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THE LOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARYPOUNDED BY JAMES LOEB» ULil>.
EDITED BY
fT. E. PAGE, C.H., LITT.D.
fE. CAPPS, PH.D., LL.D. tW. H. D. ROUSE, litt.d.
L. A. POST. L.H.D. E. H. WARMINGTON. m.a.. f.b.hist.soc.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
I
PLUTARCH'SLIVES
WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY
BERNADOTTE PERRIN
IN ELEVEN VOLUMES
I
THESEUS AND ROMULUSLYCURGUS AND NUMASOLON AND PUBLICOLA
LONDON
WILLIAM HRINEMANN LTDCAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS
HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESSMOMLIX
First Printed 1914
Reprinted 1928, 1948, 1959
Printed in Great Britain
CONTENTSPAOK
PREFATORY NOTB vii
ORDER OF THE PARALLEL LIVES IN THIS EDITION . . ix
TRADITIONAL ORDER OF THE PARALLEL LIVES .... X
INTRODUCTION xi
THESEUS 1
ROMULUS'
89
COMPARISON OF THESEUS AND ROMULUS 188
LYCURGUS • 203
NUMA 305
COMPARISON OF LYCURGUS AND NUMA 382
SOLON 403
PUBLICOLA 501
COMPARISON OF SOLON AND PUBLICOLA 564
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES 677
PREFATORY NOTE
Agreement between the Sintenis (Teubner^ 1873-
1875) and Bekker (Tauchnitz, 1855-1857) texts of
the Parallel Lives has been taken as the basis for the
text of the present edition. Any preference of one
to the other where they differ, and any departure
from both, have been indicated. All the Lives
included in this volume are contained in the Codex
Seitenstettensis (S), and occasional use has been
made of the collations of that MS. by W. Meyer
(Leipsic, 1890). Since no collations of Codex
Parisinus 1676 (F*), the excellent MS. so closely
related to S, have been accessible to the Editor, its
readings could only be inferred here and there from
the text and notes of Stephanus. No attempt has
been made, naturally, to furnish either a diplomatic
text or a full critical apparatus. The reading which
follows the colon in the critical notes is that of the
Teubner Sintenis, and also, unless otherwise stated
in the note, of the Tauchnitz Bekker.
Tii
PREFATORY NOTE
The translation must speak for itself. Its author,
like Plutarch himself, prays that he may find kindly
readers, and feels reasonably confident of doing so
among those who are able to appreciate the pecu-
liarities of Plutarch's Greek. All the standard trans-
lations of the Lives have, of course, been carefully
compared and utilized.
B. PERRIN.
New Haven, Connectiodt, U.S.A.
Febrvxiryt 1914.
v^
ORDER OF THE PARALLEL LIVES IN THISEDITION IN THE CHRONOLOGICAL SEQaENCE
OF THE GREEK LIVES.
Volume I.
(1) Theseus and Romulus.
Comparison.(2) Lycurgiis and Numa.
Comparison.(3) Solon and Fublioola.
Comparison.
Volume II.
(4) Themistocle.s andCamillus.
(9) Aristides and Cato theElder.
Comparison.(13) Cimon and Lucullus.
Comparison.
VOLUMB III.
(5) Pericles and Fabius Max-imus.
Comparison.(14) Nicias and Crassus.
Comparison.
Volume IV.
(6) Alcibiades and Coriola-
nus.
Comparison.(12) Lysander and Sulla.
Comparison
Volume V.
(16) Agesilaus and Pompey.Comparison.
(8) Pelopidas and Marcellus.
Comparison.
Volume VI.
(22) Dion and Brutus.
Comparison.(7) Timoleon and Aemilius
Paulus.
Comparison,
Volume VII.
(20) Demosthenes and Cicero.
Comparison.(17) Alexander and Julias
Caesar.
Volume VIII.
(15) Sertorius and Eumenes.
Comparison.(18) Phocion and CaLo the
Younger.
Volume IX.
(21) Demetrius and Antony.Comparison.
(11) Pyrrhus and Caius Mariua.
Volume X.
(19) Agis and Cleomeues, andTiberius and CaiusGracchus.
Comparison.(10) Philopoemen and FUm-
ininus.
Comparison.
Volume XL(23) Aratus.
(24) Artaxerxea.
(25) Galba.
(26) Otho.
IX
THE TRADITIONAL ORDER OF THEPARALLEL LIVES.
(1) Theseus and Romulus,
(2) Lycurgus and Numa.
(3) Solon and Publicola.
(4) Themistocles and Camillus.
(5) Pericles and Fabius Maximus.
(6) Alcibiades and Coriolanus.
(7) Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus.
(8) Pelopidas and Marcellus.
(9) Aristides and Cato the Elder.
(10) Philopoemen and Flamininus.
(11) Pyrrhus and Caius Marius.
(12) Lysander and Sulla.
(l.S) Cimon and Lucullus.
(14) Nicias and Crassus.
(15) Sertorius and Eumenes.
(16) Agesilaus and Pompey.
(17) Alexander and Julius Caesar.
(18) Phocion and Cato the Younger.
(19) Agis and Cleomenes, and Tiberius and Caius
Gracchus.
(20) Demosthenes and Cicero.
21) Demetrius and Antony.
(22) Dion and Brutus.
(23) Aratus.
(24) Artaxerxes.
(25) Galba.
(26) Otho.
INTRODUCTION
Plutarch's Life and Writings
Plutarch was born at Chaeroneia, a small town onthe northern confines of Boeotia^ about the middleof the first century of our era, and toward the close
of the reign of the emperor Claudius. He belongedto a family of ample means and generous culture,and was liberally educated. He studied at Athens,the most attractive university town in his day for
both Greeks and Romans, and was a disciple of
Ammonius of Lamptrae, a Peripatetic philosopher
deeply versed in religious lore. Returning to his
native town, he was soon called upon to representit as deputy to the Roman governor of the provinceof Greece. That he travelled extensively over
Greece, visited Asia Minor, Egypt, and Italy, andresided much at Rome, may be inferred from his
writings, as most that is known about him must beinferred. At Rome, he was in charge of certain
public business, so that he had not time to learn
thoroughly the Latin language, as he himself con-
fesses in the introduction to his Demosthenes. ButGreek was the language of literary and polite
xi
INTRODUCTION
society at Rome, and cultivated Greeks, especially
philosophers, were welcome there. As a Greek
philosopher, and a populariser of Platonism, Plutarch
read and lectured at Rome, much as he did in the
small but select circle of his intimates and friends at
home. He made and retained a large acquaintancewith the prominent Romans of his day, and was
familiar with the questions which most occupied the
minds of men at the political centre of the world.
Then, after Athenian education, generous travels,
diplomatic missions, modest literary celebrity, and
considerable residence at Rome, he seems to have
retired to his little country home, with his books,
notes, lectures, essays, and gentle philosophy, and
there, in a leisure not all too much encroached uponby local magistracies and certain religious offices at
neighbouring Delphi, to have elaborated the sketches
of his lectures and essays, which have come down to
us under the collective name of Morals, and to have
composed the work on which his fame chiefly rests,—the Parallel Lives of Greeks and Rajnans. He lived
through the reigns Nero, Domitian, and Trajan, and,
leaving the world as he did about 120 a.d., musthave rejoiced at the accession of Hadrian to the
imperial throne. His world had grown steadilybetter while he lived, and was now to enjoy its
second golden age.The Morals were composed, for the greater part,
before the Lives, and are an invaluable prelude to
and commentary on them^ especially if we would
xii
INTRODUCTION
know just what manner of man the author of the
Lives was. They tell us, as the Lives do not," of the
points of view, moral and religious, from which he
contemplated not this man's life or the other's, but
the whole life of men. Nor is it too much to affirm
that of the two halves of Plutarch's writings, of
his Lives and his Morals, each constitutes a
complement of the other ; the one setting forth
to us, and, so far as this was possible, from
ideal points of view, what the ancient world
had accomplished in the world of action, and the other
what, in like manner, it had aimed at and accom-
plished in the world of thought" (Trench, Plutarch,
p. 90). But even in the Lives, Plutarch is far moremoralist than historian.
Greece, after passing under Roman sway, lost
sight gradually of her great men of action, andcontented herself with the glories of her men of
thought. Here surely the dominant Romans could
not vie with her. It was to prove that the moreremote past of Greece could show its lawgivers,
commanders, statesmen, patriots, and orators, as well
as the nearer and therefore more impressive past of
Rome, that the Parallel Lives were written. With
Scipio Africanus the Elder, the greatest man of
Rome, Plutarch matched Epaminondas, the greatestman of Greece. This pair, or "book," of Lives is
unfortunately lost. With Camillus, who saved Romefrom the Gauls, he matched Themistocles, who saved
Athens from the Persians. Then followed, as nearly
xiii
INTRODUCTION
as the order can be determined—for the order of the
Lives in our collection is not the original one, the
Cimon and Lucullus, the Lycurgus and Numa, the
Demosthenes and Cicero, the Pelopidas and MaixelliLs,
the Lysander and Sulla, the Pkilopoemen and Flamininus,
the Pericles and Fabius Maximus, the Aristides and
Cato Major, and thirteen other pairs. Eighteen of
the twenty-two pairs which have come down to us,
close with a formal comparison of the two careers
and characters. This is often fanciful and forced,
abounds in contrasts rather than resemblances, and
is seldom of any special historical value, althoughit often has great literary charm. There are also
four single Lives in our collection, Artaxerxes, Arattis,
Galba, and Otho, and we get traces of twelve morethat are now lost. One of the pairs is a double
one, where, to match the two Gracchi, Plutarch
selects the two reforming Spartan kings, Agis and
Cleomenes. We have in all, therefore, fifty Lives
by Plutarch.
Manuscripts, Editions, Translations, Etc.
A full account of the MSS. of Plutarch must be
sought in the critical editions of the Lives by Sintenis
and Bekker. It will be sufficient to speak here of six.
The oldest and, with one exception, the most
authoritative MS., is the Codex Sangermanensis (S*),
XIV
INTRODUCTION
in the library of the monastery of St. Germaindes-
Pr^s, in the French Department of the Loire. It is a
parchment MS. of the Xth century, but unfortunatelycontains only fifteen of the Lives : Antony (last part),
Pyrrhus-Marius, Aratus, Artaxerxes, Agis and Cleo-
menes, Tiberius and Caius Gracchus, Lycurgus-Numa,
Lysander-Sulla, and Agesilaiis-Pompey.The second oldest MS., and on the whole the most
authoritative, is the Codex Seitenstettensis (S),
belonging to the monastery of Seitenstetten, near
Waidhofen, in Lower Austria. It is a parchmentMS. of the Xlth century, containing sixteen Lives :
Lycurgus-Numa, Solon- Publicola, Aristides-Cato the
elder, Themistocles-Camillus, Cimon-Lucullus, Peri-
cles-Fabius Maximus, Nicias-Crassus, and Agesilaus-
Pompey. There are large deficiencies in the Lycurgus,
Fabius, Nicias, and Crassus. It is only since 1870,
and the edition of the Aristides and Cato by Hercher,that this MS. has been known to be not only the
second oldest, but the best extant MS. of Plutarch.
It has not been used in any special editions of Lives
included in this first volume, but its readings are
collected in the dissertation of W. Meyer, De codice
Plutarcheo Seitenstettensi eiusque asseclisj Letpsic, 1890.
Three parchment MSS. in the Biblioth^queNationale of Paris, No. 1671 (A), of the Xlllth
century, containing all the Morals and Lives, No. 1672
(C), also of the Xlllth century, containing all the
Lives, and No. 1674 (D), of the XVIth century
containing all the Lives, are of supreme importance.
XV
INTRODUCTION
and on these the texts of Sintenis and Bekker
mainly rest. Of these three MSS., A and D seem to
be more closely related to 8% while C partakes of
the characters both of S'^ and S, and is often cor-
rective of A and D.
Another MS. in the same library, No. 1676 (F*),
of the XVth century, has only more recently been
recognized as the chief authority of Stephanus, andas partaking of the character of S. Its readings have
not been fully published as yet, but have been used
in editing the texts of special Lives, none of which,
however, are included in this first volume.
Other MSS. will be mentioned as they come into
impoi-tance for the text of special Lives.
The ediiio princeps of the Parallel Lives, 1517,"Florentiae, in aedibus Philippi Juntae," was based
on Florentine MSS. of relatively inferior value.
Tlie Aldine edition of the Parallel Lives, 1519,
"Venetiis, in aedibus Aldi et Andreae soceri," wasbased on Venetian MSS., which were of greaterexcellence than the Florentine, some of them
retaining their importance to the present day.The first edition of the complete works of Plutarch,
1572, Paris, 13 voU. 8vo,was edited by Henri Etienne
(Stephanus), who improved the text of his pre-decessors with readings of better MSS. unknown to
them, making special use of Codex Parisinus, No. 1676
(F*). The Paris edition of 1624, in two volumes
folio, reproduced the text of Stephanus, and becamethe textus recepius. By its pages (given on the inner
\V1
INTRODUCTION
margin of the text of the present edition) Plutarch
is cited in the Index vocum verborumcpie exquisitioruvi
in Plularcho, which closes Wyttenbach's great edition
of the Morals (Oxford, 1830).Critical and annotated editions of all the works of
Plutarch by Reiske (Leipsic, 1774-82, 12 voll. 8vo),
and of the Parallel Lives by Coraes (Paris, 1809-14,
6 voll. 8vo), were followed by the great critical
edition of the Parallel Lives by Sintenis (Leipsic,
1839-46, 4 voll. 8vo), which still remains the
standard edition (Sintenis^). A minor edition of this
work appeared in the Biblioiheca Teubneriana (Leipsic,
1852-55, 5 voll. 12mo, re-issued without much
change in 1873-75). It shows more boldness in the
correction of obvious error, and greater freedom in
the admission of conjecture, than the major edition,
but is the most generally accepted text of the Lives
(Sintenis^). The Tauchnitz text, edited by ImmanuelBekker (Leipdc, 1855-57, 5 voll. 8vo), does not
differ very much from the first minor edition of
Sintenis, but has a convenient division of the
chapters into sections, which has been adopted in
the present text.
In 1559 appeared the French version of the Parallel
Lives by Jacques Amyot, the earliest French classic
recognized by the French Academy. Amyot con-
sulted many MSS. unknown to the authors of the
Juntine and Aldine editions, and his work has an
independent philological value, aside from its great
literary merits.
XVIJ
INTRODUCTION
It was from Amyot's version, rather than from the
original Greek, that Sir Thomas North made his
version of the Lives (1579), a translation by the
earliest master of great English prose from the
earliest master of great French prose. Shakespeareused this version in his Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and
Antony and Cleopatra. It was the Elizabethan
Plutarch.
In Queen Anne's time, Dryden was "prevailed
upon by his necessities" to head a company of
translators of the Lives, and the version was called
by his name (1683), although he furnished merelythe Preface and the Life of Plutarch. Notwith-
standing all the failings of this motley version, it
supplanted that of North.
The first scholar's translation of the Lives from the
original Greek into English, by the brothers Johnand William Langhorne, was published in 1770, andwas the version most current from that time down to
1850. Compared with North's spirited version, it is
rather dull and pedantic, although much moreaccurate.
Arthur Hugh Clough's revision of the so-called
Dryden translation, a work which occupied this
gifted scholar and poet for some seven years, was
published in five volumes by Little, Brown & Co., of
Boston, in 1859, and reprinted in one large octavo
volume in 1876 and 1880. It is probably the best
extant English version of all the Lives.
The best monograph on Plutarch iu English is
xviii
INTRODUCTION
bhat of Archbishop Trench, which was published bythe Messrs. Macmillan & Co. in 1873, and in a
second edition in 1874. Ralph Waldo Emerson had
already furnished a characteristic essay on Plutarch
as an Introduction to Goodwin's revision of the
translation of the Morals "by several hands
"
(Boston, Little, Brown & Co., 1870, reprinted, 1889).To the edition of North's translation of the Lives in
the " Tudor Translations"
(London, David Nutt^
1895-96), the Rt. Hon. George Wyndham furnished
an Introduction of superlative power and excellence.
Professor Mahaffy's chapters on Plutarch in his Greek
World under Roman Sway (Macmillan & Co., 1890,
pp. 291-350 =rAe Silver Age of the Greek World,
Chicago and London, 1906, pp. 339-402) abound in
discriminating and su<Tgestive appreciations. Finally^
mention may be made of Plutai'clis Themistocles and
AristideSj newly translated, with Introduction and
Notes, by Bernadotte Perrin, New York, Charles
Scribner's Sons, 190L
XIX
PLUTARCH'S PARALLELLIVES
THESEUS
nAOYTAPXOY BIOI OAPAAAHAOI
eH2EY2
I. "ficTTre/o iv ra?? yeoyypa<j>iaL<;, &> '^6<t(ti€ Paris
XevcKLcoVi ol laropiKol ra 8ia(f)6vyovTa t^i^ a 1624^^
ryvcjatv avTMV rot? ia")(^dTOi,<; fiipeai tS)v ttlvcl- ^K(ov TTLe^ovvre^, alria^^ irapaypdi^ovarLv on "TaK iireKeiva 6lve<^ dvvBpot Kal OrjpicoBeL^^^ rj "7rrfKo<;
aiSvr}<;^' fj
" HkvOckov Kpvo^"
77
**
7reXayo<; ireirr}-
709," oi;tq)? epol irepl rrjv tmv piwv rcov irapaX-
\riX,(ov ypa(f)7]v, tov i(j)iKT0V el/coTi Xoyo) Kal ^dai-
fjLOv IcTTOpia Trpajfidrcov e^op^evrj '^povov BieXOovrt,
irepl rcov dvcoripco KaX(a<; €t%6i/ elirelv "Ta 5*
iireKeiva reparcoBr) Kal rpaycKO, Troirjral Kal
fiv6oypd(f)OL vepbovTai, Kal ovKer'€')(€L
ttIo-tip
2 ovBe aa<f>rjveLavr iirel Be tov irepl AvKovpyovTOV vojJLoOeTOV Kal Nofid tov fia(T(Xeco<; XoyoveKBovTe^y iBoKOVfiev ovk av dXoyco^; T(p 'PwyLtuXft)
TTpoaavajStjvatf ttXtjctlov tcov ')(p6vci)v avTov r^IcTTopLa yeyovoTe^iy o-kottovvtc Be pboi
* alrlas Amyot, Stephanus, Coraes, Sintenis' with C;Bekker and Sinteuis^ have ivlois {explaining some by saying).
^
LUTARCH'S PARALLEL LIVES
THESEUS
I. Just as geographers, O Socius Senecio,^ crowdon to the outer edges of their maps the parts of theearth which elude their knowledge, with explanatorynotes that " What lies beyond is sandy desert withoutwater and full of wild beasts/' or " blind marsh/' or
'Scythian cold," or "frozen sea/* so in the writingof my Parallel Lives, now that I have traversed those
periods of time which are accessible to probablereasoning and which afford basis for a history dealingwith facts, I might well say of the earlier periods :
" What lies beyond is full of marvels and unreality,a land of poets and fabulists, of doubt and ob-
scurity." But after publishing my account of
Lycurgus the lawgiver and Numa the king, I thought1 might not unreasonably go back still farther to
Romulus, now that my history had brought me nearhis times. And as I asked myself,
^ One of the many friends whom Plutarch made during his
residence at Rome. He was four times consul between the
years 98 and 107 A.D. Plutarch addresses him also at the
opening of the Demosthenes and the Dion^ thus dedicating to
him these " books."
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ToL^Se (jxiyri (kut Ala'vvKov) t[<; ^v/n^ijcrerai;^riv* aifTtrd^oi) r^Se; Tt9 (f>€piyyvo<;;
*
i<j)aLV€TO TOV TOiV KOXOJV Kal aOlSi/JLCDV olKiaTTJV
'AOrjvcjv avTicTTrjaat Kal Trapa^aXetv T(p irarpl3 T^9 avLKTiTOV Kal /jieydXoBo^ov ^VwfirjSt etr) fiev
ovv r/jiiLV eKKaOaipo/jievov \6yq) to fivOcj^e^; vira-
Kovaai Kal Xa^elv laropia^; oy^iVt oirov 8* av
avdaBa)<; rov iriOavov 7rept<j>povj Kal firj B6)(^Tjrat,
rrjv 7r/}09 to etVo? /jll^lv, evyvco/xovcov aKpoaroivBerjaofieda Kal Trpao)? ttjv ap^aioXoyiav irpoahe-
'XpfJLevayv.
II. 'E8o«:et 5* ovv 6 Sriaem rep *Vo)/j,v\(p Kara7roWa<; evap/jLorreiv o/JLOiOTrjTa^' d/i(l)(o /llcv yap
^
aveyyvo) Kal (TKOtIo) yevofievoi Bo^av ea^ov ck
OeSiv yeyovevaiy
"AyLfc^o) 8* al'X^iirjTa, to ye Br) Kal XBpuev airavTe^i,
Kal fieTOL TOV BvvaTov to avveTov e'XpVTe^. iroKjeoiv
Be T(bv eTrKfyaveaTaTCov 6 puev eKTiae ttjv ^Vcafirjv,
6 Be avvcpKLcre Ta9 ^Adrjva^' apirayr] Be yvvaiKOiv2 eKaT€p(p TTpoceaTiv. ovBcTepo^; Be BvaTv^iav irepl
TO, OLKeta Kal vepbea-tv eyyevrj Bie(j)vy€v, aXXa Kal
T€XeL'Tcoj'T€9 a/j.(p6T€poi XiyoPTai Tol<i eavTcov
TTpocTKpovcrai, iroXiTai'^, ec Tt t(ov ^KtaTa Tpayt-
1 Seven against ThebeSf 435, rot^St <pwrl vffiirf— ris
a Ibid. 395 f.
rlv* aPTiToi^eis ry8e ; ris Upolrov -kvK&v
K\i^dpwv \v6fVTccv KpocroTilv (pfpeyyvoi;
•Coraes, Bekker, and Cobet, w ith C, after Reiske ;
&JU0W /xitf.
THESEUS, I. 2-II. 2
" With such a warrior" (as Aeschylus says) 'Svho will
dare to fight ?"
"Whom shall I set against him? Who is com-
petent ?"
it seemed to me that I must make the founder
of lovely and famous Athens the counterpart and
parallel to the father of invincible and gloriousRome. May I therefore succeed in purifying Fable,
making her submit to reason and take on the sem-
blance of History. But where she obstinately dis-
dains to make herself credible, and refuses to admit
any element of probability, I shall pray for kindly
readers, and such as receive with indulgence the
tales of antiquity.II. It seemed to me, then, that many resemblances
made Theseus a fit parallel to Romulus. For both
were of uncertain and obscure parentage, and gotthe reputation of descent from gods ;
xV" Both were also warriors, as surely the whole world
knoweth,''*
and with their strength, combined sagacity. Of the
world's two most illustrious cities, moreover, Romeand Athens, Romulus founded the one, and Theseus
made a metropolis of the other, and each resorted to
the rape of women. Besides, neither escapeddomestic misfortunes and the resentful anger of kin-
dred, but even in their last days both are said to
liave come into colUsion with their own fellow-citizens,
^ niad vii. 281, of Aias Telamon and Hector.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
/cw? elprjcrOai BoKOvvrav 0(^6X09 i<TTt> Trpo^i aX^J-
Oetav.
III. 0770-60)9 TO fiev warpwov yevo<; eh ^^pe^Oea 2
Kol Tov<i 7rpa)T0V<; avT6')(6ova<i avrjKeLy ra> Sk
fir}Tpa)(p UeXoTTiBrj^; r}v, Tleko^lr y^p ov XPV'
ficLTCOv TrXrjdeL /laXXov ^ TralSayv fiiyi,(7T0v la^^vaeTMV iv UeXoTTOvvija-fp l3aai\.€Ci}v, TroXXa? fi€v
€K86fxevo<; 6vyaTepa<; to?9 apLcrTOL<i, ttoWov^; Be
Tol^ irokeaiv vloix; iyKaTaa7reipa<; dp^ovra*;' o)v
ei<; yev6fievo<; Ucrdev'^, 6 S7)aeco<; 7ra7r7ro9, ttoXiv
fiev ov fjLeydXrjv rrjv Tpoi^rjvLcov (pKiae, Bo^av Be
fidXiara irdvTcov cw9 CLvrjp Xoyio^ iv T019 rore koI
2 ao<pd)TaTOfi eo-'^ev. rjv Be Trj<; <70<f>ia<i iKeLvr)<;
ToiavTT) Ti^y w<i eotKev, IBea /cat Bvva/jLi<;, oca
'X^prjadfjuevo^ 'H(7toSo9 evBoKifiei. fidXtara irepX ra^
iv T0i9 "£^70*9 yi>(t)p.oXoyiaf;. koI fjuCav ye tovtcov
eKeiVT)v Xeyovai lli,T6eco<; elvav,
Mfo-^09 S' dvBpl (j>lX(p elprjfievo^; ap/cio<i e<rTft).
TOVTO fiev ovv KoX *ApLo-ToreX7j^ 6 (f>tX6ao(f>o^
eipi]KeVy 6 8'lEiupt,7rLBr]<if rov 'liriroXvrov dyvov
UirOeco^; irauBeu/ia TrpoaeLirdov, ificpaivet rrjv irepl
rov Utrdia Bo^av,3 Klyel Be iraiBcov Beofievcp rrjv HvdCav dveXeiv
Xt /ovat rov dpuXovfievov XPV^M'^^* BiaKeXevo-
fievTjv firjBe/iia yuvat/cl avyyeveaOai irplv eXOeZv
et9 *AO^va<;, ov irdvv Bk rovro (ppd^ecv evBi]X(o<;
THESEUS, II. 2-III. 3
if there is any aid to the truth in what seems to
have been told with the least poetic exaggeration.III. The lineage of Theseus^ on the father's side,
goes back to Erechtheus and the first children of the
soil; on the mother's side, to Pelops. For Pelopswas the strongest of the kings in Peloponnesus
quite as much on account of the number of his
children as the amount of his wealth. He gave
many daughters in marriage to men of highest rank,and scattered many sons among the cities as their
rulers. One of these, named Pittheus, the grand-father of Theseus, founded the little city of Troezen,and had the highest repute as a man versed in the
lore of his times and of the greatest wisdom. Nowthe wisdom of that day had some such form andforce as that for which Hesiod was famous, especiallyin the sententious maxims of his " Works and Days."One of these maxims is ascribed to Pittheus,
namely :—
^ "Payment pledged to a man who is dear must be
ample and certain." ^
X At any rate, this is what Aristotle the philosopher
'M^says,2 and Euripides,^ when he has Hippolytus
addressed as "nursling of the pure and holy Pit-
theus," shows what the world thought of Pittheus.
Now Aegeus, king of Athens, desiring to have
children, is said to have received from the Pythianpriestess the celebrated oracle in which she bade himto have intercourse with no woman until he came to
Athens. But Aegeus thought the words of thecommand somewhat obscure, and therefore turned
* Verse 370.'Fragment 556. *
Hippolytus^ 11.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
hoKovaav 66ev eh Tpoi^r/va irapeXOcbv av€Koi-
vovTo YiirOel ttjv tov deov <po)vr)v ovtw; ^')(pv(jav'
*AaKov TOV 7rpov')(pvTa iroha, /jbi'ya (jiiprare
\aMV,
pLTf Xu(7i79 Trplv Brjfiov ^AOrjvicov elaai^LKeadar
4 a BrjXov on vorjaa^ 6 Htr^ev?, eireiaev avrov t)
BtrjTrdrriae rf} AWpa (Tvyyevia-Oai. crvve\6cov 8e
Kol yvov<; i/c6ivo<; on 777 UcrOiciXi dvyarpl crvy-
yeyove, kuI Kvecv avryv v7rovo7]aa<;, airiXiTre ^i(f>o^
Kol TriBiXa fcpvyjra^ viro irerpav fMeyaXrjVf eVro?
€')(pv<Tav KoiXoTTjra avfjifiirpax: i/juTrepiXa/JL^dvov-
5 (rav TO, Keifieva. <f)pd<Ta<; Be 7r/jo9 fiovrjv €K€Lvr)v,
KOL BLaKeXeva-dfievo^i av vlo<; ef avrov yevTjTai,
KoX Xa^cov dvBpo<; rjXLKiav BvvaTO^ y rrju Trerpav
dvaaTYjcrai kol v(J)€X€lv to. KaraXet^OevTa, Trifi-
nreiv 7r/?o? avrov e^ovra ravra /JLy]Bevb<; elBoro^;,
dXX* 0)9 evean /judXio-ra Xavddvovra irdvra^
(l(T')(vp(b<; yap iBeBoLfcei rov<; UaXXavrlBafit ^ttc-
ffovXevovra^ avra> KaX Bid rrjv aTraiBlav Kara-
<}>povovvra<;* rjaav Bk irevrrfKOvra iralBe^ €k
TidXXavro<^ yeyovore^), drrrjet,
lY. HeKova-rjf; Be rrj<; A.Wpa'^ vlov, ol fiev ev6v<;
ovo/jiaaOrjvai Srja-ea Xeyovai Bid rrjv rcov yvcopi-
a/xdrcov Oeaiv, 01 Be varepov ^AOrjvrjai iralBa
de/jievov rod Alyea)^ avrov. Tp€(f)6jjL6vop Bk vtto
THESEUS, III. 3-iv. i
aside to Troezen and communicated to Pittheus the
words of the god, which ran as follows :—
''Loose not the wine-skin's jutting neck, greatN/ chief of the people,
^ Until thou shalt have come once more to the city of
Athens." i
This dark saying Pittheus apparently understood,and persuaded him, or beguiled him, to have inter-
course with his daughter Aethra. Aegeus did so, andthen learning that it was the daughter of Pittheus
with whom he had consorted, and suspecting that
she was with child by him, he left a sword and a
pair of sandals hidden under a great rock, which hada hollow in it just large enough to receive these
objects. He told the princess alone about this, andbade her, if a son should be born to her from him,and if, when he came to man's estate, he should beable to lift up the rock and take away what had beenleft under it, to send that son to him with the
tokens, in all secrecy, and concealing his journey as
much as possible from everybody ;for he was
mightily in fear of the sons of Pallas,^ who were
plotting against him, and who despised him onaccount of his childlessness ; and they were fifty in
number, these sons of Pallas. Then he went away.IV. When Aethra gave birth to a son, he was at
once named Theseus, as some say, because tlie
tokens for his recognition had been placed^ in hiding ;
but others say that it was afterwards at Athens, when
Aegeus acknowledged^ him as his son. He was reared
1 Cf. Euripides, Medea, 674, 676 (KirchhoflO.2 His brother.^ It is impossible to reproduce in English the play on the
Greek words.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tov n«T^eft)9 i-KLa-Tdrrjv e'X^Lv koI TratSayoyybv
ovofia KovviSav, o5 f^^XP^ ^^^ *A6)jvaL0L fMia
Trporepov '^fJiipa rwv Srjo-eiojv Kpiov ivayi^ovo-i,
fjLefjLV7)/jL€voi Koi Ti/JL0JVT6<: TToXv Bi/catorepov rj
XtXavLcova rificocn koI TiappdonoVi clkovcov ©17-
o"ea)9 ypa(j>6L<; kol TrXacrra? yevo/xivov^,
V. "E^ou? Be 6pto<; ere t6t€ Tov<i fiera^aC-
vovra^ ifc iraiBcov eK66vTa<s eh AeX^ou? dirdpy^e-
aOai Tft) 6eS> rr}? KOfirj^t rfkOe fiev eh AeXcjyov^
6 0//<r6U9, Kol Toirov dir avrov rrjv ©rjaecav gtl
vvv ovofid^eaOai, Xiyovaiv, eKeiparo he Tri<:; Ke^a-
X,?}? TCL TTpocrdev fxorov, a>a7rep "Oyu-rypo? ec^r? tou?
"A^avTu^;' koi tovto Trj<; Kovpd<; to yevo<; S')jaT)U
oovo/jidadrj 81 i/celvov.
2 01 Be "Affavrei; iKeipavro TrpSyrot, tov rpoirov
TovTov ov^ VTT ^ApdjScov BiBa'xjdivTe^i, to? evLot,
vofjbi^ovcnv, ovBe Mucoi/? t^rfkdicravTe^, dXk^ ovre^
'jroXejjLLKol KoX dy^epua'XpLy kol fidXicna Brj irdvTwv
eh %€ipa9 oodetcrOac roh ivavTLoif; /jbefjLaOrjKore^t
o)? jiapTvpel KoX 'A/3%tXo%09 iv tovtol^'
3 Ov Toi TToXX* €7rl ro^a ravvaaerai, ovBe 3
OajbLeial
ai^evBovat, evr av Brj jlumXov "Aprj*; avvdyrf
iv TreBiO), ^i^ecov Be iroXvarovov eo-aerac epyov
TavTT]^ yap /celvoi Balfiovh elai fid^fj^
Beairorat EiV0ola<; BovpiKXvToL
10
*,THESEUS, IV. i-v. 3
y Pittheus, as they say, and had an overseer and
tutor named Connidas. To this man, even down to
the present time, the Athenians sacrifice a ram on
the day before the festival of Theseus, rememberinghim and honouring him with far greater justice than
they honour Silanio and Parrhasius, who merelypainted and moulded likenesses of Theseus.
V. Since it was still a custom at that time for
youth who were coming of age to go to Delphi andsacrifice some oftheir hair to the god, Theseus went to
Delphi for tliis purpose, and they say there is a placethere which still to this day is called the Theseia
Vfrom
him. But he sheared only the fore part of his
head, just as Homer ^ said the Abantes did, and this
kind of tonsure was called Theseis after him.
Now the Abantes were the first to cut their hair
in this manner, not under instruction from the
Arabians, as some suppose, nor yet in emulation of
the Mysians, but because they were war-like menand close fighters, who had learned beyond all othermen to force their way into close quarters with their
enemies. Archilochus is witness to this in the fol-
/ lowing words :—
" Not many bows indeed will be stretched tight, nor
frequent slingsBe whirled, when Ares joins men in the moil of
war
Upon the plain, but swords will do their mournfulwork ;
For this is the warfare wherein those men are
expertWho lord it over Euboea and are famous with the
spear."2
1Iliad, ii. 642. »
Bergk, Poet. Lyr. Or.\ ii. p. 383.
II
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 oTTft)? ovv fiT) irape'xpiev e/e rcop rpi)(Syv avri-
XTj-yjnv rot? irokefJiioL^ aireKelpavTO. rovro B^
d/jbiXei Kol AXe^avSpov rov ^aKcSova ivvorj-
aavrd <j)aac Trpoard^ai, toI<; arpaTr)yoL<; ^vpeivTO, ykveia t5)V ^aKehovcov, (B9 Xaffrjv ravTTjv iv
Tai? [xd'X^at<i ovcrav rrpox^vpoTdrrjv.VI. Tov fiev ovv dXXov 'x^povov e/cpvirrev AWpa
rrjv dXrjdivrjv rov Srjcreax; yiveatv r)v he Xoyo^viTo TOV IltT^eft)? StaBoOeh «? ex Uoo-eiBcovof;
TeKVwdeiTj. UoaeiBcova yap Tpoi^ijvioi ae^ovrat
Bta^ep6vT(o^y fcal Oeo*; 0UT09 ia-Tiv avrol^ iroXiov-
X^^» ^ f^^^ fcapTTOdv dirdp^ovrat Kal Tplatvav2 iiTLarjfiov exovcn rod vofiia/jLarof;. eVel Be p,etpd-
Ktov wVy dfJLa TTJ TOV adijiaTO^ P^/^JJ Biecpaivev
dXKr)v Koi (f)povr)/jLa jxeTCb vov koX avveaeoo^;
^e^aiov, ouTO)? avTov rj AWpa tt/jo? ttjv ireTpav
TTpoaayayova-a, Kal ^pdaaaa irepl rr}? yevea-eco^i
TdXr]de<;, eKeXevcrev vcpeXeiv to, irarpwa avfiffoXa3 Kal irXelv eh ^AOriva^. 6 Be ttjv p^ev ireTpav
vireBv Kal paBico^i dvicoae, irXelv Be direyvo),
Kalirep ovar]<; da(j)aXeLa<; Kal Beo/ievcop tov t€
irdirTTOV Kal t?}? /at/t/oo?. x^Xcttov yap r)v ire^jj
iropeveadai Tr)V eh 'A^T^i/a? oBov, ovBev puepo^
KaOapov ovBe dKivBvvov viro Xtjcttcov Kal Ka-
Kovpywv e^ovaav,4 'O yap Br) p(^/3oyo9 eKelvo^ fjveyKev dvOpco'7rov(;
X^ipo^v fiev epyoL<^ Kal iroBcop Td^^aL Kal awpdTOJv
pcofiati;, Q)9 €0CK€V, virepcpveLf; Kal dKap-dTov^;,
7r/309 ovBev Be ttj (ftvaec p^ptw/i.ei'OL'? iTneiKe^; ovBe
a}^eXi/jLov, dXX' v^pei t€ x^lpovTa^ vTreprjcpavw,
Kal diroXavovTa^ tt)? Bvvdfi€(i)<; wpLOTrjTL Kal
TTiKpta, Kal T(p KpaTelv re Kal ^id^eaOai, Ka\
\2
THESEUS, V. 4-vi. 4
Tlierefore, in order that they might not give their
enemies a hold by their hair, they cut it off. AndAlexander of Macedon doubtless understood this
^when, as they say, he ordered his generals to have
the beards of their Macedonians shaved, since these
afforded the readiest hold in battle.
VI. During the rest of the time, then, Aethra
kept his true birth concealed from Theseus, and a
report was spread abroad by Pittheus that he was
begotten by Poseidon. For Poseidon is highly hon-oured by the people of Troezen, and he is the
patron god of their city ; to him they offer first fruits
in sacrifice, and they have his trident as an emblemon their coinage. But when, in his young manhood,Theseus displayed, along with his vigour of body,
prowess also, and a firm spirit united with intelli-
gence and sagacity, then Aethra brought him to the
rock, told him the truth about his birth, and badehim take away his father's tokens and go by sea to
Athens. Theseus put his shoulder to the rock and
easily raised it up, but he refused to make his
journey by sea, although safety lay in that course,and his grandfather and his mother begged him to
take it. For it was difficult to make the journey to
Athens by land, since no part of it was clear nor
yet without peril from robbers and miscreants.
For verily that age produced men who, in work ot
hand and speed of foot and vigour of body, were
extraordinary and indefatigable, but they appliedtheir powers to nothing that was fitting or useful.
Nay rather, they exulted in monstrous insolence,and reaped from their strength a harvest of crueltyand bitterness, mastering and forcing and destroying
everything that came in their path. And as for
VOL. r.Tt ^3
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
hia^Beipeiv to TrapaTTLTrrov, alSoo Se koX SiKato^
avvrjv Kol ro taov Kal to ^iXdvOpwTrov, 0)9
aroXfua rov dBiKeiv Kal (f)6^q) rod dSiKeladat
TOL/? 7roXkov<^ iiraivovvTa^;, ovSev olofJievov<; irpoa-6 rjKeiv roi<; irXiov e'xjsiv hvvafievoi^. tovtcov
*HpaK\7J<; Tov<i fjuev i^eKoirre Kal dvypei Trepi'iayv,
ol he XavOdvovre^ eKeivov irapLovTO^ eTrrrjaaovKal dveSvovTO Kal rrrapTj/jLeXovvro raireivd irpdr-rovT6<;. iirel Be 'HpaK\r](; 6Xpf]0'CLTo avjjb(f)opa,
Kal KT€iva<; "I^ltov eh AvBiav dirrjpe Kal avxyoveKel 'X^povov eBovkeve irap ^Opuc^dXTj, Blktjv tov
(povov ravrr^v eVi^et? avro), Tore rd /lev AvBmv
TTpdyfjLara ttoWtjv €a')(^ev elprjviqv Kal dBecav ev
Be Tot9 rrepl rr}V 'EWdBa rowoc^i av0i<; e^rjvOrjaavat KaKiai Kal dveppdyrjo-av, ovB€Vo<; Trte^ovvro^ovBe Kareipyovro<^.
6 'Hi/ ovv okeOpto'^ r) iropeia TOi? ^KOrjva^e
ire^y /SaBl^ovcrcv eK YieXoTrovvi^aov Kal tmv
KaKOvpywv eKaarov e^r}'yovfjLevo<; YlLr6ev<; oirolo'^
€L7j Kal oTTOLa Bp(p7] TTCpl Tov^ fei'01'9, CTTecOe
rov Sr]aea KO/J-i^eadai Bid 6a\drrri<;. rov Be
irdXat iJbev, co? eoiKe, Xe\7]06ro)<; BteKaiev rj Bo^arrjf; 'Hpa/cXeou? dpeTrj<^, Kal TrXeiarov eKeivov
Xojov eZ%€, Kal irpoOvfJboraro^ dKpoarr)<i eylverorcov BtTjyov/jbevcov eKeivov olo^ elrj, fidXicrra Be ra)V
avrov ecopaKormv Kal irpdrrovri Kal Xeyovri7 irpocrrervx/jKoroiV' rore Be rravrdiracriv r)v
<f)avepb^ 7re7rov0ci}<; orrep varepov '^povoi^ ttoXXol^;
(defiiaroKXrjf; eiraOe, Kal elirev co? KadevBeiv avrov
ovK 6Mrj rb MiXridBov rpoiracov ovrco<; eKeivcp
rov 'IlpaKXiov^ Oavfid^ovri rrjv dperrjv, Kal
14
\
THESEUS, VI. 4-7
reverence and righteousness, justice and humanity,
they thought that most men praised these qualitiesfor lack of courage to do wTong and for fear of being
wronged, and considered them no concern of menwho were strong enough to get the upper hand.
Some of these creatures Heracles cut off* and
destroyed as he went about, but some escaped his
notice as he passed by, crouching down and shrink-
ing back, and were overlooked in their abjectness.And when Heracles met with calamity and, after the
slaying of Iphitus, removed into Lydia and for a longtime did slave's service there in the house of Omphale,then Lydia indeed obtained great peace and security;but in the regions of Hellas the old villainies burst
forth and broke out anew, there being none to
rebuke and none to restrain them.The journey was therefore a perilous one for
travellers by land from Peloponnesus to Athens, and
Pittheus, by describing each of the miscreants at
length, what sort of a monster he was, and what deedshe wrought upon strangers, tried to persuade Theseusto make his journey by sea. But he, as it would seem,had long since been secretly fired by the gloriousvalour of Heracles, and made the greatest account of
that hero, and was a most eager listener to those
who told what manner of man he was, and above all
to those who had seen him and been present at somedeed or speech of his. And it is altogether plainthat he then experienced what Themistocles manygenerations afterwards experienced, when he said
that he could not sleep for the trophy of Miltiades.^
In like manner Theseus admired the valour of Hera-
cles, until by night his dreams were of the hero's
* Cf. Themistocles^
iii. 3.
»5
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
PVKTcop oveipo^ rjaav at 7rpd^€i<;, Koi fieO* rjfxepav
e^rjyev aurov 6 ^77X09 Kal avTjpeOi^e ravra irpaT-
reiv Biavoov/JL€vov.
VII. ^EtvjxO'Vov Be koX j6vov<; KOLvcdVovvre^
ef dve-^cwv oWe?. AXdpa fiev yap rfv Hir^eo)?
OvyaTTjpy ^KKKfirjVT) Se AvacBLKrj^;, AvcnhiKr] he
Kal Uirdev^ dSeXcj^ol yeyovoTe^ i^ ^linroBaiieia^
KaX ITeXoTTO?. Beivov ovv eTroLeZro xal ov/c dveKTov
eKelvov fjiev eirl tou? 7ravTa')(pv 7rovrjpov<i jBaBi-
^ovra KaOalpeiv yr\v Kal ddXarrav, avrov Be TOv<i
efjLTToBwv dOXov<i diToBLBpdaKetVy tov fiev Xoyo)Kal Bo^rj Trarepa Karata'^vvcov Bid 6a\djTi^<^
(jyvyrj Ko/jLt^ofievo'^, tu> Be ovtl Trpocrcfiepcov yvoapi-
(TfjuaTa ireBiXa Kal^L(f>o<; dvai/jLaKTOv, ovk epyoa
ev6v<i dyaOol^ Kal Trpd^ecri ']Tape')((ov eji^avi)
XapaKTTJpa t^9 evyeveia^. tolovtco (f)povi)pbaTt
Kal TOLOVTOLf; Xoyio-fjLo'l^ i^copfirjaev, w? dBiKrjcrcov
puev ovBeva, tou<; Be vTrdp^ovra^ ^ia<i dfivvou-
fievo^.
VIII. Kat TTpMTov [xev iv rfj ^FiircBavpia Uepi-(p'^TTjv, 07rX(p 'x^pco/jbevov KOpvvrj Kal Bid rovro
K.opvv7]T7jv iTTiKaXovfievov, dirTOfjievov avrov Kal
KwXvovra irpodyeiv avp^^aXdn' direKTeivev i)a9ei^Be rfj Kopvvri XajSoov oirXov eiroti^aaTO Kal BiereXet
)(^pa}/jLevo^, wairep ^WpaKXr}^ r(p Bep/xarc tov
XiovTo<i. eKeiv(£i fiev ovv eViSeif^? ^71^ (popovpevov
TjXiKov TO pieye9o<; dr^piov KpaT/]creiev, ouro<i Be
TTjv Kopvvi-jv eireBeiKwev r]TTrjp^evqv piev vtt avrov,
pier avrov Be dTJTTrjTOV ovaav.
*Ev 8* ^laOpu^ Xlvip TOV imvoKafiTTTi^v wrpoirc^i
16
THESEUS, VI. 7-viir. 2
achievements, and by day his ardour led him alongand spurred him on in his purpose to achieve the
hke.
VII. And besides, they were kinsmen, being sons
of cousins-german. For Aethra was daughter of
Pittheus, as Alcmene was of Lysidice, and Lysidiceand Pittheus were brother and sister, children of
Hippodameia and Pelops. Accordingly, he thoughtit a dreadful and unendurable thing that his famous
cousin should go out against the wicked every^'hereand purge land and sea of them, while he liimself
ran away from the struggles whicli lay in his path,
disgracing his reputed father ^by journeying like a
fugitive over the sea, and bringing to his real father
as proofs of his birth only sandals and a sword un-
stained with blood, instead of at once offering noble
deeds and achievements as the manifest mark of his
noble birth. In such a spirit and with such thoughtshe set out, determined to do no man any wrong, but
to punish those who offered him violence.
VIII. And so in the first place, in Epidauria, when
Periphetes, who used a club as his weapon and onthis account was called Club-bearer, laid hold of
him and tried to stop his progress, he grappledwith him and slew him. And being pleased v/ith
the club, he took it and made it his weapon andcontinued to use it, just as Heracles did with the
lion's skin. That hero wore the skin to prove how
great a wild beast he had mastered, and so Theseuscarried the club to show that although it had
been vanquished by him, in his own hands it wasinvincible.
On the Isthmus, too, he slew Sinis the Pine-bender
» Cf. chapter vi. 1.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TToWoix; avypet, tovko SiecpOeipev auT09, ov fi€fjL€-
\€Tr)Kcd<; ovS' eWt<Tfxevo^ , eTrthd^a^ Se rrfV aperrjv
on Kol Te'xyi]^ irepieaTi koI yaeXer^? airdar}^.
Tjv Be TG) ^ivihi KaWi(TTrj koI fieyia-rr) dvydrrjp,
ovofia TiepLyovvrj. ravTTjv tov iraTpo^ dvDpr]-
fxevov (pvyovaav et^rjTei irepdcbv 6 %rjaev^' r)8'
et9 TOTTov cLTrekOovcra Xoxfjurjv e^ovra iroWrjv
a-TOiprjv re irkeicrT'qv koX dacpdpayov, dfcaKOK;
irdvv Koi iraLhiKM'^ wairep alaOavofievwv Beo/iipr)
TTpoarev^ero jxeO' opKcov, av adoacoaiv avrrjv koI
diroKpvyjrcaaiy firjBeTrore XvfiaveXcrdat fjLijBe Kavareiv,
3 dvafcaXov/uevov Be tov Sr](re(D<; /cat iriaTiv Bi-
B6vT0<; 009 iinfieXijaeTac Ka\a)<i avTrj<; koI ovBev
dBiKYjcreL, TTporjXde' koI tw fiev ®r)ael avyyevo-
fievr) MeXdvLTTTTov ere/ce, Arj'iovel Be rep 'EvpvrouTOV Ot%aXi6a)9 varepov avvw/CTjae, ^rjaeo)^ B6vto<;.
eK Be MeXavLTTTTOv rov &r]cre(o<; yev6/jLevo<; *'10)^09
'Opvvrq> Trj<; et9 ILapiav dTTOiKia^ iJueTe<T)(^ev' oOev
'loD^iBai^ /cat ^Ico^lcri irdrpiov Kareo-rr) firjre
aKavOav da^apdyov pLrjTe aroL^rfV Kaieiv, dX\d
ae^eadai kuI TijjLav.
IX. *H Be K.pofx.pv(ovLa av<;, fjv ^aidv irpoa-
(ovofjua^ov, ov (f>avXov rjv OrjpLoVy dXXh pbd^i/jLov
Kol ')(aXe'TrQv /cparrjOijvat. Tavrrjv oBov irdpepyov,
0)9 fJLT] BoKoiT) TrdvTa irpof; dvdyKr}v irovelv, vtto-
<7Ta9 dvelXe, kol dp,a rajv fxev dvOpcoircop rots
7rovr)poL<; dfJLVvofievov ol6fievo<; Belv rov dyaOov
irpoacpepeadai, rcov Be Otipiwv Kal TrpoeTrcxst-
povvra Tol<i yevvaioL<i fLu^eaOai xal BiaKivBv-
18
I THESEUS, VIII. 2-ix. I
+
in the very manner in which many men had been
destroyed by himself, and he did this without practiceor even acquaintance with the monster's device, but
showing that valour is superior to all device and
practice. Now Sinis had a very beautiful and stately
daughter, named Perigune. This daughter took to
flight when her father was killed, and Theseus wentabout in search of her. But she had gone off into a
place, which abounded greatly in shrubs and rushes
and wild asparagus, and with exceeding innocence
and childish simplicity was supplicating these plants,
as if they understood her, and vowing that if theywould hide and save her, she would never tramplethem down nor bum them. When, however, Theseus
called upon her and gave her a pledge that he wouldtreat her honourably and do her no wrong, she came
forth, and after consorting with Theseus, bore him
Melanippus, and afterwards lived with Deioneus, son
of Eurytus the Oechalian, to whom Theseus gaveher. From Melanippus the son of Theseus, loxus
was born, who took part with Ornytus in leading a
colony into Caria ; whence it is ancestral usage with
the loxids, men and women, not to burn either the
asparagus-thorn or the rush, but to revere andhonour tliem.
IX. Now the Crommyonian sow, which they called
Phaea, was no insignificant creature, but fierce andhard to master. This sow he went out of his way to
encounter and slay, that he might not be thought to
perform all his exploits under compulsion, and at the
same time because he thought that while the brave
man ought to attack villainous men only in self
defence, he should seek occasion to risk his life in
battle with the nobler beasts. However, some say
19
PLUTARCHS LIVES
veveiv, €Vioi Be (fiaai ttjv 4>atai/ \rjcnpiBaf^evkadai ryvvalica (povtKjjv koI aKoXaarov, av-
roOi KaroiKOvaav ev K.pofifiv(bvi., avv he eirovofjia-
aOelaav hia rb ?}^09 fcal tov ^lov elra vtto
%r)aew<i airoOavelv.
X. Xfceipcova Be irpo rrj^ Meyapi/cijfi dvecXe
pi'^a^ Kara rcov Trerpcov, 009 fiev 6 ttoXi'? X6709Xyarevovra TOv<i irapLovTa'^, ot)9 S' evLoi Xiyovcrip
v^peL KoX Tpv(^^ irpoTeivovra tcu iroBe toI<; ^evoL<i
Kol Kekevovra VLTrreiv, elra XaKTi^ovra koI avra)-
2 Oovvra vLiTT0VTa<; eU ryv OdXarrav. ol Be Me-
yapoOev avyypac^el^, ofioae rfj (pjjfJLrj ^aBi^ovre^/cal Tft) TToWo) ')(p6v(p, Kara XL/jLoyviBrjp, TroXe-
/JL0VVT€<^, ovre v^piaT7]v ovre Xyaryv yeyovevairov ^Keipcovd <f>aaiv, dXXd \7jara)V jxev KoXaarrjv,
d/yaOodv Be Kal BtKaUov ol/cetov dvBpcjv Kal (f>i\ov.
hlaKov re yap 'F^XXrjvcov oaiciorarov vofii^ecrdai,Kal K.v)(pea ri/ia<; Oecov e-xeiv ^KOi^vrjari, rov
^dXapjivLov, rr]v Be UrjXeoo^; Kal T€Xa/jLa>vo<; dpe-3 r7]V vrr* ovBevo^ dyvoeladaL. ^Keipwva roivuv
K.vxp€(o<i fjLev yeveaOai yapiPpGV, AlaKOv Be irev-
Oepov, TiifXecD^i Be Kal TeXa/i(w^'09 irdirrrov, ef^E2vBritBo<^ yeyovoTcov rr}<; '^KeLpwvo^ kol ^api-kXov<; Ovyarpo^i. ovkovv eiKo<^ elvai rep KaKiarwT0U9 dpicrrov; eh Koivcovlav yevou<; eXOelv, rd
fieyLdra kcli nixicarara Xajx^dvovra^ Kal Bi-
Bovra^i. dXXd ©rjaea (paalv ovx ore ro Trpcorov
e^dBi^ev eh ^Kdrjva^, dXX^ varepov ^KXevatvd
re Xa,8eiV Meyapecov exovrcov, wapaKpovcrdpevovAwKXea rov dpvovra, Kal ^Kecpcova diroKrelvai,,
ravra pev ovv e^'^v roiaxna^ dvrtXoyia'i,
20
THESEUS, IX. i-x. 3
that Phaea was a female robber, a woman of mur-
derous and unbridled spirit, who dwelt in Crommyon,was called Sow because of her life and manners,and was afterwards slain by Theseus.
X. He also slew Sciron on the borders of Megara,
by hurling him down the cliffs. Sciron robbed
the passers by, according to the prevalent tradi-
tion ; but as some say, he would insolently and
wantonly thrust out his feet to strangers and bid
them wash them, and then, while they were washingthem, kick them off into the sea. Megarian writers,
V however, taking issue with current report, and, as
^ Simonides ^expresses it,
"waging war with an-
tiquity," say that Sciron was neither a violent mannor a robber, but a chastiser of robbers, and a
kinsman and friend of good and just men. For
Aeacus, they say, is regarded as the most righteousof Hellenes, and Cychreus the Salaminian has divine
honours at Athens, and the virtues of Peleus andTelamon are known to all men. Well, then, Sciron
was a son-in-law of Cychreus, father-in-law of
Aeacus, and grandfather of Peleus and Telamon,who were the sons of Endeis, daughter of Sciron
and Chariclo. It is not likely, then, they say, that
the best of men made family alliances with the
basest, receiving and giving the greatest and mostvaluable pledges. It was not, they say, whenTheseus first journeyed to Athens, but afterwards,that he captured Eleusis from the Megarians, havingcircumvented Diodes its ruler, and slew Sciron.
Such, then, are the contradictions in which thesematters are involved.
*Fragment 193 (Bergk).
31
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XI. ^Ev Bk ^E\€U(Ttvi KepKvova tov ef 'A/?-
Kahia<i KaTairaXaiaaf; avelXe' koI juui/cpov Tvpo-
eXOoiv Aa/iida-Trjv iv ^Epivew^ rov TipoicpovaTqv,
ava'yicdaa<; avrov dinaovv toI^ KkLVTrjpaiv wairepTOV? ^evov<; eKelvo^. eTrparre Be ravTU /Mtfjuov-
fi€vo<; TOV 'H/oa/cXea. /cat yap i/celvo^; 0I9 iire^ov-
\evero Tp6'TT0i<; d/j,vv6fjLepo<; Tov<i Trpoewix^i-
povvra^y eOvae rov Bovaiptv /cal KareTrdXatae
TOV ^Avracov Kal rov K.v/cvov KaTe/jLOvofid^rjaeKol TOV Tep/iepov avppi]^a^ tyjv K6(j)aXr]v dire-
2 KTeivev.d(j)'
ov Sj] real to TepfiepeLOV tcaKov ovo-
liacrOrjvat, Xiyovar Tratajv jdp, co? eoi/ce, rij
KGcpaXy Tov<; ivTvy)(^dvovTa<; 6 Tip/Mepo^ dircaX-
Xvev. OVTO) Srf Kal S7}(T€v<i KoXd^ayv tou9
irovrjpoix; iire^rjXOev, oh /nev e^id^ovTO tou9
dXXov^y VTT* ifcetvov KaTaPiatofievov^, iv Be to??
TpoTTOL^ TTf^ eavTMV dBi,KLa<; Ta Bi/cata 7rdcr)(^ovTa<;.
XII. TlpoiovTi Be avTcp Kal yevofxevw KaraTOV K.7](j)oa6v, dvBpe^ eK rov ^vraXiBoov yevovi
diravrrjcravTef; r)crrrdaavTO Trpcoroi,, Kal Beo/xevov
KadapOrjvaL, T0t9 V€VOfjLLa/x6voi<; dyviaavT€<i Kal
p,eLXi')(^ia dv(TavT€<; elaTLacrav oXkoi, jJbrjBevo^ irpo-
Tepov avT(p (^iXavdpdiirov Ka9' oBov ivTvxovTO<;.
^Hfiepa fiev ovv oyBorj Xeyerai Kpoviov firjvo^,
ov vvv ^EKaTOfi^aiojva KaXovac, KareXdelv.
KareXOobv Be et? T7;i^ itoXlv evpe rd re Koiva
Tapa')(^>)^ [xecTTa Kal Bf^^ocppocrvvrji;, Kal rh irepX
2 TOV Alyea Kal tov oIkov IBia vocrovvra, ^IrfBeia
*'Eptvey with CoraSs, after Pausanias, i. 38, 5 : 'Ep/xeif a
correction by Palmeriiis of the MSS. 'Epfj.i6vi^,
22
I THESEUS, XI. i-xii. 2
XI. In Eleiisis, moreover, he out-wrestled Cercyonthe Arcadian and killed him ; and going on a little
farther, at Erineiis, he killed Damastes, surnamed
Procrustes, by compelling him to make his own bodyfit his bed, as he had been wont to do with those of
strangers. And he did this in imitation of Heracles.
For that hero punished those who offered himviolence in the manner in which they had plotted to
serve him, and therefore sacrificed Busiris, wrestled
Antaeus to death, slew Cycnus in single combat, andkilled Termerus by dashing in his skull. It is from
him, indeed, as they say, that the name " Termerianmischief" comes, for Termerus, as it would seem,used to kill those who encountered him by dashinghis head against theirs. Thus Theseus also went on
his way chastising the wicked, who were visited with
the same violence from him which they were visiting
upon others, and suffered justice after the manner of
their own injustice.XII. As he went forward on his journey and
came to the river Cephisus, he was met by men of
the race of the Phytalidae, who greeted him first,
and when he asked to be purified from bloodshed,cleansed him with the customary rites, made pro-
pitiatory sacrifices, and feasted him at their house.
This was the first kindness which he met with on his
journey.It was, then, on the eighth day of the month
Cronius, now called Hecatombaeon, that he is said
to have arrived at Athens. And when he entered
the city, he found public affairs full of confusion and
dissension, and the private affairs of Aegeus and his
household in a distressing condition. For Medea,
i3
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
f^ap ifc K.opiv6ov (fivyouaa, <f)ap/jidKoi.<i viroo-'X^o/jLivr}
1"779 aT€KVLa<; aTraWd^eiv Alyia, (Tvvfjv avrw.
'n'poaia6ojjLiv7] Se Trepl tov Srjaico^; avrrj, rod
Be Aly€(o<; dyvoovvTO<;, 6vto<; Ee Trpea^vripov xal
(po^ovfjbivov Trdvra Bid rrjv ardcriv, eTretaev avrbv
0)9 ^evov €(TTi(0VTa ^apfjLd/coL<; dvekeiv. ekOwv
ovv 6 S7](T6v<; iirl to dpiarov ov/c iEoKifxa^e
(j)pd^6LV avTov, oaTi<; eir], TTporepof;, iKeivo) Be
jSovXofievo^; dp^r]V dvevpeae<o<i Trapaayelv, Kpewv
Trapafcei/jiivcov o-Traadfievof; rrjv fid')(^aLpai>, o)?
3 ravTTj Te/JLVQ)V, iBei/cvvev eKeivw. ra^u Be Korra-
^aOoDv 6 Alyev<;y rr)v fiev KvKiKa rod ^apfiaKOV
Kare/SaXe, rov Be vlov dvaKpiva^; rjaird^eTO, kol
avvayaycbv toxj^ TroXira^ ijvcopi^ev, r)Seco<; Se^o-
fievov^ Bid TTjv dvBpayaOiav, Xeyerat, Be ri}^
Kvkiico<; Treaovar]^ eK'xyOrjvaL to (^dpfiaKOV ottov
vvv iv AeX^cviO) to TrepicppaKTov eorTiv, evTavOa
yap 6 Aly€v<; (oKet, teal tov *Eip/j,rjv top 7rpo<i eco
rod lepov KoXovaiv eV Aly6a)<i TruXat?.
XIII. Oi Be HaWavTiBac irpoTepov fiev r/XTri^oi/
avTol TTjv l3aacXeiav KaOe^eiv At^eo)? aTetcvov
reXevTrjcavTO^' eirel Be ©rjaev^ aTreBelxOrj Bid-
Boxo'i, %a\e7raj9 ^epovTe<^ el /SaaiXevec fiev Alyevf;
^eT09 yev6fM6vo<i TLavBiovi Koi jJLTjBev ^KpexpelBai^
irpoa-^Kcov, fiaaiXevaei S* o Srjo-ev^ rrdXiv eTnjXv^
2 wv Koi ^evo^, eU TroXe/iov /caOlaTavTO. kuI
24
THESEUS, XII. 2-xiii. 2
who had fled thither from Corinth, and promised byher sorceries to reUeve Aegeus of his childlessness,
was living with him. She learned about Theseus in
advance, and since Aegeus was ignorant of him, andwas well on in years and afraid of everything because
of the faction in the city, she persuaded him to
entertain Theseus as a stranger guest, and take himoff by poison. Theseus, accordingly, on coming to
the banquet, thought best not to tell in advancewho he was, but wishing to give his father a clue to
the discovery, when the meats were served, he drewhis sword, as if minded to carve v/ith this, and
brought it to the notice of his father, Aegeusspeedily perceived it, dashed down the proffered cupof poison, and after questioning his son, embraced
him, and formally recognized him before an assemblyof the citizens, who received him gladly because of
his manly valour. And it is said that as the cupfell, the poison was spilled where now is the enclo-
sure in the Delphinium,^ for that is where the houseof Aegeus stood, and the Hermes to the east of the
sanctuary is called the Hermes at Aegeus's gate.XIII. Now the sons of Pallas had before this
themselves hoped to gain possession of the kingdomwhen Aegeus died childless. But when Theseus wasdeclared successor to the throne, exasperated that
Aegeus should be king although he was only an
adopted son of Pandion and in no way related to the
family of Erechtheus, and again that Theseus should
be prospective king although he was an immigrantand a stranger, they went to war. And dividing
^ The site of this sanctuary of the Delphinian Apollo is
conjectured to have been somewhere to the east of the
Olympieum,
«5
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
SieXovre^ eavrov^ oi fxev i/jLcpavoyf; ^(prjrToOev 6
ix^^povv eTTt TO dcTTv fierh rou Trarpo^, ol Be
TapyrjTTol /cpvyjravTe^ eavTov<; evrjhpevovy to9
Bi'XpOev eTTiOrjaofjievoL rot? virevavTiOL^;. rjv he
KTjpv^ puer avrcov, avyp 'A<yvovaio<;, ovofia Aecoq,
ovTo^ i^rjyyeiXe tw Srjo-el ra ^efiovXevp^iva roh3 HaWavTiSai^i. 6 Be e^ai(f)vr}<; eirLirecroov toI^
eveBpevovai Trai/ra? Bie^Oetpev. ol Be jxerh, rov
IldXXavTO<; irvOop.evoi Btea-Trdprjaav. Ik tovtov
(j)acrl Tft) HaXkrjveoiV Bripb(p irpo^ tov ^Ayvova-icov
i'Jnyap.Lav firf ehat, fir)Be KrjpvTTeadai tov-
7n')(^a)piov Trap* avrot^ "^A/covere Xew'" fiKTovai
yap Tovvop,a Bi.a rrjv irpoBoa-iav tov dvBpo^,
XIV. 'O Be Sr}(Tev<; €V€pyo<i elvat ^ov\6fi€vo<^,
apba Be kcli BrjixaycoySyVt i^rjXOev eirl tov Mapa-Ocoviov Tavpov, ovK oTuya irpdyp.aTa toI<; OLKovai
TTjv TeTpdiroXiv Trape'^ovTW koI ')(€ip(D(rdfjL€vo<;
iireBeL^aTO ^covTa Bca tov daT€o<; i\daa<;, eiTa t5>
2^
ATToWayvL tm AeXcpivCo) KaTeOvaev.rj Be
^FjKdXrj Kol TO Trepl avTrjv /j^vOoXoyrj/iia tov
^evLcrp^ov koI t^9 v7roBo')(rj<; eoLKe fir) rnrdaTjf;
apboipelv dXifOeia^. eOvov yap 'EiKaXrjaia^
ol
TTepi^ Brjp.01, avvLovTe'i ^E/cdXo) Ait, /cal ttjv
'FjfcdXijv iTi/jbQ)v, 'RfcaXbvrjv viroKOpt^ofievot Bta to
KaKeivrjv veov ovTa KOfiiBy tov Srjcrea ^evi^ovcrav
dcnrdaaorOai Trpea6vTiicCo<; xal cfyiXocppoveidOai
^EKaXifina the correction of Coraes : 'EKa\r}ffiop.
26
THESEUS, XIII. 2-xiv. 2
themselves into two bands, one of these marched
openly against tlie city from Sphettus with their
father ; the other hid themselves at Gargettus and
lay in ambush there, intending to attack their
enemies from two sides. But there was a herald
with them, a man of Agnus, by name Leos. This
man reported to Theseus the designs of the Pallan-
tidae. Theseus then fell suddenly upon the party
lying in ambush, and slew them all. Thereupon the
\^ party with Pallas dispersed. This is the reason, they
say, why the township of Pallene has no inter-
marriage with the township of Agnus, and why it
will not even allow heralds to make their customary
proclamation there of " Akouete leoi"
(Hearj ye
people .').For they hate the word on account of the
treachery of the man Leos.
XIV. But Theseus, desiring to be at work, and at
the same time courting the favour of the people,went out against the Marathonian bull, which was
doing no small mischief to the inhabitants of the
Tetrapolis.^ After he had mastered it, he madea display of driving it alive through the city, andthen sacrificed it to the Delphinian Apollo. Nowthe story of Hecale and her receiving and enter-
taining Theseus on this expedition seems not to be
devoid of all truth. For the people of the townshipsround about used to assemble and sacrifice the
Hecalesia to Zeus Hecalus, and they paid honours
to Hecale, calling her by the diminutive name of
Hecaline, because she too, when entertaining
Theseus, in spite of the fact that he was quite a
youth, caressed him as.elderly people do, and called
' An early name for a district of Attica comprisingMarathon and three other adjacent townships.
27
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 roiovroi^ v7roKopL<rfiol<;, eVei Be ev^aro fiev
xjirep avTOV tw AU, fiaSC^ovro^i eirl rrjv /jlcixw,
el <rftJ9 TrapayevocTO, Ovaeiv, aireOave Be irplv
eKelvov eiraveXdelv, e(j')(e Ta<; elprj/xeva^ a/jLOL^a<i
T?79 <pt\o^evLa<; rov ^rjcreco^ KeXevaavTO^, co?
^Ck6xopo<; loTToprjKev.
XY. ^OXtycp Be varepov rjKov eK K.pijrr)<; to
rpirov oi rov Baafjuov aTrd^ovre';, on fiev ovv
^AvBpoyeco nrepl rrjv ^Attlktjv airoOavelv BoXto
B6^avro<;, 6 re Mtz/&)9 ttoWo, Kaxa iroXe/jLcov
elpyd^ero rou? dvOpcoTrov; Kal to Baifioviov
e^Oetpe ttjv x^jopav (^d(j)opia re yap /cdl voao^
eve(JK7]-^e ttoWt] koi dveovaav ol Trora/jLoi), /cal
rov 6eov Trpocrrd^avrof; l\aora/jLevot<; rov Mlvco
Kot BiaXkayelaL Xoac^rjaeiv ro /jb'^vifia Kal rwv
Kafccov eaeaOat iravXav, emfcrjpvKevadiievoL Kal
Be7]0evr€<i eTroLTjaavro avv9'qKa<; ware iri/jbireiv Bl*
evvia ir&v Baafibv ylOeov<; eirrd Kal irapOevov;
roaavra<^, OfJLoXoyovcnv ol irXetaroc rcov avyypa-2
(fiicov' rov<; Be TraiBa^; eh Kpijrrjv Ko/jLi,^ofjLevov<; 6
[lev rpaytK(oraro<; fiv6o<; diroc^aivei rov Mii^co-
ravpov iv rS) Aaffvpivdrp Biacpdeipeiv, rj TrXavco-
fievov^ avrov<^ Kal rv^^lv e^oBou firj Bwafievov^;
eKel Kara6vrj(TKeiv, rov Be Mcvcoravpov, cjarrep
^vpLTTiBrj^; (prjal,
Xvfi/JbLKrov elBo^i KaTro^diXiov Ppe(f)Ofi
yeyovkvai, Kal
Tavpov /xe/xLX^at Kal /Sporov BittXt} (f)v(T€i,
28
THESEUS, XIV. 3-xv. 2
him affectionately by such diminutive names. Andsince she vowed, when the hero was going to his
battle with the bull, that slie would sacrifice to Zeusif he came back safe, but died before his return, she
obtained the above mentioned honours as a return for
her hospitality at the command of Theseus, as Philo-
\/ehorus has written.
\ XV. Not long afterwards there came from Crete
for the third time the collectors of the tribute. Nowas to this tribute, most writers agree that because
Androgeos was thought to have been treacherouslykilled within the confines of Attica, not only did
Minos harass the inhabitants of that country gi'eatly
\ in war,^ but Heaven also laid it waste, for barrenness
and pestilence smote it sorely, and its rivers dried
up ;also that when their god assured them in his
commands that if they appeased Minos and becamereconciled to him, the wrath of Heaven would abate
and there would be an end of their miseries, theysent heralds and made their supplication and entered
into an agreement to send him every nine years a
tribute of seven youths and as many maidens. Andthe most dramatic version of the story declares that
these young men and women, on being brought to
Crete, were destroyed by the Minotaur in the Laby-rinth, or else wandered about at their own will and,
being unable to find an exit, perished there ; andthat the Minotaur, as Euripides says, was
U '^ A mingled form and hybrid birth of monstrous\ shape,"
and that"^ Two different natures, man and bull, were joined
in him." ^
^ Cf. Plato, Laws, p. 706.2 Nauck, Trag. Graec. Frag.^, p. 680.
29
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XYL ^«Xo%o/)09 Si(f)7)<riv ov ravra (Tvy^^wpeiv
K.p7]Ta<;, aWa Xeyeiv on <j)povpa puev rjv 6 Aafiv-
pivBo^i ovhev 6XC0V Ka/cbv a\Xr) to ^t} Biacftvyetv
Tou? (pvXaTTOfiivov^i, dycjva Be 6 M/j/o)? eV^AvBpoyeo) yv/jLVLKov iTroiet, Kal tov<; iralSa^; aOXaTot9 vLKcbacv iSiBov reo)? iv rat Aa^vpiv6(o
(f>vXaTToixevov^* iviKa he tou? irporepov^ aycova^;
6 fieyiarov irap avrcp Bwdfievo^; rore Kal
arpaTTjycoVy ovojia Tavpo<;, avrjp ovk iirLeiKr}^
Kal rjfiepo^ top TpoTrov, dWa koI rot? Traial rcou
^Adrjvaicov v7r6p7)<pdvo)<; Kal')(^a\e7rco<; Trpoa-
(p€p6p,€vo<i'
^
Api(TTOTe\r)<; Be Kal avTo^ iv rfj
HoTTtaioyv TToXtreia Bf]X6<; icrrcv ov vojjlL^wv
dvaipelaOai rou? iralBa^; virb rou Mtvco, dXXd
67]T€vovTa^ iv rfj Kpi^rrj KarayrjpdaKeiv xal irore
K.p7]Tafi eiJ')(r)ViraXaiav dTToBiBovra'; dvdpcoTrcov
dirapxrjv eU AeX^ou? diroareXXeiVy roU Be
Tre/JLTTo/xevot*; dvajxcxOevra^ iKyovov^ iKeivwv crvv-
e^eXdelv a>9 Be ovk rjcrav iKavol rpecpeLv eavTov<^
avToOi, TTpcoTov filv ch 'IrdXiav BiairepaaaLKuKel KaroiKelv irepl rrjv ^lairvyiav, iKetOev Be
av6i<; eh ©paKijv KO/juLaOrivat Kal KXrjOrjvat
BoTTtatof9* Bco ra<; Kopa^; tmv BorrtaLCDV BvaLav
Tiva reXovaaff iTraBeiv **''lco/jb€v eh ^AOrjva*;.^'
''EoiKe yap ovrco^ '^/aXeTrov elvai (pcovrjv i)(ov(T7}
TToXet Kal fzovaav dTre^OdvecrOaL. Kal yap 6
Mivco<; del BiereXei KaKc!)<; dKovcov Kal XocBopov-
/jLevo<; iv Toh ^Attikol^ Oedrpoi^t fcal ovt€ 'HcrtoSoy
30
THESEUS, XVI. 1-3
k XVI. Philochorus, however, says that the Cretans
do not admit this, but declare that the Labyrinthwas a dungeon, with no other inconvenience than
that its prisoners could not escape ; and that Minosinstituted funeral games in honour of Androgeos,and as prizes for the victors, gave these Athenian
youth, who were in the meantime imprisoned in
the Labyrinth ;and that the victor in the first games
was the man who had the greatest power at that
time under Minos, and was his general, Taurus byname; who was not reasonable and gentle in his
disposition^ but treated the Athenian youth with
arrogance and cruelty. And Aristotle himself also,
in his " Constitution of Bottiaea,"^
clearly does not
think that these youths were put to death by Minos,but that they spent the rest of their lives as slaves
in Crete. And he says that the Cretans once, in
fulfilment of an ancient vow, sent an offering of
I
their first-born to Delphi, and that some descendants
of those Athenians were among the victims, andwent forth with them ; and that when they wereunable to support themselves there, they first crossed
over into Italy and dwelt in that country roundabout lapygia, and from there journeyed again into
Thrace and were called Bottiaeans; and that this
was the reason why the maidens of Bottiaea, in per-
forming a certain sacrifice, sing as an accompaniment :
"To Athens let us go !
"
And verily it seems to be a grievous thing for
a man to be at enmity with a city Avhich has a
language and a literature. For Minos was always/t abused and reviled in the Attic theatres, and it did
not avail him either that Hesiod ^ called him " most1 Not extant. 2
piato, Minos, p. 320 D ; Hesiod,
Catalogues (Loeb edition), frag 74.
3'
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avrov Svr}(T6 ^'jBadCkevrarov^^ ovT6''0/Jbripo<i*'
oapi-
arrjv ^lo<;^^ wpoaajopevaa'^, uXaS eTTLKpaTijaavre';ol rpaycKol iroWrjp airo rov Xoyeiov koI Tij<; aKr]v7]<;
dBo^lav avTOv KareafciBaaav co? 'yakeTrov ical
ficaiov jevofjbevov. Kalroi, (f)aal rov fjuev Mlvco
^aaiXia koI vofjuoOerr^v, BtKaarrjv Be rov *FaBd-
fjbavOvv elvai koI (pvXuKa tcov a)pLcr/JL6V(ov vir
eiceivov Bifcaicov.
XVII. 'EttcI S' ovv KaOrjKev 6')(p6vo<;
rov
rpiTOV Baa-fjiov, koX7rap6')(^€i,v
eBet tol'9 irarepa^iirl rov Kkrjpov oU rjaav rjiOeoi nralBe^y av9i<=;
dvecpvovro rw Alyel Bia^okal 7rpo<; rou? TroXirag,
6Bvpofi6vov<; /cat dyavaKTOVVTa<^ ore iravrcov aLTiOf;
wv eK6LV0<;, ovBev /iepo<; €%6i r?)? KoXdaecof; /j,6vo<i,
aXX eVl v60(p KOI ^6V(p iraiBl ttjv dpxv^ ireTrotTj-
fjiivo^ avrov<; irepiopa yvrjaicov eprjixov^ koX
2 diraiBa^i d7ro'X€i7ro/i6Vov<;. ravr rjvia rov STjo-ea,
Kal BifcaiMV firj dpuekelv, dWd Koivwvelv rrj<;
Tvxn^ 'i^oh TToXirat^;, eTriBcoKev eavrov dvev Kkrjpov
TTpoaeXOcov. Kal TOL<i fiev dWoL<; to re (j>p6vr}fia
Oav/jLaarbv icf)dvr] Kal to Stj/jlotikov t^ydinja-av,
6 Be Alyev<;, eirel Beofxevo^ Kal KaOiKerevwy dfxeTd-ireicnov ecopa Kal dfierdTpeirrov, direKXypcocre
TOL'9 dWov<; iTalBa<;.
3 'YXkdvLKOf; Be (prja-iv ov tov? Xaxovra^; diro
KXrjpov Kal Ta9 Xa^ovo-a^ eKirifjiTTeiv tt)v ttoXlv,
avTov Be rov Mlvco Trapayivofievov eKXeyeaOaiKal rov Sijaea irdvTcov eXeaOat Trpcorov eVl Tot9
opLcrOelcnv wptap^evov 8* etvao rrjv jiiev vavv
A6r)vaiov<^ Trapix^Lv, eixjBdvTa^; Be irXelv avv
avTcp T0U9 riWeovi fi^]Bev oirXov dprj'iov eTncpepQ-
32
I THESEUS, XVI. 3-xvii. 3
\^ royal," or that Homer ^styled him "a confidant of
Zeus," but the tragic poets prevailed, and from
platform and stage showered obloquy down uponhim, as a man of cruelty and violence. And yet
/M:hey say that Minos was a king and lawgiver, and
that Rhadamanthus was a judge under him, and a
guardian of the principles of justice defined by him.
XVII. Accordingly, when the time came for the
third tribute, and it was necessary for the fathers
who had youthful sons to present them for the lot,
fresh accusations against Aegeus arose among the
people, who were full of sorrow and vexation that hewho was the cause of all their trouble alone had noshare in the punishment, but devolved the kingdomupon a bastard and foreign son, and suffered them to
be left destitute and bereft of legitimate children.
These things troubled Theseus, who, thinking it
right not to disregard but to share in the fortune of
his fellow-citizens, came forward and offered himself
independently of the lot. The citizens admired his
noble courage and were delighted with his public
spirit, and Aegeus, when he saw that his son was notto be won over or turned from his purpose byprayers and entreaties, cast the lots for the rest ofthe youths.
^ Hellanicus, however, says that the city did not
\^
send its young men and maidens by lot, but that
Minos himself used to come and pick them out, andthat he now pitched upon Theseus first of all, follow-
ing the terms agreed upon. And he says the agree-ment was that the Athenians should furnish the
ship, and that the youths should embark and sail
*Odyssey^ xix. 179.
33
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiivovf;, atrdko^evov hk tov Mtvcoravpov iripa^;
e'xeiv rrjv rroivijv.
4 Uporepov /JL€V ovv ovBepia acoTr^pia^ iXirh
v7reK6Lro' Slo koX pekav lariov €')(ovaav, co? eirl
a-v/jL<f)Opa iTpo^r)\(py ttjv vavv eTre/jLTTOV t6t€ Be
rod Srjaico<; tov Trarepa Oappvvovro^ koX fiejaXr)-
ryopOVVTO^ ft)9 %6//0a)O'€Tat TOV M-LVCOTaVpOV, eBo)/C€V
€T€pov laTiov XevKov T(p Kv^epvrjTrj, fceXevaa^;
v7ro<7Tpf.(l)ovTa aco^ojiievov tov ©r^oreo)? eTrdpaaOaiTO XevKov, el he p.r)y tm peXavt irXelv koX airoar]'
fiaiveiv TO Tra^o?.
5 'O Be Xip'MviBr}<; ov XevKov (f>7j(Ttv elvai to
BoOev VTTO tov Alyeci)^, aWa "(poivifceov laTiov
vypM TrecjivpfJLevov irpivov dvOei epiOdWov" Ka\
TOVTO Trj<^ <r(OTr]pLa<; avTMV iroirjcracrOai arj/jLelov.
iKv/Sepva Bk ttjv vavv^
AfiapcrvdBa^ ^ep€K\o<i,6 0)9 (j)r]ai. XifJi03VLBr](;. ^Cko^opo^ Be irapa X/cupov
<f>r](rlvIk '2a\ap,lvo^ tov Srjaea XajSecv /cv0€p-
vr}Tr]v fiev Navo-lOoov, irpcopia Be ^aiaKa, fir)
BeTTQ) t6t€ t(ov ^AOrjvaiayv irpoa-e^oincov ttj 6a-
XaTTtj' xal yap elvai tcov rjlOewv eva ^leveaOrjv
^KLpov dvyaTpiBovv. p^apTVpel Be tovtol^; rjpipa^avcnOoov Kal ^aiaKO<; elcrapLevou 0>;creco9 4>a-
XrjpoL 7rpo9 TO) tov %Kipov lep&} Kal ttjv iopTrjvTCL ILvjBepVTjcnd ^aaiv iKeuvoi^ TeXelcrOaL.
XVIII. Tevo/iievov Be tov KXrjpov TrapaXa^covTov^ Xa')(pvTa^ 6 Srjaev^; iic tov irpVTaveiov, Kai
irapeXdoov eh ^eXfpiviov, e6j]/cev virep avToyv t^^AttoXXcovi, ttjv IfceTTjpiav. rjv Be kXuBo<} diro
*tepy bracketed by Bekker {near that of Scirtis).
34
I THESEUS, XVII. 3-xviii. i
X,
ith him carrying no warlike weapon, and that if
the Minotaur was killed the penalty should cease.
On the two former occasions, then, no hope of
safety was entertained, and therefore they sent the
ship with a black sail, convinced that their youthwere going to certain destruction ;
but now Theseus
encouraged his father and loudly boasted that hewould master the Minotaur, so that he gave the
pilot another sail, a white one, ordering him, if hereturned with Theseus safe, to hoist the white sail,
but otherwise to sail with the black one, and so
indicate the affliction.
Simonides, however, says^ that the sail given by
Aegeus was not white, but "a. scarlet sail dyed with
the tender flower of luxuriant holm-oak/' and that
he made this a token of their safety. Moreover, the
pilot of the ship was Phereclus, son of Amarsyas,as Simonides says ; but Philochorus says that The-
"^seus got from Scirus of Salamis Nausithoiis for his
pilot, and Phaeax for his look-out man, the
Athenians at that time not yet being addicted to
the sea, and that Scirus did him this favour becauseone of the chosen youths, Menesthes, was his
daughter's son. And there is evidence for this in
the memorial chapels for Nausithoiis and Phaeaxwhich Theseus built at Phalerum near the temple of
y Scirus, and they say that the festival of the Cyber-^
nesia, or Pilot's Festival, is celebrated in their
honour.
XVIII. When the lot was cast, Theseus tookthose upon whom it fell from the prytaneium andwent to the Delphinium, where he dedicated to
Apollo in their behalf his suppliant's badge. This
^
Fragment 51 (Bergk, Foet. Lyr, Oraecit uL* p. 413).
35
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rrj<; lepa^ iXala^, epiw XevKw Karea-refjifiivo';,
ev^djjievo'i 8e /careBatvev 6KTr) fjir)vo<; iirl 6d-
Xaaaav iGTafxevov Moyi/i/^icuz^o?, y Koi vvv ert
ra? Kopa^: TrifiTrovacv l\aa-ofJL6va<s ei? AeXcplviov.2 Xiyerac Be aurco rbv fiev iv AeXc^oi? civeXelv
6eov ^AchpoBirrjv fcaOrjyejjLova TTOLeladai /cal irapa- 8
KuXelv avvepiropov, Ovovtl Be irpo^ OaXadarj rr/v
alya O^Xeiav ovorav avTo/jLdTco<; rpcijov fyeveadarBio Koi Kokeladai ti]v Oeov ^ETrirpayiav,XIX. ^Ewel Be /caTeirXevaep eh Kp^rrjv, a)?
fiev ol TToWol ypdcpovat koi aBovai, nrapa r?}?
^ApidBvi]^ epaa9ei<j7)<i to \ivov Xa/Scov, koi Bl-
Ba^^el^; &)9 eart rev Xa^vpivOov to\j<; eXiypov^
Bie^eXOeli', direKTeive tov Mtvcoravpov Kal dire-
rrXevae rrjv ^ApidBvrjv dvaXa^cov koI tov<; rj'i-
Oeovf;, ^€peKvBr)(; Be koX rd eBdcprj tmv K/ar?-
TtKcav veo)V (f>r}aiv eKKoy^ai tov (drjaea, Tr)v
2 Blco^iv d<f)aipovpepov. A7]pcov Be Kal tov Taupov
dvaipeOrjvai (prjai tov tov Mlvco aTpaTY)y6vy iv
Tw Xip,evL Btavavpba'X^ovvTa tov ^iiaeoi^ eK-
irXeovTo^. &)9 Be '^1X6^(^0po<^ laToprj/ce, tov dycova
tov MtVce) (TVVTeXovvTO^, eTTiBo^O'^ oiv d7ravTa<i
irdXtv vLKrjaeiV, Tavpo<; icpOoveiTO. Kal yap rj
BvvapiLf; avTov Bid tov Tpoirov rjv eirax^V^t f^al
Bia^oXr]v el'^ev co? Trj TIa(n(j)dy irXfjaLd^wv. Bio
Kal TOV %rjaew^ d^iovvTO'^ dycoviaacrOat avve-
3 x^pr^aev 6 MtVa)?. eOov^ Be 6Vto9 ev Kpi)Tij
OedaOai Kal ra? yvvalKa^i, WpidBvi] irapovaa irpos
36
_ THESEUS, XVIII. i-xix. 3
^^Was a bough from the sacred olive-tree, wreathedwith white wool. Having made his vows and
prayers, he went down to the sea on the sixth day of
the month Munychion, on wliich day even now theAthenians still send their maidens to the Delphinium
^ to propitiate the god. And it is reported that the
god at Delphi commanded him in an oracle to makeAphrodite his guide, and invite her to attend him onliis journey, and that as he sacrificed the usual she-
goat to her by the sea-shore, it became a he-goat("tragos") all at once, for which reason the goddesshas the surname Epitragia.XIX. When he reaciied Crete on his voyage, most
Iiistorians and poets tell us that he got from Ariadne,who had fallen in love with him, the famous thread,and that having been instructed by her how to makehis way through the intricacies of the Labyrinth, heslew the Minotaur and sailed off with Ariadne and
y the youths. And Pherecydes ^ays that Theseus also
staved in the bottoms of the Cretan ships, thus
depriving them of the power to pursue. AndJr Demon says also that Taurus, the general of Minos,
was killed in a naval battle in the harbour as Theseus
^^ was sailing out. But as Philochorus tells the story,^Minos was holding the funeral games, and Tauruswas expected to conquer all his competitors in them,as he had done before, and was grudged his success.
For his disposition made his power hateful, and hewas accused of too great intimacy with Pasiphae.Therefore when Theseus asked the privilege of
entering the lists, it was granted him by Minos.And since it was the custom in Crete for women to
view the games, Ariadne was present, and was* Cf. cliai)ter xri. 1.
37
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
re rr)v j^jriv i^67r\dyr) tov Srjaeo)^ Kal rrjv
dOXyaiv iOav/jiaae iravTcov KparijaavTO^' rjadeUSe Kal 6 Mli/oxj fidXtara rod Tavpov KarairaXai-
a6evT0<; Kal irpoTrrjXaKtaOevro^ii aTriBcoKe tw
@7](T6l TOu$ TratSa? Kal dvrjKe rrj TroXei tov
Baa/.i6v.
i 'iStft)? Be TTO)? Kal 7r6/3£TTft)9 o K\€lB7}/j,o<; diriff-
yeike Trepl tovtcov, dvcoOiv iroOev dp^dfLevo<;, otl
BoyjLLa KOivov rjv 'EWyjvcov jjbrjBefilav eKirXelv
TpLyjpT} firjBa/jioOev dvBpcou irevre TrXetova*; Be^o-
/Jiivrjv TOV Be dpxovra t^9 *Apyov<; 'Idaova jjlovov
irepiirXelv^ e^eipyovTa t^? OaXaTTtj^ to, Xy-
aTrjpia, AaiBuXov Be ttXoIw (pvyovTOf; eh 'A^/;z/a9,
MLvco<; nrapd tcl BoypLara puaKpalf; vavarl Bkokcov
VTTO ')(eipL(avo<; eh XiKeXiav dirrjve'x^Ov a:"'^^^ Kare-5 (TTpeyfre tov jStov. eVet Be Aev/<aXicov 6 vlo<;
avTOv 7roXepLiKco<; e^fov 7rpo<; T0v<i ^AOijvaLOvq
eTrepL-^ev, eicBiBovai Aai^aXov avT(p KeXevcov rj
Tov<; TralBa^ drroKrevelv direiXcov oy? eXajSev
6pr)pov<; 6 MtV&)9, TovT(p pL€v direKpivaTO nrpdo)^6 Srjaev^, irapairovpLevo^ dveyj/iov ovTa AaiBaXovKaKiivo) Kara y6vo<; Trpoai]KovTa, puijrpb^ ovTa
Mepoirrjf; t^? ^Epe)(6e(t}<^, avTO^ Be vavTrrjyiav
iire/SdXero, Trjv pev ev ©vpairaBcov avToOv pa-Kpdv Tt}9 ^€VLKr](; oBov, T^]V Be Blo, UirOecof; ev
6 Tpot^'fjvi,, ^ovX6pL€VO(; Xavddveiv. yevopbevayv Be
eToipLwv efeVXeuo-e tov tg AaiBaXov e^wj/ koX
<f)vydBa^ eK Kp7]T7]<; Ka6r}yepi6va<i' ovBei'o<; Be
*irepntKe^y Sinteiiis and Bekker assume a lacuna after this
word. A Bodleian MS. (B'^) has Tpn'ipa v\-fip€i avSpwp Ikcwuv
[with a trireme fully manned),
38
THESEUS, XIX. 3-6
smitten with the appearance of Theseus, as well as
filled with admiration for his athletic prowess, whenhe conquered all his opponents. Minos also was
delighted with him, especially because he conqueredTaurus in wrestling and disgraced him, and there-
fore gave back the youths to Theseus, besides
remitting its tribute to the city.V/ Cleidemus, however, gives a rather peculiar and^ambitious account of these matters, beginning a
great way back. There was, he says, a generalHellenic decree that no trireme should sail from
any port with a larger crew than five men, and the
only exception was Jason, the commander of the
Argo, who sailed about scouring the sea of pirates.Now when Daedalus fled from Crete in a merchant-v^essel to Athens, Minos, contrary to the decrees,
pursued him with his ships of war, and was drivenfrom his course by a tempest to Sicily, where heended his life.^ And when Deucalion, his son,who was on hostile terms with the Athenians, sentto them a demand that they deliver up Daedalusto him, and threatened, if they refused, to put to
death the youth whom Minos had received fromthem as hostages, Theseus made him a gentle reply,
declining to surrender Daedalus, who was his kinsmanand cousin, being the son of Merope, the daughterof Erechtheus. But privately he set himself to
building a fleet, part of it at home in the townshipof Thymoetadae, far from the public road, and partof it under the direction of Pittheus in Troezen,wishing his purpose to remain concealed. Whenhis ships were ready, he set sail, taking Daedalusand exiles from Crete as his guides, and since none
* Of. Herodotus, vii. 170 ; Diodorus, iy. 79.
39
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irpoeiBoTOf;, aWa vav'i (ptXla^ olofievcop tcop
Kpr)Ta>v TTpoacpepeadai, tov \tfi€VO<; KpaTriaa<i
Kol airo^af; €(^6aa€v eU Tr)v K.vcocraop irapeX-6(t)v' Kal fici^rjv ev 7rv\ai<; tov AapvpLvOov
(rvvdylra<; aireiCTeive tov AevfcaXlciiva koI tov<;
7 Bopv^opovf}. iv Se toI^ iTpdyp,a(TL tt}? *Apid8vr}<;
j€vo/jL6vrj<;, a7r€i(Td/jL€V0<; 7rpo<; avTrjv tou? t€
r)L6eov<; dveka^e koX (ptXiav iwoLrjae T0i9 ^Adr)-
vatotf} irpo^ T0U9 KpfjTa<;, opLoaavTa^^ pbrjheiroTe
TToXi/iiov KaTdp^eiv.XX. UoWol Be Xoyoi kol irepl tovtcov en
XiyovTai Kal irepl t^9 ^ApidZvrj^;, ovBev opuoXo-
jovpuevov e^ovTe^. ol puev yap dTrdyPaaOai ^acriv
avT7]v diroXei^Oelcrav vtto tov @7;cre&)9, ol Be eh
Nafoi/ VTTO vavTCJV KopLLcrOelaav Olvdpw t5> lepel
TOV Aiovvaov avvoucelv, diroXeL^OrivaL Be tov
©7;a-ea)9 epcopTO^ €Tepa<;'
A€LVO<; ydp puiv eTeipev epco<i Iiavo7Tr]iBo<s AtyXr]^.
2 TOVTO ycip TO e7ro<i etc tcov 'HaioBov Ueiaia-TpaTOv
i^eXecv <\>7iaLv 'Hpea^i 6 Meyapeix;, wairep av ird-
Xlv i/jL^aXetp eh Tyv '0/jL7]pov pi/cviap to
®r](Tea TieipiOoGV re Oewp dpiBei/ceTa Te/cpa^
')(apL^6pLevop ^AOiivaioL^' evioL Be fcal Texecp eK
Sijaeco^ *ApuiBpr]p OlvoiTLWva /cal XTd(j)vXop' o)P
Kal 6 Xi09 "l(i>p ia-Tl irepl t/}9 eaurov iraTpiBo'i
Xeycop'
Trjp TTore 0r;o-et87;9 eicTiaep OIpottIcop,
40
I THESEUS, XIX. 6-xx. 2
of the Cretans knew of his design, but thought the
approaching ships to be friendly, Theseus madehimself master of the harbour, disembarked his men,and got to Gnossus before his enemies were awareof his approach. Then joining battle with them at
the gate of the Labyrinth, he slew Deucalion and his
body-guard. And since Ariadne was now at thehead of affairs, he made a truce with her, received
back the youthful hostages, and established friend-
ship between the Athenians and the Cretans, whotook oath never to begin hostilities.
XX. There are many other stories about these> matters, and also about Ariadne, but they do not
r agree at all. Some say that she hung herself becauseshe was abandoned by Theseus ; others that she was
V" conveyed to Naxos by sailors and there lived withOenarus the priest of Dionysus, and that she wasabandoned by Theseus because he loved anotherwoman :—
J'Dreadful indeed was his passion for Aigle child of
^Panopeus."^
This verse Peisistratus expunged from the poems of
A^Hesiod, according to Hereas the Megarian, just as,
on the other hand, he inserted into the Inferno of\ Homer the verse :
—A ''Theseus, Peirithous, illustrious children of
Heaven," 2
and all to gratify the Athenians. Moreover, sonic
say that Ariadne actually had sons by Theseus,
Oenopion and Staphylus, and among these is Ion of
Chios, who says of his own native city :—
>" *'This, once, Theseus's son founded, Oenopion."
^
v^
^ Cf. Athenaens, p. 557 a. '^
Odyssey^ xi. 631,'Bergk, Pott. Lyr. Gr. ii.* p. 251.
I41
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
A S* iarlv eix^rjjiorara tmv fivOoXoyovfievcov,
7rdvT6^ ft)9 €7ro9 eiTrelv Blcl (noixaTO^ exovaiv.lBiov Be Tiva Trepl tovtcov Xoyov eKB^BmKe^ HaLcov
3 ^A/JLadovaLO^. tov yap Srjaia ^J}(IW viro "xei-
fiSivo^ ek KvTTpov i^evexOevTa Kal tt)v 'ApidBvrjv
eyKvov e'X^oma, ^avXo)<; Be BiaKeLfxevriv vtto tov
(Tokov Kal Bvacpopovaav, eK^L^daaL fjuopijv, avrbv
Be Ta> ttXolo) ^07]9ovvTa irdXiv eh to TreXayo^;
aTTo T>}9 7^9 (pepeadai. Ta9 ovv eyxfopiov^ yv-voLKa^ Tr}v ^ApidBv^jv dvaXa/Selv Kal irepieireLv
dOv/JLOvaav eVl Trj fjLOVcocrei, Kal ypd/jLfiaTa irXa-
(TTCL 7rpoa(p€peiv, a)9 tov ©rjaeco^ ypd(j)ovTO<; avrfj,
Kal Trepl rrjv wBiva trvfiTTOvelv Kal ^orjOelv diro-
4 Oavovaav Be Odyjrat firj TeKovarav. eireXOovTa
Be TOV Srjaea Kal TrepiXvirov yevofievov Tot9 {Ji^v
67%ftJ/)toi9 diToXLTrelv '^^prj/xaTaj awTd^avra dveiv
TJj ^ApidBvrjy Bvo Be fiiKpov^ dvBpiavTi(TKov<; IBpv-
aaa-dat, tov fiev dpyvpovv, tov Be 'X^aXKovv. iv
Be tJ OverLa tov VopTriaiov fi7}vb<; laTafiivov
BevTEpa KaTaKXivb\ievov Tiva twv veavlo-Kcov
ifideyyeadai Kal iroielv direp odBivovaat yvvaiKe<;'
KoXelv Be TO dXao<; ^AfiaOovaiov^, iv o5 tov Td<j)Ov
BeiKvvovaiv, ^ApidBvr)<;^
AxfypoBiTr)^.
5 Kal 'Na^icov Be Tive<; IBico^—l^^mfiovai. Bvo
MLva)a<; yeveaOai Kal Bvo ^ApidBva<;, cov ttjv fiev
Aiovvao) yap,r]Oj]vaL ^aajy iv Nd^m Kal tov<;
Trepl ^Td(f>vXov TeKetVy ttjv Be vecoTepav dpira-
aOelaav vtto tov Syja-icof; Kal d7roX€L<f)9eicrav et9
Nd^ov iXOelv, Kal Tpo(j)6v psT avrrj^ ovojxa
42
i THESEUS, XX. 2-5
V
Now the most auspicious of these legendary tales
are in the mouths of all men, as I may say ; but a
very peculiar account of these matters is published
by Paeon the Amathusian. He says that Theseus,driven out of his course by a storm to Cyprus, and
having with him Ariadne, who was big with child
and in sore sickness and distress from the tossing of
the sea, set her on shore alone, but that he himself,while trying to succour the ship, was borne out to
sea again. The women of the island, accordingly,took Ariadne into their care, and tried to comfort
her in the discouragement caused by her loneliness,
brought her forged letters purporting to have beenwritten to her by Theseus, ministered to her aid
during the pangs of travail, and gave her burial
when she died before her child was born. Paeon
says further that Theseus came back, and was greatly
aflfiicted, and left a sum of money with the people of
the island, enjoining them to sacrifice to Ariadne,and caused two little statuettes to be set up in her
honour, one of silver, and one of bronze. He saysalso that at the sacrifice in her honour on the second
day of the month Gorpiaeus, one of their young menlies down and imitates the cries and gestures of
women in travail;and that they call the grove in
which they show her tomb, the grove of Ariadne
Aphrodite.Jk" Some of the Naxians also have a story of their
own, that there were two Minoses and two Ariadnes,one of whom, they say, was married to Dionysus in
Naxos and bore him Staphylus and his brother,and the other, of a later time, having been carried
off1)}' Theseus and then abandoned by him, came
to Naxos, accompanied by a nurse named Corcyne,
43
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
KopKvv7]Vi r]^ heiKVvaOat rdcjyov. airodavelv Be
Kol TYjv ^ApidEin]p avToOt koI rifxa^ e^^i'V ovxofioia^ Ty TTporepa, rfj jxev yap rjSo/jL6vov<f kol
irai^ovTaf; ioprd^eiv, ra? Be Tavrrj Bpw[JLiva<;
6vaLa<; elvav irevOei rivl /cat cTTvyvoTtjTi fie-
fiiyfieva^.
XX T. 'E/c he rrj<; Kp?;T^9 aTToifXewv eh A^Xor
Kariax^' f<^cil t« Oeco Ovcra^ Kal avaOeh rh
a(^pohiaLOV o irapa t^9 ^AptdSv}]<; eXafiev, i^o-
pevae ixeja tcov rj'iOicov ^ppelav r^v en vvv eVi-
Tekelv ArjXLOvf; Xeyoycrif /lipijfia to3V ev tw
Aa^vp[vO(p TrepLoocov /cal Bie^oScov, ev rcvi pvOfiw
•7rapaXkd^€L<; kol dveXl^ei^; e^ovTi yLyvojJLevrjv.
2 KaXelrat Be to yevo<i rouro ri}? ^^opeta? viro
AtjXlodv yepavo^, (w? laropel ^LKcdapxos* ^%o-
pevore Be irepl rov "KepaToyva ^cop^ov, etc Kepdrcov
avvr]pp,o(7pLevov evwvvpwv cLTrdvrojv, iroirjaaL Be
Kol dycovd j^ioaLv avTov ev AifXq), Kal T0t9 vtKoxji,
Tore TrpcoTov utt' eKeivov (poivtKa BoOrfvai.
XXII. T^ Be ArTtKrj Trpoacpepo/xevcov exXa-
OeoOai p.ev avrov, eKXadeaOat Be rov /cv^tipviJTrjv
VTTO %apa9 iirupaadau to Io-tlov o5 rrjv acoTrjpiavavTcov eBei, yvoipipov t& Alyel yeveadai' tov
Be diroyvovra plyjraL Kara Trj<; irerpa'^ eavrov
Kal Bia(^Oaprji'aL. KaTairXevcra^ Be 6 Syjaev^eOue p,ev avro'^ as eKirXefjov 6vaia<^ ev^aro toI<;
Oeols ^aXtjpot, KrjpvKa he dTreareiXe tt}? acoTrj-
2 plas dyyeXov eh da-rv. outo? ivirvx^v uBvpofjue-
voi'i re TToXXoh rr)v rov fiaaiXe(o<; reXevrrjv koi
XaipovcTLVt (»9 elKO's, eiepois Kal (j>iXo<f>popeLaOai
44
THESEUS, XX. 5-xxn. 2
wliose tomb they show ;and that this Ariadne also
died there, and has honours paid her unlike those
of the former, for the festival of the first Ariadne is
celebrated with mirth and revels, but the sacrifices
performed in honour of the second are attended
with sorrow and mourning.XXI. On his voyage from Crete, Theseus put in
at Delos, and having sacrificed to the god and dedi-
cated in his temple the image of Aphrodite which hehad received from Ariadne, he danced with his
X^youths a dance which they say is still performed bythe Delians, being an imitation of the circling
passages in the Labyrinth, and consisting of certain
rhythmic involutions and evolutions. This kind of~dance, as Dicaearchus tells us, is called by the
Delians The Crane, and Theseus danced it round the
altar called Keraton, which is constructed of horns
('^kerata") taken entirely from the left side of thi
head. They say that he also instituted athletic- contests in Delos, and that the custom was then
begun by him of giving a palm to the victors.
>^ XX J I. It is said, moreover, that as they drew nighthe coast of Attica, Theseus himself forgot, and his
pilot forgot, such was their joy and exultation, to
hoist the sail wliich was to have been the token of
their safety to Aegeus,who therefore, in despair, threwhimselfdown from the rock and was dashed in pieces.But Theseus, putting in to shore, sacrificed in personthe sacrifices which he had vowed to the gods at
Phalerum when he set sail, and then dispatched a
herald to the city to announce his safe return. The
messenger found many of the people bewailing thedeath of their king, and others full of joy at his
tidings, as was natural, and eager to welcome him
VOL. I. P 45
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ical <7T6(f)avovv avrov eVl rfj (Twrr^pia irpoOv/JiOi^
ov<TL, TOv<; fiev ovv aT€(j)dvov<; 8€)(^6/jievo(;to
fcrjpvfceiov av€(rT€<f)6v, eTraveXOcov Se eVl dd-
Xaaaav oviroa ireiroLrjfjuivov a-7rov8d<; rod Srjaeoi^
ef0) nrepiefJueLvet purj ^ovXofievo^ rr^v 6v(Tiav rapd-
3 ^ai. yepofiipcov Ee riav airopBcov dirrjyyeLXe rrji/
Tou Aljico^i reXevTrjv. oi Be avv KXavOfiM koI 1(
dopvPm o-7r€vBovr€<; dvi/Saivov el<i rrjp iroXiv.
oOev Koi vvv iv Tol<i wo-'^ocpopuoL'; (ne^avovadat
p,€V ov Tov KTjpvKa Xiyovacv, dXXa to KrjpvKeiov,
€7n(f>o)veLV Be iv rat? a7rovBal<if 'EXcXeO, 'lou,
*Iou, T0U9 irapQvra^' a>v to fiev airevBovTe'i dva-
(pcoveiu Kol iraicdvL^ovTefi elcodaaif to Bk iKirX^-
feo)? Kal Tapa'XTj^; iari.
4 Sdy(ra<; Be tov TraTepa, tc5 ^AttoXXcovi tt)v
ev'xr)v direBiSov t§ i/SBopLrj tov Uvaveyjnayvo^
fjLr)vo<; laTafievov Tavrrj yap dvefirjaav ek dtTTV
(T(O0€VT€<;, 7] fiev ovv €'\^r)cn<; twv oaTrplcovJXi^e-
Tat ylveaOai Bik to acoOevTa^i avTov<; et? ravTO
"avfifit^ai ra irepLovTa tcov atTCcov Kal pbiav
')(VTpav K0iV7)v e'>^r)aavTa<i avvea-TLaOrjvai koX
5 avyKaracpayetv dXX)jXoLf;. ttjv Be eipecndivqv
eK^epovai KXdBov iXaia<; epiw fiev dv€(TT€fifievov,
coairep TOTe rrjv lK€T7]piav, TravroBaTrcov Be dvd-
irXewv KarapyfidT(ov Bia to Xrf^av ttjv d<popiav,
€7rdBovT€<i'
46
THESEUS, XXII. 2-5
rown him with garlands for his good news.
The garlands, tlien, he accepted, and twined themabout his herald's staff, and on returning to the sea-
shore, finding that Theseus had not yet made his
libations to the gods, remained outside the sacred
precincts, not wisliing to disturb the sacrifice. But
when the libations were made, he announced the
death of Aegeus. Thereupon, with tumultuous
lamentation, they went up in haste to the city.
y Whence it is, they say, that to this day, at the
festival of the Oschophoria,^ it is not the herald that
is crowned, but his herald's staff, and those who are
present at the libations cry out :" Eleleu ! lou !
lou !
"the first of which cries is the exclamation of
eager haste and triumph, the second of consternation
and confusion.
After burying his father, Theseus paid his vowsto Apollo on the seventh day of the month Pyanep-sion; for on that day they had come back to the
city in safety. Now the custom of boiling all sorts
of pulse on that day is said to have arisen from the'"
fact that the youths who were brought safely back
by Theseus put what was left of their provisionsinto one mess, boiled it in one common pot, feasted
upon it, and ate it all up together. At that feast
they also carry the so-called "eiresione," which is a
bough of olive wreathed with wool, such as Theseusused at the time of his supplication, and laden with
all sorts of fruit-offerings, to signify that scarcity wasat an end, and as they go they sing :
—^ A vintage festival, during which branches of the vine
with grapes upon them (oexoi) were borne in procession fromAthens to Phalerum. See chapter xxiii. 2,
47
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
"Eilpea-icovrf arvKa (fiepei Kot iriovaf; aprov^
Kot fjLeXi ev KOTvKr) fcal eXatov aTroyfnjcraa-Oai
Kal kvXlk ev^wpovy ci>9 av jieOvovaa KaOevBrj.
Kalroi ravrd rive^ eVt rot? 'UpaKXeiSacf; yiveaOat
Xi^^ovsmi, ovToxi Siarpe(l)o/xevoi<; viro tcjp ^Kdr)-
vaiwv ol he irXeiove^ &)? Trpoeiprjrai.
XXIII. To Se ttXolov iv c5 piera rcov rjWicov
eTrA-Gfcre Kal ttoXiv iacodrj, tyjv rpiaKovropov, a\pi
rcov Ar)pLi]Tp[ov rov ^a\rjpi(o<; ')(^p6vcov Bi6(j)v-
XaTTOV ol ^AOrjvoLOL, TO, pL€V woXaia Tcov ^vXcov
v^aLpovvTe<i, dXXa Be ep^^aXXovTe^ layrupa koI
avpLTTrj'yvvvTe^ ovtco<; axrre /cal tol<; <^lXog6<^ol^
et? Tov av^opievov Xoyov dpcpiBo^ovpLevov irapd-
BeLjpa TO ttXoIov elvai, rwu pev tw? to avrot rcov
Be ft)9 ov TO avTO BiapLevoi Xeyovrcop.
2 ^KyovffC Be Kal ttjv rcov ooaxocfyopLcov eoprrjv
%r]ae(ti^ KaTa(7Tr}aavT0<;» ov yap d'jrdcra'i avrov
i^ayayeiv Ta9 Xa^ovcra<; rore irapdevov^, dXSu
T(bv awTjOcov veaviaK03v Bvo 6i^Xv(j>avel<; fiev
6^6f]vaL Kal veapov<i, dvBpQ)B€L<; Be Ta? yjrvxd<> Kal
7rpodvpi>ov<i, XovTpol<; re OeppuoU Kal a-Kiarpa(j)iaL^ I
Kal Tal<; irepl Koprjv Kal Xeiorrjra Kal ^poiav
dXaicfiaU Kal Koaprjoreatv ft)? eartv e^aXXd^avra
KO/JLiByt Kal BiBd^aPTa (pcopijv Kal(r^^^/jpLa Kal
I THESEUS, XXII. 5-xxTii. 2
V
Eiresione for us brings figs and bread of the richest,
Brings us honey in pots and oil to rub off from the
body,
Strong wine too in a beaker, that one may go to
bed mellow."
Some writers, however, say that these rites are in
memory of the Heracleidae,^ who were maintained
in this manner by the Athenians ; but most put the
matter as I have done.
XXIII. The ship on which Theseus sailed with
the youths and returned in safety, the thirty-oared
galley, was preserved by the Athenians down to the
time of Demetrius Phalereus.^ They took away the
old timbers from time to time, and put new andsound ones in their places, so that the vessel becamea standing illustration for the philosophers in the
mooted question of growth, some declaring that it
remained the same, others that it was not the samevessel.
It was Theseus who instituted also the Athenian
^-festival of the Oschophoria. For it is said that he did
not take away with him all the maidens on whom the
lot fell at that time, but picked out two young menof his acquaintance who had fresh and girlish faces,
but eager and manly spirits, and changed their out-
ward appearance almost entirely by giving them warmbaths and keeping them out of the sun, by arrangingtheir hair, and by smoothing their skin and beauti-
* On the death of Heracles, his children, to escape thewrath of the tyrant Eurystheus, came as suppliants to
Athens, bearing branches in their hands. See the Heradeidaeof Euripides.
2Regent of Athens for Cassander of Macedon, 317-307 B.C.
Cf. Plato, Fhaedo, p. 58.
49
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
/ddSiaiv <W9 €Vi fidXiara 'jTap6evoL<; o/MotovaOai Kai
fjL7)8ev ^alvecrdai BLa(f)epovTa<i, ifi^dXelv eh top
T(jt)v Trapdevcov dpidfiov Kol SiaXaOelu UTravra^'
3 iirel Be eiravrjXOev, avrov re irofJUTrevaai kol tou?
veavLaKovfi ovt(o<; dfi7rexo/^evov<; ft)9 vvv d/jLire-
Xovrai Toix; 6crxov<; (f>epovTe<;. cpepovcri Be Ato-
pv(7(p Kol^
AptdBvrj i(^apt^6/j,evoc Btd top pLvOov, ?}
jiaXkov on o-vjKOfMi,^o/jLev7]<i oiroipa^ eiravriXBov'
al Be BeiTrvo^opoi TrapaXajjL^dvovrai kol kolv(d-
vov(TL T?}<? Ov<7ia<; dTTO/iifjLov/jLevat ra^ fi7}Tepa<;
eKelvotiV rcov XayovTOiv eire^oiTwv yap avroL^
oyjra koX aiTla /cofxi^ovcrar koX fivdoi Xeyoprai
Bid TO KuKeivaf; evdufiia^ evexa koI 7rapr}yopla<;
/Jiv0ov<; Bte^ievai tol<; TraiaL. ravra puev ovv koI
AtJ/awv i(?:T0£2««^„ ^^yp^^V ^^ ^^^ Tefievo^ avro),
KOL Toift; diro t&p irapaax^PTcop top BaapLOP
otxcop €Ta^ep eh ducrlap avT(p reXelp aTrocjyopd^'
KOL T^9 OuaLa<i eTre/JueXovPTo ^vraXlBai, STjaetof;
diToBoPTo^ avToh dpLOt^rjp t^9 ^tXo^evia'^.
XXIY. Mera Be ttjp Alyeco<; reXevrrjp fieya koI
Oavpuaarop epyop eh povp /SaXopuepof; avpcpKicre
rov^ TTjp 'Attlktjp KaT0LK0VPTa<; eU ep darv, Koi
fiid<i 7r6X€(o<; eva BrjpLOP dire^rjve, Tect>9 (TTropdBa^
opTa^ KOI BvaapuKX^Tovi 7rp6<i to koipop TrdpTcov
50
ITHESEUS, XXIII. 2-xxiv. i
Jr
fying their complexions with unguents ; he also
taught them to imitate maidens as closely as possiblein their speech, their dress, and their gait, and to
leave no difference that could be observed, and then
enrolled them among the maidens who were goingto Crete, and was undiscovered by any. And whenhe was come back, he himself and these two youngmen headed a procession, arrayed as those are now
arrayed who carry the vine-branches. They carrythese in honour of Dionysus and Ariadne, and
because of their part in the story ; or rather, because
they came back home at the time of the vintage. Andthe M^omen called Deipnophoroi, or supper-carriers,
take part in the procession and share in the sacrifice,
in imitation of the mothers of the young men andmaidens on whom the lot fell, for these kept comingwith bread and meat for their children. And tales
are told at this festival, because these mothers, for
the sake of comforting and encouraging their chil-
dren, spun out tales for them. At any rate, these
details are to be found in the history of Demon.
Furthermore, a sacred precinct was also set apart for
Theseus, and he ordered the members of the fami-
lies which had furnished the tribute to the Minotaurto make contributions towards a sacrifice to himself.
This sacrifice was superintended by the Phytalidae,and Theseus thus repaid them for their hospitality.^XXIV. After the death of Aegeus, Theseus
conceived a wonderful design, and settled all the
residents of Attica in one city, thus making one
people of one city out of those who up to that time
had been scattered about and were not easily called
together for the common interests of all, nay, they^ Cf. chapter xii. 1.
51
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avfi^epov, earI 8' ore Kal BLa(f>€po/iiei>ov<i aXXrjXoi^;
2 Kol TTokejaovvTa^. iiruoif ovv aveireiOe Kara 1
B'^fiovq Kal yevj-], rcov fiev lSkotcov Kal irevrjTCOV
ivBexoj^evcov Ta^u rrjv TrapaKXrjaiv avrov, tol<;
Se hwarol^ djSaaiXevrov rrokiTeiav irpoTeivwvKal ^TjiMOKparlav avrco fxovov ap-yovTi irokeiiov
Kal vof-icdv <j>u\aKt ')(p7]a-o/jb€vrjv, rcov Se aWwv3 Trape^ovcrav airacTLv laofJLOipiav. tou? p^ev
^
ravra eweidev, ol Be rr]v hvvaptv avrov SeBtore^
p,e<yaX7jv ovaav yBi] Kal rrjv roXpav, e/3ov\ovTO
TreiOop.evoL p^aWov r) ^La^op^evoi ravra avyx^copelv.
Kara\vaa<; ovv ra irap eKaaroi^ irpvravela Kal
^ovXevrrjpia Kal dp^d^}, ev 8e iroirjcra^ diraa-i
KOLVov evravOa irpvravelov Kal fiovXevrrjpiov
oirov vvv 'iBpvrat rb aarv, rrjv re iroXiv ^K6rjva<i
TTpocnjyopevcre Kal TiavaOrjvaia Ovaiav erroLrjae
4 KOLvrjv. eOvae Be Kal IsleroiKia rrj eKry eirl
BeKa rov *^KaropL0at(bvo^, rjv en vvv Ovovcn.
Kal rrjv ^ao-tXeiav dtjyei^, Mo-irep oypoXoyrjaef
BLeKoapuet, rrjv iroXireiav diro Oewv dp')(pp,evo<i'
riKe jdp avro) ')(pr]apb<; Sk AeX(f>(ov pLavrevo/Mevco
irepl T?}? TToXeG)?*
5 AlyeiBii (drjaev, IlLrdi]tBo(; eKjove KOvprj<},
iroXXalf} rov iroXieaaL rrrarrjp e/zo? ejKareOrjKe
reppLara Kal KXwarrjpa^ ev vpuerepw TrroXiedpay,
dXXa <TV pLTj n Xirjv ireirovrjpevo^ evBoOc OvpLov
fiovXeveiv ddKo^ yhp ev o'cBparc TrovroTTopevaei.
^Iffofioipiew. Tohs fifv with Corags and Bekker : Icroffipiaw,
robs jxiv.
52
THESEUS, XXIV. 1-5
sometimes actually quarrelled and fought with each
other. He visited them, then, and tried to win
them over to his project township by township andclan by clan. The common folk and the poor
quickly answered to his summons ; to the powerfulhe promised government without a king and a
democracy, in which he should only be commanderin war and guardian of the laws, while in all else
everyone should be on an equal footing. Some he
readily persuaded to this course, and others, fearinghis power, which was already great, and his boldness,chose to be persuaded rather than forced to agree to
it. Accordingly, after doing away with the town-
halls and council-chambers and magistracies in the
several communities, and after building a commontown-hall and council-chamber for all on the groundwhere the upper town of the present day stands, henamed the city Athens, and instituted a Panathenaic
festival. He instituted also the Metoecia, or Festival
of Settlement, on the sixteenth day of the month
Hecatombaeon, and this is still celebrated. Then,
laying aside the royal power, as he had agreed, he
proceeded to arrange the government, and that too
with the sanction of the gods. For an oracle cameto him from Delphi, in answer to his enquiries aboutthe city, as follows :
—" Theseus, offspring of Aegeus, son of the daughter
of Pittheus,
Many indeed the cities to which my father has givenBounds and future fates within your citadel's
confines.
Therefore be not dismayed, but with firm andconfident spirit
G)unsel only; the bladder will traverse the sea andits surges."
53
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rovTO Se KOI %ipvXkav vcnepov dTroa-TOfiaTiaaL
TTpo? T^z/ TToXiv LGTO^ovcTLV, dvacpdej^afievTjv'
'A(7/f09 jSairrl^y Bvvat Be rot ov 6e/jLi<; ia-rlv.
XXV. "Et* Be fiaXkov av^rjaac rrjv irokiv fiov-
\6fjL€vo^ €KaXeL 'Trdvra<; eVl rol^ Lcroiq, koI to**
AeO/^' LT€ iravre^i Xt'O)" Kypvyfia ©Jjaeox; yeve-
aOai (pacrl iravBrjixiav rivd /cadc(TTdvTO<;. ov /j,r)v
draKTov ovBe fjLe/jLiyfjbivrjv TrepielSev vtto iTkrjdov^
€7rt%f^6VTO? aKpirov yevofjbivrjv rrjv Brj/ioKpariav,
dXkd TTpwTO? diroKpiva'i %ft)/3i9 evirarplSa'; kol
2 yecDfjLopovf; /cat Brjfiiovpyov^, evTraTpCBat^; Be ytvco-
(TKeuv rd dela koI irapex'^i'V dp)(^ovTa<; aTroSou?
xal v6/JL(ov BtBaaKdXov^; elvai xal oalcov xal lep&v
e^riyr]rd<i, rot? dXkoL<; iroXiTaL^ ^airep eU icrov
Karearrjcre, Bo^rj fxev evTraTpiBwv, %/9eta Be yeco-
fjLopcoVf 7r\i]0ei Be BrjfjLwvpycov virepex^iv Bokovv-
T(ov. OTi Be 7rpcoTO<i direKXtve irpos rov 6')(Xov, C09^
Apio'ToreXys (f>rj<Ti , xal dcprJKC to /jLovap)(€LV, eotKe
fiapTVpelv Kal "0/jb7}po<; ev vewv KaToXoyw jjlovov^
W.dr}vaiov^ Btjjjlov irpoaayopevaa^i,
3 "^^KQ-^e Be Koi vofiicriMa, ^ovv eyx^pd^a^, rj Bid
Tov M.apaO(t)VLov Tavpov, rj Bid tov M^V&) o-TpaTT}-
ydv, Tj 7rpo9 yecapyiav tou? jroXiTa^ irapaKoXwv.dir CKeivov Be (paai to CKaTOfi/SoLov xal to Bexd-
^Oiov ovop^aaOrjvai, nrpoa-KTTjadjjLevo^ Be tJ *At-
TiKy T7JV MeyapiKTjv ySe^ato)?, Trfv 6pu7<ovjjL€prjv
54
THESEUS, XXIV. 5-xxv. 3
And this oracle they say the Sibyl afterwards repeatedto the city, Avhen she cried :
—" Bladder may be submerged ; but its sinking will
not be permitted."
XXV. Desiring still further to enlarge the city,he invited all men thither on equal terms, and the
phrase *^'Come hither all ye people," they say wasa proclamation of Theseus when he established a
people, as it were, of all sorts and conditions. How-ever, he did not suffer his democracy to becomedisordered or confused from an indiscriminate mul-titude streaming into it, but was the first to separatethe people into noblemen and husbandmen andhandicraftsmen. To the noblemen he committedthe care of religious rites, the supply of magistrates,tlie teaching of the laws, and the interpretation of
the will of Heaven, and for the rest of the citizens
he established a balance of privilege, the noblemen
being thought to excel in dignity, the husbandmenin usefulness, and the handicraftsmen in numbers.And that he was the first to show a leaning towardsthe multitude, as Aristotle says, and gave up his
absolute rule, seems to be the testimony of Homeralso, in the Catalogue of Ships,^ where he speaks of
the Athenians alone as a "people."He also coined money, and stamped it with the
effigy of an ox, either in remembrance of the Mara-thonian bull, or of Taurus, the general of Minos, or
because he would invite the citizens to agriculture.^ From this coinage, they say," ten oxen
"and " a
hundred oxen"came to be used as terms of valuation.
Having attached the territory of Megara securely to
*Iliad, ii. 547.
55
\
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
iv ^IcrOfio) (ttijXtjv ea-TTjaev, iTnypd-y^ra^ ro SiopC^ov
€7rL<ypa/j,jjLa rrjv ')(oi>pav hvcX rpt/jL€Tpoi<;, a)v ecjipa^e
TO 'fiev 7r/?09 tci)
TaS' ov^l lLl€\o7r6vvrj(TO<i, a)OC ^Icovla'
TO * 06 7rpo<i eorirepav
Ta8' earl HeXoTTOvvrjao^;, ovk ^loDvta,
4 real rov aywva tt/Owto? WrjKe Kara ^rjXov 'Hpa-
K\eov<ij &)9 ^L ixeLVov ^OXv/jUTrta rS> Aity Kal Sl*
avTOV "laOfiia rep UoaeLBcovi (jjcXorifiTjOeh ayetv
T0U9 ^^^X\T]va<;. 6 yap eVl MeXtKeprrj redeU av-
toOl vvkto^ iSpdro, reXerrjf; e%(i)i; pLoXXov ^ 6ia<;
Kal TravrjyupLo-fjLov rd^iv, eviOL Be (pag-iv iirl
^KetpcovL ra ^laOfua red-fjvai,, rov ^rjoreco^ d<^o-
(Tiovfievov rov (ftovov Sia rrjv avyyeveiav ^Kelpwva
yap vlov elvaL K.av^Oov Kal'Hz/^o^j^t;? t^9 TlirOia^;,
5 ol he Xlpiv, ov XKeopcDva, Kal rov dywva re9)]vai
Sia rovrov viro %7j(Te(o<iy ov Bv eKelvov. era^ev ovv
KaX Bicoplaaro 7rpo9 roif<; K-opivOlov; ^KO-qvaiwv 12
T0i9 d<^iKvoviJievoL^ errX ra ^'laOfjua rrapkyeiv irpo-
eSpCav 6(Tov av rorrov 67rL(T^r) KaraireraaOev to
T^ 66(opiho<s v€ot)<; lariov, a)9 'EXXdviKo^^ Kal
"A-PhpfDv o 'AXiKapvaaev^i laropyJKaaiv.
^ rh [x(v, ri 5e with Coraes, after Reiske : ra ixkv, rk Hi,
56
THESEUS, XXV. 3-5
Attica, he set up that famous pillar on the Isthmus,and carved upon it the inscription giving the terri-
torial boundaries. It consisted of two trimeters, of
which the one towards the east declared :—
\
1^
" Here is not Peloponnesus, but Ionia ;
*
and the one towards the west :—
" Here is the Peloponnesus, not Ionia.**
He also instituted the games here, in emulation of
Heracles, being ambitious that as the Hellenes, bythat hero's appointment, celebrated Olympian gamesin honour of Zeus, so by his own appointment theyshould celebrate Isthmian games in honour of
Poseidon. For the games already instituted therein honour of Melicertes were celebrated in the night,and had the form of a religious rite rather than of a
spectacle and public assembly. But some say that
V'the Isthmian games were instituted in memory of
Sciron, and that Theseus thus made expiation for his
murder, because of the relationship between them ;
for Sciron was a son of Canethus and Henioche, who
\ was the daughter of Pittheus. And others have it
that Sinis, not Sciron, was their son, and that it wasin his honour rather that the games were instituted
by Theseus. However that may be, Theseus madea formal agreement with the Corinthians that theyshould furnish Athenian visitors to the Isthmian
games with a place of honour as large as could becovered by the sail of the state galley which broughtthem thither, when it was stretched to its full
extent. So Hellanicus and Andron of Halicarnassus
tell us.
57
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XXVI. EtV Se Tov TTovTov eirXevae rov Kv^et-vov, ft)? /jL6P -<i>4XQ.')(^opos,KalTt,v€<; akXot Xeyovac,fjLeO^ 'HpaK\eov<i eVt ra? 'AyLtafoi/a? o-va-rparev-(Ta<;, Kol jipa^i
^^AvTioirrfv eXafiev ol Be irXeiov^,
wv iorl KoX ^epe/cv87]<; teal*
EXXdviKO^ koI 'H/^o-
Bcopo^y varepov (jiuaiv 'Hpa/cXeov^i IbioaroXov
TrXevaac rov @7)aea koI rrjv 'A/xa^o/a Xa0€iv
alxP'i^XcoTov, TTiOavcoTepa Xeyovref;. ovSeli^-s^^ap
aXXo<; l(TT6p7)Tac tcop /jL€t avTov aTparevcravrcov2 ^A/xa^ova Xafielv alxP'oXcoTOV ^i(ov BkjijsXjL^^-
TTjv TTapaKpovcrdfievov oX-x^aOai Xa^ovra' <f)vaei
yap ovaa^ ra? 'AyLtafoz^a? ^iXdvBpov^ ovt€ (jiuyelv
TOP @7]aea irpoa^dXXovra Trj X^P^> ^^^^ '^^^
^evia TrepbTretv rov Be rrjv KOpii^ouaav e/njSrjvac
irapaKaXelv el<i to ttXoIov ififida-r]^ Be dva-
')(6r]vaL.
MeveKpdrrjf; Be ri,<^, Icrropiav irepl ^iKaiafi rrjfi
ev l^iOvvla TroXeco^; eKBeBo3_i<:oc)<iy ^rjaea (fyrjal rrjv
^AvTLoirrjv exovra BtaTply^rai irepl tovtov<; tov<;
3 TOTTOf?* Tvy')(dveiv Be av(TTpaT€vovTa<; avrw rpel^
veavL(7K0v<; e^ ^AOrjvoov dBeX^ov<^ dXXyXcop, Kv-
vecov Koi @6avTa Koi XoXoevra. tovtov ovv ipcov-ra T^9 *AvTt67rr)<; koi XavOdvovra tou9 a\Xov<i
i^eLireiv irpo^ eva rCiyv avvijdcov eKelvov Be irepl
TOVTcov evrv^ovTOf; ry ^AvnoTrrj, rrjv fiev irelpav
la')(yp(i)<; dirorpiy^aadai, to Be Trpdyfia ao)(j)p6i>(o<;
dfia KoX 7rpa(o<i evey/celv kol irpo^ rov Srjaia firf
4 KarrjyoprjoraL. rov Be XoXoevro^; co? aTreyvo) pl-
y^avTO^ eavToveh Trora/JLOV riva koi BLa(f)6apevT0<i,
rja6')]fj,evov rore ttjv airLav koI to rrrdOo'i rov
^yfpas with Cobet ; yepas apurrtiov MSS., Coraes, Bekker :
-ytpas apicreiStv.
S8
THESEUS, XXVI. 1-4
XXVI. He also made a voyage into the Euxine
Sea, as Philochorus and sundry others say, on a
campaign with Heracles against the Amazons, and
received Antiope as a reward of his valour ;but the
majority of writers, including Pherecydes, Hellanicus,and Herodorus, say that Theseus made this voyageon his own account, after the time of Heracles, and
took the Amazon captive ; and this is the more
probable story. For it is not recorded that any one
else among those who shared his expedition took anAmazon captive. And Bion says that even this
Amazon he took and carried off by means of a strata-
gem. The Amazons, he says, were naturally friendlyto men, and did not fly from Theseus when hetouched upon their coasts, but actually sent him
presents, and he invited the one who brought themto come on board his ship ; she came on board, andhe put out to sea.
And a certain Menecrates, who published a historyof the Bithynian city of Nicaea, says that Theseus,with Antiope on board his ship, spent some time in
those parts, and that there chanced to be with himon this expedition three young men of Athens whowere brothers, Euneos, Thoas, and Solois. This last,
he says, fell in love with Antiope unbeknown to the
rest, and revealed his secret to one of his intimate
friends. That friend made overtures to Antiope,who positively repulsed the attempt upon her, buttreated the matter with discretion and gentleness,and made no denunciation to Theseus. Then Solois,in despair, threw himself into a river and drowned
himself, and Theseus, when he learned the fate of
59
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
veavicTKOv rov Srjaea ^apeax; ivejKetv, koI hva^o-
povvra Xoytov ri irvOo'x^pyaTov aveveyKCtv 7rpo<;
iavTov elvai yap avrcp irpoareTayfievov iv AeX-
^Oi9 viro T% TivOla^, orav eVt fei/77? avLadfj fid-
Xiara koX TreptXuTro? yevrjTaL, ttoKlv eKel Krla-ai,
Kol T(bvafi(f)^
avTov riva^i r^yeixova^; KaTdknreiv.
5 eK Se TOVTOV rrjv jjuev irokiv, rjv eKTiaev, airo rov
6eov UvOottoXlv Trpoa-ayopevaac, ^oXoevra Se top
irXr)aiov irorafiov iirl Tc/jufjrod veaviaKov. Kara-
Xiirelv he kol tov<; aBeX(l)ov<; avrov, olov eTTLard-
Ta<^ KOL vofio66Ta<;y kuI avv avTol<; '^Epfxov avBpaT(ov ^Adijvrjaiv evirarpLhcav dcj)^
ov /cal roirov
*RpfjLov KaXelv olKiav to 1)9 TlvOoiroXira^iy ovk
6pd(b<; rrjv heprepav crvXXa/Srjv TrepLaTTcovra'^ xal
rrjv Bo^au eVl Oeov diro rjp(oo<i yLterart^ez^Ta?.
XXYIL TJpo^aacv fiev ovv ravrrjv 6 twv
^Afia^ovcov iroXe/JLO^; ecrx'^' ^di'Verai, Be fit) cpavXovavrov /j,r)Be yvvaiKelov yevkcrQai to epyov, ov yapav iv dcrrei KarearparoTTeBevaav ovBe rrjv fid^ijv
o-vvrjyjrav iv %pa) Trepl rrjv UvvKa /cal ro Mov-(T€iOV, el
/jLT] Kparovaai rrj<; '^(^copa^ aSew? rfj iroXei
2 TrpocrifiL^av. el fiev ovv, co? 'EXXdviK0<; laroprj/ce,
ra> Ki/jL/jiepiKa) BocrTropco Tvayevri Bia^daaL irepi-
rjXOov, epyov earl marevaar to Be iv rfj iroXei
a')(eBov avrd<; ivarparorreBevaai, fiaprvpelrai xal
roh ovojiiao-c rcov roircov /cal Tat? 6i]fcaL<; rcov
irecTovrwv.
YloXvv Be ^(pQVQV oKVO^ r)v Kal /leXXrja'L'i dfi-
<f>orepoL^ r7]<; eTTL')(eLprjcre(a<;' tcXo? Be %r}<jev^ /card
60
THESEUS, XXVI. 4-xxvii. 2
tlie young man, and wliat had caused it, was grievouslydisturbed, and in his distress called to mind a certain
oracle which he had once received at Delphi. Forit had there been enjoined upon him by the Pythianpriestess that when, in a strange land, he should besorest vexed and full of sorrow, he should found a
city there, and leave some of his followers to governit. For this cause he founded a city there, andcalled it, from the Pythian god, Pythopolis, and the
adjacent river, Solois, in honour of the young man.And he left there the brothers of Solois, to be the
city's presidents and law-givers, and with themHeranus, one of the noblemen of Athens. From himalso the Pythopolitans call a place in the city theHouse of Hermes, incorrectly changing
^ the second
syllable, and transferring the honour from a hero to
a god.XXVn. Well, then, such were the grounds for the
war of the Amazons, which seems to have been notrivial nor womanish enterprise for Theseus. For
they would not have pitched their camp within the
city, nor fought hand to hand battles in the neigh-bourhood of the Pynx and the Museum, had theynot mastered the surrounding country and approachedthe city with impunity. Whether, now, as Hellanicus
writes, they came round by the Cimmerian Bosporus,which they crossed on the ice, may be doubted ; butthe fact that they encamped almost in the heartof the city is attested both by the names of thelocalities there and by the graves of those who fell
in battle.
Now for a long time there was hesitation and
delay on both sides in making the attack, but finallv
*Laterally, giving it the circumflex accent.
61
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tt \oyiov Tft) ^o^w a^ayiao'dfjLevo'; (Tvvrj'\lr€v
3 aurat?. V /^^^ ol^ I^clX^I ^or}Bpofii(t)vo<; iyevero
fjLi]vb<; e(j> f)ra BorjSpo/jiLa fie)(pi vvv ^Adrjvatot
Ovovaiv. laropei he KXeihruxo^, i^aKpi/Sovv ra
Ka6' e/cacTTa jBovXafievo^, to fiev evcovv/juov'Twv
^Afia^ovcov Kepa^ i7ri(TTpi(j)€iV irpo^ to vvv koKov-
fievov ^Afia^ovetov, toG Be Se^tw tt/oo? rrjv Hi'v/ca
Kara rrjv Xpvcrav TjKeiv. ixd')(ea6ai he 7rpo<; tovto
Tov?*
AO')]vaLov<; ttTTo ToO Movaeiov Tat? ^A/na-
^oaL (TViJbireaovTa^y /cal Td(f)ov<; twz^ Tveaovrav
irepl rrjv irXarelav elvai t^v (jyepovcrav errl ra^ 13
TTuXafi Trapa to XaXAccwSoyTO? r]pCpov, a? vvv
4 Yletpaiica<; ovofid^ovcri,, /cal ravrrj fiev e/c/Biaadi]-
vav fJiexpi' TO^v ^vfievihcov Koi v7roxo:>p'i]a-ai, Tai9
yvvai^iv, diro Be TLaWaSiov koi 'ApBijTTOv koi
AvkbLov 7rpo(jl3ak6vTa<^ coaacOai ro Be^iov avrcbv
d'Xpi' Tov (TTparoTreBov /cal TroXXa? /cara^aXelv.
TerdpTO) Be firivl (Tvvdr)Ka<; yeveaOai Bid t^9
'IttttoXvt???' 'iTTTToXvTrjv yap ovto^ ovofid^eu tt)v
TO) S)]ael (TVvoLKOvaav, ov/c ^Avtiotttjv."^"^
''Rvioi, Be (f)aac fierd rov Srjcrio)<; fiaxofJbevrjv
7r€0'eiir~T^jr~av6po)7rov vtto MoXTraBiafi aKovri-
aOeicrav, Kal rrjv ar'^Xrjv rrjv irapd to t?)? 'OXv/jl-
5 TTta? lepov CTTt ravry /cecaOai. /cal Oav/JLaarov ovk
ecTTiv eVt TTpdy/juiaLV ovrco iraXaiol'^ irXavdaOai
rrjv laropLav, iirel /cal Ta? rerpcDfieva^ (f^aal twj/
^Afia^ovcov VTT ^AvTioTTTjf; €t9 XaX/ctStt Xddpa
Bia7refjL(j)d6L(Ta<; rvy^dvetv eirifjieXeia^, kol ra^rj-vai rcva<; eKel irepl to vvv
'
Ajjui^oveiov /caXovfievov.
6a
\
THESEUS, xxvii. 2-5
Theseus, after sacrificing to Fear, in obedience to an
oracle, joined battle witli the women. This battle,
then, was fought on the day of the month Boedromionon which, down to the present time, the Athenians
celebrate the Boedromia. Cleidemus, who wishes to
be minute, writes that the left wing of the Amazonsextended to what is now called the Amazonemn,and that with their right they touched the Pnyx at
Chrysa; that with this left wing the Athenians
fought, engaging the Amazons from the Museum,and that the graves of those who fell are on either
side of the street which leads to the gate by the
chapel of Chalcodon, which is now called the Peiraic
gate. Here, he says, the Athenians were routed anddriven back by the women as far as the shrine of the
Eumenides, but those who attacked the invaders
from the Palladium and Ardettus and the Lyceum,drove their right wing back as far as to their camp,and slew many of them. And after three months,he says, a treaty of peace was made through the
agency of Hippolyta ;for Hippolyta is the name
which Cleidemus gives to the Amazon whom Theseus
married, not Antiope.But some say that the woman was slain with a
javelin by Molpadia, while fighting at Theseus's side,and that the pillar which stands by the sanctuary of
01}Tnpian Earth was set up in her memory. And it
is not astonishing that history, when dealing withevents of such great antiquity, should wander in
uncertainty, indeed, we are also told that thewounded Amazons were secretly sent away to
Chalcis by Antiope, and were nursed there, andsome were buried there, near what is now called
the Amazoneum. But that the wai- ended in a
63
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
dXKa Tov ye rov iroXe/juov eh airovha^; TeXevTrjaai
fxapTVpLov i(7Tiv Tfre rod tottov kXtjctl^ tov irapa
TO Srjaeiov, oinrep 'OpKcopoaiov KaXovcnv, rj t€
yivo/xevr) irakai dvaia Tal<i ^Afia^oa-L irpo t&v
6 %r)crei(ov. heiKvvovcn he fcal M.€japeL<; 'A//afo-
vcov di]Krjv Trap" aiiroh, cttI tov KokovjjLevov 'Vovv
^aBi^ovcTiv ef ayopa^;, oirov to 'Po/x^o£iBi<;.
XiyeTat Be koI irepl ^aipcaveiav €T€pa<; airoOaveZv,
Kai Ta(j)i]vai, irapa to pev/jLciTiov o irdXai fxev, a)<;
eoiKG, Sep/jLcioScov, Al/jlcov Be vvv KokelTar irepljyv
ev Tft> ArjfioaOAuovs ^iO) yeypcLTTTai. ^aivovTai, Be
fjLTjBe ^ecaakiav dTrpayfiovo)^ at ^AfjLa^6ve<: BteX-
Oovaar tcl^oc jdp avTwv eTi kol vvv BeLKvvvTai
irepX Trjv X/coTova-auav /cat Ta? K.vpo<; K€(f)a\,d<;.
XXVIII. TavTa /xev ovv d^ia fivrjiMq^ irepl
tS>v ^Afjia^ovcov. fjv yap 6 t^9 STjarjiBo^ TroirjTrjf;
^AfjLa^ovcov eTravda^daivj^i&^^^e, Sijael yafiovv-
Ti ^aiBpav T?}9 ^AvTioTTTj'; i7nTi6efjL€vr}<; koX t5)v
/Lt€T* avTrj<; ^Ajia^ovwv d/jLvvofievcov koI KT€ivovTO<;
avTa^ *iipaK\eov<!f 7r€pi(j>ava><; eoixe /jlvOco kol
2 irXdarpiaTL. t^9 Be 'AyTiOTr?;? aTToOavova'qf; eyrjiie
^aiBpaVy ex^ov vIov'IttttoXvtov i^'AvTioirr)';, 0)9 Be
JlivBapo'^ (f)7)aL, Ar]jjiO(f)(ovTa. Ta9 Be rrepX TavTrjv
Kal TOV vlov avTOv Bva'TV)(^La<i, iirel /JiijBev dvTi-
64
THESEUS, xxviT. 5-xxviii. 2
solemn treaty is attested not only by the naming of
the place adjoining the Theseum, which is called
Horcomosium,! but also by the sacrifice which, in
ancient times, was offered to the Amazons before
the festival of Theseus. And the Megarians, too,
show a place in their country where Amazons were
buried, on the way from the market-place to the
place called Rhus," where the Rhomboid ^ stands.
And it is said, likewise, that others of them died
near Chaeroneia, and were buried on the banks of
the little stream which, in ancient times, as it seems,was called Thermodon, but nowadays, Haemon ;
concerning which names I have written in my Life
J)6fDemosthenes.^ It appears also that not even
Thessaly was traversed by the Amazons without
opposition, for Amazonian graves are to this dayshown in the vicinity of Scotussa and Cynoscephalae.XXVIII. So much, then, is worthy of mention
\y regarding the Amazons. For the " Insurrection of
y{ the Amazons," written by the author of the Theseid,
telling how, when Theseus married Phaedra, Antiopeand the Amazons who fought to avenge her attacked
him, and were slain by Heracles, has every appear-ance of fable and invention. Theseus did, indeed,
marry Phaedra, but this was after the death of
Antiope, and he had a son by Antiope, Hippolytus,or, as Pindar says,^ Demophoon. As for the calami-
ties which befell Phaedra and the son of Theseus byAntiope, since there is no conflict here between
^ From the oaths of ratification.* *'
Stream," because water from the mountains above the
city once flowed this way. Pausanias, i. xli. 2. The•• Rhomboid" may have been an irregular mound.
'Chapter xix. * In a passage not extant.
65
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
tniTreL irapa tcov LorropL/ccov roi^ rpaytfcoc^, ovrco^
ex^ii^ O^reov o)? eKelvot Treiroi'^Kacnv airavre'^.
XXIX. EtVl [xevToi XoyoL irepl yd/icov ©T^cretu?
Kal erepoi, rrjv aKJjvrjv hiairej>€vy6Te^, ovre apx^'i
€vyv(Ofwva<; ovre GUTw^et? reXevra^ e^ovTe^, Koi
yap ^Ava^co TLva TpoL^rjvlav dpirdcraL Xe^erat,Kal ^Lviv diroKTeiva^ Kal KepKvova avyyeviaOai
Pia Tat<; dvyarpdcnv avroov yrj/jLac Be Kal Yiepi-
^oiav rrjv Atavro's firjTepa Kal ^epe^oiav avOi,<;
2 Kal ^loTTTjv TTfV ^l^LKXkov^;' Kal Bid Tov Aty\r]<;
epcora T779 T[avo7re(o<;, axrirep etpijrai, rrjv ^ApidB-
vr]<; diTokefy^LV alrtcovrat firj KaXrjv yeveaOau firjBe
TTpeirovcrav' eVt Trdav Be rrjv ^E\evr}<^ dpirayrjv
iroXe/jLov fxev cnrXTjaai, t^i^ ^Attiki]V, avro) Be et?
(f)vyr]v Kal oXedpov reXevrrja-at' irepl a)v oXiyov
varepov elpijcreTai.
3 TloXXa)P Be Tore rol<; dplaTOi^ dOXcov yevo/xivcov
Hp6B(opo<; fiep ovBevo^^^otercu rov Srjaea /jLcra-
cr)(elvy dXXd /jl6voi<: AairiOai'^ Trj<; Kevravpofia-
%fca9* erepot Be Kal jierd *ldaovo<; iv Ko\yo^?yeveaOai Kal MeXedypo) avve^eXelv tov KdirpovKal Btd TovTO Trapoi/jLLav elvat Tr)v "Ouk dvev
0?7o-6(W9*" avTOV fievrot fjirjBevo<; (Tv/j./jLdxov Berj-
Oevra ttoXXov^ xal KaXoit^; d6Xov<; Karepydaa-aOat, Kal rov ""AW09 ovTO<i 'UpaKX^^;
"Xoyov eir
4 eKsivov Kparrjaai. avveirpa^e Be Kal 'ABpdcrra)
TTjv dvalpeaiv tcov vtto ttj KaBfieua irecrovToyv,
66
Ah<
THESEUS, XXVIII. 2-xxix. 4
historians and tragic poets, we must suppose that thej
happened as represented by the poets uniformly.XXIX. There are, however, other stories also about
marriages of Theseus which were neither honourable
in their beginnings nor fortunate in their endings,lut these have not been dramatised. For instance,
he is said to have carried off Anaxo, a maiden of
Troezen, and after slaying Sinis and Cercyon to have
ravished their daughters; also to have married
Periboea, the mother of Aias, and Phereboea after-
wards, and lope, the daughter of Iphicles ; andbecause of his passion for Aegle, the daughter of
Y Panopeus, as I have already said,^ he is accused of^ the desertion of Ariadne, which was not honourable
nor even decent ; and finally, his rape of Helen is
said to have filled Attica with war, and to have
brought about at last his banishment and death, of
which things I shall speak a little later.
Of the many exploits performed in those days by\ the bravest men, Herodorus thinks that Theseus took
part in none, except that he aided the Lapithae in^ their war with the Centaurs ; but others say that he
was not only with Jason at Colchis^^HSut helpedMeleager to slay the Calydonian boar, and that hencearose the proverb "Not without Theseus" ; that he
himself, however, without asking for any ally, per-formed many glorious exploits, and that the phrase" Lo ! another Heracles
"became current with refer-
ence to him. He also aided Adrastus in recoveringfor burial the bodies of those who had fallen before
the walls of the Cadmeia,^ not by mastering the
*Chapter xx. 1.
^ In quest of the golden fleece.» The citadel of Thebes.
67
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
oy% CO? KvpL7rlB7](; iTTOLTjcrev iv rpayrpSia, fid-)(y
tS)v Sr)l3aL(ov KpaTrjaa<;y ak\a ireiaa'^ koI airsL-
(rd/i€VO<;' ovtco yap ol 7r\€ZaTOi~Xi~ymJiUL.^tX6-
Xopo<i Be Koi a-irovBa^ irepl ve/cpcov dvatpecr€(D<^
5 'yeveaOat irponTa^ eKeiva^. ore oe 'llpaK\7]<; irpay-
T09 cLTriZcoKe v6Kpov<; toI^ 7rdKepioi<;y iv rot<; irepX
*HpaK\iov^ ykypairrai, ra^aX Be rwv pev iroX-
\cov iv *FjX€vOepac<; BeiKvvvrai, rcov Be rjyep^ovcov
irepl *R\ev(7tvay koI tovto ©770-60)9 ^ABpaa-rw
y^apLcrap^evov. fcarapapTVpovcn Be rcov YiVpiiriBov
'iKerlBcov ol Ai(T')(v\ov ^RXevaLvioif iv 0I9 fcal
ravra Xiycov 6 @7]aev<; TreiroLrjTat.
