and lower worlds. Pollux a great boxer. Patrons of sailors, appearing in storms as flames, and guiding the ship to safety. Worshipped especially at Sparta, where they were born.

CEBES. Theban disciple of Socrates, wrote an allegorical 'Picture' of human life.

CECROPS. The first king of Athens.

CELSUS. An Epicurean to whom Lucian addresses the Alexander. Origen, in replying to a treatise against Christianity written by a Celsus, accuses him of being an Epicurean; and Origen's Celsus has accordingly been identified with Lucian's, but from Origen's own account of Celsus's position there is reason to doubt whether he could have been an Epicurean.

CERAMICUS. A quarter in the north-west of Athens, both within and without the walls, which were here passed by the Dipylon or Double Gate.

CERBERUS. The three-headed dog that guarded Hades. Allowed Orpheus to pass, being charmed by the sound of his lyre.

CERCOPES. Droll and thievish gnomes, who robbed Heracles in his sleep.

CERCYON. King of Eleusis, wrestled with all strangers, killing those whom he overcame. Theseus threw and killed him.

CERYCES. 'Heralds.' A priestly family at Athens.

CHAEREPHON. See SOCRATES.

CHAERONEA. Here Philip defeated the Athenians and Boeotians, and ended the liberty of Greece, 338 B.C.

CHALDEANS. In general, Babylonians; in particular, wizards.

CHARES. Athenian general, one of the commanders at Chaeronea.

CHARMIDES. A favourite pupil of Socrates.

CHARON. The ferryman of Hades, who conducts the souls of the dead across Styx and Acheron.

CHAROPUS. 'Bright-eyed,' father of the beautiful Nireus.

CHIMERA. See BELLEROPHON.

CHIRON. A wise centaur who taught Achilles.

CHRYSES. Trojan priest of Apollo, whose daughter Chryseis was taken by the Greeks and given to Agamemnon. When he asked her from Agamemnon and was refused, he appealed to Apollo.

CHRYSIPPUS. 280-207 B.C. Regarded as the chief of the Stoic school, which see, though Zeno was the actual founder. Chrys- = gold-. As to Lucian's thrice-repeated allusion to his hellebore treatment, nothing seems to be known; it was a recognized cure for madness; perhaps he took it to cure himself of care for the ordinary human objects of pursuit.

CINYRAS. Son of Apollo, priest of Aphrodite, and father of Adonis.

CLEANTHES. Stoic philosopher. Lucian's account of his death in The Runaways seems incorrect. Having been told to abstain from food for two days to cure an ulcer, he said that as he had advanced so far towards death, it was a pity to have the trouble over again, and continued to abstain till he died.

CLEARCHUS. Spartan commander of the ten thousand Greek mercenaries employed by Cyrus the younger; their retreat under Xenophon is described in the Anabasis.

CLEON. A bellicose Athenian demagogue in the Peloponnesian war; also employed as a general.

CLINIAS. Father of Alcibiades.

CLITUS. See ALEXANDER (1).

CLOTHO. See FATES.

CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND. A town built by the Birds, in Aristophanes's play of that name.

CLYMENE. Wife of Helius.

CLYTEMNESTRA. Wife and murderer of Agamemnon, slain in revenge by her own son Orestes.

COCYTUS. 'Wailing,' one of the rivers of Hades.

CODRUS. King of Athens. An oracle declared that Dorians invading Attica should succeed, if the Attic king was spared; Codrus disguising himself contrived to be slain in their camp.

COLOSSUS. Statue at Rhodes of the Sun-god Helius, 105 feet high.

CORYBANTES. Priests of Cybele or Rhea, sometimes called descendants of Corybas, the Goddess's son. Danced wildly with drum and cymbal.

COTYTTO. The Goddess of debauchery, whose festivals were celebrated during the night. Her priests were called Baptae.

CRANEUM. An open place with a cypress-grove outside Corinth.

CRATES. 320 B.C. See CYNICS.

CREON. King of Thebes. A prominent figure in many tragedies.

CREUSA. A princess of Corinth. Jason was to marry her, having divorced Medea, who provided a poisoned robe, which Creusa putting on was burnt to death.

CRITIUS and NESIOTES. Sculptors slightly earlier than Phidias. Their group of the tyrannicides, set up 477 B.C., was famous. The passage in The Rhetorician's Vade-mecum is the chief authority for their style.

CROESUS. King of Lydia, 560-546 B.C. To test Apollo's oracle, he asked what he would be doing on a certain day. The answer was, 'boiling tortoise and lamb,' which was correct. Thus convinced, he gave great gifts to the oracle, including golden bricks, and, acting on another oracle, which said that he by crossing the Halys should destroy a mighty empire, attacked Cyrus, king of Persia, who subdued and deposed him. Thus was verified the warning given to him by Solon, in the famous conversation reported in the Charon. The story of his son Atys is given in Zeus Cross-examined (12). His other son was born deaf and dumb, but when his father was in danger from Cyrus's soldiers, was enabled to say: Do not kill the king. His name is a commonplace for wealth and vicissitudes.

CRONIDES. 'Son of Cronus,' i.e. Zeus.

CRONOSOLON. Solon being known as a legislator, the name is meant to suggest 'Cronus legislating' through his mouthpiece the priest.

CRONUS. King of Heaven in the dynasty of the Titans, which preceded that of the Gods. Deprived his father Uranus of his virility and of his government. Fearing dethronement from his own sons, he devoured them as soon as born: his wife Rhea, however, concealed from him Zeus, Posidon, and Pluto, the first of whom deposed him. The time of his reign was looked back to as the Golden Age of plenty, equality, and virtue. The Saturnalia, or feast of the Latin God Saturn, who was commonly identified with Cronus, was a symbolic revival of that golden age.

CTESIAS. Author of (1) a long history of Persia, probably a really valuable work, and (2) a treatise on India, the fables mixed up in which caused him to be looked upon as an author who deserved no credit. He was a Greek physician at the court of Artaxerxes Mnemon. Flourished about 401 B.C.

CYBELE. See RHEA.

CYCLOPES. A one-eyed race of shepherds, or, according to another account, of smiths in the service of Hephaestus, in Etna. Polyphemus, the chief of them, was son of Posidon.

CYLLARABIS. A gymnasium in or near Argos, which would be unsuitable for cultivation.

CYNAEGIRUS. Brother of Aeschylus. At Marathon, pursuing the defeated Persians, laid hold of one of their ships. His hand being cut off, substituted the other; that cut off, gripped it with his teeth.

CYNICS. A school of philosophers, so called either because Antisthenes the Athenian, their founder (born 444. B.C.), and a pupil of Socrates, taught in the gymnasium called the Cynosarges, or else because their mode of life was regarded as no better than that of a dog (cyn-). Diogenes, Crates, Menippus, and (in his own time) Demonax, are mentioned by Lucian as favourable specimens of the school. Their ideal may be said, to have been plain living and high thinking; virtue is the only good; the essence of virtue is self-control; pleasure is an evil if sought for itself. The dialogue called The Cynic gives a not unfair view of their asceticism. The Peregrine and The Runaways illustrate the abuses to which this philosophy was liable, owing to the small intellectual demand it made, and the pride it generated. The Cynics were cosmopolitan, individualist, and outspoken; their repulsive personal negligence, and their free use of their philosophic staves as offensive weapons, are often alluded to.

CYNURIA See OTHRYADES.

CYRENAICS. Aristippus, the founder of this school, was a disciple of Socrates, but developed only the practical side of his master's philosophy. Since the only things of which we can be absolutely certain are our sensations of pleasure and pain, all our actions should be calculated with a view to securing the one and avoiding the other. The principle is not so debased as it sounds, since there are higher and lower pleasures, present and future gratifications. Epicureanism and modern Utilitarianism are developments.

CYRUS. The Great. King of Persia, 559-529 B.C.

D

DAEDALUS. A famous artificer. He, with his son Icarus, fled from Minos, king of Crete, by means of wings fastened on with wax. He himself arrived safely in Italy; but Icarus flying too high, the wax melted, his wings dropped off, and he fell into the sea that was afterwards called after him.

DANAË. Daughter of Acrisius (upon whose name there is a jest in the Demonax), king of Argos. Her father, anxious that she should not have a child, confined her in a brazen tower: but, Zeus visiting her in a shower of gold, she gave birth to Perseus. Mother and child were thrown into the sea in a chest, but were saved.

DANAÏDS. When the fifty sons of Aegyptus followed the daughters of Danaüs to Greece, and demanded them in marriage, Danaüs consented, but supplied each of them with a dagger to kill her husband on the bridal night. Their punishment was to pour water perpetually into a leaky cask.

DAPHNE. See APOLLO.

DAVUS. Stock name for a slave in Greek comedies.

DELPHI. On the Gulf of Corinth, below Mount Parnassus; an oracle of Apollo, the most famous in Greece.

DEMADES. An Athenian orator, in the Macedonian interest; but put to death by Antipater, 318 B.C.

DEME. An Athenian citizen was officially described by the addition of the names of his father, his deme, and his tribe, to his own. The demes were local divisions of Attica, like our parishes; the tribes were groupings, independent of locality, of these demes into ten divisions for administrative purposes.

DEMETER. Sister of Zeus, mother of Persephone, Goddess of the fruits of the earth (Earth-mother).

DEMETRIUS (1). Poliorcetes. King of Macedonia, 294-287 B.C.

DEMETRIUS (2). A Platonic philosopher about 85 B.C.

DEMETRIUS (3). A distinguished cynic philosopher, of Sunium, teacher of Demonax, and probably the hero of the story in the Toxaris.

DEMOCRITUS. A philosopher of Abdera, 460-361 B.C., famous as the author of the atomic theory, as the laughing philosopher, and for the wide extent of his knowledge.

DEMONAX. A cynic and eclectic philosopher, senior contemporary of Lucian, from whose 'Life' all that is known of him is gathered.

DEMOSTHENES(1). One of the most distinguished Athenian generals in the Peloponnesian war. See BRASIDAS. Put to death by the Syracusans on the failure of the Sicilian expedition.

DEMOSTHENES (2). The Athenian orator. His father was a rich manufacturer of arms. Being defrauded by his guardians, took to oratory first for the purpose of suing them. His self-training is famous; the allusions in the Demosthenes are thus explained: he lived in a cave to study undisturbed, shaving half his head to keep him there, studied his gestures in a mirror and corrected a shrug by hanging a naked sword over his shoulders, improved his articulation and voice by holding pebbles in his mouth and shouting at the waves, took lessons from Satyrus the actor, copied out Thucydides eight times. The great object of his life was to keep Greece and especially Athens free from subjection to Macedon.

DEUCALION and PYRRHA. The two who survived, according to the Greek flood-legend, to repeople the earth.

DIASIA. Festival of Zeus at Athens.

DIOGENES. 412-323 B.C. His father was a banker of Sinope. He went to Athens and became a philosopher of the Cynic school, which see, as a disciple of Antisthenes. He is said to have lived in a tub.

DIOMEDE. One of the chief Greek heroes at the siege of Troy.

DION. A citizen of Syracuse under the two Dionysii; when Plato visited Dionysius I, Dion became his disciple; being afterwards banished by Dionysius II, he returned and expelled the tyrant.

DIONYSIA. There were four annual festivals in honour of Dionysus at Athens. The Great Dionysia was the chief occasion for the production of new tragedies and comedies.

DIONYSIUS I and II. Father and son, tyrants of Syracuse, 405-343 B.C. The elder was a great patron of literature, and himself wrote verses and tragedies.

DIONYSUS, or BACCHUS. Son of Zeus and the Theban Semele. For his birth see SEMELE. Travelled through Egypt, Asia, &c., introducing the vine and punishing all who slighted his power. His female worshippers were known as Bacchantes, who roamed the country with dishevelled locks, carrying the thyrsus and crying evoe.

DIOPITHES. An Athenian commander frequently employed against Philip of Macedon.

DIOSCURI. See CASTOR.

DIOTIMA. A priestess at Mantinea, called by Socrates (in Plato's Symposium) his instructress in the art of love.

DODONA. Ancient oracle of Zeus in Epirus, where responses were given by the rustling leaves of the sacred trees.

DOSIADAS. Author of two enigmatic poems whose verses are so arranged as to present the profile of an altar.

DRACHMA. Greek coin worth tenpence.

DRACO. Ancient Athenian lawgiver, 621 B.C.

DROMO. Stock name for a slave.

E

ELECTRA. See AGAMEMNON.

ELEUSIS. A town a few miles from Athens, where the Mysteries were celebrated.

ELEVEN, THE. The board at Athens in charge of prisons and executions.

EMPEDOCLES. A Pythagorean philosopher, 444 B.C. His skill in medicine and natural knowledge caused him to be credited with supernatural powers. He fell or threw himself into the crater of Etna, as some say that by his sudden disappearance he might be believed to be a God; but his brazen sandal was thrown up and betrayed him.

EMPUSA. A monstrous spectre believed to devour human beings, and capable of assuming different forms.

ENDYMION. A beautiful Carian youth with whom Selene fell in love.

ENIPEUS. A river and river-god in Thessaly.

EPHIALTES and OTUS. The two giants who piled Ossa upon Olympus and Pelion upon Ossa to scale heaven.

EPICTETUS. A celebrated Stoic philosopher of the first century A.D. Expelled from Rome with the other philosophers by Domitian. His Discourses and Enchiridion, still much read, are the notes of his teaching collected by his pupil Arrian.

EPICUREANS. The school of philosophy instituted by Epicurus (342-270 B.C.). He combined the physics of Democritus with the ethics of Aristippus; adopting the atomic theory of the former, he deduced from it the indifference or non-existence of Gods; and he qualified Aristippus's exaltation of pleasure by preferring mental and permanent to bodily and immediate gratification. Their religious attitude caused them to be held in abhorrence by other schools.

EPIMENIDES. Poet and prophet of Crete. The Rip van Winkle of antiquity, but a historical character.

EPIMETHEUS, 'after-thought,' was the brother of Prometheus, 'forethought.'

ERECHTHEUS II. Ancient king of Athens. Posidon, offended by the slaying of his son Eumolpus, demanded the sacrifice of one of Erechtheus's daughters; one being drawn by lot, the other three would not survive her.

ERICHTHONIUS, or ERECHTHEUS I. King of Athens, and son of Hephaestus; his mother was not Athene, but Ge.

ERIDANUS. Greek name of the Po.

ERIGONE. See ICARUS.

ERINYES. Also called Furies, Eumenides, and Dread Goddesses, employed in punishing the wicked, whether in Hades or on earth, where they represent the pangs of conscience.

ERIS. The Goddess of discord; for her story, see Dialogues of Sea-Gods, V.

EROS. God of love, the Latin Cupid. Lucian plays with the two accounts of his birth and age. According to one, he was older than all the Olympian Gods; according to the other, son of Zeus and Aphrodite.

ETHIOPIANS. The Gods were in the habit of visiting the blameless Ethiopians ' and being feasted by them, according to Homer.

EUBULUS. The most influential statesman of the Athenian party opposed to Demosthenes and in favour of peace with Philip.

EUCTEMON. An Athenian suborned by Demosthenes's enemy Midias to bring against Demosthenes a charge of deserting while on military service.

EUMOLPUS. A Thracian bard who joined the Eleusinians in an expedition against Athens, but was defeated and slain. He was regarded as the founder of the Eleusinian Mysteries, and his family, the Eumolpidae, continued to be the priests of Demeter there.

EUPHORBUS. See PYTHAGORAS.

EUPHORION. Epic poet of Chalcis, 276 B.C.

EUPOLIS. Among the most famous poets of the Old Comedy, with Aristophanes and Cratinus

EURIPIDES. The most philosophic of the Greek tragedians. Born 480 B.C., died 406 B.C. at the court of Archelaus, king of Macedonia, whither he had retired from Athens about 408 B.C.

EUROPA. Daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor, and sister of Cadmus; carried away by Zeus, who assumed the form of a white bull.

EURYBATUS. An Ephesian who betrayed Croesus to Cyrus, and became a byword for treachery.

EURYDICE. See ORPHEUS.

EURYSTHEUS. King of Tiryns. See HERACLES.

EURYTUS. King of Oechalia; challenged Apollo to a match with the bow, and was killed for his presumption.

EUXINE. 'The hospitable'; The Black Sea.

EXADIUS. One of the Lapithae, who were assisted by Nestor in their fight against the Centaurs.

F

FATES. The Three Sisters to whose power even the Gods must submit, and who regulate every human life. Clotho holds the distaff, Lachesis spins, and Atropus cuts the thread of life. Lucian also gives them other functions.

FAVORINUS. A famous sophist, contemporary with Demonax, whose jests against him depend on the fact that he was supposed to be a eunuch.

G

GALATEA. The 'milk-white,' a Nereid, loved by Polyphemus.

GALLI. See ATTIS.

GANYMEDE. A beautiful Trojan youth, beloved by Zeus, and carried off by him to be the Gods' cupbearer.

GE. 'Earth,' wife of Uranus ('Heaven'), mother of Cronus, Rhea, and the other Titans.

GERYON. A three-bodied Spanish giant. See HERACLES.

GIANTS. The brood that sprang from the blood of Uranus when mutilated. They made war on Heaven, armed with rocks and trees; but the Gods destroyed them and buried them under volcanoes.

GLAUCUS. A famous boxer.

GLYCERA. Stock name for a courtesan.

GODS. The XII were Zeus, Posidon, Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus, Hermes, Hera, Athene, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hestia, Demeter.

GORGIAS. Orator and sophist, of Leontini in Sicily, fifth century B.C. He is a character in one of Plato's dialogues.

GORGONS. Three sisters with snaky hair, brazen claws, wings, scales, &c. Medusa, the only mortal one, was slain by Perseus with Athene's help, to whom he gave the head (which had the power of petrifying all who looked upon it) after using it against the sea-monster.

GYGES. A Lydian who found a ring that being turned rendered him invisible. By its means he usurped the Lydian throne, which he held 716-678 B.C. His wealth was proverbial.

GYLIPPUS. The Spartan chiefly instrumental in defeating the Sicilian expedition of the Athenians.

H

HARMONIA. Daughter of Ares and Aphrodite, wife of Cadmus.

HARPIES. Monstrous birds with women's faces, sent by Zeus to torment Phineus by defiling and carrying off all food placed on his table.

HECATE. A deity attendant on Persephone in Hades. Goddess of cross-roads and much invoked by witches. For Hecate's supper, and 'dining with Hecate,' see note on Dialogues of the Dead, i.;

HECUBA. Wife of Priam; a character in many Greek tragedies.

HEGESIAS. Sculptor. See CRITIUS, the description of whom applies to him also.

HELEN. Most of her history will be found in Dialogues of the Gods, xx. Her abduction by Paris caused the Trojan war, after which she returned to Menelaus.

HELIUS. God of the sun; one of the Titans.

HELLE. See ATHAMAS

HELLEBORE. See CHRYSIPPUS.

HELLESPONT. See XERXES.

HEPHAESTION. A Macedonian, the special friend of Alexander, who caused divine honours to be paid him after his death, 325 B.C.

HEPHAESTUS. Son of Zeus and Hera; god of fire and of metal-working, having his forge in Etna.

HERA. Daughter of Cronus and Rhea, wife and sister of Zeus, queen of Heaven.

HERACLES. Son of Alcmena, who bore twins, the divine Heracles son of Zeus, and the mortal Iphicles son of her husband Amphitryon. Married Megara, but, driven mad by the jealous Hera, killed their children. To expiate the crime entered the service of Eurystheus for twelve years, and performed for him twelve labours, among which were: Slaying of Hydra (as two heads sprang for each cut off, Iolaus assisted him by searing the stumps); Shooting of Stymphalian birds; Capture of Diomede's man-eating horses; Cleansing of the stables of Augeas; Slaying of Nemean lion (whose skin he always afterwards wore); Driving away of Geryon's oxen (on which expedition he erected the Pillars of Hercules at the straits of Gibraltar). Other incidents: He went down to Hades to rescue Alcestis; founded and presided at the Olympic games; held up the heavens for Atlas; served with Omphale in woman's dress to atone for the murder, in a fit of madness, of his friend Iphitus; while drinking wine with Pholus, was attacked by the other centaurs and slew them. His last wife, Deianira, being jealous gave him a poisoned shirt; and in the resulting agony he caused Philoctetes to build a pyre and burn him on Mount Oeta, leaving his bow and arrows to the boy.

HERACLITUS. A physical philosopher of Ephesus, about 500 B.C. Conceived fire as the origin of all things, and continual movement as the necessary condition of existence Known as the weeping philosopher, in opposition to Democritus, the laughing.

HERMAGORAS. 'Hermes of the Market'; a statue of Hermes in the Athenian market-place.

HERMAPHRODITUS. See APHRODITE.

HERMES. Son of Zeus and Maia. Messenger, cupbearer, porter, crier, &c., of the Gods. God of windfalls, trade, thievery, music, and speech. He is represented with wings on his sandals and hat, and with the caduceus, a staff entwined with serpents. For his slaying of Argus, see Dialogues of the Gods, iii. He is charged with the conducting of the dead to Hades. Said to have been born on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. Identified with the dog-headed Egyptian God Anubis.

HERMOCRATES The Syracusan most energetic in resisting the Sicilian expedition.

HERODES ATTICUS. Born about 104 A. D. The most famous rhetorician of his time. Used his great wealth in conferring benefits on the Greek towns, especially Athens; the aqueduct at Olympia is an instance. Mourned his wife Regilla and his favourite Pollux in the manner described in the Demonax.

HERODOTUS. Of Halicarnassus, born 484 B.C. Wrote in the Ionic dialect a history of the Graeco-Persian War, in nine books, to which the names of the Muses were given in recognition of their excellence.

HEROES. Used in two senses: (1) of demi-gods, born of a mortal and an immortal parent; (2) of the chiefs of the Trojan war period.

HESIOD. Of Ascra in Boeotia, about 850 B.C. According to his own account he was originally a shepherd, who, tending his flocks on Helicon, received from the Muses a laurel-branch, and with it the gift of poetry. His chief poems are the Works and Days, a didactic agricultural poem, and the Theogony, a work on the genealogies of Gods and heroes. The passage on Virtue so often alluded to by Lucian runs as follows: 'Vice you may have in abundance with ease; smooth is the road to it, and very near it dwells. But this side of Virtue the immortal Gods have set much toil; long and steep is the track to it, and rough at its setting out: but when a man has reached the top, then is its hardness turned to ease.'

HIMERAEUS. An Athenian orator, who opposed Macedonia after the death of Alexander, and fled to escape being surrendered to Antipater. Being caught by Archias, he was put to death.

HIPPIAS. A sophist of Elis, able but vain, contemporary of Socrates; a character in two of Plato's dialogues.

HIPPOCLIDES. An Athenian of the sixth century B.C.; lost his chance of marrying the daughter of Clisthenes tyrant of Sicyon by dancing on his head, and remarked that 'Hippoclides did not care.'

HIPPOCRATES. A famous physician of Cos, 469-357 B.C.

HIPPOCRENE and OLMEUM. Fountains on Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses.

HIPPOLYTA. See THESEUS.

HIPPOLYTUS. Son of Theseus and Hippolyta. His stepmother Phaedra fell in love with him, and being rejected accused him to his father. Theseus believed and asked Posidon to destroy him; he was thrown from his chariot and dragged to death by his horses, frightened at a monster sent by Posidon.

HIPPONAX. Greek iambic poet, 546-520 B.C.

HOMER. His poems formed the basis of Greek education and religion; Lucian perpetually quotes him, and refers to the questions of his birthplace and blindness. Famous ancient Homeric critics were Zoïlus (called Homeromastix), Zenodotus, and Aristarchus.

HYACINTH. See APOLLO.

HYDRA. See HERACLES.

HYLAS. Beautiful youth, beloved by Heracles, and carried off by the water-nymphs.

HYMENAEUS. The God of marriage.

HYMETTUS. Mountain of Attica, famous for marble and bees.

HYPERBOLUS. A disreputable Athenian demagogue, murdered 411 B.C.

HYPERBOREANS. A mythical people dwelling beyond the North wind in perpetual sunshine and happiness. Magical powers were attributed to them.

HYPERIDES. Athenian orator, generally acting with Demosthenes, though he accused him on one occasion. His tongue was cut out and he executed by Antipater.

I

IAMBULUS. A Greek writer on India, sufficiently characterized in The True History (3). 'Oceanica' is not an actual title.

IAPETUS. A Titan, brother of Cronus, and father of Prometheus.

ICARIUS. An Athenian who received Dionysus in Attica and learned from him the cultivation of the vine. Some peasants to whom he gave wine slew him in drunkenness. His daughter Erigone was led to his grave by his dog Maera, and hanged herself on the tree under which he lay. Dionysus placed the three in heaven as Arcturus, The Virgin, and Procyon (the lesser dog-star).

ICARUS. See DAEDALUS.

IDA. Mountain close to Troy.

ILISSUS. A small river at Athens.

ILITHYIA. Goddess of child-birth, generally identified with Artemis.

INO. See ATHAMAS.

IO. Daughter of Inachus, king of Argos. Zeus in love with her changed her to a heifer for concealment; Hera discovering it placed her under the care of Argus, who however was slain by Hermes at Zeus's command. Io swam to Egypt, conducted by Hermes, and there bore a son to Zeus.

IOLAÜS. Nephew of Heracles, and helped him against the hydra. Restored to youthful vigour by Hebe.

IPHIGENIA. Daughter of Agamemnon, was to be sacrificed to Artemis to secure the passage of the Greek fleet to Troy; but Artemis substituted a hart, and transported her to Tauri in Scythia, where as priestess she had to sacrifice all strangers. She saved her brother Orestes, on the point of being thus immolated, and fled with him to Greece.

IRIS. Goddess of the rainbow, sometimes charged with messages from heaven to earth.

IRUS. The beggar in the Odyssey who boxes with Odysseus.

ISIS. Egyptian Goddess, sometimes identified with Io.

ISMENUS. The river of Thebes.

ISOCRATES. 436-338 B.C. The greatest of Greek oratorical writers and teachers, but debarred from speaking by timidity and a weak voice.

IXION. King of the Lapithae, admitted by Zeus to the table of the Gods; his story will be found in Dialogues of the Gods, vi.

J

K

L

LABDACIDS. Laius, Oedipus, Eteocles and Polynices, Antigone and Ismene, the subjects of many Greek tragedies, were descended from Labdacus the Theban.

LAERTES. Father of Odysseus and king of Ithaca.

LAÏS. A famous courtesan of Corinth.

LAÏUS. King of Thebes and father of Oedipus, who slew him in ignorance of his identity, and so fulfilled an oracle.

LAOMEDON. See APOLLO.

LAPITHAE. A Thessalian people. When they invited the centaurs to the marriage feast of Pirithoüs, who was one of them, a quarrel and bloodshed arose.

LEDA. Wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta, loved by Zeus, who took the form of a swan. She produced two eggs, from one of which came Pollux and Helen, children of Zeus, and from the other Castor and Clytemnestra, of Tyndareus.

LEMNIAN WOMEN. Having offended Aphrodite, were abandoned by their husbands, and in revenge murdered all their male relations.

LEONIDAS. The king of Sparta who held Thermopylae with a small force against all the host of Xerxes till nearly all his men were slain, 480 B.C.

LEOSTHENES Commander of the Greeks in the Lamian war, for emancipation after Alexander's death.

LETHE. One of the rivers of Hades, of which all must drink and forget their lives on earth. Lucian, however, like other writers, does not trouble himself about this forgetfulness when it is inconvenient. There is also a river of the name in Spain, to which perhaps Charon refers in the Voyage to the Lower World.

LETO. A Goddess loved by Zeus, and regarded with jealousy by Hera, who set the serpent Pytho to watch her, and induced the earth to refuse her a place in which to be delivered of her children. Posidon solved the difficulty by bringing up Delos from the depths of the sea and fixing it. Here Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. Apollo afterwards slew Pytho. Leto was insulted by Niobe, daughter of Tantalus, proud of her seven sons and seven daughters; she was avenged by Apollo and Artemis, who shot all Niobe's children, and Niobe wept till she turned to stone.

LEUCOTHEA. See ATHAMAS.

LOTUS. The plant of which he who ate lost all wish of returning home.

LYCEUM. See PERIPATETICS.

LYCOPHRON Poet and grammarian 270 B.C. His poem Alexandra or Cassandra consists of supposed oracles of Cassandra, 'of no poetic value, but forms an inexhaustible mine of grammatical, historical, and mythological erudition.'

LYCURGUS (1). Ancient lawgiver at Sparta, who established the constitution and training that gave Sparta its military pre-eminence, 884 B.C.

LYCURGUS (2). Attic orator, a warm supporter of Demosthenes.

LYNCEUS. One of the Argonauts; could distinguish small objects at nine miles.

LYSIMACHUS. One of Alexander's generals, succeeded to Thrace on the division of the Macedonian empire. His wife Arsinoë made him believe that his son Agathocles was plotting against him, and he put him to death.

LYSIPPUS. A great sculptor, of Sicyon, in the time of Alexander.

M

MAEANDRIUS. Secretary to Polycrates, tyrant of Samos, to whose power he succeeded in 522 B.C.

MAGI. A priesthood among the Medes and Persians, founded by Zoroaster.

MAIA. Mother of Hermes.

MALTHACE. Stock name for a courtesan.

MANDROBULUS. Of Samos. He found a great treasure, his gratitude for which was expressed at the time with an offering of a golden sheep, on the first anniversary of the event with a silver one, on the second with a copper, and on the third with none at all

MARATHON. A village in Attica, the scene of a great victory of the Athenians over the Persians in 490 B.C.

MARGITES. Hero of a comic epic poem, formerly supposed to be Homer's. His name became proverbial for stupidity.

MARSYAS. A Phrygian Satyr, who challenged Apollo to a musical contest, and being defeated by him was flayed alive.

MAUSOLUS. King of Caria, 377-353 B.C. His wife Artemisia raised a splendid monument to him after his death.

MEDEA. Daughter of Æetes king of Colchis, and famous for her skill in witchcraft. Falling in love with Jason when he came to Colchis for the Golden Fleece, she assisted him to obtain it, and followed him to Greece as his wife. When Jason afterwards deserted her for the daughter of Creon, she revenged herself by slaying her own children by him, and his second wife.

MELAMPUS. A seer, whose ears were cleansed by some young snakes that he had preserved from death, with the result that he was enabled to understand the language of birds.

MELEÄGER. Son of Oeneus, king of Calydon, and leader of the heroes who slew the boar that Artemis, offended at Oeneus's neglect in not asking her to a certain feast, had sent to ravage his country. Being in love with Atalanta, he gave her the boar's hide, and subsequently slew his mother's brothers for taking it from her. To avenge their death, his mother Althaea threw into the fire that fatal firebrand whose consumption, as she knew from the Fates, must be followed by his death.

MELETUS. An obscure tragic poet, one of the accusers of Socrates.

MELIA. A Nereid, mother of the river-god Ismenus.

MELICERTES. See ATHAMAS.

MENANDER. A distinguished Athenian poet of the New Comedy, 342-291 B.C.

MENELAUS. Brother of Agamemnon, and Helen's husband. The abduction of Helen by the Trojan Paris was the cause of the Trojan War.

MENIPPUS. A Cynic philosopher, originally a slave, of Gadara in Coele-Syria. His date is placed about 60 B.C. It is probable that Lucian was much indebted to the writings of Menippus, which are now lost, though an imitation of them is still preserved in the Menippean Satires of Varro. Among the titles of his works are A Visit to the Shades, Wills, and Letters of the Gods. He appears frequently as a character in Lucian's dialogues.

MENTOR. A famous silversmith, before 356 B.C.

METRODORUS. A distinguished Epicurean philosopher, 330-277 B.C.

MIDAS. A king of Phrygia, to whom Dionysus granted the power of changing all that he touched into gold. Being unable in consequence to obtain any nourishment, Midas was permitted to cancel this privilege by bathing in the Pactolus. Chosen as a judge in a musical contest between Pan and Apollo he decided against the latter, who changed his ears into those of an ass.

MIDIAS. A wealthy Athenian, and a bitter enemy of Demosthenes, whose speech against him is extant.

MILO. Of Croton, a famous athlete, of whom various feats of strength are recorded.

MILTIADES. Son of Cimon. Commanded the Athenians at Marathon. He afterwards used the power entrusted to him for his private purposes, and the charges brought against him were better justified than is implied in Slander (29).

MINA. A sum of money–£4 1s. 3d.

MINOS I. Son of Zeus and Europa, brother of Rhadamanthus. King and legislator of Crete and, after his death, a judge in Hades.

MINOS II. Grandson of Minos I, and king of Crete. Made war on the Athenians and compelled them to send to Crete an annual tribute of seven youths and seven maidens, to be devoured by the Minotaur, the monstrous offspring of Pasiphae and a bull. See THESEUS.

MINOTAUR. See MINOS II

MITHRAS. God of the sun among the Persians.

MOMUS. Son of Night, and God of criticism.

MORMO. A female spectre, used to frighten children with.

MUSAEUS. The supposed author of various poetical works. His origin is doubtful; he is sometimes called the son of Orpheus.

MUSES. The Goddesses of poetry, and of the arts and sciences. They were nine in number, and were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory). Mount Helicon in Boeotia was their favourite haunt.

MUSONIUS RUFUS. A celebrated Stoic philosopher, banished by Nero in 66 A. D. on the pretext of conspiracy.

MYIA. Of this daughter of Pythagoras we have no certain information.

MYRON. A celebrated sculptor, born about 480 B.C.

MYSTERIES (Eleusinian). Eumolpus, Musaeus, and Demeter, are all mentioned as the founders of these Mysteries, in which were commemorated the rape of Persephone by Pluto, and the wanderings of Demeter in search of her. They were held annually, the Greater at Eleusis and Athens, the Lesser at Agrae. Persons initiated at the Lesser could only be admitted to the Greater after a year's interval. A part of the Greater Mysteries, to which those only were admitted who had been fully initiated, and had taken the oath of secrecy, consisted of a torchlight procession from Athens to the temple of Demeter at Eleusis, after which the initiated were purified, repeated the oath of secrecy, and were admitted to the inner sanctuary of the temple. Of the secret doctrines there divulged nothing is known.

N

NARCISSUS. A youth so beautiful that he fell in love with his image reflected in a pool.

NAUSICAA. The beautiful daughter of Alcinous and Arete, who received Odysseus with kindness when cast up by the sea.

NELEUS. Of Scepsis; he is known to have been in possession of the MSS. of Aristotle, and may therefore have been a patron of literature.

NEMESIS. 'Wrath,' the Goddess who avenges presumption.

NEOPTOLEMUS, also called Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, after whose death the seer declared that Troy could not be taken without the help of his son. He distinguished himself in the taking.

NEPHELE. See ATHAMAS. Changed to a cloud after his desertion of her.

NEREÏDS. The sea nymphs, daughters of Nereus, a sea-God.

NESIOTES. See CRITICS.

NESTOR. Oldest and wisest of the Greek chiefs at Troy. His cup was one that 'scarce could another move from the table when it was full, but old Nestor lifted it with ease.'

NICANDER. Grammarian, poet, and physician of Colophon, about 140 B.C. Wrote Theriaca and Alexipharmaca, works on poisons and antidotes.

NICIAS. The Athenian general in command of the Sicilian expedition, 415 B.C. Put to death by the Syracusans.

NICOSTRATUS. A wrestler and double Olympic victor, about 40 A. D.

NIOBE. See LETO.

NIREUS. A Greek at the siege of Troy, famous for beauty.

NUMA. Second king of Rome; his reign was marked by peace and the founding of religious institutions.

O

ODYSSEUS. Son of Laertes, king of Ithaca. To escape joining the Greeks against Troy, simulated madness by driving a plough for a chariot, with one ox and one horse. Palamedes exposed him by threatening Odysseus's son Telemachus with a sword, when he confessed. In revenge, he ruined Palamedes at Troy, convicting him by forged evidence of treacherous dealings with the enemy. When Agamemnon lost heart, and was for returning, Odysseus prevailed on the Greeks not to give up. Took ten years getting home, detained by Calypso, by Circe, and otherwise. Circe enabled him to visit Hades and consult Tiresias. Escaped the Sirens by stopping his crew's ears with wax, and having himself bound to the mast.

OENEUS. See MELEAGER.

OLYMPIA. In Ells; the Olympic games took place every four years, and, starting from 776 B.C., from which time a record of them was kept, were used for dating events, under the name of Olympiads. The games were the occasion of the largest gatherings of Greeks that took place.

OLYMPIAS. Wife of Philip of Macedon and mother of Alexander.

OLYMPIEUM. A temple of Zeus at Athens, begun by the tyrant Pisistratus (560-527 B.C.), but not finished till the time of Hadrian (117-138 A. D.).

OLYMPUS (1). A mountain separating Macedonia and Thessaly, the summit of which was the residence of the Gods.

OLYMPUS (2). A celebrated flute-player of Phrygia.

OMPHALE. See HERACLES.

ORESTES. See AGAMEMNON.

ORION. A giant and hunter of Boeotia. Blinded by Oenopion for ill-treatment of his daughter Merope, he recovered his sight by the help of Cedalion, who directed his eyes towards the rising sun.

ORITHYIA. Daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens. Carried off by Boreas.

ORPHEUS. A Thracian musician, son of the Muse Calliope. His music charmed wild beasts, trees, and rocks, and prevailed upon Pluto to restore his wife Eurydice, on condition that Orpheus should not look back to see that she was following him; this condition not being observed, Eurydice remained in Hades. Orpheus was afterwards torn in pieces by the Thracian women, and his head and lyre thrown into the Hebrus, and carried to Lesbos.

OSIRIS. An Egyptian king, deified after death, as the husband of Isis.

OSROËS. Son of Vologesus I. A king of Parthia, engaged in war with the Emperor Trajan.

OTHRYADES. The only survivor of the three hundred Spartans who fought with three hundred Argives for the possession of Thyrea in Cynuria. Being left for dead by the two Argive survivors, he raised a trophy on the field, with an inscription in his own blood, and thus secured the victory.

OTUS. See EPHIALTES.

P

PACTOLUS. A Lydian river, whose sands were said to contain gold.

PAEAN. (1) A name of Apollo; (2) a song sung before or after a battle.

PALAMEDES. A Greek hero in the Trojan War. See under ODYSSEUS. Said to have added certain letters to the Greek alphabet.

PAN. A rustic God, son of Hermes and Penelope. Invented the Pan's pipe, and attended upon Dionysus. Represented with horns and goat's legs.

PANATHENAEA. Two festivals of this name were celebrated at Athens with games, sacrifices, &c.; the Lesser annually, the Greater every fourth year.

PANCRATIUM. A contest in the public games, in which both boxing and wrestling were employed.

PANGAEUS. A range of mountains in Macedonia, famous for gold and silver mines.

PANTHEA (1). Wife of Abradatas, king of Susa. Her spirit and loyalty are commended by Xenophon.

PANTHEA (2). Presumably the mistress of the Emperor Lucius Verus.

PARIS. Son of Priam king of Troy.

PARMENIO. An able lieutenant of Alexander.

PARTHENIUS. A Greek elegiac poet, about 30 B.C.

PARTHIANS. The successors in Asia of the Persian monarchy. The war between their king Vologesus III and Rome, 162-165 A. D., was conducted on the Roman side by the Emperor Lucius Verus. He brought it to a successful conclusion, more by the merits of his lieutenants, Cassius and Statius Priscus, than his own.

PARTHONICE. 'Conquest of the Parthians,' quoted as an affected poetical-sounding title.

PATROCLUS. Friend and follower of Achilles, who, when he sulked himself, lent him his armour, in which Patroclus won great renown; but Apollo struck him senseless, Euphorbus ran him through, and Hector gave him the last fatal blow.

PEGASUS. See BELLEROPHON.

PELASGICUM. A space under the Acropolis at Athens, unoccupied till the Spartan invasions in the Peloponnesian war brought the country Attics into the town.

PELEUS. Father of Achilles.

PELIAS. King of Iolcus, usurper of his nephew Jason's rights. When Medea restored Jason's father Aeson to youth by cutting him to pieces and boiling him, she persuaded the daughters of Pelias to try the same system with their father, which resulted in his death.

PELOPIDS. The descendants of Pelops, many of them, as Atreus and Thyestes, Agamemnon and Menelaus, Orestes, Electra and Iphigenia, famous in tragic story.

PENELOPE. Wife of Odysseus.

PENTHEUS. King of Thebes, resisted the introduction of Dionysus's rites; the God caused his Bacchantes, among them Pentheus's mother Agave, to tear him to pieces in their frenzy.

PERDICCAS. One of Alexander's generals, who, on the strength of the dying king's having handed him his ring, claimed the succession, but was defeated by the combination of Ptolemy, Antipater, and other generals, and finally assassinated.

PEREGRINE. Nothing can be added to Lucian's description of him in the Death of Peregrine, but that he is a historical character.

PERIANDER. Son of Cypselus, and tyrant of Corinth. A patron of literature, and one of the Seven Sages.

PERICLES. Greatest of Athenian statesmen. A pupil of Anaxagoras. He was nicknamed 'Olympian.' Lucian mentions his funeral speech, delivered in 435 B.C., and his intercourse with the famous Milesian courtesan Aspasia, by whom he had a son Pericles.

PERIPATETICS. Aristotle of Stagira (385-323 B.C.), the founder of this school of philosophers, studied for twenty years under Plato. In 335 B.C. he began teaching independently in the Lyceum, a public garden at Athens. The name Peripatetic refers to his habit of walking about while lecturing. Forty-six of his works remain, though perhaps only in the form of notes. They are remarkable for the rigidly systematic treatment applied to all subjects alike, to Ethics and Poetry, not less than to Zoology and Mechanics. Most notable of his doctrines is that which refers all definable things to four Causes, viz., Matter, the existence of which is Potentiality, and the Moving, Final, and Formal Causes, whose operation is included under the general term Energy; the combination of Potentiality and Energy resulting in the perfection of the completed thing. The summum bonum, according to Aristotle, is Eudaemonia (Happiness); and each virtue is the mean between the excess and defect of some quality. The virtuous mean between avarice and profuseness, or between luxury and asceticism, might perhaps involve that respect for money with which Lucian reproaches the Peripatetics. The ten Categories, or Predicaments, were an attempt to classify all existing things; among them were Substance, Quality, Quantity, Relation, Time, and Place.

PERSEPHONE. Daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Pluto, with the permission of Zeus, carried her down to Hades. Demeter, discovering the truth after a long search, left Heaven in anger, and took up her abode on earth. Zeus now ordered Pluto to restore Persephone: as, however, she had partaken of food in the lower world, she was compelled to return thither for one-third of each year.

PERSEUS. His story is given under DANAE, GORGONS, and ANDROMEDA.

PHAEACIANS. A fabulous people described in the Odyssey as inhabiting Scheria. Alcinous was their king.

PHAEDRA. Daughter of Minos of Crete, and wife of Theseus. See HIPPOLYTUS.

PHAEDRUS. A character in two of the dialogues of Plato, whose friend he was.

PHAETHON. Son of Helius and Clymene. Being allowed on one occasion to drive the chariot of the sun, he lost control of the horses, and almost consumed the earth with fire. Zeus slew him with a thunderbolt, and cast him into the river Eridanus. His sisters, changed into poplars on its banks, wept tears of amber for his loss.

PHALARIS. Tyrant of Agrigentum in Sicily, 570-564 B.C. For the brazen bull in which he is said to have burnt many victims alive, see Phalaris I.

PHAON. An ugly old boatman at Mytilene, with whom Sappho is said to have fallen in love, after he had been made young and beautiful by Aphrodite as a reward for carrying her across the sea without payment.

PHARUS. A small island off the coast of Egypt, on which was a famous lighthouse, built by Ptolemy II.

PHIDIAS. Famous Athenian sculptor, 490-432 B.C. The chryselephantine statue of Zeus at Olympia was his work.

PHILIP OF MACEDON. King, 359-336 B.C. Raised Macedon from an insignificant State to the mistress of Greece, and made possible the conquests of his son Alexander by his organization. Used diplomacy as much as arms to effect his ends, and systematically bribed persons in the states opposed to him, especially in Athens.

PHILIPPIDES. More usually called Phidippides.

PHILO. The person to whom Lucian addresses The Way to write History is unknown.

PHILOCRATES. Prominent Athenian, probably in the pay of Philip, into whose hands he constantly played.

PHILOCTETES. Armour-bearer of Heracles, inherited his bow. Left at Lemnos on the way to Troy, because a wound from a snake-bite rendered him offensive by its stench. Later, an oracle declaring the bow necessary for the capture of Troy, Odysseus went and induced him to come.

PHILOSOPHY. Lucian is fond of ridiculing the different schools of philosophy, some for their paradoxical choice of ends, some for their hypocrisy in practically disregarding their own precepts. The regulation philosophic garb and appearance also comes in for satire; it consisted of threadbare cloak, wallet, and staff, with long beard. A brief account of the chief schools will be found under ACADEMY, CYNICS, CYRENAICS, PERIPATETICS, STOICS, EPICUREANS, SCEPTICS, PLATO, PYTHAGORAS.

PHILOXENUS. A poet, who, for his severe criticism of a poem of Dionysius I, was imprisoned in the Syracusan quarries. The tyrant, having pardoned him and invited him to dinner, recited another poem he had composed. Asked his opinion of it, Philoxenus made no direct reply, but said, 'Take me back to the quarries.

PHINEUS. King of Bithynia, blinded by Zeus for unjustly blinding his own children; and see HARPIES.

PHLEGETHON. 'Burning,' one of the infernal rivers.

PHOCION. Athenian statesman and general, died 318 B.C.; distinguished for virtue, moderation, and poverty.

PHOEBUS. See APOLLO.

PHOENIX (1). Son of Amyntor king of Argos. Blinded by his father, fled to Peleus, was cured by Chiron of his blindness, and became tutor to Achilles.

PHOENIX (2). An Indian bird which lived five hundred years and then cremated itself, another rising from its ashes.

PHOLUS. See HERACLES.

PHRIXUS. See ATHAMAS.

PHRYGIANS. Troy being in Phrygia, 'Phrygians' is often used for 'Trojans.'

PHRYNE. Famous Athenian courtesan, 328 B.C.

PHRYNON. Athenian politician in the Macedonian interest, associated by Demosthenes especially with Philocrates.

PIRAEUS. The port of Athens, about five miles off.

PISA. The town in Elis, near which the Olympic games were held.

PITCH-PLASTERS were employed by women and by effeminate men for removing the hair from the body.

PITYOCAMPTES. 'Pine-bender,' descriptive surname of the robber Sinis, who killed travellers by fastening them to the top of a pine bent down and then allowed to spring up. He was killed by Theseus in the same way.

PLATAEA. A town in Boeotia, near which the final battle of the Graeco-Persian war was fought, 478 B.C. The Persians were defeated.

PLATO. An Athenian philosopher (428-347 B.C.), and pupil of Socrates, whom in his dialogues he often makes the mouthpiece of his own doctrines. He studied in Africa, Egypt, Italy, and Sicily, and returned to Athens in 386 B.C. to lecture in the gymnasium of the Academy. He paid three visits to the Syracusan court of Dionysius I and II. The Platonic theory of Ideas is an attempt to secure accuracy of definition (which is the first step towards knowledge), by contemplation of those abstract types or Ideas of things, of which external objects are in every case only an imperfect manifestation, and which are perceptible to us by reason of our familiarity with them in a previous existence; for the soul is immortal, and what we call the acquisition of knowledge is in fact only recollection. In his Republic we have a sketch of a model state, in which philosophers are to be kings, and community of women is recommended as a means of securing scientific breeding.

PLUTO. 'Rich' in dead, according to Lucian's derivation; also called Hades. Drew lots with his brothers Zeus and Posidon, and received the Lower World for his share. His wife was Persephone.

PLUTUS. Son of Iasion and Demeter, and God of wealth. Blinded by Zeus.

PNYX. The place where the Athenian Assembly was held. It was cut out of the side of a small hill west of the Acropolis.

PODALIRIUS. Son of Asclepius, and brother of Machaon, with whom he led the Thessalians of Tricca against Troy. Both brothers inherited their father's medical skill.

POECILE. The 'Painted' Porch in. the Athenian marketplace, adorned with paintings of Polygnotus. Here Zeno, the founder of the Stoic philosophy, opened his school, which was accordingly often spoken of as 'The Porch.'

POENAE. 'Punishments.' Infernal spirits, akin to the Erinyes.

POLEMON. Athenian philosopher, head of the Academy, 315 B.C. Had been dissolute in youth, but was converted, as related in The Double Indictment, by Xenocrates.

POLIAS. See ATHENE.

POLLUX (1). See CASTOR.

POLLUX (2). See HERODES.

POLUS (1). A rhetorician of Agrigentum, pupil of Gorgias, with whom he is introduced by Plato in the Gorgias.

POLUS (2). A celebrated tragic actor.

POLYCLITUS. 452-412 B.C. A Sicyonian sculptor, reckoned the equal of Phidias. His 'canon' was a bronze statue in which he exemplified the principles that he had laid down in a book to which he gave the same name. The Diadumenus, or youth tying on a fillet, was one of his most famous works.

POLYCRATES. Powerful tyrant of Samos. Frightened by his excessive prosperity, tried to propitiate Nemesis by throwing into the sea a ring that he prized highly; but a fisherman found it in a fish, and returned it, a sign that his offering was rejected. He was lured to Asia by Oroetes, satrap of Sardis, and by him crucified, 522 B.C.

POLYDAMAS. Olympic victor, 408 B.C. Marvellous stories are told of his strength.

POLYGNOTUS. Famous painter, of Thasos, 422 B.C.

POLYNICES. One of the sons of Oedipus, who killed each other.

POLYPHEMUS. See CYCLOPES. His story is given Dialogues of the Sea-Gods, i.

POLYXENA. Daughter of Priam and Hecuba, loved by Achilles, who after his death demanded that she should be sacrificed to his manes. She submitted willingly, and was slain by Neoptolemus at his father's tomb.

PORCH, THE. See POECILE and STOICS.

PORUS. See ALEXANDER (1).

POSIDON. Son of Cronus, brother of Zeus and Pluto, received the sea as his province. Assisted Apollo in building the walls of Troy for Laomedon.

PRAXITELES. Athenian sculptor, 364 B.C. With Scopas, headed the later Attic school, known less for sublimity than beauty. The Cnidian Aphrodite was his.

PRIAPUS. Son of Dionysus and Aphrodite, worshipped especially at Lampsacus.

PRODICUS. Sophist of Ceos, often at Athens, where Socrates is said to have attended his lectures, about 430 B.C. Spoken of by Plato with more respect than most sophists, and famous for his apologue of The Choice of Heracles, between Pleasure and Virtue.

PROETUS. See BELLEROPHON.

PROMETHEUS. Son of Iapetus, and therefore first cousin of Zeus, who nailed him up on the Caucasus, and instructed an eagle to devour his liver, which grew again each night. The provocation had been threefold: (1) Prometheus, forming clay figures, had persuaded Athene to breathe life into them, and thus created man; (2) he had stolen fire from Heaven for the use of man; (3) by dividing a slain animal into two portions, one consisting of bones wrapped up in fat, the other of the lean parts, and persuading Zeus to choose the former as his share, he had secured the more desirable portion of sacrificial animals for man. The confusion of the sexes alluded to in the Literary Prometheus (7) is perhaps drawn from Plato's account in the Symposium of the creation of double beings, who possessed the characteristics of both sexes, and referred by Lucian to Prometheus on his own responsibility; though in Phaedrus (Fables, iv. 54) Prometheus is charged with a confusion of the sexes in a different sense.

PROTESILAÜS. A Thessalian, son of Iphiclus, and the first Greek slain by the Trojans. Permitted to return to life for a few hours to see his wife Laodamia.

PROTEUS. The prophetic old man of the sea, from whom it was only possible to obtain information by seizing him; this was difficult, as he changed into many different shapes. Peregrine (whom see) took the name of Proteus.

PTOLEMY (1). Son of Lagus, surnamed Soter. A general of Alexander, and afterwards king of Egypt. Died 283 B.C.

PTOLEMY (2) Philadelphus, son of Ptolemy Soter. Married his sister Arsinoe, 309-247 B.C.

PTOLEMY (3) Dionysus. King of Egypt, 80-51 B.C.

PUZZLES. Lucian is never tired of ridiculing the verbal quibbles in which the philosophers of his time indulged. He attributes them especially to the Stoics, whose insistence on pure reason, as opposed to emotion, for the guide of life, resulted in much attention to logic, including its paradoxical forms. Among these logical puzzles are the following: (1) Sorites, the heap trick. Suppose a heap of corn. Is it a heap? Yes. Take a grain away. Is it a heap? Yes. And so on, till only one grain is left. The drawing of the line is impossible. (2) The Horns. If you have not lost a thing, you still have it? Certainly. Have you lost your horns? No. Then you are horned. (3) The Crocodile. A child is caught by a crocodile; the father asks him to give it back. I will, says the crocodile, on condition that you tell me correctly whether I shall do so or not. The dilemma is obvious. (4) The Day and Night. This appears to be a proof that there is no such thing as night, through the ambiguity in 'Day being, Night cannot be,' which in Greek, though not in English, is equally natural in the sense of Since it is day, it cannot be night, and, If day exists, night cannot. (5) The Reaper. I will prove to you that you will not reap your corn, thus. If you reap it, you will not either-reap-or-not-reap, but reap. If you do not reap it, you will not either-reap-or-not-reap, but not reap. So in each case you will not either reap or not reap, that is, there will be no reaping. (6) The Rightful Owner. Unexplained; but see Epictetus, ii, xix. (7) and (8) The Electra, and The Man in the Hood, sufficiently explained in Sale of Creeds (22).

PYANEPSION. An Attic month.

PYLADES. Cousin and friend of Orestes.

PYRRHUS. Stock name for a slave. Used jestingly in Sale of Creeds instead of Pyrrho.

PYRRHO. Of Elis. About 300 B.C. Gave up painting to become a philosopher, and was the founder of the Sceptics.

PYRRHUS. King of Epirus, 295-272 B.C. The greatest general of his time, won several victories over the Romans.

PYTHAGORAS. Born at Samos, settled at Croton in Italy. 580-510 B.C. The early Ionic philosophers, as Thales and Heraclitus, had found the origin of all things in some one principle, as water, or fire. Pythagoras found it in number and proportion; hence the name Order (COSMOS), which he first gave to the universe; hence also the mystic importance attached to certain numbers, e. g. the Decad, called Tetractys (which we have translated 'quaternion') as made by the addition of the first four integers (1 + 2 + 3 + 4= 10), and the Pentagram, or figure resulting from the production of all the sides of a regular pentagon till they intersect. Pythagoras had travelled in Egypt, and perhaps brought thence his most famous doctrines of the immortality of the soul and transmigration; he is said to have retained the memory of his own previous existences, especially as Euphorbus the Trojan, whose shield he recognized; human knowledge, for him as for Plato, would be accounted for as recollection from earlier lives. He instituted a brotherhood of his disciples, with elaborate training and different degrees; and the Pythagorean 'Ipse dixit,' implying that what the master had said was not open to argument, marks the strict subordination; a novice had to observe silence for five years. Pythagoras left no writings, and this, combined with the mystic character of his speculations on number and his specially authoritative position, gave occasion to innumerable legends, misrepresentations, and extensions. The Pythagorean prohibition of beans as food has never been explained; see Mayor's note on Juv. xv. 174. The usual account is that he thought the souls of his parents might be in them. The story of his appearing at the Olympic games with a golden thigh is one of the later legends illustrative of his supposed assumption of superhuman qualities, which made him the model of impostors or half-impostors like Apollonius of Tyana, Alexander of Abonutichus, or Paracelsus.

PYTHEAS. An Athenian orator, of disreputable character; an enemy of Demosthenes.

PYTHON. An eloquent Byzantine orator in the pay of Philip of Macedon.

R

RHADAMANTHUS. Son of Zeus and Europa, and brother of Minos. After his death, a judge in Hades.

RHEA, or CYBELE. Daughter of Uranus and Ge, wife of Cronus, and mother of Zeus, Hera, Posidon, Pluto, Hestia, and Demeter. Her worship, celebrated by the Corybantes and the Galli, was of a wild and enthusiastic character. She is commonly represented as being drawn by lions. See also under ATTIS.

S

SABAZIUS. A Phrygian deity, of doubtful origin, commonly described as a son of Rhea.

SALAMIS. An island off the west coast of Attica, the scene of a great naval victory of the Athenians over the Persians in 480 B.C. It is to this victory that the oracle refers, quoted in the Zeus Tragoedus.

SALII. The dancing priests of Mars, said to have been instituted by Numa.

SALMONEUS. Son of Aeolus, and brother of Sisyphus. Zeus slew him with the thunderbolt, for claiming sacrifice, and imitating the thunder and lightning.

SAPPHO. A Lesbian poetess of the sixth century B.C. Taken as a type of elegance in the Portrait-study.

SARDANAPALUS. Last king of the Assyrian empire of Nineveh. Lucian's favourite type of luxury and effeminacy.

SARPEDON. Son of Zeus and Laodamia, slain in the Trojan war by Patroclus.

SATURNALIA. The feast of the Latin God Saturn, held in the month of December. During the feast, all ranks devoted themselves to merriment, presents were exchanged, and public gambling was officially recognized. A mock king was also chosen, who could impose forfeits on his subjects. Lucian does not speak of the Saturnalia by that name, but only of the feast of Cronus, with whom Saturn was identified; and in some cases it is possible that he refers to a feast of Cronus himself.

SATYRS. Beings connected with the worship of Dionysus, and represented with snub noses, horns, and tails.

SCEPTICS. A school of philosophers founded by Pyrrho of Elis, who flourished 325 B.C. Abstention from definition, and suspension of judgement, were the guiding principles of the school.

SCHERIA. See PHAEACIANS.

SCIRON. A robber who infested the frontier of Attica and Megara, and compelled travellers to wash his feet upon the edge of the Scironian precipice, kicking them over into the sea during the operation. He was slain by Theseus.

SCOPAS. A famous sculptor of Paros, flourished 400-350 B.C.

SELENE. Goddess of the moon. Fell in love with Endymion.

SELEUCUS. Surnamed Nicator. First king of Syria, 312280 B.C. For his wife Stratonice see ANTIOCHUS.

SEMELE. Daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia. Beloved by Zeus. Incited by the machinations of Hera, she prevailed upon Zeus against his will to appear to her in all his splendour. His lightnings consumed her; but the child Dionysus, with whom she was pregnant, was saved by Zeus, and matured within his thigh.

SEMIRAMIS and her husband Ninus were the founders of the Assyrian empire of Nineveh. Her date is placed at about 2000 B.C. She built numerous cities.

SILENUS. A Satyr, son of Hermes or of Pan. Usually represented as drunk, and riding on an ass, in attendance on Dionysus.

SIMONIDES. Of Ceos; a famous lyric poet, 556-467 B.C. Said to have added four letters to the alphabet.

SISYPHUS. King of Corinth, fraudulent and avaricious. Punished in the lower world by having to roll a stone up hill, which as soon as he reached the top always fell to the bottom again

SOCRATES. Son of Sophroniscus and Phaenarete, 469-399 B.C. He abandoned sculpture (his father's profession) for the study of philosophy, in which he was remarkable for the preference that he gave to ethics over physics, and for the method of dialectic, or logical conversation carried on by means of question and answer, for the purpose of eliciting accurate definition. He was frequently ridiculed on the comic stage by Aristophanes and other poets. In 399 B.C. a charge of impiety was brought against him by Anytus and Meletus, and he was condemned to drink hemlock. Socrates served with credit at the battle of Delium, 424 B.C. An oracle given to his disciple Chaerephon pronounced Socrates to be the wisest of men: Socrates himself claimed to know one thing only–that he knew nothing. Lucian alludes to his favourite oaths, the dog and plane-tree. For the (Platonic) theory of Ideas, and the community of women, see PLATO.

SOLI. A city on the coast of Cilicia, proverbial for the bad Greek spoken there.

SOLON. A famous Athenian legislator, 594 B.C. Said to have visited Croesus of Lydia.

SOPHIST. At Athens this word denoted in particular a paid teacher of grammar, rhetoric, politics, mathematics, &c. Lucian sometimes uses it also for 'philosopher,' and perhaps sometimes in the modern sense of a quibbler.

SOPHRONISCUS. Father of Socrates.

SPARTANS. Among the means adopted to train the youths in fortitude were competitive scourgings at the altar of Artemis Orthia, which must be endured without sign of distress.

STESICHORUS. Lyric poet of Himera, 612 B.C. Lost his sight after lampooning Helen, and only recovered it by composing a retractation, 'palinode.'

STHENEBOEA. Another name for Antea; see BELLEROPHON.

STOICS School of philosophy, so called from the Stoa Poecile, or Painted Porch, at Athens, in which Zeno their founder taught. Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus, were the first three heads, starting 310 B.C. Stoicism was a great influence among the Romans, as with the emperor M. Aurelius. Its aim was purely practical, to make man independent of his surroundings. The 'wise man,' who formed his views on pure reason, would recognize that virtue or duty was the only end, and that pleasure and pain, wealth, power, and everything else that did not depend on his own choice, were 'things indifferent.' He would ultimately attain to 'apathy,' and be completely unmoved by the ordinary objects of desire or aversion, being, in whatever external condition, the 'only king,' the 'only happy.' They paid great attention to logic, much reasoning being necessary to establish these paradoxes, whence their reputation for verbal quibbles, and their elaborate technical terms for the relations between sensation and the mental processes. Later Stoics relaxed the severity of the 'indifference ' doctrine by dividing indifferentia into praeposita and rejecta; e. g. health was to be preferred to sickness, though virtue was consistent with either. This would open the door to the preference of wealth, and account for Lucian's sneer at Stoic usurers. The Stoic physics was a materialistic pantheism.

STRATONICE. See ANTIOCHUS.

STYX. 'Loathing,' one of the infernal rivers. The oath by it was the only one that could bind the Immortals.

T

TAENARUM. Southern point of Greece, supposed way from earth to Hades.

TALENT. Sum of money, about £250.

TALOS (1). Nephew of Daedalus, famous artificer, worshipped as a hero at Athens.

TALOS (2). A brazen man made by Hephaestus, given to Minos, and employed as a sentinel to walk round Crete thrice daily.

TANAGRA. Town in Boeotia, famous for a breed of fighting roosters.

TELLUS. See Charon (10).

TEREUS. Son of Ares and king of Thrace, committed bigamy with Procne and Philomela, daughters of Pandion. The two wives were changed at their own request to nightingale and swallow, and Tereus became a hoopoe.

