Teleisthō

Pythagoras_in_Thomas_Stanley_History_of_Philosophy

This is part 2 of 3. Part 1 is here, part 3 is here.

Πολλοὶ δ’ ἀνθρώποισι λόγοι δειλοί τε καὶ ἐσθλοὶ
προσπίπτουσ’, ὧν μήτ’ ἐκπλήσσεο, μήτ’ ἄρ’ ἐάσῃς
εἴργεσθαι σαυτόν· ψεῦδος δ’ ἤν περ τι λέγηται,
πρᾴως ἴσχ’· ὅ δέ τοι ἐρέω, ἐπὶ παντὶ τελείσθω.
μηδεὶς μήτε λόγῳ σε παρείπῃ, μήτε τι ἔργῳ,
πρῆξαι μήτ’ εἰπεῖν ὅ τι τοι μὴ βέλτερόν ἐστι·
βουλεύου δὲ πρὸ ἔργου, ὅπως μὴ μῶρα πέληται.
δειλοῦ τοι πρήσσειν τε λέγειν τ’ ἀνόητα πρὸς ἀνδρός·
ἀλλὰ τάδ’ ἐκτελέειν, ἅ σε μὴ μετέπειτ’ ἀνιήσει.
πρῆσσε δὲ μηδὲν τῶν μὴ ἐπίστασαι, ἀλλὰ διδάσκευ
ὅσσα χρεών, καὶ τερπνότατον βίον ὧδε διάξεις.
οὐδ’ ὑγιείης τῆς περὶ σῶμ’ ἀμέλειαν ἔχειν χρή.
ἀλλὰ ποτοῦ τε μέτρον καὶ σίτου γυμνασίων τε
ποιεῖσθαι. μέτρον δὲ λέγω τόδ’, ὅ μή σ’ ἀνιήσει.
εἰθίζου δὲ δίαιταν ἔχειν καθάρειον, ἄθρυπτον·
καὶ πεφύλαξό γε ταῦτα ποιεῖν, ὁπόσα φθόνον ἴσχει.
μὴ δαπανᾶν παρὰ καιρόν, ὁποῖα καλῶν ἀδαήμων·
μηδ’ ἀνελέυθερος ἴσθι· μέτρον δ’ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἄριστον.
πρῆσσε δὲ ταῦθ’, ἃ σε μὴ βλάψει· λόγισαι δὲ πρὸ ἔργου.
μηδ’ ὕπνον μαλακοῖσιν ἐπ’ ὄμμασι προσδέξασθαι,
πρὶν τῶν ἡμερινῶν ἔργων τρὶς ἕκαστον ἐπελθεῖν·
πῇ παρέβην; τί δ’ ἔρεξα; τί μοι δέον οὐκ ἐτελέσθη;
ἀρξάμενος δ’ απὸ πρώτου ἐπέξιθι· καὶ μετέπειτα
δειλὰ μὲν ἐκπρήξας ἐπιπλήσσεο· χρηστὰ δέ, τέρπου.
(Pseudo-Pythagoras, Carm. Aur. 21-44)

There are among men many sorts of reasonings, good and bad;
Admire them not too easily, nor reject them.
But if falsehoods be advanced, hear them with mildness, and arm thyself with patience.
Observe well, on every occasion, what I am going to tell thee:—
Let no man either by his words, or by his deeds, ever seduce thee.
Nor entice thee to say or to do what is not profitable for thyself.
Consult and deliberate before thou act, that thou mayest not commit foolish actions.
For it is the part of a miserable man to speak and to act without reflection.
But do that which will not afflict thee afterwards, nor oblige thee to repentance.
Never do anything which thou dost not understand.
But learn all thou ought’st to know, and by that means thou wilt lead a very pleasant life.
In no wise neglect the health of thy body;
But give it drink and meat in due measure, and also the exercise of which it has need.
Now by measure I mean what will not incommode thee.
Accustom thyself to a way of living that is neat and decent without luxury.
Avoid all things that will occasion envy.
And be not prodigal out of season, like one who knows not what is decent and honourable.
Neither be covetous nor niggardly; a due measure is excellent in these things.
Do only the things that cannot hurt thee, and deliberate before thou dost them.
Never suffer sleep to close thy eyelids, after thy going to bed,
Till thou hast examined by thy reason all thy actions of the day.
Wherein have I done amiss? What have I done? What have I omitted that I ought to have done?
If in this examination thou find that thou hast done amiss, reprimand thyself severely for it;
And if thou hast done any good, rejoice.
(tr. Florence M. Firth)