XXX. Trjv Be 7r/3o? Tieipidovv <^tXiav rovrov
Tov rpoTTov avTcp yeveadai Xiyovai. Bo^av el'^ev
iirl p(op,rj Koi dvBpeia p£yiorTr]V' '^ovXopevo^ ovv
6 JleipLOov^; i^eXey^ai xal Xaffelv BiaTreipav,
rfXaaaTO ^ov<; iK MapaOcbvo^ avrov, koL irvdo-
p€vo<i BtctiKeiv perd twv ottXcov eKelvov ovk ecpvyev,
2 dXX* dvaarpi'y^af; dirrjVTTjcrev. co? Be elBev dre-
po^ rov erepov /cat ro fcdXXo^ i6avp,acre koI ttjv
roXpuav rjydaOT), p^d^V^ /^^^ eaxovro, Tieipidov^Be irporepo'^ rrjv Be^tdv Trporeiva^ exeXevaev avrov
yeveaOat Bi/caarrjv top %7]aea tt}? ^07}XaaLa<;'€Kcbv yap vcpe^eiv rjv av opLcrrf BiKrjv iKelvo^'
®7]aev<i Be Kal rrjv Btfcrjv d(f)r]K€V avrSi Kal Trpov-KaXelro <^iXov elvau Kal avppa'xpv iiroLTjaavToBe T7]v (fnXiav evop/cov,
3 'Ea: Be TovTOv yapuSyv 6 Tieipi6ov<; Ar]lBdp,eiaVy
eBerjOrj rov Sr^a-ioyi iXOetv Kal ttjv X^P^^ IcttO'
68
THESEUS, XXIX. 4-xxx. 3
>( Thebans in battle, as Euripides has it in his tragedy,^but by persuading them to a truce ; for so most
> writers say, and Philochorus adds that this M^as the
first truce ever made for recovering the bodies of
K those slain in battle, although in the accounts of
YHeracles it is w^ritten that Heracles v^^as the first to
give back their dead to his enemies. And the gravesof the greater part of those vv^ho fell before Thebesare shown at Eleutherae, and those of the com-manders near Eleusis^ and this last burial was a
V favour which Theseus showed to Adrastus. The\/ account of Euripides in his "Suppliants"^ is disproved
\ by that of Aeschylus in his "Eleusinians,"
^ whereTheseus is made to relate the matter as above.
XXX. The friendship of Peirithoiis and Theseusis said to have come about in the following manner.Theseus had a very great reputation for strengthand bravery, and Peirithoiis was desirous of making-test and proof of it. Accordingly, he drove Theseus's
cattle away from Marathon, and when he learned
that their OAvner was pursuing him in arms, he did
not fly, but turned back and met him. When, how-
ever, each beheld the other with astonishment at his
beauty and admiration of his daring, they refrained
from battle, and Peirithoiis, stretching out his handthe first, bade Theseus himself be judge of his
robbery, for he would willingly submit to any penaltywhich the other might assign. Then Theseus not
only remitted his penalty, but invited him to be a
friend and brother in arms ; whereupon they ratified
their friendship with oaths.
After this, when Peirithoiis was about to marryDeidameia, he asked Theseus to come to the wedding,
»Svpplianf.8, 653 ff.
* Verses 1213 ff.» Not extant.
69
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
p7J<rat fcal a-vyyevicrdai roL9 AairLOai^. irvy^jCLve
Be Kol T0U9 l^evTavpov^ k€k\7]kco<; iirl to BecTrvov.
0)9 Be rjffekyaivov v^pec koI fieOvovre^; ovk airei-
ypVTO TO)v yvvaiKOdv, erpdiTOVTO irpo'^ dpLvvavol AaTTiOar kol tou? p^ev e/creivav avrcov, roit^
Be TToXepo) KpaTi]aavTe<; varepov i^e^akov etc t?)?
')(ot>pa^,Tov ©i/creft)? avTo2<; avpLpua^opLevov Koi
arvpLTTokepLOvvTo^i. *}ip68copo^ Be ravra TrpaxOijval
(f)7)(Tiv ovx ovTCi)<;, aWd rod iroXepuov avvearSyro^
TjBrj TOV @7j(rea ^orjOovvra toI<; AairWaK; irapa-
yevecrOai, Koi Tore Trpcorov o-xjrei yvwpia-ai tov
*}lpaK\ia, irotTjadfievov epyov ivTv^elv avTa> irepX
Tpax^va ireiravpbevfp Trkdvr]^ rjBri koI dOXcov
yeveaOai Be pLeTct rz/t^? kuI ^iX,o^po(TvvT)<^ kol
TToWSyv irn-aCvcov dpuc^oTepoL^ ttjv evTev^iv. ov
pLrjv dWd pboXKov dv r^? irpba^^oi tol<; iroWdKL^
evTV')(€LV avToif^i dXXtjXoL^} '^^"^opovav koX ttjv
pLvrjaiv 'HpaKXet yeveaOai Srjaeo)^ (T7rovBd(TavTO<;
Kol TOV irpo Trj<i pLvrjaecd^i KaOappuov o)? Beopbivq}
Bid TLva^ irpd^ei^i d^ovX7]Tov<;.
XXXI. "HBt) Be TTevTrjKOVTa CTrj yeyovdxi, o)?
^'r^iiL^^pyXdvLKO^, eirpa^e to, irepl ttjv 'EXevr)v,
ov KaG* oipav, o6ev 0)9 Br] p,eyi(TT0V iiravopOov'
puevoi, TOVTO tS)v eyKXrjpdToyv, evio t, Xeyovaiv
OVK avTOv dpirdaai ttjv 'EXevrjv, dXXd "iSa
Kal AvyKe(o<; dpTraadvTcov TrapaKaTaOijKrjv \a-
fiovTa TTjpelv Koi pur] TTpoteadai Toh AioaKovpoi*;
aTraiTovaiv' ^ vr^ Ala TvvBdpeo) irapaBovTo^
70
THESEUS, XXX. 3-xxxi. i
and see the country, and become acquainted with the
Lapithae. Now he had invited the Centaurs also to
the wedding feast. And when these were flown withinsolence and wine, and laid hands upon the women,the Lapithae took vengeance upon them. Some of
them they slew upon the spot, the rest they after-
wards overcame in war and expelled from the
country, Theseus fighting with them at the banquetand in the war. Herodorus, however, says that this
was not how it happened, but that the war was
already in progress when Theseus came to the aid of
the Lapithae ; and that on his way thither he hadhis first sight of Heracles, having made it his business
to seek him out at Trachis, where the hero was already
resting from his wandering and labours; and he
says the interview passed with mutual expressions of
honour, friendliness, and generous praise. Notwith-
standing, one might better side with those historians
\ who say that the heroes had frequent interviews with
•^ one another, and that it was at the instigation of
Theseus that Heracles was initiated into the mysteriesat Eleusis, and purified before his initiation, when he
Vrequested it on account of sundry rash acts.
XXXL Theseus was already fifty years old, accord-
ing to Hellanicus, when he took part in the rape of
Helen, who was not of marriageable age. Wherefore
^^ome writers, thinking to correct this heaviest
accusation against him, say that he did not carry off
Helen himself, but that v/hen Idas and Lynceus hadcarried her off, he received her in charge andwatched over her and would not surrender her to
the Dioscuri ^ when they demanded her ; or, if youwill believe it, that her oAvn father, Tyndareiis,
* Castor and Pollux, her brothers.
71
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avTov, <l>oP7)0evTO^ *Evapa(j)6pov rov *l7r7roK6(ov-
T09 €Ti vTjTTLav ovcrav piat,6jJL€vov rr)v 'EXivrjv
Xa^elv. ra Se elKora Kal ifKeiaTOv^ e^ovrafidpTvpa<; Toiavrd eaTiv,
2 '^lAXOov fiev eh XTrdpTqv dp^cporepoi Kal rrjv
Koprjv iv lepy 'Apre/i^^o? 'Op^ta? x^pevovaavdpTTObaavre^ ecjivyov tmv he irep^^Oevrayv iirl rrjv
Sico^iv ov iroppcoripo) Teyea^ iTraKoXovdrjaavTO^v,iv dheia yevofievoi Kal hiekOovre^; ttjv TlekoTrop-
V7](Tov i'iTOLi](Tavro (TVvOi^Ka^y Tov p.ev \ayovTaKX7]p(p TTjv 'EXivrjv e%6ti^ jvvacKa, o-vpLTrpaTreiv
3 Be daTep(p ydpLOv aXKov. eirl TavTat<; Be KXrjpov-
[xevcov Ta?9 6/JLo\oytaL<; eka')(e Srjdeix;' Kal irapa-
Xa^oov rrjp irapdevov ovTrco ydficop &pav e^ovaavel^ *A(f)LBva<i eKop^iae' Kal rrjv firjrepa Karaa-TTjaa^
fieT avrP]^ ^AcplBvo) 7rapeB(OK€V ovri <^iXwy Bia-
KeXevadjjbevo^ (bvXdrreiv Kal XavOdveiv rov? aX-
4 Xou9. avTO'i Be UetpiOfo ttjv virovpyiav diroBiBov'^,
eU "YiireLpov crvva'rreBrjfJbTjaev iirl ttjv ^AiBcoveccx;
dvyarepa rov MoXoacrcov ^acnXe(o<;, o? rj} yvvatKl
^ep(re(f)6v7}v 6vop.a defjuevo^;, K.6pr]v Be rfj Ovyarpi,Tw Be Kvvl K.ep^epov, eKeXeve tovto) Biap,d^€a0aiTou? fjbvcopbevovf; rrjv TracBa Kal XajSelv rov Kparrj-(Tavra, rov<} /jLevroi irepl tov TieipiOovv ov /xvtj-
aTTjpa^ rjKeiVy aW' apTraaofxepovf; TrvvOavofievo^
avviXa/Se' Kal tov pev TLeipiOovv evOu<} 7](j)dvi(T6
hia tov Kvvo^i TOV Be Srja-ia KaOeip^a'i e(f)vXaTTev.XXXIL 'Ev Be t& y^pov^ TOVT(p MeveaOev^; 6
TLerecD rov *Opveci}<; rov ^EpexOeco^ 7rpa>T0<;, w£^.^^aaiv, dv6pa>Tra)v iiTi,6e^evo<i r^ Brjpiaywyelv Kal
72~
THESEUS, XXXI. 2-xxxii. i
entrusted her to Theseus, for fear of Enarsphorus,the son of Hippocoon, who sought to take Helen byforce while she was yet a child. But the most
probable account, and that which has the mostwitnesses in its favour, is as follows.
Theseus and Peirithoiis went to Sparta in company,seized the girl as she was dancing in the temple of
Artemis Orthia, and fled away with her. Their
pursuers followed them no farther than Tegea, andso the two friends, when they had passed through
Peloponnesus and were out of danger, made a com-
pact with one another that the one on whom the
lot fell should have Helen to wife, but should assist
the other in getting another wife. With this mutual
understanding they cast lots, and Theseus won, and
taking the maiden, who was not yet ripe for marriage,
conveyed her to Aphidnae. Here he made his
mother a companion of the girl, and committed both
to Aphidnus, a friend of his, with strict orders to
guard them in complete secrecy. Then he himself,to return the service of Peirithoiis, journeyed with
him to Epirus, in quest of the daughter of Aidoneusthe king of the Molossians. This man called his wife
Phersephone, his daughter Cora, and his dog Cerberus,with which beast he ordered that all suitors of his
daughter should fight, promising her to him that
should overcome it. However, when he learned that
Peirithoiis and his friend were come not to woo, but
to steal away his daughter, he seized them both.
Peirithoiis he put out of the way at once by means of
the dog, but Theseus he kept in close confinement.
XXXn. Meanwhile Menestheus, the son of Peteos,
grandson of Orneus, and great-grandson of Erech-
theus, the first of men, as they say, to affect popularity
73
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
7rpo<; %«/?i^' 0')(X(p BiaXeyeaOai, tov<^ re hwarov^i
avvia-TTj koI irapco^vve, iraXai papvvofievov<; rov
Srjaia koX vopbi^ovTa^ ^PXV^ '^^^ PacriKeiav a<^r)-
pt]fi€Vov e/cdcrrou rcov Kara Bij/iov evTrarpiScov, et?
ep ddTV arvveip^avra 7rdvTa<; virr]K6ot<; ')(p7]a6ai,koX
hoiikoi^, T0U9 T6 TToXKoi)^ SierdpaTTe fcal Bti^aX-
Xev, 0)9 ovap i\€vOepia<; opcopra^i, ^PJ^ ^^ direcrre-
prjfievov^ TrarplBcov ical lepfav, oiro)^ dvrX iroWoyv
fcal dyad(ov Kal fyprjaiav ^aaiXecov tt/jo? Gva Be-
2 aTTOTtjv eirrfKvv Kal ^evov diro^XiTrcoai. ravra
he avTov Trpayfiareuo/Jbivov pbeydXTjv poirijv 6 tto-
Xefio<; Tw vecdrepKTfiw TrpoaeOrjKCj tmv TvvBapiSayv
iireXOovrcov* ol he icdtt^^i^kccis.^^aalji^vTTo tovtov
7rei(T6evTa<; iX6elv,
To /Liev ovv irpSiTOV ovSev -^Blkovv, dXX* aTrprovv
TTjv aScXc^Tyi;. diroKpivap.evoiv he tcop ev dcTTei
pLTjTC ex^tv pjTjre yivcoa/ceiv ottov KaraXeXeLTTTai,,
3 7r/)09 TToXefjLov irpdirovro. (ppd^ec Be avTOL<; 'A/ca-
Br}/jLO(; yaOrj/jLevof; m St; tlvi, Tpoircp ttjv ev 'A(J3LSvaL<;
Kpv^lnv avTrj<i. oOev ifceivcp re rifial ^covri, irapd
rcov TvvBapiBojv eyevovro, koX rroXXdKi^; varepov
619 rrjv *AmKr)v €/jL^aX6vre<; AaKeBatfiovioi koI
TTciaav ofiov rrjv '^(^(opav repLVOvre^;, t^9 'AKaBr]pe[a<;
4d'TTei')(^ovro Bid rov ^AKaBypuov, 6 Be AiKaLapxo<;
Ft')(^eBi]p,ov^ <f>'qa\ xal ISlapdOov a-varpareuadvrcov^
'Ex^Hfiov with CoraSs, Sintenis*, and Bekker, after
Xylander : 'Ex^fJi-ov,
74
A
THESEUS, xxxii. 1-4
Liid ingratiate himself with the multitude, stirred upand embittered the chief men in Athens. These had
long been hostile to Theseus, and thought that he
had robbed each one of the country nobles of his
royal office,^ and then shut them all up in a single
city, where he treated them as subjects and slaves.
The common people also he threw into commotion
by his reproaches. They thought they had a vision
of liberty, he said, but in reality they had beenrobbed of their native homes and religions in order
that, in the place of many good kings of their ownblood, they might look obediently to one masterwho was an immigrant and an alien. While he wasthus busying himself, the Tyndaridae^ came upagainst the city, and the war greatly furthered his
seditious schemes; indeed, some writers say outright
that he persuaded the invaders to come.At first, then, they did no harm, but simply
demanded back their sister. When, however, the
people of tlie city replied that they neither had the
girl nor knew where she had been left, they resorted
to war. But Academus, who had learned in some
way or other of her concealment at Aphidnae, told
them about it. For this reason he was honoured
during his life by the Tyndaridae, and often after-
wards when the Lacedaemonians invaded Attica andlaid waste all the country round about, they sparedthe Academy,^ for the sake of Academus. ButDicaearchus says that Echedemus and Marathus of
* Cf. chapter xxiv. 1-3.2 Or Dioscuri, Castor and Pollux.3 A shady precinct near the river Cephissus, about a mile
N.W. of Athens. Here Plato and his disciples taught. See
Cimon, xiii. 8.
75
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rore rot? TvvSapiBa[,<; i^ ^ApKahia<^, a<^ ov fiev
^^Xe^rjfjiiav TrpoaayopevOr/vat ttjv vuv ^KKahrj-
fxeiaVy a(f>'ov Se MapaOcova rbv BrjfA,op, iirihovrof;
eavTov €fcov<Tico<; Kara ri \6yiov (T(f>ajuz(Taadai
irpo T^9 Trapard^eco^i.
^Kk06vT€<; ovv iirl Ta<; *A<j)LBva^ Kal p^XV6 Kpar7]oravT6<i e^eTS,ov to %a)/Otoi/. ivravOd (paatKal 'AXvKov Treaelv rov ^Keipcovo^ vlov, avarpa-
reuojjievov Tore rot? ^loaKovpoL^y d<j) ov ical tottov
rrj^ MeyapiK7}<; "^AXvkov KaXeurdai tov <r(t)/jLaTO<;
evTa(f)6VT0<;. 'Hpea? 8' viro %r}(Tew^ avrov irepl
'A(^tSi;a9 diroOaveiV tov "AXvkov laToprjfce, Kal
fjbapTvpLa TavTL ra eirr} 7rape)(eTai irepl tov
*A\VK0U'
TOV iv evpvxop^ ttot ^AcftlBvrj
fiapvdp,evov S7]a-€V<; 'EiXevT]^ eveic rjVKop.oio
KTelvev.
Ov pA)v 6tVo9 avTOV @??<7ea)9 TrapovTO^ dXcavai tyjv
T€ jiii)Tipa Kal Ta9 ^A^iBva<;,
XXXIII. ^Exofievcov S' ovv rcav ^AcptBvcov Kal
Twv iv a(7T€i BeSioTcov, eireKTe tov Stj/jlov 6 Mez^e-
aOev^ BexeaOai Tp iroXet Kal (j)i\o(j)poveLaOac
TOL'9 TuvSapiBa^;, co9 p^ovqy Sijael j3ia<; virdp^avTi
TToXepLovvraf;, tcov Be dXXcov evepyeTa<; 6vTa<;j
dvOpcoTTcov Kal a(OTrjpa<;. ipapTvpei Be avro) Kal
TCL Trap' eKeivcov ovBev yap rj^lcoaav diravrcov 16
Kparovvre^ a\V r) /jLvrjOijvai, /iTjBev rJTTOV 'Hpa-2 KXiov<i T^ iroXei irpoariKOVTe^* Kal tovto ovv
76
THESEUS, XXXII. 4-xxxiii. 2
Arcadia were in the army of the Tjrndaridae at that
time, from the first of whom the present Academywas named Echedemia, and from the other, the
township of Marathon, since in accordance withsome oracle he voluntarily gave himself to be sacri-
ficed in front of the line of battle.
To Aphidnae, then, they came, won a pitched\^ battle, and stormed the town. Here they say that
among others Alycus, the son of Sciron, who was at
that time in the army of the Dioscuri, was slain,
and that from him a place in Megara where he was
y^ buried is called Alycus. But Hereas writes thatA Alycus was slain at Aphidnae by Theseus himself,
and cites in proof these verses about Alycus :—
"whom once in the plain of Aphidnae,
Y Where he was fighting, Theseus, ravisher of fair-
haired Helen,Slew/'
However, it is not likely that Theseus himself was
present when both his mother and Aphidnae were
captured.XXXni. At any rate, Aphidnae was taken and
the city of Athens was full of fear, but Menestheus
persuaded its people to receive the Tyndaridae into
the city and show them all manner of kindness,since they were waging war upon Theseus alone, wholiad committed the first act of violence, but werebenefactors and saviours of the rest of mankind.And their behaviour confirmed his assurances, for
although they were masters of everything, theydemanded only an initiation into the mysteries,since they were no less closely allied to the city thanHeracles. This privilege was accordingly granted
vol.. I. T^ 77
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
VTTTJp^ev avTOL^, ^AcpiBvov TTOtrjcrafievou TratSa?,
ft)9 IluXio? *HpaK\ea' /cal rifia^ laodeov; ecrxov,
"AvaKB^; TrpoaayopevOevTCf;, rj Sta tcl^ yevo/jieva';
avox^^ V ^^^ '^V^ iTTt/JueXecav xal KrjSe/noviav rod
fiTjBeva KaKQ)<i iraOelv a-rparid^ TOcravTrjf; evZov
ova-T]^' avafcm yap ex^iv tou? iirLfieXofievov^ rj
(pv\dTTOVTa<; otlovv kol tov<; /Qao'tXet? tcro)?
avaicTa^ Bia tovto KaXovcnv. elal Be ol Xeyovre^
BiCL TTjv tS)v aarepcov iirKJidveiav "Ai/a/ca? ovo/jba-
^eaOar to yap avco rov^ ^Attikov<; dveKa<; ovo-
fid^cLV, Kol dvifcadev ro dvcoOev.
XXXIV. AiOpav Be rr)V ®7}(Teco<; fir^repa yevo-
fievrjv alx/^XcoTov dirax^V^^'' Xeyovatv eh Aaxe-
Bat/jLova, /cd/celOev eh TpoCav fierd *E\evr)^' kol
^apTvpelv "0^7)pov, eireaOat, rfj *Ft\evrj (j)dfievov*
AWprjv UtrOrjo'; Ovyarpa KXvjjievTjv re /Socjttiv.
"^ Ol Be /cal tovto to eVo? BiaPdXkovai Ka\ ttjv
rrrepX yiovvvxoy ixvOoXoyiav, ov ex AtjfjLocpcovTo^
AaoBiKr)<; Kpvcpa Te/covar]<; iv *IXta) o-vveKOpe-yjrai
2 Tr)V AWpav Xeyovatv. lBlov Be Tiva fcal iraprfK-
Xayjjbevov 0X0)9 \6yov 6 "laTpc; iv Trj TpiaKai-
BeKdTj} TMV ^Attikcov dva(f>ipei~7r€pl AWpa^;, ay;
evicov XeyovTcov ^AXe^avBpov fxev tov Hdpiv iv
%eaaa\ia ^utt* 'Ap^tXXeo)? fcal HaTpoxXov fidxv
KpaTTjOrjvaL irapa tov XTrepx^i'OV, "FiKTopa Be
Tr]V Tpoi^TjVLWv iToXiv Xa^ovTa Biapirdaai Ka\
* rhv ndpiv 4v @ea<raXlay with Bekker : rhv 4v OecrcroAfot
ndpiv.
78
V
^
THESEUS, XXXIII. 2-xxxiv. 2
them, after they had been adopted by Aphidnus, as
Pylius had adopted Heracles. They also obtained
honours like those paid to gods, and were addressed
as"Anakes," either on account of their stopping
hostilities, or because of their diligent care that noone should be injured, although there was such a
large army within the city ; for the phrase" anakos
echein"
is used of such as care for, or guard any-
thing, and perhaps it is for this reason that kings are
called "Anaktes." There are also those who saythat the Tyndaridae were called "Anakes" becauseof the appearance of their twin stars in the heavens,since the Athenians use "anekas
"and "anekathen
"
for '^ano" and "anothen," signifying above or on
high.XXXIV. They say that Aethra, the mother of
Theseus, who was taken captive at Aphidnae, wascarried away to Lacedaemon, and from thence to
Troy with Helen, and that Homer ^ bears witness to
this when he mentions as followers of Helen :—
" Aethra of Pittheus born, and Clymene large-eyedand lovely."
S^ But some reject this verse of Homer's, as well as
the legend of Munychus, who was born in secret to
Laodice from Demophoon, and whom Aethra helpedto rear in Ilium. But a very peculiar and whollydivergent story about Aethra is given by Ister in thethirteenth book of his "Attic History." Somewrite, he says, that Alexander (Paris) was overcomein battle by Achilles and Patroclus in Thessaly,along the banks of the Spercheius, but that Hectortook and plundered the city of Troezen, and carried
^Iliad, iii. 144.
I 79
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T^y AWpav dirdyeiv CKet KaTakei^Oelorav* aXkaTOVTO fjL€V e%€^ TToXXrjv oXoyiav,XXXV. *AtS(ove(o<: Be rod MoXocrcroO ^evi-
foz/TO? 'Hpa/cXea koI tcov irepl top Srja-ia Kal
HeipiOovv /card tvxh^ fivrjcOivTo^iy d re irpd-
foi/T€9 rfkOov Kal d (pcopadevre^ eiraOov, ^apia^'qvey/cev 6 'Hpa/cX?)?, tov fiev d7ro\o)\6TO<i d86^(o<;,
Tov Be dTroWvfjiivov, Kal irepl lieipldov fiev
ovBev W6T0 TTOcrjaeiv irXiov ijKaXcov, tov Be
®i](Tea TTapxiTelTO Kal %a/Ofi^ rf^iov TavTrjv avT&2 BoOrivaL, (Tvyy(£)p7]aavT0^ Be tov WlBcDvea)<;, Xv-
6el<; 6 Srja-ev^ eiravrjXOe pev eh ra? ^KOrjva^,ovBeTTco TravTairaat, twv (^iXoDv avTov KeKpaTrj-
pevcov, Kal ocra virrjpxe Tep^evrj irpoTepov avTw
T^9 TToXect)? e^eXovarjf; diravTa Kadtepcoae tw
^HpaKXeX kciI Trpoarjyopevcrev uvtI Srjaeiayv 'Hpd-KXeia, ttXtjv TecradpcoVy w^ ^iX6)(opo^ laTo^ iqicev.
avOi^^ Be povX6fi6vo<; eo? irpoTepov dpx^iv Koi
KaOi^yelo-Oai tov iroXiTevp^aTO'; eh o-racrei? eve-
ireae Kal Tapa^d^;, ov<; p,ev direXi'ire pbcaovvTa^avTov evpLCTKcov TO
/jLT) (po^elaOaL t&> fiiaelv irpocr-
eiXrjcfyoTa^ , ev Be to) Brjp^cp iroXv to Bie(j)Oap-
p^evov opwv Kal OepaireveaOaL ^ovXopievov ami3 TOV TTOielv (TicoTrfj TO TTpoaTaTTop-evov. eTTL^eiprnvovv fiid^ecrdat KaT6Br]p.aycoyelTO Kal KaTeaTa-
(Tid^eTO. Kal Te\o9 diroyvov'^ ra irpdyp.aTa tou?
pblv iralBa^ eh Evfioiav vire^eirep.'^e irpo^ 'EXe-
^rjvopa TOV l^aXKcoBovTo^, avTO<; Be VapyqTTolKaTa TCOV
^
AOrjvaicdv dpd<; dep^evo^, ov vvv eorTi
TO KaXovpevov ^KpaTrjpiov, eh ^Kvpov e^eirXevareVy^ aMis Coraes, after Reiske : tvQvs [at oncf).
8o
THESEUS, xxxiv. 2-xxxv. 3
away Aethra, who had been left there. This, how-
ever, is very doubtful.
XXXV. Now while Heracles was the guest of
Aidoneus the Molossian, the king incidentally spokeof the adventure of Theseus and Peirithoiis, tellingwhat they had come there to do, and what they hadsuffered when they were found out. Heracles was
greatly distressed by the inglorious death of the one,and by the impending death of the other. As for
Peirithoiis, he thought it useless to complain, but he
begged for the release of Theseus, and demandedthat this favour be granted him. Aidoneus yieldedto his prayers, Theseus was set free, and returned to
Athens, where his friends were not yet altogetheroverwhelmed. All the sacred precincts which the
city had previously set apart for himself, he nowdedicated to Heracles, and called them Heracleia
1^ instead of Theseia, four only excepted, as Philo-^ chorus writes. But when he desired to rule again as
before, and to direct the state, he became involvedin factions and disturbances ; he found that those
who hated him when he went away, had now addedto their hatred contempt, and he saw that a large
part of the people were corrupted, and wished to be
cajoled into service instead of doing silently what
they were told to do. Attempting, then, to force
his wishes upon them, he was overpowered bydemagogues and factions, and finally, despairing ofhis cause, he sent his children away privately into
Euboea, to Elephenor, the son of Chalcodon, whilehe himself, after invoking curses upon the Atheniansat Gargettus, where there is to this day the placecalled Araterion,^ sailed away to the island of Scyros,
^ That is, the j^Zoce of prayer, or cursing.
81
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ov(Tr)<; avTa> Trpo? tou9 i/cet (j>L\La<;, cw? wero, /cat
^(opLcov iv rfi VTjcrcp irarpajcov. i^aaiXeve 8e
4 AvK0/jL^B7j<; Tore tcov ^fcupicov. tt/jo? tovtov ovv
d(j)iK6fJL6V09 i^TjTei T0U9 dypov<; diroXafBeiv, &)9
avTodi KaroiKTiaoDV' evioi Be ^acn irapaKaXelvavTov ^orjOelv iirl tou9 ^AOrjvaiov^, 6 Be Avko-
fXTjBrjfiy elre Beicraf; rrjv Bo^av tov dvBp6<;j ecre tS>
M-eveaOel ')(apL^6iJL€V0';, iirl rh aKpa ri)^ '^cjt)pa<;
dvayaycbv avrov, to? eKeWev iiriBeC^cov rou?
dypov^t (bae Karh tcov Trerpcov koI Bi6(f)d€tp€V.
evioL S'd(j> eavTov irecrelv (fiaai a<f)a\€VTa, fiera 17
5 BellTvoVy ataTrep elcoOei, TrepiTrarovvra. koX irapav-rl/ca fiev ovBeh ea'xev avrov \6yov ovBeva reOvrj-
k6to<;, dXka tS)V fiev ^AOrjvaicov ijSaa-lXevae
Mez/ecr^Gi;?, ol Be TratSe? lBccoTevovTe<i ^E\e(j)i]vopi
avvearpdrevaav eU "iXfor. iicel Bk MeveaOeo)^
diroOavovTo^ eTraveXOovreg avrol rr)v ^aaiXeiav
dveKo/jLiaavTO. %/3oyot9 3' varepov^
A6r}vaiov<^
aXKa T€ 7rape(7T7j(Tev co? 7]pQ)a rifidv (drjcrea, koI
T(ov iv yiapa6(x)vv tt/oo? Mt^Sou? fiaxo/JievcDv eBo^avovK oXCyot (fida/xa Srjaea)<i iv oTrXoi? KaOopdv irpo
avTMV iwl TOV<i fiap/3dpov(; (f}€p6/JLevov,
XXXVI. Mer^ Bk rd MrjBiKd ^alBcovo^ dp-
XOVTO^ /jbavT€Vo/jLevoi<! T0t9 ^AOrjvaioL^ dvelXev r)
Uvdia rd Srja-ewf; dvaka^elv oo-rd koI 0€fjL6i'ov<;
ivTifiwf; izap avToi<s ^vXaTTeiv. ^v Be koL Xa-
^elv diropia kclv yvwvai rov rdxfiov dfiL^ia fcal
')(aXe7r6T)]Ti tcov ivocKOvvTcov AoXoTrayv, ov firjv
82
THESEUS, XXXV. 3 xxxvi. i
where the people were friendly to him, as he thought,and where he had ancestral estates. Now Lycomedeswas at that time king of Scyros. To him therefore
Theseus applied with the request that his lands
should be restored to him, since he was going to
Iwell there, though some say that he asked his aid
against the Athenians. But Lycomedes, either
because he feared a man of such fame, or as a favour
to Menestheus, led him up to the high places of the
land, on pretence of showing liim from thence his
lands, threw him down the cliffs, and killed him.
VSome,however, say that he slipped and fell down
of himself while walking there after supper, as washis custom. At the time no one made any accountof his death, but Menestheus reigned as Ling at
Athens, while the sons of Theseus, as men of private
station, accompanied Elephenor on the expedition to
Ilium ; but after Menestheus died there, they cameback by themselves and recovered their kingdom.In after times, however, the Athenians were movedto honour Theseus as a demigod, especially by thefact that many of those who fought at Marathon
against the Medes thought they saw an apparition of
Theseus in arms rushing on in front of them againstthe Barbarians.^
XXXVI. And after the Median wars, in the
archonship of Phaedo,^ when the Athenians were
consulting the oracle at Delphi, they were told bythe Pythian priestess to take up the bones of
Theseus, give them honourable burial at Athens,and guard them there. But it was difficult to find
the grave and take up the bones, because of the
inhospitable and savage nature of the Dolopians,» Cf. Pausanias, i. 15, 4. « 476-475 b.o.
83
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aXka Klfiayv €\.q)V rrjv vrjaov, 0)9 iv ro2<; irepi
eKetvov ^eypairratt koX (ptXoTi/iiov/JLevof; i^avev-
pelVi aerov riva tottov ^ovvoeihrj kotttovto^;, a>?
^acn, rip aTOfiart Koi SiacrTiWovTO<; ro2^ ovv^i
2 6ela rivl rvxv o'v/Ji(j)povJ]aa<; ave^Ka'^ev. evpeOr)
he OiJKT) T€ fjL€yd\ov cra)/,taT09 cilXM '^^ irapaKei-
fjiivrj x^Xktj fcal ft^o?. KOfJuiadivrcov Be tovtcov
VTTO Ktficovo^; eirl t^9 rptripov^i rjaOevTe^; ol^
A.Br)valoL iTopjiraZ^ re Xapbirpal^; iBe^avro koX
OvcTLai^ axTTrep avrov iiravepxopievov et? to acrrv.
Kol Keirai piev iv ^lea-rf rrj iroXei irapa ro vvv
yvp,vdaiov, ean he <j)v^LpLOv ol/cerat'; koX Trdai
Tot9 TairetvoTepoLf; koX hehioat, KpeirTova^, &)? /cat
Tov @r)(TeQ)<; irpoo-raTiKov rivo<; koX ^or)97}TiKov
ryevop4vov koX TrpoaSexofievov ^iXavOpcoiro)^ ra?
3 Tcoi/ raTreu'orepcov Beijcreifi. OvaLav he iroiovaiv
avTa> TYjv pLeyio-Trjp oyhor) Hvave-^ioivo^y ivf)
p,eTa TO)v rjWecov eK K.p'^rr)'; iiravrfkOev. ov p>r)v
aXka Kol Ta?9 aXkaL<; 6<yh6aL^ npbSicriv avroVy rj
hia TO TTpcoTOV eK TpoL^rjvof; d^iKecrdaL ttj oyhorj
TOV *EtKaTopLJ3(ica)vo^, 0)9 laroprjKe ^cohcopof; 6
7re/?«77?7T?;9, V vopL^oPT€<! erepov pbaWov^K€iV(p
irpoarjKeiv tov dpiOp,bv tovtov m TiocTethcavo';
4 yeyovivai Xeyopuivcp. xal ycbp Uoaeihcova tul^
84
THESEUS, xxxvlTT
wno tnen inhabited the island. However, Cimontook the island, as I have related in his Life/ and
being ambitious to discover the grave of Theseus,saw an eagle in a place where there was the semblanceof a mound, pecking, as they say, and tearing up the
ground vnih his talons. By^oine divine ordering he
comprehended the meaning of this and dug there,and there was found a coffin of a man of extraordinarysize, a bronze spear lying by its side, and a sword.
When these relics were brought home on his
trireme by Cimon, the Athenians were delighted,and received them with splendid processions and
sacrifices, as though Theseus himself were returningto his city. And now he lies buried in the heart of
the city, near the present gymnasium,^ and his tombis a sanctuary and place of refuge for runaway slaves
and all men of low estate who are afraid of men in
power, since Theseus was a champion and helper of
such during his life, and graciously received the
supplications of the poor and needy. The chief
sacrifice which the Athenians make in his honourcomes on the eighth day of the month Pyanepsion,the day on which he came back from Crete with the
youths. But they honour him also on the eighth
day of the other months, either because he came to
Athens in the first place, from Troezen, on the
eighth day of the month Hecatombaeon, as Diodorusthe Topographer states, or because they consider
this number more appropriate for him than anyother since he was said to be a son of Poseidon.^
For they pay honours to Poseidon on the eighth day
*Chapter viii. 3-6.
2 The gymnasium of Pt-olemy. Pausanias, i. 17, 2.' Of. chapter vi. 1.
8s
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
6<yS6aL<; TLfioiaiv. rj yap 6yhoa<; Kvfio<; air* aprlov'7rp(OTO<^ ovcra koI tou Trpcorou rerpaycovov Bt-
irXaaia, to fiovvfiov kol Bvo-klvtjtov oIk€lov e'xei
TTj^ rod Oeov Sum/ieo)?, ov d<j-(pdX€tov koI yai^o-^ovTTpoaovoiid ^ojjiep.
S$
THESEUS, XXXVI. 4
of every month. The number eight, as the first cubeof an even number and the double of the first square,
fitly represents the steadfast and immovable powerof this god, to whom we give the epithets of
Securer and Earth-stayer.
«<7
ROMULUS
PflMYAOS
I. To fjue^ya rr}^ ^Vwixrj^ ovofia kol So^y Sea
TrdvTcov dvOpcoTTcov Kexfoprjfcb^ d<j)* orov koL 8t
rjv alriav ry irokeL fye<yoveVf ov^ wfjuoXoyriTai
irapd To2<i o-vyypaipevaiv, aW' ol fiev HeXacryov^iirl TrXetcTTa rfj<; ouKOVfievr^^; TrXavrfOevra^ dv-
dpayrrcov re irXeiarcov /cpar^aavraf;, avroOi Kar-
OLKTjaai, /cat Bed rrjv ev rot? ottXol^s p(t)/.ir]v
2 ovTco^ ovop^daai ttjv TroXiVy ol Be Tpoua^ dXi-
aKOfi€vr)(i Biacj)vy6vTa<; iviov<; kov TrXoLcov eVtrf-
Xovra<; virb TTvev/jbdrcov rfj Tvpprjvla irpoo-Treaetv
(^epofievov^, fcal irepl rov @vpfipiv Trorafibv oppi-GaaQai' Tal<^ Be yvvai^lv avrcop diropov/JLivaKi 18
"^Brj Koi Bv(Tava(T'X^eTov(Tai<; irpo^ ttjv ddXaaaavvTToOeaOai pLiaVy fj koi ykvei irpov'^eLv kol (ppovelviBoKec p^dXiara, 'V(op7]v ovopa, KaraTrprjorac TCt
3 irXola' 'irpa')(6ei'T0^ Be rovrou irpojrov pev dya-vaKielv Tov^; dvBpa<;, eireira Bl dvdyKrjv IBpvv-6evTa<^ irepl to TiaXXdvTLOv, &>? oXiycp y^pbvtp
KpelTTOv iX7r[Bo<; eirpaTTOv, dyaOrjq re 7reipcop.6vot
')(^copa<s Kcd Be'Xppevwv avToix; tcov irpoa-OLKwVy
dXXr)v T€ Tiprjv dirovepbeiv ttj *P(opT) Kai Trjv
4 ttoXlv dir* avT7]<;, oxi oiria^, irpocrayopeveLV. i^eKelvov Te TrapapLevetv \eyovac to to 1/9 avyyevels
90
ROMULUS
1. From whom, and for what reason the greatname of Rome, so famous among mankind, was
given to that city, writers are not agreed. Some
say that the Pelasgians, after wandering over
most of the habitable earth and subduing most of
mankind, settled down on that site, and that fromtheir strength in war they called their city Rome.Others say that at the taking of Troy some of its
people escaped, found sailing vessels, were driven
by storms upon the coast of Tuscany, and came to
anchor in the river Tiber ; that here, while their
women were perplexed and distressed at thought of
the sea, one of them, who was held to be of superiorbirth and the greatest understanding, and whosename was Roma, proposed that they should burn the
ships1
; that when this was done, the men were
angry at first, but afterwards, when they bad settled
of necessity on the Palatine, seeing themselves in a
little while more prosperous than they had hoped,since they found the country good and the neigh-bours made them welcome, they paid high honoursto Roma, and actually named the city after her,since she had been the occasion of their foundingit. And from that time on, they say, it has been
1 Cf. Aeneid, v. 604-699.
91
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Ta9 fyvvalKa^; koI oIk€i,ov<: avSpa^; acrird^eaOai
Toi^ (TTOjiaai' Kol jap €K€iva<;, ore ra ifKoia
KaT67rpr]<7av, ovrco^; d(77rd^€<rdai /cat ^tXocfypo-
velaOai tou? dvhpa^, heo[Meva<i avrcov Kal irapat-
Tov/iiva^i T)]V opyrjv,
IL "AXkoL he *Fa)p,r]v, ^IraXov Ouyarepa kol
AevKaplany ol he, T7)\i(j)ov rod 'Hyoa/cXeoi;?,
Kiveia jafMrjdelcrav, ol 8' ^Aafcavlov tov Alveiov,
Xeyovat rovvofia OeaOai rfj iroXei,' ol he 'Po)-
fiavov, 'OSuo-(Tect)9 iralha koX K.LpK7)<i, olKuaai rrjv
TToXcv ol he ^VodjjLov ifc Tpola^ vtto Aio/jLrjhov^
dTToaraXevra tov ^HfiaOtoyvof;, ol he ^Fcofitv
Aarlvcov rvpavvov, €fc/3a\6vTa Tvpp7)vov<; rov<}
eh Avhlav fiev e/c SerraXia';, ck he Avhla^ eh^IraXiav irapayevop.evovf;. ov fir)v ovh* ol 'Pto-
fjLvXov TO) hcKaiOTaTq) rcov Xoycov dTrocpalvovrei;
eTTCovvfiov tt}? TToXeo)? opLoXoyova-i nrepX tov2 ryevov<; avTov, ol fiev yap Alveiov Kal Ae^tOea^;
T?79 ^6p^avT0<; vlov ovTa vrjinov eh ^IraXlav
KO/jLtaOrjvai>, /cal tov dheX^bv avrov 'Fco/jlov ev
he tS) TTOTapLw irXrj/xfjLvpavTi tcov dXXwv (TKUipwv
hiacpOapevTcov, ev (o he rjaav ol iralhe^; eh fia-
XafC7]v diroKXivOevTo^; 6')(6r]v drpepa, awdevTaf;^3 d7rpoahoKi]Tco<;,'^ ovop^aadrpat ^Vwprjv. ol he
*Pa)p,i]v OvyaTepa tt}? Tpcodho<^ eKeivrj^; AaTivco
Tw Tr)X€p.dxov yap7}6el(Tav reKelv tov 'Fcop^yXovol he AlpvXiav ttjv Alveiov Kal Aa^ivla^ "Apei
avyyevop,evr]V' ol he pvdayhr] iravrdiraai irepl t^9
^ ffaeh'Tas MSS., Coraes, Sinteiiis\ and Bekker: (TwOevTos.*
airpoardoK-fiTws after this word, Bekker assumes a lacunain the text.
92
ROMULUS, I. 4-II. 3
customary for the women to salute their kinsmenand husbands with a kiss; for those women, after
they had burned the ships, made use of such tender
salutations as they supplicated their husbands and
sought to appease their wrath.
II. Others again say that the Roma who gave her
name to the city was a daughter of Italus and
Leucaria, or, in another account, of Telephus the
son of Heracles; and that she was married to Aeneas,
or, in another version, to Ascanius the son of Aeneas.
Some tell us that it was Romanus, a son of Odysseusand Circe, who colonized the city ; others that it was
Romus, who was sent from Troy by Diomedes theson of Emathion ; and others still that it was Romis,
tyrant of the Latins, after he had driven out the
Tuscans, who passed from Thessaly into Lydia, andfrom Lydia into Italy. Moreover, even those writers
who declare, in accordance with the most authentic
tradition, that it was Romulus who gave his name to
the city, do not agree about his lineage. For some
say that he was a son of Aeneas and Dexithea the
daughter of Phorbas, and was brought to Italy in his
infancy, along with his brother Romus ; that the rest
of the vessels were destroyed in the swollen river,
but the one in which the boys were was gentlydirected to a grassy bank, where they were unex-
pectedly saved, and the place was called Roma fromthem. Others say it was Roma, a daughter of the
Trojan woman I have mentioned, who was wedded to
Latinus the son of Telemachus and bore himRomulus; others that Aemilia, the daughter of Aeneasand Lavinia, bore him to Mars ;
and others still
rehearse what is altogether fabulous concerning his
93
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
y€veo-€co<; Sce^laa-L. Ta/3%€Ttct) yap ^AX/Savcov
^acTiXei irapavofKOTaTW koI ayfiordra) (fedafia
haifiovLov oIkoi yeveadar cfyaXkov yap i/c t^9
€aTia<s avaay/iv koX hiapLeveLV iirl iroXXa'^ rj/iepa^;'
4 eliai Be TrjOvo^ iv TvpprjVLa ^PV^'^VP^^^' ^^' ^^
KOfJLiadrjvaL tw Tap-^ertq) ')(p7j(Tfiovcjcrre avfi-
filial, T(p (pda-fjuari, nrapOivov' eaeadai yap ef
avTrj(; iraiSa /cXeivorarov apery Ka\ Tv^rj koI
pcofjLTj Bia(f)6povTa. <l)pdcravTO<; ovv ro fidvrevfia
Tov Tapxerlov pita rcov Ouyaripcov Kal avy-
yeveaOai too <paXXu> Trpocrrd^avTO'^, avTrjv pev5 dira^iwdaif depdiracvav he elairepi-^ai, tov 8e
Tapx^TLov, ci)9 eyvco, %aX€7rw9 <f)epovTa avXXa^ecp
fiev dp(f)OTepa<i eVl Oavdrw, rrjv S* 'Ecrrtaz/ Ihovra
Kara tou? vttvov^ drrayopevovaav avrtp rov
<f)6vov, larov nva Trapeyyvrjcrat, ral<; Kopai^i
vcpaCveLv BeBepuivaL^;, co? orav i^u<f)^voiy(Tiy rore
Bo67j(ropeva<; 7rpb<; ydpov, eKeiva<i puev ovv Bl
r)pepa<; vcpaiveLV, erepa^ Be vvKrwp rov Tap-')(erLov fceXevovro'; dvaXveiv rov larov. i/c Be rov
(paXXov rrj<; OepaTraivLBofi reKOvat]^ BlBvpia, Bovval
riVL TepariM rov Tapx^nov dveXelv KeXevaavra*6 rov Be Oelvai (f)epovra rov rrorapLov TrXrja-iov
elra XvKaLvav pev eirLcfyOLrdv pLacrrov evBiBovaav,
opvi6a<i Be TravroBairov^ '^copbiapiara Kop,L^ouTa<i
evridevai to69 Ppe^eaiv, dxpi' ov ^ovkoXov IBovra
Ka\ 6avp,d(Tavra roXp^rjaai rrpoaeXdelv Kal dve-
XeaOai ra rraihia. roiavrr}<; Be t^9 o-o)rr]pia<;
avrol^ yevopLev7]<;, cKrpacpevra^ eiriOecyOai rw
Tapx^TLO) Kal Kparriaau ravra piev ovv Upo- 19
94
ROMULUS, II. 3-6
origin. For instance, they say that Tarchetius, kingof the Albans, who was most lawless and cruel,
was visited with a strange phantom in his house,
namely, a phallus rising out of the hearth and remain-
ing there many days. Now there was an oracle of
Tethys in Tuscany, from which there was brought to
Tarchetius a response that a virgin must have inter-
course with this phantom, and she should bear a son
most illustrious for his valour, and of surpassing goodfortune and strength. Tarchetius, accordingly, told
the prophecy to one of his daughters, and bade herconsort with the phantom ; but she disdained to do
so, and sent a handmaid in to it. When Tarchetius
learned of this, he was wroth, and seized both the
maidens, purposing to put them to death. But the
goddess Hestia appeared to him in his sleep and for-
bade him the murder. He therefore imposed uponthe maidens the weaving of a certain web in their
imprisonment, assuring them that wlien they hadfinished the weaving of it, they should tlien be givenin marriage. By day, then, these maidens wove, but
by night other maidens, at the command of Tarche-
tius, unravelled their web. And when the handmaidbecame the mother of twin children by the phantom,Tarchetius gave them to a certain Teratius withorders to destroy them. This man, however, carried
them to the river-side and laid them down there.
Then a she-wolf visited the babes and gave themsuck, while all sorts of birds brought morsels of foodand put them into their mouths, until a cow-herd
spied them, conquered his amazement, ventured to
come to them, and took the children home with him.Thus they were saved, and when they were grownup, they set upon Tarchetius and overcame him.
95
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fjuaOicav ri^ IcTOplav ^IraXLKrjv avvT€TaryfjL€vos
eiprjKe.
III. Tov Be iritniv €')(pino^ \6yov fiaXiara koi
irXeiarov^ fidpTvpa<; tcl fiev Kvpccorara Trpwro? ekTou? "KXXrjvaf; i^eScoKe AtofcXi}^ Heirapi^Oio^y SKoi <^d^io<; 6 Hlktcop iv roh ifKeiGTOL^ iin^KO'
\ovO't]K€. yeyovaat Be /cal irepl tovtcov erepai2 Biacj^opal' tvitw Be elirelv to^oOto? eVrt. twj' aTr
Alveiov 'ye'yovoTOdv ev "AX^r) ffacriXecov el^ dBeX-
(j)ov^ Bvo, No/jLTJropa /cal ^AfjuovXiov, r] BtaBoxvKaOijKev, ^AjjlovXlov Be velfiavro^ ra Trdvra Bl)(^a,
rfi Be ^aacXeia to, %/)7;yLtaTa Kal tov ex TpoLa^
KOfiiaOevTa -xpyarov avTudevTO^, eiXero rrjv ffacri-
Xeiav 6 ^ojjLT]Tcop. ex^ov ovv 6 'A/iouXto? ra
XPVP-ciTa Kol irXiov dir* avrcov Bvvd/j,€VO<^ rod
No//'?;Vo/909, T'^v re ^aatXetav d^eiXero paBico'^,
Kal (f)ol3ov/jL€vo<i e'/c t/}9 OvyaTpb<; avrou yeveaOai7ralBa<; iepeiav Trj<; 'Eorrta? direBet^ev, dyafjLov Kal
3 irapOevov del ^icoaofievrjv. ravTrjv ol [lev ^iXiaVy
ol Be 'Veav, ol Be XiXovtav ovo/jid^ovcTi. (fxopdraLBe puer' ov ttoXvv xpovov Kvovaa irapa tov Kade-cTTCJTa Ta?9 ^EcTTtdcrc vopLov. Kal to fiev dvjJKecTTa
p,7) iraOelv avTrjv rjtov ^acriXew^; OvydTrjp ^KvOo)
TraprjTrjaaTOt BerjOelcra tov Trar/jo?' eXpjddrj Be KoiBiaiTav e2%6i' dveirifiiKTov, o7ro)<i pur) Xddoi TCKovara
TOV ^ApLOvXLOV. eT€K€ Be Bvo iratBa^ virep^vel^4 pLeyedec kol KaXXei. Bi o Kal pudXXov 6 ^ApLovXio^
(^o^7]del<i eKeXevaev avTov^ VTnjpeTrjv Xa^ovTapl^ai, TOVTOV evLOL ^PavGTvXov ovopbd^ecrOai
96
ROMULUS, II. 6-II1. 4
At any rate, this is what a certain Promathion says,who compiled a history of Italy.
III. But the story which has the widest credenceand the greatest number of vouchers was first
published among the Greeks, in its principal details,
by Diodes of Peparethus, and Fabius Pictor follows
him in most points. Here again there are variations
in the story, but its general outline is as follows.
The descendants of Aeneas reigned as kings in Alba,and the succession devolved at length upon two
brothers, Numitor and Amulius.^ Amulius divided
the whole inheritance into two parts, setting the
treasures and the gold which had been brought from
Troy over against the kingdom, and Numitor chose
the kingdom. Amulius, then, in possession of the
treasure, and made more powerful by it than Nu-
mitor, easily took the kingdom away from his brother,and fearing lest that brother's daughter should have
children, made her a priestess of Vesta, bound to
live unwedded and a virgin all her days. Her nameis variously given as Ilia, or Rhea, or Silvia. Not
long after this, she was discovered to be with child,
contrary to the established law for the Vestals.^
She did not, however, suffer the capital punishmentwhich was her due, because the king's daughter,Antho, interceded successfully in her behalf, but shewas kept in solitary confinement, that she might notbe delivered without the knowledge of Amulius.Delivered she was of two boys, and their size and
beauty were more than human. Wherefore Amuliuswas all the more afraid, and ordered a servant to
take the boys and cast them away. This servant's
name was Faustulus, according to some, but others
1 Cf. Livy, i. 3. « Cf. Livy, i. 4, 1-5.
97
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Xeyovatv, ol 5* ov rovrov, aXka rov aveXojuevov.
€v06fJL€VO<; ovv ck a/cd^yv ra jSpecj)?], /care^ij fiev iirl
Tov TTorafiov co? piy^rcov, IBcov Be /cariovra iroWw
pevfiaTL KoX Tpayyvoiievov eBeiae rrpocreKOelVy iy-5 71)9 Be T7j<; o^Ov'* fcaradeh dTnjWdao-ero. rov Be
7roTap,ov KaTa/€\v^ovTO<; rj irXi^fifivpa T7]v (jKa^rjv
VTToXajSovo-a koX /jLerecopbaaaa irpaco^ Karijvey/cev
eh %a)y3toi^ eineLKS)^ fiaXdaKoVy o vvv Kep/juaXov
KoXouai, TrdXav Be Vepfiavov, &)? eotxev, on kol
rov^ dBeX<f)Ou<; jep/jLavov^; ovo/Md^ovcnv.
IV. 'Hz^ Be 7rXr)(TLov €pLve6<!, ov 'VcofiivdXiov
ifcdXovv, rj Bia rov 'PcofivXov, 609 ol ttoXXoI vo/jll-
^ovatv, 7) Bia TO t^ firjpvKco/jLeva rcov Ope/jb/ndroov
ixel Bta rrjv ctklclv evBid^eiv, rj /ndXiara Bca rov
T(hv 0pe(j)cov OrfXaafiov, ort, rrjv re drjXrjv povfutv
oovofia^ov ol iraXaioi, kol 6e6v riva t^9 €KTpo(f)rj<;
rcjv vrjTTLcov eTri/jLeXeicrOaL BoKOvaav ovo/nd^ovat
'Pov/jLiXlav, Kol Ovovaiv avrfj vrjcpdXia, koI ydXa2 Tot9 lepoL^; einaTTevBovatv. ivravOa Brj tol<;
^pe^eau Keipbevoi^ rrjv re Xv/caivav icrropovori
dr]Xa^ofjL6vr)v, fcai BpvoKoXdTrrrjv riva Trapelvai
orvv€KTp6(j)ovTa Kol (^vXaTTovTa, vofillerat, 8'
"Ay9ea)9 lepa to, ^Coa- rov Be BpvoKoXdirrrjv xai
Bia(j)€p6vrco<; Aartvoi aeffovrat koI rificoatv'
66ev ovx rjKKJTa ttlo-tlv ecrx^v 77 re/covaa ra
^pe(f>r) TCKelv i^^'Apeco^; (f>daKOvaa. Kalroi rovro
TraOelv avrrjv i^airaTTjdelaav Xeyovaiv, virb rov
^A/jLovXlov BLairapOevevOelaav ev 67rXoi<» eTricpaviv-
T09 avTrj Kal avvapirdaavTO^,
98
ROMULUS, HI. 4-iv. 2
give this name to the man who took the boys up.
Obeying the king's orders, the servant put the babes
into a trough and went down towards the river,
purposing to cast them in;but when he saw that
the stream was much swollen and violent, he wasafraid to go close up to it, and setting his burdendo>vn near the bank, went his way. Then the over-
flow of the swollen river took and bore up the trough,
floating it gently along, and carried it down to a
fairly smooth spot which is now called Kermalus,but formerly Germanus, perhaps because brothers
are called "germani."
IV. Now there was a wild fig-tree hard by, which
they called Ruminalis, either from Romulus, as is
generally thought, or because cud-chewing, or rumi-
natingy animals spent the noon-tide there for thesake of the shade, or best of all, from the suckling of
the babes there ; for the ancient Romans called theteat
"ruma," and a certain goddess, who is thought
to preside over the rearing of young children, is still
called Rumilia, in sacrificing to whom no wine is
used, and libations of milk are poured over hervictims. Here, then, the babes
la}'-,and the she-wolt
of story here gave them suck,^ and a woodpeckercame to help in feeding them and to watch over
them. Now these creatures are considered sacred to
Mars, and the woodpecker is held in especialveneration and honour by the Latins, and this wasthe chief reason why the mother was believed whenshe declared that Mars was the father of her babes.
And yet it is said that she was deceived into doingthis, and was really deflowered by Amulius himselfwho came to her in armour and ravished her.
» Of. Livy, i. 4, 6-7.
99
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 Ot Bk Tovvofia TYj^ rpocftov St,' afi^L^oXtav e/rl
TO ixvOcdSe^ €/CTp07rr)v rfj <i>rifir) irapaa^elv, \ov-
7ra<s yap eKoXovv ol Aarlvoi rwv re OrjpLcov ra?
\vKaiva<;, koI t6)v yvvaiKcov ra? eraipovaa^;' elvat
Be TocavTTjv Tr]v ^avarvXov yvvaiKa tov to, ^pe-
<f)7j Opi^jravTo^, "Akkuv Aapevriav ovo/ia. ravrrj
Be Koi OvovcTLV ol ^FcofiaLoi, koI %oa9 iirKfyepet tov
^AirpiWlov ixTjvo^ avrfi^ 6 tov "Apewf; lepevf;, kgl
Aapevriav KaXova-i Trjv eoprrjv.
Y. 'ETepav Be rtficoo-i Aapevriav ef alr[a<;
Toiavrrjf;, 6 vewKopo^ rev 'HpaKXeovt; akvwv,
ft)9 eoLKev, VTTO o-^oXt}?, irpovOero 7rpo<i rov deov
BiaKv^evetVy vireiiToov on viKT]aa<; fiev avro<; e^ei
TL irapa rov deov 'X^prjarov, r}rrr]del<i Be rw Oew 20
rpcLTre^av a<^6ovov irape^ec /cat yvvacKa KaX^jv2 GvvavairavaofievTjv. eirl rourot? ra<i fiev virep
rov Oeov ridei^, Ta<; 8* virep avrov t^T^^of?,
ave^dvT] viKa)p,evo<;. evavvSerelv Be ^ovX6fievo<i
KaX BcKaccov e/xjuieveiv Tot9 opiadelai, Belirvov re
Tft) dew Trapea/cevaae, fcal rhv Aapevriav ovaav
(hpaiav, ovrrco Be iirtcpavr], jiiaOcjoadjievo'^, elcrrla-
aev ev ra> lepw, kXlvtjv vTToaropeaa^;, Kal jxera to
BeiTTVOv avvelp^ev, ew? Br] rov Oeov e^ovro^ avrijv,
3 Kal pLevrot Kal rov Oeov evrv')(eLV Xiyerai ryyvvaiKL Kal KeXevcrai ^aBi^eiv ecoOev iirl rr)V
dyopav Kal rov dTravrrjcravra irpoirov dairaaa-
fJLCvrjv iroLelaOaL ^IXov. dirrivrr)aev ovv avrfj
roiv rroXirtav dvrjp rjXLKLa^ re iroppco tJkcov koI
^avry bracketed in Sintenis'*, to avoid the hiatus.
lOO
ROMULUS, IV. 3-v. 3
But some say that the name of the children's
nurse, by its ambiguity, deflected the story into therealm of the fabulous. For the Latins not onlycalled she-wolves "lupae," but also women of loose
character, and such a woman was the wife of
Faustulus, the foster-father of the infants, AccaLarentia by name. Yet the Romans sacrifice also
to her, and in the month of April the priest of
Mars pours libations in her honour, and the festival is
called Larentalia.
V. They pay honours also to another Larentia, for
the following reason. The keeper of the temple of
Hercules, being at a loss for something to do, as it
seems, proposed to the god a game of dice, with tlie
understanding that if he won it himself, he should
get some valuable present from the god ; but if he
lost, he would furnish the god >vith a bounteous
repast and a lovely woman to keep him company for
the night. On these terms the dice were thrown,first for the god, then for himself, when it appearedthat he had lost. Wishing to keep faith, and
thinking it right to abide by the contract, he pre-
pared a banquet for the god, and engaging Larentia,who was then in the bloom of her beauty, but not
yet famous,^ he feasted her in the temple, where hehad spread a couch, and after the supper locked her
in, assured of course that the god would take pos-session of her. And verily it is said that the god did
visit the woman, and bade her go early in the
morning to the forum, salute the first man who mether, and make him her friend. She was met,
accordingly, by one of the citizens who was well onin years and possessed of considerable property, but
^ In Morals, p. 273 a, she is called a public courtezan.
101
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avveiXox^^ ovaiav iKavrjv, aTrai^ he koX ^efftw-4 Kcb<; avev 'yvvaiico'^, ovofia TappovTto<;. ovto^
eyvco Tr]V Aapevriav Kal r/yaTrrjo-e, koI reXevrcov
cbTreXiTre fcXrjpovofiov eVt TroXXot? Kal KaXol<;
KTrffxaaiv, mv eKeivrj ra TrXetcrra tw hrjpiw Kara
hiLadrjKa^ eScoKe. Xiyerat he aurrjv evSo^ov ovaav
)]87) fcal Oeo^iXrj vo/ii^opuepriv, dcpavrj yeveaOai
irepl TOVTOv tov tottov iv w Kal rr)v irpoTepav5 eKeivrjv Aapevriav KelaOai. KaXelrat he vvv 6
TOTTOV ^^Xavpov, on tov Trora/jLov itoWclkl^
virep'xeofievov hceirepaiovvro iropOiieioL^ Kara tov-
to to YcopLov €i? ayopdv Trjv he TropO/jueiav
^ijXarovpav KaXovcriv. evLoi he Xiyovai t^i/
6t9 TOV linrohpopLov (j)epov(7av ef dyopd<; irdpohovlcrTLOi<; KaTaireravvvvai tov^ ttjv Oeav irape-
')(pvTa<;, evrevOev dp^opLevov^' pw/natarl he to
IcTTiov ^rjXov ovo/iid^ovat. hid TavTa fiev e')(€i
Tipbd<^ 7] hevTepa Aapevrta irapd 'FcopLaloL^;.
YI. Td he ^p^<^'r) ^avcxTvXo^ WfiovXiov av-
(J30p/3b^ dveiXero XadoiV diravTa^, co? S' evioi
(paoTL Tcov cIkotcov exop^evoL fiaXXov, elhoTOf; rov
No/x>;TOpo9 Kal avyxop'^yovvTo^ Tpo(f)d<; Kpv^aT0i9 Tpe(f)OvcrL, Kal ypafip^ara Xiyovrat Kal
ToXXa fiavOdveLV ol Trathe^i eh Ta/3L0v<i kojlli-
2 adevre^, oaa XPV '^ov<; ev yeyov6ra<^. KXijdrjvaihe Kal TOUTOf9 aTrb t^9 6'r}Xrj<^ laropovai ^VwpbvXovKal 'VcjpLOV, OTL drjXdfyvTe^; axpOrjaav to Orjpiov.
7] fjiev ovv ev Tot9 (Tco/iaaiv evyeveia Kal vrjirlcov
ovTwv evdv<; €^€cf>aiv€ pLeyeOet Kal Ihea tyjv (pvaiv
av^opLevoi he 6vpLoeihel<i rjaav dpLtporepoi Kal
dvhpcjdhei^ Kal<f>povrjp^aTa 7r/909 Ta (f>aLv6pLeva
I02
ROMULUS, V. 3-vi. 2
childless, and unmarried all his life, by nameTarrutiiis. This man took Larentia to his bed andloved her well, and at his death left her heir to manyand fair possessions, most of which she bequeathedto the people. And it is said that when she wasnow famous and regarded as the beloved of a god,she disappeared at the spot where the formerLarentia also lies buried. This spot is now called
Velabrum, because when the river overflowed, as it
often did, they used to cross it at about this point in
ferry-boats, to go to the forum, and their word for
ferry is "velatura." But some say that it is so-
called because from that point on, the street leadingto the Hippodrome
^ from the forum is covered over
with sails by the givers of a public spectacle, andthe Roman word for sail is "velum." It is for these
reasons that honours are paid to this second Larentia
amongst the Romans.VL As for the babes, they were taken up and
reared by Faustulus, a swineherd of Amulius, and noman knew of it ; or, as some say with a closer
approach to probability, Numitor did know of it, and
secretly aided the foster-parents in their task. Andit is said that the boys were taken to Gabii to learn
letters and the other branches of knowledge whichare meet for those of noble birth. Moreover, we are
told that they were named, from "ruma," the Latin
word for teat,^ Romulus and Romus (or Remus),because they were seen sucking the wild beast.
Well, the noble size and beauty of their bodies,even when they were infants, betokened their natural
disposition ; and when they grew up, they were bothof them courageous and manly, with spirits which
* That is, the Circus Maxiinus. Cf. chapter iv. 1,
103
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Seivh, Kol ToXfiap 6\co^ aveKTrXrjKrov e'xpvre^* 6
Se 'Fa)fjLv\o<; yvoofir} t€ xPW^^^ fxaXkov iBoxei
Koi ttoXltiktjv 6'XBLV (Tvveaiv, iv rat? irepi vo/iat;
Koi Kvvrjyla^i 7rpo<i tov? jecTVicovraf; iinfiL^iaL^
TToWrjv eavTov irape'X^cov KaravoTjaiv '^yefjiovLfcov
3 fjLoXXov Tj ireiOapx^iicov (J)V(T€l yeyovoTOf;. Bio
TOL<i fiev 6fio(j)ij\oL^ Tj TaireiVOTepoi^ irpo(T<fii\eh
TjaaVi eTnaTCLTa^; he /cal hioirov^ /3a(TiXi,Kov<f koX
ayeXdpxci'^f <»9 p^rjSev avrcov apery Bcacfyepovra';,
v7r€p(j>povovvTe<; ovr aireiXrjf; €(f)p6vTL^ov ovre
6pyi]<;, i')(p(ji)VTOhe BLaLTai,<; /cat hcarpc^alf; i\ev-
OtpLOL<;, ov TTjv (r)(^o\r)p ikevOepwv yyovfievoLKal TTjV aiTOvLaVi aXka yvp.vdaia koI 6r)pa<; koX
Ep6p.ov<; Kal TO \r)(TTa<i dpivvaadai icai Kkfaira^
eK/eiv Kal 0Ca<; e^eXiaOai tou? dBtKovfievov^,
ricrav Brj Bid ravra TreptjSorjTOL.
VII. Tevopevt]^ Be tlvo^ 7rpo<; tov<: Nop,ijTopo<:
ffouK6\ov<; To?9 ^ApLovXiOv Biacfiopd^; Kal fioa-KT}-
/jLdrcov eXacrect)?, ovk dvao-^ofievoc avyKoTrrovffi,
fiev avToi)^ Kal rpeirovraLy dirorefxvovTai, Be riy;
\eia<i (TV^v^v. dyavaKT0VVT0<i Be rod ^oprjTOpo<i
wXiyMpow a-vvTjyov Be Kal irpooreBe'XpvTo ttoWov^
pev diropovii iroXXov^; Be BovXovff, dpdaov^ diro-
2 ararcKov Kal (ppovTjparo^ dpxd<; evBcBovre^i. tovBe ^VwpivXov 7rp6<; riva Ovaiav aTroTpaiTopLevov
(Kal yap rjv (pLXodvrrjf; Kal pavTLKOs;), ol tov
l>iop,r]Topo<; /3oT?}/0€9 T^ 'Pcoptp p,eT oXlycDV /BaBl-
^ovTi iTpoo-TVXovTe^ epd^ovTo. Kal yevop,evayv 21
TrXrjycbv Kal TpavpArcov ev dp(j)OTepot<; eKpdnjcravol TOV No/x.iJto/309 Kal avveXa^ov ^cjvra tov
104
ROMULUS, Yi. 2-vii. 2
courted apparent danger, and a daring which nothingcould terrify. But Romulus seemed to exercise
his judgement more, and to have political sagacity,while in his intercourse with their neighbours in
matters pertaining to herding and hunting, he gavethem tlie impression that he was born to commandrather than to obey. With their equals or inferiors
they were therefore on friendly terms, but theylooked down upon the overseers, bailiffs, and chief
herdsmen of the king, believing them to be no better
men than themselves, and disregarded both their
threats and their anger. They also applied them-selves to generous occupations and pursuits, not
esteeming sloth and idleness generous, but rather
bodily exercise, hunting, running, driving off robbers,
capturing thieves, and rescuing the oppressed from
violence. For these things, indeed, they were famousfar and near.
VII. When a quarrel arose between the herdsmenof Numitor and Amulius,i and some of the latter's
cattle were driven off, the brothers would not suffer
it, but fell upon the robbers, put them to flight, and
intercepted most of the booty. To the displeasureof Numitor they gave little heed, but collected andtook into their company many needy men and manyslaves, exhibiting thus the beginnings of seditious
boldness and temper. But once when Romuluswas busily engaged in some sacrifice, being fond of
sacrifices and of divination, the herdsmen of Numitorfell in with Remus as he was walking with few com-
panions, and a battle ensued. After blows and wounds
given and received on both sides, the herdsmen of
Numitor prevailed and took Remus prisoner, who was1 Cf. Livy, i. 5, 3 flf.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
'Vmjj-ov, avax0evTO<; ovv avrov tt/jo? tov No/^?;-
TOpa KoX KaT7]yop7]6evTO<;, avTb<; jxev ovk iicokacre,
XctXeirov ovra ^e^iw? tov aZe\<f)6vy iXOobv Be
7r/309 eKelvov eBelro rvxetv BiK7)<;y aS€\(f)o<; o)v koX
Ka6v^pior/jU€vo<i vTTo oUercop i/celvov fiaaiXico^
3 OZ/T09. (TVvajavaKTOVVTCOv Be tS)v ev "AX^y xal
Beiva Trda'x^eLV olofievcov tov avBpa Trap a^iav,
KLvr]6e\<; 6^
AfiovXio^s avTa> irapaBiBwcn Ta> No//,?;-
Topt TOV 'Fcofjiov 6 TL ^ovXoiTO ^pT^cracr^ai.
TiapoXa^oov Be ifcetvo'^, co? rJKev ot/caBe, 6av/jLd-
^(ov fjLev diTO TOV <T(o/jLaTO<; tov veavLaKov virep-
(f>6povTa /jieyeOei, koX pco/j,7} irdvTa^, ivopcov Be tm
TTpoacoTTO) to Sappokeov /cat iTafibv Trj(; i/ri>^^9
4 dBovXcoTOV Kal diraOe^ vtto tcov irapovTcov, epyaBe avTov Kal 7Tpd^€i<; ofjuoca Toi<i ^eiropbevoi^
cLKovoiv, TO Be jMeyicTTOVy 009 eoixe, Oeov a-vfiira-
p6vT0<i Kal (7vve7rev6vvovTO<; dp)(^a<; fieydXcov Trpay-
fidTCOV, aTTTO/JLevo^ eTTiVoia KalTV')(r) t^9 dXr}-
Oeia'ii dveKpivev octtl^ etr) Kal oirw^ yevoLTO,
(f)(ov7jre TTpaeia Kal (j)tXavdpd)7ra) /SXe/jL/jLaTC
5 TTiaTLV avT(p [leT eXiriBo^; ivBiBou<^. 6 Be OappwveXeyev **'AXX' ovBev diroKpij^Jrofiai ae' Kal yapelvat BoKel^
^
KfxovXiov /SaacXiKcoTepo^, aKovei^i
yap Kal dvaKpivei^ irplv r) KoXd^ecv 6 8* aKpiTOVf;€kBIBq)(ti. TTpoTepov /ncv eavTov^i olk€T(ov paai-Xeft)9 ^avcTTvXov Kal AapevTLa^ 'qiTLaTdfieOa iral-
Ba<; (iajJ^ev Be BiBvpioi), yevojievot Be ev avTia
7rpo9 (re Kal Bia^oXal^; Kal T0t9 irepl yjrv^rjf;
dyojcTLV, dKovofxev fxeydXa irepl eavTcov' el Be
6 TTiaTa, Kpiveiv eoiKe vvv 6 klvBvvo^. yoval fiev
106
ROMULUS, vri. 2-6
then carried before Numitor and denounced. Numitorhimself did not punish his prisoner, because he wasin fear of his brother Amulius, who was severe, butwent to Amulius and asked for justice, since he washis brother, and had been insulted by the ro3^al
servants. The people of Alba, too, were incensed,and thought that Numitor had been undeservedlyoutraged. Amulius was therefore induced to handRemus over to Numitor himself, to treat him as hesaw fit.
When Numitor came home, after getting Remusinto his hands, he was amazed at the young man's com-
plete superiority in stature and strength of body, and
perceiving by his countenance that the boldness and
vigour of his soul were unsubdued and unharmed byhis present circumstances, and hearing that his acts
and deeds corresponded with his looks, but chiefly,as it would seem, because a divinity was aidingand assisting in the inauguration of great events, he
grasped the truth by a happy conjecture, and askedhim who he was and what were the circumstances ot
his birth, while his gentle voice and kindly look
inspired the youth with confidence and hope. ThenRemus boldly said :
'^Indeed, I will hide nothing
from thee ;for thou seemest to be more like a king
than Amulius ; thou hearest and weighest before
punishing, but he surrenders men without a trial.
Formerly we believed ourselves (my twin brotherand I) children of Faustulus and Larentia, servants
of the king ; but since being accused and slanderedbefore thee and brought in peril of our lives, wehear great things concerning ourselves ; whether
they are true or not, our present danger is likely to
decide. Our birth is said to have been secret, and
107
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rfhp rj/xcbv aiTopprjTOi, Xiyovrat, rpo^aX 51 koX
TiOTjvrjaei^i aroTrcoTepat veojvcov, 0I9 ipplcprjfjLev
OLCOVOt<i Kol OrjpLOtffy VTTO TOVTCOV Tp€(f)6/ji€V0L,
fiaaro) \vKaiv7]^ koI SpvoKoXaTrrov 'y^wixiafxaa-iv ,
iv (TKd(j)r) Tivl Keifievoi irapa rov fjuiyav Trora/jLov.
a/JLacrc ypafi/jLuTcov dfjbvhpcov iyK€')(apayfievodv, a
yevoiT av tcro)? varepov dvcocpeXi] yvcopiajMna7 Tot9 roK€V<Tiv 'ijfiwv aTroXofxivcov.^^
*0 fJL€V OVV Nop,rJTCOp €K T€ Tcbv XoyCOV TOVTCOV
Koi 7rpo<; T7]v O'^lv elxd^cov tov xpovov, ovk e(j)6vy€
Tr)v iXirlSa aatvovaav, dXX' i^povTi^ev 67r(o<i ttj
OvyaTpl irepl tovtcov Kpv(f)a o-vyyevofievo^ (j)pd~
aeiev e<j)povpetTO yap €tl KaprepM^,VIII. 'O Be ^av(7TvXo<; aKovaa'^ ttjv re avX-
Xrjylnv tov ^Vco/jlov kuI ttjv Trapdoocnv, tov fjuev
*V(opLvXov 'q^iov ^or]6e2v, t6t€ aa(pM<; SiSd^a^;
irepl T% yeviaeo)^' irpoTepov Se VTrrjviTTeTO fcal
irapehrjXov ToaovTov oaov 7rpoai)(^ovTa<; p.f] fitKpov
(jipovelv avT0<; Se ttjv axdcfirjv KOfil^cov i')(^cop€i
7r/309 TOV Nop,7jTopa, <T7rov8rj(i koI heov^ /j,€aT6<;
2 ci)V 8td TOV Kaipov. viro'sjrLav ovv toa9 irepl Taff
TrvXa^i c^povpol^ tov ySacrtXeo)? irape'^wv, kcui
v<f)op(i)pevo<;^ vir avTcov fcal TapaTTo/jLevo<; irepl
Td<; aTTOKpiaei^, ovk eXaOe ttjv o-Kd<p7]v t& %Xa-fivSUp TrepiKoKviTTCOv, tjv Be ri? ev avTol^ diro
Tv^V^ Twi^ TO, TraiBia pl^ac XajSovTcov /cal yeyo-voTcov irepl ttjv eKdeaiv. ovto^ IBcov ttjv (TK:d<f)iiv
Tore, Kal yvaypicra^ TJj KaTaaKevy koI rot? ypdp-1
itpopdixevos corrected by Bekker to ipayr^fifvos [questioned).
108
ROMULUS, viT. 6-viii. 2
our nursing and nurture as infants stranger still.
We were cast out to birds of prey and wild beasts,
only to be nourished by them,—by the dugs of a
she-wolf and the morsels of a woodpecker, as we layin a little trough by the side of the great river. The
trough still exists and is kept safe, and its bronze
girdles are engraved with letters now almost effaced,which may perhaps hereafter prove unavailing tokensof recognition for our parents, when we are dead and
gone."Then Numitor, hearing these words, and conjec-
turing the time which had elapsed from the youngman's looks, welcomed the hope that flattered him,and thought how he might talk with his daughterconcerning these matters in a secret interview ; for
she was still kept in the closest custody.VIII. But Faustulus, on hearing that Remus had
been seized and delivered up to Numitor, called uponRomulus to go to his aid, and then told him clearlythe particulars of their birth ; before this also hehad hinted at the matter darkly, and revealed
enough to give them ambitious thoughts when
they dwelt upon it. He himself took the troughand went to see Numitor, full of anxious fear lest he
might not be in season. Naturally enough, the
guards at the king's gate were suspicious of him,and when he was scrutinized by them and madeconfused replies to their questions, he was found to
be concealing the trough in his cloak. Now bychance there was among the guards one of those
who had taken the boys to cast them into the river,
and were concerned in their exposure. This man,now seeing the trough, and recognizing it by its
VOL. I. E ^®9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
/jbaoLV, ervx^v vTrovoia rod ovro^ koX ov irapr]-
fieXrjaev, aXka (j)pdaa<; to irpayfia rw ^aoriXel3 /caTearrjaev €t? eXey^ov. iv he TroXXal^ kol fie-
ydXaL(; dvdyKai<; 6 ^avaTvXo<; ovr drjTTr^roveavrbv SiecpvXa^ev ovre TravrdnTaaiv i/c^iaadeL^;,
adf^eaOai /nev (h/jLoXoyijae tou? TratSa?, elvac S'
cLTrcdOev T?}? "AXffrjf; 6(f)7] vefiovrav avro^ he tovto
7rpo<; TTjv ^VXiav (f>epcov ^aSi^eLV, iroXXdKi^ Ihelv
Kol Oiyelv eir eXirihi, ^e/SatoTepa rSyv re/cvcov
iTo67]cra(Tav.
4 "Oirep ovv ol raparro/juevoi, koI fiera Seovf; rj
TTpo^ opyrjv Trpdrrovre^ onovv iirLeLKw^ irdaxovai,avveTreae iraOelv rov 'A/iovXiov. dvBpa yap dXXr) 22
re 'x^prjarov /cal tov No/xt^to/jo? <f)iXov virb (tttov-
hrj<i eTre/xi/re, hiairvOeaOaL rov No/iijTOpo^; xe-
Xei/Va9 €0 Ti9 ^KOL X0709 eh avrov virep tS)V
5 TraiScov ft)? TrepLyevofievcov. d(j)iK6fievo<; ovv 6
dvOpayjTo^;, koI Oeaadfievo<; oaov ovirco rov 'Pci)-
/jLov iv 7repi(3oXaZ<; Kal <^LXo^poavvaL<^ rov Nop,'^-
ropo<;, TYjV re irlaTiv la'^vpdv eiroiriae Tr\<^ eXiriho^
KOI irapefceXevdaTO tmv irpaypbdjcDV 6^eco<; dvn-
Xap,/3dv€a6aL, /cat (ivvrjv avro^ 7]Er) koI crvve-
Trparrev. 6 Be Kaipo^ ovSe ^ovXafievoi^ oKvelv
TTapelx^v. 6 yap rcop,vXo<; iyyv<i tjv rjSr], Kal
TT/oo? avrov i^edeov ov/c oXiyoL rcov iroXirwv p^iaec
6 /cal (po/Sqy rov ^A/jlovXlov. IloXXyv Be Kal avvavrw hvvafiiv rfye avXXeXoxt'CrP'^vrjv eh eKa-
roarva'^' eKdarr)^; he dvrjp d(j)r]yeiro x°P'^^^ ^^''
vX7f<: dyKaXiha Kovrw TrepLKeijiievrjv dvex^v' fia-viirXa ravra<i Aarlvoi KaXovaiv air* eKeivov he
Kal vvv iv roL<; (rrparevpaai rovrov; pavi-
rrXaplov^ ovo/jbd^ovaiv, dp,a he rov fiev 'FoofMOV
no
ROMULUS, VIII. 2-6
make and inscrij)tioUj conceived a suspicion of the
truth, and without any delay told the matter to the
king,and brought the man before him to be examined.
In these dire and pressing straits, Faustulus did not
entirely hold his own, nor yet was his secret whollyforced from him. He admitted that the boys were
alive and well, but said they lived at a distance from
Alba as herdsmen ; he himself was carrying the
trough to Ilia, who had often yearned to see and
handle it, in confirmation of her hope for her
children.
As, then, men naturally fare who are con-
founded, and act with fear or in a passion, so
it fell out that Amulius fared. For he sent in all
haste an excellent man and a friend of Numitor's,with orders to learn from Numitor whether anyreport had come to him of the children's being alive.
When, accordingly, the man was come, and beheldRemus almost in the affectionate embraces of
Numitor, he confirmed them in their confident hope,and entreated them to proceed at once to action,
promptly joining their party himself and furtheringtheir cause. And the opportunity admitted of no
delay, even had they wished it; for Romulus wasnow close at hand, and many of the citizens whohated and feared Amulius were running forth to
join him. He was also leading a large force with
him, divided into companies of a hundred men, each
company headed by a man who bore aloft a handfulof hay and shrubs tied round a pole (the Latin wordfor handful is
^^manipulus," and hence in their
armies they still call the men in such companies"manipulares."). And when Remus incited the
III
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T0U9 €i/T09 ad)LardvTo<;, rov Bk *¥o)/jLv\ov nrpoad'
fyovTo<; e^codev, ovre irpd^a^ ovSev 6 Tvpavvo^ovre ^ov\€vaa<i acoTrjpLov eavrw, 8ia to diropelv/cat rapaTTeaOaiy KaTakr)(^d€\<; airedavev.
7 *^v ra TrXelara koI tov ^a^iov Xeyovro'; kol
rov UeTrap-qOlov Aiofc\eov<;, 09 SokcX Trpcoro^
EKBovvai 'Va)/jLrj<; ktl(Tiv, vttotttov /lev ivLoi,<; earl
TO BpafjuartKov /cal TrXacr/xarwSe?, ov Bet Be clttl-
arelv ttjv tvxV^ opwvTa^ o'lcov iroiTjfjbdTcov By-
fiiovpyo^ eari, koX to, 'Fcofzalcov irpdyfiaTa Xoyt-
^ofxevov^ ct)9 ovK av ivravOa Trpov/S?) Bwd/Jbeeo^;,
firj Oeiav Tiva dpxv'^ XaffovTa koI /irjBev fieya
fi7}Be irapdBo^ov exovcrav.IX. *A/jlovXlov Be uTToOavovTo^s koI t&v irpay-
fjbdrov KaTaaTdvTcov, ""AX^rjv jxev ovt olKelv fir)
dpxovTe<; ovt dp^Giv e^oiikovTO tov fjLr]Tpo7rdTopo<;
^(x)VTo<;, d7roB6vTe<; Be rrjv '^ye/Jiovlav eKeivfp koX ry
fi7)Tpl Ti/jLa<; irpeirovaa^i, eyvcoaav oLKelv /caO^
€avTov<^, ttoXlv ev ol<; ^6)/3toi9 ef dp^V^ iveTpd-
^7)(jav KTiaavTe^' avTrj yap evirpeTreaTaTT] tcov,
2 aiTioov laTLV. ^v B* taw^ dvayKoioVy olKerSyv kol
diroaTarSiV iroWoiv '^Opoio-jnevcov irpb^ avrov^;, 7)
KUTaXvOr/vai TravTdTraai tovtcdv Biao-jrapevTcov
•qavvoLKelv IBia /mct avTwv. otl yap ovk tj^lovv
at rrjv "A\^')]v olKovvTe<; dvafjuyvvvai tov<; diro-
<rTaTa9 tavTOL<; ovBe TrpoaBexeo-Oai, iroXiTa^f eBi^-
Xfoae TTpcoTov jxev to irepl Ta9 ywal/ca^i epyov,
ovx v^pei ToXjiMTjOiv, dXXa Bi dvdyKrjv, hcovaLwv
112
ROMULUS, VIII. 6-ix. 2
citizens within the city to revolt, and at the same
time Romulus attacked from without, the tyrant,
without taking a single step or making any plan for
his own safety, from sheer perplexity and confusion,
was seized and put to death.
Although most of these particulars are related byFabius and Diodes of Peparethus, who seems to
have been the first to publish a "Founding of Rome,"
some are suspicious of their fictitious and fabulous
quality ; but we should not be incredulous when wesee what a poet fortune sometimes is, and when wereflect that the Roman state would not have attained
to its present power, had it not been of a divine
origin, and one which was attended by great marvels.
IX. Amulius being now dead, and matters settled
in the city, the brothers were neither willing to live
in Alba, unless as its rulers, nor to be its rulers while
their grandfather was alive. Having therefore
restored the government to him and paid fitting
honours to their mother, they resolved to dwell bythemselves, and to found a city in the region where,at the first, they were nourished and sustained ;
^
this surely seems a most fitting reason for their
course. But perhaps it was necessary, now that
many slaves and fugitives were gathered about them,either to disperse these and have no following at all,
or else to dwell apart with them. For that the
residents of Alba would not consent to give the
fugitives the privilege of intermarriage with them,nor even receive them as fellow-citizens, is clear, in
the first place, from the rape of the Sabine women,^which was not a deed of wanton daring, but one of
necessity, owing to the lack of marriages by consent ;
1 Cf . Livy, i. 6, 3 f. See chapter xiv.
"5
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aiTopia ydfjLOi)V' irifirjaav y^p avra<; dpTrdaavre^3 TrepiTTcb^;. eireLra t^9 TroXeo)? ti]v irponTrjv
'ihpvcnv Xafiffavovaijffy lepov ri (jiv^t/JLOv rot? d^t-
aTa/jLevoi<; KaraaKevdcravTe^i o ©eoO ^AavXalov
TTpoarjyopevov, ihe^ovTo 7rdvra<;, ovre SecTTorat?
BovXov ovre Orjra ')(^prj(naL<^ ovt dp)(^ovcnv dvhpo-
(f)6vov e/cBcSovre^;, dWa fiavrevfiarL 'jTv6o')(^prj(TT(p
irdori ^e^aiovv rrjv davkiav ^daKOVT€<;, coare
7r\r]9vcrai ra^v Tr)V itoXlv iirel ra? je 7rpa)Ta<;
kaTia<; Xiyovert, tmv')(^b\i(iyv purj irXeiova^i yeveaOaL,
ravra piev ovv vajepov.4 ^OppLTjaaai, he 7rpo<; tov avvoLKLapuov avTol<;
evOu^ rjv Si,a(j)Opa irepl rod tottov. *Pa)/AuXo9 piev
ovv T7)v fiokovpievrjv ^FcopuTjv KovaSpdrrjv, oirep
€(TtI rerpdycopov, CKTicre, KcCi €K€lvov i^ovXero
TToXi^eiP TOV TOTTOV, 'Pft)/i09 ^6 ')((Opl0V Tl TOV
^AfievTivov KUpTepov, o Bl ixetvov puev aovopLdaOrj
5 'PepLcoviov, vvv Be ^Viyvdpiov KaXeiTUL. avvOe-
puevcov Be ttjv epiv opviaiv alaLOi<; fipafievaai koI
KaOe^opbivcov %&)/3t9, ef (f)a(n> tm 'Pco/zco, Bi,7rXa-
aiov^ Be tS> 'PcopLvXa) 7rpo(f>avf]vai yv7ra<;. ol Be
TOV puev ^VwpLov dXrjda)<! IBecv, '\jrevaao-6aL Be tov
'PoypbvXov* iXBovTOfi Bl tov 'Fcopuov, Tore toi'9
BcoBe/ca T& *Pa)/xu\&) (pavrjvai, Bio koX vvv pbdXLCTTa
')(pr]adac yvxjrl 'FcopLaiOv<i oitovi^ojievov^,
'Hp6Bcopo<; Be 6 TIovti/co<; la-Topel kol tov 'H/)a-6 KXea x^^P^^^ yv7ro<; eVl irpd^ec (j)avevTO^. ecTTi
pikv yap dj3Xa/3eaTaTOV ^cocov dirdpToyVf jiyBev tav
114
ROMULUS, IX. 2-6
for they certainly honoured the women, when theyliad carried them off, beyond measure. And in the
second place, when their city was first founded, theymade a sanctuary of refuge for all fugitives,^ which
they called the sanctuary of the God of Asylum.There they received all who came, delivering none
up, neither slave to masters, nor debtor to creditors,nor murderer to magistrates, but declaring it to be in
obedience to an oracle from Delphi that they madethe asylum secure for all men. Therefore the citywas soon full of people, for they say that the first
houses numbered no more than a thousand. This,
however, was later.
But when they set out to establish their city, a
dispute at once arose concerning the site. Romulus,
accordingly, built Roma Quadrata (which means
square), and wished to have the city on that site ;
but Remus laid out a strong precinct on the Aventine
hill, which was named from him Remonium, but
now is called Rignarium. Agreeing to settle
their quarrel by the flight of birds of omen,^ and
taking their seats on the ground apart from one
another, six vultures, they say, were seen by Remus,and twice that number by Romulus. Some, however^
say that whereas Remus truly saw his six, Romuluslied about his twelve, but that when Remus came to
him, then he did see the twelve. Hence it is that
at the present time also the Romans chiefly regardvultures when they take auguries from the flight of
birds.
Herodorus Ponticus relates that Hercules also
was glad to see a vulture present itself when hewas upon an exploit. For it is the least harmful
1 Cf. Livy, i. 8, 5 f.« cf. Livy, i. 7, 1.
115
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(nrelpovcnv rj <f>vr6vovcnv ^ vifiovaiv avOpcoiroi
(TLvofievoVt Tpicperai Be aTro veKpwv (TcofidTcov,
oLTTO/CTLVvvcn 8* ovBcv ovSk XvfiaLV€Tai 'y^vxh^ €XOv,
TTTTjvol'i he Sia (Tvyyiveiav ovBe veKpoL<i irpoaeiaLV.
aerol he /cal y\av/ce<i kol lepaKe^ ^(ovra KoirrovaL
ra ofMOipvXa xal <\)ovevov<Tr /calroL xar Al-
<r')(y\ov'
"OpviOo<; 6pvi<; tto)? av dyvevoi (payayv;
7 ert raWa p.ev iv 6<^6akfioZf;y ax; eVo? eiireiv, dva-
a-TpecperaL /cal irapex^i hia iravro^ aiaOricnv
eavT&v 6 Be yv^fr cnrdvLov iari Oeafia koI veoa-
(Tol^ yvTTo^ ov paBiw<; tcTfiev eVreru^^^Ty/coTe?, oKkaKol Trapiaxev evioi^ droirov virovoiav, e^coOev
auT0U9 d<f>' erepa^ riv6<s jrjf; /caraipeiv ivravOa,
TO airdvLOV Koi firj avvex^^> olov ol fidvrec^ d^iov-(TLV elvai TO fiT] Kara (j^va-iv fir^B* d(j)^ avTov, TrofiTrfj
Be Oeia ^atvofievov.X. EttcI S' e'yvw rrjv aTrdrrjv 6 'Pw/^o?, €%a-
XeTraivCy koX tov ^VwfivXov Td<ppov 6pvTTOVTo<; yTO Te?%09 efieWe KVKKovadac, to, jxev i')(\j6val^e
Ttav epycov, Tot9 S* efJuroBcbv iyevsTo. reXo? Be
BioXkofxevov avTov ol fiev avrov 'VcofivXov iraTa-
faj/T09, ol Be T(ov eTaipcov tlvo^ KeXepo?, ivTavda2 ireaelv Xeyovaiv. eireae Bk Kal *^avarvXo^ iv tt,
fid^J) K^cil TiXeicrrlvofSy ov dBe\(f)Ov ovTa ^avcTTV-
Xov avve/cOpi'^aL tou? irepl tov ^PcofivXov laTopov-aiv. o fiev ovv l^eXep eh Tvpprjvtav /jLCTeaTT} Kal
dir eKeivov tov<; Ta^eU ol 'Vcop,aloi Kal o^ehKe\epa<i ovoiMd^ovar Kal KoivTOv MeTeWov, otl
ii6
ROMULUS, IX. 6-x. 2
of all creatures, injures no grain, fruit-tree, or
cattle, and lives on carrion. But it does not kill or
maltreat anything that has life, and as for birds, it
will not touch them even when they are dead, since
they are of its own species. But eagles, owls, andhawks smite their own kind when alive, and kill
them. And yet, in the words of Aeschylus :—^
"^ How shall a bird that preys on fellow bird beclean ?
"
Besides, other birds are, so to speak, always in our
eyes, and let themselves be seen continually; but
the vulture is a rare sight, and it is not easy to
come upon a vulture's young, nay, some men havebeen led into a strange suspicion that the birds comefrom some other and foreign land to visit us here,so rare and intermittent is their appearance, which
soothsayers think should be true of what does not
present itself naturally, nor spontaneously, but by a
divine sending.X. When Remus knew of the deceit, he was
enraged,^ and as Romulus was digging a trench
where his city's wall was to run, he ridiculed some
parts of the work, and obstructed others. At last,
when he leaped across it, he was smitten (byRomulus himself, as some say ; according to others,
by Celer, one of his companions), and fell dead there.
Faustulus also fell in the battle, as well as Pleistinus,who was a brother of Faustulus, and assisted him in
rearing Romulus and Remus. Celer, at any rate,betook himself to Tuscany, and from him theRomans call such as are swift and speedy,
" celeres."
Quintus Metellus, for instance, when his father died,1Sv^lianU, 226 (Dindorf>
« Cf. Livy, i. 7, 2.
117
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rov iraTpo^ a7Todav6vTo<; dycova fiovo/nd'X^ciyv "r/fii-
pai<; o\Lyai<; eiToi'qae, dav^doravres rb ra^^o? t^9
irapacTKevriq Kekepa Trpoo-rjyopevcrav.
XI. 'O Se ^Vayfivko^i iv rfj ^VejjLWvla^
ddylra<;
rov 'Fcofiov ofxov koX rov^ Tpo<j)6i<;, wKi^e rrjv
TToXiv, ere Tvppr}Via<; fieraire/JL^Irdfievof; dvSpa^
i€poL<; rial 6€(t/j.ol<; koI ypd/JL/iacriv vcfyrjyovfievov^;
efcacrra KaX hi^daKovra^ coairep iv Tekerfj. ^66-
po<; yap aipvyrj irepl to vvv KofiiTiov KVKkoTepr}^,
dTrapxcti T€ TrdvTcov, oaoi<; vo/ulm fiev w? koXoI^
i^pcovTo, (pvaei S' 009 dvayfcaioifj, drreridrja-av
ivTavda. kol T€\o<;, ef 779 d(j)LKTO 7^9 eKaaro^
oXiyrjv ko/xl^cov fiolpav, e^aWov eh ravra fcal
2 auvefiLyvvov. /caXovcri Be rov fiodpov rovrov cS
Kol rov oXvfiTTOv ovofxari fiovvBov. elra axrirep
kukXov Kevrpw Trepteypayfrav rrjv itoXlv. 6 K
olfciarrjf; ififiaXoiv dp6rpa> p^aX/c^z/ vviv, viro^ev^a^
he povv dppeva kol OrjXeiav, avro<^ fiev eirdyei
irepieXavvcov avXaKa fiaOelav roh repfxao-i, rwv S*
eTTOjiiivcov epyov iariv, a<; dvicrrrjcn /3a)Xou9 ro
aporpov Karaarpecffeiv eL<T(o, KaX /JuyBe^iav e^ea
3 irepiopav ifcrpeTro/JLevrjv. rfj fiev ovv ypafififj ro
rel^o^ d(j>opi^ovaL koX KaXelrai Kara avyKOirrjv
'TTCofi'^pLov, olov oTTiaOev rei')(pv<s tj fiera ret^o';'
OTTov Be ttvXtjv ifi^aXelv Biavoovvrai, rrjv vviv
e^eXovre^ KaX ro dporpov v'repdevre*; BtdXeififia
^'Pe/tcoi'f J Coraes and Bekker, with C : 'Pcfiopi^,
118
ROMULUS, X. 2-xi. 3
took only a few days to provide gladiatorial contests
in his honour, and the people were so amazed at his
speed m preparing them that they gave him the
surname of Celer.
XI. Romulus buried Remus, together with his
foster-fathers, in the Remonia,^ and then set himself
to building his city, after summoning from Tuscanymen who prescribed all the details in accordance
with certain sacred ordinances and writings, and
taught them to him as in a religious rite. A circular
trench was dug around what is now the Comitium,^and in this were deposited first-fruits of all thingsthe use of which was sanctioned by custom as goodand by nature as necessary ; and finally, every manbrought a small portion of the soil of his native land,and these were cast in among the first-fruits and
mingled with them. They call this trench, as theydo the heavens, by the name of "mundus." Then,taking this as a centre, they marked out the city in
a circle round it. And the founder, having shod a
plough with a brazen ploughshare, and having yokedto it a bull and a cow, himself drove a deep furrow
round the boundary lines, while those who followed
after him had to turn the clods, which the ploughthrew up, inwards towards the city, and suffer noclod to lie turned outwards. With this line theymark out the course of the wall, and it is called,
by contraction,"pomerium," that is "post murum,"
behind or next the wall. And where they purposed to
put in a gate, there they took the share out of
the ground, lifted the plough over, and left a vacant^ See chapter ix, 4.^ A space adjoining the forum where the people met in
assembly. The mundtis^ or augural centre of the city, was
really on the Palatine.
M9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TTOiovcnv. o9ev airav to relx^^ lepov ttXtjv tcov
7Tv\(ov vojJLi^ovcrr ra? he iriiXa'^ lepa<i i'Ofii^ovTa<^
ovK Tjv aveu h€t(riBaL/jiovia<; Ta fiev he^eadai, raS* aTTOTri/JLTreLV tmp dvayKaucov /cal firj xaOapcov.
XII. "Or* fjLev ovv 7} ktictl^ Vf^p^ ykvoiTo rfj
irpo evSefca /cdXavBcov ^iaicov ofjLoXoyelTar koI
Ttjv '^fjiipav ravTTjv eoprd^ovai '"Pcofialoi, yeve-OXlov t?79 TTarpiBo'i ovofid^ovre^. ev dp^rj B\ w?
(paaiv, oi'Bev ep^-^v^ov eOvov, dXkd xaOapdv fcal
dvaip^aKTOv Sovro Belv rfj Trarpihi rrjv iircovvpov
T?)9 yevi(T€(o<i eoprrjv cpuXdrreiv. ov p,T)v dWd 24
Kal TTpo tt}? KTLcreco'g ^oTrjpt/ci] ri? ^v avTol<i eopTrjKara ravTrjv rrjv T)p,epav, fcal Tiapikva Trpoarj-
yopevov avrtjv.Nvv pev ovv ovSev at, 'Vcop^alfcal vovp^rjvtai
7r/D09 ra? 'KXXrjvifcd^ 6p.oXoyovp£vov exovaiv'iK6Ljrrjv Be rrjv r^piepav, fj ttjv ttoXiv 6 'PwyLtuXo?
€KTi^€v, drpe/CTj rpiaKaBa rvx^elv Xeyovar Kal
avvoBov i/cXeiTTTLKTjv ev avrfj yevkaOai aeXrjVTjf;
Trpos rfkLoVy Tjv elBevac /cal ^Avrlpaxov otovraiy
rov TtJIov iiroTTOLov, erei rpirq) t^9 eKrr)^ oXvp,-TTidBo^ (TvpLTTeaovaav. ev Be rol<i Kara BdppcovaTov (l)iX6(70(f>ov 'X^povoi^i, dvBpa *F(op,ai(ov ev Ictto-
pia ^LpXiaKODTarov, rjv Tapovriof; eralpo^ avrovt
cj)L\6ao(l)0<i pLev dXk(o^ Kal paOi^p^ariKo^, divTo-
pb€VO^ Be TT]^ irepl rov irivaKa peOoBov decopia^ievGKa Kal Bokmv ev avrfj rrepirro<; elvai. rovr(p
irpov/SaXev 6 Bdppcov dvayayetv rr}v 'VwpvXovyevecriv eh rjpbipav Kal a>pav, €k rwv Xeyop^evcov
drroreXeapbdrcov irepl rov dvBpa '7roi'rja'dp,evov rov
avXXoyiapLoVi coairep at rS)v yecop^rpiKcov v(pi]'
X20
ROMULUS, XI. 3-xii. 4
space. And this is the reason why they regardall the wall as sacred except the gates ;
but if theyheld the gates sacred, it would not be possible, with-
out religious scruples, to bring into and send out of
the city things which are necessary, and yet unclean.
XII. Now it is agreed that the city was foundedon the twenty-first of April, and this day the
Romans celebrate with a festival, calling it the
birthday of their country. And at first, as it is said,
they sacrificed no living creature at that festival,
but thought they ought to keep it pure and withoutstain of blood, since it commemorated the birth of
their countiy. However, even before the foundingof the city, they had a pastoral festival on that day,and called it Parilia.
At the present time, indeed, there is no agree-ment between the Roman and Greek months, but
they say that the day on which Romulus foundedhis city was precisely the thirtieth of the month,and that on that day there was a conjunction of thesun and moon, with an eclipse, which they thinkwas the one seen by Antimachus, the epic poet of
Teos, in the third year of the sixth Olympiad.^And in the times of Varro the philosopher, a Romanwho was most deeply versed in history, there lived
Tarutius, a companion of his, who, besides being a
philosopher and a mathematician, had applied himselfto the art of casting nativities, in order to indulge a
speculative turn of mind, and was thought to excelin it. To this man Varro gave the problem of fixingthe day and hour of the birth of Romulus, makinghis deductions from the conjunctions of events
reported in the man's life, just as the solutions of
1 754 b.a
121
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yovvrai Trpo^rj/jbdrcov dva\va€t<;' rrj<i yap avT7}<;
Oewpla^ elvai yjpovov re \a/36vra<; dvOpodirov
yeviaeci)^; fftov TTpoeiirelv koI ^lm BoOivrt 9r]pev-5 (Tat y^povov. eTToirjcrev ovv to 'jTpoaTa')(6ev 6
TapovTLO<^, fcal rd re Trddi] Kal ra epya rov
dvBpofi eTTiBcbv Kal ')(^p6vov ^corj^i Kal rpoirov
reXevrrj^; Kal iravra rd Tocavra avvdei^i, ev
fidXa TedapprjKOTco^; Kal dvBpei(0<; dire^r^vaTO rrjv
fiev ev rr} jjirjTpl yeyovkvai tov 'VcofivXov avWrj-
yfriv erec Trpcoro) t^? Bevrepa^ oXvfjLindSo^;, iv
/jurjvlKar AlyviTTiov^ XoidK, Tpirrj Kal elKdBiy
rpurrjq Mpa<;, Kad^ r)v 6 7]\io(; e^ekLire iravTeko)^'
rrjv 8' e/JLcpavrj yeveaiv iv fxr^vl ScovO, rj/nipa
6 Trpcorrj fier eiKdSa, irepl rfkLov dvaroX.d<f. ktv-
(lOrjvai, Be rrjv 'Pco/jltjv vtt avrov rfj evdrrj ^ap-fjLovOl fjLr}vo<i larafievov, fiera^v Bevrepa^ &pa^Kal TptT??9' eirel Kal TroXeox; TV')(r)v, (oairep dv-
OpcoTTov, Kvpcov e^eiv otovrai "X^povov, eK rr}^
7rp(t)T7]<; yeveaecof; tt/jo? ra? rcov darepctyv cttox^^
Oecopovfjuevov. dWd ravra fiev tcroj? Kal rdTOtavra tm ^eva) Kal irepLTTW Trpocrd^erai, fid\-\ov 7]
Bid TO fJLvOwBe^ evox^V^^t Toi'9 evTvyxjd-vovTa<i auTot?.
XIII. KTto-^eto"?;? Be rfj^ TroXeo)? Trpcorov fiev
oaov TjV ev rjXiKLa iTXrj6o<; et? (Twrdyfiara arpa-TLOiTtKa BtelXev eKaarov Be arvvrayfia Tre^oiyv
Tpcaxi^Xiayv rjv Kal rptaKOo-icov lirirecdv, €KXr}Orj
Be Xeyeobv r(p XoydBa^ elvai tov<; pLaxifiovt; €k
irdvTwv. eiretra tol<; fiev dXXoi,<; i^p^TO Btj/jLOi
Kal 7ro7rovXov<; ODvofxdcrOr) to TrXrjOo^;' eKarov Be
Tov<i dpL(TTov<i aTreBec^e jSovXevTU^, xal avroix;
122
ROMULUS, XII. 4-xiii. i
geometrical problems are derived ; for the same
science, he said, must be capable not only of fore-
telling a man's life when the time of his birth is
known, but also, from the given facts of his life, of
hunting out the time of his birth. This task, then,Tarutius performed, and when he had taken a surveyof the man's experiences and achievements, and had
brought together the time of his life, the manner of
his death, and all such details, he very courageouslyand bravely declared that Romulus was conceived
in his mother's womb in the first year of the second
Olympiad,^ in the month Choeac of the Egyptiancalendar, on the twenty-third day, and in the third
hour, when the sun was totally eclipsed ; and that
he was born in the month Thoth, on the twenty-first day, at sun-rise ; and that Rome was founded
by him on the ninth day of the month Phar-
muthi, between the second and third hour: for it is
thought that a city's fortune, as well as that of a
man, has a decisive time, which may be known bythe position of the stars at its very origin. Theseand similar speculations will perhaps attract readers
by their novelty and extravagance, rather than offend
them by their fabulous character.
XIII. When the city was built, in the first place,Romulus divided all the multitude that were of ageto bear arms into military companies, each companyconsisting of three thousand footmen and three hun-dred horsemen. Such a company was called a
"legion," because the warlike were selected out of all.
In the second place, he treated the remainder as a
people, and this multitude was called "populus
";
a hundred of them^ who were the most eminent^ he» 772 B.a
123
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fj^v 7raTpifCtov<;, rb Be crvaTy/jba aevdrov irpoarjyo'2 pevaev. 6 fiev ovv aevarofi drpeKCJ^: yepovalav
aTj/xaiver iraTpiKiov^ he rov^ /SouXefra? kXtj-
Orjvai Xiyovaiv ol fxev on iraiBcov yvrjaiwv ira-
repe^ rjaav, ol he fidWov &)? avTOV^ e^ovra'ieavTOiv dnroBeL^at irarepa^;, orrep ov 7roWol<;
vTTTJp^e royv irpcorcov eh Trjv ttoXiv GVppeovTcovol he diro ri)^ Trarpcoveia^;, ovrco yap eKoXovv
rrjv TTpoaTaaiav /cat KaXovaiv a-y^pc vvv, olofievoi
Udrpcovd Ttva tcov avv ^vdvopat Trapayevojiivcov,
KrjhefiovLKov tcov viroheeaTepcov ovra /cat ^oTjOrj-
TLKOV, d(p^ avTov TO) irpdypuTL ravri^v rrjv irpoarj-3 yopiav diroXLirelv. fidXiara S' dv t£9 Tvy')(^dvotTov etVoT09, el vo/jll^ol rbv ^VwfjLvXov d^iovvraTOL'9 7rp(OT0v<; Kot BvvaT(OTdTov(; TrarpcKr} K7)Se-
fiovia Koi (f>povrLBi. irpoarjKeiv i7rt,fie\ei(rOai tcov
raireivoTeprnVi dfia Be roi)? dWov; BiBda/coina
fiT)BeBievai fJLrjB^ d')(6ea6at ral<i twv KpeiTTovwv
TLfiai<;, dWd '^(prja-dai, fier evvoia^ koX vopi^ovra^Koi irpoaayopevovTafi Trarepa^, ovtw<; ovo/jAcrac,
4 Kol yap d')(pL vvv tol/? eV crvyKki]r(p reXovvra^ol fiev e^coOev dvBpa^ 'r)yep.ova^ KaXovaiv, avrol
Be ^VcofialoL irarepaf; avyyeypafjup-evov^y r^ fjue- 25
yicTTOV /J>6P d^icofjua Kal rt/iijv, yfcta-ra Be (i)66vov
exovTi ')(pco/jL€V0L T(bv ovofiaTcov, ev dp')(rj fxev
ovv Trarepa^f avTOV<i /jlovov, varepov Be irXeiovwv
Trpoa-avaXapb^avofievcov, Trarepa? cvyyeypap,fxe-5 vov<i Trpotrrjyopevaav. kol rovro fiev rjv ovofia
aefiPOTepov avrw rrjf; 7rpo9 to Brffiori/cbv rod
ffovXevTiKov Bia<fiopd^* eT€poi<i Be tow? Bvvarov^
124
ROMULUS, xiii. 1-5
appointed to be councillors, calling the individuals
themselves "patricians," and their body a *' senate."
Now the word " senate"means literally a Council of
Elders, and the councillors were called "patricians,"
as some say, because they were fathers of lawful
children ^;or rather, according to others, because
they could tell who their own fathers were, which
not many could do of those who first streamed into
the city ; according to others still, from "patronage,"which was their word for the protection of inferiors,
and is so to this day ;and they suppose that a
certain Patron, one of those who came to Italy with
Evander, was a protector and defender of the poorand needy, and left his own name in the word which
designates such activity. But the most reasonable
opinion for any one to hold is that Romulus thoughtit the duty of the foremost and most influential
citizens to watch over the more lowly with fatherlycare and concern, while he taught the multitude not
to fear their superiors nor be vexed at their honours,but to exercise goodwill towards them, consideringthem and addressing them as fathers, whence their
name of Patricii. For down to the present time
foreign peoples call the members of their senate
"chief men," but the Romans themselves call them"conscript fathers," using that name which has the
greatest dignity and honour, and awakens the least
envy. At first, then, they called them simply
"fathers," but later, when more had been added to
their number, they addressed them as "conscriptfathers." By this more imposing title Romulus
distinguished the senate from the commonalty, and
in other ways, too, he separated the nobles from the
i Cf. Livy, i. 8, 7.
<^«5
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
alto T&v TToW&v hirjpet, irdrpayva^ ovofid^cov,
oirep earl irpoardra^i, cKeipov^ Be Kkievra^y oirep
iarl TTcXara?* dfUL Be irpb^ dWijXovs 6avfia(TTr]v
evvoiav avrol^ koX fieyaXwp Bt/caiwv virdp^ouaav
everroirja-ev. oinoi fiev yap €^fjyrp-d<: re tS>v vofii-
ficov Kal irpocrrdra^ BiKa^ofievoL^ avp.fiov\ov^ re
6 irdvTCDv Kol Ki]B€fi6va<: eauTou? Trapelxov, eKelvoi
^ T0I/T0U9 eOepdirevov ov fiovov Tifia>VTe<iy dXKaKcu ireiofievoi^ OvyaT€pa<; avvexBiBopre^ Kal XP^^ovvacrLvovTe^, KarajjuipTvpelv re ireXaTov irpoa-
rd-njv, Tj irpoaraTov TreXdrTjp, ovre p6fM0<; ouSet?
ovT€ dpxo>v rjpd/ytca^€P. varepop Be, tcop dXXxop
Bucalayp plcpoptcop, to Xafi^dveip XPVH^"^^ tov9
Bvparoif^ irapa rcop raireiporepcop aia^pov ipo-
fdaOrj KoX dy€Pve<:, ravra fiep ovp irepX rovrtop.
XIV. TeTttpry Be fir]pl fiera ttjp ktLglp, co9
^d^to<: laropel, ro irepl tijp dpirayrfP irdX/jLijOTj
tS>p yvpatKcop, xal Xeyovcri fiep epioi top *Pa)-
/ivKop avTOP T§ <l>v(rei (fnXoiroXefiop opra, xal
ireTreiafiepop ex tipcjp dpa Xoylcjv on ti]p 'Pco/at^i/
irhrpoiTai iroXeiioi^ rpetpojjJpTjp teal av^o^vrjp
yeviaOcu fJLeyiarrjp, fiia^ irrrdp^at tt/jo? roij^
Xa^LPovf;' ovBe yap ttoXXo?, dXXa TptdxoPTa
fi6pa<i irapdepov^ Xapelp hvtov, are Br) iroXAfiov
2 fwXXop r) yd/jUDP Beopepop. tovto Be ovk eiKo^i'
dXX^ Tfjp pep TToXtp 6p(op hroLKcop €v$v^ e/x7r*7rXo-
fjt^vrjv, &v oXlyoi yvpatKa<; elxov, ol Be voWol
xa6
ROMULUS, XIII. 5-xiv. 2
multitude, calling the one "patrons," that is to say,
protectors, and the other "clients," that is to say,
dependants. At the same time he inspired both
classes with an astonishing goodwill towards each
other, and one which became the basis of important
rights and privileges. For the patrons advised their
clients in matters of custom, and represented themin courts of justice, in short, were their counsellors
and friends in all things ; while the clients weredevoted to their patrons, not only holding them in
honour, but actually, in cases of poverty, helpingthem to dower their daughters and pay their debts.
And there was neither any law nor any magistratethat could compel a patron to bear witness againsta client, or a client againt a patron. But in later
times, while all other rights and privileges remainedin force, the taking of money by those of high degreefrom the more lowly was held to be disgraceful and
ungenerous. So much, then, on these topics.XIV. It was in the fourth month after the
founding of the city, as Fabius writes, that the rapeof the Sabine women was perpetrated.^ And some
say that Romulus himself, being naturally fond of
war, and being persuaded by sundry oracles, too,
that it was the destiny of Rome to be nourished andincreased by wars till she became the greatest of
cities, thereby merely began unprovoked hostilities
against the Sabines; for he did not take manymaidens, but thirty only, since what he wanted waswar rather than marriages. But this is not likely.
On the contrary, seeing his city filling up at once
with aliens, few of whom had wives, while the
greater part of them, being a mixed rabble of needy» Cf. Livy, i. 9.
127
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiiya8€<; i^ airopwv fcal acf^avcov ovre^ virepeco-
pcovTo Kal TTpoaeBoKcovTO /JiT} avfjL/ievelv /3e/3ata)9,
iXiTL^cov Be 7rpb<; rov<; Xa^ivov^ Tpoirov nva
ovyKpdcrew^ koX /coLVcovCa^ ^PXV^ avTol^ to aBl-
Krjfia iTOirjcreLV rjfxepcoaafjLevoL^ ra? yvvaiKa^;, eire-
X^iprjae tw epyw rovBe tov Tpoirov.
3 AlcBoOtj X0709 vTT avTov TTpcoTov &)? Oeov
TLVO^ avevprjKOL ^(OfJbov VTTO jr}<; Ke/cpujuLfiivov.
oavofia^ov Be top 6eov K&vcrov, etre jSouXalov
ovTa {KWV(Ti\iov yap €tl vvv to <7Vjj./3ov\iov
KoXovai, Kal tov<; vitcltov^ /ccovaov\a<;, olov irpo-
fiov\ov<i), €LT€ LTTTnov IlocrefcSw. Kal yap 6fici)/jLO<;
iv T& fiei^ovi TMv iTTTroBpo/Jbwv ecTTiVy a^avr}^;
TOV aWov 'X^povoVy iv Be T0t<; i7rTrtK0t<; aytoctv
4 dvaKa\v7rT6/jLevo<;. 01 Be Kal 6Xco<; (f)aal tov
^ov\evp,aTo<; diropprjTOV Kal d(f)avov<i 6vto<; viro-
yeiov ovK dXoyco^ tw 6eQ> ^cofiov yeveaOaL Ke-
KpufjLfjLevov. 0)9 3' dvecpavT}, Ovalav re XafxirpdveV auTft) Kal dywva Kal Oeav eK KaTayyeXia^iireTeXei TravrjyvpiKrjv. Kal ttoXXoI fiev dvOpcoTTOi
avvrjXOov, avTo<; Be TrpovKaOrjTO pueTa tmv dpi5 aTCOV dXovpyiBi KeKoap^rj/jLevo^;. rjv Be tov KaLpov
T'^9 67ri%et/D?^cr6a)9 av/jL/3oXov e^avaaTavTa ttjv
dXovpyiBa iTTV^ai Kal irepL^aXeaOai irdXiv.
exovT€<i ovv ^i(j)T] TToXXol irpoael)(pv avTa>, Kal
TOV (TTjfieiov yevofjievov aTraadfievoi tcl ^L(f)7) Kal
pLeTCL ^orj<; opfirjaavTe^ rjpTTai^ov Td<; 6vyaTepa<;Tcov XajSivcov, avTov<i Be (f)evyovTa^ eicov Kal
^2,8
ROMULUS, XIV. 2-5
and obscure persons, were looked down upon and
expected to have no strong cohesion ;and hoping
to make the outrage an occasion for some sort of
blending and fellowship with the Sabines after their
women had been kindly entreated, he set his handto the task, and in the following manner.
First a report was spread abroad by him that hehad discovered an altar of a certain god hidden
underground. They called this god Consus, andhe was either a god of counsel (for
*' consilium"
is
still their word for counsel, and they call their chief
magistrates'*consuls," that is to say, counsellors^, or
an equestrian Neptune. For the altar is in the
Circus Maximus, and is invisible at all other times,
but at the chariot-races it is uncovered. Some,however, simply say that since counsel is secret and
unseen, it is not unreasonable that an altar to the
god of counsel should be hidden underground.^
Now when this altar was discovered, Romulus
appointed by proclamation a splendid sacrifice uponit, with games, and a spectacle open to all people.And many were the people who came together,while he himself sat in front, among his chief men,clad in purple. The signal that the time had comefor the onslaught was to be his rising and foldinghis cloak and then throwing it round him again.Armed with swords, then, many of his followers
kept their eyes intently upon him, and when the
signal was given, drew their swords, rushed in with
shouts, and ravished away the daughters of the
Sabines, but permitted and encouraged the men^ The altar was kept buried in the earth to signify the
secret processes of nature in the production of crops and
vegetation. For Consus was an ancient Italian god of
agriculture.
fi9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
6 Trapteaav. apiraadrjvai Si (j)acrtv oi fxev rpld-
Kovra fjiova^, acf)^oiv /cal ra? (pparpia^; ovofia-
aOrjvac, OvaX\€pio<; Be 'Arrta? CTrra Kal etfcoai
Kal irevTaKoaia^, 'Io/3a9 SI Tpel<; Kal oyBo^KovraKal €^aKO(JLa<; irapOevov^' o pbeyccnov rjv cltto-
Xoyrjp^a tw ^VcopLiikw' yvvalKa yap ov Xaffelv
aX)Crj p,iav, 'Eipaikiav, BiaXaOovaav avrov^, are
Br) p,r) p,eO^ v/3pea)f; fJurjB^ dBiKLa<; iXdovra^ eirl rrjv 26
dpirayqVy aXXa avfipLL^ai Kal avvayayelv ehravTO TO, yevrj Tat9 /xeytcrai? dvdyKaL<; Biavorj-
7 6evTa<;. Tr)v B' 'Epaikiav ol piev 'OaTiXiov yrjpLau
Xeyovaiv, avBpa ^FoypLaicov eiri^aveaTaTOVy ol Bk
avTov 'VwpLvXov, Kal yevecdai Kal iralBa'i avro),
fiCav puev Ovyarepa Tlpipav, rfj rd^et ttj^ yeve-
creco^s ovTco irpoaayopevdelaav, eva S* vlbv pLovov,
ov ^AoXXlov puev evelvo'i diro t^? yevopLevrjt; dOpoL-aeo)^ vir* avTOv rcov ttoXltcov d)v6pLaaev, ol 8*
vcrrepov *AffiXXiov. dXXd ravra puev laropcov
ZtjvoBoto^; 6 Tpoi^t]VLO<; ttoXXou? e%6t tov<;
dvriXeyovTa<;.
XV. ^FiV Be TO 69 dpTrd^ovaL Ta9 rrapOevov^Tore TV)(elv Xeyovai tmv ovk eiri^avcov TLva<;
dyoPTa<; Koprjv to3 re KaXXec ttoXv Kal Ta> pbeyWei
Bcacpipovo-av. eTrel 8' d7ravTcbvTe<; evioi rcov
KpeLTTOvcov eirex^ipovv di^aipeladaiy ^odv tou9
dyovTa<; a)9 l^aXaaiw Kop.i^otev avnjv, dvBpl veco
2 fiev, evBoKipbO) Be Kal XPV^'^V' '^ovr^ ovv dKov-
aavra^ ev(j)7]p,elv Kal Kporelv eTraivovvra^y eviov<i
Be Kal irapaKoXovOelv dvaaTpe-^avra^ evvoia Kal
J 30
BOMULUS, XIV. 6-xv. 2
themselves to escape. Some say that only thirtymaidens were seized^ and that from these theCuriae ^ were named
;but Valerius Antias puts the
number at five hundred and twenty-seven, and Jubaat six hundred and eighty-three, all maidens. Andthis was the strongest defence which Romuluscould make, namely, that they took only one married
woman, Hersilia, and her by mistake, since they did
not commit the rape out of wantonness, nor evenwith a desire to do mischief, but with the fixed pur-
pose of uniting and blending the two peoples in the
strongest bonds. As for this Hersilia, some saythat she was married to Hostilius, a most eminent
Roman, and others, to Romulus himself, and that
she also bore him children : one daughter. Prima,so called from the order of birth, and one son only,whom Romulus named Aollius, from the greatconcourse^ of citizens under him, but later agesAvillius. However, Zenodotus of Troezen, who givesus this account, is contradicted by many.XV. Among those who ravished away the maidens
at that time, it chanced, they say, that certain menof meaner sort were dragging along a damsel who far
surpassed the rest in beauty and stature ; and whensome men of superior rank met them and tried to
rob them of their prize, they cried out that theywere conducting the girl to Talasius, a young man,but one of excellent repute. The other party, then,on hearing this, shouted and clapped their liands in
approval, and some of them actually turned back^ The thirty divisions into which the three ancient Roman
tribes were divided for political and ceremonial purposes.Cf. Livy, i. 13. 6 f.
* A Greek etymology, connecting the name with iioW-fis,
in throngs.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
^dpiTt Tov TdXaalov, fiera fiorj^ rovvo/jua (fyOej-
yofi€vov<;. acf)'ov 8r) top TaXdaiov ci^pt vvv, co9
"EW?7i/€? rot' 'T/jLepatOf, iirahovaL 'Fcofiatot toI<}
yd/jLoi<;' Kol yap evTV^La (paal "X^prjaaadai irepl
Tr)v yvpacKa top TaXdatop.
^e^TLo<; he XvWa<; 6 Kapxvhopto<;, ovt€ /jlov-
crodP ovT€ 'X^apiTcop e7rt8e^9 dvrjp, eXeyep rjfup oti
T779 dpTrayrjf; (TVP0t]fia ttjp (poyprjp eScoKC TavTrjp 6
3 'V(op,vXo<;. diraPTe^ ovp top TaXdaiop i^ocov 01
Ta<; irapOepov^ KOfiit^oPTe^;' kol Sid tovto to?? yd-
fiOL<i Trapajxipet to e6o<i. ol Be irXelaToi pofii^ov-
(TLPy COP Kal 'Ioy8a9 io-TL, TrapdKXrjcrtp elpav /cat
TrapaKeXevcTLp et? ^iXepyiap Kal TaXaalap, outto)
TOT€ T0t9 'FXX7)PIK0L<; OPOfiaCJ-l TCJV ^iTaXiKCOP
iTTiKe^vfiepojp, el he tovto purj XeyeTai /caKcb<i,
aXV ej^poiPTo 'Vco/jbalot. Tore t^ opo/xaTi t^9
TaXaaia<;, KaOdirep rjfiet^;, eTepav dp ti<; avTiap
4 elKdcreie TnOapcoTepap. eTrel yap ol XafftPOL 7r/?09
Tot'9 *Pa)^atov9 7roXefjL't]aapTe<; BiyXXdyTjcrap, eye-
poPTO (TVpOrJKai Trepl tcjp yvpacKCJP, ottco^; fiySep
dXXo epyop Tot9 dpSpdaip rjra irepl ttjp TaXaalap
vTTOvpycbac. irapefieipep ovp Kal tol<; av6i,<; ya-
/novai T0U9 SiB6pTa<; 7) TrapaTrifiTroPTa^ 7) oXco^
irapoPTa^j dpa^wpelp top TaXdaiop fieTa TraiBidf},
fjiapTvpofiepov^ ft)9 eV* ovBep dXXo vTrovpyrjfia T779
5 yvpatKo^ rjTaXaalap eLaayop,eP7]<;. Biajjuepei, Be
fiexpi' PVP TO TTJP pvp.<l)7jp avTrjp d(f> avTrj<; /it)
virep^alpeiP top ovBop eU to Bco/judTiop, aWaipofJLeprjp elacpepeaSat, Bed to Kal Tore KOfJLiadrj-
132
ROMULUS, XV. 2-5
and accompanied them, out of good will and favour
to Talasius, shouting his name as they went along.
Hence, indeed, down to the present time, Talasius
is the 'nuptial cry of the Romans, as Hymenaeus is
of the Greeks ;for they say that 1 alasius was
fortunate in his w ife.
But Sextius Sulla, the Carthaginian, a man wholacks neither learning nor charm, told me that
Talasius was the word which Romulus gave as a
watchword for the rape. All those, therefore, whotook the maidens away, shouted "Talasius!" andon this account the custom now prevails at mar-
riages. But most writers are of the opinion—and
Juba is one of them—that the cry is an exhor-
tation and incitement to industry and ^^talasia," as
the Greeks call spimiing, Italian words having not
yet at that time entirely submerged the Greek.Now if this is right, and the Romans did at that
time use the word "talasia" for spinning, as we do,then a more credible reason for the custom might be
conjectured as follows. When the Sabines, after
their war against the Romans, were reconciled with
them, it was agreed that their women should
perform no other tasks for their husbands than those
which were connected with spinning. It was
customary, therefore, at subsequent marriages, for
those who gave the bride away, or escorted her to
her new home, or simply looked on, to cry" Talasius !
"merrily, in testimony that the woman
was led home for no other task than that of spinning.And it continues to be a custom down to the presenttime that the bride shall not of herself cross thethreshold into her new home, but be lifted up andcarried in, because the Sabine women were carried in
133
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
vai ^iaa6eiaa<i, fXTj elaeXQelv?- evioi h^ XeyovaiKoi TO TTjv KOjiTjv Trj<; ja/JLOVjuevT]'; al)^/iTj Bia-
KpiveaOai Soparuov av/ji^oXov elvai rod fiera fiaxv*Kol TToXefjLLKcofi Tov TTpwTOV ^oLjiov ^evkcrOai' irepl
o)v eTTLTrXeov ev tol<; AItI,ol<; elprjKaixev.
^FiTo\/JLi]6r] fiev ovv 7) apirafyr) Trepl rrjv oktw-
KaiEeKaTTjv rjpepav rod t6t€ fxev %€^tiXlov fir}v6<;,
Avyovarov Se vvv, iv y rrjv rwv KcovadXicov
eopTTjv ayovaiv.XVI. Ol Be ^a^lvoi iroXkol fiev rjaav koi
TToXefjitKOi, Kcofiaf; Be wkovv aTei'X^iarovf;, ax; irpoa-
rjKov avTol<; fieya (ppovelv /cat p,r] (f)o^€Ladai2 AaKeBaifioviayv clttoikol^ ovaiv. ov firjv aXX'
6pwvT€<s avTOv<; evBeB€fievov<; fieyaXoc? o/irjpevfiaat,
KOL BeBcore^ Trepl tcov Ovyarepcov, Trpea^ei'; airk-
areiKav iTTLeiKrj koX [xerpLa TrpoKokov/ievoL, rop
'Fco/JbvXov uTToBovra ra? K6pa<; avroL<; koI Xvaav-ra TO T?)9 yS/a9 epyov, ecTa ireidol koI vo/jlq)
irpaTTeLV rot? yeveai cptXlav /cat OLKeLOTijTa. tov
Be 'Po)/j.vXov Ta<; jxev Kopa^s firj Trpoiejievov,
7rapaKa\ovuTO<; Be ttjv Koivcoviav Bk')(eaOai tov<;
3 %affLVov<i, ol fiev aXXoi ^ovXevofievoi Kal irapa-(TKeva^ofievoi, BieTpi^ov, "AKpcov Be jSaa-tXeiff;
KevLvr]Ta)V, ainjp Ov^oeiBrj(; kol Setro? ev TOt<;
TToXe/jLl/COL';, to, TG TTpCOTtt TOXfiyfULTa TOV 'Fcofiv-Xov Bl v7ro'\jria<; €2%€, koI t& Trpa-)(6evTi Trepl Ta<; 27
yvvaifca^; tjBtj <pofiepov rjyovjJievo^ iraaiv elvai fcal
ovK dvexTov, el pur] KoXaadeurj, irpoe^avecTTr) T(p
iroXefio) Kol fieTO, 7roXXrj<; i'^copet Bwdfiew^i eir*
*fx)) e\iTt\9uv bracketed by Bekker.
134
I ROMULUS, XV. 5-xvi. 3
by force, and did not go in of their own accord.
And some say also that the custom of parting the
bride's hair with the head of a spear is a reminderthat the first marriage was attended with war and
fighting ; on which topic I have spoken more fully in
my'^ Roman Questions."
^
Leaving such matters aside, the rape was com-mitted on the eighteenth day of the month oncecalled Sextilis, but now, August, on which day the
festival of the Consualia ^ is celebrated.
XVI. Now the Sabines were a numerous and war-like people, and dwelt in unwalled villages, thinkingthat it behoved them, since they were Lacedae-monian colonists, to be bold and fearless. Neverthe-
less, seeing themselves bound by precious hostages,and fearing for their daughters, they sent ambassa-dors with reasonable and moderate demands, namely,that Romulus should give back to them their maidens,disavow his deed of violence, and then, by persua-sion and legal enactment, establish a friendly re-
lationship between the two peoples. But Romuluswould not surrender the maidens, and demandedthat the Sabines should allow community of mar-
riage with the Romans, whereupon they all held
long deliberations and made extensive preparationsfor war. But there was one exception. Acron, kingof the Caeninenses, a man of courageous spirit andskilled in war, had been suspicious of the daringdeeds of Romulus from the beginning, and now that
this violence had been done the women, thinkinghim a menace to all peoples, and intolerable unless
chastised, at once rose up in arms, and with a great^Morals, p. 285 c (Question 87).
^ A liarvest festival, named from Consus. See chapterxiv. 3.
J3S
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 aVTOV Kol 6 'P&)yLtuX,09 Itt' iK€LVOV. yev6/JL€V0t S*
ivo'yjret
koI KaTihovre^ aXkrfKov^ irpovKokovvro
fjid'x^eadatftmv cnpaTevfiaTcov iv toI<; ottXol^
cuTpe^iovvTcav. ev^dfievof; ovv 6 'Pa)yuu\o9, el
Kparrjaeie koI Kara^aXoi, tm Ad (f)6po)v dvaOrj-
(T€tv avTo<; ra oifKa tov dvSp6<;, avrov re Kara-
fidWet KpaTr}(Ta<^ kol Tpeirerai to arpuTevfia
fidxv^ 'yevofjievT}^;, aipel he koI t^i/ itoXlv ov fir}v
i^SiK7j(T€ T0U9 ey/carakrjcpOivTa'^, dX)C rf Ta<; olKia^
eKekevcre KadeXovraf aKoXovOelv eh ^Fcop,rjv, 009
7roXtTa9 eVl roL<i taoi^ ecrofievov^.
5 TovTOV p^ev ovv ov/c ecmv 6 ri p,aXX,ov rjv^rjae
T^i/ 'V(i}p/r)Vy del TTpocTTroLovaav eaury KaX avv-
vepbovaav ojv Kpartjaeiev' 6 Be 'Fcop^vXa^, <b9 av
p^dXicTTa T^z^ ev'xr^vt& re Ad Kexapca-p^evrjv xal
T0t9 iroXiTaL^ ISelv iTriTepTrrj irapdaxoi' OKS'^d-
p^vo^iy eirX (TTpaTOTreSov Bpuv erepev VTreppeyeOy,
Kol 8L€p^6p<p(oorev Mairep Tpoiraiov, Koi rcov ottXcov
TOV "Afcpwvo^; eKacTTOV iv Ta^ei Trepiijpp.oae koI
KaTrjpTTjaev' avT0<; Be ttjv p.ev iaOrJTa irepi-
e^caaaTO, Bd(j)vr) Be iaTey^aTO ttjv KecpaXrjv fcop^co-
6 aav. vTToXa/SoDV Be to) Be^iw to Tpoirat-ov a>p,a>
irpoa-epeiBopjevov 6p66v, ifidBi^ev i^dp^cyv iiri-
VLKLOV iratavo^ iv ottXol^ eiropbevrf Trj aTpaTia,
Bexop^evcov tcov ttoXitcjv p^To, %a/9a9 kol davpxL-
T09. 17 p>ev ovv TTop^TTT) TOiv av6i,<i 6pldpb^(OV
dpxv^ fccd i^rjkov irapeaxe' to Be Tpoiraiov dvd-
136
ROMULUS, XVI. 3-6
force advanced against him.^ Romulus also marchedout to meet him. But when they were face to
face and had surveyed each other, they challenged
mutually to single combat before battle, while their
armies remained quiet under arms. Romulus,
then, after making a vow that if he should conquerand overthrow his adversary, he would carry homethe man's armour and dedicate it in person to
Jupiter, not only conquered and overthrew him, but
also routed his army in the battle which followed,and took his city as well. To the captured citizens,
however, he did no harm beyond ordering them to
tear down their dwellings and accompany him to
Rome, where, he promised them, they should be
citizens on equal terms with the rest.
Now this, more than anything else, was what gaveincrease to Rome: she always united and incor-
porated with herself those whom she conquered.But Romulus, after considering how he mightperform his vow in a manner most acceptable to
Jupiter and accompany the performance with a
spectacle most pleasing to the citizens, cut down a
monstrous oak that grew in the camp, hewed it
into the shape of a trophy, and fitted and fastened
to it the armour of Acron, each piece in its dueorder. Then he himself, girding his raiment abouthim and wreathing his flowing locks with laurel, set
the trophy on his right shoulder, where it was held
erect, and began a triumphal march, leading off in a
paean of victory which his army sang as it followed
under arms, and being received by the citizens with
joyful amazement. This procession was the originand model of all subsequent triumphs, and the
1 Cf. Livy, i. 10.
137
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Or]fia ^eperpiov Aib^; iTTcovofidadrj. ro yap ttXtj-
^ai (fteplpe 'Vcop^alou KaXov<nv' ev^aro Se TrXij^ai
7 Tov avBpa koI KaTaffaXetv oiripua he to, aKvXa,
^rjal Bdppatv, KaOort /cal Tr)v irepiovaiav oirep,
Xeyouac. TnOavcorepov S' dv Tt<; eliroi hid rrjv
TTpa^iV oiTov^ yap ovofid^erai to epyov. av-
Tovpya> he dpLaTela'^ arpaTT^ySt aTparrjybv dve-
XovTt SiEorac tcaOupwaL^ otti/jllcov.
Kal Tpial fi6voL<; tovtov rvx^cv vTrrjp^e 'Fco-
fiaiOL<; r]y€fi6(Ti, Trpcorcp 'Pw/iuXct), fcreivavTi tov
lLevLvrjT7}V ^'AKpcova, hevTepo) ^opvrfKifp Yi6aa(p,
TvppTjvov dveXovTi ToXovpuviov, eVl jrao-t Be
KXavhlo) M.apKeXXq)y BpiTOfxdpTOV KpaTijaavTt8 VaXaTOJV ^aatXicoq. K6(Tcro<; pev ovv /cal Mdp-KeXXo^ TjBrj TeOpL7r7roL<; elarjXavvov avTol ra
Tpoiraia cpepovTC' ^VcDpivXov 3* ovk 6pOa><; ^riaiv
dpp,aTL 'x^pTjo'acrOai, Aiovv(no<^. TapKvviov yap
laTopovac tov Arip^apaTov tcov ^acriXecov TrpcoTov
eh TOVTO TO a')(rip,a Kal tov oyKov i^apac tou?
dpLapijBov^' eTSpoi Be irpcjTov e^' dpp,aTo(; Opiap>-
^evcrai UoTrXcKoXav. tov Be 'VcopuvXov Td<; elxo-
va^ opdv e<TTLV ev 'IPdojiirj Ta9 TpoiraLOf^opov^ Trefa?
dirdaa^^.
XVII. Mera Be ttjv K.€Vi,V7]T(bv dXcoaiv ert t(ov
dXX(ov Sa^LVcov ev irapacTKeval^ ovtcov, a-vvea-Trj-
crav ol ^lBtJvtjv fcal K.pov<7Tovp,epi,ov Kal 'Aj/t6-
pLvav olKovvTe<i eirl tov<; 'Fcop,aLov<i' Kal fta%i7?
ROMULUS, XVI. 6-xvii. i
trophy was styled a dedication to Jupiter Feretrius^
so named from the Roman word "ferire," to smite ;
for Romulus vowed to s?niie his foe and overthrow
him. And such spoils were called "opima/' because
as Varro says,'^
opes"
is the Roman word for richness ;
but it would be more plausible to say that they were
so called from the deed of valour involved, since"opus
"is the Roman word for deed or exploit. And
only to a general who with his own hand has per-foraied the exploit of slaying an opposing general,has the privilege of dedicating the "
spolia opima"
been granted.Furthermore, only three Roman leaders have at-
tained this honour : Romulus first, for slaying Acronthe Caeninensian ; next, Cornelius Cossus, for killingTolumnius the Tuscan ;
^ and lastly, Claudius Mar-
cellus, for overpowering Britomartus, king of the
Gauls.^ Cossus indeed, and Marcellus, already used
a four-horse chariot for their entrance into the city,
carrying the trophies themselves, but Dionysius^ is
incorrect in saying that Romulus used a chariot. Forit is matter of history that Tarquin, the son of
Demaratus, was first of the kings to lift triumphs
up to such pomp and ceremony, although others saythat Publicola was first to celebrate a triumph ridingon a chariot.* And the statues of Romulus bearingthe trophies are, as may be seen in Rome, all on foot. ^^L^
XVII. After the capture of the Caeninensians, ^Twhile the rest of the Sabines were still busy with
their preparations, the people of Fidenae, Crustu-
merium, and Antemnae banded together against the
* In 436 B.C., according to Livy, iv. 19, 1-5.^ In 222 B.C. See Plutarch's Marcellus^ vii.•Antiq. Rom. ii. 34. * Cf. Publicola^ ix. 5.
139
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yevofJLivr)<f r]TT7j06VT€<; oyLtoto)?, rd^ re iroXet'^ 'P«-
fjLvXo) TTaprjKav ekelv /cat rrjv 'X^copav hdcacrOai
Kal /jLeroLKLaat a(j>a(; aurou? eh 'Vco/jirjv.6 Sk
'Pw/iuXo? rrjv fiev oXXtjv Kareveifie ')(a)pav rot?
iroXiraL^, oarjv 8' el^ov ol rcov rjpiraa/jLevcov
TrapOevcov Trarepe?, avTOv<; ex^cv eKeivovf; eiaaev,
2 'EttI TOVTOi^ Papew^ <pepovTe<; ol XolttoI ^a-
fiivoL Tdriov dTTohei^avTe^i a-rparrjjbv iirl ri]v
*V(tifir}v iarpdrevaav' r}v he Bv(T'n-p6ao8o<; y TroXt?,
exovcra 7rp6/3\7jfia to vvv K.a7riTco\Lov, iv ^(j)povpa KadeiarrjKet fcal Tap7r^lo<; iQyefjbODv avT7]<;,
ovx^' Tap7r7)ta TrapOevo^, ft)9 evLoc Xeyovcrtv, evrjOrj
Tov ^VcofjLvXov diroheLKVvovTe'^' dXXa OvydrTjp rj
TapTTTjta TOV ap^ovro^ ovaa irpovBco/ce rot? Xa-
^iV0i<;, eTTLOvfjurja-acra rcov XP^^^^ ^paxt^ovLcmjpcovov<; elSe 7r€piK€ifievov<;, Kal jirrjae fiiaObv T779 irpo-
3 hoGia^ a <f)Opolev iv Tat9 dpiarepalf; %€/3<7t. avvSe-
fjuevov Be tov Tariov, vvKToyp dvoL^aaa TTvXrjv fiCav
iBe^aro tov<; Xafiivov^. ov ^6vo<i ovv, co? eoiKev,
^AvTiyovo^ ecprj 7rpoBcB6vTa<; fiev (piXelv, irpoBeBa)-
Koraf; Be fiLaecv, ovBe Kalaap, eliroDv iirl tov
SpaKO<; ^VoLfiTfTdXKov, <f>LXeLP [xev TrpoBoa-lav, irpo-
Borrju Be fiLGelv aXXa koivov ti tovto irdOo^ earl
7r/)09 Tot'9 TTovTjpov^ Tot9 BeofievoL^ avTOiv, waTTeplov teal %oX7}9 evicov OrjpLcov BeovTac ttjv yap
Xpeiav ore Xafx^dvovcnv dyairSyvTe^i, ex^^L^povai4 rrjv KaKiav OTav Tvx^oac. tovto Kal 7r/?09 rrjv
HapTT-qtav TOTS TTuOoiV 6 TaT£09 eKcXevae fie/jLvr)-
149
t ROMULUS, XVII. 1-4
Romans,^ and in a battle which ensued, they wereHkewise defeated, and surrendered to Romulus their
cities to be seized, their territory to be divided, andthemselves to be transported to Rome. Romulusdistributed among the citizens all the territory thus
acquired, excepting that which belonged to the
parents of the ravished maidens;this he suffered its
owners to keep for themselves.
At this the rest ot the Sabines were enraged, andafter appointing Tatius their general, marched uponRome. The city was difficult of access, having as
its fortress the present Capitol, on which a guardhad been stationed, with Tarpeius as its captain,
—not Tarpeia, a maiden, as some say, thereby makingRomulus a simpleton. But Tarpeia, a daughter of
the commander, betrayed the citadel to the Sabines,
having set her heart on the golden armlets whichshe saw them wearing, and she asked as paymentfor her treachery that which they wore on their left
arms. Tatius agreed to this, whereupon she openedone of the gates by night and let the Sabines in.
Antigonus was not alone, then, in saying that heloved men who offered to betray, but hated those
who had betrayed ; nor yet Caesar, in saying of the
Thracian Rhoemetalces, that he loved tieachery but
hated a traitor ; but this is a very general feelingtowards the base on the part of those who need their
services, just as they need certain wild creatures
for their venom and gall ;for while they feel the
need of them, they put up with them, but abhortheir vileness when they have obtained from themwhat tbey want. This, too, was the feeling whichTatius then had towards Tarpeia, when he ordered
1 Of. Livy, i. U.
VOL. I. T7 ^4^
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiivovf; Toov 6fi6\oyt(ov tou? ^afiivov^ fiTjBevo^
avrfj (j>doveLV oyv iv rat? apiarepacf; exovcn. koI
TT/JWTO? cbfia Tov ^pa'x^LOVLo-rrjpa r?}? )(^eipo<;
irepieXoov koX tov dvpeov iireppiyjre, Trdvrcov Be
avTo TTOLOvvTcov ^aWofievT] T6 tS> 'x^pvaat kol
KaTaxe^o^Oelcra rot? Ovpeol^ viro 'ir\r)6ov<; koI
5 pdpov<i direOavev. eaXco Be Koi Tapirrjlo^; irpo-
Boataf; viro 'VcojjlvXov Btcox^eC^, «? ^lo^a^ <f>r)al
VaXpav XovXttlkiov laropelv, rwz^ 3' dXka irepl
Tap7rrjLa<; \ey6vT0)v diriOavov p,ev elcnv oi Tariov
Ovyarepa tov r^yepbovo^ tcov Xafftvcov ovaav av-
TTjv, *V(DpLv\(p Be ^ia avvotKovaav, l(TTopovvTe<;
TavTa TToirjcrai koI TvaOelv virep tov TraTp6<;' wvKoX
*
AvTiyov6<; ecFTt. ^ipvKo^ 8' 6 7roi,r)Tr]<i koi
iravTairaaL Xijpei pur) ^afiLvoi<; ol6pLevo<;, dWaKeXToU TTjv TapTTTjcav irpoBovvat to KaTrcTcoXiov
ipaaOelaav avTcov tov fia(TcXeo)<;. Xeyec Be
TavTa'
*H S' dyxpv TdpTreta irapal K-aiTLTcoXiov oItto^
vaiovaa *Fcopbr]<i eirXeTO ret^^oXeri?,
KeXrcoi^ fj (TTep^aaa yapL7]Xia XeKTpa yeveaOat
GKiiTTTovytpi TTaTepwv ovK e(pvXa^€ BopLovf;,
fcal pcT oXiya irepl ttJ? TeXevr^?*
Tr]v S' ovT ap Boiot t€ ical edvea puvpia KeXrcoz^
XVpdpevoL peldpcov eWo9 eOevTo lidBov
oirXa B* €7ri7rpofiaX6vT€<i dpeipbaveayv diro xeipwv
Kovprj eVt (TTvyepy Koapuov edevTO ^ovov,
142
ROMULUS, XVII. 4-5
his Sabines, mindful of their agreement, not to
begrudge the girl anything they wore on their left
arms. And he was first to take from his arm not
only his armlet, but at the same time his shield, andcast them upon her. All his men followed his
example, and the girl was smitten by the gold andburied under the shields, and died from the numberand weight of them. And Tarpeius also was con-
victed of treason when prosecuted by Romulus, as,
according to Juba, Sulpicius Galba relates. Of those
who write differently about Tarpeia, they are worthyof no belief at all who say that she was a daughterof Tatius, the leader of the Sabines, and was livingwith Romulus under compulsion, and acted andsuffered as she did, at her father's behest ; of these,
Antigonus is one. And Simylus the poet is alto-
gether absurd in supposing that Tarpeia betrayedthe Capitol, not to the Sabines, but to the Gauls,because she had fallen in love with their king. Theseare his words :
—''And Tarpeia, who dwelt hard by the Capitolian
steep.Became the destroyer of the walls of Rome ;
She longed to be the wedded wife of the Gallic
chieftain.And betrayed the homes of her fathers."
And a little after, speaking of her death :—
" Her the Boii and the myriad tribes of GaulsDid not, exulting, cast amid the currents of the
Po;But hurled the shields from their belligerent arms
Upon the hateful maid^ and made their orna-
ment her doom."
<43
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XVIII. Trj<; fievTOi Tap7rr]ta<; ixec ra<j)eLcrrj<; 6
\6(f)0<! ODVOfMct^ero Tapirrjio^;, axpi ov TapKWiovpacTiXew^ Ail tov tottov KaOiepovvro^ dpa re ra
'K€L'\jrava fjL€T7jv6X0V Kol Tovvofia T779 Tap7rr)ia<;
i^eXtTre. Trkrjv irirpav en vvv ev Ta> l^aimcoXiw
Tapirrjiav KaXovaiv, a(j> 179 ippLTrrovv tov<:
KaKovp<yov<;.2 ^R^ofiivT}^ Be T^9 aKpa<; viro twv ^a/Slvcov, o re
Vwp,v\o<; VTT* 6pyrj(; et9 /J,d)(r]v avrov^ Trpovxa-XcLTO, KoX 6 TaTi09 iOdppei, fcaprepdv, el ^la-cOelev, dvaxwpTjaiv opcjv avrol^ v7rdp')(^ovaav.6 yap /jLcra^v T07ro9, iv cS (rvfjuTrLTrTeiv ejjLeXXoVtVTTO iToXXwv X6<p(ov 7r€pi€'x,o/JL€vo<; dycova p.ev o^vviBoKCi KoX ')(aXeTrov viro
Bvcr'^^copLaf; dp^oTepoi<;
irape^eiv, ^1/709 Be koI Bi(i)^ei,<; iv crrevo) 0pa-3 'x^eia^. GTVx^e Be tov TTorafiov XtfivdaavTo<i ov ttoX-
Xat? irporepov r)/jLepai<;, eyKaraXeXelcpOai reXp^a
^aOv Kol TV^Xov iv T07rot9 €7ri7reSoi9 Kara rriv
vvv ovaav dyopdv odev ovk r]v o^frei TrpoBrjXoVtovB* €V(j)vXaKTov, dXXco^ Be ')(^aXe7rov Kal vttovXov.
fiTrl TOVTO Tot9 Xa^ivoi,<; direLpia ^epopevoi^ evrv-
4 %^/^a yiyveraL. Kovprw^ yap dvrjp i7rc(j)avij<f,
Bo^Tj Kal (j)povrjp.aTt yavpo^, Xttttov e%<yz/ ttoXv
TTpo TMV aXX(ov ix(*>per Be^ap^evov Be tov fiapd-
dpov tov Xttttov a'xpi P'GV tivo^ iTreipaTO TrXrjyfj
Kal TTapaKeXevaei ypoopevo^ i^eXavveiv, 0)9 S* "^v
dpbr)XCLvov, idaa<; tov Xttttov eavrov eaw^ev. 6
fieV OVV TOTTOV Bl EKetVOV €TL VVV KovpTlO^; XdKKO<i
ovopd^erar c^vXa^dpevoi Be tov klvBvvov 01 Sa-
Plvoi pid^V^ KapTepdv ipba^^aavTO Kpiaiv ov
Xaffovaav, Kairot ttoXXcov TreaovTwv, ev 0I9 ^v Kal
«44
ROMULUS, XVIII. 1-4
XVIII. However, Tarpeia was buried there, andthe hill was called from her Tarpeius, until KingTarquin dedicated the place to Jupiter, when her
bones were removed and the name of Tarpeia died
out, except that a cliff on the Capitol is still called
the Tarpeian Rock, from which they hurl male-
factors.