TEUCER. Step-brother of Ajax Telamonius, and best archer among the Greeks at Troy.

THAÏS. A famous Athenian courtesan, accompanied Alexander.

THAMYRIS. Thracian bard, blinded by the Muses for presuming to challenge them.

THEANO (1). Wife of Antenor and priestess of Athene at Troy.

THEANO (2). Female philosopher of Pythagoras's school, perhaps his wife

THEBE. A daughter of Prometheus, from whom Thebes had its name.

THEMISTOCLES. Saviour of Greece in the Persian war, 480-478 B.C.; he convinced the Athenians that the famous oracle meant by 'wooden walls,' and 'divine Salamis,' to promise a naval victory there if they trusted to their fleet.

THEOPHRASTUS. Head of the Peripatetic school after Aristotle.

THEOPOMPUS. Of Chios, historian, of the fourth century B.C.

THERICLES. A Corinthian potter, of uncertain date.

THERSITES. A Greek at Troy, deformed, impudent, and a demagogue.

THESEUS. Son of Aegeus, king of Athens. Destroyed Sciron, Pityocamptes, Cercyon, and other evil-doers. Slew the Minotaur (see Minos II) in the Cretan Labyrinth, and escaped thence by means of the clue given to him by Minos's daughter Ariadne, of whom he was enamoured, but whom he afterwards deserted in Naxos, where she was found and married by Dionysus. Made an expedition against the Amazons, and carried off their queen Antiope, whose sister Hippolyta afterwards invaded Attica, but was repelled by Theseus. By Antiope he had a son Hippolytus, with whom his second wife Phaedra fell in love. Assisted by his friend Pirithoüs, Theseus carried off Helen from Sparta, and kept her at Aphidnae.

THESMOPHORIA. Festival of Demeter at Athens.

THETIS. Mother of Achilles.

THYESTES. Son of Pelops and brother of Atreus. The latter, having been wronged by him, killed and served up to him his own sons.

THYRSUS. A wand of the narthex plant, carried by the bacchantes, with its head wreathed in vine or ivy, which concealed a steel point.

TIBIUS. Stock name for a slave.

TIMON. The Misanthrope, lived during the Peloponnesian war.

TIRESIAS. A Theban seer; was changed into a girl as the result of striking two serpents. Seven years later, he recovered his sex in the same way. Asked by Zeus and Hera to decide their dispute which sex was constituted with stronger passions, said, the woman. Hera, offended, blinded him; Zeus consoled him with the gift of prophecy. See ODYSSEUS also.

TITANS. The dynasty previous to that of the Olympian Gods, till Zeus deposed Cronus, and imprisoned him and the other children of Uranus and Ge in Tartarus.

TITHONUS. The husband of Eos (Aurora), who gave him immortality, but not immortal youth, whence the use of his name for a withered old man.

TITORMUS. An Aetolian shepherd of gigantic strength.

TITYUS. A giant punished by vultures in Hades for violence offered to Artemis.

TRIBE. See DEME.

TRIPTOLEMUS. Favourite of Demeter, who gave him a winged chariot and seeds of wheat, which he scattered as he drove over the earth.

TRITON. A Sea-God, son of Posidon and Amphitrite.

TRITONIA. A name for Athene, of doubtful explanation.

TROPHONIUS. A mortal worshipped as a hero after death. His oracle was consulted in a cave in Boeotia.

TYRO. For her story see Dialogues of the Sea-Gods, xiii. Lucian plays on the name elsewhere (tyrus, cheese).

U

URANUS. See CRONUS and GE.

V

VOLOGESUS III. See PARTHIANS

W

X

XENOCRATES. Distinguished philosopher of the Academy, friend of Plato and Aristotle.

XERXES. King of Persia, 485-465 B.C. Invader of Greece, 480 B.C. His bridge over the Hellespont and canal past Mount Athos were proverbially foolish exercises of power.

Y

Z

ZAMOLXIS. A Thracian who, having been a slave of Pythagoras in Samos, learned his doctrines, and communicated them to the Thracians after his escape. He was deified in Thrace after death.

ZENO. See STOICS.

ZENODOTUS. See HOMER.

ZEUS. Son of Cronus, and of Rhea, who saved him at birth in the manner described under CRONUS. With the help of the Cyclopes, who gave him the thunderbolt, and of the Giants, he overthrew Cronus and the other Titans, imprisoned them in Tartarus, and established himself as king of the Gods. The Giants afterwards revolted, but were crushed with the assistance of Hera. Zeus now became the father of Persephone by Demeter, of the Muses by Mnemosyne, of Apollo and Artemis by Leto, of Hebe, Ares, and Ilithyia by Hera, and of Athene, who was born from his head. He was the lover also of the mortals, Danae, Semele, Europa, Io, and many others, in various disguises. On one occasion Posidon, Hera, and Athene conspired against him, but were frustrated by Thetis and Briareus. Zeus in gratitude, at the request of Thetis, punished the Greeks for their ill-treatment of Achilles by persuading Agamemnon with a lying dream to make a premature attack upon Troy. His superiority to the other Gods is expressed in the boast alluded to in Dialogues of the Gods, xxi. Lucian also refers to the Cretan story, according to which Zeus lay buried in that island. His usual attributes are the sceptre, the eagle, and the thunderbolt. The famous statue of Zeus at Olympia was by Phidias. In Egypt he was identified with Ammon.

ZEUXIS. Celebrated painter of Heraclea, 424-400 B.C.

ZOÏLUS. See HOMER.

ZOPYRUS. A Persian who mutilated himself horribly to gain entrance to Babylon and betray it to Darius.

Menippus of Gadara | Greek Anthology 417 - 418

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:02:17 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Greek Anthology 417 - 418

<blockquote>417.— MELEAGER

Island Tyre was my nurse, and Gadara, which is Attic but lies in Sjaia, gave birth to me. From Eucrates I sprung, Meleager, who first by the help of the Muses ran abreast of the Graces of Menippus. If I am a Syrian, what wonder? Stranger, we dwell in one country, the world; one Chaos gave birth to all mortals. In my old age I wrote these lines in my tablets before my burial; for eld and death are near neighbours. Speak a word to wish me, the loquacious old man, well, and mast thou reach a loquacious old age thyself

418. — By The Same

My first country was famous Gadara; then Tyre received me and brought me up to manlihood. When I reached old age, Cos, which nurtured Zeus,i made me one of her Meropian citizens and cared for my declining years. But the Muses adorned me, Meleager, son of Eucrates, more than most men with the Graces of Menippus.
Source</blockquote>

Menippus of Gadara | Eunapius, Lives of the Philosophers and Sophists 2.1.5

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:45:58 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Eunapius, Lives of the Philosophers and Sophists 2.1.5

<blockquote>Carneades also lived about this time, a celebrated figure among the Cynics, if indeed we ought to take any account of the Cynic school, among whom were Musonius, Demetrius, and Menippus, and several others also; but these were the more celebrated. Clear and accurate accounts of the lives of these men it was impossible to discover, since, so far as I know, no one has written them. But their own writings were and still are sufficient records of their lives, filled as they are with such erudition and thorough research in the field of ethics and also that research which aspires to investigate the nature of things and disperses like a mist the ignorance of such as are able to follow.
Source</blockquote>

The Fisher | Revivescentes sive Piscator

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:38:59 +0000

The Fisher | Revivescentes sive Piscator

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

The excellent satire of the Sale of Creeds | Vitarum auctio, apparently aimed at the false philosophers of antiquity, who professing themselves to be wise, became fools, had so disturbed the whole Greek world, that they fell upon Lucian with resentment and distain. In The Fisher, Lucian defends himself in such a manner that he was an enemy, not to true, but false philosophy. This dialogue is called The Fisher from a very laughable circumstance towards the end of it. The whole abounds with good sense, wit, and humor.
- Based on Francklin

A Resurrection Piece

Lucian or Parrhesiades. Socrates, Empedocles. Plato. Chrysippus. Diogenes. Aristotle. Other Philosophers. Platonists. Pythagoreans. Stoics. Peripatetics. Epicureans. Academics. Philosophy. Truth. Temperance. Virtue. Syllogism. Exposure. Priestess of Athene.

1

Soc. Stone the miscreant; stone him with many stones; clod him with clods; pot him with pots; let the culprit feel your sticks; leave him no way out. At him, Plato! come, Chrysippus, let him have it! Shoulder to shoulder, close the ranks;

Let wallet succour wallet, staff aid staff!

We are all parties in this war; not one of us but he has assailed. You, Diogenes, now if ever is the time for that stick of yours; stand firm, all of you. Let him reap the fruits of his reveling. What, Epicurus, Aristippus, tired already? 'tis too soon; ye sages,

Be men; relume that erstwhile furious wrath!

2

Aristotle, one more sprint. There! the brute is caught; we have you, villain. You shall soon know a little more about the characters you have assailed. Now, what shall we do with him? it must be rather an elaborate execution, to meet all our claims upon him; he owes a separate death to every one of us.

First Phil. Impale him, say I.

Second Phil. Yes, but scourge him first.

Third Phil. Tear out his eyes.

Fourth Phil. Ah, but first out with the offending tongue.

Soc. What say you, Empedocles?

Emp. Oh, fling him into a crater; that will teach him to vilify his betters.

Pl. â€™Twere best for him, Orpheus or Pentheus like, to

Find death, dashed all to pieces on the rock;

so each might have taken a piece home with him.

3

Lu. Forbear; spare me; I appeal to the God of suppliants.

Soc. Too late; no loophole is left you now. And you know your Homer:

â€˜Twixt men and lions, covenants are null.â€™

Lu. Why, it is in Homerâ€™s name that I ask my boon. You will perhaps pay reverence to his lines, and listen to a selection from him:

Slay not; no churl is he; a ransom take Of bronze and gold, whereof wise hearts are fain.

Pl. Why, two can play at that game; exempli gratia,

Reviler, babble not of gold, nor nurse Hope of escape from these our hands that hold thee.

Lu. Ah me, ah me! my best hopes dashed, with Homer! Let me fly to Euripides; it may be he will protect me:

Leave him his life; the suppliant's life is sacred.

Pl. Does this happen to be Euripides too â€”

Evil men evil treated is no evil?

Lu. And will you slay me now for nought but words?

Pl. Most certainly; our author has something on that point too:

Unbridled lips And folly's slips Invite Fate's whips.

4

Lu. Oh, very well; as you are all set on murdering me, and escape is impossible, do at least tell me who you are, and what harm I have done you; it must be something irreparable, to judge by your relentless murderous pursuit.

Pl. What harm you have done us, vile fellow? your own conscience and your fine dialogues will tell you; you have called Philosophy herself bad names, and as for us, you have subjected us to the indignity of a public auction, and put up wise men â€” ay, and free men, which is more for sale. We have reason to be angry; we have got a short leave of absence from Hades, and come up against you Chrysippus here, Epicurus and myself, Aristotle yonder, the taciturn Pythagoras, Diogenes and all of us that your dialogues have made so free with.

5

Lu. Ah, I breathe again. Once hear the truth about my conduct to you, and you will never put me to death. You can throw away those stones. Or, no, keep them; you shall have a better mark for them presently.

Pl. This is trifling. This day thou diest; nay, even now,

A suit of stones shalt don, thy livery due.

Lu. Believe me, good gentlemen, I have been at much pains on your behalf to slay me is to slay one who should rather be selected for commendation a kindred spirit, a well-wisher, a man after your own heart, a promoter, if I may be bold to say it, of your pursuits. See to it that you catch not the tone of our latter-day philosophers, and be thankless, petulant, and hard of heart, to him that deserves better of you.

Pl. Talk of a brazen front! So to abuse us is to oblige us. I believe you are under the delusion that you are really talking to slaves; after the insolent excesses of your tongue, do you propose to chop gratitude with us?

6

Lu. How or when was I ever insolent to you? I have always been an admirer of philosophy, your panegyrist, and a student of the writings you left. All that comes from my pen is but what you give me; I deflower you, like a bee, for the behoof of mankind; and then there is praise and recognition; they know the flowers, whence and whose the honey was, and the manner of my gathering; their surface feeling is for my selective art, but deeper down it is for you and your meadow, where you put forth such bright blooms and myriad dyes, if one knows but how to sort and mix and match, that one be not in discord with another. Could he that had found you such have the heart to abuse those benefactors to whom his little fame was due? then he must be a Thamyris or Eurytus, defying the Muses who gave his gift of song, or challenging Apollo with the bow, forgetful from whom he had his marksmanship.

7

Pl. All this, good sir, is quite according to the principles of rhetoric; that is to say, it is clean contrary to the facts; your unscrupulousness is only emphasized by this adding of insult to injury; you confess that your arrows are from our quiver, and you use them against us; your one aim is to abuse us. This is our reward for showing you that meadow, letting you pluck freely, fill your bosom, and depart. For this alone you richly deserve death.

8

Lu. There; your ears are partial; they are deaf to the right. Why, I would never have believed that personal feeling could affect a Plato, a Chrysippus, an Aristotle; with you, of all men, I thought there was dry light. But, dear sirs, do not condemn me unheard; give me trial first. Was not the principle of your establishing â€” that the law of the stronger was not the law of the State, and that differences should be settled in court after due hearing of both sides? Appoint a judge, then; be you my accusers, by your own mouths or by your chosen representative; and let me defend my own case; then if I be convicted of wrong, and that be the court's decision, I shall get my deserts, and you will have no violence upon your consciences. But if examination shows me spotless and irreproachable, the court will acquit me, and then turn you your wrath upon the deceivers who have excited you against me.

9

Pl. Ah, every rooster to his own dunghill! You think you will hoodwink the jury and get off. I hear you are a lawyer, an advocate, an old hand at a speech. Have you any judge to suggest who will be proof against such an experienced corrupter as you?

Lu. Oh, be reassured. The official I think of proposing is no suspicious, dubious character likely to sell a verdict. What say you to forming the court yourselves, with Philosophy for your President?

Pl. Who is to prosecute, if we are the jury?

Lu. Oh, you can do both; I am not in the least afraid; so much stronger is my case; the defence wins, hands down.

10

Pl. Pythagoras, Socrates, what do you think? perhaps the I manâ€™s appeal to law is not unreasonable.

Soc. No; come along, form the court, fetch Philosophy, and see what he has to say for himself. To condemn unheard is a sadly crude proceeding, not for us; leave that to the hasty people with whom might is right. We shall give occasion to the enemy to blaspheme if we stone a man without a hearing, professed lovers of justice as we are. We shall have to keep quiet about Anytus and Meletus, my accusers, and the jury on that occasion, if we cannot spare an hour to hear this fellow before he suffers. Pl. Very true, Socrates. We will go and fetch Philosophy. The decision shall be hers, and we will accept it, whatever it is.

11

Lu. Why, now, my masters, you are in a better and more law-abiding mood. However, keep those stones, as I said; you will need them in court. But where is Philosophy to be found? I do not know where she lives, myself. I once spent a long time wandering about in search of her house, wishing to make her acquaintance. Several times I met some long-bearded people in threadbare cloaks who professed to be fresh from her presence; I took their word for it, and asked them the way; but they knew considerably less about it than I, and either declined to answer, by way of concealing their ignorance, or else pointed to one door after another. I have never been able to find the right one to this day.

12

Many a time, upon some inward prompting or external offer of guidance, I have come to a door with the confident hope that this time I really was right; there was such a crowd flowing in and out, all of solemn persons decently habited and thoughtful-faced; I would insinuate myself into the press and go in too. What I found would be a woman who was not really natural, however skillfully she played at beauty unadorned; I could see at once that the apparent neglige of her hair was studied for effect, and the folds of her dress not so careless as they looked. One could tell that nature was a scheme of decoration with her, and artlessness an artistic device. The white lead and the rouge did not absolutely defy detection, and her talk betrayed her real vocation; she liked her lovers to appreciate her beauty, had a ready hand for presents, made room by her side for the rich, and hardly vouchsafed her poorer lovers a distant glance. Now and then, when her dress came a little open by accident, I saw that she had on a massive gold necklace heavier than a penal collar. That was enough for me; I would retrace my steps, sincerely pitying the unfortunates whom she led by the â€” beard, and their Ixion embracings of a phantom.

13

Pl. You are right there; the door is not conspicuous, nor generally known. However, we need not go to her house; we will wait for her here in the Ceramicus. I should think it is near her hour for coming back from the Academy, and taking her walk in the Poecile; she is very regular; to be sure, here she comes. Do you see the orderly, rather prim lady there, with the kindly look in her eyes, and the slow meditative walk?

Lu. I see several answering the description so far as looks and walk and clothes go. Yet among them all the real lady Philosophy can be but one.

Pl. True; but as soon as she opens her lips you will know.

14

Philos. Dear me, what are Plato and Chrysippus and Aristotle doing up here, and the rest of them â€” a living dictionary of my teachings? Alive again? how is this? have things been going wrong down there? you look angry. And who is your prisoner? a rifler of tombs? A murderer? a temple-robber?

Pl. Worse yet, Philosophy. He has dared to slander your most sacred self, and all of us who have been privileged to impart anything from you to posterity.

Philos. And did you lose your tempers over abusive words? Did you forget how Comedy handled me at the Dionysia, and how I yet counted her a friend? Did I ever sue her, or go and remonstrate? Or did I let her enjoy her holidays in the harmless old-fashioned way? I know very well that a jest spoils no real beauty, but rather improves it; so gold is polished by hard rubs, and shines all the brighter for it. But you seem to have grown passionate and censorious. Come, why are you strangling him like that?

Pl. We have got this one dayâ€™s leave, and come after him to give him his deserts. Rumours had reached us of the things he used to say about us in his lectures.

15

Philos. And are you going to kill him without a trial or a hearing? I can see he wishes to say something.

Pl. No; we decided to refer it all to you. If you will accept the task, the decision shall be yours.

Philos. Sir, what is your wish?

Lu. The same, dear Mistress; for none but you can find the truth. It cost me much entreaty to get the case reserved for you.

Pl. You call her Mistress now, scoundrel; the other day you were making out Philosophy the meanest of things, when before that great audience you let her several doctrines go for a pitiful threepence apiece.

Philos. It may be that it was not Ourself he then reviled, but some impostors who practised vile arts in our name.

Pl. The truth will soon come to light, if you will hear his defence.

Philos. Come we to the Areopagus â€” or better, to the Acropolis, where the panorama of Athens will be before us.

16

Ladies, will you stroll in the Poecile meanwhile? I will join you when I have given judgement.

Lu. Who are these, Philosophy? methinks their appearance is seemly as your own.

Philos. This with the masculine features is Virtue; then there is Temperance, and Justice by her side. In front is Culture; and this shadowy creature with the indefinite complexion is Truth.

Lu. I do not see which you mean.

Philos. Not see her? over there, all naked and unadorned, shrinking from observation, and always slipping out of sight.

Lu. Now I just discern her. But why not bring them all with you? there would be a fullness and completeness about that commission. Ah yes, and I should like to brief Truth on my behalf.

Philos. Well thought of; come, all of you; you will not mind sitting through a single case â€” in which we have a personal interest, too?

17

Truth. Go on, the rest of you; it is superfluous for me to hear what I know all about before.

Philos. But, Truth dear, your presence will be useful to us; you will show us what to think.

Truth. May I bring my two favourite maids, then?

Philos. And as many more as you like.

Truth. Come with me, Freedom and Frankness; this poor little adorer of ours is in trouble without any real reason; we shall be able to get him out of it. Exposure, my man, we shall not want you.

Lu. Ah yes, Mistress, let us have him, of all others; my opponents are no ordinary ruffians; they are people who make a fine show and are hard to expose; they have always some back way out of a difficulty; we must have Exposure.

Philos. Yes, we must, indeed; and you had better bring Demonstration too.

Truth. Come all of you, as you are such important legal persons.

18

Ar. What is this? Philosophy, he is employing Truth against us!

Philos. And are Plato and Chrysippus and Aristotle afraid of her lying on his behalf, being who she is?

Pl. Oh, well, no; only he is a sad plausible rogue; he will take her in.

Philos. Never fear; no wrong will be done, with madam Justice on the bench by us. Let us go up.

19

Prisoner, your name?

Lu. Parrhesiades, son of Alethion, son of Elanxicles.

Philos. And your country?

Lu. I am a Syrian from the Euphrates, my lady. But is the question relevant? Some of my accusers I know to be as much barbarians by blood as myself; but character and culture do not vary as a man comes from Soli or Cyprus, Babylon or Stagira. However, even one who could not talk Greek would be none the worse in your eyes, so long as his sentiments were right and just.

Philos. True, the question was unnecessary.

But what is your profession? that at least is essential.

20

Lu. I profess hatred of pretension and imposture, lying, and pride; the whole loathsome tribe of them I hate; and you know how numerous they are.

Philos. Upon my word, you must have your hands full at this profession!

Lu. I have; you see what general dislike and danger it brings upon me. However, I do not neglect the complementary branch, in which love takes the place of hate; it includes love of truth and beauty and simplicity and all that is akin to love. But the subjects for this branch of the profession are sadly few; those of the other, for whom hatred is the right treatment, are reckoned by the thousand. Indeed there is some danger of the one feeling being atrophied, while the other is over-developed.

Philos. That should not be; they run in couples, you know. Do not separate your two branches; they should have unity in diversity.

Lu. You know better than I, Philosophy. My way is just to hate a villain, and love and praise the good.

21

Philos. Well, well. Here we are at the appointed place. We will hold the trial in the forecourt of Athene Polias. Priestess, arrange our seats, while we salute the Goddess.

Lu. Polias, come to my aid against these pretenders, mindful of the daily perjuries thou hearest from them. Their deeds too are revealed to thee alone, in virtue of thy charge. Thou hast now thine hour of vengeance. If thou see me in evil case, if blacks be more than whites, then cast thou thy vote and save me!

22

Philos. So. Now we are seated, ready to hear your words. Choose one of your number, the best accuser you may, make your charge, and bring your proofs. Were all to speak, there would be no end. And you, Parrhesiades, shall afterwards make your defence.

Ch. Plato, none of us will conduct the prosecution better than you. Your thoughts are heaven-high, your style the perfect Attic; grace and persuasion, insight and subtlety, the cogency of well-ordered proof â€” all these are gathered in you. Take the spokesmanâ€™s office and say what is fitting on our behalf. Call to memory and roll in one all that ever you said against Gorgias, Polus, Hippias, Prodicus; you have now to do with a worse than them. Let him taste your irony; ply him with your keen incessant questions; and if you will, perorate with the mighty Zeus charioting his winged car through Heaven, and grudging if this fellow get not his deserts.

23

Pl. Nay, nay; choose one of more strenuous temper â€” Diogenes, Antisthenes, Crates, or yourself, Chrysippus. It is no time now for beauty or literary skill; controversial and forensic resource is what we want. This Parrhesiades is an orator.

Diog. Let me be accuser; no need for long speeches here. Moreover, I was the worst treated of all; threepence was my price the other day.

Pl. Philosophy, Diogenes will speak for us. But mind, friend, you are not to represent yourself alone, but think of us all. If we have any private differences of doctrine, do not go into that; never mind now which of us is right, but keep your indignation for Philosophyâ€™s wrongs and the names he has called her. Leave alone the principles we differ about, and maintain what is common to us all. Now mark, you stand for us all; on you our whole fame depends; shall it come out majestic, or in the semblance he has given it?

24

Diog. Never fear; nothing shall be omitted; I speak for all. Philosophy may be softened by his words â€” she was ever gentle and forgiving â€” she may be minded to acquit him; but the fault shall not be mine; I will show him that our staves are more than ornaments.

Philos. Nay, take not that way; words, not bludgeons; â€™tis better so. But no delay now; your time-allowance has begun; and the court is all attention.

Lu. Philosophy, let the rest take their seats and vote with you, leaving Diogenes as sole accuser.

Philos. Have you no fears of their condemning you?

Lu. None whatever; I wish to increase my majority, that is all.

Philos. I commend your spirit. Gentlemen, take your seats. Now, Diogenes.

25

Diog. With our lives on earth, Philosophy, you are acquainted; I need not dwell long upon them. Of myself I say nothing; but Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Chrysippus, and the rest â€” who knows not the benefits that they conferred on mankind? I will come at once, then, to the insults to which we have been subjected by the thrice accursed Parrhesiades. He was, by his own account, an advocate; but he has left the courts and the fame there to be won, and has availed himself of all the verbal skill and proficiency so acquired for a campaign of abuse against us. We are impostors and deceivers; his audiences must ridicule and scorn us for nobodies. Did I say â€˜nobodiesâ€™? he has made us an abomination, rather, in the eyes of the vulgar, and yourself with us, Philosophy. Your teachings are balderdash and rubbish; the noblest of your precepts to us he parodies, winning for himself applause and approval, and for us humiliation. For so it is with the great public; it loves a master of flouts and jeers, and loves him in proportion to the grandeur of what he assails; you know how it delighted long ago in Aristophanes and Eupolis, when they caricatured our Socrates on the stage, and wove farcical comedies around him. But they at least confined themselves to a single victim, and they had the charter of Dionysus; a jest might pass at holiday time, and the laughing God might be well pleased.

26

But this fellow gets together an upper-class audience, gives long thought to his preparations, writes down his slanders in a thick notebook, and uplifts his voice in vituperation of Plato, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Chrysippus, and in short all of us; he cannot plead holiday time, nor yet any private grievance; he might perhaps be forgiven if he had done it in self-defence; but it was he that opened hostilities. Worst of all, Philosophy, he shelters himself under your name, entices Dialogue from our company to be his ally and mouthpiece, and induces our good comrade Menippus to collaborate constantly with him; Menippus, more by token, is the one deserter and absentee on this occasion.

27

Does he not then abundantly deserve his fate? What conceivable defence is open to him, after his public defamation of all that is noblest? On the public which listened to him, too, the spectacle of his condign punishment will have a healthy effect; we shall see no more ridicule of Philosophy. Tame submission to insult would naturally enough be taken, not for moderation, but for insensibility and want of spirit. Who could be expected to put up with his last performance? He brought us to market like a gang of slaves, and handed us over to the auctioneer. Some, I believe, fetched high prices; but others went for four or five pounds, and as for me â€” confound his impudence, threepence! And fine fun the audience had out of it! We did well to be angry; we have come from Hades; and we ask you to give us satisfaction for this abominable outrage.

28

Resurgents. Hear, hear! well spoken, Diogenes; well and loyally.

Philos. Silence in court! Time the defence. Parrhesiades, it is now your turn; they are timing you; so proceed.

29

Par. Philosophy, Diogenes has been far indeed from exhausting his material; the greater part of it, and the more strongly expressed, he has passed by, for reasons best known to himself. I refer to statements of mine which I am as far from denying that I made as from having provided myself with any elaborate defence of them. Any of these that have been omitted by him, and not previously emphasized by myself, I propose now to quote; this will be the best way to show you who were the persons that I sold by auction and inveighed against as pretenders and impostors; please to concentrate your vigilance on the truth or falsehood of my descriptions. If what I say is injurious or severe, your censure will be more fairly directed at the perpetrators than at the discoverer of such iniquities. I had no sooner realized the odious practices which his profession imposes on an advocate â€” the deceit, falsehood, bluster, clamour, pushing, and all the long hateful list, than I fled as a matter of course from these, betook myself to your dear service, Philosophy, and pleased myself with the thought of a remainder of life spent far from the tossing waves in a calm haven beneath your shadow.

At my first peep into your realm, how could I but admire yourself and all these your disciples? there they were, legislating for the perfect life, holding out hands of help to those that would reach it, commending all that was fairest and best; fairest and best â€” but a man must keep straight on for it and never slip, must set his eyes unwaveringly on the laws that you have laid down, must tune and test his life thereby; and that, Zeus be my witness, there are few enough in these days of ours to do.

31

So I saw how many were in love, not with Philosophy, but with the credit it brings; in the vulgar externals, so easy for any one to ape, they showed a striking resemblance to the real article, perfect in beard and walk and attire; but in life and conduct they belied their looks, read your lessons backwards, and degraded their profession. Then I was wroth; methought it was as though some soft womanish actor on the tragic stage should give us Achilles or Theseus or Heracles himself; he cannot stride nor speak out as a Hero should, but minces along under his enormous mask; Helen or Polyxena would find him too realistically feminine to pass for them; and what shall an invincible Heracles say? Will he not swiftly pound man and mask together into nothingness with his club, for womanizing and disgracing him?

32

Well, these people were about as fit to represent you, and the degradation of it all was too much for me. Apes daring to masquerade as heroes! emulators of the ass at Cyme! The Cymeans, you know, had never seen ass or lion; so the ass came the lion over them, with the aid of a borrowed skin and his most awe-inspiring bray; however, a stranger who had often seen both brought the truth to light with a stick. But what most distressed me, Philosophy, was this: when one of these people was detected in rascality, impropriety, or immorality, everyone put it down to philosophy, and to the particular philosopher whose name the delinquent took in vain without ever acting on his principles; the living rascal disgraced you, the long dead; for you were not there in the flesh to point the contrast; so, as it was clear enough that his life was vile and disgusting, your case was given away by association with his, and you had to share his disgrace.

33

This spectacle, I say, was too much for me; I began exposing them, and distinguishing between them and you; and for this good work you now arraign me. So then, if I find one of the Initiated betraying and parodying the Mysteries of the two Goddesses, and if I protest and denounce him, the transgression will be mine? There is something wrong there; why, at the Games, if an actor who has to present Athene or Posidon or Zeus plays his part badly, derogating from the divine dignity, the stewards have him whipped; well, the Gods are not angry with them for having the officers whip the man who wears their mask and their attire; I imagine they approve of the punishment. To play a slave or a messenger badly is a trifling offence, but to represent Zeus or Heracles to the spectators in an unworthy manner â€” that is a crime and a sacrilege.

34

I can indeed conceive nothing more extraordinary than that so many of them should get themselves absolutely perfect in your words, and then live precisely as if the sole object of reading and studying them had been to reverse them in practice. All their professions of despising wealth and appearances, of admiring nothing but what is noble, of superiority to passion, of being proof against splendour, and associating with its owners only on equal terms â€” how fair and wise and laudable they all are! But they take pay for imparting them, they are abashed in presence of the rich, their lips water at sight of coin; they are dogs for temper, hares for cowardice, apes for imitativeness, asses for lust, cats for thievery, roosters for jealousy. They are a perfect laughing-stock with their strivings after vile ends, their jostling of each other at rich men's doors, their attendance at crowded dinners, and their vulgar obsequiousness at table. They swill more than they should and would like to swill more than they do, they spoil the wine with unwelcome and untimely disquisitions, and they cannot carry their liquor. The ordinary people who are present naturally flout them, and are revolted by the philosophy which breeds such brutes.

35

What is so monstrous is that every man of them says he has no needs, proclaims aloud that wisdom is the only wealth, and directly afterwards comes begging and makes a fuss if he is refused; it would hardly be stranger to see one in kingly attire, with tall tiara, crown, and all the attributes of royalty, asking his inferiors for a little something more. When they want to get something, we hear a great deal, to be sure, about community of goods how wealth is a thing indifferent and what is gold and silver? neither more nor less worth than pebbles on the beach. But when an old comrade and tried friend needs help and comes to them with his modest requirements, ah, then there is silence and searchings of heart, unlearning of tenets and flat renunciation of doctrines. All their fine talk of friendship, with Virtue and The Good, have vanished and flown, who knows whither? they were winged words in sad truth, empty phantoms, only meant for daily conversational use.

36

These men are excellent friends so long as there is no gold or silver for them to dispute the possession of; exhibit but a copper or two, and peace is broken, truce void, armistice ended; their books are blank, their Virtue fled, and they so many dogs; someone has flung a bone into the pack, and up they spring to bite each other and snarl at the one which has pounced successfully. There is a story of an Egyptian king who taught some apes the sword-dance; the imitative creatures very soon picked it up, and used to perform in purple robes and masks; for some time the show was a great success, till at last an ingenious spectator brought some nuts in with him and threw them down. The apes forgot their dancing at the sight, dropped their humanity, resumed their apehood, and, smashing masks and tearing dresses, had a free fight for the provender. Alas for the corps de ballet and the gravity of the audience!

37

These people are just those apes; it is they that I reviled; and I shall never cease exposing and ridiculing them; but about you and your like â€” for there are, in spite of all, some true lovers of philosophy and keepers of your laws â€” about you or them may I never be mad enough to utter an injurious or rude word! Why, what could I find to say? what is there in your lives that lends itself to such treatment? but those pretenders deserve my detestation, as they have that of heaven. Why, tell me, all of you, what have such creatures to do with you? Is there a trace in their lives of kindred and affinity? Does oil mix with water? If they grow their beards and call themselves philosophers and look solemn, do these things make them like you? I could have contained myself if there had been any touch of plausibility in their acting; but the vulture is more like the nightingale than they like philosophers. And now I have pleaded my cause to the best of my ability. Truth, I rely upon you to confirm my words.

38

Philos. Parrhesiades, retire to a further distance. Well, and our verdict? How think you the man has spoken?

Truth. Ah, Philosophy, while he was speaking I was ready to sink through the ground; it was all so true. As I listened, I could identify every offender, and I was fitting caps all the time â€” this is so-and-so, that is the other man, all over. I tell you they were all as plain as in a picture â€” speaking likenesses not of their bodies only, but of their very souls.

Tem. Yes, Truth, I could not help blushing at it.

Philos. What say you, gentlemen?

Res. Why, of course, that he is acquitted of the charge, and stands recorded as our friend and benefactor. Our case is just that of the Trojans, who entertained the tragic actor only to find him reciting their own calamities. Well, recite away, our tragedian, with these pests of ours for dramatis personae.

Diog. I too, Philosophy, give him my need of praise; I withdraw my charges, and count him a worthy friend.

39

Philos. I congratulate you, Parrhesiades; you are unanimously acquitted, and are henceforth one of us.

Par. Your humble servant. Or no, I must find more tragic words to fit the solemnity of the occasion:

Victorious might My life's path light, And ever strew with garlands bright!

Vir. Well, now we come to our second course; let us have in the other people and try them for their insults. Parrhesiades shall accuse them each in turn.

Par. Well said, Virtue. Syllogism, my boy, put your head out over the city and summon the philosophers.

40

Syl. Oyez, oyez! All philosophers to the Acropolis to make their defence before Virtue, Philosophy, and Justice.

Par. The proclamation does not bring them in flocks, does it? They have their reasons for keeping clear of Justice. And a good many of them are too busy with their rich friends. If you want them all to come, Syllogism, I will tell you what to say.

Philos. No, no; call them yourself, Parrhesiades, in your own way.

41

Par. Quite a simple matter. Oyez, oyez! All who profess philosophy and hold themselves entitled to the name of philosopher shall appear on the Acropolis for largesse; 8 pounds, with a sesame cake, to each. A long beard shall qualify for a square of compressed figs, in addition. Every applicant to have with him, of temperance, justice, and self-control, any that he is in possession of, it being clearly understood that these are not indispensable, and, of syllogisms, a complete set of five, these being the condition precedent of wisdom.

Two golden talents in the midst are set, His prize who wrangles best amongst his peers.

42

Just look! the ascent packed with a pushing crowd, at the very first sound of my 8 pounds. More of them along the Pelasgicum, more by the temple of Asclepius, a bigger crowd still over the Areopagus. Why, positively there are a few at the tomb of Talos; and see those putting ladders against the temple of Castor and Pollux; up they climb, buzzing and clustering like a swarm of bees. In Homeric phrase, on this side are exceeding many, and on that

Ten thousand, thick as leaves and flowers in spring.

Noisily they settle, the Acropolis is covered with them in a trice; everywhere wallet and beard, flattery and effrontery, staves and greed, logic and avarice. The little company which came up at the first proclamation is swamped beyond recovery, swallowed up in these later crowds; it is hopeless to find them, because of the external resemblance. That is the worst of it, Philosophy; you are really open to censure for not marking and labelling them; these impostors are often more convincing than the true philosophers.

Philos. It shall be done before long; at present let us receive them.

43

Platon. Platonists first!

Pyth. No, no; Pythagoreans first; our master is senior.

Stoics. Rubbish! the Porch is the best.

Peri. Now, now, this is a question of money; Peripatetics first there!

Epic. Hand over those cakes and fig-squares; as to the money, Epicureans will not mind waiting till the last.

Acad. Where are the two talents? none can touch the Academy at a wrangle; we will soon show you that.

Stoics. Not if we know it.

44

Philos. Cease your strife. Cynics there, no more pushing! And keep those sticks quiet. You have mistaken the nature of this summons. We three, Philosophy, Virtue, and Truth, are about to decide which are the true philosophers; that done, those whose lives are found to be in accord with our pleasure will be made happy by our award; but the impostors who are not truly of our kin we shall crush as they deserve, that they may no more make vain claims to what is too high for them. Ha! you fly? In good truth they do, jumping down the crags, most of them. Why, the Acropolis is deserted, except for â€” yes, a few have stood their ground and are not afraid of the judgement.

45

Attendants, pick up the wallet which yonder flying Cynic has dropped. Let us see what it contains â€” beans? a book? some coarse crust?

Par. Oh dear no. Here is gold; some scent; a mirror; dice.

Philos. Ah, good honest man! such were his little necessaries for the philosophic life, such his title to indulge in general abuse and instruct his neighbours.

Par. There you have them. The problem before you is, how the general ignorance is to be dispersed, and other people enabled to discriminate between the genuine and the other sort. Find the solution, Truth; for indeed it concerns you; Falsehood must not prevail; shall Ignorance shield the base while they counterfeit the good, and you never know it?

46

Truth. I think we had better give Parrhesiades this commission; he has been shown an honest man, our friend and your true admirer, Philosophy. Let him take Exposure with him and have interviews with all who profess philosophy; any genuine scion that he finds let him crown with olive and entertain in the Banqueting Hall; and for the rascals ah, how many! who are only costume philosophers, let him pull their cloaks off them, clip their beards short with a pair of common goatshears, and mark their foreheads or brand them between the eyebrows; the design on the branding iron to be a fox or an ape.

Philos. Well planned, Truth. And, Parrhesiades, here is a test for you; you know how young eagles are supposed to be tested by the sun; well, our candidates have not got to satisfy us that they can look at light, of course; but put gold, fame, and pleasure before their eyes; when you see one remain unconscious and unattracted, there is your man for the olive; but when one looks hard that way, with a motion of his hand in the direction of the gold, first off with his beard, and then off with him to the brander.

47

Par. I will follow your instructions, Philosophy; you will soon find a large majority ornamented with fox or ape, and very few with olive. If you like, though, I will get some of them up here for you to see.

Philos. What do you mean? bring them back after that stampede?

Par. Oh yes, if the priestess will lend me the line I see there and the Piraean fishermanâ€™s votive hook; I will not keep them long.

Priestess. You can have them; and the rod to complete the equipment.

Par. Thanks; now quickly, please, a few dried figs and a handful of gold.

Priestess. There.

Philos. What is all this about?

Priestess. He has baited his hook with the figs and gold, and is sitting on the parapet dangling it over the city.

Philos. What are you doing, Parrhesiades? do you think you are going to fish up stones from the Pelasgicum?

Par. Hush! I wait till I get a bite. Posidon, the fishermanâ€™s friend, and you, dear Amphitrite, send me good fishing!

48

Ah, a fine bass; no, it is not; it is a gilthead.

Expo. A shark, you mean; there, see, he is getting near the hook, open-mouthed too. He scents the gold; now he is close â€” touching â€” he has it; up with him!

Par. Give me a hand with the line, Exposure; here he is. Now, my best of fishes, what do we make of you? Salmo Cynicus, that is what you are. Good gracious, what teeth! Aha, my brave fish, caught snapping up trifles in the rocks, where you thought you could lurk unobserved? But now you shall hang by the gills for every one to look at you. Pull out hook and bait. Why, the hook is bare; he has not been long assimilating the figs, eh? and the gold has gone down too.

Diog. Make him disgorge; we want the bait for some more.

Par. There, then. Now, Diogenes, do you know who it is? has the fellow anything to do with you?

Diog. Nothing whatever.

Par. Well, what do you put him at? threepence was the price fixed the other day.

Diog. Too much. His flavour and his looks are intolerable â€” a coarse worthless brute. Drop him head first over the rock, and catch another. But take care your rod does not bend to breaking point.

Par. No fear; they are quite light â€” about the weight of a gudgeon.

Diog. About the weight and about the wit. However, up with them.

49

Par. Look; what is this one? a sole? flat as a plate, thin as one of his own fillets; he gapes for the hook; down it goes; we have him; up he comes.

Diog. What is he?

Expo. His plateship would be a Platonist.

Pl. You too after the gold, villain?

Par. Well, Plato? what shall we do with him?

Pl. Off with him from the same rock.

50

Diog. Try again.

Par. Ah, here is a lovely one coming, as far as one can judge in deep water, all the colours of the rainbow, with gold bars across the back. Do you see, Exposure? this is the sham Aristotle. There he is; no, he has shied. He is having a good look round; here he comes again; his jaws open; caught! haul up.

Ar. You need not apply to me; I do not know him.

Par. Very well, Aristotle; over he goes.

51

Hullo! I see a whole school of them together, all one colour, and covered with spines and horny scales, as tempting to handle as a hedgehog. We want a net for these; but we have not got one. Well, it will do if we pull up one out of the lot. The boldest of them will no doubt try the hook.

Expo. You had better sheathe a good bit of the line before you let it down; else he will gorge the gold and then saw the line through.

Par. There it goes. Poseidon grant me a quick catch! There now! they are fighting for the bait, a lot of them together nibbling at the figs, and others with their teeth well in the gold. That is right; one soundly hooked. Now let me see, what do you call yourself? And yet how absurd to try and make a fish speak; they are dumb. Exposure, tell us who is his master,

Expo. Chrysippus.

Par. Ah, he must have a master with gold in his name, must he? Chrysippus, tell me seriously, do you know these men? are you responsible for the way they live?

Ch. My dear Parrhesiades, I take it ill that you should suggest any connexion between me and such creatures.

Par. Quite right, and like you. Over he goes head first like the others; if one tried to eat him, those spines might stick in one's throat.

52

Philos. You have fished long enough, Parrhesiades; there are so many of them, one might get away with gold, hook and all, and you have the priestess to pay. Let us go for our usual stroll; and for all you it is time to be getting back to your place, if you are not to outstay your leave. Parrhesiades, you and Exposure can go the rounds now, and crown or brand as I told you.

Par. Good, Philosophy. Farewell, ye best of men. Come, Exposure, to our commission. Where shall we go first? the Academy, do you think, or the Porch?

Expo. We will begin with the Lyceum.

Par. Well, it makes no difference. I know well enough that wherever we go there will be few crowns wanted, and a good deal of branding.

Menippus of Gadara | Marcus Aurelius, Book 6.47

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:49:56 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Marcus Aurelius, Book 6.47

<blockquote>47. Think continually that all kinds of men and all kinds of pursuits and of all nations are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn thy thoughts to the other kinds [of men]. To that place then we must remove, where there are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals after them, and tyrants; besides these, Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes, and other men of acute natural talents, great minds, lovers of labor, versatile, confident, mockers even of the perishable and ephemeral life of man, as Menippus and such as are like him. As to all these consider that they have long been in the dust. What harm then is this to them; and what to those whose names are altogether unknown? One thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and justice, with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.
Source</blockquote>

True History Decrypted

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 03:51:21 +0000

True History Decrypted

Full text and commentary of Lucian’s True History

True History Decrypted: Full text and Commentary of Lucian’sTrue History
Edited by Frank Redmond
Notes by Frank Redmond
True History text translated by H.W. and F.G. Fowler
First Edition (1.0), 2013
Second Edition (2.0), 2015
Second Edition Updated (2.2), 2016
Mênin Web and Print Publishing
http://meninpublishing.org/
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America

Introduction

One of the translators of Lucian, Thomas Francklin, bemoaned in his introduction to True History, “We cannot but lament that the humour of many of the references has been lost to us; therefore, Lucian’s True History cannot be half as pleasurable as when it was first written, but there are enough remaining allusions which we understand to secure it from being unrelatable.” This work, True History Decrypted, attempts to take those “remaining allusions” and make them relatable to the modern reader. Modern audiences rarely have the background to fully understand all of the allusions made in True History and classical texts in general. It would be unfortunate if there were not a book that could help guide the reader through each section and provide the necessary background to fully enjoy the work.

This book takes a two-tiered approach to understanding True History: (1) provide extensive commentary section-by-section, addressing the main themes and ideas of the work as the reader goes along; (2) provide an Appendix of works that Lucian may have been acclimated to and used as a basis for the parody found in True History. With these two eyes, the True History becomes a great deal more enjoyable and easier to comprehend.

There is no doubt that True Historyis Lucian’s most famous and influential work. It has influenced works like More’s Utopia and Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. True History masquerades as a clinical account of the travels of the narrator and his companions. The style, tone, and approach of True History is exceptionally true to the travel genre; however, it is with the content where Lucian makes his satirical intent manifest. The narrator travels to the moon and back, to different islands like the Island of Cheese and Island of the Damned; he meets a cast of strange, twisted characters throughout, some more fanciful than others. Underneath it all, Lucian is really questioning the idea of truth found in factual, non-fiction writing. On a meta level, Lucian is trying to show the impossibility of absolute truth in writing. If the purpose of satire is to improve the condition of a certain aspect of society, then Lucian is trying to call out some of the more grossly inaccurate worldly depictions in order to improve, all around, truth in literature, history, and entertainment.

Frank Redmond – 2013 (1^st Edition; 1.0)
Frank Redmond – 2015 (2^nd Edition; 2.0)
Frank Redmond – 2016 (2^nd Edition; 2.2)
2^nd Edition (2015) modifications – Patched Introduction; fixed minor content bugs; added additional notes to Lucian text.
2^nd Edition (2016) modifications – Standardized citations; style updates.

**True History Text and Commentary**

Preface

Section 1

Athletes and physical trainers do not limit their attention to the questions of perfect condition and exercise [1]; they say there is a time for relaxation also — which indeed they represent as the most important element in training. I hold it equally true for literary men that after severe study [2] they should unbend the intellect, if it is to come perfectly efficient to its next task.

[1] Exercise | The advantages arising from the athletic exercises practiced in Greece and sometimes their downsides are set forth Lucian's dialogue Anacharsis.

[2] Severe study | Such severe literary study can be glimpsed from Lucian’s work On How to Write History 5: “There might as well be an art of talking, seeing, or eating; history-writing is perfectly easy, comes natural, is a universal gift; all that is necessary is the faculty of translating your thoughts into words. But the truth is — you know it without my telling, old friend —, it is not a task to be lightly undertaken, or carried through without effort; no, it needs as much care as any sort of composition whatever, if one means to create ‘a possession forever,’ as Thucydides calls it.”¹⁾

Section 2

The rest they want will best be found in a course of literature which does not offer entertainment pure and simple, depending on mere wit or felicity, but is also capable of stirring an educated curiosity [1] — in a way which I hope will be exemplified in the following pages. They are intended to have an attraction independent of any originality of subject, any happiness of general design, and any authenticity in the piling up of fictions. This attraction is in the veiled reference underlying all the details of my narrative; they parody the rooster-and-bull stories [2] of ancient poets, historians, and philosophers; I have only refrained from adding a key [3] because I could rely upon you to recognize as you read. [4]

[1] Capable of stirring an educated curiosity | Not only amuses by a narrative of marvelous adventures, but engages the literary or critical facility by imitating the accounts of professed poets and historians.

[2] Rooster-and-bull stories | A rooster and bull story is a false account or tall tale.

[3] A key | Lucian wants his audience to look for the clues in his work for he is not going to explicitly identify any subjects.

[4] Rely upon you to recognize as you read | An object of Old Comedy was to openly attack subjects and topics, but Lucian is taking a different approach by hiding the key and allowing the audience to investigate the sources of ridicule themselves.

Section 3

Ctesias [1], son of Ctesiochus of Cnidus, in his work on India and its characteristics, gives details for which he had neither the evidence of his eyes nor of hearsay. Iambulus’sOceanica** [2] is full of marvels; the whole thing is a manifest fiction, but at the same time pleasant reading. Many other writers have adopted the same plan, professing to relate their own travels, and describing monstrous beasts, savages, and strange ways of life [3]. The fount and inspiration of their humor is the Homeric Odysseus, entertaining Alcinous’s court with his prisoned winds, his men one-eyed or wild or cannibal, his beasts with many heads, and his metamorphosed comrades; the Phaeacians were simple folk, and he fooled them to the top of their bent [4].**

[1] Ctesias | He wrote also thirty books of the Persian History. He lived in the time of Artaxerxes. Fragments of Ctesias' History of India are preserved in the Bibliotheca of Photius. Many of the wonders he relates are distortions of fact, e.g. the 'talking birds' and the black dog headed men with long teeth and nails, who have a voice like a bark and make gestures and grimaces.

[2] Iambulus's Oceanica | Nothing is directly left of the works of Iambulus. Diodorus Siculus is supposed to have copied from Iambulus in his description of a journey through Ethiopia to the Island of the Sun. Very fantastical.

[3] Many other writers have adopted the same plan, professing to relate their own travels, and describing monstrous beasts, savages, and strange ways of life | Perhaps an allusion to Herodotus.

[4] Fooled them to the top of their bent | Allusion to Homer's Odyssey 9-12. The tales of Odysseus at the court of Alcinous, about the Cyclops, the bag in which the winds were confined, the enchantments of Circe, etc.

Section 4

When I come across a writer of this sort, I do not much mind his lying; the practice is much too well established for that, even with professed philosophers [1]; I am only surprised at his expecting to escape detection. Now I am myself vain enough to cherish the hope of bequeathing something to posterity; I see no reason for resigning my right to that inventive freedom which others enjoy; and, as I have no truth to put on record, having lived a very humdrum life, I fall back on falsehood — but falsehood of a more consistent variety; for I now make the only true statement you are to expect — that I am a liar [2]. This confession is, I consider, a full defense against all imputations. My subject is, then, what I have neither seen, experienced, nor been told, what neither exists nor could conceivably do so. I humbly solicit my readers’ incredulity.

[1] Professed philosophers | Seems to be an allusion to Plato's myths, especially the one that concludes the Republic, the Myth of Er.

[2] I am a liar | Lucian is playing with the philosophical idea of the “liar’s paradox”. In philosophy and logic, the “liar's paradox” (pseudomenon in Ancient Greek) is the statement “this sentence is false.” Trying to assign to this statement a classical binary truth value leads to a contradiction. If “this sentence is false” is true, then the sentence is false, which is a contradiction. Conversely, if “this sentence is false” is false, then the sentence is true, which is also a contradiction.

Book I

Section 5

[1] Starting on a certain date from the Pillars of Heracles [2], I sailed with a fair wind into the Atlantic. The motives of my voyage were a certain intellectual restlessness, a passion for novelty, a curiosity about the limits of the ocean and the peoples who might dwell beyond it. This being my design, I provisioned and watered my ship on a generous scale. My crew amounted to fifty, all men whose interests, as well as their years, corresponded with my own. I had further provided a good supply of arms, secured the best navigator to be had for money, and had the ship — a pinnace [3] — specially strengthened for a long and arduous voyage.

[1] Starting… | Here the history begins. The previous four sections must be considered a preface even though it is not labeled as such in the original.

[2] Pillar of Heracles | The Pillars of Heracles were Mount Abyla in Mauritania and Calpe in Spain, one on either side of the Fretum Gaditanam, now the Straits of Gibraltar. According to legend they were once a continuous mountain, which Heracles rent asunder. Outside these straits lay the Western Ocean, a tract almost unknown, except possibly to some bolder Phoenician adventurers. The term Oceanus was originally applied to the fabled river which was believed to encircle the world; but as geographical knowledge advanced it was used to designate the great outside expanse waters, especially the Atlantic, as distinguished from the Mediterranean or inner sea.

[3] Pinnace | A light craft. Lucian provides the reader with a very specific type of vessel.

Section 6

For a day and a night we were carried quietly along by the breeze, with land still in sight. But with the next day’s dawn the wind rose to a gale, with a heavy sea and a dark sky; we found ourselves unable to take in sail. We surrendered ourselves to the elements, let her run, and were storm-driven for more than eleven weeks. On the eightieth day the sun came out quite suddenly, and we found ourselves close to a lofty wooded island, round which the waves were murmuring gently, the sea having almost fallen by this time. We brought her to land, disembarked, and after our long tossing lay a considerable time idle on shore; we at last made a start, however, and leaving thirty of our number to guard the ship I took the other twenty on a tour of inspection.

Section 7

We had advanced half a mile inland through woods, when we came upon a brazen pillar, inscribed in Greek characters — which however were worn and dim —‘Heracles and Dionysus reached this point.’ Not far off were two footprints on rock [1]; one might have been an acre in area, the other being smaller; and I conjecture that the latter was Dionysus’s, and the other Heracles’; we did obeisance, and proceeded. Before we had gone far, we found ourselves on a river which ran wine; it was very like Chian [2]; the stream full and copious, even navigable in parts. This evidence of Dionysus’s sojourn was enough to convince us [3] that the inscription on the pillar was authentic. Resolving to find the source, I followed the river up, and discovered, instead of a fountain, a number of huge vines covered with grapes; from the root of each there issued a trickle of perfectly clear wine, the joining of which made the river. It was well stocked with great fish, resembling wine both in color and taste; catching and eating some, we at once found ourselves intoxicated; and indeed when opened the fish were full of wine-lees; presently it occurred to us to mix them with ordinary water fish, thus diluting the strength of our spirituous food. [4]

[1] Two foot prints on the rock | Passage is probably a parody of Herodotus 4.82, “One thing, however, shall be mentioned which it has to show, and which is worthy of wonder even besides the rivers and the greatness of the plain, that is to say, they point out a footprint of Heracles in the rock by the bank of the river Tyras, which in shape is like the mark of a man’s foot but in size is two cubits long.”²⁾

[2] Chian | Among the Greek wines, so much admired by ancient connoisseurs, those of the islands of the Archipelago were the most celebrated, and of these the Chian wine, the product of Chios, was by far the most supreme. This was particularly true of that which was made from vines growing on the mountain Arevisia. The double superlative adds a rarity to the statement.

[3] Enough to convince us | Lit. “Entered our minds” or “we were induced”.

[4] Diluting the strength of our spirituous food | The Greeks mixed wine with water in the Krater prior to drinking. A Krater is a large vase which was used to mix wine and water. At a Greek symposium, Kraters were placed in the center of the room. They were quite large, so they were not easily portable when filled. Thus, the wine-water mixture would be withdrawn from the Krater with other vessels. What makes this passage peculiar is the use of solid fish-water with solid fish-wine to mix the two. Sort of like a mash of solids.

Section 8

We now crossed the river by a ford, and came to some vines of a most extraordinary kind. Out of the ground came a thick well-grown stem; but the upper part was a woman, complete from the loins upward. They were like our painters’ representations of Daphne in the act of turning into a tree just as Apollo overtakes her [1]. From the finger-tips sprang vine twigs, all loaded with grapes; the hair of their heads was tendrils, leaves, and grape-clusters. They greeted us and welcomed our approach, talking Lydian, Indian, and Greek, most of them the last. They went so far as to kiss us on the mouth; and whoever was kissed staggered like a drunken man. But they would not permit us to pluck their fruit, meeting the attempt with cries of pain. [2] Some of them made further amorous advances; and two of my comrades who yielded to these solicitations found it impossible to extricate themselves again from their embraces; the man became one plant with the vine, striking root beside it; his fingers turned to vine twigs, the tendrils were all round him, and embryo grape-clusters were already visible on him. [3]

[1] Daphne in the act of turning into a tree just as Apollo overtakes her | There are several versions of the myth, but the general narrative is that because of her beauty, Daphne attracted the attention and ardor of the god Apollo (Phoebus). Apollo pursued her and just before being overtaken, Daphne pleaded to her mother Gaia (or Ge) to be rescued. Gaia then swallowed her in the earth, and subsequently created the laurel tree (Laurus nobilis) tree to console Apollo's grief.

[2] Some early translators left off the last few sentences of section 8 deeming them too racy.

[3] … visible on him | Episode is a possible allusion to Virgil's story of Polydorus and the groaning cornel-tree, Aeneid Book 3. The story goes that Aeneas lands in Thrace hoping to establish a colony for his people. The land is overgrown with various plants, and as Aeneas begins to uproot them, they begin to spout blood. The plant begins to speak and explains that it is Polydorus - the spears that were used to kill him stuck into the ground and took root, transforming into plants.

Section 9

We left them there and hurried back to the ship, where we told our tale, including our friends’ experiment in viticulture [1]. Then after taking some casks ashore and filling them with wine and water we bivouacked near the beach, and next morning set sail before a gentle breeze. But about midday, when we were out of sight of the island, a waterspout [2] suddenly came upon us, which swept the ship round and up to a height of some three hundred and fifty miles above the earth. She did not fall back into the sea, but was suspended [3] aloft, and at the same time carried along by a wind which struck and filled the sails.

[1] Viticulture | Especially the part about having sexual intercourse with vines.

[2] A waterspout | Epicurus in his Letter to Pythocles explains the etiology of waterspouts: “Fiery whirlwinds are due to the descent of a cloud forced downwards like a pillar by the wind in full force and carried by a gale round and round, while at the same time the outside wind gives the cloud a lateral thrust; or it may be due to a change of the wind which veers to all points of the compass as a current of air from above helps to force it to move; or it may be that a strong eddy of winds has been started and is unable to burst through laterally because the air around is closely condensed. And when they descend upon land, they cause what are called tornadoes, in accordance with the various ways in which they are produced through the force of the wind; and when let down upon the sea, they cause waterspouts.”³⁾

[3] Suspended | In the same manner as Gulliver's island of Laputa, a kingdom devoted to the arts of music and mathematics that was suspended in the sky; from this passage it is not improbable that Swift borrowed the idea.

Section 10

For a whole week we pursued our airy course, and on the eighth day descried land; it was an island with air for sea, glistening, spherical, and bathed in light. We reached it, cast anchor, and landed; inspection soon showed that it was inhabited and cultivated. In the daytime nothing could be discerned outside of it; but night revealed many neighboring islands, some larger and some smaller than ours; there was also another land below us containing cities, rivers, seas, forests, and mountains; and this we concluded to be our Earth [1].

[1] Our Earth | At this point, Lucian and his comrades have left the atmosphere and are looking down on the planet.

Section 11

We were intending to continue our voyage, when we were discovered and detained by the Horse-vultures [1], as they are called. These are men mounted on huge vultures, which they ride like horses; the great birds have ordinarily three heads. It will give you some idea of their size if I state that each of their quill-feathers is longer and thicker than the mast of a large merchantman. This corps is charged with the duty of patrolling the land, and bringing any strangers it may find to the king; this was what was now done with us. The king surveyed us, and, forming his conclusions from our dress, ‘Strangers,’ said he, ‘you are Greeks, are you not?’ we assented. ‘And how did you traverse this vast space of air?’ In answer we gave a full account of ourselves, to which he at once replied with his own history. It seemed he too was a mortal, named Endymion [2], who had been conveyed up from our Earth in his sleep, and after his arrival had become king of the country; this was, he told us, what we knew on our Earth as the moon [3]. He bade us be of good cheer and entertain no apprehensions; all our needs should be supplied.

[1] Horse-vultures | Literally Hippogypi from hippos, horse, and gyps, vulture.

[2] Endymion | Lucian has founded his history on some common legend. Endymion was a king of Elis, though some consider him a shepherd. Shepherd or king, however, he was so physically attractive, that the moon, who saw him leaping on mount Latmos, fell in love with him. This was a common pagan story, one in which Lucian probably doubted. Lucian makes ample amends in his history by making Endymion the emperor of the moon.

[3] Earth as the moon | Modern astronomy states that we are to the moon just the same as how the moon is to the Earth. Lucian agreed with that assessment.

Section 12

‘And if I am victorious,’ he added, ‘in the campaign which I am now commencing against the inhabitants of the Sun, I promise you an extremely pleasant life at my court.’ We asked about the enemy, and the quarrel. ‘Phaethon,’ he replied, ‘king of the Sun (which is inhabited [1], like the Moon), has long been at war with us. The occasion was this: I wished at one time to collect the poorest of my subjects and send them as a colony to Lucifer, which is uninhabited. Phaethon took umbrage at this, met the emigrants half way with a troop of Horse-ants [2], and forbade them to proceed. On that occasion, being in inferior force, we were worsted and had to retreat; but I now intend to take the offensive and send my colony. I shall be glad if you will participate; I will provide your equipment and mount you on vultures from the royal coops; the expedition starts tomorrow.’ I expressed our readiness to do his pleasure. [3]

[1] Inhabited | Unlike the moon which is potentially habitable, the sun is definitely inhabitable.

[2] Horse-ants | Literally Hippomyrmices from hippos, horse, and myrmex, ant.

[3] I expressed our readiness to do his pleasure | This is an instance of Lucian's art in making impossibilities seem natural. The newcomers undertake the management of their vulture-steeds at a day's notice, as quite an ordinary affair.

Section 13

That day we were entertained by the king; in the morning we took our place in the ranks as soon as we were up, our scouts having announced the approach of the enemy. Our army numbered 100,000 (exclusive of camp-followers, engineers, infantry, and allies), the Horse-vultures amounting to 80,000, and the remaining 20,000 being mounted on Salad-wings [1]. These latter are also enormous birds, fledged with various herbs, and with quill-feathers resembling lettuce leaves. Next these were the Millet-throwers [2] and the Garlic-men [3]. Endymion had also a contingent from the North of 30,000 Flea-archers [4] and 50,000 Wind-coursers [5]. The former have their name from the great fleas, each of the bulk of a dozen elephants, which they ride. The Wind-coursers are infantry, moving through the air without wings; they affect this by so girding their shirts, which reach to the ankle, that they hold the wind like a sail and propel their wearers’ ship-fashion. These troops are usually employed as skirmishers [6]. 70,000 Ostrich-slingers [7] and 50,000 Horse-cranes [8] were said to be on their way from the stars over Cappadocia [9]. But as they failed to arrive I did not actually see them; and a description from hearsay I am not prepared to give, as the marvels related of them put some strain on belief.

[1] Salad-wings | Literally Lachanopteri from lakhanos, any kind of herb, and pteros, wing.

[2] Millet-throwers | Literally Cinchroboli; millii jaculatores, darters of millet (millet is a type of small grain).

[3] Garlic-men | Literally Schorodomachi, alliis pugnantes, garlic fighters. The supposition is that these fighters threw garlic at the enemy, which served as a sort of stinkbomb.

[4] Flea-archers | Literally Pfllotoxotoe, pulici sagittarii, Flea-archers.