Tima

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This is part 1 of 3. Part 2 is here, part 3 is here.

Ἀθανάτους μὲν πρῶτα θεοὺς, νόμῳ ὡς διάκεινται,
τίμα· καὶ σέβου ὅρκον, ἔπειθ’ ἥρωας ἀγαυούς.
τούς τε καταχθονίους σέβε δαίμονας, ἔννομα ῥέζων.
τούς τε γονεῖς τίμα, τούς τ’ ἄγχιστ’ ἐκγεγαῶτας·
τῶν δ’ ἄλλων ἀρετῇ ποιεῦ φίλον ὅς τις ἄριστος.
πρᾴεσι δ’ εἶκε λόγοις, ἔργοισί τ’ ἐπωφελίμοισι.
μηδ’ ἔχθαιρε φίλον σὸν ἁμαρτάδος εἵνεκα μικρῆς,
ὄφρα δύνῃ· δύναμις γὰρ ἀνάγκης ἐγγύθι ναίει.
ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως ἴσθι. κρατεῖν δ’ εἰθίζεο τῶνδε,
γαστρὸς μὲν πρώτιστα, καὶ ὕπνου, λαγνείης τε,
καὶ θυμοῦ. πρήξεις δ’ αἰσχρὸν ποτε μήτε μετ’ ἄλλου,
μήτ’ ἰδίῃ· πάντων δὲ μάλιστ’ αἰσχύνεο σαυτόν·
εἶτα δικαιοσύνην ἄσκει ἔργῳ τε λόγῳ τε.
μηδ’ ἀλογίστως σαυτὸν ἔχειν περὶ μηδὲν ἔθιζε.
ἀλλὰ γνῶθι μὲν ὡς θανέειν πέπρωται ἅπασι.
χρήματα δ’ ἄλλοτε μὲν κτᾶσθαι φίλει, ἄλλοτ’ ὀλέσσαι.
ὅσσα τε δαιμονίῃσι τύχαις βροτοὶ ἄλγε’ ἔχουσιν,
ἥν ἂν μοῖραν ἕλῃς, ταύτην φέρε, μήδ’ ἀγανάκτει·
ἰᾶσθαι δὲ πρέπει, καθόσον δύνῃ. ὥδε δὲ φράζευ·
οὐ πάνυ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τουτῶν πολὺ μοῖρα δίδωσι.
(Pseudo-Pythagoras, Carm. Aur. 1-20)

First worship the Immortal Gods, as they are established and ordained by the Law.
Reverence the Oath, and next the Heroes, full of goodness and light.
Honour likewise the Terrestrial Dæmons by rendering them the worship lawfully due to them.
Honour likewise thy parents, and those most nearly related to thee.
Of all the rest of mankind, make him thy friend who distinguishes himself by his virtue.
Always give ear to his mild exhortations, and take example from his virtuous and useful actions.
Avoid as much as possible hating thy friend for a slight fault.
[And understand that] power is a near neighbour to necessity.
Know that all these things are as I have told thee; and accustom thyself to overcome and vanquish these passions:—
First gluttony, sloth, sensuality, and anger.
Do nothing evil, neither in the presence of others, nor privately;
But above all things respect thyself.
In the next place, observe justice in thy actions and in thy words.
And accustom not thyself to behave thyself in any thing without rule, and without reason.
But always make this reflection, that it is ordained by destiny that all men shall die.
And that the goods of fortune are uncertain; and that as they may be acquired, so may they likewise be lost.
Concerning all the calamities that men suffer by divine fortune,
Support with patience thy lot, be it what it may, and never repine at it.
But endeavour what thou canst to remedy it.
And consider that fate does not send the greatest portion of these misfortunes to good men.
(tr. Florence M. Firth)