The citadel thus occupied by the Sabines,^ Romulus
angrily challenged them to battle, and Tatius wasbold enough to accept, since he saw that the Sabines,if worsted, had a strong place of retreat. For the
intervening space, in which they were to join battle,
being surrounded by many hills, seemed to imposeupon both parties a sharp and grievous contest,
owing to the difficulties of the field, where flight and
pursuit must be narrowly confined and short. It
happened, too, since the river had overflowed not
many days before, that a deep and blind slime hadbeen left in the valley where the forum is now.Wherefore it was not apparent to the eye, nor yet
easy to avoid, and besides it was soft beneath the
surface and dangerous. On to this the Sabines were
ignorantly rushing, when a piece of good fortune be-
fell them. Curtius, a conspicuous man among them,
eager for glory and high design, was advancing onhorseback far in front of the rest, when his horse
sank in the gulf of mud. For some time he tried
to drive him out, with blows and cries of encourage-ment, but since it was impossible, he abandonedhis !iorse and saved himself Accordingly, the placeto this day is called from him "lacus Curtius." Butthe Sabines, having avoided this peril, fought a
sturdy fight, and one which was indecisive, although1 Cf. Livy, i. 12.
US
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
5 'OcTTtXfo?. TOVTOV 'Ejp(TL\la<; avhpa koI TrdTTirov 29
'OanXiov tov fiera Noyu-az/ jBaaLkevaavTo^ ye-
viaOai Xiyovaiv. av6i<; Be ttoWojv aycovcov iv
Ppa')(e'l (TUVLarajjLeveoVf co? €Ik6<;, ez^o? fiaktara rod
Tekevraiov fivrffiovevovcnv, iv c5 *¥a)/xvXov rrjv
Ke<^a\7)v irXriyevTo^; \i6(p /cat Treaeiv oXiyov Berj-
aavTO^ TOV t avrixetv v^e^ievov rot^ ^a0LVOi,<i,
iviBwKav ol 'Tco/ialoL kol (^vyfj irpo^i to YlaXaTiov
6i')(^(opouv i^o)6ov/jLevoL twv iTrcireScov. ySrj Be 6
*Pa}fjLvXo<; e/c r^? 7rXr)yrj^ avacpepcov i/3ovX€TO fiev
6t9 Ta oTrXa 'Xfopelv rot? (pevyovaiv evaPTL(o<;, koX
fieya jSoMV taTaadai kol fid)(^eaOai irapefcdXei,.
TToXXrjfi Be T^9 (f)vyr)<i avTcp irepi')(eop.evri<; koI
/jLi]Bev6<; dpa(7Tp€(f)€LV toX/jlwvto^ , dvaTeiva^ eh
ovpavov Ta9 %€i/3a9 ei/faro t& Ail aTrjaat to
(TTpaTev/ia kol to, ^Vayfxaiwv irpdyfiaTa ireoovTa
7 iJLT] rrepuBetv, dXX^ opOwaac. yevofievr)<; Be t%evxv'^i ctlBd)<; re tou j^acriXeco'^ ^(^X^ 7roXXov<; koL
ddpao^ eK /jLeTal3oXri<; TrapecrTrj T0Z9 (pevyovaiv.
€aT7]<TaV OVV TTpCdTOV CV VVV 6 TOV Al,6<; TOV
STaT0p09 'iBpvTat veco^, ov enria-TdcTLOv dp t^9
ep/jLrjvevo-eiev' elTa avvaaiTLaavTe<; irdXiv ecoaav
6iria(o Tovf; XaPivov^ eirl tt^v vvv 'VrjyLav irpocr-
ayopevofievrjv kol to t^9 'EcrTta9 lepov.XIX. ^KvTavOa S* avTou<; wairep ef virapxv^
fidx€odai 7rapa(TK€va^ofjL€vov<i iireax^ Beivov IBelv
Oea/xa koI Xoyov KpeiTTwv o-^c^;. at yap ypTra-
ajxevai dvyaTepe^ tmv XajSivcov uxpOrjaav dXXa-
XoOev dXXai fieTO, (3orj^ Kal oXoXvy/iov Bed tcop
ottXcov (pepojjievai koI tS)v veKpwv, oiairep ex Oeov
Hi
ROMULUS, XVIII. 5-xix. i
many fell, among whom was Hostilius. This man,
they say, was husband of Hersilia ^ and grandfatherto the Hostilius who was king after Numa. After-
wards many conflicts raged within a short time, as
might be expected, but one is most memorable,
namely the last, in which Romulus was hit on the headwith a stone and almost fell to the ground, abandon-
ing his resistance to the Sabines. The Romans
thereupon gave way and began to fly to the Palatine,now that they were repulsed from the plain. But
presently Romulus, recovering from his blow, wishedto stem the tide of fugitives and renew the battle,and called upon them with a loud voice to stand and
fight. But as the waves of flight encompassed himand no man dared to face about, he stretched his
hands towards heaven and prayed Jupiter to stayhis army and not suffer the Roman cause to fall, but
to restore it. No sooner was his prayer ended than
many stopped out of reverence for their king, and
courage returned to the fugitives. They made their
first stand, then, where now is the temple of JupiterStator, which epithet might be interpreted as Stayer.Then they closed their ranks again and drove the
Sabines back to where the so-called Regia^ now
stands, and the temple of Vesta.
XIX. Here, as they were preparing to renew the
battle, they were checked by a sight that waswonderful to behold and a spectacle that passes
description.^ The ravished daughters of the Sabines
were seen rushing from every direction, with shouts
and lamentations, through the armed men and the
1 Cf . chapter xiv. 6 f.
2 In historical times, the house of the Pontifex Maximus.See Nurruif xiv. 1.
^ Cf. Livy, i. 13.
147
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kdro^of', 7rp6<i re tou? avSpa<i avrcjv Kal Tot»9
iraripa^, at fiev iraiBia KOfiH^ovaat vrjina 7rpb<;
Tai9 dyxaXai^;, at he ttjv ko/jltjv irpolaxofJievaL
XeXvjxevTjv, irdaai 8* avaKakov/nevai rolft <^i\Td-
TOi? ovofiaa-L irore fiev tov<s '2afitvov<;, irore Se
2 Tou? *VwiJLalov<i. iireKXdaOrjaav ovv ajx^oTepoi,
KoX Biiaxov avTal<; iv pueacp KaTaa-TrjvaL t^9
irapard^eco^i' Kal KkavOfio^ djiia Sia irdyrcav e%w-
pei, Kal TroXu? oIkto<; rjv tt/oo? t€ ttjv 6'^iv Kal
TOv<; Xoyov^ ert fxaXkov, el^ iKeaiav koI Berjaiv
CK BiKaioXoyia'; Kal irapprjala^; TeXevTwvra^;, **Tt
3 yap {eipaaav) v/jbd<; Setvov rj Xvirrjpop ipyaad-
fievaiy rd fiev rjhr] ireirovdap.ev, rd Be Trdaxofiev
Twv a')(€TXi(iC)v KaKMv; r)p7rdadr]fjL€v viro tmv vvv
i')(^6vT(ov fila Kal nrapavopiw^, dpTraadeLcrat S*
'^/xeX'^drj/jLev vtt* dBeXcpcov Kal irarepccv Kal ol-
KCLcov XP^^o^ ToaovTov 0(T0^ rjjjbdf; TTyoo? rd exOi-
crra Kepdora^ rat? ixeyicnai^ avdr/Kai^, TreTroirjKe
vvv virep rcov ^laaa/jbivcov koI 7rapavop,T)crdvTO)v
4 BeBiivai /laxo/Jiivcov Kal KXaUiv Ovtjctkovtcov, ov
ydp rfkOere Tifi(oprjaovT6<; rjficv irapOevoL^ ovaai^;
€7rl Tou? dBiKovvra^, dXXd vvv dvBpcov aTTocrTrare
yafierd^ Kal reKvcov /jLijrepa^, OLKrporepav ^orj-
Oeiav iKeLvr)<; rrj^ ajjieXeia^; Kal 7rpoBoaLa<; ^orj-
0ovvTe<; r)plv Tat<i ddXiat^. Toiavra /xev riyairr)'
6rm,€v vTTo TovTcov, TOtavTa Be i/^' upufov ikeov-
fjLeOa. Kal ydp el Bt* dXXijv alriav ipLdxecrde,
iravcraaOai Bl rjixdfi irevOepov^s yeyovora^ Kal
148
ROMULUS, XIX. 1-4
dead bodies, as if in a frenzy of possession, up to
their husbands and their fathers, some carrying
young cliildren in their arms, some veiled in theii
dishevelled hair, and all calling with the most
endearing names now upon the Sabines and now
upon the Romans. So then both araiies weremoved to compassion, and drew apart to give thewomen place between the lines of battle; sorrowran through all the ranks, and abundant pity wasstirred by the sight of the women, and still more
by their words, which began with argument and
reproach, and ended with supplication and entreaty.
"Wherein, pray (they said), have we done youwrong or harm, that we must suffer in the past, andmust still suffer now, such cruel evils? We were
violently and lawlessly ravished away by those to
whom we now belong, but though thus ravished, wewere neglected by our brethren and fathers andkinsmen until time had united us by the strongestties with those whom we had most hated, and madeus now fear for those who had treated us withviolence and lawlessness, when they go to battle,
and mourn for them when they are slain. For yedid not come to avenge us upon our ravishers whilewe were still maidens, but now ye would tear wivesfrom their husbands and mothers from their children,and the succour wherewith ye would now succour
us, wretched women that we are, is more pitifulthan your former neglect and abandonment of us.
Such is the love which we have here enjoyed, suchthe compassion shown to us by you. Even if yewere fighting on other grounds, it were meet that
ye should cease for our sakes, now that ye are
become fathers-in-law and grandsires and have
149
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
5 TraTTTrou? Ka\ oiKCiOV^ ovra? ixPV^' ^* ^ vTrep
rjficjv 6 TToXeyuo? iari, Kojiicradde rjfid^; fierh
ya/jb^pcov KoX reKvoiV koI airohoTe rjfuv irarepa^Kol oIk€lov<;, fjLTjBe acpiXrjaOe iralBai; /cal dvBpa<i,
lK6T€V0fi€v vfjLd<; jjLT]iTakiv al'X^jxaXwrot, ^evkaOai^^
Toiavra TroWa t^9 *E/)o-£Xta9 irpoayopev-
ovar)^ /cal rcov dWcov heofievtov, iaireiadrjcTav
6 avox'Oii' fcal avvrjXdov eU \6yov<; ol rjje/jLovei;, at
Be <yvvalK6<; iv tovto) toI<! Trarpdai kuI Toif:
dBe\.cf)OL<; tov<; dvBpa<; irpoarjyov fcal rd rcKva,^
irpoaicpepov re rpocj^rjv xal ttotov to?9 Beofi6voL<;,
Kol Tou? T€Tpcofi6vov<: iOepdirevov OLxaBe Koixi"
^ovaar koI Trapelxpv opav dp^oixra^ fiev avrdf;
Tou o'lkov, TTpoaexovraf; Be rov<; dvBpa<; avTal<; 30
7 Kal fjL€T evvoia<; TCfirjv diraaav ve/jLOVTa<;. ck
TOVTOu (TVVTiOevrai twv fiev yvvaiKwv ra? j^ovXo-
fjLeva<; avvoiKelv tol^ exovaiv, ojairep €ip7)Tai,
7raz/T09 epyov /cal 7rdcrr)<; XarpeLa^; ifKrjv Ta\aa[a<f
d<j)€i/JLiva(;' ol/celv Be /coivrj rrjv ttoXlv *Pa)/jt.aLov<:
Kal SajSivovfi, /cal /caXeladai fiev 'Pco/ijL7)v eirl
*V(Dfiv\(p rrjv TToXtv, KvpLTa<i Be *P(OfiaLOV<i
diTavTa<i eirl rfj Tariov TrarpiBif ^aaiXeveLv Bk
KOivy /cal a-rparrjyetv djiKporepovfi, oirov Be
ravra avveOevro fJie^pi' vvv Kofivriov /cdXeiTai*
KOfupe yap 'Fco/jLatoi to avveXOelv KaXovai.
XX. Ai7rXa<TLaadela-rj<; Be t^9 TroXeo)^, e/carbv
fiev i/c ^a^ivcov irarpl/cioi irpoaKaTeXeyO'qdaVy at
^ Ta rhcva Coraes and Bekker, after Reiske : rUva.
ROMULUS, XIX. 5-xx. i
family ties among your enemies. If, however, thewar is on our behalf, carry us away with your sons-in-
law and their children, and so restore to us ourfathers and kindred, but do not rob us of ourchildren and husbands. Let us not, we beseech
you, become prisoners of war again."
Many such appeals were made by Hersilia, andthe other women added their entreaties, until a
truce was made and the leaders held a confer-
ence. Meanwhile the women brought their hus-bands and their children and presented them to
their fathers and brothers ; they also carried foodand drink to those that wanted, and bore thewounded to their homes for tender nursing ; here
they also made it evident that they were mistresses
of their own households, and that their husbandswere attentive to them and showed them all honourwith good will. Thereupon agreements were madethat such women as wished to do so might continue to
live with their husbands, exempt, as aforesaid,^ fromall labour and all drudgery except spinning ; also
that the city should be inhabited by Romans andSabines in common ; and that the city should becalled Rome, from Romulus, but all its citizens
Quirites, from the native city of Tatius ^; and that
Romulus and Tatius should be joint kings and leaders
of the army. The place where these agreementswere made is to this day called Comitium, from theRoman word "
conire," or "coire," to come together.
XX. The city thus doubled in its numbers, a
hundred of the Sabines were added by election
to the Patricii,^ and the legions were enlarged
* Cf. chapter xv. 4 *Cures, a Sabine town.
' Cf. chapter xiii. 1.
151
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Bk \€y€a)i/€fi iyevomo ire^ayv fiev cfaArto-^iXtG)!/,
iirirewv Se e^aKocrlcov, ^vXa<i Be rp€L<; /caraari^-
<TavTe<; tovofjiaaav rovq fiev airo 'Poj/auXou 'Vafi-
v^varj^i, Tou? Be airb Tartov TaTLtjvay's' TpiTov<;
Be AovKepr]V(T7]<; Bi,^ to aXo-o9, €t9 o ttoWoI Kara-
^vyovre^, aavXla^; BeBo/jiev'r)<;, rov iroXiTevfUiTOf;
2 fierea-xov to, S* aXa-r) \ovkov<; ovofid^ovaiv. ort
B* rjaav ai <^v\a\ roaavrai, rovvojia p^aprvpel-
TpL^ov<; yap ere vvv ra? (fivka^ fcaXovai, xal
rpi^ovvov<; Tov<i <j>v\dp^ov<i. eKaaTij Be (j)v\r)
BcKa (jiparpia^ eZ^ev, a? evLoi Xeyovaiv eiroivviJLov^
elvai eiceivcov rcov yvvaiKcov. rovro Bk Bo/cel
yjr€vBo<; elvav iroWal yap e'xpvaiv diro ')(a)pL(ov
3 Ta<; irpo(T7]yopia<i. dWa jxevToi iroXXa raU yv-
vai^lv eh tlixtjv diriBcoKav, wv kol ravrd eariv
e^iaTaaOaL fiev oBov fiaBi^ov(Tai<;, ala^^pov Be
firjBeva firjhev elirelv TTapovarj^; yvvaiKo^y firfB*
6(f)df]vav yvfivov, rj BUrjv (jyevyeiv irapd Toh eirl
T(ov (povtKfov Ka6e(Tro}(Tiy cpopeiv Be kuI tov9 Tral-
Ba<; avTcov t^i/ KaXovfievrjv ^ovXXav diro tov
(T')(riiJbaTOfi, ofioiov 7ro/jL<j)6Xvyi, ireptBeppacov ri
Kal irepiTTopc^vpov.4 ^E^ovXevovTo Be ol fiaaCXeh ovk evOiif; ev
KOLVtp fier dXXi]XcoVf dXX* eKdrepo^ irporepov IBia
jiera tcop eKarov, elra ovr(0(; e/? ravrov diravTa^
avvrjyov. wxec Be Tarto? /u.€i/ oirov vvv 6 t^9
Mov^Tr}<; va6<i icrri, '^oy/jLvXo<; Be irapd tov<;
XeyoiMevovs ^aOpbovf; xaXr}^ a/cr?}?.^ ovroi Be elal
*KaKrjs &Krris a corruption of Kdnov ? Cf. Diodorus, iv.
21, 2.
ROMULUS, XX. 1-4
to six thousand footmen and six hundred horse-
men.^ The people, too, were arranged in three
bodies, the first called Ramnenses, from Romulus ;
the second Tatienses, from Tatius ; and the third
Lucerenses, from the grove into which many betook
themselves for refuge, when a general asylumwas ofFered,2 and then became citizens. Now the
Roman word for grove is" lucus." That these
bodies were three in number, their very name
testifies, for to this day they call them tribes, andtheir chief officers, tribunes. And each tribe had
ten phratries, or brotherhoods, which, as some say,were named after the thirty Sabine women ;
^ but
this seems to be false, since many of them bear the
names of places. However, they did make manyother concessions to the women, to do them honour,some of which are as follow : to give them the rightof way when walking ; not to utter any indecent
word in the presence of a woman ; that no manshould be seen naked by them, or else that he be
liable to prosecution before the judges of homicide ;
and that their children should wear a sort of neck-
lace, the "bulla," so called from its shape (which was
that of a bubble), and a robe bordered with purple.The two kings did not at once hold council in
common with one another, but each at first sat with
his own hundred councillors apart, then afterwards
they united them all into one body, as at the presenttime. Tatius dwelt where now is the temple of
Moneta, and Romulus beside the so-called Steps of
Fair Shore ;* these are near the descent into the
^ Cf. chapter xiii. 1.' Cf. chapter ix. 3.
' Cf. chapter xiv. 6.* The Greek text is probably corrupt. The ** Bcalae Caci,"
or Steps of Cacus, must be meant.
153
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irepX rrjv el^ rbv iTnrohpofjbov top fieyav ex Ha-5 Xarlov Kard^aaiv. ivravOa Be koI rrjv Kpd-
veiav 6<f)aaav rrjv lepav yeyovevaty fivOo\oyovvT€<;on 7r€ip(t)/jL6vo<i *VcojjLv\o<i avTov ^oyxv^ clkov-
rL(T6L€V CLTTO TOV ^AoV€VTLVOV TO ^VOTOV e')(^0V(7aV
Kpav€La<;' KaTaSua7)<; Be t>}9 alxP'V^ €t9 fidOo<;,
dvaairdaat fiev ovBeh Treipco/juevwv ttoWcov
taxyae, to Be ^vXov eare^ev r/ yrj ^co(f)VTO<; ov(ra,
Kal ^\a(TTov<; dvrjKe koI a-reXexp'^ €\jfieye9e<i
Kpaveia<i eOpe'^e. rovro S* ol fiera ^VwjxvXov0)9 6v ri T(ov dyicoTdrcov lepcov ^vkdrrovref; koI
6 aefiofievoL Trepiereixto-av. oro) Be Trpoacovrc B6-
^eie fir] Oakepov elvai fiyBe x^copov, d\X* olov
drpocfielv Kai (jidlvecPy 6 fxev evdi)^ ecppa^e fcpavyrjT0fc9 irpodTvyxdiova-tv, ol B\ (oairep ipLTrprjcrjjbai)
^orjOovvre^, iffocov vBwp, vBcop} koX ctvvq-
Tpe^ov iravraxoOev dyyela irkripr) ko/jll^ovt€<;
iirl TOV TOTTOV. Tatov Be KaLaapo<i, a>^ (paai,Ta9 dva^daeif; iiria-Kevd^ovTO<i xal rcov rexyiroov
irepLOpvrrovTwv rd ttXtjo-lov, eXadov at pi^aiKaKcoOelaat TravrdTraai Kal ro <^vtov ifiapdidr].XXI. yirjva^ fiev ovv ol l^a^lvoL rov<s 'Pwfiaiwv
iBe^avTO, Kal irepX avrcov oaa koXm^; eZ;^ey ev too
^Ofjid /3ta) yeypaiTTai' Ovpeol^ Be tol<; eKeivcov 6
*lPa)fiv\o<; ixprjcraTO, kol fieTe^aXe top oTrXiafjUoveavTOV Te koI twv ^FcojjLaicov, ^Apyo\iKd<; irpore-
pov daTriBa^; <j>opovvTwv. eopTOiv Be koI OvaiSiv
dXXrjXoi^; /ji,€T€lxov, a9 f^ev ^'^/e Ta yevrj irpoTepovov/c dveXovre^i, erepa^ Be Oe/xevoL Kaivd<;, wv
i]t€
tS)V MaTpojvaXicov ecTTL, BoOelaa Tat9 yvvai^lv*
i/Swp, vZ(cp with two Bodleian AISS. (B»b) ; Zloap.
^54
L
ROMULUS, XX. 4-xxi. i
Circus Maximus from the Palatine. There also, it is
said, grew the sacred cornel-tree, of which the
following tale is told. Romulus, once, in trial of his
strength, cast thither from the Aventine hill a spear,the shaft of which was made of cornel-wood ; thehead of the spear sank deep into the ground, andno one had strength to pull it up, though many tried,but the earth, which was fertile, cherished thewooden shaft, and sent up shoots from it, and pro-duced a cornel-trunk of good size. Those whocame after Romulus preserved this with religiouscare as one of the most sacred objects, and walled it
in. And if any visitor thought that it was not greennor flourishing, but likely to wither away and die,he immediately proclaimed it loudly to all he met,and these, as though helping to save a house on fire,
would cry" Water ! Water !
"and run together
from all sides carrying full buckets to the place.But when Caius Caesar, as they say, was repairingthe steps about the enclosure, and the workmen dughere and there in the neighbourhood, the roots were
inadvertently destroyed and the tree withered away.XXI. The Sabines, then, adopted the Roman
months, about which I have written sufficiently in
my Life of Numa.^ Romulus, on the other hand,made use of their oblong shields, and changed his
own armour and that of the Romans, who beforethat carried round shields of the Argive pattern.Feasts and sacrifices they shared with one another,not discarding any which the two peoples hadobserved before, but instituting other new ones.
One of these is the Matronalia, which was bestowed
upon the women to commemorate their putting a
*Chapters xviii. and xix.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
€7rl Tjj rov TToXe/iiov KaraXvcrei, Kal rj t(ov K.ap-
2 fievToXiwv, ryv Be Kap/Jbivrav oXovrai Tive<^ fiol-
pav elvai Kvpiav av6pcoiroiv y€V6a€(o<;' Bio Kal
rifiaxTLv avTTjv ai /jirjTepe^, oi Be rrjv rov Etvdv- 31
Bpov rov *ApKdBo<; yvvacKa, fjLavriKr,v rtva /cat
(poi^aariKTjv i/jufjueTpcov 'x^prjafiwv yevouevyv, Kap-
fjievrav iirovo/jiaadrjvai (ret yap eirrf Kapfitva
KaXovai)' NcKoaTpdrr)^ Be tjv ovofia Kvpiov avr^.
Kal TOVTO [lev o/jLoXoyelrar ttjv Be Kapfievravevioi TTiOavooTepov d<^epiM'r]vevovaLv olov iareprj-
fievr}v vovy Blcl ra^ ev rot? evOovaiaajjuGh frapa-
<f)poavva<;, to /j,ev yap arepeaOai Kaprjpe, p^vre/jb
3 Be rov vovv opop^d^ovai,. irepl Be rwv UapiXLcov
irpoelprjrai. ra Be KovirepKoXia ra> piev ')(jpov(p
Bo^eiev av etvat KaOdpcria' Bparai yap ev r)p,epai<;
diTo^pdai rov ^eppnvapLov pirjv6<;, ov KaOdpaiovav Tt? epp^rjvevaete, kol t^v r)p,epav eKeivrjv rb
iraXaiov eKdXovv ^e/SpaTrjv rovvopa Be t/}?
co/ott}? eXXriviarl aripaLvei AvKaia, Kal BoKei Bia
TOVTO 'jTapL'TrdXaLo<i dir^
KpKoBwv eivai rSyv irepl
4 KvavBpov, dXXa rovro p,ev kolvov iarr Byvarai
yap aTTO tt}? XvKaLvr]<; yeyovevai rovvopa, Kal ycip
dp')(op,evov<; rr;? 7repLBpop,rj<; tou? AovirepKOv^ opw-
pev evrevOev oirov rov 'Pcop^vXov €KTe0)]vai Xeyov-ort. ra Be Bpwp^va rrjv alriav iroiel BvcTroiraarov'
aipdrTovai yap aJya^^ ecra p^eipaKicov Bvolv uiro
^liiKoarpar-n Coraes and Bekker with the MSS. : Niko-
crpoLTT) after Stephanas.
'56'
ROMULUS, XXI. 1-4
stop to the war ; and another is the Carmentalia.
This Carmenta is thought by some to be a Fate
presiding over human birth, and for this reason she
is honoured by mothers. Others, however, say that
the wife of Evander the Arcadian,^ who was a
prophetess and inspired to utter oracles in verse,
was therefore surnamed Carmenta, since " carmina"
is their word for verses, her own proper name beingNicostrate. As to her own name there is general
agreement, but some more probably interpretCarmenta as meaning bereft of mind, because of
her ecstasies under inspiration, since " carere"
is the
Roman word for to be bereft, and "mens" for mind.
Of the Parilia 1 have spoken before.* As for the
Lupercalia, judging by the time of its celebration,it would seem to be a feast of purification, for it is
observed on the inauspicious days^ of the month of
February, which name can be interpreted to mean
purification, and the very day of the feast was
anciently called Febrata. But the name of the
festival has the meaning of the Greek "Lycaea,"
or feast of wolves, which makes it seem of great
antiquity and derived from the Arcadians in the
following of Evander.* Indeed, this meaning of
the name is commonly accepted ; for it can be con-
nected with the she-wolf of story. And besides, wesee that the Luperci
^begin their course around
the city at that point where Romulus is said
to have been exposed. However, the actual cere-
monies of the festival arc such that the reason for
the name is hard to guess. For the priests slaughter^ Cf. Plutarch's Roman Questions. 56 {Morals, p. 278 b, c),
and Livv, i. 7, 8 *Clmpier xii. 1.
3 " Dies nefasti." * Cf. Livy, i. 5, 1-2.* Priests of Faunus, the Roman Faa.
»57
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yivov<; irpocra'xPev'rcov avrocf;, ol fiev yjiwyfjuevri
fia'XjDLipa rod /jLercoTrov Oiyyavovcrcv, erepoi B* airo-
fidrrova-Lv evOix;, epLov ^e^pey/juevov yaXaKri5 7rpoa^€povT€<;, yeXdv Bk Bel ra fJLeipuKia fxerh rrjv
airofxa^iv. e/c Be rourov to. Bepfxara tcov alycov
KarareiMovre^ BtaOeovaiv iv Trepc^cocr/jLacri, yvfjuvoL,
To?<? a/cvreai, top epLiroBoov Traiovre^. at 8' iv
rjXLKia yvvaLKe<; ov (f>€vyovcn to TrateaOac, vo/hl^ov-
crai 7rpo9 evroKiav fcal Kvrjacv crvvepyelv. iBtov
Be T?}? eopT7]<; ro koI Kvva Oveiv rov<; AouirepKovi.6 Bovra^ Be rt? alTia<s fxvOiaBet^ iv iXeyeCoi^
irepX TMv 'PcofiatKcov avaypdcfxov, cj^rjal rod *A/jbov-
Xlov Tou? Trepl rbv 'VwiivXov Kparrjaavra^i iXOeiv
Bpofiq) fiera %apa9 eVl tov tottov iv c5 vqirloi*;
ovaiv avTol<; r) XvKaiva OrjXrjv v'jrea')(e, kol fJLL/iirjfjLa
TOV re Bpofiov rrjv eoprrjv dyeadai, kol Tpex^tvT0V9 diro yevov<; tou9
^Fj/jLttoBlov^ Tvirrovra^;, ottox; Tore (fxiayav e%ovT€9
ef ''A\yS^9 eOeov 'Pco/zvXo? ^Se 'Pe/i-09.
Kol TO fiev ^L(j)o<; y/juayfievov 'irpo(T<f>epea6at t^/jLercoTTG) TOV Tore (f)ovov koI klvBvvov (TV/jL^0\0V,
TTjv Be Bid TOV ydXaicTo^ diroKaOapaiv vTrofjLvrjfjia
7 T?}9 Tpo(j)7]<;avTcov elvai. Tdlo^ Be
'
Akl\lo<; laTOpel
irpo T^9 KTioreo}<; Ta OpepfiaTa tcov Trepl tov
^FcofjLvXov dcpavrj yeveaOar tov<; Be T(p ^avvq)
irpoaev^afievov^ eKBpafielv yvp^vov^ iirl ttjv ^rjTrj-
aiVy 07r&)9 viro tov lBp(aT0<i /jLtj ivo)(\olvTO' Kol
1-58
ROMULUS, XXI. 4-7
goats, and then, after two youths of noble birth havebeen brought to them, some of them touch their
foreheads with a bloody knife, and others wipe the
stain off at once with wool dipped in milk. The
youths must laugh after their foreheads are wiped.After this they cut the goats' skins into strips andrun about, with nothing on but a girdle, striking all
who meet them with the thongs,^ and young married
women do not try to avoid their blows, fancying that
they promote conception and easy child-birth. Apeculiarity of the festival is that the Luperci sacrifice
a dog also.
A certain Butas, who wrote fabulous explanations of
Roman customs in elegiac verse, says that Romulusand Remus, after their victory over Amulius, ran
exultantly to the spot where, when they were babes,the she-wolf gave them suck, and that the festival is
conducted in imitation of this action, and that the
two youths of noble birth run
"Smiting all those whom they meet, as once with
brandished weapons,Down from Alba's heights, Remus and Romulus
ran."
And that the bloody sword is applied to their fore-
heads as a S}T3ibol of the peril and slaughter of that
day, while the cleansing of their foreheads with milkis in remembrance of the nourishment which the babesreceived. But Caius Acilius writes that before the
founding of the city Romulus and his brother oncelost their flocks, and after praying to Faunus, ran
forth in quest of them naked, that they might notbe impeded by sweat; and that this is the reason why
^ Cf. Plutarch's Antony^ xii. 1.
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Bih TOVTO yvfjLvov<i TrepiTpi^^eLv tov<; AoviripKOv^,Tov Be Kvva (paur) ri? dv, el fiev rj Ovaia KaOapfio^;
8 i(TTL, OvecOai KaOapalcp ')(p(iiiikvwv avrcp' koI yap'
RXkrjv6<; ev re TOL<i KaOapaioi^ aKuXaxa^ eK<pe-
povai KOL TToWaxov ^(pcovTai rot? XeyojJ-evoL^
irepiaKvXaKKT/jioU' el Sk rfj XvKalvrj %a/)to-T7}/ota
Tavra Kal rpocpela Kal acoTrjpLa 'PcofivXov reXov-
aii', ovfc aroTTO)? 6 kvcov o-cpdrrerar Xvkoi<! yapicFTi 7roXijj,LO<;' el firj vrj Ala KoXd^erai to ^^ovCO? 7rapevo)(Xovv tou? AovirepKovi orav irepi-
deaxTv.
XXII. Aeyerai Be /cal rrjv irepX rb irvp wyi-areiav ^VwfjLvXov Karaarrja-ai, irpcorov, diroBei-
^avra irapdevov^ iepa<; 'EartdBa^; irpoaayopevo-
fievafi. ol Be tovto fjuev 6i9 'No/jluv dva^epovai,ra 8* aXXa tov 'Fci)/jlvXov Oeocre^rj Bia(f>€p6vT(o^,
€TL Be ixavTiKov laTopovai yevkadai, kcu ^opelveTTt [xavTLKy to KaXovfjuevov Xltvov, ecTi Be Kafju-
ttvXt} pd^Bo<:, fjTO, irXivdla Kade^ofievovi €7r'
2 olcovcov Btaypdcpecv. tovto S* ev HaXaTio) ^v-
XaTTOfievov dcpaviaOijvai irepl to, KeXTiK^ t^9TToXew? dXovarj^' elTa fievToi tmv fiap^dpcovi/CTTcaovTcov evpeOrjvai kuto, re^pa? IBadela^ dira-
6e<; viTO TOV Trvpo^; iv waat rot? dXXoi<; aTroXo)-
X6(TL Kal Bie^dapfievoLfi,
3 "l^OrjKe Be Kal v6fjL0v<i TLvd<;, wv (7<l>oBpo<; fiev
eaTLV 6 yvvaLKi fir] BlBov^ aTroXeiTreiv dvBpa,
yvpaiKa Be BiBov<; eK^aXXeiv^eirl (pap/jLaKeia xal
^ iK^dWeiv Bekker, after Coraes : 4K0a\ur.
i6o
ROMULUS, XXI. 7-xxii. 3
the Luperci run about naked. If the sacrifice is a
purification, one might say that the dog is sacri-
ficed as being a suitable victim for such rites, since
the Greeks, in their rites of purification, carry forth
puppies for burial, and in many places make use of
the rites called "periskulakismoi ;
" ^ and if these
rites are performed in grateful remembrance of
the she-wolf that nourished and preserved Romu-lus, it is not without reason that the dog is slain,
since it is an enemy to wolves, unless, indeed, theanimal is thus punished for annoying the Luperciwhen they run about.
XXIL It is said also that Romulus first introduced
the consecration of fire, and appointed holy virginsto guard it, called Vestals. Others attribute this
institution to Numa, 2although admitting that
Romulus was in other ways eminently religious, and
they say further that he was a diviner, and carried
for purposes of divination the so-called "lituus," a
crooked staff with which those who take auguriesfrom the flight of birds mark out the regions of theheavens. This staff, which was carefully preserved onthe Palatine, is said to have disappeared when the citywas taken at the time of the Gallic invasion ; after-
wards, however, when the Barbarians had been
expelled, it was found under deep ashes unharmed
by the fire, although everything about it was com-
pletely destroyed.^He also enacted certain laws, and among them
one of severity, which forbids a wife to leave her
husband, but permits a husband to put away his wife
* Sacrifices where puppies were killed and carried about.^ See Numa, chapters ix. and x,' Cf. Camillu8, xxxii. 4-5.
l6l
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rifcvcov v7ro/3oXfj^ /cal /jL0t')(^6vd€C(Tav el 8* aWw? 32
Ti9 aiT07reiJi-\^aLT0, t>}9 ovaLa<{ avrov to fxev t^9
fyvvaiKo<; elvai, to Se tt)? A'^/jLr)Tpo<; lepov KeXevwvTov S' aTToBo/jbevov yvvaL/ca OveaOai ')(9ovioL^ Oeol^,
4 Ihiov he TO /jLTjBe/jLiav Blkijv kuto, TraTpoKTovcov
opLcravTa irdorav apBpo(j)oviav iraTpOKTOviav Trpoo"-
eiirelv, co? tovtov fiev 6Vto9 ivayov'i, iKelvov Se
aBvvaTOV. kol fiexpt' XP^^^^ iroWcov eSo^ev
opOoi^ aiToyvcovaL Trjv TOiavTrjv aBcKiav ovBel<;
yap eBpaae tolovtov ovBev iv 'Fco/jltj ax^Bov iTOJV
k^aKooLwv Biayevofievcov, aXXa 7r/)a)T0? /xeTa tov
^AvvL^ia/cov TToXepLov laTopeiTai AevKLo<; "OaTLo<;
iraTpoKTovo^ yeveaOai. TavTa pbev ovv 'iKava
irepl TovTcov.
XXIII. "Eret Be Tre/xiTTa) Tr]<;TaTiov j3aai\eia<;,
oltceloi Tive<; avTOV koI avyyeve?^ TrpeajSeacv airo
AavpevTOV ^aBi^ovaiv et? 'VcofMrjv evTvxovTe^ Ka9*
oBoVy iirexGipovv a^aLpelaOai to, xPVP^"^^ A'^»Kal fiT) 7rpoi€/A6VOf9, dX)C apvvo/j^6VOv<; avelXov.
epyov Be Beivov To\fjirj6evTO'^, o fxev Pto/xt^Xo?
€vdv<i Beiv (peTO KoXd^ecrdav tov9 dBiKYjcravTa^y
2 6 Be TdTL0<; i^e/cpove Kal iraprjye. Kal tovto
jxovov avT0L<; virrjp^ev oltlov ip,(f)avov<; Btacfyopd^'
TO, B' dX\a KaTaKoa/iovvTef; eavTov^ co? evv fid-
XiCTTa KOiV(x)<; exp^^^'^o Kal fied^ ofiovoia^ rot?
irpdyfiacjLV. ol Be twv dvijpTjpevcop oIk€lol, 7racr^9
i^€ipy6/jL€voi BiKr](; vo/jll/jlov Bid tov TdTWV, diro-
KTivvvovcrtv avTov iv Aa^tvUp OvovTa fieTa 'Po)-
fjLvXov irpocnrea-ovTef;, tov Be 'FcofiuXov &>? BiKaiov
^ ivX (papfiaKf^cx Kal Tenvoov uttojSoXtj with Cobet : iir). (pap-
fiaKela reKPcov fj k\€iScov vvofio\y [for poisoning his children or
coiinter/eiting his keys).
162
ROMULUS, XXII. 3-xxiii. 2
for using poisons, for substituting children, and for
adultery ; but if a man for any other reason sends his
wife away, the law prescribes that half his substance
shall belong to his wife, and the other half be con-
secrate to Ceres ; and whosoever puts away his wife,
shall make a sacrifice to the gods of the lower world.
It is also a peculiar thing that Romulus ordained no
penalty for parricides, but called all murder parricide,
looking upon one as abominable, and upon the other
as impossible. And for many ages his judgement of
such a crime seemed to have been right, for no one
did any such deed at Rome for almost six hundred
years; but after the war with Hannibal, Lucius
Hostius is reported to have been the first parricide.So much, then, may suffice concerning these
matters.
XXIIL In the fifth year of the reign of Tatius,some retainers and kinsmen of his, falling in with
ambassadors from Laurentum on their way to Rome,attempted to rob them of their money/ and when
they would not stand and deliver, slew them. It
was a bold and dreadful crime, and Romulus thoughtits perpetrators ought to be punished at once, but
Tatius tried to put off and turn aside the course of
justice. This was the sole occasion of open variance
between them ;in all other matters they acted in
the utmost concert and administered affairs with
unanimity. The friends of the slain ambassadors,shut out as they were from all lawful redress, throughthe efforts of Tatius, fell upon him as he was sacri-
ficing with Romulus at Lavinium, and killed him, but
escorted Romulus on his way with loud praises of his
» Cf. Livy, i. 14, 1-3.
163
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 dvSpa TTpovTrejii'^av eix^r^ixovvreq. 6 Be to fi^v
acb/jLa rov Tartov KOfjilaa^i ivriixw^; eOayjre, koI
Kelrai irepl to KaXovjjievov ^ApfjuiXovaTpLov iv
^KovevTLVcpy T^9 Se SiV?;? rov ^ovov iravTairaaLv
rjfxeXrjaev. evioi Be t(ov avyypa(f)ecov laropovai
TTjv fiev ttoXlv r(ov Aavpevricov ^o/3r)0eiaav SkBl-
Bovai TOV<; avr6')(^eLpa<^ Tariov, rov Be 'Vo)/jlv\ov
4 a^etvai, (^irjaavra cjiovov <^6vw \e\va6ai,, tovto
Be \6yov pev Tiva irapiaxe /cal vTroyjrlav ©?
a(Tp,evq) yeyovev avro) to tov avvdp)(^ovTO<i diraX-
Xay^vai, twv Be Trpayp^aTcov ovBev BieTapa^ev,ovBe BiecrTaaiacre tov<; Xa^LVovt;, aXV ol jiev
evvoia ttj irpo'^ avrov, ol Be (po^cp Trj^ Bvvdfieo)^,
ol S' ft)9 Oeo) %/)<»/xei/ot et? irdaav evvoiav} Oav-
pLd^ovT€<; BiereXovv,
5 ^EOavpa^ov Be iroWol koi tcjv eKTO<; dvdpcoTrayvTOV 'PcopvXov OL Be irpoyeveaTepoL Aarlvoi irifi-
•y^avTe^ aiircp (pikiav eiroL^aavTO fcal (TvpLp^ayiav.
^tBrjva<; Be elXt^v, daTvyeiTOva Trj<; 'Pco/xt;? ttoXlv,
0)9 p.ev evLoi (pacriv, e^ai^vy]<; tol/? iTrirea^; Tre/x-^a?Kol KeXevaaf; virorep^lv to)v ttvXmv toi/? arpo-
<piyya<i, elra e7n(})avel(; avTO<; dirpoaBoKrjTa)^'6 erepoi Be \eyouat, 7rpoTepov<; eKelvov^ epL^a\6vTa<;eXdcraadai T6 Xetav koi Kadv^picrat iroXXa ttjv
j^capav KOI TO irpodo-Tecov, ev£Bpa<i Be tov 'Po)-
fivXov Oep^evov avTOL<i koI BtacfideLpavTa ttoWou?
Xapelv TTjv ttoXlv. ov pbrjv dvelXev ovBe xare-
a-Ka-yjrev, dXXd 'Vw/Jbaicov eiroirjaev diroLKiav,*
XpufJ-fvoi els -rracrav ftivoiav MSvS., Coraes ; Bekker corrects
to X 'J!>i^fvov fls vav €Vjxev6i {becaiLSt htaven favoured him in
all his undertakings.)
164
ROMULUS, xxiii. 3-6
justice. Romulus brought the body of Tatius homeand gave it honourable burial, and it lies near the
so-called Armilustrium, on the Aventine hill ; but
he took no steps whatsoever to bring his murderers
to justice. And some historians write that the city
of Laurentum, in terror, delivered up the murderers
of Tatius, but that Romulus let them go, saying that
murder had been requited with murder. This led
some to say and suspect that he was glad to be rid
of his colleague, but it caused no disturbance in the
government, nor did it lead the Sabines into faction,
nay, some through the good-will they had for him,
others through their fear of his power, and others
because they regarded him as a benevolent god,all continued to hold him in reverence to the
end.
Romulus was held in reverence also by manyforeign peoples, and the earlier Latins sent ambas-
sadors and established friendship and alliance with
him. Fidenae, a neighbouring city to Rome, he
took,^ as some say, by sending his horsemen of a
sudden with orders to cut away the pivots of the gates,
and then appearing himself unexpectedly ; but others
say that the men of Fidenae first made an incursion,
driving off booty and devastating the territory and
outskirts of the city, and that Romulus set an ambushfor them, killed many of them, and took their city. Hedid not, however, destroy or raze it to the ground,but made it a colony of Rome, and sent thither
» Cf. Livy, i. 14, 4-lL
165
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Sia-'y^iXvov^ KaX TrevraKoaiov^ diroaTelXafi olKrj-
TOpa<; elSoL^ ^AwpLXXiaLf;.XXIV. 'E/c TOVTOV \oLfjLo<; ifjiTrlirret, davdrov^
fjuev al(j)vi8iov<; dvOp^iroi^ dvev voawv CTn^ipcov,
aTTTo/xei'O? Se Kal Kapirwv d^opiaL<i koX BpepL-
fidroyv dyoviaL<;, vaOrj Be Kal arayoa-iv aL,uaro<;
7] iro\L<i, (0(TT€ TToWrjv irpocryeveaOaL rot? dvay-KaioL<i irdOeai SeLaLBat/xoviav. iirel Be Kal rot? to
AavpevTov oLKOvaiv ojnota avve/Saivev, r/Br) irav-
Tairaaiv eBoKei ra>p eirl TarUo (TvyKe')(^ufjL€vcov Bl-
Kaicov erri re rot? irpea/Seai (jyovevOelat fjLi]VL/jLa Bac-
2 [jLOVLov d/ii(j)OTepa<; ikavveiv rd^ TroXet?. eKBoOev-
TCdv Be Tcov (povecov Kal KoXaadevTcov Trap" dfi^o-
Tepoi<iy eX(0(j)r](Tev €7rLB?jXci)^ rd BeLvd' Kal Kadapfiol^6 'PwfivXos^ rjyvicre Td<s TToXet?, 01)9 en vvv Icrro-
povaiv eirl r?}? ^epevTLvrj^ 7rvXri<; avvTeXetadac,
Uplv Be Xrj^ai, rov XoifMov eireOevTO Kapbepioi 33
'Vcopaiot<; Kal KareBpa/JLov t^]v ')(^u>pav, &)? dBv-3 vdrcov djjivveaQaL Bid to irdOo^. ev6u<? ovv 6
'Pco/^uXo? earpdrevaev eV avrov^s Kal j^dxu
Kparrjaa^; e^aKLo-')(iXLOu<; direKreire' Kal rrjv
TToXiv eXcov, rov^i fjuev rjjuLLcreLf; rwv Trepiyevo/Jbevcov
6t? 'Foofirju i^MKiae, rwv S' vTrojievovTcov BcirXa-
aiovf; eK ^Vaifirjf; KarcpKia-ev eh ttjv KajLLeplav
Se^TiXCaf; KaXdvBaL<;. roaovrov avrw TrepLrjv
TToXiTcav eKKaiBeKa errj a^^Bov oIkovvti ttjv
*Vd}fji,7jv. ev Be rol<^ dXXoi^ Xa(j)vpoL^ Kal -^aXKOvveKopbia-e tWpiiTTrov eK Ka/uLepia^i' rovro Be dve-
crrrjaev ev rS) lepu> rov 'H(^atVToi>, iroLrjad/Mevo*!
eavTov vTTo NlKrjf; crTe<f>avov/jLevoi/,
XXV. OvTco Be p(ovvvp.evoL^ to?9 irpdypxidiv01 fiev dadevearepov tcov TrpoaoiKcov vireBvovTO
166
ROMULUS, XXIII. 6-xxv. i
twenty-five hundred colonists, on the Ides of
April.XXIV. After this, a plague fell upon the land,
brhiging sudden death without previous sickness
upon the people, and afflicting the crops with un-
fruitfulness and the cattle with barrenness. There
was a rain of blood also in the city, so that manysuperstitious fears were added to their unavoidable
sufferings. And when similar calamities visited the
people of Laurentum, all agreed at once that it was
the miscarriage of justice for the death of Tatius
and the slain ambassadors which brought the wrath
of heaven down upon both cities. The murderers,
therefore, were delivered up on both sides and
punished, and the mischief visibly abated. Romulusalso purified the cities with lustral rites, which they
say are celebrated to this day at the Ferentine gate.But before the pestilence had ceased, the people
of Cameria attacked the Romans and overran their
territory, thinking them incapable of defendingthemselves by reason of their distress. Romulustherefore at once marched against them, overcame
them in battle, and killed six thousand of them.
He also took their city, transplanted half of the sur-
vivors to Rome, and sent to Cameria as colonists
from Rome twice the number he had left there, andthis on the first of August. So many citizens hadhe to spare after dwelling in Rome less than sixteen
years. Among other spoils he brought also a bronze
four-horse chariot from Cameria, and dedicated it in
the temple of Vulcan. For it he had a statue madeof himself, with a figure of Victory crowning him.
XXV. The Roman state thus gathering strength,its weaker neighbours submitted to it, and were
167
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
xal TU7%ai;ovT69 aScLa^ riydirwy ol he Bvvarol
8e^iOT€9 Kal (j)OovovvT€<; ovfc i()Ovto helv Trepiopdv,
aW* iviaTaaOai rfj av^rjaet fcal KoXovecv top
*T(0/JLV\0V. TTpCOTOl Sc TvppTJVCJV OvYjloi, ')(fOpaV
KCKTrj/iivoL TToWrjv Kal ttoXlv fieydXrjv ol/covvTe<;,
dp'X^rjv eiroLTjaavTO TToXifiov ^iBo]va(; dTravTelvy
2 ft)? irpoarjKovaav avTot<;. to S* ovk dSiKOV ^v
fxovoVy dXXa Koi jeXolov, on klvSwevovcti t6t€
Kal 7roX€fjLov/jL6voi(i ov irpO(Tapi)vavTe<i, aXV ed-
(TavTe<i diToXeaOai roix; dvhpa^, oiKLa<; koi yrjv
diraiTolev dXXcov i)(^6vrcov. KaOu/Sptadevref; oiw
VTTO Tov 'P(o/jLvXov iv Tat? diroKpideai Sl^a SielXov
eafTOu?, Kal r& fxev eireKeivro rw ^Lhrjvwv arpa-
revfiaTi, rw he irpo^ *Va}p.vXov dinjvTCOv, irpo<;
fiev ovv ^ihrjvai<i hia')(^iXL0V<i 'Twpaicov Kparrj-
craz^re? aTreKretvav, vtto *Fo)/jlvXov he viK7]06VTe<s
3 virep OKTaKLaxt'Xiov^ dTrijSaXov. av6i<; he irepl
^ch7]vr]v €/xax^(^civro' Kal to fiev TrXelarov epyovavTOv 'FcojiivXov yeveaOai, Texvjv re fieTo. ToX/jLrjf;
Trdaav eTnheL^a/xivov pdifij) re Kal TrohcoKeia
iroXv h6^avTo<; dvOpwirlvq^; KpeiTTOVi Ke^pv^^ai-,7rdvTe<; opoXoyovav to 5* vTr* eviwv Xeyojievov
KO/jLthfj /jiv6(bh€<i ecTTi, fidWov he oXco<i aTTLaTov,
OTi fivpLcov Kal T€TpaKiaxt,Xicov ireaovTCDv virep-
7]jjLLaeL<i rjdav ou? avTo<^ Ihia %6ipt 'P&)/zu\o9 e-
KTeLveVy OTTov ye Kal MeaaT^vLoi, ko/jltto') ^j^prycracr^af
hoKovai irepl ^AptorTo/jLevov; XeyovTe^; co<; TpU€KaT0jjL(f)6vLa Ovaeiev diro AaKehaLfiovLcov.
4Tevo/jLevr]<i he t^9 Tpoirf]^, a^et? (pevyeiv tov?
i68
ROMULUS, XXV. 1-4
satisfied to be let alone ; but the powerful ones, outof fear and jealousy, thought they ought not to
tolerate, but resist and check the gi'ovving power of
Romulus. And of the Tuscans, the people of Veii,who possessed much territory and dwelt in a great
city, were the first to begin war ^ with a demand for
Fidenae, which they said belonged to them. Nowthis was not only unjust, it was actually ridiculous,that they, who had not come to the aid of the
people of Fidenae when they were in the perils of
war, but suffered them to perish, then demandedtheir houses and land from those who had come into
possession of them. Accordingly, Romulus gavethem contemptuous answers, upon which theydivided themselves into two armies, attacked Fidenaewith one, and confronted Romulus with the other.
Before Fidenae, then, they overpowered two thousandRomans and slew them ; but they were defeated byRomulus with a loss of eight thousand men. Oncemore a battle was fought near Fidenae, and here all
agree that the victory was chiefly due to Romulushimself, who displayed every possible combination of
skill and bravery, and seemed endowed with strengthand swiftness far beyond the lot of man. But thereis a statement made by some Avriters which is alto-
gether fabulous, nay ratlier, wholly incredible, name-
ly, that of the fourteen thousand Tuscans who fell in
this battle, more than half were slain by Romuluswith his own hand ; for even the Messenians seem to
have been boastfully extravagant in saying thatAristomenes thrice offered sacrifice for a hundredLacedaemonian enemies slain.
After the rout of the enemy, Romulus suffered the
» Cf. Livy, i. 15, 1-5.
169
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irepiovra^i 6 'P<w/>tuXo9, eV avrrjv i^^copec rrjv
TToXiv 01 3' ovK qvka-ypvTO fie'yaXr)'^ av/j,(f)opd<^
'yevofjLevr)<^y aXka Serjdivre^ ofioXojlav iiroirjaavroKoi (ptXiav 6t9 errj cKarov, ')((opav re iroWrjv
TTpoe/jiei'oi T?79 eavrcov, rjv XeTTTe/jbTrdyiov koXov-
aiv, oirep iarlv iirTa/jiopiov, Kal tcov irapa rov
irora/jbov eKaTavre^i dXoTrrjyicov, Koi irevTrjKovTa5 T(hv dpLdTcov OfjLtjpov; iy^etpL(7avT€<;, iOpidfJL-
fievae Be xal cltto tovtcov elBol^ ^OKTio^plaL^,aXkov^ T€ TToWoix; al'X^/iiaXdorov^ ^X<w^ '^<3tl top
TfyefJiova tcov Ow]i(ov, dvhpa TrpecrffvTrjv, a(j)p6vci)<;
Bo^avTa Kal Trap' rfKiKiav dTreipo}^ toI^ Trpdyixaat
KexprjaOai. 8io Kal vvv 6tl 6vovTe<^ iinvLKLa,
jepovra puev dyovai hi dyopd<; eh KuttltcoXlov
iv TT€pL7rop<f)vpw, jBovXXav avTW iraihiKrjv dyjrav-
T€9, Kl]pVTT€l, 8' 6 KTJpV^ XapBiaVOV<i Ct)VL0V<;.
Tvpprjvol yap aTTOiKot ^apBiavcov XiyovTaty Tvp-pr)vtKr) Be TToXt? ol Ovrjloi.XXVI. TovTov ea^aTOV iroXefiov 6 'Pw/ttuXo?
i7roXefir](T€jf, elB*, o iroXXoi, fiaXXov Be ttXtjv
oXLycov 7rda)(ovai, TrdvTe^ ol jxeydXai^ Kal irapa-
\6yoL<; dp6evTe<i evTV^LaL<; el^ Bvvapiv Kal oyKoVyovS* a^T09 Bci^vye iraOelv, dXX* eKTedappr]Kcb<;TOi? TTpdyfiaai Kal ^apvTepw t^povi'jfiaTi XP^~fievo^, i^iaTaro tov BijfxoTiKov, Kal irapijXXaTTeveh /MovapXiav iira'^dT] Kal Xvirovaav diro tov
a')(^rifjbaTO^ irpMTOV m KaTea)(rjp.dTi^€v eavrov.
2 dXovpyrj fiev yap eveBveTO 'X^iTwva, Kal Trj^evvov 34
€<f>6pet irepL'jTop^vpovy iv Opouo) B' dvaKXtTO)
Kadi]fi€vo<; expv/^^'^^^^^- V^^^ ^^ irepl avTovdel TOdV vecov ol KaXovfievoi KeXepe?, aTro Trj<;
irepl Ta9 virovpyia^ 6^vt7]to^. ifidBi^ov Be tt/ooct-
X70
ROMULUS, XXV. 4-xxvi. 2
survivors to escape, and moved upon their city itself.
But they could not hold out after so great a reverse,
and suing for peace, made a treaty of friendshipfor a hundred years, giving up a large portion of
their territory, called Septempagium, or the Seven
Distjicts, abandoning their salt-works along the river,
and delivering up fifty of their chief men as hostages.Romulus also celebrated a triumph for this victory on
the Ides of October, having in his train, besides
many other captives, the leader of the Veientes, an
elderly man, who seems to have conducted the
campaign unwisely, and without the experience to be
expected of his years. Wherefore to this very day,in offering a sacrifice for victory, they lead an old
man through the forum to the Capitol, wearing a
boy's toga with a bulla attached to it, while the
herald cries :" Sardians for sale !
"For the Tuscans
are said to be colonists from Sardis, and Veii is a
Tuscan city.
XXVI. This was the last war waged by Romulus.
Afterwards, like many, nay, like almost all men whohave been lifted by great and unexpected strokes of
good fortune to power and dignity, even he was em-boldened by his achievements to take on a haughtierbearing, to renounce his popular ways, and to changeto the ways of a monarch, which were made hateful
and vexatious first by the state which he assumed.For he dressed in a scarlet tunic, and wore over it a
toga bordered with purple, and sat on a recumbentthrone when he gave audience. And he had alwaysabout him some young men called Celeres, fromtheir swiftness in doing service.^ Others, too, went
* Cf. chapter x. 2 ; and Livy, i. 15, 8.
171
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
0€V erepoi ^afcrrjpiai^ aveLpyovre^ rov o'^Xov,
VTre^cocTfievoi Be lixavra^, wcrre crvvBelv €v9v<; ou?
irpocTrd^eie.
3 To he Bfj(7ai Aarlvoi iraXai pev \tydp€t vvv Be
aWijdpe KaXovcnv 66ev oi re pa^Bovxot Xiktco-
pei<;, ai re pd^Boi ficiKvXa KoKovvraL, Bta to
')(pria6ai Tore ^aKTrjpiaL^. €Iko<; Be \t,KTa)p€i<;
ivTiOejbiivov rov KairTra vvv 6vop,d^ea6ai, irpo-
repov \iTcop€L<i, 'EWrjvLarl Be \eirovpyov<; opra*;,
\i]'iTOv yap to Brjp^oaLOV eTi vvv "KW7]V€<; xal
\aov TO 7rX7]6o<i ovopd^ovaw.
XXVII. 'EttgI Be Tov TrdiTTrov ^opbrjTOpo^ ev
"AX^rj Te\evT7](TapT0<;, avrw ^aaiXeveiv irpoaPjKov,
eh p^ecrov eOifKe ttjv iroXLTelav Br/p^aycoycoVt koI
KaT eviavTov aTreBeiKwev dp^ovTa toU *A\^a-
vohy eBiBa^e /cal tov<; ev 'Vcop^rj BvvaTov^ d^acri-
XevTOv ^rjretv kol avTovopov TroXLTeiav, dpyp-
p^evov^ ev p^kpei xal dp^ovTa^;. ovBe yap oi
Kokovpuevot, TraTpiKtot irpaypidTcov peTel)(^ov, dXk'
ovopua Ka\ a-xfjpa irepcrjv evTipov avTol^iy edov<; eve-
Ka pdWov f) yvcopr)^ dOpoL^opevoi^i el<; to ^ovXev-
2 TtjpLov. etTa (TLyfj irpoaTaTTovTO^ i^KpocovTC koI
TO) TTpOTepot TO BeBoy/juivov eKeivw irvdeaOat tcov
iroXXcop irXeov 6XovTt<; aTrrjXXdTTOvTo. xal TaXXa
puev rjv iXuTTOva- Ti)s Be 7/}? Tr]P BopLKTTjTOv
179
ROMULUS, XXVI. 2-xxvii. 2
before liim with staves, keeping oflT the populace, and
they were girt with thongs, with which to bind at
once those whom he ordered to be bound.
To bind, in the Latin language, was formerly
"ligare," though now it is"alligare
"; whence the
wand-bearers are called "lictores," and the wands
themselves "bacula," from the use, in the time of
Romulus, of "bakteriai," which is the Greek word
for staves} But it is likely that the ^' c"
in the word^^
lictores," as now used, has been added, and that
the word was formerly "litores," which is the Greek"leitourgoi," meaning public servants For the Greeks
still call a public hall "leiton," and the people" laos." 1
XXVIL But when his grandfather Numitor died
in Alba, and its throne devolved upon Romulus,he courted the favour of the people by putting the
government in their hands, and appointed an annualruler for the Albans. In this way he taught theinfluential men at Rome also to seek after a form of
government which was independent and without a
king, where all in turn were subjects and rulers.
For by this time not even the so-called patricianshad any share in the administration of affairs, but a
name and garb of honour was all that was left them,and they assembled in their council-chamber morefrom custom than for giving advice. Once there,
they listened in silence to the commands of the
king, and went away with this advantage only over
the multitude, that they learned earlier what he haddecreed. The rest of his proceedings were of lesser
importance ; but when of his own motion merely
^ For this assumed use of Greek words by the Romans,cf . chapter xv. 3.
VOL. I. r '73
PLUTARCH'S IJVES
avTO^ €(f)eavTOV Saadfievo^ rot<f crpaTKorai^,
/cal TOv<i 6iMrjpov<; rot? Ov7]loi<; aTroSov?, ovre
TretaOevTcov ovre ^ovXojjLevcov i/celvfoVf eSo^e ko-
3 fxi^^ Tr)V yepovaiav TrpOTrrjXaKi^eLV, 06ev eU
vTToyjnav /cal 8Laj3oXr)v iveireae TrapaXoyco*; a<fia-
VLa6evT0<i avTov /jlct^ oXlyov "xpovov. rj(j>avL(T6r]
he v€i>vai<i 'louXtat?, <»? vvv ovopud^ovatv, «09 Se
Tore, KvvTiXiat<i, ovSev elirelv ^i/Saiov ovBe
6/jLoXoyov/jLevov irvOeaOai irepl rrj^ reXei'T^? diro-
XiTTcoVy dXX!7) Tov 'x^povov, ct)9 irpoeiprjrai. Spdrai
yap €Tt, vvv ofioca tw Tore irdOeL iroXXa kutu tt]v
rjfjiipav €/C€Lvr)V.
4 Ov 8el 8e Oavfid^cLv Tr]v d(Td(f>eLav, oirov ^icq-TTLcovo^ *A(j)pi,/cavov fiera Selirvov otfcoi reXevTij-<7avT0<;, ovK ea')(€ ttLcftlv ovK €Xey')(pv rpoiro^;
T^9 reXevTT]^, dXX^ ol fiev avTOfidrco^; ovra (pvaec
voctcoStj Kafieiv Xeyovaiv, ol S* avrov v(f> eavrov
(papfidKOi^; diroOaveZvi ol 8e tou? ix^poif<; rrjv
dvaiTvorjv diroXajBelv avrov vvfcrcop irapeLarreaov-5 ra?. fcalroL '^KrjTrlcov exetro v6/cpb<i ipu^avrj^i IBeiv
rraa-it Koi to (rcofia Trapelxe ira<TLV opoofievov
vTToyjriav rtva rov irdOov^ Kal Karavorjaiv
'VwfjbvXov Be d(f)V(o fieraXXd^avro^ ovre fiepo^
a)(f>Or) (Tco/jLaro^ ovre Xelyjravov iadrjro^, dXV ol
fjL€v ecfca^ov ev r(p lepa> rov 'H<^atcrTou tou? fiov-
Xevra^; iTravacrrdvra^; avrw Kal Bia<f>Oelpavra<i,
V€Lp.avra<i ro acofia Kal fiipo^ eKaarov ivOe/xevov el<s
6 rov koXttov e^eveyKelv erepoi B' otovrat fiijre ev
r& lepSi rov ^Hcpalcrrov firjre fiovcov rcov jSovXev-rodv irapovrodv yeveaOat rov dcpavLC/jLOv, dXXa
rv^elv fiev e^o) irepl ro KuXovfievov alyb<i IX09
174
ROMULUS, XXVII. 2-6
he divided the territory acquired in war amonghis soldiers, and gave back their hostages to
the Veientes, without the consent or wish of the
patricians, he was thought to be insulting their
senate outright. Wherefore suspicion and calumnyfell upon that body when he disappeared unaccount-
ably a short time after. He disappeared on the
Nones of July, as they now call the month, then
Quintilis, leaving no certain account nor even any
generally accepted tradition of his death, aside from
the date of it, which I have just given. For on that
day many ceremonies are still performed which bear
a likeness to what then came to pass.Nor need we wonder at this uncertainty, since
although Scipio Africanus died at home after dinner,there is no convincing proof of the manner of his
end, but some say that he passed away naturally,
being of a sickly habit, some that he died of
poison administered by his own hand, and some that
his enemies broke into his house at night andsmothered him. And yet Scipio's dead body lay
exposed for all to see, and all who beheld it formedtherefrom some suspicion and conjecture of what had
happened to it ; whereas Romulus disappeared sud-
denly, and no portion of his body or fragment of his
clothing remained to be seen. But some conjecturedthat the senators, convened in the temple of Vulcan,fell upon him and slew him, then cut his bodyin pieces, put each a portion into the folds of his
robe, and so carried it away. Others think that it
was neither in the temple of Vulcan nor when the
senators alone were present that he disappeared,but that he was holding an assembly of the people
175
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
i/cfeXrja'Lav dyovra rov 'Vayfjivkov, d(f)vco Be Oav/aa"ara Kal KpetTTOva \6yov irepl rov dipa TrdOrj
yevecrOai Kal /jL6Ta/3o\d<i aTrtcTTOu?* rov fiev yaprjXlov TO
<^ft)9 eTTikLTTelVi vvrcra Be KaTaayelv, ov
iTpaecav, ovBer)<jv')(^ov,
dXXd ^povrd^ re Beivdf;
Kal TTvoa^ avefJLwv ^dXrjv iXavvovTcov Travra'^^oOei'7 exovaav iv Be rovro) rov fjuev ttoXvv 6)(Xov(TKeBaaOevra (j)vyecVf rov^ Be Bvvarov<i av(TTpa<f>7j-
vaL /juer dXXrjXwv eirel 3' eXrj^ev rj rapa^r) xal
TO 0W9 e^eXa/JLyfre Kal rSiV ttoXXcov et? rauroirdXiv avvepxojjbevcov fT^r^cxi? rjv rov ^aaiXeco^Kal TToOo^f ovK eav tou9 BuvaTOv<i e^erd^eiv ovBe
TToXvTrpay/jLoveiVt dXXd ri/jbdv irapaKeXeveadai, 35irdcTL Kal ae^ecrOat Vco/nvXov, co? dvqpiraafjLevoveh Oeoijfi Kal Oeov ev/jievf] yevrjao/JLevov avroh ex
8 '^Tjarov /3acnXeco(i. tou9 /Jiev ovv ttoXXov^ rav-
Ta Treedo/J.evov<; Kal 'y^aipovraf; diraXXdrreaOat
fier eXTTiBcov dyaOcjv irpoaKwovvraf;' elvai Be
Ttva'i OL TO Trpdyfia 7nKpco<} Kal Bv(T/i€V(a<; e^eXey-
%oi^r6? irdparrov tol'9 TTaTpiKiov^ Kal Bce^aXXov,cb9 d^eXrepa rov Brjfiov dvaireiOovra^, avrov^ Bk
rov l3a(TiX€0)<; avr6-)(^etpa<; 6vra<i.
XXVIII. Ovrco<; ovv ^dvBpa rwv irarpiKicov
yevet irpcorov, rjdei re BoKLjjLmraroVy avro) re
*V(o/jLvXa) iTLCTrov Kal crvv^Orj, rcjv dir"
AX07j<i
eiTOLKCoVy ^lovXiov UpoKXov, el<; dyopdv rrpoeX-Oovra ^ Kal royv dyicordrcov evopKov lepwv dyfrd-
fievov elrrelv iv irdatv 0)9 oBov avrw iBaBL^ovrv
*Pa)fjLvXo<} ef ivavrta*; irpoaicov (fyaveir], KaX6<i fjbev
* ovras oZv Corags, following Stephanus and C, has ovtmsovv raparrofxfvwv (rchile such disorder prevailed).
^irpoeKQ6vTa MSS., Coraes, Sintenis^: vapeKddvra.
176
I ROMULUS, XXVII. 6-xxviii. i
outside the city near the so-called Goat's Marsh,^when suddenly strange and unaccountable disorders
with incredible changes filled the air; the light of
the sun failed, and night came down upon them,not with peace and quiet, but with awful peals of
thunder and furious blasts driving rain from every
quarter, during which the multitude dispersed and
fled, but the nobles gathered closely together ;and
when the storm had ceased, and the sun shone out,and the multitude, now gathered together againin the same place as before, anxiously sought for
their king, the nobles would not sutler them to
inquire into his disappearance nor busy themselves
about it, but exhorted them all to honour andrevere Romulus, since he had been caught up into
heaven, and was to be a benevolent god for theminstead of a good king. The multitude, accord-
ingly, believing this and rejoicing in it, went awayto worship him with good hopes of his favour ; butthere were some, it is said, who tested the matterin a bitter and hostile spirit, and confounded the
patricians with the accusation of imposing a silly tale
upon the people, and of being themselves themurderers of the king.XXVIII. At this pass, then, it is said that one of
the patricians, a man of noblest birth, and of themost reputable character, a trusted and intimate
friend also of Romulus himself, and one of thecolonists from Alba, Julius Proculus by name,'^ wentinto the forum and solemnly swore by the mostsacred emblems before all the people that, as he was
travelling on the road, he had seen Romulus coming
» Cf, Livy, i. 16, 1-4,« Cf. Livy, i. 16, 5-8.
177
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
6(j)0rjvat KOI fjiiya^;, co? ovirore irpocOev, oirXoi^ he
2 XafjLTTpoL^ Kol (f)\eyovcn fceKoa-fjLTj/uLevof;. avrb^; fievovv iKirXayeh 7rpo9 rrjv oyjriv
" *n ffaaiXev,^*
(fidvait"Tb hr) iraOcbv rj BcavorjOeU r)/iid<? fiev iv
aiTiaL'^ a8ifcoi<; kol irovqpal^, iraaav he ryv iroXiv
6p(j)avr]V ev /xvpLG) irivOet TTpoXekoiira^;"
eKelvov
S' diroH-pivacrOaOf"0eot9 eSo^ev, oi IJpoKXe, rocrov-
rov y/jLd<; yeieafiai jxer dvOpcioTrcov ^povov, i/ceWev
ovra^} KoX TToXiv en dp^y koX ho^rj fxeylaTrj
KTLaavra<; avOa otKetv ovpavov, aXXd yalpei kol
(f)pd^e 'Vo)/xaLoi(; ore acocppoavvrjv ijuer dvhpeia^d(JKovvTe<; eirl irXelarov dvOpcoTTLirjii dipi^ovrac
Svvd/jLeco<i. iycb Se vfuu evpLevr}<; eaojJLai halfjLwv
3 Kj'pZyo9." ravra irtaTo, fxev elvai tol<; 'Pwyitatof?
eBoKCt Sict TOP rpoTTOv Tov XeyovTo<f xal Bia rbv
opKov ov fiTjv dXXd Koi Baifiovtov ri (tvv-
€(f>d'\fraordai irdOof; opLOLov evdovcnaafxw' fiTjBeva
yhp avrenretv, dXXd irdcrav virovoiav Koi Bia-
jSoXrjv d<pevTa<i evx^aOai KvplvM koX OeoKXv-
Telv eKelvov.
4 ^^oiice pLev ovv ravra rotf; v(f)^ 'KXX'^vojv jrepCre ^Apiareov rod Ylpo/covvrja-Lov zeal KXeo/jL7jBov<;
rod AarviraXaiew^ piv6oXoyovfjievoL<i.^
Kpiareavfiev yap ev rtvi Kvac^eiw reXevrrjcrai cfyaai, Kal to
acopia pueriovrcov avrov roiv (J)lXcov d(j)av€<; ol^^-aOat' Xeyeiv Be rtva? ev9v<; ef diroBr]pi.ia<i riKovra<;
lvrv')(e'tv
^
Kpiarea rrjv iirl K.p6ra)vo<i rropevopLev(p'
K.X€0pi7]Br) Be, pcofirj Kal pLeyeOei o-co/juarof: virep-
(f)vd yevopuevov epurX'qKrov re ra> t/oottg) xal
pLaviKov ovra, iroXXd Bpdv jSlaia, Kal reXo<; ev
^ iK€76eu ovTas MSS. , Coraes, Sintenis^, and Bekker ;
Sintenis^ tx-ansposes to follow ovpavov.
178
ROMULUS, XXVIII. 1-4
to meet him, fair and stately to the eye as never
before, and arrayed in bright and shining armour.
He himself, then, affrighted at the sight, had said :
^^ O King, what possessed thee, or what purpose hadst
thou, that thou hast left us patricians a prey to unjustand wicked accusations, and the whole city sorrowingwithout end at the loss of its father?
"Whereupon
Romulus had replied :" It was the pleasure of the
gods, O Proculus, from whom I came, that I should
be with mankind only a short time, and that after
founding a city destined to be the greatest on earth
for empire and glory, I should dwell again in heaven.
So farewell, and tell the Romans that if they practise
self-restraint, and add to it valour, they will reach
the utmost heights of human power. And I will be
your propitious deity, Quirinus." These things seemedto the Romans worthy of belief, from the character
of the man who related them, and from the oath
which he had taken ; moreover, some influence fromheaven also, akin to inspiration, laid hold upon their
emotions, for no man contradicted Proculus, but all
put aside suspicion and calumny and prayed to
Quirinus, and honoured him as a god.Now this is like the fables which the Greeks tell
about Aristeas of Proconnesus ^ and Cleomedes of
Astypaltia.2 For they say that Aristeas died in
a fuller's shop, and that when his friends came to
fetch away his body, it had vanished out of sight ;
and presently certain travellers returning fromabroad said they had met Aristeas journeying towardsCroton. Cleomedes also, who was of gigantic
strength and stature, of uncontrolled temper, andlike a mad man, is said to have done many deeds
1 Cf. Herodotus, iv. U f.^ cf. Pausanias, ix. 6 ff.
179-
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tivi Si^acrfcaXeUp TraiSwv rov virepei^ovra rr)v
6po(j)r)v Kiova Trard^avra rfj %€ip(- /cXdaai fiiaov
5 KOI TTjv crreyrjv KarajSakelv, diroXo/Jievoyv Be tcop
TTaiBctiV BicoKOfievov et? KLpcorov xaracpvyeLV
fi6yd\r)Vy Kol to TTco/jLa KaTaKkeiaavTa avvix^tv
€i/T09, wcrre diroairdaai fir} hvvaaOai TroWoiff;
ofiov jSta^o/jLevov^' Karaa')^i,aavTa<; Be rrjv kl/Sco-
Tov ovre ^covra rov dvOpwirov evpeiv ovre veKpov.
eicirXayevTa^ ovv dTrocTreVKai OeoTrpoirovi eh
A€\(j)ov<;, oU TTjv TlvOlav eliTelv'
"EiCTXCL'^o^ rjpcocov KXeofiijBij^;^
KaTviraXaiev^,
6 XeyeraL Be xal rov *A\/€/j,^vr)<i iKKO/jLL^ofjb€V7]<i
veKpov dBrfkov yevkadaiy XiOov Be ^avfjvai icei-
fievov eVt T^? K\iv7j<i. koI o\a)9 iroWd Tocavra
fxv6o\oyov(TL, irapd to et/co? eKOeid^ovTe^ Tct
OvTjTCL T?}? (j)V(T€w<; dfia T0i9 OeioL^.^
KiToyvoiivaL [lev ovv iravTdiTacFL ttjv OeioTrjTa
Trj<; dpeTrj<i dvocnov KoiX dyevve<;, ovpavcp Be fii-
tyvveiv yrjv dBeXrepov. eaTeov ovv, exofievot,^ t^9
acr^aXeta?, KaTO, UivBapov, co?
(TCt)fia fiev irdvTcov eireTai Oavdrw irepiaOevet,
^(oov B' CTL XeiireTai aiwvo'^ etBcoXov to ydpeaTL jJLovov
eK 6ecov,
7 rJK€t ydp eiceWev, exec S* dveia-iv, ov fierd aco-
fjuiT0<}, dXX^ idv OTi fidXicrra crco/xaro? diraX-
Xayrj kol BtaKpiOfj xal yevrjrai Kadapov iravrd-
iracTL KOL daapKov Kal dyvov, Avrj ydp '^vxh
i8o
ROMULUS, XXVIII. 4-7
of violence, and finally, in a school for boys, hesmote with his fist the pillar which supported the
roof, broke it in two, and brought down the house.The boys were killed, and Cleomedes, being pursued,took refuge in a great chest, closed the lid down,and held it so fast that many men with their united
strength could not pull it up ;but when they broke
the chest to pieces, the man was not to be found,alive or dead. In their dismay, then, they sent
messengers to consult the oracle at Delphi, and the
Pythian priestess gave them this answer :—
" Last of the heroes he, Cleomedes, Astypalaean.**
It is said also that the body of Alcmene disappeared,as they were carrying her forth for burial, and a
stone was seen lying on the bier instead. In short,
many such fables are told by writers who improbablyascribe divinity to the mortal features in humannature, as well as to the divine.
At any rate, to reject entirely the divinity of
human virtue, were impious and base ; but to mixheaven with earth is foolish. Let us therefore takethe safe course and grant, with Pindar,^ that
"Our bodies all must follow death's supremebehest.
But something living still survives^ an image of
life, for this alone
Comes from the gods.'*
Yes, it comes from them, and to them it returns, notwith its body, but only when it is most completelyseparated and set free from the body, and becomes
altogether pure, fleshless, and undefiled. For " a dry1Fragment 131, Bergk, Poet, Lyr. Gr. i* p. 427.
i8i
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
apicrrr)} ica6* 'HpaKXeLTOV, wairep aaTpairr] ve-
(f)ov<i BLaTTTafievr) rod acofiaro^;. r/ Be (Tco/jbarL
Trecpvpfiivr] Koi TrepLTrXeco^i crwyLKxro?, olov avaOv-
fiiaai^; efji^pL6rj<; koX6fit)(X(t)S7]<;, hvae^aiTTO^ eari
8 KoX 8vo-avaK6/xt(TTo<;. ovSev ovv Bel ra aa}/u,ara
T(av aya0a)v (TvvavaTrijJLireiv irapa ^vcnv eh ov-
pavoVy aWa ra? apera^ koI Ta<; yjru')(^a(;Travrd-
iracTLV oXeaOai Kara (jyvaiv koX Btfcrjv Oelav ix fiev
dvOpcoTTCov €i9 Tfpwa^;, i/c S' rjpcowi/ et? BaLfJLova<;,
Ik Be BaifJiovwvy av rekeov coairep iv TeXerf} Kadap-Oa)(TL /cat ocricoOcjcrLV airav dTrocpvyouaat to
6vr]T0V Kol iraOr^TiKov, ov v6/jLfp TroXeo)?, aXX*
dXrjOeia kuI Kara top elfcora Xoyov eh Oeoij*;
dvaf^epeaOat, to KaXXiaTov kol fiaKapicoTaTovTeXo9 airoXa^ovaa^.XXIX. Tr]v Be <y€VO/jL€vr)v eircavvfiiav to) 'Po)-
fivXo) TOP K.vpLVOv OL fiev ^KvvdXtov Trpoaayopeu-ovaiv ol Be ttoXLttjv,^ otl kol tov<; TroXxra?
KvpiTaf; Qivofjia^ov' oi Be Tr)v ai)(fi7]v rj to BopvTov<i iraXaLoij^ Kvpiv ovofid^eLV, koX K.vpLTt.Bo<;
"Hyoa? dyaXfjua KoXeiv eir*al-)(^/jLrj<; IBpvfJbevov, iv Be
T7J 'Frjyia Bopv KadiBpviJLevov "Apea irpoaayop-eveiv, KOL BopaTL tov<; iv iroXefioi^ dpiaTevovTa^
yepaipeiv ox; ovv dprjlov Ttva tov 'PcopuvXov rj
2 alxP'V'^V^ Oeov ovofiacrOrjvai, K^vptvov. lepov fiev
ovv avTOV KaT€(TK€va(Tp,evov iv T(p X6(f)a) Ta> Ku-
pLva irpoaayopevofjievw Bl i/celvov, r) 8' rjpLepa y
fjueTTjXXa^ev, 6')(Xov (^vyrj KaXelTai, Koi vfovai
J^aTTparlvai Bta to Oveiv el<; to t?)? alyo<: l\o9 ire
^Kill yap ypvxh itplffTn Bekker : avr-q yhp rl^vxh ^vph tal
apl(TTH.2
ol Se iroxirriv, on Cora6s and Bekker, with two BodleianMSS. (B»b) : ol 5e on.
182
ROMULUS, xxviii. 7-xxix. 2
soul is best," according to Heracleitus,"^ and it flies
from the body as lightning flashes from a cloud. But
the soul which is contaminated with body, and sur-
feited with body, like a damp and heavy exhalation,
is slow to release itself and slow to rise towards its
source. We must not, therefore, violate nature by
sending the bodies of good men with their souls to
heaven, but imphcitly believe that their virtues and
their souls, in accordance with nature and divine
justice, ascend from men to heroes, from heroes to
demi-gods, and from demi-gods, after they have been
made pure and holy, as in the final rites of initiation,
and have freed themselves from mortality and sense,
to gods, not by civic law, but in very truth and
according to right reason, thus achieving the fairest
and most blessed consummation.
XXIX. To the surname of Quirinus bestowedon Romulus, some give the meaning of Mars,others that of Citizen, because the citizens werecalled Quirites ; but others say that the ancients
called the spear-head (or the whole spear)^'
quiris,"and gave the epithet Quiritis to the Juno whosestatue leans upon a spear, and the name Mars to
a spear consecrated in the Regia, and a spear as a
prize to those who performed great exploits in war ;
and that Romulus was therefore called Quirinusas a martial, or spear-wielding, god. However that
may be, a temple in his honour is built on the hill
called Quirinalis after him, and the day on whichhe vanished is called People's Flight, and Capra-tine Nones, because they go out of the city and
Fragment 74 (Bywater, HeracUti Ephesii reliquiae, p. 30).
183
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TToXeo)? KariovTa^* rrjv ykp alya Kciirpav ovofid-
i^ovaiv, i^Lovre^i Se tt/oo? rrjv Ovcriav ttoWcl tcop
irmxwpLcov ovo/ndrcov (pOeyyovraL fxera ^orj^, olov
yidpKov, AovfCiou, Vatov, /jH/jLovfiepoL rrjv rore
Tp07rr)v Kol dvciKKr^cTiV aXkr'jXwv fxera Beov^ Kol
Tapa')(^rj<;.
"EvLot fiivTOt TO pi[X7]fia rovro (iiacTL firj (fyvyrj^;,
a)OC €7re.fe«? elvac kol airovBrj^iy et? alriav
Totavrrjv dva(f)epovT€<; top \6yov. iirel KeXrol
rr)v *Va)/xr]v KaTa\afi6vT€<; i^€Kpova6i](Tav viro
J^afilWov Kol Bl dadivetav y 7r6Xi<; ovKerc pa-Blco<; eavTrjv dvekdfJi^aveVy icTTpdrevcrav iir avrijvTToWol T(av Aarlvwv, ap\ovra M^lov TIocttov-
fiiov €X0VT€<;. 0UT09 Be KadLcra<; rov cTTparov ov
irpoacD T?}? *Pco/ji7j<; eirefjure /ojpv/ca, /SovXecrOaL
Xeywv Tov<; AartVou? eKXtiTOvaav rfBrj Trjv ira-
XaiCLV OLKeLOTTjTa Kol avyyev6Lav iK^a)7rvprj(7at,
Kaival^ avdi^ dvaKpaOivrcov emyaixiatfi rcov
yevwv. av ovv ireix-^coa-L irap6evov^ re <Tu'xya<;
Koi yvvaiKOJV Ta? dvdvBpov^, elprjvrjv eaecrOai fcal
(piXiav auTot?, co? VTrrjp^e 7rpo<; ^a/3ivuv<; irpo-
repov eV rcav ofioiayv. ravra aKovaavre^ oi r&)-
fialoL rov re iroXefxav e<^o^ovvro koX tt^v irapdBocriv Twv yvvaiKMV ovBev alxp-aXaxriaf; iineLKe-
arepov ex^tv €i>6/jll^ov. dirorovaL S' avrol^ depd-irauva ^lXwti^, co? S' evtot Xiyovai,, TovroXa KaXov-
fiivrj, (j-vve^ovXevae fujBerepa Troielv, dXXa xpV^^'fievov; BoXo) Biacpvyecu d/xa rov iroXe/jLOV Kal rrjv
i^ofjLrjpevoTLV. rjv 8' o BoXc^ avrrjv re ttjv <^iX(o-
rlBa Kal avv avrfj OepaTraLviBa^; evirpeTrel^
KoaiJirjaavTa^ ft>9 eXevOepa^; dTToarelXai tt/oo? tov<;
7roXefuov<s' elra vvKTwp rrjv ^cXeorlBa irvpaov
184
ROMULUS, XXIX. 2-5
sacrifice at the Goat's Marsh ; and "capra
"is their
word for she-goat. And as they go forth to the
sacrifice, they shout out many local names, like
Marcus, Lucius, and Caius, in imitation of the wayin which, on the day when Romulus disappeared,
they called upon one another in fear and confusion.
Some, however, say that this imitation is not oneof flight, but of haste and eagerness, and explain it
as referring to the following occasion. After theGauls had captured Rome and been driven out byCamillus, and when the city was still too weak to
recover itself readily, an expedition was made againstit by many of the Latins, under the command of
Livius Postumius. This general stationed his armynot far from Rome, and sent a herald with the
message that the Latins wished to renew their
ancient relationship and affinity with the Romans, byfresh intermarriages between the two peoples. If,
therefore, the Romans would send them a goodlynumber of virgins and their widows, they shouldhave peace and friendship, such as they had formerlymade with the Sabines on the like terms. On hear-
ing this message, the Romans hesitated between
going to war, which they feared, and the surrenderof their women, which they thought no more desir-
able than to have them captured. But while theywere in this perplexity, a serving-maid called Philotis
(or, as some say, Tutola) advised them to do neither,but by the use of a stratagem to escape alike thewar and the giving of hostages. Now the stratagemwas this, that they should send to the enemy Philotis
herself, and with her other comely serving-maids
arrayed like free-born women ; then in the nightPhilotis was to display a signal-fire, at which the
185
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
apai, Toix; Be *V(t)fiaiov<; iireXOelv fiera rwv ottXcov
/cat %/3/ycrao"^a^ Kotfi(D/jL€voi<; TOLfi TToXefMLOL^. ravraS* ehpcLTO TTeiaOevTcov toov Karlvcov koI tov irvpaov
avea')(ev rj ^iXcorl'; e/c tlvo<^ ipiveov, 7r€pi(T)(^oucra
TrpoKaXvfMfiaai koX TrapaTrerdcrpLacnv oinadev,a>aT€ TOL^i TToXe/jLLoi^; aoparov elvai to ^w?, rot? Be
6 VwiJbaioi<; /cardSrjXov. &)9 ovv iirelBov, evOii^ ^^V^-aav iireijojuievot koX Sia rrjv eirei^iv aXXr]Xov<; irepl
ra? TTU/Va? dvaKaXovvT6<; iroXXaKi^. i/jL7r6(T6pTe<i 8e
TOt? iroXeixiOL^ diTpoaBoKrjT(o<^ kol KparrjcravTe^i,iiTLViKLOv dyoua-L rrjv eoprrjv. kul KaTrparlvaL
fxev at VMvat KaXovvrai Bid tov ipiveov Kairpi'
(^LKOv VTTo 'Pco/xaicov ovojJLa^ofJievoVy eo-TLwai Be
rdf; yvvat/ca<; e^(o, crvKrj^i KXdBot^ aKLatofjuevaf;.
ai Be Oepa'TTaiviBe^; d<yeipovaL TrepiiovaaL koI 37
Trat^ovaiv, elra irXr^yal^ koI fioXat<i XiOwv XP^^~rat Trpo? dXXi]Xa<;, &>? kuI rore toI<; 'Pw/^atot?
Trapayevofjuevai, Kal avvaycovccrd/uLevai fia-)(0/jLepoi<;.
7 TaOr* ovv ^ ttoXXoI TrpoaUvrai rcov (Tvyypa-
<j>€(ov,dXXd Kal to fieO* r/fiepav ')(^prja6aL rfj
dvaKXrjaei rcov ovo/xdrcov kol to tt/jo? to eXo? to
tt)? aLyo<i ct)9 eirl Ovaiav^ ^aBc^ovraf; eoLfce ro)
iTpOTepcp Xoya) TrpoaTiOeadai jxaXXov, eljuurf vrj
{^la rrj<; avrrjf; r)/jL€pa^ ev ^/ooi^oi? €T€pot.<; dfi<f)6-
repa rd irdOr) avveTV)(e yeveaOai. Xeyerai Be
'P(OfjLvXo<; reaaapa fxev err) xal irevTrJKovra ye-
yovco^, oyBoov Be ^ao-cXevcov eicelvo fcal Tpca-Koarov i^ dvOpcoTrwv d(f)avi<T0fjvai.
^ oZv with Cobet : ov {hy fexc).® Bvalav with Coraea (as in xxix. 2) : QiXarTav (sea).
1 86
ROMULUS, XXIX. 5-7
Romans were to come in arms and deal with their
enemies while asleep. This was done, with the
approval of the Latins, and Philotis displayed the
signal-fire from a certain wild fig-tree, screening it
behind with coverlets and draperies, so that its lightwas unseen by the enemy, but visible to the Romans.
When, accordingly, they beheld it, they sallied forth
at once in great haste, and because of their haste
calling upon one another many times at the gates.
They fell upon their enemies when they least
expected it and mastered them, and now celebrate
this festival in memory of their victory. And theNones on which it falls are called Capratine fromthe wild fig-tree, the Roman name for which is"caprificus," and they feast the women outside the
city in booths made of fig-tree boughs. Then the
serving-maids run about in companies and play, after
which they strike and throw stones at one another,in token that on that earlier day they assisted theRomans and shared with them in their battle.^
These details are accepted by many historians,but their calling out one another's names in the
day time, and their marching out to the Goat'sMarsh as for sacrifice, seem to be more consonantwith the former story, unless, to be sure, bothactions happened to take place on the same day in
different periods. Romulus is said to have been
fifty-four years of age, and in the thirty-eighth yearof his reign when he disappeared from amongmen.
* Cf. Gamillus, xxxiii.
.8?
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
©H2EnS KAI PQMYAOY rSYrKPISlS
I. *^A fiev oZv d^ia fivrjiJir]<^ TrvOeaOai irepi
*P(ojjLv\ov KOI ©Thereto? a-vfjL0efir]K€if rjfilv, ravr
earl, ^aiverav he Trpcorov 6 fiev ex Trpoaipeaecof^,
ovB€Vo<; avayKa^ovro^, aXhJ e^ov aSeoi? ev Tpot-
^rjvi /SaatXevetv Siahe^dfjuevov ap^V^ ovk dBo^ov,
auTo? d<f)*eavTov /jieydXcov ope'xOel^' 6 he Bov-
Xeta? ^vy^ 7rapovar)<; koI Tifia)pla<; eirccpepo/jLevrjf;,
eKeivo TO Tov JI\dT(ovo<^, cLTe^^vo}^ vtto Seov? dv-
BpeLo<i yevo/mevo^, Koi (f)60(p tov to, e<7%aTa iraOeiv
iirl TO Bpdv fieydXa Bl dvdyK7]v irapayevo-2 [xevo^. eireiTa tovtov fiev epyov earl to /jueyiaTOv
dveXetv eva tov ^'AX/St;? Tvpavvov, i/ceivov Be
irdpepya koX 7rpodya)V€<i rjaav 6 ^Keipoiv, 6 '^lvl<;,
6 IlpOKpov(TTr)<;, 'K.opvvriT7]<;, oif<; dvaipcov Koi
fcoXd^cov dirrjXaTTe ttjv 'EWaSa Betvwv Tvpdvvcov
TTplv 0(7Tt9 €(7tI yivcoaKeiv Tov<i VTT* avTov aco^o-
fievov^. Kol TG) fxev iraprjv diTpaypi.ova)'; KOfil-
^eaOai Bid OakaTTT}^ dBiKovpevm firjBev viro rail/
Xrja-TCJV, 'V(op,v\(p S* ov TTaprjv p.7) irpdyfiaTa3 e^^iv ^A/jlovXlov fwz^ro?. fiiya Be tovtov TexpLi',-
pLOV 6 fiev yap ovBev avTo<i dBiKov/jLfvo<i cjp/jirjaev
virep aXXcov eVt tou? rrovrjpovfi, ol S' 6<tov avTol
fCaK(0(; OVK eiraa'^ov vtto tov Tvpdvvov, Treptecopcov
dBiKovvTa irdpTWi* xal fi7)v el fiiya to TpQ)OP]vat
i88
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, i. 1-3
COMPARISON OF THESEUS AND ROMULUS
L Such, then, are the memorable things about
Romulus and Theseus which I have been able to
learn. And it appears, first of all, that Theseus, of
his own choice, when no one compelled him, but
when it was possible for him to reign without fear at
Troezen as heir to no inglorious realm, of his ownaccord reached out after great achievements ;
whereas Romulus, to escape present servitude and
impending punishment, became simply"courageous
out of fear," as Plato phrases it,^ and through the
dread of extreme penalties proceeded to perform
great exploits under compulsion. In the second
place, the chief deed of Romulus was the slaying of
a single tyrant of Alba ; whereas for mere by-adven-tures and preliminary struggles Theseus had Sciron,
Sinis, Procrustes, and Corynetes, by slaying and
chastising whom he freed Greece from dreadful
tyrants before those who were saved by him knewwho he was. Theseus might have travelled to
Athens by sea without any trouble, and sufferingno outrage at the hands of those robbers
; whereasRomulus could not be without trouble while Amuliuslived. And there is strong proof of this ; for
Theseus, although he had suffered no wrong at
their hands himself, sallied out in behalf of others
against those miscreants; while Romulus and Remus,as long as they themselves were not harmed bythe tyrant, suffered him to wrong everybody else.
And surely, if it was a great thing for Romulus1Fhaedo, p. 68 d.
189
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
liaypyuevov Sa/StVoi? koX avekelv AKpwva kol
TToXXcov fJ'cixV fcpar^aai TroXefiicov, tovtoi^ fiev
ecrri rot? €pyoL<; Kevravpofia')(iav koi ra irpo^
4 'AfjLa^6va<; irapa^aXelv o S* iroX/jLTjae^ ^rjaeix;
irepl Tov KprjTiKov Sacrp^ov, elre tlvX OrjpiO) fiopdv,
ehe 'n-p6a-(j)ay/jLa rot? ^AvBpoyeco rd^oi^y €lO\ o
Kov^orarov iari rcov Xeyop^ivcov, Xarpeveiv Trap
avSpdaiv v/3pLaTa2<; koi Bva/jLevicnv d/cXerj \a-
rpeiav KaX drip^ov eV^SoL'? eavrov, iKOvaico^i p^erd
irap6ev(ov TrXevaa^ fcal walScov vecov, ov/c dv etiroi
Tt9 r)XLK7}<; iarl T0X//.779 rj p.eyaXo(j>pocrvvr)<; rj Bl-
KaioavvT]^ irepl to kolvovrj irodov Bo^rjfi koL
5 dperrjf;, war epioiye ^aiveraL p,Tj Kafca)<; opi-
^eaOaL tou? (j)iXoa6(f>ov<; tov epwTa Oecov vinj-
pecTiav 7r/309 eTrip^eXeLav kol acorrjpiav vicov. 6
yap ^Api,dSvr)<; epw^ Trai/ro? puaXkov eoiKev epyovdeov KaX P'VX^^^ yeveaOat acoT7]pia<i eve/ca tov
dvBp6<;. KaX ovK d^iov alridcrOai ttjv ipaaOeXaav,dXXd Oavp^d^eiv el p,r} irdvTe^ ovtco KaX irdaai
BteTedif^aav' el 5' eKeivr) puovr} tovt eiradev, clko-
Tft)9 €70)76 (f)aLr)v dv avrrjv d^cepaaTOv 6ea> yeyo-
vivai, (pLXoKaXov KaX <pL\dya6ov xaX tcov dpLcrTcov
ipcoTifcrjv oixrav,' "
'\ ''.
II. ^Ap.(f)0T€p0)V TOLVVV Trj <l)V€r€l TToXlTLKCOV
yeyovoTODVy ovBeT€po<; BiecjyvXa^e tov ^aaiXiKov
TpOTTOv e^eaT-q Be KaX p^ere/SaXe p^ra^oXrjv 6
fiev Br}p,OTLKr}v, 6 Be TvpavvLKrjv, TavTOv air
^ft y ir6\iJ.T]ar€ Coraes and Sintenis would begin the
second chapter here.
190
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, i. 3-11. i
to be wounded in a battle with the Sabines, andto slay Acron, and to conquer many enemies in
battle, with these exploits we may compare, on
the part of Theseus, his battle with the Centaurs
and his campaign against the Amazons ; but as
for the daring which he showed about the Cretan
tribute, whether that was food for some mon-
ster, or a sacrifice on the tomb of Androgeos, or
whether—and this is the mildest form of the story—
he offered himself for inglorious and dishonourable
servitude among insolent and cruel men when hevolunteered to sail away with maidens and youngboys, words cannot depict such courage, magna-nimity, righteous zeal for the common good, or
yearning for glory and virtue. It is therefore myopinion that the philosophers^ give an excellent
definition of love when they call it" a ministration of
the gods for the care and preservation of the young."For Ariadne's love seems to have been, more than
an3rthing else, a god's work, and a device wherebyTheseus should be saved. And we should not blameher for loving him, but rather wonder that all menand women were not thus affected towards him ;
and if she alone felt this passion, I should say, for
my part, that she was properly worthy of a god's
love, since she was fond of virtue, fond of goodness,and a lover of the highest qualities in man.
II. Although Theseus and Romulus were both
statesmen by nature, neither maintained to the end
the true character of a king, but both deviated from it
and underwent a change, the former in the direction
of democracy, the latter in the direction of tyranny,
making thus the same mistake through opposite
*Poleraon, as cited in Morals, p. 780 d.
191
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ivavrlcov iraOoiv dfjLapr6vT€<;. Sel yap tov dp-
yovra act)^€LV irpwrov avrrfv rrjv ap-)(riv' aco^erai
8* ov^ r]TTOV a'K€-)(opLevT] TOV fit) 'Trpo(TiJKOvro<i rj
7r€pi€X0P'6V7j TOV ITpo(TrjKOVTo<;, 6 8' ivSiBov^ rj
eiTLTeivwv ov fiivei, ^aaiXev^i ovBe ap-^^wv, aX)C rj
B7]fj,aycoyo<; rj BeaTrorr]^ yLyv6/jL6Vo<;, ifiTroiel to
fiLaelv rj KaTacppovetv rot^; apxo/J>€voi<;. ov firjv
aXV eKelvo fiev iiTLeLKela^ BoKel koI ^tXavOpcD-TTia<i elvat, tovto Se ^Lkavrla^ dfidprTj/ia kul
XcO^^TTorr^TO^,
III. Et Be Bel Kol rd BvaTvxplOevTa fir] iravrd-
iraai iroielcrOai, Baufiovof;, aXV i^di/cdf; koI iraOrj- 38
TCfcd^i ^rjretv ev at'TOt? Bi,a(f)0pd<;, Ovpiov pev d\o-
ylarov koI rdxo^i expvcrrjf; d^ovXov opyrjf; p^rjTe
Tt9 eKelvov ev roi? vrpo? tov dBeX^ov diroXveTOi
p,r}Te TovTOV ev toI<^ irpo^ tov vlov17
Be KLvrjcraaaTOV Ovpov dpxv pdWov irapaLTelTai tov vtto
p^ei^ovo^ aLTLa^ oicnrep vtto 77X977^9 p^aXeTrwre/oa?
dvaTpairevTa. ^V(Dpv\(p pev yap etc fiovXrj<i koI
<TKe^\re(o<i irepi kolvwv (Tvp(^ep6vT(ov Bia<j)opd<; ye-
vopevr)<; ovk dv rj^iwde tc<; d(j)V(o TrjV Bidvoiav
ev TrjktKOVTW irdOei yeviadar Qrjcrea Be irpo^TOV vlov, d irdpirav oklyoi TOiv 6vtcoi> Biwrre^ev-
yaariv, epw^ real ^rjXoTVTria fcal Bta^oXal yvvai-fco^ €a-(f>r)Xav. Be puel^ov iaTtv, 6 pev 'VcopvXov
6vp,o<; eh epyov e^eireae koI irpd^iv ovk evTv^e^
e^ovaav TeXo<;, r) Be Srjae(i)<; opyrj p^eXP^ XoyouKal /3Xaa<l>r}pLaf; Kal KUTapaf; 7rpe(T/3vTifcr]<i
TrpoijXOe, Td 8' dXXa (patveTUL Trj tv^JJ XPV^^'aOai TO pueLpaKiov. wo-tc TavTa<i p^ev dv Tt5 aTTO-
BoLrj Tft) Srjael Ta5 yjnjcjyovim
192
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, ii. i-iii. 2
affections. For the ruler must preserve first of all
the realm itself, and this is preserved no less byrefraining from what is unbecoming than by cleavingto what is becoming. But he who remits or extendshis authority is no longer a king or a ruler
; hebecomes either a demagogue or a despot, and im-
plants hatred or contempt in the hearts of his
subjects. However, the first error seems to arise
from kindliness and humanity ; the second fromselfishness and severity.
HI. Again, if the misfortunes of men are not to
be attributed altogether to fortune, but to the dif-
ferent habits and passions which will be found
underlying them, then no one shall acquit Romulusof unreasoning anger or hasty and senseless wrathin dealing with his brother, nor Theseus in dealingwith his son, although the cause which stirred his
anger leads us to be more lenient towards the onewho was overthrown by a stronger provocation, as bya heavier blow. For since the difference betweenRomulus and his brother arose from a deliberate
investigation of the common welfare, there couldhave been no good reason for his flying into sucha passion ; while Theseus was impelled to wronghis son by love, jealousy, and a woman's slanders,the overmastering power of which very few menhave escaped. And what is of greater weight, the
anger of Romulus vented itself in action and a deedof most unfortunate issue ; whereas the wrath ofTheseus got no farther than words of abuse and anold man's curse, and the restof the youth's calamities
seem to have been due to fortune. On these counts,
therefore, one would give his vote of preference to
Theseus.
193
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
IV. ^Efcelvo) Be irpcorov fiev V7rdp')(€i fxeya to
jiiKpordra^i Xa/Selv cLp')(^cif;iirl rd Trpdyiiara.
SovXoi yap Br) Koi (TV(f>opP(x)v TratSe^ ovo/ua^o-
fievoL, TTplv iXevOepoi yeveaOai, irdyra^ okiyovBelv rjXevOepwaav Aajivov^, evX
'^^^povcp twvKaWiaTcov ovo/xdrcov dfia Tf^oz^re?, ^ovel^
i^Opcbv Koi aoyrrjpe^ ol/celcov koI ^aat\€i<i iOvwv
xal OLKiaral iroXecov, ov /neroi/cto-TaL, KaOdirep
Tjv 6 @7}(Tev<;, CK TToXXcov avvTiOel^i xal avvoiKO-
So/JLCOV ev olK7)TrjpLOVy dvaipwv he 7roXXd<; 7r6Xei<;
2 iTTcovvfMov^ fiaaiXewv fcal rjpcoayv iraXaioiV. 'Pco-
fivXo<; Be ravra puev varepov eBpa, rov<; woXe-
fjLiov<; dvayKd^cjv rd ol/ceca Kara^aXXovra^i koI
d(^avi^ovra<; roX<; vevLKrjxoai irpoaveiiecrOai,' to
Be irpcjTov ov fjueTarcOeU ovB* av^cov ttjv virdp-
'X^ovcrav, dXXd ttolcov ef oi)% vnap^^ovrcov koX
KTC£>ijbevo<; eavTa>')(^copav ojjlov, TrarplBa, ^ao-iXeiav,
ykv7)i ydfxov^, olK€i6Tr)Ta<;, dvrjpei p.ev ovBiva ovBe
dircoXXvev, evepyerei Be rov<i i^ doi/cwv zeal dve-
artcov BrjfjLOV eOeXovra^; elvai koX iroXijaf;, Xrj-
o-Ta? Be Kol Kafcovpyovi ovk direicTeLvev, dXX!
eOvTj irpoai'jydyeTO TroXeficp koX iroXei^ Karearpe-
ylraro koI /3ao-LXeL<; e0ptdp./3ev(T€ koI rjyepLova^;.
V. K.al TO fiev ^VdijjLOV irdOo^ dfKpiar^rjrov-
fievov e%€i Tov avroxei^pct', /cal to irXelarov el<;
erepov^; t?;? alria^ rpeTroucrr T7)v Be fjLTjrepa
BioXXup.ev7]v eacoae 'jrepi^avw<^, koi tov irdTriTov
uKXeS)^ BovXeuovTa koi dripLcos eU tov Aivetov
dpovov eKaOicre. Koi rroXXd puev erccbv evepye-2 TTjaev, e^Xai/re Be avTOV ovBe ukcov, ttjv Be
194
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, iv. i-v. 2
IV. But Romulus has, in the first place, this great
superiority, that he rose to eminence from thesmallest beginnings. For he and his brother were
reputed to be slaves and sons of swineherds, and yet
they not only made themselves free, but freed first
almost all the Latins, enjoying at one and the sametime such most honourable titles as slayers of their
foes, saviours of their kindred and friends, kings of
races and peoples, founders of cities; not trans-
planters, as Theseus was, who put together andconsolidated one dwelling-place out of many, butdemolished many cities bearing the names of ancient
kings and heroes. Romulus, it is true, did this later,
compelling his enemies to tear down and obliterate
their dwellings and enrol themselves among their
conquerors ; but at first, not by removing or enlarg-
ing a city which already existed, but by creatingone from nothing, and by acquiring for himself at
once territory, country, kingdom, clans, marriagesand relationships, he ruined no one and killed no one,but was a benefactor of men without homes and
hearths, who wished instead to be a people andcitizens of a common city. Robbers and miscreants,it is true, he did not slay, but he subdued nations in
war, laid cities low, and triumphed over kings andcommanders.
V. Besides, there is dispute as to who actuallyslew Remus, and most of the blame for the deed is
put upon others than Romulus ; but Romulus did
unquestionably save his mother from destruction,and he set his grandfather, who was living in ingloriousand dishonourable subjection, upon the throne ofAeneas. Moreover, he did him many favours of his
own accord, and did him no harm, not even inadver-
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Srja-eco^ XrjOrjv koX afieXeiav t^9 irepl to Icttlov
ivTo\rj^ fioXi^i av olfiai fiaKpa rivc irapahrrjaei
KOI iv pa0vfjLOL<; htKaaral^ alrlav uTrocpvyeiP
TTarpoiCTOvia^' o Sr) koI avviBayv rt? *ATTt«:o9 avijp
ew? iray')(a\e'Tr6v iart ^ovXop^ivoi^ airoXoyeio-Oaif
TrXdrrei, top Alyea t^9 V€0!)<; irpoa-^epopevr^'^ viro
cr7rovBr]<i avaTpe^ovTa nrpo^i ttjv ukpottoXcv Oea^
€V€/ca KaX a(j)aXX6p,€vov KaTairecrelv, ayairep oira-
B(DV €prjp,oVf rj TTJV iirl OdXaTTav oBov airevBovTi,
fir) 7rapova7)<; Tivo<; OepaTreia^;.
VT. Kal iir]v to, irepl ra? apiraya^ t(ov yv-vaiKMV rj/jLapTTjpeva Srjcrel pbev €v<T)(rjfiovo(i ivSed
TTponder 6co<; yiyove. irpcoTov fiev oti 7roXXdKi<i'
rjpTTa(T6 yap ^ApidBvrjv /cal ^Avtiotttjv kol ^Ava^o)
T7}v Tpot^t]viav, iirl irdaai^ Be t^i; 'KXevrjv,
7rapr)Kp.aK0}<i ovk aKfid^ovaav, dXXa vrjirlav koI
d(opov avTO? &pav e^(ov '^Brj ydfjucov TTeiravadai
Kol vopip^cov eireLTa Bta T'qv auTLav ov yapd^tcoTepau ye TraiBoTroiol tcov ^AO^vrja-iv 'EyO€-
')(6r]iB(DV KaX KeKpoTTiBcov ai Tpoi^rjviciiv KaX
AaKcovcov KaX *Apu^6pcov dveyyvot, OvyaTepe^2 rjcrav, dXXa TavTa puev viroyjriav e^et tt/Oo?
v^piv KaX KaB* rjBovTjv Treirpa'xdai. 'Pw/iuXo?he TTp&TOV p>ev OKTaKoatcov oXiyov dpiOpCo B60vaa<^ 39
dp7rdo-a^, ov irdaa^, dXXd pt,iav, cw? ^aaiv,
^EpacXiav eXa^e, Tat; S' dXXa<i Btevetp^ Tot9
dyaOoL<;^ tcov ttoXltcov eireLTa Trj fiera ravra
Tiafj teal dyaTTijaei KaX BLKaioavvr) Ty irepX ra?
yvvalKa<i dirtioei^e ttjv ^iav eKelmjv KaX ttjv
^aya6o7s MSS. au4 edd. : ayd/iou {unmarried),
.196
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, v. 2-vi. 2
tently. Theseus, on the contrary, for his forgetfulnessand neglect of the command about the sail, can
hardly, 1 think, escape the charj^e of parricide, be
the plea of his advocate ever so long and his judgesever so lenient. Indeed, a certain Attic writer,
conscious that would-be defenders of Theseus have
a difficult task, feigns that Aegeus, on the approachof the ship, ran up to the acropolis in his eager-ness to catch sight of her, and stumbled and fell
down the cliff; as though he were without a re-
tinue, or was hurrying down to the sea without anyservants.
VI. Furthermore, the transgressions of Theseus in
his rapes of women admit of no plausible excuse.
This is true, first, because there were so many ; for he
carried off Ariadne, Antiope, Anaxo of Troezen, andat last Helen, when he was pjist his prime and she
had not reached her prime, but was an unripe child,
while he was already of an age too great for evenlawful wedlock. It is true, secondly, because of the
reason for them ; for the daughters of Troezenians
and Laconians and Amazons were not betrothed to
him, and were no worthier, surely, to be the mothersof his children than the daughters of Erechtheusand Cecrops at Athens. But one may suspect that
these deeds of his were done in lustful wantonness.
Romulus, on the other hand, in the first place,
although he carried off nearly eight hundred women,took them not all to wife, but only one, as they say,
Hersilia, and distributed the rest among the best of
the citizens. And in the second place, by the
subsequent honour, love, and righteous treatment
given to these women, he made it clear that his
197
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aBiKiav KoXXicrrov epyov koX TroXiri/ccoraTOV eU3 KoLvcoviav yevojxevrjv. ovro) (Tvvefii^ev aW'qkoi<iKoX crvveirrj^e to, 'yevT], koI irapea'xe tttjjtjv ttj^
et9 avdL<; 6vvoia<; koI Bvvd/jL€CD<; to?? irpdy/jbaa-iv.
alSov<; Be koI (faXia^ koI ^e^aLorrjro^y fjv elpyd-
caro irepl tov^; ydfjLov<;, 6 %/30i^09 ia-rl fidprv;.
ev yap ereai, rpidKovra koI Si,a/coaioi<i ovre dvrjp
iroX/jLTjae yvvaiKO^ ovre yvvrj Koivcaviav dvhpo<;
iyKaTdkiTTelvj dX>C coairep iv^FiWrjacv ol acpoSpa
irepLTToi Tov irpcorov exovaiv elirelv irarpOKTovov
rj /jL7]Tpo<l)6vov, ovTO) 'Vcofxalot 7raz^T€9 taaaiv on,
Kap^iXio<; ^iropio^i direTrifJLylraTO yvvaiKa irpca-
4 T09, aTraiBiav alTiaadfjL€vo<i. t& Be roaovTM
')(^p6v(p avpLp^apTVpel Kal ra epya. koI yap dp')(fi<;
eKOivdyvrjaav ol ffaorLXel<;, Kal iroXneia^i to, yevrj
Bia T7)v eiriyapLiav eKeivr]v' diro Be tmv Srja-ia)^ yd-
ficov ^K6r)vaioL<i (f>LXiKov fiev ovBev ovBe kolvcovlkov
vTrrjp^e 7r/>09 ovBeva o^u/jL^oXacov, ex^pai' Be /col
TToXepLOL /cal ^ovoi ttoXltcjv Kal TeXo9 ^A^uBva^;
diroXeaai Kal [jloXi^ vir* oXktov twv iroXefiiwv,
TrpoaKvvijcravra^ Kal Oeov^; dvecTrovra^, jjutjira-
5 Oelv a T^(W69 eiraOov BC ^AXe^avBpov. r) p,evT0L
fifjTTjp 7) @r)(7e(o<i ovK iKivBvvevaeVi dXX^ eiraOe
Th T7J<; 'RKdjSrjf;, iyKaraXcirovTo^; Kal irpoejiivov
TOV iraiBo^, etye fir) ireirXaaraL ra t?}9 al)(/iJLa-
Xwaia^, (09 eBei ye Kal tovto yjrevBo<s elvai xal
ra irXejucTTa tmv dXXcov, iirel Kal ra irepl tov
Oetov fivOoXoyovjieva iroXXrjv iroiel Bcacjiopdv.
198
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, vi. 2-5
deed of violence and injustice was a most honourable
achievement, and one most adapted to promotepolitical partnership. In this way he intermixedand blended the two peoples with one another, and
supplied his state with a flowing fountain of strengthand good will for the time to come. And to the
modesty, tenderness, and stability which he impartedto the marriage relation, time is witness. Forin two hundred and thirty years no man venturedto leave his wife, nor any woman her husband ; but,
just as the very curious among the Greeks can namethe first parricide or matricide, so the Romans all
know that Spurius Carvilius was the first to put awayhis wife, accusing her of barrenness. And theimmediate results of his act, as well as the longlapse of time, witness in favour of Romulus. Forthe two kings shared the government in common,and the two peoples the rights and duties of citizen-
ship, because of that intermarriage ; whereas fromthe marriages of Theseus the Athenians got no newfriends at all, nor even any community of enter-
prise whatsoever, but enmities, wars, slaughters of
citizens, and at last the loss of Aphidnae, and an
escape from the fate which Troy suffered by reasonof Alexander, only because their enemies took
compassion on them when they called upon them
worshipfully as gods. However, the mother of
Theseus was not only in danger, but actually suf-
fered the fate of Hecuba when she was desertedand abandoned by her son, unless, indeed, the tale
of her captivity is fictitious, and it may well be
false, as well as most of the other stories. For
example, the tales told of divine intervention in
their lives are in great contrast; for Romulus was
199
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
''Pa)/JLv\(p fjiev yap rj (rcorrjpia fxera ttoWtj^ virrjp^e6ea)v evfieveia^;, 6 S* Alyel SoOel^ ')(prj(T/jL6<i,
aire-
')(eadaL ywatKo^ eVt ^evr]^, eoLKev airocjiaiveiv
irapa jvco/jltjv Oecav yeyovkvai Ti]V S}]aico<;rifcvcoaiv.
200
THESEUS AND ROMULUS, vi. 5
preserved by the signal favour of the gods, while
the oracle given to Aegeus, forbidding him to ap-
proach a woman while in a foreign land, seems to
indicate that the birth of Theseus was not agreeableto the will of the gods.
201
tU.Tv,1Sk^-
LYCURGUS
AYKOYPrOS
T. JJepl AvKOvpyov rod t^ofioOirov fcaOoXov fiev
ovBev earrtv elirelv ava/n^ia^ijrTjrov, ov ye Koi
yevo^ Kol dTroSrjfjLLa koI TcXevrrj fcal 7rpo<; diraortv
r) irepl rov<; v6fiov<; avrov koi ttjv TToXiTeiav
Trpayfiareia 8t,acf)6pov<; ea^V^^^ IcrTopia^, rjKLCTTa
Be ol XP^^oi KaO^ 0U9 yeyovev o avr)p oixoXoyovvrai.
ol fiev yap ^l<j)iT<p (TwaKfidaai, Kal a-vvhiaOelvai,
TTjv ^OXu/jLTriaKrjv eKe'^eiplav Xeyovaiv avrov, wv
iari KOL*
ApiaTOTeX7j<; 6 <f>iX6(To^o^y TeKjuLijpiov
irpoacpeptov tov ^OXvpuTTiaai Slo-kov iv c5 Touvofia
2 TOV Avfeovpyov Siaaco^eTac KaTayeypa/jL/nevov ol
Bk raU BiaBoxalf; tcov iv '^TrdpTTj ^e^acTtXevKo-
Tcov dvaXeyo/jLevoL tov y^pbvov, (acrirep ^KpaTO(Tdevr)<i
Kal^
A7roXX6Bo)po<;, ovk oXlyoKi erea-i irpeo-^vTepov
d'TTO(f)aivov(TL T% 7rp(t)T7)<; ^OXvfjLTndBo<;. Tifxaio^
Be VTTOvoel, Bvelv iv "^TrdpTrj yeyovoTwv AvKOvpycovov KaTCL TOV avTov
')(^p6voVy T(p eTepo) Td<; d/juftolv
TTpd^ei^ Bia Trjv Bo^av dvaKelaOai' Kal tov ye
TTpeer^VTepov ov iroppw tcov 'Op,rjpov yeyovevav
Xpovcav, evLOL Be Kal KaT oyjriv ivTVX^lv 'O^yjptp,
204
iiii/;-!
LYCURGUS
I. Concerning Lycurgus the lawgiver, in general,
nothing can be said which is not disputed, since
indeed there are different accounts of his birth, his
travels, his death, and above all, of his work as law-
maker and statesman ; and there is least agreementamong historians as to the times in which the manlived. Some say that he flourished at the same time
with Iphitus, and in concert with him established
the Olympic truce. Among these is Aristotle the
philosopher, and he alleges as proof the discus at
Olympia on which an inscription preserves the nameof Lycurgus.i But those who compute the time bythe successions of kings at Sparta, like Eratosthenes
and Apollodorus, prove that Lycurgus was many yearsearlier than the first Olympiad.^ And Timaeus con-
jectures that there were two Lycurgus at Sparta,at different times, and that to one of them the
achievements of both were ascribed, owing to his
greater fame ; he thinks also that the elder of the
two lived not far from the times of Homer, and someassert that he actually met Homer face to face.
* As joining with Iphitus in founding, or reviving, the
Olympic games, in 776 B.C., the date assigned to the first
recorded victory. Cf. Pausanias, v. 4, 5 f . ; 20, 1. A stayof hostilities was observed all over Greece during the festival.
» 776-73 B.O.
VOL. I.H 205
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 SiSeoai Bh Kol B(evo(pMV virovotav ap^aiorrjTo^ ev 40
oh Tov avBpa \eyei, yeyov6vat> Kara tou? 'H/?a-
K\6i8a<!, yivei fiev yap ^HpaKXetBai Bi]7rov6€v
rjaav kol ol vedoraroL rcov ev Xirdprrj ^aaCkecdv, 6
Be 601K6 j3ov\o/jLev(p Tov<; tt/ocotou? iKelvov<i Koi
(Tiweyyv^ ^HpaKXiov; ovofid^eiv ^HpaKXelBa^.Ov
fjLTjv dXXa Kaiirep ovt(o<; ireTrXavrj/jievrjf; tt}?
l<nopia<^y ireipaaojieda rot? ^pa^^vrdraf; €Xov<tlv
dvTL\oyia<i rj yv(opLfio3TdT0v^ pudprvpa^ eiropLevoi
TCt)V y€ypafifievwv irepX tov dvBpof; diroBovvat tt}v
4 Bt7]y7j(Tiv. eTrel Kal^ XifjLcoi'iBtj^; 6 7roitjTr}<; ovk
Fivvo/JLOV \eyei tov Av/covpyov iraTpo^;, dWd Upu-TdviBo^ Koi TOV AvKOvpyov Kal tov ^vvo/iov, ol
Be^ rrXelaTOi (T')(6Bov ov% ovt(o yeveakoyovaiVydXXd UpoKXeovf; jxev tov
^
KpicrToBi-jp^ov yeveadai
Xoov, ^oov Be ^vpvTTcovTa, tovtov Be UpvTaviVtetc tovtov Be JLvvofiov, I^vvo/jlov Be HoXvBeKTTjv ex
irpoTepa^ yvvaiKO^, Av/covpyov Be vecoTepov ex
AL(Dvda(T7]<;, &)? AievTvx^Ba^ laToprjKeVy cktov jxev
diro TipoKXeov^, evBexaTOV Be dcj) *HpaKXeov<;.II. Tmv Be TTpoyovcov avTOv fuiXiaTa fiev iOav-
fidaOr) Xoo^;, 6^' ov koI tov<; eiXcoTa<; eTrotrjaavTO
BovXovf; ol XirapTiaTai Kal ^copav irpoaeKTrjaavTO
TToXXrjv ^ApfcdBcov diroTefiojievoi. Xeyerai Be tov
*iiril Koi Sintenis would begin the second chapter here,
assuming also a lacuna in the text preceding.
2o6
LYCURGUS, I. 3-II. i
Xenophon, also,^ makes an impression of simplicityin the passage where he says that Lycurgus lived in
the time of the Heracleidae. For in lineage, of
course, the latest of the Spartan kings were also
Heracleidae;but Xenophon apparently wishes to use
the name Heracleidae of the first and more immedi-ate descendants of Heracles, so famous in story.
However, although the history of these times is
such a maze, I shall try, in presenting my narrative,
to follow those authors who are least contradicted,or who have the most notable witnesses for what
they have written about the man. For instance,Simonides the poet says that Lycurgus was not the
son of Eunomus, but that both Lycurgus andEunomus were sons of Prytanis; whereas most writers
give a different genealogy, as follows : Aristodemus
begat Procles, Procles begat Soils, Soils begatEurypon, and he begat Prytanis, from whom sprangEunomus, and from Eunomus Polydectes by a first
wife, and Lycurgus, who was a younger son by a
second wife, Dionassa, as Dieutychidas has written,
making Lycurgus sixth from Procles, and eleventhfrom Heracles.2
IL Of these ancestors of Lycurgus, Soils was most
famous, under whom the Spartans made the Helotstheir slaves, and acquired by conquest from theArcadians a large additional tract of land. It is also
*
Reip. Lac. x. 8."Lycurgus is said to have lived in the
times of the Heracleidae."^Aristodemus, from whose twin sons Eurysthenea and
Procles the elder and younger royal lines at Sparta (the
Agids and Eurypontids) were descended, was the son of
Aristomachus, the son of Cleodaeus, the son of Hyllus, theson of Heracles. See Pausauias, iii. 1-10 ; Herodotus, vii.
204 and viii. 131.
207
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Xoov iv %G)/Jtft) 'X^aXeirSi koI dvuBprp TroXiopKovfie-vov VTTO KXecropicoVi o/jLoXoyrjaat rrjv BopiKrrjTOv
yi]V avTOL<i at^rjcreiv^ el iriOL koI auT09 koI oi fier
2 avTov TTCLvre^ cltto t^9 ttXijctlov 7rr)yr]<f. yevofxevcov
he rcbv opKLcov^ o-vvayayovTa rot'? /Lt€^' eavrov
hihovai T(p fiT) TTioVTC Tr)v ^aaiXeiav ou8ez/o9 Be
KapTeprjoraino^t aXXa TrdvTwv inovTayv, avrbv iirl
iracTb Kara^avTa koX irepLppavdfievov en tcov tto-
XefiLcov irapovTwv dTreXdelv Koi ttjv ^(^(opav Kara-
<T')(elvt ft>? P'V "TrdvTcov ttlovtcov.
'AXXa Kaiirep eirl tovtol^ davpLd^ovT€<i avrov
ovK aTTO rovTOV Tr]v olKiav, dXXa rov iracho^
avTOv TrpocTTjyopevaav Fivpv7r(ovTLSa<;, ore Sofcei
TT/owTo? FiVpvTTwv TO dyav fjLovapxi'Kov dvelvai t^?
^aaCXeia^i Br^jxaywyodv koi x^P^^ofi€vo<; T0t9 ttoX-
3 Xoi?. €K Be tt}? T0iavT7j<; dveaeca^ rov fxev Brj/xou
OpaavvopbevoVy reov S* varepov ^aaiXetov ra fiev
aTrexOavoixevcdV t& ^ui^eaOat tou9 ttoWov?, rd
he irpo^ X^P^^ V ^^' daOeveiav viro^epopevayVy dvo-
puia KoX dra^ia Kareaxe rrjv %7rdpT7]v iirl iroXvv
Xpovov vcf)* 979 /cal rov Trarepa rov Av/covpyov
^acnXevovra (7vve/3rj reXevrijcrac. Biepv/ccov yap
dyJrtpaxi'Ct'V rtvd, pLayeLpiKrj kottlBl TrXrjyeU dire-
Oave, ToS TTpeajSurepw TraiBl UoXvBeKTrj Kara-
XiTToov rhv ^acrCXeiav,III. ^A'iTo6av6vro<i Bk Kal rovrov pier oXlyov
Xpovov eBei ffaatXeveiv, 0)9 7rdvre<; coovro, rov
AvKovpyov Kal irpiv ye rrjv yvvaiKa rov dBeX-
^ov <t>av€pdv yeveadai Kvovcrav ejSacTLXevev. iirel
^dpnleav with Bekker and Cobet : dpKlwv bfioXoyiSiv.
208
LYCURGUS, II. i-iii. I
related of this Soils that when he was besieged bythe Cleitorians in a rough and waterless place, he
agreed to surrender to them the land which he had
conquered if he himself and all his men with himshould drink from the adjacent spring. After the
oaths to this agreement were taken, he assembledhis men and offered his kingdom to the one whoshould not drink
; no one of them, however, could
forbear, but all of them drank, whereupon Soils him-self went down last of all to the water, sprinkled his
face merely, while the enemy were still at hand to
see, and then marched away and retained his ter-
ritory, on the plea that all had not drunk.
But although on these grounds he was held in
great admiration, his royal line was not named from
him, but were called Eurypontids from his son,because Eurypon appears to have been the first kingto relax the excessive absolutism of his sway, seekingfavour and popularity with the multitude. But in
consequence of such relaxation the people grew bold,and succeeding kings were some of them hated for
trying to force their way with the multitude, andsome were brought low by their desire for favour or
through weakness, so tliat lawlessness and confusion
prevailed at Sparta for a long time ;and it was ow-
ing to this that the father of Lycurgus, a reigning
king, lost his life. For as he was trying to separatesome rioters, he was stabbed to death with a butcher's
knife, leaving the kingdom to his elder son,
Polydectes.III. Polydectes also died soon afterwards, and
then, as was generally thought, the kingdom de-volved upon Lycurgus ;
and until his brother's wife
was known to be with child, he was king. But as soon
209
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
S^ Tovro Td)(i(TTa jja-Oero, ryu fiev PaaCKeiav
aTrecpTjve tov TratSo? ovaav, avirep dpprjv yev7)TaL,
T7JV Be cip')(rjv avTu^i cw? CTrtTyooTro? SiecTre. rov<;
Be Twv 6p(pav(ov jSaaiXecov e7rLTp6irov<i AaKeSai-
2 fjLovcot irpoBiKOV^^ a>v6fia^ov. a>9 Be 17 yvvr]
TTpooreTrefi'Tre Kpvcpa kol X070U9 eiroielroy ^ov-
\o/ievrj BtacpOelpat to /3pe(f)0<i eVl t& (TvvotKeiv
eKeiv(p fiaaiXevovTL tt}? '^irdprr}^, to fiev ^6o<i
avTrj<i e/jLiarjae, 7rpo<; Be tov Xoyov avTov ovk
dvTelirev, aXh! eiraivelv Koi Be')(e<76ai irpoairoLov-
fievo^j OVKe(f>r}
Belv d/n^Xicr/covo-av avTrjv KaX
(f)ap/jLaKevo/jLevr}v BiaXvfjbaiveaOau to aSyjJLa KaX
KivBvveveLV avTco yap fxeXrjaeLv otto)? evdv^ e/c-
3 iToBwv earai to yewtjOev. ovtq) Be irapayayayv
d')(pi TOV TOKOV T7)V dvOpwiTov, CO? rjadeTO tlktov-
aaVt elaeirefiyjre irapeBpov^ toI^ a)BlaLV avTrf'^
Kol ^v\aKa<;, 0*9 yv TrpoaTerayfievov, eav fiev
dijXv Te')(6y, irapaBovvat tol^ yvvai^lv, eav Be
dppeVy KOjJbiaat Trpcx; eavTOV 6 tl av tv^V mrpaT-T(ov. eTV')(e Be BeiirvovvTO^ avTOv p^eTO, tmv 41
dpxovTcov aTTOKVTjdev dppev KaX Traprjaav ol vTrrj-
4 peTai TO TraiBdpiov avrw Kop,i^ovre<;. 6 Be Be^d-
fievo^, &)? XeycTai, kol irpo^ tov^ 7rap6vTa<; elircov,
"Bao^iXeu? vp'tv yeyovev, c5 %7rapTtdTai,^^ KaTeKXi,-
vev ev Tjj fiaatXiKfj X^P9 '^^^^ y^apiKaov oDvop^aae
Bia TO T0v<i TrdvTa<; elvat irepi'xapel^i dyapukvov^avTov TO <f)p6v'r}p,a Kal tyjv BcKaioavvrjv. e^aal-\evae Be firjva^ 6kt(o to (Tvp^irav. tjv Be Kal
TaXXa 7repLfiXe7rT0<i viro t&v ttoXltcov, Kal TrXeio-
^vpoSiKovs with most MSS. and edd. : vpoUKus with A
(corrected), the Doric form.
210
LYCURGUS, in. 1-4
as he learned of this, he declared that the kingdombelonged to her offspring, if it should be male,and himself administered the government only as
guardian. Now the guardians of fatherless kingsare called "
prodikoi"
by the Lacedaemonians.
Presently, however, the woman made secret over-
tures to him, proposing to destroy her unborn babeon condition that he would marry her when he wasa king of Sparta ; and although he detested her
character, he did not reject her proposition, but
pretended to approve and accept it. He told her,
however, that she need not use drugs to produce a
miscarriage, thereby injuring her health and en-
dangering her life, for he would see to it himself
that as soon as her child was born it should be putout of the way. In this manner he managed to
bring the woman to her full time, and when helearned that she was in labour, he sent attendants
and watchers for her delivery, with orders, if a girlshould be born, to hand it over to the women, butif a boy, to bring it to him, no matter what he was
doing. And it came to pass that as he was at supperwith the chief magistrates, a male child was born,and his servants brought the little boy to him.
He took it in his arms, as we are told, and said to
those who were at table with him,^' A king is bom
unto you, O men of Sparta ;
"then he laid it down
in the royal seat and named it Charilaiis, or People's
Jotjy because all present were filled with joy,
admiring as they did his lofty spirit and his
righteousness. And so he was king only eightmonths in all. But on other accounts also hewas revered by his fellow-citizens, and more than
211
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
v€<; eyivovTO r&v a>9 eTriTpoTTO) ^aaiXicofi koI pa-
(Tikifcrjv i^ovaiav €')(pVTL iretdo/jiivcov ol St aperrjv
TTpoa-ixovTCf; avrw koL iroLelv edeXovre^; iroifiax;
TO TTpoo-raTTOfievov.
^Hv Si Ti KciX TO (pOovOVV KOL TTpO^i Tr)V av^r](TCV
ovTt via) 7r€ip(ojii€pov ivicrraaOai, pLokiaTa fxev
ol avyyevel^i koI ol/ceioi rrj^ rod ^aaiXico^; p.7]Tpo^
vppiaOai BoKOV(rr)<;, 6 Be a8e\(t>o^ avrrj^ AecoviBa^
Kol Opaaurepov ttotc tw Av/covpyo) XoiBoprjOei^it
xjireiTTev co? elBeiT] G-a(f>S)<; fiiWovra ^aacXevetv
avToVy VTTOvotav BlBov<; Kal irpoKaTaXa/jL/Sdvayv
Bia^oXy Tov AvKovpyov, ec tl arvfifiair) ro) ^aai-Xet iraOelv, 009 iiri^ePovXevKora. toiovtol Bi
TLve^i XoyoL /cal irapa t?^9 yvvaLKOf; i^€(f)OLrcov'
€(/)' 0^9 ^apioi)<; (pipcop /cal B€Bolkco<; to ahfXoVy
eyvo) (pvyelv airoBrjiiia rrjv virovotav, Kal irXavr}-
Orjvac p.i'X^pL^ av 6 aBeXf^iBov^; iv rjXi/cla yev6p,evo<;
reKPcoarj BidBoxov t^? jSaaLXeia^.
IV. Oi;tg)9 dirdpa^: irpcoTOV jiev eU KpijTrjv
d^LKeTO' Kal Ta9 avTodi iroXLTeia^ KaTavor']aa<i
Kal (fvyy€v6fjL6vo<; T0t9 TrpcoTevovai KaTa Bo^ap
dpBpdatf Ta fiep e^rjXccxje Kal irapiXa^e Ta>p
voficDV, <»9 otKaBe pLeToiacop Kal 'Xpr]a6fjL€i>o<;,€(ttl
S' 03P KaT€(j)p6p7)(T€P. €Pa Bk TOJP l'0p.L^0/jL€V(0V
eKel aocpwp koI iroXtTiKotP x^P^'^'' ^^'' ^^^%irelcra'i diriaTeuXep 6i9 Trjp XTrdpTrjp, SdXrjTa,
TTOirjTrjv fiep BoKovvTa XvpLKCJp pbeXcjp Kal irpo-
crxVf^(^ T?)r Tex^V^ TavTrjv TreTroirjjjbevop, epyo) Be
CLTvep ol KpaTLdTOi T(OP vofiodeTCJp BiairpaTTo-
212
LYCURGUS, HI. 4-iv. i
those who obeyed hun because he was guardian of
the kins^ and had royal power in his hands, werethose who clave to him for his virtues and were
ready and willing to do his bidding.There was a party, however, which envied him and
sought to impede the growing power of so young a
man, especially the kinsmen and friends of the
queen-mother, who thought she had been treated
with insolence. Her brother, Leonidas, actuallyrailed at Lycurgus once quite boldly, assuring himthat he knew well that Lycurgus would one daybe king, thereby promoting suspicion and pavingthe way for the accusation, in case any thinghappened to the king, that he had plotted againsthis life. Some such talk was set in circulation bythe queen-mother also, in consequence of which
Lycurgus was sorely troubled and fearful of what
might be in store for him. He therefore determinedto avoid suspicion by travelling abroad, and to
continue his wanderings until his nephew shouldcome of age and beget a son to succeed him on thethrone.
IV. With this purpose, he set sail, and came first
to Crete. Here he studied the various forms of
government and made the acquaintance of their
most distinguished men. Of some things he heartily
approved, and adopted some of their laws, that he
might carry them home with him and put them in
use ; for some things he had only contempt.One of the men regarded there as wise statesmenwas Thales, whom Lycurgus persuaded, out of favour
and friendship, to go on a mission to Sparta. NowThales passed as a lyric poet, and screened himselfbehind this art, but in reality he did the work of
213
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
2 fievov. XoyoL yctp rjcrav ai u>hal 7rpo<; evireiOeuiv
fcal ojiovoiav avafcXrjTi/coL, Sict fieXcov afia kol
pvO/jLcov iroXv TO Koo-fiiov i'XpVTCov /cat Karaara-
TLKov, a>v aKpoco/juevot KareirpavvovTO XeXyOorco';
ra 7]0r] koI avvtp/cetovPTO Ta> ^rjXq) tmv Ka\S)v
eK T^9 i7rL')(Ct}pia^ov(Trj(; Tore 7rpb<; aWrjXovf;
KaKo6vpia<;, ware rpoirov tlvcl tcd AvKovpyay
TrpooSoiroielv ttjv iraiSevaiv avrwv i/cetvov.
3 'Atto Be T^9 Kp')]Trj(; 6 AvKovpyo^ eVt 'AcrCav
eirXevae, ^oyXofievo^, o)? Xiyerai,, TaL<; Kp7)TLKaL<i
BiaLTai<;, evreXeaiv ovaaif; fcal avaT7jpaL<;, ra?
*lcoi^iKa(; 7roXvT6Xeta9 fcal Tpv^d<i, coairep laTpo<;
awfiaaiv vyt,6LV0L<i virovXa kol voaooBr}, irapa^a-Xu)v aiToOewpriaai rrjv Eia(j)opav tcov /Sicou koI
4 TMV 7roXiT€L(OV. eK€L Bk KOI TOt? 'OfJit^pOV TTOiT]-
fiaaiv ivTv^obv Trpcorov, ox; eoL/ce, irapa toI<;
€fcy6voi,<i T0t9 Kp€0(l)vXov Btarrjpov/jLivoi^, koi
KariBoDV iv aviol^ tt)^ irpo^ r}Bov7)v koX cuKpaalav
BiaTpi^rj<^ TO iroXiTLKov kol TraiBevri/cop ovk
iXcLTTovo^ a^iov a7rovB7J<; dvafie/jLty/jLepov, iypd-
'^{raTo TTpoOu/iiox; fcal avurjyayev &)? Bevpo ko/jllcov.
Tjv yap Ti9 r}Br) Bo^a to)V iircov dfiavpa irapd
roL<;"EXXr)<Ti,v, ifce/CTijvTo Be ov ttoXXoI fieprj rtvd,
(TTTopdBifjv TT)^ '7roLi]o-€0)<;, 0)9 ervx^) Bia(j)epo/xipr)<;-
yvcopL/jLrjv Be avrrjv Kal fidXiara 7r/ocoT09 eiroiTjcje
AvKovpyo<;.5 AlyvTTTiOL B^ Kal 77/509 ai/Toi'9 d(f>t.K€a0ai rov
AvKOvpyov OLOvrai, kol rr)v aTro t5)v dXXayv yevcov
Tov pxi'Xjip'Ov BtuKpLcnv fidXiara Oavpdaavra
214
LYCURGUS, IV. 2-5
one of the mightiest lawgivers. For his odes wereso many exhortations to obedience and harmony,and their measured rhythms were permeated with
ordered tranquillity, so that those who listened to
them were insensibly softened in their dispositions,insomuch that they renounced the mutual hatreds
which were so rife at that time, and dwelt togetherin a common pursuit of what was high and noble.
Thales, therefore, after a fashion, was a forerunner
in Sparta of Lycurgus and his discipline.From Crete, Lycurgus sailed to Asia, with the
desire, as we are told, of comparing with the Cretan
civilization, which was simple and severe, that of
the lonians, which was extravagant and luxurious,
just as a physician compares with healthy bodies
those which are unsound and sickly ; he could then
study the difference in their modes of life and forms
of government. There too, as it would appear, hemade his first acquaintance with the poems of
Homer, which were preserved among the posterityof Creophylus ; and when he saw that the politicaland disciplinary lessons contained in them were
worthy of no less serious attention than the
incentives to pleasure and license which theysupplied, he eagerly copied and compiled them in
order to take them home with him. For these epics
already had a certain faint reputation among the
Greeks, and a few were in possession of certain
portions of them, as the poems were carried here
and there by chance ;but Lycurgus was the very
first to make them really known.The Aegyptians think that Lycurgus visited them
also, and so ardently admired their separation of the
military from the other classes of society that he
215
PLUTARCH'S TJVES
IxerevefyKelv et? rr]v ^irdpTqv, Kal ')(a)pLaavTa
rov<^ fiavav(TOV<i Kal 'X,€iporexva<; daretov co? aX^;-
^0)9 TO TToXirev/jLa /cal fcaOapov diroBel^ai. ravra
fiev ovv Alyv7rTL0L<; evioi koI t&v *EX\.7]vlkojv
6 avyypa(f)6cov fiapTvpovcnv' on. Be koI AijSurjv Kal 42
^Ifi)]pLav eTrrjXOev 6 AvKOVpyo<; Kal Tvepl rr]V
^lvSiKr]v irXavT^O 6l<; toI<; Tv/jbvoao^i.crTaL<; cofiuXr)-
creVy ovSiva ttXtjv ^Apta-TOKparr) tov 'liT'jTdp')(pv
XTrapridrrjv elprjKora ywdxTKOfxev.V. Ot he AaKeBaL/jLoviot rov AvKovpyov iiro-
dovv diTovra Kal fieTeTrifJuirovro iroWdKi^, &>? rov^
fiev 0a(Ti\€i<; ovo/xa Kal tcjjl^v, dWo Be jurjBev Bca-
<f)ipov rSyv rroWcov e')(pvTa<^, ev SKeivw Be <j)V(Tiv
rjyefioviKTjv Kal Bvva/jiLV dvOpcoTrcov dywyov ovaav.
ov fMTjv ovBe T0?9 /Bao-iXevacv rjv d^ovXr,TO<i q
TTapovaia rov dvBpo^y aXX' rjXiTLXov eKeivov avfi-
TTapovTO^ rjTTOV xjfipi^ovcn ^^Tjcr^at rot? iroXXoU.
2 eTraveXdodv ovv 7rpo<; ovrco BiaKetfievovf; evdv<i
e'TTe')(^eipeLrd irapovra Kivelv Kal fjuedio-rdvai T7)v
TToXireuav, w? rcov Kara fiepo<i vofJLcav ovBev epyovovBe 6(l)eXo^, el
fjur) ri? Mairep aco/jLari irovr^pw Kal
yepovTt iravToBaTrSyv vocri-]ixdr(ov rrjv V7rdp)(^ovcrav
eKTrj^a<; Kal /jbera^aXcov Kpdcrcv viro ^appA-KoyvKal KaOapjxwv erepa^ dp^erat Katvr]<; BiaiTTj^;.
3 BiavorjdeU Be ravra irpayrov ^ev direBijfMTjcrev €69
AeX0ou9* Kal rw Oew Ovaa^ Kal %/3?7cra/x6z^09
eTravrjXOe rov Bta^orjrov eKeivov')(prja'/j,bv ko/jll-
fft)i/, w 6eo<^tXri fiev avrov rj YivOia irpoaetTre Kal
Oeov fiaXXov rj dvOpcoTrov, evvofMia^ Be 'XPV^ovri.
2l6
LYCURGUS, !. 5-v. 3
transferred it to Sparta, and by removing mechanics
and artisans from participation in the government,made his civil polity really refined and pure. At anyrate, this assertion of the Aegyptians is confirmed bysome Greek historians. But that Lycurgus visited
Libya and Iberia also, and that he wandered over
India and had conferences with the Gymnosophists,no one has stated, so far as I know, except Aristo-
crates the son of Hipparclius, the Spartan.V. The Lacedaemonians missed Lycurgus sorely,
and sent for him many times. They felt that their
kings were such in name and station merely, butin everything else were nothing better than their
subjects, while in him there was a nature fitted to
lead, and a powder to make men follow him. How-ever, not even the kings were averse to having liim
at home, but hoped that in his presence their
subjects would treat them with less insolence.
Returning, then, to a people thus disposed, he at
once undertook to change the existing order of
things and revolutionize the civil polity. He wasconvinced that a partial change of the laws would beof no avail whatsoever, but that he must proceed as
a physician would with a patient who was debilitated
and full of all sorts of diseases ; he must reduce andalter the existing temperament by means of drugsand purges, and introduce a new and different
regimen. Full of this determination, he first madea journey to Delphi, and after sacrificing to the godand consulting the oracle, he returned with that
famous response in which the Pythian priestessaddressed him as " beloved of the gods, and rather
god than man," and said tiiat the god had granted
217
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ZiZovav Koi KaraLvelv€<f)r}
rov Oebv ^ ttoXv
KpaTiarrj tcov dWcov earai TroXtreicov,
4 ^EirapOeU ^6 tovtol^ TTpoarjyeTO^ tou9 aplff-
T0U9 Koi (TVV6(f)d7rT€adaL TrapeKoXety Kpv^a BiaXe-
y6jii€vo<; T0fc9 (plXoi^ Trpcjrov, elra ovroa^ Kara
fiLKpov cLTTTopLevo^ TrXetovcov fcal (Tvvi(TTa<; eVl ttjv
TTpd^iv. CO? S' Kaipo'i rjKe, rptd/covra roi)? tt/jco-
T0U9 eKeXevce fierd TOiv ottXcov ecoOev eh dyopdv
irpoeXOelv ifCTrXtj^eco^ evefca koX (po^ov irpof; rov^
avrtTTpdrrovraf;. wv elKOcn rovq iTTL^avecrTdrovf;
"E/9fti7r7ro9 dveypayfre' rov Se fjidXicra rcov
AvKovpyov epycov Koivcovrja-avTa Trdvrcov koX (tv/x-
TTpayfiareva-dfievov rd irepX rov^ v6/jiov<; ^ApO/Mid-
5 Bav ovofid^ovaLv, dp')(^0fiev7]<;Be Trj<; rapa'X/i^; 6
^aaiXev<; XapiXao^; <po^r]Oel<; a)9 eV avrov 6Xr)<;
T?}9 TTpd^eax; avviaTa[ievr)<iy Kare^vye 7rpo<; rrjv
XaXKLoiKov elra iretcrdel^ koX Xaficov 6p/€ov<;
dvearr] kcli [JLerel)(€.twv TrpaTTo/juevcoVf (pvaei
TTpao'i cov W9 TTOU Kol Xeyerai aru/xfiao-iXevovra
Tov^Ap)/iXaov avro) 7Tpo<; tou? iyKco/iid^ovrafi rov
veaviaKov elirelv**110)9 3' dv etr) XapLXao<; dvrjp
dyaOo^y 09 ovBe Tol<^ irovqpol^; 'y^aXeirof; iari;'
6 HXeiovcov Be KaivoTO/uLou/jievcov vtto tov Av-
Kovpyov 'TTpcoTOV rjv fcal fieytarov 77 KaTaaraai'^
ra)v yepovTcov, tjv (pijacv o TlXdrcov rfj twv ^aai-Xecov dpxv ^XeyfJiaivovar] p^iyOelaav koX yevofievrjv
la6yjrr](l)ov eh rd /xeyiara a-corrjpLav dfia Ka\
*TTpotrriyeTo Cobet : vpocrrjyf.
218
LYCURGUS, V. 3-6
his prayer for good laws, and promised him a
constitution which should be the best in the world.
Thus encouraged, he tried to bring the chief menof Sparta over to his side, and exhorted tliem to puttheir hands to the work with him, explaining his
designs secretly to his friends at first, then little bylittle engaging more and uniting them to attemptthe task. And when the time for action came, heordered thirty of the chief men to go armed into
the market-place at break of day, to strike conster-
nation and terror into those of the opposite party.The names of twenty of the most eminent amongthem have been recorded by Hermippus ; but theman who had the largest share in all the under-
takings of Lycurgus and co-operated with him in theenactment of his laws, bore the name of Arthmiadas.When the tumult began. King Charilaiis, fearing that
the whole affair was a conspiracy against himself, fled
for refuge to the Brazen House ;^ but he was soon
convinced of his error, and having exacted oaths
for his safety from the agitators, left his place of
refuge, and even joined them in their enterprise,
being of a gentle and yielding disposition, so muchso, indeed, that Archelaiis, his royal colleague, is said
to have remarked to those who were extolling the
young king," How can Charilaiis be a good man,
when he has no severity even for the bad ?"
Among the many innovations which Lycurgusmade, the first and most important was his institu-
tion of a senate, or Council of Elders, which, as
Plato says,2 by being blended with the " feverish"
government of the kings, and by having an equalvote with them in matters of the highest importance,
* A temple of Athena. '^
Laws, p. C91 e.
219
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
<T(ii^poavvr}v 'irapa(T')(eiv. alcopov/jLevr) y^p 17
irokiTela koX aTroKXiVovcra vvv jiev a)? tov<; ^aa-L-
Xei? iirl TvpavviSa, vvv Se to? to ttXtjOo^; cttI
7 hrj/uLOKpariav, olov ep/na rrjv twv yepovrcov ap^V^iv fiea-cp Oefievr] koI laoppoirtjaao-a rrjv aac^aXe-
ardTTjv rd^tv eo-%6 /cat /cardo-raaiv, del rojv oktcd
Kol eiKOdi yepovTWV rot? jiev ^aaiXevai, Trpoari-
Oep^evwv oaov dvri/Srjvai tt/do? Brj/jLOKpaTiav,
avOi^ Be virep rod/jlt) yeviaOat rvpavvioa tov
hrjfjbov dvappcovvvvTcov. Toaovrov<i Si (j)T)ac Kara-
(naOrjvaL tov^ yepovra^ ^ApiaToreXrji;, on
TptdKovra rcov irpooroov fierd AvKovpyov jevo-
fjievcov Bvo TTjv TTpd^iv iyKareXLTTOv diroBeiXtdaav-
8 re?, 6 Be ^(paXpo^ e'f dpx^i^ (fyrjcn roaourov^
yeveadai rov? t?}? yvd)fjL7}<; p^Taa')(^ovTa^. etr) S* dvTi Kol TO TOV dpiOp^ov BC el3Bo/xdBo<i TeTpdBiTToXXairXacnaaOeicrri^ diroTeXovp^evov, koI otl rot?
avTOV p^epecTLv t(T0<i cov fieTa ttjv e^dBa TeXeLo^;
eaTLv. epoX Be. Boxec p,dXtaTa ToaovTOV<; diro-
Bel^at Tov<; yepovTa<i otto)? ol Traz^re? elev Tpid-KovTa, TOfc? o/cTO) KOL e'lKocji Tolv Bvolv ffacTtXeoiv 43
TTpoaTtdep^votv.VI. OuTft) Be irepl TavTrfv eairovBaae ttjv dp^r]v
6 AvKOvpyo<; coo-tc p^avTeiav eK AeXcjycov Kop,i(Tai
frepl avTT]<;, rjv prjTpav KaXovaiv.e)(^ei
Be ol/to)?*"Ato9 ^vXXaviov ^
/cal \\.6avd^ XvXXavLa<; ^lepov
ISpvadp^evov, (l)vXd<; ^vXd^avTa koI w/Sa? a)ySa-
^avTa, Tpid/covTa yepovaiav avv dp)(^ayeTai<;
KaTaaTTjcravTa, u>pa^ ef wpa? direXXd^eiv p^era^v^'SvWavlou, :Zv\\avias Bekker adopts the corrections of
Bryan to 'EWaviov and 'EWavlas.