[5] Wind-coursers | Literally Anemodromi, venti cursores, Wind-coursers.

[6] Skirmishers | Also known as peltasts, a sort of light-armed foot soldier, who principally harassed the enemy by their agility.

[7] Ostrich-slingers | Literally Strathobalani, passeres glandium, or Acorn-sparrows.

[8] Horse-cranes | Literally Hippogerani, equi grues, Horse-cranes.

[9] Cappadocia | Probably because Cappadocia was famous for its breed of horses. Lucian would have known it well as it bordered on his native district of Commagene.

Section 14

Such was Endymion’s force. They were all armed alike; their helmets were made of beans, which grow there of great size and hardness; the breastplates were of overlapping lupine-husks sewn together, these husks being as tough as horn; as to shields and swords, they were of the Greek type.

Section 15

When the time came, the array was as follows: on the right were the Horse-vultures, and the King with theelite** of his forces, including ourselves. The Salad-wings held the left, and in the center were the various allies. The infantry were in round numbers 60,000,000 [1]; they were enabled to fall in thus: there are in the Moon great numbers of gigantic spiders, considerably larger than an average Aegean island; these were instructed to stretch webs across from the Moon to Lucifer; as soon as the work was done, the King drew up his infantry on this artificial plain, entrusting the command to Nightbat, son of Fairweather, with two lieutenants.**

[1] 60,000,000 | What follows is probably a parody on actual descriptions by authors, such as that of the Battle of Cunaxa in Xenophon's Anabasis or the battle in Cyropaedia, 7.1. In Herodotus, he lists Xerxes army to be 1,700,000 men strong (7.60).

Section 16

On the enemy’s side, Phaethon occupied the left with his Horse-ants; they are great winged animals resembling our ants except in size; but the largest of them would measure a couple of acres. The fighting was done not only by their riders; they used their horns also; their numbers were stated at 50,000. On their right was about an equal force of Sky-gnats [1] — archers mounted on great gnats; and next them the Sky-pirouetters [2], light-armed infantry only, but of some military value; they slung monstrous radishes at long range, a wound from which was almost immediately fatal, turning to gangrene at once; they were supposed to anoint their missiles with mallow juice. Next came the Stalk-fungi [3], 10,000 heavy-armed troops for close quarters; the explanation of their name is that their shields are mushrooms, and their spears asparagus stalks. Their neighbors were the Dog-acorns [4], Phaethon’s contingent from Sirius. These were 5,000 in number, dog-faced men fighting on winged acorns. It was reported that Phaethon too was disappointed of the slingers whom he had summoned from the Milky Way, and of the Cloud-centaurs [5]. These latter, however, arrived, most unfortunately for us [6], after the battle was decided; the slingers failed altogether, and are said to have felt the resentment of Phaethon, who wasted their territory with fire. Such was the force brought by the enemy.

[1] Sky-gnats | Literally Acroconopes, Air-flies.

[2] Sky-pirouetters | Literally Acrocoraces, Gr. Akrokorakes, air-crows.

[3] Stalk-fungi | Literally Caulomycetes, Gr. Kaulamyketes, Caulo fungi, stalk and mushroom men.

[4] Dog-acorns | Literally Cynobalani, Gr. Kynobalanoi, cani glandacii, acorn-dogs.

[5] Cloud-centaurs | Literally Nephelocentauri, Gr. Nephelokentau, nubicentauri, cloud-centaurs.

[6] Most unfortunately for us | The reason for this misfortune is given a little further in the history.

Section 17

As soon as the standards were raised and the asses on both sides (their trumpeters) had brayed, the engagement commenced. The Sunite left at once broke without awaiting the onset of the Horse-vultures, and we pursued, slaying them. On the other hand, their right had the better of our left, the Sky-gnats pressing on right up to our infantry. When these joined in, however, they turned and fled, chiefly owing to the moral effect of our success on the other flank. The rout became decisive, great numbers were taken and slain, and blood flowed in great quantities on to the clouds, staining them as red as we see them at sunset; much of it also dropped earthwards, and suggested to me that it was possibly some ancient event of the same kind which persuaded Homer that Zeus had rained blood at the death of Sarpedon [1].

[1] Rained blood at the death of Sarpedon | Iliad 16.458: “Hera spoke. The father of gods and men agreed. But he shed blood rain down upon the ground, tribute to his dear son Patroclus was about to kill in fertile Troy, far from his native land. “⁴⁾

Section 18

Relinquishing the pursuit, we set up two trophies [1], one for the infantry engagement on the spiders’ webs, and one on the clouds for the air-battle. It was while we were thus engaged that our scouts announced the approach of the Cloud-centaurs, whom Phaethon had expected in time for the battle. They were indeed close upon us, and a strange sight, being compounded of winged horses and men; the human part, from the middle upwards, was as tall as the Colossus of Rhodes [2], and the equine the size of a large merchantman. Their number I cannot bring myself to write down, for fear of exciting incredulity. They were commanded by Sagittarius [3]. Finding their friends defeated, they sent a messenger after Phaethon to bring him back, and, themselves in perfect order, charged the disarrayed Moonites [4], who had left their ranks and were scattered in pursuit or pillage; they routed the whole of them, chased the King home, and killed the greater part of his birds; they tore up the trophies, and overran the woven plain; I myself was taken, with two of my comrades. Phaethon now arrived, and trophies were erected on the enemy’s part. We were taken off to the Sun the same day, our hands tied behind with a piece of the cobweb.

[1] Two trophies | Originally the word trophy, derived from the Greek tropaion, referred to arms, standards, other property, or human captives and body parts (e.g. headhunting) captured in battle. These war trophies commemorated the military victories of a state, army or individual combatant.

[2] Colossus of Rhodes | The Colossus of Rhodes was more than 100 feet high. The huge bronze statue was said to have bestridden the harbor at Rhodes.

[3] Sagittarius | In Greek mythology, Sagittarius is identified as a centaur: half human, half horse. In some legends, the Centaur Chiron was the son of Philyra and Saturn, who was said to have changed himself into a horse to escape his jealous wife, Rhea. Chiron was eventually immortalized in the constellation of Centaurus or in some version, Sagittarius.

[4] Moonites | Or Selenites, the inhabitants of the moon.

Section 19

They decided not to lay siege to the city; but after their return they constructed a wall across the intervening space, cutting off the Sun’s rays from the Moon. This wall was double, and built of clouds; the consequence was total eclipse of the Moon, which experienced a continuous night. This severity forced Endymion to negotiate. He entreated that the wall might be taken down, and his kingdom released from this life of darkness; he offered to pay tribute, conclude an alliance, abstain from hostilities in future, and give hostages for these engagements. The Sunites [1] held two assemblies on the question, in the first of which they refused all concessions; on the second day, however, they relented, and peace was concluded on the following terms. [2]

[1] Sunites | Or Heliots, or inhabitants of the sun.

[2] Refused all concessions … relented and peace was concluded | Possibly an allusion to the reversal by the Athenians of their cruel decree against the Mitylenaeans after the revolt of that town. One faction, led by Cleon, advocated executing all of the men in the city and enslaving the women and children, while another faction (one spokesman was Diodotus) preferred more moderate treatment in which only men who had been identified as ringleaders would be executed. The Athenian assembly wavered; an order for mass execution was issued on the first day of debate but countermanded on the next. In the end, the city as a whole was spared.

Section 20

[1] Articles of peace between the Sunites and their allies of the one part, and the Moonites and their allies of the other part.

1. The Sunites shall demolish the party-wall, shall make no further incursion into the Moon, and shall hold their captives to ransom at a fixed rate.

2. The Moonites shall restore to the other stars their autonomy, shall not bear arms against the Sunites, and shall conclude with them a mutual defensive alliance.

3. The King of the Moonites shall pay to the King of the Sunites, annually, a tribute of ten thousand jars of dew, and give ten thousand hostages of his subjects.

4. The high contracting parties shall found the colony of Lucifer in common, and shall permit persons of any other nationality to join the same.

5. These articles shall be engraved on a pillar of electrum [2], which shall be set up on the border in mid-air.

Sworn to on behalf of the Sun by [3] Firebrace, Heaton, and Flashman; and on behalf of the Moon by Nightwell, Monday, and Shimmer.

[1] Articles of peace… | A good caricature on the usual form and style of a treaty.

[2] Pillar of electrum | Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals. It has also been produced artificially, and is often known as green gold. The ancient Greeks called it 'gold' or 'white gold', as opposed to 'refined gold'. Its color ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver.

[3] Firebrace… | Gr. Pyronides, ignes, fiery; Gr. Phlogios, flaming; Gr. Nyktop, nocturnal, nightly; Gr. Menios, menstruus, monthly; Gr. Polylamtes, multilucius, many lights. These all make good proper names in Greek, but do not translate well into English.

Section 21

Peace concluded; the removal of the wall and restoration of captives at once followed. As we reached the Moon, we were met and welcomed by our comrades and King Endymion, all weeping for joy. The King wished us to remain and take part in founding the colony [1], and, women not existing in the Moon, offered me his son in marriage. I refused, asking that we might be sent down to the sea again; and finding that he could not prevail, he entertained us for a week, and then sent us on our way.

[1] Colony | Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-city (its “metropolis”), not from a territory-at-large. Bonds between a colony and its metropolis remained often close, and took specific forms. However, unlike in the period of European colonialism during the early and late modern era, ancient colonies were usually sovereign and self-governing from their inception.

Section 22

I am now to put on record the novelties and singularities which attracted my notice during our stay in the Moon. In the first place there is the fact that they are not born of women but of men: they marry men and do not even know the word woman at all! Up to the age of twenty-five each is a wife, and thereafter a husband. They carry their children in the calf of the leg [1] instead of the belly. When conception takes place the calf begins to swell. In course of time they cut it open and deliver the child dead, and then they bring it to life by putting it in the wind with its mouth open. It seems to me that the term “belly of the leg” [2] came to us Greeks from there, since the leg performs the function of a belly with them. But I will tell you something else, still more wonderful. They have a kind of men whom they call the Arboreals, who are brought into the world as follows: Cutting a man's right genital gland, they plant it in the ground. From it grows a very large tree of one calf of the leg, flesh, resembling the emblem of Priapus: it has branches and leaves, and its fruit is acorns a cubit thick. When these ripen, they harvest them and shell out the men. Another thing, they have artificial parts that are sometimes of ivory and sometimes, with the poor, of wood, and make use of them in their intercourse [3].

[1] Calf of the Leg | cf. Zeus rescued the fetal Dionysus by sewing him into his thigh.

[2] “Belly of the leg” | Gr. Gastronymia.

[3] Intercourse | The insinuation of the use of sexual objects was omitted from some early modern editions of Lucian.

Section 23

When a man becomes old, he does not die, but dissolves in smoke into the air. There is one universal diet; they light a fire, and in the embers roast frogs, great numbers of which are always flying in the air; they then sit round as at table, snuffing up the fumes [1] which rise and serve them for food; their drink is air compressed in a cup till it gives off a moisture resembling dew. Beauty with them consists in a bald head and hairless body; a good crop of hair is an abomination. On the comets [2], as I was told by some of their inhabitants who were there on a visit, this is reversed. They have beards, however, just above the knee; no toe-nails, and but one toe on each foot. They are all tailed, the tail being a large cabbage of an evergreen kind, which does not break if they fall upon it.

[1] Snuffing up the fumes | Herodotus (4.74) says that the Scythians were accustomed to regale themselves by a particular mode of intoxication, caused by the inhalation of hemp-seed. “The Scythians then take the seed of this hemp and creep under the felt coverings, and then they throw the seed upon the stones which have been heated red-hot: and it burns like incense and produces a vapor so thick that no vapor-bath in Hellas would surpass it: and the Scythians being delighted with the vapor-bath howl like wolves.”⁵⁾

[2] Comets | Comet meant “long-haired” in Ancient Greek.

Section 24

Their mucus is a pungent honey; and after hard work or exercise they sweat milk all over, which a drop or two of the honey curdles into cheese [1]. The oil which they make from onions is very rich, and as fragrant as balsam. They have an abundance of water-producing vines, the stones of which resemble hailstones; and my own belief is that it is the shaking of these vines by hurricanes, and the consequent bursting of the grapes, that results in our hailstorms. They use the belly as a pouch in which to keep necessaries, being able to open and shut it. It contains no intestines or liver, only a soft hairy lining; their young, indeed, creep into it for protection from cold [2].

[1] Cheese | Only for exportation, seeing that the Selenites do not feed upon a coarse diet.

[2] Protection from cold | Lucian, when he originally thought of this idea, probably did not realize that nature had already beat him to the idea, and that there was a kangaroo that is provided with the convenient ability of carrying its young in the belly. Lucian was unaware of the continent of Australia.

Section 25

The clothing of the wealthy is soft glass, and of the poor, woven brass; the land is very rich in brass, which they work like wool after steeping it in water. It is with some hesitation that I describe their eyes, the thing being incredible enough to bring doubt upon my veracity. But the fact is that these organs are removable [1]; anyone can take out his eyes and do without till he wants them; then he has merely to put them in; I have known many cases of people losing their own and borrowing at need; and some — the rich, naturally — keep a large stock. Their ears are plane-leaves, except with the breed raised from acorns; theirs being of wood.

[1] Organs are removable | Perhaps an allusion to Thucydides. He describes the gold with which the statue of Athena in the Parthenon was overlaid. Thucydides 2.13: “If they were reduced to the last extremity they could even take off the plates of gold with which the image of the goddess was overlaid; these, as he pointed out, weighed forty talents, and were of refined gold, which was all removable.” ⁶⁾

Section 26

Another marvel [1] I saw in the palace. There is a large mirror suspended over a well of no great depth; anyone going down the well can hear every word spoken on our Earth; and if he looks at the mirror, he sees every city and nation as plainly as though he were standing close above each. The time I was there, I surveyed my own people and the whole of my native country; whether they saw me also, I cannot say for certain. [2] Anyone who doubts the truth of this statement has only to go there himself, to be assured of my veracity.

[1] Marvel | This interlude into “marvels” has parallels with Herodotus when he tangentially speaks on various topics.

[2] The time I was there, I surveyed my own people and the whole of my native country; whether they saw me also, I cannot say for certain | Possibly an allusion to the theory of Empedocles, which represented birth as a mingling of elements and death as a separation of the mingled. In essence, the vision of the mirror mingles together elements to make a lifescene and when it dissolves the lifescene disappears.

Section 27

When the time came, we took our leave of King and court, got on board, and weighed anchor. Endymion’s parting gifts to me were two glass shirts, five of brass, and a suit of lupine armor, all of which, however, I afterwards left in the whale’s belly [1]; he also sent, as our escort for the first fifty miles, a thousand of his Horse-vultures.

[1] Whale's belly | Will become an important part of the story in the coming sections.

Section 28

We passed on our way many countries, and actually landed on Lucifer, now in process of settlement, to water. We then entered the Zodiac and passed the Sun on the left, coasting close by it. My crew was very desirous of landing, but the wind would not allow of this. We had a good view of the country, however, and found it covered with vegetation, rich, well-watered, and full of all good things. The Cloud-centaurs, now in Phaethon’s pay, espied us and pounced upon the ship, but left us alone when they learned that we were parties to the treaty.

Section 29

By this time our escort had gone home. We now took a downward course, and twenty-four hours’ sailing brought us to Lampton [1]. This lies between the atmospheres of the Pleiades [2] and the Hyades [3], though in point of altitude it is considerably lower than the Zodiac [4]. When we landed, we found no human beings, but numberless lamps bustling about or spending their time in the market-place and harbor; some were small, and might represent the lower classes, while a few, the great and powerful, were exceedingly bright and conspicuous. They all had their own homes or lodgings, and their individual names, like us; we heard them speak, and they did us no harm, offering us entertainment, on the contrary; but we were under some apprehension, and none of us accepted either food or bed. There is a Government House in the middle of the city, where the Governor sits all night long calling the roll-call; anyone not answering to his name is capitally punished as a deserter; that is to say, he is extinguished. We were present and witnessed the proceedings, and heard lamps defending their conduct and advancing reasons for their lateness. I there recognized our own house lamp, accosted him, and asked for news of my friends, in which he satisfied me. We stayed there that night, set sail next morning, and found ourselves sailing, now, nearly as low as the clouds. Here we were surprised to find Cloud-cuckoo-land [5]; we were prevented from landing by the direction of the wind, but learned that the King’s name was Crookbeak, son of Fitz–Ousel. I bethought me of Aristophanes [6], the learned and veracious poet whose statements had met with unmerited incredulity. Three days more, and we had a distinct view of the Ocean, though there was no land visible except the islands suspended in air; and these had now assumed a brilliant fiery hue. About noon on the fourth day the wind slackened and fell, and we were deposited upon the sea.

[1] Lampton | Gr. Lyknopolis, the city of the Lamps. Perhaps suggested by Herodotus (2.62) of the Feast of Lanterns at Sais in Egypt: “At the times when they gather together at the city of Saïs for their sacrifices, on a certain night they all kindle lamps many in number in the open air round about the houses; now the lamps are saucers full of salt and oil mixed, and the wick floats by itself on the surface, and this burns during the whole night; and to the festival is given the name Lychnocaia (the lighting of the lamps). Moreover those of the Egyptians who have not come to this solemn assembly observe the night of the festival and themselves also light lamps all of them, and thus not in Saïs alone are they lighted, but overall Egypt: and as to the reason why light and honor are allotted to this night.”⁷⁾

[2] Pleiades | Open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus.

[3] Hyades | A cluster of stars, the Hyades, set in the head of Taurus.

[4] Zodiac | The zodiac is a circle of twelve 30° divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year.

[5] Cloud-cuckoo-land | Gr. Nephelokokkygia, the cloud-cuckoo.

[6] Aristophanes | Nephelokokkygia is a fantastical place mentioned in Aristophanes' Birds.

Section 30

The joy and delight with which the touch of water affected us is indescribable; transported at our good fortune, we flung ourselves overboard and swam, the weather being calm and the sea smooth. Alas, how often is a change for the better no more than the beginning of disaster! We had but two days’ delightful sail, and by the rising sun of the third we beheld a crowd of whales and marine monsters, and among them one far larger than the rest — some two hundred miles in length [1]. It came on open-mouthed, agitating the sea far in front, bathed in foam, and exhibiting teeth whose length much surpassed the height of our great phallic images [2], all pointed like sharp stakes and white as elephants’ tusks. We gave each other a last greeting, took a last embrace, and so awaited our doom. The monster was upon us; it sucked us in; it swallowed ship and crew entire. We escaped being ground by its teeth, the ship gliding in through the interstices.

[1] Two hundred miles in length | Equivalent to fifteen hundred stadia long.

[2] Phallic images | If the teeth of this monster were only in proportion to his whole bodily circumference, we can here admit no smaller phalli than the colossal ones of which mention is made in the Syrian Goddess, which by the most reasonable measure, were thirty fathom or 180 feet high, and yet can come into no comparison with the teeth of a Caschelottan, which were 930,000 feet in length.

Section 31

Inside, all was darkness at first, in which we could distinguish nothing; but when it next opened its mouth, an enormous cavern was revealed, of great extent and height; a city of ten thousand inhabitants might have had room in it. Strewn about were small fish, thedisjecta membra** of many kinds of animal, ships’ masts and anchors, human bones, and merchandise; in the center was land with hillocks upon it, the alluvial deposit, I supposed, from what the whale swallowed. This was wooded with trees of all kinds, and vegetables were growing with all the appearance of cultivation. The coast might have measured thirty miles round [1]. Sea-birds, such as gulls and halcyons [2], nested on the trees.**

[1] Thirty miles round | Two hundred and forty stadia.

[2] Gulls and halcyons | Gulls and halcyons do not build nests in trees.

Section 32

We spent some time weeping, but at last got our men up and had the ship made fast, while we rubbed wood to get a fire and prepared a meal out of the plentiful materials around us; there were fragments of various fish, and the water we had taken in at Lucifer was unexhausted. Upon getting up next day, we caught glimpses, as often as the whale opened his mouth, of land, of mountains, it might be of the sky alone, or often of islands; we realized that he was dashing at a great rate to every part of the sea. We grew accustomed to our condition in time, and I then took seven of my comrades and entered the wood in search of information. I had scarcely gone half a mile when I came upon a shrine, which its inscription showed to have been raised to Poseidon; a little further were a number of graves with pillars upon them, and close by a spring of clear water; we also heard a dog bark, saw some distant smoke, and conjectured that there must be a habitation.

Section 33

We accordingly pressed on, and found ourselves in presence of an old man and a younger one, who were working hard at a plot of ground and watering it by a channel from the spring. We stood still, divided between fear and delight. They were standing speechless, no doubt with much the same feelings. At length the old man spoke:—‘What are you, strangers; are you spirits of the sea, or unfortunate mortals like ourselves? As for us, we are men, bred on land; but now we have suffered a sea change, and swim about in this containing monster, scarce knowing how to describe our state; reason tells us we are dead, but instinct that we live.’ This loosed my tongue in turn. ‘We too, father,’ I said, ‘are men, just arrived; it is but a day or two since we were swallowed with our ship. And now we have come forth to explore the forest; for we saw that it was vast and dense. Methinks some heavenly guide has brought us to the sight of you, to the knowledge that we are not prisoned all alone in this monster. I pray you, let us know your tale, who you are and how you entered.’ Then he said that, before he asked or answered questions, he must give us such entertainment as he could; so saying, he brought us to his house — a sufficient dwelling furnished with beds and what else he might need —, and set before us green-stuff and nuts and fish, with wine for drink. When we had eaten our fill, he asked for our story. I told him all as it had passed, the storm, the island, the airy voyage, the war, and so to our descent into the whale.

Section 34

It was very strange, he said, and then gave us his history in return. ‘I am a Cyprian, gentlemen. I left my native land on a trading voyage with my son here and a number of servants. We had a fine ship, with a mixed cargo for Italy; you may have seen the wreckage in the whale’s mouth. We had a fair voyage to Sicily, but on leaving it were caught in a gale, and carried in three days out to the Atlantic, where we fell in with the whale and were swallowed, ship and crew; of the latter we two alone survived. We buried our men, built a temple to Poseidon, and now live this life, cultivating our garden, and feeding on fish and nuts. It is a great wood, as you see, and in it are vines in plenty, from which we get delicious wine; our spring you may have noticed; its water is of the purest and coldest. We use leaves for bedding, keep a good fire, snare the birds that fly in, and catch living fish by going out on the monster’s gills; it is there also that we take our bath when we are disposed. There is moreover at no great distance a salt lake two or three miles round, producing all sorts of fish; in this we swim and sail, in a little boat of my building. It is now seven and twenty years since we were swallowed.

Section 35

‘Our lot might have been endurable enough, but we have bad and troublesome neighbors, unfriendly savages all.’ ‘What,’ said I, ‘are there other inhabitants?’ ‘A great many,’ he replied, ‘inhospitable and abhorrent to the sight. The western part of the wood (so to name the caudal region) is occupied by the Stockfish tribe [1]; they have eels’ eyes and lobster faces, are bold warriors, and eat their meat raw. Of the sides of the cavern, the right belongs to the Tritonomendetes [2], who from the waist upwards are human, and weasels below; their notions of justice are slightly less rudimentary than the others’. The left is in possession of the Crabhands [3] and the Tunnyheads [4], two tribes in close alliance. The central part is inhabited by the Crays [5] and the Flounderfoots [6], the latter warlike and extremely swift. As to this district near the mouth, the East, as it were, it is in great part desert, owing to the frequent inundations. I hold it of the Flounderfoots, paying an annual tribute of five hundred oysters. [7]

[1] Stockfish tribe | Gr. Tarichanes, salt-fish-men.

[2] Tritonomendetes | triton-weasels.

[3] Crabhands | Gr. Karkinokhires, cancri-mani, crab's hands.

[4] Tunnyheads | Gr. Thynnokephali, tunny-heads, i.e. men with heads like those of the tunnyfish.

[5] Crays | Gr. Paguarde, crabmen.

[6] Flounderfoots | Gr. Psittopodes, sparrow-footed from passer marinus.

[7] These descriptions are reminiscent of the meeting of Greek colonists with the native peoples.

Section 36

[1] ‘Such is the land; and now it is for you to consider how we may make head against all these tribes, and what shall be our manner of life.’ ‘What may their numbers be, all told?’ I asked. ‘More than a thousand.’ ‘And how armed?’ ‘They have no arms but fishbones.’ ‘Why then,’ I said, ‘let us fight them by all means; we are armed, and they are not; and, if we win, we shall live secure.’ We agreed on this course, and returned to the ship to make our preparations. The pretext for war was to be non-payment of the tribute, which was on the point of falling due. Messengers, in fact, shortly came to demand it, but the old man sent them about their business with an insolent answer. The Flounderfoots and Crays were enraged and commenced operations with a tumultuous inroad upon Scintharus — this was our old man’s name.

[1] Begins an interlude with no annotations.

Section 37

Expecting this, we were awaiting the attack in full armor. We had put five and twenty men in ambush, with directions to fall on the enemy’s rear as soon as they had passed; they executed their orders, and came on from behind cutting them down, while the rest of us — five and twenty also, including Scintharus and his son — met them face to face with a spirited and resolute attack. It was risky work, but in the end we routed and chased them to their dens. They left one hundred and seventy dead, while we lost only our navigating officer, stabbed in the back with a mullet rib, and one other.

Section 38

We held the battlefield for the rest of that day and the night following, and erected a trophy consisting of a dolphin’s backbone upright. Next day the news brought the other tribes out, with the Stockfish under a general called Slimer on the right, the Tunnyheads on the left, and the Crabhands in the center; the Tritonomendetes stayed at home, preferring neutrality. We did not wait to be attacked, but charged them near Poseidon’s temple with loud shouts, which echoed as in a subterranean cave. Their want of armor gave us the victory; we pursued them to the wood, and were henceforth masters.

Section 39

Soon after, they sent heralds to treat for recovery of their dead, and for peace. But we decided to make no terms with them, and marching out next day exterminated the whole, with the exception of the Tritonomendetes. These too, when they saw what was going on, made a rush for the gills, and cast themselves into the sea. We went over the country, now clear of enemies, and occupied it from that time in security. Our usual employments were exercise, hunting, vine-dressing, and fruit-gathering; we were in the position of men in a vast prison from which escape is out of the question, but within which they have luxury and freedom of movement. This manner of life lasted for a year and eight months.

Section 40

It was on the fifth of the next month, about the second gape (the whale, I should say, gaped regularly once an hour, and we reckoned time that way)— about the second gape, then, a sudden shouting and tumult became audible; it sounded like boatswains giving the time and oars beating. Much excited, we crept right out into our monster’s mouth, stood inside the teeth, and beheld the most extraordinary spectacle I ever looked upon — giants of a hundred yards in height rowing great islands as we do triremes. I am aware that what I am to relate must sound improbable; but I cannot help it. Very long islands they were, but of no great height; the circumference of each would be about eleven miles; and its complement of giants was some hundred and twenty. Of these some sat along each side of the island, rowing with big cypresses, from which the branches and leaves were not stripped; in the stern, so to speak, was a considerable hillock, on which stood the helmsman with his hand on a brazen steering-oar of half a mile in length; and on the deck forward were forty in armor, the combatants; they resembled men except in their hair, which was flaming fire, so that they could dispense with helmets. The work of sails was done by the abundant forest on all the islands, which so caught and held the wind that it drove them where the steersman wished; there was a boatswain timing the stroke, and the islands jumped to it like great galleys.

Section 41

[1] We had seen only two or three at first; but there appeared afterwards as many as six hundred, which formed in two lines and commenced an action. Many crashed into each other stem to stem, many were rammed and sunk, and others grappled, fought an obstinate duel, and could hardly get clear after it. Great courage was shown by the troops on deck, who boarded and dealt destruction, giving no quarter. Instead of grappling-irons, they used huge captive squids [2], which they swung out on to the hostile island; these grappled the wood and so held the island fast. Their missiles, effective enough, were oysters the size of wagons, and sponges which might cover an acre. Aeolocentaur and Thalassopot [3] were the names of the rival chiefs; and the question between them was one of plunder; Thalassopot was supposed to have driven off several herds of dolphins, the other’s property; we could hear them vociferating the charge and calling out their Kings’ names. Aeolocentaur’s fleet finally won, sinking one hundred and fifty of the enemy’s islands and capturing three with their crews; the remainder backed away, turned and fled. The victors pursued some way, but, as it was now evening, returned to the disabled ones, secured most of the enemy’s, and recovered their own, of which as many as eighty had been sunk. As a trophy of victory they slung one of the enemy’s islands to a stake which they planted in our whale’s head. They lay moored round him that night, attaching cables to him or anchoring hard by; they had vast glass anchors, very strong. Next morning they sacrificed on the whale’s back, buried their dead there, and sailed off rejoicing, with something corresponding to our paean. So ended the battle of the islands. [4]

[1] Here Lucian gives a very fair mockery of descriptions of naval engagements such as that in Thucydides at Naupactus 2.83-92 or the sea-fight in the harbor of Sicily 7.70-71.

[2] Huge captive squids | Aelian, Varia Historia, Chapter 1, described the habits of the polypus (squid) and its mode of lying in wait for and catching its prey: “Of the Polypus. The Polypusses are so ravenous that they devour all they light on; so that many times they abstain not even from one another. The lesser taken by the greater, and falling into his stronger nets, (which are usually called the hairs or grasps of the Fish) becometh his prey. They also betray Fishes in this manner; lurking under the Rocks they change themselves to their color, and seem to be all one with the Rock itself. When therefore the Fishes swim to the Rocks, and so to the Polypus, they entangle them in their nets, or grasps.”⁸⁾ Pliny, Natural History 9.29, mentions an enormous one with feelers thirty feet long, which is doubtless and exaggeration of fact as it appears from the actual size of an octopus.⁹⁾ See endnote for detail.

[3] Aeolocentaur and Thalassopot | It is supposed these creatures were Leviathan-like. Thalassopotes is Greek for “the drinker of the sea”.

[4] So ended the battle of the islands | Lucian is mirroring the language used at the end of Sicilian Expedition in Thucydides. Lucian possibly intended for this last section to be a parody of Thucydides' work. Thucydides, in grand language, 7.87: “This was the greatest Hellenic achievement of any in this war, or, in my opinion, in Hellenic history; at once most glorious to the victors, and most calamitous to the conquered. They were beaten at all points and altogether; all that they suffered was great; they were destroyed, as the saying is, with a total destruction, their fleet, their army, everything was destroyed, and few out of many returned home. Such were the events in Sicily.”¹⁰⁾

Book II

Section 1

I now began to find life in the whale unendurable; I was tired to death of it, and concentrated my thoughts on plans of escape. Our first idea was to excavate a passage through the beast’s right side, and go out through it. We actually began boring, but gave it up when we had penetrated half a mile without getting through. We then determined to set fire to the forest, our object being the death of the whale, which would remove all difficulties. We started burning from the tail end; but for a whole week he made no sign; on the eighth and ninth days it was apparent that he was unwell; his jaws opened only languidly, and each time closed again very soon. On the tenth and eleventh days mortification had set in, evidenced by a horrible stench; on the twelfth, it occurred to us, just in time, that we must take the next occasion of the mouth’s being open to insert props between the upper and lower molars, and so prevent his closing it; else we should be imprisoned and perish in the dead body. We successfully used great beams for the purpose, and then got the ship ready with all the water and provisions we could manage. Scintharus was to navigate her. Next day the whale was dead. [1]

[1] The whale episode is not particular to Lucian, but has hints of other traditions throughout the Mediterranean, most notably being the story of Jonah. In an interesting letter from Augustine of Hippo to Deogratias (Letter CII, Section 30), he is skeptical of the tale of the survival in a whale's belly showing credulity on all accounts: “The last question proposed is concerning Jonah, and it is put as if it were not from Porphyry, but as being a standing subject of ridicule among the Pagans; for his words are: “In the next place, what are we to believe concerning Jonah, who is said to have been three days in a whale’s belly? The thing is utterly improbable and incredible, that a man swallowed with his clothes on should have existed in the inside of a fish. If, however, the story is figurative, be pleased to explain it. Again, what is meant by the story that a gourd sprang up above the head of Jonah after he was vomited by the fish? What was the cause of this gourd’s growth? Questions such as these I have seen discussed by Pagans amidst loud laughter, and with great scorn.”¹¹⁾

Section 2

We hauled the vessel up, brought her through one of the gaps, slung her to the teeth, and so let her gently down to the water. We then ascended the back, where we sacrificed to Poseidon by the side of the trophy, and, as there was no wind, encamped there for three days. On the fourth day we were able to start. We found and came into contact with many corpses, the relics of the sea-fight, and our wonder was heightened when we measured them. For some days we enjoyed a moderate breeze, after which a violent north wind rose, bringing hard frost; the whole sea was frozen [1] — not merely crusted over, but solidified to four hundred fathoms’ depth; we got out and walked about. The continuance of the wind making life intolerable, we adopted the plan, suggested by Scintharus, of hewing an extensive cavern in the ice, in which we stayed a month, lighting fires and feeding on fish [2]; we had only to dig these out. In the end, however, provisions ran short, and we came out; the ship was frozen in, but we got her free; we then hoisted sail, and were carried along as well as if we had been afloat, gliding smoothly and easily over the ice. After five days more the temperature rose, a thaw set in, and all was water again.

[1] The whole sea was frozen | Perhaps an allusion to Herodotus 4.28 concerning the sea freezing on Palus Moeotis so that wagons are driven over ice. Lucian presumably knew nothing of a real frozen sea and thought that lighting a fire on the ice an impossibility. Herodotus 4.28: “This whole land which has been described is so exceedingly severe in climate, that for eight months of the year there is frost so hard as to be intolerable; and during these if you pour out water you will not be able to make mud, but only if you kindle a fire can you make it; and the sea is frozen and the whole of the Kimmerian Bosphorus, so that the Scythians who are settled within the trench make expeditions and drive their wagons over into the country of the Sindians. Thus it continues to be winter for eight months, and even for the remaining four it is cold in those parts. This winter is distinguished in its character from all the winters which come in other parts of the world; for in it there is no rain to speak of at the usual season for rain, whereas in summer it rains continually; and thunder does not come at the time when it comes in other countries, but is very frequent, in the summer; and if thunder comes in winter, it is marveled at as a prodigy: just so, if an earthquake happens, whether in summer or in winter, it is accounted a prodigy in Scythia. Horses are able to endure this winter, but neither mules nor asses can endure it at all, whereas in other countries horses if they stand in frost lose their limbs by mortification, while asses and mules endure it.”¹²⁾

[2] A scholiast was angry with the shear inbelievability of this fictional account as if there were other parts of the True History that were more believable. Lucian obviously wishes to carry the marvelous tale to its extreme degree of absurdity. The scholiast missed the memo that the True History is composed of lies and hyperbole.

Section 3

A stretch of five and thirty miles brought us to a small desert isle, where we got water — of which we were now in want —, and shot two wild bulls before we departed. These animals had their horns not on the top of the head, but, as Momus [1] recommended, below the eyes. Not long after this, we entered a sea of milk, in which we observed an island, white in color, and full of vines. The island was one great cheese, quite firm, as we afterwards ascertained by eating it, and three miles round. The vines were covered with fruit, but the drink we squeezed from it was milk instead of wine. In the center of the island was a temple to Galatea the Nereid [2], as the inscription informed us. During our stay there, the ground itself served us for bread and meat, and the vine-milk for drink. We learned that the queen of these regions was Tyro [3], daughter of Salmoneus, on whom Poseidon had conferred this dignity at her decease. [4]

[1] Momus | The god of mockery, censorious criticism, and according to Hesiod a son of Night. This piece of ridicule about the bull's horns is referred by Lucian in his dialogue Nigrinus 32: “One observation of his in the same spirit fairly caps the famous censure of Momus. Momus found fault with the divine artificer for not putting his bull’s horns in front of the eyes.”¹³⁾

[2] Galatea the Nereid | One of the fifty Nereids, or Sea-Nymphs; so-called on account of the fairness of their skin. Etymology from gala, milk. She was from a milky island; therefore, she was naturally the presiding deity.

[3] Tyro | According to Homer, Tyro fell in love with the famous river Enipeus and was always wandering on his banks where Poseidon found her and he covered with her waves. Throwing her in a deep sleep; he supplied for her the place of Enipeus. Lucian has made her amends by naming one of his imaginary kingdoms for her. Lucian's part of the story though is fanciful.

[4] Galatea and Tyro | Galatea and Tyro recall the Greek words for “milk”, gala, and “cheese”, tyros.

Section 4

After spending five days there we started again with a gentle breeze and a rippling sea. A few days later, when we had emerged from the milk into blue salt water, we saw numbers of men walking on the sea; they were like ourselves in shape and stature, with the one exception of the feet, which were of cork; whence, no doubt, their name of Corksoles [1]. It struck us as curious that they did not sink in, but travelled quite comfortably clear of the water. Some of them came up and hailed us in Greek, saying that they were making their way to their native land of Cork. They ran alongside for some distance, and then turned off and went their own way, wishing us a pleasant voyage. A little further we saw several islands; close to us on the left was Cork, our friends’ destination, consisting of a city founded on a vast round cork; at a greater distance, and a little to the right, were five others of considerable size and high out of the water, with great flames rising from them.

[1] Corksoles | Gr. Phellopodes, cork-footed.

Section 5

There was also a broad low one, as much as sixty miles in length, and straight in our course. As we drew near it, a marvelous air was wafted to us, exquisitely fragrant, like the scent which Herodotus describes as coming from Arabia Felix [1]. Its sweetness seemed compounded of rose, narcissus, hyacinth, lilies and violets, myrtle and bay and flowering vine. Ravished with the perfume, and hoping for reward of our long toils, we drew slowly near. Then were unfolded to us haven after haven, spacious and sheltered, and crystal rivers flowing placidly to the sea. There were meadows and groves and sweet birds, some singing on the shore, some on the branches; the whole bathed in limpid balmy air. Sweet zephyrs just stirred the woods with their breath, and brought whispering melody, delicious, incessant, from the swaying branches; it was like Pan-pipes heard in a desert place [2]. And with it all there mingled a volume of human sound, a sound not of tumult, but rather of revels where some flute, and some praise the fluting, and some clap their hands commending flute or harp.

[1] Arabia Felix | Herodotus 3.113: “Let what we have said suffice with regard to spices; and from the land of Arabia there blows a scent of them most marvelously sweet.“¹⁴⁾

[2] Pan-pipes | It appears to have been a common practice with the shepherds who had won some prize on the seven-holed flute, to hang it up in honor of Pan in some solitary open place in the border of their pastures, in such manner that the wind (somewhat as with the Aeolian harp) produced from it a melodious murmuring strain.

Section 6

Drawn by the spell of it we came to land, moored the ship, and left her, in charge of Scintharus and two others. Taking our way through flowery meadows we came upon the guardians of the peace, who bound us with rose-garlands — their strongest fetters — and brought us to the governor. As we went they told us this was the island called of the Blest [1], and its governor the Cretan Rhadamanthus [2]. When we reached the court, we found there were three cases to be taken before our turn would come.

[1] Island called of the Blest | This description of Elysium, or the Island of the Blest, is well drawn, and abounds in fanciful and picturesque imagery, interspersed with strokes of humor and satire. Pindar's “Second Olympic Ode”, 2.73-83, appears to be alluded to in the text by Lucian: “Those who have persevered three times, on either side, to keep their souls free from all wrongdoing, follow Zeus' road to the end, to the tower of Cronus, where ocean breezes blow around the island of the blessed, and flowers of gold are blazing, some from splendid trees on land, while water nurtures others. With these wreaths and garlands of flowers they entwine their hands according to the righteous counsels of Rhadamanthys, whom the great father, the husband of Rhea whose throne is above all others, keeps close beside him as his partner. Peleus and Cadmus are counted among them, and Achilles who was brought there by his mother, when she had persuaded the heart of Zeus with her prayers — Achilles, who laid low Hector, the irresistible, unswerving pillar of Troy, and who consigned to death Memnon the Ethiopian, son of the Dawn.”¹⁵⁾

[2] Cretan Rhadamanthus | In Greek mythology, Rhadamanthus was a wise king, the son of Zeus and Europa. Later accounts even make him out to be one of the judges of the dead. His brothers were Sarpedon and Minos (also a king and later a judge of the dead).

Section 7

The first was that of Ajax [1], son of Telamon, and the question was whether he was to be admitted to the company of Heroes [2]; it was objected that he had been mad and taken his own life. After long pleadings Rhadamanthus gave his decision: he was to be put under the charge of Hippocrates the physician of Cos [3] for the hellebore treatment [4], and, when he had recovered his wits, to be made free of the table.

[1] Ajax | Lucian degrades him from the character of a hero, and gives him hellebore as a madman. Upon being defeated by Odysseus in a contest for the arms of Achilles, Ajax was seized by madness and began to slaughter the sheep of the Greek army under the impression that they were his enemies.

[2] Company of Heroes | The inhabitants of Elysium, or the Island of the Blessed, consist of two classes, the heroes and the demigods, and the wise and good men, who lived subsequent to the heroic age.

[3] Hippocrates the physician of Cos | Hippocrates was an ////ancient//// //Greek// ////physician//// of the //Age of Pericles// (Classical Greece), and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the //history of medicine. He is referred to as the //father of western medicine//// in recognition of his lasting contributions to the field as the founder of the Hippocratic School of Medicine. This intellectual school revolutionized //medicine in ancient Greece, establishing it as a discipline distinct from other fields that it had traditionally been associated with (notably //theurgy//// and //philosophy//), thus establishing medicine as a profession.

[4] Hellebore treatment | Hellebore was used by the ancients as a treatment for paralysis, gout, and other diseases, but most particularly for insanity.

Section 8

The second was a matrimonial case, the parties Theseus and Menelaus, and the issue possession of Helen. Rhadamanthus gave it in favor of Menelaus, on the ground of the great toils and dangers the match had cost him — added to the fact that Theseus was provided with other wives in the Amazon queen and the daughters of Minos. [1]

[1] Helen | In her youth, Helen of Troy was carried off to Athens by Theseus and his friend Pirithous, but was rescued by her brothers Castor and Pollux, and afterwards chose Menelaus out of numerous noble suitors to be her husband. The story of her subsequent abduction from Menelaus by Paris, son of Priam, and the Trojan War, is well known.

Section 9

The third was a dispute for precedence between Alexander son of Philip and Hannibal the Carthaginian; it was won by the former [1], who had a seat assigned him next to Cyrus the elder.

[1] Lucian wrote a dialogue in the Dialogues of the Dead on this topic. In the dialogue, Alexander comes first, then Scipio, and finally Hannibal. See endnote for the full dialogue. ¹⁶⁾

Section 10

It was now our turn. The judge asked by what right we set foot on this holy ground while yet alive. In answer we related our story. He then had us removed while he held a long consultation with his numerous assessors, among whom was the Athenian Aristides the Just [1]. He finally reached a conclusion and gave judgment: on the charges of curiosity and travelling we were remanded till the date of our deaths; for the present we were to stay in the island, with admission to the Heroic society, for a fixed term, after which we must depart. The limit he appointed for our stay was seven months.

[1] Aristides the Just | Aristides was an //ancient Athenian// statesman. Nicknamed “the Just”, he flourished in the early quarter of Athens' Classical period and is remembered for his generalship in the //Persian War//.

Section 11

Our rose-chains now fell off of their own accord [1], we were released and taken into the city, and to the Table of the Blest. The whole of this city is built of gold [2], and the enclosing wall of emerald. It has seven gates, each made of a single cinnamon plank. The foundations of the houses, and all ground inside the wall, are ivory; temples are built of beryl, and each contains an altar of one amethyst block, on which they offer hecatombs. Round the city flows a river of the finest perfume [3], a hundred royal cubits in breadth, and fifty deep, so that there is good swimming. The baths, supplied with warm dew instead of ordinary water, are in great crystal domes heated with cinnamon wood.

[1] Rose-chains now fell off of their own accord | A close imitation, perhaps a parody, of Xenophon's dream in Anabasis 4.3.8: “But Xenophon had a dream. In his sleep he thought that he was bound in fetters, but these, of their own accord, fell from off him, so that he was loosed, and could stretch his legs as freely as he wished.”¹⁷⁾

[2] Of gold | It is not improbable that Voltaire's El Dorado, in his Candide, might have been suggested to him by this passage.

[3] Perfume | Lucian is very particular about the type of perfume that is flowing in the river, for it is not an ointment, salve, or any other such material. An “essence” would be the most proper way to describe the term. One translator says it is an “oil of roses”.

Section 12

Their raiment is fine cobweb, purple in color. They have no bodies, but are intangible and unsubstantial — mere form without matter; but, though incorporeal, they stand and move, think and speak; in short, each is a naked soul, but carries about the semblance of body [1]; one who did not touch them would never know that what he looked at was not substantial; they are shadows, but upright [2], and colored. [3] A man there does not grow old, but stays at whatever age he brought with him. There is no night, nor yet bright day; the morning twilight, just before sunrise, gives the best idea of the light that prevails. They have also but one season, perpetual spring, and the wind is always in the west.

[1] Semblance of body | In order to make sense of this sentence, it is presumed that someone who only needs to throw off a single garment (semblance) presents himself in “natural purity”, or, according to the common phraseology of the Greeks, naked. This must be supposed in order to make sense of the sentence.

[2] Shadows but upright | i.e. their appearance is exactly like those of shadows made by the sun at noon day, with this only difference, that one lies flat on the ground, the other is erect, and the one is dark, the other light, even diaphanous. Our common notion of ghosts, especially in regard to their not being tangible, corresponds with that of Lucian's.

[3] And colored … | Lucian has been supposed to be ridiculing Plato's theories concerning the nature of the soul as set forth in the Phaedo and elsewhere. But Plato distinguishes between good and bad souls; only the latter retain the form of the body and are contaminated by it, while the former become pure and immaterial. The satire is directed rather at the popular notion of the spirits of the dead as shadowy human forms, according to the descriptions in Homer and Virgil.

Section 13

The country abounds in every kind of flower, in shrubs and garden herbs. There are twelve vintages in the year, the grapes ripening every month; and they told us that pomegranates, apples, and other fruits were gathered thirteen times, the trees producing twice in their month Minous [1]. Instead of grain, the corn develops loaves, shaped like mushrooms, at the top of the stalks. Round the city are 365 springs of water, the same of honey, and 500, less in volume however, of perfume. There are also seven rivers of milk and eight of wine.

[1] Minous | Minous, formed by the analogy of Asiatic names of months (with which Lucian must have been familiar), e.g. Hermaeus, Metrous, etc. in Bithynia, Aphrodisius, Caesarius, etc. in Cyprus. The Athenian months were not, except Poseideon, named after the gods or heroes, but marked the seasons for various occupations, as Gamelion, Elaphebolion, etc. The whole description reads like an exaggeration of Homer's account of the gardens of Alcinous, Odyssey 7.114, where fruits of all kinds grew in never-failing succession, ripened by a perpetual west-wind at all seasons of the year. Odyssey 7.114: “Of these the fruit perishes not nor fails in winter or in summer, but lasts throughout the year; and ever does the west wind, as it blows, quicken to life some fruits, and ripen others.”¹⁸⁾

Section 14

[1] The banqueting-place is arranged outside the city in the Elysian Plain. It is a fair lawn closed in with thick-grown trees of every kind, in the shadow of which the guests recline, on cushions of flowers. The waiting and handing is done by the winds, except only the filling of the wine-cup. That is a service not required; for all round stand great trees of pellucid crystal, whose fruit is drinking-cups of every shape and size. A guest arriving plucks a cup or two and sets them at his place, where they at once fill with wine. So for their drink; and instead of garlands, the nightingales and other singing birds pick flowers with their beaks from the meadows round, and fly over snowing the petals down and singing the while. Nor is perfume forgotten; thick clouds draw it up from the springs and river, and hanging overhead are gently squeezed by the winds till they spray it down in fine dew.

[1] The banqueting-place … | A symposia often was attended by sensuous pleasures like perfumes and garlands.

Section 15

During the meal there is music and song [1]. In the latter kind, Homer’s verse is the favorite; he is himself a member of the festal company, reclining next above Odysseus [2]. The choirs are of boys and girls, conducted and led by Eunomus the Locrian [3], Arion of Lesbos [4], Anacreon [5] and Stesichorus [6]; this last had made his peace with Helen, and I saw him there. When these have finished, a second choir succeeds, of swans [7] and swallows and nightingales; and when their turn is done, all the trees begin to pipe, conducted by the winds.

[1] Epic poetry was performed by a bard, like Demodocus in the Odyssey, accompanied by the lyre and song. It appears that Lucian had a real respect for Homer, notwithstanding what he said about him in his preface. Odyssey 8.42-45: “And summon hither the divine minstrel, Demodocus; for to him above all others has the god granted skill in song, to give delight in whatever way his spirit prompts.”¹⁹⁾

[2] Odysseus | A legendary ////Greek//// king of ////Ithaca//// and a hero of ////Homer////'s ////epic poem//// the ////Odyssey////. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's ////Iliad//// and other works in that same ////Epic Cycle////. Husband of //Penelope, father of //Telemachus//, and son of //Laërtes//// and //Anticlea, Odysseus is renowned for his brilliance, guile, and versatility (polytropos), and is hence known by the //epithet//// Odysseus the Cunning (mētis, or “cunning //intelligence”). He is most famous for the //ten eventful years//// he took to //return home// after the decade-long //Trojan War// and his famous //Trojan Horse// ploy to capture the city of Troy.

[3] Eunomus the Locrian | A famous musician. Clement of Alexandria gives us a full account of him. In a musical contest in summer time Eunomus broke a string of his lyre; whereupon a grasshopper that had been chirping near sprang upon the neck of the instrument and sang as upon a branch. The minstrel, adapting his strain to the grasshopper's song, made up for the want of the missing string. According to Strabo, a statue of Eunomus with the grasshopper and the lyre was erected at Locri.

[4] Arion of Lesbos | Arion, the celebrated lyric poet, harpist, and composer of the dithyramb. Dithyrambs were choral songs in honor of the god Dionysius.

[5] Anacreon | Anacreon, writer of lyric love poetry, died circa 530 BC. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of //nine lyric poets//.

[6] Stesichorus | This poet, we are told, wrote some severe verses on Helen, for which he was punished by Castor and Pollux with a loss of sight. But on making his recantation in a palinodia, his eyes were graciously restored to him. Lucian has disrespected Helen still more grossly, by making her run away with Cinyrus; but he, being not over superstition, defied the power of Castor and Pollux.

[7] Swans | Swans were a popular topic for encomium in antiquity.

Section 16

I have still to add the most important element in their good cheer: there are two springs hard by, called the Fountain of Laughter, and the Fountain of Delight [1]. They all take a draught of both these before the banquet begins, after which the time goes merrily and sweetly.

[1] Fountain of Laughter, and the Fountain of Delight | An allusion to writings of Theopompus of Chios via Aelian: “He added what is yet more wonderful, that there are men living amongst them called Meropes, who inhabit many great Cities; and that at the farthest end of their Country there is a place named Anostus, (from whence there is no return) which resembles a Gulf; it is neither very light nor very dark, the air being dusky intermingled with a kind of Red: That there are two Rivers in this place, one of Pleasure, the other of Grief; and that along each River grow Trees of the bigness of a Plane-tree. Those which grow up by the River of Grief bear fruit of this nature; if anyone eats of them, he shall spend all the rest of his life in tears and grief, and so die. The other Trees which grow by the River of Pleasure produce fruit of a contrary nature, for who tastes thereof shall be eased from all his former desires: If he loved anything, he shall quite forget it; and in a short time shall become younger, and live over again his former years: he shall cast off old age, and return to the prime of his strength, becoming first a young man, then a child, lastly, an infant, and so die.”²⁰⁾

Section 17

I should now like to name the famous persons I saw. To begin with, all the demi-gods, and the besiegers of Troy, with the exception of Ajax the Locrian [1]; he, they said, was undergoing punishment in the place of the wicked. Of barbarians there were the two Cyruses [2], Anacharsis the Scythian [3], Zamolxis the Thracian [4], and the Latin Numa [5]; and then Lycurgus the Spartan [6], Phocion [7] and Tellus of Athens [8], and the Wise Men [9], but without Periander [10]. And I saw Socrates son of Sophroniscus [11] in converse with Nestor [12] and Palamedes [13]; clustered round him were Hyacinth the Spartan [14], Narcissus of Thespiae [15], Hylas [16], and many another comely boy [17]. With Hyacinth I suspected that he was in love; at least he was forever poking questions at him. I heard that Rhadamanthus was dissatisfied with Socrates, and had several times threatened him with expulsion, if he insisted on talking nonsense, and would not drop his irony and enjoy himself. Plato [18] was the only one I missed, but I was told that he was living in his own Utopia, working the constitution and laws which he had drawn up.

[1] Ajax the Locrian | Ravished Cassandra, the daughter of Priam, and priestess of Athena, who sent a tempest, dispersed the Hellenic army in their return home and sunk Ajax with a thunderbolt. Ajax, son of Oileus (to be distinguished from Ajax, son of Telemon), was shipwrecked on his return from Troy, but reached a rock in safety. As, however, he boasted that he would escape in defiance of the gods, Poseidon split the rock with his trident and drowned him.

[2] Two Cyruses | i.e. Cyrus the Elder, founder of the Persian Empire, and Cyrus the Younger, who was killed in 401 BC at the Battle of Cunaxa, when conspiring against his brother Artaxerxes with the aid of the Greek Ten Thousand.

[3] Anacharsis the Scythian | A high born Scythian who travelled in search of knowledge and received instruction from Solon. His countrymen (some say his brother) killed him on his return for introducing new ceremonies and customs. Herodotus 4.76: “So when he came to Scythia he went down into the region called Hylaia (this is along by the side of the racecourse of Achilles and is quite full, as it happens, of trees of all kinds), — into this, I say, Anacharsis went down, and proceeded to perform all the ceremonies of the festival in honor of the goddess, with a kettle-drum and with images hung about himself. And one of the Scythians perceived him doing this and declared it to Saulios the king; and the king came himself also, and when he saw Anacharsis doing this, he shot him with an arrow and killed him. Accordingly at the present time if one asks about Anacharsis, the Scythians say that they do not know him, and for this reason, because he went out of his own country to Hellas and adopted foreign customs.”²¹⁾

[4] Zamolxis the Thracian | A scholar of Pythagoras who taught his master's philosophy to the Thracians who thereafter worshipped Zalmolxis as the Good Spirit to whom they expected to meet after death.

[5] Numa | Second king of Rome, and reputed author of much of Rome's primitive law and religion. Often paired with Lycurgus as is the case in Plutarch's Parallel Lives.

[6] Lycurgus the Spartan | Lycurgus was the legendary lawgiver of //Sparta, who established the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the //Oracle of Apollo at Delphi////. All his reforms were directed towards the three Spartan virtues: equality (among citizens), military fitness, and austerity.

[7] Phocion | The leader of the peace party at Athens, and the chief opponent of Demosthenes on the war with Philip. He was distinguished for the uprightness of his policies and became in high favor with Alexander. The Athenians accused him of treason, and put him to death, 317 BC.

[8] Tellus of Athens | Lived and died on behalf of his country. In the celebrated discourse with Croesus, Solon assigned him second place, according to Lucian, in respect to human happiness. Herodotus, 1.30, places him first. He died fighting bravely in a border war with the Eleusinians, and was honored with a public funeral. Herodotus 1.30: “’Now therefore a desire has come upon me to ask you whether you have seen any whom you deem to be of all men the most happy.’ This Croesus asked supposing that he himself was the happiest of men; but Solon, using no flattery but the truth only, said: ‘Yes, O king, Tellos the Athenian.’ And Croesus, marveling at that which he said, asked him earnestly: ‘In what respect do you judge Tellos to be the most happy?’ And he said: ‘Tellos, in the first place, living while his native State was prosperous, had sons fair and good and saw from all of them children begotten and living to grow up; and secondly he had what with us is accounted wealth, and after his life a most glorious end: for when a battle was fought by the Athenians at Eleusis against the neighboring people, he brought up supports and routed the foe and there died by a most fair death; and the Athenians buried him publicly where he fell, and honored him greatly.’”²²⁾

[9] Wisemen | The Seven Sages of Greece were Thales, Bias, Pittacus, Solon, Cleobulus, Chilon, Periander. The last named was tyrant of Corinth and forfeited his place in Elysium by the oppressive government of his later years.

[10] Periander | Considered one of the seven sages, Lucian excludes him because he was the king of Corinth and a tyrant. Controversial figure.

[11] Socrates son of Sophroniscus | Plato, Apology 40e-41b: “For if a man when he reaches the other world, after leaving behind these who claim to be judges, shall find those who are really judges who are said to sit in judgment there, Minos and Rhadamanthus, and Aeacus and Triptolemus, and all the other demigods who were just men in their lives, would the change of habitation be undesirable? Or again, what would any of you give to meet with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesiod and Homer? I am willing to die many times over, if these things are true; for I personally should find the life there wonderful, when I met Palamedes or Ajax, the son of Telamon, or any other men of old who lost their lives through an unjust judgment, and compared my experience with theirs. I think that would not be unpleasant. And the greatest pleasure would be to pass my time in examining and investigating the people there, as I do those here, to find out who among them is wise and who thinks he is when he is not.”²³⁾

[12] Nestor | The son of //Neleus// and //Chloris// and the King of //Pylos. One of the generals during the Trojan War. He became king after //Heracles//// killed Neleus and all of Nestor's siblings. His wife was either //Eurydice// or //Anaxibia; their children included //Peisistratus//, //Thrasymedes//, //Pisidice//, //Polycaste//, //Stratichus//, //Aretus//, //Echephron//, and //Antilochus////.

[13] Palamedes | One of the Greek heroes who fought against Troy, but was falsely accused of treachery and stoned to death.

[14] Hyacinth the Spartan | A beautiful youth of mythology who was killed accidentally by Apollo with a quoit.

[15] Narcissus of Thespiae | Hunter from the territory of //Thespiae// in //Boeotia// who was renowned for his beauty. He was the son of a river god named //Cephissus// and a nymph named //Liriope. He was exceptionally proud, in that he disdained those who loved him. //Nemesis//// saw this and attracted Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died.

[16] Hylas | Hylas was a youth who served as a companion of //Heracles. His abduction by //water nymphs//// was a theme of ancient art, and has been an enduring subject for //Western art// in the //classical tradition//.

[17] Comely boy | A malevolent sneer at Socrates, who had other pleasures in the company of beautiful young men besides that of instructing them. This is most probably a defamation of the character of that philosopher.

[18] Plato | His leaving and quitting Elysium to go live in his own republic is a stroke of true humor.

Section 18

For popularity, Aristippus and Epicurus [1] bore the palm, in virtue of their kindliness, sociability, and good-fellowship. Aesop the Phrygian [2] was there, and held the office of jester. Diogenes of Sinope [3] was much changed; he had married Lais the courtesan [4], and often in his cups would oblige the company with a dance, or other mad pranks. The Stoics were not represented at all; they were supposed to be still climbing the steep hill of Virtue [5]; and as to Chrysippus [6] himself, we were told that he was not to set foot on the island till he had taken a fourth course of hellebore. The Academics contemplated coming, but were taking time for consideration; they could not yet regard it as a certainty that any such island existed. There was probably the added difficulty that they were not comfortable about the judgment of Rhadamanthus, having themselves disputed the possibility of judgment [7]. It was stated that many of them had started to follow persons travelling to the island, but, their energy failing, had abandoned the journey half-way and gone back.

[1] Aristippus and Epicurus | Aristippus and Epicurus were founders of two sensual schools of philosophy, the Epicurean and the Cyrenaic. Both deemed pleasure to be the end of living.

[2] Aesop the Phrygian | Aesop, the writer of fables, in distinction to Aesop the Roman actor. The slave Aesop is the author of fables in prose, which are no longer extant, with the so-called Aesopic prose fables being spurious. Many of Aesop's original fables were versified in Greek by Babrius and in Latin by Phaedrus.

[3] Diogenes of Sinope | Cynic philosopher whose habitation was a tub. In life, Diogenes went without marriage and family in the quest for self-sufficiency, or autarkeia.

[4] Lais the Courtesan | The celebrated courtesan of Corinth who had real life relations with Aristippus for whom Lucian substitutes Diogenes, the founder of the Cynic School which held opposing beliefs to Aristippus.

[5] Steep hill of Virtue | A reference to Hesiod Works and Days 286-292: “To you, foolish Perses, I will speak good sense. Badness can be got easily and in shoals; the road to her is smooth, and she lives very near us. But between us and Goodness [Virtue] the gods have placed the sweat of our brows; long and steep is the path that leads to her, and it is rough at the first; but when a man has reached the top, then is she easy to reach, though before that she was hard.”²⁴⁾

[6] Chrysippus | The greatest of the Stoics asserted that no man could be a philosopher who had not drunk thrice of hellebore, the antidote to madness.

[7] Disputed possibility of judgment | A central tenet of Ancient Skepticism and the Middle Academy. These philosophers disbelieved in the judgment of the senses, and so, holding that was no criterion or standard of truth, kept their judgment in suspense, and could never reach a definite conclusion. It is obvious that this would be injurious to Rhadamanthus' profession and render his office entirely useless. He, therefore, could not be entirely indifferent to it.

Section 19

I have mentioned the most noteworthy of the company, and add that the most highly respected among them are, first Achilles, and second Theseus. With regard to love affairs, they think there is nothing indecent in doing what they please before everybody [1]. As to the boys, Socrates swore he meant no harm; and yet, if we credit Narcissus and Hyacinthus, he foreswore himself. The women are all common to all; their love is only Platonic. Boys are supplying themselves to anyone at any time without contention.

[1] Before everybody | i.e. copulate openly. The Greeks held this practice to be associated with the norms of barbarians. Herodotus 3.101: “The sexual intercourse of all these Indians of whom I have spoken is open like that of cattle, and they have all one color of skin, resembling that of the Ethiopians”.²⁵⁾ Xenophon Anabasis 5.4.33-4: “Mossynoecians sought after the women in the Hellenic army, and would gladly have laid with them openly in broad daylight, for that was their custom. “.²⁶⁾

Section 20

Before many days had passed, I accosted the poet Homer, when we were both disengaged, and asked him, among other things, where he came from; it was still a burning question with us, I explained. He said he was aware that some brought him from Chios, others from Smyrna, and others again from Colophon; the fact was, he was a Babylonian [1], generally known not as Homer, but as Tigranes; but when later in life he was given as ahomer** or hostage to the Greeks, that name clung to him. Another of my questions was about the so-called spurious lines; had he written them, or not? He said they were all genuine; so I now knew what to think of the critics Zenodotus and Aristarchus [2], and all their laborious study. Having got a categorical answer on that point, I tried him next on his reason for starting the Iliad at the wrath of Achilles; he said he had no exquisite reason; it had just come into his head that way [3]. Another thing I wanted to know was whether he had composed the//Odyssey// before the//Iliad//, as generally believed. He said this was not so. As to his reported blindness [4], I did not need to ask; he had his sight, so there was an end of that. It became a habit of mine, whenever I saw him at leisure, to go up and ask him things, and he answered quite readily — especially after his acquittal; a libel suit had been brought against him by Thersites [5], on the ground of the ridicule to which he is subjected in the poem; Homer had briefed Odysseus [6], and been acquitted.**

[1] Zenodorus and Aristarchus | Alexandrine editors of Homer, and in making recensions of the text rejected and omitted several passages as spurious. Lucian accuses them of bad taste in so doing.