Agenēton

Nothing

Καὶ Μέλισσος δὲ τὸ ἀγένητον τοῦ ὄντος ἔδειξε τῷ κοινῷ τούτῳ χρησάμενος ἀξιώματι. γράφει δὲ οὕτως· “ἀεὶ ἦν ὅ τι ἦν καὶ ἀεὶ ἔσται. εἰ γὰρ ἐγένετο, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι πρὶν γενέσθαι εἶναι μηδέν. † εἰ τύχοι νῦν μηδὲν ἦν, οὐδαμὰ ἂν γένοιτο οὐδὲν ἐκ μηδενός.” [Melissus, fr.  B 1]
[Simplicius, In Aristotelis Physicorum Libros Commentarium 162.23-26]

Melissus also demonstrated the ungenerability of what is by using this common principle. He writes as follows: “What was, always was, and always will be. For if it came to be, it is necessary that before it came to be there was nothing. Now if there was nothing, in no way could anything come to be from nothing.” (tr. Pamela Huby & Christopher Charles Whiston Taylor)

Honesta

wise-old-man

Ergo hoc quidem apparet, nos ad agendum esse natos. Actionum autem genera plura, ut obscurentur etiam minora maioribus, maximae autem sunt primum, ut mihi quidem videtur et iis, quorum nunc in ratione versamur, consideratio cognitioque rerum caelestium et earum, quas a natura occultatas et latentes indagare ratio potest, deinde rerum publicarum administratio aut administrandi scientia, tum prudens, temperata, fortis, iusta ratio reliquaeque virtutes et actiones virtutibus congruentes, quae uno verbo complexi omnia honesta dicimus; ad quorum et cognitionem et usum iam corroborati natura ipsa praeeunte deducimur. omnium enim rerum principia parva sunt, sed suis progressionibus usa augentur nec sine causa; in primo enim ortu inest teneritas ac mollitia quaedam, ut nec res videre optimas nec agere possint. virtutis enim beataeque vitae, quae duo maxime expetenda sunt, serius lumen apparet, multo etiam serius, ut plane qualia sint intellegantur. praeclare enim Plato: “beatum, cui etiam in senectute contigerit, ut sapientiam verasque opiniones assequi possit” [cf. Plato, Nomoi 653a].
(Cicero, De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum 5.58)

It is evident, then, that we are born to act. There are many forms of activity, however: so much so that one may lose sight of the trivial amidst the more important ones. As to the most important, it is my view and that of the thinkers whose system I am discussing, that these are: the contemplation and study of the heavenly bodies, and of the mysterious secrets of nature that rational thought has the power to uncover; the administration of public affairs, or perhaps knowledge of its theory; and a way of thinking that displays practical reason, temperance, bravery and justice, and which manifests the other virtue too and the actions that flow from them. We may sum up this latter category under the single heading of “morality”. When we are fully mature, nature herself gives us the cue that leads us to understand and practise it. Everything has small beginnings, but grows greater by gradual progress. The reason for this is that when we are born we possess a certain delicacy and weakness which prevents us from seeing and doing what is best. The light of virtue and happiness, the two most desirable possessions of all, dawns rather late; and much later still a clear understanding of what they are. Plato puts the point very well: “Happy the one who even in old age has managed to acquire wisdom and true beliefs!” (tr. Raphael Woolf)

Sceptrum

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Hoc sceptrum, quod ab arbore est recisum,
nulla iam poterit virere fronde,
sceptrum, quod pathicae petunt puellae,
quod quidam cupiunt tenere reges,
cui dant oscula nobiles cinaedi,
intra viscera furis ibit usque
ad pubem capulumque coleorum!
(Priapea 25)