220
LYCURGUS, V. 6-vi. i
brought safety and due moderation into counsels of
state. For before this the civil polity was veeringand unsteady, inclining at one time to follow the
kings towards tyranny, and at another to follow the
multitude towards democracy ; but now, by makingthe power of the senate a sort of ballast for the shipof state and putting her on a steady keel, it achieved
the safest and the most orderly arrangement, since
the twenty-eight senators always took the side of the
kings when it was a question of curbing democracy,and, on the other hand, always strengthened the
people to withstand the encroachments of tyranny.The number of the senators was fixed at twenty-eight because, according to Aristotle, two of the
thirty original associates of Lycurgiis abandoned the
enterprise from lack of courage. But Sphaerus saysthat this was originall}'^ the number of those whoshared the confidence of Lycurgus. Possibly there is
some virtue in this number being made up of seven
multiplied by four, apart from the fact that, beingequal to the sum of its own factors, it is the next
perfect number after six. But in my own opinion,
Lycurgus made the senators of just that number in
order that the total might be thirty when the two
kings were added to the eight and twenty.VI. So eager was Lycurgus for the establishment
of this form of government, that he obtained anoracle from Delphi about it, which they call a" rhetra." And this is the way it runs :
" Whenthou hast built a temple to Zeus Syllanius andAthena Syllania, divided the people into '
phylai'
andinto 'obai,' and established a senate of thirty mem-bers, including the '
archagetai,' then from time to
221
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
BaySu/fa? re Kal Kva/cicovo<!y outox; elcrcfiipeiv re
KoX a^iaraaOar Bd/xM Be rav Kvpiav ^fiev Kal
Kparo^.^^ iv tovtol<; to fiev <^v\a<^ (pvXd^at Kal
ft)/3a9 Gupd^ai BieXelv eari Kal KaravelfMai to
ir\rjdo<i eh /JL€piBa<;, cov ra? jjiev cpv\d<;, ra? Be
mffa^ TrpoarjyopevKev. dpyar^eTai Be ol ^aaiXeh\iyovTai, to Be aTreXXd^eiv eKKXrjaid^eiV' ore rr)v
dp'x/iv Kal rrjv airlav rr)'^ iroXireia'^ eh rov Yiv-
6lov dvrjyjre. rr]v Be Vta^vKav ^eL/jLappo<;,^ Kal rov
K.vaKicova vvv Olvovvra Trpoo-ayopevovaiv 'Apt-
arore\r}<^ Be rov fiev l^vaKicova irora^ov, rrjv Be
Ha^VKav yecjivpav, iv fieaco Be rovrcov ra? eK-
K\r]ala<; 97701/, ovre iraardBcov ovacov ovre aW'rj<;
rivo<i KaracTKevrjf;. ovOev yap were ravra Trpo?
ev/SovXlav elvai, fiaWov Be /Skdrrreiv, (j)\vapd)Bei<;
direpya^ofxeva Kal ^(avvovf; ^povi^fiari Kevco ra<;
Biavoia^ rcov (TV/jLTropevofMevoyv, orav eh dydX/xaraKal ypa(j)a<; rj TTpoorKrjvia Oedrpcov rj areya<; /3ov-
Xevrrjpbcov i^(7KT]/j.iva<; rrepirrSi^ eKKXr^aid^ovre^
drro^Xeirwai, rov Be TrXr]6ov<; ddpoiaOevro<i el-
irelv fiev ovBevl yvcopLrjv rcov dXXwv ecf^elroy Tr}v B*
VTTo rcov yepovrcov Kal rcov ^aatXecov TrporeOecaav
eTTLKplvai Kvpio<i r)v 6 Bf}fM0<i. varepov puevrob rcov
TToXXcov dcpaipeaet Kal rrpoaOeaei rd<; yv(o/jLa<; Bta-
cTrpe(j)6vrcov Kal Trapa^ia^ofiepcoVf IloXvBcopo<i Kal
^eoiropbiTOf; ol /3acnXeL<; rdBe ry pijrpa irapeve-
ypayjrav "At Be cTKoXtdv 6 8a/xo9 eXotro, rov<^
TTpeo-pvyevea^; Kal dp')(ayera^ drroararrjpa<; rj/jiev,'^
rovr eart pLrj Kvpovv, dXX^ oXco<; dcplaraaOat Kal*Xelfiappos this, or some other later name, ia thought to
have fallen from the text by Sintenis-, after E. Curtius,
Peloponnesu'i, ii, p. 315 ; Coraes and Bekker have tV 5f
Ba^vKuv Kal rhv Kj'a/ciwva, with the MSS.
222
LYCURGUS, VI. 1-4
cime *appellazein
*
between Babyca^ and Cnacion,i
and there introduce and rescind measures ; but the
people must have the deciding voice and the power."In these clauses^ the ^^
phylai"and the " obai
"refer
to divisions and distributions of the people into clans
and pkratriesJ or brotherhoods; by"archagetai" the
kings are designated, and "apellazein"
means to
assemble the people, with a reference to Apollo, the
Pythian god, who was the source and author of the
polity. The Babyca is now called Cheimarrus, andthe Cnacion Oenus ; but Aristotle says that Cnacionis a river, and Babyca a bridge. Between these theyheld their assemblies, having neither halls nor anyother kind of building for the purpose. For by such
things Lycurgus thought good counsel was not
promoted, but rather discouraged, since the serious
})urposes of an assembly were rendered foolish andfutile by vain thoughts, as they gazed upon statues
and paintings, or scenic embellishments, or extrava-
gantly decorated roofs of council halls. Whenthe multitude was thus assembled, no one of
them was permitted to make a motion, but themotion laid before them by the senators and kingscould be accepted or rejected by the people. After-
wards, however, when the people by additions andsubtractions perverted and distorted the sense of
motions laid before them. Kings Polydorus and Theo-
pompus inserted this clause into the rhetra :" But if
the people should adopt a distorted motion, thesenators and kings shall have power of adjourn-ment" ; that is, should not ratify the vote, butdismiss outright and dissolve the session, on the
*Probably names of small tributaries of the river Eurotas.
223
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
SiaXveiv rov Srjfiovy co? i/crpeTTovra koX fierafroi-
5 ovvra rrjv yv(t)fi7]v irapa to ^iXria'TOV. eireLaav
Be Koi avTol rrjv iroXiv co? toO Oeov ravra irpocr-
rdaaovTO^, w? irov Tvpralo^ iTri/ni/JLvrjrai Bia
rovTcov
*t>oL,8ov aKovaavre^ llvOwvoOev o'lKaB' eveiKav
fiavTeLa<; re Oeov kol Tekeevr eVea*
dpx^iv fi€v fiov\r]<i OeoTL^rjTOV^ ^acnXrja^;,
oldi fiekei X7rdpTa<; Ifiepoecrcra ttoXl^,
nrpea^vra^ re jipoura^, eireira Be Brjiiora^
ai'Bpa^;,
evOeiai^ prjTpaL^ dvTa7rafjLetj3ofi6vov^.
VIT. OuTCi) TO iroXirev/jia rov AvKovpyov fjd-
fai^To?, o/x«? aKoarov ert rrjv oXLyap-)(^iav Koi
ia')(ypdv ol /xer' avrov opcovre^; aiTapy&crav teal
6vfjL0V/jLevr]Vy w? (j)rj(TLV6 UXdrcov, olov yjrdXiov
efi^dXXov(Tiv avrfj ttjv tcop i(f)6p(ov Bvva/jLiv, ereai
irov jidXiara rpidfcovra koi e/carov fierd AvKOVp-
yov irpcoTwv tmv irepX "EXaroz^ i<^6pa3v Karaara-
2 OivTcov iirl SeoirofiTrov ^aaiXevovro^;' ov Kai
<^aaiv vTTo T?)9 eavTov yvvaiKo<; oveiBc^ofievov ax?
iXdrrcD 'jrapaBcocrovTa rol<; iraicrl ttjv ^aacXelav rj
irapeXape, "Metfo) [xev ovvT ^lirelv, "Saw 'y^povLoi-
ripav." Tft) yap ovri to dyav diro/SaXovcra fiera
Tov (l)66vov BLe<f)vye rov kivBvvov, ware/jL7]
Tradelv
224
LYCURGUS, VI. 4-vii. 2
ground that it was perverting and changing the
motion contrary to the best interests of the state.
And they were actually able to persuade the citythat the god authorized this addition to the rhetra^as Tyrtaeus reminds us in these verses :
—" Phoebus Apollo's the mandate was which they
brought from Pytho,
Voicing the will of the god, nor were his wordsunfulfilled :
Sway in the council and honours divine belong to
the princesUnder whose care has been set Sparta's city of
charm ;
Second to them are the elders, and next come the
men of the people
Duly confirming by vote unperverted decrees."
VII. Although Lycurgus thus tempered his civil
polity, nevertheless the oligarchical element in it
was still unmixed and dominant, and his successors,
seeing it "swelling and foaming," as Plato says,^
"imposed as it were a curb upon it, namely, the
power of the ephors." It was about a hundred and
thirty years after Lycurgus that the first ephors,Elatus and his colleagues, were appointed, in the
reign of Theopompus. This king, they say, on beingreviled by his wife because the royal power, whenhe handed it over to his sons, would be less thanwhen he received it, said :
"Nay, but greater, in
that it will last longer." And in fact, by renouncingexcessive claims and freeing itself from jealous hate,
royalty at Sparta escaped its perils, so that the
Spartan kings did not experience the fate which the
*Laws, p. 692 a.
225
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
a IS/leo-arjvLoi koI ^Apyeloi tou? Trap* avroi^ jSa^
cTiXet? eSpaaaVf /irjEep ivBovvai p^ijSe 'x^aXdaai
T^? 6^ovaLa<; eVl to hrjpiOTiKov ideXijcravras. o
KoX jjLoXiaTa Tr]v AvKovpyov ao^lav koI irpovoiav
iiroirjae ^avepav et9 ra? M.€crar]VL(ov kol *ApyeL(ov,
avyyevwv kol yeirovcov, Bijpuwv koI ^aaiXecov ard-
3 cret? Kal KaK07ro\iT€La<; d^opwaiv, oi tmv lacov
CLTT^dp')(rj<^ T€Tvxn^0T6<;, iv Se Tft) KXijpw Kal irkeov
e)(^eiv €KeivcDV h6^avTe<i, ovk iirl irokvv ^povov
evSaifJLOvrjaav, a)OC v^pei fiep t&v l3a(Tikia)V» ovk
euTretOeia Be tcop o-^Xwv, ra KaOecrTwra avvrapd-
^avre<i eBei^av on Oelov ^v 0)9 dXrjdax; evrv^rjpLa 44
TOL<i X'n-apridTai<; 6 rrjv iroXiTeiav appLoad/juevo';
Kal K€pdaa<; Trap* avrol^;. ravra p,ev ovv varepov.
VIII. Aevrepov Be rcov AvKovpyov 7roXiTevp,d-
rcov Kal veaviKcararov 6 t^9 7% dvaBaapL6<; eart.
B€ivrj<i yap ovarjf; dvcopLoXla^i Kal ttoXXcov aKTi}'
pLovdiv Kal drropcov iirKfyepopievcov rfj iroXec, rov Be
ttXovtov iravrdiraaLV eh oXiyovf; avveppvijKorofi,
v/Spiv Kal cl)06vov Kal KaKovpyiav Kal rpv^tr^v kol
TO, TovTCDV en irpea^vTepa Kal /xetfo) voaripiara
2 nroXiTeia^, ttXovtov Kal ireviav, e^eXavvcov, avve-
ireLcre ryjv y^oapav airaaav eh pueaov Oevra^ ef
dpxv^ dvaBdaacrOat, Kal ^rjv puer dXXijXcDV dirav-
Ta? opbaXeh Kal la-oKXrjpov^ roh Pioi^ yevop,evov<i,
TO Be irponTelov dperfi pL€n6vra<;, co? aXXrj(; erepcp
7r/309 ejepov ovk ovarj^i BLa<popd<i ovBe dvcaoryro^:,
226
p LYCURGUS, VII. 2-viii. 2
Messenians and Argives inflicted upon their kings,who were unwilling to yield at all or remit their
power in favour of the people. And this brings into
the clearest light the wisdom and foresight of
Lycurgus, when we contrast the factions and mis-
government of the peoples and kings of Messenia
and Argos, who were kinsmen and neighbours of the
Spartans. They were on an equality with the
Spartans in the beginning, and in the allotment of
territory were thought to be even better off than
they, and yet their prosperity did not last long,but wliat with the insolent temper of their kingsand the unreasonableness of their peoples, their
established institutions were confounded, and theymade it clear that it was in very truth a divine
blessing which the Spartans had enjoyed in the
man who framed and tempered their civil polityfor them. These events, however, were of later
date.
VIII. A second, and a very bold political measureof Lycurgus, in his redistribution of the land. Forthere was a dreadful inequality in this regard, the
city was heavily burdened with indigent and help-less people, and wealth was wholly concentrated in
the hands of a few. Determined, therefore, to
banish insolence and envy and crime and luxury,and those yet more deep-seated and afflictive dis-
eases of the state, poverty and wealth, he persuadedhis fellovz-citizens to make one parcel of all their
territory and divide it up anew, and to live withone another on a basis of entire uniformity and
equality in the means of subsistence, seeking pre-eminence through virtue alone, assured that there
was no other difference or inequality between man
227
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irXrjv o(Tr)v alaxp^^^v yjr6yo<; opi^eu koX koXmv
3 ^EiTTciycov Se TO) X6y(p to epyov eveifie rrfv jxev
aWrjv T0i9 TrepLOLKOL'i Aa/c(ovLK7)v Tpidfivpiov^
KXrjpov<;, TTjV Be eh to daTV ttjv %7rdpT7)v crvvTS-
\ov(Tav €paKta')(^i\iov<;' ToaovTOi yap eyevovTO
K\ripoi SirapTiaTcov evtot Be (fiaai top p-ev Av-
Kovpyov e^aKia')(^Ckiov^ vetp^at, TpLa)(^tX[ov<; Be
p.eTa Tavra irpoaOelvai UoXvBcopov' ol Be tou?
p,ev r)p,laei<; to)v evaKLa)(^Lki(t)v tovtov, tov<; Be
4 r)pLLaei,<; AvKOvpyop. 6 Be K\7Jpo<; rjv eicdaTOV
TO(TovTo<; wcTTe diro(f>opav ^epeiv dvBpX jiev e/3Bo-
fxrjKovTa KptOcop p^eBip^vov^, yvvaiKl Be BcoBexa,
Kol Tcop vypcop KapTTCOP dpa\6ya)<i to ttX^^o?.
dpKeaeip yap wero too-qvtop avTol<;, Trj<; Tpo^rj<;
TTpo^ eve^iap kuI vyeiap iKapr}^, dWov Be p,rj-
Bepo<i Berjaop^epOL^. XeyeTat B* avTOP vaTepopTTore j(^p6pw Trjp '^copap Bcepxop'CPOP e^ d'jroB7]/j,La<i
dpTL TeOepLcrpeprjp, opcopTU tou? crcopov^ vrapaX-
X?JXof9 Kal op.aXei^, /xetBidcrai, /cal elirelp Trpo'i
TOL'9 irapopra^ ft)9 r) AaKcoPifcr) ^aiveTai irdaa
TToWayp dBeX(f)Ci)P elpau pewcTl pepe/jurj/jLepcop.
IX. ^Eirtxeip^aa^ Be kol to. eTrtTrXa Bcaipelp,OTTW? iraPTdiradLP e^eXoc to dpc<T0P Kal dv(*}-
/jLaXov, eVel xaXeiro)'^ ecopa TrpocrBexop^epov^; rrjp
dpTiKpv<; dcpaipeatp, eTepa irepirjXOep 6B(p Kal
KaTeTToXLTeuaaro ttjp iv tovtol^ irXeope^iap.
irpcoTOP p^ep yap dKupaxra*; Trap po/xta/jLa %pv-aovp Kal dpyupovp p,6pa) ')(prja6aL T(p aiBr^ptp
TTpoaeTa^e' Kal T0VT(p Be diro ttoXXov aTaOfwv22S
I LYCURGUS, vm. 2-ix. i
and man than that which was established by blamefor base actions and praise for good ones.
Suiting the deed to the word, he distributed the rest
of the Laconian land among the "perioeci," or free
provincials, in thirty thousand lots, and that which
belonged to the city of Sparta, in nine thousand
lots, to as many genuine Spartans. But some saythat Lycurgus distributed only six thousand lots
among the Spartans, and that three thousand wereafterwards added by Polydorus ; others still, that
Polydorus added half of the nine thousand to the
half distributed by Lycurgus. The lot of each was
large enough to produce annually seventy bushels of
barley for a man and twelve for his wife, with a
proportionate amount of wine and oil. Lycurgusthought that a lot of this size would be sufficient for
them, since they needed sustenance enough to pro-mote vigour and health of body, and nothing else.
And it is said that on returning from a journey sometime afterwards, as he traversed the land just after
the harvest, and saw the heaps of grain standing
parallel and equal to one another, he smiled, andsaid to them that were by :
" All Laconia looks
like a family estate newly divided among manybrothers."
IX. Next, he undertook to divide up their movable
property also, in order that every vestige of uneven-ness and inequality might be removed ; and when hesaw that they could not bear to have it taken fromthem directly, he took another course, and overcametheir avarice by political devices. In the first place,he withdrew all gold and silver money from currency,and ordained the use of iron money only. Then to
a great weight and mass of this he gave a trifling
«a9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Koi oyKOv Bvva/jbtv 6\lyr)v eScoKCV, cj(tt€ Sexa
fjLvSyv afxotfir]v aTroOrjKrjf; re /jL6yd\7]<i iv otKLa
2 ZelaOai kol feuyof? ayovTo<;. rovrov Be Kvpco-OevTo^ e^eireaev dBi/oj/iidTcov yevt] iroWd ttj^;
AaKeBaifiovo^, Tt9 yap rj KXkiTTeiv ejneWev rj
BcopoBo/celv fj d7ro(TT€p€tv 7] dpTrd^eiv o jjLi^re
Kara/cpv^jrai Bvvarov rjv jj.i]re Ke/crrjaBai, ^tjXcotop,dXXd /iTjBe KaraKoy^rai \vai,Teke<;' o^ei ydp, o)?
Xeyerai, Biairvpov aioijpov rb o-Toixcofxa Kara-
a/36aa<; d(j)6i\ero rrjv et? raWa ')(peiav koX Bv-
vafJLiVy dBpavov<i fcal Bvaipyov yevofxevov.3 Mero. Be rovro Ta)v d^pW'^^^ '^^^ irepiaaSiv
67roi€LTO rex^cov ^evrjXaalav. efieXXov Be irov koI
fi7jBevo<; i^€XavvovTO<; al iroXXal to) kolvw vo/jLia-
[xajL auveK7T€a€C(T0ai, BidOeaiv r&v epycov ovk eyov-T(ov. TO ydp aiBrjpovv dycoyipov ovk rjv 7rpo<i tou?
dXXov<i ''KXXrjvaf; ovB^ el^e ri/uLrjv KarayeXcopevov,(Mcrre ovBe TTpiaaOal ri tmv ^evifccov Kal pco~TTLKCov V7rfjp)(^ev, ovB' elaeirXei <p6pT0<; ipbiropLKo^
eU Tou? Xipeva^, ovBe iire^aive rrjf; AaKa)viK7J<;ov ao(pi(TTr]<i XoycoVi ov pdvTL<i dyvpTiK6<;, ovxeratpcov rpo^eu?, ov 'Xpvo'MV Ti,<;, ovk dpyvpcov
KaXXcoTTLapdrcov Bypcovpyo^, are Brj vopiaparo^4 OVK ovTO^. dXXd ovT(0<i direpr^paidelaa Kara ptKpov
r) rpvcftr) ra)v ^wirvpovvTWv kol rpecpovTcop avrr) Bi^ 45
avTr}<^ efjiapaivero' Kal irXelov ovBev rjv roU TroXXd
KeKT7]pii>oL<;, oBov OVK €Xovcrr]<; €l<; peaov rr}? eif-
7ropLa<i, dXX* iyKar(pKoBopripev7]<; Kal dpyov(Tr}<;,
Blo Kal rd irpo'X^eLpa to)V aKCVcov Kal dvayKolaravra, KXLvrrjpe^ koi Bi^poi Kal rpdire^ai, /9e\-
Tiara irap avrol^ iBi]pLovpyelro, Kal kooOwv 6
230
I LYCURGUS, IX. 1-4
value, so that ten minas' worth ^required a large
store-room in the house, and a yoke of cattle to
transport it. When this money obtained currency,
many sorts of iniquity went into exile fromLacedaemon. For who would steal, or receive as a
bribe, or rob, or plunder that which could neither be
concealed, nor possessed with satisfaction, nay, noreven cut to pieces with any profit? For vinegarwas used, as we are told, to quench the red-hot iron,
robbing it of its temper and making it worthless for
any other purpose, when once it had become brittle
and hard to work.
In the next place, he banished the unnecessaryand superfluous arts. And even without such banish-
ment most of them would have departed with theold coinage, since there was no sale for their pro-ducts. For the iron money could not be carried into
the rest of Greece, nor had it any value there, butwas rather held in ridicule. It was not possible,
therefore, to buy any foreign wares or bric-a-brac ;
no merchant-seamen brought freight into their
harbours ;no rhetoric teacher set foot on Laconian
soil, no vagabond soothsayer, no keeper of harlots, no
gold- or silver-smith, since there was no money there.
But luxury, thus gradually deprived of that whichstimulated and supported it, died away of itself, andmen of large possessions had no advantage over the
poor, because their wealth found no public outlet,but had to be stored up at home in idleness. In this
way it came about that such common and necessaryutensils as bedsteads, chairs, and tables were most
excellently made among them, and the Laconian
"kotlion," or drinking-cup, was in very high repute» About £40, or $200.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
AaK(oviKo<; evSoKifjLei fidXtara irpo^ rci^ drparela^f5 6)9 <f>7](Ti YLpLTia^. ra fyap avayKaiw^; TTivof^eva
TCJv vSdrtov Kol hvawirovvra rrjv o^jriv direKpvrr-rero rfj Xpoa, koX tov OoXepov irpocTKOirTovTO^ivTO^ Kol 7rpoacaxop'€i>ov toc<; dfi^coai, KaOapco-
repov i7rXr]crla^€ tw o-TOfiari ro irLvofxevov. aiTio^
he Kal TovTcov 6 vo/io6eTrj<;' dTrrjWayfievoi yap oi
SrjpLovpyol tS)v d^r]aT(siv iv tol<; dvayKaLOi<:lirehelKvvvTo rrjv KaWirexviav,
X. "Eri he p.dWov eindeadai rrj rpvcp'p koX
TOV ^rjXov d(f>e\eadaL tov ttXovtov hiavorjOei^, to
TpiTOV TroXLTevfia kol koXXlcttov eTrrjye, Tr]v T03v
(TV(T<riTLcov KaTacr/cevyjv, waTe Seiirvelv pLCT dXXi]-Xcov GvvLovTa'i eTTL KoivoL<i KOL TeTayp^ivoL^ 6'\]roi<;
KoX (riTLot<;, oXkov he p.rj 8t.atTdcrOai KaraKXivevTa^
eh (TTpcop^vd^ TToXuTeXeh kol Tpawe^a^, X^P'^''
B7jp.iovpya)v Kal pxiyeipcov virb o-k6to<;, wairep2 dB7](pdya ^wa, iriaLvofiivovi, koX hLa(f>6eipovTa^
ap.a Toh r}9eai, tcl adtp^aTa irpo'^ irdaav eiridvpiav
dveipbiva kol 7rX7](Tpx>v7]v, p^uKpcov piev vttpcov, 6ep-
p.(ov he XovTpcov, ttoXX^? he '^av^^CL^ fccu TpoirovTLvd voarfXeLa^ Ka67)puepivr)<i heop>ev7]v» pLeya p,ev ovv
Kal TOVTo Tji', puelfyv he to tov ttXovtov d^rjXov,
ft)9 (pTjai 0fcO(^/3a(7TO9, Kal dirXovrov direpyd-aaaOai Ty koivottjti twv heirrvwv Kal ttj irepi
3 T7]v hlaiTav evTeXeia. ^^prjcri? yap ovk rjv ovhe
diroXavai^i ovhe o-^c; oX&)? 77 eVt^e/^f? t^9 ttoW^?irapaaKevY}*;, eirl to avTo helirvov tw TrevrfTi tov
irXovaiov ^ahi^ovTO^' wo-re tovto hrj to OpvXov-
p,evov ev p>6vr) rcov vtto tov rjXiov iroXewv tj)
XirdpTy ^XiireaOaL, tv(1)Xov ovtu tov ttXovtov Ka)
^32
LYCURGUS, IX. 4-x. 3
for usefulness among soldiers in active service, as
Critias tells us. For its colour concealed the dis-
agreeable appearance of the water which they wereoften compelled to drink, and its curving lips caughtthe muddy sediment and held it inside, so that onlythe purer part reached the mouth of tlie drinker.
For all this they had to thank their lawgiver ; since
their artisans were now freed from useless tasks, and
displayed the beauty of their workmanship in objectsof constant and necessary use.
X. With a view to attack luxury still more andremove the thirst for wealth, he introduced his thu-d
and most requisite political device, namely, the
institution of common messes, so that they mighteat with one another in companies, of common and
specified foods, and not take their meals at home,reclining on costly couches at costly tables, deliver-
ing themselves into the hands of servants andcooks to be fattened in the dark, like voracious
animals, and ruining not only their characters butalso their bodies, by surrendering them to everydesire and all sorts of surfeit, which call for longsleeps, hot baths, abundant rest, and, as it were, daily
nursing and tending. This was surely a greatachievement, but it was a still greater one to makewealth "an object of no desire," as Theophrastussays, and even "
unwealth,"^by this community of
meals and simplicity of diet. For the rich man could
neither use nor enjoy nor even see or display his
abundant means, when he went to the same mealas the poor man ; so that it was in Sparta alone, of
all the cities under the sun, that men could have that
far-famed sight, a Plutus blind, and lying as lifeless
1 Cf Morale, p. 527 b.
233
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Keifi€vov cdCTirep ypa(j)r)v dy^v')(pv Kol aKivrjrov.
ovBk yap oXkoi TTpoSeiTrvrjaavTa'i i^rjv pahi^etviirX Th (Tvaairia ireTrXrjpcofjLevov;, aXX' eVf/ieXft)?
ol XoLirol 'Trapa<f)v\dTTOVT€<; rov firj irivovra fiijBe
icrOlovTa fier avrwv eKciKL^ov 009 uKparrj Kal
irpo^ Tr)v KOLvrjv aTrofxaXaKL^ofjuevov Blairav,
XI. Ato Kal fidXiard (paat tw AvKovpyw irpo^
TOVTO TO TToXirevp-a 'x^aXeTrov'i yeveaOai rov^
ev7r6pov<;, Kal avardvTa'i iir avTov d9p6ov<; Ka-
Ta^oav Kal dyavaKTelv reXo^ Be ^aXXofievo^;VTTo ttoXXmv i^ETrecre t^<? dyopd<; Bpo/jbcp. Kal
rov<; fiev aXXov^; ecpOaaev €^'9 lepov Kara(f)vyQ)v'eh Be Ti<i veaiiaKO<^y dXX(o<; fiev ovk a^V7;9, ofu9Be Kal OvjioeiBrifiy "KXKavBpo^, einKelp.evo'; Kal
Blol>k(dv i7ricrTpa(j)evT0(; avrov rfj ^aKrrjpia ira-
2 Tafa9 rov o^daXjJLov e^eKO'^ev. 6 fiev ovv Av-
Kovpyo^ ovBev evBovfi 7r/oo9 to rrddo^, dXKcL ara^;
€vavTLO<; eBei^e T0fc9 iroXirai^ to irpocrcoirov rjfxay-
fiei'ov Kal BiecfiOapfMevrju Tr]V oy^iv alB(jo<; Be iroXXr)
Kal Karrjc^eia tol'9 iB6vTa<; ea-)(^ev,wcrre irapaBov-
vai Tov "AXKavBpov avT& Kal Trpoirefi'^at, p^XP^Trj<; olKia<^ avvayavaKTOVvra'^. 6 Be AvKovpyo<;€K€Lvov<i p,ev eiraiveaa^i a^r/zce, tov Be "AXKavBpovelaayayoov OLKaBe KaKov puev ovBev ovt eiroir^aev
ovT elirev, diraXXd^a^ Be Toix; (jvvrjOei^ virrjpeTa^Kal 6epaTTevTrjpa<i eKelvov eKeXevaev virrjpeTelv.
3 6 Be ouK ojv dyevvr]<^ eiroiet to TTpocrTaTT6p,evov
aiwTrfjj KaX 7rapap,evcov dp,a Ta> AvKovpyrp Kal
avpBiaLTd)p,evo<; ev tS) KaTavoelv ttjv irpaorr^TaKal TO airaOe^ avTOv t^9 'yjrvxv'^
Kal to irepl
TTJV BiaLTav auaTTjpov kuI to 7rp6<i 701)9 novov^;
234
LYCURGUS, X. 3-xi. 3
and motionless as a picture. For the rich could not
even dine beforehand at home and then go to the
common mess with full stomachs, but the rest keptcareful watch of him who did not eat and drink with
them, and reviled him as a weakling, and one too
effeminate for the common diet.
XI. It was due, therefore, to this last politicaldevice above all, that the wealthy citizens wereincensed against Lycurgus, and banding togetheragainst him, denounced him publicly with angryshouts and cries ; finally many pelted him with stones,so that he ran from the market-place. He succeededin reaching sanctuary before the rest laid hands onhim ; but one young man, Alcander, otherwise nomean nature, but hasty and passionate, pressed hard
upon him, and as he turned about, smote him with
his staff and put out one of his eyes. Lycurgus,however, was far from yielding in consequence of
this calamity, but confronted his countrymen, andshowed them his face besmeared with blood and his
eye destroyed. Whereupon they were so filled withshame and sorrow at the sight, that they placedAlcander in his hands, and conducted him to his
house with sympathetic indignation. Lycurgus com-mended them for their conduct, and dismissed them,but took Alcander into the house with him, wherehe did the youth no harm by word or deed, but after
sending away his customary servants and attendants,ordered him to minister to his wants. The youth,who was of a noble disposition, did as he was com-
manded, without any words, and abiding thus with
Lycurgus, and sharing his daily life, he came to
know the gentleness of the man, the calmness of his
spirit, the rigid simplicity of his habits, and his
235
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aKafJLinov, avr6<; re Betv(o<; StereOrj irepX rov
avBpa, /cat 7r/3o? tov<; crwrjOeL^ Koi <^i\ov<; eXeyev
0)9 ov o-KXrjpo^ ovB^ av6dB7)<i 6 AvKOvpyo^y aWa 46
4 ii6vo<; TjfjLepo^ koI Trpao^ iari TOL<i aXXoL<i. ovray
fxev ovv ovTo<; ifcCKoXaaTO Koi roiavTrjv v7r€(T)(^j]Ket
El/crjv, iic irovrjpov viov koX avddBov<; ififieXecrra-
T09 dvr)p Kol arcocfypoviKcoTarof; yevo/nevo*;. rov
Be irdOov'; VTTopvrjfia AvKOVpyo^; IBpvaaro Tr}<^
*A6r]va<; Upov, rjv ^OirTCklriv irpoorrjyopeva-e* tou?
yap 6^daXfiov(i 6'jttCXov<; ol rfjBe A(opceL<; KaXov-
Giv. evLOi fxevTOi rov AvKovpyov, o)v kol Aio-
cTKopCBrji; iarlv 6 (7VVT€Tayp.evo<; ryv AaKcoviKrjv
TToXiTeiav, TrXrjyrjvao fiiv (fiacTtv, ov TV(f>XcoOfjvai
Be rov 6(j)OaXfjL6v, dXXd Kal to lepov rf} Seat rrj^
dK€o-6co<; 'X^DLpiG-Trjpvov IBpvaacdai. to fievroi
(pepeiv paKTrjpiav 6KKXr)(rLd^ovT6<; ol XTrapTidTai
puera rrjv (TvpL(^opdv i/cetvrjv direpaOov.XII. Ta Be (Tvao-LTLa J^pijre^; jjuev dvBpela,
AaKeBaip,6viOL Be (fyiBiTLa nrpoaayopevovaiv, eire
ft)9 <j)iXLa<; Kal <^iXo<fipo(Jvvq(; v7Tap)(^6vr(i)v, dvrl
rov X rb B Xap^dvovr€<;, etre ax; 7r/oo9 evreXetav
Kal (jyeiBco avveOi^ovrayv. ovBev Be KcoXvei. Kal
rov Trpcorov e^(odev errLKeldOai (pOoyyov, ataTrep
eviob (j^aacv, eBiriwv irapd rrjv Biairav Kal rijv
2 eB(uBr)v XeyopuevoDV. trvvrjp^ovTO Be dvd TrevreKal-
BeKU Kal ^pa')(el rovrcov eXdrrov^i ^ rrXeiov^;.
ecfyepe Be €Kaaro<i Kara p,rjva rwv avaalrcov dXcfyl-
rcov peBtpLvov, olvov %oa9 oktco, rvpov irevre pvd<!,
avKGJV r)p,ipvala irevre, irpo^ Be rovroi^i et9 oyjrco-
viav pLLKpov ri KopuB^ voplarparo^, aXXco^ Be
236
I LYCURGUS, XI. 3-xii. 2
unwearied industry. He thus became a devoted
follower of Lycurgus^ and used to tell his intimates
and friends that the man was not harsh nor self-willed,
as he had supposed, but the mildest and gentlest of
them all. Such, then, was the chastisement of this
young man, and such the penalty laid upon him,
namely, to become, instead of a wild and impetuous
youth, a most decorous and discreet man. Lycurgus,moreover, in memory of his misfortune, built a templeto Athena Optilitis,so called from ^^optilus," which is
the local Doric word for eye. Some writers, however,of whom one is Dioscorides, who wrote a treatise onthe Spartan civil polity, say that although Lycurguswas struck in the eye, his eye was not blinded, but
he built the temple to the goddess as a thank-offeringfor its healing. Be that as it may, the Spartan
practice of carrying staves into their assemblies wasabandoned after this unfortunate accident.
XII. As for the public messes, the Cretans call them"andreia," but the Lacedaemonians,
"phiditia,"
either because they are conducive to friendship and
friendliness, "phiditia" being equivalent to^^
philitia"
;or because they accustom men to sim-
plicity and thriftJ for which their word is ^^pheido."But it is quite possible, as some say, that the first
letter of the word "phiditia" has been added to
it, making"phiditia
"out of "
editia," which refers
merely to meals and eating. They met in companiesof fifteen, a few more or less, and each one of the
mess-mates contributed montlily a bushel of barley-
meal, eight gallons of wine, five pounds of cheese,two and a half pounds of figs, and in addition to this,
a very small sum of money for such relishes as flesh
and fish. Besides this, whenever any one made a
VOL. I. T 237
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kol Ovaa<; Tt? aTrapxrjv Kal Or^pevaa^ iiepos
eire/JL-ylrev et? to arvaaiTLOv. e^rjv yap olkoc Bec-
TTveXv OTTore dvcra<; rt? 17 KVvr]ycov oyjrlaeie, tov^
3 Be akXov^ eBec irapelvaL. Kal fjiixp^ 7^ iroWov
ra? (TvadiTrjCTeL^ d/cpc/Sco^ 8i€(j)v\aTTOV, *'AycBo<i
yovv Tov l3aaik€0i)<;, 009 eiravqXdev airo rrj<; arpa-T€ia<; KaTaiTerr6kep.rjK(b<^
^
A6ijvaLov<i, /SovXo/jiivov
irapa rfj yvvaiici henrvelv kcli iieraTTefjLTToiJLevov
ra<i fieplBa^y ovk eireix^av ol TroXifuipxoii tov
Be fjLeO^ Tjfiepav vir* opyrj^i /i^ OixravTO^ fjv eBei
Ovaiav, i^rjfibaxTav avTOV.
4 Et9 Be TO, avaaiTta /cat TratSe? i(f)oiT(ov, wairepet? BiBaaKaXeia aoxppoavi^rj^ dyofxevoi, Kal Xoycop
r)KpO(avTO ttoXltckcov Kal TraiSeura? iXevOepia^
ecopcov, avTOL tc irai^etv elOi^ovTO Kal aKcaTTTeiv
avev ficofjLoXox^cL'i Kal aKcoTTTOfievoi fjurj Bv(T)(€paL-
vecv. a^oBpa yap iBoKet Kal tovto AaKoaviKov
elvai, (TKcofJLfiaTo^ aveyecQai' i^rj <^epovTa Be e^ijp
5 irapaiTeladaii Kal 6 aKcoTrrcov iireTravTO. tSjp
S' elaLovTcov eKd(JT(p BeL^a<; 6 irpea^vraTO^s ra?
6vpa<;, "Aid tovtcov,*' ^i-jaiv,"
e^co X0709 ovk
eKTTopeveTai.^* BoKCfid^eaOaL Be tov ^ovXofxevovTOV avaatTLOV fieTaa'X'^lv ovtco (f)aaL, Xa/Bcop twvGrva-a-LTCOv 6KaaT0<; dirofiayBaXiav el<i ttjv x^ipa,tov BiaKovov ^epovTCi dyyelov eirl r^ Ke(ftaXrj<;,
e^aXXe accoTrfj KaOdirep -yjrrjipov,6 fiev BoKi/jbd^cov
dirXa)^, 6 B' eKKpivoiv acpoSpa ttj %6^/ot 7rtecra9.
6 rj yap TreTneafievrj Tr]v tPj^ TeTprj/j.ej^7]<; e;)^etBv-
vafjLip. Kav filav evpcoaL TocavTr^p, ov irpoaBe-
238
LYCURGUS, XII. 2-6
sacrifice of first fruits, or brought home game from
the hunt, he sent a portion to his mess. For when-ever any one was belated by a sacrifice or the chase,he was allowed to sup at home, but the rest had to beat the mess. For a long time this custom of eatingat common mess-tables was rigidly observed. For
instance, when King Agis, on returning from an
expedition in which he had been victorious over the
Athenians, wished to sup at home with his wife, andsent for his rations, the polemarchs
^ refused to sendthem to him ; and when on the following day his
anger led him to omit the customary sacrifice, theylaid a fine upon him.
Boys also used to come to these public messes, as if
they were attending schools of sobriety ; there theywould listen to political discussions and see instructive
models of liberal breeding. There they themselvesalso became accustomed to sport and jest without
scurrility, and to endure jesting without displeasure.
Indeed, it seems to have been especially characteristic
of a Spartan to endure jesting ; but if any one couldnot bear up under it, he had only to ask it, and the
jester ceased. As each one came in, the eldest ofthe company pointed to the door and said to him :
"Through that door no word goes forth outside."
And they say that a candidate for membership in oneof these messes underwent the following ordeal. Eachof the mess-mates took in his hand a bit of soft bread,and when a servant came along with a bowl uponhis head, then they cast it into this without a word,like a ballot, leaving it just as it was if he approvedof the candidate, but if he disapproved, squeezingit tight in his hand first. For the flattened piece
* At Sparta, military commanders under the kings.
239
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Xovrai Tov iTreiaiovra, ^ovXafievoi iravra^ 7)Bo-
fisvov; aWt]\oi<; cruvetvac. tov Be ovtco^ cltto-
BoKCfiao-divra KeKaBhiaOaL Xiyovar KdBBcxo<; yapKoXelrai, to ayyelov et? o ra? a'jTO^ayBakia<i
ifjL^aXXovai. toov Be oyfrcov evBoKLfiei /jLoXiara
Trap" avTot^ 6 fieXa<; ^cofi6<;y wcrre fjurjBe KpeaBuovBeladai roix; Trpecr^VTepov^;, aXXa irapaycopelvTot9 veavLu/cocf;, auTov<; Be tov ^co/jlov KaTayeo-
7 p^evov^ ecTTiaaOai. XeyeTai Be Ttva t(ov Uovtikoov
^acTLXecov eveKa tov ^copov /cat irpiaaOai Aa/cco-
VLKOV pdyetpov etra yevadpevov Bva')(^epavar koI
TOV pdyeipov elirelv"'11 jSaatXev, tovtov Bel tov
^o)pov ev T(p l^vpcoTO. XeXovpevov^ eTro-^aaOai.^^
TTiovTe^ Be peTplcix^ diriaa-LBi')(^a XapurdBo^. ov
yap e^eaTL '7rpb<; ^W9 /3aBi!^€LV, ovre TavTrjv ovt€
dXXrjv oBoVy 07ro)9 iOi^wvTai <7k6tov<; KaX vvkto^
evOapaS)^ koX dBea)<; oBeveLV. to. fiev ovv avaai-
Tta TOiavTTjv e-y^ei Ta^iv.
XIII. NoyLtou? Be yeypap,pAvov<; 6 AvKovpyo<; 47ov/c edrjfcev, aXXa pla tcov KaXovpevcov prjTpayv
ecTLV avTT), TO, pev yap /cvptcoTaTa koX pAyiaTa
Trpo<^ evBaipovlav irdXew^ koI dpCT^v, ev Tot<;
rjOecTtv cpeTO koI rat? dycayal^ tcov ttoXitojv
eyKaTeaToiX'^Lcopbeva, pAveiv aKivrjTa koI ^e^aia,
eyovTa TTjv 7rpoaLp€(TLV Beapov layvpoTepov T779
dvdyKTi^y r\v r] nraiBevcn^; epLiroLel toI<; veoL^iy vopuo-
OeTov BidOeaLv aTrepya^opevrj irepX e/ca(TTov av-
2 T(av» TOL Be pLKpa xal yp7]p,aTL/cd av/i^oXaia xal
240
u LYCURGUS, XII. 6-xiii. a
of bread had the force of a perforated, or negative,ballot. And if one such is found in the bowl, the
candidate is not admitted to the mess, because theywish all its members to be congenial. The candi-
date thus rejected is said to have been "caddished,"for " caddichus
" ^ is the name of the bowl into which
they cast the pieces of bread. Of their dishes, the
black broth is held in the highest esteem, so that the
elderlymen do not even ask for a bit of meat, but leave
it for the young men, while they themselves have the
broth poured out for their meals. And it is said that
one of the kings of Pontus actually bought a Spartancook for the sake of having this broth, and then, whenhe tasted it, disliked it ; whereupon the cook said :
" O King, those who relish this broth must first havebathed in the river Eurotas." After drinking mod-
erately, they go off home without a torch ; for theyare not allowed to walk with a light, either on this
or any other occasion, that they may accustom them-selves to marching boldly and without fear in the
darkness of night. Such, then, is the fashion of
their common messes.
XIII. None of his laws were put into writing byLycurgus, indeed, one of the so-called "rhetras"forbids it. For he thought that if the most import-ant and binding principles which conduce to the
prosperity and virtue of a city were implanted in the
habits and training of its citizens, they would remain
unchanged and secure, having a stronger bond than
compulsion in the fixed purposes imparted to the
young by education, which performs the office of a
law-giver for every one of them. And as for minor1 Or "caddos," from which the verb in the Greek text is
formed.
241
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
/jLeTairLTTTOVTa Ta2<; ^^peiac^; dWoTe dWco<;, /Sekriov
rjv fXT] KaraXa/jL^dvetv iy^pd<j>0L<; dvdyKac'; fjurjhe
dKLvrjTOL^; eOecTiv, aW' iav iirX rcov Katpcov, irpoa-
Oeaei^ XafjbjBdvovTa fcal d^aLpeaei^, a? dv ol
ireTracBevfjievoi. hoKifidawai. to yap oXov koI
TTCLV T^9 vofwOeaia^ epyov eU rrjv TTaiheiav
dvrjyjre.
3 Mta /JL€V ovv ra>v prjrpcov rjv, wcrirep eiprjrai,
fjLT} XPW^^'' v6fioi<; e77/oa</)0i9. krepa he irdXiv
Kara t^9 TroXfreXeta?, ottg)? olKia irdaa ttjv fiev
6po(f)r]v diro TreXi/ceco^ elpyao-fxevi^v e^jj, Ta? Be
Ovpa<; diTO 7rpiovo<; fiovov koX fjbrjhevo^ rcov dXXcov
epyaXeicov. oirep yap vcrrepov ^K7ra/jL€tvcovSav el-
irelv Xeyovaiv eVl tjJ? eavrov Tpaire^7]<;, (h<; ro
roLOVTOv dpiarov ov X^P^^ TrpoBoauav, rovro nrpS)-
T09 ivoTjae Av/covpyo<;, ft)9 oiKia roiavTr] Tpv(j>rjv
4 ov %(xypei koX iroXvTeXeiav, ovS^ eariv ouBeh ovrw^
aTTeipoKaXo's fcal dvoi)TO<; wcrre 6t9 oi/ciav a<^eX'^
Kal hjfMOTiKTjV elacpipeLV KXiva<; dpyvpoTroBa^; Kal
<7T/oa)yum9 dXovpyet^ Kal xP'^^d^; KvXL/ca<; Kal rrjv
T0VT0t<; kTTOjxevrjv TroXvTeXetav, aXV dvdyKrj avv-
apfio^eadai Kal avve^o/jLOLOvv rfj fxev olKia Tr)V
kXlvtjv, TTJ Be kXivt) rrjv eoSrjTa, ravrr} Be rrjv
5 dXXrjv 'XPpT^ylav Kal KaraaKevt'jv. eK Be ravTr)<;
rrj<i avvr)6eLa<; (j}aal Kal Aecorvx^'B' v rov irpecr^v-
repov ev ILopivOcp Benrvovvra, Kal Oeaadpuevov t^9
areyrjf; rov oikov rrjv KaraaKevrjv TToXvTeXr) Kal
(^arvwfJLariKrjv, ipcoTrjaat rov ^evov el rerpdyayva
Trap avTOi<i rd ^vXa ^verai.
TpiTijv Be prjTpav Bia/jivrjfjuovevova-c rov AvKovp-yov, rrjv KcoXvovo-av inl tov<; avrov^ TToXe/uovf;
242
I LYCURGUS, XIII. 2-5
matters, such as business contracts, and cases wherethe needs vary from time to time, it was better, as he
thought, not to hamper them by written constraints
or fixed usages, but to suffer them, as occasion de-
manded, to receive such modifications as educated
men should determine. Indeed, he assigned the
function of law-making wholly and entirely to
education.
One of his rhetras accordingly, as I have said,
prohibited the use of written laws. Another was
directed against extravagance, ordaining that everyhouse should have its roof fashioned by the axe, and
its doors by the saw only, and by no other tool.
For, as in later times Epaminondas is reported to
have said at his own table, that such a meal did not
comport with treachery, so Lycurgus was the first to
see clearly that such a house does not comport with
luxury and extravagance. Nor is any man so vulgarand senseless as to introduce into a simple and commonhouse silver-footed couches, purple coverlets, gold
drinking-cups, and all the extravagance which goes
along with these, but one must of necessity adapt and
proportion his couch to his house, his coverlets to his
couch, and to this the rest of his supplies and equip-ment. It was because he was used to this simplicitythat Leotychides the Elder, as we are told, when he
was dining in Corinth, and saw the roof of the house
adorned with costly panellings, asked his host if trees
grew square in that country.
A third rhetra of Lycurgus is mentioned, which
forbids making frequent expeditions against the same
243
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
7roWdKi<;^ arpareveLV, Xva fir) iroXkaKi'^ afivve-
6 aOav (TvveOL^ofxevoL iroXe/uLi/col yevcovrai,. koX tovto
76 fidXicTTa KaTrjyopovcTLV ^AyrjcTiXdov rod fiaai-
Xect)9 varepovy to? Tal<i avve^kai koI irvKvai^ eh
rrjv ^OLcoTLav €/i^o\aL<; Koi (TTpaTeiai^ tov<; Srj-
l3abov<i dvTLTTuXov^; tol<; AaKeBaLfiovioi^i Kara-
(TKevdaavTo^, hio koi rerpco/Jievov avrbv ISodv
^KvTakKiha^y"KaXa/* €(^r},
'* ra SiSaa/cdXta irapa
@7;/3ata)y diToXafi^dvei'^, fxi] fiov\o[Jbevov<; avrov^
fiTjSe etSora? pd^ea-OaL ^tSa^a?.'* ra p,ev ovv tol-
avra vopoOerijp^Ta prjTpa<; wvopaorev, <09 irapaTov Oeov Kop.t,^6fi€va
^/cat xpV^f^^^^ ovra.
XIV. T?}? Se 7rai8€ia<;, rjv p,iycaTov rjyetro tov
vop^oOerov koX KdXKiarov epyov elvat, iroppcoOev
dp')(pp,evo's €vdv^ iirecTKOTreL rcL irepX tou<; ydp,ov<;
Kol ra<; yevea€i<;. ov ydp, co? 'A/ota-roreX?;? ^r)(Tiv,
i'in'X^eipri(Ta<; o-axftpovi^cLV ra? yvvaiKa<i, iiTavaaro
p,7j tcparcbv T»)? 7roX\rj<; dvecrew^ koi yvvaiKOKpa-Tta? hia TCi^ TToXKa^ (TrpaTeia^ ra>v dvBpcov, iv
ah TjvayKd^ovro KvpLa<; dTroXeuTreiv eKeiva^y koI
Sid TOVTO puaWov tov TrpoaTj/covTO^ avTd<; iOepd-Trevov Kal Seairoiva^ Trpocrrjyopevoir dWd Kal
TovTcov T7]v evhe')(ppievr}v i'mp.ekeLav eiroLi](TaTO.
2 ra pAv ye adopuaTa tcov Trapdevcov Bp6p,oi<; Kal
TTaXat? KaX ^oXah Blo-kcov Kal dKOVTieov Bieirovrj-
<Tev, 0)9 7] T€ Tft)i^ yevv(i)puev(ov pi^wai,^ la-)(vpdv iv
iax^poh crcopLaaiv dpxv^ \apova-a ffXaaTavoi^ iroWaKis inserted before (Trpareveiv to agree with Morals,
p. 227 c ; vo\f/J.iovs arpanveip.2
KoixiC6ix€va Cobet, adopting the conjecture of Sintenis'* :
rofxiC6fi*ya {were believed to come).
244
LYCURGUS, xiii. 5-xiv. 2
enemies, in order not to accustom such enemies to
frequent defence of themselves, which would makethem warlike. And this was the special grievancewhich they had against King Agesilaiis in later times,
namely, that by his continual and frequent incursions
and expeditions into Boeotia he rendered the Thebansa match for the Lacedaemonians. And therefore,when Antalcidas saw the king wounded, he said :
"This is a fine tuition-fee which thou art gettingfrom the Thebans, for teaching them how to fight,when they did not wish to do it, and did not knowhow." Such ordinances as these were called "rhetras"
by Lycurgus, implying that they came from the godand were oracles.
XIV. In the matter of education, which he
regarded as the greatest and noblest task of the
law-giver, he began at the very source, by carefully
regulating marriages and births. For it is not true
that, as Aristotle says,^ he tried to bring the womenunder proper restraint, but desisted, because hecould not overcome the great licence and powerwhich the women enjoyed on account of the manyexpeditions in which their husbands were engaged.During these the men w^ere indeed obliged to leave
their wives in sole control at home, and for this
reason paid them greater deference than was their
due, and gave them the title of Mistress. But evento the women Lycurgus paid all possible atten-
tion. He made the maidens exercise their bodies in
running, wrestling, casting the discus, and hurlingthe javelin, in order that the fruit of their wombsmight have vigorous root in vigorous bodies andcome to better maturity, and that they themselves
» Pol, ii. 6, 8.
245
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
jSeXriov, avrai re jjierh pco/jL7j(; tov? t6kov<; vtto-
fxevovcrai Ka\M<; afia koI paSLco<; dycovL^oivro tt/jo?
ra? oohcvaf;. acfyeXoov Be Opv^LV koX <r/€iaTpa(j)iavfcal drjXvrrjra iraaav ovBev r)TTov eWio-e tmv
Kopcov Ta9 Kopa^ yvfJLvd<; re iropbTreveiv Kal 7rpo<; 48
iepo2^ Tcaiv 6p)(^6L<Tdai koI dheiv rcov vicov irapov-3 TWV Koi 66(0/jL€V(OV. eCTTl 0€ OTC Kal (TKCOflfMaTa
Xiyovaai 7rpo9 e/caarov ev^pV^T^'^ eTreXafxjSd-vovTO Tcov d/jLapTavofiivcov /cal irdXiv et9 tou9
d^LOV<; avTMV iy/ccofiia /ner a>Brj<; TreTroirj/xeva Bie^-
lovcrat, (jyiXoTLfJiiav iroXXrjv /cal ^rjXov iveiroiovv
Toi9 veavi(TKOi<^. 6 yap iyKWfxiaa9el<; iir* dvBpa-
yaOia Kal kX€ivo<; ev Tat<; TrapOevoi,^ yeyovoo<^
dmrjei fieyaXwofievo^i viro tcov iiraivoov at Be
fierd TTacBcd'i Kal <TKQ)/jLfidT(ov B^^eL^ ovBev dfi-
jSXvrepai, tcov fjuerd (nrovBrjfi vovderrffidrcov rjcrav,
are Br) 7r/D09 rrjv Oeav o/jlov T0t9 dXXoi<; •noXlrai';
Kal TCOV /SacnXecov Kal tcov yepovTcov crv/xiropevo-
fievcov,
4 'H Be yv/nvcocTt^ tcov irapOevcov ovBev alcr^pov
el'xev, alBov<; /nev irapovar)';, aKpacria^ Be dirovarf^iy
dXX iOtcr/jLOV d^eXrj Kal ^rjXov eve^la'i eveipyd^eTO,Kal (f)pov^/JLaTO<; to OrjXv irapeyevev ovk dyevvov<i,
C09 fJir}B€V ^TTOV avTcp Kal dpeTTj^ Kal (faXoTifjiiaf:
fieTovaiav ovcrav. o6ev avTal<; Kal Xeyeiv eirrjei
Kal cj)poveLv ola Kal irepl Vofyyov^ lo-ToprjTat, t^9AecoviBou yvvaiKo<^. elirova-f)^ yap two^^ a)<; eotKe,
^ev7}<; Trpbg avTr)v ct)9" Movai, tmv dvBpwv ap^ere
vjjbel'^ at KaKaivair" Moi^at ydp^ 60^,
"tLktoijl€v
dvBpa<;"XV. 'Hz/ fiev ovv Kal TavTa irapopfirjTtKa 7rpo<;
ydfwv Xeyco Be tA9 7ro/jL7rd<; tcov irapdevcov Kal
246
LYCURGUS, XIV. 2-xv. i
might come with vigour to the fulness of their times,and struggle successfully and easily with the pangsof child-birth. He freed them from softness and
delicacy and all effeminacy by accustoming the
maidens no less than the youths to wear tunics onlyin processions, and at certain festivals to dance and
sing when the young men were present as spectatorsThere they sometimes even mocked and railed good-
naturedly at any youth who had misbehaved himself ;
and again they would sing the praises of those whohad shown themselves worthy, and so inspire the
young men with great ambition and ardour. For hewho was thus extolled for his valour and held in
honour among the maidens, went away exalted bytheir praises ; while the sting of their playful raillerywas no less sharp than that of serious admonitions,
especially as the kings and senators, together withthe rest of the citizens, were all present at the
spectacle.Nor was there anything disgraceful in this scant
clothing of the maidens, for modesty attended them,and wantonness was banished ; nay, rather, it pro-duced in them habits of simplicity and an ardentdesire for health and beauty of body. It gave also
to woman-kind a taste of lofty sentiment, for theyfelt that they too had a place in the arena of braveryand ambition. Wherefore they were led to thinkand speak as Gorgo, the wife of Leonidas, is said to
have done. When some foreign woman, as it would
seem, said to her :" You Spartan women are the
only ones who rule their men," she answered :"Yes,
we are the only ones that give birth to men."XV. Moreover, there were incentives to marriage
in these things,—I mean such things as the appeai-
247
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Ta9 cLTroZvcrei^ xal tou? aycova<; iv6'sjreL
rwv veeov,
ajofievcov ov yecofierpLKai^, aX>C ipcoriKaU, w?
(j>r]aiv 6 TlXdrcov, dvdyKaL<;' ov fxi^v dXka Kol
CLTLfdav Tiva irpoaeOrjKe rot^ dydfiotf;. etpyovro
yap iv raif; yvfivoTraiBlai^ t^9 6ia<;' rov Be 'xei-
fia>vo<; ol fjLev dp^ovre^ avrov^ cKekevov iv kvkXco
2 yvfivov(; irepuevaL rrjv dyopdv, ol Be Trepuovief;
fjBov eU avTOvf; (pBrjv riva ire'irotTjfievrjv, eo? BUaia
nrdoT'x^oiev, on roh vofiOL^; dtreiOovcn'Tt,fjLrj<;
Be fcal
Oepaireia^ rjv veoi irpeapvTepoL^i rnrapecxov, iare-
prjVTO, oOev /cal to 7rpo<i AepKvWlBav prjOev ovBel*;
ifiejjLyJraro, Kaiirep evBoKipuov ovra arparrjyov.
eTTiovTi yap avrw rSiv vecorepcov tl<; eBpa<: ov^
viret^evy elirwv," OvBe yap ifjuol av rov vrrei^ovra
yeyevvr]Ka<;J*
3 ^Kydjjbovv Be Bl dpirayrjf;, ov fiiKpa^ ovBe
dwpov^ 7rpo<; ydfiovy dWd kcli dKfxa^ov(Ta<; Ka\
7T€7re[pov<;. ttjv Be dpiraaOelaav rj vvjiKpevrpia
KaXovfjLevT) TrapaXa^ovo-a, ttjv fiev Ke<f>aX7)v iv
'^pw irepLerceipev, IpLaTitp Be dvBpeiw Kal viroBrjiML-
atv iv(7K€vdaaaa Kare/cXivev iirl arifidBa fjLovrjv
dvev (pcoTo^, 6 Be vvfi^io^ ov fieOixov ovBe Opv-
7rT6/JLevo<;, dXXa v^cfxav, coairep del, BeBeiTTvrjKox; iv
TOi<: (fnBiTLOt<;, TrapeLaeXOoov eXve rr^v ^(ovyv Kal
248
LYCURGUS, XV. 1-3
ance of the maidens without much clothing in pro-cessions and athletic contests where young men were
looking on, for these were drawn on by necessity," not
geometrical, but the sort of necessity which lovers
know," as Plato says.^ Nor was this all ; Lycurgusalso put a kind of public stigma upon confirmed
bachelors. They were excluded from the sight of
the young men and maidens at their exercises, andin winter the magistrates ordered them to marchround the market-place in their tunics only, and as
they marched, they sang a certain song about them-
selves, and its burden was that they were justly
punished for disobeying the laws. Besides this, theywere deprived of the honour and gracious attentions
which the young men habitually paid to their elders.
Therefore there was no one to find fault with whatwas said to Dercyllidas, reputable general though hewas. As he entered a company, namely, one of the
younger men would not offer him his seat, but said :
"Indeed, thou hast begotten no son who will one
day give his seat to me."For their marriages the women were carried off
by force, not when they were small and unfit for
wedlock, but when they were in full bloom and
wholly ripe. After the woman was thus carried off,
the bride's-maid, so called, took her in charge, cut
her hair off close to the head, put a man's cloak andsandals on her, and laid her down on a pallet, on the
floor, alone, in the dark. Then the bride-groom,not flown with wine nor enfeebled by excesses, but
composed and sober, after supping at his public mess-table as usual, slipped stealthily into the room whereth« bride lay, loosed her virgin's zone, and bore her
*Bepublict p. 458 d.
249
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 fJLerrjve'yKev dpdfjLevo^ iirl rtjv kXIvt^v. a-vvBiarpi-
yjra^i Be XP^^^v ou ttoXvv dirrjei Kocrfiico^ ovirepelcoOei TO TTporepov, KadevSrjcrcop /lerd rcoi/ aWwvvewv, fcal to Xoittov ovtw^ eirpaTTe, roi? jxev
'^XifcccoTaif; avvBcrj/jLepevcov koI avvavairavopievo^t
TTpo^ Be TTjv vv/JL<j)7]v Kpv^u p,eT evXa^ela^ 0oiTa)i^,
al<T)(^vv6fJLepo<; kclI BeBotKO)^ purj tl^ ataOoiTO twv
evBov, ajjua fcal Trjf; vv/ji<j)7}^ iiTLTexi^fOfJLevrjf; Koi
crvvev7ropovar](; otto)? av ev /cacpo) Kal \avOdi'ovTe<;
5 dXX,T]\oL<; avjJbiTopevoivTo. kcli tovto eirpaTTov ovk
oXlyov p^oi^oj^, a)OC coaTC Kol iralBa'; ryeveadai
evioL^ TTplv 69 'qp.epav Oedaaadai Ta^ eavTcov
yvvaiKa^;. rj Be TOiavTr) crvvoBo<; ov fiovov iyKpa-Tela^ Kol o-co(j)po(Tvvr]^ da/crjatf; rfv^ dXKa toU t€
acojMLai. yovifiovf; koI tco (piXelv del Kaivov<; Kal
7rpo(7<j>dTOV<; rjyev eirl Tr]v KOLV(oviav» ou BcaKopeUovB^ e^LTrjXov<; Toit; dveBrjv KOivayvlai^y dXX^ del
TL Xei^lravov kol vireKKavfia ttoOov kol ^aptro?evairoXeiiTovTa^; dXXrjXoi^.
6 ^oaavTTjv Be T0t<; ydfioi^ eTnaTrjaa^; alBw Kal 49
Ta^LVy ovBev r]TTOV e^ejSaXe Tr]v Kevrjv Kal yv-
vaLKCoBr] ^rjXoTviriaVy ev KaXSt KaraaTTjaa^; vffpcv
fiev Kal dva^iav irdaav ecpjeiv diro tou yd/juov,
TralBcov Be Kal TeKV(oa-eco<i Koivcovelv rot? d^loifi,
KaTayeXcovTa<; tcov w? d/xiKTa Kal dKoivcovrjTa
7 TavTa fieTLovTcov c^ayal^ Kal 7roXefioL<;. e^rjv
fjuev yap dvBpl irpeafivTepw vea<; yvvaiKo^, el Br]
TLva tS)v KaXcbv Kal dya6o)v dairdaaiTO vewv Kal
BoKifidaeiev, elaayayeiv Trap* avTi]v Kal irX'^-
aavTa yevvaiov aireppMro^ IBiov avTol<i iroirj-
250
LYCURGUS, XV. 4-7
ill his arms to the marriage-bed. Then^ after spend-
ing a short time with his bride, he went awaycomposedly to his usual quarters, there to sleep with
the other young men. And so he continued to dofrom that time on, spending his days with his com-
rades, and sleeping with them at night, but visitinghis bride by stealth and with every precaution, full
of dread and fear lest any of her household should
be aware of his visits, his bride also contriving and
conspiring with him that they might have stolen
interviews as occasion offered. And this they did
not for a short time only, but long enough for someof them to become fathers before they had looked
upon their own wives by daylight. Such interviews
not only brought into exercise self-restraint and
moderation, but united husbands and wives whentheir bodies were full of creative energy and their
affections new and fresh, not when they were sated
and dulled by unrestricted intercourse ;and there
was always left behind in their hearts some residual
spark of mutual longing and delight.After giving marriage such traits of reserve and
decorum, he none the less freed men from the emptyand womanish passion of jealous possession, by mak-
ing it honourable for them, while keeping the
marriage relation free from all wanton irregularities,to share with other worthy men in the begetting of
children, laughing to scorn those who regard suchcommon privileges as intolerable, and resort to
murder and war rather than grant them. For
example, an elderly man with a young wife, if helooked with favour and esteem on some fair andnoble young man, might introduce him to her, and
adopt her offspring by such a noble father as his
251
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aaaOai to yevvrjOev. i^rjv Se irdXiv avhpi XPV-CTTO), Tcbv €VT€KVCOV TLVCL Kol CTftJ^pOZ/O)!/ OaV/Jbd-
(TavTL yvvcLiKWV eT6p(p ry6yafMr]fjL6V7jv, irela-aL top
dvSpa crvvekOelvy coo-rrep iv %w/3a KaWiKapirw^VTevovTa Kal iroLOv/jLevov Tralha<i dr^aOov^y dya-
8 6o)v 6/jLaLfiou(; /cal avyyev€t<; iao/jiivovf;, irptoTOv
[lev yap ovk 18lov<; rjyelTO Tchv iraTepwv TOV<i
TToiha^, dXkd kolvov'^ ttj^ iroXew^; 6 AvKOvpyo^,oOev OVK eic t<op tv^ovtwv, dXV eK t&v dpidToav
e/SovXcTO yeyov6Ta<i elvai tou? TroXtra?. eireiTa
TToXkrjv d^ekTepiav koI tv<I>ov ivedopa tol<; irepX
TavTa T(ov dWcov vo/jLodeTjjfiaaiv, oi /cvva<i fiev
KoX Ilttttov^ vtto T0t9 KpaTL<TT0L^ Tcov 6')(eiwv
fiiffd^ovat, ')(^dpLTL ireiOovTe^ rj fiiaOw tov<; kv-
piovfiy ra? Se yvvaiKa^ iyKkeiadfievot ^povpovaiv,
6^ avTMV fiovayv tIktclv d^covvTe';, Kav d^pove^;
9 wai, icdv Trapr]KiK€.<^y kolv voacoSet^;, co? ou;^t Trpco-
TOt? Tot<; K€KTr)fievoi<; Kal Tpicf) overt twv iralBoyv
ytvo/iivcov '7rovr]pa)V, edv €k TTOvrjpclyv yevcovTai,
Kal TOvvavTLOv '^(prjaTCJV, dp TOiavTri^ Tv^oacn
yevecreo)^. tuvtu Be ovtco^ irpaTTOfiepa (j)V(TiKa)<i
Kal TToXtTCKOO^i t6t€ TOaOVTOP dTTel^e T7J<; VCTTepOP
\eyojj,6Pr)<; yepeaOai irepl Ta9 yvpaLKa<; ev'xepeia^i
WGT€ oXft)9 dinaTOV elvav to t^9 fjLOLX^ia<; Trap*
10 avTOL<;. Kal \6yo<; diropbpr^iiopeveTai TepdSa tlpo^
^irapTidTOV tcop acpoSpa iraXaiMP, 09 ipcoTrfdeU
VTTO ^€Pov TL TTad'Xpvaip 01/JLOL)(^ol Trap' aVT0L<i,
252
LYCURGUS, XV. 7-10
own. And again, a worthy man who admired somewoman for the fine children that she bore herhusband and the modesty of her behaviour as a wife,
might enjoy her favours, if her husband would con-
sent, thus planting, as it were, in a soil of beautiful
fruitage, and begetting for himself noble sons, whowould have the blood of noble men in their veins.
For in the first place, Lycurgus did not regard sons
as the peculiar property of their fathers, but rather as
the common property of the state, and therefore
K'ould not have his citizens spring from random
parentage, but from the best there was. In the
second place, he saw much folly and vanity in whatother peoples enacted for the regulation of these
matters ; in the breeding of dogs and horses theyinsist on having the best sires which money or
favour can secure, but they keep their wives underlock and key, demanding that they have children bynone but themselves, even though they be foolish, or
infirm, or diseased ; as though children of bad stock
did not show their badness to those first whopossessed and reared them, and children of goodstock, contrariwise, their gryodness. The freedomwhich thus prevailed at that time in marriagerelations was aimed at phj'^sical and political well-
being, and was far removed from the licentiousness
which was afterwards attributed to their women,so much so that adultery was wholly unknownamong them. And a saying is reported of one
Geradas,^ a Spartan of very ancient type, who, on
being asked by a stranger what the punishmentfor adulterers was among them, answered : "Stranger,
^ The name is Geradataa in Morals, p. 228 c {Apophtheg.Lacon^ 20).
253
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eiTTev "*11 ^ev6, ovSeU yiverai, fioix^'i Trap* r/fuv^*
ifceU'OV Be VTroXafiovTO^,**
'Eai/ ovv fyeinirai;^
"TavpoVy^ €cf>7)6 FepdBai;,
"eKrlvei pikyav, 09
VTrepKvyjraq to Tavyerov airo rod Eupcora TrUrai"
OavjidaavTO^ B* i/celvov koX <f>7]aavT0(i'"
Ilaj? Se
av yevoiTO l3ov<i TrfKiKOVTO^;"yeXdaa^ 6 TepaBa*;,
"IIw? B' dvT e<j>r],
"iv ^TrdpTT} //,ot;^o9 yevoiro;^^
ravra fieu ovv laroprjTac irepl twv ydficov.
XVI. To Be yevv7]0ev ovk rjv KvpLo<; 6 yevvrjaa^
Tpe(f>eLVy dX}C ec^epe \a^0DV eU roirov tivcl \k-
(JX")^ KcCKovyievoVy ev o5 Ka6r]\xevoi twv cj^vXercop
ol irpea^vraTOL KarapLaOovre^ to TracBdpwv, el
fiev evTraye^i elr) koX pcopiaXeov, rpecfyetv eKekevov,
Kkrjpov avTw tcov evaKL(T')(^L\iwv irpoaveLpbavre^*el B* dyevve^ /cat dpLop<^ov, aTreirepLiTov eh ra^
XeyopLeva^; 'Avro^eTa?, Trapa Taiiyerov ^apaOpco-2 Bt) TOTTOVy ft)? ovT€ avT(p ^7)v dfieLvov ov ^ ovre
TTJ TToXei TO fir) KaX(o<; €v6v<} e'f «/3X% tt/oo?
eue^iav kol pco/iirjv Trecpv/co^;. odev ovBe vBaTLTO,
/3pe(j>rf, a\V otvo) TrepteXovov at yvvaLK€<i,
jSdaavov TLva iroLovpevai T7J<f Kpdaeoa^ avTcov.
XeyeTai yap e^icTTacrOaL to, einXrjTrTCKa xal vo-
acoBr] TT/Do? TOP UKpuTOv dTroacfyaKeXl^ovTa, to, B*
vytetva jxaXXov cTTopbOvaOai kuI Kparvveadai ttjv
3 e^LV. Tjv Be irepl ra? rpo^ov<; i'mp.eXeid tl<; p.€TcL
Te')(yrj<^yoxtt dvev aTrapydvcov eKTpe(^ovaa<; to.
fipe<f>rj TOt? fieXecn koI toI<; e'lBeaiv eXevOepiairoielv, en Be eufcoXa rat? BLaLTai<i kol da-LK\aKoX d0ap.j3P] aKOTOV koI 7rpb<; eprjixiav d(f)offa Koi
^ %v supplied by van Herwerden : ^.^uvov oUrt,
254
I* LYCURGUS, XV. to-xvi. 3
there is no adulterer among us." "Suppose, then,"
repHed the stranger," there should be one." '* A
bull," said Geradas, "would be his forfeit, a bull so
large that it could stretch over Mount Taygetus anddrink from the river Eurotas." Then the stranger was
astonished and said : "But how could there be a bull
so large ?*' To which Geradas replied, with a smile :
"But how could there be an adulterer in Sparta?"Such, then, are the accounts we find of their marriages.XVI. Offspring was not reared at the will of the
father, but was taken and carried by him to a placecalled Lesche, where the elders of the tribes
officially examined the infant, and if it was well-
built and sturdy, they ordered the father to rear it,
and assigned it one of the nine thousand lots of
land ; but if it was ill-born and deformed, theysent it to the so-called Apothetae, a chasm-hke
place at the foot of Mount Taygetus, in the conviction
that the life of that which nature had not well
equipped at the very beginning for health and
strength, was of no advantage either to itself or the
state. On the same principle, the women used to
bathe their new-born babes not with water, butwith wine, thus making a sort of test of their con-
stitutions. For it is said that epileptic and sicklyinfants are thrown into convulsions by the strongwine and loose their senses, while the healthy ones
are rather tempered by it, like steel, and given a
firm habit of body. Their nurses, too, exercised
great care and skill ; they reared infants without
swaddling-bands, and thus left their limbs and figuresfree to develop ; besides, they taught them to becontented and happy, not dainty about their food,nor fearful of the dark, nor afraid to be left alone,
•55
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
anreipa 8v(TKo\La<; ayevvov<; Koi KXavOfivpio-/j.S)v.
Slo kol ra>v 6^0}9ev evioi roh TeKvoL<; AaKcoviKa<;
i(ovovvTO TfcT^a?' Kal ttJv ye top^
XSrjvalov
^A\Ki/3t,d8r}v TLrOevcraaav ^AfivKXav laropovcn
yeyovevaL AaKaivav.
4 'AWa TOUTco jjLeVy 0)9 TiXdroiv ^r^ai, Zooirvpov
iTricTTTjae TratSaycoyov HeptKXrj^, ovSev rt rwvaXXtov BtacpepoPTa SovXcov tol;? Be XTrapriaTcov 50
TratSa? ovk eTrl wvrjTOLf; ovBe /jLicrdi,oi,<i eTrotyjcraro
iraiBaycoyolf} 6 AvKovpyo^;, ovS* e^rfv eKaarcp
Tpicpecv ov8e iraiBeveiv ax; ifiovXero rbv uiov,
dXXa irdvTa^ €v6v<i eTrraGTCt? yevo/iepov<i irapa-
XapL^dvcov avTo<; et9 dyeXa<; KareXo^t^e, kol
avvv6/jLOV<; ttolcjv kol ctvvtp6(f>ov<; /jlct* dXXrjXcov5 ecOt^e avfiTrai^etv koI (TV(T')(pXd^eLV. dp')(^ovTa 3*
avTOL<; TrapLararo tt}? dyeXrjf; rbv to) ^povelv
hia^epovTa Kal OvfioeiBecTTaTov iv tS> /xd'^^eadarKOL 7rpb<; TOVTOV d(^ea)p(ov koI TrpodrdTTovrofi
rjKpoSiVTO KoX /coXd^opTo<; eKaprepovv, ware rrjv
TraiBeiav elvai /jLeXerrjv ev7reiO€ia<;. iireaKOTTovv
he ol TTpea^vrepoL Trai^ovra'^ avrov^;, Kal rdiroXS-a
iJLd')(^a^ Ti,vd<; efil3dXXovre<; del Kal cJ)lXo-
veiKia^, ov 7rapepy(o<i Kare/jidvOavov oirolo^ eari
rr)v <^v(TLv e/cacTTo? avroiv tt/^o? to ToXfidv Kal
fiT] cj)vyofJLaxeLV iv rah d/jLiXXaL<!.
6 VpdfjLpbara fiev ovv eveKa ri]^ ')(^peia<^ ifidvOavov
rjS' oXXtj irdcra TraiBeia irpb<i rb apxecrOai AraXw?
iyivero Kal Kaprepeiv irovovvra Kal vtKavfia'^^^o-
fievov. Bib Kal ttj^; rjXiKia<; Trpoepxofieprjf; eVe-
reivov avTuw ttjv do-KrjaLv, iv ^^ re KeipovTe^
«56
LYCURGUS, XVI. 3-6
nor given to contemptible peevishness and whim-
pering. This is the reason why foreigners sometimes
bought Spartan nurses for their children. Amycla,for instance, the nurse of the Athenian Alcibiades,is said to have been a Spartan.
^
And yet Alcibiades, as Plato says,^ had for a tutor,
set over him by Pericles, one Zopyrus, who was justa common slave. But Lycurgus would not put the sons
of Spartans in charge of purchased or hired tutors,
nor was it lawful for every father to rear or train his
son as he pleased, but as soon as they were seven
years old, Lycurgus ordered them all to be taken bythe state and enrolled in companies, where they were
put under the same discipline and nurture, andso became accustomed to share one another's sportsand studies. The boy who excelled in judgementand was most courageous in fighting, was madecaptain of his company ; on him the rest all kepttheir eyes, obeying his orders, and submitting to
his punishments, so that their boyish training was a
practice of obedience. Besides, the elderly menused to watch their sports, and by ever and anon
egging them on to mimic battles and disputes, learned
accurately how each one of them was naturally dis-
posed when it was a question of boldness and aggres-siveness in their struggles.Of reading and writing, they learned only enough
to serve their turn;
all the rest of their training wascalculated to make them obey commands well, en-
dure hardships, and conquer in battle. Therefore,as they grew in age, their bodily exercise wasincreased ; their heads were close-clipped, and they
* Cf. Alcibiades, i. 2.^ Alcibiades i. p. 122 b.
257
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kol ^ahiteiv avvTroBrjrovf; iraL^eiv T€ jvfivov^ o)?
rh TToWa avveOi^ovre^. 'yevoixevoi Se Sa)8e/caeTet9
avev ')(^LTO}vo^ ijSrj SiereXovv, ev Ifidrcov et? tov
eviavTov \a/jL0dvovr€<;, avxi^VP^^^ ''"^ crcofiaTa Kal
\ovTpa)V Kal dXetfjifidTcov aTretpor irkrjv oXiya^
yfiipa'i TLva^ rov iviavrov Trj<; roLavrrj^; <f>Ckav-
7 6pco7ria<; pbeT6l)(ov. eKaOevhov Se ofiov icar TXi]v
Kal djeXrjv iirl cm^dBcov, a? avrol^ crvvecpopovv,
TOV irapa tov ^vpcoTav Tre^u/foro? Kokdfiov to,
CLKpa Tat? y^epalv avev aihrjpov KaTaK\daavT€<;.
iv Se Tw yeiyioivi tov<^ Xeyofievov^ \vK6^ova<s
vire/SdWovTO Kal KaTefiiyvvaav Tal<i (TTL^dcn,
depjMivTLKOv ex^iv tl ttj^ vKt)^ BoKovarj^.
XVII. "llSri Be Toh TTjXiKovToi^ ipaaTal t&v
evSoKifjLcov vecov avvaveaTpe^ovTO' Kal Trpocrelxov
ol irpea^vTepoL, Kal fiaXkov i7rL^0CT(0VTe<; elg to,
yvjjbvda-ta, Kal/jLa')(^ofjbevoi,^
Kal o-kcotttovo-lv oXXt]-
\ov(; TrapaTvyx^^^^'^^^* ^^ 7rapepyQ)<;, dXXh Tpo-Tov Tiva TrdvTe^ olop^evov rrdvTcov Kal iraTepe^;
elvac Kal TratBaycoyol Kal ap')(ovT€<;, wcrre fi'^Tc
Kaipov diroXei'TTeaOab fjbrjTe ')(ci)piov eprj/xov tov
vov6eTOvvTO<; tov dfiaprdvovTa Kal KoXd^ovTO<;.2 ov jxrjv dXXa Kal Traihovopbof; ck tcov koXcov Kal
dyaOwv dvhpoiv iTdTTCTO, Kal Kar dyeXa<; avTol
irpotcTTavTO tmv Xeyo/ievcov elpevcov del tov aco-
(ppoveaTaTov Kal pa'^i/j^coTaTov. etpeva^ Be Ka-
Xovai Tov<; eTO^ i^Br) hevTepov Ik TralBcov yeyovo-Ta'^, fjLeXX€Lpeva<; Be tcov TraiBwv tov<; irpecr^vTa-TOV9. 0UT09 ovv 6 etprjv^ ecKocrt eTf] yeyovdx;, dp'^eiTe TCOV VTTOTeTayfievcDJ iy val<i fid^ai^, Kal KaT
=58
w LYCURGUS, XVI. 6-xvii. 2
were accustomed to going bare-foot, and to playingfor the most part without clothes. When they weretwelve years old, they no longer had tunics to wear,received one cloak a year, had hard, dry flesh, andknew little of baths and ointments ; only on certain
days of the year, and few at that, did they indulgein such amenities. They slept together, in troopsand companies, on pallet-beds which they collected
for themselves, breaking off with their hands—noknives allowed—the tops of the rushes which grewalong the river Eurotas. In the winter-time, theyadded to the stuff of these pallets the so-called
^^ycophon," or thislle-down, which was thought to
have warmth in it.
XVII. When the boys reached this age, they werefavoured with the society of lovers from among the
reputable young men. The elderly men also keptclose watch of them, coming more frequently to their
places of exercise, and observing their contests of
strength and wit, not cursorily, but with the idea
that they were all in a sense the fathers and tutors
and governors of all the boys. In this way, at every fit-
ting time and in every place, the boy who went wronghad someone to admonish and chastise him. Norwas this all
;one of the noblest and best men of the
city was appointed paedonome, or inspector of the
boys, and under his directions the boys, in their
several companies, put themselves under the com-mand of the most prudent and warlike of the so-
called Eirens. This was the name given to those
who had been for two years out of the class of boys,and Melleirens, or Would-be Eirens, was the namefor the oldest of the boys. This eiren, then, a youthof twenty years, commands his subordinates in their
259
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 oIkov vTTTjperai'; ^/O^Jrat 7rpo9 to BeoTrvov. ctti-
Taaaei Se T0i9 y^ei' ahpol^; ^vXa <f)€peiv, rot? Be
jjLiKpOTepoi^i Xayava, /cal (pepouat /cXe7^T0^•T69,
ol fjuev eVt Toiff; Krj7rov<; /3aoi^ovT6<i, ol Be eh rarcov avBpcov avaaurca Trapetcrpeovre^ ev jMoKa
iiavovp'^ldd^ KcCi Tre^vXayfjLev (!)<;' av S^ dXa), ttoX-
Xa-9 Xa/ijSdveL 7r\r]yd<; ry fidarijc, paOvfjico<; Bokcjv
KXeirreiv /cal dreyvw^. KXiirrovcn Be koI tmvaiTLCov o Ti av ovv(OVTai» ixavOdvovre^; e\j(j)vw<;
eTnTiOeadai toI^ /caOevBovaiv rj padvfjLax^ (f)vXdr-4 Tovai, T& Be aXovri ^rj/nCa irXrj'yal Kal to irei,-
vrjv. ryXlaxpov yap avTo'i<; earc Belirvov, oVo)?
Bl avrcov d/jLvvofievoi, ttjv evBeiav dvayKa^covrat
ToXfjbdv Kal Tvavovpyelv.Kat TOVTO jxev epyov rrj^ oXiyodiTia^i' irapipyov
Be ^aai rrjv rcov GWfxdroiv av^Tjav. (peperai
yap eh fjirj/co^;,orav to Trvevfia fir) ttoXXtjv (^xfl
BiaTpi,Sr)v Kal aGypXlav viro TrXojOov'^ Tpo<f>rj^
eU PdOo^ Kal TrXaro? irie^oiievov, dXX^ dvco /3a-
Bi^y Bid Kov^oTrjTa, tov acofjLaT0<; eKXvTco^; Kal
5 paBico^; e7nBLB6vTO<;. to 8' avTO tovto Kal KaXov<;
BoKel TTOielv' at yap la'^val Kal BiaKevot puaXXov
e^ei<i viraKovovaL iTpo<i t^v BcdpOpcoaiv, at Be
6yKa)BeL<i Kal 'jroXvTpo(f>oi Bid fidpo<i avTc/Sal-
vovaiv, wairep dfieXei Kal tcov ev tu> Kvecv KaOaL-
po/jbivcov yvvaiKcov lax^o, fiiv, eveiBTj Be Kal yXa-
(fivpd yiveTai ra ^pe^rj. Bid tjjv iXacppoTijTa t^9
vXrji; KpaTOVfiivrjfi puaXXov vtto tov tvttouvto^;,
dXXd yap rj /nev aiTia tov av/xfiatvovTO^ ev fieo-qy
TTpOKeiaOoCf (TKOTTelv.
XVIII. OuTft) Be KXeTTTovat TrecfypovTiafievox;
ol 7raiBe<i, ojcTTe XeyeTai ti^ ^Brj cTKVfivov dXco-
260
r LYCURGUS, XVII. 3-xviii. i
mimic battles, and in doors makes them serve him at
his meals. He commissions the larger ones to fetch
wood, and the smaller ones potherbs. And they steal
what they fetch, some of them entering the gardens,and others creeping right slyly and cautiously into
the public messes of the men ; but if a boy is caught
stealing, he is soundly flogged, as a careless and un-
skilful thief. They steal, too, whatever food they
can, and learn to be adept in setting upon peoplewhen asleep or off their guard. But the boy whois caught gets a flogging and must go hungry.For the meals allowed them are scanty, in order
that they may take into their own hands the fight
against hunger, and so be forced into boldness and
cunning.This is the main object of their spare diet ; a
secondary one is to make them grow tall. For it
contributes to height of stature when the vitalityis not impeded and hindered by a mass of nourish-
ment which forces it into thickness and width, butascends of its own lightness, and when the bodygrows freely and easily. The same thing seems also
to conduce to beauty of form ; for lean and meagrehabits yield more readily to the force of articulation,whereas the gross and over-fed are so heavy as to
resist it. Just so, we may be sure, women who take
physic while they are pregnant, bear children whichare lean, it may be, but well-shaped and fine, becausethe lightness of the parent matter makes it more
susceptible to moulding. However, the reason for
this I must leave for others to investigate.XVni. The boys make such a serious matter of
their stealing, that one of them, as the story goes,
261
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TreKog K€k\o^(o<; kol tw rpipwvirp irepiareXkwv,
a7rapaa(TOfj-€vo<; vtto tov Orjpiov Tr)v ^faarkpa toX^
ovv^c fcal TOL<; oBovaiv, virep tov \aOelv iyKapre-pcav aiToOaveiv. fcal tovto /jl€v ovSe cltto tcov
vvv i^rj^cov aTriarov iartv, mv ttoXXou? eVt tov
^cofiov Trj<; ^OpOca^; eropaKafJiev ivairoOvrjaKovTa^Tol^ 7r\7}yat<;.
2 A€t7rv}jo-a<; Se 6 eiprjv KaTatceifxevo^ tw fiev
acrat TrpooreTa^e tmv iraihwvy tw he epcoTrj/jud ti
TTpov/SaXe '7r€(f)povTi,afiev'rj(; Beofievov airokpierew^'
olov, oa-TL<; apL(TT0<^ iv tol^ avhpdcnv, tj irola tl<;
7) TovBe 7rpa^L<i. €k tovtov Se /cal Kplveiv to.
KaXd Kol TroXvTrpayfiovelv €vOv<; i^ dp^rj<; eWi-
^ovTO irepl Tcov ttoXitcov. to yap ipwTrjdevTa,Tt9 'rroXtTr}<; dya06<;, rj tl^ ovk evBoKifMO^, drropelvTOV diroKpivacrOaL, vwOpa^ eiroiovvTO koI TTyOo?
3 dpeTr)v d^iXoTifMOV -x^f^^? arjfietov. eBet. Be ttjv
dirofcpLGLv /cat^ficT aoTia^ elvat koi. aTroBei^eco^;
eh ^pa^ifv Tiva (TVvr}y/jL€vr]<; Xoyov Kal (tvvto^ov6 Be 7rXr}/jb/jLeXo)<; clttoKpLvajxevo^; e/coXd^cTO Brjyfia
XafJi^dvcav vtto tov eipevof; eh tov dvTL^eipa.TToXXdKLf; Be Kal Trpea^vTepcov irapovTWv Kal
dpypvTOiV eip7)v eKoXa^e tov<; 7racBa<;, diroBei^iv5iSou9 €0 [xeTo, Xoyov Kal 6l><; Bel KoXd^ei. Kal
KoXd^wv fiev OVK eKcoXveTO, tcov Be iraiBcov direX-
dovTcov evOvva^ vireZ'xev, el Tpa')(VT€pov tov Beov-
T09 e7r6TL/jLrj(T€v Tj TovvavTiov eKXeXvfjbevoif; Kal
4 ^EiKOLVcovovv B^ ol epaa-Tal Toh iraial Trj<; B6^<;iir dfKpoTepa' Kal XeyeTal ttotg TraiBo^; iv t&
^r^v a-rrSKpia-iv Koi Coraes, Sintenis^ and Bekker, with
the MSS. : koI t^v air6Kpt<riv.
262
LYCURGUS, XVIII. 1-4
who was carrying concealed under his cloak a youngfox which he had stolen, suffered the animal to tear
out his bowels with its teeth and claws, and died
rather than have his theft detected. And even this
story gains credence from what their youths nowendure, many of whom I have seen expiring underthe lash at the altar of Artemis Orthia.
The eiren, as he reclined after supper, wouldorder one of the boys to sing a song, and to anotherwould put a question requiring a careful anddeliberate answer, as, for instance,
'' Who is the best
man in the city?"
or," What thinkest thou of this
man's conduct ?"
In this way the boys wereaccustomed to pass right judgements and interest
themselves at the very outset in the conduct of thecitizens. For if one of them was asked who was a goodcitizen, or who an infamous one, and had no answerto make, he was judged to have a torpid spirit, andone that would not aspire to excellence. And the
answer must not only have reasons and proof givenfor it, but also be couched in very brief and concise
language, and the one who gave a faulty answer was
punished with a bite in the thumb from the eiren.
Often-times, too, the eiren punished the boys in the
presence of the elders and magistrates, thus show-
ing whether his punishments were reasonable and
proper or not. While he was punishing them,he suffered no restraint, but after the boys were
gone, he was brought to an account if his punish-ments were harsher than was necessary, or, on theother hand, too mild and gentle.The boys' lovers also shared with them in their
honour or dis'irrace : and it is said that one of them"&'
^W9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fia'Xj^aOai i^wvrjv ayevvri irpoefievov ^r}/j.im6rjvai
rov ipaarrjv viro twv ap')(ovTCDV. ovtco Be rod
ipdv iy/c€Kpi/jL€VOv Trap* avTol<;, coare koI twv
irapOkvwv ipdv Ta<; Ka\a<; xal ayaOa*; yvpaiKa<;,TO avrepdv ovk yv, aXXa /xaXXov cLp)(^r}v Ittolovvto
(fnXla^i 7r/)09 aXXi]Xov<i ol rwv avrcov ipaa6evr€<;,Kal SiereXovv kolvt} (r7Tovhd^ovTe<; 6tt(o^ apiarovoLTrepydaaiVTO tov ipcofievov.XIX. ^EBiBaa-Kov Be tou? TralBa^ Kal Xoyw
')(prjadaL inKplav e^ovrt fjie/iiLyfiepTjv 'x,^oltl koX
ttoXXtjv diTo ppa')(eia^ Xefeoj? dvaOecoprjaiv. to
fiev yap aiBijpovv vo/jLLapu fiLKpdv e^^cv eiroirjo-ev
diro TToXXov (Tradfiov Bvva/xiv 6 AvKovpyo^, 0)9
etp7}TaL, TO Be rov Xoyou vofJLtcrfjba rovvavriov dir
€vreXov<; Kal oXiyrj^ A-efeo)? eh ttoXXtjv Kal ire-
pirrrjv KareaKevaa-e Bidvoiav, rfj ttoXXj} o-icotttj
T0V9 TracBa^ d'iro(j>6eypLaTiKOv<i Ka\ ireiraiBeviie-
vov^ 7r/)09 Ta9 diroKpiaeL^ firj'^avoo/jLevo';. ^9 yapTO crirepfia tmv 7rpo9 Ta9 avvovaia<; aKoXdaTwv
dyovov ft)9 TCL TToXXd Kal aKapirov iariv, ovT(0<i
7) 7rpb<; TO XaXetv aKpaala Kevov rov Xoyov irotel
2 Kal dvorjTOv. ^Ayt<; fiev ovv 6 ^aatXevf;, aKco-
irrovro'i^Attckov tlvo<; Ta9 AaKa)viKd<; fia^aipaf;
669 Tr}V fjbtKpoTTjra, Kal Xeyovro^ ort paBico^ avra^ol OavfiaroTTOLol KaraiTLvovcrLv ev Tot9 Oedrpoi^,"Kal fjbriv fjudXicrray^ eljrev, **r}p.el^ e(ptKvovp.eda
T0t9 eyxetptBiotf; r&v TroXe/ucov^^ iyo) Be Kal rov
Xoyov 6p(o rov AaKcoviKov /Spa'^vv fiev elvai Bo-
Kovvra, fjbdXiara Be rcov irpaypbdrcov e(f)t.KVOv/JL€vov,
Kal T^9 Biavoia<; dTrrofxevov rcov aKpocojievaJV.
3 Kat yap 6 AvKovpyo^ avro<i ^pa^vXoyofi 52
264
LYCURGUS, XVIII. 4-xix. 3
was once fined by the magistrates because his favourite
boy had let an ungenerous cry escape him while he
was fighting. Moreover, though this sort of love
was so approved among them that even the maidens
foimd lovers in good and noble women, still, there
was no jealous rivalry in it, but those who fixed
their affections on the same boys made this rather a
foundation for friendship with one another, and
persevered in common efforts to make their loved one
as noble as possible.
XIX. The boys were also taught to use a discourse
which combined pungency with grace, and condensed
much observation into a few words. His iron money,indeed, Lycurgus made of large weight and small
value, as I have observed,^ but the current coin of
discourse he adapted to the expression of deep andabundant meaning with simple and brief diction, bycontriving that the general habit of silence should
make the boys sententious and correct in their
answers. For as sexual incontinence generally pro-duces unfruitfulness and sterility, so intemperance in
talking makes discourse empty and vapid. King Agis,
accordingly, when a certain Athenian decried the
Spartan swords for being so short, and said that
jugglers on the stage easily swallowed them, replied:" And yet we certainly reach our enemies with these
daggers." And I observe that although the speechalso of the Spartans seems short, yet it certainlyreaches the point, and arrests the thought of thelistener.
And indeed Lycurgus himself seems to have been^Chapter ix. 1.
t6s
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tf9 eoLKe fyeviaOai koI a7ro^9€y/iaTLK6<;, el Bel
reKfiaipeaOaL rol^ cnro/jLvijfiovevfjLacnif' olov iarc
TO Trepl ra? irokLreia^ irpo^i top a^iovvra iroielv
BrjfiOKpaTLav ev rfj 'nokei'" %v yapr ecprj, "7rpa)To<i
ev rfi OLKia gov Troirjaov Sr)fjLOKpaTiav.^' koX irepl
T(ov Ovaccov 7r/309 TOP irvdofjievov Bia ri fiiKpa<iovTO) Kal evreXel^; era^ev, '"^Iva fii] Trore,"
4€<j>r},
*'
Ti,fi(bvT6<; TO Oelov BiaKiircop.ev.^^ Kal irepXt5)v aOXTj/jLciTcov, ravra fjLova /jltj K(o\vaavTO<i
aycovL^eadai tov<; TroXtVa? iv 0I9 %€i/) ovk dva-
T€LV6Tat. (pepovraL Be avTOV koI Bi eTTicTToXoiv
a7T0KpL(T€t<; TOiavrai tt/jo? rov<; iroXiTa^. ttw? av
TToXepLLcov 6(f)oBov oXe^oi/jLeOa; "*Av nrrcoxol fii-
vr)T€ KaljJLT] fieaBcov arepo^; Oaripco ipdre ^fjuev.''
Kal ttoXlv irepl rcovt6L')(0}V'
" Ovk av eti] arei-
')(i(TT0^ TToXt? aTL<; avBpecrat} Kal ov 7r\[v0oi<i
ecrT€(pdv(OTai,y irepl jiev ovv tovtcov Kal rSiv
roLovTcov eTTio-ToXcov 0VT6 diricrTfjaaL paBiov ovre
Tnarevaat.
XX. T?)? Be 7rpo9 ra fi'^KT) rcov Xoycov Bia-
ySoX?}? Belyp^ara TOiavra rcov d7rocf)0eyfidT(ov ecrri.
Ae(ovLBa<; 6 ^aaiXev^i dKaip(o<; rivo^ Trepl irpay-
fidrcov OVK dxp^o"T(ov BiaXex^^^'^o^;, "'fl ^eve"elirev,
" ovk ev Beovri XP^V '^^ Beovrc^ XaptXaof; Be
6 dB€X(f)LBov<; Tov AvKOvpyov Trepl Trj<; oXiy6Tr)TO<i
avTov rcov vo/jLcov ipcorrjOei^;, elirev ct)9 ol XoyoL^
fir) xpdyp'evoL 7roXXoi<; ovBe vo/jlcov Beovrai iroXXcov.
2 'Apx^'Ba/jLiBai; Be fiep(j)o/JLevcov rivcov 'RKaralov rov
ao(f)i(Trr)v on rrapaXr^cfydeh €t9 to avaainov ovBev
eXeyev, "'O etSft>9," e<pr), "Xoyov Kal Kaipov olBev''
a Be rcov rriKpcov e(f)7)v d'rro/jLvrjp.orev/idrcop ovk^
&v5pe<Tffi Cobet : avSpeiois.
266
^^Pfron^^ forrr
LYCURGUS, XIX. 3-xx. 2
ort and sententious in his speech, if we may judgefrom his recorded sayings; that, for instance, onforms of government, to one who demanded the
establishment of democracy in the city : ''Go thou,"said he,
" and first estabhsh democracy in thy house-
hold." That, again, to one who inquired why heordained such small and inexpensive sacrifices :
" That we may never omit," said he," to honour the
gods." Again, in the matter of athletic contests, heallowed the citizens to engage only in those wherethere was no stretching forth of hands. ^ Thereare also handed down similar answers which he made
by letter to his fellow-citizens. When they askedhow they could ward off an invasion of enemies, heanswered :
"By remaining poor, and by not desiring
to be greater the one than the other." And when
they asked about fortifying their city, he answered :
" A city will be well fortified which is surrounded bybrave men and not by bricks." Now regarding these
and similar letters, belief and scepticism are alike
difficult.
XX. Of their aversion to long speeches, the
following apophthegms are proof. King Leonidas,when a certain one discoursed with him out of all
season on matters of great concern, said :" My
friend, the matter urges, but not the time." Char-
ilaiis, the nephew of Lycurgus, when asked why his
uncle had made so few laws, answered :
" Men of fewwords need few laws." Archidamidas, when certain
ones found fault with Hecataeus the Sophist for
saying nothing after being admitted to their publicmess, answered : ''He who knows how, knows also
when to speak." Instances of the pungent sayings^ After the manner of men begging their conquerors to
pare their lives.
267
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
dfiotpetv x^pLTO^, roiavT iarL Arj/jidpaTO^i dv-
Opctiirov 7rovr}pov kotttovto^ avrov dKalpoif; ipco-
Tijfiaac Kol hi] tovto TroWd/cc^ €p(0TC0VT0<;, "Tt?
dptcTTO^XTrapriarcov;^^ €(j)7}'"'O rlv dvop^oioraTOf;.^^
3 'A7i9 Be, iTratvovvTcov rivcov tol/? 'HXetoy? «?
/taXw? rd ^0\vp,7na koL 8tKaLa)<; dyovra^," Kat
tL fieya,^^ 6<^^," 'HXetoi ttolovvti Bl ircov irevre
d/JL6pa fiia '^poifxevoi ra Bixawavva;^^ 0€O7ro/i7ro9
Bk ^evov Tivo<; evvoiav evBevKvvfjLevov, kol (fyd-
CKOVTO^ CO? Trapd rot? avrov TroXirait; <j>i\o\dKOi)v
fcaXelrat, **K.dWiov ^rjv tol,^' elirev, "&> ^eve, (pcXo-
4 TToXlrav KokelaOaL^ UXeiarcova^ Be 6 TiavaavLov,
prjTOpof; *A6r]vaLov tov<; AaKeBacpbOViov^ dfiad€t<i
drfroicaXovvTO^y "'O/d^w?/' e^if], "Xe^et?* p.6vot yap'EXXdvcov
djjL/jLe<;ovBev kukov fJLepadrjKafjLev irap
v/xwi^/*^
Kp')(^LBap,iBa<; Be tt/oo? tov irvdofxevovirocroi elal XTrapTtaTai, "*\Kavoir elirev, "(w ^eve,
T0U9 Ka/covf; direpvKeiv^^5 "EcTTt Be Kol T0t9 pLerd 7raLBid<i elprjp^evoc^ vir
avTMv reKpL7JpaaOaL tov eOiapov. eWi^ovro yappLTjBeiTOTe '^(^prjadaL rw Xoyw 7rapepycD<i, firjBe
d^ievai (jycovTjv ?^t£9 ovk dpL(o<; ye 7r&)9 ^'%^ Tivo<i
dewpiaf; d^iav Bidvotav. 6 puev yap aKovcrat,
TOV pbifjiovpevov Tr]v drjBova irapaKaXovpevo'^,
"AvTa9/* e</>7;,
" aKovKa Tifjva^^^ 6 Be dvayvov^TO eTrlypapfia tovto'
^^evvvvra^ iroTe TovorBe rvpavvLBa ^dXKeo^ "Apr)^etXe' ^eXivovvTO^ 5' dpu(^X irvXa^ eOavov,
1 kolWiov ColDet, van Herwerden; cf. Kpeitra^v Morals,
p. 221 e : Ka\hv {it were well).
268
LYCURGUS, XX. 2-5
not devoid of grace, of which I spoke,^ are tl
following. Demaratus, when a troublesome fellow
was pestering him with ill-timed questions, and
especially with the oft repeated query who was the
best of the Spartans, answered at last :" He who is
least like thee." And Agis, when certain ones were
praising the Eleians for their just and honourableconduct of the Olympic games, said :
" And what
great matter is it for the Eleians to practise righte-ousness one day in five years .''
" And Theopompus,when a stranger kept saying, as he showed him
kindness, that in his own city he was called a lover
of Sparta, remarked :" My good Sir, it were better
for thee to be called a lover of thine own city."And Pleistoanax, the son of Pausanias, when anAthenian orator declared that the Lacedaemonianshad no learning, said :
"True, we are indeed the only
Hellenes who have learned no evil from you." AndArchidamus, when some one asked him how manySpartans there were, replied :
"Enough, good Sir, to
keep evil men away."And even from their jests it is possible to judge of
their character. For it was their wont never to talk
at random, and to let slip no speech which did nothave some thought or other worth serious attention.
For instance, when one of them was invited to heara man imitate the nightingale, he said :
"I have
heard the bird herself." And another, on readingthe epitaph :
—"Tyranny's fires they were trying to quench when
panoplied AresSlew them ; Seiinus looked down from her gates
on their death,"^Chapter xix. 1.
VOL. I.jr 269
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
**AtKatco<^*^ eiTre,
" Tedva/cavn rol avhpe^* eBet ykp6 acf^ifiev oXav avrav KaraKaajievr veavlaKO^; 8k
7r/)09 Tov i7ra<yyeW6/jL€vov avrSt Bcoaecv a\€K-
Tpv6va<; a7ro6vrj(TKOVTa<^ ev ro) /idxeo-^ciL, "Mrj av
76," elireVt" aXka ^09 ixoi tmv aTroKTeivovrcov iv t&
p,d'^ea6air erepo^ Be rt? lEa)V iv a7ro%ft>p7;o-€A
6aK6vovTa^ iirX Bi^pwv dv6pa)Trov<;," My yivotro,^^
elirev," ivTavOa Kadiaat 06ev ovk eariv vire^ava-
(TTTJvat irpea^VTepw.^^ to jiev ovv tmv diro^dey-
fidrcov elho^ rjv tocovtov ware /cat \eyetv TLvci<^
OVK aroTTft)? OTL fidXkov iari to (piXoaocpecv rj to
^LKoyv/jLvaa-Tetv XaKwvi^eiv,
XXI. *H he Trepl ra? wSd<; kol to, [lekr) irai- 53
hevai^s ou^ rjTTov eairovBd^eTO r^? ev toI<; \6yoi<i
ev^TJXia^ KoX KadapLOTTjTO^t dXka koi tcl jiekr]
KevTpov el'X^ev iyepTCKOV dvfiov kol irapaaTaTiKov
opfjurj^ evOovaiwBov^ koI TrpayfjuaTLKT)';, kolrj Xefi?
Tjv d(f)e\r]^ KoX dOpviTTo^ inl Trpdy/xaai aepivol^
KOI rjdoTTOLol'i. eiraivoi yap rjaav a)? tcl irdXka
TMV TeOvrjKOTCOv virep T779 ^irdpTr]^ evSaifJLOVi^o-
fieveov, Kal ^^royoi twv TpeadvTcov, &>? dXyeivov Kal
/caKoSalfjLova ^lovvtcov ^lov, eirayyeXia re Kal
^eyaXavx^d Trpo^i dpeTrjv irpeirovaa Tat? rfKiKLai^*
2 cdv eveKa heiyfiaTO^ ov 'X^etpov eaTCv ev tl Trpo-
eveyKaaOat. Tpicov yap %opG>i^ KaTa tol^ Tpel<^
rfXiKia^i (TVVKTTa/iievcov iv Ta2<; eopTal^, 6 fiev tcov
yepovTcov dp'xpfievo'^ jjSev
"A/i/ie? TTOK ^jjbe<; aXKifiot, veaviau
270
LYCURGUS, XX. 5-xxi. 2
said :" The men deserved to die ; they should
let the fires burn out entirely." And a youth, whensome one promised to give him game-cocks that!
would die fighting, said," Don't do that, but give
me some of the kind that kill fighting." Another,
seeing men seated on stools in a privy, said :"May
I never sit where I cannot give place to an elder."
The character of their apophthegms, then, was such as
to justify the remark that love of wisdom rather than
love of bodily exercise was the special characteristic
of a Spartan.XXI. Nor was their training in music and poetry
any less serious a concern than the emulous purity of
their speech, nay, their very songs had a stimulus
that roused the spirit and awoke enthusiastic and
effectual effort ; the style of them was simpleand unaffected, and their themes were serious
and edifying. They were for the most part praises
of men who had died for Sparta, calling them blessed
and happy ; censure of men who had played the
coward, picturing their grievous and ill-starred life ;
and such promises and boasts of valour as befitted
the different ages. Ot the last, it may not be
amiss to cite one, by way of illustration. Theyhad three choirs at their festivals, corresponding to
the three ages, and the choir of old men would
sing first :—'^ We once did deeds of prowess and were strong
young men."
271
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Be rcjv aKfia^ovTCdv a/jLCL^ofjievo'; eXeyev*
^A/jLfjL€<; Si 7* elfiev at Be X^?, avydaBeo,^
6 Be TpiTo<; 6 tS)v TralBayv
^A/jL/jLe<; Be y ia-o-o/jiecrOa ttoW^ Kappovefs*
"OX«9 Be dv Tt? iiricrrtjo-a^ roh AaKcovifCOif;
rroirifiaa-LV, o)V ere fcad^ r)/JLd<; evta Bieacjo^ero, Kal
T0U9 ep,j3arrjpL0V(; pvdfjLov^ avaXa/Scov, oh expo^vTO7r/?09 TOP av\ov eirdyovTe^; roh 7ro\e/jLvoi<;, ov
KafLOx; TjyrjcraLTo Kal rov TepiravSpov koX rov
TiivBapov Tr)V dvBpeiav rfj fiovtrtKTj avvdirreiv.
6 piev yap ovtco^ TreiroirjKe irepl roov AaKeBai-
pLOVLWV
"Ei/^' al'X^pbd re vewv ddWei ical puovaa \CyeiaKal BiKa evpvdyvia
TlLvBapo<; Be(l)r)a-LV'
"^vOa ^ovXal yepovrcovKal vecov dvBpoiv apKnevovri al^pLai,Kal X^P^^'' '^^^ Movo-a Kal dyXata.
MovaiKcordrovf; yap dpu Kal TroXefuLiKeordrov^
diro<f>aivovaiv avTov^'
'Veirei^yap dvra tw aiBdpco to KaXco<; ki-
OaplaBev,
0O9 AaKcoviKo^i 7roir]Tr)(; etprjKe. Kal yap iv Tat9
p.d'X.ai^^ irpoeOvero rat<; MouaaL<; 6 ^aatXev<;,
dvapuLp^vrjaKcov, ct)9 eoLKe, t7]<; 7raiBeia<; Kal tcov
1avydtT^eo Cobet, as in Morals, pp 238 b, 544 e, and S
(first hand) : irupav \a&4 {come take a try).2 •peVei Scaliger's correction of eprrei. Cf. Bergk, Poet.
Lyr. Or, iii.^* p. 51 (Alcman, Frag. 36).
272
LYCURGUS, XXI. 2-4
Then the choir of young men would respond :—
" We are so now, and if you wish, behold and see."
And then the third choir, that of the boys, would
sing:—"We shall be sometime mightier men by far than
both."
In short, if one studies the poetry of Sparta, of
which some specimens were still extant in my time,and makes himself familiar with the marching songswhich they used, to the accompaniment of the flute,
when charging upon their foes, he will conclude
that Terpander and Pindar were right in associatingvalour with music. The former writes thus of the
Lacedaemonians :—
" Flourish there both the spear of the brave and theMuse's clear message.
Justice, too, walks the broad streets .**
And Pindar says :—^
"There are councils of Elders,And young men's conquering spears.And dances, the Muse, and joyousness."
The Spartans are thus shown to be at the same timemost musical and most warlike ;
" In equal poise to match the sword hangs the sweetart of the harpist,"
as their poet says. For just before their battles, the
king sacrificed to the Muses, reminding his warriors,as it would seem, of their training, and of the firm
1Fragment 199, Bergk, PoU. Lyr. Or. i.< p. 448.
873
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
KpiaeoaVy "va Siat irpoyeipoi irapa ra Betva koX
\6yov Tivof; d^la^ irape'xoyo-i ra? irpd^eL^i roov
Ixa'XpiJLevodv.
XXII. Tore Se koI roi? veoL^; ra (TicK7]poTaTa
T779 0.70)7779 kiravikvTe^y ovk eK(jo\vov KaXKoairl-
^eaOai, irepl KOixrjv fcal Koafjuov oirXwv koI l/iaricov,
XalpovT6<;, (oaTrep 'lttitol^, yavpionGi Kal (f)pvarTO-
fievoL^ Trpo'i T0U9 dy(ova<;. Bco kojj,(oi>t€<; evdv^ Ik
T^9 Twv i(f)rj^cov r)\iKLa<iy /JLoXcara irepl tovs
KLvhvvov<; edepdirevov ttjv KOfjurjv Xtirapdv t€ ^aL-veaOai koI BtaKeKpifievrjv, diro/nvrjfjLovevovTe'; nvaKal AvKOvpyov Xoyov Trepl Tr]<; KopLr)^, ort tov<;
fiev Ka\ov<i evTrpeirearepovf; iroiel, Tov<i Be alcr-
2 %poL'9 (f)oBep(OTepov<;. i^poivro Be kol yv/xva-(TiOL^ [xaXaKwrepoL^ irapd rd^ arpareta^;, Kal ttjv
dWrjv Btairav ov^ ovrco KCKoXaap^evrjv ovB^ virev-
Ovvov rol^ veoi^ irapelxov, axrre povoi^ dvdpd)7r(oveKeivoL^ t^9 €t9 tov TroXe/iov daKyaeco'^ avdiravaiv
elvai TOV TToXefiov. r^Br] Be avvreray/iievrjq t%<f)d\ayyo<; avrSiv Kal tmv iroXejJiiwv irapovrayv}6 ^aaiXevf; dp.a njv re 'X^ipatpav iacpaytd^eroKal arecfiavovo-dat TrapijyyeXXe irdai Kal tov<;
avXr)Td<; avXelv eKeXeve to Kaaropetov /xeA,09*
3 dfjia 8' e^rjpx^^ i/jL^aTTjplov iraLdvof;, ware aefj,vr)v
dfjLa Kal KaraTrXTjKTCKrjv rrjv oyjnv elvai, pvOficpT€ 7r/)09 TOV avXbv ep^aivovTwv Kal jJurfTe Bid-
(Tiraafia ttolovvtcov ev ttj <^dXayyi pr)Te Tat9
yjrvxal'i Oopv^ovpevcoVy dXXd irpdw^^ Kal IXapui^VTTo TOV peXov^ dyopevwv iirl tov klvBvvov. ovts
yap ^ojSov ovt€ Ovpov eyylveaOai irXeovdt^ovTa*
'Kap6vTU)v MSS., Coraes, Sintenis ^, and Bekker : Spciyrcoy
{in the sight of), with Xenophon, Eeip. Lac. xiii. 8.
274
I LYCURGUS, XXI. 4-xxii. 3
decisions they had made, in order that they might be
prompt to face the dread issue, and might perform such
martial deeds as would be worthy of some record.^
XXII. In time of war, too, they relaxed the
severity of the young men's discipline, and permittedthem to beautify their hair and ornament their arms
and clothing, rejoicing to see them, like horses,
prance and neigh for the contest. Therefore theywore their hair long as soon as they ceased to be
youths, and particularly in times of danger they took
pains to have it glossy and well-combed, remember-
ing a certain saying of Lycurgus, that a fine head of
hair made the handsome more comely still, and the
ugly more terrible. Their bodily exercises, too, wereless rigorous during their campaigns, and in other
ways their young warriors were allowed a regimenwhich was less curtailed and rigid, so that they werethe only men in the world with whom war broughta respite in the training for war. And when at last
they were drawn up in battle array and the enemywas at hand, the king sacrificed the customary she-
goat, commanded all the warriors to set garlands upontheir heads, and ordered the pipers to pipe the strains
of the hymn to Castor ; then he himself led off in a
marching paean, and it was a sight equally grandand terrifying when they marched in step witli the
rhythm of the flute, without any gap in their line of
battle, and with no confusion in their souls, but
calmly and cheerfully moving with the strains of
their hymn into the deadly fight. Neither fear norexcessive fury is likely to possess men so disposed,
^ The Greek of this sentence is obscure, and the translation
doubtful.
«75
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T0?9 ovTO) Bt,aK€i/JL6voc<i el/co^ €<TTiv, a\V eva-radh
<fip6vr]fxa fi€T iXTrlBo^i Kal Opdaov;, co? tov Oeov
avfjL7rap6vTO<;,
4 *R'^(op€t Be 6 fiaaiXevf; iirl tou? 7ro\€/iiiov<i
ey^cov fieO' eavrov arecfiaviTr^v aywva veviKrjKora,Kai (j>aai ye riva
')(^pr)fjidTO)V ttoWmv iv 'OXu/z- 54mot? SiSo/jievcov avTW /jltj Se^u/mevov, dWa ttoWm
ir6v(p KaraTraXata-avTa tov dvraycovLarrjVi w? Ti?
elirev avrcp," Tt aoi irXeov, w AaKcov, yeyove Slo,
rrj(; vlk7)<;;^* (f)dvaL /jLetBida-avra,"Ilpb tov ^aai-
5 Xea)9 TeTayiLi€vo<; fiaxovfJiai toi<; TroXeyittoi?." Tpe-
ylrdfievoi, Be Kal vLKrjaavTe<; iBtcoKOV oaov ix^e-0aicoaaa6ai, to vi/crjfia ttj (f)vy7J tcov TroXefxLcov, eiTa
€vOv<; dve^dypovv, ovTe yevvalov ovt€ 'EWrjvi/cov
rjyoviJLevoL KoiTTeiv Kal (fyovevetv dTroXeyofievovf;Kal TrapaKe'x^copijKOTafi. rjv Be ov fiovov KaXov tovtoKal fjLeyaXo^f'VXov, dXXd Kal XP^^^H'OV. elBoTe^; yap01 fUL'x^ofievoi 7r/?09 avTov<; otc toi;? v<f)i-<rTa/jLevov<;
dvaipovai, (fyelBovTat, Be tS)v ivBiBovTcov, tov
fieveiv TO (pevyetv rjyovvTO XvacTeXeaTepov.XXIII. AvTov Be TOV AvKovpyov 'iTTTrm? fiev
aocpKTTT)'; TToXe/jLLKooTaTov (j>T)(Ti yeveaOai koI
TToXXcov efiTreipov aTpaTetcov, ^iXoaTe^avo^ Be
Kal TTfv KaT ovXafJLOv^ tcov iTnrewv Biavo/jLrjv
AvKOvpyw Trpoo-TiOrjcnv' elvat Be tov ovXaf^ov,ft)9 eKelvo^i avveaTrjaev, LTTTrewv 7revT7]KOVTa ttX^^09 €v T€Tpaycovq) (T)(^rjfjLaTt TeTayfievcov. 6 Be
^aXrjpev^ A7)/jLi]Tpi,o<;, ovBefJud^; d'xfrd/jbevov rrroXe-
fjLtKf]!^ TTpd^eo)^ ev elprjvr) KaTacrrrjcraaOai ttjv tto-
2 XiTeiav. eoiKC Be Kal T779 ^OXv/j,7riaK7](; €K€X€i^pia<;
17 eTTLVOia irpaov Kal irpo^ elprjvrjv oLKeLco^; exovTo^i
dvBpo^ elvai. KaiTOi (paai Tive^, 0)9 ''Ep/jLi7nTo<;
276
LYCURGUS, XXII. 3-xxiii. 2
but rather a firm purpose full of hope and courage,
believing as they do that Heaven is their ally.
The king marched against the enemy in close
companionship with one who had been crownedvictor in the great games. And they tell of a
certain Spartan who refused to be bought off from a
contest at Olympia by large sums of money, and after
a long struggle outwrestled his antagonist. Whensome one said to him then :
" What advantage, OSpartan, hast thou got from thy victory ?
"he
answered, with a smile :" I shall stand in front of my
king when I fight our enemies." When they had
conquered and routed an enemy, they pursued himfai enough to make their victory secure by his flight,
and then at once retired, thinking it ignoble and
unworthy of a Hellene to hew men to pieces whohad given up the fight and abandoned the field. Andthis was not only a noble and magnanimous policy,but it was also useful. For their antagonists, knowingthat they slew those who resisted them, but showed
mercy to those who yielded to them, were apt to think
flight more advantageous than resistance.
XXni. Hippias the Sophist says that Lycurgushimself was very well versed in war and took part in
many campaigns, and Philostephanus attributes to
him the arrangement of the Spartan cavalry by"oulamoi," explaining that the "oulamos," as con-
stituted by him, was a troop of fifty horsemen in a
square formation. But Demetrius the Phalerean
says he engaged in no warlike undertakings, andestablished his constitution in a time of peace. Andindeed the design of the Olympic truce would seemto bespeak a man of gentleness, and predisposed to
peace. And yet there are some who say, as
911
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiVTjfiovevei, top Av/covpyov ov npocrexciv ovSe
KOivoyvelv ev ap^f) roU irepl tov "Itpirov, aWaTvy')(obvei.v aXXft)? iirLBrffiovvra Kal OeddfievovCLKovaai he (pcovrjv axTTrep dvdpooTrov Tivb<; i^o-
rmaOev iTrtTi/jLcovTO^; avTw koI Oavfjud^ovro^ onTou? iroXira^ ov TrporpiTreraL Kotvcjvetv t?}9 iravr]-
jvpeco^;' ft)9 Be jieraaTpa^evro^ ovBafiov (f)av€po<i
6 (j)6ey^d/jievo<; rjv, Oelov r^yrjadpLevov, ovrco 7rpo<;
TOV ^l(f)iT0v TpaireaOac Kal avvhiaKoapbrjaavTa
TTjv eopTTjv evBo^OTepav /cal ^efiaLorepav Kara-
cnijo-at,.
XXIV. 'H Be iraiBela P'^xpi t(ov evTfKiKoav Bte-
reivev. ovBeh yap r)v d(j>eip.evo^ co? efiovXero ^rjv,
dW* olov ev arparoTreBo) rfj iroXei /cat Biairav
e;^oi/T6? (hpLO-pevrjv Kal Biarpi^r^v irepl ra Koivd,
Kal 6\co<; vopLi^ovTe^ ov^ avrcov, dWd rrj<i iraTpL-5o9 elvai BiereXovv, el purj ri Trpdrreiv erepov etrj
TVpoaTeraypuevov, eTricKOTrovvre^; tov<! 7rat8a9, Kal
BiBdaKOvre^ rt, tcov xPV^^f^^^ V P'avOdvovTe^2 avrol irapd rS>v Trpea^vripcov, Kal yap ev nTOVTO Twv KaXcjv rjv Kal piaKapiwv a irapeaKevaaeT0t9 eavTOv iroXiTai^ 6 AvKovpyo<;, d(f>dovia (7%°'
X'59, ot9 re'xy'r)^; puev dyjraaOaL ^avavaov ro irapd-irav ovK ecpecTO, %p7;yLtaT<(7yLtoi) Be o-vvaycoyrjv
e^ovTo^ ipycoBr) Kal Trpayparetav ovB^ oriovv eBei,
Blcl to KopLiBfi TOV ttXovtov d^7]\ov yeyovevai Kal
3 cLTipLOV. ol Be 6t'\a)T€9 avTOt^ elpydfyvTo ttjv yrjv,
d7ro(j)Opav Tr)v elpr}p,evr]v TeXovvTe^;. eTnBrjpwv Be
Tfc9 ^AOrjvrjo-L BiKa(JTripi(ov ovtcov, Kal irvOop^vo^Tiva BiKTjv dpyla^ w^Xiy/fora fiaBi^etv dOvpLOVVTa
278
LYCURGUS, xxiii. 2-xxiv. 3
Hermippus reminds us, that at the outset Lycurgushad nothing whatever to do with Iphitus and his
enterprise, but happened to come that way bychance, and be a spectator at the games ; that heheard behind him, however, what seemed to be a
human voice, chiding him and expressing amazementthat he did not urge his fellow-citizens to take partin the great festival ; and since, on turning round, hedid not see the speaker anywhere, he concluded that
the voice was from heaven, and therefore betookhimself to Iphitus, and assisted him in giving thefestival a more notable arrangement and a more
enduring basis.
XXIV. The training of the Spartans lasted into
the years of full maturity. No man was allowed to
live as he pleased, but in their city, as in a military
encampment, they always had a prescribed regimenand employment in public service, considering that
they belonged entirely to their country and not to
themselves, watching over the boys, if no other dutywas laid upon them, and either teaching them someuseful thing, or learning it themselves from their
elders. For one of the noble and blessed privilegeswhich Lycurgus provided for his fellow-citizens, wasabundance of leisure, since he forbade their engagingin any mech?nical art whatsoever, and as for money-making, with its laborious efforts to amass wealth,there was no need of it at all, since wealth awakenedno envy and brought no honour. Besides, the Helotstilled their ground for them, and paid them the
produce mentioned above. ^ Therefore it was that
one of them who was sojourning at Athens when the
courts were in session, and learned that a certain
^
Chapter viii. 4,
a79
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fcal 7rpo7r€fi7r6fjLevov vtto t&v tftiXcdv crvvaxOofiivcjvKal ^apeax} cfyepovrcov, iBelro Sel^at rov<^ avfiirap'ovra^ avT(p Tt? icrriv 6 rrjv iXevdepla^^ eaXw/ccof;
Blktjv. ovto) 8ov\o7rp67r€<i rjyovvTO rrjv irepl Ta94 Te')(va^ Kal tov 'X^prjfjLarLcrfiov aa'X^oXLav. BC/cai.
Biy C09 €Ik6<;, i^iXtTTov apa rw vop.L(T/j,arc, fjirjTe
TrXeove^ia^ fju^re airopia^ avTol<; 7rapova7j<i, lao-
TrjTO<i Be iv evTropta fcal paarcovrj^; Bl evreXeiav
'yeyevT)fjbivrjf;. x°P°^^ ^^ '^^^^ OaXiai Kal evco^^aiKal Biarpt^al irepi re Oijpa'; Kal <yv/JLvdcna Kal
\e(r%a9 tov diravra XP^^(^^ eVe^ctfyomfoi^, orefirf
CTTpaTevopievoL ru^oiei^.XXV. 0/
iJi.ev ye vecorepoi rpiaKovra ircov to
irapdirav ov KaTe^aivov et9 dyopdv, dXkd Bid 55TMV avyyevMV Kal TOiv epaaToyv eiroLOvvTo Td<;
dvayKaiaf; olKOvop.ia<;. toc^ Be irpea^VTepoi^
al(T'X,pov rjv crvve'X^a)'; opdaOat irepl TavTa BiaTpl-
^ovaiv, dXXd fir) to TrXelaTov rrj^; rfp^epa^; irepi tcl
yvpivdaia Kal Ta9 KaXovpeva^ Xeayaf; dvaaTpe-(fteaBai. Kal yap el<; Tai>ra<; avviovTe<; i7rieiK(o<;
ea')(^oXa^ov pueT dXkrjXcov, ovBevo^ p^efxvrjiievoL T(ov
7r/309 %/077yu,aTio-yu,oi/ rj y^peiav dyopalov avvTe-
2 XovpTOJV dX\d TO irXelaTOV rjv t^9 TOiavTr}^
BiaTpil3f]<; epyov eTraivelv tl tcov KaXwv, r) t&v
aLcr')(p(ov yjreyetv, jxeTa iraiBid^ Kal ye\(oTO<;, iXa-
(f)pa)<i VTTOcfiepovTO^ ei<; vovOeaiav Kal Biopdcoaiv.ovSe yap auTO? -^v aKpuTox; av(TTr]po<; 6 Av-
Kovpyo<;' dXXd Kal to tov VeXwTO^; dyaXp,dTioveKelvov IBpva-aaOaL '^coaifiio^; laTopel, T7)v Trat-
Bidv ScTTrep TjBva/xa tov ttovov Kal t^9 BiaiTT)<;
*iKevdeplas, Sintenis^ with Coraes, after Bryan; 4\€v
depiay MSS., Sintenis^, and Bekker.
280
LYCURGUS, XXIV. 3-xxv. 2
Athenian had been fined for idleness and was goinghome in great distress of mind and attended on his
way by sympathetic and sorrowing friends, beggedtlie bystanders to show him the man who had been
fined for living like a freeman. So servile a thingdid they regard the devotion to the mechanical arts
and to money-making. And law-suits, of course,
vanished from among them with their gold and silver
coinage, for they knew neither greed nor want, but
equality in well-being was established there, and
easy living based on simple wants. Choral dances andfeasts and festivals and hunting and bodily exercise
and social converse occupied their whole time, when
they were not on a military expedition.XXV. Those who were under thirty years of age
did not go into the market-place at all, but hadtheir household wants supplied at the hands of
their kinsfolk and lovers. And it was disreputablefor the elderly men to be continually seen loitering
there, instead of spending the greater part of the
day in the places of exercise that are called
"leschai."! For if they gathered in these, theyspent their tune suitably with one another, makingno allusions to the problems of money-making or of
exchange, nay, they were chiefly occupied there in
praising some noble action or censuring some base
one, with jesting and laughter which made the pathto instruction and correction easy and natural. Fornot even Lycurgus himself was immoderately severe ;
indeed, Sosibius tells us that he actually dedicateda little statue of Laughter, and introduced season-
able jesting into their drinking parties and like
Places where men assembled for conversation.
281
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ijjLpaXovra Kara xaipov et? ra aviiiroa-La koX Ta<i
TOLavra^ SLarpL^d^.3 To Be 6\ov eWi^e tov<s irdXira^ fir) ffovXeaOat
firjBe eTTLaraaOat kut Ihlav ^rjv, «\V otxrirep ra?
fi€\iTTa<; T(p KOivS)(TVjjL(j)V€i<; 6vra<i del Kal jxer
dXKrj\(ov ei\ovfievov<; irepl rov ap')(pvTa, fjucKpov
Belv e^eaTcora^ eavrcou vn evOovcnaapiov kol
(pLkoTifiCaf;, 6\ov<; elvai t?}? irarpiBo^;' cu? eanKal (jycovat^; riacv avrcov diroOecoprja-ai rrjv Bid-
4 voLav. 6 fiev yap TLacBdpijrof; ovk iyKptOeh et9
T0U9 TpiaKoaiov^; dirrjeL jiaXa ^aiSpo^;, ucnrep
')(aipcov on ^€\TiOva<s avrov TpcaKoaLov; rj 7roXt9
e^6i* llo\vKpariBa<; Be 6 Trpea^evcov 7rpo<; tou?
0acn\€Q)(i arTpaTr)yov<; fieO^ erepcov, ipo/jLevcov av-
tS)V TTorepov IBia irdpeiaiv rj BrjfjLoaia 7r€/jL^6evr€<;,
elirev,** AtAra rv-x^co/iev, BrjfioaLa, a*iKa dirorv-
5'^co/mev,
IBia.^^ rjBe l^pacruBov fiyrrfp ^ApyiXecovif;,
CO? d<^LK6fjLevoi Tive^ et? AaKeBaifiova rS)v ef
*A/A^i7roX€a)9 elarjdXov 7rp09 avrijv, rjpaorrjaev el
KaX(Jt)<i 6 Byoacrt8a9 diriOave Kal rd^ '^irdpTa';
d^L(o<;' /jueyaXwovTcov Be eKeivcov rov avBpa Kal
XeyovTcov a)9 ovk e%6t toiovtov dXXov rj ^Trdprr)'" M^ Xeyere,^^ elirev,
"(o ^evor KaXb^ fiev yap
r}v Kal dyaOo<; 6 BpaaiBa<;, ttoXXov^; Be dvBpa^KaKeBaijJLWv exGt rrfvov Kdppova<;.^^XXVI. Toi'9 Be yepovTa<; avro'^ [xev, 009 eipijrat,
KarecTTT^de rb irpoiTov eK rwv /jLeTaa)(^6vTcov rov
^ovXevfjLaTO<;' varepov Be dvrl rod reXevrSyvTO^
era^e Kadiardvai, rov dpicrrov dperfj KpiOevrar(ov vTTep e^rjKovTa errj yeyovorwv. kol fxeyLaTO^
?3?
I.YCURGUS, XXV. 2-xxvi. i
diversions, to sweeten, as it were, their hardshipsand meagre fare.
In a word, he trained his fellow-citizens to have
neither the wish nor the ability to live for them-selves ; but like bees they were to make themselves
always integral parts of the whole community,clustering together about their leader, almost beside
themselves with enthusiasm and noble ambition, andto belong wholly to their country. This idea can
be traced also in some of their utterances. For
instance, Paedaretus, when he failed to be chosen
among the three hundred best men, went away with
a very glad countenance, as if rejoicing that the
city had three hundred better men than himself.
And again, Polycratidas, one of an embassy to the
generals of the Persian king, on being asked by themwhether the embassy was there in a private or a
public capacity, replied :" If we succeed, in a public
capacity ;if we fail, in a private." Again, Argileonis,
the mother of Brasidas, when some Amphipolitanswho had come to Sparta paid her a visit, asked themif Brasidas had died nobly and in a manner worthyof Sparta. Then they greatly extolled the man andsaid that Sparta had not such another, to which she
answered :"Say not so. Strangers ;
Brasidas wasnoble and brave, but Sparta has many better menthan he."
XXVI. The senators were at first appointed byLycurgus himself, as I have said,i from those whosliared his counsels
; but afterwards he arrangedthat any vacancy caused by death should be filled bythe man elected as most deserving out of those
above sixty years of age. And of all the contests in
1Chapter V. 7 f.
283
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
i^oKci TMV iv avOpco7roi<; ayoovayv ovto<; eTvai koX
7re/0iyua;^77TOTaTO9- ov yap iv Ta%eo-t rdxicTTovovS* iv laxvpoh lo-'xypoTaTOVt aX>C iv ayaOol^KoX croa^poGiv aptarov /cal a(D<^poveaTaTov eBei
Kpidevra viKTjrijpiov e^euv ttj^ aperrj^; Sia ^iov to
o-vfiiravy (0(; elireiv, KpdTO<; iv ry iroXiTeia, Kvpiovovra Kol Oavdrov /cal aTifiia<i xal oXo)? tcov
2 fieyiaTcdv. iyuvero Se rj Kpiai^ rovBe rov rpoirov.
iKKkr}<TLa^ dOpoiadcLar)^ dvSpe<; alperol KaOelp-
yvvvro ttXtjo-lov et? oi/crj/ia, rrjv fiev oyfrtv ovx
6p(bvT€<; ovBe opcojjLevoLy rrjv Be Kpavyrjv jjlovov
aKovovTe^ iKK\r\Gia^ovTwv, ^ofi yap a)9 raWaKoi TOt'9 d/JLLW(0/ji€VOV^ €KplVOV, OVX o/^^u irdvTCDV,
aXV CKdarov xard KXrjpov elaayajxevov Kal aLcoirfj
3 BiaTTOpeuo/j^ivov rrjv iicKKricTiav. exovT€<; ovv ol
KaraKXetaroL ypa/jUfMarela, fcaO^ efcaarov eTretrry-
/juaivovTo tt)? Kpavyrj^ to fieyeOo^, ovk elBoTe^i
OT(p yevoLTOj irXrjv oti TTyowTo? Tf BevTepof; fj TpiTO^
rj oiToaTOcrovv eXrj tmv elaayofievcov. otw Be
7r\eL(TT7} yevoLTo Kal /JbeytaTr), tovtov dv^iyopevov.
6 Be aT€(j)av(ocrd/jLevo<i irepfpei 701)9 deov<^' eXirovTO
Be TToWol vioL t^rj\ovvTe<; tov dvBpa Kal fieyaXv-
vovT€^, TToWai Te yvvalK€<; iyKcofjud^ovaai BC
(pBr)<i Tr)V dpeTtjv Kal tov fflov evBaifjLOVL^ovaat.
4 Ta)v Be iiTLTriBeiwv eKa<jTo<; avrw Belirvov rrapa- 56
Tcdeh eXeyev otl y 7roX£9 TavTrj Tifia ttj Tpaire^y.
TrepieXOcbv Be eh to (TvaaiTiov dirriei' Kal to, fiev
dXXa iyiveTO avv^Oco^y BevTepa^ Be iiepiBo<i avTM
284
iYCURGUS, XXVI. 1-4
the world this would seem to have been the greatesmd the most hotly disputed. For it was not
swiftest of the swift, nor the strongest of the strong,but the best and wisest of the good and wise wh(was to be elected, and have for the rest of his
as a victor's prize for excellence, what I may call the
supreme power in the state, lord as he was oflife^
ind death, honour and dishonour, and all th^|
greatest issues of life. The election was madethe following manner. An assembly of the peoj
having been convened, chosen men were shut upa room near by so that they could neither see nor be!|
seen, bat only hear the shouts of the assembly. Fot^as in other matters, so here, the cries of the assemblj|decided between the competitors. These did notf
appear in a body, but each one was introduce!
separately, as the lot fell, and passed silently through^the assembly. Then the secluded judges, who ha(
writing-tablets with them, recorded in each
the loudness of the shouting, not knowing for whoiit was given, but only that he was introduced firsts
second, or third, and so on. Whoever was greetedwith the most and loudest shouting, him theydeclared elected. The victor then set a wi*eath
upon his head and visited in order the temples of
the gods. He was followed by great numbers of
young men, who praised and extolled him, as well
as by many women, who celebrated his excellence in
songs, and dwelt on the happiness of his life. Eachof his relations and friends set a repast before him,
saying: "The city honours thee with this table."
When he had finished his circuit, he went off to his
mess-table. Here he fared in other ways as usual,
but a second portion of food was set before him,
285
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irapaTeBe'KT'qq i(f>v\aTr€v apd/jbevo<:* kol fiercb rb
helirvov iirl rat? Oupac<; rod (piBirlov twv olKeiwv
7rapovao)v jwulkcov, fjv pLoXiara rvy^dvoL rifiSiv
Trpoae/caXelrOf kol BiBov^i ttjv fjuotpav eXeyev otl
TavTTjv avTO^ XajBoDV dpicnelov eKeivr} huScoatv,
axrre Kd/ceivTjv ^rjXovfievrjp viro twv aWcov irpo-
TrefiTreaOai, yvvaiKMV.XXVIL Kal iJLr]v /cal ra irepX ra<; Ta(j>a<;
apiara Biefcocr/jurjaev avroh?- nrpMTOV jiev yapdveXoiv BeiaiSacjjiovLap diracTav iv rfj iroXet
OdiTTeiv Toxjf; veKpovs, koI TrXTjalov e%€iz/ ra pLvrj-
jxara tmv lepcov ov/c i/cdyXvae, (TVVTp6<j)ov<; ttolcov
rat? TOiavraL<; 0'\]r€(Ti,/cat avvrjOeL^ Tot'9 veov^,
axTie pur] TapaTTecrOai pi/rjB^ oppcoSecv tov Odvarov
<h<; pLLaivovra TOv<i dyjrap.evov'i veKpov adyfiaro^; f)
Bid rdcfxov BLeXOovra^;. eireuTa (TwOdTTretv ovBep
etaaev, dXXd iv (^olvlkiBl kuI (f>vXXoi<! iXaLa<s
2 Oevre^ to (Tcop.a Trepiio-reXXov. eTnypdyjrai Be
TOvvopLa OdyjravTaf; ovfc i^rjv tov ve/cpov, TrXrjv
dvBpo^ iv TToXepuw Kal yvvacKb<; tcov lepwv diro-
OavovTcov. 'X^povov Be TrevOov^ oXiyov TrpoadypLcrev,
rip,epa<; evBeKa- Ty Be BcoBeKUTrj dvaavTU^ eBet
i\rjp,7)TpL Xveiv TO irdOo^. ovBev yap rjv dpyovovBe dipeLpLevov, dXXd ttcktl KarepLiyvve rot?
dvayfcaioi^ dpeTr}<; TLva ^rjXov rj KaKia^ Bia^oXrjv'Kal KaTSTrvKVOV TrapaBecypdrcov irXrjOeL ttjv
ttoXlv, oU dvayKalov yjv ivrvyxdvovraf; del Kal
avvTpe^opLevov<; dyecrOai Kal Karaa-'^Vf^^'^^^^^B^''l6vTa<^ TTpo^i TO KaXov,
^ avrols Coraes and Bekker, after Bryan : axn6s {himself).
286
LYCURGUS, XXVI. 4-xxvii. 2
which he took and put by. After the supper was
over, the women who were related to him being nowassembled at the door of the mess-hall, he called to
him the one whom he most esteemed and gave her
the portion he had saved, saying that he had received
it as a meed of excellence, and as such gave it to
her. Upon this, she too was lauded by the rest of
the women and escorted by them to her home.XXVII. Furthermore, Lycurgus made most ex-
cellent regulations in the matter of their burials.
To begin with, he did away with all superstitiousterror by allowing them to bury their dead within the
city, and to have memorials of them near the sacred
places, thus making the youth familiar with such
sights and accustomed to them, so that they were not
confounded by them, and had no horror of death as
polluting those who touched a corpse or walked
among graves. In the second place, he permitted
nothing to be buried with the dead ; they simplycovered the body with a scarlet robe and olive leaves
when they laid it away. To inscribe the name of
the dead upon the tomb was not allowed, unless it
were that of a man who had fallen in war, or that of
a woman who had died in sacred office. He set apart
only a short time for mourning, eleven days ;on the
twelfth, they were to sacrifice to Demeter and cease
their sorrowing. Indeed, nothing was left untouchedand neglected, but with all the necessary details of
life he blended some commendation of virtue or
rebuke of vice ; and he filled the city full of goodexamples, whose continual presence and society mustof necessity exercise a controlling and mouldinginfluence upon those who were walking the path of
honour.
287
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 *'09ev ovS* aTroSrj/jLecv eScoKe rot? j3ovXofi€voi<iKoi TrXavdaOaL, ^eviKa avvdyovra'; rjOr) kol fjuifirj-
/jLura piwv aTraiSevTCOv koI iroKLTevfiaTcov Sia-
(popcov. aWa koI tou? dOpoL^o/jL€VOv<; eV* ovBevl
^prjaifiw Koi irapeLcrpeovTa^ eU rrjv iroXiv dirri-
Xavvev, ovx> ^? ^)ovKvBL8rj<; (prjai,, SeSto)? /jurj Trj<;
TToXtreta? fjLi/nrjral yevcovrai Koi irpo^ dpeTrjv tl
'Xprjai^ov eKfidOcoaiv, dXXd fjbdXXov otto)? fxr)
4 Bi,Bd(TKaXoi KUKOV Tivo<; VTrdp^coavv. afjua yap^6V0L<; crwiiacnv dvdyfcrj X6yov<; eTretaievai, ^€vov<;'
XoyoL he Kaivol fcpLaei^; Kaivd<; eirL^epovaiv. efMv dvdyKrj irddrj ttoXXcl <f)V€aOai, koI 7rpoaip€a€i<;dTrahovaa<; 7rpo<; ttjv /caOea-rwcrav iroXireiav,
wcrirep dpfioviav. Blo fidXXov (pero 'xpijvat (J3V-
Xdrreiv rrjv iroXiv ottco^; rjOcov ov/c dvairXT^aOrj-(Tejat TTovrjpoJV rj acofiaToyp voaepcbv e^coOeviiretaiovTcov.
XXVIII. ^Ev fiep ovv tovtol<^ ovBev ianvdSt,K[a<; i^i'o? ovSe irXeove^ia'^, fjv iyKaXovaiveviOL TOt? AvKovpyov v6fJ^oi<;, co? LKav(o<; e')(pvaL
TTpo^ dvBpeiav, eVSew? Se tt/do? hiKaioavvTjv. rj
Be KaXovfjLevrj KpvTTTeia irap avTol<;, et ye Br)
TOVTO Tcbv AvKovpyov TroXiTevfidrcov ev ea-riv,
ft)?
^
Api(TT0T€X7j<; laroprjKe, ravrrjv av ecij koi twYiXdrwvi irepl ri]^ 7roXiTeLa<; koL tov dvBp6<;
2 eveipyaa-fiivT} Bo^av. rjv Be Toiavrrj' tmv vewv
01 dp')(^ovTe<;Bid -x^povov tov<; fidXtcrra vovv e^^iv
Bofcovvra^ eh rrjv p^fopav dXXco<; e^eTre/JLTrov,
exovra<; eyx^i^pi'Bia xal rpocprjv dvayKalap, dXXoBe ovBev ol Be i^eO^ rj/mepav fiev eh d(TvvBr]Xov<f
Bcaa-TreLpofjuevot tottou?, dTreKpvTrrov eavrov^ Kal
288
LYCURGUS, XXVII. 3-xxviii. 2
rhis was the reason why he did not permit themto Uve abroad at their pleasure and wander in strange
lands, assuming foreign habits and imitating the lives
of peoples who were without training and lived under
different forms of government. Nay more, he actuallydrove away from the city the multitudes which
streamed in there for no useful purpose, not because
he feared they might become imitators of his form
of government and learn useful lessons in virtue, as
Thucydides says,^ but rather that they might not
become in any wise teachers of evil. For along with
strange people, strange doctrines must come in ; and
novel doctrines bring novel decisions, from which
there must arise many feelings and resolutions which
destroy the harmony of the existing political order.
Therefore he thought it more necessary to keep bad
manners and customs from invading and filling the
city than it was to keep out infectious diseases.
XXVIII. Now in all this there is no trace of
injustice or arrogance, which some attribute to the
laws of Lycurgus, declaring them efficacious in
producing valour, but defective in producing righte-ousness. The so-called "krupteia," or secret servicej of
the Spartans, if this be really one of the institutions
of Lycurgus, as Aristotle says it was, may have givenPlato also 2 this opinion of the man and his civil polity.
This secret service was of the following nature. The
magistrates from time to time sent out into the
country at large the most discreet of the youngwarriors, equipped only with daggers and such
supplies as were necessary. In the day time theyscattered into obscure and out of the way places,
^ In the Funeral Oration of Pericles, ii. 39, 1.
« Laws, p. 630 d.
289
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aveiravovTOy vvKTcop Be KanovTe^ eh t^9 oSou9
3 Tcov elXcoTCOv rov d\i,afc6fjLevov dneacpaTTOV. iroK-
XdKi<; Be Kol tol<; dypol^^ eimropevoiJLevoi rou?
pco/jLaXecordrov^; kol KpaTLarov^ avroov dvTjpovv,
coaTrep koI %ovKvBiBr)<^ ev tol<; Tle\o7rovp7)acaKOL<;
laropel roix; eV* dvBpeia irpoKpiOevTa^; viro r&v
XTrapTiaTMV o-recpavcoaaaOat fxev o)? e\evdepov<; 57
yeyovora'; koI irepLeXOelv rd rcjv Oecov lepd,
fiiKpov Be varepov diravTa'^ d(j)av€i<i yevecrOai,
irXeiova^ r) Bid'^^Lkiov^ ovrw^, co? fii^re irapa^prjfia
pLTjre varepov e^eiv rivd Xeyeiv oro) ^Tpoirat
4 BtecpOdprjaav,^
Apto-ToreXrjf; Be fidXiard (prjai
Koi Tovf; i(j>6pov<;, orav €t9 rrjv dpxw /caraarwai
TTpbiTOV, TOt? eXXaxTL KUTayyiXXeiv TroXefiov,
OTTO)? evayh y to dveXelv.
Kal rdXXa Be rpax^fOf; irpoaecpepovro kol
(TKXrjpo)'^ avrol^, ware fcal TTLveiv dvayKa^ovre^iroXvv d/cparov eh rd crv(T<TLrca irapetarrjyov, im-
BeLKVvjJLevoL TO jjueOveLV olov ean roh V€0i<;. koX
(pBd<; e/ceXevov dBeiv kol')(^i^peia<; ')(^opevet.v dyevveh
KoX KarayeXdcrrov;, direyeaOai Be rwv eXevQepwv.5 Bio Kai ipaaLV varepov ev rfj ©rj^aicov €t? rr)V
AaKcoviKTjv arpareia rov<; dXt.aKo/jLevov<; e'iX(ora<i
KeXevo/jLevov<i aBeiv rd TepirdvBpov kol^
AXkixuvo^Kol ^rrevBovro's rov AdKo)vo<i irapaureladaL, (f)d-
aKovra<^ ovk eOeXetv rov<i Beairoavvov^. mare rov<;
Xeyovra^, ev Aa/ceBaufiovi kuI rov eXevOepov fid-
Xiara eXevOepov elvai kov rov BovXov /jidXiara^ To7s aypols MSS. (incl. S) : rovs aypovs after Coraea.2Sry Cobet, cf. Thuc. iv. 80, 4 : ry.
290
I LYCURGUS, XXVIII. 2-5
where they hid themselves and lay quiet ; but in the
night they came down into the highways and killed
every Helot whom they caught. Oftentimes, too,
they actually traversed the fields where Helots were
working and slew the sturdiest and best of them. So,
too, Thucydides, in his history of the Peloponnesianwar,i tells us that the Helots who had been judgedby the Spartans to be superior in bravery, set wreaths
upon their heads in token of their emancipation, andvisited the temples of the gods in procession, but a
little while afterwards all disappeared, more thantwo thousand of them, in such a way that no manwas able to say, either then or afterwards, how theycame by their deaths. And Aristotle in particular
says also that the ephors, as soon as they came into
office, made formal declaration of war upon the
Helots, in order that there might be no impiety in
slaying them.And in other ways also they were harsh and cruel
to the Helots. For instance, they would force themto drink too much strong wine, and then introduce
them into their public messes, to show the youngmen what a thing drunkenness was. They also
ordered them to sing songs and dance dances that
were low and ridiculous, but to let the nobler kindalone. And therefore in later times, they say, whenthe Thebans made their expedition into Laconia,^
they ordered tlie Helots whom they captured to singthe songs of Terpander, Alcman, and Spendon the
Spartan ; but they declined to do so, on the pleathat their masters did not allow it, thus proving the
correctness of the saying :" In Sparta the freeman
is more a freeman than anywhere else in the world,* iv. 80. ' Under Epaminondas, 369 B.C.
291
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
BoOXoVy ov (fyavXco^; TeOewprjKevai rrjv Siacfiopdv.
6 Ta9 fjiev ovv TOiavTa<i '^aXeTTorrjra'i varepov iy-
yeveaOai Tot<; XTrapTLdrai^; vofii^co, [xaXiaTa fiera
Tov fiiyav creia[x6v, oS a-vveinOeaOaL tou? €LkcoTa<;
fjL€Ta Meaarjvicov laropuvcri, koI irXelara KaKo,
rrjv ')(o}pav ipydaaaOuL koI fxeyiarov rfj iroXei
irepLcrrrjcrat klvSvvov. ov yap av ey<oye irpoadeir^v
KvKOvpyw ptapbv ovrco t7?9 Kpv7Tr€La<; epyov diro
Trj<i dW'r]<; avrov 7rpa6Tt]To<; koX BiKaioavvrjf;
reKp^aipopevo^ top Tpoirov, w xal to haifioviov
iirefiapTvprjae.