[2] Babylonian | It is obvious that Lucian merely designs to banter the “micrologists”, who induce controversy, concerning the unknown birthplace of Homer, the subject of entire treatises. A certain Alexander of Paphos has even made him an Egyptian; Lucian pushes Homer still more distant from Greece and places as far off as Babylon.

[3] That way | The Iliad begins with the lines, “Sing, goddess, of the wrath of Achilles”, with the first Greek word being “Wrath”, Mênin. Lucian laughs at a certain pedantic school of criticism that pretended to discover mysterious and hidden meanings in every word. The so-called “micrologists”.

[4] The idea that Homer was blind derives from the Homeric Hymn to Apollo in which the bard says: “Remember me in after time whenever anyone of men on earth, a stranger who has seen and suffered much, comes here and asks of you: “Whom think ye, girls, is the sweetest singer that comes here, and in whom do you most delight?” Then answer, each and all, with one voice: “He is a blind man, and dwells in rocky Chios: his lays are evermore supreme.”²⁷⁾

[5] Thersites | This passage is from the Iliad episode where Thersites abuses Agamemnon, the king, but then is stopped by Odysseus with a golden scepter.

[6] Odysseus | In the Iliad, Odysseus is represented as wily and glib of tongue.

Section 21

It was during our sojourn that Pythagoras [1] arrived; he had undergone seven transmigrations, lived the lives of that number of animals, and completed his psychic travels. It was the entire right half of him that was gold. He was at once given the franchise, but the question was still pending whether he was to be known as Pythagoras or Euphorbus. Empedocles [2] also came, scorched all over and baked right through; but not all his entreaties could gain him admittance.

[1] Pythagoras | Believed in the theory of transmigration and asserted that his own soul had inhabited the bodies of five men, of whom Euphorbus the Trojan was one. He was said to have had a golden thigh.

[2] Empedocles | A philosopher of Agrigentum (about 440 BC) who was probably refused admittance on account of his skeptical opinions, met with his death by falling into the crater of Etna. Favorite of Lucian's satire; Dialogues of the Dead 6:

“Aeacus. That is Empedocles. He was half-roasted when he got here from Etna.

Menippus. Tell me, my brazen-slippered friend, what induced you to jump into the crater?

Empedocles. I did it in a fit of melancholy.”²⁸⁾

Icaromenippus 13: “At this moment of depression — I was very near tears — who should come up behind me but Empedocles the physicist? His complexion was like charcoal variegated with ashes, as if he had been baked. I will not deny that I felt some tremors at the sight of him, taking him for some lunar spirit. But he said: ‘Do not be afraid, Menippus; A mortal I, no God; how vain thy dreams. I am Empedocles the physicist. When I threw myself into the crater in such a hurry, the smoke of Etna whirled me off up here; and now I live in the Moon, doing a good deal of high thinking on a diet of dew. So I have come to help you out of your difficulty; you are distressed, I take it, at not being able to see everything on the Earth.’ ‘Thank you so much, you good Empedocles,’ I said; ‘as soon as my wings have brought me back to Greece, I will remember to pour libations to you up the chimney, and salute you on the first of every month with three moonward yawns.’”²⁹⁾

Section 22

The progress of time brought round the Games of the Dead [1]. The umpires were Achilles, holding that office for the fifth, and Theseus for the seventh time. A full report would take too long; but I will summarize the events. The wrestling went to Carus the Heraclid [2], who won the garland from Odysseus. The boxing resulted in a tie; the pair being the Egyptian Areus [3], whose grave is in Corinth, and Epeus [4]. For mixed boxing and wrestling they have no prize. Who won the flat race, I have forgotten. In poetry, Homer really did much the best, but the award was for Hesiod [5]. All prizes were plaited wreaths of peacock feathers.

[1] Games of the Dead | Gr. Thanatusia, in imitation to games played at weddings or funerals. Modeled on the Olympic contests and the Funeral Games for Patroclus and athletic contents among the Phaeacians.

[2] Carus the Heraclid | Otherwise unknown; probably invented by Lucian.

[3] Areus | An Alexandrine philosopher, who with his two sons, Dionysius and Nicantor, instructed Augustus in philosophy. He was also a writer on rhetoric.

[4] Epeus | Winner of the boxing-match at the funeral games of Patroclus in the Iliad.

[5] The award was for Hesiod | Plutarch mentions a contest between Homer and Hesiod at Chalcis, in which the latter won unfairly.

Section 23

Just after the Games were over, news came that the Damned had broken their fetters, overpowered their guard, and were on the point of invading the island [1], the ringleaders being Phalaris of Agrigentum [2], Busiris the Egyptian [3], Diomedes the Thracian [4], Sciron [5], and Pityocamptes. Rhadamanthus at once drew up the Heroes on the beach, giving the command to Theseus, Achilles, and Ajax Telamonius, now in his right senses. The battle was fought, and won by the Heroes, thanks especially to Achilles. Socrates, who was in the right wing, distinguished himself still more than in his lifetime at Delium [6], standing firm and showing no sign of trepidation as the enemy came on; he was afterwards given as a reward of valor a large and beautiful park in the outskirts, to which he invited his friends for conversation, naming it the Post-mortem Academy.

[1] Broken fetters, overpowered guard, invading island | Perhaps a satirical take on the Myth of Er: Plato Republic 615d-616a: “‘For indeed this was one of the dreadful sights we beheld; when we were near the mouth and about to issue forth and all our other sufferings were ended, we suddenly caught sight of him and of others, the most of them, I may say, tyrants. But there were some of private station, of those who had committed great crimes. And when these supposed that at last they were about to go up and out, the mouth would not receive them, but it bellowed when anyone of the incurably wicked or of those who had not completed their punishment tried to come up. And thereupon,’ he said, ‘savage men of fiery aspect who stood by and took note of the voice laid hold on them3 and bore them away. ”.³⁰⁾

[2] Phalaris of Agrigentum | The famous tyrant of Agrigentum, renowned for his ingenious contrivance of roasting his enemies in a brazen bull, and not less memorable for some spurious epistles. Some later traditions paint Phalaris as a mild and just ruler, forced into severe measures by occasional necessity, and especially as a patron of arts and literature. Lucian’s own expositions Phalaris I & II are rhetorical exercises in support of the view of Phalaris in the later tradition of mildness and justice.

[3] Busiris the Egyptian | Sacrificed to Zeus all the strangers that came into his kingdom; also he was killed by Heracles.

[4] Diomedes the Thracian | A king of Thrace who fed his horses with human flesh. Also slain by Heracles.

[5] Scyron | Scyron and Pityocamptes were two famous robbers who used to seize on travelers and commit the most horrid cruelties on them.

[6] At Delium | Socrates fought at the Battle of Delium, 424 BC, and, when the Athenians were routed and fled in disorder, he retreated quietly and steadily, calmingly surveying friends and foes. On this occasion his superior courage was shown by not retreating at all. Plato Symposium 36: “And further let me tell you, gentlemen, what a notable figure he made when the army was retiring in flight from Delium: I happened to be there on horseback, while he marched under arms. The troops were in utter disorder, and he was retreating along with Laches, when I chanced to come up with them and, as soon as I saw them, passed them the word to have no fear, saying I would not abandon them. Here, indeed, I had an even finer view of Socrates than at Potidaea—for personally I had less reason for alarm, as I was mounted; and I noticed, first, how far he outdid Laches in collectedness, and next I felt—to use a phrase of yours, Aristophanes—how there he stepped along, as his wont is in our streets, ‘strutting like a proud marsh-goose, with ever a side-long glance,’ turning a calm sidelong look on friend and foe alike, and convincing anyone even from afar that whoever cares to touch this person will find he can put up a stout enough defense. The result was that both he and his comrade got away unscathed: for, as a rule, people will not lay a finger on those who show this disposition in war; it is men flying in headlong rout that they pursue.”³¹⁾

Section 24

The defeated party were seized, re-fettered, and sent back for severer torments. Homer added to his poems a description of this battle and at my departure handed me the manuscript to bring back to the living world; but it was unfortunately lost with our other property. It began with the line:

Tell now, my Muse, how fought the mighty Dead.

According to their custom after successful war, they boiled beans, held the feast of victory, and kept high holiday. From this Pythagoras alone held aloof, fasting and sitting far off, in sign of his abhorrence of bean-eating [1].

[1] Pythagoras … abhorrence of bean-eating | Pythagoras, for an unknown reason (it is said because he believed the souls of the dead to inhabit beans) refused to eat this vegetable, though a vegetarian.

Section 25

We were in the middle of our seventh month, when an incident happened. Scintharus’s son, Cinyras [1], a fine figure of a man, had fallen in love with Helen some time before, and it was obvious that she was very much taken with the young fellow; there used to be nods and becks and takings of wine between them at table, and they would go off by themselves for strolls in the wood. At last love and despair inspired Cinyras with the idea of an elopement. Helen consented [2], and they were to fly to one of the neighboring islands, Cork or Cheese Island. They had taken three of the boldest of my crew into their confidence; Cinyras said not a word to his father, knowing that he would put a stop to it. The plan was carried out; under cover of night, and in my absence — I had fallen asleep at table —, they got Helen away unobserved and rowed off as hard as they could.

[1] Cinyras (or Kinyras) | A Greek reader would notice that the word kino, which means “copulate”, is an insinuation that he will suffer frustration from pent up sexuality and lust.

[2] Helen consented | In some versions of the abduction of Helen by Paris, Helen is a willing participant. Herodotus 1.4: “Now they say that in their judgment, though it is an act of wrong to carry away women by force, it is a folly to set one’s heart on taking vengeance for their rape, and the wise course is to pay no regard when they have been carried away; for it is evident that they would never be carried away if they were not themselves willing to go.”

Section 26

About midnight Menelaus woke up, and finding his wife’s place empty raised an alarm, and got his brother to go with him to King Rhadamanthus. Just before dawn the look-outs announced that they could make out the boat, far out at sea. So Rhadamanthus sent fifty of the Heroes on board a boat hollowed out of an asphodel trunk [1], with orders to give chase. Pulling their best, they overtook the fugitives at noon, as they were entering the milky sea near the Isle of Cheese; so nearly was the escape executed. The boat was towed back with a chain of roses. Helen shed tears, and so felt her situation as to draw a veil over her face. As to Cinyras and his associates, Rhadamanthus interrogated them to find whether they had more accomplices, and, being assured to the contrary, had them whipped with mallow twigs, bound, and dismissed to the place of the wicked.

[1] Asphodel trunk | The asphodel is mentioned by several poets in connection with the mythology of death, and by association, the afterlife - specifically the Isles of the Blessed and Elysium - part of the ancient Greek concept of the afterlife. Probably not hefty enough to make a boat of. Some examples from the Odyssey Books 11 and 24:

(Book 11.1) “So I spoke, and the spirit of the son of Aeacus departed with long strides over the field of asphodel, joyful in that I said that his son was preeminent.”
(Book 11.2) “And after him I marked huge Orion driving together over the field of asphodel wild beasts which he himself had slain on the lonely hills, and in his hands he held a club all of bronze, ever unbroken.”
(Book 24) “Past the streams of Oceanus they went, past the rock Leucas, past the gates of the sun and the land of dreams, and quickly came to the mead of asphodel, where the spirits dwell, phantoms of men who have done with toils.”³²⁾

Section 27

It was further determined that we should be expelled prematurely from the island; we were allowed only one day’s grace. This drew from me loud laments and tears for the bliss that I was now to exchange for renewed wanderings. They consoled me for their sentence, however, by telling me that it would not be many years before I should return to them, and assigning me my chair and my place at table — a distinguished one — in anticipation. I then went to Rhadamanthus, and was urgent with him to reveal the future to me, and give me directions for our voyage. He told me that I should come to my native land after many wanderings and perils, but as to the time of my return he would give me no certainty. He pointed, however, to the neighboring islands, of which five were visible, besides one more distant, and informed me that the wicked inhabited these, the near ones, that is, ‘from which you see the great flames rising; the sixth yonder is the City of Dreams; and beyond that again, but not visible at this distance, is Calypso’s isle [1]. When you have passed these, you will come to the great continent which is opposite your own [2]; there you will have many adventures, traverse divers tribes, sojourn among inhospitable men, and at last reach your own continent.’ That was all he would say.

[1] Calypso's isle | Calypso, a nymph who lived on the island of Ogygia, where Odysseus in his wanderings was shipwrecked. She fell in love with him and promised him immortality on condition that he would remain with her and not return to his wife Penelope. Odysseus refused, whereupon Calypso detained him in the island for seven years until compelled by the gods to release him.

[2] Great continent which is opposite your own | We never heard whether the narrator performed this voyage. The ancients had a vague notion of a large continent island far away to west, where America is. This was sometimes described as the island of Atlantis, very fruitful and populous, and larger than Asia and Africa combined. Aristotle De Mundo speaks of countries at a vast distance off and opposite to ours. In Aelian's Varia Historia 3.18, Silenus the Satyr is represented as holding a conversation with Midas. He tells him that Europe, Asia, and Africa are islands bounded by the Ocean stream and that the only existing continent is “outside of the world”; an immense tract of land with gigantic inhabitants, whose strange customs he proceeds to describe. It is to this similar belief that Lucian here alludes. Aelian Varia Historia 3.18: “Amongst other things, Silenus told Midas that Europe, Asia and Africa were Islands surrounded by the Ocean: That there was but one Continent only, which was beyond this world and that as to magnitude it was infinite.”³³⁾

Section 28

But he pulled up a mallow root [1] and handed it to me, bidding me invoke it at times of greatest danger. When I arrived in this world, he charged me to abstain from stirring fire with a knife, from lupines, and from the society of boys over eighteen [2]; these things if I kept in mind, I might look for return to the island. That day I made ready for our voyage, and when the banquet hour came, I shared it. On the morrow I went to the poet Homer and besought him to write me a couplet for inscription; when he had done it, I carved it on a beryl pillar which I had set up close to the harbor; it ran thus:

This island, ere he took his homeward way, the blissful Gods gave Lucian to survey.

[1] The mallow plant is associated with the dead and was considered sacred by Pythagoreans. It is meant to have magical powers. It is analogous to the root “moly” from the Odyssey, which Hermes gave Odysseus. Odyssey 10.303-305: “So saying, Argeiphontes gave me the herb, drawing it from the ground, and showed me its nature. At the root it was black, but its flower was like milk. Moly the gods call it, and it is hard for mortal men to dig; but with the gods all things are possible.”³⁴⁾

[2] Precepts | Only the first of the three is an actual Pythagorean precept. Lucian satirizes the Pythagorean symbols as collected by Iambilichus. Iambilichus lived a few generations after Lucian.

Section 29

I stayed out that day too, and next morning started, the Heroes attending to see me off. Odysseus took the opportunity to come unobserved by Penelope and give me a letter for Calypso in the isle Ogygia. Rhadamanthus sent on board with me the ferryman Nauplius, who, in case we were driven on to the islands, might secure us from seizure by guaranteeing that our destination was different. As soon as our progress brought us out of the scented air, it was succeeded by a horrible smell as of bitumen, brimstone, and pitch all burning together; mingled with this were the disgusting and intolerable fumes of roasting human flesh; the air was dark and thick, distilling a pitchy dew upon us; we could also hear the crack of whips and the yelling of many voices.

Section 30

We only touched at one island, on which we also landed. It was completely surrounded by precipitous cliffs, arid, stony, rugged, treeless, and unwatered. We contrived to clamber up the rocks, and advanced along a track beset with thorns and snags — a hideous scene. When we reached the prison and the place of punishment, what first drew our wonder was the character of the whole. The very ground stood thick with a crop of knife-blades and pointed stakes; and it was ringed round with rivers [1], one of slime, a second of blood, and the innermost of flame. This last was very broad and quite impassable; the flame flowed like water, swelled like the sea, and teemed with fish, some resembling firebrands, and others, the small ones, live coals; these were called lamplets.

[1] Rivers | Lucian probably had in mind the description in Plato's Phaedo 60 of the Rivers of Hades: “Many streams of mud both thinner and thicker, like in Sicily the rivers of mud flowing before the lava and the lava itself; and so which fill each of the regions, as to each by chance the flowing around each time occurs. And all these move up and down like some oscillation within the earth; and so this oscillation through nature is some such thing.”³⁵⁾

Section 31

One narrow way led across all three; its gate was kept by Timon of Athens [1]. Nauplius secured us admission, however, and then we saw the chastisement of many kings, and many common men; some were known to us; indeed there hung Cinyras [2], swinging in eddies of smoke. Our guides described the life and guilt of each culprit; the severest torments were reserved for those who in life had been liars and written false history; the class was numerous, and included Ctesias of Cnidus, and Herodotus. The fact was an encouragement to me, knowing that I had never told a lie. [3]

[1] Timon of Athens | According to Lucian’s dialogue Timon the Misanthrope, Timon was the wealthy son of Echecratides who lavished his money on flattering friends. When funds ran out, friends deserted and Timon was reduced to working in the fields. One day, he found a pot of gold and soon his fair-weather friends were back. This time, he drove them away with dirt clods.

[2] Cinyras | Who had just run off with Helen and was unfortunately caught in the act.

[3] Never told a lie | In fact, those are only outrageous lines, which are intended to be imposed on light readers to coax them into believing the truth of the story. There can clearly be no bigger liar than the author of the True History.

Section 32

I soon found the sight more than I could bear, and returning to the ship bade farewell to Nauplius and resumed the voyage. Very soon we seemed quite close to the Isle of Dreams [1], though there was a certain dimness and vagueness about its outline; but it had something dreamlike in its very nature; for as we approached it receded, and seemed to get further and further off. At last we reached it and sailed into Slumber, the port, close to the ivory gates where stands the temple of the Rooster [2] It was evening when we landed, and upon proceeding to the city we saw many strange dreams. But I intend first to describe the city, as it has not been done before; Homer indeed mentions it, but gives no detailed description.

[1] Isle of Dreams | Gr. Hypnos, sleep. An improvement upon Homer's description of Dreamland with its two gates of horn and ivory, from where come true and false dreams respectively. Odyssey 19.562: “Stranger, dreams verily are baffling and unclear of meaning, and in no wise do they find fulfillment in all things for men. For two are the gates of shadowy dreams, and one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory. Those dreams that pass through the gate of sawn ivory deceive men, bringing words that find no fulfillment. But those that come forth through the gate of polished horn bring true issues to pass, when any mortal sees them.”³⁶⁾

[2] Rooster | As herald of the morning.

Section 33

The whole place is embowered in wood, of which the trees are poppy and mandragora [1], all thronged with bats; this is the only winged thing that exists there. A river, called the Somnambule [2], flows close by, and there are two springs at the gates, one called Wakenot [3], and the other Nightlong [4]. The rampart is lofty and of many colors, in the rainbow style. The gates are not two, as Homer [5] says, but four, of which two look on to the plain Stupor; one of them is of iron, the other of pottery, and we were told that these are used by the grim, the murderous, and the cruel. The other pair faces the sea and port, and is of horn — it was by this that we had entered — and of ivory. On the right as you enter the city stands the temple of Night, which deity divides with the Rooster their chief allegiance; the temple of the latter is close to the port. On the left is the palace of Sleep. He is the governor, with two lieutenants, Nightmare, son of Whimsy [6], and Flittergold, son of Fantasy [7]. A well in the middle of the market-place goes by the name of Heavyhead [8]; beside which are the temples of Deceit and Truth. In the market also is the shrine in which oracles are given, the priest and prophet, by special appointment from Sleep, being Antiphon the dream-interpreter. [9]

[1] Mandragora | A root which when ingested is supposed to promote sleep, very proper for the island of dreams. cf. Shakespeare Othello 3.3: “Not poppy nor mandragora … shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep, which thou owedst yesterday”.

[2] Somnambule | Gr. Nyctiporus, night-wanderers.

[3] Wakenot | Gr. Negretus, unwaked or wakeful.

[4] Nightlong | Gr. Pannychia, all night.

[5] Homer | Homer said there were two gates, one for truthful, the other for lying dreams. Virgil recognizes two gates – one of horn, for verae umbrae i.e. true spirits appearing in sleep, the other of ivory, for delusive dreams.

[6] Nightmare son of Whimsy | Gr. Taraxion tou Mataogeous, Fright, the son of vain-hope or Disappointment.

[7] Flittergold, son of Fantasy | Gr. Plutoklea tou Phantasiosis, the pride of riches; i.e. arising from riches, son of fantasy or deceit.

[8] Heavyhead | Gr. Karkotis, heavy-sleep.

[9] Antiphon the dream-interpreter | Perhaps this was leveled at a dream-interpreter of the time that is no longer known.

Section 34

The dreams themselves differed widely in character and appearance. Some were well-grown, smooth-skinned, shapely, handsome fellows, others rough, short, and ugly; some apparently made of gold, others of common cheap stuff. Among them some were found with wings, and other strange variations; others again were like the mummers in a pageant, tricked out as kings or Gods or what not [1]. Many of them we felt that we had seen in our world, and sure enough these came up and claimed us as old acquaintance; they took us under their charge, found us lodgings, entertained us with lavish kindness, and, not content with the magnificence of this present reception, promised us royalties and provinces. Some of them also took us to see our friends, doing the return trip all in the day.

[1] Tricked out as kings of Gods or what not | Lucian often uses dream sequences to show munificent, unrealistic, and unfulfillable promises. Even waking dreams are satirized as fantastical as seen in Lucian’s dialogue The Ship.

Section 35

For thirty days and nights we abode there — a very feast of sleep. Then on a sudden came a mighty clap of thunder: we woke; jumped up; provisioned; put off. In three days we were at the Isle of Ogygia, where we landed. Before delivering the letter, I opened and read it; here are the contents:ODYSSEUS TO CALYPSO, GREETING. Know that in the faraway days when I built my raft and sailed away from you, I suffered shipwreck; I was hard put to it, but Leucothea brought me safe to the land of the Phaeacians; they gave me passage home, and there I found a great company suing for my wife’s hand and living riotously upon our goods. All them I slew, and in after years was slain by Telegonus [1], the son that Circe bare me. And now I am in the Island of the Blest, ruing the day when I left the life I had with you, and the everlasting life you proffered. I watch for opportunity, and meditate escape and return. [2] Some words were added, commending us to her hospitality.

[1] Telegonus | Telegonus was sent by Circe to seek for his father. Being shipwrecked on the island of Ithaca and pressed by hunger, he began to ravage the fields. Thereupon, Odysseus marched against him, and was killed by his son, neither knowing the other.

[2] ODYSSEUS … |This letter gives an account of Odyssey 5-24 with the story from the Telegony, 6^th Century BC written by Eugammon.

Section 36

A little way from the sea I found the cave just as it is in Homer and herself therein at her spinning [1]. She took and read the letter, wept for a space, and then offered us entertainment; royally she feasted us, putting questions the while about Odysseus and Penelope [2]; what were her looks? And was she as discreet as Odysseus had been used to vaunt her? To which we made such answers as we thought she would like.

[1] A little way from the sea I found the cave just as it is in Homer and herself therein at her spinning | Odyssey 5.57-62: “But when he had reached the island which lay afar, then forth from the violet sea he came to land, and went his way until he came to a great cave, wherein dwelt the fair-tressed nymph; and he found her within. A great fire was burning on the hearth, and from afar over the isle there was a fragrance of cleft cedar and juniper, as they burned; but she within was singing with a sweet voice as she went to and fro before the loom, weaving with a golden shuttle.”³⁷⁾

[2] Penelope | Passage implies that he denigrated Penelope's looks and chastity. Odyssey 5.215-5.217: “Mighty goddess, be not wroth with me for this. I know full well of myself that wise Penelope is meaner to look upon than thou in comeliness and in stature, for she is a mortal, while thou art immortal and ageless.”³⁸⁾

Section 37

Leaving her, we went on board, and spent the night at anchor just off shore; in the morning we started with a stiff breeze, which grew to a gale lasting two days; on the third day we fell in with the Pumpkin-pirates [1]. These are savages of the neighboring islands who prey upon passing ships. They use large boats made of pumpkins ninety feet long. The pumpkin is dried and hollowed out by removal of the pulp, and the boat is completed by the addition of cane masts and pumpkin-leaf sails. Two boatfuls of them engaged us, and we had many casualties from their pumpkin-seed missiles. The fight was long and well matched; but about noon we saw a squadron of Nut-tars [2] coming up in rear of the enemy. It turned out that the two parties were at war; for as soon as our assailants observed the others, they left us alone and turned to engage them.

[1] Pumpkin-pirates | Gr. Kolokyntho-peiratai.

[2] Nut-tars Sailors | Gr. Karyonautai.

Section 38

Meanwhile we hoisted sail and made the best of our way off, leaving them to fight it out. It was clear that the Nut-tars must win, as they had both superior numbers — there were five sail of them — and stronger vessels. These were made of nutshells, halved and emptied, measuring ninety feet from stem to stern. As soon as they were hull down, we attended to our wounded; and from that time we made a practice of keeping on our armor, to be in instant readiness for an attack — no vain precaution either.

Section 39

Before sunset, for instance, there assailed us from a bare island some twenty men mounted on large dolphins [1] — pirates again. Their dolphins carried them quite well, curveting and neighing. When they got near, they divided, and subjected us to a cross fire of dry cuttlefish and crabs’ eyes. But our arrows and javelins were too much for them, and they fled back to the island, few of them unwounded.

[1] Dolphins | Follows tradition of men riding dolphins. Herodotus 1.24: “Then as the measure ended, Arion threw himself into the sea just as he was, in his full minstrel’s garb; and they went on sailing away to Corinth, but him, they say, a dolphin supported on its back and brought him to shore at Tainaron: and when he had come to land he proceeded to Corinth with his minstrel’s garb.”³⁹⁾ Aulus Gellius Attic Nights 6.8: “I have appended the words of that learned man Apion, from the fifth book of his Egyptian History, in which he tells of an amorous dolphin and a boy who did not reject its advances, of their intimacy and play with each other, the dolphin carrying the boy and the boy bestriding the fish; and Apion declares that of all this he himself and many others were eye-witnesses.”⁴⁰⁾

Section 40

At midnight, in calm weather, we found ourselves colliding with an enormous halcyon’s nest; it was full seven miles round. The halcyon was brooding, not much smaller herself than the nest. She got up, and very nearly capsized us with the fanning of her wings; however, she went off with a melancholy cry. When it was getting light, we got on to the nest, and found on examination that it was composed like a vast raft of large trees. There were five hundred eggs, larger in girth than a tun of Chian [1]. We could make out the chicks inside and hear them croaking; we hewed open one egg with hatchets, and dug out an unfledged chick bulkier than twenty vultures. [2]

[1] Chian | The Chian wine-jar held about three or four quarts.

[2] Twenty vultures | Reminiscent of the Story of Roc and its egg from the Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor. The roc appears in Arabic geographies and natural history, popularized in Arabian fairy tales and sailors' folklore. //Ibn Battuta// (iv. 305ff) tells of a mountain hovering in air over the China Seas, which was the roc. Whether Lucian may have borrowed from the Arabian Nights (or rather from the common material out of which the tales were built) is unknown.

Section 41

Sailing on, we had left the nest some five and twenty miles behind, when a miracle happened. The wooden goose [1] of our stern-post suddenly clapped its wings and started cackling; Scintharus, who was bald, recovered his hair; most striking of all, the ship’s mast came to life, putting forth branches sideways, and fruit at the top; this fruit was figs, and a bunch of black grapes, not yet ripe [2]. These sights naturally disturbed us, and we fell to praying the Gods to avert any disaster they might portend [3].

[1] Wooden goose | Meaning the carved head; goose heads were often used at the prow of ships.

[2] Grapes, not yet ripe | Attests to the force of Dionysius as seen in his Homeric Hymn when captured by Tyrrhenian pirates: “And all at once a vine spread out both ways along the top of the sail with many clusters hanging down from it, and a dark ivy-plant twined about the mast, blossoming with flowers, and with rich berries growing on it; and all the thole-pins were covered with garlands.” Lucian and his comrades have the right to be worried by the omen.

[3] Praying to the gods | Lucian's satire is directed at the common superstition, which saw in every strange occurrence an omen of divine anger, requiring prayer or sacrifice to avert it.

Section 42

We had preceded something less than fifty miles when we saw a great forest, thick with pines and cypresses. This we took for the mainland; but it was in fact deep sea, set with trees; they had no roots, but yet remained in their places, floating upright, as it were. When we came near and realized the state of the case, we could not tell what to do; it was impossible to sail between the trees, which were so close as to touch one another, and we did not like the thought of turning back. I climbed the tallest tree to get a good view, and found that the wood was five or six miles across, and was succeeded by open water. So we determined to hoist the ship on to the top of the foliage, which was very dense, and get her across to the other sea, if possible. It proved to be so. We attached a strong cable, got up on the tree-tops, and hauled her after us with some difficulty; then we laid her on the branches, hoisted sail, and floating thus were propelled by the wind. A line of Antimachus came into my head:

And as they voyaged thus the woodland through** — [1]**

[1] This passage refers to the Argonauts having to move their ship through the deserts of Libya to reach the other sea. Antimachus of Colophon wrote the Thebiad, several lines of which are cited by Athenaeus and in some elegiac poems. The emperor Hadrian is said to have preferred him to Homer.

Section 43

Well, we made our way over and reached the water, into which we let her down in the same way. We then sailed through clear transparent sea, till we found ourselves on the edge of a great gorge [1] which divided water from water, like the land fissures which are often produced by earthquakes. We got the sails down and brought her to just in time to escape making the plunge. We could bend over and see an awful mysterious gulf perhaps a hundred miles deep, the water standing wall against wall. Glances round showed us not far off to the right a water bridge which spanned the chasm, and gave a moving surface crossing from one sea to the other. We got out the sweeps, pulled her to the bridge, and with great exertions affected that astonishing passage.

[1] Great gorge | Reminds the reader of Herodotus 4.85: “These then were left, having been slain upon the spot where they were: and Dareios meanwhile set forth from Susa and arrived at the place on the Bosphorus where the bridge of ships had been made, in the territory of Chalcedon; and there he embarked in a ship and sailed to the so-called Kyanean rocks, which the Hellenes say formerly moved backwards and forwards; and taking his seat at the temple he gazed upon the Pontus, which is a sight well worth seeing. Of all seas indeed it is the most marvelous in its nature. The length of it is eleven thousand one hundred furlongs, and the breadth, where it is broadest, three thousand three hundred: and of this great Sea the mouth is but four furlongs broad, and the length of the mouth, that is of the neck of water which is called Bosphorus, where, as I said, the bridge of ships had been made, is not less than a hundred and twenty furlongs. This Bosphorus extends to the Propontis; and the Propontis, being in breadth five hundred furlongs and in length one thousand four hundred, has its outlet into the Hellespont, which is but seven furlongs broad at the narrowest place, though it is four hundred furlongs in length: and the Hellespont runs out into that expanse of sea which is called the Aegean.”⁴¹⁾

Section 44

There followed a sail through smooth water, and then a small island, easy of approach, and inhabited; its occupants were the Ox-heads, savage men with horns, after the fashion of our poets’ Minotaur [1]. We landed and went in search of water and provisions, of which we were now in want. The water we found easily, but nothing else; we heard, however, not far off, a numerous lowing; supposing it to indicate a herd of cattle, we went a little way towards it, and came upon these men. They gave chase as soon as they saw us, and seized three of my comrades, the rest of us getting off to sea. We then armed — for we would not leave our friends unavenged — and in full force fell on the Ox-heads as they were dividing our slaughtered men’s flesh. Our combined shout put them to flight, and in the pursuit we killed about fifty, took two alive, and returned with our captives. We had found nothing to eat; the general opinion was for slaughtering the prisoners; but I refused to accede to this [2], and kept them in bonds till an embassy came from the Ox-heads to ransom them; so we understood the motions they made, and their tearful supplicatory lowings. The ransom consisted of a quantity of cheese, dried fish, onions, and four deer; these were three-footed, the two forefeet being joined into one. In exchange for all this we restored the prisoners, and after one day’s further stay departed.

[1] Minotaur | The Minotaur was an ox-headed, man-eating monster, who lived in the Labyrinth in Crete. He was slain by Theseus with the help of Ariadne.

[2] I refused to accede to this | Lucian is trying not to have a repeat of the Island of the Sun episode from the Odyssey 12 where hunger and fatigued trumped logic. Tiresias and Circe both warn Odysseus to shun the Isle of Helios. When Eurylochus begs to be allowed to land to prepare supper, Odysseus grudgingly agrees, on condition that the crew swears that if they come upon a herd of cattle or a great flock of sheep, no one will kill any of them. They are held on the isle for a month by unfavorable winds, and when Odysseus goes up the island to pray to the gods and ask for help, Eurylochus convinces the crew to drive off the best of the cattle of Helios and sacrifice them to the gods: “if he be somewhat wroth for his cattle with straight horns, and is fain to wreck our ship, and the other gods follow his desire, rather with one gulp at the wave would I cast my life away, than be slowly straitened to death in a desert isle.” Lampetie tells Helios that they have slain his cattle, and he in turn begs Zeus and the other gods to take vengeance on the company of Odysseus. He threatens that if they do not pay him full atonement for the cattle that he will go down to Hades and shine among the dead. Zeus promises to smite their ship with a lightning bolt, and cleave it in pieces in the midst of the ocean. When he returns to the ship, Odysseus rebukes his companions, but it is too late, the cattle are dead and gone. Soon the gods show signs and wonders to them. The skins begin creeping, and the flesh bellowing upon the spits, both the roast and raw, and there is a sound like the voice of cattle. For six days Odysseus's company feast on the cattle of Helios. On the seventh day, the wind changes. After they set sail, Zeus keeps his word and the ship is destroyed by lightning. Odysseus escapes by swimming to Calypso's island. The next seven years he stays on her island and she treats him to all of her gifts.

Section 45

By this time we were beginning to observe fish, birds on the wing, and other signs of land not far off; and we shortly saw men, practicing a mode of navigation new to us; for they were boat and crew in one. The method was this: they float on their backs, erect a sail, and then, holding the sheets with their hands, catch the wind. These were succeeded by others who sat on corks, to which were harnessed pairs of dolphins, driven with reins. They neither attacked nor avoided us, but drove along in all confidence and peace, admiring the shape of our craft and examining it all round.

Section 46

That evening we touched at an island of no great size. It was occupied by what we took for women, talking Greek. They came and greeted us with kisses, were attired like courtesans, all young and fair, and with long robes sweeping the ground. Cabbalusa was the name of the island, and Hydramardia the city’s [1]. These women paired off with us and led the way to their separate homes.

I myself tarried a little, under the influence of some presentiment, and looking more closely observed quantities of human bones and skulls lying about [2]. I did not care to raise an alarm, gather my men, and resort to arms; instead, I drew out my mallow [3], and prayed earnestly to it for escape from our perilous position. Shortly after, as my hostess was serving me, I saw that in place of human feet she had ass’s hoofs; whereupon I drew my sword, seized, bound, and closely questioned her. Reluctantly enough she had to confess; they were sea-women called Ass-shanks [4], and their food was travelers. ‘When we have made them drunk,’ she said, ‘and gone to rest with them, we overpower them in their sleep.’ After this confession I left her there bound, went up on to the roof, and shouted for my comrades. When they appeared, I repeated it all to them, showed them the bones, and brought them in to see my prisoner; she at once vanished, turning to water; however, I thrust my sword into this experimentally, upon which the water became blood.

[1] Cabbalusa … Hydramardia | Much brainpower has been spent trying to figure out the import or even location of these Greek names. It has been suggested that they were distorted by a transcriber. No verdict has been made as to their meaning.

[2] Skulls lying about | Lucian, like Odysseus, can see the signs of embroilment. Passage has two parallels from the Odyssey. Odyssey 10.312: “So she spoke, but I, drawing my sharp sword from beside my thigh, rushed upon Circe, as though I would slay her.”⁴²⁾ Odyssey 12.42-46: “Whoso in ignorance draws near to them and hears the Sirens' voice, he nevermore returns, that his wife and little children may stand at his side rejoicing, but the Sirens beguile him with their clear-toned song, as they sit in a meadow, and about them is a great heap of bones of moldering men, and round the bones the skin is shriveling.”⁴³⁾

[3] My mallow | Refers to the mallow given by way of charm earlier on his departure from the happy island.

[4] Ass-shanks | Gr. Onoscileas, aft-legged.

Section 47

Then we marched hurriedly down to our ship and sailed away. With the first glimmering of dawn we made out a mainland [1], which we took for the continent that faces our own. We reverently saluted it, made prayer, and held counsel upon our best course. Some were for merely landing and turning back at once, others for leaving the ship, and going into the interior to make trial of the inhabitants. But while we were deliberating, a great storm arose, which dashed us, a complete wreck, on the shore. We managed to swim to land, each snatching up his arms and anything else he could.

Such are the adventures that befell me up to our arrival at that other continent: our sea-voyage; our cruise among the islands and in the air; then our experiences in and after the whale; with the Heroes; with the dreams; and finally with the Ox-heads and the Ass-shanks. Our fortunes on the continent will be the subject of the following books [2].

[1] Mainland | There may be two parallels to this passage in ancient texts: Plato Timaeus 24e: “For it is related in our records how once upon a time your State stayed the course of a mighty host, which, starting from a distant point in the Atlantic ocean, was insolently advancing to attack the whole of //Europe, and //Asia//// to boot. For the ocean there was at that time navigable; for in front of the mouth which you Greeks call, as you say, 'the pillars of Heracles,' there lay an island which was larger than //Libya// and //Asia// together; and it was possible for the travelers of that time to cross from it to the other islands, and from the islands to the whole of the continent”.⁴⁴⁾ Aelian Various History 3.18: “Amongst other things, Silenus told Midas that Europe, Asia and Africa were Islands surrounded by the Ocean: That there was but one Continent only, which was beyond this world and that as to magnitude it was infinite”.⁴⁵⁾

[2] Following books | The following books never appeared. It is highly proper that a history made entirely up of lies should conclude with a promise which the author never intends to keep.

Citations

The Works of Lucian from the Greek. Thomas Francklin. London. Printed for T. Cadell in the Strand. 1780.

Lucian. With an English translation by A. M. Harmon of Princeton University. London. William Heinemann; New York: The Macmillan Co. 1913.

Luciani Vera Historia. Edited with Introduction and Notes for the Use of Middle Forms in Schools. C. S. Jarram, M.A. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. 1879.

Lucian of Samosata from the Greek with the Comments and Illustrations of Wieland and Others. William Tooke, F.R.S. London. 1820.

Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches. Translated with and Introduction and Notes by Keith Sidwell. Penguin Books. 2004.

Book Cover Image by Aubrey Beardsley:

Lucian’s True History.Translated by Francis Hickes. Illustrated by William Strang, J.B. Clark, and Aubrey Beardsley with an introduction by Charles Whibley, 1902.

¹⁾ , ¹³⁾ , ²⁹⁾

Lucian, H W. Fowler, and F G. Fowler. The Works of Lucian of Samosata: Complete with Exceptions Specified in the Preface. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905. Print.

²⁾ , ⁵⁾ , ⁷⁾ , ¹²⁾ , ¹⁴⁾ , ²¹⁾ , ²²⁾ , ²⁵⁾ , ³⁹⁾

Herodotus, and G C. Macaulay. The History of Herodotus. London: Macmillan and Co, 1890. Print.

³⁾

Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, Robert D. Diogenes Laertius: Lives of Eminent Philosophers. New York: Harvard U. Press, 1925. Print.

⁴⁾

Homer, and A T. Murray. The Iliad. London: W. Heinemann, 1924. Print.

⁶⁾

Thucydides, Richard Crawley, and Richard Feetham. Thucydides' Peloponnesian War. London: J.M. Dent and Co, 1903. Print.

⁸⁾ , ²⁰⁾

Aelian, Claudius, and Thomas Stanley. Claudius Ælianus His Various History. London: Printed for Thomas Dring, 1665. Print.

⁹⁾

Pliny, , Philemon Holland, and Adam Islip.The Historie of the World: Commonly Called the Natural Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. London: Printed by Adam Islip, 1601. Print. Spelling modernized.: Of Polypus or Pourcontrels, there be sundry kinds. They that keep near to the shore are bigger than those that haunt the deep. All of them help themselves with their fins and arms, like as we do with feet and hands: as for their tail, which is sharp and two-forked, it serves them in the act of generation. These Pourcontrels have a pipe in their back, by the help whereof they swim all over the seas; and if they can shift, one while to the right side, and another while to the left. They swim awry or side-long with their head above, which is very hard and as it were puffed up, so long as they be alive. Moreover, they have certain hollow concavities dispersed within their claws or arms like to ventoses or cupping glasses, whereby they will stick too, and cleave fast, as it were by sucking, to anything; which they clasp and hold so fast (lying upward with their bellies) that it cannot be plucked from them. They never settle so low as the bottom of the water: and the greater they be, the less strong they are to clasp or hold anything. Of all soft fishes, they only go out of the water to dry land, especially into some rough place; for they cannot abide those that are plain and even. They live upon shell-fishes, and with their hairs or strings that they have, they will twine about their shells and crack them in pieces: and therefore a man may know where they lie and make their abode, by a number of shells that lie before their nest. And albeit otherwise it be a very brutish and senseless creature, so foolish withal, that it will swim and come to a man’s hand; yet it seems after a sort to be witty and wise, and keeping of house and maintaining a family: for all that they can take, they carry home to their nest. When they have eaten the meat of the fishes, they throw the empty shells out of dores, and lie as it were in ambuscade behind, to watch and catch fishes that swim thither. They change their color eftsoones, and resemble the place where they be, and especially when they be afraid. That they gnaw and eat their own claws and arms, is a mere untruth; for they be the Congress that doe them that shrewd turn: but true it is, that they will grow again, like as the tail of snakes, adders, and lizards. But among the greatest wonders of Nature, is that fish, which of some is called Nautilos, of others Pompilos. This fish, for to come aloft above the water, turns upon his back, and raises or heaves himself up by little and little: and to the end he might swim with more ease, as disburdened of a sink, he discharges all the water within him at a pipe. After this, turning up his two foremost claws or arms, he displayed and stretched out between them, a membrane or skin of a wonderful thinness: this serves him instead of a sailed in the air above water: with the rest of his arms or claws, he rows and labors under water; and with his tail in the midst, he directs his course, and steers as it were with an helm. Thus holds he on and makes way in the sea, with a faire show of a foist or galley under sail. Now if he be afraid of anything in the way, he makes no more adoe but draws in water to balance his body, and so plunges himself down and sinks to the bottom.

¹⁰⁾

Thucydides, , Richard Crawley, and Richard Feetham. Thucydides' Peloponnesian War. London: J.M. Dent and Co, 1903. Print.

¹¹⁾

Augustine, and Philip Schaff. A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Vol. 2. New York: Christian literature Co, 1887. Print.

¹⁵⁾

Pindar. Myers, Ernest J. The Extant Odes of Pindar, Translated into English [in Prose], with an Introduction and Short Notes by E. Myers. London, 1874. Print.

¹⁶⁾

Lucian, , H W. Fowler, and F G. Fowler.The Works of Lucian of Samosata: Complete with Exceptions Specified in the Preface. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905. Print. Alexander … Hannibal | Dialogues of the Dead 12: Alexander. Hannibal. Minos. Scipio Alex. Libyan, I claim precedence of you. I am the better man. Han. Pardon me. Alex. Then let Minos decide. Mi. Who are you both? Alex. This is Hannibal, the Carthaginian: I am Alexander, the son of Philip. Mi. . Bless me, a distinguished pair! And what is the quarrel about? Alex. It is a question of precedence. He says he is the better general: and I maintain that neither Hannibal nor (I might almost add) any of my predecessors was my equal in strategy; all the world knows that. Mi. Well, you shall each have your say in turn: the Libyan first. Han. Fortunately for me, Minos, I have mastered Greek since I have been here; so that my adversary will not have even that advantage of me. Now I hold that the highest praise is due to those who have won their way to greatness from obscurity; who have clothed themselves in power, and shown themselves fit for dominion. I myself entered Spain with a handful of men, took service under my brother, and was found worthy of the supreme command. I conquered the Celtiberians, subdued Western Gaul, crossed the Alps, overran the valley of the Po, sacked town after town, made myself master of the plains, approached the bulwarks of the capital, and in one day slew such a host, that their finger-rings were measured by bushels, and the rivers were bridged by their bodies. And this I did, though I had never been called a son of Ammon; I never pretended to be a god, never related visions of my mother; I made no secret of the fact that I was mere flesh and blood. My rivals were the ablest generals in the world, commanding the best soldiers in the world; I warred not with Medes or Assyrians, who fly before they are pursued, and yield the victory to him that dares take it. Alexander, on the other hand, in increasing and extending as he did the dominion which he had inherited from his father, was but following the impetus given to him by Fortune. And this conqueror had no sooner crushed his puny adversary by the victories of Issus and Arbela, than he forsook the traditions of his country, and lived the life of a Persian; accepting the prostrations of his subjects, assassinating his friends at his own table, or handing them over to the executioner. I in my command respected the freedom of my country, delayed not to obey her summons, when the enemy with their huge armament invaded Libya, laid aside the privileges of my office, and submitted to my sentence without a murmur. Yet I was a barbarian all unskilled in Greek culture; I could not recite Homer, nor had I enjoyed the advantages of Aristotle's instruction; I had to make a shift with such qualities as were mine by nature.- It is on these grounds that I claim the preeminence. My rival has indeed all the luster that attaches to the wearing of a diadem, and - I know not - for Macedonians such things may have charms: but I cannot think that this circumstance constitutes a higher claim than the courage and genius of one who owed nothing to Fortune, and everything to his own resolution. Mi . Not bad, for a Libyan. - Well, Alexander, what do you say to that? Alex . Silence, Minos, would be the best answer to such confident self-assertion. The tongue of Fame will suffice of itself to convince you that I was a great prince, and my opponent a petty adventurer. But I would have you consider the distance between us. Called to the throne while I was yet a boy, I quelled the disorders of my kingdom, and avenged my father's murder. By the destruction of Thebes, I inspired the Greeks with such awe, that they appointed me their commander-in-chief; and from that moment, scorning to confine myself to the kingdom that I inherited from my father, I extended my gaze over the entire face of the earth, and thought it shame if I should govern less than the whole. With a small force I invaded Asia, gained a great victory on the Granicus, took Lydia, lonia, Phrygia,- in short, subdued all that was within my reach, before I commenced my march for Issus, where Darius was waiting for me at the head of his myriads. You know the sequel: yourselves can best say what was the number of the dead whom on one day I dispatched hither. The ferryman tells me that his boat would not hold them; most of them had to come across on rafts of their own construction. In these enterprises, I was ever at the head of my troops, ever courted danger. To say nothing of Tyre and Arbela, I penetrated into India, and carried my empire to the shores of Ocean; I captured elephants; I conquered Porus; I crossed the Tanais, and worsted the Scythians - no mean enemies - in a tremendous cavalry engagement. I heaped benefits upon my friends: I made my enemies taste my resentment. If men took me for a god, I cannot blame them; the vastness of my undertakings might excuse such a belief. But to conclude. I died a king: Hannibal, a fugitive at the court of the Bithynian Prusias - fitting end for villainy and cruelty. Of his Italian victories I say nothing; they were the fruit not of honest legitimate warfare, but of treachery, craft, and dissimulation. He taunts me with self-indulgence: my illustrious friend has surely forgotten the pleasant time he spent in Capua among the ladies, while the precious moments fleeted by. Had I not scorned the Western world, and turned my attention to the East, what would it have cost me to make the bloodless conquest of Italy, and Libya, and all, as far West as Gades? But nations that already cowered beneath a master were unworthy of my sword.- I have finished, Minos, and await your decision; of the many arguments I might have used, these shall suffice. Sci. First, Minos let me speak. Mi. And who are you, friend? And where do you come from? Sci. I am Scipio, the Roman general, who destroyed Carthage, and gained great victories over the Libyans. Mi. Well, and what have you to say? Sci. That Alexander is my superior, and I am Hannibal's, having defeated him, and driven him to ignominious flight. What impudence is this, to contend with Alexander, to whom I, your conqueror, would not presume to compare myself! Mi. Honestly spoken, Scipio, on my word! Very well, then: Alexander comes first, and you next; and I think we must say Hannibal third. And a very creditable third, too.

¹⁷⁾ , ²⁶⁾

Xenophon, and Henry G. Dakyns. The Works of Xenophon. London: Macmillan and Co, 1890. Print.

¹⁸⁾ , ¹⁹⁾ , ³⁴⁾ , ³⁸⁾

Homer, George E. Dimock, and A T. Murray. Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1919. Print.

²³⁾ , ³⁵⁾

Plato, Benjamin Jowett. Dialogues. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1871. Print.

²⁴⁾

Hesiod, and Hugh G. Evelyn-White. The Homeric Hymns: Homerica. Cambridge (Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1914. Print.

²⁷⁾

Hesiod, and Hugh G. Evelyn-White. The Homeric Hymns: Homerica. Cambridge (Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1914. Print.

²⁸⁾

Lucian, H W. Fowler, and F G. Fowler. The Works of Lucian of Samosata: Complete with Exceptions Specified in the Preface. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905. Print.

³⁰⁾

Plato, Benjamin Jowett. Dialogues. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1871. Print.

³¹⁾

Plato, ; Benjamin Jowett. Dialogues. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1871. Print.

³²⁾

Homer, George E. Dimock, and A T. Murray. Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1919. Print.

³³⁾ , ⁴⁵⁾

Aelian, Claudius, and Thomas Stanley. Claudius Ælianus His Various History. London: Printed for Thomas Dring, 1665. Print.

³⁶⁾ , ³⁷⁾

Homer, George E. Dimock, and A T. Murray. Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1919. Print.

⁴⁰⁾

Gellius, Aulus, John C. Rolfe, Aulus Gellius, and Aulus Gellius. The Attic Nights of Aulus Gellius. London: Heinemann, 1927 (revised 1946). Print.

⁴¹⁾

Herodotus, and G C. Macaulay. The History of Herodotus. London: Macmillan and Co, 1890. Print.

⁴²⁾ , ⁴³⁾

Homer, , George E. Dimock, and A T. Murray. Odyssey. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1919. Print.

⁴⁴⁾

Plato, ; Benjamin Jowett. Dialogues. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1871. Print.

Menippus of Gadara | Strabo, Geography 16.2.29

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:50:13 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Strabo, Geography 16.2.29

<blockquote>29 But in the interval one comes to Gadaris, which the Judaeans appropriated to themselves; and then to Azotus and Ascalon. The distance from Iamneia to Azotus and Ascalon is about two hundred stadia. The country of the Ascalonitae is a good onion-market, though the town is small. Antiochus the philosopher, who was born a little before my time, was a native of this place. Philodemus, the Epicurean, and Meleager and Menippus, the satirist, and Theodorus, the rhetorician of my own time, were natives of Gadaris.
Source</blockquote>

Menippus of Gadara | Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 2.18

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:29:39 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 2.18

<blockquote>18 That Phaedo the Socratic was a slave; and that several others also were of that condition.

Phaedo of Elis belonged to that famous Socratic band and was on terms of close intimacy with Socrates and Plato. His name was given by Plato to that inspired dialogue of his on the immortality of the soul. This Phaedo, though a slave, was of noble person and intellect, and according to some writers, in his boyhood was driven to prostitution by his master, who was a pander. We are told that Cebes the Socratic, at Socrates' earnest request, bought Phaedo and gave him the opportunity of studying philosophy. And he afterwards became a distinguished philosopher, whose very tasteful discourses on Socrates are in circulation.

There were not a few other slaves too afterwards who became famous philosophers, among them that Menippus whose works Marcus Varro emulated in those satires which others call “Cynic,” but he himself, “Menippean.”

Besides these, Pompylus, the slave of the Peripatetic Theophrastus, and the slave of the Stoic Zeno who was called Persaeus, and the slave of Epicurus whose name was Mys, were philosophers of repute.

Diogenes the Cynic also served as a slave, but he was a freeborn man, who was sold into slavery. When Xeniades of Corinth wished to buy him and asked whether he knew any trade, Diogenes replied: “I know how to govern free men.” Then Xeniades, in admiration of his answer, bought him, set him free, and entrusting to him his own children, said: “Take my children to govern.”

But as to the well-known philosopher Epictetus, the fact that he too was a slave is too fresh in our memory to need to be committed to writing, as if it had been forgotten.
Source</blockquote>

Menippus of Gadara | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §29-30

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 14:45:21 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §29-30

<blockquote>29. Menippus in his Sale of Diogenes tells how, when he was captured and put up for sale, he was asked what he could do. He replied, “Govern men.” And he told the crier to give notice in case anybody wanted to purchase a master for himself. Having been forbidden to sit down, “It makes no difference,” said he, “for in whatever position fishes lie, they still find purchasers.” 30. And he said he marvelled that before we buy a jar or dish we try whether it rings true, but if it is a man are content merely to look at him. To Xeniades who purchased him he said, “You must obey me, although I am a slave; for, if a physician or a steersman were in slavery, he would be obeyed.” Eubulus in his book entitled The Sale of Diogenes tells us that this was how he trained the sons of Xeniades. After their other studies he taught them to ride, to shoot with the bow, to sling stones and to hurl javelins. Later, when they reached the wrestling-school, he would not permit the master to give them full athletic training, but only so much as to heighten their colour and keep them in good condition.
Source</blockquote>

Menippus of Gadara | Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae Book I.32.d-e

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:29:18 +0000

Menippus of Gadara | Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae Book I.32.d-e

<blockquote>Wines which are more carefully treated with sea water do not cause headache; they loosen the bowels, excite the stomach, cause inflations, and assist digestion. Examples are the Myndian and the Halicarnassian. The Cynic Menippus, at any rate, calls Myndus “salt-water drinker.” The wine of Cos also is very highly treated with sea water.
Source</blockquote>

Referrers : Thursday

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 23:53:35 +0000

Referrers : Thursday

If you find the Referrers for DokuWiki useful, please consider donating.