This scepter, which was cut from a tree,
will now be able to grow green with no leaf,
this scepter, which pathic girls seek out,
which certain kings desire to hold,
to which aristocratic fags give kisses,
will go into the guts of a thief all the way
up to my crotch and the hilt of my balls.
(tr. Amy Richlin)

Phulon

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Ἔστι γένος τι τῶν ἀνακτόρων μέσον
θῆλυ πρὸς ἄρρεν, ἄρρεν εἰ θῆλυ βλέπει·
ἄμφω δὲ κοὐδέν ἐστιν, ὧν δ’ ἔχει δύο
τοῦ μὲν μετέσχεν οὐδαμῶς, τὸ δ’ ἐρρύη·
κρατεῖ δὲ πᾶσι καὶ κρατεῖται τοῖς ὅλοις,
καὶ πάντα τολμᾷ, πάντα δὲ φρίσσει τρέμον·
στέργει γέλωτας, ἀλλ’ ἐρᾷ τῶν δακρύων·
ἄδοξόν ἐστι κομπόδοξον ὂν φύσει,
τυραννικὸν, λατρῶδες, ἄστοργον φύλον,
σεμνὸν, ταπεινὸν, ἄφρον, ἄγλωττον, λάλον,
δοῦλον, βίαιον, θυμικὸν, δειλὸν, λάγνον·
ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων κραθὲν δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων
ἄκρον πέφυκεν ἐκ κακῶν κακὸν μέγα.
(Manuel Philes, Carm. 2.255)

There is a race that lives in the heart of the palace,
feminine compared to men, but masculine compared to women;
it has traces of both, without being either one or the other;
it has nothing to do with women, but its masculinity is eroded.
It rules everyone but is enslaved by all.
It will dare anything, but trembles with fear before all.
It hates laughter, but loves tears.
Insignificant, but boastful by nature,
a tyrannical, obsequious, cruel race.
Decorous, humble, mindless, speechless, chatty,
servile, violent, spirited, cowardly, greedy,
born of the mixture of extreme opposites,
the greatest evil emerging from evil.
(tr. Anthony Kaldellis)

Miti

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P. Vergilius Maro Mantuanus parentibus modicis fuit ac praecipue patre, quem quidam opificem figulum, plures Magi cuiusdam viatoris initio mercennarium, mox ob industriam generum tradiderunt, egregiaeque substantiae silvis coemendis et apibus curandis auxisse reculam. natus est Cn. Pompeio Magno M. Licinio Crasso primum consulibus Iduum Octobrium die in pago qui Andes dicitur et abest a Mantua non procul. praegnans eo mater somniavit enixam se laureum ramum, quem contactu terrae coaluisse et excrevisse ilico in speciem maturae arboris refertaeque variis pomis et floribus, ac sequenti luce cum marito rus propinquum petens ex itinere devertit atque in subiecta fossa partu levata est. ferunt infantem ut sit editus neque vagisse et adeo miti vultu fuisse, ut haud dubiam spem prosperioris geniturae iam tum daret. et accessit aliud praesagium, siquidem virga populea more regionis in puerperiis eodem statim loco depacta ita brevi evaluit tempore, ut multo ante satas populos adaequavisset; quae “arbor Vergilii” ex eo dicta atque etiam consecrata est summa gravidarum ac fetarum religione suscipientium ibi et solventium vota.
(Suetonius, Vita Vergili 1-5)

Publius Vergilius Maro was a Mantuan of humble parentage, especially with regard to his father: some have reported that he was an artisan who was a potter, many that he was at first the employee of a viator [a minor official whose main task was to summon people who had to appear before magistrates] named Magus and then a son-in-law on account of his industry, and that he built up a fortune of no mean substance by buying up woodlands and tending bees. [Virgil] was born on the Ides of October, during the first consulships of Gnaeus Pompeius the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus [October 15, 70 b.c.e.], in a village called Andes, not far from Mantua. While pregnant with him, his mother dreamed that she gave birth to a laurel branch, which took root when it touched the earth and sprang up on the spot into the form of a full-grown tree, stuffed with diverse fruits and flowers. And the following day, while she was making for the neighboring country spot with her husband, she turned aside from the path and delivered herself by childbirth in an adjacent ditch. They say that when the child was born, he did not cry, and so mild was his countenance that even then he gave no small reason to hope that his birth would prove to be auspicious. Another omen was added to this when the poplar sprout that was immediately planted in the same place, according to the custom of the region in cases of childbirth, grew up so fast that it stood level with the poplars planted long before. It was called on that account the tree of Virgil, and it was in fact made sacred by the greatest reverence of pregnant women and new mothers who took and fulfilled vows there. (tr. David Wilson-Okamura, revised by Jan M. Ziolkowski)