XXIX. KareiXTj/ifjievcov Be toU ediafjiol^ rjBr)
Toyv KVpicordrcov vii avrov, Kal T7]<; TroXtraa?
iicTeOpafjLpevr]^ iKai'(o<; xal Svvafiivr]^ (f)epeiv eav-
Ti]V Kal aditeLV Bl eavrrj^;, coa-irep 6 TlXdrcop
(f)rjalv iirl T(p Kocrpw yevopLevcp Kal Kivr}9evrL ttjv
TTpcorrjv KLvr)(TLV €v(j)pavOrjvai rov Qeov, outoj?
dyaaOel^ Kal dyairi^aa^ to t>)9 vojjboOeaia^; KdX-
Xo9 Kal p^iyeOof; iv epytp y€i'opevr)<; Kal oBo) ^aBt-
^ov(Tr}<;, iireOvprjaev, o)<; dvuarbv ef dvBpwirLvqf;
'irpovoia<;, dOdvarov avrrjv aTToXiirelv Kal aKivqTOV2 et? TO pbeXXov. avvayaywv ovv diravra^ eh €k-
KXrjaiav, rd pev dXXa perpia}^ ex^i-v e^rj Kal
iKava)<i 7rpo9 evBaipoviav Kal dperrjv rrj<; iroXecof;,
b Be Kvpiwrarov ean Kal peyiaTOv ovk dv efe-
veyKelv irporepov nrpo^ avTov<; rj ^^pijaaaOai too
dea>. Belv ovv eKeivov; ippeveiv rol<; Ka6e<TT0)cn
vopoL^ Kal prjBev dXXdaaeiv prjoe peraKivelv ea)9
eirdveLaiv ex AeXcjyojv avTO^' iiraveXOoDv yap 6 ri
292
LYCURGUS, XXVIII. 5-xxix. 2
and the slave more a slave." However, in myopinion, such cruelties were first practised by the
Spartans in later times, particularly after the great
earthquake,! when the Helots and Messenians
together rose up against them, wrought the widest
devastation in their territory, and brought their cityinto the greatest peril. I certainly cannot ascribe
to Lycurgus so abominable a measure as the ''
krup-teia," judging of his character from his mildness and
justice in all other instances. To this the voice of
the god also bore witness.^
XXIX. When his principal institutions were at
last firmly fixed in the customs of the people, andhis civil polity had sufficient growth and strengthto support and preserve itself, just as Plato says^that Deity was rejoiced to see His universe comeinto being and make its first motion, so Lycurguswas filled with joyful satisfaction in the magnitudeand beauty of his system of laws, now that it
was in operation and moving along its pathway.He therefore ardently desired, so far as human
forethought could accomplish the task, to make it
immortal, and let it go down unchanged to future
ages. Accordingly, he assembled the whole people,and told them that the provisions already made were
sufficiently adapted to promote the prosperity andvirtue of the state^ but that something of the greatest
weight and importance remained, which he could
not lay before them until he had consulted the godat Delphi. They must therefore abide by the
established laws and make no change nor alteration
in them until he came back from Delphi in person ;
* 464 B.C. Cf. Plutarch's Cimon, xvi.* See chapter v. 3. • Timaeus, p. 37 c
293
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 av Tw Oew SoKrj iroirjcreiv. ofJioXoyovvTcov Se rrrdv-
Tcov Kal fce\ev6vT(Dv /SaSi^eiv, opKov<; Tul^cov iraparcov ^aaiXiayv Kal tcov yepovrcov, eireira iraparwv dWcov TToXiTwv, efxpLevelv fcal 'XprjaeaOai rrj
fcaOecTTcoarj iroXiTeia fiexpi^ civ eTvavekOr) 6 Av-
Kovpyo^y CLTrrjpev eh AeX^ou?.
TIapayevojbievo'; Be irpo^ to fiavrelov Kal t«6ea) dvcra<;, ripcoTrja-ev el Ka\M<; ol vojjlol Kal iKa-
vco<i 7rpo<; evBaifjioviav Kal dperrjv TroXeo)? Keiixevoi,
4 rvy')(^dvov(Tiv. airoKpivafiivov he rod Oeov Kal tou?
v6fJLov<; Ka\a)<; KelaOai Kal ttjv itoXlv ivBo^ordrijv
Sia/nevelv rrj AvKovpyov xpwjxevr^v iroXireia, ro
/idvrev/jLa ypay^ajxevo^ eh XTrdprrjv dTreareiXev.
auT09 he tw Oew wdXtv 6vaa<i Kal tov<; (^tXoi;?
d(T7raa-dfjLevof; Kal rov vlov, eyvco pbrjKeri rolg
iroXiraL'i d<^elrai rov opKov, avrov he KaraXvcrai
rov fiiov eKovoricd^y r}XiKia<; y€yovQ)<; ev y Kal /3tovv
en Kal Treirava-Oai fiovXo/jL€vot<; oypatov eari, Kal
TCOV irepl avTov lKavco<; Trpb^; evhaifjLoviav e'^eiv ho-
5 KovvTcov. eTeXevT7]aev ovv d7roKaprepr]aa<;, rjyov- 58
jjL€vo<i ')(prjvai TCOV iroXiTiKciiv dvhpcov firjhe rov
Odvarov diroXirevTOV elvai firjhe dpybv to tov
Plov TeXo9, aXX' ev dperrjf; fiepihi Kal irpd^eco^
yevofxevov. avrco re yap e^eipyacrjievcp ra KdX-
XicTTa TTjv TeXevTTjv (B9 dX7]dco<i eiTLTeXeicoaLV elvai
Trj<; evhaifjiOVLa<s, Kal roh TroXtrat? o)v hid tov
^Lov TrapecTKevacre KaXcov Kal dyadcov cfivXaKa tov
Odvarov dTToXei-^etv, ofico/xoKoai 'x^prjcrOai rfj tto-
6 Xirelaiie-)(^pL'i
av eKelvo^ eiraveXOri, Kal ov hieyjrev-
294
I LYCURGUS, XXIX. 3-6
then he would do whatsoever the god thought best.
When they all agreed to this and bade him set outon his journey, he exacted an oath from the kingsand the senators, and afterwards from the rest of
the citizens, that they would abide by the established
polity and observe it until Lycurgus should comeback
; then he set out for Delphi.On reaching the oracle, he sacrificed to the god,
and asked if the laws which he had established were
good, and sufficient to promote a city's prosperity andvirtue. Apollo answered that the laws which he hadestablished were good, and that the city wouldcontinue to be held in highest honour while it keptto the polity of Lycurgus. This oracle Lycurguswrote down, and sent it to Sparta. But for his own
part, he sacrificed again to the god, took affectionate
leave of his friends and of his son, and resolved
never to release his fellow-citizens from their oath,but of his own accord to put an end to his life wherehe was. He had reached an age in which life was not
yet a burden, and death no longer a terror; when he
and his friends, moreover, appeared to be sufficiently
prosperous and happy. He therefore abstained fromfood till he died, considering that even the death of
a statesman should be of service to the state, and the
ending of his life not void of effect, but recognizedas a virtuous deed. As for himself, since he had
wrought out fully the noblest tasks, the end of life
would actually be a consummation of his good for-
tune and happiness ; and as for his fellow-citizens, hewould make his death the guardian, as it were, of
all the blessings he had secured for them during his
life, since they had sworn to observe and maintainhis polity until he should return. And he was not
295
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
0-^77 rdv XoyLdfjiMv' toctovtov iirpccTevarev rj iroXi^
rr]<; 'EXXaSo? evvoixia koI ho^rj, ')(^povov irSyv
irevTaKoaiwv toI<s AvKovpyov 'x^prjaajjievr] v6[jL0L<i,
ou? S€KaT€cradp(Dv ^acriXetov [ler eKelvov eh^Kyiv Tov ^Ap-)(^cBd/jLOV yevofieicop ovBel<; eKivrjo-ev.
7) ryap rcjv i(f)6pcov Ararao-racri? ovk av€<rL<; rjv,
aW eTTtraci? t?}? TroXtreia'!;, kol BoKovcra Trpo?TOV hrjfJLOV yeyovevai afpoSporepav iTroCrjae rrjv
dpKTTOKparlav.XXX. "AyiSof; Se /SaaiXevovro^ elaeppinj v6-
fxiafxa TTpMTOv eh rrjv ^Trdprrjv, koI puera tov
vofiio-fjbaTo^ TrXeove^ta koL itXovtov f?}Xo9 iire^rjBed AvaavBpov, 09 avTO<; o)v dvaXwro^ viro XPV~fidTcov, iveTrXrjcre ttjv iraTpiBa (f)LXo7rXovTLa<i kol
Tpv(j)r](i, )(pvaov /cal dpyvpov i/c tov TroXepLOV kut-
ayaycov koI tov^ AvKovpyov KaTaTroXiTevadpLe-z/09 v6fiov<;. oiv iiriKpaTovvTcov irpoTepov ov iro-
Xeo)<; r) ^irdpTT] iroXLTeiav, aXX' dvBpo<; daKTjTovKol (TO(f)ov piov exovaa, pboXXov B\ oiairep 01
TTOLrjTal TOV 'HpaKXia pLvdoXoyovai BippLU fcal
^vXov e^ovTa ttjp oIkovjjbevrjv iiTLTropeveaOaiy ko-
Xd^ovTa Tou? 7rapav6pLOV<; Koi 6rjpta)Bei<; Tvpdv-vov^i oi/TO)? r) 7t6Xl<^ diro crKVTdXri<; pLid<; xal Tpi-
^(DVO<i dpxpvcra t^9 'EXXa5o9 eKovar]^ koI ^ov-Xofjiivrjfi, KaTeXve tu^ dBiKov^ BvvaaTeLa^ kol
TvpavviBa^ iv Toh TroXiTevpLaai, koX TroXepLov^i
i^pdfieve kol (TTdcrei^i KaTeirave, iroXXdKi^; ovB'
daTTtBa KLvrjcracra piiav, aXX' eva Trepbyfraaa
irpecr^evTrjv, w TrdvTS^ evOv^ eTToiovv to Trpoa-
Taa(T6pL(:V0v, (oairep at pueXLcraaL ^avevTO<^ 9776-
pi6vo<^y awTpe-^ovTe^; fcal KaTaKoapLovpuevoi, Toa-
ovTov ireptrjv evvo/j>la<; Ty iroXei koi BiKaioavvrji;.
296
I LYCURGUS, XXIX. 6-xxx. 2
deceived in his expectations^ so lon^ did his cityhave the first rank in Hellas for good governmentand reputation, observing as she did for five hundred
years the laws of Lycurgus, in which no one of the
fourteen kings who followed him made any change,down to Agis the son of Archidamus. For the
institution of the ephors did not weaken, but rather
strengthened the civil polity, and though it was
thought to have been done in the interests of
the people, it really made the aristocracy more
powerful.XXX. But in the reign 01 Agis, gold and silver
money first flowed into Sparta, and with money,greed and a desire for wealth prevailed through the
agency of Lysander, who, though incorruptible him-
self, filled his country with the love of riches andwith luxury, by bringing home gold and silver fromthe war, and thus subverting the laws of Lycurgus.While these remained in force, Sparta led the life,
not of a city under a constitution, but of an individual
man under training and full of wisdom. Nay rather,as the poets weave their tales of Heracles, how withhis club and lion's skin he traversed the world chas-
tising lawless and savage tyrants, so we may say that
Sparta, simply with the dispatch-staff and cloak of
her envoys, kept Hellas in willing and glad obedience,
put down illegal oligarchies and tyrannies in thedifferent states, arbitr ted wars, and quelled seditions,often without so much as moving a single shield, but
merely sending one ambassador, whose commandsall at once obeyed, just as bees, when their leader
appears, swarm together and array themselves abouthim. Such a surplus fund of good government and
justice did the city enjoy.
297
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 *'06ev eyoyye 6av/jid^a) twv Xeyovrcov 009 cipX^'(J6at jxev rj^eaav, apxeiv he ovk iQiriaravro Aaxe-
haLfiovLoi, /cat top Seoiro/iiTrov rov ^aat\eco<;iiraivovvTCOv Xoyov, 09, elirovro'^ tivo<; aco^eaOai
rrjv Xirdprrjv Bid toi'9 ^aaCKeU dp'x^iKOv^; yeyo-vora^,
"MaXXoi/," elTre,
** Bid toi'9 7roXiTa<; irei-
4 Oap)^LKov<; 6Wa9'" ov yap aKoveiv virojievovaL rcbv
TTpocTTaTelv jjLrj Bwafjiivcov, dX>J77 Treidap^^ia fiddrj-
fxa jiev icrriv rov a/^^oi/ro?^(ifiirotel ydp 6 koXm^
dycov TO Ka\.co<; eireaOar koX KaOdirep i7r7riK7]<;
rex^v^ dTroriXecTfia irpaov 'lttttov koI TreLOijvwv
irapaa-x^lv, ovrco ^a(nXi/cf]<; iina-T'^fir)<^ epyov
dvdp(t)7roL<; evTreLOeiav evepydaaaOai), Aa/ceBat-
fjLovLoi Be OVK eviretdeiav, dX}C eTriOufilav iveipyd-
fovTO Tot9 dX\,oi<; rov dp'^^eaOat /cal viraKoveiv
5 avrocq. yrovv ydp ov vav<; ovBe ^(^prjixaTa irapavTcov ovBe 6iT\LTa<i 7re//,7roi^Te9, dXkd eva Xirap-
Tidrrjv rjyefiova' koX Xafiovre^i e^p^vro fierd
T[fjLr]<; Koi Biov^;, axTirep TvXLTTTrq) ^iKeXtcjrat
KOI BpaauBa XaXKiBet^, AvadvBpo) Be koI KaXXt
KpariBa koi ^AyqcriXdw 7rdvre<; ol ti]v ^Aaiav
oiKovvre^i "FjXXrjve<;, tol'9 fiev dvBpa<; dpixoardf;KOI (7co(f)povia-Td<; TMV e/caaraxov Brjiicov Koi
dp'XpVTwv 6vofid^ovTe<;, irpo^ Be avynraaav Tr]v
roiv XTrapriarwv iroXiv &aiTep iraiBaywyov 7)
BiBdaKaXov eva')(^i^^ovo^ piov kol reTay/jLev7]<;
6 TToXiTeia^ d7rofiXe7rovTe<;. eh kol XrpaTovtKO^;
iTTiaKcoyjrai. Bo/cel, fierd 7raiBi.d<i vofioOeTOiv kol
KeXevcov^
A6iivaiov<^ dyeiv jJivcnrjpLa koi iro^Trd^,
^WXeiov^i Be dywvoOerelv, &)9 KaXXiara rovro
TTOLOvvra^y AaKeBai^oviov<i Be, dv d/uiaprdvcoaiv* rod &PXOVTOS with S : ip^^ovros,
998
LYCURGUS, XXX. 3-6
Wherefore, I for one am amazed at those whodeclare that the Lacedaemonians knew how to obey,but did not understand how to command, and
quote with approval the story of King Theopompus,who, when some one said that Sparta was safe andsecure because her kings knew how to command,replied :
"Nay, rather because her citizens know
how to obey." For men will not consent to obeythose who have not the ability to rule, but obedienceis a lesson to be learned from a commander. For a
good leader makes good followers, and just as the
final attainment of the art of horsemanship is to
make a horse gentle and tractable, so it is the task
of the science of government to implant obediencein men. And the Lacedaemonians implanted in therest of the Greeks not only a willingness to obey,but a desire to be their followers and subjects.
People did not send requests to them for ships, or
money, or hoplites, but for a single Spartan com-mander ; and when they got him, they treated himwith honour and reverence, as the Sicilians treated
Gylippus ; the Chalcidians, Brasidas ;and all the
Greeks resident in Asia, Lysander, Callicratidas, and
Agesilaiis. These men, wherever they came, were
styled regulators and chasteners of peoples and
magistrates, and the city of Sparta from w hich theycame was regarded as a teacher of well-ordered
private life and settled civil polity. To this positionof Sparta Stratonicus would seem to have mockinglyalluded when, in jest, he proposed a law that theAthenians should conduct mysteries and processions,and that the Eleians should preside at games, since
herein lay their special excellence, but that theLacedaemonians should be cudgelled if the others
299
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ovToi, SepeaOai. koI tovto fiev ecprjTat %a/oir
Tov yeXoiov *AvTi(T6evr]<; Sk 6 ^WKpariKo^ airo
Tr]<i iv Aev/cTpoi^; /^a%^9 opcov rov^ @r)l3aLOV<;
fjbiya (l>povovvTa^, ovBev avrov^ e<f>r) hua^epeiv 59
TraLBapucov iirl tw avyKoyfraL tov iracBaycoyov
yavpi(i)V7a)v.
XXXI. Ov firjv TOVTO ye Ta> AvKovpyo) /ce^d-
Xaiov rjv Tore, irXeicTTCdv rjyov/xivrjv dirdXnrelv
Tr)V ttoXlv aXV wGirep evo<; dvBpb<; ^iw Koi
iroXeco^ 6Xr]<; vo/jll^wv evBaijioviav dir* apeTTjq
iyyiveaOai koI 6fwvo[a<; t^? tt^o? avTijv, tt/oo?
TOVTO avv€Ta^6 KOI crvif^pfioaev, 07r&)9 iXevOipioiKol avTapKCL^i yevofievoL koI aaxppovovvTe^ iirX
2 TrXelaTOV -xpovov ScaTeXojai. tuvttjv kol IIXcltcov
eXape tt}? TroXireta? viroOecnv koI Atoyevr)<; Kal
Zrjvcov Kal 7raz/T€9 oaoi tl irepX tovtcov eTri^eipj]-
aavTe^i elirelv eTratvovvTai, ypdfjLfiaTa Kal X6yov9d7roXi7r6vT€<; fiovov. 6 he ov ypd/i/iaTa Kal X6yov<;,dXX' epyo) iroXiTeiav dfitfjuijTOV eh ^co? irpoeveyKa-
fievo^y Kal T0t9 dvvirapKTOV elvai Tr)v Xeyofievrjv
irepl TOV (TO^ov SidOecriv viroXafx^dvovcTiv iinhei-
fa? oXrjv TTjv ttoXlv ^tXoaocpovaav, et/coTO}? virep-
Tjpe Tjj Bo^rj Tou? TTcoTTOTe TToXLTevaafMevov^i iv
3 Tol(;"EXXr]at,. Bi oirep Kal^
Api(7T0TeXr]<; eXarro-
va<; (Txelv (fyTjat, ti/jlcl^; fj TrpocrrJKOV rjv avTov e^eiviv AaKeBaipbovL, Kaiirep e^ovTa Ta? p.eyLaTa<;.
lepov Te ydp iaTiv avTov, Kal Ovovai Ka0' €Ka-
(TTOV iviavTov ft)9 Oew. XeyeTai Be kol tcov Xeiyjrd-
vcov avTov KOjjLLadevTcov o'UaBe Kepavvov tl<; tov
309
I LYCURGUS, XXX. 6-xxxi. 3
did amiss.^ This was a joke ; but Antisthenes the
Socratic, when he saw the Thebans in high feather
after the battle of Leuctra/ said in all seriousness
that they were just like little boys strutting aboutbecause they had thrashed their tutor.
XXXI. It was notj however, the chief design of
Lycurgus then to leave his city in command over a
great many others, but he thought that the happinessof an entire city, like that of a single individual,
depended on the prevalence of virtue and concord
within its own borders. The aim, therefore, of all
his arrangements and adjustments was to make his
people free-minded, self-sufficing, and moderate in
all their ways, and to keep them so as long as
possible. His design for a civil polity was adoptedby Plato, Diogenes, Zeno, and by all those who havewon approval for their treatises on this subject,
although they left behind them only writings andwords. Lycurgus, on the other hand, produced not
writings and words, but an actual polity which was
beyond imitation, and because he gave, to those whomaintain that the much talked of natural dispositionto wisdom exists only in theory, an example of anentire city given to the love of wisdom, his fame
rightly transcended that of all who ever founded
polities among the Greeks. Therefore Aristotle
says that the honours paid him in Sparta were less
than he deserved, although he enjoys the highesthonours there. For he has a temple, and sacrifices
are offered to him yearly as to a god. It is also
said that when his remains were brought home, his
* Cf. chapter xviii. 4.- In 371 B.C., when the Thebans under Eparainondas broke
the supremacy of Sparta.
VOL. I. T 301
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rd<f>ov KaTaaKTJyjrar tovto Be ov paBLay; erepwTivl Tcbv iirKpavcov ttXtjv ^vpiTriBrj avfiTrea-elv
varepov, reXevrrjaavTi /cal Tacf)6VTt t^? M-UfceBov-
ta? Trepl ^ApeOovaav. ware aTrokoyrjfia kuI fJMp-
Tvpiov fii'ya elvac rot? dyaTraxTL rov KvpLTriBrjp to
fiovG) avfiTreaelv avT^ {jLera rekevTTjv^ a rw
OeocpiXea-rdro) koL oo-Lcordrq) TTporepov avveireae.
4 TeXevTTJaai Be top Av/covpyov ol jiev iv K^tppa
Xiyovatv, ^AiroXXoOefiif; Be eh *HXiv KOfJuadevTa,
TlfxaLo^ Be koI ^Apiaro^evo^ ev K.pijrr} /caTafiico-
aavra' kuI rdcpov^
Apiaro^evo'^ avrov Beiicvvadai
^r)(nv VTTO KprjTcov t^9 Ilepyafua<; irepX rrjv
^eviKTjV oBov. vlov Be Xeyerat /jLOvoyevij KaraXi-irelv ^Avriaypo'j' ov reXevT^cravro^; dre/cvou to yevo^
5 e^eXiTTev. ol B' iratpoi koI olKeloi BLaBo')(r}v TLva
KoX (TvvoBov eirl 7roXXov<i 'X^povov; Biaixelvacrav
/caTea-TTjaav, /cat ra? r)/j,epa^ ev ah avvTJp^ovro
AvKovpyiBa^ TTpoarjyopevaav. ^ApcaroKparr)^ Be
6 *l7r7rdp')(^ov (f)7jal tou? ^evovf; tov Av/covpyovTeXevTYjaavTO^i ev KptJTr) Kavaai to acofjLa kol
Biaarrelpai ttjv Tecjypav eh Tr)v OdXaTTav, avTov
BerjOevTO^; /cat (f>vXa^ap,evov pbrj irore dpa tcov
XeL-yjrdvcov eh Aa/ceBal^ova KOfiiaOivTcov, a)9 eirav-
rjKovTO^ avTov koI tmv opKcov XeXvfjbevwVy fieTa-
^dXcocri, Tt]v TToXireiav, TavTa fiev ovv Trepl tov
Av/covpyov.^ The words koI yeveaQai following TeAeurV are deleted
by Bekker and Sintenis ^(in critical notes).
30a
LYCURGUS, XXXI. 3-5
tomb was struck by lightning, and that this hardly
liappened to any other eminent man after him
except Euripides, who died and was buried at
Arethusa in Macedonia. The lovers of Euripidestherefore regard it as a great testimony in his
favour that he alone experienced after death whathad earlier befallen a man who was most holy andbeloved of the gods.Some say that Lycurgus died in Cirrha
; Apollo-themis, that he was brought to Elis and died there
;
Timaeus and Aristoxenus, that he ended his days in
Crete;and Aristoxenus adds that his tomb is shown
by the Cretans in the district of Pergamus, near the
public highway. It is also said that he left an onlyson, Antiorus, on whose death without issue, the
family became extinct. His friends and relations,
however, instituted a periodical assembly in his
memory, which continued to be held for manyages, and they called the days on which they came
together, Lycurgidae. Aristocrates the son of Hip-parchus says that the friends of Lycurgus, after
his death in Crete, burned his body and scattered
the ashes into the sea, and that this was done at his
request, and because he wished to prevent his
remains from ever being carried to Sparta, lest the
people there should change his polity, on the pleathat he had come back, and that they were therefore
released from their oaths. This, then, is what I
have to say about Lycurgus.
303
OP
NUMA
NOMAS
I. "EfTTt Be Kol Trepl rcov No//,a rod ^aaCkecof;
Xpovcov, Ka9^ ov^ yiyove, veaviKr) hLa(j)opd, Kaiirep
ef cipx^^ ^t'*? ToifTOV KardyecrOai tcjv arefi/jbdroyv
cLKpilBSi^ BoKOVi'Tcov. dWa KXcoSi09 T^9 iv i\e'y')(w
Xpov(ov (ovTCJ rydp TTW? eiTLyeypaTTTai TO j3i^\iov)
IdXypi^erai to,^ fiev apxaia^ eK€Lva<: dvaypa(f)a<;iv T0t9 KeXr^/co?? irdOeai Trj<^ iroXeco^ rj^avlaOaL,Ta<^ he vvv (j)aivofieva<i ovk a\7)0(b<; cTvyKelaOat, Be
dvBpcbv x^pi^o/xevcou rialp eh to, irpcora jivrj Koi
TOV<; iTrKpaveardTov; oXkov<; ef ov TrpoarjKovrwv2 ela^La^ofievoi^. Xeyo/jievov 8' ovv w? No/za? yevoi-TO UvOayopov avvrjOrjfi, oi fiev oXax; d^iovat
fjLTjBev 'EXkTjvtKTJ^i iratBevaeco'^ No/jua jj^erelvai,
Kaddirep r) <f>vcr€i Bvvarov koi avrdp/cT) yeveaOai
irpo^ dpeTTjv t) ^eXriovi UvOayopov ^ap^dpw rivl
rr/v Tov /SacrtXeo)? diroBovvai iraiBevcnv ol Be
HvOayopav fiev oyjre yeveadai, rcov No/id xpovfov3 6/jlov Ti Trevre yeveal<i dirdXeiiroixevoVy Uvdayopav
Be TOV ^TTapTidrTjv ^OXv/jLTrca veviKrj/cora ardBiov
€7rl T^9 eKKaiBeKdrr)^ ^OXvfnridBo^, 7^9 erei Tpirq>
NofLd<; €69 TTjv ^aaiXeiav KaTeorrr], irXavrjOevra
irepl TTJV 'IraXiav avyyeveaOat r^ No/jlo. koi avv-
306
NUMAI. There is likewise ^ a vigorous dispute about the
time at which King Numa lived, although from the
beginning down to him the genealogies seem to bemade out accurately. But a certain Clodius, in a
book entitled " An Examination of Chronology/'insists that the ancient records were lost whenthe city was sacked by the Gauls/^ and that those
which are now exhibited as such were forged, their
compilers wishing to gratify the pride of certain
persons by inserting their names among the first
families and the most illustrious houses, where theyhad no cause to appear. Accordingly, when it is
said that Numa was an intimate friend of Pytha-goras, some deny utterly that Numa had anyGreek culture, holding either that he was naturally
capable of attaining excellence by his own efforts, or
that the culture of the king was due to someBarbarian superior to Pythagoras. Others say that
Pythagoras the philosopher lived as many as five
generations after Numa, but that there was another
Pythagoras, the Spartan, who was Olympic victor
in the foot-race for the sixteenth Olympiad^(in the
third year of which Numa was made king), andthat in his wanderings about Italy he made the ac-
quaintance of Numa, and helped him arrange the1 Cf. Lycurgus, i. 1-3.* 390 B.O. Cf. Camillusy xix.-xxix. ^ 657-654 b.o.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
BtaKocr/jLTicTai rrjv iroXiTelav, odev ovk oXiya toI<;
'VwfxalKoh iTnrrjBevjjLaai twv AaKcoviKwv avajjue-
iilyQai Hvdayopov SiSd^avro^;. aXXo)? Be No//.a?
761/0? fiev Tjv eK ^afilvwv, Xafilvoi Be /SouXovrai,
4 AaKcBaifiovlcov eavrov^ a7roLKov<; yeyovevai. tov<;
fiev ovv 'X,p6vov<; i^aKpi^waaL %aX,e7roz/ eVrt, Kal
jxaXiaTa tov<; e/c to)v ^OXv/jlttlovlkcov avayofjL€VOu<;,
a)v TTjv avaypa^rjv oyjri (f)a(TLP ^lirirlav eKBouvai
Tov ^HXelov, air ovBevo<; opficofievov avayKaiov
TTpo^ iria-TLV a Be 7rap€cX')](f>a/jL€v -qfjuel^: a^ca
Xoyov irepl Nofid, Bie^i/j^ei^ ^PXV^ oiKeuav Xa-
fi6vTe<;.
II. "Fi^Bo/JLOV eviavTovrj ^Pojfiri Kal rpiaxoaTOV
TjBr] ^VcofjLvXov ^a(TiXevopTO<; wKelro' irefiTTrrj Be
larafjLevov fjLrjvo^i, fjv vvv rjfxepav v(ova<; K.aTrpa-TtVa? KaXovai, dvcrlav riva BTjfioreXi] irpo t^?TToXeo)? 'Pft)/iuXo9 eOve irepi rb KaXovfjbevov
Alyb<i e\o9, fcal irapriv rjre fiovXrj Kal tov B/j/hov
2 TO irXelcTOV. e^ai^vrj'^ Be fieydXr}'; irepl tov depaT/307r?79 yevofievT}^ Kal ve<^ov<; enrl irjv yrjv epeiaav-T0<; dfia TTvevixaTi Kal ^dXy, tov fiev dXXov o/ilXov
eKirXayevTa awefir) (^uyeti/ Kal aKeBaa-dfjvai,TOV Be 'F(o/JLvXov d(j)avy] yeveadai, Kal firjTe
avTov CTL ixrjre awfia TeOvrjKOTO^ evpeOrjvat, %a-XeiTTjv Be Tcv virovocav d-yjraa-Oai twv iraTpiKLcov,Kal purjvai Xoyov ev tS)
BrjiJLcpKaT avTciyv o)?
TrdXai fiapwofxevoi to jSaaiXeveadat Kal fieTa-
crTYjcrai to KpdTO^ et? avTov<i OeXovTe^ dveXoiev
TOV fiaaCkea. Kal yap eBoKei Tpa^vTepov tJBtj
3 7rpocr(j>ep€a-6aL Kal jJbovapx^'^f^'T^pov avToh. dXXa
TavTTjv fiev Trjv viroylriav eOepdirevov eh Oecov
308
"NUMA, I. 3-II. 3
government of the city, whence it came about thi
many Spartan customs were mingled with th
Roman, as Pythagoras taught them to Numa. Andat all events, Numa was of Sabine descent, and the
Sabines will have it that they were colonists from
Lacedaemon. Chronology, however, is hard to fix,
and especially that which is based on the names of
victors in the Olympic games, the list of which is
said to have been published at a late period byHippias of Elis, who had no fully authoritative basis
for his work, I shall therefore begin at a convenient
point, and relate the noteworthy facts which I havefound in the life of Numa.
II. For thirty-seven 3'ears, now, Rome had beenbuilt and Ronmlus had been its king; and on the
fifth of the month of July, which day they now call
the Capratine Nones, Romulus was offering a publicsacrifice outside the city at the so-called Goat's
Marsh, in the presence of the senate and most of
the people. Suddenly there was a great commotionin the air, and a cloud descended upon the earth
bringing with it blasts of wind and rain. The
throng of common folk were terrified and fled in all
directions, but Romulus disappeared, and was neverfound again either alive or dead. Upon this a
grievous suspicion attached itself to the patricians,and an accusing story was current among the peopleto the effect that they had long been weary of
kingly rule, and desired to transfer the power to
themselves, and had therefore made away with the
king. And indeed it had been noticed for sometime that he treated them with greater harshnessand arrogance. This suspicion the patricians soughtto remove by ascribing divine honours to Romulus,
309
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tifict<; avdyovre^ a)9 ov reOvrjKora rov 'T(Ofiv\ov,
aX\a Kp€LTTOvo<; ovra /jLOipa<;' kol JJpoKXo^;, avrjp
i7rt,(j)avr]<;, Bico/JLoaaro ^Vwfxvkov ihelv eh ovpavbv<jvv T0t9 ottXoc^ ava(f)€p6/ui€vov, Kal (pcovrj^ uKOvaai
KekevovTO<; avrov ovofid^eaOac K^vplvov.
4 'Ere/ja 8e rapa')(r) /cat aTd(ri<; KareXdfi^ave
TTjv ttoKlv virep rov fjLeX\ovTo<; aTroSeLX^V^eadai,
ffacrL\eco<i, ovttq) toov iTrrjXvScov ko/jllStj rot? Trpco-
Toi<; (TvyKeKpafiivcov TroTuVat?, aXV ert rov re
Brjfiov TToWa KVfiaivovTOf; ev kavrco kol t&v
irarpLKKov ivv'Tro'\jr[,aL<;
ix rov hiacjiopov irpo^i
dXkt)\ov<; ovTcov. ov firjv dXXa ^aaikeveaOaL
fiev iBoKet iraaiv, rjpKrav he koX Siea-rrjcrav ov')(^
virep dv8po<; jjlovov, dWd koI yevov^, birbrepov5 irape^et rov rjyefjLOva. /cal yap ol [xerd 'FcofjLvXov
TTpOJTOl (TVVOtKi(TaVT€fi TTJV TToXtV OVK draa^CTOVeiroLovvTO iroXeco'i Kal %ti6/)<29 tov<; Saffivov<; fie-
Ta\a^6vTa<; dp^eiv Btd^ecrOai tmv eirl ravra
Be^a/jbivfov, Kal toI<; Xa/3LV0L<; rjv ti<; evyvcoficov
X0709, eirel Tarlov rod ^aaiXeco<; avrcov diro-
QavQVTO'^ OVK earaaladav 7rpo<; 'Fco/jlvXov, dXX*
etaaav dpx^i'V piovov, av6L<; d^iovvrcov rov dp-
')(pvTa yeveaOat irap avTMV. ovre yap eK ra-
Tretvoripcov Kpeirroai irpocryevkcrQai, Kal irpoaye-
vofievoL TTXrjOei re pcoaaL Kal irpoayayelv eU
d^icop^a 7r6\ea)9 eKeivov^ fieO' iavr&v. VTrep jxev
ovv TovTcov iaraaiaiov.6 '^07rft)9 he p,r) <Tvyyy(TLV Ik T779 dvapxia<i 17
<jTd<Ji^ dTrepydaerai, pLerecopov rod rroXtrev-
pLaro<i ovro^y era^av oi irarpiKLOh TrevT^Koinra 61
310
NUMA, II. 3-6
on the ground that he was not dead, but blessed
with a better lot. And Proculus, a man of eminence,took oath that he had seen Romulus ascending to
heaven in full armour, and had heard his voice com-
manding that he be called Quirinus.^The city was now beset with fresh disturbance and
faction over the king to be appointed in his stead,for the new comers were not yet altogether blended
with the original citizens, but the commonalty wasstill like a surging sea, and the patricians full of
jealousy towards one another on account of their
different nationalities. It is indeed true that it wasthe pleasure of all to have a king, but they wrangledand quarrelled, not only about the man who should
be their leader, but also about the tribe whichshould furnish him. For those who had built the
city with Romulus at the outset thought it intolerable
that the Sabines, after getting a share in the city andits territory, should insist on ruling those who hadreceived them into such privileges ;
and the Sabines,since on the death of their king Tatius they hadraised no faction against Romulus, but suffered himto rule alone, had a reasonable ground for demandingthat now the ruler should come from them. Theywould not admit that they had added themselves as
inferiors to superiors, but held rather that their
addition had brought the strength of numbers andadvanced both parties alike to the dignity of a city.
On these questions, then, they were divided into
factions.
But in order that their factions might not produceutter confusion from the absence of all authority,now that the administration of affairs was suspended,
* Cf. Bomidua, xxvii. 3—xxviii. 3.
3^1
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kol eKarov ovrcov avrcov, CKaa-rov iv fiepei rotfi
^aaCkLKol^ TTapaarjjjLOL^ KOcr/jLovfievov 6veiv re toI<;
OeoU TCL vevo/JLia-fjieva /cal XPVH^'^^i^^^ ^f P'^v a>pa<;
7 T^9 vvKTOfi, ef Be Tr}<; r)p.epa<;. koi yap rj StavofMr]
T(ov KaLpcov CKarepov tt/oo? laoTrjra Ka\(o<i e')(eLv
iSoKCi T0t9 dp^ovai, kol tt/do? tov Brjfiov 77 fiera-
^oXt) t^9 e^ovaia^ a(f)aip€lv tov (j>66vov, opcovTa
rr}? avTYj^ r)fjL€pa<; Koi vvkto^ tov avrov lSLCOTr]v
eic ^aaiXicof; jivo/jlcvov. to Be axvH'^ tovto t?}?
ap')(rj^ IMeao^aaikeLav 'VfOfjialoL Kokovaiv.
III. 'AWa Kaiirep ovt(o 7ro\iTLKco<; xal ave-
7rax^o)<; dcjii^yelaOai BoKovvTe^, vTrovolat,^ kol
6opv^oL<; TrepieTTiTTTov, co? fieOi(TTdvT€<; et? 6\l-
yapx^^cL^ TO, TTpdy/jLaTa koX BiaTraiBayaiyovvTe^iv atpLcriv avT0L<i ttjv TroXcTeiav, ^aaiXevea-Oai
Be ovK iOeXoLev. €K tovtov avve^rjaav d/jL<f)6Tepai
7rpo9 dXXij\a<; at crTdaei<i, wcrre tt}v CTepav ix
2 r^9 eTepa^ aTroBet^ai ^acnXea' fidXiaTa yap av
ouTft)? ev Te T(p TrapovTC rravaaadai ttjv <f)tXo-
veiKiav, Koi tov aTroBei'xOevTa irpo^ dp,(f>oTepov^
caov yeveaOai, tou9 fiev Q)<i eXofievovf; dyaircovTa,
Tot9 Be evvovv ovTa Bid avyyeveiav, eiTLTpe-
yjrdvTcov Be 7rpoTepOL<; to?9 'PoofiatOL^ twv ^a/Slvcov
TTjV aipecTLV, eBo^e fidXXov eXeaOai Xaffcvov av-
T0v<; d'iroBei^avTa<; rj irapaa-'x^eZv ^Vwfialov e/ceCvcoi'
3 eXofievcov. koX BovXevadpievoi KaO* eavTov*; diro
BeLKVvovcnv e/c ^a^ivcov ^opLav Uo/jLTnXLoVi dvBpiTwj; puev eh 'Vd)p,r}v aTrtpKLO-fievayv ov yevopuevov,
312
I NUMA, ri. 6-III. 3
it was arranged by the senators, who were onehundred and fifty in number,^ that each of them in
his turn should assume the insignia of royalty,make the customary sacrifices to the gods, andtransact public business, for the space of six hours
by day and six hours by night. This distribution of
times seemed well adapted to secure equalitybetween the two factions, and the transfer of powerlikely to remove all jealousy on the part of the
people, when they saw the same man, in the course
of a single day and night, become king and then a
private citizen again. This form of government theRomans call "interregnum."
III. But although in this way the senators were
thought to rule constitutionally and without
oppression, they roused suspicions and clamorous
charges that they had changed the form of govern-ment to an oligarchy, and were holding the state in
tutelage among themselves, and were unwilling to
be ruled by a king. Therefore it was agreed byboth factions that one should appoint a king fromthe other. This was thought the best way to endtheir prevailing partisanship, and the king thus
appointed would be equally well-disposed to both
parties, being gracious to the one as his electors,and friendly to the other because of his kinship withthem. Then, as the Sabines gave the Romans their
option in the matter, it seemed to them better to
have a Sabine king of their own nomination, than to
have a Roman made king by the Sabines. Theytook counsel, therefore, among themselves, andnominated Numa Pompilius from among the Sabines,a man who had not joined the emigrants to Rome,
^ Cf. RomuliLSy XX. 1.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yvoopi/jiov 8' ovT(o Sl aperrjv ovra iracnv wcrre
Tcov eXo/jL6vcov TTpoOv/jLorepov 6vofiaaO€vro<; avrov
Be^aadai rou? ^aSivov<;. <j)pdaavr€<; ovv rw SijfKp
ra hehoyfieva, irpea^eL^i ifCTri/inTOvaL tt/oo? tov
avBpa KOLvy rov^ irpcoTevovra^ air* a/jL(f)OTepa)v,
rjK€LV Berjaofiivov^ kol irapaXa^elv ttjv ^aai-\eiav.
4 'Hi* he 7r6\€0)<i fiev 6 No/^a? i7ri(f)ai>ov<; ev
Xa/Blvoc^ T?79 Kvpecov, acjy rj<^ kol YLvpira^
^Fcofialot <T^d<; avTOVfj ajut rot? avaKpadelai^aPivoL<i irpocTTj'yopevcrav, vl6<; Be IIo/^Trwz/o?/
avBpo<; €vBo/€i/jLOV, reaadpcov dBeX(f)cov v€coraTO<i'
rjfiipa Be jeyovax; Kara By] riva Oeiav tv)(t]v ev
17 rr]v 'IPco/jurjv eKTtaav 01 rrrepl 'Fco/jluXov avrrj Be
5 icTTL TTpo BeKafiidf; /caKavBcov Matcov. ^vaei Be
7rpo<; irdaav dperrjv ev K6/cpa/jL€vo<; to yOo^;, en
fidWov avTOv i^r)fiep(0(Te Bia iraiBeia^ koI kuko-
TTadeia^; teal <pt\o(TO(p[a<;,^ ov fxovov ra XoiBopov-
/jLeva irdOr) rrj<; "^VXV^' dXXa koI rr)v evBoKi-
fjbovaav ev roU ^ap^dpoi^ ^iav kol irkeove^laveKTroBcbv TTOiijad/jLevo^i, dvBpeiav Be dXrjOi] rrjv viro
Xoyov ro)v eTTLOvjiioiV ev avr^ /cdOetp^LV rjyov'
6 fjLevo<;,eK Be tovtov irdaav OLKoOev dfia Tpv(f>r)v
Kal TToXvTeXeiav e^eXavvwv, iravrl Be ttoXlttj Kal
^eva> ')(^prj(T6ai irapex'^v eavrov ajiie/jLTrrov Btfcaa-
rrjv Kal avjJLJBovXov, avro<; B^ eavro) (T')(oXd^ovTL
')(^pwfievo<iovBev tt/oo? r)BvTTa6eia<; Kal 7ropL(7/jLov<:,
dXXa BepaTretav Oewv Kal decopiav Bia Xoyov
<j>v(7eco<;re avTcov Kal Bvvdfieco<;, ovofia /leya Kal
^Tl6fjLirai>vos a correction of Uofjuruviov by Sintenis' (critical
notes), adopted by Bekker, and now confirmed by S.' Kal <pi\oao<plas omitted by Bekker, with C.
NUMA, III. 3-6
but was so universally celebrated for his virtues that,
when he was nominated, the Sabines accepted himwith even greater readiness than those who had
chosen him. Accordingly, after making their
decision known to the people, the leading senators
of both parties were sent as ambassadors to Numa,begging him to come and assume the royal power.Numa belonged to a conspicuous city of the
Sabines called Cures, from which the Romans,
together with the incorporated Sabines, took the
joint name of Quirites. He was a son of Pompon,an illustrious man, and was the youngest of four
brothers. He was born, moreover, by some divine
felicity, on the very day when Rome was founded byRomulus, that is, the twenty-first day of April.
i Bynatural temperament he was inclined to the practiceof every virtue, and he had subdued himself still more
by discipline, endurance of hardships, and the studyof wisdom. He had thus put away from himself not
only the infamous passions of the soul, but also that
violence and rapacity which are in such high repute
among Barbarians, believing that true bravery consis-
ted in the subjugation of one's passions by reason.
On this account he banished from his house all luxuryand extravagance, and while citizen and strangeralike found in him a faultless judge and counsellor,he devoted his hours of privacy and leisure, not to
enjoyments and money-making, but to the service of
the gods, and the rational contemplation of tlieir
nature and power. In consequence he had a great* Cf. Bomulus, xii. 1,
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Bo^av elx^v, axrre /cat Tdnov top iv 'Fa)fit)
av/jL^aatXevaavra 'FcofjLvXo), fiLa<i avrm Ovyarpo^7 ov(T7]<; TaTLa<i, TroLrjaaaOat yafi^pov eKelvov. ov
fir)v einfjpOr) rye T(p ydp.(p /jLeToiKiaacrOai 7rp6<; top
irevdepov, dX)C avrov irepieircdv irarepa ynpaioviv Xa^ivoL<; virepLevev, dpua koX tt}? Tar/a? eXn/jLe-
1/779 TTjv Tov dvBpo^ lBi(OT€vovTO<; r]GV')(iav irpo t?}9
iv 'Pco/jLT) Bid TOV irarepa Tip>rj^ Koi So^rj';. avTTj
/JL6V ovv XiyeraL rplrq) Koi Be/cdrw fieTCL tov
ydpuov €T6t, TeXevTTJaai.
IV. 'O Be Noyua? iKXeuwcov Ta9 iv darei Bia-
T/3fcy8a9 dypavXetv ra TroXXd /cat irXavdaOai p^ovo^
rjOeXev, iv dXaeo-i 6e(bv /cal Xeip,a)crLv lepol<; koX
TOTToc^ iprjpLOL<{ 'jTOLOvp^evo^ TTjv BiacTav. odev 62
ovx TjKiaTa Tr}v dp')(r)v 6 irepl t^9 Oed<i eXaffe
X6709, ft)9 dpa NoyLta9 iKelvo^ ovk dBrjp^via rivl
"^^XV^ Arat irXdvr) tov pueTa dvdpd>ir(ov diroXe-
2 XoLire ^iov, dXXd <Tep>voTepa<; yeyevp,evo<} op^iXCa^
Kol ydpLQUV deioDV r^^iwpevo^, *Hyep[a Baipiovi
(Tvva>v ipcoarj koi avvBLaLTa>p,evo<i, evBaipxov dvrjpKOL Td dela 7r€7rvvp€vo<; yeyovev. otl piev ovv
TavTa TToXXocf; tcov irdvv iraXaicov pvOcov eoiKcv,
01)9 ol ^pvy€<; TC irepl "ATreco /cal BiOvvol wepl
'HpoBoTOV Kal irepl ^KvBv/jll€0VO<; 'Ap/ca3e9 dXXoiT€ irepl dXXwv euBaipovcov Bi] tivcov Kal OeocpiXcjv
yeveaOai Bokovvtcov 7rapa\a^6vT€f; 7)yd7nj(rav,3 OVK dBrjXov eVrt. Kai irov Xoyov e^^i' tov deov,
ov (pLXLTTTTOv ovBk (iilXopviv, dXXd (f)LXdv6p(D7rov
ovTa, Tol<i Bia<f>6p6vT(i}<; dyaOol^ iOeXetv avvelvaiy
Kal prj Bva'X^epalveiv pbrjBe aTipid^etv dvBpo^ ocriov
316
NUMA, III. 6-iv. 3
name and fame, so that Tatius, the royal collccague ofRomulus at Rome, made him the husband of his onlydaughter, Tatia. He was not, however, so exalted
by his marriage as to go to dwell with his royalfather-in-law, but remained among the Sabines min-
istering to his aged father. Tatia, too, preferred the
quiet life which her husband led as a private citizen
to the honour and fame which she had enjoyed at
Rome because of her father. But she died, as weare told, in the thirteenth year after her marriage.
IV. Then Numa, forsaking the ways of city folk,determined to live for the most part in countryplaces, and to wander there alone, passing his days in
groves of the gods, sacred meadows, and solitudes.
This, more than anything else, gave rise to the storyabout his goddess. It was not, so the story ran,from any distress or aberration of spirit that he for-
sook the ways of men, but he had tasted the joy ofmore august companionship and had been honouredwith a celestial marriage ; the goddess Egeria lovedhim and bestowed herself upon him, and it was his
communion with her that gave him a life of blessed-
ness and a wisdom more than human. However, that
this story resembles many of the very ancient tales
which the Phrygians have received and cherished con-
cerning Attis, the Bithynians concerning Herodotus,the Arcadians concerning Endymion, and other
peoples concerning other mortals who were thoughtto have achieved a life of blessedness in the love of
the gods, is quite evident. And there is some reasonin supposing that Deity, who is not a lover of horses
or birds, but a lover of men, should be willing to
consort with men of superlative goodness, and should
not dislike or disdain the company of a wise and holy
317
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kol aa)<f)povo<; o/JLiXiav. <o? Be Koi <ra>fiaro<;
dvOpcoTTLvov Kol wptt? eVrt rt? Oeo) kol SaC/jLOVL
KOLVcDvia Kol')(^dpL<iy epyov rjBrj Kal tovto
ireLcdrjvaL.
4 KuItol BoKova-LV ovk aTTLddvax; Alyvimoi Biai-
pelv <B9 yvvaLKl fiev ovk dBvvarov irvevfia ttXt)-
(ndaai deov Kai riva^i evreKetv dp')(a<; yeviaecof;,
dvBpl Be OVK eart avfjL/jLi^L<; TTyOo? 6eov ovBe ofiiXCa
<7co/iaT09. dyvoovai Be ore to fityvvfjuevov S
fiCyvvraL rrjv tarjv avrairoBlBcocn KoivcovLav, ov
firjv dWa (f>Ckiav ye irpo^ dvOpwirov elvai Oeai
Kol TOP iirl ravTTj Xeyo/Mevov epcora KaX (ffvofiepov
€t9 iin/jLekeiav rj6ov<; koX dperrj^i, irpeirov dv etr).
5 Kal ov TrXr]fjbfjbeXovcnv ol top ^op^avra Kal top
*TdKLv6ov Kal Tov "AB/jLTjTov epcofievov<; 'AttoX-
Xcovc; yeyovivai /jivdoXoyovvT€<i, axTirep av Kal
TOV ^iKvayviov 'iTTTToXfTOi', « Btj Kal (paaiVt
ocraKL^ Tvxoi BiairXecov et? KCppav e'/c St/cfwz/o?,
TTjv TlvOlav, olov ala-davo/jLevov tov deov Kal
')(a[povTO<;, dirodecnri^eiv ToBe to rjpQiov'
Kal B^ av6^ ^IttttoXvtolo ^LXov Kapa et? dXa
^alvei.
6 TiivBapov Be Kal tcjv /jLeXcjv ipaaTrjv yeveaOac
TOV Hdva fivdoXoyovaiv. direBcoKe Be Tiva tl/jlt^v
Kal 'A/o;(;iXo%ft)Kal 'YiaioBw TeXevTrjaaai Blcl tcl^
Mouo-av TO BaniovLov. XocpoKXtl Be kuI ^a>VTi
3i8
NUMA, IV. 3-6
man. But that an immortal god should take carnal
pleasure in a mortal body and its beauty, this, surely^is hard to believe.
And yet the Aegyptians make a distinction here
which is thought plausible, namely, that while a
woman can be approached by a divine spirit and
made pregnant, there is no such thing as carnal
intercourse and communion between a man and a
divinity. But they lose sight of the fact that in-
tercourse is a reciprocal matter, and that both partiesto it enter into a like communion. However, that
a god should have affection for a man, and a so-called
love which is based upon affection, and takes the
form of solicitude for his character and his virtue, is
fit and proper. And therefore it is no mistake
when the ancient poets tell their tales of the love
Apollo bore Phorbas, Hyacinthus, and Admetus, as
well as the Sicyonian Hippolytus also, of whom it is
said, that, as often as he set out to sail from Sicyonto Cirrha, the Pythian priestess, as though the godknew of his coming and rejoiced thereat, chanted
this prophetic verse :—
"Lo, once more doth beloved Hippolytus hither
make voyage."
There is a legend, too, that Pan became enamouredof Pindar and his verses. And the divine powersbestowed signal honour on Archilochus and Hesiodafter their deaths, for the sake of the Muses.^ Again,
^ The Delphian oracle pronounced a curse on the man whokilled Archilochus, because "he had slain the servant of theMuses." And the same oracle told the people of Orcho-
menus, when a plague had fallen upon them, that " the onlyremedy was to bring back the bones of Hesiod from the land
of Naupactus to the land of Orchomenus."
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tov A(TK\7)7nov iirL^evwOrfvaL \0709 iaTi iroXKa
fiiXP^ Seu/jo hiacroo^cov reKfijjpia, koI reXevrijaavTi
rv^eiv Ta(f)ri<i aXko<i Oeo^, co? Xeyerai, Trayoecr^ei'.
7 apa ovv a^iov iarc, ravra avy')(^copovvTa<; iirl
TOVT(OV, aiTio-Telv el TtaXevKW koX Mti/ft) KaX Zco-
podcTTprj KoX NofMU Kol AvKovpyo) ffaacXeia^
KvBepvwaL Koi 7ro\tT€ia<i BtaKoa-fiovaiv ei^ to
avTO i(f)OiTa to Sai/JLOVLOV, rj tovtol<; /xev elKO^^ iaTi
Kol Girouhd^ovTa<i Oeovfs o/jliXclv eirl SiBaa-KaXua
KaX Trapaiveaei tcov ^€Xtl(ttcov, Tro^ryrat? Sk Koi
XvpLKol^ fjLLVvpL^ovcnv, CLTTep dpa, %/)^<7^at irai-
8 foz^ra?; el he Xeyei rt? aXXo)?, xaTa Bax^vXiBi^v,** TLXaTeta KeXev6o<;.^^ ovBe yap aTepo<; X070? exet
Tt ^avXoVi ov irepl AvKOvpyov xal No/i,a xal
TOLOVTcov aXXcov avBpSiv Xiyovaiv, co? BvaKaOeKTa
Koi Bvadpea-Ta irXydrj '^(^etpovjiievoi,Kal /j.eydXa<;
i7n(f>epovT€<; Tal(; 7roXiTeiat<; /cacvoTo/jLLa^, irpoae-
TTOLrjaavTo ttjv cltto tov Beov Bo^av, avToh ixei-
voi's 7rpb<; ov<; e<T')(7]iiaTi^ovTo acoTrjpiov ovaav.
V. ^AXXa yap ero<; rjBrj BiaTeXovvTi Ta> Nofia
TeaaapaKocFTov rfKOv diro *V(Ofi7j<i 01 rrpe<j^€L<i
Trapa/caXovvTe^ iirl ttjv ^aaCXeiav. tou? Be X6-
yov(; eiroirjcraTO IIpo/cXo? ical OveXeao^, u)v irpo-
Tcpov €7rt8ofo9 ^v 6 Bijfio^ alprjcecrOai top CTepov
fiaaiXea, UpoKXrp fiev t&v 'Vco/jlvXov Xa(ov,
OveXea(p Be tmv Tartov fjudXicTTa TrpoaexovTcop.
ovTOi fJiev ovv Ppa-xed BieXexOrioraVt olofievoi, t^
3?o
NUMA, IV. 6-v. I
there is a story, still well attested, that Sophocles,
during his life, was blessed with the friendship of
Aesculapius, and that when he died, another deity
procured him fitting burial.^ Is it worth while, then,if we concede these instances of divine favour, to dis-
believe that Zaleucus, Minos, Zoroaster, Numa, and
Lycurgus, who piloted kingdoms and formulated
constitutions, had frequent audience of the Deity ?
Is it not likely, rather, that the gods are in earnest
when they hold converse with such men as these, in
order to instruct and advise them in the highest andbest way, but use poets and warbHng singers, if at all,
for their own diversion ? However, if any one is
otherwise minded, I say with BacchyHdes," Broad is
the way."^ Indeed there is no absurdity in the
other account which is given of Lycurgus and Numaand their like, namely, that since they were managingheadstrong and captious multitudes, and introducinggreat innovations in modes of government, theypretended to get a sanction from the god, whichsanction was the salvation of tlie very ones againstwhom it was contrived.
V. But to resume the story, Numa was alreadycompleting his fortieth year when the embassy camefrom Rome inviting him to take the throne. Thespeakers were Proculus and Velesus, one or theother of whom the people was expected to chooseas their king, Proculus being the favourite of the
people of Romulus, and Velesus of the people of
Tatius. These speakers, then, were brief, supposing^Dionysus is said to have appeared to Lysander and
ordered him to allow Sophocles to be buried in the tomb ofhis fathers, on the road to Deceleia, then occupied by theLacedaemonian army. See Pausanias, i. 21, 1, with Frazer'snote. 2
Fragment 29 (Jebb, BacchyHdes, p. 423).
321
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
2 No/ta rrjv (Twrvxlav aaira^o/Jiiva) yeyovivai' ?]v
B* OV flLKpOV, 0)9 €01K€V, Epyov, ciWa Kol X6y(ov
ttoWmv Koi Ber](T€(o^ to irelaai Kol fxeTaarrjaai
yv(t)/Ji7jv avBpo<; iv '^crvx^f}fcal elprjvr) ^€^lcok6to<;
€t9 oLpxv^ TToXeoD? rpoirov riva koI yeyevrj/jbivrjf;^
iroXifjuo) KoX (TVvr]v^rjfjL€vr]<;. eXeyev ovv rov re 63
7raTpo<; avrov 7rap6vT0<; koI MapKLov, rwv avy-
yevo)v 6v6<;, co? "TLda-a fiev dvOpcoTrtvov filov fjLera-
fioXr) (7(f)aX€p6v' o5 8k (M'^t aTrecrri n t(ov Ixav^v
jMrjTe p^fJLTTTOV €(TTt TCOV TTapOVTCOV, TOVTOV OvBcV
dXXo TrXrjv dvoia pLeraxoafjieL koX /jLediarrjaiv
CK Twv avv^Ocov 0I9 Kav el firjEev erepov Trpoaeurj,
3 Tcp jSefiaLoripo) Biacpipec rcov dBrjXwv. aXX* ovBe
dBrfXa rd t7}9 /3aaiX€ia<; T0Z9 'P(op>vXov reKpLai-
pop^evw TraOtjiuaaiv, «»9 Trovrjpdv p^v avTo<; eXa/3e
Bo^ap iiTL^ovXevcraL Tq> avvdpxovTt, Taricp, ttovt)-
pdv Be T0?9 6p,oTlp,oi<; irepLeiroirja-ev ct)9 dvypTj-
p,6P0<; VTT aVTMV. KULTOl 'FcOp^vXoV pev OVTOl
iralBa 6ewv vpLvovai (prjpLat,^, /cat TpO(j>'^v riva
Baip^ovLov avrov koX acorrfplav diriarov en vrj-
iriov Xiyovaiv ipLol Be koX 762/09 Ovrjrov iart Kal
rpo(f)rj fcai iralBevaifi vir dvOpcoTrcov o)v ovk4 dyvoelre yeyevrjpbevri' rd 3' eiraivovpeva rov rpo-
irov ^aatXeveiv Troppay peXXovro<i dvBp6<;, rjav^iare ttoXXt) koX Biarpi^r) irepl X6yov<i d7rpdyp,ova<;,6 re Bei,vb<i ovrof; Kal <Jvvrpo^o<i elpr)V7]<^ epox;Kal 7rpayp,dr(ov diroXep^cov Kal dvOpcoTrcov cttI
ripby Oeoiv Kal <j>tXo(ppoavvaL<i el<; ro avro avv-
LovrcDVy rd Be dXXa Ka0* eavroif^ yecopyovvrcov 17
1yeycvriij.4vris Bekker has y€yeyvr)/j.4yr]s {bom), after Cora^
32?
NUMA, V. 2-4
that Numa would welcome his good fortune. It
was, however, no slight task, but one requiring much
argument and entreaty, to persuade and induce a
man who had lived in peace and quiet, to accept the
government of a city which owed its existence and
growth, in a fashion, to war. His reply, therefore,
in the presence of his father and one of his kinsmennamed Marcius, was as follows. "
Every change in
a man's life is perilous ;but when a man knows no
lack, and has no fault to find with his present lot,
nothing short of madness can change his purposesand remove him from his wonted course of life, which,even though it have no other advantage, is at least
fixed and secure, and therefore better than one
which is all uncertain. But the lot of one whobecomes your king cannot even be called uncertain,
judging from the experience of Romulus, since he
himself was accused of basely plotting against his
colleague Tatius, and involved the patricians in the
charge of having basely put their king out of the way.And yet those who bring these accusations laud
Romulus as a child of the gods, and tell how he was
preserved in an incredible way and fed in a miraculous
manner when he was still an infant. But I am of
mortal birth, and I was nourished and trained by menwhom you know. Moreover, the very traits in mydisposition which are commended, are far from mark-
ing a man destined to be a king, namely, my greatlove of retirement, my devotion to studies inconsistent
with the usual activities of men, and my well-known
strong and inveterate love of peace, of unwarlike
occupations, and of men who come togetiier onlyfor the worship of the gods and for friendly inter-
course, but who otherwise live by themselves as
L323
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
6 v€/Ji6vT(ov. vfuv Se, <m ^Vcofjuatoi, ttoWow; fiev to-co?
a^ovkrjTov^ airoXekonre 7ro\€fiov<; 'Pft)yu.uXo9, ol<;
avT6p€i8ovTO<; r) vroXt? ifiireipov SecraL ^aa-tXeco^
Kol cLKfid^ovTOf;' iroWrj he koX a-vv-qOeia koX
TTpoOvfiia hC evTV^tav yeyove ra> BiJ/jlm, koI ovheva
XeKrjOev av^eaOai koX Kparelv irepcov ^ov\6/jLevo<;,
ware xal yeXeo^; av eirj ra/jid, OepaTrevovrof Oeov';,
Kol BiKTjv TCfjbdv, ^iav he kol TroXefiov i^Oaipeiv
hiSd<rKOVTO<; ttoXcp cnpaTrfKaTOV [xaXkov rj ^aai-
Xeo)? 8eo/jLevr]v.**
VT. ToiovToi<; XoyoL^; d<^o(Tiovfievov rrjv fiaai-
Xeiav rod dvhp6<;, oi re ^Vayfialou iraa-av iiroiovvTo
a-TTOvhrjv dvTi^oXovvT€<; koI heopuevot fir) c^a?av6i^ eh ardaLv i/nfiaXetv xal iroXefMov €fjL(f>vXiov,
ovK ovTo^ erepov tt/jo? ov dfuporepai avpveixTovcnv
at a-Tdaec^;, 6 re irarrjp koX 6 MdpKiof! ifcelvcov
/jLeracTTdvrcov ISia Trpoa-Kelfjuevot rov NofMciv eirei-
2 dov Bex^cydai fieya koX Oelov Bcopov. "Fd, Be auT09
ovT€ ttXovtov Berj Bi avrdpKecav ovre Bo^av dp-
%779 Koi BvvacrT€la<i e^i]X(i)Ka<; Kpeiaa-ova Tr)v air
dperi]'; €)(^cov,aXX' virrjpeaLav ye Oeov to ^a<ri-
Xevetv r)yoviJLevo<i, 09 76 dvi<nrj(Tt Kal ovk id
Kelcrdai koX dpyelv rrjv ev crol roa-avrrjv Bi/caio-
crvvTjv, firj (f)evye firjBe aTroBiBpaa-Ke rrjv dp^-^v,
dvBpl (ppovL/jLO) TTpd^eeov KaXcov Kal fieydXcov ov-
aav ')(d)pav, ev y Kal OepairelaL deSiV /neyaXoirpe-
7r6t9 eiai Kal irpo^ evae^eiav dvdpMTrcov rjfiepai-
aet^ paara Kal rd^iara pLeraKoafiovfievcov viro
324
NUMA, V. 5-VI. 2
tillers of the soil or herdsmen. Whereas, unto you,O Romans, whether you want them or not, Romulushas bequeathed many wars, and to make head againstthese the city needs a king with a warrior's experi-ence and strength. Besides, the people has becomemuch accustomed to war, and eager for it because of
their successes, and no one is blind to their desire
for growth by conquest. I should therefore becomea laughing-stock if I sought to serve the gods, and
taught men to honour justice and hate violence and
war, in a city which desires a leader of its armies
rather than a king."VI. With such words did Numa decline the
kingdom. Then the Romans put forth every effort
to meet his objections, and begged him not to
plunge them again into faction and civil war, since
there was none other on whom both parties could
unite. His father also and Marcius, when the
envoys had withdrawn, beset him privately, andtried to persuade him to accept so great a gift of
the gods.'^ Even though," they said,
" thou neither
desirest wealth for thyself, because thou hast enough,nor covetest the fame which comes from authorityand power, because thou hast the greater fame whichcomes from virtue, yet consider that the work of a
true king is a service rendered to God, who nowrouses up and refuses to leave dormant and inactive
the great righteousness which is within thee. Donot, therefore, avoid nor flee from this office, whicha wise man will regard as a field for great and noble
actions, where the gods are honoured with magnificent
worship, and the hearts of men are easily and
quickly softened and inclined towards piety, throughthe moulding influence of their ruler. This people
325
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 Tov KpaTovvTo<;. ovroi koI Tdriov earep^av ewTj-
\vv r)^eiJb6va, Koi rrjv *l?cop,v\ov fjLvtjfiijv aTTo-
6eov(TL Tol^ TLfial^;. Tt9 5e olZev el fcal vi/ccovri
hrjfi(p TToXifjLOv Kopo^ earl, koX jjLearol dpod/jL^cov
KoX \a(f>vp(ov yeyovore^; r^yefMova irpaov /cal Si/cij^;
iracpov iir^ evvofiia koi elprjvr) TroOovaiv; el Be SyKoX Travrdiracnv aKparoi^; e')(pvai xal fxaviKO)^
irpo^ TToXefiov, ap* ov^l l^eXnov ak\a')(^o(Te rrjv
op/jurjv avTcov rpeireiv, Sia %6fcpo9 ey^ovra ra^
r)via<;f rfj Be iraTpihi Kal iravTl tm ^a^ivcov edvei
avvBea/jLOV evvoia<; koL (fnXia^ 7rpo<; itoXlv aKfid-4 ^ovaav Kal Bvvarrjv yeveaOai;^^ rovroa Trpoarjv,
ft)? Xeyerat, crr}[xeld re ')(p7]crrd koI cnrovBr) r&vTToXiTMV Kal f7}A.09, CO? eirvOovTO rrjv Trpea/Selav,
Beofievcov ^aBu^ecv Kal irapaXa/jL^dvecv rr^v Pacrt,-
Xelav eirl Koivcovia Kal GvyKpdaei tcov ttoXltcov^
YII. 'n? ovv eBeBoKTO, Svaa^ rolf; deoh nrpo-
rjyev et? rr}v 'Vd)/jL7]v. diT'qvTa Be t) ^ovXt) Kal 6
Brffio^ epcoTt OavjjLaaTcp tov dvBp6<;, ev<^7]p,iai re
irpeirovaav yvvaiKoiyv eyivovro Kal Ovaiat irpo^ 64
t€/)ot? Kal X^P^ TrdvTcov, uxrirep ov ^aaiXea t?}?
TToXew?, dXkd /SacriXelav Be')(^op^vri<^. iirel Be et?
Tr)v dyopav Karea-Trjo-av, 6 jneu ral^ copaL^ eKeivaL<;
avveiXrj'x^M'i p^eao^aa-LXev^ %7r6pLo<i Oyerrto? yjrti-
(f>oveireBcoKe tol<; TroXtVa^? Kal irdvre^ ijveyKav,
7rpoa(f)epo/jLevo)V 8' avrw tmv ^aaiXcKCJV irapa-
a7]fjb(ov eiria-'x^eLv KeXevaa^ e^ij BelaOai Kal 6eov2 TTjv ^aaiXeiav ifiireBovvTO^ avrw, irapaXa/Soov
^ iroXirwp MSS. and edd., including Sintenis^. Bekkercorrects to ttJacwj' [cities), and is followed by Sintenis'^.
p6
NUMA, VI. 3-VI1. 2
loved Tatius, though he was a foreign prince, and
they pay divine honours to the memory of Romulus.And who knows but that the people, even thoughvictorious, is sated with war, and, now that it is
glutted with triumphs and spoils, is desirous of a
gentle prince, who is a friend of justice, and will
lead them in the paths of order and peace ? But if,
indeed, they are altogether intemperate and mad in
their desire for war, then were it not better that
thou, holding the reins of government in thy hand,shouldst turn their eager course another way, andthat thy native city and the whole Sabine nation
should have in thee a bond of goodwill and friend-
ship with a vigorous and powerful city ?"
These
appeals were strengthened, we are told, by auspiciousomens and by the zealous ardour of his fellow-
citizens, who, when they learned of the embassyfrom Rome, begged him to return with it and assumethe royal power there, in order to unite and blend
together the citizens.
VII. Numa therefore decided to yield, and after
sacrificing to the gods, set out for Rome. Thesenate and people met him on his way, filled witha wondrous love of the man ; women welcomed himwith fitting cries of joy ; sacrifices were offered in
the temples, and joy was universal, as if the city were
receiving, not a king, but a kingdom. When theywere come down into the forum, Spurius Vettius,whose lot it was to be " interrex
" ^ at that hour,called for a vote of the citizens, and all voted for
Numa. But when the insignia of royalty were
brought to him, he bade the people pause, and said
his authority must first be ratified by Heaven. Then1 Cf. chapter ii. 7.
327
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Be jjuavrei^ koI UpeU dve/Satvev et? to Kuttl-
tcoXlov TapTTijiov avro \6<f)ov ol rore 'PcofjualoL
7rpo(T7j<y6p€Vov. ivravda rwv fidvT€cov 6 irpco-
revcov rov fiev eU jjL€aT]/j,/3piav Tp6yjra<; iyKe/caXvp.-
fxevov, avTOf; Be irapaaraf; e^oiriaOev /cal rfj Be^id
rrj<i Kec^aXr;^ icpaTrrofJuevo^ avrov Karev^aro, /cal
irepLeaKoireL ra irapa rcov OeMV ev olwvol<; rj
(TVfjL^6\oL<; 7rpo(l)aLv6fji€va, 7ravTa')(^6a-€ Ta<; oi/ret?
3 7rept(f)€pa)V. acyrj Be a7n(TT0<; ev TrXrjdei, roaovrw
TTjv ayopav fcarel^e KapaBoKovvrwv koI avvaico-
pov/jLevo)v T(p fjueWovTi, P'^XP^ ^^ 'Trpov<j>dvr}<Tav
opvide^ dyadoi /cal Be^Lol eTrerpey^rav.^ ovrco Be
TTjv f^acTikiKrjv dvaXa^cov eadyjra /care^aive
No/>ta? eh to ttXtjOo^ diro tt}^ aKpa^. rore Be
ical <f)coval Kal Be^ccoaei^ rjaav co^ evae^eaTUTOv/cal Oeo^tXecTTaTov Be^op'evcov,
4 UapaXaffcov Be Tr)v dp)(r)v irpcoTov /lev to tS)v
TpLaKo(Tto)v av(TT7]p,a BiiXvaev, ov<; *Pa)p,vXo^
e%a)i^ ael irepl to aS)p,a KeXepa? Trpoarjyopevaev,
oirep €(TtI Tax^h' ouTe yap aTTLaTetv Trca-Tevovatv
cure paaiXeveiv dinaTovvTayv rj^ijv. BevTepovBe T0L<; ovciv lepevai Aio<; Kal ''Apeco^i rpiTov
'VcopjvXov Trpoa-zcarea-Trja-ev, ov ^XafjuLva Kvpi-5 vdXiov odvop^acrev. i/cdXovv Be /cal tov<; irpoyeve-
(TTepov<; ^XdfjLLva^ diro tmv Trept/cpavLcov iriXcDV
ov<; irepl Tal<i Ke<f)aXaL<i (f>opov(Ttt iriXa/jieva';
Tivdfi oWa?, CO? l(TT0p0V(Tl, T(OV 'KXXrjvi/ccov ovo-
fidT(OV T'OTe fjuaXXop r) vvv T0t9 AaTLVOi^ dvaKeKpa-pbkvtov. Kal yap a? €<f)6povv ol lepei<f Xaiva<i 6
^ KoX 5e{tol iirerp^^av with S : koI denial ko2 ivirpe^par.
328
NUMA, VII. 2-5 •].
taking with him the augurs and priests, he ascendedthe Capitol, which the Romans of that time called the
Tarpeian Hill. There the chief of the augurs turnedthe veiled head of Numa towards the south, while
he himself, standing behind him, and laying the
right hand on his head, prayed aloud, and turnedhis eyes in all directions to observe whatever birds
or other omens might be sent from the gods. Thenan incredible silence fell upon the vast multitude in
the forum, who watched in eager suspense for the
issue, until at last auspicious birds appeared and
approached the scene on the right. Then Numaput on his royal robes and went down from thecitadel to the multitude, where he was received with
glad cries of welcome as the most pious of men andmost beloved of the gods.
His first measure on assuming the governmentwas to disband the body of three hundred menthat Romulus always kept about his person, andcalled "Celeres" (that is, swift ones^) ; for he wouldnot consent to distrust those who trusted him, norto reign over those who distrusted him. His secondmeasure was to add to the two priests of Jupiter andMars a third priest of Romulus, whom he called
the Flamen Quirinalis. Now before this time theRomans called their priests "flamines," from the
close-fitting"
piloi," or caps, which they wear upontheir heads, and which have the longer name of"pilamenai," as we are told, there being more Greek
words mingled with the Latin at that time than now.^
Thus also the name "laena," which the Romans
^ Cf . Romvlufi, xxvi. 2.* Cf. Eonmlus, xv. 3. Plutarch does not hesitate to derive
the Latin '*flamines" from the doubtful Greek "pilamenai."
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
*l6l3a^ %Xati^a9 (fyrjcrlv elvat, koI tov virrjperovvra
T(p lepel rod Aio? a/jLCpiOaXrj iralha Xiyeadat
KcifMiXkov, ct)9 Kol TOV 'Rpfirjv ovr(o<; evioi t(op
*KX\.i]vcov J^djjLiWov^ airo t^? BiaKovia^ Trpoo-rj-
fyopevov,
VIII. Tavra Be 6 No/i-a? €7r' evvoia koX '^^dptri
TOV BrjpLOV 7ro\iTevadfievo<; ev6v<i e'ire')(^eip€L ttjv
TToXiVy odairep a-iBrjpov, i/c o-K\rjpa<; kol iroXe-
/JLIKTJ^ fidXaKcorepav irovrjaai koI SiKaiorepav.
dT€)(^v(a<; yap fjv TlXdrayv diTOKaXel (^Xeyfiai-
vovaav ttoXlv eKeivrj tot tjv, arvardaa ixev €vdv<;
ef dp')(r)^ ToXfirj Tivl Koi nrapa^oXo) OpaavrrjTLroiv Opacrvrdrcov Kal /na^LpLcordrayv eKel iravra-
2 yoQev waafjuivcov, rat? Be vroWat? arpareiaLfs /cal
T0i9 (Tvve')(^e.at, iToXepiOL<; rpocpjj ')(p7](TafJLevr}kol
av^TJaei Trj<; Bvpd/Jbeo)^, kol KaOdirep ra fcaTairr]-
yvvfjbeva r^ aeieaOai, fidXXov kBpd^eTai, poov-vvadav BoKOvaa Bid tcov klvBvvcov. ovtco Br)
fierecopov /cal TeTpa')(yixevov Brjfiov ov fMt/cpd<; ovBe
<j>avXr]<; olofMevo^ elvat, irpayfiareia^^ yLt6Ta%€i/9t-
aaaOaL Kal /jLeraKoa/jiTJcrat irpo<; elprjvqv, eiTTjyd-
3 yeTo Tr)v diro rwv 6ea>v ^orjOeiaVt ra p^ev iroXXa
Ovaiai^ Kal irop^irah Kal 'X^opeiav^, a? avro<;
wpylaae Kal Kareo-rrjaev, d/ma aepvorrjTt Bia-
yoDyrjv e'wi'Xjapiv Kal (j)iXdi'6p(orrov rjBovrjv e')(pv-
aaL^, Brf/jLaycoycov Kal riOaaevcov ro OvpoeiBef; Kal
^tXoTToXep^ov' ecTTi 8* ore Kal (j)6/3ov<; nvd^i diray-
yiXXcov iraph rov deov Kal (pdap^ara Batp,6vcov
dXXoKOTa Kal ^ci)vd<; ovk evp-evel^;, iBovXov Kal
^KdfxiWoy deleted by Bekker ; corrected to KaS/xiXov by
Siiitenis \
NUMA, VII. 5-viii. 3
give to the priestly mantle, Juba says is the same as
the Greek " chlaina"
; and that the name Camillas,which the Romans give to the boy with both parents
living who attends upon the priest of Jupiter, is the
same as that which some of the Greeks give to
Hermes, from his office of attendant.
VIII. After taking such measures to secure the
goodwill and favour of the people, Numa straight-
way attempted to soften the city, as iron is softened
in the fire, and change its harsh and warlike temperinto one of greater gentleness and justice. For if a
city was ever in what Plato calls ^ a "feverish"
state,
Rome certainly was at that time. It was broughtinto being at the very outset by the excessive daringand reckless courage of the boldest and most warlike
spirits, who forced their way thither from all parts,and in its many expeditions and its continuous warsit found nourishment and increase of its power ;
and
just as what is planted in the earth gets a firmer
seat the more it is shaken, gf) Rome seemed to be made
strong by its very perils. And therefore Numa,judging it to be no slight or trivial undertaking to
mollify and newly fashion for peace so presumptuousand stubborn a people, called in the gods to aid andassist him. It was for the most part by sacrifices,
processions, and religious dances, which he himselif
appointed and conducted, and which mingled withtheir solemnity a diversion full of charm and a
beneficent pleasure, that he won the people's favourand tamed their fierce and warlike tempers. Attimes, also, by heralding to them vague terrors fromthe god, strange apparitions of divine beings and
threatening voices, he would subdue and humble* Cf. Lycuryusy v. 6.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
raireLurjv iiroLei rrjv Bidvoiav avroov viro BeicTiBat'
4 fwvuas. ef a)v koX fidXcara Xoyov ea^ev rj
aofptu Kal Tj Tralhevcn^ rod dvhpo^, co? UvOayopaavyy€yov6To<;. fiiya yap rjv fiipo'i, ft)? eKeivw r^?
^L\o(To<j>ia<i, Kol TovTM Trj<; TroXtre/a? rj irepl ro
Oelov dyta-reia^ koX Siarpi/Si]. Xeyerat he /cat
TOP e^cadev oyxov /cal(T')(r)fjLaTi(T/jLov cltto T7j<;
5 avrrjf; TlvOayopa Biavola^ Trepc^aXea-Oai. Kal 65
yap iK€Lvo<i derov re Bo/cei Trpadvai, (^oavaifi riaiv
iiTLCTTrjaa^i Kal KaTayaycov uTrepCTrrd/jievov, tqv t€
fir^pov virocfyTJvat ^/oucoui/ 'OXv/jLirlaa-i Biairopevo-
fjL6vo<; TTjv iravriyvpiv' dX\a<; re repardoSec^ /jltj-
')(avd^ avTov Kal irpd^eif; dvayyeWovaiv, 60* at?
Kal Tl/jl(i)v 6 ^\t,d(TLO<; eypayjrc'
HvOayopTjv Be yoTjraf; diroKXivovT eirl B6^a<i
Brjprj iir dvdpcoTTCJV, aefJLvr]yopir)<; oapcaT'qv
6 Tft) Be l>^o/xa Bpdfia 6ed<; tlvo^ rj vvp.<^r)(; 6peia<s
e/0ft)9 r^v Kal (Twovaia 7rpo<; avrbv diroppr^ro^iy
Siairep etpijTai, Kal Koival fierd Movacop Bia-
Tpifiai. ra yap TrXeto-ra rcov fiavrevfidrcov eUMoutra? dvfjye, Kal fiiav yiovaav lBi(a<i Kal
Bi,a(f>ep6vTa)<i iBiBa^e aepeaOat rov<; 'P(o/jLaiov(;,
TaKLTav TTpoaayopevaa^, olov crL(07rr)\r]v rj evedv
oirep elvai Bokcl rrjv JJvdayopeiov dTrofivrj/juopev-
ovTO<; i')(^e/JLvdlav Kal Tifi6t)VT0<;.
7 "EfTT* Be Kal TCL irepl rcov d(l)t,Bpv/j,dTeov vofio-
Berrjp^aTa TravrdiraaLV dBeXcpd tojv TlvBayopov^
ayia-reia Bryan's correction, after Amyot, adopted byCoraes and Bekker : hyx^ffreia {relationship).
NUMA, VIII. 3-7 I
their minds by means of superstitious fears. This
was the chief reason why Numa's wisdom and culture
were said to have been due to his intimacy with
Pjrthagoras ;for in the philosophy of the one, and in
the civil polity of the other, religious services and
occupations have a large place. It is said also that
the solemnity of his outward demeanour was adoptedby him because he shared the feelings of Pythagorasabout it. That philosopher, indeed, is thought to
have tamed an eagle, which he stopped by certain
cries of his, and brought down from his lofty flight ;
also to have disclosed his golden thigh as he passedthrough the assembled throngs at Ol3nnpia. Andwe have reports of other devices and performances of
his which savoured of the marvellous, regardingwhich Timon the Phliasian wrote :
—" Down to a juggler's level he sinks with his cheating
devices.
Laying his nets for men, Pythagoras, lover of
bombast."
In like manner Numa's fiction was tlie love which a
certain goddess or mountain nymph bore him, andher secret meetings with him, as already mentioned,^and his familiar converse with the Muses. For heascribed the greater part of his oracular teachings to
the Muses, and he taught the Romans to pay especialhonours to one Muse in particular, whom he called
Tacita, tiiat is, the silent^ or speechless one ; therebyperhaps handing on and honouring the Pythagoreanprecept of silence.
Furthermore, his ordinances concerning imagesare altogether in harmony with the doctrines of
*Chapter iv. 1-2.
333i^v vc
LVOL. I. M
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Soy/JLCLTeov. ovre yap eKetvo^; alaOrirov rj Tradrjrov,
aoparov Be koX aKTiarov ^ koI votjtov VTrekdfi-
fiavev elvai to Trpcorov, owto? re SiefccoXvaev
dvOpcoTToetBrj KoX t^wofiop^ov eiKova Oeov *Vwp,ai-
ov<i vofjui^eiv. ov8' r)v Trap* avTol'^ ovre ypairrov8 ovT€ irXacrrov elBo^ Oeov irporepov, aXX ev
eKUTov €ffBop.7]KOvra tol<; irpdyroL^^ erecTL vaov<;
/lev oLKoBo/Jbovfievoi koI KaXidBa<; i€pa<; larcovre*;,
dyaXfUt Be ovBev efifiopcfyov Troiovfievoi BierekoWt
a)9 ovre oaiov d(f)o/juoLovv ra jSeXrCova to?? x^ipoaipovre €(f)d7rTea6ai Oeov Bvvarov aXkws rj vorjaei,
KOfiiBrj Be Koi rh rwv Ovgtlcov exerai tt)^ livOa-
yopLKr]<i dyiareia^' dvaipLaKTOi yap rjaav ai yeiroXkaiy Bi d\<j)LTOV ical <r7rovBrj<i kol ra>v evre-
Xea-rdrcov 7re7roir)p,evac.
9 Xa)/Dt9 Be Tovrcjv erepoi^ e^coOev iirayctivl^oinai
T€K/jLr)pi,oL<;ol TOP dvBpa tcS dvBpl avvoiKeiovvTe^;.
MV ev fJLev iorriv on UvOayopav ^Fwfzaloi rjj
irokLTeia Trpoareypayfrav, <09 IcrroprjKev ^E7rL-)(^apfio<;
6 kco/jllko^; ev tlvl Xoyco irpo^^
KvTrjvopa yeypapL-
fievo), iraXaLo^i dvrjp Kal Trj<; YivOayopLKTj^ Bia-
Tpi,0r]<; peT€o-')(r)KQ)<i' erepov Be on reaadpeov vlcov
^aaiXel Nofid yevopievwv eva Mdp^ep/cov eirl rw10 llvOayopov TraiBl irpocr^jyopeua-ev, dir eKeivov
Be Kal rov AlfjuLktcov oIkov dva/nLxOevra roU
irarpiKLOt'; ovo/JLao-Orjval (paatv, ovt(o<; viroKopL^o-
fievov Tov ^a(Tc\eco<; rrjv iv Tot? \6yoL<; rov avBpo<i
alfjUvXtav Kal ydpLV. avrol 8' dKTjKoafiev iroXX&v
ev 'Fcofiy Bie^tovrcov on ')(prjapou wore 'V(op.aioL^^ Akthttop Sinteni8^ with AC, followed by Bekker:
iKi)paTov (unmixed).
334
NUMA, viii. 7-10
Pythagoras. For that philosopher maintained that
the first principle of being was beyond sense or
feeling, was invisible and uncreated, and discernible
only by the mind. And in like manner Numaforbade the Romans to revere an image of Godwhich had the form of man or beast. Nor was
there among them in this earlier time any paintedor graven likeness of Deity, but while for the first
hundred and seventy years they were continually
building temples and establisliing sacred shrines,
they made no statues in bodily form for them, con-
vinced that it was impious to liken higher things to
lower, and that it was impossible to apprehend
Deity except by the intellect. Their sacrifices, too,
were altogether appropriate to the Pythagorean
worship ; for most of them involved no bloodshed,
but were made with flour, drink-offerings, and the
least costly gifts.
And apart from these things, other external proofsare urged to show that the two men were acquaintedwith each other. One of these is that Pythagoraswas enrolled as a citizen of Rome. This fact is
recorded by Epicharmus the comic poet, in a certain
treatise which he dedicated to Antenor ;and Epichar-
mus was an ancient, and belonged to the school of
Pythagoras. Another proof is that one of the four
sons born to king Numa was named Mamercus, after
the son of Pythagoras. And from him they say that
the patrician family of the Aemilii took its name,Aemilius being the endearing name which the king
gave him for the grace and winsomeness of his speech.
Moreover, I myself have heard many people at Romerecount how, when an oracle once commanded the
335
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fyevojuivov top (fepovL/xcorarov Kal rov avBpeioraTOv
*EtWrjvcov Ihpvaaadai Trap* avrol^i, eaTTjaav iirl
T^9 dyopcif; eiKOva^ x^^'^^^ ^^^> '''V^ /^^^ ^AXkl-
ffidBov, Tr)v Be Uvdayopov. TavTa fiev ovv
d/jL(f)ia^'rjTi]a€L<s e^ovTa iroWa^ koI to KLvelv Bid
fiaKpojepQjv Kal to TrcaTovaOat ^fiecpaKicoBov;
€(7tI (pL\ov€iKla<;.
IX. NofjLo, Be Kal TTjv twv dpxi^epecov, oi><; Hovri-
<f)LKa<; Ka\ov(TL, BidTa^iv Kal KaTaaTaatv diroBiBo-
aac, Kal ^aacv avTov eva tovtcov tov TrpcoTov yeyo-vevai, KeKXrjcrdaL Be tou? IlovTL(j)LKa<; ol fiev oti
T0U9 Oeov<; Oepairevovai BvvaTov^ Kal Kvplovf; dirdv-
tcov ovTa^' 6 yap BvvaTO'^ vtto 'Vcofiaicov ovo/j-d^erai
2 7roTi;v9* €T6poi Be (pacri tt/jo? vire^aipeaiv yeyo-vevat Touvojjia tmv BvvaTcov, co? tov vofjuodeTov Ta9
BvvaTa^ eiTiTeXelv lepovpycas^ tou? lepels KcXev-
ovTo^i dp Be y tl fccoXv/jba fjuel^oPy ov avKocpav-
T0VPT0<:. ol Be TrXelcTTOL fidXiaTa Kal to yeXco/xepov
T(ov opo/jbaTcop BoKLfid^ovcTip, 0)9 ovBep dXX*rj
yecpvpoTToiov'i tov<; dpBpa<; iiriKXTjOepTa^; ajro tmp
woiov/jbepcop irepl ttjp ye^vpap lepwv, dytcoTaTcopKol TraXatoTCLTcop optcop' iroPTep, yap ol Kajlpoi
3 Tr)P ye(pvpap opo/jLa^ouaip, elvai fjueproL Kal ttjp
TrjprjaLP avTr]<; Kal ttjp iTrcaKevj^p, wairep dXXo tl
T03P dKLPi'jTOdP Kal TTaTplcop Upcop, 7rpoa7]Kov<Tap
T069 lepevaLP. ov yap de/xcTOP, aXV iirdpaTOP
rjyela-daL ^PcofiaLOV<; ttjp KaTdXvaip t?59 ^vXiprjf;
ye(fivpa<s, XeysTat Be Kal to Trd/juTrap dpev aiBtjpov
^ viarovaOai a correction of Reiske's, accepted by Cora^and Bekker : viartvtadai {believe).
I NUMA, VIII. lo-ix. 3
Romans to erect in their city monuments to thewisest and the bravest of the Greeks, they set up in
the forum two statues in bronze, one of Alcibiades,and one of Pythagoras.
^ However, since the matterof Numa's acquaintance with Pythagoras is involvedin much dispute, to discuss it at greater length, andto win belief for it, would savour of youthfulcontentiousness .
IX. To Numa is also ascribed the institution of
that order of high priests who are called Pontitices,and he himself is said to have been the first of them.
According to some they are called Pontifittes
because employed in the service of the gods, who are
powerful and supreme over all the world ; and"potens
"is the Roman word for powerful. Others
say that the name was meant to distinguish between
possible and impossible functions ; the lawgiver en-
joining upon these priests the performance of suchsacred offices only as were possible, and finding no fault
with them if any serious obstacle prevented. Butmost writers give an absurd explanation of the name ;
Pontifices means, they say, nothing more nor less
than bridge-builders, from the sacrifices which theyperformed at the bridge over the Tiber, sacrifices of
the greatest antiquity and the most sacred character;for "
pons"
is the Latin word for bridge. They say,
moreover, that the custody and maintenance of the
bridge, like all the other inviolable and ancestral rites,
attached to the priesthood, for the Romans held thedemolition of the wooden bridge to be not onlyunlawful, but actually sacrilegious. It is also said
*According to the elder Pliny (iV.^. xxxiv. 12), these
statues stood in the comitium at Rome from the time ofthe Samnite wars (343-290 B.C.) down to that of Sulla
(138-78 B.C.).
337
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Karh St; ri Xo'yiov avyyeyofn^MaOai Zih rwv
^vXwv. T) Be Xidivrj ttoWoI^s varepov i^eipydcrOTj
4')(p6voL<;
VTT AI/jL'Xlov ra/uLievovTO^. ov fihv dWhKoi rr)v ^uXivyjv tmv No/jud ')(^povwv dTroXeiirecrOaL
Xiyovaiv, viro MapKLOV rov Nop-d dvjarpiBov
^aaiXevovTOf; diroreXeaOelaav,
'O he /xe^tcrTO? twv Uovrt^cfccov olov i^rjyrjrov
Kal 7rpo(j}i]roVt p,dXXov Se lepocpdvrov rd^cv etXrj-
^eVy ov povov^ Twv hr^poata Bpcopeveov iTrcpueXov-
p,evo<;, dXXd koX rov<; ISlo, dvovra^i eTnaKOTrcov Kal
/ccoXvojv irapeK^aiveiV rd vevopiapeva, Kal BiBd-
(TKWV OTOV Tt9 BioLTO TT/OO? 6e(t)V TLprjV Tf TTapaC-
5 TTjaiv, Tjv Be Kal twv iepSiv TrapOevcov e7ricrK07ro<;i
a? 'EcTiaSa? irpoaayopevova i. l^opa yap Br) Kal
Tr)v T(ov *K(TTt,dB(i)v 7rap6evcov Kadcepcocnv Kal
6Xco<i Tr]v irepl to irvp ro dOdvaroVy o (pyXdrrovaivavrai, depaireiav re Kal TLp^rjv diroBiBoao-LV, etre
o)? KaOapdv Kal dcfydaprov ttjv tov irvpo^i ovaiav
dfcrjpdroLfi Kal dpidvToi<i TrapariOep^evov acopaa-iv,
etre to aKapiTov Kal dyovov Tt] TrapOevla avv-
oiK€LovvTO(;. eirei rot tt)? 'EX-Xa^o? ottov irvp
da^ecTTov eaTiv, co? UvOot Kal^
AOrjvqaiVy ov
irapOevoL, yvvalKe^i Be ireTravpLevaL ydpayv e')(ovai>
6 Tr]V i7np.eXeiav' edv Be vtto tu;)^t;9 Tivo<i eKXiTrr},
Kaddirep^
Kdr]vr](Ji p^ev eirl tt)? WpLaTLcovo^;
XeyeTai TvpavvLBo^ dTToa^eadrjvai, tov lepov
XifXyov, ev AeX^ot? Be tov vaov KaTa7Tpr)(70evTO<fVTTO M'^Boyv, irepl
Be Ta MidpiBaTiKa Kal tov
epcpvXcov 'Pcopaicov iroXepov dp,a tw fiojp,^ to
^fiSuov with most MSS. (including S) and edd. : ix6v<av.
NUMA, IX. 3-6
that it was built entirely without iron and fastened
together with wooden pins in obedience to an oracle.
The stone bridge was constructed at a much later
period, when Aemilius was quaestor.^ However, it is
said that the wooden bridge also was later than thetime of Numa, and was completed by Ancus Marcius,the grandson of Numa by his daughter, when he was
king.The chief of the Pontifices, the Pontifex Maximus,
had the duty of expounding and interpreting thedivine will, or rather of directing sacred rites, not
only being in charge of public ceremonies, but also
watching over private sacrifices and preventing anydeparture from established custom, as well as teachingwhatever was requisite for the worship or propitiationof the gods. He was also overseer of the holy virginscalled Vestals ; for to Numa is ascribed the consecra-
tion of the Vestal virgins, and in general the worshipand care ofthe perpetual fire entrusted to their charge.It was either because he thought the nature of fire
pure and uncorrupted, and therefore entrusted it to
chaste and undefiled persons, or because he thoughtof it as unfruitful and barren, and therefore associated
it with virginity. Since wherever in Greece a
perpetual fire is kept, as at Delphi and Athens, it is
committed to the charge, not of virgins, but of
widows past the age of marriage. And if by anychance it goes out, as at Athens during the tyrannyof Aristion '^ the sacred lamp is said to have been
extinguished, and at Delphi when the temple wasburned by the Medes, and as during the Mithridatic
and the Roman civil wars the altar was demolished
1 179B.C.* 88-86 B.C. Cf. LuculluSf xix. 6 ; Sulla, xiii. 3.
k339
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irvp r)<fiavia6r}, ov <f)aai Setv utto erepov irvpo^
ivaveadat, /caivov Be TroLelv /cal veov, avd'movTa<;
CLTTO Tov rfKiov (f)\6ya Kadapav koI afiiavTov.
7 i^aTTTOvcTL Be fidXiara to?? a/ca(f)eiOL<i, a xara-
(TKevd^erai fiep aTTo irXevpa^ laoaKeXov^ opdoyco-vLov Tpijcovov Koikaivofieva, crvvvevei 5' el<; ev ck
T^9 TrepKpepeLaf; Kevrpov. orav ovv Oiatv evavriav
Xd/Sy irpbf; tov rfkiov, Scrre ra? avya^; nravra-
yoBev dvatcoTTTOiMeva^; dOpoi^eadav koI (Tvpbirke-
KeaOac rrepl to /cevrpov, avrov re BiaKpivei rbv
dipa Xeirrvvop^evoVt koL rd Kov^oTara /cal ^ypo-rara rcov TrpoariOe/jLivcov 6^e(D<; avdinet Kara
TTjv dvT6pei(TiVf oroypa /cal irXrjyrjV irvpcoBr) t^98 avyrj(; Xa/Souarj^;. evioi pi,ev ovv ouBev vtto tcov
lepoiv irapOevwv dX^C rj to daffearov i/celvo
(f)povp6LaOai TTvp vopbi^ovdLV* evLOL Be elvai rivd
i^aaiv dOeara Tot? dXXoc<; lepd /cpvirrop^eva, irepla)v oca Kol TrvOeadac /cal <j>pdaai OepLcrov ev toJ
Ka/ztWou /Slw yeypaiTTai.X. WpwTov pkv ovv virb No/xa /caOcepcjdrjvat
Xeyovai, Veyaviav /cal Beprjviav, Bevrepov Be
KavovXrjtav /cal Tapirijtav varepov Be %ep^LovBvo irpoaOevro^ dXXa<; Ta> dpiO/xw Biarrjpeia'dai^
fiexpt T<wi/ ^(^povwv TOVTCov TO irXrjdo^. aypiaOr} Be
Tah lepaU irapOevoi^ vtto tov ^aatXecot; dyveia
TpiaKovTaeTt<i, ev y Trjv pev irpooTrjv Be/caeTiav a
y^pT] Bpdv puavOdvovai, Tr)v Be p,ear)v a p^e/naO^/caa-L
Bpooac, TTjv Be TpuTrjv erepa^ avTal BiBdaKOvcLv.
2 elTa dvecTttL Tjj j^ovXo/nevr} jneTa tov 'x,povov tov-1
SiaTT)p€iff0cu the correction of Coraea, adopted by Bekker :
Siar7jpr}<rai,
NUMA, IX. 6-x. 2
and the fire extinguished, then they say it must notbe kindled again from other fire, but made fresh andnew, by lighting a pure and unpolluted flame fromthe rays of the sun. And this they usually effect bymeans of metallic mirrors, the concavity of which is
made to follow the sides of an isosceles rectangulartriangle, and which converge from their circum-ference to a single point in the centre. When, there-
fore, these are placed opposite the sun, so that its rays,as they fall upon them from all sides, are collected
and concentrated at the centre, the air itself is
rarefied there, and very light and dry substances
placed there quickly blaze up from its resistance,the sun's rays now acquiring the substance and force
of fire. Some, moreover, are of the opinion that
nothing but this perpetual fire is guarded by thesacred virgins ; while some say that certain sacred
objects, which none others may behold, are kept in
concealment by them. What may lawfully be learnedand told about these things, I have written in myLife of Camillas.^
X. In the beginning, then, they say that Geganiaand Verenia were consecrated to this office byNuma, who subsequently added to them Canuleiaand Tarpeia ; that at a later time two others wereadded by Servius, making the number which has
continued to the present time. It was ordained bythe king that the sacred virgins should vow them-selves to chastity for thirty years ; during the first
decade they are to learn their duties, during thesecond to perform the duties they have learned, and
during the third to teach others these duties. Then,the thirty years being now passed, any one who
*Chapter xx. 3-6.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tov TjSi] Kol yd/j^ov fi6ra\afi/3dv6iv xal tt/oo? ere-
pov rpaTriadac 6lov, diraWayeiar) t?}? lepovpyla^i,
Xeyovrat, he ov TroWal ravrrjv dairdcraaOat rrjv
dSetav, ovSe da-iracrap.evaL^ 'x^prjard irpdy/jLara
avvTV')(elvt dWd pberavoia koI KaT7](f)€La avvovcrai
TOV XoLTTov fiiov ep^lSaXelv rd'^ dK\a<; eh SetcnSai-
p^ovLav, ware pe^pt y^p(o<; teal davdrov BiareXelp
iyKaprepovaa^i /cat irapdevevop.eva^;,3 TiyLta? Be pueydXa^ direBcoKev avrah, mv ecrr*
KoX TO BcaOeaOai fwt'To? e^elvai irarpof; fcal rdX-Xa Trpdrreiv dvev irpoa-raTov Biayouaa^, toa-irep
al TpL7raLBe<;. papBoj>')(ovvTat Be irpoiovaaL' fcdv
dyopLevcp tlvI Trpo? ddvarov avTopdrco^ gvvtv")((0'
Giv, ovK, dvaipetTai. Bel Be diropoaai ttjv irap-Oevov aKOvaiov fcal TV^auav kol ovk e^eiTirr]Be<;
yeyovevai rrjv aTravTrjaiv. 6 Be vireXOcov Kopil^o- 67
4 pevo)v VTTO TO cf>opeLov dTro0v)]cT/cet. K6Xaai<; Be
Tcov puev dXXcov dpapTrjpaTcov TrXrjyal Tah irap-
OevoL^tTOV p.eyi(TT0V UovTi(piKo^ KoXd^ovTo<; eaTLv
ore icaX yvpuvrjv ttjv TrXrjppeX'^craaav, o6ovr)<; ev
iraXLvaKicp 'JTapaTewopeprj<:' rj Be ttjv iTapOeviav
KaTaLa'xvvaaa ^coaa KaropvTTeTaL irapd t7]v
KoXXivrjp Xeyop,evrjv ttvXtjv ev y ti<; ecTTiv evTo<i
T?}? TToXew? 6(f)pv<; ye(oBr)<; irapaTeivovaa iroppay6 KoXeiTaL Be %w/xa BiaXeKTw Ty AaTU (ov. evTavOa
KaraaKevd^eTUi KaTdyeio<; o7ko<; ov peya<;, e)(wvdvcodev KaTapaaiv. Kelrai B\ ev avTM kXuvtj re
virea-TpcopevT) koI Xv)(vo<; Kaiopevo^i, d'irap)(aL t€
TMV 77^09 TO ^TJv dvayKaiwv Ppax^lai Ttva, olov
dpTo<;, vB(op ev dr^yeiwy ydXa, eXaiov, wairep
d<f)0(Tiovpev(jov TO pLy XipLO) Bia(f)6eipeiv acopa Tal<;
6 p€yl(TTai<; KaOiepcopLevov dyiaTeiai^, avTrjv Be
342
NUMA, X. 2-6
wishes has liberty to marry and adopt a different
mode of life, after laying down her sacred office.
We are told, however, that few have welcomed the
indulgence, and that those who did so were not
happy, but were a prey to repentance and dejectionfor the rest of their lives, thereby inspiring the rest
with superstitious fears, so that until old age and
death they remained steadfast in their virginity.
But Numa bestowed great privileges upon them,such as the right to make a will during the life time
of their fathers, and to transact and manage their
other affairs without a guardian, like the mothers of
three children. When they appear in public, the
fasces are carried before them, and if they ac-
cidentally meet a criminal on his way to execution,
his life is spared; but the virgin must make oath
that the meeting was involuntary and fortuitous, and
not of design. He who passes under the litter on
which they are borne, is put to death. For their
minor offences the virgins are punished with stripes,
the Pontifex Maximus sometimes scourging the
culprit on her bare flesh, in a dark place, with a
curtain interposed. But she that has broken her
vow of chastity is buried alive near the Colline gate.
Here a little ridge of earth extends for some distance
along the inside of the city-wall ; the Latin word for
it is "agger." Under it a small chamber is con-
structed, with steps leading down from above. In
this are placed a couch with its coverings, a lighted
lamp, and very small portions of the necessaries of
life, such as bread, a bowl of water, milk, and oil, as
though they would thereby absolve themselves from
the cliarge of destroying by hunger a life which had
been consecrated to the highest services of religion.
343
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rrjv Ko\a^ofi€V7jv et? (popelov evOefxevoi koI Kara-
aT€yd(TavT€<; e^codev kol KaraXa^ovrt^ ifxaatv, cw?
//.TySe (fteoPTjv e^oLKovarov 'yevecrOaiy KOfii^ovai hi
ayopdf;. e^LaTavrai Se 7Tdvre<i (tlcotttj koI irapa-
7r€fjL7rov(riv a^Ooyyoi fierd tlvo^ heivr}<^ Kar7]^€La<i'
ovBe iarlv erepov Oeafjua (ppiKTorepoy, ovh* rj/iipai'
7 7} TToXt? ak\i]v ayei arvyvorepav iK€Lvrj<;. orav
Se 7r/909 rov tottov Kop,ia6fi to ^opelov, ol fiev
vTrrjpirat rou? BecriJ,ov<; i^iXvaav, 6 8e roiv lepecov
e^ap)(^o<; ev^d^ Tiva<; aTroppTJrovf; Trotrjadfievof; kol
')(€Lpa<; dvareiva^; 6eoL<i irpo tt}? dvdyKr}^, i^dyei
(TvyK€Ka\vp,fievr)V koI KaOidrrjaLV iirl KkifiaKo^
et9 TO OLfcrjfia Kdrco (pepovaij^. elra avro^ fiev
dTTOTpeTrerai. p^era Tcav dWcov lepecov rrj<; Be
KaTa,8dar)<; rj re fcXip^a^ dvaipetrai koX Kara-
Kpvirrerai, to otfc^jpa yrj^i ttoXXt}? dvcodev ein<^opov-
/^ivV^, a)<rTe laoirehov rco Xoltto) ')(cop,aTi yeveaOatrov TOTTOV. ovTco p,6v at TTpoep.evai ttjv lepav irap-
OevLav KoXd^ovTai.XI. No/ia? Se XeyeTat /cat to t?}? 'Eo-r/a? lepov
iyKVKXtov irepi^aXeaOaL tw ua^eaT(p irvpl (f)pov-
pdv, dTropi/JLOvp,€vo<; ov to a')(rjp.a t^9 7^? O)?
'Eo-Tta9 ovar}^, dXXa tov avp.iravTO^ Koap^ov, ov
p^ecrov ol TlvdayopLKol to irvp IBpvaOai vop,it^ovai,
2 Kol TovTO *EaTLav KaXouai kol p,ovdBa' t^i/ ^e
yr]v ovTe aKLvrjTOV ovt€ iv p,e(TW t?}? 'ir€pi<j)opa<;
ovaav, dXXa kvkXw irepl to irvp alcopovp.evr]v ov
T(OV TipiODTdTWV OvSc TCOV ITpOiTWV TOV KO(Tp.OV
popiwv vTrdp^eiv. TavTa Be kol TlXdTwvd (paori
TTpea^vrrjv yevofievov BiavevorjaOat. irepl t^9 7^9
344
I
I
NUMA, X. 6-xi. 2
Then the culprit herself is placed on a litter, over
which coverings are thrown and fastened down withcords so that not even a cry can be heard from within,and carried through the forum. All the peoplethere silently make way for the litter, and follow it
without uttering a sound, in a terrible depression of
soul. No other spectacle is more appalling, nor does
any other day bring more gloom to the city thanthis. When the litter reaches its destination, the
attendants unfasten the cords of the coverings. Thenthe high-priest, after stretching his hands towardheaven and uttering certain mysterious prayers before
the fatal act, brings forth the culprit, who is closely
veiled, and places her on the steps leading downinto the chamber. After this he turns away his face,
as do the rest of the priests, and when she has gonedown, the steps are taken up, and great quantitiesof earth are thrown into the entrance to the chamber,
hiding it away, and making the place level with the
rest of the mound. Such is the punishment of those
who break their vow of virginity,XI. Furthermore, it is said that Numa built the
temple of Vesta, where the perpetual fire was kept,of a circular form, not in imitation of the shape of
the earth, believing Vesta to be the earth, but of the
entire universe, at the centre of which the Pythago-reans place the element of fire, and call it Vesta
and Unit. And they hold that the earth is
neither motionless nor situated in the centre of sur-
rounding space, but that it revolves in a circle aboutthe central fire, not being one of the most important,nor even one ofthe primary elements of the universe.
This is the conception, we are told, which Plato also,
in his old age, had of the earth, namely that it is
345
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
0)9 iv erepa X^P9 KaOe(Tr(oar]<;, Tr)v Be /jlScttjv kuI
Kvpicordrijv erepa) rivl KpeuTrovi rrrpoatjKOvaav.
XII. Ot Be IlovTi(j)tK€<; Koi ra irepl ra? racpct^
Trdrpia TOi<; 'x^py^ovcTLV d(l>r)yovvrat, Nofia BtBd-
^avTO^ fjurjBev r/yeiaOat fiLacrfia T(av tolout(ov,
dWd Kal Tou? eKel Oeov<; a-e^ecrOac Tot<; vcvo/jll-
afievoi<;y <W9 rd KVpicoTara tmv rjfieTepcov viroBexo-
fievovf;* i^ai,peT(i)<; Be ttjv Trpoaajnpevo/Jbivrjv Ai-
pLTLvav, eiriaKoirov tmv irepl tov^ dvrjCTKOVTa^
oaicov Oeov ovaav, elVe Uepaecpovijv elVe fidWov,©9 ol XoyiMTaTOL ^Voy/jialcov VTroXa/jLJSdvovcnv,
^AcftpoBiTTju, ov KaK(o<; €i9 /^ta9 Bvva/jLtv Oeov Td
irepl ra? yeveaei^ koX Ta9 TeXevTa^ dvdiTTovTe';.
2 avTo^ Be koI rd irevOif] Kad^ rj\iKLa<; Kal 'X^povov^
CTa^ev olov iralBa fit) irevOelv vecoTCpov TpteTov^,
fi7)Be irpeafivrepov irXeuovas /jLrjva<; cav e/Sicoaeu
ivtavTGJv P^XP'' '^^^ BeKa, koI TrepaLTepco p,r}B€'
pbiav r)\iKiav, dWd tov p^aKpordrov irevOov^
Xpovov elvai BeKapLrji lalov, e<^* oaov Kal XVP^^'ova IV at TMV diToOavovTcov yuvacKe^;. r) Be irpo-
Tepov yapr^Oelaa ^ovv eyKvp,ova KareOvev eKeivov
vopio9err}(TavTO<i.
3 TloWd<; Be Kal dX\a<; No/Lta KaTuBei^avTO^
lepcoavva^ €TI Bvelv pLvrjaOrjaop^ai, t^9 re ^aXicov
Kal T7J<i Tcov ^iTiaXecoVt ac p^dXiara rrjv evae-
Beiav TOV dvBpo^ ep^^aivova-LV. ol p,ev ydp^LTiaXelf; elpr)vo(^vXaKe^ Tcve<; ovt€<;, et)9 3' ep^ol
BoKelf Kal Tovvofia Xa^ovTe^ diro t^9 irpd^eco^if
346
NUMA, XI. 2-xii. 3
established in a secondary space, and that the central
and sovereign space is reserved for some other andnobler body.
XII. The Pontifices also explain and direct theancestral rites of burial for those who desire it, and
they were taught by Numa not to regard any suchoffices as a pollution, but to honour the gods belowalso with the customary rites, since they receive into
their keeping the most sovereign part of us, and par-
ticularly the goddess called Libitina, who presidesover the solemn services for the dead, whether she is
Proserpina, or, as the most learned Romans maintain,Venus ; thereby not inaptly connecting man's birth
and death with the power of one and the same god-dess. Numa himself also regulated the periods of
mourning according to ages. For instance, over achild of less than three years there was to be no
mourning at all;over one older than that, the
mourning was not to last more months than it hadlived years, up to ten ;
and no age was to be mourned
longer than that, but ten months was the period set
for the longest mourning.^ This is also the period
during which women who have lost their husbandsremain in widowhood, and she who took anotherhusband before tiiis term was out, was obliged by thelaws of Numa to sacrifice a cow with calf.
Numa also established many other orders of priest-
hood, of which I shall mention two, besides, those of
the Salii and the Fetiales, which more than any others
give evidence of the man's reverent piety. TheFetiales were guardians of peace, so to speak, and in
my opinion took their name from their office, whichwas to put a stop to disputes by oral conference, or
^ Cf. chapter xix. 1.
M7
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
\07ft) TO, veLKT) Kareiravov, ovk icovTe<i crrpareveLv
TTporepov Tj Trdcrav iXTriSa 5//cr/9 aTTOKoirrjvai,4 Kol yap elpr)vi-jv "KX\.r]V6<; KaXovcriv orav \6yq),
fiT) pia, TTpo^i aXKrj\ov<; ^/)ft)/x6i/ot \v<j(ocn ra^
hLa(^opd<^. ol he 'Fco/jbaicov <t>iTia\eL<; nroWaKL^
fiev i0dBi^ov ft)? Tou? d8iKovvTa<; avrol ireLOovre';
evyvcop^ovelv dyvwp^ovovvTcov Se fiaprvpdfjLevoL
deoix;, Kal Karev^dp^evoi TroWa koI Beiva Ka6'
avTOiv avTol Kal tt}? TraryOtSo? el pr) Bi/caico^
eTTe^iaaiVt ovrco Kari^yyeWov avrol^ tov iroXepov.5 KcoXvovToyv Be rovrcov 7) prj avvaivovvrwv, ovre
(TTparicoTTj OepiLTOV oijre ^acriXel 'PcopaLwv oirXa
KLvelv, dXka irapa tovtwv eBet rrjv dpxrjv tov
iroXepov Be^dp^evov C09 BtKalov rov ap^opra, rore
(TKOTTelv irepl tov avpu^epovTo^, XeyeTUi Be kol
TO KeXTifcov eKetvo irdOo^ ttj iroXet yeveaOaiTovrcov Twv lepewv Trapavopbi-jOevTwv.
6 ^Ktv^ov p,ev yap ol ^dp^apoi li^Xovatvov<;
7roXiopKovvTe<i' €7rep(f>0rj Be Tr/oecrySeuT^? 't>dBLO<;
"ApL^ova-TO^ eh to aTpaToireBov BtaXva-ecq irpd^cov
vTrep Tcov TroXtopKovpevcov. Xafioiv Be diroKpi-
<76i9 OVK eTTLeiKeh fcal irepa<^ 0"%^^^ avT(p ttjp
irpea/SeLav olopevo^, eveavievaaTO irpo tcov KXov-alvcov 07r\a Xa^oov irpoKuXeaaaOai tov dpiaTev-
7 ovTU Tcav ^apfidpcov. tcl pev ovv T779 pdxn'^
evTvyeiTO Kal /caTa/SaXfov ecTKvXevcre tov dvBpa-
yv(opiaavTe<; Be ol KeXrot TrepLTrovciv eh 'Fcoprjv
KrjpvKa tov ^a/Siov KaTijyopovvTef; 0)9 eKcnrovBov
Kal aTTLO-Tov Kal aKaTdyyeXTOV €^€V7}vo^6to<} 7ry009
avTov<i TToXepov. evravOa tijv pev avyKXrjTovol ^iTiaXeh eTreidov iKBiBovai top avBpa Toh
3^8
NUMA, XII. 3-7 :<1
parley'^',and they would not suffer a hostile expedition
to be made before every hope of getting justice had
been cut off. For the Greeks call it peace when two
parties settle their quarrels by mutual conference^and not by violence. And the Roman Fetiales often
went to those who were doing them a wrong andmade personal appeals for fair treatment ; but if the
unfair treatment continued, they called the gods to
witness, invoked many dreadful evils upon themselves
and their country in case they resorted to hostilities
unjustly, and so declared war upon them. But if theyforbade it or withheld their consent, neither soldier
nor king of Rome could lawfully take up arms. Warhad to begin with their verdict that it was just, andthe ruler, on receiving this verdict, must then de-
liberate on the proper way to wage it. And it is
said that the dreadful disaster which the city ex-
perienced at the hands of the Gauls was in conse-
quence of the illegal treatment of these priests.For when the Barbarians were besieging Clusium,
Fabius Ambustus was sent from Rome to their campto bring about a cessation of hostilities on behalf of
the besieged. But on receiving an unseemly answer,he thought his office of ambassador was at an end,and committed the youthful folly of taking up armsfor the Clusians and challenging the bravest of the
Barbarians to single combat. Fabius fought suc-
cessfully, unhorsed his adversary, and stripped him of
his armour. But when the Gauls discovered who he
was, they sent a herald to Rome denouncing Fabius
for violating a truce, breaking his oath, and fighting
against them before war was formally declared. AtRome the Fetiales tried to persuade the senate to
>Connecting the name with fateri, fari, to tspeah.
349
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
KeXrot?, /caracpvycbv S^ eKelvof; eU rov^ ttoWou?Kal ra> hrffiw airovha^ovrt '^prjadfievo^i Siexpov-craro rrjv Slktiv. per oXtyov Se eireXOovTe^ ol
KeXrot TTjv 'Pcofiijv irXrjv rod KairtroyXlov Sie-
TTopOrjaav. dWa ravra pep iv tol<; irepl Ka-
/jblWov pbdWov aKpi^ovrai.XIII. Tou? 3e ]SaXtou9 lepet^i ix rotavTrjf;
Xiyerai avar^aaa-Oat irpot^daeco^, eTO<i oySoovavTov ^aaiXevovTO^i XoifiooBrjt; v6ao<^ irepuovaaTTJV ^IraXiav earpo^rjae Kal tt)v *F(op,r)v. dSv-
flOVVTCOV Se TCOV dvOpCOTTCOV l(TT0p6LTaL ')(^aXKr)V
TriXrrjv ef ovpavov Karacpepopevrjv eh Td<i No/xaireaelv yeipa*;. eVt Be avrfj 6avp,dai6v riva
Xoyov Xeyeadai vtto rov iSaaCXew^, ov ^Yiyepia^2 T6 icaX rwv yiovawv TrvOiaOai. to pev yap ottXov
rjKeiv iirl acorrjpia T779 iroXeco^, Kal Belv avro
^povpeladai yevop^ivcov dXXwv evheKa Kal axv/^^Kal pbeye6o<^ Kal p,op(f)r)v eKelvw irapaTrXTjalcov,
OTTco? aiTopov etr) Ta> KXeiTTr) Be opLOLorrira rov
Bi07r€Tod<i i7nrv)(€tv' ert Be XPV^^^ Mouo-a.f?
KadtepSiaai top^toDtoi^
eKelvo Kal tov<; irepl avTO
X€Lp.(oia<;, OTTOV ra ttoXXcl (jiOLTaxrai avvBtaTpl-
fiovatv avTO). ttjv Be irrjyrjv rj KaTdpBei to
ycdpi'OV, vBo)p lepov diroBec^ai TaU '^a-Tiaai irap-
6evoL<^y OTTW? Xap/Sdvovcrat Kad' rjp,€pav dyvl^wat3 Kal paivwai to dvaKTopov. TovTOi<i pLev ovv
p^apTVprjaai Xeyovai Kal to, tt)? voaov irapa-
Xprjpa iravadpLeva. ttjv Be TreXTrjv irpodevTo^avTOV Kal KeXevaavTO<; dpbLXXdoOat tov^; tcxvItu^
virep T779 opLOtoTTjTo^, TOt'9 piev dXXov^ direLiTelv,
OveTovpiov Be Mapuovpiov eva tS>v aKptov Brjpn-
ovpycov ovTco^ eipiKeaOai, Trj<; ipi^ep€La<i, Kal
350
NUMA, XII. 7-X111. 3
deliver Fabius into the hands of the Gauls, but hetook refuge with the multitude, and through thefavour of the populace evaded his punishment. Aftera little, therefore, the Gauls came up and sacked
Rome, with the exception of the Capitol. But this
story is more fully given in my Life of Camillus.^
XIII. The priesthood of the Salii Numa is said
to have been estabhshed for the following reason.
In the eighth year of his reign a pestilence, whichtraversed Italy, distracted Rome also. The story
goes that while the people were disheartened bythis, a bronze buckler fell from heaven, which cameinto the hands of Numa, and a wonderful account of
it was given by the king, which he learned from
Egeria and the Muses. The buckler came, he said,for the salvation of the city, and must be carefully
preserved by making eleven others of like fashion,
size, and shape, in order that the resemblancebetween them might make it difficult for a thief to
distinguish the one that fell from heaven. He said
further that the spot where it fell, and the adjacentmeadows, where the Muses usually had converse with
him, must be consecrated to them; and that the
spring which watered the spot should be declared
holy water for the use of the Vestal virgins, whoshould daily sprinkle and purify their temple withit. Moreover, they say that the truth of all this
was attested by the immediate cessation of the
pestilence. When Numa showed the buckler to theartificers and bade them do their best to make others
like it, they all declined, except Veturius Mamurius,a most excellent workman, who was so happy in his
imitation of it, and made all the eleven so exactly*Chapters xvii.-xxii.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
KaTa(TK€vd(Tai irdaa^; 6/JL0La<i, wcrre firjB^ avrov
€Ti Tov Nofidv Siayivooa/ceiv. tovtcop ovv (f>v-
\aKa^ Koi d/jLCpLTrokovfi aTriBei^e tou9 XaXlov<:
4iepelf;. XaXioi Be ixXtjOrjaav, ov)^, co? evLOi
fivOoXoyovai, '^ajjuoOpaKO'^ dvhpo<^ r) Mavrivicof;,
ovofia Xakiov, irpairov Tr)V evoirXiov e/cStSafai/ro?
6pxn<^f'^* dWa fidWov dirb tt}? 6p^r)ae(i3<; avrr)^,
oXrLKrjf; ovcrrjf;, rjv virop'X^ovvTai SiaTropevofievoi
TTjv TTokiv, orav ra? i€pa<; ireXra^ dvaXd^coaiviv Tft) MapTLO) firjvL, <^oi,viKov<; fiev ivBehvjxevoi,
^^TfDz^tcTACOu?, fjLLTpatf; Bk ')(d\.KaL^ iTre^coa-fiivoL 69
ifkareiaL^ kcu Kpdprj '^aXxd ^opovvT€<;, €7%€i/9«-
5 Biot^; Be iJbtKpoL<i rd oirXa Kpovoi>T€<;. r) Be dWrjT^9 6pxv(^€co<i iroBSyv epyov iarr Kivovvrai, yap
i7nr€p7ra><;, €\iy/iiov<; nva^ kol /jL€Ta^o\d<; iv
pvOpuw Td')(p<; e'X^ovTt koX Trv/cvoTrjra fjuerd pcofirjf;
KOL Kov^6Tr)TO^ d7roBiB6vr€<;.
AuTCT9 Be rd<; ireXra^ dyKvXia KaXovai Bid to
HT')(rjfia' kvkXo<; yap ovk eariv ovBe dTToBiBroaiv,
(W9 TreXTTj, TTJV Trepicpepeiav, dXX' iKTOfirjv e^ei
ypa/jLfjLrj<i eXi,Koei>Bov<;, ^9 at Kepa2ai Ka/ii7rd<; e^ov-aat Kal avveTTLarpiipova-ai rrj TrvKvorrjri 7r/?09
6 dXX7]Xa<; dyKvXov to a')(rjfia iroiovaLv rj Bid tov
dy/ccova irepX ov irepi^epovTai,, TavTa ydp 6
^\6Pa<i €Lp7)Ke yX^x^ofxevo^s e^eXXr^viaai TovvopLa,BvvaiTO B^ dv Trj<i dvefcaOev <f)Opd<; irpcoTov eTrcovv^
fjLov yeyovevai, Kal tt)? dKeaeco<; tcov voaovvTcoVf
Kal TTjf; TMV av')(jJLO)V Xv(T€(o^, 6Ti Be Tri<; t(ov
BeivSiv dvaa^eaew^y Kad^ o Kal tou9 AiojKovpov<;
85*
NUMA, XIII. 3-6
like it, that not even Numa himself could distinguishthem. For the watch and care of these bucklers,
then, he appointed the priesthood of the Salii. Nowthe Salii were so named, not, as some tell the tale,
from a man of wSamothrace or Mantinea, named Salius,
who first taught the dance in armour ; but rather
from the leaping^ which characterized the dance it-
self. This dance they perform when they carry the
sacred bucklers through the streets of the city in the
month of March, clad in purple tunics, girt with
broad belts of bronze, wearing bronze helmets on
their heads, and carrying small daggers with which
they strike the shields. But the dance is chiefly a
matter of step ; for they move gracefully, andexecute with vigour and agility certain shifting
convolutions, in quick and oft-recurring rhythm.The bucklers themselves are called "ancilia,"
from their shape ;for this is not round, nor yet
completely oval, like that of the regular shield, but
has a curving indentation, the arms of which are
bent back and united with each other at top and
bottom ; this makes the shape"ancylon," the (jreek
for curved. Or, they are named from the elhofv on
which they are carried, which, in Greek, is" ankon."
This is what Juba says, who is bent on deriving the
name from the Greek. But the name may comefrom the Greek "anekathen," inasmuch as the
original shield fell yrom on high; or from "akesis,"because it heated those who were sick of the plague ;
or from " auchmon lysis," because it put an end to the
drought; or, further, from "anaschesis," because it
brought a cessation of calamities, just as Castor andPollux were called Anakes by the Athenians; if,
^ The Latin "salire," to leap.
353
k
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
"AvaKaf; ^KBrfvaloL 7rpo(T7]y6p€V(rav, €i ye Bel 7rpo9
T?)y 'FiWvviKr)v BiaXe/cTov i^dyeiv rnvvo/jia.
7 To) Be Ma/JLOvpLO) Xeyovav /jlktOov yeveadai ttj^
Te'xy'q^ ifceivT]^ fiv/j/jLrjv rivh BC coS/}? viro rcav
^aXucov cLfia rfj Trupplxj) BLairepaivofxevr]^. ol Be
ov Overovpiov Ma/juovpiov elval(f)
lat rov dBo-
fjLevov, aWa overepep. /lefiopiafi, oirep iarif ira-
\atav fivrj/J>r)v,
XIV. *E7r€t Be BieKocr/jbrjae ra<; iep(oavva<^y eBei-
fULTO irXrjaLov rov t^9 'Eo-rta? lepov ttjp koKov-
fjuevrjv *Vr)yLav, olov rt, /SacrlXeLOV OLKrjfia' xal to
irXeicTTOv avroOi rov y^povov Bcerpi^ev lepovpytov
rj BiBda/ccov tou? lepei^; rj tt/jo? evvoia rivl rdv
6ei(ov irpo^ avrov <7yoXd^cov. oIkluv B*et;^ej/
erepav irepX top K^vplvov X6(j)ov, 77? ert vvv rov
TOTTov einBeiKvvova-Lv. ev Be ral<; TrpoTro/jLTral^
Koi oXco<i T(t3v lepecDv rat? TrofiTraU irporjyovPTO
/C7]pvKe<; dva rrjv ttoXlv eXivveiv KeXevovTe<i kol
2 ra epya /cararravovre^;. co? yap (fyacri, tov<;
UvOayopCKov<; ovk eav etc irapoBov irpocTKvvelv
Kol TTpoaev-x^eaOai T049 OeoL<;, dXX* oiKodev evOv^eirl TOUTO yvcfOfirj irapearKevaaiJLevov^ ^aBl^eiv,ovTCD^ a)€TO NoyLta? ^(^prjvai Tov<i TToXtra? fitJTe
CLKoveiv TITCJP Oeiwp p,r)re opap ev irapepy^ xap
ayLte\<W9, dXXa <txo^^]P dyopra<^ aTro rwp aXXccX
Kol TrpoaeyoPTa^ ttjp Btdpoiap co? Trpd^et fieyLo-Trj
Tj) irepl TTfP evcre^ecap, yjrocfioyp re xal iraTdywpKoX (TTepayfMMPy koi oaa Toiavra Toh dvayicaioLf;Kol ^apavdOL^ iropoa eTrerat, Ka9apd<^ ra? 6Bov<i
Tah lepovpytaifi Trapexopra^. a>p l^po^ ti p^eyp^
354
NUMA, XIII. 6-xiv. 2
that is, we are bound to derive the name from the
Greek.We are told that Mamertius was rewarded for his
wonderful art by having his name mentioned in a
song which the Salii sing as they perform their war-
dance. Some, however, say that the song does not
commemorate Veturius Mamurius, but ^'veterem
memoriam," that is to say, ancient remembrance.
XIV. After Numa had thus established and
regulated the priestly orders, he built, near the
temple of Vesta, the so-called Regia, or royal house.
Here he passed most of his time, performing sacred
functions, or teaching the priests, or engagedin the quiet contemplation of divine things. Healso had another house on the Quirinal hill, the site
of which is still pointed out. At all public andsolemn processions of the priests, heralds were sent
on before through the city, bidding the people make
holiday, and putting a stop to all labour. For, justas it is said that the Pythagoreans do not allow mento worship and pray to their gods cursorily and bythe way, but would have them go from their homes
directly to this office, with their minds prepared for
it, so Numa thought that his citizens ought neither
to hear nor see any divine service while they were
occupied with other matters and therefore unable to
pay attention. They should rather be free from all
distractions and devote their thoughts to the
religious ceremony as a matter of the highest
importance. They should also rid their streets of
noise and clatter and clamour, and all such accom-
paniments of menial and manual labour, and clear
them for the sacred ceremonies. And the Romansstill preserve some traces of this earlier feeling.
355
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
vvv Bia(T(o^ovT6<;, orav ap^aiv irpo^ opvicrtv r) 6v-
alai^; BiarpL^Tj, ^ocbcnv **'^0a: a76*'* (T7]p.aiv6i he r)
(pcovT)** TovTO 7r/oacr<76," avveTnarpec^ovaa kol
KaTaicoap^ovaa tov<; 7rpo(TTvy^dvovTa<;.3 'Hi/ Be KoX Tcov aWcov TrapayyeX/jLaToyv avTOV
iroWa TOi? Tlv9ayopLKOL<i eocKora. co? yap ixel-
vol irapyvovv eVl')(^oivLKO(; firj KaOrjaOat, xal
fia'^alpa irvp fir) afcaXeveiv, Kol fiaSi^ovra^ eh
airoBrjiJLiaf; /jLtj fieraaTpecfyeaOai, KaX rot? fiev
ovpavLOi<; irepiacra Oveiv, apjia Be Tol<i ')(^9ovloi<;,
d)v eKOLCTTOV TTjv Bidvoiav direKp-uTTTovTO irpb^i
Tou? TToXXou?, ovTco(; evia rSiV No/nd iraTpLcov
cLTTopprfrov ex^eb rov Xoyov olov to firj airevBeiv
deo2<; ef dfiTreXcov dTp.r]Tcov fi7)Be Oveiv drep
d\(f)LT(ov' Kal TO TTpoaKuvecv 7r€piaTp€(j)OfjLevou<;
4 Kal TO KaOrjaOai 'TTpoaKvvr)cravTa<;. to, (lev ovv
irpcoTa Bvo ttjv yrj<; i^rjfiepcoatv eoiKC BiBdatceLV,
CO? jjbopiov evo-e^eia^ ovaav »; Be irepiG-Tpocfyr} tcov
irpoaKvvovvTwv XiyeTat jiev dTTopLi/ir}(TL<; elvac t^9Tov KocTfJbov 7r€pi(popd<i, Bo^eie 6' dv fxaXXov 6
TrpoaKvvcopy iirel Trpof; eco tS)v iepa>v ^XeirovTcov
dTrea-TpaTTTaL Td<; dvaToXd<;, peTa^dXXecv eavTOV
ivravda Kal TrepiaTpecbeip eirl tov Oeov, kvkXovTTOLOiV KaX (TvvdirTwv Tr)v eTTiTeXelwcLV t^9 ^^X^l^
5 BC d/ji<j)olv' elfjLT) vr) Ata rot? Alyu7rTL0L<; Tpo)(oc<i
alviTTeTai tl Kal BcBdaKet, TrapairXTjaiov rj fieTa- 70
fioXrj TOV o-%?;7taT09, o)? ouBevo<; €o-twto<? rail/
dvOpwiTivwv, dXX! 07r«9 dv aTpecpy koI dveXtTTr)TOV pLov r)p,ct)v 6 Oe6<;, dyairdv Kal Be-)(^e(Tdai
TTpocrfjKov. TO Be KaOe^eaOai irpoo-KwrjcravTa'^
olcovia/jLov elvai Xeyovai rod fiefiaioTtjTa ral^
3S6
I
NUMA, XIV. 2-5
When a magistrate is busy taking auspices or sacri-
ficing, the people cry" Hoc age/' which means
"Mind this," and helps to make the bystandersattentive and orderly.
Many of his other precepts also resembled those
of the Pythagoreans. For instance, the Pythagoreanssaid: ''Don't use a quart-measure as a seat";" Don't poke the fire with a sword
";
" When you set
out for foreign parts, don't turn back" ;and ''To
the celestial gods sacrifice an odd number, but an
even number to the terrestrial"
;and the meaning of
all these precepts they would keep hidden from the
vulgar. So in some of Numa's rules the meaning is
hidden ; as, for instance," Don't offer to the gods
wine from unpruned vines"
;
" Don't make a
ipacrifice without meal"
;
" Turn round as you
"isvorship"; and "Sit down after worship." Thefirst two rules would seem to teach that the sub-
jection of the earth is a part of religion ; and the
worshippers' turning round is said to be an imitation
of the rotary motion of the universe ;but I would
jrather think that the worshipper who enters a
temple, since temples face the east and the Sun,has his back towards the sunrise, and therefore
turns himself half round in that direction, and then
wheels fully round to face the god of tlie temple,thus making a complete circle, and linking the
fulfilment of his prayer with both deities; unless,
indeed, this change of posture, like the Aegyptianwheels, darkly hints and teaches that there is no
stability in human affairs, but that we must accept
contentedly whatever twists and turns our lives mayreceive from the Deity. And as for the sitting downafter worship, we are told that it is an augury of the
357
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
€u%at9 fcal Biafjbovrjv rol<; dyaOol^ iTnylveadai.
Xiyovai Be /cal irpd^ecov hiopLafiov elvac rrjv
6 uvdiravaLV oo? ovv rfj irporepa irpd^ei irepa<^
iinTLdipTaf; KaOe^eaOai irapa tol<; ^eot?, cva
krepa^ TtdXiv dp')(r)v Trap' iKelvcov Xd^ayai. Svpa-
rai he kol tovto rot? €lpr]jjLevoi<; ofiokojelv, iOi-
^ovTOf; rjiJucL^rov vo/uLoOerov fir) iroceiaOai, Ta9 tt/jo?
TO delov ivreu^ei^ iv da-)(^o\ia /cal irapepyox; olov
cnr€vSovTa<;, dX)C orav 'X^povov e^co/iep Kala')(^o\r]V
dywfxev.XV. 'E/c 5e T^9 TOLavrrff; '7raiBayG}yLa<; 7r/)09
TO Oetov ouTa>9 17 ttoXk; iyeyovet yeLporjOr)^ Kal
Karareda/jL^rjfiivT) ttjv rov Noyita Bvva/jLiv, ware
p,v6oi^ ioiKOTa^; rrjv droTTLav \6yov<; irapa-
Bex^(^^^i'> ATCtt vopi^eiv firjBev diricTTOV elvac fii-jBe
2 dfirjxavov i/cetvov fiovXvfievTO^;. Xeyerat yovvirore KaXeaa^i iirl rr)v rpdire^av ovk oXuyov^ rcov
ttoXltcov, (TKevr) re (pavXa /cal Belirvov euTeXe?
irdw TrpoOicrOai Kal Btj/jloti/cov dp^ap,6pa)V Be
Beiirvelv e/jL/SaXoov Xoyov co? rj deo<; y avveanv
7]/coi TT^o? avTov, al(f)ViBiov eiTiBel^ai tov re olkov
e/cirwpidTwv TrXijpy TroXvTeXaiV /cal Ta? T/oavrefa?
oyjrcjv re TravroBaTrcjv Kal TrapaaKevi)^ Ba'yjnXovf;
3 yefJLOixra^. irdaav Be viTep^e(3Xi-]Kev droiriav
ro vTTep rrj<; rov Afo? opiXia^ lcrropovp,evov.
fjLvdoXoyovdi yap el<; rov^
A^evrlvov X6<f)ov ovTray
pepo<^ ovra ri]<i TroXeco? ovBe (tuvolkov/i€vov, aWeyovra 7rr]yd<; re Ba'\ln,XeL^ iv avrw Kal vdrra^
aKL€pd<i, (fyoordv Bvo Bai/jL0va<;, YIIkov Kal ^avvovov<; rd fiev d\Xa ^arvpcov dv Tt? rj Uavayv yeiec
TrpocreiKdaeie, Bwdfiei Be (f)app.dK(ov Kal BeLVorrjrL
rrj<; irepl rd O^la yo7]T€La<i Xeyovrai ravrd roh
358
NUMA, XIV. 5-xv. 3
acceptance of the worshipper's prayers and the
duration of his blessings. VVe are also told, that, as
different acts are separated by an interval of rest, so
the worshipper, having completed one act, sits downin the presence of the gods, in order that he maybegin another with their blessing. But this, too, can
be brought into agreement with what was said
above : the lawgiver is trying to accustom us not to
make our petitions to the Deity wheh we are busied
with other matters and in a hurry, as it were, but
when we have time and are at leisure.
XV. By such training and schooling in religiousmatters the city became so tractable, and stood in
such awe of Numa's power, that they accepted his
stories, though fabulously strange, and thoughtnothing incredible or impossible which he wishedthem to believe or do. At any rate, the story goesthat he once invited a large number of the citizens to
his table, and set before them mean dishes and a
very simple repast ; but just as they began to eat, he
surprised them by saying that the goddess with whomhe consorted was come to visit him, and lo, on a
sudden, the room was full of costly beakers and the
tables were laden with all sorts of meats andabundant furniture. But nothing can be so strangeas what is told about his conversation with Jupiter.Wlien the Aventine hill—so runs the tale—was not
yet a part of the city nor even inhabited, but aboundedin springs and shady dells, two demi-gods, Picus and
Faunus, made it their haunt. In other ways these
divinities might be likened to Satyrs or Pans, but
they are said to have used powerful drugs and
practised clever incantations, and to have traversed
359
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
v(p* *EWrjva)v irpoaayopevOeiatv 'ISatot? Aaxrv-4 Xot? (TO(j)t^6/i€Voc irepuevai rrjv ^IraXlav. rovrov;
^aal )(^6tpcoo-a76aL rov Noyu-ai^, olVcr) kuI pLeXiri
Kepaaavra rrjv Kpyjvrjv d(p^ r)<; einvov avvrjOco^,
\r}<\>devTa^ Be TroXXa? /jlcv ISia^ rpeireaOaL koX
IxereichveaOai rr)v avrcov <f>v(nv, dWofcora (f)d(T-
jiara kciI (po^epd r^? oyjrerof} 7rpo^a\Xop,6vov<;*eVet Be eyvcoaav eaX&j/core? layypav Kai a(j)VKTOVdXwaLVf aXXa re TrpoOeaTTiaaL iroWd tmv fjueK.-
Xovrcov KoX TOP iirl tol^ K€pavvot<; iKBiBd^at
KaOap/iov, 09 TTOielraLpie^^^pt
vvv Bid Kpojx/jLvcov
5 KOL rpi'xoiv KoX pLaiviBwv. evioi Be ov tou?
Baip,ovd<; (pacrLV vTroOecrdat rov /caOappiov, aW*iK€iVov<i pev Karayayelv rov Aua fjayevaavra^;,rov Be Oeov opyi^opevov rat Nopbd irpoardaoreivci)9 %P^ yeveaOai rov KaOappov Ke^akal^' vtto-
Xa^ovro^ Be rov No/^a,**
KpopLpivoav ;
"elireiv,
" dv6pcoTTcov'^^ rov Be avOt^; eKrpeirovra to rov
Trpoardj/jiaro^; Betvov eirepecrBai, "dpi^iv;^' dTTO-
Kpivapievov Be rov Ai6<;,"e/xi/ru^o^?," eirayayelv
rov ^opLav,"
piaivicri, ;
^'
ravra Xeyeiv vtto t%6 ^Hyepiaf; BeBiBaypbevov. koI rov puev Oeov drreX-
detv 'lXgco yevopuevov, rov Be rorrov ^IXlkiov drr^
eKeivov irpoo-ayopevOrjvaL koX rov KaOappov ovrco
avvreXelaOai. ravra puev ovv rd pivOcoBrj fcal
yeXola ri]v rcov rore dvOpcarrcov eTrcBeiKVvrai
BidOecrtv tt/oo? rb deiov, tjv 6 eOiaph^ avrol<;
iveiTOiijaev. avrov Be rov Nopdv ovrco (paalv elf;
ro Oelov dvrjprrjaOat rat? iXTrlcriv, ware xal
7rpo(TayyeXta<; avrcp irore yevopLevrj^ cw? irrep-
Xovrai rroXepuLOL, pueiBidaai Kai elirelv "'Eyo) Bh
Ovay."
360
NUMA, XV. 3-6
Italy playing the same tricks as the so-called Idaean
Dactyli^ of the Greeks. These demigods Numa is
said to have caught, by mixing wine and honey with
the water of the spring from which they were wontto drink. When captured, they dropped their ownforms and assumed many different shapes, presentinghideous and dreadful appearances. But when theyperceived that they were fast caught and could not
escape, they foretold to Numa many things that
would come to pass, and taught him besides the charm
against thunder and lightning, which is still practisedwith onions, hair, and sprats. Some, however, saythat it was not the imps themselves who impartedthe charm, but that they called Jupiter down fromheaven by their magic, and that this deity angrilytold Numa that he must charm thunder and lightningwith "heads." "Of onions?" asked Numa, filling
Out the phrase," Of men," said Jupiter. Thereupon
Numa, trying once more to avert the horror of the
prescription, asked, "with hair.?" "Nay," answered
Jupiter, "with living—"
"sprats?" added Numa, as
he had been taught by Egeria to say. Then tlie godreturned to heaven in a gracious mood,—"hileos," as
the Greeks say,—and the place was called Ilicium
from this circumstance ; and that is the way the
charm was perfected. These stories, fabulous andridiculous as they are, show us the attitude whichthe men of that time, from force of custom, took
towards the gods. And Numa himself, as they say,had such impHcit confidence in the gods, that once,when a message was brought to him that enemieswere coming up against the city, he smiled and said :
" But I am sacrificing."^ Fabulous gnomes associated with the Mount Ida of
Phrygia and Crete.
361
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XVI. UpGJTov B4 <l)acn koX ULareco^ koI Tip-
fwvo^ lepov ISpvaaorOai. koI ttjv fiev TLiariv
opKOV aTToBei^at *V(DfjbaioL^ fjuiyLCTTOv, at')(^p(t)/jL€voi,
fjt'ixpt'vvv BtareXovacv 6 Be Tep/icov 6po<; av ri^
€Lr), Kal Ovovcnv avTW Brj/juoala koI IBla fcarh
TOV<; Twv ayptov irepLopiafMov^;, vvv fiev efju-ylrvxctt
TO iraKaiov Be avaifjuaKTO^; tjv rj Ovaia, No/jid 71
(f)i\o(70(f>^(TavTO^ €09 XPV '^^^ opiov 6eov elp'qvTj^
(f)vkaKa Kal BiKacoavv7j<; fidprvv ovra (f)6vov
2 Kadapov elvat. Bo/cel Be Kal 6\w<; ovto? oplaairrjv %&)pai/ o ^aa-iXev^, 'VonfivXov firj fiovXij-
Oevro<i i^o/jLo\oy7]aaadai t« fierpo) tov oIk€lov
TTjv a(f)aipe(TLV tov aXkoTpiov Bea/jLov yap elvai
tt)? Bvvd/jLeeo^ tov opov, av <f>v\dTTr]Tai, fir)
(pvXaTTOfJLevov Be t^9 dBiKia<; eXeyyov. ov /jltjv
ovBe Yjv BayfnXr)<; %co/3a Ty iroXei KaT dp^d^y dXXa3 Tr]V TToXXrjv ctlx/xfj 'wpoaeKTrjaaTo 'VwfjLvXo^' Kal
TavTr)v wdarav 6 Noyw-a? Bieveifxe to?9 diropoif;
Tcov TToXtTCOVy ft)9 dvdyKTjv T^9 dBiKia^ dcpatpcjv
Ttjv diTopiav, Kal Tpeirwv eirl yecopyiav tov Btj/jlov
dfia T7J x^P^ (TVve^rjiMepoviJuevov. ovBev yap dXXoTtav eiTLTrjBevfidTcov ovt(o<; epcoTa BpLfivv elprjVT]^
ipyd^6Tai Kal Tax^v «i>9 o diro 77)9 /3t09, ev SKal T^9 7roXe/JLiKr]<; €VToX/jLia<; to fxev V7r€pfiaxv~riKov TOV oiKeLov Biafjuevet, Kal irdpea-Ti, to Be €t9
dBiKiav Kal irXeove^iav dvei/xevov eKKeKOiTTai.
4 Blo Kal TT)v yecopyiav 6 No/jLd<; olov elpi]vr)(;
(fylXTpov epufjii^a^ toI<; iroXiTai^ Kal fJuaXXov <h<;
rjOoiroLov rj TrXovToirotov dyairr)Ga^ Texvrjv, el<;
fiepT) Trjv x'^P^v BielXev, a 7rdyov<; Trpocrrjyopeva-e,
Kal Koff cKaaTov eiriaKOTrovf: eTa^e Kal irept,-
36?
NUMA, XVI. 1-4
XVI. He was also the first, they say, to build
temples to Faith and Terminus ; and he taught theRomans their most solemn oath by Faith, which theystill continue to use. Terminus signifies boundary,and to this god tliey make public and private sacri-
fices where their fields are set off by boundaries ; of
living victims nowadays, but anciently the sacrifice
was a bloodless one, since Numa reasoned that the godof boundaries was a guardian of peace and a witnessof just dealing, and should therefore be clear from
slaughter. And it is quite apparent that it wasthis king who set bounds to the territory of the
city, for Romulus was unwilling to acknowledge, bymeasuring off his own, how much he had taken awayfrom others. He knew that a boundary, if observed,fetters lawless power ;
and if not observed, convicts
of injustice. And indeed the city's territory was notextensive at first, but Romulus acquired most of it
later with the spear. All this was distributed byNuma among the indigent citizens. He wished to
remove the destitution which drives men to wrong-doing, and to turn the people to agriculture, that
they might be subdued and softened along with thesoil they tilled. For there is no other occupationwhich produces so keen and quick a relish for peaceas that of a farmer's life, where so much of thewarrior's daring as prompts a man to fight for his own,is always preserved, while the warrior's licence to in-
dulge in rapacity and injustice is extirpated. Numa,therefore, administering agriculture to his citizens as
a sort of peace-potion, and well pleased with the art
as fostering character rather than wealth, dividedthe city's territory into districts, to which he gavethe name of "pagi," and in each of them he set
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TTOXOU?. €(TTL S' 0T€ Kol aVTO? i<f)0p5iV KOI
T€f€IULaip6fJL€V0<i aiTO TCOV CpjCOV TOV<; T/OOTrOf? TftJI/
ttoKltcov T0U9 /^et' et? rifiaf; koI Trttrret? ai^^ye,
Tous" Se padvjiov^ koI apeXeU '\jriyo)V kol KaKi^cov
€(TC0<j)p6vi^e.
XVII. Ta)v Be dWcov avrov iroXiTevfidrcov rj
Kara re'xya^ Siavofir} rod itXtjOov^s fidXiara
Oavfid^eTai. r7J<i yap TroXeco^ ire hvelv yevcov,
wairep e'lprjrai, avvecndvai SoKovarjfi, Bi€(7Td)<7r]<;
Be {xaXkov kol p.rjBev\ rpoirw fnd<; jeveaOat ffov-
\ofievr)<i /ji7]Be olov i^aXel'^^aL rrjv erepoTiqTa koX
Bia(f)opdVf dWd (TvyKpovaet^; dTravarov^; Koi(f)t-
XoveLKia^ Twi/ puepcov e^ov(77)<;, BiavoT}del<; on koX
TCOV a-cofjudrcov rd (pvcrei Bva-p^i/cra koX GrKKrjpk
Karadpavovre^; koX BLaipovvTe<; dvafjLcjvvouaLv,
{jTTo fiLKpoTTfTOf; dXkrfkoi^ (TVp.paivovTa p,dXkov,2 eyv(t> /caTaTep£LV ro/ia? irXeiova^ to avp-irav ttXtj-
60^' eK Be TovTcov et9 ere/ja? ep^akoov Bi,a<l>opd^
rr}v irpd)T7)v ifceivrjv koX fieydXrjv d(f>avlcrai rat?
iXuTTocnv ivBiaaTrapeca-av. rjv Be r} Biavopr)
KUTa TU^ Texva^i avXrjTcov, XP^^^X^^^> t€/ct6-
vcDV, ^aipecov, (tkutotop^cdv, aKVToBeyfrcoi', ')(a\ice(jdv,
Kepa/jbioyv. Td<; Be XotTr^? re^^i^a? et? TavTo avv-
ayayoov ev avTMV eK Traawv direBeL^e o-vaTrjfia:
3 Kotv(ovia<; Be koX <tvv6Bov<; koI 6eo)v Tifid^ diro-
Bov<i eKd(TT(p yevec 7rpe7rov(Ta<;, Tore irpcoTOP ex
T779 TToXeco? dveTXe to XeyeaOai Koi vofiL^eaOai
Toi/^ fiev Xa^lvov^, tov9 Be 'VcofxaLov^, koI tov^
$H
I NUMA, XVI. 4-XV11. 3
overseers and patrols. But sometimes he would
inspect them in person, and judging of the charac-
ters of the citizens from the condition of their farms,would advance some to positions of honour andtrust ;
while others, who were indolent and careless,
he would chide and reproach, and so try to makethem sensible.
XVII. But of all his measures, the one mostadmired was his distribution of the people into groups
according to their trades or arts. For the city was
supposed to consist of two tribes, as has been said,^
although it had no consistency, but was rather divided
into two tribes, and utterly refused to become united,or to blot out its diversities and differences. On the
contrary, it was filled with ceaseless collisions andcontentions between its component parts. Numa,therefore, aware that hard substances which will not
readily mingle may be crushed and pulverized, andthen more easily mix and mingle with each other-
owing to the smallness of their particles, determinedto divide the entire body of the people into a greaternumber of divisions, and so, by merging it in other
distinctions, to obliterate the original and great dis-
tinction, which would be lost among the lesser ones.
He distributed them, accordingly, by arts and trades,into musicians, goldsmiths, carpenters, dyers, leather-
workers, curriers, braziers, and potters. The remain-
ing trades he grouped together, and made one bodyout of all who belonged to them. He also appointedsocial gatherings and public assemblies and rites of
worship befitting each body. And thus, at last, hebanished from the city the practice of speaking and
thinking of some citizens as Sabines, and of others
*Chapter ii. 4 f.
VOL. I.j^ 365
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fjbhf TaTLov, Tou? Be 'PcofivXov iroXira^i, ftJcrre rrjv
hiaipeaiv evapijuoariav /cal dvd/jii^iv irdvrwv ye-veadai irpo^ 7rdvra<;.
4 ^ETraLvetrat Be rwv iroXniKwv avrov koI to
irepl TOP vcfjLOV BiopOwfxa top BiBovra rot? Trarpd-(TL rov<i iralBa^ TTLirpdaKeiv, VTre^eXo/jbivov tou?
yeya/JLTjKOTa';, el rov 7raTpo<; iirawovvrof; Koi
Ke\euovro<; 6 ydfio<; yevocro, Beivov yap r^yelro
Tr)v &)? eXevOepcp yeyafjLTjjjuei^Tjv yvvacKa BovXtpavvoiKelv.