hostname	ip address	referrer
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
209.99.169.25	209.99.169.25	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.25	209.99.169.25	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
cpe-184-57-112-228.columbus.res.rr.com	184.57.112.228	NULL
91.242.162.12	91.242.162.12	NULL
209.99.168.110	209.99.168.110	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
91.242.162.12	91.242.162.12	NULL
91.242.162.12	91.242.162.12	NULL
fetcher17-5.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.203	NULL
fetcher17-15.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.213	NULL
104.223.29.244.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.244	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-35.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.233	NULL
host252.200-123-254.dialup.intercity.net.ar	200.123.254.252	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-179.108.56.198.redeatel.com.br	179.108.56.198	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
17-58-98-75.applebot.apple.com	17.58.98.75	NULL
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-235.search.msn.com	157.55.39.235	NULL
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.37.119	23.231.37.119	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.199	23.105.143.199	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.199	23.105.143.199	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.199	23.105.143.199	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
host-138-229-101-180.static.sprious.com	138.229.101.180	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-138-229-101-180.static.sprious.com	138.229.101.180	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-80.search.msn.com	40.77.167.80	NULL
c-73-158-50-7.hsd1.ca.comcast.net	73.158.50.7	https://www.google.com/
207.244.117.84	207.244.117.84	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
207.244.117.84	207.244.117.84	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
207.244.117.84	207.244.117.84	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.174.164	209.99.174.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.174.164	209.99.174.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
ip193.ip-147-135-225.eu	147.135.225.193	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
ip193.ip-147-135-225.eu	147.135.225.193	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
206.41.175.54	206.41.175.54	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.54	206.41.175.54	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.54	206.41.175.54	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
108.62.5.170	108.62.5.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
108.62.5.170	108.62.5.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
108.62.5.170	108.62.5.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
144.48.109.178	144.48.109.178	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
144.48.109.178	144.48.109.178	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.40.92.228	192.40.92.228	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192.40.92.228	192.40.92.228	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192.40.92.228	192.40.92.228	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
ip68-227-81-38.sb.sd.cox.net	68.227.81.38	https://www.google.com/
89.249.73.15	89.249.73.15¹⁾	NULL
23.90.28.21	23.90.28.21	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.21	23.90.28.21	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.21	23.90.28.21	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
116.90.233.2	116.90.233.2	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
116.90.233.2	116.90.233.2	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.200.36.93	103.200.36.93	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
103.200.36.93	103.200.36.93	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.252.174	23.108.252.174	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.252.174	23.108.252.174	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.252.174	23.108.252.174	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
163-172-70-85.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.70.85	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
163-172-70-85.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.70.85	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
ip68-227-81-38.sb.sd.cox.net	68.227.81.38	https://www.google.com/
61.red-88-12-48.staticip.rima-tde.net	88.12.48.61	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
50-247-207-5-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	50.247.207.5	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-235.search.msn.com	157.55.39.235	NULL
138.128.1.232	138.128.1.232	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
138.128.1.232	138.128.1.232	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
138.128.1.232	138.128.1.232	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
172-245-28-84-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.28.84	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
157.32.138.85	157.32.138.85	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192.3.188.112	192.3.188.112	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.246	209.99.168.246	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.246	209.99.168.246	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.246	209.99.168.246	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
23.231.32.131	23.231.32.131	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.131	23.231.32.131	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.131	23.231.32.131	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-68.search.msn.com	40.77.167.68	NULL
104-168-29-210-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.29.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104-168-29-210-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.29.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104-168-29-210-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.29.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-68.search.msn.com	40.77.167.68	NULL
76-231-75-200.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net	76.231.75.200	NULL
76-231-75-200.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net	76.231.75.200	NULL
static.vnpt.vn	123.16.113.7	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
172.255.81.219.rdns.proxyusa.net	172.255.81.219	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
172.255.81.219.rdns.proxyusa.net	172.255.81.219	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-19-126-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.19.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-19-126-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.19.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-19-126-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.19.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
107-175-155-118-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.155.118	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-155-118-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.155.118	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-13.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.211	NULL
fetcher17-20.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.218	NULL
46.209.105.26	46.209.105.26	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.209.105.26	46.209.105.26	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.81.146.217.baremetal.zare.com	217.146.81.46	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
103.197.168.12	103.197.168.12	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
103.197.168.12	103.197.168.12	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	NULL
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
sa136.saturn.dedi.server-hosting.expert	5.104.108.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
107-175-90-236-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.90.236	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-90-236-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.90.236	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-90-236-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.90.236	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-18.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.216	NULL
191.101.114.180	191.101.114.180	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.101.114.180	191.101.114.180	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.17.117.169	196.17.117.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.17.117.169	196.17.117.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.17.117.169	196.17.117.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.17.117.169	196.17.117.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=start&do=login&sectok=
75-128-13-136.dhcp.snlo.ca.charter.com	75.128.13.136	https://www.google.com/
23.92.121.236	23.92.121.236	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.121.236	23.92.121.236	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
180.190.51.230	180.190.51.230	https://www.google.com/
107.150.64.84	107.150.64.84	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.150.64.84	107.150.64.84	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.150.64.84	107.150.64.84	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
107-172-130-92-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-130-92-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-130-92-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
154.16.61.84	154.16.61.84	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
154.16.61.84	154.16.61.84	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
154.16.61.84	154.16.61.84	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.169.134	209.99.169.134	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.134	209.99.169.134	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-104.search.msn.com	40.77.167.104	NULL
192-3-4-235-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.4.235	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-4-235-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.4.235	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-190-56.search.msn.com	40.77.190.56	NULL
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
mx24-175.v-sys.org	176.119.24.175	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mx24-175.v-sys.org	176.119.24.175	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mx24-175.v-sys.org	176.119.24.175	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
45.61.168.123	45.61.168.123	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.123	45.61.168.123	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
118.99.98.121	118.99.98.121	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
118.99.98.121	118.99.98.121	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
118.99.98.121	118.99.98.121	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=crates_of_thebes:crates_and_hipparchia_cynic_handbook&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
209.99.174.164	209.99.174.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.174.164	209.99.174.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.56.37	23.81.56.37	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.56.37	23.81.56.37	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.56.37	23.81.56.37	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
192-227-222-220-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-220-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-220-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
219.212.247.196.cable.viatelbroadband.com	196.247.212.219	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
219.212.247.196.cable.viatelbroadband.com	196.247.212.219	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
219.212.247.196.cable.viatelbroadband.com	196.247.212.219	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
193.226.177.40	193.226.177.40	NULL
49.234.95.115	49.234.95.115	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
49.234.95.115	49.234.95.115	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
baiduspider-180-76-15-140.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.140	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-104.search.msn.com	40.77.167.104	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
196.245.219.19	196.245.219.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
196.245.219.19	196.245.219.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
196.245.219.19	196.245.219.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-105.googlebot.com	66.249.64.105	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-68.search.msn.com	40.77.167.68	NULL
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
broadband-5-228-5-132.ip.moscow.rt.ru	5.228.5.132	https://yandex.ru/clck/jsredir?from=yandex.ru%3Bsearch%3Bweb%3B%3B&text=&etext=2209.cCxoGkTr0wMjA9DKSWZ7mjulKH7nBDILijK7L5aK0Fhh9RrsZ68_6oQ04_CVDBKA.0ec5d939629b0960a1c4ee325c5367c85dfbc3e7&uuid=&state=_BLhILn4SxNIvvL0W45KSic66uCIg23qh8iRG98qeIXmeppkgUc0YMIVJNtoWDTa6Ctl47TPu5I&data=UlNrNmk5WktYejR0eWJFYk1LdmtxcGRDU3JTWndUUG5XY2RfWnZzYzlLYXBwVkJSci0wc1NORFdBT25sdGc4cjB2OHpLZEhROTJRcXJUN3ZEZW8zRWpzTFdtQU1Qc3dmUXVITnlBT2hIWmo2Wm95SnV4cmFqdzU5R043OXpIMGZBOUxqOVpESGdwb2lZUzRkdkVYSXl3&b64e=2&sign=177b7c24f303fb027a0a758629fa775d&keyno=0&cst=AiuY0DBWFJ7IXge4WdYJQXbYQp9t5VF6yPD8PYZ2sviggqC7y9JQnvzeeu0WXYW14sTwuqIQx1CFirzoiFTkyos0hqivf9NQMz2P_FoN0y6VuiFhGYHOO_OL-rmY8aao8fya4r2Arxe0iSTDZjZRm3g8iszqrJsS&ref=orjY4mGPRjk5boDnW0uvlrrd71vZw9kp5uQozpMtKCW8ioGO4m6neNHxPWMuWC3v1un8MZN6lyVy2q1y6AmiwU9ogyvXWotN66mopbEnj3Fdfirz3_CyH0OP8VRn-q1v&l10n=ru&cts=1562224192498&mc=5.2353727788
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
88.255.98.56	88.255.98.56	https://www.google.com/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
cpe-120-155-0-211.nb05.nsw.asp.telstra.net	120.155.0.211	https://www.google.com.au/
169-1-114-235.ip.afrihost.co.za	169.1.114.235	https://www.google.co.za/
107-175-148-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.148.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-148-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.148.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.90	23.105.143.90	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.90	23.105.143.90	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.90	23.105.143.90	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
baiduspider-180-76-15-151.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.151	NULL
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.81.146.217.baremetal.zare.com	217.146.81.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
23.231.32.64	23.231.32.64	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.64	23.231.32.64	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.64	23.231.32.64	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-132-168-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.132.168	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
192.3.188.112	192.3.188.112	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.3.188.112	192.3.188.112	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
195.154.19.211	195.154.19.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
195.154.19.211	195.154.19.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
195.154.19.211	195.154.19.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-27.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.225	NULL
185.234.216.91	185.234.216.91	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.234.216.91	185.234.216.91	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.169.145	162.212.169.145	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.169.145	162.212.169.145	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
195-154-61-142.rev.poneytelecom.eu	195.154.61.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
195-154-61-142.rev.poneytelecom.eu	195.154.61.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170²⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170³⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁴⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁵⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁶⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁷⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁸⁾	NULL
static.170.176.201.138.clients.your-server.de	138.201.176.170⁹⁾	NULL
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
157.42.73.50	157.42.73.50	https://www.google.com/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-101.googlebot.com	66.249.64.101	NULL
169-1-114-235.ip.afrihost.co.za	169.1.114.235	https://www.google.co.za/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=diogenes_of_sinope:dio_chrysostom_oration_4&do=login&sectok=
209.99.164.190	209.99.164.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.190	209.99.164.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.190	209.99.164.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
23.231.32.145	23.231.32.145	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.145	23.231.32.145	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.152.176.89	107.152.176.89	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
107.152.176.89	107.152.176.89	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.152.176.89	107.152.176.89	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.248.115.236	104.248.115.236	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
static.71.249.216.95.clients.your-server.de	95.216.249.71	NULL
23.105.143.139	23.105.143.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.139	23.105.143.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.105.143.139	23.105.143.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2013:why-lucians-view-of-the-christians-and-jesus-is-indeterminate&do=login&sectok=
46.209.218.43	46.209.218.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-118-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.118	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-118-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.118	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-118-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.118	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:notes-on-herodotus-and-culture&do=login&sectok=
191.101.90.25	191.101.90.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
sertaonet.static.gvt.net.br	177.207.196.202	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
156.157.169.149	156.157.169.149	https://www.google.com/
91.242.162.8	91.242.162.8	NULL
82.sub-174-217-33.myvzw.com	174.217.33.82	https://www.google.com/
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
82.sub-174-217-33.myvzw.com	174.217.33.82	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
82.sub-174-217-33.myvzw.com	174.217.33.82	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates
82.sub-174-217-33.myvzw.com	174.217.33.82	https://www.google.com/
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
104.223.31.21.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.21	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.21.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.21	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.21.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.21	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.173.15	209.99.173.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.173.15	209.99.173.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
177-75-198-165.dynamic.starweb.net.br	177.75.198.165	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
177-75-198-165.dynamic.starweb.net.br	177.75.198.165	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
177-75-198-165.dynamic.starweb.net.br	177.75.198.165	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=crates_of_thebes:crates_and_hipparchia_cynic_handbook&do=login&sectok=
155.94.171.87.static.quadranet.com	155.94.171.87	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
155.94.171.87.static.quadranet.com	155.94.171.87	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
112.206.66.120.pldt.net	112.206.66.120	https://www.google.com/
88.98.226.74.bcube.co.uk	88.98.226.74	https://www.google.com/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
190.213.95.107	190.213.95.107	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
190.213.95.107	190.213.95.107	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-201-172-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.201.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-201-172-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.201.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-201-172-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.201.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-151.search.msn.com	157.55.39.151	NULL
70.44.87.47.res-cmts.sm.ptd.net	70.44.87.47	https://www.google.com/
82-72-73-75.cable.dynamic.v4.ziggo.nl	82.72.73.75	https://www.google.nl/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
ppp089210118138.access.hol.gr	89.210.118.138	https://www.google.com/
107-172-66-144-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.144	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-144-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.144	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-144-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.144	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-104.search.msn.com	40.77.167.104	NULL
121.126.6.132	121.126.6.132	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
121.126.6.132	121.126.6.132	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.81.146.217.baremetal.zare.com	217.146.81.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.105	173.234.100.105	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.105	173.234.100.105	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.105	173.234.100.105	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
103.140.104-static.rdns.serverhub.com	104.140.103.140	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
pppoe-78-111-250-174.dynamic.tvingo.ru	78.111.250.174	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.35.65.91	103.35.65.91	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.35.65.91	103.35.65.91	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.35.65.91	103.35.65.91	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
dsl-201-138-46-29-dyn.prod-infinitum.com.mx	201.138.46.29	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
dsl-201-138-46-29-dyn.prod-infinitum.com.mx	201.138.46.29	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.133	209.99.169.133	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.133	209.99.169.133	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.133	209.99.169.133	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
bland-tr-tg3.vanisheisa.net	107.158.219.134	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
bland-tr-tg3.vanisheisa.net	107.158.219.134	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.49.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.49	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.49.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.49	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.49.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.49	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
185.220.101.69	185.220.101.69	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-102.googlebot.com	66.249.64.102	NULL
fetcher17-17.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.215	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
209.99.169.157	209.99.169.157	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.157	209.99.169.157	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.157	209.99.169.157	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
107-172-155-189-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.155.189	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-155-189-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.155.189	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.164.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.164	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.98	45.61.168.98	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
46.81.146.217.baremetal.zare.com	217.146.81.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.173.79	162.212.173.79	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.173.79	162.212.173.79	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
36.89.190.85	36.89.190.85	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
36.89.190.85	36.89.190.85	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
193.201.224.78	193.201.224.78	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
193.201.224.78	193.201.224.78	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
108.105.216.124	108.105.216.124	https://www.google.com/
207.244.117.23	207.244.117.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
207.244.117.23	207.244.117.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
207.244.117.23	207.244.117.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
170.130.125.22	170.130.125.22	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.173.238	209.99.173.238	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.173.238	209.99.173.238	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
158.115.252.46	158.115.252.46	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
37.200.72.42	37.200.72.42	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.196.85.174	46.196.85.174	https://www.google.com/
87.225.67.240	87.225.67.240	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
87.225.67.240	87.225.67.240	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-68.search.msn.com	40.77.167.68	NULL
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.244	181.177.110.244	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.244	181.177.110.244	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.176	23.231.34.176	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.176	23.231.34.176	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.176	23.231.34.176	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
181.177.110.244	181.177.110.244	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-2.googlebot.com	66.249.64.2	NULL
host-118-static-73-36-194.net.arcolink.it	194.36.73.118	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
athedsl-265000.home.otenet.gr	85.73.82.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
athedsl-265000.home.otenet.gr	85.73.82.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
athedsl-265000.home.otenet.gr	85.73.82.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
91.235.51.252	91.235.51.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.254.241	23.108.254.241	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.254.241	23.108.254.241	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.254.241	23.108.254.241	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
138.186.136.108	138.186.136.108	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
138.186.136.108	138.186.136.108	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
138.186.136.108	138.186.136.108	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
180.210.98.181	180.210.98.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
49.238.194.190	49.238.194.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
49.238.194.190	49.238.194.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.106.216.23	23.106.216.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
191.96.186.3	191.96.186.3	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.96.186.3	191.96.186.3	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.96.186.3	191.96.186.3	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
nsg-static-222.139.75.182-airtel.com	182.75.139.222	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
nsg-static-222.139.75.182-airtel.com	182.75.139.222	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
150.109.55.190	150.109.55.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
dynamic-ip-adsl.viettel.vn	171.241.253.126	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
dynamic-ip-adsl.viettel.vn	171.241.253.126	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-68.search.msn.com	40.77.167.68	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
92.118.211.93	92.118.211.93	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
92.118.211.93	92.118.211.93	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
92.118.211.93	92.118.211.93	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
209.99.169.160	209.99.169.160	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.160	209.99.169.160	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
9-168-168-45.weblinknet.com.br	45.168.168.9	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
9-168-168-45.weblinknet.com.br	45.168.168.9	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.133	209.99.169.133	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-202-169-239-66.jogjamedianet.com	202.169.239.66	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-202-169-239-66.jogjamedianet.com	202.169.239.66	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
host-46-63-162-171.stavropol.ru	46.63.162.171	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-46-63-162-171.stavropol.ru	46.63.162.171	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.232	45.61.171.232	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.16	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.16	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.16	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
173.234.154.62	173.234.154.62	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.62	173.234.154.62	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
net-102-130-132-142.iteccomms.co.za	102.130.132.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
net-102-130-132-142.iteccomms.co.za	102.130.132.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
net-102-130-132-142.iteccomms.co.za	102.130.132.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
23-95-12-114-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.114	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-12-114-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.114	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-12-114-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.114	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
static.vnpt.vn	123.16.113.7	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
49.254.238.162	49.254.238.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
49.254.238.162	49.254.238.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-79.search.msn.com	157.55.39.79	NULL
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
115.73.218.103	115.73.218.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
115.73.218.103	115.73.218.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
23.231.34.121	23.231.34.121	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.121	23.231.34.121	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.121	23.231.34.121	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
192-3-147-143-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.143	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-147-143-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.143	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-147-143-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.143	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
209.99.165.185	209.99.165.185	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.165.185	209.99.165.185	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.165.185	209.99.165.185	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.169.175	209.99.169.175	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.175	209.99.169.175	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.175	209.99.169.175	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
209.99.133.127	209.99.133.127	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.133.127	209.99.133.127	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-199-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.199	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-199-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.199	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-199-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.199	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
host-149-20-246-138.static.sprious.com	149.20.246.138	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-149-20-246-138.static.sprious.com	149.20.246.138	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
192-3-177-15-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.177.15	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-177-15-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.177.15	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-177-15-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.177.15	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
45.61.171.253	45.61.171.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.253	45.61.171.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.253	45.61.171.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
103.27.238.198	103.27.238.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.27.238.198	103.27.238.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.27.238.198	103.27.238.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.215.219.6	103.215.219.6	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
45.61.171.209	45.61.171.209	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.209	45.61.171.209	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
154.16.88.169	154.16.88.169	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.174.52	209.99.174.52	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.174.52	209.99.174.52	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-183-35-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.183.35	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-183-35-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.183.35	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-183-35-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.183.35	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
17-58-98-75.applebot.apple.com	17.58.98.75	NULL
181.176.209.86	181.176.209.86	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
62.19.152.190.static.anycast.cnt-grms.ec	190.152.19.62	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
162.212.168.130	162.212.168.130	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.168.130	162.212.168.130	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
162.212.168.130	162.212.168.130	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
191.101.104.225	191.101.104.225	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
191.101.104.225	191.101.104.225	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
20118127130.host.telemar.net.br	201.18.127.130	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-240-18-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.240.18	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-240-18-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.240.18	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-240-18-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.240.18	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.176	23.231.34.176	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.176	23.231.34.176	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.202.112.102	185.202.112.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.202.112.102	185.202.112.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.202.112.102	185.202.112.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
47.102.216.176	47.102.216.176	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.102.216.176	47.102.216.176	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ezecom.103.30.197.198.ezecom.com.kh	103.30.197.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ezecom.103.30.197.198.ezecom.com.kh	103.30.197.198	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
wait4future.com	104.206.119.235	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
wait4future.com	104.206.119.235	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
wait4future.com	104.206.119.235	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
host-52-124-19-139.static.sprious.com	52.124.19.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-52-124-19-139.static.sprious.com	52.124.19.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-52-124-19-139.static.sprious.com	52.124.19.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-52-124-19-139.static.sprious.com	52.124.19.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=start&do=login&sectok=
198-23-169-123-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.169.123	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
smartscan04.sitelock.com	184.154.36.184	http://www.google.com/url?url=www.lucianofsamosata.info&yahoo.com
smartscan04.sitelock.com	184.154.36.184	http://www.google.com/url?url=www.lucianofsamosata.info&yahoo.com
msnbot-157-55-39-75.search.msn.com	157.55.39.75	NULL
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
cpc151119-smal19-2-0-cust107.19-1.cable.virginm.net	77.97.213.108	https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwjcgs3kmpvjAhXJSsAKHbnEDbYQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Flucianofsamosata.info%2Fwiki%2Fdoku.php%3Fid%3D2013%3Agreek-mythology&usg=AOvVaw0TjUJl3IVcssswYNP2Qtyu
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.131.228	209.99.131.228	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.131.228	209.99.131.228	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.131.228	209.99.131.228	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=vico:english-360-rhetoric&do=login&sectok=
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
23.81.231.229	23.81.231.229	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.231.229	23.81.231.229	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.231.229	23.81.231.229	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.168.204	209.99.168.204	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.204	209.99.168.204	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.54.67.34.bc.googleusercontent.com	34.67.54.140	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.54.67.34.bc.googleusercontent.com	34.67.54.140	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-194-169-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.194.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-194-169-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.194.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-194-169-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.194.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
ip8670.brasweb.com.br	187.62.225.221	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
151.237.185.236	151.237.185.236	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
151.237.185.236	151.237.185.236	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
157.32.138.85	157.32.138.85	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
157.32.138.85	157.32.138.85	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki
157.32.138.85	157.32.138.85	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
142-187.224.103.static.mnetconnect.in	103.224.187.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
142-187.224.103.static.mnetconnect.in	103.224.187.142	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-102.googlebot.com	66.249.64.102	NULL
120.28.231.166	120.28.231.166	https://www.google.com/
205.164.39.43	205.164.39.43	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
205.164.39.43	205.164.39.43	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
static.71.249.216.95.clients.your-server.de	95.216.249.71	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-75.search.msn.com	157.55.39.75	NULL
104.223.29.247.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.247	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.247.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.247	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.247.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.247	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.114.33	181.177.114.33	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
45.61.171.248	45.61.171.248	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.248	45.61.171.248	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
125.214.58.64	125.214.58.64	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
103.230.107.62	103.230.107.62	https://www.google.com/
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
45.12.178.244	45.12.178.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.178.244	45.12.178.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.178.244	45.12.178.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=vico:english-360-rhetoric&do=login&sectok=
mx-ll-223.204.240-145.dynamic.3bb.in.th	223.204.240.145	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mx-ll-223.204.240-145.dynamic.3bb.in.th	223.204.240.145	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.235.253.61	23.235.253.61	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.235.253.61	23.235.253.61	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-3.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.201	NULL
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.144.232.148	104.144.232.148	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.66.177	104.144.66.177	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.254.26.115	23.254.26.115	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
103.230.107.40	103.230.107.40	https://www.google.com/
142.234.203.76	142.234.203.76	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.76	142.234.203.76	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.76	142.234.203.76	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-147-43-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-147-43-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-51.search.msn.com	40.77.167.51	NULL
192-3-147-43-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.169	173.234.154.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.12.176.4	45.12.176.4	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
23.90.28.184	23.90.28.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.184	23.90.28.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.184	23.90.28.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.245.145.117	104.245.145.117	https://www.google.com/
207.148.98.161.vultr.com	207.148.98.161	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
207.148.98.161.vultr.com	207.148.98.161	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
207.148.98.161.vultr.com	207.148.98.161	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-75.search.msn.com	157.55.39.75	NULL
169-1-114-235.ip.afrihost.co.za	169.1.114.235	https://www.google.co.za/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
23.81.231.73	23.81.231.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.231.73	23.81.231.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.231.73	23.81.231.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
59.153.84.254	59.153.84.254	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
59.153.84.254	59.153.84.254	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
link-unlink.djlocal.net	104.144.230.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
link-unlink.djlocal.net	104.144.230.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
link-unlink.djlocal.net	104.144.230.43	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=vico:english-360-rhetoric&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.15.120	23.250.15.120	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
89.249.73.15	89.249.73.15¹⁰⁾	NULL
23.92.122.61	23.92.122.61	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.122.61	23.92.122.61	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.101.104.225	191.101.104.225	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-218-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.218	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
hosted-by.george-bakalis	185.62.190.60	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
hosted-by.george-bakalis	185.62.190.60	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-152-214-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.152.214	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
41.73.9.101	41.73.9.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
41.73.9.101	41.73.9.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.174.42	209.99.174.42	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.174.42	209.99.174.42	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.102.151.224	191.102.151.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.102.151.224	191.102.151.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.102.151.224	191.102.151.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
212-42-118-220.elcat.kg	212.42.118.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
210.16.84.110	210.16.84.110	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-152-2.jlm.net.id	119.18.152.2	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
212-42-118-220.elcat.kg	212.42.118.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.194	209.99.169.194	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.194	209.99.169.194	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.194	209.99.169.194	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
104.223.31.21.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.21	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.31.21.static.quadranet.com	104.223.31.21	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-97-78-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.97.78	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-97-78-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.97.78	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-97-78-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.97.78	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
205.164.61.179	205.164.61.179	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
205.164.61.179	205.164.61.179	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
120.28.231.166	120.28.231.166	https://en.wikipedia.org/
114.30.75.200	114.30.75.200	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
114.30.75.200	114.30.75.200	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
114.30.75.200	114.30.75.200	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
107-175-151-55-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.151.55	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-151-55-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.151.55	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-75.search.msn.com	157.55.39.75	NULL
23.229.59.172	23.229.59.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.229.59.172	23.229.59.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.229.59.172	23.229.59.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
191.102.154.168	191.102.154.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45-64-132-33.aamranetworks.com	45.64.132.33	https://www.google.com/
191.102.154.168	191.102.154.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
191.102.154.168	191.102.154.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=vico:english-360-rhetoric&do=login&sectok=
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
81-171-85-82.ipvanish.com	81.171.85.82	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
81-171-85-82.ipvanish.com	81.171.85.82	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-21.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.219	NULL
104.223.29.199.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.199	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.199.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.199	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-170-96-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.170.96	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-170-96-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.170.96	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
75.98.119.13	75.98.119.13	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-48.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.246	NULL
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.88.30.253	47.88.30.253	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
163.172.242.170	163.172.242.170	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
163.172.242.170	163.172.242.170	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.58.157.243	209.58.157.243	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.58.157.243	209.58.157.243	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.58.157.243	209.58.157.243	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-75.search.msn.com	157.55.39.75	NULL
23-94-51-216-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.51.216	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-51-216-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.51.216	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-51-216-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.51.216	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
185.220.101.62	185.220.101.62	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ns3151111.ip-51-91-18.eu	51.91.18.121	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.3.188.67	192.3.188.67	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.3.188.67	192.3.188.67	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-39-90-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.39.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-39-90-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.39.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-39-90-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.39.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
c-71-239-61-108.hsd1.il.comcast.net	71.239.61.108	https://www.google.com/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-48-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.48	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-48-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.48	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-48-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.48	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
192-3-139-141-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.139.141	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-139-141-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.139.141	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-102.googlebot.com	66.249.64.102	NULL
104.227.51.70	104.227.51.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
209.99.171.8	209.99.171.8	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.8	209.99.171.8	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.131	23.231.32.131	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.131	23.231.32.131	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-237-173-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.237.173	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.229.59.172	23.229.59.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.229.59.172	23.229.59.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
192-3-25-136-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.25.136	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
monimie.com	198.211.109.14	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
monimie.com	198.211.109.14	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.254.82.17	23.254.82.17	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.254.82.17	23.254.82.17	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.254.82.17	23.254.82.17	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
198-23-250-46-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.250.46	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-250-46-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.250.46	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-250-46-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.250.46	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
192-210-185-187-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.185.187	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-185-187-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.185.187	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-185-187-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.185.187	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-189.search.msn.com	157.55.39.189	NULL
180.101.52.195	180.101.52.195	http://www.baidu.com/s?wd=KER8
64.44.49.117	64.44.49.117	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
64.44.49.117	64.44.49.117	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.72	23.231.32.72	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.72	23.231.32.72	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.7	23.90.28.7	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.7	23.90.28.7	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.7	23.90.28.7	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
172-245-34-24-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.34.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
host-52-124-18-32.static.sprious.com	52.124.18.32	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-52-124-18-32.static.sprious.com	52.124.18.32	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
samurainet.ru	5.45.68.115	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ec2-34-244-66-12.eu-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com	34.244.66.12	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.171.113.133	104.171.113.133	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-159.search.msn.com	207.46.13.159	NULL
172-245-195-156-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.195.156	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.217.170.251	185.217.170.251	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
185.217.170.251	185.217.170.251	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
172-245-195-156-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.195.156	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.217.170.251	185.217.170.251	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
172-245-195-156-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.195.156	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=submission_page&do=login&sectok=
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-66-190-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.66.190	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:site_notice&do=login&sectok=
dsl.49.148.192.222.pldt.net	49.147.192.222	https://www.google.com/
mobile-166-137-252-128.mycingular.net	166.137.252.128	NULL
23.81.231.92	23.81.231.92	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.231.92	23.81.231.92	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
107-173-184-127-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.184.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-184-127-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.184.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-184-127-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.184.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
89.249.73.15	89.249.73.15¹¹⁾	NULL
107-175-65-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.16	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
dynamic-ip-18683251237.cable.net.co	186.83.251.237	https://www.google.com/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
96-87-184-101-static.hfc.comcastbusiness.net	96.87.184.101	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.54.71	104.144.54.71	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.54.71	104.144.54.71	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.54.71	104.144.54.71	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-40.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.238	NULL
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-210-39-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.210.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.24	206.41.175.24	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
198-23-210-39-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.210.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-210-39-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.210.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-128.search.msn.com	157.55.39.128	NULL
45.61.171.232	45.61.171.232	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.171.232	45.61.171.232	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-32.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.230	NULL
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-86-226-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.86.226	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-86-226-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.86.226	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-86-226-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.86.226	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
104.227.17.148	104.227.17.148	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.17.148	104.227.17.148	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.17.148	104.227.17.148	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-38.search.msn.com	157.55.39.38	NULL
107-172-130-110-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.110	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-130-110-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.110	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-130-110-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.110	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
24-217-184-216.dhcp.stls.mo.charter.com	24.217.184.216	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
24-217-184-216.dhcp.stls.mo.charter.com	24.217.184.216	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
24-217-184-216.dhcp.stls.mo.charter.com	24.217.184.216	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-66.search.msn.com	157.55.39.66	NULL
104.144.184.201	104.144.184.201	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
103.217.156.9	103.217.156.9	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.35.64.12	103.35.64.12	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.35.64.12	103.35.64.12	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
217.112.103.210	217.112.103.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
dsl.49.148.192.222.pldt.net	49.147.192.222	https://www.google.com/
217.112.103.210	217.112.103.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-113.search.msn.com	207.46.13.113	NULL
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
114-31-15-94-smile.com.bd	114.31.15.94	https://www.google.com/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ti0108a400-2242.bb.online.no	88.88.51.210	https://en.wikipedia.org/
107-172-68-211-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.68.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-68-211-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.68.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-172-68-211-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.68.211	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-200-67.jkt.nusa.net.id	202.162.200.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-200-67.jkt.nusa.net.id	202.162.200.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-156.search.msn.com	207.46.13.156	NULL
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.160	209.99.169.160	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.160	209.99.169.160	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.147	23.231.34.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.147	23.231.34.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.147	23.231.34.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=diogenes_of_sinope:dio_chrysostom_oration_4&do=login&sectok=
45.61.168.125	45.61.168.125	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.125	45.61.168.125	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.125	45.61.168.125	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
ip-139-99-77.eu	139.99.77.179	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-139-99-77.eu	139.99.77.179	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-139-99-77.eu	139.99.77.179	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cynics:typhon_typhoeus&do=login&sectok=
stardust.amarserver.com	208.115.124.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
stardust.amarserver.com	208.115.124.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
stardust.amarserver.com	208.115.124.147	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2013:why-lucians-view-of-the-christians-and-jesus-is-indeterminate&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-207-46-13-124.search.msn.com	207.46.13.124	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-93.search.msn.com	40.77.167.93	NULL
192-227-222-197-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.197	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-197-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.197	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-197-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.197	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-97.search.msn.com	157.55.39.97	NULL
h88-129-82-241.cust.a3fiber.se	88.129.82.241	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
19.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.19	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
91.242.162.72	91.242.162.72	NULL
wait4future.com	104.206.119.235	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
wait4future.com	104.206.119.235	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-85.search.msn.com	207.46.13.85	NULL
23-95-185-145-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.145	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-145-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.145	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-145-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.145	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-207-46-13-124.search.msn.com	207.46.13.124	NULL
23.90.28.42	23.90.28.42	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.42	23.90.28.42	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.42	23.90.28.42	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
13.66.139.0	13.66.139.0	NULL
177-84-109-10.dedicado.toledoinfo.net.br	177.84.109.10	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-176-118-49-58.radionetwork.com.ua	176.118.49.58	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.22.49.41	46.22.49.41	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
46.22.49.41	46.22.49.41	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
190.102.156.172	190.102.156.172	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
23.108.252.245	23.108.252.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.252.245	23.108.252.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.108.252.245	23.108.252.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2013:indus-valley-civilization&do=login&sectok=
45.61.168.125	45.61.168.125	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.125	45.61.168.125	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-39-90-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.39.90	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-39-90-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.39.90	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-217.107.198.66.lipetsk.zelenaya.net	217.107.198.66	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip-217.107.198.66.lipetsk.zelenaya.net	217.107.198.66	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
170.130.125.22	170.130.125.22	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
172.84.83.217	172.84.83.217	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
172.84.83.217	172.84.83.217	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.164.67	209.99.164.67	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
198-20-186-24-host.colocrossing.com	198.46.145.19	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-20-186-24-host.colocrossing.com	198.46.145.19	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-28.search.msn.com	40.77.167.28	NULL
cpe-76-182-177-11.sc.res.rr.com	76.182.177.11	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.140.104-static.rdns.serverhub.com	104.140.103.250	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.140.104-static.rdns.serverhub.com	104.140.103.250	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.140.104-static.rdns.serverhub.com	104.140.103.250	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
host-24-235-13-35.static.sprious.com	24.235.13.35	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host-24-235-13-35.static.sprious.com	24.235.13.35	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host-24-235-13-35.static.sprious.com	24.235.13.35	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
cpe-76-182-177-11.sc.res.rr.com	76.182.177.11	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
dynamic-adsl.viettel.vn	171.241.253.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
dynamic-adsl.viettel.vn	171.241.253.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
dynamic-adsl.viettel.vn	171.241.253.126	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-15.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.213	NULL
fetcher17-15.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.213	NULL
fetcher17-47.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.245	NULL
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
c-68-81-244-127.hsd1.pa.comcast.net	68.81.244.127	https://www.google.com/
ip174-70-82-245.ga.at.cox.net	174.70.82.245	https://www.google.com/
192-3-208-231-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.231	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-208-231-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.231	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-208-231-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.231	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-138.search.msn.com	157.55.39.138	NULL
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-151-245-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.151.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-151-245-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.151.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-151-245-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.151.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
192-227-215-92-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.215.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-215-92-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.215.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-215-92-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.215.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
205-185-214-97.ipvanish.com	205.185.214.97	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
205-185-214-97.ipvanish.com	205.185.214.97	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
91.108.177.79	91.108.177.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
91.108.177.79	91.108.177.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip121.ip-66-70-202.net	66.70.202.121	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
50.3.196.35	50.3.196.35	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
50.3.196.35	50.3.196.35	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=crates_of_thebes:crates_and_hipparchia_cynic_handbook&do=login&sectok=
45.61.168.98	45.61.168.98	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.98	45.61.168.98	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ool-2f14ff47.dyn.optonline.net	47.20.255.71	https://www.google.com/
host-168-91-14-2.static.sprious.com	168.91.14.2	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-168-91-14-2.static.sprious.com	168.91.14.2	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.98	45.61.168.98	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.98	45.61.168.98	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.155	209.99.171.155	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.155	209.99.171.155	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.155	209.99.171.155	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
192-3-25-162-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.25.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-25-162-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.25.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
170.130.125.22	170.130.125.22	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
158.115.252.46	158.115.252.46	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
google-proxy-66-249-85-28.google.com	66.249.85.28	NULL
23.231.32.207	23.231.32.207	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.207	23.231.32.207	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.207	23.231.32.207	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:the-painting-of-aristagoras&do=login&sectok=
baiduspider-180-76-15-149.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.149	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-190.search.msn.com	40.77.167.190	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-138.search.msn.com	157.55.39.138	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-102.googlebot.com	66.249.64.102	NULL
server78.teliferous.com	192.241.82.78	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
server78.teliferous.com	192.241.82.78	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
server78.teliferous.com	192.241.82.78	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
82.211.9.110	82.211.9.110	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
82.211.9.110	82.211.9.110	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
82.211.9.110	82.211.9.110	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
static.121.221.9.176.clients.your-server.de	176.9.221.121	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
125-228-228-181.cab.prima.com.ar	181.228.228.125	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
125-228-228-181.cab.prima.com.ar	181.228.228.125	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
baiduspider-180-76-15-11.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.11	NULL
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.79	45.61.168.79	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198.11.178.14	198.11.178.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
103.4.146.220	103.4.146.220	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
31.47.32.234	31.47.32.234	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-1.search.msn.com	207.46.13.1	NULL
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
158.69.138.28	158.69.138.28	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
107-175-151-55-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.151.55	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-153-252-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.153.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-153-252-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.153.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-153-252-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.153.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-207-46-13-1.search.msn.com	207.46.13.1	NULL
64-145-94-188.ipvanish.com	64.145.94.188	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
64-145-94-188.ipvanish.com	64.145.94.188	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-135.search.msn.com	207.46.13.135	NULL
107-175-155-70-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.155.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-155-70-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.155.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-155-70-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.155.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
58-97-72-83.static.asianet.co.th	58.97.72.83	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
58-97-72-83.static.asianet.co.th	58.97.72.83	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.113	173.234.100.113	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
107-175-65-23-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-23-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-65-23-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.65.23	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
45.61.169.76	45.61.169.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.169.76	45.61.169.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.169.76	45.61.169.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-40-77-167-177.search.msn.com	40.77.167.177	NULL
msnbot-207-46-13-1.search.msn.com	207.46.13.1	NULL
192-3-158-126-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.158.126	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-158-126-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.158.126	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
121.44.32.217	121.44.32.217	https://www.google.com/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-31.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.229	NULL
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
73.232.152.107.in-addr.arpa	107.152.232.73	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
73.232.152.107.in-addr.arpa	107.152.232.73	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
73.232.152.107.in-addr.arpa	107.152.232.73	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
209.99.171.125	209.99.171.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.125	209.99.171.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.171.125	209.99.171.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
fetcher17-20.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.218	NULL
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-207-46-13-101.search.msn.com	207.46.13.101	NULL
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
104.160.31.133	104.160.31.133	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.160.31.133	104.160.31.133	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
63-155-212-188.eugn.qwest.net	63.155.212.188	https://www.google.com/
17-58-98-75.applebot.apple.com	17.58.98.75	NULL
104.144.28.145	104.144.28.145	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-207-46-13-96.search.msn.com	207.46.13.96	NULL
107.152.252.25	107.152.252.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.152.252.25	107.152.252.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
183.199.127.85	183.199.127.85	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
183.199.127.229	183.199.127.229	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
183.199.127.85	183.199.127.85	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.227.51.70	104.227.51.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.51.70	104.227.51.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.51.70	104.227.51.70	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
crawl-66-249-64-101.googlebot.com	66.249.64.101	NULL
dynamicip-94-180-152-38.pppoe.kzn.ertelecom.ru	94.180.152.38	https://yandex.ru/clck/jsredir?from=yandex.ru%3Bsearch%3Bweb%3B%3B&text=&etext=2224.qBzg-pQ-3uaxpyum8o0xiugeqyWAPzAFT1JtOlf2gIE-bPcT1UAkHnT7dKinjFNg.4c1774677271b38da87881161c75b89607f14c6e&uuid=&state=_BLhILn4SxNIvvL0W45KSic66uCIg23qh8iRG98qeIXmeppkgUc0YGftRg9cP1erjBfVTUcXDXk&data=UlNrNmk5WktYejR0eWJFYk1LdmtxcGRDU3JTWndUUG5XY2RfWnZzYzlLYXBwVkJSci0wc1NORFdBT25sdGc4cjB2OHpLZEhROTJRcXJUN3ZEZW8zRWhPbzJoQ3BnOWdueDlfOXFJVGlfVTdPRjVCamw4OTIwWGljRXVLSWk0akJ2YnBLcmZidjB2MktJUUc2T1ItdmcwbEtoM1pma1plS1ZOeEZxck1zb0JMVk92UmR0QjNJMnc&b64e=2&sign=16dbfdc9ded248ae1a5ee76500d45f2c&keyno=0&cst=AiuY0DBWFJ7IXge4WdYJQYuwSQLovbTTK1k8pO9Ozjuahb3gdctHBFMOq62IGlWS-8xzNImeTkAZdKvisO3-k6BMy-ZlNPEBSf2xGK3l8rWZNhbUFvaDOALoHdxftlvrNW5FySJFQKjpUajTahSe2A&ref=orjY4mGPRjk5boDnW0uvlrrd71vZw9kp5uQozpMtKCWbgDHRNa-0yj_PTy3akIyTt797SKAIN-XS_em5OGFWdvlmAzN9K9YVL1Qqqlf-sc3-sSJc7-6lwlid49DPtB1k&l10n=ru&cts=1562258464031&mc=5.56750051813
23-95-12-74-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-12-74-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-12-74-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.12.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:battle-tactics-in-homers-iliad&do=login&sectok=
node-1b3j.pool-182-52.dynamic.totinternet.net	182.52.238.111	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
google-proxy-66-249-83-74.google.com	66.249.83.74	NULL
165.22.57.60	165.22.57.60	NULL
165.22.57.60	165.22.57.60	NULL
23-94-177-187-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.177.187	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
182.253.191.82	182.253.191.82	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
182.253.191.82	182.253.191.82	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.247.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.247	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.247.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.247	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
d24-141-58-135.home.cgocable.net	24.141.58.135	https://www.google.com/
52.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
52.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
52.156-183-107.rdns.scalabledns.com	107.183.156.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
cpc123824-trow7-2-0-cust175.18-1.cable.virginm.net	77.101.205.176	https://www.google.co.uk/
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
176.219.197.163	176.219.197.163	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.121.238	23.92.121.238	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
c-5eea2215-74736162.cust.telenor.se	94.234.34.21	https://www.google.com/
192-3-41-170-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.41.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
200.111.196.90	200.111.196.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
200.111.196.90	200.111.196.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
193.38.139.227	193.38.139.227	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
193.38.139.227	193.38.139.227	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
193.38.139.227	193.38.139.227	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
196.19.2.90	196.19.2.90	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.19.2.90	196.19.2.90	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-208-168-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-208-168-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-208-168-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.208.168	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
bd37187d.virtua.com.br	189.55.24.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
bd37187d.virtua.com.br	189.55.24.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-6-52-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.6.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-6-52-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.6.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-6-52-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.6.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-6-52-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.6.52	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=start&do=login&sectok=
117.196.230.9	117.196.230.9	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
117.196.230.9	117.196.230.9	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.169.102	209.99.169.102	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
104.144.210.239	104.144.210.239	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-174-51-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.174.51.16	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-174-51-16-host.colocrossing.com	107.174.51.16	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
104.171.113.133	104.171.113.133	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
163.47.33.2	163.47.33.2	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
163.47.33.2	163.47.33.2	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
23-94-177-182-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.177.182	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.121.151	23.250.121.151	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.121.151	23.250.121.151	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.250.121.151	23.250.121.151	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
107-175-90-95-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.90.95	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-90-95-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.90.95	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-218.search.msn.com	40.77.167.218	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-105.googlebot.com	66.249.64.105	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-101.googlebot.com	66.249.64.101	NULL
msnbot-157-55-39-237.search.msn.com	157.55.39.237	NULL
198-23-226-177-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.226.177	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-226-177-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.226.177	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-23-226-177-host.colocrossing.com	198.23.226.177	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
msnbot-157-55-39-237.search.msn.com	157.55.39.237	NULL
host-66-84-93-73.static.sprious.com	66.84.93.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host-66-84-93-73.static.sprious.com	66.84.93.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host-66-84-93-73.static.sprious.com	66.84.93.73	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
23.231.32.72	23.231.32.72	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.72	23.231.32.72	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.72	23.231.32.72	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
187-103-15-54.newnet.com.br	187.103.15.54	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
187-103-15-54.newnet.com.br	187.103.15.54	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-157-55-39-110.search.msn.com	157.55.39.110	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-31.googlebot.com	66.249.64.31¹²⁾	NULL
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-208.search.msn.com	40.77.167.208	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-208.search.msn.com	40.77.167.208	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-105.googlebot.com	66.249.64.105	NULL
192-210-184-101-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.101	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-184-101-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.101	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ptr.host.com	104.144.89.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ptr.host.com	104.144.89.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ptr.host.com	104.144.89.46	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.28	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
c-71-239-61-108.hsd1.il.comcast.net	71.239.61.108	NULL
msnbot-207-46-13-77.search.msn.com	207.46.13.77	NULL
c-c1f9d954.88396-0-69706f6e6c79.bbcust.telenor.se	84.217.249.193	NULL
142-196-201-247.res.bhn.net	142.196.201.247	https://www.google.com/
c-73-86-6-210.hsd1.md.comcast.net	73.86.6.210	https://www.bing.com/search?q=socrates+expalin+our+failure+toexamine+ourselves&FORM=EDGENA&refig=fc18e077da2241ef8afa8976573f0e4c
192.198.118.170	192.198.118.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.198.118.170	192.198.118.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.198.118.170	192.198.118.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
host-168-91-12-28.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-168-91-12-28.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.198.118.170	192.198.118.170	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
host-168-91-12-28.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
host-168-91-12-28.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.28	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-207-46-13-67.search.msn.com	207.46.13.67	NULL
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.32.107	23.231.32.107	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
119.23.238.202	119.23.238.202	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
119.23.238.202	119.23.238.202	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
23.236.232.199	23.236.232.199	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
104-168-123-27-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.123.27	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104-168-123-27-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.123.27	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104-168-123-27-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.123.27	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104-168-123-27-host.colocrossing.com	104.168.123.27	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
103.87.16.2	103.87.16.2	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-66-84-88-78.static.sprious.com	66.84.88.78	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-103.googlebot.com	66.249.64.103	NULL
168.90.197.22	168.90.197.22	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
168.90.197.22	168.90.197.22	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
fetcher17-22.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.220	NULL
fetcher17-3.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.201	NULL
msnbot-207-46-13-171.search.msn.com	207.46.13.171	NULL
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
23-95-185-181-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.185.181	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
d24-141-35-86.home.cgocable.net	24.141.35.86	NULL
msnbot-207-46-13-171.search.msn.com	207.46.13.171	NULL
104.223.29.244.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.244	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.223.29.244.static.quadranet.com	104.223.29.244	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
mc-109-123.ipreg.mcmaster.ca	130.113.109.123	https://www.google.com/
196.245.218.220	196.245.218.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
196.245.218.220	196.245.218.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
82.211.9.39	82.211.9.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
82.211.9.39	82.211.9.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
static.vnpt.vn	123.16.113.7	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-98.googlebot.com	66.249.64.98	NULL
msnbot-207-46-13-77.search.msn.com	207.46.13.77	NULL
37-9-87-143.spider.yandex.com	37.9.87.143	NULL
23.231.34.150	23.231.34.150	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.150	23.231.34.150	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.150	23.231.34.150	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
23.231.34.150	23.231.34.150	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
173.44.154.105	173.44.154.105	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.44.154.105	173.44.154.105	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.44.154.105	173.44.154.105	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
173.44.154.105	173.44.154.105	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
45.61.169.25	45.61.169.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.169.25	45.61.169.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.169.25	45.61.169.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
45.61.169.25	45.61.169.25	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
host-173-214-194-112.static.sprious.com	173.214.194.112	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-173-214-194-112.static.sprious.com	173.214.194.112	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-133-169-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.133.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-133-169-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.133.169	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-158-185-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.158.185	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
23-94-158-185-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.158.185	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
190.131.232.42	190.131.232.42	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-69-77-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.69.77	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-69-77-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.69.77	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23-94-69-77-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.69.77	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
23-94-69-77-host.colocrossing.com	23.94.69.77	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
ip121.ip-66-70-202.net	66.70.202.121	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.61.168.74	45.61.168.74	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-64-99.googlebot.com	66.249.64.99	NULL
104.227.91.244	104.227.91.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.91.244	104.227.91.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.91.244	104.227.91.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
104.227.91.244	104.227.91.244	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-40-77-167-109.search.msn.com	40.77.167.109	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-104.googlebot.com	66.249.64.104	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-101.googlebot.com	66.249.64.101	NULL
107-172-130-92-host.colocrossing.com	107.172.130.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
91.98.45.145.pol.ir	91.98.45.145	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-209-59-230-64.static.sprious.com	209.59.230.64	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-209-59-230-64.static.sprious.com	209.59.230.64	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.129.202.127	104.129.202.127	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
cable-89-216-23-139.static.sbb.rs	89.216.23.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
cable-89-216-23-139.static.sbb.rs	89.216.23.139	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
18-166-241-191.multpontostelecom.com.br	191.241.166.18	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
amuravto.broadband.redcom.ru	212.19.10.199	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.150.74.140	107.150.74.140	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107.150.74.140	107.150.74.140	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawler.seokicks.de	95.216.96.245	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
crawler.seokicks.de	95.216.96.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php
crawler.seokicks.de	95.216.96.245	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
94.141.244.39	94.141.244.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
94.141.244.39	94.141.244.39	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
203.142.64.90	203.142.64.90	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mc-109-98.ipreg.mcmaster.ca	130.113.109.98	https://www.google.com/
c-24-130-112-207.hsd1.ca.comcast.net	24.130.112.207	https://www.google.com/
107-175-26-69-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.26.69	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-26-69-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.26.69	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-26-69-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.26.69	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
107-175-26-69-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.26.69	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
206.41.175.184	206.41.175.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-40-77-167-86.search.msn.com	40.77.167.86	NULL
crawl-66-249-64-103.googlebot.com	66.249.64.103	NULL
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
209.99.168.76	209.99.168.76	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
97-80-31-252.static.slid.la.charter.com	97.80.31.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
97-80-31-252.static.slid.la.charter.com	97.80.31.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
97-80-31-252.static.slid.la.charter.com	97.80.31.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-concept-of-civilization-in-homers-odyssey&do=login&sectok=
97-80-31-252.static.slid.la.charter.com	97.80.31.252	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
140.82.15.129.vultr.com	140.82.15.129	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-227-222-210-host.colocrossing.com	192.227.222.210	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
rdns-30.brasilsaude.we.bs	151.237.177.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
rdns-30.brasilsaude.we.bs	151.237.177.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
rdns-30.brasilsaude.we.bs	151.237.177.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:thucydides-book-1-debate-at-sparta&do=login&sectok=
rdns-30.brasilsaude.we.bs	151.237.177.92	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-reasons-for-agamemnons-murder&do=login&sectok=
23.231.34.184	23.231.34.184	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
172-245-33-9-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.33.9	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
172-245-33-9-host.colocrossing.com	172.245.33.9	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.119.82.124	45.119.82.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.118.181	23.92.118.181	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.118.181	23.92.118.181	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-230.googlebot.com	66.249.79.230	NULL
h17-04-05.opera-mini.net	82.145.211.18	NULL
fetcher17-31.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.229	NULL
fetcher17-23.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.221	NULL
fetcher17-40.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.238	NULL
205.185.198.220	205.185.198.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
205.185.198.220	205.185.198.220	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
114-31-15-22-smile.com.bd	114.31.15.22	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
114-31-15-22-smile.com.bd	114.31.15.22	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
mx8.worldstopics.com	23.231.110.214	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mx8.worldstopics.com	23.231.110.214	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
mx8.worldstopics.com	23.231.110.214	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
mx8.worldstopics.com	23.231.110.214	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
45.118.144.124	45.118.144.124	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
baiduspider-180-76-15-10.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.10	NULL
23.90.28.153	23.90.28.153	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.153	23.90.28.153	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.90.28.153	23.90.28.153	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
23.90.28.153	23.90.28.153	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
17-58-98-75.applebot.apple.com	17.58.98.75	NULL
173.44.220.64	173.44.220.64	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.44.220.64	173.44.220.64	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.153	173.234.154.153	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.154.153	173.234.154.153	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
23.81.229.112	23.81.229.112	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.229.112	23.81.229.112	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
23.81.229.112	23.81.229.112	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
23.81.229.112	23.81.229.112	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
baiduspider-180-76-15-33.crawl.baidu.com	180.76.15.33	NULL
107-173-248-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.248.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-248-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.248.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-173-248-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.248.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
107-173-248-74-host.colocrossing.com	107.173.248.74	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
181.177.110.152	181.177.110.152	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-40-77-167-95.search.msn.com	40.77.167.95	NULL
138.128.30.225	138.128.30.225	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
138.128.30.225	138.128.30.225	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
138.128.30.225	138.128.30.225	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
138.128.30.225	138.128.30.225	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
218.60.8.99	218.60.8.99	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
218.60.8.99	218.60.8.99	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
191.102.151.224	191.102.151.224	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
191.102.151.224	191.102.151.224	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
george-washington.dreamhost.com	66.33.212.103	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ec2-3-17-55-191.us-east-2.compute.amazonaws.com	3.17.55.191	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ec2-3-17-55-191.us-east-2.compute.amazonaws.com	3.17.55.191	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-228.googlebot.com	66.249.79.228	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-90.search.msn.com	40.77.167.90	NULL
ppp-94-65-166-95.home.otenet.gr	94.65.166.95	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
47.244.161.74	47.244.161.74	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
47.244.161.74	47.244.161.74	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
47.244.161.74	47.244.161.74	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
47.244.161.74	47.244.161.74	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
173.234.100.233	173.234.100.233	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.233	173.234.100.233	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.234.100.233	173.234.100.233	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
173.234.100.233	173.234.100.233	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-230.googlebot.com	66.249.79.230	NULL
192-210-184-118-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.118	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-184-118-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.118	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
192-210-184-118-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.118	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics&do=login&sectok=
192-210-184-118-host.colocrossing.com	192.210.184.118	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-228.googlebot.com	66.249.79.228	NULL
smtp1-29.jfd4srv.com	198.20.180.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
smtp1-29.jfd4srv.com	198.20.180.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
smtp1-29.jfd4srv.com	198.20.180.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-40-77-167-95.search.msn.com	40.77.167.95	NULL
104.144.210.239	104.144.210.239	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.210.239	104.144.210.239	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
baiduspider-220-181-108-140.crawl.baidu.com	220.181.108.140	NULL
107-175-237-173-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.237.173	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
107-175-237-173-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.237.173	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
google-proxy-64-233-172-167.google.com	64.233.172.167	NULL
google-proxy-64-233-172-169.google.com	64.233.172.169	NULL
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
5.39.5.14	5.39.5.14	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
192-3-147-160-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.147.160	https://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.232.219.70	173.232.219.70	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.232.219.70	173.232.219.70	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
173.232.219.70	173.232.219.70	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
173.232.219.70	173.232.219.70	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
104.227.177.171	104.227.177.171	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.177.171	104.227.177.171	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.227.177.171	104.227.177.171	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.227.177.171	104.227.177.171	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
host-139-180-227-127.static.sprious.com	139.180.227.127	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
c-73-86-6-210.hsd1.md.comcast.net	73.86.6.210	https://www.bing.com/search?q=socrates+on+examine+ouseleves&FORM=EDGNCT&refig=04a00c17a4c44119f4ec01fddfcb09b0
host-168-91-12-224.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-168-91-12-224.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host-168-91-12-224.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
host-168-91-12-224.static.sprious.com	168.91.12.224	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
msnbot-40-77-167-90.search.msn.com	40.77.167.90	NULL
msnbot-40-77-167-95.search.msn.com	40.77.167.95	NULL
192-3-126-189-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.126.189	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
192-3-126-189-host.colocrossing.com	192.3.126.189	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-106-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.106	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-106-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.106	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
107-175-13-106-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.106	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
107-175-13-106-host.colocrossing.com	107.175.13.106	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
c-98-213-216-143.hsd1.il.comcast.net	98.213.216.143	https://www.google.com/
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
125.234.119.190.hcm.viettel.vn	125.234.119.190	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
dsl.49.148.192.222.pldt.net	49.147.192.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cynics:menippus_of_lycia
dsl.49.148.192.222.pldt.net	49.147.192.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=home:texts_and_library
dsl.49.148.192.222.pldt.net	49.147.192.222	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=search&id=home%3Atexts_and_library&q=menippus
msnbot-40-77-167-86.search.msn.com	40.77.167.86	NULL
17-58-98-75.applebot.apple.com	17.58.98.75	NULL
209.242.219.135	209.242.219.135	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
vs245398.vs.hosteurope.de	92.204.4.132	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax
209.242.219.135	209.242.219.135	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
vs245398.vs.hosteurope.de	92.204.4.132	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax'A=0
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
23.92.120.107	23.92.120.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.120.107	23.92.120.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
23.92.120.107	23.92.120.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
23.92.120.107	23.92.120.107	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.53	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.53	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.53	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:articulated-values-of-athenian-democracy&do=login&sectok=
host.colocrossing.com	192.3.93.53	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-231.googlebot.com	66.249.79.231	NULL
45.61.171.253	45.61.171.253	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
63.subnet125-161-130.speedy.telkom.net.id	125.161.130.63	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
63.subnet125-161-130.speedy.telkom.net.id	125.161.130.63	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-12-108-114-host.colocrossing.com	198.12.108.114	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-12-108-114-host.colocrossing.com	198.12.108.114	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
198-12-108-114-host.colocrossing.com	198.12.108.114	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2012:maximus-of-tyre-whether-the-life-of-a-cynic-is-preferred&do=login&sectok=
198-12-108-114-host.colocrossing.com	198.12.108.114	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-232.googlebot.com	66.249.79.232	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
185.46.110.67	185.46.110.67	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
185.46.110.67	185.46.110.67	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
ip15.ip-158-69-182.net	158.69.182.15	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-144.search.msn.com	40.77.167.144	NULL
116.58.236.189	116.58.236.189	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
116.58.236.189	116.58.236.189	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
116.58.236.189	116.58.236.189	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=crates_of_thebes:crates_and_hipparchia_cynic_handbook&do=login&sectok=
116.58.236.189	116.58.236.189	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
142.234.203.41	142.234.203.41	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-230.googlebot.com	66.249.79.230	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-231.googlebot.com	66.249.79.231	NULL
209.99.165.23	209.99.165.23	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.165.23	209.99.165.23	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/
209.99.165.23	209.99.165.23	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=wiki:syntax&do=login&sectok=
209.99.165.23	209.99.165.23	http://www.lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
163-172-105-148.rev.poneytelecom.eu	163.172.105.148	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
172.255.81.205.rdns.proxyusa.net	172.255.81.205	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
ec2-52-36-204-2.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com	52.36.204.2	NULL
ec2-52-36-204-2.us-west-2.compute.amazonaws.com	52.36.204.2	NULL
23-95-182-162-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.182.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
23-95-182-162-host.colocrossing.com	23.95.182.162	http://lucianofsamosata.info/
msnbot-40-77-167-95.search.msn.com	40.77.167.95	NULL
192.186.163.125	192.186.163.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.186.163.125	192.186.163.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
192.186.163.125	192.186.163.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:the-examined-life-according-to-socrates&do=login&sectok=
192.186.163.125	192.186.163.125	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL
fetcher17-2.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.200	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
fetcher17-26.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.224	NULL
fetcher17-28.go.mail.ru	95.163.255.226	NULL
123.200.31.226	123.200.31.226	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
123.200.31.226	123.200.31.226	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.171.144	104.144.171.144	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.171.144	104.144.171.144	https://lucianofsamosata.info/
104.144.171.144	104.144.171.144	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=2011:joomla-dokuwiki&do=login&sectok=
104.144.171.144	104.144.171.144	https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?do=register
crawl-66-249-79-227.googlebot.com	66.249.79.227	NULL
62-210-188-102.rev.poneytelecom.eu	62.210.188.102	NULL
crawl-66-249-79-229.googlebot.com	66.249.79.229	NULL

¹⁾ , ¹⁰⁾ , ¹¹⁾

Lynx/2.8.8dev.15 libwww-FM/2.14 SSL-MM/1.4.1 OpenSSL/1.0.1e-fips

²⁾ , ³⁾ , ⁴⁾ , ⁵⁾ , ⁶⁾ , ⁷⁾ , ⁸⁾ , ⁹⁾

¹²⁾

Googlebot/2.1 (+http://www.google.com/bot.html)

Diogenes of Sinope | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead excerpts

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 03:06:12 +0000

Diogenes of Sinope | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead excerpts

<blockquote>I

Diogenes. Pollux

Diog . Pollux, I have a commission for you; next time you go up - and I think it is your turn for earth tomorrow - if you come across Menippus the Cynic - you will find him about the Craneum at Corinth, or in the Lyceum, laughing at the philosophers' disputes - well, give him this message:- Menippus, Diogenes advises you, if mortal subjects for laughter begin to pall, to come down below, and find much richer material; where you are now, there is always a dash of uncertainty in it; the question will always intrude - who can be quite sure about the hereafter? Here, you can have your laugh out in security, like me; it is the best of sport to see millionaires, governors, despots, now mean and insignificant; you can only tell them by their lamentations, and the spiritless despondency which is the legacy of better days. Tell him this, and mention that he had better stuff his wallet with plenty of lupines, and any unconsidered trifles he can snap up in the way of pauper doles [Footnote: In the Greek, 'a Hecate's repast lying at a street corner.' 'Rich men used to make offerings to Hecate on the 30th of every month as Goddess of roads at street corners; and these offerings were at once pounced upon by the poor, or, as here, the Cynics.' Jacobitz .] or lustral eggs. [Footnote: 'Eggs were often used as purificatory offerings and set out in front of the house purified.' Id .]

Pol . I will tell him, Diogenes. But give me some idea of his appearance.

Diog . Old, bald, with a cloak that allows him plenty of light and ventilation, and is patched all colours of the rainbow; always laughing, and usually gibing at pretentious philosophers.

Pol . Ah, I cannot mistake him now.

Diog . May I give you another message to those same philosophers?

Pol . Oh, I don't mind; go on.

Diog . Charge them generally to give up playing the fool, quarrelling over metaphysics, tricking each other with horn and crocodile puzzles [Footnote: See Puzzles in Notes.] and teaching people to waste wit on such absurdities.

Pol . Oh, but if I say anything against their wisdom, they will call me an ignorant blockhead.

Diog . Then tell them from me to go to the devil.

Pol . Very well; rely upon me.

Diog . And then, my most obliging of Polluxes, there is this for the rich:- O vain fools, why hoard gold? why all these pains over interest sums and the adding of hundred to hundred, when you must shortly come to us with nothing beyond the dead-penny?

Pol . They shall have their message too.

Diog . Ah, and a word to the handsome and strong; Megillus of Corinth, and Damoxenus the wrestler will do. Inform them that auburn locks, eyes bright or black, rosy cheeks, are as little in fashion here as tense muscles or mighty shoulders; man and man are as like as two peas, tell them, when it comes to bare skull and no beauty.

Pol . That is to the handsome and strong; yes, I can manage that.

Diog . Yes, my Spartan, and here is for the poor. There are a great many of them, very sorry for themselves and resentful of their helplessness. Tell them to dry their tears and cease their cries; explain to them that here one man is as good as another, and they will find those who were rich on earth no better than themselves. As for your Spartans, you will not mind scolding them, from me, upon their present degeneracy?

Pol . No, no, Diogenes; leave Sparta alone; that is going too far; your other commissions I will execute.

Diog . Oh, well, let them off, if you care about it; but tell all the others what I said.
Source</blockquote>

<blockquote>XI

Crates. Diogenes

Cra . Did you know Moerichus of Corinth, Diogenes? A shipowner, rolling in money, with a cousin called Aristeas, nearly as rich. He had a Homeric quotation:- Wilt thou heave me? shall I heave thee?

[Footnote: Homer, Il. xxiii. 724. When Ajax and Odysseus have wrestled for some time without either's producing any impression, and the spectators are getting tired of it, the former proposes a change in tactics. �Let us hoist - try you with me or I with you.� The idea evidently is that each in turn is to offer only a passive resistance, and let his adversary try to fling him thus.' Leaf .]

Diog . What was the point of it?

Cra . Why, the cousins were of equal age, expected to succeed to each other's wealth, and behaved accordingly. They published their wills, each naming the other sole heir in case of his own prior decease. So it stood in black and white, and they vied with each other in showing that deference which the relation demands. All the prophets, astrologers, and Chaldean dream-interpreters alike, and Apollo himself for that matter, held different views at different times about the winner; the thousands seemed to incline now to Aristeas's side, now to Moerichus's.

Diog . And how did it end? I am quite curious.

Cra . They both died on the same day, and the properties passed to Eunomius and Thrasycles, two relations who had never had a presentiment of it. They had been crossing from Sicyon to Cirrha, when they were taken aback by a squall from the north-west, and capsized in mid-channel.

Diog . Cleverly done. Now, when we were alive, we never had such designs on one another. I never prayed for Antisthenes's death, with a view to inheriting his staff - though it was an extremely serviceable one, which he had cut himself from a wild olive; and I do not credit you, Crates, with ever having had an eye to my succession; it included the tub, and a wallet with two pints of lupines in it.

Cra . Why, no; these things were superfluities to me - and to yourself, indeed. The real necessities you inherited from Antisthenes, and I from you; and in those necessities was more grandeur and majesty than in the Persian Empire.

Diog . You allude to –

Cra . Wisdom, independence, truth, frankness, freedom.

Diog . To be sure; now I think of it, I did inherit all this from Antisthenes, and left it to you with some addition.

Cra . Others, however, were not interested in such property; no one paid us the attentions of an expectant heir; they all lad their eyes on gold, instead.

Diog . Of course; they had no receptacle for such things as we could give; luxury had made them so leaky - as full of holes as a worn-out purse. Put wisdom, frankness, or truth into them, and it would have dropped out; the bottom of the bag would have let them through, like the perforated cask into which those poor Danaids are always pouring. Gold, on the other hand, they could grip with tooth or nail or somehow.

Cra . Result: our wealth will still be ours down here; while they will arrive with no more than one penny, and even that must be left with the ferryman.
Source</blockquote>

<blockquote>XIII

Diogenes. Alexander

Diog . Dear me, Alexander, you dead like the rest of us?

Alex . As you see, sir; is there anything extraordinary in a mortal's dying?

Diog . So Ammon lied when he said you were his son; you were Philip's after all.

Alex . Apparently; if I had been Ammon's, I should not have died.

Diog . Strange! there were tales of the same order about Olympias too. A serpent visited her, and was seen in her bed; we were given to understand that that was how you came into the world, and Philip made a mistake when he took you for his.

Alex . Yes, I was told all that myself; however, I know now that my mother's and the Ammon stories were all moonshine.

Diog . Their lies were of some practical value to you, though; your divinity brought a good many people to their knees. But now, whom did you leave your great empire to?

Alex . Diogenes, I cannot tell you. I had no time to leave any directions about it, beyond just giving Perdiccas my ring as I died. Why are you laughing?

Diog . Oh, I was only thinking of the Greeks' behaviour; directly you succeeded, how they flattered you! their elected patron, generalissimo against the barbarian; one of the twelve Gods according to some; temples built and sacrifices offered to the Serpent's son! If I may ask, where did your Macedonians bury you?

Alex . I have lain in Babylon a full month today; and Ptolemy of the Guards is pledged, as soon as he can get a moment's respite from present disturbances, to take and bury me in Egypt, there to be reckoned among the Gods.

Diog . I have some reason to laugh, you see; still nursing vain hopes of developing into an Osiris or Anubis! Pray, your Godhead, put these expectations from you; none may re-ascend who has once sailed the lake and penetrated our entrance; Aeacus is watchful, and Cerberus an awkward customer. But there is one thing I wish you would tell me: how do you like thinking over all the earthly bliss you left to come here - your guards and armour-bearers and lieutenant-governors, your heaps of gold and adoring peoples, Babylon and Bactria, your huge elephants, your honour and glory, those conspicuous drives with white-cinctured locks and clasped purple cloak? does the thought of them hurt ? What, crying? silly fellow! did not your wise Aristotle include in his instructions any hint of the insecurity of fortune's favours?

Alex . Wise? call him the craftiest of all flatterers. Allow me to know a little more than other people about Aristotle; his requests and his letters came to my address; I know how he profited by my passion for culture; how he would toady and compliment me, to be sure! now it was my beauty - that too is included under The Good; now it was my deeds and my money; for money too he called a Good - he meant that he was not going to be ashamed of taking it. Ah, Diogenes, an impostor; and a past master at it too. For me, the result of his wisdom is that I am distressed for the things you catalogued just now, as if I had lost in them the chief Goods.

Diog . Wouldst know thy course? I will prescribe for your distress. Our flora, unfortunately, does not include hellebore; but you take plenty of Lethe-water - good, deep, repeated draughts; that will relieve your distress over the Aristotelian Goods. Quick; here are Clitus, Callisthenes, and a lot of others making for you; they mean to tear you in pieces and pay you out. Here, go the opposite way; and remember, repeated draughts.

Source: http://lucianofsamosata.info/DialoguesOfTheDead.html</blockquote>

<blockquote>XVI

Diogenes. Heracles

Diog . Surely this is Heracles I see? By his godhead, 'tis no other! The bow, the club, the lion's-skin, the giant frame; 'tis Heracles complete. Yet how should this be?- a son of Zeus, and mortal? I say, Mighty Conqueror, are you dead? I used to sacrifice to you in the other world; I understood you were a God!