Amnēmoneutos

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Ἀπὸ δὲ τούτου τοῦ χρόνου πλείονι μανίᾳ κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων ἐκκλησιῶν ἐχρήσατο.  ἀποστείλας γὰρ κατήνεγκε Πέτρον τὸν ἀοίδιμον στυλίτην ἀπὸ πέτρας, καὶ μὴ ὑπείξαντα τοῖς δόγμασιν αὐτοῦ ζῶντα δήσας τῶν ποδῶν ἐν τοῖς Πελαγίου καὶ τοῦτον διὰ τῆς Μέσης συρόμενον ἐκέλευσε ῥιφῆναι, ἄλλους ἐν σάκκοις δεσμῶν καὶ λίθοις προσαρτίζων ἐν τῷ πελάγει ῥίπτεσθαι προσέταττεν, τυφλόνων, ῥινοκοπῶν, μάστιξι ξαίνων, καὶ πᾶν εἶδος κολάσεως κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ἐπινοῶν· καὶ ἐν μὲν τῇ πόλει δι’ ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτα ἔδρα καὶ τῶν ὁμοφρόνων αὐτοῦ, Ἀντωνίου, φημί, πατρικίου καὶ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν καὶ Πέτρου μαγίστρου καὶ τοῦ ἐκπαιδευθέντος ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ λαοῦ τῶν ταγμάτων, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἔξω θέμασι διὰ τῶν προρρηθέντων στρατηγῶν. αὐτὸς δὲ κιθαρῳδίαις ἔχαιρε καὶ συμποσιασμοῖς, αἰσχρολογίαις τε καὶ ὀρχησμοῖς ἐκπαιδεύων τοὺς περὶ αὐτόν. καὶ εἴ πού τις συμπίπτων ἢ ἀλγῶν τὴν συνήθη Χριστιανοῖς ἀφῆκε φωνήν, τὸ “θεοτόκε βοήθει,” ἢ παννυχεύων ἐφωράθη ἢ ἐκκλησίαις προσεδρεύων ἢ εὐλαβείᾳ συζῶν ἢ μὴ ὅρκοις χρώμενος ἀφειδῶς, ὡς ἐχθρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκολάζετο καὶ ἀμνημόνευτος ὠνομάζετο.
(Theophanes Homologetes, Chron. p. 442-443 de Boor)

From this time onwards he* behaved with increased fury towards the holy churches. He sent his men to remove the celebrated stylite Peter from his rock and, since the latter did not yield to his doctrines, had him tied by the feet and ordered him, too, to be dragged alive along the Mesê and thrown in the ditch of Pelagios. Others he tied up in sacks which he weighted with stones and commanded to be cast in the sea, and he went on blinding, amputating noses, scourging, and inventing every kind of torment for the pious. In the City he perpetrated these things by himself and through those who shared his views, namely Antony, patrician and domestic of the Schools, the magistros Peter, and the men of the tagmata who had been instructed by him, while in the provincial themata he did so through the aforementioned strategoi. He himself delighted in music and banquets and educated his courtiers by means of foul language and dancing. And if anyone on falling down or being in pain let out the usual Christian exclamation, ‘Mother of God, help me!’ or was convicted of attending night vigils or frequenting churches or living in piety without constantly using oaths, he was punished as an enemy of the emperor and was called an ‘unmentionable’.