XVIII. "Hi^aro Be koL t^9 'irep\ top ovpavov
Trpayfiareia^ ovre dKpL/3a)^ ovre iravrdiraaiv
dOecopyJToyfy. 'PcdjjlvXov yap ^aaiXevovro^ dXo-
yco<; ixpcoPTO rot? firja-l Kal a.Ta/CT6)9, rov<; jjjev
ovhe eiKoa-Lv rjfMepciyv, tov^ Be irevre koX TpidKovja,rov<; Be irXeiovcov Xoyi^6p,evoL, tt}? Be yivopbevrj^;
dv(o/iaX[a<? irepl rrjv aeXrjvqv /cal rov tjXlov
evvoiav ov/c e)(ovTe^y dXX ev ^yXdrrovre^ fJLovoVf
oiT(o<i e^rjKovra Kal rpiaKOCTLoyv r)fiep(xiv 6 eviavro^
2 earat, ^op^d<; Be to irapdXXayfia r?}? dvcofiaXCa^
y/iepa>v evBeKa yiveaOat Xoyt^6/jL€VO<;y ox; rov fiev
aeXrfVLa/cov rpLaKOcrLa<; TrevTrjKOvra T€o-aapa<;
e'XpvTo<i r)/xepa<i, rov Be rfXcaKov rptafcoaia^ ^^V'Kovra nrevre, ra? evBexa ravra<; rjiMepa^; BnrXa-
(Ttd^oov iiTrjyaye irap iviavrov eirl ru) ^e^pov-apiw fjL7)vl TOP ifi/36Xi/iop, viro 'Pco/iaiQyp MepxTj-Blvop KaXovfiepop, eiKOcri Kal Bvotp rjpuepwp opTa,
3 Kal TOVTO fiep avTw to tafia t?)? dp(oixaXia<i fiei,-
^opcop e/iieXXep lapbdrcop BerjaeaOai,
^IcTeKLprjae Be Kal ttjp rd^ip twp firjpSiP' top
yap l^ldpTcop irpCoTOP opra rpiTOP era^e, irpwTOVBe TOP ^iapovdpiop, 09 7]p ipBeKaT0<: iirl 'PwjjlvXov,
366
I NUMA, XVII. 3-XV111. 3
as Romans; or of some as subjects of Tatius, and
others of Romulus, so that his division resulted in a
harmonious blending of them all together.Praise is also given to that measure of his whereby
the law permitting fathers to sell their sons was
amended. He made an exception of married sons,
provided they had married with the consent and
approval of their fathers. For he thought it a hard
thing that a woman who had married a man whomshe thought free, should find herself living with a
slave.
XVIII. He applied himself, also, to the adjustmentof the calendar, not with exactness, and yet not alto-
gether without careful observation. For during the
reign of Romulus, they had been irrational and irre-
gular in their fixing of the months, reckoning someat less than twenty days, some at thirty-five, andsome at more ; they had no idea of the inequality in
the annual motions of the sun and moon, but held
to this principle only, that the year should consist of
three hundred and sixty days. But Numa, estimat-
ing the extent of the inequality at eleven days, since
the lunar year had three hundred and fifty-four days,but the solar year three hundred and sixty-five,doubled these eleven days, and every other year in-
serted after the month of February the intercalarymonth called Mercedinus by the Romans, whichconsisted of twenty-two days. This correction of the
inequality which he made was destined to requireother and greater corrections in the future.
He also changed the order of the months. March,which had been first, he made the third month, and
January, which had been the eleventh under Romulus,
367
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Ba)S€fcaTO<; Be Kal reXeuTato? o ^ejSpovdpio^, g5
pvu Bevrepfp '^(^pcovrac. ttoWoI Be elaiv ot Kal
irpotrreOr^vat, tovtov^ vito No/jlo, tov<; firiva<^ \e-
yovai', Tov re *lavovdpiov koI top ^e^povdpiov,4 ef dp)(^f]<;
Be ^prjaOai Be/ca jmovov el<; tov evtavrov,
ft)9 evLOL Tcov ^ap^dpcov Tpicri, koI roiv 'EW^Vojj/
ApxdBef; fiev rea-aapaLv, ef Be ^AKapvave^, Alyv-TTT^ot? Be fxTjviolo^ rjv 6 iviavT6<;, elra rerpd-
fir)vo<;f u><; <l)a<7i. Bio Kal vecordrrjv ')(^copav ol-
KOvvTe<; dp-)(^ai6raT0i BoKovauv elvai Kal irXrjdo^
dfjbrj-x^avov irSv eirl raU 'yeveaXoyiai^ Kara<j>epoV'
acv, are Brj tou? firjva^; et? ercov dpt9fiov rcOifievoi,.
XIX. 'VcofialoL Be on jjuev BeKa fLrjva^ eh tov
ivtavTov €TaTTov, ov B(i)SeKa, TeKjjirjpiov 17 tov
TeXevratov Trpoarjyopba' BeKarov yap avTov a^pivvv KaXovatv otl Be tov MdpTLOV irpooTOV, r)
Td^i<;' TOV yap dir eKeUov irifJuiTTov eKdXovv
Tre/uLTTTov €KTov Be TOV eKTOv Kal Twv dWcov
€^^9 o/xota)9 eKacTTOv, eirel tov ^Idvovdpiov Kal
TOV ^e^povdpLov TTpo TOV MapTiov Tt6€/iievoi<;
avve^aivev avTot<; tov elpy/iivov /Jbrjva Tre/JLTTTov
2 fiev ovop^d^eiv, e^BojjLov Be dpidiielv. dW,a><i Be
Kal \6yov elx^ '^^^ MdpTLov "Apei Kadt-epco/jievov
VTTO TOV 'Po)fiv\nv irpwTov ovo/jid^eadar BevTcpovBe TOV ^AirpiWioVy eTrcovv/jLov ovTa t^9 ^A^poBi-
T7j<;, iv 00 Ouovau re ttj dew Kal Talf; KaXdvBai^
at yvvalKe<i e(TT€(j)av(o/jbevai fjuvpcrlvr] XovovTat.
Tcvh Be ov Bia ttjv 'AippoBlTrjv tov ^ATrpLXKiov
3^8
NUMA, XVIII. 3-XIX. 2
he made the first month ; February, which had beentwelfth and last, thus became the second month, as
now. But there are many who say that these monthsof January and February were added to the calendar
by Numa, and that at the outset the Romans had
only ten months in their year, as some Barbarians
have three, and as, among the Greeks, the Arcadians
have four^ and the Acarnanians six ; the Aegyptian
year had at first only a single month in it, afterwards
four, as we are told. And therefore, though they in-
habit a very recent country,^ they have the credit of
being a very ancient people, and load their genealo-
gies with a prodigious number of years, since theyreally count their months as so many years.XIX. That the Romans had at first only ten
months in their year, and not twelve, is proved by the
name of their last month ; for they still call it
December, or the tenth month. And that Marchused to be their first month, is proved by the sequenceof months after it ; for the fifth month after it used
to be called Quintihs, the sixth Sextilis, and so onwith the rest. Therefore, when they placed Januaryand February before March, they were guilty of
naming the above-mentioned month Quintilis, or
fifth, but counting it seventh. And besides, it
was reasonable that March, which is consecrate to
Mars, should be put in the first place by Romulus,and April in the second place, since this monthis named after Aphrodite. In it they sacrificed to
this goddess, and on its first day the women bathe
with myrtle garlands on their heads. Some, how-
ever, say that April, with its smooth "p," cannot
*Perhaps as formed by the deposits of the Nile (Herod, ii.
5 and 9).
3^9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(f)acnv, aW* wairep 6%6i rovvofia yjrtXov, 'Att/jiX-
Xiov KeKXrjcrGai rov firjva T779 iapcvrj's atpa^ aKfxa-
^ovaryjfi avolyovra koi avaKokifmovra tov<; jSXa-
cTToy? Tcov (f)VTCtiV' TovTO yap 7} yXwTTa arj/xalvei.
3 Twv 8' e(j>e^ri^ top fiev M^dlov KaXovatv airo Mata?*
*l^pfifj yap dvLepcorar rov Se ^lovviov diro rr)?
"Hpa?. eiaX he rive'^ ol rovrov<i rjKLKia^; iircovvfiov^;
elvat \e'yovTe<i TTpea^inepa^ xal vecDT6pa<;' p^alo)-
pei^ yap ol Trpea^vrepoi irap avTol^, lovrtcopet^;
Be ol pecorepoi xaXovvrai. tcov Be Xolttoov exaa-Tov
diro T% rd^eax;, oicnrep dpiBfiovvTe^y covofia^ov
Tre/MTTTov, 6KT0V, i^BofjioVy oyBoov, evarovy Bexarov4 elra 6 Tre/iTrro? diro KaL(Tapo<; rov Karayayviaa-
fievov Hofiirrjlov 'lovXto^' 6 Be e/cro? Avyov(Tro<idiro Tov Bevrepov fxev ap^avTO<^y ^e^aarov Be
i7ri,KXrjO€vro<;, ODVop,daOrj. tou? Be€<f>e^rj<;
^ Ao-
fjL€Tiav6<i €la€7roLT)(T€ Tal^ avTOv 7rpoa(ovv/jLLai<i ov
iroXvv "^povov, diXKa Td<i avrSiV dvaXa^ovre^irdXtv i/C€ivov a^ayevro^; 6 fiev e^Bofjuo^, 6 Be
oyBoo<i KaXouvrai. fiovoi S* ol reXevratoi Bvo
rr)v dirb t/}9 rafeo)? KXrjaiv, wairep eaxop ef
dpXV^y Bie(l>vXa^av.5 Tcov Be V7T0 No/xd TrpoarredevTcov rj fieTare-
OivTcov 6 [lev ^€^povdpio<; olov KaOdpcno^ dv tl<;
etrj' Kal yap rj Xef^? eyyiara rovro arjjuLolvei, /cal
Tot9 ^OiToU evayi^ovai Tore Kal ryv rwv Aovirep-KaXicov eoprrjv et? rd iroXXd KaOapfito Trpoaeoi-Kvlav reXovo-iv 6 Be irpwro^ ^lavovdpto<; diro
rod ^lavov. BoKel Be /xoi rov MdpTiov 6 No/ta?^
icpe^rjs Bekker adds Svo.
37P
I NUMA, XIX. 2-5
be derived from Aphrodite, with its rough"ph,"
but that this month of high spring time is called
April because it opens and discloses the buds andshoots in vegetation, this being the meaning of the
word "aperio." The next month in order is called
May, from Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom it
is sacred ;and June is so named from Juno. There
are some, however, who say that these months gettheir name from an age, older and younger ;
for
"majores" is their name for the etdeVy "juniores"for the younger men. Each of the remaining months
they named from its arithmetical position in the list,
the fifth Quintilis, the sixth Sextilis, and so on with
September, October, November, and December.Afterwards the fifth month was named Julius, from
Julius Caesar, the conqueror of Pompey ; and the
sixth month Augustus, from the second Caesar, whowas given that title. The seventh and eighth monthsbore for a short time the names Germanicus and
Domitianus, which the emperor Domitian gave them;
but when he was slain, they resumed their old namesof September and October. Only the last two
mionths, November and December, preserved the
names derived from their position in the list just as
they were at the outset.
Of the months which were added or transposed
by Numa, February must have something to do with
purification, for this is nearest to the meaning of the
word, and in this month they make offerings to thedead and celebrate the festival of the Lupercalia,
which, in most of its features, resembles a puri-fication.^ The first month, January, is so namedfrom Janus. And I think that March, which is
^ Cf. Bomidua, xxi. 4-8.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eTToovvfiov ovra rov "Apeo)? ck rrj^: irpoeBpia^
fieraa-TTJaaL, ^ovkofievo^; iv iravrX tt}? 7ro\e/JLt,K7]<;
6 Svvdfjiecof; TrpoTt/jidadaL rrjv ttoXltiktjv. 6 yap*lav6<; iv rot? Trdvv 7ra\aioL<i etre haipLWv etre
^aai\ev<i yev6p,evo<; irokLTiKo^i /cal koivcoviko<; i/c
Tov 6r)pL(o8ov^ Kol dypLov Xeyerat pbera^aXelv
TTjv hiairav. /cat Blcl tovto irXdrrovaiv avTov
afKJynrpoo-coTTov, &)? eripav ef erepa^ rw Pi(p irepL-
7rou](7avTa rrjv /jLop(pr)v koI BidOeaiv.
XX. "Ran Be avrov koX veo)^ iv 'Pco/irj 73
BtOvpo^, ov TToXifMOV TTvXnjv KokovcTi. vofillera L
yap dveQ>)(6ai ixev avrov orav rj TroXe/i-o?, KSfcXel-
adai Be elprjvrjf; yevo/jL€V7)<;. o Brj '^^^aXenov rjv KaX
(TTravLcjf; yivopievov, del tivc avvrjprrjixevTj'; iro-
XefKp T?}? r)ye[jLovia<^, Blcl fieyeOo^ roh KV/cXtp
irepLicex^t^^voi<i yevecn Pap^dpoi<; dvrepeLBov(Tr}<^,
2 ttXtjv iiri ye tov ^e/3acrrov }Laiaapo^ iKXeicrOr)
Ka6eX6vTO<; ^Avtcoviov KaX irporepov virarev-
ovTcov MapKov ^AtlXlov KaX Tltov MaXXlov
')(^p6vov ov iroXvv elra ev6v<; dve(px^l rrroXi/jLov
(TvppayevTO<i, dXX' iirl ye r^? Nofid ^aaLXeia^;
ovBe/jilav r)pepav dvewypuevo^ oj^drj, rpla Be KaX
reTTapdKOvra err) avve'x,^)^ epeive KeKXetap,evo<i'ovTco^ i^rjprjTo iravreXo)^ rd rov iroXefxov KaX
3 7ravTa')(o6ev. ov yap /jlovov 6 '¥(o/iaLo)v r^fxepcoTG
KaX KaTeKeKrfKrjTO rfj BtKatoo-vvrj KaX TrpaortjTLrov ^aaiXio)^ Brjpio^i, d\Xd KaX ra? kvkXo) 7r6Xei<i,
cjairep avpa^ rcvo<; iKeWev rj irvevjiaTO^; iiyieivov
(^epovTO^iy dpyj) /xeraySoX^? eka^e KaX tt66o<^
elaeppvrj iravra^ evvop,ia<^ KaX elprjvr]<; KaX yijv
(^vreveiv KaX reKva rpecfiecv iv '>)o-uxla f^cil
372
NUMA, XIX. 5-xx. 3 I
named from Mars, was moved by Numa from its\
place at the head of the months because he wislied \
in every case that martial influences should yield \
precedence to civil and political. For this Janus, in
remote antiquity, whetlier he was a demi-god or a
king, was a patron of civil and social order, and is 1
said to have lifted human life out of its bestial and\
savage state. For this reason he is represented with
two faces, implying that he brought men's lives outj
of one sort and condition into another. I
XX. He also has a temple at Rome with double;
doors, which they call the gates of war ; for the
temple always stands open in time of war, but is\
closed when peace has come. The latter was stj
difficult matter, and it rarely happened, since the 1
realm was always engaged in some war, as its in-j
creasing size brought it into collision with the\
barbarous nations which encompassed it round about. ;
But in the time of Augustus Caesar it was closed, ]
after he had overthrown Antony' ;and before that, 1
when Marcus Atilius and Titus Manlius were consuls^ :
it was closed a short time ; then war broke out again j
at once, and it was opened. During the reign of]
Numa, however, it was not seen open for a single ]
day, but remained shut for the space of forty-three ]
years together, so complete and universal was the I
cessation of war. For not only was the Roman
people softened and charmed by the righteousness |
and mildness of their king, but also the cities round]about, as if some cooling breeze or salubrious windwere wafted upon them from Rome, began to ex-^
perience a cliange of temper, and all of them were '
filled with longing desire to have good government,to be at peace, to till the earth, to rear their children
373
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 aepeadai Oeov^. eopral 8e xal OaXiai fcal Trap*
aW'^Xovfi aSeax; lovrcov koX avafJuyvvfjuevcDv viro-
ho')(a\ Kal (j)Lko^poavvai rrjv ^IraXlav Karel'X^ov,
olov i/c 7rrjyrj<; rrj<i NoyLta ao(f>La<; ra)v Kokcov kol
Bi/caLO)v eTTetapeovTCDV et? airavTa^ /cat hia-^^eo-
fiepr)(; rfj^ irepl eKelvov fyaXijvrj^- wcrre kol Ta9
7roLr}TiKa<; virep/BoXaf; iuBelv tt/oo? rrjv tote Kara-
5 (TTaaiv Xeyovaiv "*Ei/ Se (nBapoBerocf; iropira^ivaWav apa')(vav epyw'* Kai,
"€vpQ)<i Bap^varai
67%ea re Xojx^ra ^t'^ed t dpcjyjjKea, '^^aX/cedv
Be ovKert GaXirlyywv /ctvtto?, ovBe avXarai p^eXi-
<l>pa)V virvo^ diro /SXecfidpcov** ovre yap iroXepLOf;
0VT6 ardaif; ovre v€coT€pL(Tp,o^ irepX TroXtreiav
KrroprjraL ^np^a l3aaiXevovTo<;' ov p^rjv ovB* iir
avTOv eKelvov ex^pa tl<; rj <j)d6vo<; rj Be epcora6 paaiXeia^ iiri^ovXr) Kal avaTaGi^ dvBpojVf dXX*
€LT€ (f)6^o<; Oeuiv TTpoKrjBea-dai Bokovvtcov tov
dvBpo<i etre t^9 dperr]<; alBoo^; eire Batp.6viof;^
ruxv* Trdaijf; KaKia^ cLOlktov eV eKeivov Ka\
KaOapov Bta(j>vXdTTOV(ra rov ^iov, evapye<s i^Tj-
veyK€ irapdBeiypa Kal reKpLrjpiov Tr}<; liXarciyviKr]^
(l)(Ovi]<;, Tjv varepov eKelvov; ovk oXiyot^ ^^/Doi^or?
7 yev6p,evo^ iroXfJirjaev d^elvat, irepl TroXcreia^;, 0)9
fita KaKcav iravXa Kal Xvai<; dvdpa)7roi<; iartv, €k
TLVO^i TV'vrj'^ 6eia<; el^ ravro Biavoia (f)LXoa6(j>ay
^aaiXiKTjv (Tvp,TTeaovaav Bvvapiv iyKparrj Kal
vTrepBe^LOV Tfj<; KaKia^ rr)v dperrjv KaraarrjcraL,"MaKdpiOf; fiev yap avTO<;'* 6 aaxjypoyv a)9 dXr)-
^iatfiSvios Bryan's correction, adopted by Coraes and
Bekker : Saljxoyos.
374
NUMA, XX. 4-7
in quiet, and to worship the gods. Festivals
feasts, hospitahties and friendly converse between
people who visited one another promiscuously andwithout fear,
—these prevailed throughout Italy,while honour and justice flowed into all hearts from
the wisdom of Numa, as from a fountain, and the
calm serenity of his spirit diffused itself abroad.
Thus even the hyperboles of the poets fall short of
picturing the state of man in those days :" And on
the iron-bound shield-handles lie the tawney spiders'webs "; and,
" rust now subdues the sharp-pointed
spears and two-edged swords; no longer is the
blast of brazen trumpets heard, nor are the
eyelids robbed of delicious sleep."^ For there
is no record either of war, or faction, or
political revolution while Numa was king. Naymore, no hatred or jealousy was felt towards his
person, nor did ambition lead men to plot and
conspire against his throne. On the contrary, either
fear of the gods, who seemed to have him in their
especial care, or reverence for his virtue, or a mar-vellous felicity, which in his days kept life free fromthe taint of every vice, and pure, made him a manifest
illustration and confirmation of the saying which
Plato,2 many generations later, ventured to utter
regarding government, namely, that human ills would
only then cease and disappear when, by some divine
felicity, the power of a king should be united
in one person with the insight of a philosopher,
thereby establishing virtue in control and masteryover vice. "
Blessed," indeed, is such a wise man
^ A free citation, apparently from memory, of Bacchylides,Fragment 13 (Bergk). See Jehh'ii Bacchylides, p. 411.
'•'
Republic, p. 487 e.
375
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
6(b^,"
fjLafcdpioL Se ol avvrjKOOL rwv ex rov acocppo-8 vovvro^ cTTO/iaro? lovrcov XoycovT Td\a yap ovBe
dvdyKTjf; rivo^ Set irpb^ tol/? ttoWov^ ovSe direi-
Xt)?, avrol Se Trjv dperrjv ev evSijXa) TrapaBeiyfiarixal Xa/jL7rpa> t© jSiO) rov dpxovro<; opcovre^i, eKOV-
aL(o<; <Tw<^povovcn Koi avfji/JLeraa^rj/iiarL^ovrai
TTyDo? TOP iv <^L\ia /cat ofiovoia rfj TTyoo? avrov'i
fxerd hiKaioavvq^ koi fMCTpLOTrjTo^i dfiv/iova^ fcal
/laKdpLOV ^iovy ev o5 to koXXlcttov aTrdar}^ iroki-
rela<i TeXo<; earl, Koi ^aacXcKcorarof; dirdvrcov
6 TOVTov TOP fiiov KoX TavTTjv rr)V SidOeaiv rol^
viTr}/c6oL(i ivepydaaadai hvvdp^evo^. ravra fiev
ovv NoyLta? TravTo^ fiaXXov (paLveruL (TVV€Q)paK(t)<;,
XXI. Tlepl Be TraiBcav avrov kol ydficov avri-
Xoyiai yeyovaai Tot<; iaropifcolf;. ol /uev yap ovre
ydjjiov dXXov t) rov TaTta? Xafielv avrov ovre
iraiBof; erepov yevecrdai irarepa irXrjv fjLia^ Ovya-
rpo^ TlofiTriXia'; Xeyovatv ol Be irpo^ ravrrj recr-
(rapa^ viov<; dvaypd^ovaiv avrov, JJofjuTrcova,
T]lvov, KaXiroVt yidpspKOV, Oiv eKacrrov oIkov
2BLaBo')(r)v /cal y€vov<; evrifiov /caraXnrecv. elvai
yap diro fiev rov H6/jL7TO)vo<; tou? Ilo/j,7ro)VLov<;,
diTO Be Yiivov rov<s Yiivapiov^, diro Be KdXirov 74
TOL/9 KaXTTovpviov^, drro Be MafiepKov tou? Ma-fiepfCLOV^, oh Bia rovro xal 'Fijya^ yeveaOat,
rrapwvvfiLov, oirep earl fiaaiXea^. rpiroi Be elcnv
ol rovrcov fiev Karijyopovvre^; &)? %a/0£fo/^2/a)i^ Tot9
yeveai /cal Trpoaridevrcov ovk dXrjOrj crre/jLfiara
rrji diro Nofia BcaBoxV'^> ^V^ Be HofMinXiav ovk etc
TarLa<: yeyovevat Xeyovre^, aW* ef erepa^s yvvai-^
a/xv/jLova MSS. and edd. : a.Kv^ova {waveltss, serene)^ after
Wyttenbach.
37S0
NUMA, XX. 7-xxi. 2
"in himself, and blessed, too, are those who hear thel
words of wisdom issuing from his lips."^ For possibly
there is no need of any compulsion or menace in
dealing with the multitude, but when they see with
their own eyes a conspicuous and shining example of|
virtue in the life of their ruler, they will of their ownaccord walk in wisdom's ways, and unite with him in
conforming themselves to a blameless and blessed]
life of friendship and mutual concord, attended by'
righteousness and temperance. Such a life is the
noblest end of all government, and he is most a kingwho can incalcate such a life and such a disposition^
in his subjects. This, then, as it appears, Numa wasj
preeminent in discerning.
XXI. As regards his marriages and offspring, his-
torians are at variance. Some say that he had no|
other wife than Tatia, and no other child than one!
daughter, Pompilia. Others ascribe to him four sons]
besides. Pompon, Pinus, Calpus, and Mamercus, each;
one of whom was the founder of an honourable!
family. From Pompon the Pomponii arc descended,^from Pinus the Pinarii, from Calpus the Calpurnii,
and from Mamercus the Mamercii, who for thiSi
reason had also the surname of Reges, or Kings,
But there is a third class of writers who accuse the|former of paying court to these great families byj
forging for them lines of descent from Numa, and*
they say that Pompilia was not the daughter of|
Tatia, but of Lucretia, another wife whom Numal1 Cf. Plato, Laws, p. 711 o.
m
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 «09, fjv ^St) ^ao-iXevcov eyrj/jie, KovKpi^rla^* irdv-
T69 S' ovv ojJLoXoyovcn rrjv HofJuriXiav MapKLO)ya/MTjOrjvaL. Trat? Be rjv 6 Mdp/CLO<; eKeivov Ma/9-kLov tov Nofidv irapopp^rjcravTOf; iirl rrjv ^acn-Xetav KOL yap avfi/jLeratKrjaeu et? 'Vco/i7)v avro)
Koi Trj<; avy/cXTjrov fi€r6(T)(^e Tip.a)/ju€vo<;, xal fiera
Tr)v Nofid TeXevTTjV 'OariXiw irepl Tfj<; fiacnXela^eh dywva KaTa(7ra<; Kal r)rTi]6e\^ aTre/capTeprjaep,6 Be vio<; avrov Mdp/CLO<; e^o^v ttjv Hop^iriXiap
KarefieLvev ev ^Payfjurj teal Map/aov"
Aykov eyevvi)-
aeVy 09 iiera l^vXXov 'OarLXiov e^aaiXevae.4 TOVTov, CO? Xeyerai, TrevTaerr} /caraXiTTcop 6 No/ia?
ireXevryjaev, ov Ta')(€ia<^ ovS* aL(j>viSLOV yevopevr}<iavTO) ri)<; reXevrrj^, dXXa Kara p^iKpov viro yrjpa)^;
Kal voaov jxaXaKj)^ uTro/jLapaLvo/jievo^, ct)9 la-roprjKe
Helcrcov, ereXevrrjae Be ^(^povov ov ttoXvv tol<;
oyBorjKoina Trpoa^icocra';.
XXII. ZrjXcDTov Be avrov xal rw rdcfxp tov j3iov
iTTOLrjcrav oX recrvjjifjba'x^oi
xal (fiuXot BrjfxoL, a-vveX-
66vTe<; iirl ra? ra^a? d/ia Bi^iioaiai^ ein^opalfiKal aTe(f>dvoL<;, oi re TrarpiKLOL ro X6;^09 dpdp,evoL,Kal avp.7rap6vre<; ol royv Oeodv lepeh Kal irapa-
7re/x7roi/T€9, o 5' dXXo<; ofjutXa dpapLefxiy/uiivcov Kal
yvvatKcov Kal rralBcov ov^ ft>9 ^ao-iXew^ ra^ahyrjpaiov irapovre^, dXX^ w9 riva rwv (piXrdrcop eKa-
0"T09 eV aKp^rj /3lov irodovpievov Odirrcov, fxer olfio)-
2 7^9 Kal KXavOfioiV eiropLevoi. irvpl fiev ovv ovk
eBoaav rov veKpov avrov KcoXvaavro'^, a)9 Xeyerai,Bvo Be irovrjaajxevoi, XiOiva^ aopov<s vtto ro ^IdvoK-
Xov edrjKav, rrjv piev erepav exovaav ro acopa, r7}v
Be erepav rd<i lepd^ ^l^Xov^ a9 eypd-^aro jjievavr6<;,
378
NUMA, XXI. 3-XX11. 2 1
married after he became king. However, all are
agreed that Pompilia was married to Marcius. Nowthis Marcius was a son of the Marcius who induced
Numa to accept the throne.^ That Marcius accom-
panied Numa to Rome, and there was honoured with
membership in the Senate. After Numa's death, he;
competed for the throne with Hostilius, and beingdefeated, starved himself to death. But his son
Marcius, the husband of Pompilia, remained at Rome,and begat Ancus Marcius, who succeeded Tullus
Hostilius in the kingdom. This Ancus Marcius is
said to have been only five years old when Numadied, not a speedy nor a sudden death, but wasting
away gradually from old age and a mild disorder, as '
Piso writes. He was something over eighty yearsold when he died.
XXII. His obsequies were as much to be envied
as his life. The peoples which were in alliance and
friendship with Rome assembled at the rites with
public offerings and crowns ; the senators carried his
bier, the priests of the gods served as its escort, andthe rest of the people, including women and chil-
dren, followed with groans and lamentations, not as
though they were attending the funeral of an agedking, but as though each one of them was burying*some dearest relation taken away in the flower of life.
They did not burn his body, because, as it is said, heforbade it; but they made two stone coffins andburied them under the Janiculum. One of theseheld his body, and the other the sacred books whichhe had written out with his own hand^ as the Greek
* Cf. chapter vi.
379
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
OKTTrep 01 T(ov 'EXX'^vcov vofioOirat tou9 KvpjSei^,
eK^Lha^a^ he Tov<i l€pel<i ert ^wv ra yeypafjifievaKol TTCLVTCOV e^LV T€ KOI yVGO/jLTJV 6V€pya(rd/Ji€V0';
avTOt?, eKeXevae a-vvTa(j)rjvat pera rod <T(op,aro^,
€09 ov KaXo)^ iv ay^xr)(^Oi<s ypap-puaai (f)povpovp.6V(DV3 Tcov arroppiJTcov. o5 Xoyiap.a) ^aai p^rfBe tov<:
TivOayopLKOv^ el<i ypa(f)r)v /cararldea^Oai, ra avv-
Taypara, p,vf]p.rjv Be kol iraiBevaLV avrcov dypa-(j)ov epnTOtelv to?? a^ioL^. fcal t^9 76 irepl r^^
airopovf; /cat appt]Tov<i Xeyopeva^ iv yecop^erpla
p,€66Bov<; 7rpayp,aT€La<; tt/oo? rcva tcov dva^lcov
€/cSoO€L(7r]<;, e(j>aaav €7rL(rr)p,aLV€LV to Baipovcov
p^yciXo) Ttvl KoX KOLV(p Kaic& rrjv yeyevijp^evrjv
4 irapavopilav Kal dae^eiav iire^epxop'evov. ware
avyyvcopurjv e%eti/ iroXXrjv toU ek to ai^To TLvOa-
yopa Nop.dv <^LXoTLp,ovp.evoL^ o-vvdyeiv iirl Toaav-
Tai? op^OLorrjaLV.
01 Be irepX ^AvTLav IcTopovai BcoBexa p^v elvai
^l^Xov<; iepo(pavTLKd<;, BcoBexa Be dXXaf; 'E\-
Xr}VLKd<i (f)LXoo-6(l)ov<; Ta? eh rrjv aopov (rvvreOel-
(ra<i. TBTpaKoaiwv Be irov BiayevopLevcov irSiv
viraroi p>ev r^aav IIoTrXio? Kopj^T^Xto? koX MdpKo<:BaL^iO'i' opu^pcov Bi pLeydXcov iimreaovTwv koX
')((ji)paTO<; 7repLppayevT0<i i^eaxre Ta? aopov<; to
5 pevpa' /cal tcov eTrLOrjp^drcov aTroTreaovTcov rj pbev
eTepa Kevrj iravrdiraaLV cjcpOrj koX p,epo^ ovBev
ovBe Xei-^^avov e^ovaa tov crwyLtaTo?, iv Be rfj
eTepa tcov ypap>pdTcov evpeOevTcov dvayvcovai piev
avTCL XeyeTai IleTtXto? aTparrjycov Tore, Trpo? Be
Tr}V (TvyKXtjTOV KopLiaai} purj Bokclv avrtp OepLiTOVelvai Xeycov p^rjBe oaiov eKirvcrra ttoXXoI^ to. ye-
1KOj-daai Coraes, Sintenis ^, and Bekker, with C : dp/xriffai.
380
NUMA, XXII. 2-5
lawgivers their tablets. But since, while he was
still living, he had taught the priests the written
contents of the books, and had inculcated in their
hearts the scope and meaning of them all, he com-
manded that they should be buried with his body,convinced that such mysteries ought not to be en-
trusted to the care of lifeless documents. This is the
reason, we are told, why the Pythagoreans also do
not entrust their precepts to writing, but implant the
memory and practice of them in living disciples
worthy to receive them. And when their treatment
of the abstruse and mysterious processes of geometryhad been divulged to a certain unworthy person,
they said the gods threatened to punish such lawless-
ness and impiety with some signal and wide-spread
calamity. Therefore we may well be indulgent with
those who are eager to prove, on the basis of so
many resemblances between them, that Numa was
acquainted with Pythagoras.
Antias, however, writes that it was twelve pontifical
books, and twelve others of Greek philosophy, which
were placed in the coffin. And about four hundred
years afterwards, when Publius Cornelius and MarcusBaebius were consuls, heavy rains fell, and the tor-
rent of water tore away the earth and dislodged . the
coffins. When their lids had fallen off, one coffin wasseen to be entirely empty, without any trace whateverof the body, but in the other the writings were found.
These Petilius, who was then praetor, is said to have
read, and then brouo:ht to the senate, declaring that,
in his opinion, it was not lawful or proper that the
38'
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ypafifiiva yeviaOar 8co koX K0fiia6eiaa<i €l<; to
KofiiTiov ra^ ^LjSXov^ KaraKarjvat.6 Udac fi€v ovv eTrerac roh BiKaioi<i koX dyadol^
avBpdcri fxeil^wv 6 KaTOiriv KaX fiera rrjv Tekevrrjv
€7raivo<;, rod (f>06vov iroXijv 'X^povov ovk e7rtfcoz^T09,
eviwv Be koX irpoaTrodvrjcTKovTO'i' ov/jltjv
aXX!
iKGLVov ye rrjv Bo^av al rwv varepov jSacnXiav 75
TVXO'i' Xa/jLTrporepav iTroirjcav. irevre yap yevo-
fiivcov fJi€T avTOv 6 fiev €a)(^aTO^ iKTreacbv t^9
dpxv'* ^^ 4^^yV K^CLTeyrjpacrey rwv Bk reaadpcovovBel^ Kara (f)vcnv ireXevrrjaev, aXX* ol ixev rpel^
7 ein^ovXevOevTe<; €a<j>dyr)<rap, '0<rTL\Lo<; Be TvWo<;,09 fMera Nofidp e^aaiXevae, /cal ra irXelara rwveKeivov KaXoiv, ev Be TrpcoroL^ Kal fidXiara rrjv
wepi TO Oelov evXdffeiav, eirL-xXevdaa^ koI koOv-
Ppiaa^ d)^ dpyoTTOiOV Kal yvvacKooBrj, 7r/)09 iroXe-
fiov erpe-xjre tov<: TroXtra^, ovB^ avrb^i ive/xeive To2<i
veavievfiaaL rovroL^iy dX^C vtto voaov %a\e7r7}9KoX TroXvTpOTTOU T7)V yVCOfJLlJV dXXa<T(T6fjL€V0<; €i9
BeKTiBaLfjioviai' eveBcoxev ovBip tl rfj Kara No/j.dv
evae/SeLCL irpoarjKOvaav, en Be fxaXXov eveiroiTja-e
T0t9 dXXoi^ TO TOLovrov irdQo^, ci)9 Xeyerat,, fcara-
(piXe^OeU VTTO Kepavvcap,
AYKOYPrOY KAI NOMA SYTKPlSlS
I. 'AXX' €7r€t TOP NoyLta Kol Av/covpyov BieXij-
XvOafxev jSuoPt eK/cei/nepcop dfjbc^olp, el kol ;j^aXe7roi/
epyop, OVK dTTOKprjTeop avpayayelp Ta9 Bia^opd^,
38»
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, i. i
writings should be published abroad. The books
were therefore carried to the comitium and burned.
It is true, indeed, of all just and good men, that
they are praised more after they have left the world
than before, since envy does not long survive them,and some even see it die before them ; but in Numa'scase the misfortunes of the kings who followed himmade his fame shine all the brighter. For of the
five who came after him, the last was dethroned and
grew old in exile, and of the other four, not one died
a natural death. Three of them were conspired
against and slain ; and Tullus Hostilius, who reignednext after Numa, and who mocked and derided
most of his virtues, and above all his devotion
to religion, declaring that it made men idle and
effeminate, turned the minds of the citizens to war.
He himself, however, did not abide by his pre-
sumptuous folly, but was converted by a grievousand complicated disease, and gave himself over to a
superstition which was far removed from the piety of
Numa. His subjects, too, were even more affected
with superstition, as we are told, when he died by a
stroke of lightning.
COMPARISON OF LYCURGUS AND NUMA
I. Now that we have recounted the lives of Numaand Lycurgus, and both lie clearly before us, wemust attempt, even though the task be difficult, to
assemble and put together their points of difference.
383
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
at fiev yap KotvoTrjre^ iTrKpalvovrac TaL<; irpd^ea-iv,
olov7) acocppoo-vpr) rojv dvBpcov, r) evai^eia, to
TTokiTiKov, TO iraiBevTiKov, TO p^lav dpxv^ irapdTcbv Oeoiv dfi(j)OTepov<; \a/3elp r?)? vopoOecria^'
tS)V he ISia €/caT6pov /caXwv irpwrov ecTL No/za
pev rj 7rapd\r)-\jn<; Trj<; ySacrtXeta?, AvKovpyw Be 17
2 '7rapdBo(TL<;. 6 pev yap ovk alr&v eka^eVy o Be
e%o)i/ aTreBoiKe. Ka\ top pev eTepoi Kvpiov avTOJV
KaTeaTTjaav IBlcottjv kuI ^evov ovTa, 6 Be auT09
avTov IBlcottjv Ik ^acriXeo}^ iTroLrjae. kuXov phfolfv to KTrjaaadai, BiKaLoavvrj ttjv /SaatXelav,
Kokov Be TO irpoTLprjaai, Tr)v BiKaioavvrjv t^9
paai\eia<i. r/ yap dpeTrj tov pev ovtco^ evBo^ov
KUTeaTTja-ev a>aTe ^aaiXeia^i d^i(o6rjvai, tov Be
ovTco peyav iiroirja-ev &aTe ^aai\eLa<; KaTa-
^povrja-ac.
3 AevTepov toIvvv, iirel Kaddirep dppoviKoX
Xvpa<i, 6 p,ev eKXeXvpevrjv Kal Tpvcjycoorav eireTeive
Tr)v ^'KdpT7)Vy 6 Be Trj<; 'Pco/ir;? to acjioBpov dvPjKe
Kal avvTOVOVy rj pev ^aXcTrori;? tov epyov t&
AvKOvpya) TrpoaeaTiv, ov yap 6oi)paica<^ eKBvvai
Kal ^L^r) Tou? TToXtVa? KaTaOeaOai eTretOev, dXXd
')(pvaov Kal dpyvpov d^etvai Kal crTpci)pvd<; e/c-
0aXelv TToXvTeXel'i Kal Tpaire^a^, ovBe Travaape-vov<; TToXep^cov eopTd^eiv Kal dveiv, dXXd Belirva
Kal tt6tov<; edaavTa<; ev toI^ oirXoi^ Kal TaU4 7raXaL(TTpai<; BiairoveiaOai Kal dcrKecv. 66ev 6
pev 3i' eviwLa<; Kal Tiprjf; diravTa ireiOwv eirpa^ev,6 Be KLvBvvevcov Kal jSaXXop^evo^ p,6yi<: iireKpd-
TTjcrev,
384
I LYCURGUS AND NUMA, i. 1-4
For their points of likeness are obvious from their
careers : their wise moderation, their piety, their
talent for governing and educating, and their both
deriving their laws from a divine source. But each
also performed noble deeds peculiar to himself. To
begin with, Numa accepted, but Lycurgus resigned,a kingdom. One got it without asking for it, the
other had it and gave it up. One was made byothers their sovereign, though a private person anda stranger ; the other made himself a private person,
though he was a king. It was a noble thing, of
course, to win a kingdom by righteousness ; but it
was also a noble thing to set righteousness above a
kingdom. For it was virtue which rendered the one
so famous as to be judged worthy of a kingdom, and
virtue, too, which made the other so great as to scorn
a kingdom.in the second place, then, it is granted that, just
as musicians tune their lyres, so Lycurgus tightenedthe strings at Sparta, which he found relaxed with
luxury, and Numa loosened the strings at Rome,where the tones were sharp and high ; but the task
was more difficult in the case of Lycurgus. For his
efforts were to persuade the citizens, not to take off
their breast-plates and lay aside their swords, but to
cast away gold and silver, and abandon costly couches
and tables ; not to cease from wars and hold festivals
and sacrifices, but to give up feasting and drinkingand practise laboriously as soldiers and athletes.
Wherefore the one accomplished all his ends by
persuasion, through the good-will and honour in
which his people held him ; but the other had to
risk his life and suffer wounds, and scarcely then
prevailed.
38s
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
"H/t€p09 flivTOl Koi ^ikdvOpCDTTO^ tj TOV NoyLta
fxovaa TTpo^ elpt/injv koi SiKaioavvrjv fieOapfio-
aafievov xal Kara7rpavvavT0<; ef aKparoiv fcal
SiaTrvpcov tjOwv tov<; TroXtra?. el Be koI to
irepX T0U9 EtXojTa? avayKacreL ri<; ij/^a? et? ttjv
5 AvKovpyov OiaOai iroXireiav, w/jLorarov epyovKoX TrapavofiaoraroVy fiaKpo) rivi top No/xdv eWi]-
viKwrepov yeyovevai vopoderr^v (pijao/iev, 09 yeKol T0U9 Q)/jLo\oy^]pLevov<; Bov\ov<i eyevcre Ti/x^9
iX€vdepa<^y iv roh KpoviOL<i eariaadau fiera tmvBecnrorcov dvap6pcy/jLevov<i e6i(Ta<i. koX yap rouro
rwv ^ojjid TrarpLcov ev elvai Xiyouacv, eVl Ta9T(OP errjo-lwv dirokavarei'^ Kapircov tou9 avvepyov^
Trapdkafjb^dvovTO^. evtoL Be tovto uTro/jLvrjfjLa T?j9
KpoviK7)<; iKeivrj^ laovopia^ dTroaco^eaOai fivOo-
Xoyovaiv, et)9 purfBevb^ BovXov firjBe BecrTrorov,
TrdvTcov Be avyyevOiv koi laoTifKov vopn^opbevwv.II. "0X0)9 Be <j>aivovTai 7rpo<; rrjv avrdp/ceiav
djuLcporepoi, xal crco^pocrvvijv 6/JL0La)<i dyovre^ ra
ttXiJOtj, toov Be dXXcov dperoiv 6 jiev rrjv dvBpelav
fidXXov, 6 Be rrjv BLKaiocruvTjv riya7rrjKd)<i' el fir] vr)
Ata Bid rrjv viroKei/J-eprjv tmv TroXirev/xdTCov
eKarepov (ftvacv rj (rvvyOeiav, ou^ ofioiav ovaav,2 dvofjLOLa^ eBei irapaaKevm- ovre yap No//-a9 Bid 76
BeiXiav KareXvcre to TroXefielv, dXX^ eirl rw/jlt)
dBi/celv, ovre AvKovpyo<; eh dBcKiav KarecTKevaae
TToXefiLKov'^, dXyC virep tov pbr) dBiKelaOaL. Ta9ovv iJ7repfioXd<; d^aipovvref; dpL^orepoi KaX Ta9
ivBeias dvaiTXr)povvre<; twv virapy^ovTOiv irepl tou9
iroXiTa<if r)vayKd^ov70 fieydXai,^ '^rjaOai fiera-
jSoXah,
m
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, i. 4-11. 2
Numa's muse, however, was gentle and humane,and he converted his people to peace and righteous-
ness, and softened their violent and fiery tempers.And if we must ascribe to the administration of
Lycurgus the treatment of the Helots, a most savageand lawless practice, we shall own that Numa was
far more Hellenic as a lawgiver, since he gave
acknowledged slaves a taste of the dignity of freedom,
by making it the custom for them to feast in the
company of their masters during the Saturnalia.^
For this too was one of the institutions of Numa, as
we are told, who thereby admitted to the enjoymentof the yearly fruits of the earth those who had helpedto produce them. Some, however, fancy that this
custom was a reminder of the equality whichcharacterized the famous Saturnian age, when there
was neither slave nor master, but all were regardedas kinsmen and equals.
II. In general, both alike manifestly strove to
lead their peoples to independence and sobriety ;
but as regards the other virtues, the one set his
affections more on bravery, the other on righteousness ;
unless, indeed, the different natures or usages onwhich the government of each was based requireddifferent provisions. For it was not out of cowardice
that Numa put a stop to the waging of war, but to
prevent the commission of injustice ; neither was it
to promote the commission of injustice that Lycurgusmade his people warlike, but that they might not
suffer injustice. Accordingly, in removing the ex-
cesses and supplying the deficiencies of their
citizens, both were forced to make great innovations.
* A mid-winter harvest festival in honour of Saturnus.
387
s^ PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 Kal /jLTjv rrj<; re BiaTd^eco<; kclI t^9 ^laipeaeto^TOiv TroXiTev/udrcov o-xXikt] fiev oLKpaTco^ rj tov
'Nofjbd /cat OepanevTiKT) tov ttXt^^ou?, ck '^pvao-
yowv KOI avXrjrcbv Kal (tkvtotojjlwv crujii/jLiyT] riva
Kal TrafiTTOLKtXov dirocfiaivovTO^ Sijfiov, avarrjpaBe
rj AvKOVpyeio^ Kal dpLaroKpaTLKrj, rd^ fiev
fiavav(Tov<; drroKaOaipovaa Te;^z^a9 etV olk€T(ov Kal
fieroiKcov ')(jelpa^ aurou? Be tov<; TroXtra? eh rrjv
daTTiBa Kal to Bopv avvdyovaa, iroXepbov %e£/)o-
rex^cL'^ '^cil OepdiTOVTa^; "Apeo)? ovra<;, dXXo Be
ovBev elB6Ta<i ovBe fjL€XeT(ovTa<; rj ireiOeadai rot?
4 dpxovo'i /cal Kparetv rwv nroXefiiwv. OvBe yap^pryyLtartfecr^ai rot? iXevOepoL^ ef?)i^, 7va eXev-
Oepoi TravTeXw^ Kal KaOdira^ waiv^ dXX! r}v 17
irepi rd %/)r//AaTa KaraaKevrj BeBo/jbivr] BovXocf;
Kal EtXwcTiz^, wcnrep r} irepl to Belirvov Kal o-^lrov
BiaKovia. ]Slojiid<i Be ovBev Bi-eKpive tolovtov,
akXd ra? fiev crTpaTLWTLKd^ eiravae irXeove^ia^yTOV Be dXXov ovK eKcoXvae %/077/xaTio-^oi', ovBe t^i^
5 TOLavTr)v KaTeaTopeaev dv(op.aXiav, dXXd kga,
ttXcvto) TTpolevai fi^xpt' Traz/ro? i(f>rjKe, Kal ireviafi
TToXXrjf; dOpoL^ofievrj^ Kal viroppeovar]^ eh ttjv
ttoXlv r)fieXy]cre, Beov evOv^ iv dpxfj* firjBeTro)
iroXXrjf; firjBe jxeydXr]^ dvLdOTrjTO^ ovarjf:, dXX* €Tt
Toh yStOfc? ofiaXcov Kal TrapaTrXrjaicov ovToyv,
evaT^vai 7rp6<; ttjv rrXeove^iaVy wairep AvKOvpyo^i^Kal (j)vXd^aa0at ra? a7r' avT7]<; /9Xa/5a9, ov fitKpd^
yevofieva<i, dXXd tcov 'jT\ei(TT(ov Kal pLeyiaToyv
KaKtaVy oaa avvrjvex^Vy or'rrepp.a Kal dpX7]V irapa-6 <TXov(Ta<^. 6 Be t/}? 77}? dvaBaajxh^ ovt€ tov
AvKovpyov, i/jLol BoKelv, Trotel -yfreKTOv yev6/jL€vo<;
ovTe TOV No/judv fir) yevop^vos* rw plv yap eBpav
388
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, ii. 3-6
And surely, as regards the arrangement andclassification of the citizens under their respective
governments, Numa's was strongly popular andinclined to favour the masses, resulting in a pro-miscuous and variegated commonalty of goldsmiths,
musicians, and leather-workers ;but that of Lycurgus
was rigid and aristocratic, relegating the mechanical
arts into the hands of slaves and aliens, but confiningthe citizens themselves to the use of the shield andthe spear, so that they were artificers of war andservants of Ares, but knew and cared for nothingelse than to obey their commanders and master their
enemies. For freemen were not even permitted to
transact business, that they might be entirely andforever free, but the whole apparatus of business wasturned over to slaves and Helots, just like the pre-
paration and serving of their meals. Numa, on the
contrary, made no such distinctions, but, while he
put a stop to military rapacity, he prohibited noother gainful occupation. Nor did he reduce the
great inequalities resulting therefrom, but left the
acquisition of wealth wholly unrestricted, and paidno attention to the great increase of poverty and its
gradual influx into the city. And yet it was his
duty at the very outset, while as yet there was no
general or great disparity of means, but people still
lived on much the same plane, to make a stand
against rapacity, as Lycurgus did, and take measuresof precaution against its mischiefs ; for these werenot trifling, but furnished the seed and source of the
most and greatest evils of after times. But as
regards the redistribution of the land, Lycurgus, in
my opinion, is not to be censured for making it, nor
Numa for not making it. In the one case, the re-
3^9
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kal KprjTTiBa T7J<; TroXtreta? tJ la6T7j<i avrrj irap-
kar^e, Tov Se irpoa^drov t?)? K\r]pov')(ia<i 01/(7779
ovBev Yjireiyev aWov ifx^akeZv avaSaapov ovSe
KLvelv TTjv Trpa>T7]p vep.7](TLV, ct)9 sIkq^ iartt Kara
Xo^pciv pevovcrav.
III. Tf;? he irepl tou? ydp,ov<; /cal ra^ T€Kva)a€C<;
KOLVcovla^ TO d^7]\6TV7rov opOcd^ /cal 7ro\iTiKa)<;
epiTOLOVVTe^ dpLcporepoi toI<; dpBpdaiv ov Karairav eh tovto avvr]v6)(^97]aavy aXV 'Pw/xato?
pev dvrjp Uavo)'; e%&jv iraiBorpo^ia^, v(p' erepov8e ireicrdeU Beopevov TeKvcov, i^iararo t^?
yvvaiK6<;, ifcBoaOao /cat perefcBoadat Kvpio^
vTrdpx^ov, ^e AdKcov, olkol rrj<i yvvat,Ko<;
ov(rr]<; Trap* avrw xal rov ydpov p6vovro<; eirl
Tcov ef dp^7j<; BiKaiwv, pereBlBov rw ireiaavTi
2 T?}? KOivcovia^ €t9 rifcvcoaiv. noWol Be, (oa-irep
etprjrai, Kal 7rapaKa\ovvTe<; elcrijyov ef wv av
eBoKovv pdXiara TratSa? eveiBet'; Kal dr/aOovf;
ryevicrOai. tw ovv t] BiaKpLatq rcov iOiapSiv; rj
ravra pev la'xypa Kal aKparo<; dirdOeia 7r/909
yapueTTjv Kal ra rapdrrovra Kal KaraKalovra
l^7}\oTV7rlai<i tov<; ttoXXov^, eKelva Be wairep
ai(T')(yvopevr) drvcpia ti<;, irapaKaXuppa rrjv iy-
yvrjv e(j)eXKopevrj Kal to BvaKapTepr)Tov i^op,o-
XoyovpevT) t^9 KOLV(ovia<i;
3 "Eri Be paXXov r) irepl Ta<s TrapOevovf} <f>vXaKr)
KaTeaToXTai tS No/z.a 7rpo9 to OPjXv Kal Koapiov7)
Be TOV AvKovpyov iravTairacnv dvaireiTTapevr)
Kal dOrjXvfi oixra Toh irotTjTah Xoyov 7rape(r)(^7jK€.
(paLvop^TjplBa^ T€ yap avTa^ diroKaXovaiVj m
390
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, ii. 6-111. 3
suiting equality was the foundation and base of his
polity ; but in the other, since the allotment of lands
was recent, there was no urgent reason for introduc-
ing another division, or for disturbing the first assign-
ment, which probably was still in force.
III. With regard to community in marriage and
parentage, though both, by a sound policy, inculcated
in husbands a freedom from selfish jealousy, stilL
their methods were not entirely alike. The Romanhusband, if he had a sufficient number of children to
rear, and another, who lacked children, could per-suade him to the step, relinquished his wife to him,
having the power of surrendering her entirely, or onlyfor a season ; but the Spartan, while his wife remainedin his house, and the marriage retained its original
rights and obligations, might allow any one who
gained his consent to share his wife for the purposeof getting children by her. And many husbands, as
we have said,^ would actually invite into their homesmen whom they thought most likely to procure themhandsome and noble children. What, then, is the
difference between the two customs .'' We may say,
perha])s, that the Spartan implies a complete indiffer-
ence to the wife, and to the jealous emotions whichconfound and consume the hearts of most men ;
while the Roman, as if with shame-faced modesty,makes a veil of the new betrothal, and concedesthat community of wives is really insupportable.
Still further, Numa's watchful care of youngmaidens was more conducive to feminine decorum
;
but the treatment of them by Lycurgus, beingentirely unconfined and unfeminine, has given oc-
casion to the poets. They call them "phainomerides,"
iLycurgus^ xv. 7.
I AH-d PLUTARCH'S LIVES
"l/SvKo^, Kal avhpoiiavet^ XocBopovcriv, <W9 Eu/ot-
Ac avv veoKTiv e^eprjfxovaLv^
B6/jlov<:
ryvfivolat, fjLTjpoU Kal 7r€7r\oi<; aveip^evol^i.
4 TO) lyap ovTL Tov irapOevtKov ^trcoz^o? al irripvye^ovK rjaav avpeppa/np^ivat KCLTwOev, aX>C aveiTTva-
crovro Kal avvaveyvpbvovv oXov ev tm ^aSt^eiv
TOV /jbTjpov, Kal o-acpiaraTa to yLvojJueoov ecpi]K€
So^O/cX?79 eV T0UT0£9*
Kal Tctv vioprov, a? er* daTo\o<; ^tro)*'
Bvpalov afjicfA firjpbv
TTTv(rareraL, 'EpjjLiovav.
5 Sio Kal 6pa<TVT€pat Xiyovrat yeviaOai Kal irpo^
avTOv<; TrpcoTOV dpSpcoSeL^; rov^ dvBpa<;, are St)
rSdV fiev OLKQ)v dp)(^ovaai, Kara Kpdro^, ev he Tot9
hrfp^oaioLf; irpdypbacn Kal yvcop^Tj^ p,era\afjL/3dvov~
crai Kal 7rapp7]aia<; rrepl rwv peyiarcov. 6 Be
No/Jbd^ ralq yaperaL<i rb pev d^L(op>a Kal rrjv
Tiprjv errjprjae irpo<i toi'9 dvBpa^, fjv el^ov drrb
'VcopvXou OepairevopuevaL hia rrjv dpiray^Vy alBS)
Be TToWrjv iirearrjaev avral^ Kal iroXvTTpayp,o(JV'V7]v dcfyelXe Kal vi](f>€LV eBlBa^e Kal aicoirdv eWicrev,
OLVOV p,ev dire'xppeva'^ rb irdp^irav, Xoym Be p^tjBe
vrrep rfav dvayKaiwv dvBpb<; dvev ')(^p(op,€va^.
6 Xeyerat yovv wore yvvaiKo^; elirovar]'; Blktjv IBiav
ev dyopa Trep^yfrai, rrjv avyKXrjrov eh Oeov, irvv-
^i^tprifiovaiv adapted from i^eprifiovffai {leaving their homes).
392
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, iii. 3-6
hare-thighed (so Ibycus), and revile them as mad after
men. Thus Euripides says^
:—
"They leave their homes to mingle with the youths ;
Their thighs are nakedj flying free their robes."
For in fact the flaps of the tunic worn by their
maidens were not sewn together below the waist,
but would fly back and lay bare the whole thigh as
they walked. Sophocles pictures the thing very
clearly in these words ^:—
" And that young maid, whose tunic, still unsewn,
Lays bare her gleaming thighBetween its folds, Hermione."
And so their women, it is said, were too bold,
putting on men's airs with their husbands even, to
begin with, since they ruled their houses absolutely,and besides, on public occasions, taking part in de-
bate and the freest speech on the most important
subjects. But Numa, while carefully preserving to
the matrons that dignified and honourable relation to
their husbands which was bestowed on them byRomulus,^ when he tried by kindly usage to efface
the memory of the violence done them, nevertheless
enjoined great modesty upon them, forbade themall busy intermeddling, taught them sobriety, andaccustomed them to be silent
;wine they were to re-
frain from entirely, and were not to speak, even onthe most necessary topics, unless their husbands werewith them. At any rate, it is said that when a womanonce pleaded her own cause in the forum, the senate
sent to inquire of an oracle what the event might
* Andromache, 587 f. (Kirchhoff), slightly adapted.*Fragment 788 (Nauck).
» Cf. Romulus, xix. 6.
393
5~£ PLUTARCH'S LIVES
0avofiiv7]v tIvo<; apa rfi irokei (TijfieLov etrj to Yeye-
vrjfiivov, Kol T^9 aX\r)(; €V7r€L6eLa<; Kal 7rpa6T7)TO<i
avrojv fiiya reKjirfpiov r) fiv^firj tcov ')(eLp6va>v, a)9
<yap Trap rjpcv oi laTopiKol fypd(l)0V(Ti tou? irpco-
Tou? rj (f>6vov ipL^vXiov ipyaaa/jLevovf; ^ 7ro\€/i>;-
aavTa^i ahe\(^ol^ rj irarpo^ avT6')(eipa<; tj jjirjTpot;
7 yevop£Vov<;, ovroo ^VwpuZoL /j,v7]/jlov€vov(tiv otl
TTpcoTO^ fjL€V a'jre7rep,'\jraT0 yvvaiKa Xiropiof; Kap-
PlXiofit fiera t^z^ 'Pcw/x?;? ktIo-lv ereac rpiaKovTa
Kal SiaKocTLOLf; ovSevb^; toiovtov y€yov6ro<;, 'irpcoTT)
Be yvvT) TlivapCov SaXaia rovvo/xa hL7)ve)(dr] irpo^
ifcupav avTrj<; Veyaviav TapKVvlov XovirepjSov
PaaCkevovTO^;. ovrco /caXca? Kal /cocr/xto)? reray-
fiiva TCL Twv ydp.oyv tjv vtto rod vofioOerov,
IV. T§ Se aXkr) tcop irapdevwv dywyri Kal ra
irepl Ta9 eKhoaei^ ofioXoyel, rod fiev AvKovpyov
7r€7r€Lpov<; Kal opycoaa^ vvp.<fi6vovro^, oiraxi rj re
ofuXiay Beo/jL€vr)<; ijSrj rrj^ ^ixreciXit %a/)tT09 yKal ^iXias «/>%^ /jloXXov rj piaov<; Kal (po/Sov
irapa (pvcriv ^ta^o/jLevayv, Kal ra a-cojjLara fxufirjv
exv 7^/009 TO Ta9 Kvijaec<; ava^epeiv Kal ra^ dtSl-
vafi, ct)9 eV* ovBev dXXo ya/juovfievcop rj rb ri]<i
reKV(i)a€(o<i epyov, rSiV Be *Po)p,alcov BcoBcKaerei^i
Kal vecorepa<; iKBcBovrcov ovrco yap av fidXiara
Kal TO cr(o/.La Kal ro )]0o<i Kadapov Kal dOiKrov iirl
2 TO) yafJLOvvri yiveaOai, BrjXov ovv ort ro fiev
394
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, m. 6-iv. 2
portend for the city. And for their usual gentle-ness and readiness to obey, there is strong evidencein the specific mention made of those who were less
amenable. For just as our Greek historians record
the names of those who first slew kinsfolk, or madewar on their brothers, or were parricides, or matricides,so the Romans make record of the fact that SpuriusCarvilius was the first to divorce his wife, twohundred and thirty years after the founding of Rome,there being no precedent for it ;
also that the wifeof Pinarius, Thalaea by name, was the first woman to
quarrel with her own mother-in-law, Gegania, in the
reign of Tarquinius Superbus. In such fitting and
proper manner were marriages regulated by their
lawgiver.IV. Further, the practice of the two peoples in the
matter of giving their young maids in marriageconforms to their education of them in general.
Lycurgus made them brides only when they were
fully ripe and eager for it, in order that intercourse
with a husband, coming at a time when naturecraved it, might produce a kindly love, instead of thetimorous hate that follows unnatural compulsion ; also
that their bodies might be vigorous enough to en-
dure the strain of conception and child-birth, con-
vinced as he was that marriage had no other endthan the production of children. The Romans, onthe other hand, gave their maidens in marriage when
they were twelve years old, or even younger. In
this way more than any other, it was tiiought, boththeir bodies and their dispositions would be j^ure andundefiled when their husbands took control of them.It is clear, therefore, that one practice regardednature more, with children in view ; the other re-
395
v^ PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(j)VaiKa)T€pOV TT/OO? T€KVa>(TI,V, TO Bk TjOlKCOTepOV
irpo^ (TVfipLwaLV.
^AWafjLr)v eirKnaaiai^ re TraiBcov xal avvaye-
Xaa-fjLolfi fcal iraLBaycoyiai^ koX KOivccviai<i, irepi re
BeLTTva Kol yvfivdaia kol TraiSta? avrcov eiifxeKei-
aL<i Kol hiaKoapbrjo-eaLV, ovBiv tl tov wpoa-Tv^ovro^
vofioOerou jSeXriova tov Nofidv 6 AvKovpyo<:
airoSeiKvvacv, iirl ral^ rcov Trarepav froirjad-
jievov i7n0vjJLiai<; rj ')(p€LaL^ ra? tc5i^ vio)v dya>-
3 7a9, €LT€ Ti9 ipydrrjv 7779 jBovXolto iroielv top
vlov elVe vavirrjyov rj 'X^aXKea BcSdaKetv rj avXrjTTjV,
uxTTTep ov TTpo^ €v T6\o9 6<f)€LXovTa(; ef dp')(r]<;
ayeaOaL kol avveTno-Tpecpeadai Tot9 rjOeaiv, aXX'
blov eh vavv eTTi^dTa^ erepov ef erepa^ rjKovTa
')(^p6ia<iKol TTpoaipecrea)^ iv T0t9 KivBvvoi<; [lovov
(p6^(p TOV IBLov (TWiaraadai 77/309 to koivov,
4 aA-Xa)9 Be to xaO* avrop aKoirelv etcacrTov. xal
T0t9 P'ev 7roXXot9 ov/c d^iov iyxaXetv vo/moOeTai';
eXXeiiTovaiv rj Be dyvoiav rj BC daOevetav dvBplBe ao<^Qt ffacnXetav irapaXapovTi BtjfjLov vewarTl
(TvvLaTa/iievov Kal 7rpb<; jjbrjBev avTiTelvovTo^, irepX
TL TTpoiTov^ rjv (TTrovBdcrai TrpocrrJKOv rj TralBoyv e/c-
Tpo(f>r)V Kal vicov d(7Kr](nv, oirw^ firj Bidipopoi fii^Be
Tapaxd>Bei<; yevotvro TOt? r}6ecnv, aXV et9 ev ti 78
KOivov dpeTrj<i X'xyo<^ €vOv<; i^ dp)(^rjq TrXarrofievoi
6 KoX Tvirovfjievoi avfjupalvoiev dXXT]XoL<;; Brj 7r,yoo9
re TO, dXXa Kal o-corrjpLav vo/jLcov wcpiXrjae top
AvKovpyop. fjLLKpo^ yap rjv 6 tS}v opKcop (j)6/3o<;tel
*vpuTOP Bekker corrects to vp6r'pov.
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, iv. 2-5
garded more the formation of character, with married
Hfe in view.
But surely, by his careful attention to boys, bytheir collection into companies, their discipline and
constant association, and by his painstaking arrange-ments for their meals and bodily exercise and sports,
Lycurgus proves that Numa was no more than an
ordinary lawgiver. For Numa left the bringing
up of youths to the wishes or necessities of their
fathers. A father might, if he wished, make his
son a tiller of the soil, or a shipwright, or mightteach him to be a smith or a flute-player, as if
it were not important that all of them should be
trained with one and the same end in view from the
outset, and have their dispositions formed alike ; but
rather as if they were like passengers on a ship, each
coming with a different object and purpose, and each
therefore uniting with the rest for the common good
only in times of peril, through fear of private loss,
but otherwise consulting only his own interests.
Now, it is not worth while to censure the commonrun of legislators, who fail through ignorance or
weakness. But when a wise man had consented to
be king over a people newly constituted and pliantto his every wish, what should have been his first
care, unless it was the rearing of boys and the
training of youths so that there might be no con-
fusing differences in their characters, but that they
might be moulded and fashioned from the veryoutset so as to walk harmoniously together in the
same path of virtue? This, indeed, was what
helped Lycurgus to secure, among other things, the
stability and permanence of his laws. The Spartanstook oaths to maintain these laws, it is true, but
voT.. I. ^ 397
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fir)Sia rrj<; TraiBeia'; koI Trj<; dycoy7]<; olov avehevae ^
T0i9 rjOeat tcov iraiBcov rov<; v6fiov<;, Koi (TvvqyKelcocre
TTJ Tpocpfj Tov ^TjXov rrjf} TToXtreta?, <wo-T€ irevraKO-
aicov ircov irXeLco ')(p6vov ra Kvpcoorara Kal
jjuiyLara Bia/nelvai t^? vofJboOeaia^y wairep pa(f>rifi
dxparov koX Lcr'X^upa)<; fcada'^ap,€vr]<;.
6 Nofia Be oTrep rjv reXo? t?}? TroXtreta?, ev
elpt]vr) fcal (piXta ttjv 'Fco/nrjv virdpXGtv, €vOv<;
avve^ekLire' /cat fiera t^i' TeXevrrjv eKsivov rov
dficpiOvpov oIkov, bv Ke/cXeicrfjuevov avro'; avvel-)(€v,
Mairep 6vtco<; iv avrw riOaaevcov KaOeipy/jievov rov
iToXefioVy e'f d/ji(f>OT€pcov dvaTTerdo-avTef; atfjuaro^
Kal v6Kpo)v rrjv 'IraXiav iveTrXrjcrav' Kal ovBe
oXiyov 'x^povov t] KaXXiGrr] Kal BiKaioTdrrj xard-
(jTaai^ €/i€ivev, are Br) Kal to avvBertKov iv avrfj,
TYjv iraiBeiav, ovk e'xpvaa.
7 "Tt ovv^^ (f)ij(TeL Tt9,*' OVK eirl to ^eXriov r)
'P(Ofir) TTporjXOe Tot9 TroXe/xtATo??;" epcoTMV ipcoTij/jLa
lxaKpd<i diroKpiaewf; Beofxevov tt/oo? dv6p(07rov<;
to jSeXTiov iv ttXovtg) Kal Tpvcpy koi rjyefiovia
fjbdXXov Tj acoTTjpia Kal irpaoTrjTL Kal Trj fierd
BLKaLoavv7)<i avTapKeia Tide/jL€vov<;. ov fir)v dXXdKal TOVTO AvKovpyo) TTOV Bo^ei por)6elv, to
^Vwjiaiov^; jjuev Tr)v iirl No/ta KaTdaTaaLV i^aXXd-8 ^avTa<; iinBovvai toI^ irpdyfJuaa-L too-ovtov, Aatee-
BaifJioviovf; Be dfia tw TrpeoTOV iKJSrjvac Tr)v
AvKOvpyov Btdra^tVy iK p,eyiaT(ov TaTreivoTarovf;
yeveaOai Kal Tr)v twv 'EXXt^i/odz/ rjyepLOviav diro-
^ OffSeuire Bekker adopts Reiske's correction to ^i^eSeuo-e.
398
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, iv. 5-8
this would have availed little had he not, by meansof his training and education of the boys, infused his
laws, as it were, into their characters, and made the
emulous love of his government an integral part of
their rearing. The result was that for more thanfive hundred years the sovereign and fundamentalfeatures of his legislation remained in force, like a
strong and penetrating dye.But that which was the end and aim of Numa's
government, namely, the continuance of peace and
friendship between Rome and other nations, straight-
way vanished from the earth with him. After his
death the double doors of the temple^ which he had
kept continuously closed, as if he really had war
caged and confined there, were thrown wide open,and Italy was filled with the blood of the slain.
Thus not even for a little time did the beautiful
edifice ofjustice which he had reared remain stand-
ing, because it lacked the cement of education.
"What, then!" some one will say, "was not
Rome advanced and bettered by her wars ?"
Thatis a question which will need a long answer, if I amto satisfy men who hold that betterment consists
in wealth, luxury and empire, rather than in safety,
gentleness, and that independence which is attended
by righteousness. However, it will be thought, 1
suppose, to favour the superior claims of Lycurgus,that, whereas the Romans increased in power as
they did after abandoning the institutions of Numa's
time, the Lacedaemonians, on the other hand, justas soon as they forsook the precepts of Lycurgus,sank from the highest to the lowest place, lost their
supremacy over the Greeks, and were in danger of
^ Cf . Numa, x x. 1,
399
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiaXovra^ Kivhvvevcrai irepl avaaTd(Teoi<;. ckcIvo
fievTOi T& No/Aa fiiya koI Oelov o)? d\r)6a)<;
V7rdp^€i, TO ^ev(p re fMeraTrifiTrTO) yeveaOai kol
iravra ireiOol fieTa^aXelv, koI Kparrjaai TroXew?
ovTTco (TvinreTrvevKVia^y fjLrjre ottXcov Seijdevra fiijre
^la^ Tiv6<;, ft)? AvKovpyo<; iirl rov Brj/jiov rjye tov<;
ttptcTOU?, aXXa aocfyia kol BiKatoavvrj iravra^
irpoaar/ayofievov ical auvappbocravTa,
400
LYCURGUS AND NUMA, iv. 8
utter destruction. NevertheleoS, this remains a
great feature in Numa's career, and one really
divine, that he was a stranger, and yet was
summoned to the throne, where he changed the
whole nature of the state by force of persuasion
alone, and mastered a city which was not yet in
S3mQpathy with his views ; and that he accomplishedthis without appeal to arms or any violence (unlike
Lycurgus, who led the nobles in arms against the
commons), but by his wisdom and justice won the
liearts of all the citizens and brought them into
iiarmony.
4*1
SOLON
20AQN
I. AtSfyLto? o ypa/jL/jLaTiKO<; iv ry irepl tcov
a^ovcov Tcov 2,6\covo<; dvriypacpy Trpo?^
AcrKXrjTrid-
hr]v ^iXoKXeov<; rivo^ reOeiKe Xi^i-v, ivfj
top
XoXcova irarpo^i ^v(j)opLcovo<; airocpaLvec irapa ttjv
TCOV dWcov Bo^av, oaoi fJLep.vrjvrai, XoXcovo^;.
K^TjKeaTiBov <yap avTOv airavre^ ofiaXct)^ yeyo-vivai Xiyovatv, dvBpo^ ovaia plvy w? ^aai, koX
BvvdpLei fiicrov twv ttoXltcov, ocKia'; Be irpwTi]^2 KaTCL yevo<i' r)v yap K.oBpiB7)<; dveKaOev. ttjv Bi
firjTepa tov '^oXwvo'^ 'HpaKXeLBi]<; 6 IIovTiKb<;
laropel t^9 TleiaLaTpdrov firjTpo^i dveyfridv ye-veaOaL. koX (^iXia to TrpwTov rjv avTol<; ttoXXt}
fiev Bia Trjv avyyevecav, ttoXXt) Be Bta Trjv
ev(j>vtav Kal copav, c«9 eviol (paatv, ep(OTLKOi<; tov
UeiaiaTpaTOv ddira^op^evov tov '^6Xcovo<i. oOev
vcTTepov, 009 60LK€v, €t9 Bia(j>opav avTcov iv TyiroXiTeia KaTaaTavTwv ovBev ijveyKCV rj ex^pacTKXrjpov ou8* dypiov irdOo^, dXXa irapepLeivevifcelva t^ BUaia Tat<; '\jrv)(a2<;,
/cal TrapecpyXa^e,
Tv(l>6fieva Alou 7rvpo<; €Tt ^(oaav cjiXoya,
3 rr/i^ ipcoTiKrjv fiv'^p.rjv Kal x^piv. otl Be irpo^ tov^
KaXoijf; ovk rjv iyypo^; 6 z^oXcov ovB^ ^KpcoTL 6ap-
paXeo<;"dvTavaaTTjvat 7rvKTrj<; o7rco<; i<i ^^Ipa^i*^
*"EpwTi /xev wv offTis avTavlcnarai
vvKrrjs '6w(i>s is x^'po^j o" Ka\a5 <ppovei.
(Sophocles, Trachiniat, 441 f.)
404
SOLON
I. DiDYMUS the grammarian, in his reply to
Aselepiades on Solon's tables of law, mentions a
remark of one Philocles, in which it is stated that
Solon's father was Euphorion, contrary to the opinionof all others who have written about Solon. For
they all unite in saying that he was a son of
Execestides, a man of moderate wealth and influence
in the city, but a member of its foremost family,
being descended from Codrus. Solon's mother,
according to Heracleides Ponticus, was a cousin of
the mother of Peisistratus. And the two men wereat first great friends, largely because of their kinship,and largely because of the youthful beauty of
Peisistratus, with whom, as some say, Solon was
passionately in love. And this may be the reason
why, in later years, when they were at variance
about matters of state, their enmity did not bringwith it any harsh or savage feelings, but their former
amenities lingered in their spirits, and preserved
there,
^^smouldering with a lingering flame of Zeus-sent
fire,"^
the grateful memory of their love. And that Solon
was not proof against beauty in a youth, and madenot so bold with Love as ''to confront him like a
boxer, hand to hand," may be inferred from his
*Euripides, Bacchae, 8.
405
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
€K T6 ratp TTOirffjudrcov avrov Xaffeiv co-tl, kui
vojJLov eypayjre BLayopevovra SovXov fxr] ^rjpaXoL-
(^eiv jjLrjBe iraihepaarelv, eU rrjv rcov KoXSyv
fiepiSa KoX a€fjUV(op iTnrrjBevfjLdrcov riO€fjL€Vo<; to
irpaypu, kol rpoirov tcv^ tov<; d^lov^ irpoKoXov-4 fjL€vo<; a)v TOv<; dva^lov^ d'rrrj'kavve. Xiyerai Be
Kol Tieiaia-rparo^ ipaarr)<; Hdpfiov yeviaOaiy kol
TO dyakfjia Tov "E/o&)to9 iv KKahr][xeLa Kadie-
pwaai, OTTov to irvp avdirTovaiv at Tr]v iepdv
Xa/jLTrdSa huaOeovTe^.
II. 'O S' ovv l,ok(ov Tr)v ovdiav tov 7raTpo<;
iXaTTcioaavTO^ et? (fnXavOpcoTTia^ Ttvd^, w? cprjatv'
EpyLttTTTTO?, Koi .%a/3iTa9, ovfc av dirop^crafi twv
^ovXopbivcov eTrap/celPy alhovpuevo^ he Xafi/Sdvecv
Trap' eTepcov i^ olKia^ yeyovo)^ eldcafjiivTj^ eT€poi<;
jSorjdeiv, cjpfjurjae veo^ cov h'L 7rpo<; ejJLTropiav.
KaiTOi (paalv eviot TroXvireipia'; eveKa (jlclXXov koI
laTopla<i fj '^(^prjpLaTKTfiov TrXavTjOrjvai tov XoXcova.
2 Go^la'i fjuev yap rjv opLoXoyovjxevoa^ epaaTrj^, 6<i
ye Koi TTpeapvTepo^; o)v eXeye"yrjpda/ceiv alel
TToXXd BiSacTfco/jLevo^'^*^ TtXovTov S' ovK eOav/xa^ev,dXXd Kal (lir)(nv oixoiw^ irXovTelv o5 re ^
TToXv^ dpyvpo^ iaTi
Kal y^pvao^ Kal yrj<i irvpo^opov irehia
LTTTTOL 0^ r)/iLovoi T€, Kal (p jjLOva TavTa irdpeaTi,
yaaTpl tg Kal irXevpy Kal ttoctIv djSpd iraOeZv,
iraiho^ T rjheyvvatKo^i, iirTjv Kal TavT d(j)(,K7]Tai,
rJlSrjy avv S' w/dt; yiveTai, appbohia.
*TvpdffKco 8' aU\ rroWa 5iSa<TK6fievos. Fragment 18 (Bergk,
Poet. Lyr. Or. ii.'^p. 47).^
'^lo-Jy Toi irKovTovaiv Zrcp ttoAus 6.pyvp6s iffTiv, jc.t.A.,
Fragment 24 (Bergk), verses 1-6.
406
SOLON, I. 3-II. 2
poems. He also wrote a law forbidding a slave
to practise gymnastics or have a boy lover, thus
putting the matter in the category of honourable and
dignified practices, and in a way inciting the worthyto that which he forbade the unworthy. And it is
said that Peisistratus also had a boy lover, Charmus,and that he dedicated the statue of Love in the
Academy, where the runners in the sacred torch race
light their torches.
IL Solon, then, after his father had impaired his
estate in sundry benevolent charities, as Hermippustells us, might have found friends enough who were
willing to aid him. But he was ashamed to take
from others, since he belonged to a family whichhad always helped others, aud therefore, while still
a young man, embarked in commerce. x\nd yetsome say that he travelled to get experience and
learning rather than to make money. For he was
admittedly a lover of wisdom, since even when he
was well on in years he would say that he ^'
grew old
ever learning many things"; and he was not an
admirer of wealth, but actually says that two men are
alike wealthy of whom one
'^much silver hath.And gold, and wide domains of wheat-bearing soil,
Horses and mules;while to the other only enough
belongsTo give him comfort of food, and clothes, and
shoes.
Enjoyment of child and blooming wife, when these
too come.And only years commensurate therewith are his."
407
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 oXTC eripcoOi, Xiyer
'X.prjfiara S*l/jL€ipco fjukv 6')(6LV, aSUo)^ S^ ire-
iraadai
ovfc ideXo)' irdvTW'i varepov rjXOe Slkt).
KoaXvei he ovhev top ajaOov koI ttoXltikop avBpaprjTe T(bv TrepLTTcov ttjv KTrjaiv ev aTTovBrj rl-
deaOat, p,^re ttJ? ')(p€La<; tmv avay/caLcov kol
LKavcov KaTa(ppoveiv, ev he Tot9 Tore y^povoi'^,
KaO^ ^)^Giohov, ep<yov ovhev rjv oWiSo?, ovhe Te^vr}
hia(j)opav ecpepev, ep^iropia he Koi ho^av el')(ev
oLKeLovpevr] ra ^ap^apCKa koX irpo^evovaa j)L-
Xta? ^a(TiXeo)v kol Trpaj/jbaTav ep.Trelpov^ iroiov-
4 ca TToWcov. evLOL he Kal iroXecov ol/ciaral <ye-
ybvaai peyakcdv, co? Koi Maaa-aXta^ JIp(t)Ti<i
vTTo K-eXrcov tmv irepl rbv 'VoSavov ayaTrrjOeC^.KoX SaXrjv he ^aaiv efiTropia y^pr^aaaOai koX
*l'7nroKpdT7]v tov /jLaOrj/jiariKov, koI TiXdrcavL rrj^
dTToh7]p.ia<; e^ohiov eXalov rLvo<^ ev AlyvTrro) hid-
OecTiv yeveaOai.III. To 8' ovv evhdiravov t& XoXwvl teal vypov
7r/?09 Tr)V hiacTav, Kal to ipopri/cooTepov rj (jyCXoao-
(fxjorepov ev Tot? Trooj/xaai hcaXeyecrOat wepl toov
rjhovMV, TOV €/j,7ropiKov ol'ovTat ^iov irpoaTe-
TpL(f)Oac' TToXXov^ yap e'XpvTa Kwhvvovf; kol
peydXov<i dvTairaLTelv irdXtv eviraOela^ TLvd<; Kal
2 dTcoXav(Tei<;. otl h^ avTov ev Tfj tcov irevrjTcov
fiepiht p^ciXXov rj ttj tcoi^ TrXovalcov eTarre, hrjXoveCTTLV €K TOVTCOV
lloXXol yap irXovTevaL KaKoi, dyaOol he ire-
vovTavdXX* rjpeh axjToh ov hLafxeL-^op^da
408
SOLON, II. 3-III. 2
However, in another place he says :—*
'' Wealth I desire to have ; but wrongfully to get it,
I do not wish. Justice, even if slow, is sure."
And there is no reason why a good statesman shouldeither set his heart too much on the acquisitionof superfluous wealth, or despise unduly the use of
what is necessary and convenient. In those earlier
times, to use the words of Hesiod,^^^ work was no
disgrace," nor did a trade bring with it social inferi-
ority, and the calling ofa merchant was actually heldin honour, since it gave him familiarity with foreign
parts, friendships with foreign kings, and a large
experience in affairs. Some merchants were actuallyfounders of great cities, as Protis, who was beloved
by the Gauls along the Rhone, was of Marseilles.
Thales is said to have engaged in trade, as well as
Hippocrates the mathematician ; and Plato defrayedthe expenses of his sojourn in Egypt by the sale
of oil. ^ ,
III. Accordingly, if Solon's way of living was
expensive and profuse, and if, in his poems, he speaks
of pleasure with more freedom than becomes a
philosopher, this is thought to be due to his
mercantile life; he encountered many and great
dangers, and sought his reward therefor in sundry
luxuries and enjovments. But that he classed
himself among the tooo^ratherthan the rich, is clear
from these verses :—^'^'^
" For often evil men are rich, and good men poor ;
But we will not exchange with them
^ Fragment 13 (Bergk), verses 7 f.
« Works and Days, 311.^Fragment 15 (Bergk).
4°?
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T% aperi]^ top irXovrov irrel to fxev epLirehov
alei,
'X^p^fiara S' avOpcorrcov dWore d\\o<; e^ee.
3 T7J Be TTOLTjaeL KaT ap-^a^ fxev eU ovEev d^iov 80
(TTTOvBri^t aXXd irai^wv eoLKe Trpoaxp^jo'CLcyOaL/cat Trapdjcov eavrov iv rSt a-x^okd^eiv vajepovBe Kol yvd)/JLa<; everetve ^i\oa6^ov<i koI tcjv
iroXiTiKoov TToWd (jvyKareifkeKe rol^ iroLrjfiaa-iv,
ov-^^ l(7T0pia<i ev€Kev koX fiV7]fjLr]<;, dX>C diroXoyc-
(TfjLov^ T€ TO)v TTeTTpayfievcov e^opra koX irporpo-7rd<; iviaxov fcal vov6€(Tia<^ koI iirLTrXt^^ei^; npo'i
4 Tou? ^KOrjvaiov^;. evioi Be ^aaiv on Kal rou?
vofiov^ €7r6X€ipr]or€v ii>T€Lva<; eh eiro^ e^eveyKccv,Kal Biafivrjixovevovai ttjv dpxv^ ovt(o<; expvdav'
II/xwTa fjiev exj-XJ^p-eaOa Ad KpoviBrj ^aaiXrjl
Oea-fJLol^ TolaBe tv^V^ dyaOrjv Kal kvBo<; OTracr-
aai.
^tXocro(j)La<; Be rod tjOlkov /ndXicrra to ttoXltl-
Kov, Sairep ol TrXelaToi tcov crocpcjv, r/ydiTrjaev.
iv Be Tot? (j)vcriKOL<; d7rXov<; iaTL Xiav Kal dpxacof;,ft)9 BijXoV €K TOVTCOV
5 *E«: ve<j)eXr)<; TreXeTai x^ovo^; p^vo^ tjBe %aXaf?;9'
PpovTT] 8' eK Xapirpd<; ylverai d(TT€poTTrj<i.
e'f dvep.(ov Be OdXaaaa TapdaaeTar rjv Be Tt9
avTTjv
p,r) Ktvfj, irdvTCOv ecrrl BiKaLordrr).
Kal oXo)9 eoLKev 7] SdXea) p,6vov crocfyia Tore
TrepaiTepo) t^9 p^€ta9 i^iKecrdai Ty Oecopia' Tol<i
410
SOLON, III. 2-5
Our virtue for their wealth, since one abides
alway.While riches change their owners every day."
And he seems to have composed his poetry at first
with no serious end in view, but as amusement anddiversion in his hours of leisure. Then later, he putphilosophic maxims into verse, and interwove manypolitical teachings in his poems, not simply to record
and transmit them, but because they contained
justifications of his acts, and sometimes exhortations,
admonitions, and rebukes for the Athenians. Some
say, too, that he attempted to reduce his laws to
heroic verse before he published them, and they giveus this introduction to them :
—" First let us offer prayers to Zeus, the royal son of
Cronus,That he may give these laws of ours success and
fame." ^
In philosophy, he cultivated chiefly the domain of
political ethics , like most of the wise men of the
time ; and in physics, he is very simple and anti-
quated, as is clear from the following verses :—
" From clouds come sweeping snow and hail.
And thunder follows on the lightning's flash.
By winds the sea is lashed to storm, but if it be
Unvexed, it is of all things most amenable." ^
And in general, it would seem that Thales wasthe only wise man of the time who carried his
speculations beyond the realm of the practical ; the
1Fragment 31 (Bergk).
2Fragment 9, verses 1-2 ; and fragment 12 (Bergk).
411
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Be dWoi<; airo r?}? TroXiTi/cij^i dperrj^ rovvofia rr)<;
ao(j)Ca^ vTTTJp^e.
TV, TeveaOai Se fier* aXKrfKoiv ev re Ae\.(f>o2^
o/jLgv XiyovTac Kal irdXcv ev KopivOo), HepidvSpov
crvWoyov riva kolvov avTOJV koX crvfxiroa-Lov
Karaa-Kevda-avTO^. en Bk fiaXkov eh d^lcofia Kal
Bo^av avTov<; Karecnnfjaev rj rod TpLTToBo<; TreptoBo^
Kol Bid irdvTcov dvaKVKX'>]<TL<; Kal dvOv7r€L^t<; fier
2 ev/JL€veLa<; (j>L\oTLfjLOV jevofjLejnj. Kwcov ydp, w?
<j)a(TL, KarayovTcov (rayrjvrjv, Kal ^evcov €K M^X?;-Tov TrpiafJLevcov tov ^6\ov ovTrco <j)avepov ovra,
')(^pvaov'; i(f)dvr] TpLirov^ ekKOfievo^, ov Xeyovaiv
*EXevTjv irXeovaav Ik Tpoia^ avroOi KaOelvat
')(pr}afjLOV Tivo^ dva/JLvrjcrOelaav iraXaiov. yevo-
fjLevrj<; Be to?? ^evoL<; irpcoTov avTiXoyia^ tt/jo? toi'9
dXiia<; irepl tov TpliroBo';, elra Toyv iroXewv
dvaBe^a/iiepcov ttjv BLa(f>opdv d)(^pL iroXefiov irpo-
eXOovaav, dveVkev dfx<f>OTepOL<; r) HvOia tw aocjxo-
3 TttTft) TOV TpiTToBa diToBovvat. Kal irpoiTOV fiev
direaTdXr) Trpb'i SaXrjv eh IS/LlXtjtov, eKOvaiw^
Tcov K.aKov evl Bcopovfievcov eKelvo) irepl ov irpo*;
diravTa^i Ofiov MtXrjaLOV^ eTToXe/iirjcrav. SdXeco
Be BiavTa ao^ooTepov d7ro(f)aivovTo<; avTOv tt/jo?
eKelvov rJK€V dir eKeivov 8' avdi^ direGTaki] Trpo?
aXKov Q)9 (TO(j)ci)Tepov, elTa Trepucov Kal dva-
TTep.'TTOfievo^ ovTco^ iirl %aXrjv to BevTepov d<f)l-
KeTOy Kal Te\o<i eh St]ffa<; eK MlX7]tov KO/iiaOehTO)
*l(Tfj,r]vl(p^AttoXXcovl Ka$iepco$i],
412
SOLON, III. 5-iv. 3
rest ^got the name of wisdom from their excellence
as statesmen.
IV. They are all said to have met together at
Delphi, and again in GDrinth, where Periander
arranged something like a joint conference for them,and a banquet. But what contributed still more to
their honour and fame was the circuit which the
tripod made among them, its passing round throughall their hands, and their mutual declination of it,
with generous expressions of good will. Some Coans,as the story goes, were dragging in a net, and some
strangers from Miletus bought the catch as yetunseen. It proved to contain a golden tripod which
Helen, on her voyage from Troy, is said to havethrown in there, wlien she called to mind a certain
ancient oracle. First the strangers had a disputewith the fishermen about the tripod, and then their
cities took up the quarrel and went at last to war,
whereupon the Pythian priestess of Apollo told both
parties in an oracle that the tripod must be given to
the wisest man. So in the first place it was sent to
Thales at Miletus, the Coans willingly bestowingupon him alone that for which they had waged war
against all the Milesians together. But Thales
declared that Bias was a wiser man than he, and the
tripod was sent to Bias. From Bias, in his turn,it was dispatched to another, as wiser than he. Soit went the rounds and was sent away by each in
turn, until at last it came to Thales for the secondtime. Finally, it was carried from Miletus to Thebesand dedicated to Ismenian Apollo.
^ The names usually given in the list of the Seven WiseMen are : Bias of Priene, Chilon of Sparta, Cleobulus of
Lindus, Periander of Corinth, Pittacus of Mitylene, Solon of
Athens, and Thales of Miletus. See chapter xii. 4.
413
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 ®e6(j)pacrT0<; Be ^rjat, irpcorov fiev et? Upirjirqv
^lavTt Tov TpiTToBa ireix^OrjvaL, Sevrepov 8' et?
MiXrjTOV ©aXfj Btai/ro? airoirefJu'^avTor ovrco Se
Sia iravTcov ttoXlv eh Wiavra irepieXOe'lv, TeXo9 he
eh Ae\(pov<; aTToaraXrjvaL. ravra jjlIv ovv vtto
irXeiovcov re9pv\r)Tat, ttXtjv on to Bcjpov dvrl tov
Tpi7ro8o<; ol fiev (fyiaXrjv vtto Kpotaov iref^pOetaav,
ol Be iroTrjpLov Ba6vK\€0V<; airoXiiTovTo^ elvai
Xeyovacv.V. 'Iota 8* *Avaxdpor€(o<; re
7rpo<; SoXwva kol
ttoXlv ©aXect) avvovaLav tlvcl koX X6yov<; ava-
ypd(f)ovcn roiovTovfi.^
Kvaxapcnv fiev eh 'A6)]pa<;
(paalv 67tI rrjv ^6Xcovo<; olKiav eXOovra Koirretv,
KOI Xeyetv co? fei^o? cov a^lKrai ^tXiav 7TOir]a6fi€vo<;
Kal ^eviav TTpb^ avrov. airoKpivafxevov Be rod
%6Xcovo<; ft)9 ot/coL peXnov iarc iroieladai ^tXta?,**OvKovVi^ (j)dvat Tov*Avd)(^apatv, "avrb^; uiv oXkol
2 (TV TTolrjo-ai c^iXlav koX ^tijiav irpo^ rip,d<;.^* ovrco Brj
davfxdaavTa rrjv dy")(ivoiav tov dvBpo^ tov ^6X(ova
Be^aaOai (j)iXo(j>p6vo)<i,teal y^povov tlvcl KaTaayeiv
Trap avTWy tjBtj to, Brj/jLoaia irpdTTOVTa Kal avv-
TaTTOfievov tou? vojjlov^. tov ovv ^Avd')(^cLpaLv 81
TTvOofjievov KaTayeXdv t^9 TTpajfiaTeLa^ tov SoXw-1^09, olofievov jpd/ji/iiaaiv icpe^eiv Ta9 dBiKLa^; koI
7rXeov€^ia<^ tmv ttoXltmv, d pi^jBev tmv dpa)(yL(i}v
Biacf)epei-v, dXX^ a)9 eKetva tov<; fiev dcrdeveh fcal
Xe7rTov<; twv dXidKOfievcDV Kade^etv, vtto Be twv3 BvvaTcov Kal TrXovalcov BLappayi]aea6aL, tov Be
%6Xa)va 71/909 ravTd cj^acriv elirelv oTi Kal crvv-
OrjKa<^ dvOpcoTTOi (pvXaTTOvarLV, a? ovBcTepq) Xvari-
4T4
SOLON, IV. 4-v. 3
Theophrastus, however, says that the tripod wassent in the first place to Bias at Priene, and in the
second place to Thales at Miletus, at the instance of
Bias, and so passed through the hands of all the wise
men until it came round again to Bias, and finally wassent to Delphi. These, then, are the more commonversions of the tale. But some say that the gift
thus passed from hand to hand was not the tripodnow seen at Delphi, but a bowl sent there byCroesus ; and others that it was a beaker left there
by Bathycles.V. In particular we are told of private intercourse
between Solon and Anacharsis, and between Solon
and Thales, of which the following accounts are
given.^ Anacharsis came to Athens, knocked at
Solon's door, and said that he was a stranger whohad come to make ties of friendship and hospitalitywith him. On Solon's replying that it was better to
make one's friendships at home, "Well then," said
Anacharsis,'' do thou, who art at home, make me
thy friend and guest." So Solon, admiriug the
man's ready wit, received him graciously and kepthim with him some time. This was when he was
already engaged in public affairs and compiling his
laws. Anacharsis, accordingly, on learning whatSolon was about, laughed at him for thinking that
he could check the injustice and rapacity of the
citizens by written laws, which were just like spiders'webs ; they would hold the weak and delicate who
might be caught in their meshes, but would be torn
in pieces by the rich and powerful. To this Solon is
said to have answered that men keep their agree-ments with each ether when neither party profits by
^ In chapters, v. and vi.
415
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
reXe? io-rt Trapafiaivccv r&v de/jievcov' Koi tou?
v6fM0u<; auTO? ovrco<; apfio^erai, Tot9 7ro\trai,<; MareTTcicTL Tov 7rapavofji6LV jSikTiov iinBei^ai to Bikuio-
irpayecv. aWa ravra fiev co?^
K.va")(ap(Ji^ eiKa^ev
CLTri^T} jjuaXkov rjKar iXTriSa tov X6\covo<;.
€(J)t]
Be KCLicelvo Oavjid^etv 6 ^Kvd^apaL^; ifCKXtjcrla
irapayevojxevo^ , otl Xeyovcn fiev ol aocpol Trap'
''EX\r]ai, KpLVovcri Be ol dfiaOeL'^,
VI. IT/Jo? ^aXrjv B' eh MlXtjtov eXOovTa tov
'%6\owa Oavjjbd^eiv otl ydpLOV kov TTaiBoTTOita^ to
Trapdrrav rjp^eXrjKe. kol tov SaXrjv Tore fiev
cri(07rrjaai, BiakLirovTa B^ o\i<ya<^ rjfi€pa<i civBpa
irapaaKevdaai ^evov, dpTLco<; rjfceiv (pda/covTaBe/caTalov e'f ^Adrjvcov. irvOopevov Be tov Xo-
X(ovo<; el Bij tl Kaivov ev Tah ^KOrjvai^, BeBiBay-
fievov a 'xpr] Xeyeiv tov dvOpcoirov,**
OvBev,''' elirelv,"erepov, el fir) vt) Aia veavia-KOV tlvo'; rjv eKcpopa
2 Kal TTpovTrefjLTrev rj ttoX^?. tjv yap vi6<;, co? e(j)a-
aav, dvBpof; evBo^ov kol irpMTevovTo^ dpeTrj tcov
TToXiTwv' ov rraprjv Be, dXX^ djroBijpelv e<f)a(Tav
avTOV rjBrj ttoXvv ')(p6vov.^^ "'H? BvaTV)(rj^ eKelvo'^T
^dvac TOV ^oXfova." Ttva Be oivop^a^ov avTov;^^
""}ifcov(Ta,^* (pdvai,'*
Tovvofia,^' tov dvOpcoTrov,"aXV ov p.V7}fjLovevo}* TrXrjv otl ttoXv^ X6yo<; rjv av-
Tov (To^ia<; Kal BLKaLoauvti<;.'^ ovtco Bt) Ka6' cKddTrjv
aTToKpLaiv T(p ^6(5(p TTpOG-ayofievov tov ^oXcava
Kal T6X09 rjBif) (TVVT€Tapay/JLevov avTov viro/SdX-
XeLv Tovvop,a tw ^evqy, irvvOavo/jLevov p,r] 'ZoXcovo^i
3 TcOvrjKobf: vl6<i CDVOfid^GTO. ^rjaavTO<i Be tov
dvOpdiTTov, TOV pev 6pp.r}(Tai TraieLv ttjv KecpaX^vKal TaXXa iroielv Kal Xeyeiv a (Tvp^aiveL to??
416
SOLON, V. 3-vi. 3
the breaking of them, and he was adapting his lawsto the citizens in such a manner as to make it clear
to all that the practice of justice was more advanta-
geous than the transgression of the laws. But theresults justified the conjecture of Anacharsis rather
than the hopes of Solon. It was Anacharsis, too,who said, after attending a session of the assembly,that he was amazed to find that among the Greeks,the wise men pleaded causes, but the fools decidedthem.
VI. On his visit to Thales at Miletus, Solon is said
to have expressed astonishment that his host was
wholly indifferent to marriage and the getting of
children. At the time Thales made no answer, buta few days afterwards he contrived to have a stranger
say that he was just arrived after a ten days' journeyfrom Athens. When Solon asked what news therewas at Athens, the man, who was under instructions
what to say, answered :'' None other than the
funeral of a young man, who was followed to the
grave by the whole city. For he was the son, as I
was told, of an honoured citizen who excelled all
others in virtue ; he was not at the funeral of his
son; they told me that he had been travellingabroad for a long time." ^^O the miserable man! "
said Solon; "pray, what was his name?" "Iheard the name," the man said, ^''but I cannotrecall it ; only there was great talk of his wisdomand justice." Thus every answer heightened Solon's
fears, and at last, in great distress of soul, he told
his name to the stranger and asked him if it wasSolon's son that was dead. The man said it was ;
whereupon Solon began to beat his head and to doand say everything else that betokens a transport of
417
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ireptriTadova-if rov Be ®aXrjv iTrc'XajSofievov avrov
Kol yekdaavra, "TavTa roi" (pdvai,," w XoXcov,
ifi€ yd/JLOV KoX TraiBoTTOua'; d(j)L(TT7j(Ti.v,a koI ere
KarepeLiTeL rov ippcojubeviaraTOv. dXXa Odppei tcov
Xoycov ev6/ca rovrcov ov ydp elciv dX'qOel^.^^ ravra
fiev ovv '^Fip/iLTTTTOf; laropelv (prjai, Udrai/cov, 09
ecpacTfce rrjv AlacoTTov '\jru^rjv e^^iv.
VII. "Atotto? Be Koi dy6vvr}<; 6 t5> (po^fo t^9
aTTOySoX?}? TTjv KTrjaiv (OV y^prj 7rpOLefjLevo<i' ovtm
yap dv Ti9 ov ttXovtov, ov Bo^av, ov ao(f>i,av
dyair^aeie irapayevofjievrjv, BeBiMi; aTepeaOav,KOL yap dperrjVi rj<; KTrjfia fiec^ov ovBev ovB' ijBiov,
e^caTafievrjv vtto voacov Kal (fiapixaKcov opco/iev
avT& re Sa\y fi7j yij/iavri ifkeov ovBev eU dcpo-
filav, el/ill]
fcal (fylXoyv KTYjaiv e(f>vy€ Kal olKeiayv
2 Ka\ 7raTpi.Bo<;. dWd Kal iralBa Oerov eo-;^€
iroLTjaapLevo^ avro^ rov rrjf; dB€\(f>rj<;, w? <f)aai,
Kv/ScaOov. exovarjt; ydp ri t^9 '^^X^^ dyairr]-TiKov iv eavrfi Kal 7re(j>vKVLa<;, coG-irep alaOdveadai
Kal BiavoelorOac Kal fJuvTjfioveveiv, ovro) Kal ^CkelvtevBveraL ri rovrcp Kal irpoa^veTai tmv eKTo^ 01^
OLKetov ovBev iariv, Kal Kaddirep oIkovrj ^co/jav
yvrjaicov eprj/iov BiaBox^ov, rb (piXoaropyov dWo-TpLOL Kal voQoL iTalBe^i 7) Oepd-TTOvre'^ elaoLKi-
adjievoi Kal KaraXajBovre^ dfia T(p (piXetv to
(ppovTL^ecv Kal BeBievat irepl avrcov eveiroLrjaav,
3 &<JT XBoi<i av dv6p(jt)7rov<; o-repporepa rfj (pvaei
irepl ydfjuov Kal yeveaecof; TralBcov Bia\€yo/i€vov<;,
elra rov'^ avTov<; eirl iraLcrlv olKorpi^fov rj Ope/j,- 82
fiaai TraWaKMv voaovan Kal dvrjaKovcn irapa-
reipofievovi Troday Kal ^wva^i dyevvel^ d<f)ievTa<:,
418
SOLON, VI. 3-V11. 3
grief. But Thales took him by the hand and said,
with a smile," This it is, O Solon, which keeps me
from marriage and the getting of children ; it
overwhelms even thee, who art the most stout-
hearted of men. But be not dismayed at this
story, for it is not true." Such_. at any rate, accord-
ing to Hermippus, is the story of Pataecus, who usedto boast that he had Aesop's soul.
VII. However, it is irrational and ignoble to .
^g;^,renounce the acquisition of what we want for fear of l^/ \ffii
losing it ; for on this principle a man cannot be grati-fied by the possession of wealth, or honour, or wisdom,for fear he may be deprived of them. Indeed, even
virtue, the most valuable and pleasing possession in
the world, is often banished by sickness and drugs.And Thales himself, though unmarried, was never-
theless not wholly free from apprehension, unless healso avoided having friends, or relations, or country.On the contrary, he had a son by his own adoption, as
we are told, Cybisthus, his sister's son. For the soul
has in itself a capacity for affection, and lovesj ust as
naturally as it perceives, understands, and remembers.It clothes itself in this capacity, and attaches itself
to those who are not akin to it, and just as if it werea house or an estate that lacks lawful heirs, this
craving for affection is entered and occupied by alien
and illegitimate children, or retainers, who, alongwith love for them, inspire anxiety and fear in
their behalf. So that you will find men of a
somewhat rugged nature who argue against marriageand the begetting of children, and then, whenchildren of their servants, or offspring of their
concubines fall sick and die, these same men are
racked with sorrow and lament abjectly. Some, too,
419
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
evcoL Se Koi kvvcov Oavdrcp koI LiriTayv al<T)(pa)<;
xal d^L(OT0)(i VTTO XvTTT]^ BiCTeOijaav. aXX* erepoi
rye TralBa^; dyadou'i aTro^aXovre^ ovBh eiraOov
Beivov ovB' eiroirjo-av ala')(^p6v, dWd kol'x^pcofiepoL
4 Tft) Xociro) /Slo) Kara \6yop Bterekeaav. dadeveia
yap, ov/c evvoia, Xvira^ direpdvTOV^ iTrdyerat fcal
^6pov<; dvOpcoTTOL^ dvacTKrjToi^ viro \6yov tt/jo?
Tvxv^i 049 ovB' dTToXava-t^ iyylverai, rod iroOov-
fiivov irap6vT0<;, tov fiiXXovTo^; oyBlva^; del Kal
TpofJLov^ Kal dycova^, el areprjaovTai, irapexovro^avTol^. Bel Be fi^re irevia Trpo^ 'X^prj/jidrcop
Trecppd^Oai^
arepriaiv fJbrjTe d(f)iX[a tt/do? <^iX<ov
dTTo^oXrjv fJLrjT dTraiBla 'jrpb^ refcvcov Odvarov,dXXa Tft) XoyLa/jL(p 7rpo<; irdvTa. Kal ravra fiev,
CO? ev TO) irapovTi, irXeiova rcov iKavcov.
VIII. 'Evrel Be jiaKpov nva Kal Bvcrx^prj iroXe-
fjLOv ol ev daTeiirepl t>;? 'SaXapLvicov vtjctov Meya-pevai rrroXe/xovvTef; i^eKa/Mov, Kal vofiov eOevro
firjTe ypdyjrai. nva /jl)']telirelv avOu^ co? ^PV '^V^
TToXiv dvTLTToielo-Oai T7]'; "ZaXa/jLLVo^;, 7) davdrcp
^rip,Lov(T9ai, ^apeco^i cf)epav rrjv dBo^iav 6 ^oXtov,
Kal Twv vecov opcov ttoWou? Beo/jLevov<i dp^V^ ^ttI
TOV TToXe/iov, avTov^ Be/jlt) 6appovvra<i dp^aaOat
Bid TOV vofJLOV, ea-KTjyjraTO fiev eKcrracnv tgjv Xo-
2 yca/jLOJv, Kal X6yo9 eh ttjv ttoXlv eK rrj^ ot/cta?
BieBoOrj 7rapaKLV7]TiKa)<; e^j^iv avTov, eXeyela Be
Kpv(f>a avv6el<^ Kal fieXeTt]aa<; axrre Xeyeiv diro
(TTOfiaTO^y e^e7r7]B7]aev ek rrjv dyopdv d<j)v(o
TTtXlBiov irepLdefievoi;, oxXov Be ttoXXov crvvBpa-1
Trecppdxdai Bekker and Cobet, after Bryan: veiravtrdai
{be deliveredfrom).
420
SOLON, VII. 3-VI11. 2
at the death even of dogs and horses, have been
plunged into shameful and intolerable grief. Butothers have borne the loss of noble sons without
terrible sorrow or unworthy conduct, and have con-
formed the rest of their lives to the dictates of
reason. For it is weakness, not kindness, that brings |
men into endless pains and terrors when they are
not trained by reason to endure the assaults of'
fortune. Such men do not even enjoy what they
long for when they get it, but are filled with con-
tinual pangs, tremors, and struggles by the fear of
future loss. However, we must be fortified not bypoverty against deprivation of worldly goods, nor byfriendlessness against loss of friends, nor by child-
lessness against death of children, but by reason
against all adversities. This, under present circum-
stances, is more than enough on this head.
VIII. Once when the Athenians were tired out
^\^th a war which they were waging against the
Megarians for the island of Salamis, they made a law
that no one in future, on pain of death, should move,in writing or orally, that the city take up its
contention for Salamis. Solon could not endure the
disgrace of this, and when he saw that many of the
young men wanted steps taken to bring on the war,but did not dare to take those steps themselves on
account of the law, he pretended to be out of his
head, and a report was given out to the city by his
family that he showed signs of madness. He then
secretly composed some elegiac verses, and after
rehearsing them so that he could say them by rote,
he sallied out into the market-place of a sudden,with a cap upon his head. After a large ^wd)had
421
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
jjLovTO^i ava^a^ iiri rov rov KrjpvKO<; Xldov iv tpBfj
^ve^rfkOe rrjv iXeyeiav, rj<iiariv apx^'
Avt6<; fcrjpv^ rjXOov a(f> l/jLeprrj^i ^aXapbivo^,
Koajiov iiricov coStfv avr ayoprj<: 6epLevo<;.
3 TOVTO TO 7roi7)/jLa ^akapX<i iTnyeypaTTTaL xal
aTi)((ov eKarov iarc, 'XpLpievTCd^ irdvu ireTTOcrifiivov.
Tore Bk aa9evT0<i avrov koX tcov <\>l\(ov tov
'^oXoovo^i ap^afjuevcov eTracveiv, fidXcara Se rov
HeiacaTpdrov toi<; TroXtrat? iy/ceXevo/Mevov koI
irapopfiMVTO^ ireicrdrjvat tq) XeyovTi, XvcravTC^
TOP vojJLOv avOi<; ^tttovto tov iroXifiov, irpoaTrf-
adfievot tov ^oXcova.
4 Ta /jL€V ovv SrjjuLcoBrf Ta>p Xeyo/juivcov toluvt
iaTiVy OTt irXevaa^; eVl Ka)Xfa8a /xera tov
UeiaiaTpdTOV, koX fcaTaXa^oav avToOi 7rdaa<i
Ta9 yvvaiKa^ Trj A'^/j,r}Tpi Tr)v iraTpiov Ovaiav
eTTLTeXovcra^y eTrefiyjrev dvSpa ttlcttov eh XaXa/uvairpoaTTotovfxevov avTOfioXov elvai, KeXevovTa tov<;
Meya/^et?, el ^ovXovTac T(op^
KOrjvaiwv ra? irpd)-
Ta<; Xapetv yvvalKa^t iirl K.(oXidBa /xer' avTov5 irXelv TTjp Ta')(laT'qv. co9 Be 7reLa6evTe<; ol Meya-
p6t9 dvBpa<; i^iirepL^frav iv rcG irXoiw ical KaTelBev
6 SoXcov TO ttXolov eXavvofxevov diro t^9 vtjaov,
Ta9 fiev yvvaL/ca<i eKiroBcbv direXOelv eKeXevae,
Tcov Be vecoTepcov tou? fjLrjBeTro) yeveiwvTa^ ivBv-
fiacri Kol p^LTpai^i Koi viroBrjp.aai toI^ eKelvcov
(TK6vaaap.evov<; koi Xa^ovTa^ ey')(eLpiBia KpvTTTO,
irai^eiv koi ')(^op€veiv irpoaeTa^e 7rpo<; Trj daXdaarj,
p.expi'^ a>v (iTTo/Soiaiv ol 7roX€f.aoi Kal yevrjTai to
6 ttXolov viro-)(eipLov* ovtq) Btj tovtcov 7rpaTTop>epa)v,
422
SOLON, VIII. 2-6
collected there, he got upon the herald's stone andrecited the poem which begins :
—" Behold in me a herald come from lovely Salamis,With a son<T in ordered verse instead of a
harangue."^
This poem is entitled "Salamis," and contains a
hundred very graceful verses. When Solon had
sung it, his friends began to praise him, andPeisistratus in particular urged and incited the
citizens to obey his words. They therefore
repealed the law and renewed the war, puttingSolon in command of it.
The popular account of his campaign is as follows.
Having sailed to Cape Colias with Peisistratus, hefound all the women of the city there, performingthe customary sacrifice to Demeter, He therefore
sent a trusty man to Salamis, who pretended to be
a deserter, and bade the Megarians, if they wishedto capture the principal women of Athens, to sail
to Colias with him as fast as they could. The
Megarians were persuaded by him, and sent off somemen in his ship. But when Solon saw the vessel
sailing back from the island, he ordered the womento withdraw, and directed those of the youngermen who were still beardless, arraying themselves
in the garments, head-bands, and sandals whichthe women had worn, and carrying concealed
daggers, to sport and dance on the sea shore until
the enemy had disembarked and the vessel was in
their power. This being done as he directed, the
^Only six more verses are preserved (Fragments 1-3,
Bergk). They contain reproaches of the Athenians for
abandoning Salamis, and an exhortation to go and fight for it.
423
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
viragoevTe<; ol yieyapeh rfj oyjrei real irpoa^i-
fxevoi 7rpo9 aWri\ov<i} &<tt€ /JLrjSiva Siacjivyelv,
aWa iravra^; aiTo\ka6ai, koI rrjv vrjaov iirnrXev-
aavra^; €vOv<; e')(^eLv tov<; ^A.67]vaiov<^.
IX. "AXKoi Be ^aatv ov tovtov tov rpoTvov
yeveaOai rrjv KardXrjylnv, dWa nrpcoTOv fiep avT^TOV 6V A6X(jE)Ot9 Oeov
'^(^prjo-ao-
*Ap')(r]yov<; ^wpa? OvaiaL^; rip(Da<i evoUov<^
iXaao, rovs koXitol'^ ^KaMina'^ dficpiKaXvirrei,oc (j>OLfievoc BepKovTai e? rjiXiOv hvvovra'
TOV he ZoXcdva SiaTrXevaavra vvkto^ et9 ttjv
vrjo-ov evTefielv a^dyia TiepL(j>riiM(p koI Ku^j^pe?Tot9 rip(0(Tiv. ecTa Trapd tmv
^
A67]vaLcov iOeXovTa^
Xa/Selv 7revTaK0(TL0V<;, hoyfiaTO^ yevopikvov tov-
tov;, av KaTaGyfidi ttjv vrjo-ov, Kvpuov; elvai tov
TToXiTevpLaTO^. dva'xOevTa he crv)(val<; dXtdaiv
ap.a TpiaKOVTOpov avp,7rapa7rXeovarj<; v4>oppbi-aaaOai Tjj %aXapuvL KaTa XV^V^ Tiva 7rpo<; Tr/v
Rv^oiav^ diro^XeTTOvaav. irvOop.evov^ he tol'9 iv
"^aXapZvL Meyapel*; etc tcvo<; (j>rjp,7](;ovBev jBejBaLOVy
avTov<; puev ek to, oirXa 6opv^ovpLevov<i ^ahi^eiv,vavv 8' diToaTeTXai KUTaaKe^lro/xevijv tcov ttoXc'
picov T]^ eY^u? iXdovarjf; KpaTrjaai tov XoXwvaKol KaOelp^ai tov<; M.eyap€L<;. epL^L^daaL he tmv
*Adr)vaiO)V Tov<; KpaTLaTOv; KeXevaavTa irXelv iirl
TTJV ttoXlv, ft)9 av ivheyv^aL pdXtcrTa KpvirTOVTa'i
^aXXiiXovs Sintenis and Bekker assume here a lacuna in
the text, where such details were given as are found in
Polyaenus, Strattgemata, i, 20.^
Y,tj&oiav Sintenis suggests Nl<raiav (cf. xii. 3).
424
SOLON, VIII. 6-ix. 3
Megarians were lured on by what they saw, beachedtheir vessel, and leapt out to attack women, as theysupposed, vying with one another in speed. Theresult was that not a man of them escaped, but
all were slain, and the Athenians at once set sail andtook possession of the island.
IX. Others, however, say that the island was not
taken in this way, but that Solon first received this
oracle from the god at Delphi :—
" The tutelary heroes of the land where once theylived, with sacred rites
Propitiate, whom the Asopian plain now hides in
its bosom ;
There they lie buried with their faces toward the
setting sun."
Thereupon Solon sailed by night to the island andmade sacrifices to the heroes Periphemus and
Cychreus. Then he took five hundred Athenian
volunteers, a decree having been made that these
should be supreme in the government of the island
if they took it, and setting sail with a numberof fishing boats convoyed by a thirty-oared ship,he anchored off the island of Salamis, at a point of
land looking towards Euboea. But the Megariansin the city of Salamis, hearing only an uncertain
report of what had happened, armed themselves
hurriedly and set out for the place, at the same time
dispatching a ship to spy out the enemy. This shipcame near and was captured by Solon, who put her
crew in confinement. Then he manned her with
the best of his Athenians, and ordered them to sail
against the city, keeping themselves as much
425
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eavTOiKi' a/jua Be tov<; d\\ov<;*
A6r)vaiov<; avaXa-
povra Tre^y avjK^epeaOaL roh Meyapevar koX
T^9 P'O^x*]^ ^Tt avvearcoarjfi <j>ddaat tou? diro t^?
4 "Eof/ce Se TO) Xoyo) tovto) koI ra Spodfieva
jxapTvpetv, vav^ yap Tt,<; 'Arrt/c^ irpocriTrXei,
(jicoTifj TO TTpcoTOv, CLTa Kpavyfj Kol aKaXayp/M
7rpo(j^6pop,evwv el<; dvrjp eVoTrXo? i^aW6p.€vo<;
fiera fforj<; edei Trpo? dxpov to ^Kipdhiov^ eK 7^9
7rpo(7(j)6pop.€voL<;. irXrja-iov Be rov ^EvvaXiov to
lepov ecTTiv iBpvcrap,ei'Ov XoXcovo^. evifcrjae yapTou? Meyapea<;, Kal oaot p,rj Bi€<^6dpr)(7av iv
TTj p^d'X^T), TTavra^i vTToairovBov^ dcjyrJKev.
X. Ov pb7]v dWd Tcov Meyapicov eTTifievovTcov
TToWd KaKa Ka\ Bpci)VT€<; iv tq) 7roXe/i« xal
irda'X^ovTe^y irroirjcTavTO AaKeBac/JiovLov<; BtaWa-Arra? Kal BiKacrTd<;. ol p,€v ovv ttoWoI tcS '^oXcovt
(TvvaywviaaaOai, Xeyovai T7]v 'Ofii^pov Bo^avi/ii^aXovTa yap avTov ctto? et? veSiv xaTaXoyov€7rl T^9 BifC7]<; dvayvcovar
Ata<i 3' €K ^aXapZvo<i dyev BvoKaiBeKa vrja<i,
G-TTjae 3' dywv Xv *A6r]vala)v laTavTO ^dXayye^,
2 avTol 8* *A07]vaLoi TavTa pev oiovTai (pXvapiav
elvai, Tov Be ^oXcovd ^acnv diroBel^aL to?9 Bl-
KacTTal^ OTt, ^iXato^ Kal EvpvcraKTjf;, Al'avTo^
vloi, ^AOrjvrjcn 7roXiT€la<; /x6TaXa/3o^'T€9 irape-^
"XKipa^iov after this word Sintenis aud Bekker assume alacuna in the text.
426
SOLON, IX. 3-x. 2
concealed as was feasible. At the same time, withthe rest of his Athenians, he engaged the Megarianson land, and while the fight was still raging,the crew of the ship succeeded in capturing the
city.
Now there seems to be a confirmation of this
story in certain ceremonies afterwards estabhshed.
Namely, an Attic ship would approach the island in
silence at first, then its crew would make an onsetwith shouts and cries, and one man in full armourwould leap out with a shout of triumph and run to
the promontory of Sciradium to inform those whowere attacking by land. Hard by that place is the
temple of Enyalius^ which was erected by Solon.
For he conquered the Megarians, and all who werenot slain in the battle were released on parole.
X. Notwithstanding all this, the Megarians per-sisted in their opposition, and both sides inflicted
and suffered many injuries in the war, so that finally
they made the Lacedaemonians arbiters and judgesof the strife. Accordingly, most writers say that
the fame of Homer favoured the contention of
Solon;for after himself inserting a verse into the
Catalogue of Ships, he read the passage at the trial
thus :—
''
Ajax from Salamis brought twelve ships.And bringing, stationed them near the Athenian
hosts." 2
The Athenians themselves, however, think this anidle tale, and say that Solon proved to the judgesthat Philaeus and Eurysaces, the sons of Ajax,became citizens of Athens, made over their island
^ Ares. ^Iliad, n.55Tt
427
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Zoarav rrjv vrjaov avTov<;, koI Kar^Kiqarav 6 jilv
iv 'BpavpcovL T^9 'Attract}?, o Be ev MeXiTy' koI
Bijfxov eTToovvjjLOif ^ikaiov tS)v ^iXalBcjv exovaiv,3 oOev Tjv TietcrlaTpaTO^. en he fidWov i^eXey^ai
Tov<; M.eyapea<; ^ou\6/jLevov i(T)(ypi(Taa6at Trepl
TMv veKpSyv co? ou^ ov rpoirov i/ceLvoi ddirTOvai
K€K7]Sevp.€Vcov, dX)C ov avToL OaTTTovai Be Me-
<yap€L<; irpo^ eeo tou? vexpov^ (TTpecf)ovT€<;, ^AO^]-
vatot, Be irpo^ eairepav, *}ipia<; Be 6 Meyapev<;
ivLa-rdfievo'^ Xeyet koX VleyapeU irpo^; eairepav
rerpapLp^eva ra acopura tmv veKpwv riOevar Kal
pLel^ov en tovtov, pbiav e/caa-Tov ^AOrjvaioyv e'xeiv
6y/cr}Vy MeyapicDv Be Kal T/oet? /cal reaaapa^; ev
4 pita KelaOai. tw puevroi XoXcovt fcal I1vOikov<;
riva<; j3o7)6f]aai Xeyovai ')(pr}apov(;, ev 0*9 o ^eo?
^laoviav ttjv ^aXaplva irpoaT^yopevae. ravrijv
T7]v BiKTjv iBifcacrav ^rrapTiaTwv Trevre avBpe^,
KpLToXatBa<;y *Ap,op,(j)dp€TO<i, ^T^JTrj^lBa^y ^Ava^L-
Xa?, KXeopevr)<;,
XI. "HBrj pev ovv Kal diro rovrcov evBo^o<i
rjv 6 %6Xcov Kal peya<;. iOavpaadij Be Kal Bte-
^or]6r] pLoXXov ev rot? "YaXXtjctlv eiTroDV virep rod
lepov Tov ev AeX<f)OL<;, to? XPV ffoyOelv Kal prj
irepiopav Kippacov^; v^pi^ovTa^ eU to pLavretov,
dXXa TTpoaapbvveiv virep tov Oeov /^eXcpol^. ireL-
o-6evTe<; yap vtt eKeivov irpo^ tov iroXepLov Mp/j-Tj-
(Tav ol ^Ap(f)LKTvov€<;, 0)9 dXXoi re pLaprvpovai Kal
*Api,o-TOTeX7)<; ev Ty twv UvOlovikcov dvaypacfyfj
428
SOLON, X, 2-xi. I
to them, and took up their residence in Attica, oneat Brauron, and the other at M elite ; and they havea township named after Philaeus, namely Philaidae,to which Peisistratus belonged. They say, too, that
Solon, wishing to refute the claims of the Megariansstill further, made the point that the dead on theisland of Salamis were not buried after the Megarian,but after the xA.thenian fashion. For the Megariansbury their dead facing the east, but the Athenians
facing the west. However, Hereas the Megariandenies this, and says that the Megarians also turn
the faces of their dead to the west. And what is
still more important than this, he says that the
Athenians use one tomb for each body, whereas the
Megarians (like the early inhabitants of Salamis)
place three or four bodies in one tomb. However,they say that Solon was further supported by sundryPythian oracles, in which the god spoke of Salamis
as Ionian. This case was decided by five Spartans,
Critolaidas, Amompharetus, Hypsechidas, Anaxilas,and Cleomenes.
XI. These events, then, presently made Solon
famous and powerful. But he was even more admiredand celebrated among the Greeks for what he said in
behalf of the temple at Delphi, namely, that the
Greeks must come to its relief, and not suffer the
people of Cirrha to outrage the oracle, but aid the
Delphians in maintaining the honour of the god.For it was by his persuasion that the Amphictyons
^
undertook the war, as Aristotle, among others,
testifies, in his list of the victors at the Pythian games,
* The twelve peoples who had as common sanctuaries the
temple of Apollo at Delphi and the temple of Demeter at
Anthela, near Thermopylae.
VOL. I. P 429
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
2 'ZokcdVL Tr}v yvcofiTjv 6,varL6ei<^. ov fiivToi arpa-
T7jyb<; iirl tovtov aiTe^ei^Or] tov irokefjiov, co?
Xeyeiv ^r]alv''Eipjj,t7r7ro^ "EivdvOrj tov Xafxtov ovre
yap Ald'xjivr]^ 6 prjTCop rovT etprjKev, ev re rot?
AeXcjiwv v7rojiiv7]fjLa(Tiv *A\Kp,aLCDv, ov XoXcov,
*A6i]vaL(Dv aTpaT7jyo<; avayeypaTTTai.
XII. To Se K.v\(op6cov ciyo^ ijBTj [lev ck ttoWou
BcerdpaTTe rrjv iroXiV, ef ov Tov<i o-uvcofJLora^ tov
Kv\o)vo<; l/ceTevovTU^ Tr}v Oeov Meya/cXij^ 6 apx^oviirl BIkt) KaTekOelv eireiaev' i^dyjravTaf; Be tov
eSoy? KpoKTjv kKwgttjv kol TavT7]<; i)(^ofJLevov<;, t»5
eyevovTO irepX tcl^ aeixva^i 6ea<^ KaTa^aivovre^ii
avTOfidTa)<; t?}? Kpo/crj^i pay€L<Tr]<;y Spfirjae av\-
Xafjb^dveiv 6 MeyaKXrj^ /cal ol awdp^ovre^, a)9
T9}9 deov rrjv l/cecTLav diroXeyofievr)^' koI tou? fiev
6^0) /caTeXevaav, ol Be T0I9 ficofiolf; 7rpo(7(j)vy6vT€^
aTreacfydyrjcrav' jiovoi S' d^eidrjaav ol ra? yvval-
2 /ca9 avTCJV lKeTev(7avTe<;. €k tovtov Be /cXijOevre^
evayel<i ifiiaovvTO' /cal tcov K.v\Q)veicov ol Trepi-
yevo/jLCvoi irakiv rjcrav l(T')(ypol,kol cTTaacd^opre^
del BLeTeXovv 7r/309 tol'9 dirb tov M€ya/cX60f9.
ev Be TO) Tore ')(^p6v(p t^9 aTdaeco^; d/cfj,r)v \a-
^ovar}'; jxakiCTTa Koi tov BijfjLOV BiaaTdvTOs, rjBjj
Bo^av e')(^(»iv6 ^6\(ov iraprjXOev el^ /leaov d/na
T0i9 dpL(TTOL^ Tcov *A07jvaLcov, Kal Beo/JLevof; koI
BiBdaKOiv eiretae tol'9 evayet<: Xeyop,evov^ BUrjv
430
SOLON, XI. 2 -XII. 2
where he ascribes the measure to Solon. He was
not, however, appointed general for this war, as
Evanthes the Samian says (according to Hermippus),for Aeschines the orator makes no such statement,^and in the records of Delphi it is stated that
Alcmaeon, and not Solon, commanded the Athenians.
XII. Now the Cylonian pollution had for a longtime agitated the city, ever since Megacles the
archon had persuaded Cylon and his fellow-con-
spirators, who had taken sanctuary in the temple of
Athena, to come down and stand their trial.^ Theyfastened a braided thread to the image of the
goddess and kept hold of it, but when they reached
the shrine of the Erinyes on their way down, the
thread broke of its own accord, upon which Megaclesand his fellow-archons rushed to seize them, on the
plea that the goddess refused them the rights of
suppliants. Those who were outside of sacred pre-cincts were stoned to death, and those who took
refuge at the altars were slaughtered there; onlythose were spared who made supplication to the
wives of the archons. Therefore the archons werecalled polluted men and were held in execration.
The survivors of the followers of Cylon also re-
covered strength, and were forever at variance with
the descendants of Megacles. At this particulartime the quarrel was at its height and the peopledivided between the two factions. Solon, therefore,
being now in high repute, interposed between them,
along with the noblest of the Athenians, and by his
entreaties and injunctions persuaded the men whowere held to be polluted to submit to a trial, and to
^ In his speech Against Gtesiphon, § 109.2 About 636B.O. Cf. Herod, v. 71 ; Thuc. L 126.
431
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
VTTocT'X^elv Kol KpL0rjvac rpLa/coaLcov apccrTLvSijv
3 SiKa^ovTcov. ^lvpojvo<i Be rov ^Xv€co<; Karijyo-
povvTO^ iaXcoaav ol avSp€<;, koI /jLereaTrjcrav ol
^a)PT€<i' TCOV S* CLTTodaVOVTCOV TOU? V6KpOU<^ CLVO-
pv^avre^ i^eppL-^av virep rov^ opov^;. ravrac^
8e Tat9 rayoa^at? /cat Meyapiwv avveTndefjievwv
aire^aXov re Nlaaiav ol ^AOrjvaLOC koI 'Zakafuvo^
i^eireaov avOa. /cal (po^oL Tiv€<i ix BeiaiBat-
fiovLa<; oLjia /cal cpdo-fiaTa Karel^e rrjv ttoXlv, ol
T6 pbdvTet^ ctyT) kol paacTfjLOVf; Beofxevov^ KaOapjicov
7rpo(j)aivea6aL Blcl tcov lepcov rj^opevov.
4 Ovrod Bt) /ieraTre/x-TTTO? avTol^ rjKev ix Kp7]T7}<;
'ETTi/xez^tS?;? o ^aiaTLO^, ov ejSBofiov iv rot? (Tocpot^;
KaTapiOjjLOvcnv evioi tmv ov Trpoaie/juevcov rov
UeplavSpov. iBoKei Be rt? elvat. OeocptXy^ koI
<T0(j)b<i Trepl TO, Oela rrjv ivOovcriaaTLKrjv kol re-
\e(TTiKr]v (TocpLav, Blo /cal iralBa vvjKprjfi ovofia
BttXT7/9 /cal Kovpt^ra veov avrov ol Tore dvdpcoTroi
Trpoaijyopevov. eXOoov Be fcal tm '^oXcovt %/>^<Ta-
fievo^ <f}i\(a TToWd Trpoa-VTretpydaaTO Kal irpoco-
5 BoTTolrjaev avrS Trj<; vo/jLoOeata^. Kal yap evara-
Xet9 eTTOiyae ra? lepovpyia^; Kal Trepl rd TrevSr]
irpaoTepovf;, Ov(TLa<} rivd^i evOv<; dvafiL^afi 7ryoo9
Ttt KTjBi], Kal TO (7K\7]pov d(j)e\oi)v Kal TO /Sapfia-
ptKOv a> (TVveixoi'TO iTpoTepov at TrXetarat yv-
valKe<;, to Be fieyio-rov, IXaaixol^ riai Kal KaO-
apfiol^ Kal IBpvaecTL Karopyidaa^i Kal KaOocrid)-
43a
SOLON, xii. 2-5
abide by the decision of three hundred jurors selected
from the nobihty. Myron of Phlya conducted the
prosecution, and the family of Megacles was found
guilty. Those who were alive were banished, andthe bodies of the dead were dug up and cast forth
beyond the borders of the country. During these
disturbances the Megarians also attacked the Athen-
ians, who lost Nisaea, and were driven out of Salamis
once more. The city was also visited with super-stitious fears and strange appearances, and the seers
declared that their sacrifices indicated pollutions and
defilements which demanded expiation. -s
Under these circumstances they summoned to . ^'^^their aid from Crete Epimenides of Phaestus, w^ho is t/^^
reckoned as the seventh Wise Man by some of those
who refuse Periander a place in the list.^ He was
reputed to be a man beloved of the gods, andendowed with a mystical and heaven-sent wisdom in
religious matters. Therefore the men of his time
said that he was the son of a nymph named Balte,and called him a new Cures.^ On coming to Athenshe made Solon his friend, assisted him in many ways,and paved the way for liis legislation. For he madethe Athenians decorous and careful in their religious
services, and milder in their rites of mourning, byattaching certain sacrifices immediately to their
funeral ceremonies, and by taking away the harsh
and barbaric practices in which their women had
usually indulged up to that time. Most important of
all, by sundry rites of propitiation and purification,and by sacred foundations, he hallowed and conse-
' 8ee note on iii. 5, and cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athena, i.
- The Curetes were Cretan priests of Idaean Zeus, who tooktheir name from the demi-gods to whose care Rhea was said
to have committed the infant Zeus.
433
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
<Ta<^ T^v TToXiv vTTijKOOv Tov BiKaiov Kot fidWovevTreiOi] tt/jo? ofiovotav KareaTrjcje. Xiyerai Se
TTjv Movwx^civ IBoDv Kol KaTa/iaOcbv ttoXvp
'X^povoVy elirelv irpo^ tou9 irapovTa^ 009 tv(J)'\6v
6 i(TTL TOV fiiXXoPTOf; avOpwiTO^' iKcpayetv yap av
A.67}vaiov<i rol^ avrojp oBovaiv, el irporjheaav ocra
TTJV TToXiv avidaeo to 'X^cDpiov o/xolov Be tl koX
SaXrjv eiKCLcraL Xeyovcrr KsXevaat yap avTOv ev
TivL TOTTft) T^9 ISJiiXrjcria^ (fiavXfp /cal TrapopcofjLevo)
TeXevTTjaavTa Oelvai, irpoeiTTcov q)<; ayopd iroTe
TOVTO MiX7)a[(0P ecTTac to 'x^wpLov, 'E7ri/i.ej/t8?;9
fiev oZv fidXicTTa davpbaadel^, Kal XPW^'^^ ^*~
h6vT(DV TToXXd Kal Ttfjias pbeydXa^ tcov 'AOrjvaiwv,
ovBev rj OaXXov aTro t^9 lepd^; ekaia^i alTrjadfievo^
Kal Xapayv dnrjXdev.
XIII. 01 B' ^KOifvaloL T?}9 ^vXtoveiov TrcTrav-
fievrjf; Ta/)a%^9 fcal /jueOeaTcoTcov, warrrep etprjTat,
TMv evaywVy ttjv iraXaidv avOi^ aTdcnv virep T7}9
7roXfcT6ta9 i<JTacria^0Vy oaa<; rj %a)/)a Bia(f)opd<;
elx^Vy eh ToaavTa pLeprj t^9 iroXeco^; BiaaTacTT}^.
^v yap TO fiev tcov AiaKpicov yevo<; Brj/iOKpaTiKco- 85
TaTov, 6Xcyapxi'f<:^TCLT0V Be to tcov HeBiecov Tpi-
TOL B^ oi HdpaXoi, ixecov tlvol Kal fiefxiyfievov
alpovjievoi iroXiTeiaf; TporroVy ifiTToBcbv rjcrav Kal
2 BieKcoXvov T0U9 €Tepov<; KpaTrjcrai. Tore Be Trjf; Ta>v
irevrjTcov 7rpo<; tol'9 itXovctiov^ dvcofxaXia^ Mcnrep
aK/jLrjv XaPovcrr)^ iraPTdTracnv eiTLa<f>aXco<; 7] 7r6Xi<i
BueKeiTOy Kal povco^ av eBoKei KaTaarrjvaL Kal
434
SOLON, XII. 5-X111. 2
crated the city, and brought it to be observant of
justice and more easily inclined to unanimity. It is
said that when he had seen Munychiai and con-
sidered it for some time, he remarked to the by-standers that man was indeed blind to the future ;
for if the Athenians only knew what mischiefs the
place would bring upon their city, they would devour
it with their own teeth. A similar insight into
futurity is ascribed to Thales. They say that he
gave directions for his burial in an obscure and
neglected quarter of the city's territory, predictingthat it would one day be the market-place of Miletus.
Well then, Epimenides was vastly admired by the
Athenians, who offered him much money and largehonours ; but he asked for nothing more than a
branch of the sacred olive-tree, with which hereturned home.
XIII. But the Athenians, now that the Cyloniandisturbance was over and the polluted persons ban-
ished, as described,^ relapsed into their old disputesj
Ji^
about the formjaf-goyernment, the city being divided ^into as many parties as there were diversities in its ^
territory. The Hill-men favoured an extreme
democracy ;the Plain-men an extreme oligarchy ;
the Shore-men formed a third party,^ which pre-ferred an intermediate and mixed form of govern-ment, was opposed to the other two, and preventedeither from gaining the ascendancy. At that time,
too, the disparity between the rich and the poor had
culminated, as it were, and the city was in an alto-
gether perilous condition ; it seemed as if the only^ The acropolis of the Peiraeus, strategically commanding
not only that peninsula, but also Athens itself. It was often
garrisoned by conquerors of Athens. ^Chapter xii. 3.
^ Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athens, xiii. 4.
435
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
iravcraadai rapaTTo/n^VT] TvpavvuBo^ yevofievrj^.
a7ra9 fiev 'yap 6 hrjixo^ rjv viro'x^peco^ tmv ttXov-
aLO)v. rj jap ejeotipjovv eKelvoL^ eKra r&v yi-
vojJLevcov reXovvre^, iKrrjfjLoptoi TrpocajopevofievoLKal 6rJT€<;, rj %/3ea Xa/ji0dvovT€<; iirl rot? crcofiaaiv
dya>yc/jLOL rot? 8avei^ov(7iv rjcrav, ol fiev avTov
BovX€VovT6<;, ol S' iirl rrjv ^ivrjv TnirpadKOfxevoi.3 TToXXoX 8e Kol Tralha<; ISbov^ rjvajfcd^ovro TrmXelv
(ovBeh yap v6fjL0<; CKOoXve) Kal rrjv iroXtv (fyevyeiv
Bia Tr)v 'xaXeiTOT'qra roiv Baveicnojv. ol Be irXel-
(TTOt Kal pcofiaXecoraroi avviaravTO Kal irapeKa-Xovv dXXrjXov^ firj ireptopav, dXX^ iXofievov^ eva
TTpoaraTTjv avhpa tticttov d<f>eXea9aL tov<; virep-
7]fi6pov<; Kal rrjv yrju dvaBdaaaOai Kal oXw?
jieTaarrjaai rrjv TroXcreiav.
XIV. ^EiVravOa Brj rcov^AOrjvaLwv ol (ppovifico-raroi avvopwvTe^ rov XoXcova ixovou fidXiara tS)v
d/jLapTTjfidrcov e/cro? ovra, Kal jjLijre rot? irXovaioi^
KOLVcovovvra r?}? dBiKLa<; /.ojre rai? rcov irevrjTWv
dvdyKai^ ivexoP'^vovy iSeovro T0i<i kolvoI^ irpoaeX-delv Kal KaraTravo-ai ra<; Bia(f)opd<;. KalroL Oaz^ta?
o Ae(T0co<; avrov laropel tov %6Xwva, ')(^prj<rdp,evov
dirdrrj 7rpo<; d/jL(f)OT6pov<; irrl a-corrjpla rrj<; 7r6X€a)<;,
vTTOcrxeo-Oat Kpv<j>a rol<; fiev diropoi^i Tr)v vefXTjcnv,
Tol^ Be %/9?;/xaTi/tot9 fie/Saicoaiv tmv (jvfjb^oXaiwv.2 dXJC avTO<i 6 XoXcov okvwv ^7)(tl to Trpcorov d^jra-cOac T?79 TToXtreta?, Kal BeBoLKcb<; rSiv fiev rrjv
^iXoxpVf^^'^^^^f '^^v ^^ '^h^ virepi^cfjaviav. ypeOr)Be dp')(^cov /jLerd ^iXop-^poTOV o/jlov Kal BLaXXaKTrj^;Kal vopio6eTr}<i, Be^ajmivcov irpodu/jLco^ avrov a)9 ^ev
436
SOLON, XIII. 2~xiv. 2
way TO settle its disorders and stop its turmoils' was
to establish a tyranny. All the common people were
in debt to the rich. For they either tilled their lands
for them, paying them a sixth of the increase (whence
they were called Hectemorioi and Thetes), or else
they pledged their persons for debts and could be
seized by their creditors, some becoming slaves at
home, and others being sold into foreign countries.
Many, too, were forced to sell their own children (foi*
there was no law against it), or go into exile, because
of the cruelty ofthe money-lenders. But the most andsturdiest of them began to band together and exhort
one another not to submit to their wrongs, but to
choose a trusty man as their leader, set free the
condemned debtors, divide the land anew, and makean entire change in the form of government.
XIV. At this point, the wisest of the Athenians
cast their eyes upon Solon. They saw that he wasthe one man least implicated in the errors of the
time ; that he was neither associated with the rich
in their injustice, nor involved in the necessities of
the poor. They therefore besought him to comeforward publicly and put an end to the prevailingdissensions. And yet Phanias the Lesbian writes
that Solon of his own accord played a trick upon both
parties in order to save the city, and secretly
promised to the poor the distribution of land which
they desired, and to the rich, validation of their
securities. But Solon himself says that he entered
public life reluctantly, and fearing one party's greedand the other party's arrogance.^ However, he waschosen archon '^ to succeed Philonibrotus, and mademediator and legislator for the crisis, the rich
» Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athens^ y, 3.* 594 B.C.
437
^1
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eviropov toSv TrXovaiwv, 009 Be ')(prj(TTov tmv irevrj-
r(ov. Xiyerai Be koX ^(ovrj Tt9 avrov irepL^epofiivr]
irporepov, elirovTO'i 0)9 to laov TTokejiov ov nroiei,
KOl T0t9 KTy]p,aTlK0l'^ apkcKUV KoX T0fc9 CLKTYJlXOdLi
ro3V fjuev a^ia koX apery, tmv Be fierpq) Kal dptO/jLO)
3 TO to-oi^ e^eiv TrpoaBofccovrcov 06ev eV* eXirLBos
/jbeyciXrjf; eKarepcov yevo/juevcov ol irpolaTafievoL
TTpocre/ceLVTo t& %6\(ovi rvpavviBa irpo^evovvre^Kal avaireidovTe^ evToX/JLorepov a-^aadaL ttj^
iroXecoff iy/cparr) yevofievov. iroWol Be Kal rS)v
Blcl fiecrov ttoXltcop, ttjv vtto \6yov Kal voimov
fjbera^oXrjv 6p6jvTe<; ipycoBrj Kal 'xoXe'rrrjv ovaav,
ovK €(j)evyov eva rov BiKatorarov Kal ^povLfKara-4 Toz^ €7ri<7T7]crai Tot9 TTpdyfiaaiv. evioi Be <j)aai
Kal jjLavreiav yeveaOai. to5 %oX(ovi TivOol roiav-
TIJV
*H(TO fiecTTjv Kara vrja KV^epvqrrjpiov epyovevOvvcdv TToXKoL rot
^
Adrjvaiayv eiTLKOVpoi,
/jLoXio-ra Be ol avvrjOeL^ eKaKi^ov el Bid rovvo/na
Bvcrwirelrai ttjv iJiovap)(iav, wairep ovk dpsrfj tov
\a^6vT0<; eu6v<; av jSaaiXelav yevop.evr)v, kol
yeyevT)fievrfv irporepov fiev Fiv^oevac Tvvvcov-
Bav, vvv Be ^tTv\7]vavot<; HiTTaKOV yprjfjievoL';
Tvpavvov.6 TouTftji' ovBev e^eKpovae rov "^oXcova t?}9 avrov
TTpoaLpeceo)^, dXXd 7rpb<; /lev rov<; cplXov^; elirev,
(M9 Xeyerai, KaXov pev elvai rrjv rvpavviBa 'X^f^piovt
OVK ex'^iv Be diropaaLV, 7rpo<i Be ^ojkov ev T0t9
rroirjpaai, ypd(j)a}V'
438
SOLON, XIV. 2-5
accepting him re<adily because he was well-to-do,
and the poor because lie was honest. It is also said
that a certain utterance of his which was current
before his election, to the effect that equality bred
no war, pleased both the men of substance and
those who had none ;the former expecting to have
equality based on worth and excellence, the latter
on measure and count. Therefore both parties werein high hopes, and their chief men persistentlyrecommended a tyranny to Solon, and tried to
persuade him to seize the city all the more
confidently now that he had it completely in his
power. Many citizens, too, who belonged to neither
party, seeing that it would be a laborious and difficult
matter to effect a change by means of argument and
law, were not reluctant to have one man, the justestand wisest of all, put at the head of the state.
Furthermore, some say that Solon got an oracle at
Pytho which ran as follows :—
" Take thy seat amidships, the pilot's task is thine ;
Perform it ; many in Athens are thine allies."
And above all, his familiar friends chid him for
being averse to absolute power because of the nameof tyranny, as if the virtues of him who seized it
would not at once make it a lawful sovereignty.Euboea (they argued) had formerly found this true
of Tynnondas, and so had the Mitylenaeans, nowthat they had chosen Pittacus to be their tyrant.None of these things shook Solon from his
resolution. To his friends he said, as we are told,
that a tyranny was a lovely place, but there wasno way down from it. And in his poems he writes
to Phocus:—439
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Et Be 7979 (cf)r](7[v) i^eia-dfifjv
7raTpiSo<;, TVpavviBo<; Be real ^t7;<? afxeLXixov
ov /caOrjyIrdfirjv fxidva^ Koi KaTaia')({}va<^ kXco^,
ovBev alBevfiar irXeov yap w^e viicriaeLv BoKeco
iravTa^i dv6pd^'rrov<i,
oOev evBrfkov on koX irpo rr)^ vofJuoOecria^; fjueyd-
6 Xrjv Bo^av el')(ev,a Be (pvyovro'; avrov rrjv rupav-
viBa iToKXol KarayeXcovTe^ ekeyov, yeypa^ev
OvK e(j)v ^6Xo)v /3a0v<ppcov ovBe fiovXrjeL^ dvrjp'
eaOXa yap Oeov BiBovro^; avrb^; ov/c iBe^aro,
irepL^aXoDv 8' dypav dyaadel^ ovk iTricnraa-ev
fjbiya
BIktvov, Ovjjlov 6* dfjiaprfj /cal (j>p€va)v diro-
ai^aXei^,
TjOeXnv^ ydp Kev KpaTrjcra^i, irXovrov d(f)6ovov
Xa^cbv
Ka\ Tvpavvevaa<; *A6r]v6)v fiovvov rjfiepav p.iav,
dcTKo^^
varepov BeBdpOat KdiTLreTpl(j)6aL yevo'^.
XY. Tavra rov<; TroXXov^i xal (pavXovf; irepl
avTov TreTTOLTjKe Xeyovra'^. ov fjLrjv dircocTdfievo^
ye T7JV TVpawLBa rov Trpaorarov i^p^o'aro rpoiTov
TOt? 7rpdy^(TiVy ovBe fjuaXaKOi^ ovS* vireiKtov T0t9
Bvvafi€V0i<; ovBe tt/oo? rjBovrjv rcov eXojj,evcov eOero
^IjdeXoy, aa-Khs Bergk, with the better MSS. : fldeKfy, ain6$
(he (Solon) wovld havt been loiUing; hinuelf).
440
SOLON, XIV. 5-xv. I
" And if/' he says," I spared my land,
My native land, and unto tyranny and violence
implacableDid not set hand, polluting and disgracing my fair
fame,I'm not ashamed ; in this way rather shall my name
be set above
That of all other men." ^
From this it is clear that even before his legislation
he was in high repute. And as for the ridicule
which many heaped upon him for refusing the
tyranny, he has written as follows ;—
" Solon was a shallow thinker and a man of counsel
void;
When the gods would give him blessings, of his ownwill he refused.
When his net was full of fish, amazed, he wouldnot pull it in.
All for lack of spirit, and because he was bereft of
sense.
I had certainly been willing, for the power, andboundless wealth.
And to be tyrant over Athens no more than a
single day.Then to have a pouch flayed from me, and my
lineage blotted out." ^'
XV. Thus he represents the multitude and menof low degree as speaking of him. However, thoughhe rejected the tyranny, he did not administer affairs
in the mildest possible manner, nor in the enactmentof his laws did he show a feeble spirit, nor makeconcessions to the powerful, nor consult the pleasure
1Fragment 32 (Bergk).
^Fragment 33 (Bergk).
441
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T0U9 v6fjLov<;' aX)C y fiev apiarov r)v, ovfc i'rrrj'ya'yev
iarpeiav ovSe KaivoTOfiiav, (po/STjOelf; firi (Tvy^iaf;TTavTairaGL koL rapd^a<; rrjv ttoKlv aaOevearepo'^
jevr]Tai rov Karaa-rrjcrai ttoXlv koI avvapfio-2 aaadai 7rpb<i to apicrrov' a Be Kal Xeywv ijXrrL^e
TreiOofiivot^; Kal Trpocrdycov dvdyK7]v VTrofievovai
'X^prjaaadaiy Tavr eTTparrev, w? ^ijaLV avrof;,
*Op,ov ^LTjv T€ Kal Blktjv Gwapiioda^.^
o9ev v(TT€pov epwrrjOel^ el rou? dpi(TTOV<; ^AOrj-
vaioifi v6fjL0V<; eypayjrev,"*D.v dv,^' ^<prjy
"TrpoaeSe-
^avTO TOv<; dpiarov^r'^A S' ovv ol ve(t)T€poi Tou? ^AOrjvaLovi; Xeyovai,
Td<; Tcov TTpayfidrayv Bva)(€p€La<^ 6v6/jLaai yprjarol^Kal (f)iXavOpd)TTOL<; eTnKaXvTTTovTa^ dareucof; viro-
3 Kopii^eaOaL, ra^ fiev iropva^ eraipa^, rov^ he <^o-
/)ou9 avvrd^eL^;, (f)vXaKd<^ 8e ra? (j)povpd<; rwv
TToXecov, OLKTjfjLa Se to Bea/icoryjpiov KaXovvra^;,
TTpdoTou SoXcovof; rjVy &)? eoiKe, a6(f)t,(Tfia rrjv tcov
Xpeoiv dTTOKOTTTjv aeLad')^6eiav ovoixdcravTo^. tovto
yap eiTOLrjaaTO irpSirov TroXlTevfia, ypd-^^at; to,
p.ev vTrdp^ovTa twi^ XP^^^ dveiarOat, tt/oo? 8e to
4 XoLTTOv eirl Tol<i aco/iao-t p.rjSeva Bavet^eiv. KaiTOL
Tive<; eypa^av, wv IctIv ^AvBpoTicov, ovk aTroKOTrrj
Xp€(ov, dXXd TOKcov fjLeTpLOTTjTt, Kov(f>iaOevTa<; dya-
irrjdai tov<; 7rev7)Ta<;, Kal aeiad^Oeiav ovojidaaLTO ^tXavOpcoTTevfia tovto Kal ttjv dp,a tovtw
yevofievrjv tcov ts fieTpcov eirav^rjaiv Kal tov vopi-
<TixaTO<^ TL/jb7]v. eKaTov yap eTroiijcre hpaxP'^v ttjv
^Fragment 36, verse 14 (Bergk) ; verse 16 of the longer
fragment now found in Aristotle's Coiut. of Athens^ chapterxii. 4, where we have Kpdrei | v6nov, fiiiiv re ktK,
442
SOLON, XV. 1-4
of his electors. Nay, where a condition was as goodas it could well be, he applied no remedy, and intro-
duced no innovation, fearing lest, after utterly con-
fusing and confounding the city, he should be too
weak to establish it again and recompose it for the
best. But those things wherein he hoped to find
them open to persuasion or submissive to compulsion,these he did,
"Combining both force and justice together,"
as he says himself. Therefore when he was after-
wards asked if he had enacted the best laws for
the Athenians, he replied, "The best they would
receive."
Now later writers observe that the ancient
Athenians used to cover up the ugliness of thingswith auspicious and kindly terms, giving them
polite and endearing names. Thus they called
harlots "companions," taxes "
contributions," the
garrison of a city its "guard," and the prison a" chamber." But Solon was the first, it would seem,to use this device, when he called his cancelling of
debts a " disburdenment." For the first of his
public measures was an enactment that existingdebts should be remitted, and that in future no one
should lend money on the person of a borrower.