Her . Thou didst well. Heracles is with the Gods in Heaven,

And hath white-ankled Hebe there to wife.

I am his phantom.

Diog . His phantom! What then, can one half of any one be a God, and the other half mortal?

Her . Even so. The God still lives. 'Tis I, his counterpart, am dead.

Diog . I see. You're a dummy; he palms you off upon Pluto, instead of coming himself. And here are you, enjoying his mortality!

Her . 'Tis somewhat as thou hast said.

Diog . Well, but where were Aeacus's keen eyes, that he let a counterfeit Heracles pass under his very nose, and never knew the difference?

Her . I was made very like to him.

Diog . I believe you! Very like indeed, no difference at all! Why, we may find it's the other way round, that you are Heracles, and the phantom is in Heaven, married to Hebe!

Her . Prating knave, no more of thy gibes; else thou shalt presently learn how great a God calls me phantom.

Diog . H'm. That bow looks as if it meant business. And yet,- what have I to fear now? A man can die but once. Tell me, phantom,- by your great Substance I adjure you - did you serve him in your present capacity in the upper world? Perhaps you were one individual during your lives, the separation taking place only at your deaths, when he, the God, soared heavenwards, and you, the phantom, very properly made your appearance here?

Her . Thy ribald questions were best unanswered. Yet thus much thou shalt know.- All that was Amphitryon in Heracles, is dead; I am that mortal part. The Zeus in him lives, and is with the Gods in Heaven.

Diog . Ah, now I see! Alcmena had twins, you mean,- Heracles the son of Zeus, and Heracles the son of Amphitryon? You were really half-bothers all the time?

Her . Fool! not so. We twain were one Heracles.

Diog . It's a little difficult to grasp, the two Heracleses packed into one. I suppose you must have been like a sort of Centaur, man and God all mixed together?

Her . And are not all thus composed of two elements,- the body and the soul? What then should hinder the soul from being in Heaven, with Zeus who gave it, and the mortal part - myself - among the dead?

Diog . Yes, yes, my esteemed son of Amphitryon,- that would be all very well if you were a body; but you see you are a phantom, you have no body. At this rate we shall get three Heracleses.

Her . Three ?

Diog . Yes; look here. One in Heaven: one in Hades, that's you, the phantom: and lastly the body, which by this time has returned to dust. That makes three. Can you think of a good father for number Three?

Her . Impudent quibbler! And who art thou ?

Diog . I am Diogenes's phantom, late of Sinope. But my original, I assure you, is not 'among th' immortal Gods,' but here among dead men; where he enjoys the best of company, and snaps my ringers at Homer and all hair-splitting.

Source: http://lucianofsamosata.info/DialoguesOfTheDead.html</blockquote>

<blockquote>XXIV

Diogenes. Mausolus

Diog . Why so proud, Carian? How are you better than the rest of us?

Man . Sinopean, to begin with, I was a king; king of all Caria, ruler of many Lydians, subduer of islands, conqueror of well-nigh the whole of Ionia, even to the borders of Miletus. Further, I was comely, and of noble stature, and a mighty warrior. Finally, a vast tomb lies over me in Halicarnassus, of such dimensions, of such exquisite beauty as no other shade can boast. Thereon are the perfect semblances of man and horse, carved in the fairest marble; scarcely may a temple be found to match it. These are the grounds of my pride: are they inadequate?

Diog . Kingship - beauty - heavy tomb; is that it?

Mau . It is as you say.

Diog . But, my handsome Mausolus, the power and the beauty are no longer there. If we were to appoint an umpire now on the question of comeliness, I see no reason why he should prefer your skull to mine. Both are bald, and bare of flesh; our teeth are equally in evidence; each of us has lost his eyes, and each is snub-nosed. Then as to the tomb and the costly marbles, I dare say such a fine erection gives the Halicarnassians something to brag about and show off to strangers: but I don't see, friend, that you are the better for it, unless it is that you claim to carry more weight than the rest of us, with all that marble on the top of you.

Mau . Then all is to go for nothing? Mausolus and Diogenes are to rank as equals?

Diog . Equals! My dear sir, no; I don't say that. While Mausolus is groaning over the memories of earth, and the felicity which he supposed to be his, Diogenes will be chuckling. While Mausolus boasts of the tomb raised to him by Artemisia, his wife and sister, Diogenes knows not whether he has a tomb or no - the question never having occurred to him; he knows only that his name is on the tongues of the wise, as one who lived the life of a man; a higher monument than yours, vile Carian slave, and set on firmer foundations.

Source: http://lucianofsamosata.info/DialoguesOfTheDead.html</blockquote>

<blockquote>XXVII

Diogenes. Antisthenes. Crates

Diog . Now, friends, we have plenty of time; what say you to a stroll? we might go to the entrance and have a look at the new-comers - what they are and how they behave.

Ant . The very thing. It will be an amusing sight - some weeping, some imploring to be let go, some resisting; when Hermes collars them, they will stick their heels in and throw their weight back; and all to no purpose.

Cra . Very well; and meanwhile, let me give you my experiences on the way down.

Diog . Yes, go on, Crates; I dare say you saw some entertaining sights.

Cra . We were a large party, of which the most distinguished were Ismenodorus, a rich townsman of ours, Arsaces, ruler of Media, and Oroetes the Armenian. Ismenodorus had been murdered by robbers going to Eleusis over Cithaeron, I believe. He was moaning, nursing his wound, apostrophizing the young children he had left, and cursing his foolhardiness. He knew Cithaeron and the Eleutherae district were all devastated by the wars, and yet he must take only two servants with him - with five bowls and four cups of solid gold in his baggage, too. Arsaces was an old man of rather imposing aspect; he expressed his feelings in true barbaric fashion, was exceedingly angry at being expected to walk, and kept calling for his horse. In point of fact it had died with him, it and he having been simultaneously transfixed by a Thracian pikeman in the fight with the Cappadocians on the Araxes. Arsaces described to us how he had charged far in advance of his men, and the Thracian, standing his ground and sheltering himself with his buckler, warded off the lance, and then, planting his pike, transfixed man and horse together.

Ant . How could it possibly be done simultaneously?

Cra . Oh, quite simple. The Median was charging with his thirty-foot lance in front of him; the Thracian knocked it aside with his buckler; the point glanced by; then he knelt, received the charge on his pike, pierced the horse's chest - the spirited beast impaling itself by its own impetus -, and finally ran Arsaces through groin and buttock. You see what happened; it was the horse's doing rather than the man's. However, Arsaces did not at all appreciate equality, and wanted to come down on horseback. As for Oroetes, he was so tender-footed that he could not stand, far less walk. That is the way with all the Medes - once they are off their horses, they go delicately on tiptoe as if they were treading on thorns. He threw himself down, and there he lay; nothing would induce him to get up; so the excellent Hermes had to pick him up and carry him to the ferry; how I laughed!

Ant . When I came down, I did not keep with the crowd; I left them to their blubberings, ran on to the ferry, and secured a comfortable seat for the passage. Then as we crossed, they were divided between tears and sea-sickness, and gave me a merry time of it.

Diog . You two have described your fellow passengers; now for mine. There came down with me Blepsias, the Pisatan usurer, Lampis, an Acarnanian freelance, and the Corinthian millionaire Damis. The last had been poisoned by his son, Lampis had cut his throat for love of the courtesan Myrtium, and the wretched Blepsias is supposed to have died of starvation; his awful pallor and extreme emaciation looked like it. I inquired into the manner of their deaths, though I knew very well. When Damis exclaimed upon his son, 'You only have your deserts,' I remarked,-'an old man of ninety living in luxury yourself with your million of money, and fobbing off your eighteen-year son with a few pence! As for you, sir Acarnanian'- he was groaning and cursing Myrtium -, 'why put the blame on Love? it belongs to yourself; you were never afraid of an enemy - took all sorts of risks in other people's service - and then let yourself be caught, my hero, by the artificial tears and sighs of the first wench you came across.' Blepsias uttered his own condemnation, without giving me time to do it for him: he had hoarded his money for heirs who were nothing to him, and been fool enough to reckon on immortality. I assure you it was no common satisfaction I derived from their whinings.

Pauper . Not so.

Diog . A provincial governor, then?

Pauper . No, nor that.

Diog . I see; you were wealthy, and do not like leaving your boundless luxury to die.

Pauper . You are quite mistaken; I was near ninety, made a miserable livelihood out of my line and rod, was excessively poor, childless, a cripple, and had nearly lost my sight.

Diog . And you still wished to live?

Pauper . Ay, sweet is the light, and dread is death; would that one might escape it!

Diog . You are beside yourself, old man; you are like a child kicking at the pricks, you contemporary of the ferryman. Well, we need wonder no more at youth, when age is still in love with life; one would have thought it should court death as the cure for its proper ills.- And now let us go our way, before our loitering here brings suspicion on us: they may think we are planning an escape.

Source: http://lucianofsamosata.info/DialoguesOfTheDead.html </blockquote>

Theombrotus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:44:19 +0000

Theombrotus

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §95

<blockquote>His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
Source</blockquote>

Musonius Rufus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:03:27 +0000

Musonius Rufus

Eunapius, Lives of the Philosophers and Sophists 2.1.5

<blockquote>Carneades also lived about this time, a celebrated figure among the Cynics, if indeed we ought to take any account of the Cynic school, among whom were Musonius, Demetrius, and Menippus, and several others also; but these were the more celebrated. Clear and accurate accounts of the lives of these men it was impossible to discover, since, so far as I know, no one has written them. But their own writings were and still are sufficient records of their lives, filled as they are with such erudition and thorough research in the field of ethics and also that research which aspires to investigate the nature of things and disperses like a mist the ignorance of such as are able to follow.
Source</blockquote>

Carneades

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 01:46:20 +0000

Carneades

Eunapius, Lives of the Philosophers 2.1.5

<blockquote>Mankind. Carneades also lived about this time, a celebrated figure among the Cynics, if indeed we ought to take any account of the Cynic school, among whom were Musonius, Demetrius, and Menippus, and several others also; but these were the more celebrated.
Source</blockquote>

Teles

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 03:15:49 +0000

Teles

Donald Dudley, History of Cynicism "Cynicism in the 3rd Century (d-e)"

<blockquote> (d) Teles

It is a curious turn of literary fortune that Teles, apparently a fourth-rate writer of little originality, known in no reference of earlier date than Stobaeus, should be represented by larger fragments than Crates, Bion, and Menippus, whose works were admired and frequently alluded to in classical times. Teles comes down to us in extracts made by Stobaeus from an epitome made by an otherwise unknown Theodorus there may have been other middlemen involved in the process. The fragments are edited and the date and sources of Teles discussed in Hense, Teletis reliquiae ; he has also occupied the attention of Wilamowitz and Cronert. As a result of these studies it is known that Teles was a Megarian school- master who flourished in the second half of the third century ; the one reference which can be definitely dated shows that the diatribe peri phyges; was composed later than 240, and delivered to an audience of youths at Megara ; Teles has a Megarian name, his writings employ certain Doric forms, and he alludes to himself as paidagogos; The seven fragments are diatribes ; four on such familiar Cynic themes as Exile, Self-Sufficiency, Poverty and Wealth ; that entitled peri peristaseon is a warning against mempsimoria ; while two have a polemical purpose, being respectively directed against the Hedonist doctrine that Pleasure is the End, and the popular view that outward appearance is the true criterion of justice (peri tou dokein kai tou einai).

A literary judgement of Teles must be based on the evidence we possess, and can only be unfavourable. It is of course always possible that this evidence does him much less than justice ; it is uncertain whether his diatribes were published as delivered or from the notes of an auditor, and in all ages it is the fate of lecturers to be remembered for their jokes rather than for their matter. But in six of the seven frag- ments, if we take away borrowed passages and anecdotes, Teles himself is represented by little more than a few connecting sentences. This may be due to the successive “ cuttings ” of Theodorus, Stobaeus, and whatever other epitomators took a hand in it ; but it implies at least that Teles' own work was less interesting than what he quoted. A further difficulty is that Theodorus (presumably) maintains an annoying running commentary to ensure that his reader is missing nothing You see the joke ? ' he asks anxiously, and again, on the bravery of Spartan women, What woman of our day would have acted thus ? ' These comments are not always easy to distinguish from what may have been Teles' remarks to his class, e.g. Would any of us have gone to sleep in such circumstances ? ' (of Socrates' fortitude in prison). But in the first diatribe there is less extraneous matter than in the others and some judgement can be formed of Teles' style.

A. They say it is better to seem just than to be just. Well, is it better to seem good than to be good ? B. Hardly. A. Again, are actors esteemed for seeming to be good, or for being good ? B. For being good. A. And do men become accounted good harpists by seeming to be good harpists, or for being good ? B. For being good. A. And in general, do men become successful in all things rather by seeming to be good, or by being good ? B. By being good. A. By the presence of that quality success is assured, rather than by its absence ; so that it does seem a better thing to be good than to seem good, and the just man is good, not he who appears to be just. . . .

And so on. However edifying this may have been to the youth of Megara, it is deficient in both literary and logical virtues. But, like many bad authors, Teles is of interest in reflecting the literary tastes of his audience. His great heroes are Socrates, Diogenes, and Crates ; and Cynic literature is freely quoted, especially Bion. There are references to hoi archaioi presumably the older Cynic authors, and explicit quotations from Crates and Metrocles, though it cannot be decided whether he got them at first hand, or, as Hense maintains, through Bion, or through books of chreiai. Socrates he knows at best through the Xenophontic tradition ; the allusion to the Phaedo can hardly be at first hand, for it is coupled with a magnificent howler about the last words of Socrates which argues a very dubious source. Stilpo is naturally drawn upon as an eminent Megarian philosopher. Of quotations from the poets the great majority are from Homer, in all ages the schoolbook of Hellas. The only gnomic poet quoted is Theognis. Of the tragedians Euripides is quoted six times, Sophocles once, Aeschylus not at all ; there are several quotations from unknown authors. The Old Comedy is not quoted, and the New Comedy represented by Philemon and not Menander. Finally there are references to mythological characters such as Heracles, Cadmus, Tantalus, Oedipus, and Perseus, to familiar historical personages, Aristeides, Lysander, Callias, and to contemporaries, Ptolemy, Antigonus, Chremonides. Several admiring references to Sparta imply that her valorous conduct on such occasions as her resistance to Pyrrhus maintained during the third century the Spartan reputation for andreia. The taste catered for is clearly a popular one whose chief interest lay in the didactic aspect of literature.

Whatever our disparagement of Teles as a writer, we can but be grateful that these fragments have been preserved ; without them we should know little of third-century diatribe or of Bion.

(e) Educational Theory

The Cynics had always laid great stress on paideia though Teles is the only known case of a Cynic schoolmaster. During the third century Cynic works on education appeared in which Diogenes was depicted as the ideal paidagogos ; two such books known to us were the Paidagogikos, of Cleomenes and the Diogenous prasis of Eubulus. The fragment pre- served from the latter is of especial interest, for it outlines a curriculum supposed to have been adopted by Diogenes in educating the sons of his master Xeniades of Corinth. After their other studies he taught them to ride, to shoot with the bow, to sling stones and hurl javelins. He also took them out hunting . . . Such exercises were presumably recommended as involving ponos, and it is interesting to be told that in the wrestling-school he would not permit the master to give them full athletic training, but only sufficient to keep them in colour and in good condition'. The Cynics deprecated specialization in athletics and several apophthegms directed against athletes were attributed to Diogenes. 'He would wonder that men would strive to outdo each other in digging and kicking, and yet no one strove to become a good man. Athletes are so stupid because they are built up of pigs-flesh and bulls-flesh; a victory at the Great Games was won over slaves, the Cynic's victory over men. The point was, of course, that the athlete's abounding energy might be better directed. The boys' intellectual development was to be secured by making them learn by heart many passages from the poets, historians, and the works of Diogenes himself ; and he would try every short cut to improve their memories '. We see from the quotations and historical allusions in Teles that the poets and historians were esteemed for their didactic value, they provided logoi chestoi. As for behaviour, he taught them to wait on themselves, to eat plain food, and to drink water. They were made to crop their hair, and wear it unadorned, and to go about lightly clad and barefoot ; in the streets they were to be silent and not to stare about them.' The educational programme thus fostered on Diogenes is a compound of various existing systems, interpreted in a Cynic spirit. The ordinary Greek elementary education (ta grammata) forms its backbone, augmented by features derived from Sparta (hunting) and from the Persian system described by Xenophon in the Cyropaedia (shooting with the bow, riding). The regimen is that of the Cynic autarkeia, but the aim of the system is not to produce little Cynics, as paidagogos in the literal, largos in a figurative sense, the Cynic labours not on behalf of his movement but of mankind.

The papyri dealing with the theme of aischrokerdeia are on the same literary level as the diatribes of Teles. They are obviously part of an anthology ; Knox's theory that the compilation is due to Cercidas is attractive and probable. Addressed to a certain Parnos, who ' lends a ready ear to ennobling verse ', they are an expression of disgust at an age of shameless commercialism whose keynote is the line of Sophocles, The author announces his own intention of abiding by ' That old rule of simplicity, to be no slave of luxury, nor of the stomach's pleasures '. Though Business Ethics have driven Faith and Justice from the earth, and Zeus and the gods of popular belief are apparently impotent, the righteous man can live in the knowledge that a day will come … for I see many who grow rich on shamelessness, yet their wealth all vanished as though it had never been '. There follows a remarkable outburst.

estin gar estin, os tade skopei daimon
os en chronoi to theion ou kataischunei,
nemei d' heskastoi ten kataision moiran

The deity in question is, one may conjecture, Nemesis ; Theophrastus, asked what powers govern human life, answered Euergesia kai timoria, divinities also recognized by Democ- ritus. 1 To enforce the warning against aischrokerdeia an iambic poem of Phoenix of Colophon is cited ; it deals with profiteers where * houses are fair and noble and worth a fortune, but they themselves would be no bargain at three obols a head '. Gerhard's very full discussion of these fragments shows how the ' commonplaces ' and similes they contain are those regarded as especially appropriate to the theme of aischrokerdeia ; and Fiske points out the parallels in Horace, Satires, i. i.
Source modified. Source</blockquote>

Timarchus of Alexandria

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:41:27 +0000

Timarchus of Alexandria

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §95

<blockquote>His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
Source</blockquote>

Demetrius of Alexandria

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:45:17 +0000

Demetrius of Alexandria

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §95

<blockquote>[Metrocles]' disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
Text Modified. Source</blockquote>

Echecles of Ephesus

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:33:09 +0000

Echecles of Ephesus

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §95

<blockquote>[Metrocles'] disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
Source</blockquote>

Diogenes of Sinope | Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 2.18

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 02:20:31 +0000

Diogenes of Sinope | Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 2.18

<blockquote>18 That Phaedo the Socratic was a slave; and that several others also were of that condition.

There were not a few other slaves too afterwards who became famous philosophers, among them that Menippus whose works Marcus Varro emulated48 in those satires which others call “Cynic,” but he himself, “Menippean.”

Besides these, Pompylus, the slave of the Peripatetic Theophrastus, and the slave of the Stoic Zeno who was called Persaeus, and the slave of Epicurus whose name was Mys, were philosophers of repute.

Diogenes the Cynic also served as a slave, but he was a freeborn man, who was sold into slavery. When Xeniades of Corinth wished to buy him and asked whether he knew any trade, Diogenes replied: “I know how to govern free men.” Then Xeniades, in admiration of his answer, bought him, set him free, and entrusting to him his own children, said: “Take my children to govern.”

But as to the well-known philosopher Epictetus, the fact that he too was a slave is too fresh in our memory to need to be committed to writing, as if it had been forgotten.

Source: Noctes Atticae (Attic Nights) by A. Cornelius Gellius published in the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1927 (revised 1946)</blockquote>

The Runaways | Fugitivi

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 15:03:53 +0000

The Runaways | Fugitivi

The very extraordinary circumstances which attended the Death of Peregrine as, as related in Lucian's letter, naturally led our facetious author into some reflections on the introduction and success of that false philosophy which prevailed amongst the sophists of his time, and which at length became a fair object of his satire. The following dialogue on this subject is lively and entertaining.
- Based on Francklin

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

Apollo. Zeus. Philosophy. Heracles. Hermes. Three Masters. An Innkeeper. Orpheus. Innkeeper's Wife. Three Runaway Slaves

1

Apol. Father, is this true, about a man's publicly throwing himself upon a pyre, at the Olympian Games? He was quite an old man, it seems, and rather a good hand at anything in the sensational line. Selene told us about it: she says she actually saw him burning.

Zeus. Quite true, my boy; only too true!

Apol. Oh? the old gentleman deserved a better fate?

Zeus. Why, as to that, I dare say he did. But I was alluding to the smell, which incommoded me extremely; the odour of roast man, I need hardly tell you, is far from pleasant. I made the best of my way to Arabia at once, or, upon my word, those awful fumes would have been the death of me. Even in that fragrant land of frankincense and spices I could scarcely get the villanous stench out of my nostrils; the mere recollection of it makes me feel queer.

2

Apol. But what was his object, father? Was there anything to be got by jumping on to a pyre, and being converted to cinders?

Zeus. Ah, if you come to that, you must call Empedocles to account first: he jumped into a crater, in Sicily.

Apol. Poor fellow! he must have been in a sad way. But what was the inducement in the present case?

3

Zeus. I'll quote you his own words. He made a speech, explaining his motives to the public. As far as I remember, he said–but who comes here in such haste? There must be something wrong: she is crying; someone has been ill-treating her. Why, it is Philosophy, in a sad way, calling out to me. Why are you crying, child? and what brings you here, away from the world? More misdeeds of the ignorant herd? a repetition of the Socrates and Anytus affair? is that it?

Phi. No, father, nothing of that kind. The common people have been most polite and respectful; they are my most devout admirers,–worshippers, I might almost say; not that they understand much of what I tell them. No; it was those–I don't know what to call them–but the people who pretend to be on such friendly terms with me, and are always using my name;–the wretches!

4

Zeus. Oh, it's the philosophers who have been misbehaving themselves?

Phi. No, no, father; they have been just as badly treated as I have.

Zeus. Then if it is neither the philosophers nor the common people, who is it that you complain of?

Phi. There are some people who are between the two: they are not philosophers, and yet they are not like the rest of mankind. They are got up to look like philosophers; they have the dress, the walk, the expression; they call me mistress, write philosopher after their names, and declare themselves my disciples and followers: but they are evil men, made up of folly and impudence and wickedness; a disgrace to my name. It was their misconduct that drove me away.

5

Zeus. Poor child! it is too bad of them. And what have they been doing to you exactly?

Phi. Judge for yourself whether the provocation was a slight one. When formerly you looked down upon the world, and saw that it was filled with iniquity and transgression, and was become the troubled abode of sin and folly, you had compassion on the frailty of ignorant mankind, and sent me down to them: you bade me see to it, that wickedness and violence and brutality should cease from among them; I was to lift their eyes upwards to the truth, and cause them to live together in unity. Remember your words on that occasion: 'Behold, my daughter, the misdeeds of mankind; behold how ignorance has wrought upon them. I feel compassion for them, and have chosen you from among all the Gods to heal their ills; for who else should heal them? '

6

Zeus. I said that, and more. Yes? and how did they receive you at your first descent? and what is the trouble now?

Phi. My first flight was not directed towards Greece. I thought it best to begin with the hardest part of my task, which I took to be the instruction of the barbarians. With the Greeks I anticipated no difficulty; I had supposed that they would accept my yoke without hesitation. First, then, I went to the Indians, the mightiest nation upon earth. I had little trouble in persuading them to descend from their elephants and follow me. The Brahmins, who dwell between Oxydracae and the country of the Nechrei, are mine to a man: they live according to my laws, and are respected by all their neighbours; and the manner of their death is truly wonderful.

7

Zeus. Ah, to be sure: the Gymnosophists. I have heard a great deal of them. Among other things, they ascend gigantic pyres, and sit quietly burning to death without moving a muscle. However, that is no such great matter: I saw it done at Olympia only the other day. You would be there, no doubt,–when that old man burnt himself?

Phi. No, father: I was afraid to go near Olympia, on account of those hateful men I was telling you of; I saw that numbers of them were going there, to make their barking clamour heard in the temple, and to abuse all comers.

8

Accordingly I know nothing of this cremation. But to continue: after I had left the Brahmins, I went straight to Ethiopia, and thence to Egypt, where I associated with the priests and prophets, and taught them of the Gods. Then to Babylon, to instruct the Chaldaeans and Mages. Next came Scythia, and after Scythia, Thrace; here Eumolpus and Orpheus were my companions. I sent them on into Greece before me; Eumolpus, whom I had thoroughly instructed in theology, was to institute the sacred mysteries, Orpheus to win men by the power of music.

9

I followed close behind them. On my first arrival, the Greeks received me without enthusiasm: they did not, however, wholly reject my advances; by slow degrees I gained over seven men to be my companions and disciples, and Samos, Ephesus, and Abdera, 1 each added one to the little company.

10

And then there sprang up–I scarce know how–the tribe of sophists: men who had but little of my spirit, yet were not wholly alien to me; a motley Centaur breed, in whom vanity and wisdom meeting were moulded into one incongruous whole. They clung not entirely to ignorance, but theirs was not the steady eye that could meet the gaze of Philosophy; and if at moments my semblance flashed phantom-like across their dulled vision, they held that in that dim shadow they had seen all that was to be seen. It was this pride that nourished the vain, unprofitable science that they mistook for invincible wisdom; the science of quaint conceits, ingenious paradoxes, and labyrinthine dilemmas.

11

My followers would have restrained them, and exposed their errors: but they grew angry, and conspired against them, and in the end brought them under the power of the law, which condemned them to drink of hemlock. Doubtless I should have done well to renounce humanity there and then, and take my flight: but Antisthenes and Diogenes, and after them Crates, and our friend Menippus, prevailed upon me to tarry yet a little longer. Would that I had never yielded! I should have been spared much pain in the sequel.

12

Zeus. But, my dear, you are merely giving way to your feelings, instead of telling me what your wrongs were.

Phi. Then hear them, father. There is a vile race upon the earth, composed for the most part of serfs and menials, creatures whose occupations have never suffered them to become acquainted with philosophy; whose earliest years have been spent in the drudgery of the fields, in learning those base arts for which they are most fitted–the fuller's trade, the joiner's, the cobbler's–or in carding wool, that housewives may have ease in their spinning, and the thread be fit for warp and woof. Thus employed, they knew not in their youth so much as the name of Philosophy. But they had no sooner reached manhood, than they perceived the respect paid to my followers; how men submitted to their blunt speech, valued their advice, deferred to their judgement, and cowered beneath their censure; all this they saw, and held that here was a life for a king.

13

The learning, indeed, that befits a philosopher would have taken them long to acquire, if it was not utterly out of their reach. On the other hand, their own miserly handicrafts barely rewarded their toil with a sufficiency. To some, too, servitude was in itself an oppression: they knew it, in fact, for the intolerable thing it is. But they bethought them that there was still one chance left; their sheet-anchor, as sailors say. They took refuge with my lady Folly, called in the assistance of Boldness, Ignorance, and Impudence, ever their untiring coadjutors, and provided themselves with a stock of bran-new invectives; these they have ever ready on their tongues; ’tis their sole equipment; noble provision, is it not, for a philosopher? Nothing could be more plausible than the philosophic disguise they now assume, reminding one of the fabled ass of Cyme, in Aesop, who clothed himself in a lion's skin, and, stoutly braying, sought to play the lion's part; the beast, I doubt not, had his adherents.

14

The externals of philosophy, as you know, are easily aped: it is a simple matter to assume the cloak and wallet, walk with a stick, and bawl, and bark, and bray, against all corners. They know that they are safe; their cloth protects them. Liberty is thus within their grasp: no need to ask their master's leave; should he attempt to reclaim them, their sticks are at his service. No more short commons for them now, no more of crusts whose dryness is mitigated only by herbs or salt fish: they have choice of meats, drink the best of wines, and take money where they will, shearing the sheep, as they call it when they levy contributions, in the certainty that many will give, from respect to their garb or fear of their tongues.

15

They foresee, of course, that they will be on the same footing as genuine philosophers; so long as their exterior is conformable, no one is likely to make critical distinctions. They take care not to risk exposure: at the first hint of a rational argument, they shout their opponent down, withdraw into the stronghold of personal abuse, and flourish their ever-ready cudgels. Question their practice, and you will hear much of their principles: offer to examine those principles, and you are referred to their conduct.

16

17

Before long you will see every trade at a standstill, the workmen all at large: for every man of them knows that, whilst he is bent over his work from morning to night, toiling and drudging for a starvation wage, idle impostors are living in the midst of plenty, commanding charity where they will, with no word of thanks to the giver, and a curse on him that withholds the gift. Surely (he will say to himself) the golden age is returned, and the heavens shall rain honey into my mouth.

18

And would that that were all! But they have other ways of bringing discredit upon us, besides the baseness of their origin. When beauty comes within the reach of these grave and reverend gentlemen, they are guilty of excesses that I will not pollute my lips with mentioning. They have been known, like Trojan Paris, to seduce the wives of their own hosts, and to quote the authority of Plato for leaving these fair converts at the disposal of all their acquaintance; they little knew the true meaning of that inspired philosopher's community of women.

19

I will not tire you with a description of their drunken orgies; observe, however, that these are the men who preach against drunkenness and adultery and avarice and lewdness. Could any contrast be greater than that presented by their words and their deeds? They speak their detestation of flattery: a Gnathonides and a Struthias are less fulsome than they. They bid men tell the truth: yet their own tongues cannot move but to utter lies. To hear them, you would say they were at war with pleasure, and Epicurus their bitterest foe: yet nothing do they do but for pleasure's sake. Querulous, irritable, passionate as cradled babes, they are a derision to the beholder; the veriest trifle serves to move their ire, to bring the purple to their cheeks, ungoverned fury to their eyes, foam–call it rather venom–to their lips.

20

Preserve me from their turbid rantings! Gold I ask not, nor silver; be one penny all my wealth, to purchase beans withal. And for my drink, a river, a spring, shall furnish me. But presently it turns out that what they want is not pence, nor shillings, but whole fortunes. He must be a thriving merchant, whose cargoes will bring him in such profits as these men suck out of philosophy. They are sufficiently provided at last, and then off goes the hated uniform: lands and houses are bought, and soft raiment, and comely pages. Inquire of them now for Crates's wallet, Antisthenes's cloak, Diogenes's tub: they know nothing of the matter.

21

When men see these things, they spit in the face of philosophy; they think that all philosophers are the same, and blame me their teacher. It is long since I have won over any to my side. I toil like Penelope at the loom, and one moment undoes all that I have done. Ignorance and Wickedness watch my unavailing labours, and smile.

22

Zeus. Really, Philosophy has been shamefully treated. We must take some measures with these rascals. Let us think what is to be done. The single stroke of the thunderbolt is too quick a death.

Apol. Father, I have a suggestion to make. By their neglect of the Muses, these vile quacks have incurred my own resentment as well as Philosophy's. They are not worthy to die by your hand. Instead, I would advise your sending Hermes to them, with full authority to punish them at his discretion. With his forensic experience, he will be at no loss to distinguish between the true philosopher and the false. The former will receive merited praise: on the latter he will inflict such chastisement as the circumstances demand.

23

Zeus. A sensible proposal. Heracles, you can go too; take Philosophy with you, and lose no time. Think: this will make your thirteenth Labour, and a creditable one too, the extermination of these reptiles.

Hera. Rather than meddle with them, I would give the Augean stables a second clean-out. However, let us be starting, Philosophy.

Phi. If I must, I must.

24

Her. Yes, come along, and we will polish off a few to-day.–Which way, Philosophy? You know where they are to be found. Somewhere in Greece, of course?

Phi. Oh no; the few that there are in Greece are genuine philosophers. Attic poverty is not at all to the liking of the impostors; we must look for them in places where gold and silver mines abound.

Her. Straight to Thrace, then?

Hera. Yes, Thrace, and I will show you the way. I know every inch of Thrace; I have been there so often. Look here, this is our route.

Her. Yes?

25

Hera. You see those two magnificent mountains (the big one is Haemus, and the other Rhodope), and the fertile plain that spreads between them, running to the very foot of either? These three grand, rugged crests that stand out so proudly yonder form as it were a triple citadel to the city that lies beneath; you can see it now, look.

Her. Superb! A queen among cities; her splendours reach us even here. And what is the great river that flows so close beneath the walls?

Hera. The Hebrus, and the city was built by Philip. Well, we have left the clouds behind us now; let us try our fortune on terra firma.

26

Her. Very good; and what comes next? How do we hunt our vermin down?

Hera. Ah, that is where you come in, Mr. Crier: oblige us by crying them without loss of time.

Her. There is only one objection to that: I do not know what they are called. What names am I to say, Philosophy? and how shall I describe them?

Phi. I am not sure of their names, as I have never come into contact with them. To judge from their grasping propensities, however, you can hardly go wrong with Cteso, Ctesippus, Ctesicles, Euctemon, Polyctetus 1.

27

Her. To be sure. But who are these men? They seem to be looking for something too. Why, they are coming up to speak to us.

Innkeeper and Masters. Excuse us, madam, and gentlemen, but have you come across a company of three rascals conducting a woman–a very masculine-looking female, with hair cut short in the Spartan fashion?

Phi. Ha! the very people we are looking for!

Masters. Indeed, madam? But these are three runaway slaves. The woman was kidnapped by them, and we want to get her back.

Her. Our business with them I will tell you afterwards. For the present, let us make a joint proclamation.

Disappeared. A Paphlagonian slave, formerly of Sinope. Any person giving information as to his whereabouts will be rewarded; the amount of the reward to be fixed by the informant. Description. Name: begins with CTE. Complexion: sallow. Hair: close-cropped, with long beard. Dress: a coarse cloak with wallet. Temper: bad. Education: none. Voice: harsh. Manner: offensive.

28

First Master. Why, what is all this about? His name used to be Cantharus when he was with. me. He had long hair, and no beard, and was apprenticed to my trade; I am a fuller, and he was in my shop, dressing cloth.

Phi. Yes, it is the same; but he has dressed to some purpose this time, and has become a philosopher.

First Master. Cantharus a philosopher! I like that. And where do I come in?

Second and Third Masters. Oh well, we shall get them all now. This lady knows all about them, it seems.

29

Phi. Heracles, who is this comely person with a lyre?

Hera. It is Orpheus. I was on the Argo with him. He was the best of boatswains; it was quite a pleasure to row to his singing. Welcome, my musical friend: you have not forgotten Heracles, I hope?

Or. And welcome to all of you, Philosophy, Heracles, Hermes. I should like my reward, please: I can lay my finger on your man.

Her. Then show us the way. It is useless, of course, to offer gold to the gifted son of Calliope?

Or. Oh, quite.–I will show you the house, but not the man. His tongue might avenge him; scurrility is his strong point.

Her. Lead on.

Or. It is this house close by. And now I shall leave you; l have no wish to set eyes on him.

30

Her. Hush! Was that a woman's voice, reciting Homer?

Phi. It was. Let us listen.

Innkeeper's Wife.

More than the gates of Hell I hate that man
Who, loving gold, cloaketh his love with lies.

Her. At that rate, madam, you will have to quarrel with Cantharus:

He with his kindly host hath dealt amiss.

Innkeeper. That ’s me. I took him in, and he ran away with my wife.

Innk. Wife.

Wine-witted knave, deer-hearted and dog-eyed,
Thersites, babbler loose, that nought availest
In council, nought in arms; most valiant daw,
That with thine aimless chatter chidest kings,–

First Master. My rascal to a T.

Innk. Wife.

The dog in thee–for thou art dog and goat
And lion–doth a blasting fury breathe.

31

Innkeeper. Wife, wife! the dogs have been too many for you; ay, and for your virtue, so men say.

Her. Hope for the best; some little Cerberus or Geryon shall call you father, and Heracles have employment again.–Ah, no need to knock: here they come.

First Master. Ha, Cantharus, have I got you? What, nothing to say for yourself? Let us see what you have in that wallet; beans, no doubt, or a crust of bread.

Her. Bread, indeed! Gold, a purseful of it!

Hera. That need not surprise you. In Greece, you see, he was a Cynic, but here he is all for golden Chrysippus. Next you will see him dangling, Cleanthes-like 1, by his beard, and serve the dirty fellow right.

32

Second Master. Ha, you rascal there, am I mistaken, or are you my lost Lecythio? Lecythio it is. What a figure! Lecythio a philosopher! I'll believe anything after this.

Her. Does none of you know anything about this other? Third Master. Oh yes, he is mine; but he may go hang for me.

Her. And why is that?

Third Master. Ah, he 's a sadly leaky vessel, is Rosolio, as we used to call him.

Her. Gracious Heracles! did you hear that? Rosolio with wallet and stick!–Friend, here is your wife again.

Innkeeper. Thank you for nothing. I'll have no woman brought to bed of an old book in my house.

Her. How am I to understand that?

Innkeeper. Why, the Three-headed Dog is a book, master? Her. Ay, and so was the Man with the Three Hats, for that matter.

33

Masters. We leave the rest to you, sir.

Her. This is my judgement. Let the woman return beneath her husband's roof, or many-headed monsters will come of it. These two truant sparks I hand over to their owners: let them follow their trades as heretofore; Lecythio wash clothes, and Rosolio patch them;–not, however, before his back has felt the mallow-stalk. And for Cantharus, first let the men of pitch take him, and plaster him without mercy; and be their pitch the vilest procurable. Then let him be led forth to stand upon the snowy slopes of Haemus, naked and fettered.

Can. Mercy! have mercy on me! Ah me! I am undone!

First Master. So tragic? Come, follow me to the plasterers; and off with that lion's-skin, lest you be taken for other than an ass.

98:1 Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Democritus.

104:1 Ctesis is Greek for 'gain'.

106:1 See Cleanthes in Notes.

The Double Indictment | Bis Accusatus sive Tribunalia

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 14:33:30 +0000

The Double Indictment | Bis Accusatus sive Tribunalia

SOURCE:
The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905.

Read text in Greek

This title is taken from the latter part of this work. Lucian, in a most ingenious manner defends his own method of writing against those critics who blamed him for leaving oratory, declamation, and philosophy to bask in the ease of dialogue. Lucian ridicules logicians, laughs at Epicureans, and diverts himself with the Platonic and Socratic disputants. The whole is excellent satire and sensible reflections.
- Based on Francklin

Zeus. Hermes. Justice. Pan. Several Athenians. The Academy. The Porch. Epicurus. Virtue. Luxury. Diogenes. Rhetoric. A Syrian. Dialogue

1

Zeus. A curse on all those philosophers who will have it that none but the Gods are happy! If they could but know what we have to put up with on men’s account, they would not envy us our nectar and our ambrosia. They take Homer’s word for it all,— the word of a blind quack; ’tis he who pronounces us blessed, and expatiates on heavenly glories, he who could not see in front of his own nose. Look at the Sun, now. He yokes that chariot, and is riding through the heavens from morn till night, clothed in his garment of fire, and dispensing his rays abroad; not so much breathing-space as goes to the scratching of an ear; once let his horses catch him napping, and they have the bit between their teeth and are off ‘cross country, with the result that the Earth is scorched to a cinder. The Moon is no better off: she is kept up into the small hours to light the reveller and the diner-out upon their homeward path. And then Apollo,— he has his work cut out for him: with such a press of oracular business, it is much if he has any ears left to hear with: he is wanted at Delphi; the next minute, he must be off to Colophon; then away to Xanthus; then back at a trot to Clarus; then it is Delos, then Branchidae;— in short, he is at the beck of every priestess who has taken her draught of holy water, munched her laurel-leaf, and made the tripod rock; it is now or never; if he is not there that minute to reel off the required oracle, his credit is gone. The traps they set for him too! He must have a dog’s nose for lamb and tortoise in the pot, or his Lydian customer departs, laughing him to scorn. As for Asclepius, he has no peace for his patients: his eyes are acquainted with horror, and his hands with loathsomeness; another’s sickness is his pain. To say nothing of the work that the Winds have to get through, what with sowing and winnowing and getting the ships along; or of Sleep, always on the wing, with Dream at his side all night giving a helping hand.

2

Men have to thank us for all this: every one of us contributes his share to their well-being. And the others have an easy time of it, compared to me, to me the King and Father of all. The annoyances I have to put up with! the worry of thinking of all these things at once! I must keep an eye on all the rest, to begin with, or they would be making some silly mistake; and as for the work I have to do with my own hands, there is no end to it; such complications! it is all I can do to get through with it. It is not as if I had only the main issues to attend to, the rain and hail and wind and lightning, and as soon as I had arranged them could sit down, feeling that my own particular work was over: no, besides all that, I must be looking every way at once, Argus-eyed for theft and perjury, as for sacrifice; the moment a libation has been poured, it is for me to locate the savoury smoke that rises; for me it is to hear the cry of the sick man and of the sailor; at one and the same moment, a hecatomb demands my presence at Olympia, a battle in the plain of Babylon; hail is due in Thrace, dinner in Ethiopia; ’tis too much! And do what I may, it is hard to give satisfaction. Many is the time that all besides, both Gods and men of plumed helm, have slept the long night through, while unto Zeus sweet slumber has not come nigh. If I nod for a moment, behold, Epicurus is justified, and our indifference to the affairs of Earth made manifest; and if once men lend an ear to that doctrine, the consequences will be serious: our temples will go ungarlanded; the streets will be redolent no longer of roast meat, the bowl no longer yield us libation; our altars will be cold, sacrifice and oblation will be at an end, and utter starvation must ensue. Hence like a pilot I stand up at the helm all alone, tiller in hand, while every soul on board is asleep, and probably drunk; no rest, no food for me, while I ponder in my mind and breast on the common safety; and my reward? to be called the Lord of all!

3

I should like to ask those philosophers who assign us the monopoly of blessedness, when they suppose we find time for nectar and ambrosia among our ceaseless occupations. Look at the mildewed, cob-webbed stack of petitions mouldering on their files in our chancery, for want of time to attend to them: look only at the cases pending between men and the various Arts and Sciences; venerable relics, some of them! Angry protests against the delays of the law reach me from all quarters; men cannot understand that it is from no neglect of ours that these judgements have been postponed; it is simply pressure of business — pressure of blessedness, if they will have it so.

4

Her. I myself, father, have heard a great deal of dissatisfaction expressed on Earth, only I did not like to mention it to you. However, as you have introduced the subject yourself, I may say that the discontent is general: men do not venture to express their resentment openly, but there are mutterings in corners about the delay. It is high time they were all put out of their suspense, for better or for worse.

Zeus. And what would you have me do, my boy? hold a session at once? or shall we say next year?

Her. Oh, at once, by all means.

Zeus. To work, then: fly down, and make proclamation in the following terms: All litigant parties to assemble this day on Areopagus: Justice to assign them their juries from the whole body of the Athenians, the number of the jury to be in proportion to the amount of damages claimed; any party doubting the justice of his sentence to have the right of appeal to me. And you, my daughter, take your seat by the side of the Dread Goddesses, cast lots for the order of the trials, and superintend the formation of juries.

5

Just. You would have me return to Earth, once more to be driven thence in ignominious flight by the intolerable taunts of Injustice?

Zeus. Hope for better things. The philosophers have quite convinced everyone by this time of your superiority. The son of Sophroniscus was particularly strong on your merits: he laid it down that Justice was the highest Good.

Just. Yes; and very serviceable his dissertations on Justice were to him, were they not, when he was handed over to the Eleven, and thrown into prison, and drank the hemlock? Poor man, he had not even time to sacrifice the rooster he owed to Asclepius. His accusers were too much for him altogether, and their philosophy had Injustice for its object.

6

Zeus. But in those days philosophy was not generally known, and had but few exponents; it is not surprising that the scale turned in favour of Anytus and Meletus. But now it is different: look at the number of cloaks and sticks and wallets that are about; everywhere philosophers, long-bearded, book in hand, maintain your cause; the public walks are filled with their contending hosts, and every man of them calls Virtue his nurse. Numbers have abandoned their former professions to pounce upon wallet and cloak; these ready-made philosophers, carpenters once or cobblers, now duly tanned to the true Ethiopian hue, are singing your praises high and low. ‘He that falls on shipboard strikes wood,’ says the proverb; and the eye, wheresoever it fall, will light on philosophers.

7

Just. Yes, father, but they frighten me: they quarrel so among themselves; and when they talk about me, they only expose their own little minds. And, from what I hear, most of those who make so free with my name show no inclination at all to put my principles into practice. I may count upon finding their doors closed to me: Injustice has been beforehand with me.

Zeus. Come, child, they are not all so bad, and if you can find a few honest men it will be something. Now, off with you both, and see if you can’t get a few cases settled up today.

8

Her. Well, Justice: yonder is our road: straight in the line for Sunium, to the foot of Hymettus, taking Parnes on our right; you see those two hills? You have quite forgotten the way, I suppose, in all this time? Now, now: weeping? why so vexed? There is nothing to fear. Things are quite different in these days: the Scirons and Pityocampteses and Busirises and Phalarises who used to frighten you so are all dead: Wisdom, the Academy, the Porch, now hold sway everywhere. They are all your admirers; their talk is all of you; they yearn to see you descend to them once more.

Just. Tell me, Hermes,— you if anyone must know the truth; you are generally busy either in the Gymnasium or else in the Market, making proclamation to the Assembly,— what are the Athenians like now? shall I be able to live with them?

Her. We are brother and sister, it is only right that I should tell you the truth. Well then, Philosophy has made a considerable change for the better in most of them; at the worst, their respect for the cloth is some check on their misdeeds. At the same time — not to conceal anything — you will find villains amongst them; and you will find some who are neither quite philosophers nor quite knaves. The fact is, Philosophy’s dyeing process is still going on. Some have absorbed the full quantity of dye; these are perfect specimens of her art, and show no admixture of other colours; with them you will find a ready reception. But others, owing to their original impurities, are not yet completely saturated; they are better than the generality of mankind, but they are not all they should be; they are piebald or spotted or dappled. Others again there are who have contented themselves with merely rubbing a fingertip in the soot on the outside of the cauldron, and smearing themselves with that; after which they consider the dyeing process complete.

9

But you, of course, will only live with the best. Meanwhile, here we are, close to Attica; we must now leave Sunium on our right, and diverge towards the Acropolis. Good: terra firma. You had better sit down somewhere here on the Areopagus, in the direction of the Pnyx, and wait whilst I make Zeus’s proclamation. I shall go up into the Acropolis; that will be the easiest way of making everyone hear the summons. Just. Before you go, Hermes, tell me who this is coming along; a man with horns and a pipe and shaggy legs.

Her. Why, you must know Pan, most festive of all Dionysus’s followers? He used to live on Mount Parthenius: but at the time of the Persian expedition under Datis, when the barbarians landed at Marathon, he volunteered in the Athenian service; and ever since then he has had the cave yonder at the foot of the Acropolis, a little past the Pelasgicum, and pays his taxes like any other naturalized foreigner. Seeing us so near at hand, I suppose he is coming up to make his compliments.

10

Pan. Hail, Justice and Hermes!

Just. Hail, Pan; chief of Satyrs in dance and song, and most gallant of Athens’ soldiers!

Pan. But what brings you here, Hermes?

Her. Justice will explain; I must be off to the Acropolis on my errand.

Just. Zeus has sent me down, Pan, to preside in the law-court.— And how do you like Athens?

Pan. Well, the fact is, I am a good deal disappointed: they do not treat me with the consideration to which I am entitled, after repelling that tremendous barbarian invasion. All they do is to come up to my cave two or three times a year with a particularly high-scented goat, and sacrifice him: I am permitted to look on whilst they enjoy the feast, and am complimented with a perfunctory dance. However, there is some joking and merrymaking on the occasion, and that I find rather fun.

11

Just. And, Pan,— have they become more virtuous under the hands of the philosophers?

Pan. Philosophers? Oh! people with beards just like mine; sepulchral beings, who are always getting together and jabbering?

Just. Those are they.

Pan. I can’t understand a word they say; their philosophy is too much for me. I am mountain-bred; smart city-language is not in my line; sophists and philosophers are not known in Arcadia. I am a good hand at flute or pipe; I can mind goats, I can dance, I can fight at a pinch, and that is all. But I hear them all day long, bawling out a string of hard words about virtue, and nature, and ideas, and things incorporeal. They are good enough friends when the argument begins, but their voices mount higher and higher as they go on, and end in a scream; they get more and more excited, and all try to speak at once; they grow red in the face, their necks swell, and their veins stand out, for all the world like a flute-player on a high note. The argument is turned upside down, they forget what they are trying to prove, and finally go off abusing one another and brushing the sweat from their brows; victory rests with him who can show the boldest front and the loudest voice, and hold his ground the longest. The people, especially those who have nothing better to do, adore them, and stand spellbound under their confident bawlings. For all that I could see, they were no better than humbugs, and I was none too pleased at their copying my beard. If there were any use in their noise, if the talking did any good to the public, I should not have a word to say against them: but, to tell you the plain unvarnished truth, I have more than once looked out from my peep-hole yonder and seen them —

12

Just. Hush, Pan: was not that Hermes making the proclamation?

Pan. I thought so.

Her. Be it known to all men that we purpose on this seventh day of March to hold a court of justice, and Fortune defend the right! All litigant parties to assemble on Areopagus, where Justice will assign the juries and preside over the trials in person. The juries to be taken from the whole Athenian people; the pay to be sixpence for each case; the number of jurors to vary with the nature of the accusation. Any parties who had commenced legal proceedings and have died in the interim to be sent up by Aeacus. Any party doubting the justice of his sentence may appeal; the appeal to he heard by Zeus.

Pan. Talk about noise! how they shout! And what a hurry they are in to get here! See how one hales another up the hill! Here comes Hermes himself. Well, I leave you to your juries and your evidence; you are accustomed to it. I will return to my cave, and there play over one of those amorous ditties with which I love to upbraid Echo. As to rhetoric and law-pleadings, I hear enough of those every day in this very court of Areopagus.

3

Her. We had better summon the parties, Justice.

Just. True. Only look at the crowd, bustling and buzzing about the hilltop like a swarm of wasps!

First Ath. I’ve got you, curse you.

Second Ath. Pooh! a trumped-up charge.

Third Ath. At last! you shall get your deserts this time.

Fourth Ath. Your villany shall be unmasked.

Fifth Ath. My jury first, Hermes.

Sixth Ath. Come along: into court with you, rascal.

Seventh Ath. You needn’t throttle me.

Just. Do you know what I think we had better do, Hermes? Put off all the other cases for tomorrow, and only take today the charges brought by Arts, Professions, and Philosophies. Pick me out all of that kind.

Her. Drink v. the Academy, re Polemon, kidnapped.

Just. Seven jurors.

Her. Porch v. Pleasure. Defendant is charged with seducing Dionysius, plaintiff’s admirer.

Just. Five will do for that.

Her. Luxury v. Virtue, re Aristippus.

Just. Five again.

Her. Bank v. Diogenes, alleged to have run away from plaintiff’s service.

Just. Three only.

Her. Painting v. Pyrrho. Desertion from the ranks.

Just. That will want nine.

14

Her. What about these two charges just brought against a rhetorician?

Just. No, those can stand over; we must work off the arrears first.

Her. Well, these cases are of just the same kind. They are not old ones, it is true, but they are very like those you have taken, and might fairly be heard with them.

Just. That looks rather like favouritism, Hermes. However, as you like; only these must be the last; we have got quite enough. What are they?

Her. Rhetoric v. a Syrian, for neglect; Dialogue v. the same, for assault.

Just. And who is this Syrian? There is no name given.

Her. That is all: the Syrian rhetorician; he can have a jury without having a name.

Just. So! here on Areopagus I am to give juries to outsiders, who ought to be tried on the other side of the Euphrates? Well, give him eleven, and they can hear both cases.

Her. That’s right; it will save a lot of expense.

15

Just. First case: the Academy versus Drink. Let the jury take their seats. Mark the time,’ Hermes. Drink, open the case… Not a word? can you do nothing but nod?— Hermes, go and see what is the matter with her.

Her. She says she cannot plead, she would only be laughed at; wine has tied her tongue. As you see, she can hardly stand.

Just. Well, there are plenty of able counsel present, ready to shout themselves hoarse for sixpence; let her employ one of them.

Her. No one will have anything to do with such a client in open court. But she makes a very reasonable proposal.

Just. Yes?

Her. The Academy is always ready to take both sides; she makes a point of contradicting herself plausibly. ‘Let her speak first on my behalf,’ says Drink, ‘and then on her own.’

Just. A novel form of procedure. However, go on, Academy; speak on both sides, if you find it so easy.

16

Acad. First, gentlemen of the jury, let me state the case for 16 Drink, as her time is now being taken.

My unfortunate client, gentlemen, has been cruelly wronged: I have torn from her the one slave on whose loyalty and affection she could rely, the only one who saw nothing censurable in her conduct. I allude to Polemon, whose days, from morning to night, were spent in revel; who in broad daylight sought the publicity of the Market in the company of music — girls and singers; ever drunk, ever headachy, ever garlanded. In support of my statements, I appeal to every man in Athens to say whether he had ever seen Polemon sober. But in an evil hour for him, his revels, which had brought him to so many other doors, brought him at length to my own. I laid hands on him, tore him away by brute force from the plaintiff, and made him my own; giving him water to drink, teaching him sobriety, and stripping him of his garlands. He, who should have been sitting over his wine, now became acquainted with the perverse, the harassing, the pernicious quibbles of philosophy. Alas! the ruddy glow has departed from his cheek; he is pale and wasted; his songs are all forgotten; there are times when he will sit far on into the night, tasting neither meat nor drink, while he reels out the meaningless platitudes with which I have so abundantly supplied him. I have even incited him to attack the character of my client, and to utter a thousand base insinuations against her good fame.

The case of Drink is now complete. I proceed to state my own. Let my time be taken.

Just. What will the defendant have to say to that, I wonder? Give her the same time allowance.

17

Acad. Nothing, gentlemen of the jury, could sound more plausible than the arguments advanced by my learned friend on her client’s behalf. And yet, if you will give me your favourable attention, I shall convince you that the plaintiff has suffered no wrong at my hands. This Polemon, whom plaintiff claims as her servant, so far from having any natural connexion with her, is one whose excellent parts entitle him to claim kinship and affinity with myself. He was still a boy, his powers were yet unformed, when plaintiff, aided and abetted by Pleasure — ever her partner in crime — seized upon him, and delivered him over into the clutches of debauchery and dissipation, under whose corrupt influence the unfortunate young man utterly lost all sense of shame. Those very facts that plaintiff supposed to be so many arguments in her favour will be found, on the contrary, to make for my own case. From early morning (as my learned friend has just observed) did the misguided Polemon, with aching head and garlanded, stagger through the open market to the noise of flutes, never sober, brawling with all he met; a reproach to his ancestors and his city, a laughing-stock to foreigners. One day he reached my door. He found it open: I was discoursing to a company of my disciples, as is my wont, upon virtue and temperance. He stood there, with the flute-girl at his side and the garlands on his head, and sought at first to drown our conversation with his noisy outcry. But we paid no heed to him, and little by little our words produced a sobering effect, for Drink had not entire possession of him: he bade the flute-girl cease, tore off his garlands, and looked with shame at his luxurious dress. Like one waking from deep sleep, he saw himself as he was, and repented of his past life; the flush of drunkenness faded and vanished from his cheek, and was succeeded by a blush of shame; at last, not (as plaintiff would have you believe) in response to any invitation of mine, nor under any compulsion, but of his own free will, and in the conviction of my superiority, he renounced his former mistress there and then, and entered my service. Bring him into court. You shall see for yourselves, gentlemen, what he has become under my treatment. Behold that Polemon whom I found drunk, unable to speak or stand upright, an object of ridicule: I turned him from his evil ways; I taught him sobriety; and I present him to you, no longer a slave, but a decent and orderly citizen, a credit to his nation. In conclusion let me say that the change I have wrought in him has won me the gratitude not only of Polemon himself but of all his friends. Which of us has been the more profitable companion for him, it is now for the jury to decide.

Her. Come, gentlemen, get up and give your votes. There is no time to be lost; we have other cases coming on.

Just. Academy wins, by six votes to one.

19

Her. I am not surprised to find that Drink has one adherent. Jurors in the case of Porch v. Pleasure re Dionysius take their seats! The lady of the frescoes may begin; her time is noted.

20

Porch. I am not ignorant, gentlemen, of the attractions of my adversary. I see how your eyes turn in her direction; she has your smiles, I your contempt, because my hair is close-cropped, and my expression stern and masculine. Yet if you will give me a fair hearing, I fear her not; for justice is on my side. Nay, it is with these same meretricious attractions of hers that my accusation is concerned: it was by her specious appearance that she beguiled the virtuous Dionysius, my lover, and drew him to herself. The present case is in fact closely allied with that of Drink and the Academy, with which your colleagues have just dealt. The question now before you is this: are men to live the lives of swine, wallowing in voluptuousness, with never a high or noble thought: or are they to set virtue above enjoyment, and follow the dictates of freedom and philosophy, fearing not to grapple with pain, nor seeking the degrading service of pleasure, as though happiness were to be found in a pot of honey or a cake of figs? These are the baits my adversary throws out for fools, and toil the bugbear with which she frightens them: her artifices seldom fail; and among her victims is this unfortunate whom she has constrained to rebel against my authority. She had to wait till she found him on a sick-bed; never while he was himself would he have listened to her proposals. Yet what right have I to complain? She spares not even the Gods; she impugns the wisdom of Providence; she is guilty of blasphemy; you have a double penalty to impose, if you would be wise. I hear that she has not even been at the pains of preparing a defence: Epicurus is to speak for her! She does not stand upon ceremony with you, gentlemen.— Ask her what Heracles would have been, what your own Theseus would have been, if they had listened to the voice of pleasure, and shrunk back from toil: their toils were the only check upon wickedness, which else must have overrun the whole Earth. And now I have done; I am no lover of long speeches. Yet if my adversary would consent to answer a few questions, her worthlessness would soon appear. Let me remind you, gentlemen, of your oath: give your votes in accordance with that oath, and believe not Epicurus, when he tells you that the Gods take no thought for the things of Earth.

Her. Stand down, madam. Epicurus will now speak on behalf of pleasure.

21

Epi. I shall not detain you long, gentlemen of the jury; there is no occasion for me to do so. If it were true, as the plaintiff asserts, that Dionysius was her lover, and that my client by means of drugs or incantations had constrained him to withdraw his affections from the plaintiff and transfer them to herself,— if this were true, then my client might fairly be accused of witchcraft, nor could her wicked practices upon her rival’s admirers escape condemnation. On the other hand, if a free citizen of a free state, deciding for himself in a matter where the law is silent, takes a violent aversion to this lady’s person, concludes that the blessedness with which she promises to crown his labours is neither more nor less than moonshine, and accordingly makes the best of his way out of her labyrinthine maze of argument into the attractive arms of Pleasure, bursts the bonds of verbal subtlety, exchanges credulity for common sense, and pronounces, with great justice, that toil is toilsome, and that pleasure is pleasant,— I ask, is this shipwrecked mariner to be excluded from the calm haven of his desire, and hurled back headlong into a sea of toil? is this poor suppliant at the altar of Mercy — in other words of Pleasure — is he to be delivered over into the power of perplexity,— and all on the chance that his hot climb up the steep hill of Virtue may be rewarded with a glimpse of that celebrated lady on the top, and his life of toil followed by a hereafter of happiness? We could scarcely ask for a better judge of the matter than Dionysius himself. He was as familiar with the Stoic doctrines as any man, and held at one time that virtue was the only Good: but he presently discovered that toil was an evil: he then chose what seemed to him the better course. He would no doubt observe that those philosophers who had so much to say on the subject of patience and endurance under toil were secretly the servants of Pleasure, carefully abiding by her laws in their own homes, though they made so free with her name in their discourses. They cannot bear to be detected in any relaxation, or any departure from their principles: but, poor men, they lead a Tantalus life of it in consequence, and when they do get a chance of sinning without being found out, they drink down pleasure by the bucketful. Depend on it, if someone would make them a present of Gyges’s ring of invisibility, or Hades’s cap, they would cut the acquaintance of toil without further ceremony, and elbow their way into the presence of Pleasure; they would all be Dionysiuses then. As long as Dionysius was well, he thought that there was some good in all this talk about endurance; but when he fell ill, and found out what pain really was, he perceived that his body was of another school than the Porch, and held quite other tenets: he was converted, realized that he was flesh and blood, and from that day ceased to behave as if he were made of marble; he knew now that the man who talks nonsense about the iniquity of pleasure

But toys with words: his thoughts are bent elsewhither.

And now, gentlemen, I leave you to your vote.

22

Porch. Not yet! Let me ask him a few questions.

Epi. Yes? I am ready.

Porch. You hold toil to be an evil?

Epi. I do.

Porch. And pleasure a good?

Epi. Unquestionably.

Porch. Do you recognize the distinction between differentia and indifferentia? between praeposita and rejecta?

Epi. Why, certainly.

Her. Madam, this discussion must cease; the jury say they do not understand word-chopping. They will now give their votes.

Porch. Ah; I should have won, if I could have tried him with my third figure of self-evidents.

Just. Who wins?

Her. Unanimous verdict for Pleasure.

Porch. I appeal to Zeus.

Just. By all means. Next case, Hermes.

23

Her. Luxury v. Virtue, re Aristippus; Aristippus must appear 23 in person.

Vir. I ought to speak first. Aristippus is mine; his words and his deeds alike proclaim him mine.

Lux. On the contrary, anyone who will observe his garlands and his purple robes and his perfumes will agree that he is mine.

Just. Peace! This suit must stand over, until Zeus has decided the appeal re Dionysius. The cases are similar. If Porch wins her appeal, Aristippus shall be adjudged to Virtue: if not, Luxury must have him. Bring the next case. By the way, those jurors must not have their fee; they have not earned it.

Her. So the poor old gentlemen have climbed up all this way for nothing!

Just. Well, they must be content with a third. Now go away, all of you, and don’t be cross; you shall have another chance.

24

Her. Diogenes of Sinope wanted! Bank, it is for you to speak. 24

Diog. Look here, Madam Justice, if she doesn’t stop bothering, I shall have assault and battery to answer for before long, instead of desertion; my stick is ready.

Just. What is the meaning of this? Bank has run away, and Diogenes after her, with his stick raised. Poor Bank! I am afraid she will be roughly handled. Call Pyrrho.

25

Her. Here is Painting, but Pyrrho has never come up. 25 I knew how it would be.