* Konstantinos V.

(tr. Cyril A. Mango & Roger Scott)

Salubriter

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Sic loquere, sic vive: vide ne te ulla res deprimat. votorum tuorum veterum licet deis gratiam facias, alia de integro suscipe: roga bonam mentem, bonam valetudinem animi, deinde tunc corporis. quidni tu ista vota saepe facias? audacter deum roga: nihil illum de alieno rogaturus es. sed ut more meo cum aliquo munusculo epistulam mittam, verum est quod apud Athenodorum inveni: “tunc scito esse te omnibus cupiditatibus solutum, cum eo perveneris ut nihil deum roges nisi quod rogare possis palam.” [Athenodorus, De Superstitione fr. 36] nunc enim quanta dementia est hominum! turpissima vota dis insusurrant; si quis admoverit aurem, conticiscent, et quod scire hominem nolunt deo narrant. vide ergo ne hoc praecipi salubriter possit: sic vive cum hominibus tamquam deus videat, sic loquere cum deo tamquam homines audiant. vale.
(Seneca Minor, Ep. ad Luc. 10.4-5)

Speak, and live, in this way; see to it that nothing keeps you down. As for your former prayers, you may dispense the gods from answering them; offer new prayers; pray for a sound mind and for good health, first of soul and then of body. And of course you should offer those prayers frequently. Call boldly upon God; you will not be asking him for that which belongs to another. But I must, as is my custom, send a little gift along with this letter. It is a true saying which I have found in Athenodorus: “Know that thou art freed from all desires when thou hast reached such a point that thou prayest to God for nothing except what thou canst pray for openly.” But how foolish men are now! They whisper the basest of prayers to heaven; but if anyone listens, they are silent at once. That which they are unwilling for men to know, they communicate to God. Do you not think, then, that some such wholesome advice as this could be given you: “Live among men as if God beheld you; speak with God as if men were listening”? Farewell. (tr. Richard M. Gummere)

Euchesthai

child-praying

Ὁκόσα μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐνυπνίων θεῖά ἐστι καὶ προσημαίνει ἢ πόλεσι ἢ ἰδιώτῃσι ἢ κακὰ ἢ ἀγαθὰ †μὴ δι’ αὐτῶν ἁμαρτίην,† εἰσὶ οἳ κρίνουσι περὶ τῶν τοιούτων τέχνην ἔχοντες· ὁκόσα δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ σώματος παθήματα προσημαίνει, πλησμονῆς ἢ κενώσιος ὑπερβολὴν τῶν συμφυτῶν, ἢ μεταβολὴν τῶν ἀηθέων, κρίνουσι μὲν καὶ ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ μὲν τυγχάνουσι, τὰ δὲ ἁμαρτάνουσι, καὶ οὐδέτερα τούτων γινώσκουσι, δι’ ὅ τι γίνεται, οὔθ’ ὅ τι ἂν ἐπιτύχωσιν, οὔθ’ ὅ τι ἂν ἁμάρτωσι, φυλάσσεσθαι δὲ παραινέοντες μή τι κακὸν λάβῃ. οἱ δ’ οὖν οὐ διδάσκουσιν ὡς χρὴ φυλάξασθαι, ἀλλὰ θεοῖσιν εὔχεσθαι κελεύουσι. καὶ τὸ μὲν εὔχεσθαι ἀγαθόν· δεῖ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν συλλαμβάνοντα τοὺς θεοὺς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι.
(Hippocrates, Peri Diaitēs 4.2)

Now such dreams as are divine, and foretell to cities or to private persons things evil or things good, have interpreters in those who possess the art of dealing with such things. But all the physical symptoms foretold by the soul, excess, of surfeit or of depletion, of things natural, or change to unaccustomed things, these also the diviners interpret, sometimes with, sometimes without success. But in neither case do they know the cause, either of their success or of their failure. They recommend precautions to be taken to prevent harm, yet they give no instruction how to take precautions, but only recommend prayers to the gods. Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand. (tr. William Henry Samuel Jones)