Some writers, however, and Androtion is one of them,affirm that the poor were relieved not by a can-
celling of debts, but by a reduction of the interest
upon them, and showed their satisfaction by givingthe name of " disburdenment
"to this act of humanity,
and to the augmentation of measures and the pur-
chasing power of money which accompanied it.^ For
* See Aristotle, Const, of AthenSy x. 1, with Sandys' note.
443
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fivav rrporepov k^hop,r}KovTa koI rpLwv ovaav,
axTT aptOfiS) p,€V laov, hvvdfiei S' eXarrov airo-
SiBovTcov, Q)(j)€X€LaOai pev tou? iicTivovra<i peyaXa,5 p^TjSev Be pkaiTreaOaL tou9 KopuL^op^evov^. oi he
TTkeiGTOL TrdvTcov opLov ^aai T(av (Tvpb^oXaiwv
dvaipe(TLV yevkaOai rrjv creiaaxOeiav, xal rovTOi<;
avvaBec pLoXXov ra irotijpxLTa. Xepvvverai 'yap
^6X(ov iv TOVToa OTL T^9 T€ TTpovTTOKecpLevrjt; yrj(;
"Oyoou? dveiXe TroXXax^ 7r€7r7]y6Ta<i'
TTpocrdev Be BovXevovaa, vvv eXevdepw
Kol T(ov dycoyipLcov Trpb^ dpyvpcov yeyovoTcov ttoXi-
Tcov Tov<; pLev dv^yayev diro fez^iy?,
yXaiaaav ovKer ^ArriKrjv
ievTa<i, tw? av iroXXaxn TrXavapevowTot'9 B^ ivOdB* avTov BovXltjv deiKea
€XovTa<;
iXev6epov<; (fjrja-l iroiTJaai.
6 Updypua 8' auro) avpuireaelv Xeyerai Trdvrcov
dviaporarov diro t^9 irpd^eo)^ eKeiV7]<;. q}<; yapwpprjaev dvievai rd %/3ea Kal Xoyov^ dppoTTovra'i
e^rjTei Kal irpeTrovcrav dp)(rjv, e/coivcoaaro Ttdv
(j)lX(op oh pdXidTa TTiGTevwv Kal '^pcopepo'i
ervyxcive, Tot9 rrepl Kovoova Kal KXetvtav Kal
'Ittttovikov, on yrjv puev ov pueXXet Kivelv, %/3eft)i/
Be TTOLelv d7roK07rd<; eyvcoKcv. ol Be TrpoXafiovTe^; 87
fvOv<; Kal (pOdaavTe^i eBaveiaavTO (jV)(vov dpyvpiov
444
SOLON XV. 4
le made the mina to consist of a hundred drachmas,which before had contained only seventy-three, so
that by paying the same amount of money, but
money of a lesser value, those who had debts to dis-
charge were greatly benefited, and those who acceptedsuch payments were no losers. But most writers
agree that the " disburdenment"
was a removal of
all debt, and with such the poems of Solon are morein accord. For in these he proudly boasts that fromthe mortgaged lands
" He took away the record-stones that everywherewere planted ;
Before, Earth was in bondage, now she is free.**^
And of the citizens whose persons had been seized
for debt, some he brought back from foreign lands,
"uttering no longer Attic speech.So long and far their wretched wanderings ;
And some who here at home in shameful servitude
Were held "2
he says he set free.
This undertaking is said to have involved him in
the most vexatious experience of his life. For whenhe had set out to abolish debts, and was trying to
find fitting arguments and a suitable occasion for the
step, he told some of his most trusted and intimate
friends, namely, Conon, Cleinias, and Hipponicus,that he was not going to meddle with the land, buthad determined to cancel debts. They immediatelytook advantage of this confidence and anticipated
^Fragment 36, verses 4 f. (Bergk), with adaptation from
the first person ;verses 6 f. in Aristotle's citation.
2Fragment 36, verses 9-12 (Bergk) ; verses 11-14 in
Aristotle.
445
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irapa tmv ifkovcriwv fcal fieyaXaf; (TVvecovrjaavTo
7 x^pa<;. elra tov Boy/JLuro^ efei^e^^ei^ro? ra fiev
KTij/bbara KapTrovfievoL, ra Be 'X^prjfJLaTa roi? Bavel-
aaaiv ovk airoBLBovre^, eh alrlav tov XoXcova
fieyd\r)v koI BLa/BoXrjv, Mcnrep ov avvaBiKovp^vov,aXXa crvvaBiKovvTa, KareaTrjaav, aXka tovto
fiev ev0v<; iXvOr) to eyKXrjfjua Toh irevTe raXavTOi^;'
Toaavra yap evpeOrj Bavei^cov, /cat ravra tt/jwto?
a^rJKe Kara tov v6/iov, evLoi Be irevTeKa'iBeKa
Xeyovaiv, a)v Koi IloXi)^7jXo<; 6 'F6Bi6<i iaTi.
Tou? jjuevTOi (f)LXov<; avTov ')(pecoK07rLBa<; KaXovvTe<;
BieTeXecrav.
XVI. "Hpeae 5* ovBeTepOKi, aXX* eXvirr^ae kol
TOV? TrXovalov^ aveXcbv to, o-vfiffoXaca, kuI /jloXXov
eTL Tov<; 7rev7jTa<;y oti 77)9 avaBao-fiov ovk eiroirjaev
eXiriaaaLV avT0L<;, ovBe TravTairacnv, uxrirep 6
AvKovpyo<;, 6p.aXoij<; tol9 jBioi^ koi laovfj kutc-
aTTjcrev. aXX' i/cecvo^; fiev evBeKaTO^ covdcf)*
*UpafcXeov(; kcu ffeffaacXevKcofi cttj ttoXXo, t^<?
AaKeBaifiovo<;, d^Lco/jLa fieya koI (plXov? koi
BvvajJLLV ol<; eyvco KaXSx; irepl Trj<; 7roXtT€La<;
vTTTjpeTovaav eZ%e, xal ^ia fiaXXov r) TreiOoi
')(^p7](Tdp.evo<iycoaTe koI tov 6<pOaX/jLov eKKOTrrjvai,,
/caT€cpyd<TaTo to fieyiaTOv el<; acorr^piav TroXeco^i
Kol ofiovoiav, firjBeva TrevrjTa /nrjBe irXovcnov elvai
2 TWV TTOXiTCOV XoXcOV Be TOVTOV fiev OVfC i(f>LKeTO
Ty iroXiTeia STj/xoTiKOf; ojv /cat p,eao<;, eiBeeaTepovBe T^9 V7rapxova7](; Bwdfjied)^ ovBev eirpa^ev,
446
SOLON, XV. 6-xvi. 2
Solon's decree by borrowing large sums from the
wealthy and buying up great estates. Then, whenthe decree was published, they enjoyed the use of
their properties, but refused to pay the moneys duetheir creditors. This brought Solon into great con-
demnation and odium, as if he had not been imposedupon with the rest, but were a party to the im-
position.^ However, this charge was at once dis-
sipated by his well-known sacrifice of five talents.
For it was found that he had lent so much, and hewas the first to remit this debt in accordance with
his law. Some say that the sum was fifteen talents,
and among them is Polyzelus the Rhodian. But his
friends were ever after called " chreocopidae," or deht-
cutters. rr)XVI. He pleased neither party, however
; the (j^rich were vexed because he took away their secur-
ities for debt, and the poor still more, because hedid not re-distribute the land, as they had expected,nor make all men equal and alike in their way of
living, as Lycurgus did. But Lycurgus was eleventh
in descent from Heracles, and had been king in
Lacedaemon for many years. He therefore had
great authority, many friends, and power to supporthis reforms in the commonwealth. He also
employed force rather than persuasion, insomuchthat he actually lost his eye thereby,^ and most
effectually guaranteed the safety and unanimity ot
the city by making all its citizens neither poor nor
rich. Solon, on the contrary, could not secure this
feature in his commonwealth, since he was a man of
the people and of modest station; yet he in no wise
^ Cf. Aristotle, Const, of AthenSy vi.* Cf. LycurguSy xi.
447
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
opfjLcojxevo^i CK fiovov Tov ^ovXeadat /cal Tria-reveiv
avr(p TOv<; TToXtVa?. on B' ovv irpoaeKpovcre rot?
TrXetcrroi? erepa 7rpoaSo/c)]aaaLv, avTO<; etprjKe
mrepl avTwv, c»9
"Kavpa fjuev tot i^pdaavTO, vvv Be/ulol '^oXov-
fievoc
Xo^ov 6(f)6aX/jiOL(; opoiai, iravTe^; Mare hrjlov,
KaiTOL <pr]alv ro?, ec Ti9 dXXo<; ea^e ttjv avTrjv
Ovfc av KaTeax^ Brjpov, ovS' eTravaaTO,
irplv dvTapd^a<;, irlap e^eTXev ydXa.^
Ta%u fjbivTOL TOV crvfjL(f)epovTo<; alaOopbevoi Kai
Ta9 IBia^ avTMV/jiepiyjretfi d(^evTe<i eOvadv Te
Kocv^, Geiad^Geiav rrjv Ovaiav 6i'Ofjbd(7avTe<;, Koi
TOV %6Xwva Trj<; iroXiTeia^ Btop6(orr]v koI vofJLO-
6eT7]v aTreSeL^av, ov to, p,ev, to, 3' ovx^> 'Jrdvra h'
o/jiaXcjfi e7riTpe'\lravTe<;, dp)(^d<;, eKKX'qaia^, BiKa-
aTypca, ^ov\d<;, KaX TijjLT]fia tovtcov e/cdarTov
Kol dpidpov Kol Kaipov opLcrai, Xvovtu koI<j>v-
XaTTOVTa T(ov VTTap')(pVTcov Kol fcaOearcoToyv o tl
Boko 17],
XVII. TLpcjTOv fiev ovv tov<; ApdK0VT0<; vo/JLOvf;
dvelXe 7rX7]v tcov (fiovi/ccov d7ravTa<;, Bid t^v
%a.\€7roT?;Ta kclI to pLe'yeOa Tciiv iiriTLpLcov, pbia
jdp oXiyov Belv diraaLv &pLaT0 T0t9 dpuapTdvovat.
^ So the verses are now more correctly found in Aristotle
{Const, of Athens, xii. 5, Sandys).
448
SOLON, XVI. 2-xvTi. r
acted short of his real power, relying as he did onlyon the wishes of the citizens and their confidence in
him. Nevertheless he gave offence to the greater
part of them, who expected different results, as hehimself says of them in the lines :
—Then they had extravagant thoughts of me, but
now, incensed,All look askance at me, as if I were their foe." ^
And yet had any other man, he says, acquired thesame power," He had not held the people down, nor made an
endUntil he had confounded all, and skimmed the
cream."
Soon, however, they perceived the advantages of
his measure, ceased from their private fault-finding,and offered a public sacrifice, which they called
Seisactheia, or Disbiirdenment. They also appoint-ed Solon to reform the constitution and make newlaws, laying no restrictions whatever upon him, but
putting everything into his hands, magistracies,
assemblies, courts-of-law, and councils. He was to
fix the property qualification for each of these, their
numbers, and their times of meeting, abrogating and
maintaining existing institutions at his pleasure.XVn. In the first place, then, he repealed the
laws of Draco, all except those concerning homicide,^because they were too severe and their penalties too
heavy. For one penalty was assigned to almost all
transgi'essions, namely death, so that even those
^ Fragment 34 (Bergk) ; now verses 4 f, of a fragment of
nine verses cited by Aristotle [Const, of Athena^ xii. 3)." Cf. Aristotle, op. cit. vii. 1.
449
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
^rj/jLia 6dvaro<^, ware Kol rot"? apyia^ akovra'i
aiToOviqcFKeiVt Kol Tou? \d^ava K\e-\\ravTa<i rj
OTTcopav ojioicd'^ Kokd^eaOai rot? lepoavXoi^i koI
2 dvSpocpovoLf;. Boo Arj/judSTj^; vcrrepov evBoKi/jLT}-
aev elTTODV ore Bi alfiarof;, ov Blo, fieKavo^,
T0U9 v6fiov<; 6 ApaKCov eypayfrev. avTo<; S* i/cecvo^,
CO? ^aCTLVy €p(0T(O/jL€V0<; Blo, tL T0t9 TrXeiCTTOH;
dBiKrj/jLaai ^rj/jbiav era^e Odvarov, dTre/cpLvaro ra
fi6v fitKpa Tavrrjf; d^ia vo/jLL^etv, TOt? Be fxeyaXoi^
ovK e^eiv fiet^opa.
XVIII. Aevrepov Bk SoXcov ra^ fiev ap%^9dirdaa^, wairep rjaav, roL<; eviropoi^ dirokLTrelv
povkofievo^y Tr)v S* aXXrjv filial TrokiTelav, ri<;6
BrffMO^i ov ixerel^ev, eXaySe ra rcfi^/jbara tcov ttoXc-
TMv, KoX Tov^i fiev iv ^7}poL<; ojJLov KoX vypoZf;
fieTpa irevraKOdia TTOiovvTa^; irpwrov^ era^e koX
TrevraKoa-iofieBtfivov'; irpoar^yopevae' Bevrepov^i Be 88
Tou? XirTTOv Tpe(j)€iv Bwa/Jbivovf; rj jxerpa iroielv
2 Tpta/coaia' kol tovtov<; linrdBa reXovvra^; eKd-
Xovv ^evylraL 3' ol rod rpirov TipLr}fiaT0<; wvo-
jxdcrOrja-av, oh fiirpov rjv avvafK^orepwv BtaKoaicov.
ol Be XoiTToX 7rdvre<i e/caXovvro 6fJT€^, oh ovBe/uav
dpx^LV eBco/cev dpxv^f dXXa tw avpeKKXrja-id^eiv
Kol Bi/cd^ecv fjbovov /jberel^ov t^9 TroXtre/a?. o
KUT apx^'^ H'^v ovBeVy varepov Be irafifiiyeOe^i
€(pdv7j' ra yap irXelcrra rwv Bia(p6pa)V iveTTtTrrev
eh T0U9 BiKacTrd^;. /cal yap ocra rah dp^cth
era^e Kplveiv, ojxoio)^ kcu rrepl eKeivoav eh ro
4SO
SOLON, XVII. i-xviii. 2
convicted of idleness were put to death, and thosewho stole salad or fruit received tlie same punish-ment as those who committed sacrilege or murder.Therefore Demades, in later times, made a hit whenhe said that Draco's laws were written not with ink,but blood. And Draco himself, they say, beingasked why he made death the penalty for most
offences, replied that in his opinion the lesser ones
deserved it, and for the greater ones no heavier
penalty could be found.
XVI II. In the second place, wishing to leave all
the magistracies in the hands of the well-to-do, as
they were, but to give the common people a share
in the rest of the government, of which they hadhitherto been deprived, Solon made an appraisementof the property of the citizens.^ Those who enjoyeda yearly increase of Jive hundred measures (wet and
dry), he placed in the first class, and called themPentakosiomedimnoi ; the second class was com-
posed of those who were able to keep a horse, or
had a yearly increase of three hundred measures,and they were called Hippada Telountes, since
they paid a Knight's tax ; the members of the third
class, whose yearly increase amounted to twohundred measures (wet and dry together), werecalled Zeugitai. All the rest were called Thetes ;
they were not allowed to hold any office, but took
part in the administration only as members of the
assembly and as jurors. This last privilege seemedat first of no moment, but afterwards proved to be'
of the very highest importance, since most disputes
finally came into the hands of these jurors. For
even in cases which Solon assigned to the magistrates1 Cf. Aristotle, C(m8t. of Athens^ vii. 3f.
451u
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
hiKacrrripLov €<pea€i,<i eScoKe tol<; fiov\ofi€voi<;.
3 Xeyerai he /cal Toij<^ v6/iov<; aaa<^iaTepov ypdylraf;
fcal TToWas avTiXrj'y^eL's e^ovra^ av^rjcrai rrjv
TMV SiKaorrrjpLcov Icr^vv' fjurj hvvafjievov^ yap vtto
Tcov vojjLwv BiaXvdrjvao irepl cjv Bi,€(f)€povTO, avve-
jSaivev ael SecaOat BcKacrTcbv Koi irav ayeiv
ap,(f)Lcr^7]Tr)/iia 7rpo<; eKeivov(;» rpoirov tlvcl tmv4 vofjicov Kvpiovq ovra^. eTncrrj/MLiveraL 8* avTo^
avrat rrfv a^iaxrvv ovTco'i'
^rjfxtp fiev yap eScoKa toctov Kparofi oaaov
cLTTapKel,
TL/jLTjf; OUT acjyeXcdv out' iirope^dfjuevo^'
o'c S' el^ov hvvafjiiv /cal 'Xp^P'Ct(Tiv rjaav dyrjroC,
Kol Tot(; i(f>pacrdfi7)v firjSev deiKe^ e^eiv.
earrjv S* d/xcfu^aXoov Kparepov adfco^; dficpori-
poidi'
viKav S* ovK etaa ovBeripovf; dhiKco^,
5 "Et* fievTOL fiaXkov olofievo^ helv eirapKeiv TyTCOV TToWwv daOevela, iravrl Xa/Selv BUrjv vTrep
rod KaKOi^ TTeirovOoTo^^ eScoKe. Kal yap 7r\r)yevT0<;
irepov Kal ^Lacrdevro'^ rj P\a^evTO<; e^rjv t«
Bvvafievtp Kal ^ovKoixevcp ypd(f>eadaL rov dSi-
Kovvra Kal Bicofceiv, opOco^ iOi^ovTo^ tov vofioOirov
Tov<i TToXtVa? wdirep evo<; fieprj aco/JLaro^-^ avvai-
addvea-Oai Kal avvaXyetv dWrjXoi^. tovto) Be r^v6fi(p av/jL<f>covovvTa \6yov avrov Biap,vr)pLovevov-
^/ue'pTj adiixaros (or a-w/xaros fi^pr)) Corals and Bekker, after
Xylander : fvhs fifpovs.
SOLON, XVIII. 2-5
for decision, he allowed also an appeal to a popularcourt when any one desired it. Besides, it is said
that his laws were obscurely and ambiguously wordedon purpose to enhance the power of the popularcourts. For since parties to a controversy could not
get satisfaction from the laws, the result was that
they always wanted jurors to decide it, and every
dispute was laid before them, so that they were in a
manner masters of the laws. And he himself claims
the credit for this in the following words :—"For to the common people I gave so much power
as is sufficient.
Neither robbing them of dignity, nor giving themtoo much ;
And those who had power, and were marvellously
rich.
Even for these I contrived that they suffered noharm.
I stood with a mighty shield in front of both classes.
And suffered neither of them to prevail unjustly."^
Moreover, thinking it his duty to make still
further provision for the weakness of the multitude,he gave every citizen the privilege of entering suit
in behalf of one who had suffered wrong. If a manwas assaulted, and suffered violence or injury, it wasthe privilege of any one who had the ability and the
inclination, to indict the wrong-doer and prosecutehim. The law-giver in this way rightly accustomed
the citizens, as members of one body, to feel and
sympathize with one another's wrongs. And we are
told of a saying of his which is consonant with this
*Fragment 5 (Bergk) ; Aristotle, Const, of Athens, xii. 1 ;
cf. also ix. 1 f.
453
L
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(Tiv. epcoTTjOeh yap, co? eoiKCVy rjri,^ oiKetrai
KuXkiara tmv ttoXscdv,"
'E/ceti;?;," elirev," iv rj
rwv aBiKovfjLevQ)v ov;^ rirrov ol fir) aBtKOVfievot
TTpo^dWovrac /cat KoXd^ovcrc tou? dSiKovvra^;.^*
XIX. iv(TTr](Td/ji6V0<i Be ti]v iv 'Apeio) Trdyo)
povXrjv CK ro)V Kar iviavrov dp^ovrwv, ^? hia
TO ap^ai Koi avTO<^ fierelx^v, en 8' opcov rbv
hrjfJLov olBovvra fcal Opacrvvofievov ry rwv XP^^^
d(f>6(Tei, Bevripav irpocTKareveifie jSovXr/v, diro
<j)u\^<; e/cao-TT;?, reTrdpcov ovacav, eKarov dvBpa<i
eTrCke^dfjuevo^, ou? irpo^ovXeveiv eVafe rov Syfiov
Kol /jLr]B6V iav dirpo^ovXevTov et? €KKX7]aLav
2 elcr^epeaOai, ttjv 5' dvco ^ovXrjv iiria-KO'Trov
irdvTcov Kol (pvXa/ca rcov vojjlcov CKdOiaev, olo-
fi€vo<; iirl Bv(tI povXal<; axrirep oyKVpai^ opjxov-
aav rJTTOV iv adX(p Tr)v ttoXlv eaeaOai Kal fidXXov
drpe/JLovvra rov Brjfxov Trape^etv.
Ol /lev ovv TrXelaroi ttjv ef ^Apeiov irdrfov
povXrjVy M(77rep etpTjraL, ^oXcova (Tvarrjo-aaOai
(paar tcaX fiaprvpelv avroh Bo/cel /adXta-ra ro
/jLTjBa/JLOv Tov Apdxovra Xeyetv fjurjB* ovofjud^eiv
^ApeoTrayura'^y dXXa rot? i(j)eTai<; del BiaXeyecOat
3 irepl ra>v ^ovlkwv. 6 B^ rpi(TKatBeKaTO<i d^cov
rov XoXcovof; rov oyBoov e%6i tojv v6/jlcov ovtcd^
avTOt? ovofjuacri yerfpap,fxevov."
^Atljjlcov oaoi
drifjLOL riaav irplv rj l^oXoova dp^ai, iircTlfiovf;
elvat ttXtjv oaoi, ef^
Apeiov irdyov r)oaoi eK T<av
454
SOLON, XVIII. 5-xix. 3
raw. Being asked, namely, what city was best
live in," Tliat city," he replied, "in which those
who are not wronged, no less than those who are
wronged, exert themselves to punish the wrong-doers."
XIX. After he had established the council of the
Areiopagus, consisting of those who had been archons
year by year (and he himself was a member of this
body, since he had been archon), he observed that thecommon people were uneasy and bold in consequenceof their release from debt, and therefore established
another council besides, consisting of four hundred
men, one hundred chosen from each of the four tribes.^
These were to deliberate on pubHc matters before
the people did, and were not to allow any matter to
come before the popular assembly without such
previous deliberation. Then he made the uppercouncil a general overseer in the state, and guardianof the laws, thinking that the city with its two
councils, riding as it were at double anchor, wouldbe less tossed by the surges, and would keep its
populace in greater quiet.Now most writers say that the council of the
Areiopagus, as I have stated, was established bySolon. And their view seems to be strongly
supported by the fact that Draco nowhere makes
any mention whatsoever of Areiopagites, but alwaysaddresses himself to the "
ephetai"
in cases of
homicide. Yet Solon's thirteenth table contains the
eighth of his laws recorded in these very words :
" As many of the disfranchised as were made such
before the archonship of Solon, shall be restored to
their rights and franchises, except such as were
Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athens, viii. 4.
455
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
€(f)eTwv rj ifc Trpvraveiov KaraSifcaaOeme^ vtto
TMV ^aatXicov iirl (povrp rj (Kpayaccnv rj iirl
4 TVpavvihi ecpevyov ore 6 Oeafio^ e(f)dvr) oSe." TavTa
St) TToXiv ct)9 irpo T?}? ^6\a)V0<; a/?%?)9 /cat vojjbo-
Oe(Tia<^ rrjv i^ ^Kpeiov irdyov jSovXrjv ovaav
ivSeiKvvraL. Tlve<; yap ^aav ol Trpo X6\(ovo<:
iv *Ap€[(p Trdyo) KaraStKacrOevre^;, el 7rpct)ro<;
XoXcov eBcoKC rfi ef 'Apeuov irdyov jSovXfj rb
Kpiveiv; el firf vrj Aua yeyovi tc<; dadcpeia rov 89
ypdfjbfxaTO^ rj eKkeiyjri^i, ware rov? rjXcoKorafi eValTLai,<; al<; Kpivovai, vvv ol ^ApeoTrayirai Kal
iipirai, koX irpyrdvet'^, ore 6 6eafjbo<; icpdvrj oBe,
fxeveiv dTifiov<;, rcov aWwv iircTi/jLoyv yevo/nivayv,
ravra /jlcv ovv koX avro^ iincrKOTrei.
XX. Tcov ^ aWcov avrov vo/ucov tSto? fiev
fidXtara koI 7rapdSo^o<; 6 KeXevcov drcfiov elvai ^Tov iv crrdaet fJuriBerepa^ /Ji€pLBo<; yevojievov. /Sov-
Xerai S', 0)9 eoiKe, firj diraOM^; fJurjB^ dvaio-OiJTO)^
e'xetv 7r/)09 to kolvov, iv da-^aXel Oefjuevov tcl
olKela Kol tS firj (TwaXyelv fxt^Be avvvoaelv rfj
iraTpLBi KaWcoTTt^o/jLevov, dX)C avroOev Tot<i ra
jSeXrico Kal BiKaiorepa Trpdrrovai irpoaOeixevov,
(TvyfcivBvvevecv /cal /3o7)96lv, fidWov rj TrepLfieveiv
2 dKivBvvoD^ rh twv Kparovvrcov. aroiro^ Be BoKet
Kal 7€Xoto9 o ry iinK\r]p(£) BlBov<;, av o KparwvKal Kvpio'^ yeyova)<^ Kara tov vopov avro^; /xtf
BvvaTO^ y irXrjaid^eiVt vtto tcov eyycdTa tov
4S6
SOLON, XIX. 3-xx. 2
condemned by the Areiopagus^ or by the ephetai, or
in the prytaneium by thekiiigs^ on charges of murderor homicide, or of seeking to establish a tyranny, andwere in exile when this law was published." This
surely proves to the contrary that the council of the
Areiopagus was in existence before the archonshipand legislation of Solon. For how could men havebeen condemned in the Areiopagus before the timeof Solon, if Solon was the first to give the council of
the Areiopagus its jurisdiction.-^ Perhaps, indeed,there is some obscurity in the document, or some
omission, and the meaning is that those who had beenconvicted on charges within the cognizance of those
who were Areiopagites and ephetai and prytaneswhen the law was published, should remain dis-
franchised, while those convicted on all other chargesshould recover their rights and franchises. This
question, however, my reader must decide for himself.
XX. Among his other laws there is a very peculiarand surprising one which ordains that he shall bedisfranchised who, in time of faction, takes neither
side.^ He wishes, probably, that a man should not beinsensible or indifferent to the common weal,
arranging his private affairs securely and glorying in
the fact that he has no share in the distempers anddistresses of his country, but should rather espouse
promptly the better and more righteous cause, share
its perils and give it his aid, instead of waiting in
safety to see which cause prevails. That law, too,seems absurd and ridiculous, which permits an
heiress, in case the man under whose power and au-
thority she is placed by law is himself unable to con-
sort with her, to be married by one of his next of kin.
* Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athens, viii. 6.
457
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avEpo^i oTTveadai. koI tovto S* opBw^ e^^ivTive^ (paai tt/jo? tov? fMrj Bvva/Ji€vov<; (Twelvai,
Xp7)juLdT(ov 8* evexa XapL^dvovraf; iiriKXi^pov^ kol
To3 vofiw KaTa/3ia^oiJL€vov<; rrjv ^vaiv. 6pcovTe<;
'yap ft) fiovXerai Tr)v iTTL/cXrjpov avvovaavtj
TTpoi]aovTaL Tov ydfiov r) psr ala'xyvr)^; KaOe^ovai,3 (f)iXo7r\ovTia<; kol vppeccx; Slktjv SiBovre^. ev
3' e^ei KoX TO fit) iraaiv, dXka rwv avyyevcovTOV dvBpo^ o5 ^ovXeTai BidXeyeadai Tr)v iiTLKXr}-
pOVy OTTCDf; OLKelov Tj Koi fJL€TeXOV TOV yeVOV^ TO
TLKTOfieVOV, €69 TOVTO Sk (7VVT€k€L KOl JO TTJV
vv/jL(j)r]v Tft) vvfKpLO) (7vyfca0€ipyvv(TOat firfKov
KvBcDViOv KaTaTpayovoravy koi to Tph e/cdcrTov
fMrfvo'!; ivTvyxdvecv irdvTto^i Trj iTriKXtjpO) tov
\ap6vTa. Koi yap el fir) yevoLVTO iralhe^;, dXKa
TifJLT] Ti9 dv8pb(; avTi] Tryoo? aco^pova yvvalxa, koX
(^iXo^poavvr) ttoXXcl twi' (TvXXeyo/jievcov CKaaTOTe
Bva')(€p(i3V d<paipou(Ta, kol raZ? BLa(j)opat<; ov/c
icb(7a TrapTdwacnv diroaTpacpTJvai.4 Tc^v 8' dXXcov ydficov dcpeXXe ra? (f)€pvd<;, Ip^aTia
Tpia Kal (TKevr) pLLKpov vojxiapxiTO^ d^ia KeXevaa^,
€T6pov Be firjBev eiTLc^epeaOai ttjv ya/jLOV/ievt]v. ov
yap e/SovXeTO paaOo^opov ovB^ coviov elvat tov
ydjjLov, dXX' eirl Te/cvcoaei kol ')(^dpLTL Kal ^XottjtlyiveaOai tov dvSpo<; Kal yvvaiKo^ avvoLKiap^ov.6 p,ev yap Aiovvaio<;, d^tovarjf; Trj<; /jL7)Tpo<; avTov
BoOrjvai tlvl tcov TroXiToyv Trpo^ ydfiov, ecj)?) tou?
fjLev tt}? TToXeft)? v6fM0v<i XeXvKevai TvpavvojVy roy?
Be tt}? ^v(Tea)<^ ovk elvai BvvaTO<^ ^idtecrOai yd-5 fjb0v<^ vv/jL(f>aycoy(ov Trap" rfXiKiav ev Be rat? iroXeai
TTJV aTa^iav tuvttjv ov Boreov, ovBe irepiOTTTeov
458
SOLON, XX. 2-5
Some, however, say that this was a wise provision
against those who are unable to perform the duties
of a husband, and yet, for the sake of their property,
marry heiresses, and so under cover of law, doviolence to nature. For when they see that the
heiress can consort with whom she pleases, they will
either desist from such a marriage, or make it to their
shame, and be punished for their avarice andinsolence. It is a wise provision, too, that the
heiress may not choose her consort at large, but onlyfrom the kinsmen of her husband, that her offspring
may be of his family and lineage. Conformable to
this, also, is the requirement that the bride eat a
quince and be shut up in a chamber with the bride-
groom ; and that the husband of an heiress shall
approach her thrice a month without fail. For even
though they have no children, still, this is a mark of
esteem and affection which a man should pay to a
chaste wife ; it removes many of the annoyanceswhich develop in all such cases, and prevents their
being altogether estranged by their differences.
In all other marriages he prohibited dowries ; thebride was to bring with her three changes ofraiment,household stuffof small value, and nothing else. Forhe did not wish that marriage should be a matter of
profit or price, but that man and wife should dwell
together for the delights of love and the getting ofchildren. Dionysius, indeed, when his mother askedhim to give her in marriage to one of his citizens,said that, although he had broken the laws of the
city by being its tyrant, he could not outrage thelaws of nature by giving in marriage where ageforbade. And so our cities should not allow this
irregularity, nor tolerate unions which age forbids
459
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aaypov^ /cal a')(apL'Tov<; iTTiirXoKa^; koX fiyBev epyov
jafM^Xiov i')(pvaa<; /jbrjSe reXo?. aWa yepovrc viav
ar^opievcp (j)aL7} Ti<i avifjLjj,ekr)(; a/)%o>i^ rj vojjLo6€Tr}<:
TO 7rpo<; Tov ^iXokt^ttjv'
€v yovv (u? yapelv e^ei? raXa?,
Kal veov iv Sw/taTtco 7r\ovaia<; Trpeafivri^o^;,
coairep ol irepSi/ce';, oltto avvovaia<; ira^vvopevov
e^avevpwv /isToiKLaei TTyoo? ivapOevov vvp.^r)v
avhpo'^ BeopevTjv. ravra p^ev ovv irepl rovToav.
XXI. ^RTTatvelrai, Be tov 2)oXft)z^o9 Kal 6 Kwkvayv
v6po(; TOV TedvrjKOTa KaKw^ ayopeveiv, koI yapoaiov Tov<; psOeaTcoTa^ lepoii^ vopt^eiv, Kal BuKaLov
airk-yeGdai tS)v ovx virapxovTcov, Kal ttoXltlkov
dtpaipelv T^9 e')(dpa<; to diBiov. ^(ovTa Be /ca/cw?
Xeyeiv eKoikvae irpo^ lepoh Kal BiKaaTTjpioL^ Kal
dp-)(eiOL<i Kal Oecdpia^ ovar]^ dycdvcov t) Tpel'^i
BpaxP'OL^i TO) IBicoTTj, Bvo S' aXXa9 diroTiveiv ehTO Brj/jioaiov eVafe. to yap pbrjBapov KpaTelv
opyrjf; diraLBevTOv Kal aKoXaaTov to Be iravTa'x^ov
'Xakeirov, evioi^ Be dBvvaTov Bel Be 7rpb<s to Bvva-
Tov ypd^eaOai tov v6p,ov, el ^ovXeTai XPV^^H'^^
oXiyovi, dXXd prj ttoXXou? a%/9?;<7Tft)9 fcoXd^eiv*
^ivBoKLp^rjae Be Kdv t& irepl BiaOrjKcov v6p,(p*
TTpOTcpov yap ovk i^ijv, aXV iv Ta> yevei tov
TeOvrjKOTO^i eBei to, 'x^prjpaTa Kal tov oIkov KaTa-
peveiv, 6 B' w ^ovXeTaC Ti9 e7nTpeyjfa<;, el p>rj
460
SOLON, XX. 5-XX1. 2
and love does not invite, which do not fulfil the
function of marriage, and defeat its object. Nay,to an old man who is marrying a young wife, any
worthy magistrate or lawgiver might say what is
said to Philoctetes ^:
"Indeed, poor wretch, thou art in fine state for
marrying !
"
And if he discovers a young man in the house of a
rich and elderly woman, waxing fat, like a cock-
partridge, in her service, he will remove him and
give him to some marriageable maid that wants a
husband. Thus much, then, on this head. \XXI. Praise is given also to that law of Solon which
forbids speaking ill of the dead. For it is piety A<2^^
to regard the deceased as sacred, justice to sparethe absent, and good policy to rob hatred of its
perpetuity. He also forbade speaking ill of the
living in temples, courts-of-law, public offices, andat festivals ; the transgi-essor must pay three drachmasto the person injured, and two more into the public
treasury. For never to master one's anger is a
mark of intemperance and lack of training ; but
always to do so is difficult, and for some, impossible.And a law must regard the possibilities in the case,
if its maker wishes to punish a few to some purpose,and not many to no purpose.He was highly esteemed also for his law con- .^,
cerning wills. Before his time, no will could be ^made, but the entire estate of the deceased mustremain in his family. Whereas he, by permitting a
^ In a play of this name, of uncertain authorship. See
Nauck, Tra(j. Grnec. Frarj.-, p. 841. Plutarch cites twoentire verses iu Morals, p. 789 a.
VOL I. Q 461
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
7ratS€9 elev avrw, Sovvai rb, avrov, (piXiav re
avyyeveia^ irC/jLTjae /jloXXov koX X^P^^ avdyKrjt},
KoX ra xp^lf^^'^cL KTij/juara tmv ixovrcov iiroLrjaev,
3 ov firjv dviSrjv y€ iraXiv ovS* aTrXw? Ta? S6a6L<;
i(l)7]K€v, aXX' el/j-t]
voctcov eve/cevrj (j)apfidK(ov rj
SeafjLCOV^ rj dvdyKrj /caracr^j^e^ei? ?; yvvaiKi TTido-
fievo^y^ ev irdvv koI irpoar^KovTcof; to 7reia6rjvai
irapa to ^ekTiaTov ovSev r)yov/Ji€vo<i tov piaaOrjvai
8ia(j)6peiv, dX>J ei^ TavTO Tr]v dirdT'qv ttj dvdyKrj
Kol Tft) TTOVO) TTjP TjBoVTjV 06fl6VO<i, C09 OV^ ^TTOV
iK(TT7]aai XoyLCTfiov dvOpdyirov Swa/juivcov,
4 ^E7re(7T7]cre Be Koi TaU i^ohoL^ twv yvvaiKwvKOLi Tot? irevOecTi koi tol^ kopTot^ vofiov direip-
yovTCb TO aTa/cTov koI dKoXacrrov i^ievai /xev
ifiaTiwv Tpicov fjLT) likeov e^ovaav KeXevaa^, jjLrjBe
PpcoTOV 1] TTOTOV TrXeiovo^ rf o^oXov (pepofiivrjv,
/jLTjSe /cdv7]Ta TnjxvaCov fiel^ovay firjSe vvfCTcop
TTopeveaOaL irXrjv dfid^rj KOfiL^o/jbivrjv Xvx^^ov irpo-
<j>aivovTo<;. *A/iu%a9 Be KOTTTO/Juevwv koi to 6pr)-
velv TreTTonj/jLeva fcal to KcoKvecv dXXov iv ra^at?5 €T€pa)v d(j)€LX€v, evayi^eiv Be fiovp ovk eiaa-ev,
ovBe avvTiOevat irXeov IfiaTicov TpiSiv, ovS* iir^
dXXoTpia fivTjfjuaTa ^aBl^eiv %&)/)t9 IkkoimiByi^;. wv
TO, irXelcTTa koi Tot9 yfieTepot<; v6fioi<; dirrjyopev-
TUL' TTpoaKecrai Be Tor9 rjiieTepoi^ ^rjfitovaOai
*5€<r/i«»' Bekker adopts Schaefer's correction to 5€<r^y.
*vidS/xevos Cobet : ireiOS/xtyos.
462
SOLON, XXI. 2-5
man who had no children to give his property to
whom he wished^ ranked friendship above kinship^and favour above necessity, and made a man's
possessions his own property. On the other hand,he did not pennit all manner of gifts without re-
striction or restraint, but only those which were not
made under the influence of sickness, or drugs,or imprisonment, or when a man was the victim of
compulsion or yielded to the persuasions of his wife.
He thought, very rightly and properly, that beingpersuaded into wrong was no better than beingforced into it, and he placed deceit and compulsion^
gratification and affliction, in one and the same
category, believing that both were alike able to
pervert a man's reason.
He also subjected the public appearances of the
women, their mourning and their festivals, to a lawwhich did away with disorder and licence. Whenthey went out, they were not to wear more thanthree garments, they were not to carry more thanan obol's worth of food or drink, nor a pannier morethan a cubit high, and they were not to travel about
by night unless they rode in a waggon with a lampto light their way. Laceration of the flesh bymourners, and the use of set lamentations, and the
bewailing of any one at the funeral ceremonies of
another, he forbade. The sacrifice of an ox at the
grave was not permitted, nor the burial with thedead of more than three changes of raiment, nor the
visiting of other tombs than those of their ownfamily, except at the time of interment. Mostof these practices are also forbidden by our laws,but ours contain the additional proviso that such
463
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Toif^ rh Toiavra Troiovi'Ta^ viro tS)v yx/vaiKov6fJLG>v,
tt)9 avdvhpoL^ Kol yvvaifccoSea-i, roh jrepl to. irevOti
irddeai koI d/iaprrj/jLacriv eVe^oyLtei^ou?.
XXII. 'Op(ov 8e TO fjuev daru Tri/xirXd/jLevov dv-
OpcoTTCov del (TvppeovTwv 7ravTa')(^60€v eV dSeia*;
eh Tr)v ^KTTLKrjV, rd he TrXelcrra T779 ')(^a)pa<; dyevvrj
Kol (pavXa, Tov<; Se ^pw/teVof? rfj doKaTTrj firjhev
eloDOora^ eladyeiv roh firjBev exovcrcv dvTcBovvai,
irpof; Ta9 Te^va^ erpeyjre Tov<i TroXtra?, kuI vofwv
eypayjrev vla> rpetpeiv rov Trarepa /xt) hiha^dfievov2 rexvrjv iTrdvayxe^ fir) elvai. tw jxev yap AvKovpya>Koi TToXiv OLKOvvri KaOapdv o^Xov ^eviKov Kal
^(Dpav K€KTr]fjLev(p
TloXXoLCTi, iroXXrjv, St? roaoh he irXeiova}
Kar FiVpLTriBrjVy jcal to fieytcrTov, eiXcoTifCov ttXtJ-
6ov<;, o 0eXTiov tjv /xy a^oXd^etVy dXXd TpijSo/ievovdel Kal iTovovv TaTTeivovadai, TrepiKe^v/jLepov ttj
AafceBau^ovi, KaXco<; eZ^ez/ daxoXtwv iTTCirovcov
Kal fiavavcTcov diraXXd^avTa tov<; TToXiTa^ avve-
'^(eLVev T0t9 oirXoi^y pbiav Texvr}v TavTTfv eKfiavdd-
3 vovTa^ Kal daKOvvTa^' ^oXcov Be to?? TrpdyfiacnTou? v6fjL0v<; pbdXXov rj Td irpdyp^aTa Toh v6/jloc<;
TTpoaapiJi6^(ov, Kal t^? %<wy9a? ttjv (j>v(Ttv opayv rot?
yecopyovcTi yXia"X^p(o<; BiapKOvcraVy dpyov Be Kal
axoXaa-TTjv oxXov ov Bvvafievrjv TpecpeiVy rat?
T€)(^uaL^ d^i(op.a TrepieOrjKe, Kal Trjv ef *ApeLOV
nrdyov ffovXrjv era^ev eiriaKOTrelv 69ev CKaa-TO^
ex'^L ra iTrcTijBeta, Kal tov<; dpyov<; KoXd^eiv.^Following Nauck {Trag. Grace. FragJ^y p. 680) : voWois,
Totro7(r9€.
. 464
SOLON, XXI. 5-xxii. 3
lenaers shall be punished by the board of censors
for women, because they indulge in unraanly andeffeminate extravagances of sorrow when they mourn.
XXII. Observing that the city was getting full of
people who were constantly streaming into Attica
from all quarters for greater security of living, andthat most of the country was unfruitful and worth-
less, and that seafaring men are not wont to import
goods for those who have nothing to give them in
exchange, he turned the attention of the citizens to
the arts of manufacture, and enacted a law that noson who had not been taught a trade should be com-
pelled to support his father. It was well enough for
Lycurgus, whose city was free from swarms of
strangers, and whose country was, in the words of
Euripides,
"For many large, for twice as many more than
large,"
and because, above all, that country was flooded
with a multitude of Helots, whom it was better not
to leave in idleness, but to keep down by continual
hardships and toil,—it was well enough for him to
set his citizens free from laborious and mechanical
occupations and confine their thoughts to arms,
giving them this one trade to learn and practice.But Solon, adapting his laws to the situation, rather
than the situation to his laws, and observing that
the land could give but a mere subsistence to those
who tilled it, and was incapable of supporting an
unoccupied and leisured multitude, gave dignity to\si/^
all the trades, and ordered the council of the Areio-vT^^ ^
pagus to examine into every man's means of liveli- Ojv^vShood, and chastise those who had no occupation.
/a^*^ \
465
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
kraipa^ <yevofihot<; lirava'^Ke^ elvai toxx; iraripa^
Tp6(f)eLV, &)9 *J[lpaK\€iSr)<; IcrToprjKev 6 lilovTLK6<;, 6
yap iv yd/jL^ irapopwv to koXov ov retcvcov evexa
S>}Xo9 i<TTiVy dX)C r)8ovrj<; dy6/x€V0<; yvvatKa, rov
re fjLio-Oov avre^et, Kal Trapprjacav avrw irpo^ tou9
yevo/nevov^; ovk dTroXekoiirev, oh avro ro yevkadai
rreiToiriKev oveiSo^.
XXIIL "0Xa)9 Be TrXeiaryv e')(eiv droiriav oi
rrepX r5)V yvvaiKMV vofjuot rw ^oXwvl SoKovai.
fiotxov /iiev yap dveXelv r^ Xafiovrc BeScoKev
eav 8* apirdari ri'; iXevOepav yvvalfca Kal ^id-
arjrai, ^rjfjbiav exarov Bpa')(^ixa^ era^e' Kav irpo-
aywyevrjy SpaxP'Ci'i eiKoa-L, ttXtjv oaat Tre^acr/xez^o)? 9]
TTcoXovvrai, Xeycov Brj ra<; eraipa^;. avrai yap2 ifM(pavco<; ^oiraxri, 7ryoo9 rou? BiB6vra<;. en S' ovre
6vyarepa<i rrcoXelv our dBeX(j)a<; BiBeocTL, irXrji/
avfJLT) Xdpy irapOevov dvBpl avyyeyevqiievrjv.
ro 8' avro irpayixa irore jiev ircKpco^; Kal dirapai-
t?;tg)9 KoXd^ecv, irore 3' euKoXco^; Kal Trai^ovra,
TTpoa-ri/jLOv ^Tjfiiav rr}V rvxovaav opl^ovra, dXoyoveart' irXyv ei firj (TiravL^ovro^ rore rod vo/iLap.aro<;
ev rfj ttoXgl fjLeydXa<; eTTolei Ta9 dpyvpLKo,^ ^ij/jLiaf;
3 TO BucnropLO-rov, eh p-ev ye ra ri/i7ii.iara r(x)v
OvaiMV Xoyit^erai 7rp6,8arov Kal Bpa'XP'rjv dvrl
fjLeBifjLvov r(p B' "lo-OpLta viKija-avn Bpa'XP'a^ era^ev€Karbv BlBoaOat, rep B^ ^OXvpuna irevraKoaia^'
XvKov Be Tft) KOfiicravrt rrevre Bpax/^a^; eBcoKe,
XvKiBia Be p,[av, d)v (jyrjatv 6 ^aXrjpev^ Ar]p,7]Tpio<;
ro fjLev j3oo<i elvat, ro Be irpo^drov ri^^rjp. a? yap
466
SOLON, XXII. 4-xxiir. 3
But that provision of his was yet more severe, which,as Heracleides Ponticus informs us, relieved the sons
who were born out of wedlock from the necessity of
supporting their fathers at all. For he that avoids
the honourable state of marriage, clearly takes a
woman to himself not for the sake of children, butof pleasure ; and he has his reward, in that he robs
himself of all right to upbraid his sons for neglectinghim, since he has made their very existence a reproachto them.
XXIII. But in general, Solon's laws concerning ..nJ^'^''*^
women seem very absurd. For instance, he per-mitted an adulterer caught in the act to be killed ;
but if a man committed rape upon a free woman, hewas merely to be fined a hundred drachmas ; and if
he gained his end by persuasion, twenty drachmas,unless it were with one of those who sell themselves
openly, meaning of course the courtesans. Forthese go openly to those who offer them their price.Still further, no man is allowed to sell a daughter or
a sister, unless he find that she is no longer a virgin.But to punish the same offence now severely and
inexorably, and now mildly and pleasantly, makingthe penalty a slight fine, is unreasonable ; unless
money was scarce in the city at that time, and the
difficulty of procuring it made these monetary punish-ments heavy. In the valuations of sacrificial offerings,at any rate, a sheep and a bushel ofgrain are reckonedat a drachma ; the victor in the Isthmian games wasto be paid a hundred drachmas, and the Olympicvictor five hundred ; the man who brought in a wolf,was given five drachmas, and for a wolf's whelp,one; the former sum, according to Demetrius the
Phalerian, was the price of an ox, the latter that of
467
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eV T^ iKKaiBeKaro) tS)v a^ovcov opi^ei rifik^; r(ov
€KKpiT(op L€p6L0)v, et/co? fiev elvai iroXkaTrXaaia^,
dXXco<; Be Ka/ceivai, Trpo? Ta<: vvv eureXet? elcnv.
4 apxa^ov Be Tol^i^
X6rivaioL<; to irokep^lv T0t9
XvKoi^, ^eXrlova vepeiv rj ryecopyeXv %<»yoai/ exovcri.
KoX T<Z9 <f)v\a<; elalv oi \eyovre<i ovk airb rcov
"Icovo'; vlo)v, aXX! airo tcop yevcov, eh a Bcypidijcrav
ol ^LoL TO irpcoTOVy oyvopjdadaL, to fiev fid^Lp^ov
'OTrXtra?, to 8' ipyaTiKov 'EyoyaSet?* Bveiv 8e
T(ov XoLTTcov VeXkovTa^ p.ev tov<; yeQ)pyov<;, Alyi-
Kopei<i Be Tov^ iirl vop.al<i koX irpo^aTeiaL^ Bia-
Tpi^ovTa^,
5 'EttcI Be 7rpb<; vBcop ovtc iroTap^oh Icttlv devdoL^;
ovTe XL/jLvat<: Tialv ovt d(pd6vot><; irT^yalf; rj
X^pf^ BiapK7]<;, dW* ol TrXelaToi (^peaaL iroiTjToh
iXpoi)VTO, vojjlov eypayjrev, oirov puev eaTL Bijp^oacov
(ppeap 6J/T09 linri/cov, %/9^o-^ai tovto)' to B^ linri-
Kov BidaTrjfia Tecrcrdpcov rjv (TTaBiwv' oirov Be
irXeiov direxei', ^rjTelv vBcop XBlov edv Be 6pv^avTe<i
opyvicov BeKa ^d6o<; irap* eavToh prj eupcoai.
Tore Xafi^dveiv irapa tov yeLTova e^d^ovv
vBpiav 8t9 €Kd(7T7}<: rfp.epa<i TrXrjpovvTa^;' diropia
yap weTO Belv fiorjOelv, ovk dpyiav e<f)oBid^€iv.
6 wpio'e Be koX <f)VT€i(ov perpa p,dX^ e/x7r€t/?&J9, tou9
p.ev dXXo Ti <pvT€vovTa<i iv dypw irevre TroBa^;
46S
SOLON, xxiii. 3-6
a sheep. For although the prices which Solon fixes
in his sixteenth table are for choice victims, and
naturally many times as great as those for ordinaryones, still, even these are low in comparison with
present prices. Now the Athenians were from of
old great enemies of wolves, since their country wasbetter for pasturage than for tillage. And there are
those who say that their four tribes were originally
named, not from the sons of Ion, but from the
classes into which occupations were divided;
thus
the warriors were called Hoplitai, the craftsmen
Ergadeis ;and of the remaining two, the farmers
were called Geleontes, the shepherds and herdsmen
Aigikoreis.^Since the country was not supplied with water by
ever-flowing rivers, or lakes, or copious springs, butmost of the inhabitants used wells which had been
dug, he made a law that where there was a publicwell within a "hippikon," a distance of four furlongs,that should be used, but where the distance was
greater than this, people must try to get water of
their own ; if, however, after digging to a depth of
ten fathoms on their own land, they could not getwater, then they might take it from a neighbour's*well, filling a five gallon jar twice a day; for he Athought it his duty to aid the needy, not to provision [
Cthe idle. He also showed great experience in thelimits which he set to the planting of trees ; no onecould set out a tree in a field within five feet of his
1 This is strained etymology to explain the ancient tribal
names of Hopletes, Argadeis, Geleontes, and Aigikoreis,which are derived, in Herodotus v. 66, from the names of thefour sons of Ion, The first has nothing to do with "
hopla,"arms; nor the second with "ergon," 7oorh; nor the thirdwith "ge," earth ; nor the fourth with "aix," goat.
469
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aireyeiv rov yetrovof; ice\evcra<;, rov<; Be avKtjv
rjeXaiav ivvea. Troppcoripco yap i^cKveirat
Tavra raU pi^ai^, kol ov Trdai yeirvia tol<;
(j)VTOL<i a(JLV(i)<;, aXka kol rpO(j)rjv TTapaipetTaLKoX pkcLTTTOvcrav ivLOi<i cLTTOpporjp a(f)Lr)ai,. /9o-
6pov<; Be KoX Td(j)pou<; rov ^ovXojiievov ixiXevaep
opvcTdeiv, oaov epi^dWei ^ddo<i, dcfyco-rdi-ievov
firJKO^i rdWoTpLOV /cat fieXiaacov a/jL'ijvr) /cadiard-
fievov d'iTe')(eLV tmv v(j)* erepov Trporepov IBpufiivcov
iroBa^ rpiaKO(TLov<;,
XXIV. Twj' Be yivo/JL€V(ov BidOeo-iv tt/jo? feVou?ekalov fxovov eBtoKev, dXka S* i^dyeiv ixcoXvae'
KOi /card rcov i^ayovrcov dpd<; rov dp^ovra ttol-
eiaOat TrpocreTa^ev, rj e/criveLV avrbv eKarov
Bpa'X^fjidfi eU to Brj/jLoanov. koI TrpojTo^ d^cov
iarlv 6 TovTOV irepiexft^v tov v6/jlov. ov/c dv ovv
Ti9 rjyrjaaLTO Tra^reXw? d7n6dvov<; tou? Xeyovra^OTi KoX (TVfC(ov e^aycoyr) to irakaLOV direlprjTOt
KoX TO (paiveiv evBeiKvv/jievov Toif^ e^dyovra^
KkrjOrjvai crvKOCpavreXv. eypa^Jre Be koI fi\d^7](;
rerpaTToBcov vopLOv, ev w kol Kvva BaKovra irapa-Bovvai KeXeveL kXoim rpLTr^^ei BeBefxevov' to fiev
ivOv/xrj/jLa ^dptev 7rpb<; da^dXeiav.2 Tiapexei 8' diropiav kol 6 tcov Br)p.07roLr]TO)P
vofio^, OTi, yeveadai TroXlrat^ ov BlBoxti ttXtjv
Tolf} (fievyovcriv deLc^vyia ttjp eavrcovi) TraveaTioi^
\\0)]va^e /jLeTOLKL^ofiivoL^ iirl Tex^O' tovto Be
TTOirjaai (f)a(Ttv avrbv ovx ovrco^ aTreXavvovra 92
Tou? dXXov<; 0)9 KaraKaXov/Lievov^AOijva^e tovtov<;
iirl ^epaiw rcG fxede^eiv t^9 7ToXLTeia<i, Ka\ afxa
470
SOLON, XXIII. 6-xxiv. 2
mr s field J or, in case it was a fig-tree or an
^live-tree, within nine. For these reach out farther
with their roots, and injure some trees by their
proximity, taking away their nourishment, and
emitting an exhalation which is sometimes noxious.
He that would dig a pit or a trench, must dig it at
the distance of its own depth from his neighbour's ;
and he that would set out hives of bees, must putthem three hundred feet away from those whichanother had already installed.
XXIV. Of the products of the soil, he allowed oil
only to be sold abroad^ but forbade the exportationof others
;and if any did so export, the archon was
to pronounce curses upon them, or else himself paya hundred drachmas into the public treasury. Hisfirst table is the one which contains this law. Onecannot, therefore, wholly disbelieve those who saythat the exportation of figs also was anciently for-
bidden, and that the one who showed up, or pointedout such exporters, was called a "sycophant," or
fig-shoTver, He also enacted a law concerninginjuries received from beasts, according to which a
dog that had bitten anybody must be delivered upwith a wooden collar three cubits long fastened to it;
a happy device this for promoting safety.But the law concerning naturalized citizens is of
doubtful character. He permitted only those to bemade citizens who were permanently exiled fromtheir own country, or who removed to Athens withtheir entire families to ply a trade. This he did,as we are told, not so much to drive away other
foreigners, as to invite these particular ones to
Athens with the full assurance of becoming citizens ;
he also thought that reliance could be placed both
471
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tna-Toiff; vofiiXovTa tov<; fiev airoffe^XrjKoraf; rrjv
eavTwv Sia rrjv avd<yKrjVf tou9 5' aTroXeXo^Trora?
3 hia T7)v yvcofirjv, lBcov Be rod X6\o)vo<: koI to
irepi Trj<;iv Br^fioaiw atTijceco^f oirep avTOf;
rrrapaairetv k€kX7}K€. top yap avTov ovk id
acT€LadaL TroXXa^rt?, iav Be o5 Kadi]Kei firj fiov-
Xrjraiy KoXd^ei, to fiev '^yovjjievof; TrXeove^CaVy to
S' vTrepoyp-tav tcov kolvcov.
XXY. ^\(T)(vv Be TOt? v6fjL0L<; iraaLv el^ exarov
iviavToif^ eB(DKe* koI KaTeypd(\>T](Tav eU ^vXivov;
a^ova^ iv TrXata-ioi^ Trepiexovat (TTpecl)o/j.€Vov<:,
o)v en KaO^ '^fia^; iv UpvravetG) Xeiyjrava fiiKpa
Bieaco^ero' kol TrpoarjyopevOrjaaVy eo?^
ApiaTore-
X?79 (f)7)aL, Kvp^ei,<:. fcal KpaTlvo<i 6 KcufiiKo^i
eUptj/ce TTOV
IIpo<; Tov ^6\covo<: kol ApdfcovTO<; olctl vvv
(ppuyovacv rjBrj ra? Kd)(^pv<i Tol<i Kvp/Seaiv,
2 eviOL Be (ftacnv lBL(o<i iv oh lepa koI Ovaiai
'iTepie')(0VTaiy Kvp0eL<;, d^ova<; Be tou9 aX\ov<;
wvofidaOac, kolvov /juev ovv cofivvev opKov rj ^ovXt)
T0U9 X6Xa}vo<; vofiovs ifiTreBooaeiVy XBlov B' eKaarof;
TCdV Oea-fjLoOeTMV iv dyopa 7rpo<; tw XlOw, Kara-
(paTL^cov, et TL 7rapa/3aL7) t(ov deafxoiv, dvBpidvra
')(^pvcFovv laofieTpTjTOv^ dvadrjaecv iv AeX^oi9,^
'IffofierpjiTov and iy Ae\<po7s are not in the text of Aristotle.
472
SOLON, XXIV. 2-xxv. 2
iose who had been forced to abandon their own
country, and on those who had left it with a fixed pur-
pose. Characteristic of Solon also was his regulationof the practice of eating at the public table in the
townhall, for which his word was "parasitein."
^ Thesame person was not allowed to eat there often, but
if one whose duty it was to eat there refused, he was
punished. Solon thought the conduct of the firs|
grasping; that of the second, contemptuous of the
public interests.
XXV. All his laws were to have force for a
hundred years, and they were written on "axones,"
or wooden tablets, which revolved with the oblongframes containing them. Slight remnants of these
were still preserved in the Prytaneium when I wasat Athens, and they were called, according to
Aristotle,^" kurbeis." Cratinus, also, the comic poet,
somewhere says :—
''
By Solon, and by Draco too I make mine oath.Whose kurbeis now are used to parch our barley-
,0^'j^^"
f
But some say that only those tablets which relate to
sacred rites and sacrifices are properly called " kur-
beis," and the rest are called "axones." Howeverthat may be, the council took a joint oath to ratifythe laws of Solon, and each of the "
thesmothetai,"or guardians of the statutes, swore separately at the
herald's stone in the market-place, vowing that if
he transgressed the statutes in any way, he woulddedicate at Delphi a golden statue of commensurateworth.
^ Hence, with scornful meaning, the word parasite,' Cf. Const, of Athens, vii, 1, with Sandys' notes.» Kock, Com. Att. Frag. i. p. 94.
473
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
3 ^vvtScbv Sk Tov /A771/09 T^v dvcofiaKiav, Kal rr)v
KLVTjatV T^? <T6\l]V7J<; OUTS BvO/jL6V(p TO) TjTUM
7rdvTco<; ovt dviaxovrt av/jL(j)epo/jL€V7jv, dWd ttoX-
XaKi^i T^9 avTrj<; r^fxepa^ Kal KaToXapb^dvovcrav
Kot TrapepxofievTjv tov rfKiovy avTrjv pev erafe
TavTTfv evrjv Kal veav KaXelaOaiy to p,ev irpo
avvohov p^opLov avT7]<; tco iravop^ev^ p^rjvly to Be
\oL7rov i]8rj tw dp)(pp,ev(£t irpoarjKeLV r)yovp,evo<;,
7r/9WT09, ft)? €01K€V, 0/3^0)? CLKOVGa^ ^Op,rjpOV Xi-
701^709,
Tov pLev (j)0ivovTO^ P'r]v6<;, tov S* i(TTap,evoio,
Tr)v 5*i(f)€^r]<i ripbipav vovpbrjvLav cKaXeae. Tct^ S*
diT^ ecKaSo^ ov TrpoaTiOei^;, a\V d(j)aip(ov Kal
dvaXvcDV, ScTTrep to, <^coTa T7J9 o-ekrjvq'^ ecapa,
p^expi' TpiaKaSo^ rjpiOpLr]aev.
4 'Evrel Be tmv vopLwv ela-evex^evTOfv evLoi tcv
^ok(ovL KaO^ eKaaTTiv irpocrrjeaav rjuepav, iirai-
vovvT€<; T] yjri'yovTe'^ rj avpb^ov\evovT£<^ ipiBdWeiv
T0L9 y€ypapLpL6V0i<i 6 Ti Tv^pLGV Tj d^aLp€iv, ttXcl-
(TTOi 8' rjaav ol 7rvv0av6p,evot Kal dvaKpiPOVTe^
teal KekevovTe^i avTov oircof; eKaaTov e^ei Kal
'iTpo<i f)v K6LTaL Sidvoiav eTreKBiSdcTKeiv Kal a-acfirj-
5 VL^eiv, 6po)v OTL TavTa Kal to irpaTTeiv aTOirov
Kal TO p,r] irpdTTeiv iiri^Oovov, 6\(0(; Be Ta<9
aTTopCai'i vTreKaTrjvaL ^ov\6pLevo<; Kal Biacpvyeli^
474
SOLON, XXV. 3-5
Observing the irregularity of the months and that
the motion of the moon does not always coincide
with the rising and setting of the sun, but that often
she overtakes and passes the sun on the same day,he ordered that day to be called the Old and
New, assigning the portion of it which precededthe conjunction to the expiring month, and the
remaining portion to the month that was just
beginning. He was thus the first, as it would seem,to understand Homer's verse,^ which speaks of a daywhen
"This month is waning, and the next is setting in,"
and the day following this he called the first of the 60^ Jmonth. After the twentieth he did not count the
days by adding tliem to twenty, but by subtractingthem from thirty, on a descending scale, like the
waning of the moon.^No sooner were the laws of Solon put into operation
than some would come to him every day with praiseji^
or censure of them, or with advice to insert some- I
^
thing into the documents, or take something out.
Very numerous, too, were those who came to himwith inquiries and questions about them, urging himto teach and make clear to them the meaning and
purpose of each several item. He saw that to dothis was out of the question, and that not to do it
would bring odium upon him, and wishing to be
wholly rid of these perplexities and to escape from^
Odyssey, xiv. 162= xix. 307, of the day when Odysseuswould return to Ithaca.
2 Thus the twenty-first was called the tenth, the twenty-second the ninth, and so on, "of the waning montli." Thetwenty-ninth was the second of the waning mouth, thethirtieth the Old and New
475
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TO ^vcrdpearov koI (^ikaiTiov rSiv ttoXitcov (6/07-
fia(Tt yap iv /jL€yaXoi<; irdcnv dSeiv ')(^a\€7r6v,
ct)9 aL'TO? etprfKe), 7rp6<T)(7jfMa t?;? TrXdvi}^ rrjv
vavKXrjpCav TroLTjadfievof; i^eirXevae, heKaerrj irapaTcov *A6r}vai(ov cLTToSTjfilav alrrjad/jLevo';. rjXTri^e
yap iv TM ^(^povcp rovrco koI rot? v6p,0L<; avTov<i ^
eaeaOat (Tvvr)6eL^.
XXVL TlpwTov fiev ovv et? KXyvnTov dcpLKeroKal Bierpiylrev, ft)? avro^ <l)7]ai,
NetXou iirl Trpoxofjcri' K.avQ)^iBo<; iyyvOev aKrij^;,
'X^povov Be TLva Kal roi? irepi "^evocx^Lv rbv 'HXiov-
TrdXiTrjv Kal ^coy^LV rbv Xatrrjv, XoyiQ)rdTOi<fov(TL Twv iepewVy (TwecfyCSMCTo^rjae' irap wv Kal
Tov ^ArXavTtKov aKovaa'^ \oyoVy co? TIX-aTftji'
(pTjaiv, eTrex^ipTjcre Bia Tronj/juirof; i^eveyKclv eh2 Toif^ "EXX^^i/a?. eireira irXevcra^ eh Kvirpov
yyaiT^Orj Bta(j)€p6vT0)<; viro ^iXoKvirpov Tivo<i twj;
eKel /SacTiXecov, 09 elx^v ov fieydXrjv ttoXiv,
a}Kla/JL6V7]V VTTO Ari/jL0(j)COVT0(; TOV 07^<7eft)9, TTCpl
TOV KXdpiov TTOTafiov iv %ft)yotoi9 oxypoh fiiv,
aXXce)9 Be Bvax^peo-L Kal (j)avXoi<; Kei/jLevrjv.
eTreicrev ovv avrov 6 %6X(i)v viroKeifievov KaXov 93ireBiov fieTaOevra ttjv iroXiv rjBiova Kal fxei^ova
3 KaraaKevdaai. Kal irapoov iTre/xeXtjOTj tov avv-
OLKLafjLOV, Kal o-vvBceKoa/irja-e 7rp6<; re Scaywyrjv
apLCTTa Kal irpo^; da^dXeoav, coare ttoXXov^; fiev
olKr}Topa^ T(h ^iKoKvirpco avveXOelv, ^ijXcoaai Be
T0U9 aXXov^i ^aaiXea^' Sio Kal Ta> %6\wvi Tifirjv
* Tots vS/xois avTovs after MSS. cited by Stephanus ; Bekkerhas rovs v6fj.ovs avTo7s, the conjecture of Stephanus {the lawstoouid befamiliar to them),
476
SOLON, XXV. 5-XXV1. 3
the captiousness and censoriousness of the citizens
(for" in great affairs/' as he says himself/
"it is
difficult to please all "), he made his ownership of a
vessel an excuse for foreign travel, and set sail, after .i^obtaining from the Athenians leave of absence for
ten years. In this time he hoped they would beaccustomed to his laws.
XXVI. In the first place, then, he went to Egypt,^and lived, as he himself says,^
" Where Nile pours forth his floods, near the Canobicshore."
He also spent some time in studies with Psenophisof Heliopolis and Sonchis of Sais, who were verylearned priests. From these, as Plato says,* heheard the story of the lost Atlantis, and tried to
introduce it in a poetical form to the Greeks.^ Nexthe sailed to Cyprus, and was greatly beloved of
Philocyprus, one of the kings of the island. This
prince had, a small city, founded by Demophon, the
son of Theseus, and lying near the river Clarius, in a
position which was strong, but otherwise incom-
modious and sorry. Solon therefore persuaded himto remove the city to the fair plain which lay below
it, and make it more spacious and pleasant. He also
remained and took charge of the new city's con-
solidation, and helped to arrange it in the best
possible manner both for convenience of living andfor safety. The result was that many colonists flocked
to Philocyprus, and he was the envy of the other
kings. He therefore paid Solon the honour of
*Fragment 7 (Bergk).
- Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athena, xi. 1.
^Fragment 28 (Bergk).
*Timaeua, t^. 2.2 Oi.
• Cf. chapters xxxi. 3 ; xxxii. 1 f.
477
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
a7roStSoL'9 Pi-lirelav rrjv ttoKlv koKovfxevrjv irpo-
4 T£pov aii eKeLvov X6\ov<i Trpoaijyopevae. kol
ttL'TO? Se fii/jLvrjrat tov crvvoifciajjuov' irpoaayo-
p€V(Ta<; jap iv rac^; eKeyeiai<; tov ^ikoKvirpov,
NOi/ Se((pTjo-i)
(TV /ii€v XoXioicTt TToXvv y^povoviv6dh^ dvacrcrcov
T}]vB€ TToXiv vaioi^ KoX yevo<^ v/jbirepov
avrdp ifie ^vv V7)'t 6ofj K\€tvrj<; diro vvjaov
d(TK7jdr] TzefJiTTOL Kv7rpt<; lo(TT6(f)avo<;'
oiKia/jLU> S' eVt TwSe Xapiv koi kvSo<; ottci^oi
idOXov Kol voarov TrarpCB^ e? r/fieTeprfv.
XXVIL T171/ Be 7rpo<; Kpoiaov evrev^iv avrov
BoKovaiV eviOL tol^ ')(p6voL<; w? ireiT'Xaa/xivrjv
6X67%6ii/. iyo) Be \6jov evBo^ov ovrco koL to-
(7ovTov<; jjbdpTvpa^ e')(pvTa, Kaly o p,el^6v eari,
irpeiTovTa tw %6\covo<; rjOei /cat tt)? i/ceivov fie-
ydXo(j)pO(7Virrj<; /cal (To^ta? d^iov, ou fioi Bokcj
7rpo^(T€cr0ai ^(poviKolf; tictl \eyo/xevoi<; Kavoaip,
0U9 fivpCoi BiopdovvTe^; d^pi (rrniepov eh ovBev
auToh ofidXoyovfievov BvvavTai /caracrrrjcraL ra?
2 dvTikoyia^;. tov 8' ovv 1^6\(ovd (j^aaiv eh ^dpBeif;
BeijdevTC T(p }Lpoia(p irapayevopbevov, iraOelv tl
irapairXTjCTLOv dvBpl ')(^epaaiw KaTiovTi irpSiTov eirl
OakaTTav. eKelvo^ t€ yap opcov dWov ef dWovTTOTapov (p€TO TTjv OdXaaaav elvai, Kal to) 2oXa>/'t
Tyv avXrjv Btarropevo/nevrp Kal ttoXKov^ 6pa)VTL
T(OV ffa(TL\lK(OV /C€K0(7/J.r)pL€V0V<; TToXl^TeXw?, fCtt)
478
SOLON, XXVI. 3-XXV11. 2
naming the new city after him, and called it Soli ;
its name had been Aipeia. Solon himself also makesmention of this consolidation. In his elegies, namely,he addresses Philocyprus, and says
^:—
" Now mayest thou long time be lord and master for
the Solii here,
Dwelling in this city thyself, and thy family after
thee ;
But may I and my swift ship, as we leave this
storied isle.
Be brought upon our way in safety by Cypris of the
violet crown.
Upon this settlement of thine may she bestowfavour and glory ;
And upon me an auspicious return to my father-
land."
XXVII. As for liis interview with Croesus, somethink to prove by chronology that it is fictitious.
But when a story is so famous and so well-attested,
and, what is more to the point, when it comports so
well witli the character of Solon, and is so worthy of
his magnanimity and wisdom, I do not propose to
reject it out of deference to any chronological canons,so called, which thousands are to this day revising,without being able to bring their contradictions into
any general agreement. So then, they say that
Solon, on visiting Sardis at the invitation of Croesus,^had much the same experience as an inland man who
goes down for the first time to the sea. For just as
such a man thinks each successive river that he sees
to be the sea, so Solon, as he passed through the
court and beheld many of the king's retainers in
»Fragment 19 (Beigk).
» Cf. Herodotus, i. 30-33.
479
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(To/5ovVTa<; iv ox^ay irpoTrofMTTcov koX Bopv(j)6pa)v,
e/caaTO<; iBoKei Kpolcro^ elvat, fiexpi' TTyoo? avrbv
^X^V* "^^^ oaov iv Xidotf;, iv ^a(j)aL^ ia6P)T0(;, iv
T€%i^at9 %/5fo-o0 irepl Koafiov iKirpeTrh e^ei'V rj
irepiTTov Tj ^rjXoorbv iBoKCi irepiKeipevov, q)<; Brj
deafxa crepLVoTaTOv 6(f>6eiri kol TrotKiXdoraTov*
3 iirel S* 6 "ZoXcov avTLKpv^ Karaaraf; ovr eiraOev
ovhev ovr etTre tt^o? rrjv oyjnv mv 6 Kpot(To(; irpoa-
eSofcrjaev, aWa koX hrjko^ ^v to?? ev (j)povov(Tt
T^9 aireLpOKa\ia<i koI pmcpoiTpeTTeia^ KUTacppovcov,eKeXevaev avTa> tou9 re drjaavpoix; dvol^at tS)v
;^/377yLtaTCt)i/,KOI TTjv oXkijv djovTa'} iirtBel^ac
pLijBev BeopLev(p /caraaKevrjv Kal iroXvreXeiav.
TjpKei yap auro? iv kavrS) rod rpoTTov Karav6rj(7iv
Trapacrxelv. a)? 3* ovv av6i<; r/xOrj y€yovQ)<; airdv-
T(OV 66aTrj<^y 7JpC0T7J(T6V UVTOV 6 Kpo2(TO<^ €L TIVU
4 olBev drdpcoTTcov avrov pbafcapicorepov. aTro^rjva-
pbivou Be Tov 2oXct)i/o9 on olBe TeXXov avrov ttoXl-
rrjVy Kal Bte^eXdovro^ on ;^/07;o-to9 dvi^p 6 TeXko^
y€v6p€V0<; Kal 7ralBa<^ evBoKipov^ KaraXLircov Kal
0LOV ovB€v6<; ivBed rojv dvayKaicov, ireXevrrfaev
ivBo^oD^ dpL(Trevaa<i inrep Tr}9 irarpiBo^, rjBrj pevdXXoKoro^ iBoKEi elvai rq> Kpoicrcp Kal dypocKo^,el pLT) 7r/?09 apyvpiov iroXv pLtjBe xp^o-^ov rrjf; evBai-
piovia<i TToielraL rrjv dvap.erpr](TLV, dXXa BrjpLO-
riKov Kal IBtcorov ffiov Kal Odvarov dvOpcorrov
pidXXov fj ro(Tavr7]v dyaTrwrj BvvapLiv Kal dpx^v.5 ov pLi]V dXXd TrdXcv rjpcorrjaev avrov el puerdTeXXov dXXov eyvcoxev dvOpcoircDV evBatpLOveare-
pov. irdXiv Be rov ^oXcovo^; elirovro^i elBevai
KXeofiiv Kal ^Ircova, <l)iXaBeX(f)Ov<; kol (fnXofi^-
480
SOLON, XXVII. 2^5
costly apparel and moving proudly amid a throngof couriers and armed guards, thought each in turn
to be Croesus, until he was brought to the king him-
self, who was decked out with everjrthing in the
way of precious stones, dyed raiment, and wroughtgold that men deem remarkable, or extravagant, or
enviable, in order that he might present a most
august and gorgeous spectacle. But when Solon, in
tliis presence, neither showed any astonishment at
what he saw, nor made any such comments upon it
as Croesus had expected, but actually made it clear
to all discerning eyes that he despised such vulgarityand pettiness, the king ordered his treasure chambersto be thrown open for the guest, and that he shouldbe led about to behold the rest of his sumptuousequipments. Of this there was no need, for the manhimself sufficed to give Solon an understanding of
his character. However, when Solon had seen every-
thing and had been conducted back again, Croesusasked him if he had ever known a happier man thanhe. Solon said he had, and that the man was Tellus, a
fellow-citizen of his own ; Tellus, he went on to say,(had proved himself an honest man, had left reputable!sons behind him, and had closed a life which knew 1
no serious want with a glorious display of valour inj
behalf of his country. Croesus at once judged Solon|
to be a strange and uncouth fellow, since he did notmake an abundance of gold and silver his measure of
happiness, but admired the life and death of an
ordinary private man more than all this display of
power and sovereignty. Notwithstanding, he askedhim again whether, next to Tellus, he knew anyother man more fortunate than he. Again Solon
Ud he did, nammg Cleobis and BitOj men surpass-
48 1
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ropa<; Biacpepovrco*; dvBpa<;, ot rrjv firjrepa rwv
ffocov ^paSvvovTcov v7roBvvT€<; avrol tw ^vyo) rrj^ 94
dpid^rj<; eKop^iaav 7Tpb<; to t% "H/sa? lepov evBac-
povi^o/jL6vr]v viTo T(ov TTokiTcop KoX 'xcLipovcraVy clra
0vaavT€<; koI iTLovre^ ov/c ert pLcd^ rjp.epav dvearrj-
aav, dWd TeOvrjKOTe^; dvaXyrj koX akvirov eirl
6 Bo^rj Toaavrrj ddvarov axfyOrjo-av,"'H/xa9 ^e,"
eliT6v ijBr) 7rpo<; 6pyr)v 6 }^poL(TO<;, "et? ovBeva
Tidr]<; evBaifiovcov dpiOpibv dvdpcairwv ;
*'
Kal 6
XoXcOV OVT€ KO\a/C€VeiV ^OV\6/JL€VO<i aVTOV OVT€
irepairipo) irapo^vveiv, ""EWrjaiv,*^ elirev, "w/SacTLXev AvBmv, tt/oo? re rdWa pi,eTpLco<; e'^eiv 6
0€o<; eBcoKe, koI (TO(f>ia<; rivo^ ddapaov<;, d)<; eoiKe,
Kal Brj/jLOTiKTJf;, ov jSacnXLKrj^; ovBe XapL7rpd<i, viro
perptorrjrof; rjplv pberedTiv, rj rv^^''^ opoica irav-
ToBairal^ Xpcop^evov del rov /Slop, ovk id roU
Trapovaiv d<ya9ol<i pkya <^povtlv, ovBe Oavpbd^eLv
dvBpo^ evTVX^Lav pLera^oXr]^ ^(^pGvov e^ovaav.7 €7161,(7L <ydp eKaajw ttolkIXov ef dBrjXov to p,iXXov'
ft) S* €t9 TeXo? Baipcdv eOero ttjv evirpa^Cav,
TovTOV evBaipova vopl^op^ev. 6 Be ^covro^ en koI
KLvBvvevovTO<; iv rw /Slq) p,aKapLo-/i6<i, atairep
dycovi^o/jiipov KrjpvypLa Kal crrecpavo^;, iarlv
d,S€^aio<? Kal ciKvpo^r ravr elircov o "^oXav
dirijXXdrTeTO Xvinjcra^; fiev, ov vouOertjcraf; Be
TOP KpOLCTOV,
XXVIII. 'O Be XoyoTToiof; AXaconro^;, eTvy)(jav€
482
SOLON, xxvii. 5-XXV111. I
ing all others in brotherly love and in dutiful
affection towards their mother ;for once, he said,
when the car in which she was riding was delayed
by the oxen, they took the yoke upon their ownshoulders and brought their mother to the temple of
Hera, where her countrymen called her a happywoman and her heart was rejoiced ; then, after
sacrifice and feasting, they laid themselves to rest,
and never rose again, but were found to have died a
painless and tranquil death with so great honourfresh upon them. " What !
"said Croesus, who by
this time was angered, "dost thou not count us
among happy men at all ?" Then Solon, who was
unwilling to Hatter him and did not wish to exasperatehim further, said :
" O king of Lydia, as the Deity has
given us Greeks all other blessings in moderation, so
our moderation gives us a kind of wisdom which is
timid, in all likelihood, and fit for common people,not one which is kingly and splendid. This wisdom,such as it is, observing that human life is ever
subject to all sorts of vicissitudes, forbids us to be
puffed up by the o;ood things we have, or to admirea man's felicity while there is still time for it to
change. For the future which is advancing uponevery one is varied and uncertain, but when the Deitybestows prosperity on a man up to the end, that
man we consider happy ; to pronounce any one happy,however, while he is still living and running therisks of life, is like proclaiming an athlete victorious
and crowning him while he is still contending for
the prize ; the verdict is insecure and without
authority." When he had said this, Solon departed,
leaving Croesus vexed, but none the wiser for it.
XXV^III. Now it so happened that Aesop, the
483
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ykp eU ^dpBei<; /ACTaTre/iTTTO? 76701/0)9 vtto Kpoi-(TOV KOl TlfjiCO/jL€VO<i, '^X^iadrj Tft) XoXcOVl fjLTjBefMldfi
TvxovTi (ptXavdpcoTrla^;' koI itporpeirwv ahiov,
r]K,i<Jia rj 609 i]Bt,(TTa ofMiXelv.^^ Koi 6 XoXcov,
Ma At , etTTev, aW 0)9 rj/ciara 7) ot)9 apicna.2 Tore /^ei/ ouv d Kpolcro^ ovro) toO XdXft)W9
KaT€(j)p6v7]a€V' eTrel Be K.vpa) a-vfi^aXoyv eKpaTrjOr]
H'^XV* ^^'' '^V^ TToXiv aTTcoXeae, koi ^ojv dXov<;
avTO<i ep^We KaTairLpirpaaOai, Koi y6V0fi€vr}<;
7rvpa<; dpe^L/BdcrOrj SeBepevofi dewp^evcov HepaSivdirdvTwv KoX Kvpov 7rap6vTO<;, e<^' oaov i^LKvelrofcal BvvaTO<; tjv ry (fxovfj (pOey^dpevof; dve^orjcre
T/}t9, "*n SdXft)!^." Oavpdaa^; ovv 6 }^vpo<i eTrepyjre
T0U9 €p7](Top6VOV<; 0(7Tf9 dvOp(t}7rcov rj Oecov ovro^
eariv 6 ^6\(ov, ov ev rvxai'^^
diropoc^; p,6vov3 dvaKaXelrai. koX 6 Kpolao^ ovBev diroKpvy^d-
p€vo^ elirev OTt " Tayv Trap* '^EWrja-i, ao^oiiv ehOUT09 y}v 6 dvTjp, ov iyo) pereTrepyjrdprjp ovk
dKOvaai ri fiovKop^evo^ ovSe puiOelv a)v ivSet)^
rip7)v, dW* ct)9 Bi] p,OL 66aT7)(; yivoiro koX pudprv^dirioL TTf^i 6vBaLpovLa<; €KeLvr)<;, rjv dirojSaXelv dpap,€L^ov rjv KaKov r\ Xa^elv d<ya96v, Xoyo^ yap rfv
Kal Bo^a rdyadov 7rapou(Tr)<;' at pera^oXal Be pot
avTTi^ eU Trddrj Beivd koI <Tup,(f)Opd<; dvTjKearov^;
4 epyfp reXevrcoai, Kal ravr eKeivo^ 6 dvrjp eV rojv
Tore rd vvv reKpaipopevo^, exeXeve to TeXo9 tov
piov (TKOirelv koI prj dpaavvopevov d^effaloi^;
v7rovoiai<i v^pC^eiv.** eVet Be tovt dvrjvex^V 7'"/oo9
TGV Kvpov, are Brj ao^(iirepo<; o)v rov Kpotaov Kal^ iu rvxais Coraes, Cobet, and S : rvxats-
484
SOLON, xxviii. 1-4
writer of fables, was in Sardis, having been siimmon<thither by Croesus, and receiving much honour at his
hands. He was distressed that Solon met with no
kindly treatment, and said to him by way of advice :
" O Solon, our converse with kings should be either
as rare, or as pleasing as is possible.""No, indeed !
"
said Solon," but either as rare or as beneficial as is
possible."At this time, then, Croesus held Solon in a contempt
like this ; but afterwards he encountered Cyrus, wasdefeated in battle, lost his city, was taken alive andcondemned to be burnt ; and then, as he lay bound
upon the pyre in the sight of all the Persians and of
Cyrus himself, with all the reach and power of whichhis voice was capable, he called out thrice '}
" OSolon !
"Cyrus, then, astonished at this, sent men to
ask him what man or god this Solon was on whomalone he called in his extremity. And Croesus, without
any concealment, said :" This man was one of the
sages of Greece, and I sent for him, not with anydesire to hear or learn the things of which I stood in
need, but in order that he might behold, and, whenhe left me, bear testimony to the happiness I then
enjoyed, the loss of which I now see to be a greaterevil than its possession was a good. For when it was
mine, the good I derived from it was matter of reporand men's opinion, but its departure from me issues
in terrible sufferings and irreparable calamities whichare real. And that man, conjecturing this future fromwhat he then saw, bade me look to the end of mylife, and not let insecure conjectures embolden me to
be proud and insolent." When this was reported to
Cyrus, since he was a wiser man than Croesus, and» Cf. Herodotus, i. 86.
485
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tov \6yov Tov ^6XcSvo<; l(T')(ypov ev rw Trafjahely-
fiart /SXeTTCov, ov fiovov acprj/ce rov Kpolaov, (iWaKoi TLjjLWV i<j)*
oaov €^7) SceriXeae' koI Bo^av
eax^v o X6\(ov evl Xoyo) tov fiep o-cocra?, rov Be
TTaiBev(Ta<; tmv (BaatXewv.
XXIX. Oi ^e ev aarei irakiv earaaia^ov diro-
Br]/JL0VVT0<; rov X6Xa)vo<;' koX irpoeKnriKei tmv fiev
UeBiiayv AvKovpyo<;, twv Be UapdXcov MeyaKXr/^;6 ^AXKjjLaicovo'i, Yietatcnparo<; Be rcov Aia/cpioyVy ev
oh rjv 6 6r]TtK0<i o^Xo9 koI p^dXiara toIs ttXov-
<7tot9 d'xdop^evo^' <w(7T€ 'XprjaOac fjicv en roh
vop^oi^ TTjv ttoXlv, rjBif]Be irpdypbara vecorepa irpoa-
BoKCLV /cal TToOelv airavra'^ erepav fcardaraa-iv,
ovK Xaov eXTTi^ovTa^t dXXa rrXeov e^etv ev rfj
pLera^oXfi kclI Kpanja-etv iravrdiraai rcov Biacpepo-
p^ivcov. ovTco Be tcoi^ 7rpayp,dTa)v exovTcjv 6 ^oXcov
irapayevopevofi eh ra? 'A07]va<;, alBS) puev el^e koI
ripL'qv irapa iraaiv, ev Be kolvw Xeyeiv fcal irpda-
(T€LV OpLolcO^ OVK CT ^V BvvaTO<i OvBe 7rp60vp,O<; VITO
yrjpco'^, d\V evrvy)(^dvo)V IBia tol<; Trpoearcocn rcov
ardaewv dvBpdaiv eireipaTO BiaXveiv /cat avvap-
p^orreiv, p^dXiara tov UeicTiaTpdTov irpoaexei'V
BofcovvTO<; avru>. koX yap aipvXov tl kol irpocT-
^iXe? el^^v ev tw BiaXeyeaOai., kol ^or)6r]TLKO^
r/v Toh TTevrjai kol Ttpo^ Ta? e^^/ja? eirieLKrj^; /cat
p^erpio^. a Be (pvcrei, p^rj irpoa-rjv avrw, koI Tavra
p,t.pLOvp€Vo<; eVtcTTeuero puaXXov t6)V exovrayv, «W9
evXafir)^ kol Ko<jp.LO<i dvrjp kol pdXiara Brj to X(tov
dyaTTGdVt KoX Bva)(epaiv(Dv ev t*9 to, TrapovTa
486
SOLONj XXVIII. 4-XX1X. 3
saw the word of Solon confirmed in the examplebefore him, he not only released Croesus, but actuallyheld him in honour as long as he lived. And thus
Solon had the reputation of saving one king and
instructing another by means of a single saying.XXIX. But the people of Athens were again
divided into factions while Solon was away. ThePlain-men M'ere headed by Lycurgus ; the Shore-men
by Megacles the son of Alcmaeon, and the Hill-men
by Peisistratus.^ Among the last was the multitude of
Thetes, who were the bitter enemies of the rich. Asa consequence, though the city still observed the
new laws, yet all were already expecting a revolution
and desirous of a different form of government, not in
hopes of an equality, but each party thinking to bebettered by the change, and to get the entire
mastery of its opponents. Such was the state of
affairs when Solon returned to Athens. He wasrevered and honoured by all, but owing to his yearshe no longer had the strength or the ardour to speakand act in public as before. He did, however, confer
privately with the chiefs of the opposing factions,
endeavouring to reconcile and harmonize them, andPeisistratus seemed to pay him more heed than the
others. For Peisistratus had an insinuating and agree-able quality in his address, he was ready to help the
poor, and was reasonable and moderate in his enmities.
Even those virtues which nature had denied himwere imitated by him so successfully that he won moreconfidence than those who actually possessed them.He was thought to be a cautious and order-lovingman, one that prized equality above all things, andwould take it ill if any one disturbed the existing
* Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athens, xiii. 4.
487
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kivolrj Ka\ vecorepcov opeyotro' tovtol<; yap i^rj-
Trdra tou? ttoXXoi^. 6 Be XoXcov ra^v to r}0o<;
icpcopao-eu avTOV koX Tr)v iiri^ovXrjv 7r/3WT09
eyKaretBep' ov firjv ifiiarjaev, aXV eireipaTO
irpavveiv koX vovOeretv, fcal tt/jo? avrbv eXeye xal
7r/909 €T€pOV<: (W9 cl' Tt9 i^iXoi TO ^ikoTTpCOTOV avTOv
T^9 •\|rf^?}9Kol TTfv iTTtOvfjiLav IdaatTO T?79 TVpav-
viho<;, ovK eaTiv aX\o<; evcpveaTepo^; 7r/309 dperrjvovSe ^eXricov vroXtT*;?.
4 ^Apxofi6i>cov Be Twv Trepl Sea-irtv ^]Br} Tr)V
TpaycpBiav /civetv, koX Blcl ttjv KaivoTrjra tou9
TToXXov^i ayovTO^ tov Trpdy/jiarof;, oinro) S' et9
dfiLXXav ivaycoviov i^r)yfjL€POV, (pucrec ^LXr)K00<; a>v
Kol <j)LXofjLaOr)<; 6 ^oXcav, en jxaXXov iv yqpa
a^oXfj fcal iraiBia kol vrj Aia iroToa fcal /jlov<tlk7J
TrapaTrifiTTCov eavTov, iOedcraTO tov Siairiv avTov
viroKpivof-ievov, axnrep eOa rjv toI<; iraXaioif;.
5 fieTk Be ttjv Oeav irpocrayopevGa^ avTov 7]p6iTr)Gev
el TOcrovTcov ivavriov ovfc ala')(vveTaL TTjXtKavTa
'\lrevB6/jL6Vo<;. <^y]<javTO^ Be tov &ea-7riBo<; p.r) BeLVov
elvai, TO jxeTCL iraiBia^ 'Keyeiv to, Toiavra kol
irpdaaeiv, a(f)6Bpa tjj ^aKTrjpia t^jv yfjv 6 ^6X(ov
Trard^afi'**
Ta^v jJievTOV tt^v iraiBcdv,^' ^cfyr),
" Tav-
TTjv eiraivovvTe^; ovtco koI Tt/iwi'T€9 evpijaofiep ev
T0fc9 (TvpL^oXaioi^^*XXX. 'Evrel Be KaTarpayaa^; avT6<i eavTOV 6
Tlei(TL<TTpaTo<; rJKev et9 dyopdv eirl ^€ir/ov<; KOfxi-
fo/xei^09, KoX irapco^vve tov Brj/j,ov &)9 Bia ttjv
TToXiTelav VTTO Tcbv e)(jdp(av eTn^e^ovXevjievo^t
488
SOLON, XXIX. 3-xxx. i
order and attempted a change. On these points,
indeed, he completely deceived most people. ButSolon quickly detected his real character, and wasthe first to perceive his secret designs. He did not,
however, treat him as an enemy, but tried to soften
and mould him by his instructions. He actually said
to him and to others that if the desire for pre-eminence could but be banished from his soul, andhis eager passion for the tyranny be cured, no other
man would be more naturally disposed to virtue, or a
better citizen.
Thespis was now beginning to develop tragedy, \
and the attempt attracted most people because of its )^<^^^novelty, although it was not yet made a matter of
competitive contest. Solon, therefore, who was
naturally fond of hearing and learning anything new,and who in his old age more than ever before in-
dulged himself in leisurely amusement, yes, and in
wine and song, went to see Thespis act in his ownplay, as the custom of the ancient poets was. Afterthe spectacle, he accosted Thespis, and asked him if
he was not ashamed to tell such lies in the presenceof so many people. Thespis answered that therewas no harm in talking and acting that way in play,
whereupon Solon smote the ground sharply with his
staff and said :*'Soon, however, if we give play of
this sort so much praise and honour, we shall find it
in our solemn contracts."
XXX. Now when Peisistratus, after inflicting a
wound upon himself,^ came into the market-placerising in a chariot, and tried to exasperate the
populace with the charge that his enemies had
plotted against his life on account of his political* Cf. Herodotus, i. 59; Aristotle, Co/wi. of Athens^ xiv. 1.
489
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kol TToXXoy? el^ev ayavatcrovvra^ fcal ySocoz^ra?,
TTpoa-eXOcDV 6771)9 ^oXrov kol irapaard^," Ov
/caX,&)9," elirev,"
&> Trat 'lirTroKparov;, viroKpivr)rbv Oixr]pLK0v ^OSvaaea' ravra yap ttoicl^ rov<;
TToXtVa? 7rapafcpov6/jL6vo<; oh eKelvo^ tou? iroXe-
2 jxiov^ i^7]7rdTr]a€v, abKiad/Jievof; eavrov.^^ eK tovtovTO fiev 7rXrj6o<; rjv eToifiov VTrepfza^elv rod Uec-
acarpdrov, kol crwtjXOev et? iKKXrjaiav 6 Brj/jL0<i.
*Ap[(TTcovo<; Se <ypd'\lravTO<; otto)? So6coai, irevrrfKOVTa
Kopvi'TjcpopOL T(p tleta-iaTpdrcp (f)v\afcr} rov aco-
fiaro^, dvrelirev 6 ^oXcov civaaTa^ koI iroWa
hie^rfKOev ofioia tovtol^ ol<; Bta tcov Troiijfidrwv
yeypacpev
Et? yap yXooaaav opdre Kal 6t? eirTj alfivXov
dvBp6<i.
vfJLOdv 8' eh fiev eKaaro^ dXodirefco^ t%i^€o-t ^alveiy
avjjuTraaLV S* vfilv ')(avvo<; evearc voo^,
3 opojv Be T0U9 fi€v 7r€vrjTa<; (opjurjfiivov^ ^(^apL^eadairu> YleKncTTpdrw Kal Oopv^ovina^;, rov<; Be ttXov-
aiov^ diroBiBpaaKOVTa^i Kal dTroBeiXicovra^;, dir-
ifkdev elircbv otl tmv fiev eVrt (TO(f)(i)T€po<;, rwv Be
dvBpeiorepo^;' aocfyooTepo^ fxev rcov /xrj avvievrcov ro
Trparro/J-evov, dvBpei6T£po<; Be rcov avvtevrcov fiev,
evavTLovadaL Be tt} rvpavvlBi (fio^ovpLevwy. ro Be
ylrrj(f>ia/xa KVpayaa^; 6 Bij/iof; ovBe irepl tov 7rXyj0ov<i
en ro)v Kopvvrjcjiopcov BiefiCKpoXoyeLTO tt/oo? tov
lieiCicrTparov, aXX^ oaov^ CfSouXero Tpe<f>ovTa Kal
Gwdyovra <^avep(fi^ rrrepiewpa, fiexpi' '^^v aKpo-iroXiv Karea^e.
4 Vevop.evov Be tovtov Kal t^? iroXeco^i avvra-
490
SOLON, XXX. 1-4
opinions, and many of them greeted the charge with
angry cries, Solon drew near and accosted him,
saying: "O son of Hippocrates, thou art playingthe Homeric Odysseus badly; for when he dis-
figured himself it was to deceive his enemies,^but thou doest it to mislead thy fellow-citizens."
After this the multitude was ready to fight for
Peisistratus, and a general assembly of the peoplewas held. Here Ariston made a motion that Peisi-
stratus be allowed a body-guard of fifty club-bearers,but Solon formally opposed it, and said many thingswhich were like what he has written in his poems :
—" Ye have regard indeed to the speech and words of
a wily man.Yet every one of you walks with the steps of a fox,
And in you all dwells an empty mind." ^
But when he saw that the poor were tumultuouslybent on gratifying Peisistratus, while the rich were
fearfully slinking away from any conflict with him,he left the assembly, saying that he was wiser thanthe one party, and braver than the other ; wiser
than those who did not understand what was beingdone, and braver than those who, though theyunderstood it, were nevertheless afraid to oppose the
tyranny.^ So the people passed the decree, and thenheld Peisistratus to no strict account of the numberof his club-bearers, but suffered him to keep andlead about in public as many as he wished, until at
last he seized the acropolis.When this had been done, and the city was in an
^Odyssey, iv. 244-264.
^Fragment 11 (Bergk), verses 7, 5, and 6. Plutarch has
changed the order ; Bekker and Cobet restore it.
^-^ Cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athena, xiv. 2.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
paxOeia-'qt;^ 6 fih^ Me^a/cX^? evdv'i e(f)vye fderh
r&v aXkcov ^A\Kfj,aLCi)VcBu}V, 6 Be ^6\(ov tjBtj fiev 96
^v acpoBpa yipcov koX tou? por]dovvTa^ ovk eiyev^
6fJL(Mi<;Bk TTporjXdev €t9 ayopav koI BieXexOv tt/jo?
Toi'9 TToXtra?, ra fiev KaKL^cov rrjv affovXiav av-
T(ov Kol jjuaXaKLav, to. Be irapo^vvwv ert /cat
5 irapaKaXcov fir) irpoecrdai rrjv ekevOepiav ore kol
ro fjLvrjfiovevopevov elireVy «<? Trpcorjv /iiev ^v ev-
papearepov avroh to KcoXvaai ryv rvpavviBa
avvLaTa/JLevrjv, vvv Be fiec^ov iaTi kol Xap^irporepov
eKKo^JraL kol aveXelv avveaTOiaav tjBtj kol 7r€(f)V'
Kvlav. ovBevof; Be irpoae'^ovTO^; avrw Bia rbv
^offov CLTTTJXOev eZ? ttjv ol/ciav rrjv eavrov, koI
Xa^obv TO, oirXa kol irpo t(ov OvpSiv Oep^evo^ eh
TOP arevcoTToVy"'Ep^ol p^evT elirev,
"co? Bwarov
G rjv Pe^oTjO-qTai rjj iraTpiBi kol to?? vopoi^;.^* koI
TO Xoinrov '^av^iav ^ye, koX tcov (ftlXcov (j)evyeiv
wapaivovvTcov ov '7Tpoael)(ev, aXXa TroirjixaTa ypd-
(f)(ov dyveiBi^e to2<;^
A6r]vaiOL<;'
Ei Be ireTTOvOaTe Xvypa Bi vpereprjv KaKorrjra,
p,j} Ti 6eoh TovTcov pirjVLV €7ra/ii(f>epeT€.
avTol yap tovtov^: rjv^rjaaTe pvpuTa B6vTe<;,
Kol Bia TavTa Kaxrjv ecr^ere BovXoctvvt^v,
XXXI. 'EttI TovTOi<; Be iro'KKSiV vovOeTovvro-'v
avTov 0D<i a-TTodavovpievov viro tov Tvpdpvov, xal
492
SOLON, XXX. 4-XXX1. I
uproar, Megacles^straightway fled, with the rest of
the Alcmaeonidae. But Solon, although he was nowa very old man, and had none to support him, wentnevertheless into the market-place and reasoned
with the citizens, partly blaming their folly and
weakness, and partly encouraging them still and
exhorting them not to abandon their liberty. Thenit was, too, that he uttered the famous saying, that
earlier it had been easier for them to hinder the
tyranny, while it was in preparation ; but now it wasa greater and more glorious task to uproot and
destroy it when it had been already planted and was
grown. No one had the courage to side with him,
however, and so he retired to his own house, tookhis arms, and placed them in the street in front of
his door, saying :" I have done all I can to help my
country and its laws." ^ From that time on he lived|
in quiet retirement, and when his friends urged him i
to fly, he paid no heed to them, but kept on writing \
poems, in which he heaped reproaches on the Athe-nians :
—'^ If now ye suffer grievously through cowardice all
your own.Cherish no wrath against the gods for this.
For ye yourselves increased the usurper's power bygiving him a guard.
And therefore are ye now in base subjection.'*'
XXXI. In view of this, many warned him that the
tyrant would put him to death, and asked him on^ Grandson of the Megacles who brought the taint of
pollution upon the family (chapter xii. 1-3). He had beenallowed to return from banishment.
* It was for others now to do the same. Cf. Aristotle, Coiist.
0/ Athens, xiv. 2. *Fragment 11 (Bergk), verses 1-4.
VOL. I. „ 493
^'
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TTwdavofiivcov tivi iricrTevcov outo)? aTrovoelrai," Tw yijpai'^ elirev. ov fxr^v aW* 6 Yiei(TlGTpaTO<;
iyKpaTTjs fy6v6fievo<i tcop Trpay/jLaTcov ovTa)<i e'fe-
Oepdirevae top XoXcova, tc/jlcop kol (j)i\o(f)povov-
lievo^ Kol /JLeTairefiTrofjievo^, ware /cal crvfi^ouXov
elvai kal ttoWo, t&v irpaaaofxevayv iiraLvelv.
KoX yap i(j)vXuTTe rovg irXelorTov^ v6fjiov<; rod
X6\(i)vo<;, ifi/jLevcov tt/ocoto? avTo<i koI tov<; <j)iXovfi
2 avayKci^ojV' 09 ye koI cjiovov TrpoaKXrjOel^: eh
Apeiov Trdyov, rjhr] rvpavvoyv, aTr^vrrjae KOcrjii(o<i
diroXoyrjaojievo';, 6 Se Kari]yopo<i ou^ v7r7]Kovae-
fcal v6fJL0V<; avro^ erepof? eypaxfrevy oyv iari /cal
6 Toif<; 7rr)p(o06VTa<: iv iroXefMO) BrjfjLoaia rpicjyeaOai
KeXevcDV. rovro Bei^r^crtv 'H^a/cXetS7?9 ical irpo-
Tepov eTTL ©epcTLTTTrq) 7r7]pco6evTL rod %6Xcovo<i
'\jr7]^i(TaiJ,evov fiifiijaaadat rov Tieiaiarparov. co?
he Se6(ppaaro<; laropr^Ke, /cal rov rrj<; dpyia^
vo/jlov ov '^.oXcov eOrjKeVy dXXa Tieiaiarparo^,
CO rTjv re %ft)yoai/ evepyorepav Kal rrjv iroXtv
rjpefjLaiorepav eiroirja-ev.
3 'O Se XoXwv dy^rdixevo^ /jieydXrj<; rr]<; irepl
rov^
hrXavrL/cov \6yov fj jjLvdov 7rpay/jLareid<;,
ov hirj/covare rwv irepl ^d'iv Xoyicov irpoa-qKovra
ro2<; ^K6rjvaioi<i, e^e/cafiev, ov Bi d(T)(^oXLav, <W9
TlXdrcov^rjaiv, dXXd fidXXov viro 777/00)9, <f)ol3^]-
6el<; ro /iieyeOo^ t^9 ypacfirj^, iirel a)^oXrj<i
494
SOLON, XXXI. 1-3
what he relied that he was so lost to all sense,
to which he answered, "My old age." However,when Peisistratus had become master of the situation,
he paid such court to Solon by honouring him,
showing him kindness, and inviting him to his palace,
that Solon actually became his counsellorand approvedof many of his acts. For he retained most of Solon's
laws, observing them first himself, and compellinghis friends to do so. For instance, he was summonedbefore the Areiopagus on a charge of murder, whenhe was already tyrant, and presented himself there
to make his defence in due form, but his accuser did
not put in an appearance. He also made other
laws himself, one of which provides that those whoare maimed in war shall be maintained at the
public charge. But Heracleides says that evenbefore that Solon had caused a decree to be passedto this effect in the case of Thersippus, who hadbeen so maimed, and that Peisistratus Avas followinghis example. Moreover, Theophrastus writes that ,
the law against idleness, in consequence of whichthe country became more productive and the citymore tranquil, was not made by Solon, but by Peisis-
tratus.
Now Solon, after beginning his great work on the, v\j^/^^
story or fable of the lost Atlantis, which, as he had '^^
heard from the learned men of Sais,^ particularlyconcerned the Athenians, abandoned it, not for
lack of leisure, as Plato says, but rather because of
his old age, fearing the magnitude of the task. For
* Cf. chapter xxvi. 1. There is no trace of any such workof Solon's, and the attribution of it to him is probably a playof Plato's fancy.
495 ,
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
7€ irepiovalav avrov fir^vvovauv at roiavTai
(j>wvai'
TrjpdaKcj S* alel iroWa SiBaaKOfiepo^*
"Epya Be Kv7rpoyevov<$ vvv pLoi <f>iKa koI Alo-
vvaov
/cat M.ov(T60)V, a TLOrja avSpdaiv €V(j)po(7vva<i.
XXXII. *fl9 Be %ft)/3a9 Ka\i]<; eBacpo^; 6 UXaTCDV
eprjfMov, avTa> Be tto)? fcarct avyyiveiav TrpoarJKOVt
i^epydcraaOaL koI BcaKoap^rjaat (ptXoTifiovfievo^
Trjv ^ArXavTi/crjv viroOeaiv, irpoOvpa jxev fieydXafcal 7r€/)t/5o\ov9 Kal av\a<i ry dpxjj TrepiedrjKev,
Ota X0709 ovBel^; a\Xo9 €(T)(ev ovBe fjLvOo<; ovBe
2 7roL7]arc^t oyjre Bk dp^d/x6vo<; irpoKareXvae rov
epyov TOP filov, 6a(p fiaXKov ev^paivei ra ye-
ypapLp^iva, Toaovrcp fidWov Tot9 diroXetcpOetcnv
dvidaa<i, tt)9 yap rj 7roXt9 tojv *A67jvaicov to
*0\vjinri€ioVf ovTco<i rj VLkaTcovo^i aoKpla top^
ArrXaPTLKov ip 7roXXoL<i KaXol^ puopop epyop aTe'
X69 e(T')(Y]K6P,
3 *E7re/3ta)(7e 5' ovp 6 SoXwz^ dp^afiepov tov
UetaiaTpuTov Tvpavpelp, (09 fiep 'HpaKXetBrjf} 6
TLoPTC/cb'; laTopei, crv^pop ')(p6poPy ct)9 Be ^avla^o Epeaio^, iXaTTOpa Bvolp ctcjp, iirl ILco/jllov 97
p^ep yap rjp^aTO TVpavpelp TLeialaTpaTo^t e</)'
HyeaTpaTOV Be XoXiopd j>rjaLP 6 ^apla^ diro'
496
SOLON, XXXI. 3-XXX11. 3
that he had abundant leisure, such verses as these
testify :—
" But I grow old ever learning many things ;
"^
and again,
" But now the works of the Cyprus-born goddess are
dear to my soul.
Of Dionysus, too, and the Muses, which impartdelights to men." ^
XXXII. Plato, ambitious to elaborate and adornthe subject of the lost Atlantis, as if it were the soil
of a fair estate unoccupied, but appropriately his byvirtue of some kinship with Solon,^ began the work
by laying out great porches, enclosures, and court-
yards, such as no story, tale, or poesy ever hadbefore. But he was late in beginning, and endedhis life before his work.* Therefore the greaterour delight in what he actually wrote, the greateris our distress in view of what he left undone.For as the Olympieium in the city of Athens, so thetale of the lost Atlantis in the wisdom of Plato is
the only one among many beautiful works to remainunfinished.
Well, then, Solon lived on after Peisistratus hadmade himself tyrant, as Heracleides Ponticus states,a long time ; but as Phanias of Eresos says, less thantwo years. For it was in the archonship of Comeas ^
that Peisistratus began his tyranny, and Phanias saysthat Solon died in the archonship of Hegestratus,
» Cf. chapter ii. 2. 2Fragment 26 (Bergk).
• Plato mentions the relationship of Critias, his maternal
uncle, with Solon {Charmidea, p. 155 a).* Plato's Critias is a splendid fragment.
^ 561-60 B.C.
497
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Oavetv Tov fxerh Kco/juCav ap^avro^, tj Se hia-
airopa KaTaKav6evT0<; avrov rijf; Ti<f)pa<i irepl
rrjv ^aXa/jLLvLcov vrjaov eart fiev Bia rrjv aroTTiav
a'TTL6avo<s iravraTraaL koI fjivda)B7j<;, avayiypaTrrai8' VTTO T€ a\Xo)v avSpcov d^ioXoyojv Koi ^Apicrro-Te7<^vfi TOV <biXoa64>ov,
498
SOLON, XXXII. 4
the successor of Corneas. The story that his ^^body was burned and his ashes scattered on the
island of Salamis is strange enough to be altogetherincredible and fabulous, and yet it is given bynoteworthy authors, and even by Aristotle the
philosopher.
499
PUBLICOLA
nonATKOAAS
I. ToiovTM St] yevofxevcp rm ^6Xq)vl tov HottKl-
KoXav Trapa/SdWofiev, w tovto fxev varepov 6
'Fco/juaicov 8^/iO? i^evpev cttIrtfjbf} rovvojaa, irpo
TOV he YioTrXio^iOvaWepiO'^ iKa\eLTO,OvaWepiovSoKcov a7r6yovo<i elvac tmv nraXatcov avSpb<; alrieo-
rdrov yevofxevov 'Pco/jUiiov<; koI ^a/Sivov^; ck
iroXefjLLCov eva yeveaOat Srjfiov 6 yap fidXicTTa
T0U9 Paaikei^ eU ravro ireiaa^ avvekOelv kcli
2 SiaWd^a^ iKelv6<; iart. rovrw Srj /card yevo<;
TTpocFrjKWV 6 OvaWepLO^, &>? (paai, ^acnXevofievTjfi
fiev en rr)^ *F(OfjLr}<; i7rtcf>av7}<; rjv 8id Xoyov kclI
ttXovtov, a)v rS fiev 6p6(b(: koX fierd irappTjcriaf;
del 'X,pd)iiievo<: virep rcov BiKaucov, dcj)^ ov Be Tol<i
Beop^evoi^ iXevOepLco'^ Koi (fiiXavOpcoTrco^; iirapK^iv,
BrjXo<; rjv evOv^, el ykvoiro B'qp.OKparla, nrpoa-revcroav.
3 'E-TTet Be TapKvviov 'Zovirep/Sov ovre XajSovra
TTjV dp')(r]v KaX(a<;, aX\* dvoavco^ koi irapavop.w'^yovre '^poofjLevov avry ^aaiXiKco^i, cOOC v/Spi^ovraKol Tvpavvovvra, fxiacav 6 Brj/nof; koX ^apwofxevo'^,
dp'XTjv diToardcTecof; eXa^e to AovfcprjTLa^ 7ra^09
avTTjv iirl tw ^Laa-Orjvat Biepyaa-a/xevrjf}, koX
AevKio<; ^povros dirToixevo^i ro)v TrpayfiuTCOv
502
PUBLICOLA
I. Such was Solon, and with him we comparePublicola, to whom the Roman people gave this
surname later as a mark of honour. Before that hewas called Publius Valerius, and was reputed to be a
decendant of that ancient Valerius who was mostinstrumental in making the Romans and the Sabines
one people instead of enemies ; for it was he morethan anyone else that persuaded their kings to come
together, and settled their differences. Such beinghis lineage, Valerius, as we are told, while Rome wasstill a kingdom, was conspicuous for his eloquenceand wealth, always employing the one with integrityand boldness in the service of justice, while with the
other he gave liberal and kindly aid to the poor and
needy. It was therefore clear that, should Romebecome a democracy, he would at once be one of its
foremost men.Now Tarquinius Superbus had not acquired his
power honourably, but by the violation of divine andhuman laws ; nor did he exercise it in kinglyfashion, but after the manner of an insolent and
haughty tyrant. The people therefore hated him,resented his oppressions, and found occasion for
revolt in the fate of Lucretia, who made awaywith herself after violence had been done to her.
Lucius Brutus, engaging in the revolution, came to
503
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
T^9 fierapoXrjf} iirl TrpcjTOV ^X6e top OvaWepiovKol '^(pTjadfjLevof;
avTa> Trpodv/jLOTaTO) avve^e^aXe4 T0U9 ^aaiKeh, fJiixP^ /^^^ eirlSo^o^ tjv 6
Brj/j.o<; eva
'XetpOTOvrjaeLV clvtI tov ^aai\€a)<; arparrjjov,
i7<n;%taz/ ^yev 6 Ova\Xepio<:, eo? t& Bpovrtp
fiaXXov apx^iv irpotJTjKov 'qyefiovt r?}? iXevOepta^;
yeyevT]/jLevo)' 8va-)(€patvofi€vov Be tov t?}? fiovap-
%ta9 6v6fiaTO<:, koX Bokovvto<: civ aXvirorepov tov
Brjixov ixepLcrOetcrav virofielvai ttjv dp^V^ f^cu Bvo
Trpo^aXXofjLevov koX KaXovvTO<^, eKiri^wv jxeTo, tov
l^povTov alpeOrjaecrOai koI o-vwiraTevaeLv BirjiJbap'
5 Tev, ypiOrj yap aKovTi r^ ^povTcp avvdp)(^ci)v
uvtI tov OvaXXepiov TapKvvio<i K.oXXaTtvo<;, 6
AovKp7]TLa<; dvrjp, ovBev dpeTrj OvaXXeplou Bia-
(j>ep(ov,dXX* ol BvvaTol BeBioTe*: tov? ^aaiXeh €ti
TToXXd ireipSyvTa^ e^coOev koI fiaXd(T(TOVTa<; ttjv
iToXiv, e^ovXovTO tov ivTOvcoTUTOv avT0c<; i^Opbv
e%etz^ (iTpaTTjyov co? ou;^ vcprjaofievov.
II. ^AyavaKTMV ovv 6 OvaXXipio^;, el firj
7naT€V6Tai irdvTa irpdTTSiv eve/ca Trj<; iraTpLBo';,
oTt, firjBev IBia kukov vtto t(ov Tvpdvvcov ireTrovde,
tt}? t€ PovXtj^ direaTT) koX Td<; avvT^yopia^ diretire
Kol TO TTpdTTeiV TO, KOLVCL TTttl'TeXw? i^cXlTTeV,
wo'Te fcal Xoyov toi<; ttoXXol^; irapao-'^^^etv kuI
(ppovTtSa, <j)o^ovfi6VOif: fiT) Bi opyrjv 7rpoa6ep,€vo<;
T0i<i ^aaLXevuLV dvaTpiylry t^ Trpdy/xaTa fcal ttjv 982 TToXcv iiria-cpaXcjf; ex^vaav, eVet Be koI tt/oo?
504
PUBLICOLA, I. 3-n. 2
Valerius first of all, and with his most zealous assist-
ance drove out the kings.^ Then, as long as the
people was likely to elect one man as their com-mander in place of the king, Valerius acquiesced,
thinking it more fitting that Brutus should have the
office, because he had led the way to freedom. Butthe very name of monarchy was odious to the people,who thought that it would be less vexatious to submitto an authority which was divided, and therefore
proposed and demanded that two men should beelected to the highest office. Then Valerius, who
hoped that he would be chosen next to Brutus, andwould be consul with him, was disappointed. For
against the wishes of Brutus, Tarquinius Collatinus,the husband of Lucretia,was elected as his colleague,^instead of Valerius. He was a man of no greaterexcellence than Valerius, but the influential citizens
were afraid of the kings, who were still puttingforth many efforts outside, and trying to appeaseresentment inside the city, and they therefore desired
to have as their commander the most pronouncedenemy of the royal family, believing that he wouldmake no concessions to them.
II. Valerius, accordingly, vexed that his desire to
do his utmost for his country should be doubted,
merely because he had received no private injury at
the hands of the tjrrants, withdi'ew from the senate,
gave up his practice as an advocate, and abandoned
entirely his public activities. This caused anxious
remark among the multitude. They feared lest, in
his wrath, he should attach himself to the royal
exiles, and subvert the established order of the city,
which was in a dangerous pass. But when Brutus,
» Cf. Livy, L 68i ; u. 2, 11.« Cf. Livy, i. 60, 4.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
€Tepov<; riva^ viroyfriav e^coi^ o BpoOro? e^ovXeroBta a(payLCov opKacxrai rrjv fiovXrjv kol irpoelirei'
Tjfiepav, Kara^af; fiaka (j)acBpo<; eh ayopav 6
OuaWipiof;, koI 7rpcoro<; ofioaa^; jxr^hev ivScoaeiv
firjB' v<f>i](TeaOat> TapKVVLOL<i, dWa iroXefi^aecv
Kara Kparo^; vTrep rr)? eXevOepia^, rjSovrjv re rfj
^ovXy Koi Odp(To<; afia to?? dp)(^ovcn irapia'yev.
€vOv<; Be Kal rd epya rov op/cov i/Se^auov.
3 TTpeo-jSei^; yap riKOV diro Tap/cvp[ov ypafifiara
KOjjii^ovTe^ iiraycoyd rov Bi]/jlov /cat X6yov<; iin-
eiKel^y 0I9 fJbdXiara tov<; 7roXXov<; wovro Bca-
(j)deip€iv, Xeyo/j,6Voi<; irapd ^aaiXew^ d^eiKevat,TO (f)p6vr}/jLa Kol fjLerpiwv BelaOat Bokovvto'^.
TOvrov<; eh to ttXtjOo^ olofievwv Belv tmv virdTav
irpoayayelv ovk eXaaev OvaXXepto^, dXX! eveaTTj
KOL BiefccoXvcTev dvOpcoirotf; irevr^dt Kal ^apvvo-fjievoLfi jxaXXov t^9 TvpavviBof; tov TToXefiov dp'xjd^
Kal 7rpocf)daei<; vea)TepL(rjj.(bv eyyeveaQai,III. Mera Be TavTa irpea^et^ rJKOv eTCpoi ttj^
T€ ^aaiXeia^ dcjilo-Taadat Kal TroXe/jLOvvTa irav-
aaaOai tov TapKvviov XeyovTe<;, diraLTelv Be Ta
'^prjfjbaTa Kal ra? ovaLa<; avrw Kal (jaXois Kal
olKeioL^, d(f>Mv Bta^icocrovTai, (f)evyovTe<;. eTriJcXo)-
fievcov Be iroXXcav Kal fjAXicTTa tov KoXXaTLvov
avvayopevovTO<^, aTpeiTTO^i q)v dvrjp Kal Tpaxv^opyrjv 6 B/DoOro9 i^eBpafiev eh dyopdv, jrpoBoTqvdiTOKaXoiv TOV avvdp)(pvTay iroXefiov Kal Tvpav-viBof; d(f)op/i^d<; ^^pi^ofievov oh Beivov r)V ovtco^}
2 i<p6Bia i^vyvj^ y^rjchiaacrOai. avveXOovrrov Be T(bv
TToXtT&v TT/JCOTO? lhcoTrj<i dvTjp eliTev iv BrjfLW t6t€
506
PUBLICGLA, II. 2-iir. 2
who had his suspicions of certain others also, desired
the senators to take a sacrificial oath, and set a dayfor the ceremony, Valerius went down with a gladcountenance into the forum, and was the first to take
oath that he would make no submission or concession
to the Tarquins, but would fight with all his mightin defence of freedom. This pleased the senate and
inspired the consuls with courage. And his actions
speedily confirmed his oath. For envoys came from
Tarquin bringing letters calculated to seduce the
people, and specious words by which they thoughtthe multitude were most likely to be corrupted,
coming as they did from a king who seemed to havehumbled himself, and to ask only moderate terms.
These envoys the consuls thought should be broughtbefore the assembled people, but Valerius would notsuffer it. He was unalterably opposed to giving
poor men, who considered war a greater burden than
tyranny, occasions and excuses for revolution.
III. After this, other envoys came announcingthat Tarquin abdicated his throne and ceased to
wage war upon the city, but demanded for himself,his friends, and his kinsmen, their moneys and
efFects,^ wherewith to maintain themselves in exile.
Many were inclined to grant this favour, andCollatinus in particular joined in advocating it, but
Brutus, a man of harsh and unyielding temper ran
forth into the forum and denounced his colleague as
a traitor, because he would bestow the means for
waging war and maintaining tyranny on men to
whom it were a terrible mistake to vote even a bare
subsistence in exile. And when an assembly of the
citizens was held, the first to speak among them1 Cf. Livy, ii. 3, 5.
HOT
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Tdlo^i McvovKLo<;, to) re B/?ouTft) Sia/ceXevofievo^
Kal Tot? '¥w/jLaLOi<; irapaivodv opav 67rco<; ra
XpW^'^^ A^^''"* CLVTciiV ovra iroke^oiT] tt/do? toi'9
Tvpdvvov^ fjbaXkov Tj fjLCT eKeivayv Trpo^i avTOv<i.
ov fir)v aXV eBo^e toI<; 'VcofiaiOL^s rrjv eXevOepiav
exovcnv, virep 779 eirdXefiovv, firj irpoeadai ttjv
elpT^vTjv eveKa %/)77/iaTft)i', dXka avveK^aXelv kol
ravra T0t9 TVpdvvoi<i,
'Hi^ Se apa TapKvvicp X0709 p'lv iXd^iaro^;Twi/ ')(^p7]fidT0)V, 7)
S* d7raLT7)(TL<; dfia irelpa rov
3 B/jfjLov /cat KaracTKevi] TrpoSoala^;. /cal ravr
eirparrov ol Trpecr^et^ vito/jL€vuvt6<; iirl rfj roiv
'XpTj/jbdreov irpocpdaei, ra fiev dTroBtSoa-dai, ra Se
(pvXdrreiv, ra B diroTrefjiTreLV <f>dcrKOpre<;, cixP^
ov Bie(j)6€t.pav 0LK0V<; Bvo rcov Ka\o)v KayadSiv
vo/jLL^ofjbiva)Vt rov 'A/cuXXtwi/ rpeh e^ovra ^ov-XevrcL'^ Kal Bvo rov OvireWicov. ovroi 7rdvr€<;
Tjaav diro firjripcov dBeX^iBol KoWarlvov rov
vTrarevovro^y IBLa Be OvlreXkioL<^ erepa Trpo^
Bpovrov 0LK€t,6rr]<i vTrrjpx^v. dBeXcprjv yap avrcov
4 6 B/30OT09 eZ^j^eKol iralBa^; ef avri)*; irXeiova^;' cov
Bvo T0U9 iv rjXiKLa (Tvyy€r€i<; 6vra<i d/UL Kal
avv^Oei^; ol OvireWtoi Trpoarjydyovro Kal awe-TTeiaav iv rfj rrpoBoa-ia yeveaOai Kal Karafil-
^avra<i eavrov^ eh yevo<; p.kya rb rwv TapKvvlcovKal jBacrCkLKCL^ eK,7riBa<^ dTraWayrjvat t?}9 rov
7raTpo<; d^e\repia<^ Kal x^\e7r6T7]ro<;* 'x.^XeTro-
rTjra fiev ro dirapaiTrjrov avrov tt/oo? toi'9
7rovr)pov<: \eyovr€<;, rfj 8' d^eXrepia irpoGiroLfQ"
508
I PUBLICOLA, III. 2-4
was Caius Minucius, a private man, who exhortedBrutus and advised the Romans to see to it that thetreasures fought with them against the tyrants,rather than with the tyrants against them. However,the Romans decided that, since they had the libertyfor which they were at war, they would not sacrifice
peace for the sake of wealth, but cast this also out
along with the tyrants.^Now the wealth, of course, was of very slight
consequence to Tarquin, but the demand for it wasat once a test of the people's disposition and a meansof instigating treachery among them. And it waswith this that the envoys busied themselves, makingthe property merely a pretext for remaining in the
city, and saying that they were selling part of it,
and reserving part, and sending part of it away. Atlast they succeeded in corrupting two of the noble
families of Rome, that of the Aquillii, which hadthree senators, and that of the Vitellii, whichhad two. All these, by the mother's side, were
nephews of Collatinus the consul, and besides, the
Vitellii were related in another manner to Brutus.
For Brutus had married a sister of theirs, and she hadborne him several sons. Two of these, who had cometo manhood, and were their near kindred and close
companions, the Vitellii won over and persuaded to
join the plot for betraying the city, to ally them-selves with the great family and the royal ex-
pectations of the Tarquins, and rid themselves of
the stupidity and cruelty of their father. For theygave the name of cruelty to that father's inexorable
treatment of criminals, and as for his stupidity, hehad for a long time, as it appears, feigned and
» Cf. Livy, ii. 4, 3.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
ybari /cal 7rapaKa\v/j.fjiaTC iroXuv ^povov, ct)9 eoiKe,
^(^prjadfievo^ aa<j)aX6ia(; eveica 7rpb<; Tov<i rvpdv-
vov<;, ovS^ varepov ecpvyev avTr]<i rrjv eTrcovv/JLiav.
IV. 'n? S' ovv avveTTeiadr] to, fieipaKLa /cal
TOt? ^AkvXXlok; eZ? X070U9 rfkOev, op/cov Ofioaai
fii'yav eSo^e iracn xal Seivov, dvdpcoTrov a^a-yePTO<; eTnaTreiaavTa^^ at/ia koX tmv a7r\dy)(vcov
6iy6vTa<;. iirl tovtols et? rrjv ^A/cvWlcov olfciav
(TVvrj\6ov. rjv S' 6 ol/co^, iv w ravra SpdcreLv
ejiieXXov, olov €lK6<i, v7repr}ijLo<; koI afcorwBr}^.
eXaOev ovv avTov<i ol/cirrjf; ovo/ia OvLvhiKio<;
evhov KaTaicpv^a^^ eavrov, ov icar iiTL^ovXrjp 99
2^7 TTpoaLcrdrjalv riva tov /jLeWovTO<;, aXV evBov
wv €rv)(€ /cal irpocnovaiv avTol<^ [lera o"jrovhr}<;
6(j)6fjvaL 0o/877^el9 vireaTTj, Xdpva/ca K€i-/jLevr]v irpo
avTOV 7roLr}adjjL6vo^, &(tt€ Kal roov irparrofievcov
Oearr)^ yeveaOai /cal tmv fiovXevfjudToyp iir^Koof;.
eBo^e S' avTOL<i toi'9 virdrov'; dvaipelv, /cal ravra
Br}\ouaa<i ypd'^avre<; e7n(Tro\d<^ rrpo^ rov TapKv-VLov eBcDKav rot? Trpecr^ear Kal yap aticovv avro-
6l, rcjv *A/cvWicov ^evoi yeyovorefs, Kal rore rj}
avvcop^oaia rraprjaav.
3 'fl9 Be ravra rrpd^avre^ dirrjXkdyr^a-av, vire^-
ekOcbv 6 OvLvBiKLO<^ XdOpa, ^^prjaaaOai rol^i
wpoaireaovcnv ovk elx^v, dXX* rjiropelro, Beivov
fiev 7}yovfi€vo(!, coairep rjv, rrpo^ irarepa Bpovrovvlcov i^dyicrra Kar7]yopelv rj 7r/)09 Oetov dBeXcpiBcovrov KoXXartvov, IBicoryp Be 'Pco/jLalcov ovBiva vo-
^io
PUBLICOLA, III. 4-iv. 3
assumed this, to insure his safety from the cruel
designs of the tyrants,, and afterwards the surnameof Brutus, which had been given him for it, clung to
him.
IV. When, accordingly, the youths had been per-suaded and held conference with the Aquillii, it wasdecided that all the conspirators should swear a greatand dreadful oath, pouring in libation the blood of a
slain man, and touching his entrails. For this purpose
they met at the house of the Aquillii.^ Now the
room in which the ceremony was to be held was, as
was natural, dark and somewhat desolate. Withouttheir knowing it, therefore, a slave named Vindicius
had concealed himself therein, not with design, or
with any inkling of what was to happen there ; he
merely chanced to be there, and when they came in
with anxious haste, he was afraid to be seen by them,and hid himself behind a chest that lay there, so
that he saw what they did, and heard what theyresolved upon. Their decision was to kill the con-
suls, and when they had written letters to Tarquinto this effect, they gave them to his envoys, who were
living there as guests of the Aquillii, and were then
present at the conspiracy.Their business transacted, the conspirators de-
parted, and then Vindicius stole secretly away fromthe house. He knew not what use to make of whathad befallen him, but was at a loss, considering it a
dreadful thing, as it really was, to arraign the sons
of Brutus before their father, or the nephews of
CoUatinus before their uncle, on the most abominable
charges, and yet believing that no Roman in a
private station could be entrusted with such im-
* At the house of the Vitellii, according to Livj, ii. 4, 5.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
4 jji^wv ix^yy^op aiTopprjTWV TrfkiKoxncoy. nrav Kav fiaWov rj BvvaTo<; cov rjavxiav ayeiVj eXavvo-
fievof; Be rSt avveiSori tov Trpay/iaTO?, copfirjae
7ra)9 TTyOo? TOV OvaWipLov, fiaXiara TOL<i KOLVohKol <l)L\avOpco7roi<;^ iiraxOeh tov avBp6<;y otl
iraaiv evTrpoaoBo^i rjv toI^ Beo/jbivotfi, kol ttjv
oiKiav ael irapelx'^v dveqyyfievrjVf koI \6yov ov-
Bev6<; ovBe XP^i'Civ aireppiiTTei toov TaircLvcov,
V. 'n? ovv dvefir) tt/jo? avTOV 6 OvivBLklo^
KoX KaTelire TravTa, Map/cov re tov dSeXcpov Trap-ovTo^i avTM fjLovov KoX T^9 yvvaiKo^y eKiikayei^KoX hel(7a^ OvaXkepLO^ ovkcti irporjKaTO tov
avOpwirov, dXka KaTaK\€L(Ta<^ et? to oiKJjfjLa kol
(pvXaKa Tr)v iavrov yvvacKa Tai<; 6vpai,<; iirtaT'^-
aa^y TOV jxev dBe\<f)bv iKeXevcre ttjv jSacriXiKrjv
eiravXiV irepicxovTa to, ypd/jL/iaTa Xa^elv, dvBvvaTov y, kuI tou9 oiKeTa^ irapac^vXarTeivat'TO? Be irekaTCdV tg ttoWcov koX (piXcov del irepX
avTOV ovTcov /cat depaTreia^i avxvrj'i, i^dBi^e tt/jo?
TTjV olKLaV TCOV*
AkvWlCOV OVK evBoV OVTCOV
2 Blo /jLr]Bevb<i dv itpoaBoKi^(javTO<i dxrupuevo^ Bid
Ovpcov eiTLTvyxdvei rot? ypdixjMiaL fceifiivoL^ oirov
KUTeXvov ol TTpeaffei';. TavTa B^ avTOv irpuT-TOVTO<i ol *A.KvWiOi Bp6fi(o irpocre^ipovTO, Koi
irepX Ta9 dvpa^ crvfjLfjLi^avTe'i i^'^TOvv dcbeXeaOai
Ta9 iiTLo-ToXd'i. ol 8' tjijlvvovto, koX Ta i/jLUTta
7r€pcffaX6vT€<; avTcov T0t9 Tpaxv^oL^ vtto ffla^ /cat
/X0X,i9 Ci)0OV/JL€VOl KOL wOoVVTe^i Bid TCJV (TTeV(07ra>V
eh TTjv dyopdv eve^aXov. Ta 5' avTa /cal nrepl tt)v
eiravXiv dfia ttjv ^aaiXiKrjv eyivero, tov MdpKovypa/jL/jLaTCDV eTepeov ev T0t9 (TKeveai Kojju^ofxevcov
^<pi\ay6puiroi5 Bekker supplies rpSwotSf after Porson.
512
I PUBLICOLA, IV. 3-v. 2
portant secrets. The last thing that he could do,
however, was to hold his peace, and driven on by his
knowledge of the affair, he made his way somehowto Valerius, attracted especially by the affable and
kindly ways of the man.^ For he was easily ac-
cessible to all the needy, always kept open house,and never refused to hear or help one of the
lowly.V. Accordingly, when Vindicius came to him and
told him the whole story, in the presence of his
brother Marcus only, and of his wife, Valerius wasstruck with consternation and fear, and would notnow let the man go, but shut him up in a room andset his own wife to guard the door. Then heordered his brother to surround the royal residence,seize the letters, if possible, and take the servants
into custody. He himself, with the numerousclients and friends who were always about him,and with a large company of retainers, went to the
house of the Aquillii, who were not at home.
Therefore, to the surprise of everybody, he forced
the door, and came upon the letters lying in the
quarters where the envoys were lodging. Meantimethe Aquillii came up in hot haste, joined battle at
the door, and sought to take away the letters. ButValerius and his party resisted the attack, threwtheir togas about their opponents' necks, and after
much struggling on both sides, at last succeeded in
pushing them through the streets into the forum.
The same success was had at the royal residence,where Marcus laid hands on other letters which wereto be conveyed away in the baggage, seized as many
* Vindicius laid the matter before the consuls, accordingto Livy, ii. 4, 6.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eTTiXafjilSavo/jiivov, koI tmv ^acriXcKOJV oaov^ Sv-
varb^; rjv ekKOVTO^ eh rrjv ayopdv.VI. *E7r6t Se Tov Oopv^ov KareTravcrav ol vira-
roL Kol TOV OvaWepiov KeXevaavro^ ifc t?)? olKia<;
6 'OvivSLKto<; 7rpo'}]X^Vf ^<^^ jevo/i6V7j<; KaTrjyopia<;
dveyvcoaOrj to, ypd/jL/jbara fcal tt/jo? ovSev iroXfJir]-
aav avTenreiv ol dvhpe<^, rjv fiev KaTi](j)eia kcll
(TKoirr) Toiyv dWcoVy oXtyot Be /SovXofievoi Ta>
B/oouTft) ')(CLpi^e(T6ai <j)vyr]<; i/jbefivqvro. Kai tl
KoX }LoXXaTlvo<i auTOt? eXiriho'^ eirieLKovf; eveSiEov
8eBaKpvfjL€V0<; koI OvaXXepio^ cncoircov. 6 Be
^povTO'; ovo/jLaa-TL rcov viow eKarepov TrpoaenrcoVt
**''A7€, w Ttre," elirev,*'
dye, « Tt^epte, tL ovk2 airoXoyelcrde irpo^ rrjv KarrjyopLav;
"&)? B^ ovBev
dTreKpivavro rpU ipcoT7]0tvre<;, ovtw^ 7rpo<; rov<!
vTTTjpera^ dTroarpe'^afs to irpocrcoTrov,*'
"Tfierepov
7]Br]f^* etTre, "to Xolttov epyovJ^ ol Be ev0v^
a-vXXal36vTe<; tou? veavlcrKOV^; Trepteppijyvvov rd
IfidTia, Ta9 'xelpa<i dirriyov OTrlaco, pd^BoL^3 e^aivov rd crco/jLara, rStv fiev dXXcov ov Bvva-
fievcov TTpoaopdv ovBe /caprepovvrcov, eKelvov Be
Xeyerai firjTe Ta9 o-^jrei^i dirayayeiv aXKa'yoaefirjT oiKTO) TL Tpeyjrai, t»}9 Trepl to TrpoaeoTrov
opyrj^ /cat ^apvTrjTO^, dXkd Beivov evopdv KoXa-
^ojjLevoi<; T0t9 Traialv d^pi ov KaTaT€LvavTe<; av-
TOL'9 eirl TOvBa(po<; ireXeKcc t<z9 KecpaXd^^ dire^
Koyjrav. ovto) Be TOL19 dXXov^ iirl tm avvdp^oi'TL 10*
TTOLTjadfievo^ ^X^"^' efai/a(TTa9, epyov elpyaafievo^ovT eiraivelv /8ovXofjLevoL<; d^Lco<; ovTe '^eyeiv
4 i^LKTOV^ f) yap dpeTrj'i vyfro'; 6t9 dirdOaav
€^€(JT7}ae Tr]v ylrv^ijv, rj irdOovi p.eye9o<i el^ dvaX"
I PUBLICOLA, V. 2-vi. 4
of the king's people as he could, and haled them to
the forum.
VI. When the consuls had quieted the tumult,Valerius ordered Vindicius to be brought from his
house, the denunciation was made, the letters wereread aloud, and the accused had no courage to reply.Most of the people held their peace for very sorrow,but a few spoke of exile as a penalty, wishing to doBrutus a kindness. They were also somewhat
encouraged to hope by the tears of Collatinus andthe silence of Valerius. But Brutus, calling each of
liis sons by name, said :" Come, Titus, come
Tiberius, why do ye not defend yourselves againstthis denunciation }
"But when they made no
answer, though he put his question to them thrice,he turned to the lictors and said :
" It is yoursnow to do the rest." These straightway seized the
young men, tore off their togas, bound their handsbehind their backs, and scourged their bodies with
their rods. The rest could not endure to look upon the
sight, but it is said that the father neither turned his
gaze away, nor allowed any pity to soften the stern
wrath that sat upon his countenance, but watchedthe dreadful punishment of his sons until the lictors
threw them on the ground and cut off their heads
with the axe. Then he rose and went away, after
committing the other culprits to the judgement of
his colleague.1 He had done a deed which it is
difficult for one either to praise or blame sufficiently.
For either the loftiness of his virtue made his spirit
incapable of suffering, or else the magnitude of his
^ With this account, compare Livy, ii. 5, 5-9. Brutuslooked on "eminente animo patrio inter publicae poenaeministerium."
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yr}(Tiav. ovBirepov Bk fxiKpov ovB* avOpcoirivov,
aX)C rj Oelov fj dTjptcoBe^. SuKacov Bk rfj Bo^yTov avBpo^ TTjV Kpiaiv eirecrdai /jlclWov ^ rrji'
apeTTjv aa-Qeveia tov Kpivomo^; aTTiaTeladat. 'Pa>-
fiaioi yap ov roaovrov epyov OLOvrac ^PcofivXov
yeveaOai t^9 7roXe&)9 rrjv IBpvaLVy oaov Bpovrov
Tr]v KTicnv T?79 iroXiTeiafi koI KardaraaLV.
VII. 'II9 8* ovv dirrjXdev ef dyopa<^ Tore, ttoXvv
fiev 'X^povov e/c7rX7;fi9 el')(eKoi (ppiKij kol (Ticottt}
irdvra^ eVt T0t9 BiaTTeTrpaypuevoi^;' 7rpo<; Bk ttjv
K.oWaTLvov fiaXafCiav Kal fjueWTjcnv dveOdppija-av
ol ^AkvXKlol, Kal XP^^^'^ rj^iovv Xaffovre^; diro-
Xoy^cracrOac, Kal tov OvivBLklov avTOc<; dwoBo-
OrjvaL Bovkov ovTa, Kal p^rj irapa to?9 KaTrjyopoi^2 elvat. ^ovXopivov Be raOra a-vyxfopetv Kal
BiaXvovTo^i iirl tovtoi^ ttjv iKKXrja-Lav, 6 OvaXXi-
pLO<; ovTC TOV dv^pwTTOv 0I09 T* Yjv d(j)€2vac Tc3
Trepl avTov o'xXco KaTZ^p^iyp^kvoVy ovtc tov Btj/iov
eta Trpoepsvov tov<; irpoBoTa^ direXOelv. Te\o9 Be
T0i9 acofiao-tv i'jn^aXobv Ta9 %6t/oa9 iireKaXeiTO
TOV BpovTov, Kal TOV KoXXaTLVov i^oa Beiva
TTOLelv, ei t& <Tvvdp)(^ovTt TraiBo^ovia^ dvdyKijv
TrpoaTpiylrdfievo^ auTo<i oterai Belv KaTaxcf'pit^eadai
Tot'^ yvvai^l T0U9 irpoBoTa^ Kal iroXepiov^ t^93 iTaTpiBo<;. dyavaKT0vvT0<; Be tov virdTOV Kal
KeXevovTO^ aTrdyecrOat tov OvlvBLklov, ol fjuev
vTnjpeTai Bicoo-dfievoi tov o^Xov tJittovto tov
dvOpcoTTov Kal T0U9 dcpacpovfjuivov^: ctvittov, ol
516
I PUBLICOLA, VI. 4-Yii. 3
suffering made it insensible to pain. In neither
case was his act a trivial one, or natural to a man,but either god-like or brutish. However, it is rightthat our verdict should accord with the reputation of
the man, rather than that his virtue should be dis-
credited through weakness in the judge. For theRomans think that the work of Romulus in buildingthe city was not so great as that of Brutus in foundingand establishing its form of government.
VII. After Brutus had left the forum at this time,for a long while consternation, horror, and silence
prevailed among all who remained, as they thoughtof what had been done. But soon the weakness andhesitation of Collatinus gave the Aquillii fresh
courage ; they demanded time in which to maketheir defence, and the surrender of Vindicius to
them, since he was their slave, and ought not to bein the hands of their accusers. Collatinus was
willing to grant this request, and was about to
dissolve the assembly with this understanding ; butValerius was neither able to surrender the slave,
who had mingled with the throng about him, norwould he suffer the people to release the traitors andwithdraw. So at last he seized the persons of the
Aquillii and summoned Brutus to the scene, cryingaloud that Collatinus was acting shamefully in laying
upon his colleague the necessity of killing his ownsons, and then thinking it necessary for himself to
bestow upon their wives the lives of his country's
betrayers and foes. The consul was indignant at
this, and ordered that Vindicius should be taken
away, whereupon the lictors pushed their waythrough the crowd, seized the man, and beat those
who tried to rescue him. Then Valerius and his
517
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
dh(j>i\oi,
Tov OvaXkepiov irpoecnrjaav a/jivvofievor
Kot 6 Br]fjLO<; i^oa KeXeucov Trapecvai rbv Bpovrov.
rJK€v ovv av6i<; viTocrrpe'^a^' koI y€vo[xevi]<^ avrw
ai(07rf}<; elirev on rot? fikv vloh avrb^ aTro^pwi/
r/v SiKaart]^, irepl 8e rcov aWcov Tot9 iroXirac^
iXevOepoi^ odcrc'\jr7](f)0V
SiScocrr Xeyerco Be 6
^ov\6fj.€VO^ /cat TretOerco tov Brj/iiov. ovKen fievroL
Xoycov iherjcrev, aXka t?}? '\lr^(pov BoOeio-rjf; irdaai^
d\6vTe<; iTreXefCLaOrjo-av.
4 'O Be KoXXaTti/09 ^v fiev, a)9 eoiKCVy iv VTroyjria
Tivl Kol Bia (Tvyyiveiav rcov ^aa-LXecov, tj-^Oovto
S' avTOv Kol T(p Bevripo) rcov ovojudrcov, dcpoaiov-
fievoL TOV TapKvvtov. a>9 Be zeal TavTa (Tvve^rj,
TTavTOLTrao'f, irpoaKpovca^ d(j)r]Ke ttjv dp')(r)v evcov
/cal T^9 7ro\€Ci)9 vTre^TJXOev. ovtco Brj iraXiv
dp')(aipeaicov yevopievwv vTTaTo<; drreBeb'X^drj Xafi-
irpco^ 6 OvaXXepio<^, d^iav diroXa^cov T779 irpo-
5 Ovfua<; ')(^dpLV' ri<; ol6p.ev6<^ tl Belv diroXavaai
TOV OvLvBiKiov i-\}rr]^LaaT0 TTpcoTov direXevOepoveicelvov iv 'Vcopbrj yevicrdai, 7roXiTr]v kol <f)epeiv
'\]rrj(f)Ov f] ^ovXoLTO (ppaTpta irpoavepn^OevTa. tol<;
S* dXXoi<; direXevOepOL'i o-^e kol yttera ttoXvv
'X^povov i^ovcTiav '\jrr)(j>ou Br)fjiaywycov eBcoKev "Air-
7ri09* 17 Be '7ravTeXr}<; direXevOepcodi^i d')(pt vvv
omvBiKTa XeyeTai Bl i/celvov, W9 (pao-i, tov
OvivBiicLov.
YIII. *E/c TOVTOV T^ puev 'XpTjfiaTa tmv jSaac-
Xiayv Biapirdaai Tol<i 'I^cofialoif; eBwKav, t^v Be
S18
I PUBLICOLA, VII. 3-viii. i
friends stood forth in the man's defence, while the
people shouted for Brutus to come. He turned
backj therefore, and came, and when silence hadbeen made for him, said that for his sons, he himself
sufficed as judge, but he would leave the fate of the
other traitors to the votes of the citizens, who were
free, and any one who wished might speak and try to
persuade the people. However, by this time there
was no need of oratory, but a vote was takenwhich unanimously condemned the men, and theywere beheaded.
Collatinus, as it would seem, was already undersome suspicion on account of his relationship to the
royal family, and the second of his names also washateful to the people, who loathed the sound of Tar-
quin. But after these recent events, he saw that hewas altogether obnoxious, and therefore resigned his
office and withdrew secretly from the city.^ A newelection was consequently held, and Valerius was
triumphantly declared consul, thus receiving a
worthy reward for his zeal. In this reward he
thought that Vindicius ought to share, and therefore
had a decree passed which made him, first of all
freedmen, a citizen of Rome, and entitled him to
vote with any curia in which he chose to be enrolled.
Other freedmen received the right of suffrage in
much later times from Appius," who thus courted
popularity. And from this Vindicius, as they say, a
perfect manumission is to this day called " vindicta." ^
Vin. After this, the property of the royal familywas given to the Romans to plunder, and their house
1 Cf. Livy, ii. 2, 3-10.'Appius'Clavidius Caecus, censor in 312 b.o.
' Cf. Livy, ii. 5, 10.
519
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
olKiav KariaKa-yfrav koI rrjv eiravkLV rov S*
*Ape[ov irehiov to rjhtarov iKeKTTjro TapKvvio^,fcal TOVTO r& 9e(p KaOiipaxrav. erv^e Be rede-
pio-fievov dpTC, Kol K€ifievo)v en tmv SpayfidrcovovK (povTO Beiv akoav ovBe ')(prjadat Blcl rrjv
fcaOiepwo-iVy aXKa avvBpafi6vT€<; ecpopovv ra?
2 afiaX\a<i et? rov irorapLov. 0)9 S' avrw^ Koi ra
BivBpa KOTTTOVTCf; ivejSaWov, apyov TravraTraa-i
TO ')(j[Dpiov avtevre^ Ta> 6e(a koX aKapirov. wOov-
fiivcov Be 7roWa>v eir akXrjkoi^ koI ddpocov
vTTijyayev 6 poO? ov iroXifV tottov, aX,V oirov
T^ irpSiTa (Tvveve'xOevTa fcal TrepiTreaovTa to??
(TT€p€ol<i viredTTj, tS)v €7n(j)epofjL6va)v Bie^oBov ovk
eypvTwVt aW' evia'^pfjuevoDV koX TrepiTrXe/cofievcov,
iXcififiavev r) (TVIxtttj^l^ 1<t')(vv koi pt^eo(Tiv av^avo- 10]
3 fjLevTjv VTTO Tov pevfjuiT0<;, tXvv T€ ycLp eTrrjyaye
ttoWtJv, rj Trpoa-icTTafievr) Tpocprjv irapeZx^v dfjui
Kol KoWrjaiv, ai re TrXTjyal aaXov ovk eTTOiovv,
dXhJi fjuaXaKOJ^ Trte^ovaat avvrfkavvov eh tuvto
iravra kol avve7r\aTT0v, viro Be fieyeOov^ koI
(TTciaea)^ eTepov avTO tieyeOo^i e/craro Koi 'vcopap
avaoe'Xpp^v7}v ra irXetcrTa t(ov vtto tov TroTa/nov
KaTa^epofievoiv. tovto vvv vrja-6<; eaTiv lepdKaTo, TTjv ttoXlv, e%6i Be vaov<; 6ewv Koi irepi-
TTCLTOV^, KaXecTUt Be (jxovrj t§ AaTLVcov MeatfSvolv y€<j)vp(ov.
4 "Ewoi Be TovTo avfJLireaelv laTopovo-iv ovx ore
TapKwlov KaOiepoiOr) to ttcBlov, dXXd %/)oi/ot9
v(TT€pov dXXo xj^piov ofwpovv e/celvcp Tap/cvpui^
5^0
PUBLICOLA, VIII. 1-4
and palace were razed to the ground. But the
pleasantest part of the field of Mars, which had
belonged to Tarquin, was dedicated to that god.Now it chanced that it had just been reaped,and the grain still lay upon the ground; butsince the field had been consecrated, they thoughtit not right to thresh it or use it in any way.They therefore with one accord carried the sheavesto the river and cast them in. In like manneralso they cast in the trees which had been cut.
and left the place wholly untilled and barren for
the god of war. The quantities of stuff thus heapedtogether were not borne along by the current
very far, but the advanced portions stopped andaccumulated at the shallows which they encountered.
The portions that followed these could not getthrough them, but impinged upon them and blended
inextricably with them, and the aggregation wasmade increasingly firm and fast by the action of thestream. For this brought along great quantities of
mud, the addition of which increased the size andcohesion of the mass. And besides, the impacts of
the current were not rude, but with a gentle pres-sure pushed and moulded everything together.
Owing to its size and position the mass acquiredfresh size, and an extent sufficient to receive most of
what was brought down by the river. It is now a
sacred island over against the city, containing templesof the gods and covered walks,^ and is called in theLatin tongue
'' Inter duos pontes."Some, however, say that this did not happen when
the field of Tarquin was consecrated, but in later
times, when Tarquinia devoted another field adjacent1 Of. Livy, ii. 6, 1-4.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
avelarj^, ?; he Tap/cvvia irapOivo'^ rjv lepeia,
fiia Tcov ^KaridSfDV, ea'X^e he Tifia<; avrl tovtov
fi€ydXa<i, ev ah rjv koX to fiaprvpiav avrrj^;
Sexeo-OaL p,6vr]^ yuvaiKcov. to S* e^elvai yap^eladai
sfrijcpiaapLevcov ov irpoaeSe^aro. koI ravTU p^ev
ovTco yeveo-Qai, p.v6o\oyovai.IX. TapKVVCOV Be rrjv etc TrpoSoaiw; aTroyvovTa
T^9 cLpxfl^ dpoXrjyjnv iSe^avro Tvppijvol irpoOvp,(o^
KoX peydXrj hwdpLsi Karrjyov. dvre^ijyov Be rou?