Just. And what was his reason?

Her. He holds that there is no such thing as a true decision.

Just. Then judgement goes against him by default. Now for the Syrian advocate. The indictments were only filed a day or two ago; there was no such hurry. However —. We will first take the case in which Rhetoric is plaintiff. How people crowd in to hear it!

Her. Just so: the case has not had time to get stale, you see; it has the charm of novelty, the indictment, as you say, having only been filed yesterday. The prospect, too, of hearing the Syrian defend himself against two such plaintiffs as Rhetoric and Dialogue, one after the other, is a great attraction. Well, Rhetoric, when are you going to begin?

26

Rhet. Before all things, men of Athens, I pray the Gods that you may listen to me throughout this trial with feelings not less warm than those that I have ever entertained towards my country and towards each one of you, my countrymen. And if, further, I pray them so to dispose your hearts that you will suffer me to conduct my case in accordance with my original intention and design, without interruption from my adversary, I shall be asking no more than justice. When I listen to the defendant’s words, and then reflect upon the treatment I have received from him, I know not how I am to reconcile the two. You will presently find him holding a language scarcely distinguishable from my own: yet examine into his conduct, and you will see, from the lengths to which he has already gone, that I am justified in taking steps to prevent his going yet further. But enough of preamble: I am wasting time that might be better employed in accusing my adversary.

27

Gentlemen, the defendant was no more than a boy — he still spoke with his native accent, and might at any moment have exhibited himself in the garb of an Assyrian — when I found him wandering up and down Ionia, at a loss for employment. I took him in hand; I gave him an education; and, convinced of his capabilities and of his devotion to me (for he was my very humble servant in those days, and had no admiration to spare for anyone else), I turned my back upon the many suitors who sought my hand, upon the wealthy, the brilliant and the high-born, and betrothed myself to this monster of ingratitude; upon this obscure pauper boy I bestowed the rich dowry of my surpassing eloquence, brought him to be enrolled among my own people, and made him my fellow citizen, to the bitter mortification of his unsuccessful rivals. When he formed the resolution of travelling, in order to make his good fortune known to the world, I did not remain behind: I accompanied him everywhere, from city to city, shedding my lustre upon him, and clothing him in honour and renown. Of our travels in Greece and Ionia, I say nothing: he expressed a wish to visit Italy: I sailed the Ionian Sea with him, and attended him even as far as Gaul, scattering plenty in his path.

For a long time he consulted my wishes in everything, was unfailing in his attendance upon me, and never passed a night away from my side.

28

But no sooner had he secured an adequate provision, no sooner did he consider his reputation established, than his countenance changed towards me: he assumed a haughty air, and neglected, nay, utterly abandoned me; having conceived a violent affection for the bearded old person yonder, whom you may know from his dress to be Dialogue, and who passes for a son of Philosophy. With this Dialogue, in spite of the disparity of age, he is now living; and is not ashamed to clip the wings of free, high-soaring eloquence, and submit himself to the comedian’s fetters of bald question and answer. He, whose thoughts should have found utterance in thundering oratory, is content to weave a puny network of conversation. Such things may draw a smile from his audience, a nod, an unimpassioned wave of the hand, a murmur of approbation: they can never hope to evoke the deafening uproar of universal applause. And this, gentlemen, is the fascination under which he looks coldly upon me; I commend his taste!

29

They say, indeed, that he is not on the best of terms even with his beloved Dialogue; apparently I am not the only victim of his overweening pride. Does not such ingratitude as this render him liable to the penalties imposed by the marriage-laws? He leaves me, his lawful wife, to whom he is indebted alike for wealth and reputation, leaves me to neglect, and goes off in pursuit of novelty; and that, at a time when all eyes are turned upon me, when all men write me their protectress. I hold out against the entreaties of countless suitors: they knock, and my doors remain closed to them; they call loudly upon my name, but I scorn their empty clamours, and answer them not. All is in vain: he will not return to me, nor withdraw his eyes from this new love. In Heaven’s name, what does he expect to get from him? what has Dialogue but his cloak? In conclusion, gentlemen: should he attempt to employ my art in his defence, suffer him not thus unscrupulously to sharpen my own sword against me; bid him defend himself, if he can, with the weapons of his adored Dialogue.

Her. Now there, madam, you are unreasonable: how can he possibly make a dialogue of it all by himself? No, no; let him deliver a regular speech, just the same as other people.

30

Syrian. In view, gentlemen, of the indignation that plaintiff has expressed at the idea of my employing her gift of eloquence in order to maintain my cause at large, I shall confine myself to a brief and summary refutation of her charges, and shall then leave the whole matter to your discernment.

Gentlemen, all that the plaintiff has said is true. She educated me; she bore me company in my travels; she made a Greek of me. She has each of these claims to a husband’s gratitude. I have now to give my reasons for abandoning her, and cultivating the acquaintance of Dialogue: and, believe me, no motive of self-interest shall induce me to misrepresent the facts.

31

I found, then, that the discreet bearing, the seemly dress, which had distinguished her in the days of her union with the illustrious demesman of Paeania, were now thrown aside: I saw her tricked out and bedizened, rouged and painted like a courtesan. My suspicions were aroused, and I began to watch the direction of her eyes. To make a long story short, our street was nightly infested with the serenades of her tipsy gallants, some of whom, not content with knocking at our doors, threw aside all restraint, and forced their way into the house. These attentions amused and delighted my wife: she was commonly to be seen leaning over the parapet and listening to the loose ditties that were bawled up from below; and when she thought she was unobserved, she would even open the door, and admit the gallant to her shameless embraces. Such things were not to be endured: I was loth to bring her into the divorce-court, and accordingly sought the hospitality of Dialogue, who was my near neighbour.

32

Such, gentlemen, are the grievous wrongs that plaintiff has suffered at my hands. Even had the provocation I have described been wanting, my age (I was then nearly forty years old) called upon me to withdraw from the turmoil of the law-courts, and suffer the ‘gentlemen of the jury’ to rest in peace. Tyrants enough had been arraigned, princes enough been eulogized: it was time to retreat to the walks of Academy or the Lyceum, there to enjoy, in the delightful society of Dialogue, that tranquil discourse which aims not at noisy acclamations. I might say much more, but I forbear: you, gentlemen, will give your votes in accordance with the dictates of conscience. Just. Who wins?

Her. The Syrian has all votes but one.

33

Just. And that one a rhetorician’s, I suppose. Dialogue will now address the same jury. Gentlemen, you will remain and hear this second case, and will receive a double fee.

Dia. If I had had my choice, gentlemen, I should have addressed you in the conversational style to which I am accustomed, instead of delivering a long harangue. However, I must conform to the custom of the law-courts, though I have neither skill nor experience in such matters. So much by way of exordium: and now for the outrage committed on me by the defendant. In former days, gentlemen, I was a person of exalted character: my speculations turned upon the Gods, and Nature, and the Annus Magnus; I trod those aerial plains wherein Zeus on winged car is borne along through the heights. My flight had actually brought me to the heavenly vault; I was just setting foot upon the upper surface of that dome, when this Syrian took it upon himself to drag me down, break my wings, and reduce me to the common level of humanity. Whisking off the seemly tragic mask I then wore, he clapped on in its place a comic one that was little short of ludicrous: his next step was to huddle me into a corner with Jest, Lampoon, Cynicism, and the comedians Eupolis and Aristophanes, persons with a horrible knack of making light of sacred things, and girding at all that is as it should be. But the climax was reached when he unearthed a barking, snarling old Cynic, Menippus by name, and thrust his company upon me; a grim bulldog, if ever there was one; a treacherous brute that will snap at you while his tail is yet wagging. Could any man be more abominably misused? Stripped of my proper attire, I am made to play the buffoon, and to give expression to every whimsical absurdity that his caprice dictates. And, as if that were not preposterous enough, he has forbidden me either to walk on my feet or to rise on the wings of poesy: I am a ridiculous cross between prose and verse; a monster of incongruity; a literary Centaur.

34

Her. Now, Syrian: what do you say to that?

Syrian. Gentlemen of the jury, I am surprised. Nothing could be more unexpected than the charge Dialogue has brought against me. When I first took him in hand, he was regarded by the world at large as one whose interminable discussions had soured his temper and exhausted his vitality. His labours entitled him to respect, but he had none of the attractive qualities that could secure him popularity. My first step was to accustom him to walk upon the common ground like the rest of mankind; my next, to make him presentable, by giving him a good bath and teaching him to smile. Finally, I assigned him Comedy as his yokefellow, thus gaining him the confidence of his hearers, who until then would as soon have thought of picking up a hedgehog as of venturing into the thorny presence of Dialogue.

But I know what the grievance is: he wants me to sit and discourse subtle nothings with him about the immortality of the soul, and the exact number of pints of pure homogeneous essence that went to the making of the universe, and the claims of rhetoric to be called a shadow of a fraction of statecraft, or a fourth part of flattery. He takes a curious pleasure in refinements of this kind; it tickles his vanity most deliciously to be told that not every man can see so far into the ideal as he. Evidently he expects me to conform to his taste in this respect; he is still hankering after those lost wings; his eyes are turned upwards; he cannot see the things that lie before his feet. I think there is nothing else he can complain of. He cannot say that I, who pass for a barbarian, have torn off his Greek dress, and replaced it with one like my own: that would have been another matter; to deprive him of his native garb were indeed a crime.

Gentlemen, I have made my defence, as far as in me lies: I trust that your present verdict will confirm the former one.

Her. Well I never! All ten are for you again. Only one dissentient, and he the same one as before. True to his envious principles, he must ever give his vote against his betters. The jurors may now leave the court. The remaining cases will come on tomorrow.

Metrocles of Maronea

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 02:32:07 +0000

Metrocles of Maronea

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §94-95

<blockquote>94. Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of Hipparchia. He had been formerly a pupil of Theophrastus the Peripatetic, and had been so far corrupted by weakness that, when he made a breach of good manners in the course of rehearsing a speech, it drove him to despair, and he shut himself up at home, intending to starve himself to death. On learning this Crates came to visit him as he had been asked to do, and after advisedly making a meal of lupins, he tried to persuade him by argument as well that he had committed no crime, for a prodigy would have happened if he had not taken the natural means of relieving himself. At last by reproducing the action he succeeded in lifting him from his dejection, using for his consolation the likeness of the occurrences. From that time forward Metrocles was his pupil, and became proficient in philosophy.

95. Hecato in the first book of his Anecdotes tells us he burned his compositions with the words:

Phantoms are these of dreams o' the world below.

Others say that when he set fire to his notes of Theophrastus's lectures, he added the line:

Come hither, Hephaestus, Thetis now needeth thee.

He divided things into such as are procurable for money, like a house, and such as can be procured by time and trouble, like education. Wealth, he said, is harmful, unless we put it to a worthy use.

He died of old age, having choked himself.

Diogenes of Sinope | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §20-81

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 02:34:33 +0000

Diogenes of Sinope | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §20-81

<blockquote>20. Diogenes was a native of Sinope, son of Hicesius, a banker. Diocles relates that he went into exile because his father was entrusted with the money of the state and adulterated the coinage. But Eubulides in his book on Diogenes says that Diogenes himself did this and was forced to leave home along with his father. Moreover Diogenes himself actually confesses in his Pordalus that he adulterated the coinage. Some say that having been appointed to superintend the workmen he was persuaded by them, and that he went to Delphi or to the Delian oracle in his own city and inquired of Apollo whether he should do what he was urged to do. When the god gave him permission to alter the political currency, not understanding what this meant, he adulterated the state coinage, and when he was detected, according to some he was banished, while according to others he voluntarily quitted the city for fear of consequences.

On reaching Athens he fell in with Antisthenes. Being repulsed by him, because he never welcomed pupils, by sheer persistence Diogenes wore him out. Once when he stretched out his staff against him, the pupil offered his head with the words, “Strike, for you will find no wood hard enough to keep me away from you, so long as I think you've something to say.” From that time forward he was his pupil, and, exile as he was, set out upon a simple life.

25. Observing Plato one day at a costly banquet taking olives, “How is it,” he said, “that you the philosopher who sailed to Sicily for the sake of these dishes, now when they are before you do not enjoy them?” “Nay, by the gods, Diogenes,” replied Plato, “there also for the most part I lived upon olives and such like.” “Why then,” said Diogenes, “did you need to go to Syracuse? Was it that Attica at that time did not grow olives?” But Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History attributes this to Aristippus. Again, another time he was eating dried figs when he encountered Plato and offered him a share of them. When Plato took them and ate them, he said, “I said you might share them, not that you might eat them all up.”

26. And one day when Plato had invited to his house friends coming from Dionysius, Diogenes trampled upon his carpets and said, “I trample upon Plato's vainglory.” Plato's reply was, “How much pride you expose to view, Diogenes, by seeming not to be proud.” Others tell us that what Diogenes said was, “I trample upon the pride of Plato,” who retorted, “Yes, Diogenes, with pride of another sort.” Sotion, however, in his fourth book makes the Cynic address this remark to Plato himself. Diogenes once asked him for wine, and after that also for some dried figs; and Plato sent him a whole jar full. Then the other said, “If some one asks you how many two and two are, will you answer, Twenty? So, it seems, you neither give as you are asked nor answer as you are questioned.” Thus he scoffed at him as one who talked without end.

29. He would praise those who were about to marry and refrained, those who intending to go a voyage never set sail, those who thinking to engage in politics do no such thing, those also who purposing to rear a family do not do so, and those who make ready to live with potentates, yet never come near them after all. He used to say, moreover, that we ought to stretch out our hands to our friends with the fingers open and not closed. Menippus in his Sale of Diogenes tells how, when he was captured and put up for sale, he was asked what he could do. He replied, “Govern men.” And he told the crier to give notice in case anybody wanted to purchase a master for himself. Having been forbidden to sit down, “It makes no difference,” said he, “for in whatever position fishes lie, they still find purchasers.”

30. And he said he marvelled that before we buy a jar or dish we try whether it rings true, but if it is a man are content merely to look at him. To Xeniades who purchased him he said, “You must obey me, although I am a slave; for, if a physician or a steersman were in slavery, he would be obeyed.” Eubulus in his book entitled The Sale of Diogenes tells us that this was how he trained the sons of Xeniades. After their other studies he taught them to ride, to shoot with the bow, to sling stones and to hurl javelins. Later, when they reached the wrestling-school, he would not permit the master to give them full athletic training, but only so much as to heighten their colour and keep them in good condition.

31. The boys used to get by heart many passages from poets, historians, and the writings of Diogenes himself; and he would practise them in every short cut to a good memory. In the house too he taught them to wait upon themselves, and to be content with plain fare and water to drink. He used to make them crop their hair close and to wear it unadorned, and to go lightly clad, barefoot, silent, and not looking about them in the streets. He would also take them out hunting. They on their part had a great regard for Diogenes and made requests of their parents for him. The same Eubulus relates that he grew old in the house of Xeniades, and when he died was buried by his sons.

33. The word “disabled” (ἀναπήρους), Diogenes held, ought to be applied not to the deaf or blind, but to those who have no wallet (πήρα). One day he made his way with head half shaven into a party of young revellers, as Metrocles relates in his Anecdotes, and was roughly handled by them. Afterwards he entered on a tablet the names of those who had struck him and went about with the tablet hung round his neck, till he had covered them with ridicule and brought universal blame and discredit upon them. He described himself as a hound of the sort which all men praise, but no one, he added, of his admirers dared go out hunting along with him. When some one boasted that at the Pythian games he had vanquished men, Diogenes replied, “Nay, I defeat men, you defeat slaves.”

34. To those who said to him, “You are an old man; take a rest,” “What?” he replied, “if I were running in the stadium, ought I to slacken my pace when approaching the goal? ought I not rather to put on speed?” Having been invited to a dinner, he declared that he wouldn't go; for, the last time he went, his host had not expressed a proper gratitude. He would walk upon snow barefoot and do the other things mentioned above. Not only so; he even attempted to eat meat raw, but could not manage to digest it. He once found Demosthenes the orator lunching at an inn, and, when he retired within, Diogenes said, “All the more you will be inside the tavern.” When some strangers expressed a wish to see Demosthenes, he stretched out his middle finger and said, “There goes the demagogue of Athens.”

35. Some one dropped a loaf of bread and was ashamed to pick it up; whereupon Diogenes, wishing to read him a lesson, tied a rope to the neck of a wine-jar and proceeded to drag it across the Ceramicus.

He used to say that he followed the example of the trainers of choruses; for they too set the note a little high, to ensure that the rest should hit the right note. Most people, he would say, are so nearly mad that a finger makes all the difference. For, if you go along with your middle finger stretched out, some one will think you mad, but, if it's the little finger, he will not think so. Very valuable things, said he, were bartered for things of no value, and vice versa. At all events a statue fetches three thousand drachmas, while a quart of barley-flour is sold for two copper coins.

36. To Xeniades, who purchased him, he said, “Come, see that you obey orders.” When he quoted the line,

  Backward the streams flow to their founts,

Diogenes asked, “If you had been ill and had purchased a doctor, would you then, instead of obeying him, have said 'Backward the streams flow to their founts'”? Some one wanted to study philosophy under him. Diogenes gave him a tunny to carry and told him to follow him. And when for shame the man threw it away and departed, some time after on meeting him he laughed and said, “The friendship between you and me was broken by a tunny.” The version given by Diocles, however, is as follows. Some one having said to him, “Lay your commands upon us, Diogenes,” he took him away and gave him a cheese to carry, which cost half an obol. The other declined; whereupon he remarked, “The friendship between you and me is broken by a little cheese worth half an obol.”

38. He dedicated to Asclepius a bruiser who, whenever people fell on their faces, used to run up to them and bruise them.

All the curses of tragedy, he used to say, had lighted upon him. At all events he was

  A homeless exile, to his country dead. A wanderer who begs his daily bread.

39. To one who by argument had proved conclusively that he had horns, he said, touching his forehead, “Well, I for my part don't see any.” In like manner, when somebody declared that there is no such thing as motion, he got up and walked about. When some one was discoursing on celestial phenomena, “How many days,” asked Diogenes, “were you in coming from the sky?” A eunuch of bad character had inscribed on his door the words, “Let nothing evil enter.” “How then,” he asked, “is the master of the house to get in?” When he had anointed his feet with unguent, he declared that from his head the unguent passed into the air, but from his feet into his nostrils. The Athenians urged him to become initiated, and told him that in the other world those who have been initiated enjoy a special privilege. “It would be ludicrous,” quoth he, “if Agesilaus and Epaminondas are to dwell in the mire, while certain folk of no account will live in the Isles of the Blest because they have been initiated.”

40. When mice crept on to the table he addressed them thus, “See now even Diogenes keeps parasites.” When Plato styled him a dog, “Quite true,” he said, “for I come back again and again to those who have sold me.” As he was leaving the public baths, somebody inquired if many men were bathing. He said, No. But to another who asked if there was a great crowd of bathers, he said, Yes. Plato had defined Man as an animal, biped and featherless, and was applauded. Diogenes plucked a fowl and brought it into the lecture-room with the words, “Here is Plato's man.” In consequence of which there was added to the definition, “having broad nails.” To one who asked what was the proper time for lunch, he said, “If a rich man, when you will; if a poor man, when you can.”

When Lysias the druggist asked him if he believed in the gods, “How can I help believing in them,” said he, “when I see a god-forsaken wretch like you?” Others give this retort to Theodorus. Seeing some one perform religious purification, he said, “Unhappy man, don't you know that you can no more get rid of errors of conduct by sprinklings than you can of mistakes in grammar?” He would rebuke men in general with regard to their prayers, declaring that they asked for those things which seemed to them to be good, not for such as are truly good.

Still he was loved by the Athenians. At all events, when a youngster broke up his tub, they gave the boy a flogging and presented Diogenes with another. Dionysius the Stoic says that after Chaeronea he was seized and dragged off to Philip, and being asked who he was, replied, “A spy upon your insatiable greed.” For this he was admired and set free.

44. Alexander having on one occasion sent a letter to Antipater at Athens by a certain Athlios, Diogenes, who was present, said:

Graceless son of graceless sire to graceless wight by graceless squire.

45. Once he saw the officials of a temple leading away some one who had stolen a bowl belonging to the treasurers, and said, “The great thieves are leading away the little thief.” Noticing a lad one day throwing stones at a cross (gibbet), “Well done,” he said, “you will hit your mark.” When some boys clustered round him and said, “Take care he doesn't bite us,” he answered, “Never fear, boys, a dog does not eat beetroot.” To one who was proud of wearing a lion's skin his words were, “Leave off dishonouring the habiliments of courage.” When some one was extolling the good fortune of Callisthenes and saying what splendour he shared in the suite of Alexander, “Not so,” said Diogenes, “but rather ill fortune; for he breakfasts and dines when Alexander thinks fit.”

46. Being short of money, he told his friends that he applied to them not for alms, but for repayment of his due. When behaving indecently in the marketplace, he wished it were as easy to relieve hunger by rubbing an empty stomach. Seeing a youth starting off to dine with satraps, he dragged him off, took him to his friends and bade them keep strict watch over him. When a youth effeminately attired put a question to him, he declined to answer unless he pulled up his robe and showed whether he was man or woman. A youth was playing cottabos in the baths. Diogenes said to him, “The better you play, the worse it is for you.” At a feast certain people kept throwing all the bones to him as they would have done to a dog. Thereupon he played a dog's trick and drenched them.

47. Rhetoricians and all who talked for reputation he used to call “thrice human,” meaning thereby “thrice wretched.” An ignorant rich man he used to call “the sheep with the golden fleece.” Seeing a notice on the house of a profligate, “To be sold,” he said, “I knew well that after such surfeiting you would throw up the owner.” To a young man who complained of the number of people who annoyed him by their attentions he said, “Cease to hang out a sign of invitation.” Of a public bath which was dirty he said, “When people have bathed here, where are they to go to get clean?” There was a stout musician whom everybody depreciated and Diogenes alone praised. When asked why, he said, “Because being so big, he yet sings to his lute and does not turn brigand.”

48. The musician who was always deserted by his audience he greeted with a “Hail chanticleer,” and when asked why he so addressed him, replied, “Because your song makes every one get up.” A young man was delivering a set speech, when Diogenes, having filled the front fold of his dress with lupins, began to eat them, standing right opposite to him. Having thus drawn off the attention of the assemblage, he said he was greatly surprised that they should desert the orator to look at himself. A very superstitious person addressed him thus, “With one blow I will break your head.” “And I,” said Diogenes, “by a sneeze from the left will make you tremble.” Hegesias having asked him to lend him one of his writings, he said, “You are a simpleton, Hegesias; you do not choose painted figs, but real ones; and yet you pass over the true training and would apply yourself to written rules.”

The son of Zeus, victorious Heracles, Dwells here; let nothing evil enter in.

To which Diogenes added “After war, alliance.” The love of money he declared to be mother-city of all evils. Seeing a spendthrift eating olives in a tavern, he said, “If you had breakfasted in this fashion, you would not so be dining.”

52. One day seeing a runaway slave sitting on the brink of a well, he said, “Take care, my lad, you don't fall in.” Seeing a boy taking clothes at the baths, he asked, “Is it for a little unguent (ἀλειμμάτιον) or is it for a new cloak (ἄλλ' ἱμάτιον)?” Seeing some women hanged from an olive-tree, he said, “Would that every tree bore similar fruit.” On seeing a footpad he accosted him thus:

What mak'st thou here, my gallant? Com'st thou perchance for plunder of the dead?

Being asked whether he had any maid or boy to wait on him, he said “No.” “If you should die, then, who will carry you out to burial?” “Whoever wants the house,” he replied.

53. Noticing a good-looking youth lying in an exposed position, he nudged him and cried, “Up, man, up, lest some foe thrust a dart into thy back!” To one who was feasting lavishly he said:

Short-liv'd thou'lt be, my son, by what thou – buy'st.

54. On being asked by somebody, “What sort of a man do you consider Diogenes to be?” “A Socrates gone mad,” said he. Being asked what was the right time to marry, Diogenes replied, “For a young man not yet: for an old man never at all.” Being asked what he would take to be soundly cuffed, he replied, “A helmet.” Seeing a youth dressing with elaborate care, he said, “If it's for men, you're a fool; if for women, a knave.” One day he detected a youth blushing. “Courage,” quoth he, “that is the hue of virtue.” One day after listening to a couple of lawyers disputing, he condemned them both, saying that the one had no doubt stolen, but the other had not lost anything. To the question what wine he found pleasant to drink, he replied, “That for which other people pay.” When he was told that many people laughed at him, he made answer, “But I am not laughed down.”

55. When some one declared that life is an evil, he corrected him: “Not life itself, but living ill.” When he was advised to go in pursuit of his runaway slave, he replied, “It would be absurd, if Manes can live without Diogenes, but Diogenes cannot get on without Manes.” When breakfasting on olives amongst which a cake had been inserted, he flung it away and addressed it thus:

Stranger, betake thee from the princes' path.

And on another occasion thus:

He lashed an olive.

Fast gripped by purple death and forceful fate.

When Craterus wanted him to come and visit him, “No,” he replied, “I would rather live on a few grains of salt at Athens than enjoy sumptuous fare at Craterus's table.” He went up to Anaximenes the rhetorician, who was fat, and said, “Let us beggars have something of your paunch; it will be a relief to you, and we shall get advantage.” And when the same man was discoursing, Diogenes distracted his audience by producing some salt fish. This annoyed the lecturer, and Diogenes said, “An obol's worth of salt fish has broken up Anaximenes' lecture-class.”

59. When some one expressed astonishment at the votive offerings in Samothrace, his comment was, “There would have been far more, if those who were not saved had set up offerings.” But others attribute this remark to Diagoras of Melos. To a handsome youth, who was going out to dinner, he said, “You will come back a worse man.” When he came back and said next day, “I went and am none the worse for it,” Diogenes said, “Not Worse-man (Chiron), but Lax-man (Eurytion).” He was asking alms of a bad-tempered man, who said, “Yes, if you can persuade me.” “If I could have persuaded you,” said Diogenes, “I would have persuaded you to hang yourself.” He was returning from Lacedaemon to Athens; and on some one asking, “Whither and whence?” he replied, “From the men's apartments to the women's.”

60. He was returning from Olympia, and when somebody inquired whether there was a great crowd, “Yes,” he said, “a great crowd, but few who could be called men.” Libertines he compared to fig-trees growing upon a cliff: whose fruit is not enjoyed by any man, but is eaten by ravens and vultures. When Phryne set up a golden statue of Aphrodite in Delphi, Diogenes is said to have written upon it: “From the licentiousness of Greece.” Alexander once came and stood opposite him and said, “I am Alexander the great king.” “And I,” said he, “am Diogenes the Cynic.” Being asked what he had done to be called a hound, he said, “I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.”

A boy having shown him a dagger that he had received from an admirer, Diogenes remarked, “A pretty blade with an ugly handle.” When some people commended a person who had given him a gratuity, he broke in with “You have no praise for me who was worthy to receive it.” When some one asked that he might have back his cloak, “If it was a gift,” replied Diogenes, “I possess it; while, if it was a loan, I am using it.” A supposititious son having told him that he had gold in the pocket of his dress, “True,” said he, “and therefore you sleep with it under your pillow.”

Despoil the rest; off Hector keep thy hands.

66. Being reproached with drinking in a tavern, “Well,” said he, “I also get my hair cut in a barber's shop.” Being reproached with accepting a cloak from Antipater, he replied:

The gods' choice gifts are nowise to be spurned.

When some one first shook a beam at him and then shouted “Look out,” Diogenes struck the man with his staff and added “Look out.” To a man who was urgently pressing his suit to a courtesan he said, “Why, hapless man, are you at such pains to gain your suit, when it would be better for you to lose it?” To one with perfumed hair he said, “Beware lest the sweet scent on your head cause an ill odour in your life.” He said that bad men obey their lusts as servants obey their masters.

67. The question being asked why footmen are so called, he replied, “Because they have the feet of men, but souls such as you, my questioner, have.” He asked a spendthrift for a mina. The man inquired why it was that he asked others for an obol but him for a mina. “Because,” said Diogenes, “I expect to receive from others again, but whether I shall ever get anything from you again lies on the knees of the gods.” Being reproached with begging when Plato did not beg, “Oh yes,” says he, “he does, but when he does so –

He holds his head down close, that none may hear.”

Seeing a bad archer, he sat down beside the target with the words “in order not to get hit.” Lovers, he declared, derive their pleasures from their misfortune.

68. Being asked whether death was an evil thing, he replied, “How can it be evil, when in its presence we are not aware of it?” When Alexander stood opposite him and asked, “Are you not afraid of me?” “Why, what are you?” said he, “a good thing or a bad?” Upon Alexander replying “A good thing,” “Who then,” said Diogenes, “is afraid of the good?” Education, according to him, is a controlling grace to the young, consolation to the old, wealth to the poor, and ornament to the rich. When Didymon, who was a rake, was once treating a girl's eye, “Beware,” says Diogenes, “lest the oculist instead of curing the eye should ruin the pupil.” On somebody declaring that his own friends were plotting against him, Diogenes exclaimed, “What is to be done then, if you have to treat friends and enemies alike?”

73. And he saw no impropriety either in stealing anything from a temple or in eating the flesh of any animal; nor even anything impious in touching human flesh, this, he said, being clear from the custom of some foreign nations. Moreover, according to right reason, as he put it, all elements are contained in all things and pervade everything: since not only is meat a constituent of bread, but bread of vegetables; and all other bodies also, by means of certain invisible passages and particles, find their way in and unite with all substances in the form of vapour. This he makes plain in the Thyestes, if the tragedies are really his and not the work of his friend Philiscus of Aegina or of Pasiphon, the son of Lucian, who according to Favorinus in his Miscellaneous History wrote them after the death of Diogenes. He held that we should neglect music, geometry, astronomy, and the like studies, as useless and unnecessary.

74. He became very ready also at repartee in verbal debates, as is evident from what has been said above.

75. Cleomenes in his work entitled Concerning Pedagogues says that the friends of Diogenes wanted to ransom him, whereupon he called them simpletons; for, said he, lions are not the slaves of those who feed them, but rather those who feed them are at the mercy of the lions: for fear is the mark of the slave, whereas wild beasts make men afraid of them. The man had in fact a wonderful gift of persuasion, so that he could easily vanquish anyone he liked in argument. At all events a certain Onesicritus of Aegina is said to have sent to Athens the one of his two sons named Androsthenes, and he having become a pupil of Diogenes stayed there; the father then sent the other also, the aforesaid Philiscus, who was the elder, in search of him; but Philiscus also was detained in the same way.

Diogenes is said to have been nearly ninety years old when he died. Regarding his death there are several different accounts. One is that he was seized with colic after eating an octopus raw and so met his end. Another is that he died voluntarily by holding his breath. This account was followed by Cercidas of Megalopolis (or of Crete), who in his meliambics writes thus:

Not so he who aforetime was a citizen of Sinope, That famous one who carried a staff, doubled his cloak, and lived in the open air. 77. But he soared aloft with his lip tightly pressed against his teeth And holding his breath withal. For in truth he was rightly named Diogenes, a true-born son of Zeus, a hound of heaven.

Time makes even bronze grow old: but thy glory, Diogenes, all eternity will never destroy. Since thou alone didst point out to mortals the lesson of self-sufficingness and the easiest path of life.

79. We too have written on him in the proceleusmatic metre:

a. Diogenes, come tell me what fate took you to the world below? d. A dog's savage tooth.

Demetrius in his work On Men of the Same Name asserts that on the same day on which Alexander died in Babylon Diogenes died in Corinth. He was an old man in the 113th Olympiad.

80. The following writings are attributed to him. Dialogues:

Cephalion. Ichthyas. Jackdaw. Pordalus. The Athenian Demos. Republic. Art of Ethics. On Wealth. On Love. Theodorus. Hypsias. Aristarchus. On Death. Letters.

Seven Tragedies:

Helen. Thyestes. Heracles. Achilles. Medea. Chrysippus. Oedipus.

Sosicrates in the first book of his Successions, and Satyrus in the fourth book of his Lives, allege that Diogenes left nothing in writing, and Satyrus adds that the sorry tragedies are by his friend Philiscus, the Aeginetan. Sotion in his seventh book declares that only the following are genuine works of Diogenes: On Virtue, On Good, On Love, A Mendicant, Tolmaeus, Pordalus, Casandrus, Cephalion, Philiscus, Aristarchus, Sisyphus, Ganymedes, Anecdotes, Letters.

81. There have been five men who were named Diogenes. The first, of Apollonia, a natural philosopher. The beginning of his treatise runs thus: “At the outset of every discourse, methinks, one should see to it that the basis laid down is unquestionable.” The second – of Sicyon – who wrote an “Account of Peloponnesus.” The third, our present subject. The fourth, a Stoic born at Seleucia, who is also called the Babylonian, because Seleucia is near Babylon. The fifth, of Tarsus, author of a work on poetical problems, which he attempts to solve.

Now the philosopher is said by Athenodorus in the eighth book of his Walks to have always had a sleek appearance owing to his use of unguents.

Source: Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks </blockquote>

Cleomenes

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 02:37:04 +0000

Cleomenes

Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §95

<blockquote>His disciples were Theombrotus and Cleomenes: Theombrotus had for his pupil Demetrius of Alexandria, while Cleomenes instructed Timarchus of Alexandria and Echecles of Ephesus. Not but what Echecles also heard Theombrotus, whose lectures were attended by Menedemus, of whom we shall speak presently. Menippus of Sinope also became renowned amongst them.
Source</blockquote>

Crates and Hipparchia: Cynic Handbook

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 08 May 2013 15:38:54 +0000

Crates and Hipparchia: Cynic Handbook

ENDNOTES = […] at end of passages

Crates and Hipparchia were a couple bound together by the principles and wonders of Cynic Philosophy. One of the only philosophical couples known from antiquity, their relationship and their individual lives inspired future generations of Cynic philosophers and educated many people on the ideas of Virtue and Happiness. This compilation uses open and available texts to piece together the fragments of their lives and attempts to produce a coherent handbook for use as a reference by the scholar and the student.

Primary Sources: Crates of Thebes

Crates of Thebes | Aelian, Varia Historia XXX.6

Chap. VI.: Of the Magnanimity of Crates. Crates the Theban is known to have been a magnanimous person, as well by other things, as by his despising what the Vulgar admire, as also his Wealth and Country. That he gave the Thebans his estate is generally known. But this other action perhaps is less notorious. He left Thebes newly restored, saying, “I have no need of a City which Alexander or some other may subvert.”[i]

Crates of Thebes | Alciphron, Book III, Letter 44

Gnathon to Leichopinax

We are thought no more of than Megareans or Aegians; at the present time Gryllion alone is in good repute, and holds sway over the city: every house is open to him, as if he were Crates the Cynic from Thebes. It seems to me that he has got hold of some Thessalian or Acarnanian sorceress, with whose assistance he bewitches the unhappy youths of our city. What a fund of talk he possesses! how delightful is his conversation! But perhaps the Graces have looked upon him with favourable eyes, so that, while others have the inside of the loaf, we must be content if anyone throws us the leavings, like dogs, after he has wiped his hands upon it. But perhaps he is no magician, but only very fortunate; for it is fortune that prevails beyond everything in human affairs. Prudence counts for nothing, fortune is everything; the man who is fortunate is pleasant, and has the reputation of being so.[ii]

Crates of Thebes | Apuleius, Apologia 22

22. I therefore regarded it as a compliment when to insult me you asserted that my whole household consisted of a wallet and a staff. Would that my spirit were made of such stern stuff as to permit me to dispense with all this furniture and worthily to carry that equipment for which Crates sacrificed all his wealth! Crates, I tell you, though I doubt if you will believe me, Aemilianus, was a man of great wealth and honour among the nobility of Thebes; but for love of this habit, which you cast in my face as a crime, he gave his large and luxurious household to his fellow citizens, resigned his troops of slaves for solitude, so contemned the countless trees of his rich orchards as to be content with one staff, exchanged his elegant villas for one small wallet, which, when he had fully appreciated its utility, he even praised in song by diverting from their original meaning certain lines of Homer in which he extols the island of Crete. I will quote the first lines, that you may not think this a mere invention of mine designed to meet the needs of my own case:

There is a town named Wallet in the midst

Of smoke that's dark as wine.

The lines which follow are so wonderful, that had you read them you would envy me my wallet even more than you envy me my marriage with Pudentilla. You reproach philosophers for their staff and wallet. You might as well reproach cavalry for their trappings, infantry for their shields, standard-bearers for their banners, triumphant generals for their chariots drawn by four white horses and their cloaks embroidered with palm-leaves. The staff and wallet are not, it is true, carried by the Platonic philosophers, but are the badges of the Cynic school. To Diogenes and Antisthenes they were what the crown is to the king, the cloak of purple to the general, the cowl to the priest, the trumpet to the augur. Indeed the Cynic Diogenes, when he disputed with Alexander the Great, as to which of the two was the true king, boasted of his staff as the true sceptre. The unconquered Hercules himself, since you despise my instances as drawn from mere mendicancy, Hercules that roamed the whole world, exterminated monsters, and conquered races, god though he was, had but a skin for raiment and a staff for company in the days when he wandered through the earth. And yet but a brief while afterwards he was admitted to heaven as a reward for his virtue.[iii]

Crates of Thebes | Apuleius, Florida - On Crates the Cynic 14

14. These arguments and the like which he had heard from the lips of Diogenes, together with others which suggested themselves to him on other occasions, had such influence with Crates, that at last he rushed out into the market-place and there renounced all his fortune as being a mere filthy encumbrance, a burden rather than a benefit. His action having caused a crowd to collect, he cried in a loud voice, saying, 'Crates, even Crates sets thee free.' Thenceforth he lived not only in solitude, but naked and in perfect freedom and, so long as he lived, his life was happy. And such was the passion he inspired that a maiden of noble birth, spurning suitors more youthful and more wealthy than he, actually went so far as to beg him to marry her. In answer Crates bared his shoulders which were crowned with a hump, placed his wallet, staff and cloak upon the ground, and said to the girl, 'There is all my gear! and your eyes can judge of my beauty. Take good counsel, lest later I find you complaining of your lot.' But Hipparche accepted his conditions, replying that she had already considered the question and taken sufficient counsel, for nowhere in all the world could she find a richer or a fairer husband. 'Take me where you will!' she cried….[iv]

Crates of Thebes | Apuleius, Florida - On the Virtues of Crates 22

22. Crates, the well-known disciple of Diogenes, was honoured at Athens by the men of his own day as though he had been a household god. No house was ever closed to him, no head of a family had ever so close a secret as to regard Crates as an unseasonable intruder: he was always welcome; there was never a quarrel, never a lawsuit between kinsfolk, but he was accepted as mediator and his word was law. The poets tell that Hercules of old by his valour subdued all the wild monsters of legend, beast or man, and purged all the world of them. Even so our philosopher was a very Hercules in the conquest of anger, envy, avarice, lust, and all the other monstrous sins that beset the human soul. He expelled all these pests from their minds, purged households, and tamed vice. Nay, he too went half-naked and was distinguished by the club he carried, aye, and he sprang from that same Thebes, where Hercules, men say, was born. Even before he became Crates pure and simple, he was accounted one of the chief men in Thebes: his family was noble, his establishment numerous, his house had a fair and ample porch: his lands were rich and his clothing sumptuous. But later, when he understood that the wealth which had been transmitted to him, carried with it no safeguard whereon he might lean as on a staff in the ways of life, but that all was fragile and transitory, that all the wealth that is in all the world was of no assistance to a virtuous life….[v]

Crates of Thebes | Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 158.a-d

N.B. A favorite Cynic dish was lentil soup.

Indeed, “Lentil soup is known to the tragic stage; they say that Agatharchus once painted a picture of Orestes guzzling it when he had recovered from his disease.” So speaks the comic poet Sophilus. It is a Stoic belief, too, that the wise man will do all things rightly, even to the wise seasoning of lentil soup. Wherefore Timon of Phlius speaks of one “who had never learned wisely to make a Zenonian lentil soup,” as if a lentil soup could not be made otherwise than according to the Zenonian prescription. For he said: “Into the lentil soup put the twelfth part of a coriander seed.” And Crates of Thebes said: “Exalt not the dish of stew above a plate of lentil soup and so set us to quarrelling.' In like manner Chrysippus, in his essay On the Good, introduces to us certain maxims in these words: 'Never eat an olive when you have a nettle. In the winter season, a bulb-andlentil soup, oh me, oh my! For bulb-andlentil soup is like ambrosia in the chilly cold.' And the witty Aristophanes, in Gerytades, has said: 'Are you teaching him to make barley gruel or lentil soup?' And in Amphiaraus: 'You, who dare insult lentil soup, sweetest of delicacies!' Epicharmus, in The Dionysi: 'A kettle of lentil soup was simmering.' Antiphanes in Just Alike: 'It proved to be a piece of good luck, that one of the natives was teaching me how to make lentil soup.' I know also that the sister of Odysseus, most prudent and sagacious, was called Lentil, though others name her Callisto, Das recorded by Mnaseas of Patrae in the third book of his European History; my authority is Lysimachus, in the third book of his Returns.”[vi]

Crates of Thebes | Clement, Stromata Book 2 Chapter 20

Wherefore the divine law appears to me necessarily to menace with fear, that, by caution and attention, the philosopher may acquire and retain absence of anxiety, continuing without fall and without sin in all things. For peace and freedom are not otherwise won, than by ceaseless and unyielding struggles with our lusts. For these stout and Olympic antagonists are keener than wasps, so to speak; and Pleasure especially, not by day only, but by night, is in dreams with witchcraft ensnaringly plotting and biting. How, then, can the Greeks any more be right in running down the law, when they themselves teach that Pleasure is the slave of fear? Socrates accordingly bids “people guard against enticements to eat when they are not hungry, and to drink when not thirsty, and the glances and kisses of the fair, as fitted to inject a deadlier poison than that of scorpions and spiders.” And Antisthenes chose rather “to be demented than delighted.” And the Theban Crates says:—

“Master these, exulting in the disposition of the soul,

Vanquished neither by gold nor by languishing love,

Nor are they any longer attendants to the wanton.”

And at length infers:—

“Those, unenslaved and unbended by servile Pleasure,

Love the immortal kingdom and freedom.”

He writes expressly, in other words, “that the stop to the unbridled propensity to amorousness is hunger or a halter.”[vii]

Crates of Thebes | Demetrius of Phalerum, On Style 170

170. Even sensible persons will indulge in jests on such occasions as feasts and carousals, or when they are addressing a word of warning to men inclined to good living. A reference to ' the far-gleaming meal-bag ' may then be found salutary. The same may be said of the poetry of Crates; and it would be well if you were to read the 'Praise of the Lentil ' in a party of free-livers. The Cynic humour is, for the most part, of this character. Such jests, in fact, play the part of maxims and admonitions.[viii]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 2 §114

And besides these [Stilpo] won over Phrasidemus the Peripatetic, an accomplished physicist, and Alcimus the rhetorician, the first orator in all Greece; Crates, too, and many others he got into his toils, and, what is more, along with these, he carried off Zeno the Phoenician.[ix]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §15

Antisthenes gave the impulse to the indifference of Diogenes, the continence of Crates, and the hardihood of Zeno, himself laying the foundations of their state. Xenophon calls him the most agreeable of men in conversation and the most temperate in everything else.[x]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §82

Monimus of Syracuse was a pupil of Diogenes; and, according to Sosicrates, he was in the service of a certain Corinthian banker, to whom Xeniades, the purchaser of Diogenes, made frequent visits, and by the account which he gave of his goodness in word and deed, excited in Monimus a passionate admiration of Diogenes. For he forthwith pretended to be mad and proceeded to fling away the small change and all the money on the banker's table, until at length his master dismissed him; and he then straightway devoted himself to Diogenes. He often followed Crates the Cynic as well, and embraced the like pursuits; whereupon his master, seeing him do this, was all the more persuaded that he was mad.[xi]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §85-93

There is a city Pera in the midst of wine-dark vapour,

Fair, fruitful, passing squalid, owning nought,

Into which sails nor fool nor parasite

Nor glutton, slave of sensual appetite,

But thyme it bears, garlic, and figs and loaves,

For which things' sake men fight not each with other,

Nor stand to arms for money or for fame.

86. There is also his widely circulated day-book, which runs as follows:

Set down for the chef ten minas, for the doctor Pne drachma, for a flatterer talents five, For counsel smoke, for mercenary beauty A talent, for a philosopher three obols.

He was known as the “Door-opener” – the caller to whom all doors fly open – from his habit of entering every house and admonishing those within. Here is another specimen of his composition:

That much I have which I have learnt and thought,

The noble lessons taught me by the Muses:

But wealth amassed is prey to vanity.

And again he says that what he has gained from philosophy is

A quart of lupins and to care for no one.

This too is quoted as his:

Hunger stops love, or, if not hunger,

Time,

Or, failing both these means of help, – a halter.

87. He flourished in the 113th Olympiad.

In summer-time a thick cloak he would wear

To be like Crates, and in winter rags.

Diocles relates how Diogenes persuaded Crates to give up his fields to sheep pasture, and throw into the sea any money he had.

This man had a brother named Pasicles, who was a disciple of Euclides.

90. He carried on a regular campaign of invective against the courtesans, habituating himself to meet their abuse.

Seized by the foot and dragged o'er heaven's high threshold:

Wearing a cloak you'll go about with me,

As once with Cynic Crates went his wife:

His daughter too, as he himself declared,

He gave in marriage for a month on trial.[xii]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §94

Metrocles of Maroneia was the brother of Hipparchia. He had been formerly a pupil of Theophrastus the Peripatetic, and had been so far corrupted by weakness that, when he made a breach of good manners in the course of rehearsing a speech, it drove him to despair, and he shut himself up at home, intending to starve himself to death. On learning this Crates came to visit him as he had been asked to do, and after advisedly making a meal of lupins, he tried to persuade him by argument as well that he had committed no crime, for a prodigy would have happened if he had not taken the natural means of relieving himself. At last by reproducing the action he succeeded in lifting him from his dejection, using for his consolation the likeness of the occurrences. From that time forward Metrocles was his pupil, and became proficient in philosophy.[xiii] Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §96-98

96. Hipparchia too, sister of Metrocles, was captured by their doctrines. Both of them were born at Maroneia.

98. And when he said to her:

“Is this she Who quitting woof and warp and comb and loom?” she replied, “It is I, Theodorus, – but do you suppose that I have been ill advised about myself, if instead of wasting further time upon the loom I spent it in education?” These tales and countless others are told of the female philosopher.

Not one tower hath my country nor one roof,

But wide as the whole earth its citadel

And home prepared for us to dwell therein.

He died in old age, and was buried in Boeotia.[xiv]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 7 §2-4

[Zeno] was a pupil of Crates, as stated above. Next they say he attended the lectures of Stilpo and Xenocrates for ten years – so Timocrates says in his Dion – and Polemo as well. It is stated by Hecato and by Apollonius of Tyre in his first book on Zeno that he consulted the oracle to know what he should do to attain the best life, and that the god's response was that he should take on the complexion of the dead. Whereupon, perceiving what this meant, he studied ancient authors. Now the way he came across Crates was this. He was shipwrecked on a voyage from Phoenicia to Peiraeus with a cargo of purple. He went up into Athens and sat down in a bookseller's shop, being then a man of thirty.

3. As he went on reading the second book of Xenophon's Memorabilia, he was so pleased that he inquired where men like Socrates were to be found. Crates passed by in the nick of time, so the bookseller pointed to him and said, “Follow yonder man.” From that day he became Crates's pupil, showing in other respects a strong bent for philosophy, though with too much native modesty to assimilate Cynic shamelessness. Hence Crates, desirous of curing this defect in him, gave him a potful of lentil-soup to carry through the Ceramicus; and when he saw that he was ashamed and tried to keep it out of sight, with a blow of his staff he broke the pot. As Zeno took to flight with the lentil-soup flowing down his legs, “Why run away, my little Phoenician?” quoth Crates, “nothing terrible has befallen you.”

4. For a certain space, then, he was instructed by Crates, and when at this time he had written his Republic, some said in jest that he had written it on Cynosura, i.e. on the dog's tail. Besides the Republic he wrote the following works:

Of Life according to Nature.

Of Impulse, or Human Nature.

Of Emotions.

Of Duty.

Of Law.

Of Greek Education.

Of Vision.

Of the Whole World.

Of Signs.

Pythagorean Questions.

Universals.

Of Varieties of Style.

Homeric Problems, in five books.

Of the Reading of Poetry.

There are also by him:

A Handbook of Rhetoric.

Solutions.

Two books of Refutations.

Recollections of Crates.

Ethics.

This is a list of his writings. But at last he left Crates, and the men above mentioned were his masters for twenty years. Hence he is reported to have said, “I made a prosperous voyage when I suffered shipwreck.” But others attribute this saying of his to the time when he was under Crates.[xv]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 7 §12

Antigonus of Carystus tells us that he never denied that he was a citizen of Citium. For when he was one of those who contributed to the restoration of the baths and his name was inscribed upon the pillar as “Zeno the philosopher,” he requested that the words “of Citium” should be added. He made a hollow lid for a flask and used to carry about money in it, in order that there might be provision at hand for the necessities of his master Crates.[xvi]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 7 §24

One day at a banquet he was reclining in silence and was asked the reason: whereupon he bade his critic carry word to the king that there was one present who knew how to hold his tongue. Now those who inquired of him were ambassadors from King Ptolemy, and they wanted to know what message they should take back from him to the king. On being asked how he felt about abuse, he replied, “As an envoy feels who is dismissed without an answer.” Apollonius of Tyre tells us how, when Crates laid hold on him by the cloak to drag him from Stilpo, Zeno said, “The right way to seize a philosopher, Crates, is by the ears: persuade me then and drag me off by them; but, if you use violence, my body will be with you, but my mind with Stilpo.”[xvii]

Crates of Thebes | Diogenes Laertius, Book 7 §32

Hence he had been well trained even before he left his native place. And thus it came about that on [Zeno's] arrival at Athens he attached himself to Crates. And it seems, he adds, that, when the rest were at a loss how to express their views, Zeno framed a definition of the end. They say that he was in the habit of swearing by “capers” just as Socrates used to swear by “the dog.” Some there are, and among them Cassius the Sceptic and his disciples, who accuse Zeno at length. Their first count is that in the beginning of his Republic he pronounced the ordinary education useless: the next is that he applies to all men who are not virtuous the opprobrious epithets of foemen, cnemies, slaves, and aliens to one another, parents to children, brothers to brothers, friends to friends.[xviii]

Crates of Thebes | Epictetus, Discourses 3.22

'Yes, but Crates married.'

The case you mention was a special one and a love-match, and you have to assume a wife who was a Crates herself. Our inquiry is concerned with ordinary marriages which are liable to distraction; and from this point of view we do not find that in these circumstances marriage has a primary claim on the Cynic.[xix]

Crates of Thebes | Greek Anthology, Excerpt Hymn to Simplicity

104.— Crates the Philosopher

Hail! divine lady Simplicity, child of glorious Temperance, beloved by good men. All who practise righteousness venerate thy virtue.[xx]

Crates of Thebes | Gregory Nazianzen, Oration 43

Such being [Basil's] mind, and such his life, he had no need of an altar and of vainglory, nor of such a public announcement as “Crates sets Crates the Theban free.” For his aim was ever to be, not to seem, most excellent. Nor did he dwell in a tub, and in the midst of the market-place, and so by luxuriating in publicity turn his poverty into riches: but was poor and unkempt, yet without ostentation: and taking cheerfully the casting overboard of all that he ever had, sailed lightly across the sea of life.[xxi]

Crates of Thebes | Jerome, Against Jovinianus Book 2

That there is no difference (morally) between one who fasts and one who takes food with thanksgiving. Jovinian has quoted many texts of Scripture to show that God has made animals for men's food. But there are many other uses of animals besides food. And there are many warnings like 1 Cor. vi. 13, as to the danger arising from food. There are among the heathen many instances of abstinence. They recognize the evil of sensual allurements, and often, like Crates the Theban, have cast away what would tempt them; the senses, they teach, should be subject to reason; and, that except for athletes (Christians do not want to be like Milo of Crotona) bread and water suffice. Horace, Xenophon and other eminent Greeks, the Essenes and the Brahmans, as well as philosophers like Diogenes, testify to the value of abstinence. The Old Testament stories of Esau's pottage, of the lusting of Israel for the flesh-pots of Egypt, and those in the New Testament of Anna, Cornelius, etc., commend abstinence. If some heretics inculcate fasting in such a way as to despise the gifts of God, and weak Christians are not to be judged for their use of flesh, those who seek the higher life will find a help in abstinence.

Hence it was that Crates the famous Theban, after throwing into the sea a considerable weight of gold, exclaimed, “Go to the bottom, you evil lusts: I will drown you that you may not drown me.” But if anyone thinks to enjoy keenly meat and drink in excess, and at the same time to devote himself to philosophy, that is to say, to live in luxury and yet not to be hampered by the vices attendant on luxury, he deceives himself. For if it be the case that even when far distant from them we are frequently caught in the snares of nature, and are compelled to desire those things of which we have a scant supply: what folly it is to think we are free when we are surrounded by the nets of pleasure! We think of what we see, hear, smell, taste, handle, and are led to desire the thing which affords us pleasure. That the mind sees and hears, and that we can neither hear nor see anything unless our senses are fixed upon the objects of sight and hearing, is an old saw. It is difficult, or rather impossible, when we are swimming in luxury and pleasure not to think of what we are doing: and it is an idle pretence which some men put forward that they can take their fill of pleasure with their faith and purity and mental uprightness unimpaired. It is a violation of nature to revel in pleasure, and the Apostle gives a caution against this very thing when he says, 1 Timothy 5:6 “She that gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives.”[xxii]

Crates of Thebes | Jerome, Letter 66

For he to whom you would give is richer than you the giver. It is moreover a kind of sacrilege to give what belongs to the poor to those who are not poor. Yet to be a perfect and complete Christian it is not enough to despise wealth or to squander and fling away one's money, a thing which can be lost and found in a single moment. Crates the Theban did this, so did Antisthenes and several others, whose lives show them to have had many faults.[xxiii]

Crates of Thebes | Julian, Orations 6.197-202

[197] Do you not know how people lure away the young from philosophy by continually uttering now one slander and then another against all the philosophers in turn? The genuine disciples of Pythagoras and Plato and Aristotle are called sorcerers and sophists and conceited and quacks. [198] If here and there among the Cynics one is really virtuous he is regarded with pity. For instance I remember that once my tutor said to me when he saw my fellow-pupil Iphicles with his hair unkempt and his clothes in tatters on his chest and wearing a wretched cloak in severe winter weather: “What evil genius can have plunged him into this sad state which makes not only him pitiable but even more so his parents who reared him with care and gave him the best education they could! And now he goes about in this condition, neglecting everything and no better than a beggar!” At the time I answered him with some pleasantry or other. But I assure you that the multitude hold these views about genuine Cynics also. And that is not so dreadful, but do you see that they persuade them to love wealth, to hate poverty, to minister to the belly, to endure any toil for the body's sake, to fatten that prison of the soul, to keep up an expensive table, never to sleep alone at night, provided only that they do all this in the dark and are not found out? Is not this worse than Tartarus? Is it not better to sink beneath Charybdis and Cocytus or ten thousand fathoms deep in the earth than to fall into a life like this, enslaved to lust and appetite, and not even to these simply and openly, like the beasts, but to take pains so that when we act thus we may be hidden under cover of darkness? And yet how much better is it to refrain altogether from all this! And if that be difficult the rules of Diogenes and Crates on these matters are not to be despised: “Fasting quenches desire, and if you cannot fast, hang yourself.” Do you not know that those great men lived as they did in order to introduce among men the way of plain living? “For” says Diogenes, [199] “it is not among men who live on bread that you will find tyrants, but among those who eat costly dinners.” Moreover Crates wrote a hymn to Plain Living: “Hail, goddess and Queen, darling of wise men, Plain Living, child of glorious Temperance.” Then let not the Cynic be like Oenomaus shameless or impudent, or a scorner of everything human and divine, but reverent towards sacred things, like Diogenes. For he obeyed the Pythian oracle nor did he repent of his obedience. But if anyone supposes that because he did not visit the temples or worship statues or altars this is a sign of impiety, he does not think rightly. For Diogenes possessed nothing that is usually offered, incense or libations or money to buy them with. But if he held right opinions about the gods, that in itself was enough. For he worshipped them with his whole soul, thus offering them as I think the most precious of his possessions, the dedication of his soul through his thoughts. Let not the Cynic be shameless, but led by reason let him first make subservient to himself the emotional part of his soul so that he may entirely do away with it and not even be aware that he is superior to pleasures. For it is nobler to attain to this, I mean to complete ignorance whether one has any such emotions. And this comes to us only through training. And that none may think I say this at random I will add for your benefit a few lines from the lighter verse of Crates: “Glorious children of Memory and Olympian Zeus, ye Muses of Pieria, hearken to my prayer! Give me without ceasing victuals for my belly which has always made my life frugal and free from slavery. . . . To my friends make me useful rather than agreeable. As for money I desire not to amass conspicuous wealth, [200] seeking after the wealth of the beetle or the substance of the ant; nay, I desire to possess justice and to collect riches that are easily carried, easily acquired, of great avail for virtue. If I may but win these I will propitiate Hermes and the holy Muses not with costly dainties but with pious virtues.” If it be of any use to write for you about such things I could recite still more maxims by this same Crates. But if you will read Plutarch of Chaeronea, who wrote his Life, there will be no need for you to learn his character superficially from me.

But let me go back to what I said before, that he who is entering on the career of a Cynic ought first to censure severely and cross-examine himself, and without any self-flattery ask himself the following questions in precise terms: whether he enjoys expensive food; whether he cannot do without a soft bed; whether he is the slave of rewards and the opinion of men; whether it is his ambition to attract public notice and even though that be an empty honour he still thinks it worth while. Nevertheless he must not let himself drift with the current of the mob or touch vulgar pleasure even with the tip of his finger, as the saying is, until he has succeeded in trampling on it; then and not before he may permit himself to dip into that sort of thing if it come his way. For instance I am told that bulls which are weaker than the rest separate themselves from the herd and pasture alone while they store up their strength in every part of their bodies by degrees, until they rejoin the herd in good condition, and then they challenge its leaders to contend with them, in confidence that they are more fit to take the lead. Therefore let him who wishes to be a Cynic philosopher not adopt merely their long cloak [201] or wallet or staff or their way of wearing the hair, as though he were like a man walking unshaved and illiterate in a village that lacked barbers' shops and schools, but let him consider that reason rather than a staff and a certain plan of life rather than a wallet are the mintmarks of the Cynic philosophy. And freedom of speech he must not employ until he have first proved how much he is worth, as I believe was the case with Crates and Diogenes. For they were so far from bearing with a bad grace any threat of fortune, whether one call such threats caprice or wanton insult, that once when he had been captured by pirates Diogenes joked with them; as for Crates he gave his property to the state, and being physically deformed he made fun of his own lame leg and hunched shoulders. But when his friends gave an entertainment he used to go, whether invited or not, and would reconcile his nearest friends if he learned that they had quarrelled. He used to reprove them not harshly but with a charming manner and not so as to seem to persecute those whom he wished to reform, but as though he wished to be of use both to them and to the bystanders.

Yet this was not the chief end and aim of those Cynics, but as I said their main concern was how they might themselves attain to happiness and, as I think, they occupied themselves with other men only in so far as they comprehended that man is by nature a social and political animal; and so they aided their fellow-citizens, not only by practising but by preaching as well. Then let him who wishes to be a Cynic, earnest and sincere, first take himself in hand like Diogenes and Crates, and expel from his own soul and from every part of it all passions and desires, and entrust all his affairs to reason and intelligence and steer his course by them. For this in my opinion was the sum and substance of the philosophy of Diogenes.

And if Diogenes did sometimes visit a courtesan - though even this happened only once perhaps or not even once - let him who would be a Cynic first satisfy us that he is, like Diogenes, [202] a man of solid worth, and then if he see fit to do that sort of thing openly and in the sight of all men, we shall not reproach him with it or accuse him. First however we must see him display the ability to learn and the quick wit of Diogenes, and in all other relations he must show the same independence, self-sufficiency, justice, moderation, piety, gratitude, and the same extreme carefulness not to act at random or without a purpose or irrationally. For these too are characteristic of the philosophy of Diogenes. Then let him trample on vaingloriousness, let him ridicule those who though they conceal in darkness the necessary functions of our nature - for instance the secretion of what is superfluous - yet in the centre of the market-place and of our cities carry on practices that are most brutal and by no means akin to our nature, for instance robbery of money, false accusations, unjust indictments, and the pursuit of other rascally business of the same sort. On the other hand when Diogenes made unseemly noises or obeyed the call of nature or did anything else of that sort in the market-place, as they say he did, he did so because he was trying to trample on the conceit of the men I have just mentioned, and to teach them that their practices were far more sordid and insupportable than his own. For what he did was in accordance with the nature of all of us, but theirs accorded with no man's real nature, one may say, but were all due to moral depravity.[xxiv]

Crates of Thebes | Julian, Oration 7.211-215

[211] Now if from such works any man chooses to demonstrate to us the character of the Cynic philosophy, and to blaspheme the gods and bark at all men, as I said when I began, let him go, let him depart to the uttermost parts of the earth whithersoever he pleases. But if he do as the god enjoined on Diogenes, and first “give a new stamp to the common currency,” then devote himself to the advice uttered earlier by the god, the precept “Know Thyself,” which Diogenes and Crates evidently followed in their actual practice, then I say that this is wholly worthy of one who desires to be a leader and a philosopher. For surely we know what the god meant? He enjoined on Diogenes to despise the opinion of the crowd and to give a new stamp, not to truth, but to the common currency. Now to which of these categories shall we assign self-knowledge? Can we call it common currency? Shall we not rather say that it is the very summary of truth, and by the injunction “Know Thyself” we are told the way in which we must “give a new stamp to the common currency”? For just as one who pays no regard whatever to conventional opinions but goes straight for the truth will not decide his own conduct by those opinions but by actual facts, so I think he who knows himself will know accurately, not the opinion of others about him, but what he is in reality. It follows then, does it not? that the Pythian god speaks the truth, and moreover that Diogenes was clearly convinced of this since he obeyed the god and so became, instead of an exile, I will not say greater than the King of Persia, but according to the tradition handed down actually an object of envy to the man who had broken the power of Persia and was rivalling the exploits of Heracles and ambitious to surpass Achilles. Then let us judge of the attitude of Diogenes towards gods and men, [212] not from the discourses of Oenomaus or the tragedies of Philiscus - who by ascribing their authorship to Diogenes grossly slandered that sacred personage - but let us, I say, judge him by his deeds.

Why in the name of Zeus did he go to Olympia? To see the athletes compete? Nay, could he not have seen those very athletes without trouble both at the Isthmian games and the Panathenaic festival? Then was it because he wished to meet there the most distinguished Greeks? But did they not go to the Isthmus too? So you cannot discover any other motive than that of doing honour to the god. He was not, you say, awestruck by a thunderstorm. Ye gods, I too have witnessed such signs from Zeus over and over again, without being awestruck! Yet for all that I feel awe of the gods, I love, I revere, I venerate them, and in short have precisely the same feelings towards them as one would have towards kind masters or teachers or fathers or guardians or any beings of that sort. That is the very reason why I could hardly sit still the other day and listen to your speech. However, I have spoken thus as I was somehow or other impelled to speak, though perhaps it would have been better to say nothing at all.

To return to Diogenes: he was poor and lacked means, yet he travelled to Olympia, though he bade Alexander come to him, if we are to believe Dio. So convinced was he that it was his duty to visit the temples of the gods, but that it was the duty of the most royal monarch of that day to come to him for an interview. And was not that royal advice which he wrote to Archidamus? Nay, not only in words but in deeds also did Diogenes show his reverence for the gods. For he preferred to live in Athens, but when the divine command had sent him away to Corinth, even after he had been set free by the man who had bought him, he did not think he ought to leave that city. [213] For he believed that the gods took care of him, and that he had been sent to Corinth, not at random or by some accident, but by the gods themselves for some purpose. He saw that Corinth was more luxurious than Athens, and stood in need of a more severe and courageous reformer.

To give you another instance: Are there not extant many charming poems by Crates also which are proofs of his piety and veneration for the gods? I will repeat them to you if you have not had time to learn this from the poems themselves: “Ye Muses of Pieria, glorious children of Memory and Olympian Zeus, grant me this prayer! Give me food for my belly from day to day, but give it without slavery which makes life miserable indeed. . . . . Make me useful rather than agreeable to my friends. Treasure and the fame thereof I desire not to amass; nor do I crave the wealth of the beetle and the substance of the ant. But justice I desire to attain, and to collect riches that are easily carried, easily acquired, precious for virtue. If I attain these things I will worship Hermes and the holy Muses, not with costly and luxurious offerings, but with pious and virtuous actions.”

You see that, far from blaspheming the gods as you do, he adored and prayed to them? For what number of hecatombs are worth as much as Piety, whom the inspired Euripides celebrated appropriately in the verses “Piety, queen of the gods. Piety”? Or are you not aware that all offerings whether great or small that are brought to the gods with piety have equal value, whereas without piety, I will not say hecatombs, but, by the gods, even the Olympian sacrifice of a thousand oxen [214] is merely empty expenditure and nothing else? This I believe Crates recognised, and so with that piety which was his only possession he himself used to honour the gods with praises, and moreover taught others not to honour expensive offerings more than piety in the sacred ceremonies. This then was the attitude of both those Cynics towards the gods but they did not crowd audiences together to hear them, nor did they entertain their friends with similes and myths, like the wise men of today. For as Euripides well says, “Simple and unadorned is the language of truth.” Only the liar and the dishonest man, he says, have any use for a mysterious and allusive style. Now what was the manner of their intercourse with men? Deeds with them came before words, and if they honoured poverty they themselves seem first to have scorned inherited wealth; if they cultivated modesty, they themselves first practised plain living in every respect; if they tried to expel from the lives of other men the element of theatrical display and arrogance, they themselves first set the example by living in the open market places and the temple precincts, and they opposed luxury by their own practice before they did so in words; nor did they shout aloud but proved by their actions that a man may rule as the equal of Zeus if he needs nothing or very little and so is not hampered by his body; and they reproved sinners during the lifetime of those who had offended but did not speak ill of the dead; for when men are dead even their enemies, at least the more moderate, make peace with the departed. But the genuine Cynic has no enemy, even though men strike his feeble body or drag his name in the mire, or slander and speak ill of him, because enmity is felt only towards an opponent, but that which is above personal rivalry is usually loved and respected. [215] But if anyone is hostile to a Cynic, as indeed many are even to the gods, he is not that Cynic's enemy, since he cannot injure him; rather he inflicts on himself the most terrible punishment of all, namely ignorance of one who is nobler than himself; and so he is deserted and bereft of the other's protection.[xxv]

Crates of Thebes | Lucian, Demonax 48

[Demonax] waged constant warfare against all whose philosophy was not practical, but for show. So when he saw a cynic, with threadbare cloak and wallet, but a braying-pestle instead of a staff, proclaiming himself loudly as a follower of Antisthenes, Crates, and Diogenes, he said: ‘Tell us no lies; your master is the professor of braying.’[xxvi]

Crates of Thebes | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead excerpts

Crates. Diogenes

Cra . Did you know Moerichus of Corinth, Diogenes? A shipowner, rolling in money, with a cousin called Aristeas, nearly as rich. He had a Homeric quotation:- Wilt thou heave me? shall I heave thee?

Diog . What was the point of it?

Diog . And how did it end? I am quite curious.

Diog . Cleverly done. Now, when we were alive, we never had such designs on one another. I never prayed for Antisthenes's death, with a view to inheriting his staff - though it was an extremely serviceable one, which he had cut himself from a wild olive; and I do not credit you, Crates, with ever having had an eye to my succession; it included the tub, and a wallet with two pints of lupines in it.

Diog . You allude to –

Cra . Wisdom, independence, truth, frankness, freedom.

Diog . To be sure; now I think of it, I did inherit all this from Antisthenes, and left it to you with some addition.

Cra . Others, however, were not interested in such property; no one paid us the attentions of an expectant heir; they all lad their eyes on gold, instead.

Diog . Of course; they had no receptacle for such things as we could give; luxury had made them so leaky - as full of holes as a worn-out purse. Put wisdom, frankness, or truth into them, and it would have dropped out; the bottom of the bag would have let them through, like the perforated cask into which those poor Danaids are always pouring. Gold, on the other hand, they could grip with tooth or nail or somehow.

Cra . Result: our wealth will still be ours down here; while they will arrive with no more than one penny, and even that must be left with the ferryman.

Diogenes. Antisthenes. Crates

Diog . Now, friends, we have plenty of time; what say you to a stroll? we might go to the entrance and have a look at the new-comers - what they are and how they behave.

Cra . Very well; and meanwhile, let me give you my experiences on the way down.

Diog . Yes, go on, Crates; I dare say you saw some entertaining sights.

Ant . How could it possibly be done simultaneously?

Diog . You two have described your fellow passengers; now for mine. There came down with me Blepsias, the Pisatan usurer, Lampis, an Acarnanian freelance, and the Corinthian millionaire Damis. The last had been poisoned by his son, Lampis had cut his throat for love of the courtesan Myrtium, and the wretched Blepsias is supposed to have died of starvation; his awful pallor and extreme emaciation looked like it. I inquired into the manner of their deaths, though I knew very well. When Damis exclaimed upon his son, 'You only have your deserts,' I remarked,-'an old man of ninety living in luxury yourself with your million of money, and fobbing off your eighteen-year son with a few pence! As for you, sir Acarnanian'- he was groaning and cursing Myrtium -, 'why put the blame on Love? it belongs to yourself; you were never afraid of an enemy - took all sorts of risks in other people's service - and then let yourself be caught, my hero, by the artificial tears and sighs of the first wench you came across.' Blepsias uttered his own condemnation, without giving me time to do it for him: he had hoarded his money for heirs who were nothing to him, and been fool enough to reckon on immortality. I assure you it was no common satisfaction I derived from their whinings.

Pauper . Not so.

Diog . A provincial governor, then?

Pauper . No, nor that.

Diog . I see; you were wealthy, and do not like leaving your boundless luxury to die.

Pauper . You are quite mistaken; I was near ninety, made a miserable livelihood out of my line and rod, was excessively poor, childless, a cripple, and had nearly lost my sight.

Diog . And you still wished to live?

Pauper . Ay, sweet is the light, and dread is death; would that one might escape it!

Diog . You are beside yourself, old man; you are like a child kicking at the pricks, you contemporary of the ferryman. Well, we need wonder no more at youth, when age is still in love with life; one would have thought it should court death as the cure for its proper ills.- And now let us go our way, before our loitering here brings suspicion on us: they may think we are planning an escape.[xxvii]

Crates of Thebes | Lucian, The Death of Peregrine 15

Meanwhile, indictments and accusations were brewing: an attack might be looked for at any moment: as for the common people, they were in a state of furious indignation and grief at the foul butchery of a harmless old man; for so he was described. In these trying circumstances, observe the ingenuity and resource of the sagacious Proteus. He makes his appearance in the assembly: his hair (even in these early days) is long, his cloak is shabby; at his side is slung the philosopher's wallet, his hand grasps the philosopher's staff; truly a tragic figure, every inch of him. Thus equipped, he presents himself before the public, with the announcement that the property left him by his father of blessed memory is entirely at their disposal! Being a needy folk, with a keen eye to charity, they received the information with ready applause: “Here is true philosophy; true patriotism; the spirit of Diogenes and Crates is here!” As for his enemies, they were dumb; and if any one did venture an allusion to parricide, he was promptly stoned. [xxviii]

Crates of Thebes | Lucian, The Runaways

The city swarms with these vermin, particularly with those who profess the tenets of Diogenes, Antisthenes, and Crates. Followers of the Dog, they care little to excel in the canine virtues; they are neither trusty guardians nor affectionate, faithful servants: but for noise and greed and thievery and wantonness, for cringing, fawning cupboard-love,–there, indeed, they are perfect. Before long you will see every trade at a standstill, the workmen all at large: for every man of them knows that, whilst he is bent over his work from morning to night, toiling and drudging for a starvation wage, idle impostors are living in the midst of plenty, commanding charity where they will, with no word of thanks to the giver, and a curse on him that withholds the gift. Surely (he will say to himself) the golden age is returned, and the heavens shall rain honey into my mouth.

They are sufficiently provided at last, and then off goes the hated uniform: lands and houses are bought, and soft raiment, and comely pages. Inquire of them now for Crates's wallet, Antisthenes's cloak, Diogenes's tub: they know nothing of the matter. When men see these things, they spit in the face of philosophy; they think that all philosophers are the same, and blame me their teacher. It is long since I have won over any to my side. I toil like Penelope at the loom, and one moment undoes all that I have done. Ignorance and Wickedness watch my unavailing labours, and smile.[xxix]

Crates of Thebes | Origen, Contra Celsus Book 2 Chapter 41

In the person of the Jew, Celsus continues to find fault with Jesus, alleging that “he did not show himself to be pure from all evil.” Let Celsus state from what “evil” our Lord did not, show Himself to be pure. If he means that, He was not pure from what is properly termed “evil,” let him clearly prove the existence of any wicked work in Him. But if he deems poverty and the cross to be evils, and conspiracy on the part of wicked men, then it is clear that he would say that evil had happened also to Socrates, who was unable to show himself pure from evils. And how great also the other band of poor men is among the Greeks, who have given themselves to philosophical pursuits, and have voluntarily accepted a life of poverty, is known to many among the Greeks from what is recorded of Democritus, who allowed his property to become pasture for sheep; and of Crates, who obtained his freedom by bestowing upon the Thebans the price received for the sale of his possessions. Nay, even Diogenes himself, from excessive poverty, came to live in a tub; and yet, in the opinion of no one possessed of moderate understanding, was Diogenes on that account considered to be in an evil (sinful) condition.[xxx]

Crates of Thebes | Origen, Contra Celsus Book 7 Chapter 7

In regard to the prophets among the Jews, some of them were wise men before they became divinely inspired prophets, while others became wise by the illumination which their minds received when divinely inspired. They were selected by Divine Providence to receive the Divine Spirit, and to be the depositories of His holy oracles, on the ground of their leading a life of almost unapproachable excellence, intrepid, noble, unmoved by danger or death. For reason teaches that such ought to be the character of the prophets of the Most High, in comparison with which the firmness of Antisthenes, Crates, and Diogenes will seem but as child's play.[xxxi]

Crates of Thebes | Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.13

So when all was well between him [Apollonius] and his brother, he at once turned his attention to his other relatives, and conciliated such of them as were in want by bestowing on them the rest of his property, leaving only a trifle to himself; for he said that Anaxagoras of Clazomenae kept his philosophy for cattle rather than for men when he abandoned his fields to flocks and goats, and that Crates of Thebes, when he threw his money into the sea benefited neither man nor beast.[xxxii]

Crates of Thebes | Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 7.2

Then there were Diogenes of Sinope and Crates of Thebes, of whom the former went direct to Chaeronea, and rebuked Philip for his treatment of the Athenians, on the ground that, though asserting himself to be a descendant of Heracles he yet was destroying by force of arms those who had taken up arms in defense of the descendants of Heracles.

The other Crates, when Alexander declared that he would rebuild Thebes for his sake, replied that he would never stand in need of a country or of a city, which anyone could raze to the ground by mere force of arms.[xxxiii]

Crates of Thebes | Plutarch, How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend

They tell us a story to this purpose of Demetrius Phalereus, that, when he dwelt an exile at Thebes in mean beggarly circumstances, he was once extremely concerned to observe the philosopher Crates making towards him, expecting to be treated by him with all the roughness of a cynical behavior. But when Crates had addressed himself courteously to him, and discoursed him upon the point of exile, endeavoring to convince him that it had nothing miserable or uneasy in it, but on the contrary rather rescued him from the nice and hazardous management of public affairs, — advising him withal to repose his confidence in himself and his own conscience, — Demetrius was so taken and encouraged by his discourse, that he is reported to have said to his friends, Cursed be those employs which robbed me so long of the acquaintance of such an excellent person.[xxxiv]

Crates of Thebes | Plutarch, Life of Demetrius 46

But as soon as he had entered upon the path of hope, as upon a royal highway, and had gathered about himself a body and form of sovereignty, he restored to the Thebans their ancient form of government; the Athenians, however, revolted from him. They voted to elect archons as had been their custom of old, and took away from Diphilus, who had been appointed priest of the Saviour-gods, the privilege of giving his name to the current year; and when they saw that Demetrius had more strength than they expected, they summoned Pyrrhus to their aid from Macedonia. Demetrius came up against them in a rage, and began a strenuous siege of the city. But the people sent to him Crates the philosopher, a man of great repute and influence, and Demetrius, partly because he was induced to grant the ambassador's appeals in behalf of the Athenians, and partly because he was convinced when the philosopher showed him what would be an advantageous course, raised the siege, and after assembling all the ships he had, and putting on board eleven thousand soldiers, together with his cavalry, he sailed for Asia, to wrest Caria and Lydia from Lysimachus.[xxxv]

Crates of Thebes | Plutarch, Rules for Preservation of Health

Wherefore Crates, supposing that luxury and prodigality were the chief cause of seditions and insurrections in a city, in a droll advises that we should never go beyond a lentil in our meals, lest we bring ourselves into sedition.[xxxvi]

Crates of Thebes | Simplicius, Commentary on Epictetus 10

For the same reason, Epictetus would tell you, that poverty is no such formidable thing neither: because he can produce the example of Crates the Theban to the contrary; who, when he disposed of all he was worth to the public, and said,

Let others keep, or mourn lost, store, Crates’ own hands make Crates poor,

That moment put an end to his slavery; and his freedom commenced, from the time he had disburdened himself of his wealth. Now the manifest consequence of all this is, that nothing of this kind is terrible and insupportable in its own nature, as we fondly imagine. So far from it, that there may be some cases, when such things are much more eligible, and better for us: I mean, when they are converted to higher and more excellent purposes for our own selves; by tending to the advantage and improvement of the reasonable soul.[xxxvii]

Crates of Thebes | Suda, Kappa 2341

Son of Askondas, a Theban, a Cynic philosopher, a student of Diogenes and Bryson the Achaean. He liquidated his property and gave the money to a money-changer, telling him that if his sons were philosophers he should give it to the people, but if not, to the sons themselves. He married Hipparchia of Maroneia and called their marriage “dog-coupling” (cynogamy). He had a son by her, Pasikles. He flourished in the 113th Olympiad. He was called “Door-opener” because he shamelessly entered anyone's house he wanted. This man, having abandoned his property [to be] sheep-pasturage, took to the altar and said, “Krates manumits Krates the Theban!” He wrote philosophical works. Krates said: “hunger stops passion; if not, time [does]; but if not even that can – a halter.” This man threw his property into the sea, as Philostratus the Lemnian says in his Life of Apollonius of Tyana.[xxxviii]

Primary Sources: Hipparchia of Maronea

Hipparchia of Maronea | Diogenes Laertius, Book 6 §96-98

96. Hipparchia too, sister of Metrocles, was captured by their doctrines. Both of them were born at Maroneia.

98. And when he said to her:

“Is this she who quitting woof and warp and comb and loom?”

Not one tower hath my country nor one roof,

But wide as the whole earth its citadel

And home prepared for us to dwell therein.

He died in old age, and was buried in Boeotia.[xxxix]

Hipparchia of Maronea | Suda, Iota 517

Hipparchia. Sister of Metrokles the Cynic, from Maroneia, Cynic philosopher, wife of Krates the Cynic, who was an Athenian, student of Bryson from Achaia, or as some say of Diogenes. She wrote philosophical discussions and some essays and propositions addressed to Theodoros, the one called Atheist. She flourished in the 111th Olympiad.[xl]

Hipparchia of Maronea | Palatine Anthology, 413 - Antipater of Sidon

I, Hipparchia, chose not the tasks of amply-robed woman, but the manly life of the Cynics. Nor do tunics fastened with brooches and thick-soled slippers and the hair-caul wet with ointment please me, but rather the wallet and its fellow-traveller the staff and the course double mantle suited to them, and a bed strewn on the ground. I shall have a greater name than that of Arcadian Atalanta by so much as wisdom is better than racing over the mountains.[xli]

Secondary Sources

The History of Philosophy: from the earliest times to the beginning of the present century; drawn up from Brucker's Historia critica philosophiae. ... In two volumes. By Johann Jakob Brucker, William Enfield. Printed for J. Johnson, 1791

Section I

The wife of Crates, Hipparchia, must be mentioned in the list of Cynic philosophers. She was rich, of a good family, and had many suitors. She entertained, nevertheless, so violent a passion for this philosopher, that she was deaf to every other proposal, and threatened her parents that, if she were not permitted to marry Crates, she would put an end to her life. Crates, at the request of her parents, represented to Hipparchia every circumstance in his condition and manner of living, which might induce her to change her mind. Still she persisted in her resolution, and not only became the wife of Crates, but adopted all the peculiarities of the Cynic profession. Disgraceful tales have been industriously circulated concerning Crates and his wife; but since they do not appear in any writings of the period in which they lived, and are neither mentioned by Epictetus, who wrote an apology for the Cynic philosophy, nor by Lucian or Athæneus, who were so industrious in accumulating calumnies against philosophers, they must unquestionably be set down among the malicious fictions of later writers, who were desirous to bring the Cynic and Stoic sects into discredit. Had either Diogenes or Crates been the beasts which some have represented them, it is wholly incredible that Zeno and the Stoics would have treated their memory with so much respect

Section II

Crates, the Cynic philosopher, happening at that instant to be pasting by, the bookseller pointed to him, and said, “Follow that man”. Zeno soon found an opportunity of attending upon the instructions of Crates, and was so well pleased with his doctrine, that he became one of his disciples. But though he highly admired the general principles and spirit of the Cynic school, he could not easily reconcile himself to their peculiar manners. Besides, his inquisitive turn of mind would not allow him to adopt that indifference to every scientific enquiry, which was one of the characteristic distinctions of the sect [Stoicism]. He therefore attended upon other masters, who professed to instruct their disciples in the nature and causes of things. When Crates, displeased at his following other philosophers, attempted to drag him by force out of the school of Stilpo, Zeno said to him, “ You may seize my body, but Stilpo has laid hold of my mind.” After continuing to attend upon the lectures of Stilpo several years, he passed over to other schools, particularly those of Xenocrates and Diodorus Cronus.

The World's History and Its Makers. Edgar Sanderson, John Porter Lamberton, John McGovern. Universal History Publishing Company, 1900

At that very moment Crates, the Cynic, passed by the door. “See!” exclaimed the bookseller, pointing to Crates. “Follow that man.” Zeno hastened after the Cynic, and after a short conversation became his pupil. How easy was learning in those happy Athenian days!

When we regard the later life of the celebrated Cyprian it is no difficult matter to readily conceive that he could not identify himself with the Cynical school as a finality. Zeno was too decent, too refined, too earnest and too honest for that. Cynical shamelessness made him wince. Its brazen disregard for common propriety was repulsive to him. He could not inure himself to the snarls and the wanton brutality of these men, although he could not but admire their protest—too severe though that protest was—against the soft licentiousness of Athens. Notwithstanding his strain of Phoenician blood, Zeno was a Greek, and he saw in the things around him the sad decadence into which Greece had fallen. In Cynicism he believed the remedy to lie. He took the rugged, even blasphemous morality of “the Dogs” and casting aside its blasphemy, he retained its manhood.

The story of the object lesson given him by Crates is interesting. The Cynic, seeing that his new pupil exhibited a little squeamishness about taking up the fashions of the Cynics, gave Zeno a pot of lentils and ordered him to carry it through an aristocratic portion of the town. For this task Zeno had neither relish nor ambition. Taking the pot he concealed himself in a convenient corner. Crates suspecting that his pupil was craven, followed him and found him in his retreat. Lifting his staff he smote the pottery into fragments while the lentils poured over Zeno's person. “Now, my small Phoenician,” said the master, “tell me why it is that you have absconded when you have been guilty of no wrong doing?” Zeno was delighted with such philosophy as this, and blessed the contrary winds that had despoiled him of his treasure to lead him to the feet of Crates.

After ten years of struggle with his innate sense of decency and his desire to become a philosopher, Zeno left the Cynics. He could not assume their impudicities, and yet he was attracted by their disdain of the world and their genuine indifference to misfortune or sorrow.

For a time Zeno took refuge with Stilpo, the Megaric, and when he was leaving Crates that philosopher, unlike Antisthenes, begged of him to remain with the Cynics.

“Crates,” said Zeno, “you can hold a philosopher's body by force. But if you would have my mind remain with you, you must persuade me by the cogency of your logic. Prove to me that your philosophy is better than Stilpo's and I will remain. But if you fail in this, you may lock up my body in a cell but my thoughts will ever go out to Stilpo.”

The Ancient History of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes and Persians, Grecians and Macedonians: including a history of the arts and sciences of the ancients, Volume 2. Charles Rollin, James Bell. Harper & Brothers, 1870

Crates the Cynic was one of the principal disciples of Diogenes. He was a Theban of a very considerable family, and of great fortune. He sold his whole patrimony for more than two hundred talents, which he put into the hands of a banker, and desired him to give them to his children in case, they proved fools; but if they had elevation of mind enough to be philosophers, he directed him to distribute the money among the citizens of Thebes, because philosophers wanted nothing: always excess and caprice even in actions laudable in themselves.

Hipparchia, the sister of the orator Metrocles, charmed with the freedom of Crates's manners, was absolutely determined to marry him, notwithstanding the opposition of all her relations. Crates, to whom they applied themselves, did all he could on his side to make her disgust this marriage. Having stript himself before her to show her his hunch-back and ill-made body in the worst light, and throwing his cloak, bag, and staff upon the ground; “There,” says he, “are all my riches, and my wife must expect no other jointures from me.” She persisted in her resolution, married hunch-back, dressed herself like a Cynic, and became still more “free” and impudent than her husband.

Impudence was the prevailing character of those philosophers. They reproached others with their faults without any reserve, and even added an air of insolence and contempt to their reproaches. This, according to some, occasioned their being called Cynics, because they were biting, and barked at all the world like dogs; and because they were ashamed of nothing, and held that every thing might be done openly without shame or reserve.

Crates flourished at Thebes about the 113th Olympiad, A.M. 3676, and excelled all the Cynics of his time. He was the master of Zeno. tho founder of the famous sect of the Stoics.

Crates of Thebes (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crates_of_Thebes

Crates (Ancient Greek: Κράτης; c. 365 – c. 285 BC) of Thebes was a Cynic philosopher. Crates gave away his money to live a life of poverty on the streets of Athens. He married Hipparchia of Maroneia who lived in the same manner that he did. Respected by the people of Athens, he is remembered for being the teacher of Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism. Various fragments of Crates' teachings survive, including his description of the ideal Cynic state.

Life

Crates was born c. 365 BC in Thebes. He was the son of Ascondus, and was the heir to a large fortune, which he is said to have renounced to live a life of Cynic poverty in Athens. Diogenes Laërtius preserves several different accounts of this story; one of them has Crates giving his money away to the citizens of Thebes, apparently after seeing the beggar king Telephus in a tragedy; whereas another account has him placing his money in the hands of a banker, with the agreement that he should deliver it to his sons, unless they too became philosophers, in which case he should distribute it among the poor.

He moved to Athens where tradition says he became a pupil of Diogenes of Sinope; the precise relationship between Crates and Diogenes is uncertain, but there is one apparent reference to Crates referring to himself as “a fellow-citizen of Diogenes, who defied all the plots of envy.” Crates is also described as being the student of Bryson the Achaean, and of Stilpo. He lived a life of cheerful simplicity, and Plutarch, who wrote a detailed biography of Crates which unfortunately does not survive, records what sort of man Crates was:

But Crates with only his wallet and tattered cloak laughed out his life jocosely, as if he had been always at a festival.

He is said to have been deformed with a lame leg and hunched shoulders. He was nicknamed the Door-Opener (Greek: θυρεπανοίκτης) because he would enter any house and people would receive him gladly and with honour:

He used to enter the houses of his friends, without being invited or otherwise called, in order to reconcile members of a family, even if it was apparent that they were deeply at odds. He would not reprove them harshly, but in a soothing way, in a manner which was non-accusatory towards those whom he was correcting, because he wished to be of service to them as well as to those who were just listening.

Roman wall painting of Crates and Hipparchia from the Villa Farnesina, Rome. Crates is shown with a staff and satchel, being approached by Hipparchia bearing her possessions in the manner of a potential bride.

He attracted the attentions of Hipparchia of Maroneia, the sister of one of Crates' students, Metrocles. Hipparchia is said to have fallen in love with Crates and with his life and teachings, and thus rejecting her wealthy upbringing in a manner similar to Crates, she married him. The marriage was remarkable (for ancient Athens) for being based on mutual respect and equality between the couple. Stories about Hipparchia appearing in public everywhere with Crates are mentioned precisely because respectable women did not behave in that way. They had at least two children, a girl, and a boy named Pasicles. We learn that Crates is supposed to have initiated his son into sex by taking him to a brothel, and he allowed his daughter a month's trial marriage to potential suitors.

He was the teacher of Zeno of Citium in the last years of the century, and was undoubtably the biggest influence on Zeno in his development of Stoic philosophy. Zeno always regarded Crates with the greatest respect, and some of the accounts we have of Crates have probably come down to us via Zeno's writings. His other pupils included Metrocles, Monimus, Menippus, Cleomenes, Theombrotus, and Crates' brother Pasicles. He may also have taught Cleanthes, Zeno's successor as head of the Stoic school.

Crates was, apparently, in Thebes in 307 BC, when Demetrius Phalereus was exiled there He is said to have died at a great age (c. 285 BC), and was buried in Boeotia.

Philosophy

Crates wrote a book of letters on philosophical subjects, the style of which is compared by Diogenes Laërtius to that of Plato; but these no longer survive. There are 36 surviving Cynic epistles attributed to Crates, but these are later, 1st-century, compositions. Crates was also the author of some philosophical tragedies, and some smaller poems apparently called Games (Ancient Greek: Παίγνια, Paignia).

Several fragments of his thought survive. He taught a simple asceticism, which seems to have been milder than that of his predecessor Diogenes:

And therefore Crates replied to the man who asked, “What will be in it for me after I become a philosopher?” “You will be able,” he said, “to open your wallet easily and with your hand scoop out and dispense lavishly instead of, as you do now, squirming and hesitating and trembling like those with paralyzed hands. Rather, if the wallet is full, that is how you will view it; and if you see that it is empty, you will not be distressed. And once you have elected to use the money, you will easily be able to do so; and if you have none, you will not yearn for it, but you will live satisfied with what you have, not desiring what you do not have nor displeased with whatever comes your way.”

His philosophy was infused with a gentle, rich humor. He urged people not to prefer anything but lentils in their meals, because luxury and extravagance were the chief causes of seditions and insurrections in a city. This jest would later be the cause of much satire, as in book 4 of Athenaeus' Deipnosophistae where a group of Cynics sit down for a meal and are served course after course of lentil soup.

One of his poems parodied a famous hymn to the Muses written by Solon. But whereas Solon wished for prosperity, reputation, and “justly acquired possessions,” Crates had typically Cynic desires:

Glorious children of Memory and Olympian Zeus,

Muses of Pieria, listen to my prayer!

Give me without ceasing food for my belly

Which had always made my life frugal and free from slavery. . . .

Make me useful to my friends, rather than agreeable.

As for money, I do not wish to amass conspicuous wealth,

But only seek the wealth of the beetle or the maintenance of the ant;

Nay, I desire to possess justice and to collect riches

That are easily carried, easily acquired, and are of great avail to virtue.

If I may but win these, I will propitiate Hermes and the holy Muses,

Not with costly dainties, but with pious virtues.

There are also several fragments surviving of a poem Crates wrote describing the ideal Cynic state which begins by parodying Homer's description of Crete. Crates' city is called Pera, which in Greek refers to the beggar's wallet which every Cynic carried:

There is a city Pera in the midst of wine-dark Tuphos,

Fair and fruitful, filthy all about, possessing nothing,

Into which no foolish parasite ever sails,

Nor any playboy who delights in a whore's ass,

But it produces thyme, garlic, figs, and bread,

For which the citizens do not war with each other,

Nor do they possess arms, to get cash or fame.

The word tuphos (Greek: τῦφος) in the first line, is one of the first known Cynic uses of a word which literally means mist or smoke. It was used by the Cynics to describe the mental confusion which most people are wrapped-up in. The Cynics sought to clear away this fog and to see the world as it really is.

Hipparchia of Maroneia (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 4, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipparchia_of_Maroneia

Hipparchia of Maroneia (Greek: Ἱππαρχία; fl. c. 325 BC) was a Cynic philosopher, and wife of Crates of Thebes. She was born in Maroneia, but her family moved to Athens, where Hipparchia came into contact with Crates, the most famous Cynic philosopher in Greece at that time. She fell in love with him, and, despite the disapproval of her parents, she married him. She went on to live a life of Cynic poverty on the streets of Athens with her husband.

Little survives of her own philosophical views, but like most Cynics, her influence lies in the example of her life, choosing a way of life which was usually considered unacceptable for respectable women of the time. The story of her attraction to Crates, and her rejection of conventional values, became a popular theme for later writers.

Life

Hipparchia was born c. 350 BC in Maroneia, Thrace. Her family came to Athens, where Hipparchia's brother - Metrocles - became a pupil of the Cynic philosopher Crates of Thebes. Hipparchia fell in love with Crates, and developed such a passion for him, that she told her parents that if they refused to allow her to marry him, she would kill herself. They begged Crates to dissuade her, and he stood before her, removed his clothes, and said, “Here is the bridegroom, and this is his property.” Hipparchia, however, was quite happy with this; she adopted the Cynic life assuming the same clothes that he wore, and appearing with him in public everywhere. Crates called their marriage “dog-coupling” (cynogamy). We are told that they lived in the stoas and porticoes of Athens, and Apuleius and later Christian writers wrote lurid accounts of them having sex, publicly, in broad daylight. Although this would have been consistent with Cynic shamelessness (anaideia), the mere fact that Hipparchia adopted male clothes and lived on equal terms with her husband would have been enough to shock Athenian society. Hipparchia had at least two children, a daughter, and a son named Pasicles. It is not known how or when she died. There is an epigram ascribed to Antipater of Sidon, as the sort of thing which may have been written on her tomb:

I, Hipparchia chose not the tasks of rich-robed woman, but the manly life of the Cynic.

Brooch-clasped tunics, well-clad shoes, and perfumed headscarves pleased me not;

But with wallet and fellow staff, together with coarse cloak and bed of hard ground,

My name shall be greater than Atalanta: for wisdom is better than mountain running.

A genus of butterflies, Hipparchia (genus), bears her name.

Philosophy

Roman wall painting of Hipparchia and Crates from the Villa Farnesina, Rome. Hipparchia approaches Crates carrying a box, implying that she has come to Crates as a potential bride bearing her possessions.

The Suda says she wrote some philosophical treatises, and some letters addressed to Theodorus the Atheist. None of these have survived. There are some accounts of her encounters with Theodorus:

When she went into a symposium with Crates, she tested Theodoros the atheist by proposing a sophism like this: “That which if Theodoros did, he would not be said to do wrong, neither should Hipparchia be said to do wrong if she does it. Theodoros hitting himself does not do wrong, nor does Hipparchia do wrong hitting Theodoros.” He did not reply to what she said, but pulled up her garment.

We are told she was neither offended nor ashamed by this “as most women would have been.” We are also told that when Theodorus (quoting a line from The Bacchae of Euripides) said to her: “Who is the woman who has left behind the shuttles of the loom?” she replied

I, Theodorus, am that person, but do I appear to you to have come to a wrong decision, if I devote that time to philosophy, which I otherwise should have spent at the loom?“

Many other anecdotes existed about Hipparchia, but they have been mostly lost. We know also that Crates taught Zeno of Citium; it is impossible to say what influence Hipparchia had on Zeno in his development of Stoicism, but Zeno's own radical views on love and sex (as evidenced in his Republic) may have been influenced by the relationship of Hipparchia and Crates.

Later Influence

Hipparchia's fame undoubtably rests on the fact that she was a woman practising philosophy and living a life on equal terms with her husband. Both facts were unusual for ancient Greece or Rome. Although there were other women who chose to live as Cynics, Hipparchia is the only one who is named to us. She is also the only woman to have her own entry among the 82 philosophers in Diogenes Laërtius' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, and she continued to fascinate later writers. There are, for example, a set of Cynic epistles, written in the 1st century AD, some of which purport to give advice from Crates to Hipparchia:

Our philosophy is called Cynic not because we are indifferent to everything, but because we aggressively endure what others, due to being soft or general opinion find unbearable. So it is for this reason and not the former that they have called us Cynics. Stay, therefore, and continue as a Cynic - for you are not by nature worse than we [men] are, for neither are female dogs worse than male - in order that you might be freed from Nature, as all [people] either because of law or due to vices, live as slaves.

Other letters mention events, which, like a lot of the Cynic epistles, may be based on actual anecdotes which existed at the time. In two of the letters, we are told that Hipparchia sent a cloak to Crates which she had made. Crates, though, fears that she may have undertaken the task “so that you might appear to the masses to be someone who loves her husband.” Crates urges her to renounce wool-spinning and take-up philosophy since that is the reason she married him. In another letter, Crates learns why she has taken up domestic tasks: Hipparchia, we are told, has given birth. After agreeing with her that she gave birth easily because of her Cynic training, Crates proceeds to give advice on how to rear the child:

Let his bath water be cold, his clothes be a cloak, his food be milk, yet not to excess. Rock him in a cradle made from a tortoise shell. … When he is able to speak and walk, dress him, not with a sword, as Aethra did with Theseus, but with a staff and cloak and wallet, which can guard men better than swords, and send him to Athens.

Perhaps most remarkable is a letter purporting to come from Diogenes of Sinope addressed to the people of Maroneia:

You did well when you changed the name of the city and, instead of Maroneia, called it Hipparchia, its present name, since it is better for you to be named after Hipparchia, a woman, it's true, but a philosopher, than after Maron, a man who sells wine.

There is, unfortunately, no evidence that the people of Maroneia ever renamed their city Hipparchia.

Hipparchia of Maroneia (n.d.). In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved May 4, 2013, from http://www.iep.utm.edu/hipparch/. Laura Grams. University of Nebraska at Omaha. Last updated: July 5, 2005.

Hipparchia (fl. 300 BCE)

Hipparchia is notable for being one of the few women philosophers of Ancient Greece. Drawn to the doctrines and the self-imposed hardships of the Cynic lifestyle, Hipparchia lived in poverty with her husband, Crates the Cynic. While no existing writings are directly attributed to Hipparchia, recorded anecdotal accounts emphasize both her direct, Cynic rhetoric and her nonconformity to traditional gendered roles. Entering into marriage is a traditional social role that Cynics would normally reject; yet with her marriage to Crates, Hipparchia raised Greek cultural expectations regarding the role of women in marriage, as well as the Cynic doctrine itself. With her husband, Hipparchia publicly embodied fundamental Cynic principles, specifically that the path toward virtue was the result of rational actors living in accordance with a natural law that eschewed conventional materialism and embraced both self-sufficiency and mental asperity. Written accounts of Hipparchia’s life reference in particular both her belief in human shamelessness or anaideia, and her rhetorical acuity at Greek symposiums traditionally attended only by men. Along with Crates, Hipparchia is considered a direct influence on the later school of Stoicism.

1. Life and Philosophy

Hipparchia was a Cynic philosopher from Maroneia in Thrace, who flourished around 300 BCE. She became famous for her marriage to Crates the Cynic, and infamous for supposedly consummating the marriage in public. Hipparchia was likely born between 340 and 330 BCE, and was probably in her mid-teens when she decided to adopt the Cynic mantle. She may have been introduced to philosophy by her brother, Metrocles, who was a pupil in Aristotle’s Lyceum and later began to follow Crates. Most of our knowledge about Hipparchia comes from anecdotes and sayings repeated by later authors. Diogenes Laertius reports that she wrote some letters, jokes and philosophical refutations, which are now lost (see Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Vol. II, tr. R. D. Hicks, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1925, reprint 1995, VI.96-98). He adds that myriad stories were told about “the female philosopher”.

Diogenes Laertius claims that Hipparchia was so eager to marry Crates that she threatened to kill herself rather than live in any other way. (DL VI.96.7-8) Although Crates was by this time an old man, she rejected her other youthful suitors because she had fallen in love with “both the discourses and the life” of Crates, and was said to be “captured” by the logos of the Cynics. (VI.96.1 and 4-5) At the request of her parents, Crates tried to talk Hipparchia out of the marriage. (VI.96.9-10) When he failed in this task, he disrobed in front of her and said, “this is the groom, and these are his possessions; choose accordingly.” (VI.96.11-15) This tale should be taken with the proverbial grain of salt, given that Diogenes Laertius is writing centuries later, and that his account may include ‘apt’ stories that are technically false, but which arose and were transmitted because they were taken to be revealing illustrations. Given the interest and controversy generated by the female Cynic, it is easy to imagine stories of this kind being told about her. In any event, we know that Hipparchia chose to marry Crates and share his philosophical pursuits.

Hipparchia’s decision to become a Cynic was surprising, on account of both the Cynic disregard for conventional institutions and the extreme hardship of the lifestyle. Cynics attempted to live “according to nature” by rejecting artificial social conventions and refusing all luxuries, including any items not absolutely required for survival. They gave up their possessions, carrying what few they needed in a wallet. They wore only a simple mantle or cloak, and begged to obtain their basic needs. Crates’ willingness to marry was also unusual, considering that marriage is a social institution of the sort normally rejected by Cynics, and earlier Cynics like Diogenes and Antisthenes had maintained that the philosopher would never marry. A few centuries later, while arguing that marriage is generally unsuitable for the Cynic (or Stoic) philosopher, Epictetus allows for exceptions specifically because of the philosophical marriage of Hipparchia and Crates (Epictetus, Discourses, tr. C. H. Oldfather, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1928). By marrying a Cynic and becoming one herself, Hipparchia thus performed the characteristically Cynic feat of “changing the currency,” both of her culture and the Cynic tradition itself. The Cynic motto of “change the currency” (parakrattein to nomismata), first adopted by Diogenes of Sinope, implied rejection of the prevailing social and political order in favor of an unconventional, self-sufficient life as a “citizen of the universe” (kosmopolites). (It had been said, perhaps falsely, that Diogenes or his father had been driven from Sinope when found guilty of literally defacing the coins and changing their values, but it is also likely that the counterfeiting story arose after he adopted the metaphorical motto.)

Some later authors, such as Apuleius and Augustine, report that Hipparchia and Crates consummated their marriage by having sex on a public porch. Whether the tale is accurate or not, they were known to conduct themselves in all respects according to the Cynic value of anaideia, or shamelessness. The story of Hipparchia’s Cynic marriage quickly became the premiere example of that virtue, which is based on the Cynic belief that any actions virtuous enough to be done in private are no less virtuous when performed in public. As exemplars of anaideia, Hipparchia and Crates influenced their pupil Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism. His Republic advocates the equality of the sexes, co-ed public exercise and training, and a version of “free love” wherein those wishing to have sex will simply satisfy their desires wherever they happen to be at the moment, even in public. Stoic ethics were generally influenced by Cynic values, such as self-sufficiency, the importance of practice in achieving virtue, and the rejection of the conventional values attached to pleasure and pain. The Stoics also advocated living according to nature in the sense of conforming one’s own reason to the dictates of the rational natural law.

Eratosthenes reports that Hipparchia and Crates had a son named Pasicles, and Diogenes Laertius’ account of the life of Crates also refers to their son. The Cynic Letters, a collection of pseudographic letters attributed to various Cynic figures and probably written by a several different authors a few centuries after Hipparchia lived, mention that she bore and raised children according to her Cynic values. Whatever the actual details of her practices might have been, her example influenced later Cynic attitudes towards pregnancy and child-rearing. For example, one of the letters attributed to Crates suggests that Hipparchia has given birth “without trouble” because she believes that her usual “labor is the cause of not laboring” during the birth itself (33.14-15). The birth was easier because she continued to work “like an athlete” during her pregnancy (33.17), which the author notes is unusual. The letters also mention Hipparchia’s use of a tortoise shell cradle, cold water for the baby’s bath, and continued adherence to an austere diet.

Hipparchia is also famous for an exchange with Theodorus the Atheist, a Cyrenaic philosopher, who had challenged the legitimacy of her presence at a symposium. She was reported to have regularly attended such functions with Crates. According to Diogenes Laertius, Theodorus quoted a verse from Euripides’ Bacchae, asking if this is she “abandoning the warp and woof and the shuttle” (like Agave returning home from the “hunt” with the head of her son Pentheus). (VI.98.2) Hipparchia affirms that yes, it is she, but asks Theodorus whether she has had the wrong understanding of herself, if she spent her time on education rather than wasting it on the loom. (VI.98.3-6) In the ancient Greek cultural context, women of her social class typically would have been occupied with weaving and organizing the household servants, and Hipparchia’s rejection of the conventional expectations for women was quite radical.

Diogenes Laertius also reports the syllogism that Hipparchia used to put down Theodorus during the same symposium mentioned above: Premise 1: “Any action which would not be called wrong if done by Theodorus, would not be called wrong if done by Hipparchia.” Premise 2: “Now Theodorus does no wrong when he strikes himself”. Conclusion: “therefore neither does Hipparchia do wrong when she strikes Theodorus.” (VI.97.6-9) This is a classic example of the Cynic rhetorical trope of spoudogeloion: a deliberately comic syllogism which nevertheless makes a serious point. Diogenes Laertius says that since Theodorus “had no reply wherefore to meet the argument,” he “tried to strip her of her cloak. But Hipparchia showed no sign of alarm or of the perturbation natural in a woman” (VI.97), as befitted her Cynic commitment to anaideia.

[i] Thomas Stanley, translator (1665) Claudius Aelianus His Various History

[ii] Alciphron, Literally and Completely Translated From the Greek, with Introduction and Notes, Athens: Privately Printed for the Athenian Society; 1896; pp. 95-207, 219-227.

[iii] Source: The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura, H. E. Butler, translator, Oxford Press (1909)

[iv] Source: The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura, H. E. Butler, translator, Oxford Press (1909)

[v] Source: The Apologia and Florida of Apuleius of Madaura, H. E. Butler, translator, Oxford Press (1909)

[vi] The Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus published in Vol. II of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1928

[vii] Translated by William Wilson. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 2. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.)

[viii] Demetrius. On Style. The Greek Text of Demetrius, De Elocutione, edited after the Paris Manuscript with Introduction, Translation, Facsimiles, Etc. by Rhys Roberts, Litt.D., Cambridge: At the University Press, 1902.

[ix] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[x] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xi] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xii] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xiii] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xiv] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xv] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xvi] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xvii] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xviii] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks

[xix] The Discourses of Epictetus, tr. by P.E Matheson, [1916]

[xx] The Greek Anthology with an English Translation by W.K. Iwton in Five Volumes: London, William Heinlmann. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, MCMXVII

[xxi] Translated by Charles Gordon Browne and James Edward Swallow. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 7. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1894.)

[xxii] Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.)

[xxiii] Translated by W.H. Fremantle, G. Lewis and W.G. Martley. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893.)

[xxiv] To the uneducated Cynics (362) by Julian, translated by Emily Wilmer Cave Wright

[xxv] To the Cynic Heracleios (362) by Julian, translated by Emily Wilmer Cave Wright

[xxvi] The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905. http://lucianofsamosata.info/

[xxvii] The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905. http://lucianofsamosata.info/

[xxviii] The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905. http://lucianofsamosata.info/

[xxix] The Works of Lucian of Samosata. Translated by Fowler, H W and F G. Oxford: The Clarendon Press. 1905. http://lucianofsamosata.info/

[xxx] Translated by Frederick Crombie. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.)

[xxxi] Translated by Frederick Crombie. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 4. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.)

[xxxii] Flavius Philostratus: The Life of Apollonius Translated by F.C. Conybeare. Loeb Library.

[xxxiii] Flavius Philostratus: The Life of Apollonius Translated by F.C. Conybeare. Loeb Library.

[xxxiv] Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by William W. Goodwin, with an Introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson. 5 Volumes. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1878). Vol. 2.

[xxxv] The Parallel Lives by Plutarch published in Vol. IX of the Loeb Classical Library edition, 1920

[xxxvi] Plutarch’s Morals. Translated from the Greek by Several Hands. Corrected and Revised by William W. Goodwin, with an Introduction by Ralph Waldo Emerson. 5 Volumes. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1878). Vol. 1.

[xxxvii] Simplicius, Commentary on the Enchiridion of Epictetus, translated by George Stanhope, 1722

[xxxviii] Source: Online Suda Consortium

[xxxix] Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Robert Drew Hicks Book VI

[xl] Source: Suda On Line and the Stoa Consortium

[xli] The Greek Anthology. English translation by W. R. Paton. London: William Heinemann. MCMXIX.

Timeline: Lucian of Samosata Project

anonymous@undisclosed.example.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Jul 2019 16:07:14 +0000

Timeline: Lucian of Samosata Project

It is estimated that Lucian lived from 120 to 200 AD. The following timeline places Lucian within the greater events of his time, which undoubtably influenced his life and writings. Here and there, readers of Lucian can pick up clues to historical events in Lucian's writings but most of his writings are ahistorical in focus or set in the past. All events mentioned by Lucian in his writings or occurred in his life are highlighted in red in the timeline.

The chronology for Lucian's life is taken from Fowler's “Introduction: Life” to Lucian's Works. Fowler's timeline is welcome; however, all timelines for Lucian are speculative due to a lack of concrete detail.

Origins

Lucian Life Events

Lucian is born at Samosata in the former Kingdom of Commagene. (ca. 120 AD)

Lucian's Birthplace

120 - 129

Historical Events

Emperor Hadrian visits Britian
Hadrian gives up the territories conquered in Scotland
During a voyage to Greece, Hadrian is initiated in the ancient rites known as the Eleusinian Mysteries
The Satires of Juvenal intimate that bread and circuses (panem et circenses) keep the Roman people happy
Hadrian, acting on the advice of his proconsul of Asia, Minucius Fundanus, determines that Christians shall not be put to death without a trial
Roman agriculture declines as imports from Egypt and North Africa depress wheat prices, making it unprofitable to farm and forcing many farmers off the land
Hadrian begins his inspection of the provinces of Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt
The fossils of large prehistoric animals are discovered in Dalmatia
Emperor Hadrian continues his voyages, now inspecting Caria, Cappadocia and Syria

130 - 139

Historical Events

A law is passed in Rome banning the execution of slaves without a trial
Edict of Hadrian prohibiting the practice of circumcision
The messianic, charismatic Jewish leader Simon bar Kokhba starts a war of liberation for Judea (Bar Kokhba revolt) against the Romans, which is eventually crushed (in 135) by emperor Hadrian
The legion X Fretensis must evacuate Jerusalem, returning to Caesarea. The Jews enter the city and re-establish their system of sacrifices. They strike coins to celebrate their independence, which would last for only 30 months. The legion XXII Deiotariana, which advanced from Egypt, is completely destroyed
Sextus Julius Severus, governor of Britain, is sent to Judea (from 136 renamed Syria Palaestina) to quell a revolt
A law improving the lot of free workers is passed in Rome
Roman Empire. The Bar Kokhba revolt in Judea (132–135)
Sextus Julius Severus, governor of Judea, begins in the summer an campaign against the Jewish rebel strongholds in the mountains
The Romans retake Jerusalem. The largely destroyed city is renamed Aelia Capitolina
The Bar Kokhba revolt ends and, with it, Judean independence. Simon bar Kokhba is killed after 13 December in Betar, the fortress in which he had taken refuge. Resistance continues in Galilee
A Jewish diaspora begins as emperor Hadrian bars Jews from Jerusalem and has survivors of the massacre dispersed across the Roman Empire. Many pour into Mediterranean ports, to be sold into slavery
Jerusalem is renamed Colonia Aelia Capitolina, in honor of Hadrian. Legio VI Ferrata rebuilds the legionary fortress in the city and constructs a Roman temple at Golgotha
Epictetus dictates the Enchiridion
February 25, 138 – Emperor Hadrian makes Antoninus Pius his successor, on condition that he adopts Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus
July 10, 138 – Hadrian dies after a heart failure at Baiae, he is buried at Rome in the Gardens of Domitia beside his wife, Vibia Sabina
Antoninus Pius succeeds Hadrian as Roman Emperor and asks the Senate to confer divine honors for Hadrian
The silver content of the Roman denarius falls to 75 percent under emperor Antoninus Pius, down from 87 percent under the reign of Hadrian
Marcus Aurelius is named Caesar. He marries Faustina the Younger, daughter of Antoninus Pius

140 - 149

Lucian Life Events

During the waning days of the Pax Romana, Lucian sets forth on the road to fame using words (rhetoric) rather than deeds. Rhetoricians in the 2nd Century AD were revered members of society who often were listed in the city annals.
Amongst his burgeoning talents were speaking on behalf of a client, writing speeches for deliverance by a client, instructing pupils, and giving public displays of skill and artistry.
His surviving pieces from this period are The Tyrannicide, The Disinherited, Phalaris I & II, The Hall, The Fly, Dipsas, and perhaps Demosthenes.

Historical Events

Marcion arrives in Rome, bringing Evangelikon and Apostolikon to the Christian community
Ptolemy completes his Almagest
Emperor Antoninus Pius orders the construction of the Antonine Wall
Marcion proclaims that the Old Testament is incompatible with Christianity
Herodes Atticus is appointed by emperor Antoninus Pius as Roman Consul
Marcion of Sinope is excommunicated; a sect, Marcionism, grows out of his beliefs
The Emperor Antoninus Pius hosts a series of grand games to celebrate Rome's 900th anniversary

150 - 159

Lucian Life Events

Lucian continues his career in rhetoric earning income in Ionia, Greece, Italy, and Gaul. He claims to be one of the top rhetoricians in Gaul who were able to ask for high fees.
Around 150 AD, Lucian composes the dialogue Nigrinus, a piece that contrasts the noise and vulgarity of Rome with the peace and culture of Athens. This work treats Philosophy with respect and regard. Later, Lucian would make Philosophy one of his largest targets to satirize in his attempt to bring Philosophy down from the heavens. The dialogue Hermotimus is perhaps his most scathingly logical invective against Philosophy.

Historical Events

The Germans of the east move south, into the Carpathians and Black Sea area
Marcion of Sinope produces his bible canon, consisting a purged versions of the Gospel of Luke and ten Pauline letters
The earliest atlas (Ptolemy's Geography) is made
Emperor Antoninus Pius starts a new war against the Parthians who are led by Vologases IV. The war is brief and results in an inconclusive peace
Rome states that while it will not be recognized as an official religion, Judaism must be tolerated
To restore peace between the Jews and Romans, Antoninus relegalizes circumcision
The Romans begin to abandon Hadrian's Wall
The earliest dated use of Sol Invictus, in a dedication from Rome

160 - 169

Lucian Life Events

Around this time, having travelled near and far throughout the empire, Lucian may have written his Patriotism out of a yearning for home.
In these years, it may be presumed that Lucian resides in Antioch where he composed The Portrait Study and How to Write History. Lucius Verus (Co-Emperor of Rome with Marcus Aurelius) was in Antioch in 162 or 163 AD on his way to the Parthian War, and The Portrait Study is a treatise on Verus' mistress Panthea, whom he saw in Antioch.
After being in Antioch, Lucian settled in Athens. On this journey, Lucian encountered Alexander, the man who was satirized in Lucian's dialogue of the same name.
In his 40th year, Lucian proclaims his abandonment of Rhetoric by taking up Comic Dialogue instead. As Fowler indicates, “Between Rhetoric and Dialogue there was a feud, which had begun when Socrates five centuries before had fought his battles with the sophists. Rhetoric appeals to the emotions and obscures the issues (such had been Socrates's position); the way to elicit truth is by short question and answer. The Socratic method, illustrated by Plato, had become, if not the only, the accredited instrument of philosophers, who, so far as they are genuine, are truth-seekers; Rhetoric had been left to the legal persons whose object is not truth but victory.”.

Historical Events

March 7, 161 – Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by Marcus Aurelius who shares imperial power with Lucius Verus, although Marcus retains the title Pontifex Maximus.
Marcus Aurelius, a Spaniard like Trajan and Hadrian, is a stoical, disciple of Epictetus, and an energetic man of action. He pursues the policy of his predecessor and maintains good relations with the Senate. As a legislator, he endeavours to create new principles of morality and humanity, particularly favouring women and slaves
Lucius Verus begins a war with the Parthians, due to the invasion of Syria and Armenia by Vologases IV of Parthia. - Referred to in Lucian's “How to Write History”
Arrian publishes Indica, a work on India and its people
The governor of Syria, Avidius Cassius, one of Lucius Verus' generals, crosses the Euphrates and invades Parthian territory
The Antonine Wall in Scotland is abandoned by the Romans
A Roman military operation under Avidius Cassius is successful against Parthia, capturing Artaxata, Seleucia on the Tigris, and Ctesiphon. The Parthians sue for peace
A pandemic known as the Antonine Plague breaks out in Rome after the Roman army returns from Parthia. The plague significantly depopulates the Roman Empire
Discourse to the Greek (Oratio ad Graecos), by the Syrian Tatian, is the first treatise on the evils of paganism in Christian literature
Conflict erupts on the Danube frontier between Rome and the Germanic tribe of the Marcomanni
Emperor Marcus Aurelius appoints his sons as Caesars, while he and Lucius Verus travel to Germany
End of the war with Parthia: The Parthians leave Armenia and eastern Mesopotamia, which both become Roman protectorates
The Marcomanni tribe wages war against the Romans at Aquileia. They destroyed aqueducts and irrigation conduits. Marcus Aurelius repels the invaders, ending the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) that kept the Roman Empire free of conflict since the days of emperor Augustus
Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his stepbrother Lucius Verus leave Rome, and establish their headquarters at Aquileia
Marcus Aurelius becomes sole Roman Emperor upon the death of Lucius Verus

170 - 179

Lucian Life Events

From 165 AD until the end of the 170's, Lucian wrote mostly Comic Dialogues, the following being his most prominent examples: The Liar, Dialogues of the Hetaerae, Dialogues of the Dead, Dialogues of the Gods, Menippus, Icaromenippus, Zeus Cross-Examined, Timon, Charon, A Voyage to the Lower World, The Sale of Creeds, The Fisher, Zeus Tragoedus, The Rooster, The Double Indictment, & The Ship.
In 169 AD at the Olympic Games, Lucian watches Peregrinus commit suicide by pyre. Lucian subsequently writes a treatise condemning Peregrinus and his desire for glory.
Lucian may have written his most famous piece, True History, in this period.

Historical Events

The Suebian tribes of the Marcomanni cross the Danube and invade northern Italy. The Roman army (20,000 men) is destroyed near Carnuntum in Pannonia
The Marcomanni plunder Opitergium (modern Oderzo) and besiege Aquileia. This is the first time hostile forces entered Italy since 101 BC
Emperor Marcus Aurelius writes in Sirmium (Pannonia) his first of 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek
Marcus Aurelius orders humane treatment for Christians and slaves throughout the Roman Empire
The fundamental works of Ptolemy on cartography are published
Emperor Marcus Aurelius forms a new military command, the praetentura Italiae et Alpium. Aquileia is relieved, and the Marcomanni are evicted from Roman territory
Marcus Aurelius signs a peace treaty with the Quadi and the Sarmatian Iazyges. The Germanic tribes of the Hasdingi (Vandals) and the Lacringi become Roman allies
Montanism spreads through the Roman Empire
Marcus Aurelius suppresses a revolt of Avidius Cassius, governor of Syria, after the latter proclaims himself emperor
Commodus, son of Marcus Aurelius and his wife Faustina, is named Caesar
December 23, 176 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus enter Rome after a campaign north of the Alps and receive a triumph for their victories over the Germanic tribes.
Commodus is given the title Augustus and is made co-emperor with the same status as his father Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius begins a systematic persecution of Christians at Rome, the followers take refuge in the catacombs
Second Marcomannic War: Marcus Aurelius and Commodus begin war against the Quadi and the Marcomanni
The Montanist heresy is condemned for the first time
Emperor Marcus Aurelius crosses the Danube with an expeditionary force, he subdue the Marcomanni and their allies. In a pact signed with the Germanic tribes, he imports them into occupy areas of the Roman Empire that had been depopulated by the plague

180 - 189

Lucian Life Events

Lucian goes into semi-retirement. He begins writing less dialogues and more pointed pieces like Book Fancier, The Rhetorician's Vade Mecum, & Life of Demonax
Quite old, Lucian begins his work at his well-paid post in Egypt.

Historical Events

March 17 – Emperor Marcus Aurelius dies after a week's illness at his camp in Vindobona (modern Vienna). He is succeeded by his son Commodus (age 18)
The Era of the Five Good Emperors ends
Rome creates a 4-mile wide buffer zone by the Danube
In his Methodus Medendo, Greek physician Galen describes the connection between paralysis and the severing of the spinal cord
Galen's popular work on hygiene is published
Commodus creates an official cult of the Zoroastrian god Mithra
The Antonine Wall is overrun in Britannia
Emperor Commodus escapes death at the hands of assassins, who have attacked him at the instigation of his sister Lucilla and a large group of senators. He puts many distinguished Romans to death on charges of being implicated in the conspiracy, Lucilla is exiled to Capri
An assassination attempt on Roman Emperor Commodus by members of the Senate fails
The Antonine Wall in Britannia is permanently abandoned
Emperor Commodus drains Rome's treasury to put on gladiatorial spectacles and confiscates property to support his pleasures. He participated as a gladiator and boasts of victory in 1,000 matches in the Circus Maximus
Irenaeus writes that there are only four Gospels
Plague (possibly smallpox) kills as many as 2,000 people per day in Rome. Farmers are unable to harvest their crops and food shortages bring riots in the city

190 - 199

Lucian Life Events

Last decade of Lucian's life.
It is highly unlikely that Lucian died by being torn apart by dogs (as stated in the Suda). The real circumstances of his death are unknown.
Lucian's writings were later compiled by an unknown editor. After his death, Lucian continued to be read and copied. Lucian will make a resurgance in the Renaissance of Europe.

Historical Events

A part of Rome burns, and Emperor Commodus orders the city to be rebuilt under the name Colonia Commodiana
Cleomedes teaches that the moon does not glow on its own, but rather reflects sunlight
December 31 – Emperor Commodus alarms the Senate by appearing dressed as a gladiator for his new consulship (January 1). His mistress, Marcia, finds her name on the imperial execution list and hires the champion wrestler named Narcissus to assassinate Commodus. The Antonines dynasty ends
Civil war again strikes Rome (192–193)
January 1, 193 – Year of the Five Emperors: The Senate chooses Publius Helvius Pertinax, against his will to succeed the late Commodus as Emperor
Pertinax is forced to reorganize the handling of finances, which was wrecked under Commodus, and to reestablish discipline in the Roman army
March 28, 193 – Pertinax is assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard, who storm the imperial palace. The Empire is auctioned off, Marcus Didius Julianus the highest bidder, offers 300 million sesterces for the throne
April 9, 193 – Lucius Septimius Severus is proclaimed Emperor by his troops in Illyricum (Balkans). He marches with his army (16 legions) to Rome
June 1, 193 – Septimius Severus enters the capital and has Julianus put to death. He replaces the Praetorian Guard with a 15,000 man force from the Danubian legions
Septimius Severus finally gains control of the Roman Empire, in Britain Clodius Albinus allies with him and accepted the title of Caesar. The Severan dynasty starts
Irenaeus declares Gnostic doctrines to be heretical
The province of Syria is divided and the role of Antioch is diminished. The Romans annexed the Syrian city's Edessa and Nisibis (modern Turkey). Severus re-establishes his headquarters and colonies there
Septimius Severus, who had spared the Senate at the beginning of his reign, now excludes it from controlling the Roman empire by declaring a military dictatorship

The Lucian of Samosata Project

Dialogues of the Dead | Dialogi Mortuorum

Dialogues of the Dead | Dialogi Mortuorum

Dialogues of the Dead

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead, Excerpts

Menippus of Gadara | Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead, Excerpts

Lives & Writings on the Cynics

Lives & Writings on the Cynics

Mythical Figures

Cynic Precursors

Historically Authenticated Cynics

Agathobulus of Alexandria - Antiochus of Cilicia

Antisthenes of Athens

Asclepiades - Cleomenes of Constantinople

Crates of Thebes

Crescens - Diocles

Diogenes of Sinope

Diogenes the Sophist - Menestratus

Menippus of Gadara

Menippus of Lycia - Zeno of Citium

Anonymous Cynics

Uncertain Link to Cynicism

Cynics in Epistles

Fictitious Cynics

Mistaken Cynic

Known as "Dogs"

Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition | Icaromenippus

Icaromenippus, an Aerial Expedition | Icaromenippus

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22