*V(opLaiov<i 01 vTraroL, koX irapera^av ev %&)yotoi9
lepot<iy a)v TO p>ev "Apacov^ d\ao^, to Be Alaoveiov
Xeip^wva Trpoaayopevovaiv. dp^opevayv Be avTCov
avvdyetv ek %6i/)a9 "Appcov 6 TapKuvLOv irah
KoX ByOoOTO? o ^Vcopaicov viraro^ ov Kara rv^V^dX\7]\oi<; 7Tept7rea6vTe<;, dX)C vtt' e-)(6ov(; kol
2 6pyri<i, 6 fiev co? eirl Tvpavvov koI iroXep^iov rij^i
iraTpiBo^, 6 Be T779 <jivyfj(; dpLVv6pievo<^, a>pp,7)aav
opocre T0i9 Xttttoi^. Ovp.& Be pudWov rj Xoyio-p^w
7rpoa-p,i^avT€<; rj^eiBrjcrav avroiv koX a-vvaireOavov
dW'^\oi<;. ovTco Be Beivov yevopbivov rod irpod-
ycovo<; ov/c ea^^v 6 dycov TeA<09 iTrieiKearepov,
dWd KoX BpdcravTe<; icra /cat 7rad6vT€<; ol arparol
Bi€Kpidr]orav v'TTO yeipoivo^.3 'Hz^ ovv ev diTopOL^ 6 OvaWepL0<;, ovk elBax;
TO Ti59 P'd'xv^ 7fepa9, dWd tou9 (TTpaTi(t)Ta<; opcov
roh pev avTcov veKpol^ ddvp,ovvTa^^ eiraipopevov^i
Be T0l<i TWV TToXepLCOV OVT(0<i aKpLTOf; TfV KoX
^"Apcriov Am^'ot, Coraes, Bekker, after Livy's silua Arsia
(ii. 7, 2) : Ovpaov.
522
PUBLICOLA, VIII. 4-ix. 3
to this. Now Tarquinia was a holy virgin, one of
the Vestals, and received great honours for this act,
among which was this, that of all women her testi-
mony alone should be received. The people also
voted her permission to marry, but she did not avail
herself of it. This is how the thing happened, as
the tale runs.
IX. But Tarquin, despairing of attempts to regainhis throne by treachery, was eagerly welcomed bythe Tuscans,^ who set out to restore him with a
great force. The consuls led the Romans out to
meet them, and arrayed their forces in certain sacred
precincts, one of which was called the Arsian grove,the other the Aesuvian meadow. When the engage-ment began, Aruns the son of Tarquin and Brutus
the Roman consul encountered each other. It wasnot by chance, but both were driven on by hatred
and wrath, the one to attack a tyrant and foe of his
country, the other to avenge himself on the author
of his exile. They urged their horses to the combat,but since they engaged with fury rather than calcu-
lation, they were reckless of themselves, and fell byone another's hands. The battle which had such a
dreadful beginning, ended no less disastrously ; the
armies, after inflicting and suffering equal losses,
were separated by a tempest.^Valerius was therefore in perplexity, not knowing
what the issue of the battle was, but seeing his
soldiers as much disheartened by their own losses as
they were encouraged by those of their enemies. So
undistinguishable and equal was the slaughter on^ By the people of Veii and Tarquinii, according to Livy,
ii. 6, 4f.2According to Livy (ii, 7, 1), the Tuscans departed in
terror after the battle.
,523
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irapaXKriXo^ viro ttXtJOov^ 6 (povo^:, ov fjirjv a\X*
e/carepoL'i iyyvdev opco/jueva ra oiKela jjuaXkov
ifiefiaiov ttjv ^rrav r) rrjv vlktjv elKa^o-4 fi€va rh TOiv iroXefiicav. i7r€\dov(T'rj<; Be vuKTO<i
oiav elKO<; ovrco p^fxaxni^^^OL^i teal yevofjuevcov
iv Tjavx^o. rcdv aTparoTriScov, Xiyovcri aeiadrjvaLTO aXao'^i €/€ 8' avrov (pcovrjv eicTTeaetv fieydXijv
(ppd^ovaav &)? evl TrXetoy? iv ry P'ci'XJf} redvrjKaa-i
Tvpprjvojv rj ^PcofiaLoov, rjv B* dpa Oelov tl to
(f>Oe'y^d/jL€vov' evOv^ re yap vtt* avrov tol<; jxev
dXoXd^ai irapearr} fieya Koi OappaXeov, ol Be
TvppTjvol 7repL(f)0^0L yevofievot koI cvvrapa-
%^ez^T€9 e^eireaov i/c rov arparoTriBov koX Bie-
5 airdprjaav ol TrXeLcrror toi)? Be KaraXeL(f>9evTa<i
oXiycp irevTaKio-'x^LXiaiv e\d(T(Tov<; iireXdovTe^ el-
Xov ol ^Fcofjialoiy kol raXXa BirjpTraaav. ol Be
vefcpol BiapL6p.r)6evT€^ evpeOrjcrav rpLaKoacot p,ev
iirl')(^iXLoi,<;
koI p.vpioi<i ol tS)v TroXejjLLcov, ol Be
^Pcofjiaicov Trap' eva roaovTOi,
TavTTjv T7]v fjudxn^ Xeyovat yeveaOat irpo fiid<;
xaXavBoyv MapTLcov, idptd/jL^evae B* oltt avTrj<:
OvaXXepio^i ela-eXdaa^; TeOpLiriro) irpcoro^ virdrcov,
6 Kal TO 7Tpdy/ia crep^vr^v koI jJueyaXoirpeirri irape-
(T^ev oyfnv, ov/c eiTi<pOovov ovB^ dvidaaaav, &)?
evcot Xeyovat,, tou9 6p(ovTa<;* ov yap av ea-)(e
^TJXov TOcrovTOV ovBe (ftiXorifiLav eh err) irdp,-
iroXXa Biap^ivovcrav. direBe^avTO Be tov OvaX-
Xepiov fcal Ta? eh rov avvdp'xpvra rLp,d^, aU7 €fCKop,L^6p,€Vov Kal OaiTrop^evov iKoajurjae' zeal
Xoyov eir avrSt Bie^rfkdev iinrdcpLOV, o? ovrco^; 10
viro 'Fcofialcov '^yaTrrjdi] xal roaavrrjv eax^ xdpt,v
5*4
PUBLICOLA, IX. 3-7
both sides. Each army, however, was more convinced
of defeat by the near sight of its own dead, than it
could be of victory by conjecturing those of the
enemy. But when such a night came on as mustneeds follow such a battle, and both camps were
quiet, they say that the grove was shaken, and a
loud voice issued from it declaring that the Tuscanshad lost one man more in the battle than the
Romans. The utterance was manifestly from some
god,^ for at once the Romans were inspired by it to
loud shouts of courage, while the Tuscans were
panic-stricken, abandoned their camp in confusion,and were for the most part dispersed. As for those
that remained, a little less than five thousand in
number, the Romans fell upon them, took them
prisoners, and plundered the camp. And when the
dead on both sides were numbered, those of the
enemy were found to be eleven thousand and three
hundred, and those of the Romans as many less
one.
It is said that this battle was fought on the last
day of February. Valerius celebrated a triumph for
it, being the first consul to drive into the city on a
four-horse chariot. And the proceeding afforded a
spectacle which was imposing and magnificent, notodious and offensive to the spectators, as some say ;
otherwise it would not have been continued withsuch ardour and emulation for countless years. Thepeople were also pleased with the honours whichValerius bestowed upon his colleague at the funeral
ceremonies. He even delivered a funeral oration in
his honour, which was so admired by the Romansand won such favour that from that time on, when
*Silvanus, as Livy tells the tale (ii. 7, 2).
VOL. 1. c 525
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
i^ eKeivov reXevTijaaacv virb rcov dpiarcov iy/cco-
fiid^eadai. Xiyerai Be /cal tmv ^KXXtjvikcov ctti-
Tacj)Lcov ifC€ivo<; yeveaOai irpeal^vTepo^, etye fir)
Kol TOVTO SoXojj'o? earIV, (w?'
Ava^Lfjbevr}<^ 6 pyrcop
[(TTOpTJKeV.
X. 'AWa Bt* eKelva fiaXXov tj^Oovto rq> OvaX-
XepLcp Koi TTpocri/cpovov, ore l^povro^; ijuev, ov
irarepa t^9 ekevOepiafi ivop^t^ev 6 3^/xo9, ovk
'^^icoae fiovo^ apx^tv, aXXd koI irpwrov avrw
(Tvvdp')(pVTa TTpoaeiXeTO koX Bevrepov" Ovroal
3'," €<j)acrav, "€t9 avrov diravra crvveveyKdpevo^OVK ecTTi Trj<i l^povTOv KX7)pov6po<i L'Trareta? /jLjjBev
avTW TTp0(T7)K0var)(;, dXXd rrj^ TapKvvlov rvpav-2 vlBo<;. KairoL tL Bel Xoyw pev ^povrov iyxcofjitd-
^etv, epy(p Be pip^elaOat TapKvvLov, viro pd^BoL^opbov Tracrai? koX ireXeKecn Kariovra povov efOLKia^ TOcravTr)^ to p,eye6o'^ oarjv ov /caOeiXe rr^v
Tov ^aaiXecofi;"
koX yap ovrwf; 6 OvaXX€pio<;
(pKei rpayiKcorepov virep tjjv KaXovpevrjv OveXlavOLKiav eiTiKpepLapLevrjv rfj dyopa kol KaOopoiaavef v'\jrov<; aTravra, BvcnrpoaoBov Be ireXdcrai kol
'X^aXeirrjv e^coOev, uxTre fcara/3aLV0VT0<; avrov ro
G')(r}p,a p,eTea)pov elvai /cat /SaaiXiKov rrj'i irpo-3 iTopirr)^ TOV oyKov. oaov ouv iv dpyrj koX itpdy-
paai peydXoL^ dyaOov rjv e'X^Lv oiTa irapprjcTLavdvTL KoXaKeiaf; Trpoatepeva xal X6yov<^ dXtiOels,
eBet^ev. aKOvaa^ yap otl Tol<i 7roXXot<; dpupTd-vetv eBoKec tmv <j>iX(ov Bte^tovTcov, ovk e^iXovei-
KTjCTev, ovK TJyavdKTTjaev, dXXa Ta')^v ttoXXov<;
526
PUBLICOLA, IX. 7-xr3
their great and good men died, encomiums i
pronounced upon them by the most distinguiscitizens. And this funeral oration of his is said to
have been earlier than any among the Greeks, unless
Anaximenes the orator is right in saying that the
custom originated with Solon.
X. But that which the rather displeased andoffended the people in Valerius was this. Brutus,Avhom they regarded as the father of their liberties,
would not consent to rule alone, but once and againchose a colleague to rule with him. " But this
Valerius," they said," in concentrating all power
upon himself, is not a successor to the consulate of
Brutus, to which he has no right, but to the tyrannyof Tarquin. Yet why should he extol Binitus in
words, while in deeds he imitates Tarquin, descendingto the forum alone, escorted by all the rods andaxes together, from a house no less stately than the
royal house which he demolished .^
"For, as a
matter of fact, Valerius was living in a very splendidhouse on the so-called Velia.^ It hung high over
the forum, commanded a view of all that passedthere, and was surrounded by steeps and hard to
get at, so that when he came down from it the
spectacle was a lofty one, and the pomp of his
procession worthy of a king. Accordingly, Valerius
showed what a good thing it is for men in power and
high station to have ears which are open to frankness
and truth instead of flattery. For when he heardfrom his friends, who spared him no detail, that hewas tliought by the multitude to be transgressing,he was not obstinate nor exasperated, but quickly
got togetlier a large force of workmen, and while it
* An eminence of the Palatine hill.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
(Twayayibv rexv^Ta*; ert vvkto^ ov<nj<; KarejSoKe
Tr)v ol/cCav Kal KariaKa-yfrev etV eBacpo^; iracav.
4 wo-re [leO* rj/jLepav tou9 *Va)fjLa[ov<; optovra^; koX
(TVVL(TTafjL6vov<; rov fiev dvSpo^ ayairav kol 6av-
fid^etv TTjv fi€'yaXo(f)po(Tvvr)v, d^Oeadai Be r^?
OLKLa<i /cal iroOelv ro fi6y€6o<^ koI to /tfaXXo?,
Sairep dvOpccTTOV, Bia (pOovov ov BLKaiw<s Kara-
\€kvfjLevrj<;, rod Be dp^ovro^y wcnrep dveariov.
Trap eTepoc<; olkovvto^, eBe^ovTO yap oi (f>i\ot
TOP OvaXkepiov d^pt ov tottov eBco/cev 6Brj/iiof;
avT& KoX KaredKevaaev oliciav eKeivrj^; /lerpico-
repav, oirov vvv iepov iariv Ovlku^ Trora? ovofia-
^ofievov.
5 BouX6/i€ro9 Be/JUT) fiovov eavrov, dXka kcli rrfv
dpxv^ dvrl (poPepafi xj^LporjOT] koX 7rpoa(j)i\rj
TTOielv TOL<; TToWot?, Tou? re ireXeKei^ aTrlXvae
Ta>v pd/SBcov, avrd^i re ra? pd^Bov<; et? eKKkifjaiav
7rapiQ)v vtprJKe T(p Brjfxw kol fcareKXive, fieya
TTOicov TO TTpoaxv/^^ ^V^ BijpioicpaTLa^, Kal tovto
6 /jLexpt vvv Bia(j)v\dTT0V(7iv ol dp^ovre^;. eXdvOave
Be Tou? TToWoij^ ovx cavTov, a)9 wovro, iroicdv
Taireivov, dWd rov (j)06vov rfj /jLeTpLorrjTi ravrrj
KaOaipchv Kal /coXovcov, avrw Be TrpocmOel^ ro-
aovTov fieyedo<; Bvvdfieax; oaov dcpaipecv iBoxei
Tfj<i e^ovaia<i, viroBvofiivov jxed^ rjBovP]<i avTa> rov
5?8
PUBLICOLA, X. 3-6
night tore the house down, and razed it all
to the ground. In the morning, therefore, the
Romans saw what had happened, and came flocking
together. 1 hey were moved to love and admiration
by the man's magnanimity, but were distressed for
the house, and mourned for its stately beauty, as if
it had been human, now that envy had unjustly
compassed its destruction. They were also distressed
for their ruler, who, like a homeless man, was now
sharing the homes of others. For Valerius wasreceived into the houses of his friends until the
people gave him a site and built him a house, of
more modest dimensions than the one he had lived
in before, where now stands the temple of Vica Pota,^so-called.
Wishing now to make not only himself but also
the government, instead of formidable, submissive
and agreeable to the multitude, he removed theaxes from the lictors' rods, and when he came into
the assembly, inclined and lowered the rods them-selves to the people, emphasizing the majesty of the
democracy. This custom the consuls observe to this
day. And before the multitude were aware of it, hehad succeeded, not by humbling himself, as theythought, but by checking and removing their envious
feelings through such moderation on his part, in add-
ing to his real influence over them just as much as hehad seemed to take away from his authority, and the
people submitted to him with pleasure and bore his
* Victress Possessor, a name of the goddess of victory,whose temple was at the foot of the Velia (Livy, ii. 7, 12).
According to Livy, Valerius was building the house on the
Velia, but in order to allay the people's jealousy, broughtthe materials to the foot of the hill, and built the housethere.
529
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Bijfiov Kal<f>epoin-o<i e/covalco^. oScrre koX UottXi-
KoXav dvr]y6peuaev avrov arjfjLaivei Be rovvo/ia
B7j/jL0Kr]Br]' KoX TOVTO fiaXkov Larvae rcov up-
')(ai(DV ovofidrcov, w koI rjiiel^; XPV^^H'^^^ '^^^
XOLTTOV jSloV TOV dvBpO^i laTOpOVVT€<i.
XI. ^Tirareiav fjuev yap eBcoxe fierievai koX
irapayyeWeLV rot? ^ov\op,evoLS' irpo Be tt)^
KaTa<TTd(7€(o<i tov (Tvvdp')(pVTO^ ovK elBch^; rov
yevrjao/JLevov, dWd BeBico'^ dvTLTrpa^iv viro (f)06vov
Tivo<i rj dyvoLa<;, e^prjaaro tj} fjLOvap)(^ia 7rp6<;
ra KdXkiara koX fxeyLara rcov iroXiTevfMaTOiv,
irpcoTOV jiev yap dveTrXyjpcoae ttjv /SovXrjv oXt-
yavBpovaav ereOvrjiceaav yap ol jxev vtto Tap-2 Kvviov irporepov, ol Be evay)(o<; ev rfj p-d^y. toi)?
S' eyypa<^evTa^ vir' avrov Xeyovcrtv eKarov Kal
e^/j/covra Teaaapa<i yeveaOai. p^era Be ravra
v6fjLov<; eypa^frev, oyv pdXia-ra p,ev la)(vpov^ eiToirjae
Tou? TToWou? o TOV Bi)pLOV diTO Tcuv vTrdrcov Ta>
^evyovrt Blkyjv eirLKaXelaOai BlBov^' Bevrepo^ 6
701)9 dpxv^ dvaXaj36vTa<;, r)v 6 Brjp,o<; ovk eBco^ev,
3 diroOvrjCTKeLV /ceXevcov TpLTO<; Be p-erd toutol>9,
69 e^oi]0rj(7€ T0t9 7r€vr](TLv, w rd reXr} twv ttoXltcov
d(^elXe Kal irpodvp^orepov dirreGdai tmv epyaaicov
eTToir^aev diravra';. 6 Be ypacpel^; Kara twvaTreiOovvTcov T0t9 virdToi<i ov)(^ tjttov eBo^e Br)p,0'
tik6<; elvat, Kal 7r/909 r(ov TroXXayv puaXXov rj
BvL'aTOiv yeypd(f)dai. ^i]p,Lav yap dTreideuaf; era^e4 ^ocov irevre Kal Bvelv Trpo^drcov d^iav. r)v Be
TLp.r) TTpo^drov p,ev 60oXol BeKa, yQoo9 Be CKarov,
ovTTco vo/jLLapxiTi 'X^p(op,evcov iroXXo) Tore *Pco/jiaLa)v,
530
PUBLICOLA, X. 6-xi. 4
yoke willingly. They therefore called him Publicola,'a name which signifies people-cherisher. This name
prevailed over the older names which he had borne,and it is the name which I shall use for him in the
remainder of this Life.
XI. For he permitted any who wished to enter
the lists and sue for the consulship. But before the
installation of his colleague, not knowing who hewould be, but fearing an opposition due to some
jealousy or ignorance, he used his sole authority for
the enactment of his best and most importantmeasures. In the first place, he filled up the senate,which was much reduced in numbers ; for some had
long before been put to death by Tarquin, andothers had recently fallen in the battle with the
Tuscans. Those who were enrolled in this body byhim amounted, they say, to a hundred and sixty-four.After this he enacted several laws, one of which
especially strengthened the position of the commons
by allowing a defendant to appeal to the people fromthe judgement of the consuls. A second made it a
capital offence to assume a magistracy which the
people had not bestowed. A third, following these,came to the relief of the poor ; it lifted the taxes
from the citizens, so that all engaged more zealouslyin manufactures and commerce. And the one whichwas enacted against disobedience to the consuls was
thought to be no less popular in its character, and to
be in the interest of the many rather than of the
powerful. For the fine which it imposed ondisobedience was only the worth of five oxen andtwo sheep. Now the value of a sheep was ten obols,and that of an ox, a hundred, for the Romans at
» Cf. Livy, ii 8, 1.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
aXXa Trpo^areiaifi koX KTr)voTpo(piai<i evOrjvovvrcov.
Bib Kol ra? ovaia<i ^XP^ ^^^ ^'^^ "^^^ irpo^drcovTreKovXia /caXovai, koX twv vo/jLicr/jbdrcov to?9
'ira\aioTdroL<; /3uvv i7r6)(^dpaTrov rj irpo^arov rj
crvv. eriOevTO he koX iraia-Xv avrcov XvtXXou^;
fcal 3ov/3ovX/cov<; kol KairpapLOix; ovofjuara koI
TiopKLOv^' Kairpa^i pbev ra? alya^, iropKOv^ he
T0U9 %ot/)ou9 6vo[Jid^()VTe<i.
XIL Oi/Tft) he irepl ravra hrj/jLOTiKo<^ yevo/jievo';
vo/jLoOeTTjfi Kol /xerpio^i, iv ro) jiq perpiw^ ttjv rt/jLco-
piav xjirepereivev. eypayjre yap vofiov dvev Kpiaeco^KT€Lvat hihovra rov fiovXa/xevov rvpavvelv KreL-
vavra he (f)6vov fcadapbv cTroiTjaev, el 7rapd(T)(0CT0
Tou dhiKrjixaTO^ tov<; €Xey)(ov<;. eirel yap ov
hvvarov e'JTi')(eLpovvTa rrfXiKOVTOi^ XaOelv diravraf;,
ovfc dhvvarov he to firj XaOovra rov /cpcOrjvai
(pOdo-ac /cpelrrova yevofievov, rjv avaipel to dhi-
KTjfia KpicTLv, irpoXajBelv ehcoKe rw hwajxevcp Kara
Tov dhiKovvro^;.
2 ^]L7rr}ve07] he koI hia rov ra/jbievriKov vofiov.
eirel yap ehei 'X^pi^fxara irpo^ rov TroXefiov elcre-
veyKelv diro roiv ovaicov tou? TroXlra^;, ovr avro^
d-yjraorOai rrjf; olf<:ovofita<i ovre tol"? c^tXou? eaaai
ffovX6/jL€vo<; ovO^ 6Xo)<; et? oIkov Ihicorov irapeXOelv
hrjfioaia ')(pr)iJiaTa, rafxielov fiev direhei^e tov tov
^povov vaov, cS p^expi' vvv ^(^pco/iievot hiaTeXovcn,
Ta/iiiaf; he tm hi^fjuw hvo tS>v vecov ehco/cev diro-
3 hec^ar koI a7reSet;^^//crai/ ol irpSiTOi liovirXio^
* iv Tip fjL^ fj-iTpitf with Coraes : iv t^ ^lerpltp.
PUBLICOLA, XI. 4-xii. 3
that time did not use much coined money, but their
wealth consisted in flocks and herds. Thereiore to
this day they call their substance "peculium," from
"pecus/' cattle ; and their oldest coins are stamped
with the fio^ure of an ox, a sheep, or a hog. Andthey actually gave their own sons such surnames as
Suillius, Bubulcus, Caprarius, and Porcius; the last
two from "capra" and "porcus," their words for goatand pig.^
XII. But although in these particulars he showedhimself a popular and moderate lawgiver, in the
case of an immoderate offence he made the penaltysevere. For he enacted a law by which any onewho sought to make himself tyrant might be slain
without trial, and the slayer should be free from
blood-guiltiness if he produced proofs of the crime.
For although it is impossible for one who attempts so
great a task to escape all notice, it is not impossiblefor him to do so long enough to make himself too
powerful to be brought to trial, which trial his verycrime precludes. He therefore gave any one whowas able to do so the privilege of anticipating the
culprit's trial.
He also received praise for his law concerning the
public treasury. When it was necessary for the
citizens to contribute from their substance means for
carrying on the war, he was unwilling to assume the
administration of it himself, or to allow his friends to
do so, or, indeed, to have the public moneys broughtinto any private house. He therefore made the
temple of Saturn a treasury, as it is to this day, and
gave the people the privilege of appointing two
young men as quaestors, or treasurers. The first to
* The first two from forms of "sus," swine, and "
bos," ox,
533
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Overovpio^ koI Mlvovklo^ MdpKo<i koI %/9?7/AaTa
(7vvrj')(6rjTToXXd. rpLa/cai^eKa yap direypdy^ravTO
fivpidhe^t 6p(j)avoL<; Traial xal XVP^^'* yvi^ai^lv
dveOeiarj^ tP)^ el(j<^opa<;.
4 TaOra he BiotK7](Ta^ dTriEei^ev eavT& avvdp-Xovra TOP AovKpqria^ iraripa AovKp^riov, co t?}?
rjy6fjLoviKa)T€pa<i i^iaTd/jt€vo<i ovri Trpea^vrepo)
rafeo)? irapiScoKe tou<; KaXov/jievov^ <^d(jKi^<^' koI
TOVTO 8L6/ji€tvev et? r}fjLd<i TO irpea-pelov dir iKCivov
ToU yepatrepoi'i ^vXarro^evov. hrel S' 6Xlyai<;
rjjxepaL^ varepov ire^evrrfaev 6 AnvKprjTio^yTrdXiv
dp')(aipe(Tio)v yevop^evayv ypeOr) Ma/o/co? 'ClpdTW<i,Kol (jvvr)p-)(e rat UoirXt/coXa rbv vTroXeiTTOfievov
')(p6vov Tov iuiavTOV.
XIII. TapKvvlov Be *l?co/jLaiOL<; hevrepov TToXefxovev Tvpprjita ki,vovvto<; fxeya ar^jxelov Xeyejai
yeveaOar /Sao-cXevwv yap en Kal tov veoDV rov
K^aTTiTcoXiou Ato? 6X(^i^ TapKvvt,o<; oaov ovttco
(jvvTeTeXeafxevov, €lt6 fxavTeia^; yevofjuevrj^i eir av-
Tft) Bo^av dXXo)<;, dpfia Kara Kopvcf)r)v eTrKTrrjcrac
Kepajieovv e^ehwKe Tvpprji>oL<; ricriv i^ Ovijicov
Brjixiovpyol^i elr oXiyov varepov e^eireae Ti]<i
2 dpxH'^' Twz/ Bl Tvpp7]vcov BLaireTrXaafievov to
Te9pimrov i/ii^aXoPTfov eh rcd/jLivov, ou/c eiraOev
a irpoa-rjKBL irdax^iv irrfKov ev irvpi, irvKvovadai
Kal crvvL^dvecv, e/cTr]K0/j.evT]<; r?}? vypoTrjTO^;, dXX*
e^ecTTT] Kal ayBrjae Kal p.eye6o<^ e(T')(ev dfia pcofirj
Kal (TKXr)p6T7)TL TOCTOVTOV oxTTe fioXi^ e^aipe9?]vaL
TTjv 6po(pr)v diroaKevaaa/jLevcDV Trj<; Kauivov Kal
3 Twi' TOLXov irepLatpedevToov. tw? ovv iBoKei toI<;
fjbdvTeac Oelov elvai (Trjjxelov evTV)(lafi Kal Bvvd-
fxew^ Trap oh ecouTO to TiOpLinrov, eyvcoaav oi
534
PUBLICOLA, XII. 3-xiii. 3
be thus appointed were Publius Veturius and Marcus
Minucius, and large sums of money were collected.
For one hundred and thirty thousand names were on
the assessment lists, orphans and widows beingexcused from the contribution.^
This matter regulated, he caused Lucretius, the
father of Lucretia, to be appointed his colleague in
the consulship.2 To him he yielded the precedence,as the elder man, and committed to him the so-
called "fasces," a privilege of seniority which has
continued from that day to this. But Lucretius died
a few days afterwards, and in a new election MarcusHoratius was chosen consul, and shared the office
with Publicola for the remainder of the year.XIII. While Tarquin was stirring up in Tuscany
another war against the Romans, a thing of great
portent is said to have happened. Wlien Tarquinwas still king, and had all but completed the templeof Jupiter Capitolinus, either in consequence of an
oracle, or else of his own good pleasure, he com-missioned certain Tuscan craftsmen of Veii to place
upon its roof a chariot of terra cotta. Soon after
this he was driven from his throne. The Tuscans,
however, modelled the chariot and put it in a furnace
for firing, but the clay did not contract and shrink in
the fire, as it usually does, when its moisture
evaporates. Instead of this, it expanded andswelled and took on such size, strength, and hardness,that it could with difficulty be removed, even after
the roof of the furnace had been taken off and its
sides torn away. To the seers, accordingly, this
seemed a divine portent of prosperity and powerfor those who should possess the chariot, and the
» Cf. Camillua, ii. 2. « Cf. Livy, ii. 8, 1-4. --^
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Ov^iOL firj TTpoea-Qai to?? *Vw[xaioi^ aTrairovcri,
Kol uTrefcpLvavTO rovro TapKvvLOi<^, ov roi? Tap-KvvLou<; 6K^a\ov(TL TrpoaijKCtv. oXijaifi h* varepov 104
r)/j,6paL<; rjaav XiTTTOiv aywve^ avrol^. kol tcl /nev
dWa deav kol (nrovSrjv elwOvlav 7rap6L)(6, to Be
VLKYjaav reOpLiTTTov 6 fiev r}ViO')(o<i i^rjXavve rod
4 iTTTroBpo/jLou G-'X^eSrjv ia'Te<l)avo)fjLevo<;,ol Be lttttoi
7rT07)devT€<; air* ovBe/JLLa^; €fji<j)avov<; 7rpo(pd(7eco<;,
aXXa Kara ri Baifiovtov rj rvxv^ 'levro Travrl
Tayei irpo^ ttjv 'Fco/jiaicov iroXtVy e^oi/re? rov
^p[o)(ov, ft)9 ovBev rjv epyov avrov KaTareivovTO^
ovBe Traprjyopovvrof;, aXX' rjpTraaro, Bovra tJ
pufif) Kal ^epofjievov, d'x^piov rw KaTnrcoXitp
7rpo(Tp.i^avT€<; e^i^aXov avrov ivravOa irapa rr)v
7rv\r]v fjv vvv *Farovp.6vav KaXovai, yevop.evov
Be rovrov Oavpdaavre^ ol Ovrjioi Kal ^o^7]0evre<i
eirerpe^lrav cnToBovvai ro dpfxa rot? rex^irai^;.
XIV. Toz^ ^e veoiv rov KaTrcrcoXtov Aio<; ev-
faro fiep dvaOi^aeiv TapKvvto^ 6 Arj/napdrov
TToXepwv '^apivoL'^, cpKoBopLT^a-e Be TapKvvLo<i 6
2ou7r6/9/9o9 u/o? o)v rj vicovo<; rod ev^ap^evov
KaOiepoiaaL Be ovk ecpOaaev, dXXa piKpov dire-
Xeiirero rov reXo<; e^eiv ore ^apKvvio^ e^emrrrev,ft)9 ovv drreipyaaro reXeoj? koX rov irpoarjKOvra
KoapLov d7reL')(ev, yv rep TIottXikoXo. ^iXorLpLia2 TT/oo? rr]v KaOtepwcnv. e(f>d6vovv Be ttoXXol rcov
BvvarMV, Kal rjx^ovro ral<^ p,ev dXXaL<; ripbalf;
TjrroVy a<? vopLoOerwv Kal arparriyodv €K Trpoar)-Kovrcov ea^c* ravrrjv B* ovaav dXXorpiav ovk
(povro Belv avr^ irpoayeveadat, Kal rov 'flpdrcov
536
PUBLICOLA, XIII. 3-xiv. 2
people of Veii determined not to give it up. Whenthe Romans asked for it, they were told that it
belonged to the Tarquins, not to those who had
expelled the Tarquins. But a few days afterwards
there were chariot races at Veii. Here the usual
exciting spectacles were witnessed, but when the
charioteer, with his garland on his head, was quietly
driving his victorious chariot out ot the race-course,his horses took a sudden fright, upon no apparentoccasion, but either by some divine ordering or bymerest chance, and dashed off at the top of their
speed towards Rome, charioteer and all. It was of
no use for him to rein them in or try to calm themwith his voice ; he was whirled helplessly alonguntil they reached the Capitol and threw him out
there, at the gate now called Ratumena. TheVeientines were amazed and terrified at this occur-
rence, and permitted the workmen to deliver their
chariot.
XIV. The temple of Jupiter Capitolinus had beenvowed by Tarquin, the son of Demaratus, when hewas at war with the Sabines, but it was actuallybuilt by Tarquinius Superbus, the son, or gi*andson,of him who vowed it. He did not, however, get so
far as to consecrate it, but was driven out before it
was quite completed. Accordingly, now that it was
completely finished and had received all the orna-
ments that belonged to it, Publicola was ambitiousto consecrate it. But this excited the jealousy ot
many of the nobility. They could better brook his
other honours, to which, as legislator and militarycommander, he had a rightful claim. But this one
they thought he ought not to have, since it waspaore appropriate for others, and therefore they
J37
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
irpoeTpiTTovTO kol Trapoo^vvov avrLiroielaOai rrj^
Kadtepcoaew^, yei ofi6v>]<; ovv rw TioTrXiKoXa
(jTpaTeia<i avayKaia^, '\jrr)(f>t,a-d/jL€vot tov ^VLpcltlov
KaOtepovv avrjyov eh to KaTrcroaXioVf co<; ovk
3 av eKelvov TrepiyevofievoL irapovro^. €vloi> Be
^aac K\rjp(p tcov virdrcov Xa^elv eKelvov eirl
TTjv (TTpajeiav a/covra, tovtov Be eirl ttjv KaOie-
pcocTLv. e^eari Be irepl tovt(ov m ea-^^ev ecKa-
^eiv Tot? TTpa^delcTL irepl rr)v KaOiepwaiv, elBoU
ovv 2e7rTe/x/3/?/ai9, o avvTvy^dvet irepX rrjv irav-
aeXrivov fxaXicTTa tov MerayeirviMvo^;, avv7]6poc-4 (T/jL€vo)v dirdvTCdv el<; to KairLTcoXLOv, 6 fiev
^flpuTto^ aL(i)7r7]<; yevofievrjfi rd t dWa Bpdaa<iKal Tcov Ovpcov dyjrd/jLevof;, wairep eOa iaTLv,
e7re(f)6eyyeTO ra? vevajjua-fieva^^ eirl rfj KaOtepcoaei
^covd^;' 6 3* (iBeX(j)o<; tov IloTrXiKoXa Ma/?/t09 ck
TToWov irapd ra? 6vpa<; v(f)eaTa)<; Kal irapa^v-XdTTCov TOV /caipov,
** ^n i/Trare," elTrev,"
6 vlof;
5 aov TeOvrjKev iv tw crTpaTOireBw voai^aa^^ tovto
TrdvTUf; r/vlaae tov<; aKOvaavTa^' o 3' TipaTio^ovBev BiaTapaxOei^;, aW* rj toctovtov jjlovov
elrrcov, "'Pt-v/rare tolvvv ottol ^ovKeaOe tov
veKpov, iyo) yap ov TrpoaLe/nac to vre^-^o?," eVe-
paive TTjv XoiTrrfv KaOiepcoaiv. rjv Be to TTpoarjy-
yeXfievov ovk d\r)6e<^, dW o ^ldpKO<; co? utto-
aTTjO-oDV TOV *n,pdTiov i'^evaaTO. OavfxaaTO^ ovv
6 dvrjp T?}? evaTaQeia^, ecTe tj-jv dirdTrjv iv KatpwjSpaxel avvelBev eiTe iriaTevOel^ 6 X6709 ovk
eKLV)]aev avTov.
XV. "Eoi/ce Bk Kol irepl tov BevTepov vaop
538
PUBLICOLA, XIV. 2-xv. i
encouraged and incited Horatius to claim tl
privilege ot consecrating the temple. At a time,
then, when Publicola was necessarily absent on
militaiy service, they got a vote passed that Horatius
should perform the consecration, and conducted
him up to the Capitol, feeling that they could
not have gained their point had Publicola beenin the city. Some, however, say that Publicola
was designated by lot, against his inclination, for
the expedition, and Horatius for the consecration. ^
And it is possible to infer how the matter stood
between them from what happened at the conse-
cration. It was the Ides of September, a day which
nearly coincides with the full moon of the Attic
month Metageitnion ; the people were all assembledon the Capitol, silence had been proclaimed, and
Horatius, after performing the other ceremonies and
laying hold upon the door of the temple, as the
custom is, was pronouncing the usual words of con-
secration. But just then Marcus, the brother of
Publicola, who had long been standing by the door
and was watching his opportunity, said :" O Consul,
thy son lies dead of sickness in the camp." This
distressed all who heard it ; But Horatius, not at all
disturbed, merely said :" Cast forth the dead then
whither ye please, for I take no mourning upon me,"and finished his consecration. Now the announce-ment was not true, but Marcus thought by his
falsehood to deter Horatius from his duty. Wonder-
ful, therefore, was the firm poise of the man, whetherhe at once saw through the deceit, or believed the
story without letting it overcome him.^
XV. A similar fortune seems to have attended the
1 Cf. Livy, ii. 8, 6-8.
539
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Ofiola TV)(rj yevicrdai. rr)? fcaOiepaxreo)^, tov fxkv
yap TrpojTOv, tw? eiprjrai, TapKvvlov KaraaKevd-
aavTO^y *D.paTLOv Be KaOi€pa)aavTO<!, iv rol<i
ifi(f)v\loi<; 7ro\€/jLOL<; irvp dirooXecre' tov he Seu-
repov dvearrjae fiev XvWa<;, i7r€ypd<j}Tj Be t§
KaOiepcoaei, KarouXo? ^vWa irpoaTroOavovTO^,2 Tovrov Be ttoXlv ev rat? Kara OvlTeWiov ardcreaL
BLa<^6apevT0<i tov TpiTov Ty 7rpo<; ToXXa kol
TOVTO ')(^pr)adixeuo<; eviroTixla Oveaireat,avo<; ef
dp')(r]<; d^pi TeXov^ dvayaycov, iirelBe yevo/xevov
Kal (pOeipofxevov fiST oXiyov ovk eTretBev, dXXaToaoiTOV evTvx^ta XvXXav iraprjXOev oaov eKelvov
fiev T?5<? d<f>Lep(iiaew^ tov epyov, tovtov Be t?}?
dvaLpiae(o<; irpoaTToOavelv. dpua yap tw TeXev-
TTJcrai, Ovecnreo-tavbv iveTrprjaO?) to KainTooXLOV.
3 'O Be T6TapT09 OVTO^ VTTO Ao/jL€Tiavov Kal 105
avveTeXiaOr) koI Ka6i€pco6rj. XeyeTai Be Tap-KVVLov 669 T0U9 OefieXiov^ dvaXwaai Xirpaf; dp-
yvpiov TCTpaKi,(TjjLvpLa<;' tovtov Be tov Ka9*r)/j,d<;
TOV fMeyicTTOv iv '^(ofirj tcov IBlcotlkwv ttXovtov
€K\oyc(T6evTa to t^9 %/Ofcr 60(760)9 prj TeXecrai av
dvdXcofia, irXeov rj BLay^iXiwv kol fjLvpicov Ta-
4 XdvTcov y€v6fji€vov. ol Be Kiove^ ix tou HevTe-
Xrjaiv iT/irjOyaav XWov, KdXXiaTa Ta> 7rd)(€i
7r/)09 TO fi7]fco<; e^ovTe^' etBofiev yap avT0v<i 'A^?;-
vr)aiv. ev Be ^Viop^r) irX-qyevTe^^ avOi^ Kal dva^v-a6evTe<; ov ToaovTov ea^ov yXa(j)vpia<^ oaov
aTTcoXeaav avix/xeTpia^i KaX^ tov KaXou, BidKevoi
^ Koi supplied by Bekker. after G. Hermann : (rvfifxerplaf
TOV Ka\Qv [the symmetry of their beauty).
I4P
PUBLICOLA, XV. 1-4
dedication ot the second temple. The first, as I
have said, was built by Tarquiii, but consecrated byHoratius; this was destroyed by fire during the civil
wars.^ The second temple was built by Sulla, but
Catulus was commissioned to consecrate it,^ after the
death of Sulla. This temple, too was destroyed,
during the troublous times of Vitellius,^ and Vespas-ian began and completely finished the third, with the
good fortune that attended him in all his under-
takings. He lived to see it comj^leted, and did not
live to see it destroyed, as it was soon after ; and in
dying before his work was destroyed he was just so
much more fortunate than Sulla, who died before his
was consecrated. For upon the death of Vespasianthe Capitol was burned.*
The fourth temple, which is now standing on the
same site as the others, was both completed andconsecrated by Domitian. It is said that Tarquinexpended upon its foundations forty thousand poundsof silver. But the greatest wealth now attributed
to any private citizen of Rome would not pay the
cost of the gilding alone of the present temple,which was more than twelve thousand talents.^ Its
pillars are of Pentelic marble,^ and their thickness
was once most happily proportioned to their length ;
for we saw them at Athens. But when they wererecut and scraped at Rome, they did not gain as
much in polish as they lost in symmetry and beauty,
»8.3 B.C. 2 69B.C. 3 69_v.D. < 80a.d.
** For purposes of comparison a talent may be reckoned as
worth £2fi0, or $1200.* Pentel6 was an Attic deme on the N.E. edge of the
Athenian plain, near which excellent marble was quarriedfrom the mountain. This was called Brilessua in earlier
times, then Pentelicus.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
5 Koi \ayapol <j)avivT€9, 6 fiivroi Oavfid(Ta<; rov
KaTTiTcoXLOv rr)v TTokvTeXeiav, el /iiav elSev iv
oiKia Aojii€Tiavov arroavrj ^acriXiK-qv rj fiaXa-
velov rj iraWaKLBcov hiairav, olov iari to Xeyo-
fievov 'Eirtx^Pf^ov tt/oo? top aacorov,
Ov (t)tXdv0p(O7ro'i TV y ecra' e;^6i9 voaov
TOLOVTOV dv ri 7r/?o9 AofxeTiavov eliretvTrpo^'^^^Orj'
" Ov/c et'cre/3^9 ovBe (f)iX6rL/jL0<; tv y icrai' e;^6i9
voaov ')(^aip€L^ KaroifcoBo/jLCov, cdairep 6 MtSa?
etcelvo^y airavrd aoi ')(pv<jd koX XWiva ffov\6-
[X€vo<; yiveaOai.^^ ravra fxev ovv irepl tovtwv.
XVI. 'O Be TapKuvio<; /xera rrjv /JieydXrjv
fidxv^ eV y koI rbv vlov dircoXeae/jLovo/iia')(^i]-
aavTa Bpovro), Karacj^vycov eh to KXovaioviKireva-e Adpav Tiopalvav, dvBpa koi BvvapLiv
/jLeylo-TTjv e'xpvra twv ^ItuXikcov jSaaiXewv koX
BoKovvra 'x^pTjcrrbv elvai koi ^iXoti/jlov 6 S* vire-
(TX^'TO fior)6)](7eLV. KoX irpcorov fiev eirepL-^ev eh
rcofiTjv KeXevcov Be)(e(T6ai rov TapKvviov co? S'
ovx vTTrjKovdav ol ^PwjjLaloi, KarayyeiXa^ avroh
TToXe/JLOv KOI xpovov iv c5 Kal ToiTov eh ov e/jbeXXev
2 epL^aXetv, d<piK€To /.lera ttoWt}? Bwdjiew^;. Tlo-
7rXL/c6Xa<; 5' ypeOr) /lev aTrcDV vTraro^ to Bevrepov,KoX orvv avrS) TtVo? AovKp-tjTio^;- eiraveXOoov Be
eh 'T^co/jltjv Kal ^ovXofievo^ tc3 (f)pov7]p,aTi Trpcorov
VTrep/SaXea-Oat rov VLopaivav, exri^e ttoXcv ^«-
yXiovpiav rjBrj ttXtjctlov oVto? avrov. koI ret-
'X,i(Ta<i fieydXoi<; dvaXoofiaaiv eirTaKoaiovi iiroL-
54a
I
I
PUBLICOLA, XV. 5-XV1. 2
and they now look too slender and thin. However,if anyone who is amazed at the costliness of the
Capitol had seen a single colonnade in the palaceof Domitian, or a basilica, or a bath, or the apart-ments for his concubines, then, as Epicharmus saysto the spendthrift,
" 'Tis not beneficent thou art ; thou art diseased ;
thy mania is to give,"
so he would have been moved to say to Domitian :
" 'Tis not pious, nor nobly ambitious that thou art ;
thou art diseased ; thy mania is to build; like the
famous Midas, thou desirest that every thing become
gold and stone at thy touch." So much, then, onthis head.
XVI. But to return to Tarquin, after the greatbattle in which he lost his son in a duel with Brutus,he fled for refuge to Clusium, and became a suppliantof Lars Porsena, the most powerful king in Italy,who was thought also to be a man ofworth and noble
ambitions. He promised Tarquin his aid and assist-
ance. So in the first place he sent to Rome andordered them to receive Tarquin as their king. Thenwhen the Romans refused, he declared war uponthem, proclaimed the time and place of his attack,and marched thither with a great force.^ Publicola
was chosen consul for the second time, in his absence,and Titus Lucretius as his colleague. Returning,therefore, to Rome, and wishing, in the first place, to
surpass Porsena in the loftiness of his spirit, he built
the city of Sigliuria, although his adversary was al-
ready near at hand. After he had fortified it at great
expense, he sent to it a colony of seven hundred1 Cf. Livy, ii. 9.
543
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
Kov<; airedreiXev, q)(; paSvco<; (pepcov xal aSew? tov3 TToXefiov. 01) fii]V aXka Trpocr^oXr]'; o^ela^ tco
reix^i yevofiivrjf; i^euxrOrjaav ol <^u\a/C69 viro
rov Uopauva, kol (pevyovre^; oXiyov avveireaTTd-
aavTO Tou? TToXejiiLOv^ 6t9 rrjv iroXiv. ecpOrj Be
irpo Tcbv irv\(ov eKJBoi^Orjaa^ o HoirXi/coXa^, fcal
fid^W crvvdyjra<; irapa rov Trora/Jiov amelye irXi]-
dei ^ia^ofxevoL^ rot? iroXeixioi^, ^XP^ ^^ rpavjxaaLveavLKol<^ Trepiireacov direKoi-daOri (f)opdS7)v eK rrj^
4 fjid^V^- '^0 8* avTO KOL AovKpTjTiov rov avvdp-'X^ovro'i avrS rraOovro^ dOvpbia T0t9 ^Vcofxaioi^
iveTrecre, koX (pvyrj tt/oo? rrjv iroXiv eaw^ov eav-
T0U9. ooOovfievcov Se rcov rroXefjbiwv Bia tt}? ffXt-V7j<i y€(J3vpa(; iKivBvvevaev rj 'Voiiij] Kara Kpdro<idX(f)vai» 7rpcoTO<; Be KokXlo^ 'i}pdrw<; Kal cvvavrM Bvo rcov iincpavecrrdrcov dvBpCov, ^Fjpfi[vLo<i
/cat AdpKL0<;, dvrearr](Tav irepl rrjv ^vXivrjv ye^v5 pav. 6 5' 'Clpdno'^ rov K.6/cXwv eTrcovv/jiiov ecr^ev
iv TToXe/jLO) r(ov ofjufidrcov ddrepov etcKoirei^i' o)?
3' evLoi Xiyovaiy Bta ai/jiorrjra tt)? ptvb^ ivBeBv-
Kvia<; Mare firjBev elvai to BiopL^ov ra ofi/jLara
Kal ra? 6(f)pv<i avyKex^^^dat, l^vKXwira ^ovXo-fievoi KaXetv avrov ol ttoXXoI t?}? yXd}rr7]<i oXi'
aOai,vovar]<; i/cpdrrja-ev virb irXrjdov^; JLokXlov Ka-
6 XelaOai. ovro<; ecrra)<; rrpo rrjf; y€cf)vpa<; yfivveroTou? 7roXe/iLov<i, dxpi ov Bte/coylrav ol crvv avru)
Karomv rrjv yecbvpav. ovrco Be fiera ra)V ottXcov
d(j)el<;eavrbv eh rov TroTa/iov direvyj^aro, Kal
rrpoaefjiL^e rfj rrepav o-)(9r) Bopan 'iuppTjviKw7 ^€fiXr)/jLevo<; rov yXovrov. 6 Be UoTrXiKoXa^; rrjv
dperrjv 6av}jidaa<i avrUa fiev elcDjyijcraro 'Pco- 106
544
PUBLICOLA, XVI. 2-7
men, indicating that he had no concern or fear
about the war. However, a sharp assault was made
upon its wall by Porsena, and its garrison was driven
out. They fled to Rome^ where the pursuing enemyalmost followed them into the city. But Publicola
promptly sallied out to their aid in front of the gate,
joined battle by the river side with the enemy, who
pressed on in great numbers, and held out againstthem until he was desperately wounded and carried
bodily out of the battle. The same fate overtook
Lucretius, his colleague, also, so that dismay fell uponthe Romans, and they fled for safety towards the
city. But as the enemy were forcing their way onto
the wooden bridge, Rome was in danger of beingtaken by storm. Horatius Cocles,^ however, first,
and with him two of the most illustrious men of the
city, Herminius and Lartius, defended the wooden
bridge against them. Horatius had been given his
surname of Codes because he had lost one of his
eyes in the wars. Some, however, say that his nose
was flat and sunken, so that there was nothing to
separate his eyes, and his eye-brows ran together, and
that for this reason the multitude wished to call him
Cyclops, but by a slip of the tongue the name of
Codes became generally prevalent instead. This
Codes, standing at the head of the bridge, kept the
enemy back until his companions had cut the bridgein two behind him. Then, all accoutred as he was,he plunged into the river and swam across to the
other side, in spite of a Avound in the buttocks from
a Tuscan spear. Publicola, out of admiration for his
valour, proposed that every Roman should at once
* The exploit of Horatius is much more dramaticallynarrated by Livy (ii. 10).
545
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiaCov^i airavra^, oarjv cKaaro^ iv rjixepa Tpo(f>r}v
dv7]\L(TK€, hoivai (TvveLdeve'yKovTa^y eirecra t^?
^oo^a? r]v avTO<; Treptapoaeiev iv r)[iepa. 7rpo<;
Be TOVTOi<i eiKova 'xoXktjv earrjcrav avTu>^ iv tcS
lep^ Tov '}i(pai,aTOv, rrjv yevofiivijv ix rod rpav-
fiaro<; tu> uvSpl 'X^coXorrjra fiera rifxrj^: iraprjyo-
povvre<^.XVil. ^FiTTCfcecpLevov Be Tiopaiva rfj iroXei koX
\i/jLo<; i]TTTeTo T(bv 'P(op.aicov, /cat Tvpprjvoiv 6Tepo<;
crTpaTo<; avrb'^ KaO^ aurov eh rrjv -^oopav evi/3a\e.
UoirXt K6\a<; Be to rpuTOV VTrarevcov Yiopaiva
fiev drpe/jLCOv /cat (pyXdrrcov rrjv ttoXlv (pero Belv
dvrex^iv, T0t9 Be 'tvpprivoL<i iire^fjXOe /cal a-v/jb/Sa-
Xobv irpe-xjraTO /cat 7revTaKi(T)(^iXiov<i avrcov dvelXe.
To Be irepl Movkiov etpr^rai pbev viro ttoXXcjv
Kol Biacj)6pco<i, Xe/creov Be y fidXtara Trcareverat
Kol r)/jLLV. rjv dvrjp eh irdaav dperrjv dya66<;, iv
Be ToZ? iroXep.LKoh dpiaTO^i' iin^ovXevwv Be tov
Yiopaivav dveXelv TrapeicrrjXdev eh to CTpaTo-ireBov TvpprjviBa (jiopcov iaOrJTa koX ^covfj XP^'fxevo^ ofxoia. TrepteXOoDV Be to /Srjfia tov /3aai-
Xeo)? KaOe^ofjbivov, /cal(Ta(j)(o<; fiev avTov ov/c
e/So)?, ipeaOai Be irepl avTov BeBioo^;, ov (pTJOrj
fidXiaTa Tcav crvyKaOe^opbevcov i/celvov elvai aira-
(rdp^evo^ to ^i<^o^ dTre/CTeivev. iirl tovto) Be
avXXr]^OeU dveKpiveTO' Kai tlvo^ icrxapiBo^ irup
iXov(jr)^ fjLeXXovTL t& Yiopaiva Qveiv KeKOfnajxe-
vr]<;, virep^xdiv tyjv Be^iav X^^P^ Kaiopbevrj^ t^9
aapKO<i €l(TT7]K€l TTyOO? TOV HopaiVaV dTTO/SXeTTCOV
iTafMO) Kal aryoeTTTft) r^ 7rp0(T(O7ra)f p^^xpi' ov 6av-
^avT^ bracketed in Sintenis* because of the hiatus
following.
54^
I
PUBLICOLA, XVI. 7-xvii. 3
contribute for him as much provision as each con-
sumed in a day, and that afterwards he should be
given as much land as he could plougli round in a
day. Besides this, they set up a bronze statue of
him in the temple of Vulcan, to console him with
honour for the lameness consequent upon his wound.XVII. While Porsena was closely investing the
city, a famine afflicted the Romans,^ and another
Tuscan army on its own account invaded their terri-
tory. Publicola, who was now consul for the third
time, thought that Porsena must be met by a quietand watchful resistance within the city ; but hesallied out upon the other Tuscan army, engaged it,
routed it, and slew five thousand of them.The story of Mucins has been often and variously
told, but I must give it as it seems most credible to
me.2 He was a man endowed with every virtue, butmost excellent in war. Designing to kill Porsena,he stole into his camp, wearing a Tuscan habit, and
using a speech to correspond. After walking aroundthe tribunal where the king was sitting with others,not knowing him certainly, and fearing to inquireabout him, he drew his sword and slew that one of
the group whom he thought most likely to be the
king. Upon this he was seized, and was beingquestioned, when a sort of pan containing live coals
was brought to Porsena, who was about to offer
sacrifice. Mucins held his right hand over the
flames and, while the flesh was burning, stood
looking at Porsena with a bold and steadfast
countenance, until the king was overcome with
1 Cf. Livy, 11. 12, 1.* Plutarch's version is far less coherent and dramatic
than Livy's (ii. 12).
547
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fid(Ta<i a(prj/c6V avrov koX to ft</)09 a7roSiSou9
oope^ev CLTTO rov jSij/iaro^;' 6 Se rr]v evcavvfiov
7rpoT€iva<i iBe^aro. Kal Bia touto i^acLv avrco
tyeveaOai tov ^KaioXav iTru/cXiiaiv, orrep icrrl
4 Aaiov. €4>T} Be tov (pojSov tov Ylopaiva V€Vt-
Kr]K(i}(; rjTTdadai t^9 a/oer^?, Kal ')(apLTL fi7)vveiv
a TTpo^ dvdy/crjv ov/c av i^yjopevae."TpiaKoacoc
rydp 'VwjiaiwVt^ e^'f],'*
ttjv avTrjv i/iol yvcofirjv
€XOVTe<; ev tw aTpaToirehw aov TfkavwvTaL Kaipbv
iiTLTTjpovPTe^' iyo) Be Kkrjpw Tuc^odv koX irpo-
eirix^f-Pl^^^ o^^ a^X^^f^^'' '^V '^^XV* BiafiapTcav
dvBpo'i dyaOov fcal (j)i\ov pboXkov r) iroXefiiov
5 'VcofiaLoif; elvai TrpeTrovTo^.^* TavO^ 6 Y{op(Tiva<;
cLKovcra^ iiria-Tevce koX 7rpb<i ra? Biakvaei^ rjBiop
eax^v, ov toctovto, fioi Bo/cel, (pojSo) twv TpiaKo-
(Ticov, oaov dyaaOel^; koX Oavpidaa^ to (ppuvrj/ia
Kol Tr}v dpeTTjv twv 'Vcofiaicov.
TOVTOV TOP dvSpa MOVKIOV OfjLOV Ti irdvTCdv
KoX X/caioTuiv KokovpTcov *A07]v6B(opo<; 6 XdvBo}vo<;
ev Tw irpo<; *0/cTaoviav ttjv KaL<Tapo<; dSeX^tjv
Kal ^Oyjrlyovov diVOfxacrOaL (f)^]crLV,
XVIII. *0 fievTOi TloifkiKoka^ at'TO?, ovx ovtcj
TToXe/iLOV ovTa tov TLopalvav ^apvv 7)yoviievo<^
ft)9 d^iov TToWov Ty TToXet <f)L\ov yeveadai Kal
aviHiaxov, ovk e^evyev eV avTOv Blktj KpiOrjvat,
7r/oo9 TapKvi^iov, a\V eddppec Kal TrpovKaXeiTO
543
PUBLICOLA, XVII. 3-xviii. i
admiration and released him, and handed him back his
sword, reacliing it down to him from the tribunal.
Mucius stretched out his left hand and took it (onwhich account, they say, he received the surname of
Scaevola, which means Left-handedy Then he said
that although he had conquered the fear whichPorsena inspired, he was vanquished by the nobilitywhich he displayed, and would reveal out of gratitudewhat he would not have disclosed under compulsion." Three hundred Romans, then," said he,
" with the
same resolution as mine, are now prowling about in
thy camp and watching their opportunity. I waschosen by lot to make the first attempt upon thee,and I am not distressed at what has haj)pened, so
noble is the man whom 1 failed to kill, and so worthyto be a friend rather than an enemy of the Romans,"On hearing this, Porsena believed it to be true, andfelt more inclined to come to terms, not so much,I suppose, through fear of the three hundred, as out
of wondering admiration for the lofty spirit and
bravery of the Romans.^All other writers agree in giving this Mucius the
surname of Scaevola, but Athenodorus, the son of
Sandon, in his book addressed to Octavia, the sister
of Augustus Caesar, says that his surname was Pos-
tumus.
XVIII. Publicola himself, moreover, thinking that
Porsena would be more valuable as a friend and allyof the city than he was dangerous as its enemy, did
not shrink from making the king an arbitrator in his
dispute with Tarquin,^ but often boldly challenged
^According to Livy (ii. 13, 1-5), Porsena was so terrified
by the disclosures of Mucius, that he made propositions of
peace to the Romans.
549
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
TToWaKL'^ ft)? e^ekiy^cov kclklo-tov avBpcov koX
SiKaLcof; cK^aipeOevra rrjv ap^rjv. aTroKpiva/xevov
Be Tov TapKvvLOV Tpa^vrepov, ovheva iroielaOat,
BLKacTTJjv, rjKKTTa he Tlopaivav, el(Tv/j,/jba')(o<;
2 Mv fiera^dWeTaty Bvcrxepdva^ /cal fcarayvov^i 6
Tlopa-Lva^;, d/ia Be tou TraiBo^! ^AppovTO<^ Beofievov
KoX (TTTovBd^opTO^ vTTep tS)v ^VoijxalwVi KareXv-
aaTO TOV TToXefjLov e^ia-ra/jLevoi^ ?^9 aTrerefiovTO
T/)9 Tvpp7)ViBo<; ')(^copa<; koI tou? alxfJ'OXooTovfs
aTTOTrejjLiTOvai,, Kofju^onevoid Be rov<; avTop,okov^.
iirl TOVTOL<; ofiripov^ eBcoKav ef evirarpiBwv irepL-
TTop^vpovq Bexa koI wapdevov^ roaavra^i, o)V
rjv KoX Tlo7r\iKoka Ovydrrjp OvaWepia,XIX. UpaTTOfievcov Be tovtcov tov re Hopclva
TTCLcTav TjBrj Tr]v iro\eiJiifcr]v dveiKOTO'^ irapaaKevr^v
Btd TTuaTiv, at irapdevot tcov ^Vcofxaiwv /caTr]\Oov
eVt XovTpov evda Brj firivoeiBrj^ tl<; ox^V '^^pt--
pdWovaa tov iroTafiov rj(TV')(iav pLaXiara koI
yaXr'iVTjv tov /cvfiaTO^! 'irapel')(ev. co? 5' ovTe 107
Tiva ^vXa/crjv ecapcov ovtc irapiovTaf; dXXa)<; rf
BiairXeovTa^, op/Mrjv e(T')(ov aTrovij^acrOat Trpog
2 pevfxa iroXv Koi Biva<; ^a6eia<i. evioi Be (fyacri
filav avTcov, ovofxa KXaiXiav, itttto) Bie^eXdaai
TOV TTopoVy iyKeXevo/jLevrjv tol^ dXXai^ veovaaL<;
Kal TTapaOappvvovaav. eirel Be awdelaai irpo^
TOV TLoTrXtKoXav rjKOVy ov/c iOavjjaaev ovB^ yyd-
TTTja-ev, aXV '^QVidOrj, oti Uopalva KaKiwv iv
iriaTei (pavecTat, koI to ToX/xrjfia tcov irapOevodV
S50
PUBLICOLA, xviii. i-xix. 2
Tarquin to do so, confident of proving that he wasthe basest of men and justly deprived of his king-dom. And when Tarquin gave him a rough answer,
saying that he would make no man his judge, least
of all Porsena, seeing that he was swerving fromhis alliance with him, Porsena was displeased and per-ceived the weakness of his cause. His son Arunsalso pleaded earnestly with him in behalf of the
Romans. Consequently, he put an end to his war
against them, on condition that they gave up the
territory of Tuscany which they had taken, sent
back their prisoners of war, and received back their
deserters. In confirmation of these conditions, the
Romans gave as hostages ten young men from their
noblest families, and as many maidens, of whomValeria, a daughter of Publicola, was one.
XIX. After these stipulations had been carried
out, and when Porsena had already remitted all his
warlike preparations through his confidence in the
treaty, these Roman maidens went down to the river
to bathe, at a place where the curving bank formeda bay and kept the water especially still and free
from waves. As they saw no guard near, nor anyone else passing by or crossing the stream, theywere seized with a desire to swim away, notwith-
standing the depth and whirl of the strong current.
And some say that one of them, named Cloelia,
crossed the stream on horseback, exhorting and
encouraging the rest as they swam. But when theywere come in safety to Publicola, he bestowed noadmiration or affection upon them, but was distressed
because he would be thought less true to his wordthan Porsena, and because the daring exploit of the
maidens would be called a base fraud on the part of
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
alriav e^ev KaKovpyqfxa *F(o/JiaLCi)v yeyovevat.
Slo (TvWaffobv avTCi^ iraXiv airidTetXe irpo^ tov
3 Uopalvav. ravra S* ol nrepl tov TapKvviov irpo-
aKTOofxevoi, Kol KaOlcravTe<; iviBpav tol<; dyovaitA? 7ratSa9, eV tw irepav iireOevTO rnrXeiove^ ovre^.
iK€LV(ov Se opuw^ d/JLVvofjiivcov, 77 UoTrXcKoXa
Ovydrijp OvaWepia Bca fiiacov opfirjaaa-a tS>v
ixaxofievcov airi^vyey /cal rpeh rive^ ol/cirai
GwhieKireaovTe^ eaco^ov avryv. t5)V S' ak\(t)v
ovK aKivSvvco<; avafie/xtyfjiivcov to2<; fxa')^ofievoL<i,
al06p,€vo<; "Appcov 6 Tiopaiva vlb<; ofeco? irpoae-
porjdrjae, KoX ^vyrj<; yevo/jiivT]^ rcbv iroXefJiLcov
7r€pL€7roLrj(T6 Tou? 'FwfiaLov;.
4 'n? Se Ta9 nTap6evov<i K0[jLia6eiaa<i HopaCva^elBe, rrju Karap^afiivyv tt}? nrpd^eco^ Kal irapa-
Kekeuaa/jiivTjv rah aXXat9 i^i'jret. aKovaa^ he
TO ovojxa Trj<i KXotXia^ Trpoae/SXeyjrev avrrjv XXew
Kal (j^atSpat tw irpoacoiTa), Kal KeXevaa<i lttttov
dx^rjvai Tcbv ffaacXiKOJV K€Kocr/jLi]fi6vov evirpeTrS)^
eScop7](TaTO. TOVTo TToLovvTai fxaprvpiov ol fiovrjv
rrjv KXoiXiav Xeyovre^ Xttttw Bie^eXdaai tov
6 TTorajiiov. ol S* ou<f>ao-iv, dXXa TifJirjaai to
dvBpayBe^; avT7]<; rbv Tvpprjvov, dvaKeiraL Be ttjv
lepav oBbv 7ropevo/j,evoL<; eh UaXdriov dvBpia^
avT7]<; e^iTTTTo^y ov Ttv€<; ov T^9 K.XoiXLa<;, dXXa
TTJ^ OuaXXepLa<; elvai Xeyovaiv.'O Be Tiopaiva^ BiaXXayeU T0i9 *F(o/j,aloif;
552
PUBLICOLA, XIX. 2-5
the Romans. He seized them, therefore, and sent
them back again to Porsena. But Tarquin and his
men got timely intelligence of this, set an ambushfor the convoy of the maidens, and attacked them in
superior numbers as they passed along. The partyattacked defended themselves, nevertheless, and
Valeria, the daughter of Publicola, darted throughthe combatants and fled, and with the help of three
attendants who broke through the crowd with her,
made good her escape. The rest of the maidens
were mingled with the combatants and in peril of
their lives. But Aruns, the son of Porsena, learningof the affair, came with all speed to their assistance,
put their enemies to flight, and rescued the
Romans.When Porsena saw the maidens thus brought
back, he asked for the one who had begun the
enterprise and encouraged the rest in it. And whenhe heard Cloelia named as the one, he looked uponher with a gracious and beaming countenance, and
ordering one of the royal horses to be brought, all
fittingly caparisoned, he made her a present of it.
Those who say that Cloelia, and Cloelia alone, crossed
the river on horseback, produce this fact in evidence.
Others dispute the inference, and say that the
Tuscan merely honoured in this way the maiden's
courage. But an equestrian statue of her stands bythe Via Sacra, as you go to the Palatine, thoughsome say it represents not Cloelia, but Valeria.^
Porsena, thus reconciled with the Romans, gave^According to Livy, who gives a very different version
of the Cloelia episode (ii. 13, 6-11), the maidens were
incited by the example of Mucins to their display of courage,in memory of which the Romans erected at the top of the
Via Sacra an equestrian statue,'*
virgo insidens equo."
553
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
oWtjv re eavTov iroWrjv fieyd\o(l)poavvr)v evre-
Bel^aro rrj iroXei, kov to, oirXa rou? Tvpprjvoij^6 dvaXa/Selv Ke\ev(Ta<;, dWo Se [xrjZev, a)OC eK\el-
TTEiv Tov 'X^apaKa aijov re iroWvv koX ')(^pT]fidTQ)v
yifiovra iravroSaircop, irapehwKe rot? rcofiaioi,^;.
Slo Kol Ka0* rjfia^ en ircoXovvre^ ra Brj/JLOcna
TTpcora f€7]pvTT0vaL ra Uopaiva ')(^p^/jLaTa, ri/jLrjv
Tft) dvBpl T?}? ')(^dpiro<^ diSiov ev rrj fiv^/Jirj Bta-
(pv\dTTOiT€<;. elaTTjKei Be koL '^aX/cov'; dvBpLa<;avTOV irapa to ^ovXevrrjpiov, avrXoO? kol dp-
XCLLKO'; rfi epyacria.XX. Mera Be ravra ^a^ivcov efi^aXovTcov
ei9 T?7i^ ')((U)pav viraro^ fiev direBei'x^drj Mdp/co^
OvaWepLOf;, dB€\(f)b<^ TLoTrXiKoXa, fcal Hoarov-
fXLo^ Tov^6pTo<;. TLpaTTo/j-evcov Be tmv /jLeyiarcov
<yv(o/jL7j Koi irapovaia TioirXiKoXa Bval/jLd-)(ai,<;
fieydXai^ 6 Mdp/co^ evLKtiaev, wv ev rf) Bevrepa
/jLTjBeva ^PwfjLaLcov diro^aXcbv TpLa')(^LXiov^ eVt
2 p,vpioi(i Tcov TToXefiicov dvetXe. koX yepa<^ ^<^X^^iirl Tot<; 6ptdfjL^o:<; oLKuav avrco yeieaOat BT]fioaLOt<;
dpaXcofiaaiv iv TLaXaria). tcov S' dXXcov rore
Ovpcjv e'laay rrjf; oiKLa^; et? to KXeiaiov dvoiyo-
fi&vcoVj eKeiv7]<; fji6vr)<; tt)? oLKia^ eiroirjaav eKTO<;
cLTrdyeaOai rr)v avXeiov, (09 Br) Kara ro avyx^-prjfia rr]<i rLfJirj<i del rov BrijJLOdiov irpoaein-
Xajjb^dvoi.3 Ta? S' 'EXX7ji>LKa<; irporepov ovrcd^ ^X^^^ dirdaa^
XeyovcTLV, diro rwv Kco/mrpSiMV Xa/Li/3ui^ovT€<;, onKOTTTOvai Kal ylrocpovat rd<; aurcbv Ovpa<; evBoBev
ol irpoievai fxeXXovre^;, ottw^ aLcrfftjcriq €^m yevoirorol<i irapep)(piJiivoL^ rj irpoearctxTL Kal
fx-q Kara-
554
PUBLICOLA, XIX. 5-xx. 3
the city many proofs of his magnanimity. In
particular, he ordered his Tuscan soldiers, when theyevacuated their camp, to take with them their arms
only, and nothing else, leaving it full of abundant
provisions and all sorts of valuables, which he turned
over to the Romans. Therefore it is that down to
this very day, when there is a sale of public property,Porsena's goods are cried first, and thus the man's
kindness is honoured with perpetual remembrance.
Moreover, a bronze statue of him used to stand near
the senate-house, of simple and archaic work-
manship.iXX. After this, when the Sabines invaded the
Roman territory, Marcus Valerius, a brother of
Publicola, was made consul, and with him Postumius
Tubertus. Inasmuch as the most important stepswere taken with the advice and assistance of
Publicola, Marcus was victorious in two great battles,
and in the second of them, without losing a single
Roman, slew thirteen thousand of the enemy.^Besides his triumphs, he also obtained the honour of
a house built for him at the public charge on the
Palatine. And whereas the doors of other houses at
that time opened inwards into the vestibule, theymade the outer door of his house, and of his alone,to open outwards, in order that by this concession
he might be constantly partaking of public honour.
They say that all Greek doors used to openoutwards in tliis way, and the conclusion is drawnfrom their comedies, where those who are about to
go out of a house beat noisily on the inside of their
own doors, in order that persons passing by or
standing in front of them may hear, and not be
^ Cf. Livy, ii. 14, 1-4. » Cf. Livy, ii. 16, 1.
555
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
XafijSdvoiVTO irpoiovaai^ rat? fcXeiaidcnv eh top
(TTevcoTrov.
XXI, Tft) ^' i^rjf; eret ttoXiv vTrdreve IIoTrXt-
KoXa'i TO rirapTov rjv Be TrpoahoKia TroXefiov
^a/Stvcov Kol AuTLVcov (TWiaTafjiivcop. /cal rt?
dfia Beto-iBaifiovia rrj^ 7roXe&)9 Tj^jraro' iraaai yapat Kvovaat, rore yuvaLKe<; i^i^aWov dvdirrjpa,
Kal Te\o9 ovBep,ia yeveaL^ ea')(€v. 66ev i/c rcov 108
'^i/SuWeCayv 6 TloTrXiKoXa^ IXaa-dfzevo^: Ta> "AlBtj
KaC TLva^ dya)va<; 7rv6oxpt]crTov^ dvaXa^cov kol
Tat9 iXiricrt. irpo^ to Oelov r)Biova KaraaTrjcra^
TTJV TToXlV, T]87J TOt? ttTT* dvOpCOTTCOV (f)0^€pol<;
Trpocret^e. fieydXr} yap i(j>aLveTO KaraaKcvr) tmv
TToXe/jLicov Kal GvcjTadv^.
2 "^tiv ovv "Attttlo'; KXavao^ ev ^apivoL^, avrjp
')(^prjp.aaL re Bvvaro^ koI a'd)/jiaTO<! pcopLy 7ryoo9
dXKr)V i7ri(f>av7]<;, dp€Trj<; Be Bo^y p^dXiara kc^
Xoyov BecvoTTjTi irpcorevcov. o Be Trdai crvp^^aivet
Tot? p^eyaXoif; ov lie<f>vye iraOelv, dXX* i(pOoveLTO'
Kal T0t9 <j>Oovov(nv alrcav Trapecrx^ KaraTravwv
Tov TToXep.ov av^t;iv rd ^Vaypuiiwv, iirl rvpavvlBi
3 Kal BovXu}(Tei Ti]<; 7raTpiBo<;, alad6p€vo<i Be tou?
X070U9 TOUTOf9 povXopev(p Tw irXijdec Xeyop^evov^,
Kal irpocTKpovovTa rol^i TroXep^oTroLol^ Kal arpa-TLWTiK0l<^ eaVTOV, i(f)0^€LTO TrjV KpLdlV. €Taip€Lav
Be Kal BvvapLiv i^iXcov Kal ol/celcov ex^ov up.v^
S56
PUBLICOLA, XX. 3-xxi. 3
taken by surprise when the doors open out into the
street.
XXI. In the following year Publicola was consul
again^ for the fourth time, when there was expec-tation of a war with the Sabines and Latins com-bined.^ At the same time also a sort of superstitiousterror seized upon the city because all the womenwho were pregnant were delivered of imperfect
offspring, and all births were premature. Wherefore,
by direction of the Sibylline books, Publicola made
propitiatory sacrifices to Pluto, and renewed certain
games that had been recommended by Apollo, andafter he had thus made the city more cheerful in its
hopes and expectations from the gods, he turnedhis attention to what it feared from men. For their
enemies were plainly making great preparations anda powerful league against them.Now there was among the Sabines one Appius
Clausus,2 a man whose wealth made him powerful,as his personal prowess made him illustrious, butwho was most eminent for his lofty character andfor his great eloquence. He could not, however,escape the fate of all great men, but was an objectof jealous hate, and when he tried to stop the war,those who hated him charged him with trying to
increase the power of Rome, with a view to makinghimself tyrant and master of his own country.Perceiving that the multitude gave a ready ear to
these stories, and that he himself was obnoxious to
the war party and the military, he feared the issue,but with a large and powerful cotsrie of friends and
*Livy gives a very brief account of this war (ii. 16, 2-6).
2 Attius Clausus among the Sabines, Appius Claudius
among the Romans, according to Livy, ii, 16, 4.
VOL. I. X 557
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
vovaav irepl avrbv iaraaia^e. koX tovt tjv rov
TToXe/jLOV Biarpi^rj koI fieWrjai^ TOt? ^ajSivoi^;.
4 TauT* ovv 6 UoTrXiKoXa^; ov jmovov elhivat
TTOLovfjievo^ epyov, dWa koI Kivetv koX avve^-
opfidv rr]v ardcrtv, el^ev dvSpa^ eTTLjrjhetovi ol
Tw KXava-qy SieXiyovTo Trap* avrov roiavra, ft)9
o UoTrXiKoXa^; dvBpa ae 'x^prjarop ovra Kal hiKaiov
ovSevl KttKU) BeXv ocerai rou? aeavTov TroXtra?
dfivveaOai, KaiTrep dSi/cov/xevov el Se ^ovkoio
(Tco^cov iavTOV fJberaaTrjvai kol ^vyeiv rov? fii-
(Tovvra^, L'TToSeferat ae BrjfjLoo-la koX IBua r?}? re
0-979 dp€T7J<; d^Lco(; kol tt)? 'Vayfiaicov Xa/MirpoTTjro^,5 ravra 7roWd/ci<; dvacTKoirovvri tw KXavaa /SeX-Tiara t(ov dvay/calcov e(j)aiveTo, Kal tov<; <f)i\,ov^
av/MTrapa/caXcoVy eKeivwv re iroWov'^ ofiolax;
(TvvavaTTeiOovTCdv , 7TevTaKL(7')(^Lkiov<i OLKov<; dva-
(TTrjaa^ fierd iraiBwv kol jvvatKcov, oirep -^v eV
^a/3ivoi,(; dOopv^ov /idXcara koX ^lov irpdov koI
KaOearSiTO^; olKelov, eh 'Vwp^rjv rjye, 7rpoei,B6TO<frov TioTrXiKoXa Ka\ Bexo/jiivov <pLXo(f)p6vco<i kol
6 iTpo6vfjLa)^ iirl irdcrt, BiKaLoc<;. tou? fiev yapoIkov<; evOi)^ dvefii^e tw TToXnevp^ari, Kal x^P^^direveifxev e/cacrra) Bvelv irXeOpcov irepl rov Avl-(ova TTorafiop, tw Be K.Xai)<T(p irXeOpa Trevre KaleXKOGi 7779 eBcoKev, avrov Be rjj SovXfj nrpocre-
ypayjrev, dpxv^ iroXireia^ Xa/jL0dvovra ravrrjv,
fi ;)^yoco/x€^'09 e/jL(f)p6va)<i dveBpafiev eL<; to irpSirov
d^Lco/jLa Kal Bvvafiiv ecrxc fjbeydXrjv, Kal yevo<i
ovBepo^: djiavporepov ev rcofjirj to KXavBucop dcp*avrov KareXiire.
XXII, T^ Be Xa^Lvcov ovra BtaKpiOepra ra>
SS8
PUBLICOLA, XXI. 3-xxn. i
kinsmen to defend him, continued his opposition.This made the Sabines put off and delay the war.
Publicola, accordingly, making it his business not
only to know about these matters, but also to fomentand promote the faction, kept some of his followers
employed in bringing to Clausus from him such
messages as this :" Publicola thinks thee too worthy
and just a man to inflict any evil upon thy fellow
citizens in self-defence, even though thou art
wronged by them. But if thou wishest, for thine
»wn safety, to change thine allegiance and flee fromthose who hate thee, he will receive thee with publicand private honours which are worthy of thine ownexcellence and the splendour of Rome." On repeatedconsideration of the matter, this course seemed to
Clausus the best that was open to him ; he therefore
summoned his friends, who in like manner persuadedmany more, to join him, and taking five thousandfamilies from their homes, wives and children in-
cluded, the most peaceful folk among the Sabines, of
gentle and sedate lives, he led them to Rome.Publicola knew beforehand of their coming, and
gave them an eager and a kindly welcome, admittingthem to all rights and privileges. For he at once
incorporated the families in the Roman state, and
[gave each one two acres of land on the river Anio.To Clausus, however, he gave twenty-five acres of
land, and enrolled him among the senators. Thiswas the beginning of a political power which he usedso wisely that he mounted to the highest dignity and
acquired great influence. The Claudian family, whichis descended from him, is no less illustrious than anyin Rome.
XXII. Though the schism among the Sabines was
VOL. I. J 2 559
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fi€roiKi,a/if2> Tcov dvBpcov, ov/c eXacrav ol Br]fiay(0'
yovvre^i drpefiyjaai /cat Karaarfjvai, axerXid-foi/T€9 el KXavao<; a irapcov ovk eireta-e Biairpd-
^erai <t)vyd<s yev6pLevo<i koI TroXifiw;, /jlt)Bovvai
Blktjv 'lPcojJLaiov<; o)v v^pil^ovcnv. dpavTe<i ovv
(TTparcp jjLeydXcp irepX ^iBrjva'i /carrjvXLo-avTO, Kau
TLva \6)(pv difiepoi irpo tt}? *lPd)/J,r)<;iv
')((i)pioi<i
avPTjpecpecri koI kolXol<; BiaxtXiovf; oirXira^, e/ieX'
Xov dfi rjpiepa (pav6pw<i oki<yoL<i linreva-t, Xeiav iXav-
2 V61V. elprjTO 8* avrol^;, orav rfj iroXei irpoaeXd'aoicnv, v7T0(j)€vyeiv €&)9 i/JLjSdXcoaiv eh rrjv eveBpavTou? TToXepiLov^' ravB* 6 lioTrXLKoXa^i avOi]p,€pov
irvdojJLevo'i irap avTOfjLoXoov T(i)(y BiyppLocraTO tt/jo?
irdvra kol Bievet/jLe rrjv BvvafiLV. Tloo-rov/jLto^
fjL6v yap BaXySo9 6 yajJL^p6<i avrov rpia-)(^i,XLoi<i
oTrXtrat? ecnTepa<i ert irpoeXOcov koI /cara-
Xa^oDV TOV<i dfcpoX6(j)ov^, v(f)* oh evrjBpevov ol
3 lafilvoi,, irapecpvXaTTev' 6 Be awdp^fov Aov-
KprjTLo^ ex(ov TO Kov^oTarov iv t§ iroXei xal
yevvaioTarov erdx^V tol<; iXavvovai rrjv Xelav
liTTrevcnv einx'^tpetv, avrb<; Be ttjv dXXrjv dva-
Xa^cbv (TTpariav kvkX(o irepirjXOe tou? TroXe/jLLov^,
KOL Kord TVX^W O/JLLX^V^ ffaOelaf; e7Ti,7re(Touari<;,
irepl opOpov dpxt HocTovp^Lo^ re tou? eveBpev- 109ovTa<i ep,$orjaa^ ejSaXev dirb tojv d/cpcov, koX Toh
irpoiiT'iTacrapLevoL'i icprJKe tov<; irepl avrov 6 Aov-
KprjTLO'i, Kal lioirXiKoXa^ irpocre^aXe rot? arpaTO-4 TreSot? TCOV iroXep.lcov. irdvrr) /nev ovv i/caKovro
rd 'Ea^ivcov fcal Bce(f)0eLpeTO' TOv<i S* evravOa /j,r)B^
d/jLvvo/xevovfif dXXd (pevyovra^;, evOv^ e/creivov ol
*Fco/jLaloi, T^9 eXirlBo^ avToh oXedpicoTaTi]^ yevo-
560
PUBLICOLA, XXII. 1-4
thus removed by the emigration of these men, their
popular leaders would not suffer them to settle
own into quiet, but complained bitterly that
Clausus, by becoming an exile and an enemy, should
bring to pass what he could not effect by his per-suasions at home, namely, that Rome pay no penaltyfor her outrages. Setting out, therefore, with a large
army, they encamped near Fidenae, and placed twothousand men-at-arms in ambush just outside of
Rome in wooded hollows. Their intention was that
a few of their horsemen, as soon as it was day,should boldly ravage the country. But these hadbeen ordered, whenever they approached the cityand were attacked, to retire gradually until they haddrawn the enemy into the ambuscade. That very
day Publicola learned of this plan from deserters,and took measures accordingly, dividing up his
forces. Postumius Balbus, his son-in-law, while it
was yet evening, went out with three thousand men-
at-arms, occupied the hills under which the Sabineswere lying in ambush, and kept the enemy underobservation ; Lucretius, his colleague, retaining in
the city the lightest armed and most impetuoustroops, was ordered to attack the enemy's horsemenas they ravaged the country ; he himself took therest of the army and encircled the enemy in their
camp. Favoured by a heavy fog, at break of dayPostumius, with loud shouts, fell upon the ambuscadefrom the heights, while Lucretius hurled his troops
upon the horsemen when they rode towards the city,and Publicola attacked the camp of the enemy. At all
points, then, the Sabines were worsted and undone.Wherever they were, they made no defence, but
fled, and the Romans straightway slew them. The
56i
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
fiivf)^, aco^eo-dat fyctp olofievoi tou? €T€pov<; oi
erepoi Ta> fid^ecrOai koI fiiveiv ov 'irpoael')(pv,
aXV ol jiev CK rcov ipvp^drcov 7Tpo<; rov^ iveSpev-5 ovra^, ol Bk iraXiv co? eKeivov^ eh to GTparo-
TreSov 6eovre<i ivavTLOi (pevyovo-tv iveTTLirrov irpo^
01)9 cipevyov koI ^OTjdela^ B€Ofiivoi,<; ov<; rfKiri^ov
auTOfc? ^orjOrjcreLV, to Be fir) rrravTa^ diroXeadaL
TO 1)9 Xa/3Lvov<;, dWa /cat TrepiyeviaOai rivd^ rj
^iBijvaTcov 7roXt9 6771^9 ovo-a nrapea^ey kol
fjudXtcTTa T0t9 eK tmv a-TparoTreBcoVy off rjXiaKeTOy
BieKTrLTTTOvaiv. 0(701 Be ^iByvcov BirujuapTov Sie-
<j)ddp7)crav 7) ^covre^i dTTri')(9r)<Tav viro tcov \a,66vTa)V.
XXIII. TouTO TO KaropOwpia 'Fco/iacoi, KaiirepelcoOoTe^ aTraai T0i9 p^eydXoi^ iTrKprjpbC^eLv to Bai-
fiovcov, 6z^09 epyov r^yovvro rod cTTparrjyov yeyo-vevau Koi tcov /nep^axv/^^^^^^ irpSiTOV rjv aKoveiv
OTi ')((o'kov<; Kot TV(f)\ou<i avTOL^ Kol p^ovov ov
KuOeip^a^; tol'9 7roXeyLttou9 Ilo7r\cK6\a<; irapeBcoKe
Xprjo'Oai Tol<; ^[(pecTiv. ippcocrdrj Be koX xPVf^ccaiv6 B7]po<; e/c TCOV Xacpvpcov kol tcov al'X^paXcoTcov.
2 'O ^e Ilo7r\i/c6\a<; tov Te 6piap,^ov dyayoavkclI T0A9 psT avTov aTToBei^Qeldiv virdToi^ irapa-Bov<; TTjv TToXiv ev6v<; eTeXevTrjcrev, ox; i^iKTovecTTLV dv0p(O7roi<; pd\i<TTa to?9 V€VopLi(Tp,evoi<; xa-
Xot9 Kal dyadol'^y tov eavTOu ^iov iKTeXeicoaa^;.
6 Be Brjpio^ axTTTep ovBev €i9 ^covTa tcov d^i'cov
7re7roir]Kct)<;, dWd irdcrav ocpeiXcov ')(dptv, iyjry^cpL-
aaTO Bi^pboaici Ta^rjvai to (Tcop,a, koI TeTapTTj-3 p^optov e/caaTov iirl Tip>y avveLcrevey/celv. at Be
56a
PUBLICOLA, XXII. 4-xxiii. 3
very hopes they placed in one another proved mostfatal to them. For each party, supposing that the
other was safe, had no thought of holding their
ground and fighting, but those in the camp ran
towards those in tiie ambuscade, while these, ontheir part, ran to those in the camp, so that fugitivesencountered fugitives, and found those needingsuccour from whom they expected succour them-selves. And all the Sabines would have perished,had not the neighbouring city of Fidenae afforded a
refuge to some, especially to those who fled from the
camp when it was captured. All who did not gainthis city were either slain or brought back to Romeas prisoners.
XXIII. This success the Romans, although theywere wont to attribute all such great events to theinfluence of the gods, considered to be the work of
their general alone. And the first thing his soldiers
were heard to say was that Publicola had delivered
their enemies into their hands lame, blind, and all
but imprisoned, to be dispatched by their swords.
Great wealth also accrued to the people from the
spoils and prisoners.But PubHcola, immediately after celebrating his
triumph and handing the city over to the consuls
appointed to succeed him, died. So far as it can
possibly be achieved by men who are regarded as
honourable and good, he had brought his life to
perfection. The people, as if they had done nothingto show their esteem for him while he was alive, butowed him every homage, decreed that his bodyshould be buried at the public charge, and that
every man should contribute a quadrans towards thehonour. The women also^ by private agreement
5^3
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
yvvatK€<;, Ihla 7r/?09 avra<; avfjucfypovijaaaai, hieirev-
dycrav eviavTOV oXov iwl rw avhpl irevOo'^ evrifiov
Kol ^ijXcorov. irdcf)!] Be /col ovTco<i rodv ttoXitoov
\jrrj(j)taa/jL€va)V ivr6<; aareo^ irapa rrjv /caXov-
fievTjv OveXiav, Morre /cat yivei iravrX t?}9 Ta(j)7]<;
/jb€T€LvaL. vvv Se daTTTerai jxev ovhel^ rcov diro
yevov;, KOfJuicravTe^ he tov ve/cpov ixel Karari-
Oevrat koX BaSd Ti? rjfjL/jLevjjv XajScov oaov virrj-
veyKeVt elra dvaipetTat,, juLaprvpo/xevo'^ ^py^ '^^
e^elvai, (pelSeaOai Be ttj^ ti^ltj^, koI tov veKpovOVTW^ dTTOKO/jLL^OVCTlV.
20Af2NOS KAI nOHAIKOAA 2YrKPI2l2
I. 'A/3* ovv cBiov TL irepX TavTTjv Tr)v (TvyKpidiv
VTrdpxet^ zeal fii) irdvv crvfiffe/3r]K6<; erepa tmv
dvajeypa/jLfjL€V(i)v, tov CTepov yeyovkvai jjbLfjbrjTr^v
TOV eTepov, tov CTepov Be fidpTw; 6pa yap f/v
6 %6Xwv e^r]veyK€ irepl evSai/novLaf; diro^aaiv
7r/309 KpoL(Tov, ft)9 UoTrXiKoXo, fjuaXkov r) TeXXw2 TTpo(jr]Kei' TeWou piev ydp, ov elire yeyovevai
fiaKapiMTaTov Bi evnoT/jLiav koX dpcTrjv xal ev-
Te/cviav, OUT avT0<; ev tol<: TroLtjpiaaiv w? dvBp6<;
dyaOov Xoyov eax^v ovt6 TratSe? out dp^V Ti?
€49 Bo^av rjXOev' YioirXtKoXxi^ Be /cal ^wv eirpo)-
T€vae Bwdfjuei /cal Bo^j) Bl dp€Tr)v ^PcofjuaicoVy kol
1 **Ib the following year, Agrippa Menemus and P,
Postumius being consuls, P. Valerius, by universal consentthe foremost Roman in the arts of war and peace, died, in
the height of his glory, but so poor that means to defray his
SOLON AND PUBLICOLA, i. 1-2
amongst themselves, mourned a whole year for him,with a mourning which was honourable and enviable.^
He was buried, too, by express vote of the citizens,
within the city, near the so called Velia,^ and all his
family were to have privilege of burial there. Now,however, none of the family is actually buried there,but the body is carried thither and set down, andsome one takes a burning torch and holds it underthe bier for an instant, and then takes it away,attesting by this act that the deceased has the rightof burial there, but relinquishes the honour. After
this the body is borne away.
COMPARISON OF SOLON AND PUBLICOLA
L There is, then, something peculiar in this
comparison, and something that has not been true
of any other thus far, namely, that the second
imitated the first, and the first bore witness for the
second. For it must be plain that the verdict concern-
ing happiness which Solon pronounced to Croesus, is
more applicable to Publicola than to Tellus. Tellus,whom Solon pronounced the most blessed man he
knew, because of his fortunate lot, his virtue, and his
goodly offspring, was not celebrated in Solon's poemsas a good man, nor did his children or any magistracyof his achieve a reputation ; whereas Publicola, while
he lived, was foremost among the Romans in in-
funeral expenses were lacking. He was therefore buried atthe public charge, and the matrons mourned for him as theyhad done for Bruius" (Livy, ii. 16, 7).
2 See chapter x. 2.
S65
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
redvrjKoro^i iv roU eTn^avea-rdToi'i yeveai koI
(TTefiixaaiv en KaO' r]fjia<; HoTrXiKoXai fcal Mecr-
adXai /cat OvaWepioi Bt ircjv e^aKoaicov tt}?
3 €vy6V€ia<i rrjv Bo^av dvacftepovai. /cal TeXA.09 fiev
V7T0 t6)v TToXe/jLLwv ft)? dvr)p dja0b<; iv rd^et,
fievwv Kol fjiaxofJ^evo^ fcaTiarpeyjre' IIoTrXfcytoXa?
Be Tov<i fiev TToXe/itou? Kreivas, o rov Trea-elv
evTv^earepov iari,, rrjv Be irarplBa viKoiaav
eTTiBcbv Bt avTov dp'XpvTa kol o-rparrjyovvra,
Tifi7)d€l<{ Be KOL 0pLa/ji/3€vaa<; erv^e tt;? i^rfKoV'
fjiivi]<iVTTO SoXftji^o? KoX fjia/€apL^o/jL€vrj<; reXeurij^;.
4 ert TOLVuv 0*9 7rp6<; Mi/ivep/jiov dvreiTrcov irepi
')(^p6vov ^corj^ eiTLiTe^oi)vr}Ket
M.TjBe fjboi aKXavoTTO^ 6dvaT0<! fioXoi,dXXd
(^iXoLai
7roL7]aai/Jbi Oavoav dXyea koI (nova')(^d^,
evBaifXOva rov YloirXifcoXav avBpa iroieZ, TeXev- 110
rr)(Ta<i yap ov cfiiXoi^ ovS* olKeioi<i fiovov, dXXd rfj
TToXei irddti, [xvpLdai iroXXal<;, BdKpva /cat irodov
Kol KaT'f]<f>6tav e'^'aura> Trapia^ev at yap 'Pftj-
fialcov yvvaiKe<; eTievOr^crav avrov axrirep vlov rj
5 dBeX^ov rj irarepa koivov diro^aXovo-ai.*'
^prj-
fiara 8' Ifieipco fxev eyeiVy^ <j)Tjalv 6 SoXcov,"dhiKco^
Be ireiraadaL ovk iOeXo)*' &)9 BiKr)(; i7riou(Tr]<i*
TLoTrXiKoXa 8' VTrrjp^ev ov jjlovov firj Ka/cco^
TrXovTclv, aXX^ kol AraXw? dvaXlcTKeiv ev ttoiovvti
T0U9 Beo/ievovf;. coaT el ao(f)a)raTO<; aTrdvTcov 6
XoXwVy evBaijjLoveaTarof; 6 IIoTrXt/coXa?. a ydpev^aro twv dyaOoop itcelvo^ 0)9 fieyicTTa /cat
566
SOLON AND PUBLTCOLA, i. 2-5
fluence and repute for virtue, and since his death the
most ilhistrious family lines of our own day, like the
Publicolae, the Messalae, and the Valerii, have for
six hundred years ascribed the glory of their noble
birth to him. Tellus, moreover, though he kept his
post and fought like a brave man, died at the handsof his enemies ;
whereas Publicola slew his enemies,which is a better fortune than to be slain by them,saw his country victorious through his efforts as
consul and general, and enjoyed honours and triumphsbefore he came to the end which Solon pronouncedso enviable and blest. Still further, what Solon saysto Mimnermus,^ in arguing with him on the properduration of human life,
"May not an unlamented death be mine, but unto
friends
Let me be cause, when dead, for sorrow and for
sighing,"
argues Publicola a happy man. For when he died,his loss filled not only friends and kindred, butthe entire city, numbering many tens of thousands,with weeping and yearning and sorrow. For thewomen of Rome mourned for him as though theyhad lost a son, or a brother, or a common father." Wealth I desire to have," says Solon,
" but wrong-fully to get it, I do not wish,"
2believing that
punishment would follow. And Publicola's wealthwas not only not ill got, but also nobly spent in
benefactions to the needy. So that if Solon wasthe wisest, Publicola was the most happy of men,since what Solon prayed for as the greatest and
1Fragment 21 (Bergk),
? See Solon, ii. 3.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
KaXKiara, ravra koI KTritraaOai TloirXiKoXa Ka\
(pvXd^ai ')(^pcofi6va) fii^pt Ti\ov<; VTTTjp^ev.
II. OvTco fxev 6 XoXojv KeKoa-jxr^Ke rov TLottXi-
KoXav, Tov ^6Xo)va S* av iraXiv eicelvo^ iv rfj
TToXcTeia TrapaBeiyfidrcov KoXXcarov dvSpl ko^
fffiovvTi Brj/io/cparlav Oifievo^S' rrj<; p,ev yhp dp)(ri'^
rov o^KOv di^eXoiv evfievrj irdai koi oXvttov Kar-
ecTTT^ae, vopLOL^ he 7roWoL<; i^PV^^'f^To rcov iKelvov.
Ka\ yap dp')(ovTO)V KaraaTdaecof; Kvpiov^ iiroiyjae
Tov^ 7roXXov<;, koI to?? (f)evyov(TL Uktjv e-mKaXel-
ordai rov hrj/jLov, coarrep 6 ^oXcov rov^ Bifcaardf;,
eSoyKC. Kal ^ovXrjv fiev erepav ovk iiroirjaei',
wairep 6 ^oiXwv, rrjv 5* oZaav rjv^rja-ev dpiOfiw2 fiiKpov SiTrXaacdaa^. rj re rav ra/jLCcov irrl rot?
')(prjixaai Kardaraai^ iiceWev rfxdevy ottoj? o
ap')((ov firjr el 'X^priaro^ iartv dGyoXlav exj) irpo^
rd yLtetfo), fi'^r el ^av\o<; d(f)op/jLd<; rov dBiKelv
fidXXov, KoX rwv rrpd^ecov koi rwv %/3>7/AaTa)i'
Kvpio<i yev6fi€i>o<;. to Be fiia-orvpavvov iv ro)
HoirXiKoXa a-(f)oBp6repov. el ydp rt? iTrtx^ipoir)
rvpavvelv, 6 fiev dXovrt, rrjv Blktjv iirirlOrjaiVy 6
3 Be /cal TTpo T?}? Kpicrew^ dveXetv BiBcoaL, <Tep,vv-
vofievov Be rov 'ZoXcovo'^ 6p9(o<i Kal BiKaLco^ ort Kal
rcov TTpay/xdrcov avrS) BiBovrcov rvpavvelv Kal r&v
ttoXltcov ovk dKovalwq Bexofievcov drrelrrev, ovx
TjTrov virdpx^i' KaXov rq> UoTrXtKoXa rb Xa^ovra
rvpavvtf^rjv dp-^V^ Trou/crat BijfjLorihoyrepav Kal
fi-qB^ oU i^rjv exovra XP^^^^^^^* '^^^ touto 8'
S68
'^OLON AND PUBLICOLA, i. 5-11. 3
fairest of blessings, these Publicola was privileged to
win and continue to enjoy until the end.
II. Thus did Solon enhance the fame of Publicola.
And Publicola, too, in his political activities, enhancedthe fame of Solon, by making him the fairest of
examples for one who was arranging a democracy.For he took away the arrogant powers of the consul-
ship and made it gracious and acceptable to all, andhe adopted many of Solon's laws. For instance, he
put the appointment of their rulers in the power of
the people, and gave defendants the right of ap-
pealing to the people, as Solon to the jurors. Hedid not, indeed, create a new senate, as Solon did,
but he increased the one already existing to almost
double its numbers. And his appointment of
quaestors over the public moneys had a like origin.Its purpose was that the consul, if a wortliy officer,
might not be without leisure for his more importantduties, and, if unworthy, might not have greater
opportunities for injustice by having both the ad-
ministration and the treasury in his hands. Hatredof tyranny was more intense in Publicola than in
Solon. For in case any one attempted to usurp the
power, by Solon's law he could be punished onlyafter conviction, whereas Publicola made it lawful to
kill him before any trial. Moreover, though Solon
rightly and justly plumes himself on rejectingabsolute power even when circumstances offered
it to him and his fellow-citizens were willing that heshould take it, it redounds no less to the honour of
Publicola that, when he had received a tyrannical
power, he made it more democratic, and did not use
even the prerogatives which were his by right of
possession. And of the wisdom of such a course
569
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
eoiKe (TUVL^elv irporepo*; 6 XoXcov, on Sijfio^
(oh av dpicrra avv '^ycfiovecraiv eVoiTO,
fifjre Xirjv avedeh ^JLrjTe inet^ofievo^,
III. "Ihiov Be rod ^6\o)vo<; r) tcov XP^^^ aveai^y y
fjidXicTTa TTjv ekevOepiav ipe^aiwa-e roZ? TToXirai,^.
ovSev yap o<f)6\o^ vo/acov laorrjTa TrapeyovToaVy
y)v d<j)at,pelTai rd %/oea tov<; irevrjTa^' dXX orrov
fidXicrra 'x^prjaOat rfj ekevOepia Bo/covcri, Bov-
7i£vovai fidXiara tol<; 7r\ovaioi<;, iv Ta> Biicd^eiv
KaX dpx^LV KoX Xeyeiv iTriTarTo/jbevoi fcal virrjpe-
2 T0VVT69. TOVTOV Be pLel^ov, oTt irdarj %/3e&)i^ diro-
Koirfi <nd<Tea)<i iiro/Mivrj^;, e/ceivrj fjuovrj, KaOdirep
(papfiaKO) TrapajSoXo) jxiv, lax^pw Be xPV^d/jU€vo<;
ev/caipcot;, xal rrjv ovaav ardcTLv eXvae, rfj irepl
avrbv dperfi koX Bo^rj rrj<; rod irpdyfiaro^ dBo^ia<;
KoX Bia^oXrjf; 7r€piy€v6fjL€Vo<;,
T^9 B' 6\7]<; TToXirela^i rfj fjuev dpxfl Xapurpo-
repo^ 6 %6Xa)v ^yijcraro yap Kal ovtc rjKoXovOTjae,
KaX KaO* avTov, ov fieO* erepcov, eirpa^e rd irXelcrra
Kal jjuiyiara rcov koivcjv rw reXei Be drepo^3 evrvxv'^ icaX ^ijXcorof;, rr)v fiev ydp 2oXft)z/o9
iToXireiav avro<; eirelBe %6X(ov KaraXvOelaav, rj
Be TloTrXtKoXa p-^XP^ "^^^ ep.(f)vXi(ov rroXepwv
Bie^vXa^ev iv Koa-fjicp rt]v ttoXcv 6 p.ev ydp dp.a
rw JiaOai tou? vop^ou^ diroXiTToov iv ^uXoi<; Kal
570
SOLON AND PUBLICOLA, ii. 3-111. 3
Solon seems to have been conscious even before
Publicola, when he says^ that a people
" then will yield the best obedience to its
guidesWhen it is neither humoured nor oppressed too
much."
III. Peculiar to Solon was his remission of debts^and by this means especially he confirmed the
liberties of the citizens. For equality under the
laws is of no avail if the poor are robbed of it bytheir debts. Nay, in the very places where they are
supposed to exercise their liberties most, there theyare most in subjection to the rich, since in the courts
of justice, the offices of state, and in public debates,
they are under their orders and do them service.
And what is of greater moment here, thoughsedition always follows an abolition of debts, in
this case alone, by employing opportunely, as it
were, a dangerous but powerful medicine, Solon
actually put an end to the sedition that was already
rife, for his own virtue and high repute prevailedover the ill-repute and odium of the measure.
As regards their political careers in general,Solon's was more brilHant in the beginning. Forhe led the way and followed no man, and it wasalone and without colleagues that he effected the
most and greatest of his public measures. But in
the ending, the other was more fortunate andenviable. For Solon lived to see with his own eyesthe dissolution of his polity, while that of Publicola
preserved order in the city down to the civil wars.
Solon, as soon as he had made his laws, left them*Fragment 6 (Bergk) ; cf. Aristotle, Const, of Athena, xii. 2.
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
rfpdfjLfiaaLV iprjfjLov^ rod ^otjOovvto^ ^X^'^' ainwvi/c Twv ^K6r)v(x)v, he /Jbivcov koI ap)(a)v koI
7ro\tT€v6fji€vo<; iSpvcre xal KaTearrjaev eh a<T^aXe<i4 Tr)v irdXiTeiav. en B' i/ceivq) fiev ovBe [leWovraKcoXvaat irpoataOofieva) YieiaiarpaTov vTrrjp^ev,
aXV r^TTTjOif] avvi(7rafi6vr]<; t^9 TvpavvuBo^' ovto^ 111
Be ^adLkeiav lax^ovaav eK ttoXXcov xP^v^v 7]B7)
KoX Kparovaav e^e^aXe kol KareXvcrev, aperrjv
fiev L(Tr)v Kot irpoaupeaiv ojioiav irapaaxoixevo';,
rvxv Be Kol Bwajxei TeXeaiovpyo) irpo^ rrjv
aperrjv ^yor^ca/xei/o?.
IV. T(ov fiivTOi iroXe/jLiKMV %6Xa)vi jiev ovBe ra
7r/)09 M-eyapet^; Aatjjiaxo^ 6 TlXarai,ev<; jxefxap-
TvpTjKev, &a7rep r)fxel^ BieXrjXvOa/jLev TLoTrXiKoXa^
Be Tou? fieyiaTov^ aytava^ avro<i koI fiaxofJbevo<s
KOL (TTparrjjcop /caroopdcoae. /cat firjv en Trpo^
ra? 7roXtnKa<i irpd^ei^i 6 fiev ev iraiBLa^ nvi
rpoTTO) KOL 7rpoa7roi7j/ia fiavia<; dvaXa^coVy virep
2 XaXa/xiVo^ epcjv irpoijXOev 6 8* avroOev dvap-
pi'y^a'iTov irepX rcov p^yicTTcov kLvBvvov eiravearr]
T€ TapKvvLOL^ KoX TTjv TTpoBocTLav i^oiipaae' koX
TOV KoXacOrjvai kol firj Bia(f)vy€LV tou? 7rovrjpov<!
alTLOiTaro^ yevofjievo^ ou to, awfiara /jlovov rcav
Tvpdvvcov i^e/SaXe t^9 TroXeoj?, dXXa koI ra?
eXTTtSa? i^eKo^jrev, ovrco Be Tot9 Bexofievoi^;
Trpdy/juacnv dyoiva koX Ov/jlov koX avTira^iv
epp(OfjL€vco<i zeal drevco<; diravrrjaa^i, en jBeXnov
exp^o^ciTO T0I9 oixiXla^ diroXep^ov koL 7reiOov<i
572
^^^* ine/»i
SOLON AND PUBLICOLA, iii. 3-iv. 2
inscribed on wooden tables and destitute of a
defender, and departed from Athens; whereas
Pubhcola, by remaining in the city, serving as
consul, and busying himself with public affairs,
firmly and safely established his form of government.And further, though Solon knew beforehand of the
designs of Peisistratus, he was not able to hinder
them, but yielded to his tyranny in its incipiency ;
whereas Publicola subverted and drove out a kingly
power which was strong with the might which manyages bring. Thus, while exhibiting virtues equal to
Solon's, and a purpose identical with his, he enjoyeda good fortune and an efficacious power which
supplemented his virtues.
IV. When we consider their military careers,
moreover, Daimachus of Plataea does not allow Soloneven the conduct of the war against the Megarians,as we have described it ;
^ but Publicola, fighting and
commanding in person, brought the greatest strugglesto a successful issue. And still further, comparingtheir political activities, Solon, in play, so to speak,and counterfeiting madness, went forth to })lead for
the recovery of Salamis ; but Publicola, without anysubterfuges, ran the greatest risks, set himself in
opposition to the party of the Tarquins, and detectedtheir treachery. Then, after being mainly instru-
mental in the capture and punishment of the
traitors, he not only drove the tyrants themselvesfrom the city, but extirpated their very hopes of
return. And if he thus sturdily and resolutelyconfronted situations which called for active and
spirited opposition, still better did he deal with thosewhich required peaceable intercourse and gentle
*Solotif viii. ; ct Ariatotle, Cotist. 0/ Athens, xiv. 1.
573
h
PLUTARCH'S LIVES
v7reLK0V(Tr}<i Seo//.eyo£<?, Tiopalvav afiaxov avZpaKal (pofiepbv ififieXco^ irpoaajayo/jievo^ /cal puera-
3 KaLTOt,(f)7]<T6i Ti9 ivravOa rov fiev "loXcova
7rpo€/jLevoL<; avaXa^elv *A6r)vaLoi<; '^aXap^iva, tov
Be UorrXiKoXav ^9 i/€6KTi]VT0 *Pa)//,atot ')(^copa<;
aiTOcnrivai. hel Be irpof; tov<; VTroKeipbevov^
Kaipoi)^ ra^ irpd^ei^ Oewpelv, ttolklKo^ yap cov
6 itoXltiko^; o§ rpOTTCO tcov ovtcov eKaarov evXrj-TTTov ecFTL pLeTa^eipLcreraiy^ /cat pL€pov<; d(j)e<Tei
TToXXcLKL^ eacocre ro irdv koX puKpSyv aTrofrra?
4 piei^ovwv €TVX€V, (ocnrep eKelvo^ 6 dvrjp Tore t%pev dXXoTpia<i 'x^oipa^ dTroard'; eaaxre rrjv eavTov
fie^aicd^ cLTracraVy oU 8' "^v pueya rrjv iroXiv
Bia^vXd^ai irpoaeKTrjaaro ro rcov iroXiopicovvTwv
(TrparoTreSov, eTrirpeyfra^; Be rw iroXepbitp Bi/caa-rrj
yevecrOai, koX irepiyevopievo^ rfj Bi/cj), irpoaeXa^evoaa Bovra'; dyairrjrov rjv vcKrjaar koI yap tov
TToXefJLOv BieXvae Kal rrjv irapacTKevrjv tov TroXe-
pLOV KareXLTTCV avTOL<i Bia iriarLV dperrj^; koI
KaXoKayaOia^t rjv 6 cip^cov virep aTravrcov
iveTTolrjaev avrw,
1neraxeipta-erai with two Paris MSS., Corags, and Bekker:
fiiTax^ipi<ya-ff0au
574
SOLON AND PUBLICOLA, iv. 2-4
persuasion, as when he tactfully won over Porsena,
an invincible and formidable foe, and made him a
friend of Rome.But here, perhaps, some one will say that Solon
won back Salamis for the Athenians when they had
given it up, whereas Publicola relinquished territory
which the Romans had acquired. But we must view
men's actions in the light of the times which call
them forth. The subtle statesman will handle each
issue that arises in the most feasible manner, and
often saves the whole by relinquishing a part, and
by yielding small advantages secures greater ones.
And so Publicola, in that instance, by yielding the
territory which belonged to others, saved all that
was assuredly his own, and procured besides, for
those who were hard put to it to save their city, the
camp of their besiegers with all its stores. He madehis adversary judge in the controversy, won his case,
and received besides what his people would gladlyhave given for the victory. For Porsena put a
stop to the war, and left the Romans all his
provisions for carrying it on, owing to the confidence
in their virtue and nobility with which their consul
had inspired him.
575
A PARTIAL DICTIONARY OFPROPER NAMES
Abantes, 11, a people of Euboea Inthe Homeric period.
Adrastus, 67, king of Argos, andleader of the
" Seven againstThebes."
Acilius, Cains, 159, interpreter inthe Roman senate for theAthenian embassy of 155 B.O.
(Cato Major, xxii. 4), autlior of ahistory of Rome from tlie earliest
to his own time.
Aeacus, 21, a mythical king of
AcRina, after death one of thejudges in Hades.
Agnus. 27, an Attic township N.E.of Athens.
Alba, 97, a very ancient town of
Latium, on the Alban lake, sometwelve miles S.E. of Rome.
Alcman, 291, a Lydian of Sardis,who came in his youth to Sparta,and became the founder of Dorianlyric poetry. He flourished in
the latter half of the seventhcentury B.C.
Alcmene, 17, vrife of Amphitryonof Thebes, and mother of Heraclesby Zeus.
Anacharsis, 415, a Scythian, whotravelled extensively in pursuitof knowledge (Herod, iv. 76 f).
Anaximenes, the orator, 527, of
Lampsacus, a pupil of Diogenesthe Cynic, active at Athens asrhetorician and historian in thelatter half of the fourth centuryB.C.
Androgeos, 29, son of Minos theking of Crete.
Andron of Halicarnassus, 57, agenealogical writer of the fourth
century b.o.
Androtion, 443, active In the
political life of Athens from 376to 346 B.C. In old age and exile
he wrote an Atthis, or History of
Attica, which was much read.
Antias, Valerius, 131, 381, a Romanhistorian who flourished in theearlier part of the first centuryB.C. His history extended fromthe earliest times down to thoseof Sulla, and was much used byboth Livy and Plutarch.
Antigonu.s, 141, probably the
general of Alexander who wasafterwards king of Asia, surnamedthe One-eyed.
Antigonns, 143, author of a Historyof Italy, li Greek, probably in
the lattflr part of the third
century B.C.
Antimachus, of Teos. 121, an earlyepic poet. Two poems of the
epic cycle, the Thebais, and the
Epigoni, went under his name.Antisthenes the Socratic, 301, a
pupil of Gorgias and friend ofSocrates.
Aphidnae, 76, an ancient Attic
township, about fifteen milesN.W. of Athens.
Apollodorus, 205, a learned gram-marian of Athens in the latter
part of the second century B.C.
A treatise of his on mythology, the
Bibliotheca, has come down to us.
ApoUothemis, 303, mentioned onlyhere.
Archilochus, 11, 319, of Paros, oneof the earliest Ionian lyric poets,flourishing in 650 B.C.
Ardettus, 63, a liill In the S.E.suburbs of Athens.
Ariadne, 37, daughter of Minos andfasiphae, ol Creto
577
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES
Aristocrates, 217, 303, known onlyas the author of an antiquarianand historical work on Sparta,
f)robablyof the early Roman
mperial period.Aristomenes, 169, the Messenlan
hero of the second war betweenMesseoia and Sparta (685-668B.C.).
Aristoxenns^ 303, of Tarentum, aGreek writer on philosophy andmusic, a pupil of Aristotle,flourishing in 330 B.O. Parts ofhis works on Harmony andRhythm have come down to us.
Athenodorus, son of Sandon, 549,of Tarsus, a Stoic philosopher longresident at Rome, and muchesteemed by Augustus.
B
Bion, 69, of Proconnesns, a com-piler of mythical history, ofuncertain date, not earUer thanthe fourth century B.O.
BotJdromion, the third month in theAttic calendar, correspondingnearly to our September.
Brasidas, 283, the greatest Spartanhero of the Peloponnesian war.His death at Amphipolis is
described by Thucydides in v. 10.
Brauron, 429, an ancient city onthe eastern coast of Attica.
Busiris, 23, a mythical Egyptianking, who sacrificed all foreignersthat entered his country.
Butas, 159, probably the freedmanof Cato the Younger (Plutarch,Cato Minor. Ixx.), known as awriter only from this mention ofius work.
Camerla, 167, an ancient city of
Latium, the site of wliich is
unknown.Cephisus, 23, a river flo^ving through
, the plain west of Athens.Chaeroneia, 65, a town on the
northern confines of Boeotia.
Chalcis, 63, the chief town of
Euboea, on the straits of theEuriyus.
Chrysa, 83, apparently a district
of Athens at the foot of the Pnyxhill : but there are no otherallusions to it.
Cirrha, 429, a town on the Ck)rin-
thian gulf, serving as the sea-
port of Delphi.Cleidemiis, 39, 63, the oldest
annalist of Athens, circa 420-350B.C.
Clodius, 307, a Roman chrono-grapher, otherwise unlcnown.
Codrus, 405, the last king of Athens,who, according to tradition,sacrificed himself for his country.
Colchis, 67, a district on the easternshore of the Euxine sea.
CoUas, Cape, 423, about three milesto the south-east of the ancientharbour of Phalerum.
Creophylus, 215, one of the earliest
epic poets of Greece, said to havebeen a native of Chios, and arelative of Homer. The epicpoem Oechalia was attributed tohim.
Cromrayon, Crommyonia,- 19, avillage and district on the Isthmusof Corinth.
Cyehreus, 21, a mythical king of
Salamis, receiving hero worsliip.Cycnus, 23, a mytliicai son of Ares,
slain by Heracles in Thessaly.
Daedalus, 39, the mythical "cun-ning artificer
"of Athens, who
took refuge with king Minos of
Crete, for whom he built theLabyrinth. He was the fatherof Icarus.
Daimachus of Plataea, 573, a Greekhistorian active in the latter partof the fourth century B.C., autliorof a work on India.
Deidameia. 69, wife of Peirithotis,commonly called Hippodameia.
Deinon, 37, 51, one of the annalistsof Athens, contemporary withPiiilocliorus (306-260 B.C.).
578
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES
i]
1°
mades, 451, a prominent oratorand statesman at Athens in thetimes of Philip, Alexander, andAntipater ; a member of tlie
Macedonian party.Demetrius the I'lialerean, 277, 467,
regent at Athens for Cassander317-307 B.C., a voluminous writeron history, politics, poetry, andphilosophy.
Dicaearchus, 45, a celebrated Peri-
patetic philosopher, a disciple ofAristotle and a friend of Theo-phrastus.
Didymus, 405, the celebratedAlexandrian grammarian, of thetime of Augustus.
Dieutycliidas, 207, perhaps Dieu-chidas is meant, a Meparianchronicler, of the fourth centuryB.C.
Diodes of Peparethus, 97, 113, an
sjotherwise almost unknown Greekwriter, whom Plutarch regardsas a source for Fabius Pictor.iodorus the Topographer (or
Periegete), 85, was probably anAthenian, and flourished at andafter the time of Alexander theGreat (330-300 B.C.). He wrotea work on the townships of
Attica, and one on its monu-ments.
Diogenes, 301, probably Diogenesthe Babylonian is meant, thehead of the Stoic school at Athens,and one of the Athenian embassyto Rome in 155 B.C. He wrotea treatise on Laws.
Dionysius, 459, the Elder, tvrant ofc Syracuse 405-367 B.C.
Dionysius, 139, of Halicamassua,went to Rome about 29 B.C.,where he remained for twenty-two years, collecting materialsfor his great work on the anti-
quities and history of Rome.Dioscorides (or Dioscurides), 237,a pupil of Isocrates, writing inthe latter part of the fourthcentury B.C.
Draco, 449. one of the "thes-mothetai, or six legislativearchons at Atlxens, in 621 b.o.
Eleusls, 21, a city some twelve mileswest of Athens, the seat of thecelebrated mysteries.
Eleutherae, 69, a mountain fastnessbetween Eleusis and Boeotia.
Epicharmus the comic poet, 335,542, born on the island of Cos,about 540 B.C., but early takento Megara In Sicily, and from484 to 450 B.O. one of the orna-ments of the court of Hiero ofSyracuse.
Epidauria, 17, between Troezen,on the N.E. cost of Peloponnesus,and the Isthmus of Corinth.
Eratosthenes, 205, of Cyrene,276-196 B.C., a learned geographerand mathematician, for manyyears librarian at Alexandria.
Ereehtheus, 39, a mytliical king ofAthens.
Eurytus, 19, a mythical Idng of theThessalian city of Oechalia.
Evander, 125, the reputed leaderof a colony from Arcadia intoItaly, some sixty years beforethe Trojan war.
Gabii, 103, one of the oldest citiesof Latium, about twelve milesS.E. of Rome ; probably anearlier colony from Alba thanRome.
Gargettus, 27, an Attic townshipN.E, of Athens.
Gymnosophists, 217, the nakedphilosophers of India. See Plu-tarch's Alexander, Lxiv,
Hecataeus the Sophist, 267, of
Abdera, a learned philosopher,critic, and grammarian, contem-porary with the first Ptolemy(324-283 B.C.).
Hecatombaeon, the first month ofthe Attic calendar, correspondingceaxly to our July.
579
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES
Hellanicns, 33, of Lesbos, thegreatest of the Greek chroniclers,480-395 (?) B.C.
Heracleides Ponticus, 405, 467, socalled from his birth in Heracleiaof Pontus, a pupil of Plato andAristotle, and a learned andvoluminous writer on almost all
possible subjects. Cicero tlioughthim superstitious and uncritical.
Heracleitus, 183, of Ephesus, aphilosoplier of the Ionian school,who flourished in the latter partof the sixth century B.C.
Hereas the Megarian, 41, 77, 429,known only through Plutarch'scitations.
Hermippus, 279, 407, of Smyrna, adistinguished philosopher andbiographer, active in the secondhalf of the third century B.C.
Herodorus, 59, of Heracleia in
Pontus, flourished in the latter
half of the sixth century B.C.,and was the author of an extendedwork on the mjiihology and wor-ship of Heracles.
Hippias the Sophist, 277, 309, anative of Elis, and a contem-porary of Socrates. Two dia-
logues of Plato bear Ills name.Hippocrates, 409, of Chios, aPythagorean philosopher, flourish-
ing in the middle of the fifth
century B.C., and chiefly famousas a mathematician.
Hippodameia, 17, daughter of
Oenomaiis, and wife of Pelops.
Idas, 71, a Messenian hero, In-
separable from his brother, thekeen-eyed Lynceus, with whomhe took part in the Argonauticexpedition and the Calydonianboar hunt.
Ides, the fifteenth day of theRoman month (the thirteenth of
March, May, July, and October).Ion of Ciiios, 41, a popular poet
at Athens between 452 and 421B.C., also author of a prose workentitled
"Sojourns," in which he
recounted his experiences withfamous men of the day.
Ister, 79, of Cyrene, a Greek his-
torian flourishing between 250and 230 £.0.
Juba, 131, 331, 353, Juba II., kingof Mauritania. He lived from50 B.C. to about 20 A.D., waseducated at Rome, and becamea learned and voluminous writer.
Among his works was a Historyof Rome.
Lapithae, 67, a mountain tribe of
Thessaly.Laurentum, 165, the ancient capital
of Latium, on the sea-coast, aboutsixteen miles S.W. of Rome.
Lavinium, 163, an ancient city of
Latium, about seventeen mUesS.W. of Rome.
Lyceium, 63, in historic times agymnasium in the eastern suburbsof Athens.
Lynceus, 71, see Idas.
MMantinea, 353, one of the most
ancient and powerful towns inArcadia.
MeUcertes, 57, a legendary per-sonage, son of Athamas and Inoand, after his death by drowning,a beneficent sea deity.
Melit6, 429, a deme, or ward, of thecity of Athens, comprising thehill-region west of the acropolis.
Menecrates, 59, other%vise unknown.Metellus, Quintus, 117, probably
the consul of 60 B.C. His fatherhad been consul in 93 B.C.
Molpadia, 63, an Amazon who wassaid to have slain Antiope. Shewas herself slain by Theseus, andher tomb was shown at Athexw
(Pausanias^ i. 2, 1).
?8'
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES
Munychion, the tenth month of theAttic calendar, correspondingnearly to our April.
Museum, 63, one of three hills tothe S.W. of the acropoUs atAthens.
N
Kaxoa, 41, the largest of the Cy-clades islands, half way betweenAttica and Asia Minor.
Nones, the ninth day of the Romanmonth (the seventh of March,May, July, and October).
Oechalla, 19, see Eurytus.OmphaI6, 15, a mythical ciueen of
Lydia.
Paeon the Amathusian, 43, other-wise unknown.
Palladium, 63, a sacred precinct,evidently near Ardettus, in theS.E. suburbs of Athens. Inhistorical times the "
ephetai"
eat here to try cases of involun-tary homicide.
Pallen6, 27, an Attic township N.E.of Athens.
Parrhasius, 11, a celebrated painter,a native of Ephesus, but residentat Athens, flourishing in 400 B.C.
Pasiphae, 37. wife of Minos, andmother of Ariadne and theMinotaur.
Pataecus, 419, otherwise unknown.Peirithoiis, 41, king of the Lapithae,
a mountain tribe of Thessaly.Peisistratus, 41, became tyrant oiAthens In 560 B.C.
Peleus, 21, mythical king of theMyrmidons of Thessaly, fatherof Achilles.
Pelops, 17, a mjrthical king of Elisin Peloponnesus, husband of
Hippodameia.Periander, 413, tyrant of Corinth
625-585 B.C., one of the SevenWise Men.
Phalerum, 35, the ancient harbourof Athens, before Themistoclesfortified Peiraeus.
Phanias the Lesbian, 437, of Eresos,the most distinguished pupil ofAristotle after Theophrastus, aproUflc writer on philosophy andhistory, an historical romancer.
Pherecydes, 37, of Leros, one of theGreek logographers, who livedat Athens, and died about 400B.C.
Philochorus, 29, 85, the mostcelebrated writer on the anti-
quities of Athens, 306-260 B.C.
Philostephanus, 277, of Cyrene,an Alexandrian historian andgeographer, who was flourisliingin 250 B.C.
Phlya, 433, a township in theeastern part of Attica.
Pictor, Fabius, 97, 113, the earliestKoman annalist, flourishing inthe latter part of the third
century B.C.
Plutus, 233, the god of wealth.Pnyx, 61, tkat one of the three
hills to the S.W. of the acropolisof Athens on which the people'sassembly was held.
Polyzelus the Rhodian, 447, anhistorian of uncertain date.
Promathion, 97, otherwise unknown.Pyanepsion, the fourth month of
the Attic calendar, correspondingnearly to oui October.
Rhadamanthus, 33, a brother ofMinos king of Crete, and like
him a judge in the under world.
Samothrace, 353, a large Island Inthe northern Aegean sea, aboutforty miles south of the Thraciancoast.
Scyros, 81, an Island east of Euboea.Seiiniis, 269, a Greek city on the
Bouthern coast of Sicily.
i^
DICTIONARY OF PROPER NAMES
Silanio, 11, a famous Athenianstatuary in bronze, flourishing in320 B.C.
Simonides, 21, 35, of Ceos, thegreatest lyric poet of Greece,556-467 B.C.
Simylus tlie poet, 143, otherwiseunknown.
Sosibius, 281, a distinguishedLacedaemonian grammarian,flourishing about 250 B.C.
Spendon the Spartan, 291, otherwiseunknown.
Sphaerus, 221, a Stoic philosopherwho lived at Alexandria andSparta, and flourished early Inthe third century B.C.
Sphettus, 27, a township In theeastern part of Attica.
Stratonicus, 299, probably thefamous Athenian musician of thetime of Alexander the Great.
Sulla, Sextius, the Carthaginian,133, otherwise unknown.
Tegea, 73, an ancient city insouthern Arcadia.
Telamon, 21, a mythical king of
Salamis, son of Aeacus, father of
Aias.
Termerus, 23. a mythical highway-man slain by Heracles.
Terpander, 291, of Lesbos, fatherof Greek music and lyric poetry,who taught at Sparta during theseventh century B.C.
Thalea, 409, 411, 417, of Miletus,the most celebrated Ionian
philosopher, one of the SevenWise Men, flourishing in the sixth
century b.o.
Thales (or Thaletas), 213, a Cretanmusician and poet, who wasflourishing about 680 B.C.
Timaeus, 205, 303, of Tauromenium,a famous liistorian of Sicily,352-256 B.C.
Timon the Phliasian, 333, a nativeof Phlius in N.E. Peloponnesus,composed satirical poems onearlier and current systems of
philosophy (320-230 B.C.).
Trachis, 71, a city of Malls, com-manding the approach to Ther-mopylae.
Troezen, 7, a city on the N.E. coastof Peloponnesus.
Tyrtaeus, 225, a poet who flourishedat Sparta during the secondMessenian war (685-668 B.C.).
Valerias, 131, Fee Antias.
Varro, 121, M. Terentius,"the
most learned of the Romans,"an intimate friend of Cicero,whose political principles heshared (116-28 B.C.).
Veil, 169, an ancient and powerfulcity of Etruria, about twelvemiles north of Home.
Zeno, 301, probably the Stoic
philosopher is meant, who taughtat Athens in the third centuryB.C., and wrote on law andgovernment.
Zenodotus of Troezen, 131, referredto by Dionysius Hal. (ii. 49) a?author of a history of Umbria.
Pkistbd Df Great Britain bt Riohaed Ci.at
BosaAT, Suffolk.
iND CoKPAWT, Ltd.,
I
THE LOEB CLASSICALLIBRARY
VOLUMES ALREADY PUBLISHED
Latin AuthorsAmmianus Marcellinus. Translated by J. C. Rolfe. 3 Vols.
(3rd Imp., revised.)Apui^eius: The Golden Ass (Metamobphoses). W. Adling-
ton (1566). Revised by S. Gaselee. (,Sth Imp.)S. Augustine: City of God. 7 Vols. Vol. I. G. E.McCracken.
St. Augustine, Confessions of. W. Watts (1631). 2 Vols.
(Vol. I. 1th Imp., Vol. II. eth Imp.)St. Augustine, Select Letters. J. H. Baxter. (2nd Imp.)AusoNius. H. G. Evelyn White. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.)Bede. J. E. King. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.)BoETiiius: Tracts and De Consolations Philosophiae.
Rev. H. F. Stewart and E. K. Rand. (6th Imp.)Caesar: Alexandrian, African and Spanish Wars. A. G.
Way.Caesar: Civil Wars. A. G. Peskett. (6^;^ Imp )
Caesar: Gallic War. H. J. Edwards, (llth Imp.)Cato: De Re Rustica; Varbo: De Re Rustica. H. B. Ashand W. D. Hooper. (Srd Imp.)
Catullus. F. W. Cornish; Tibullus. J. B. Postgate; Per-vigilium Veneris. J. W. Mackail. (I3th Imp.)
Celsus: De Medicina. W. G. Spencer. 3 Vols. (Vol. I.
drd Imp. revised. Vols. II. and III. 2nd Imp.)Cicero: Brutus, and Orator. G. L. Hendrickson and H. M.
Hubbell. (3rd Imp.)[Cicero]: Ad Herennium. H. Caplan.Cicero: de Fato; Paradoxa Stoicorum; De Partitione
Oratoria. H. Rackham (With De Oratore. Vol. II.)
(2nd Imp.)Cicero: De Finibus. H. Rackham. (Uh Imp. revised.)
Cicero : De Inventions, etc. H. M. Hubbell.Cicero: De Natura Deobum and Academica. H. Rackham.
(3rd Imp.)Cicebo: De OFFicns. Walter Miller. (Ith Imp.)Cicero: De Oratore. 2 Vols. E. W. Sutton and H. Rack-ham. (2nd Imp.)
Cicero: De Repubuca and De Legibus ; Somnium Scipionis.
Clinton W. Keyes. (4:th Imp.)Cicebo : De Senectute, De Amicitia, De Divinatione.W. A. Falconer. (6th Imp.)
Cicebo : In Catilinam, Pbo Placco, Pbo Mubena, Peo Sutxa.Louis E. Lord. (3rd Imp, revised.)
I
CiCEBO: Letters to Atticus. E. O. Winstedt. 3 Vols.
(Vol. I. 1th Imp., Vols. II. and III. 4th Imp.)Cicero: Letters to His Friends. W. Glynn Williams. 3
Vols. (Vols. I. and II. 4th Imp., Vol. III. 2nd Imp. revised.)Cicero: Philippics. W. C. A. Ker. {4th Imp. revised.)Cicero: Pro Archia, Post Reditum, De Domo, Db Harus-picuM Responsis, Pro Plancio. N. H. Watts. (3rd Imp.)
Cicero: Pro Caecina, Pro Lege ]\Ianilia, Pro Cluentio,Pro Rabirio. H. Grose Hodge. (3rd Imp.)
Cicero: Pro Caelio, De Provinciis Consitlaribus. ProBalbo. R. Gardner.
Cicero : Pro Milone, In Pisonem, Pro Scauro, Pro Fonteio.Pro Rabirio Posttjmo, Pro Marcello, Pro Ligario, ProRege Deiotaro. N. H. Watts. {3rd Imp.)
Cicero: Pro Quinctio, Pro Roscio Amerino, Pro RoscioComoedo, Contra Ruixum. J. H. Freese. {3rd Imp.)
Cicero: Pro Sestio, In Vatinitjm. R. Gardner.Cicero: Tusculan Disputations. J. E. King. {4th Imp.)Cicero : Verrine Orations. L. H. G. Greenwood. 2 Vols.
(Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vol. II. 2nd Imp.)Claudian. M. Platnauer. 2 Vols. {2nd Imp.)Columella: Db Re Rustica. De Arboribus. H. B. Ash,
E. S. Forster and E. Heffner. 3 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp.)CuRTius, Q.: History ov Alexander. J. C. Rolfe. 2 Vols.
{2nd Imp.)Florus. E. S. Forst«r and Cornelius Nepos. J. C. Rolfe.
(2nd Imp.)Frontinus : Stratagems and Aqueducts. C. E. Bennett andM. B. McElwain. (2nd Imp.)
Fronto: Correspondence. C. R. Haines. 2 Vols. {3rd
Imp.)Gellius, J. C. Rolfe. 3 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vols. II. and
III. 2nd Imp.)Horace: Odes and Epodes. C. E. Bennett. (14th Imp.
revised.)Horace: Satires, Epistles, Ars Poetica. H. R. Fairclough.
(Qth Imp. revised.)Jerome: Selected Letters. F. A. Wright. {2nd Imp.)Juvenal, and Persius. G. G. Ramsay. (8th Imp.)LiVY. B. O. Foster, F. G. Moore, Evan T. Sage, and A. C.
Schlesinger and R. M. Geer (General Index). 14 Vols. (Vol.I. 5th Imp., Vol. V. 4th Imp., Vols. II.-IV., VI. and VII.,IX.-XII. 3rd Imp., Vol. VIII., 2nd Imp. revised.)
Lucan. J. D. Duff. (4th Imp.)Lucretius. W. H. D. Rouse. (1th Imp. revised.)Martial. W. C. A. Ker. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 6th Imp., Vol. II.
4t}i Imp. revised.)Minor Latin Poets: from Publiuus Syrus to RutiliusNamatianus, including Grattius, Calpurnius Sicui.us,
Nemesianus, Avianus, and others with " Aetna " and the"Phoenix." J. Wight Duff and Arnold M. Duff. (3rd
Imp.)
2
{1th Imp.)(Vol. I. Wih
A. L. Wheeler. {Uh Imp.)
Ovid: The Art of Love and Other Poems. J. H. Mozley.{4tth Imp.)
Ovid: Fasti. Sir James G. Frazer. (2nd Imp.)Ovid: Heroides and Amores. Grant Showerman.Ovid: Metamorphoses. F. J. Miller. 2 Vols.
Imp., Vol. II. \Oth Imp.)Ovid : Tristia and Ex Ponto.Persius. Cf. Juvenal.Petronius. M. Heseltine, Seneca Apocolooyntosis.W. H. D. Rouse, {^th Imp. revised.)
Platttus. Paul Nixon, o Vols. (Vol. I. 6^^ Imp., II. 5th Imp.,III. Uh Imp., IV. and V. 2nd Imp.)
Pliny: Letters. Melmoth's Translation revised by W. M. L.Hutchinson. 2 Vols. {1th Imp.)
Pliny: Natural History. H. Rackham and W. H. S. Jones.10 Vols. Vols. I.-V. and IX. H. Rackham. Vols. VI. andVII. W. H. S. Jones. (Vol. I. Uh Imp., Vols. II. and III.
3rd Imp., Vol. IV. 2nd Imp.)Propertius. H. E. Butler. {1th Imp.)Prudentius. H. J. Thomson. 2 Vols.
QuiNTiLiAN. H. E. Butler. 4 Vols. (Vols. I. and IV. UhImp., Vols. II. and III. Zrd Imp.)
Remains of Old Latin. E. H. Warmington. 4 vols. Vol. I.
(Ennius and Caecilius.) Vol. II. (Livius, Naevius,Pacuvius, Accius.) Vol. III. (Lucilius and Laws of XIITables.) {2nd Imp.) (Archaic Inscpiptions.)
Sallust. J. C. Rolfe. {Uh Imp. revised.)Scriptores Historiae Augustae. D. Magie. 3 Vols. (Vol. I.
3rd Imp. revised. Vols. II. and III. 2nd Imp.)Seneca: Apocolooyntosis. Cf. Petronius.Seneca: Epistulae Morales. R. M. Gummere. 3 Vols.
(Vol. I. Uh Imp., Vols. II. and III. 3rd Imp.)Seneca: Moral Essays. J. W. Basore. 3 Vols. (Vol. II.
Uh Imp., Vols. I. and III. 2nd Imp. revised.)Seneca: Tragedies. F. J. Miller. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. Uh Imp.
Vol. II. 3rd Imp. revised.)SiDONius: Poems and Letters. W. B. Anderson. 2 Vols.
(Vol. I. 2nd Imp.)SiLius Italicus. J. D. Duff. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp.
Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)Statius. J. H. Mozley. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.)Suetonius. J. C. Rolfe. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 1th Imp., Vol. II.
^th Imp. revised.)Tacitus: Dialogues. Sir Wm. Peterson. Aqricola andGermania. Maurice Hutton. {1th Imp.)
Tacitus: Histories and Annals. C. H. Moore and J. Jackson.4 Vols.. (Vols. I. andll. 4f/i/mp. Vols. III. and IV. 3rd /mp.)
Terence. John Sargeaunt. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. %th Imp., Vol.II. 1th Imp.)
Tertullian: Apologia and De Spectaculis. T. R. Glover.MiNUcius Felix. G. H. Rendall. (2nd Imp.)
Valerius Flaccus. J. H. Mozley. (3rd Imp. revised.)
3
Varbo: Db Lingua Latina. R. G. Kent. 2 Vols. (3rd Imp.revised.)
Velleius Paterctjlus and Res Gestae Divi Auousti. F. W.Shipley. {2nd Imp.)
ViBGiL. H. R. Fairclough. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. I9th Imp., Vol. II.
14^/i Imp. revised.)ViTBtrvius: De Architectuka. F. Granger. 2 Vols. (Vol.1.
3rd Imp., Vol. II. 2nd Imp.)
Greek AuthorsAcHTLLES Tatius. S. Gaselee. {2nd Imp.)Aelian : On the Nature of Animals. 3 Vols. Vols. I. and II.
A. F. Scholfield.
Aeneas Tacticus, Asclepiodotus and Onasander. TheIllinois Greek Club. {2nd Imp.)
Aeschines. C. D. Adams. (3rd Imp.)Aeschylus. H. Weir Smyth. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 7th Imp., Vol.
II. Qth Imp. revised.)
Alciphron, Aelian, Philostratus Letters. A. R. Bennerand F. H. Fobes.
Andocides, Antiphon, Cf. Minor Attic Orators.Apollodorus. Sir James G. Frazer. 2 Vols. (3rd Imp.)Apollonius Rhodius. R. C. Seaton. {5th Imp.)The Apostolic Fathers. Kirsopp Lake. 2 Vols. (Vol. I.
Sth Imp., Vol. II. 6th Imp.)Appian: Roman History. Horace White. 4 Vols. (Vol. I.
ith Imp., Vols. II.-IV. 3rd Imp.)Aratus. Cf. Callimachus.Aristophanes. Benjamin Bickley Rogers. 3 Vols. Verse
trans. {5th Imp.)Aristotle: Art of Rhetoric. J. H. Freese. (3rd Imp.)Aristotle: Athenian Constitution, Eudemian Ethics,
Vices and Virtues. H. Rackham. (3rd Imp.)Aristotle: Generation of Animals. A. L. Peck. (2rtd
Imp.)Aristotle: Metaphysics. H. Tredennick. 2 Vols, {ith Imp.)Aristotle: Meteorologica. H. D. P. Lee.Aristotle: Minor Works. W. S. Hett. On Colours, OnThings Heard, On Physiognomies, On Plants, On Marvellous
Things Heard, Mechanical Problems, On Indivisible Lines,On Situations and Names of Winds, On Mellissus, Xenophanes,and Gorgias. (2nd Imp.)
Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics. H. Rackham. {6th Imp.revised.)
Aristotle: Oeconomica and Magna Moralia. G. C. Arm-strong; (with Metaphysics, Vol. II.). {Uh Imp.)
Aristotle: On the Heavens. W. K. C. Gutlirie. (3rd Imp.revised.
)
Aristotle: On the Soul, Parva Naturalia, On Breath.W. S. Hett. {2tvd Imp. revised.)
Abistotle: Okganon—Categories, On Interpretation, Prior
Analytics. H. P. Cooke and H. Tredennick. (3rd Imp.)Akistotle: Obganon—Posterior Analytics, Topics. H. Tre-
dennick and E. S. Forster.
Aristotle : Organon—On Sophistical Refutations.
On Coming to be and Passing Away, On the Cosmos. E, S.
Forster and D. J. Furley.Aristotle: Parts of Animals. A. L. Peck; Motion andProgression of Animals. E. S. Forster. (^th Imp. revised.)
Aristotle: Physics. Rev. P. Wicksteed and F. M. Cornford.
2 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)Aristotle: Poetics and Longinus. W. Hamilton Fyfe;Demetrius on Style. W . Rhys Roberts. (5th Imp. revised.)
Aristotle: Politics. H. Rackham. {4th Imp. revised.)
Aristotle: Problems. W.S. Hett. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp. revised.)
Aristotle: Rhetorica Ad Alexandrum (with Problems.Vol. II.). H. Rackham.
Arrian: History of Alexander and Indica. Rev. E. Iliffe
Robson. 2 Vols. {3rd Imp.)Athenaeus: Deipnosophistae. C. B. Gulick. 7 Vols.
(Vols. I.-IV., VI. and VII. 2nd Imp., Vol. V. 3rd Imp.)St. Basil: Letters. R. J. Deferrari. 4 Vols. {2nd Imp.)Callimachus: Fragments. C. A. Trypanis.Callimachus, Hymns and Epigrams, and Lycophbon. A. W.
Mair; Aratus. G. R. Mair. {2nd. Imp.)Clement of Alexandria. Rev. G. W. Butterworth. {3rd Imp.)COLLUTHUS. Cf. OpPIAN.Daphnis and Chloe. Thornley's Translation revised by
J. M. Edmonds; and Parthenius. S. Gaselee. {4:th Imp.)Demosthenes I.: Olynthiacs, Philippics and Minor Ora-
tions. I.-XVII. AND XX. J. H. Vince. {2nd Imp.)Demosthenes II.: De Corona and De Falsa Legationk.
C. A. Vince and J. H. Vince. (3rd Imp. revised.)Demosthenes III.: Meidias, Androtion, Aristocrates,TiMOCRATEs and Aristoqexton, I. and II. J. H. Vince
(2nd Imp.)Demosthenes IV.-VI.: Private Orations and In Neaeram.
A. T. Murray. (Vol. IV. 3rd Imp., Vols. V. and VI. 2nd
Imp.)Demosthenes VII.: Funeral Speech, Erotic Essay, Exordiaand Letters. N. W. and N. J. DeWitt.
Dio Cassius: Roman History. E. Cary. 9 Vols. (Vols. I.
and II. 3rd Imp., Vols. III.-IX. 2nd Imp.)Dio Chrysostom. J, W. Cohoon and H. Lamar Crosby. 5 Vols.
(Vols. I.-IV. 2nd Imp.)DiODORUs SicuLUs. 12 Vols. Vols. I.-VI. C. H. Oldfather.
Vol. VII. C. L. Sherman. Vols. IX. and X. R. M. Geer.
Vol. XL F.Walton. (VoL 1. 3rd imp., Vols. II.-IV. 2nd /mp.)Diogenes Laertius. R. D. Hicks. 2 Vols. {5th Imp.).DiONYsrus of Halicarnassus : Roman Antiquities. Spel-man's translation revised by E. Cary. 7 Vols. (Vols. I.-V.
2nd Imp.)6
EpiCTETUS. W. A. Oldfather. 2 Vols. (3rd Imp.)EuEiPiDEs. A.S.Way. 4 Vols. (Vols. I.andlV. 7fA7mp., Vol.
II. Sth Imp., Vol. III. 6th Imp.) Verse trans.
EtTSEBius: Ecclesiastical History. Kirsopp Lake andJ. E. L. Oulton. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vol. II. 5th Imp.)
Galen : On the Natural Faculties. A. J. Brock, {^th Imp.)The Greek Anthology. W. R. Paton. 6 Vols. (Vols. I.-IV.
bth Imp., Vol. V. 3rd Imp.)Greek Elegy and Iambus with the Anacreontea. J. M.Edmonds. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vol. II. 2nd Imp.)
The Greek Bucolic Poets (Theocritus, Bion, Moschus).J. M. Edmonds, (lih Imp. revised.)
Greek Mathematical Works. Ivor Thomas. 2 Vols. (3rd
Imp.)Herodes. Cf . Theophrastus : Characters.Herodotus. A. D. Godley. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. Mi Imp., Vols.
II. and III. Uh Imp., Vol. IV. 3rd Imp.)Hesiod and The Homeric Hymns. H. G. Evelyn Wlute.
(1th Imp. revised aiid enlarged.)Hippocrates and the Fragments of Heracleitus. W. H. S.
Jones and E. T. Withington. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. Uh Imp.,Vols. II.-IV. 3rd imp.)
Homer: Iliad. A. T. Murray. 2 Vols. (1th Imp.)Homer: Odyssey. A. T. Murray. 2 Vols. (%th Imp.)IsAEUs. E. W. Forster. (3rd Imp.)IsocRATES. George Norlin and LaRue Van Hook. 3 Vols,
(2nd Imp.)St. John Damascene: Bablaam and Ioasaph. Rev. G. R.Woodward and Harold Mattingly. (3rd Imp. revised.)
JosEPHUS. H. St. J. Thackeray and Ralph Marcus. 9 Vols.
Vols. I.-VII. (Vol. V. ith Imp., Vol. VI. 3rd Imp., Vols.I.-IV.and VII. 2nd Imp.)
Julian Wilmer Cave Wright. 3 Vols. (Vols. I. and II.
3rd Imp., Vol. III. 2nd Imp.)LuciAN. A. M. Harmon. 8 Vols. Vols. I.-V. (Vols. I. and
II. Uh Imp., Vol. III. 3rd Imp., Vols. IV. and V. 2nd Imp.)Lycophron. Cf. Callimachus.Lyra Graeca. J. M. Edmonds. 3 Vols. (Vol. I. bth Imp.
Vol. II revised and enlarged, and III. ith Imp.)Lysias. W. R. M. Lamb. (3rd Imp.)Manetho. W. G. Waddeil: Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos. F. E.
Robbins. (3rd Imp.)Marcus Aurelius. C. R. Haines. (Uh Imp. revised.)Menander. F. G. Allinson. (3rd Imp. revised.)
Minor Attic Orators (Antiphon, Andocides, Lycurqus,Demades, Dinarchus, Hypereides). K. J. Maidment andJ. O. Burrt. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. 2nd Imp.)
NoNNOs: DiONYsiACA. W. H. D. Rouse. 3 Vols. (2nd Imp.)Oppian, CoLLUTHUS, Tryphiodorus. A. W.Mair. (2nd Imp.)Papyri. Non-Literary Selections. A. S. Hunt and C. C.
Edgar. 2 Vols. (2nd Imp.) Literary Selections.
(Poetry). D. L. Page. (3rd Imp.)
Pabthenius. Cf. Daphnis and Chi<oe.Pattsanias: Descbiption of Greece. W. H. S. Jones. 5
Vols, and Companion Vol. arranged by R. E. Wycherley.(Vols. I. and III. 3rd Imp., Vols. II., IV. and V. 2nd Imp.)
PHII.O. 10 Vols. Vols. I.-V.; F. H. Colson and Rev. G. H.Whitaker Vols. VI.-IX.; F. H. Colson. (Vols. I-II., V.-VII., Zrd Imp., Vol. IV. Uh Imp., Vols. III., VIII., and IX.2nd Imp.)
Philo: two supplementary Vols. {Translation only.) RalphMarcus.
Philostratus : The Life of Appollonitts of Tyana. F. C.
Conybeare. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. Uh Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)Philostratus : Imagines; Callistbatus : Descriptioxs.
A. Fairbanks. {2nd Imp.)Philostratus and Eunapius: Lives of the Sophists.Wilmer Cave Wright. {2nd Im,p.)
Pindar. Sir J. E. Sandys, {^th Imp. revised.)Plato: Charmides, Alcibiades, Hipparchus, The Lovers,Theages, Minos and Epinomis. W. R. M. Lamb. {2ndImp.)
Plato: Cratylus, Parmenides, Greater Hippias, LesserHiPPiAS. H. N. Fowler. {Uh Imp.)
Plato: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Phaedrcts.H. N. Fowler. (
1 \th Imp.)Plato: Laches, Protagoras, Meno, Euthydkmus. W. R. M.Lamb. {Zrd Imp. revised.)
Plato: Laws. Rev. R. G. Bury. 2 Vols, {^rd Imp.)Plato: Lysis, Symposium Gorgias. W. R. M. Lamb. {5th
Imp. revised.)
Plato: Republic. Paul Shorey. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. bih Imp.,Vol. II. Uh Imp.)
Plato: Statesman, Philebus. H. N. Fowler; Ion. W. R. M.Lamb, {^th Imp.)
Plato: Theaetetus and Sophist. H. N. Fowler. {Uh Imp.)Plato: Timaeus, Critias, Clitopho, Menexenus, Epistulae.
Rev. R. G. Bury. (3rd Imp.)Plutarch: Moralia. 14 Vols. Vols. I.-V. F. C. Babbitt.
Vol. VI. W. C. Helmbold. Vol. VII. P. H. De Lacey andB. Einarson. Vol. X. H. N. Fowler. Vol. XII. H.Cherniss and W. C. Helmbold. (Vols. I.-VI. and X. 2nd Imp.)
Plutarch: The Parallel Lives. B. Perrin. 11 Vols.
(Vols. I., II., VI., VII., and XI. 3rd Imp., Vols. III.-V. andVIII.-X. 2nd Imp.)
PoLYBius. W. R. Paton. 6 Vols. (2nd Imp.)Procopius: History of the Wars. H. B. Dewing. 7 Vols,
(Vol. I. 3rd Imp., Vols. II.-VII. 2nd Imp.)Ptolemy: Tetrabiblos. Cf. Manetho.QuiNTUS Smyrnaeus. a. S. Way. Verse trans. (3rd Imp.)Sextus Empiricus. Rev. R. G. Bury. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. 'Uh
Imp., Vols. II. and III. 2nd Imp.)Sophocles. F. Storr. 2 Vols. (Vol. I. lOth Imp. Vol. II. Qth
Imp.) Verse trans.
Stbabo: Geography. Horace L. Jones. 8 Vols, (Vols. I., V.,and VIII. 3rd Imp., Vols. II., III., IV., VI., and VII. 2nd Imp.)
Theophbastus : CHABACTEB3. J. M. Edmonds. Hebodes,etc. A. D. Knox. (Sri Imp.)
Theophbastus: Enquiby into Plants. Sir Arthur Hort,Bart. 2 Vols. (2?Ki Imp.)
Thtjcydides. C. F. Smith. 4 Vols. (Vol. I. bth Imp., Vols.II. and IV. Aith Imp., Vol. III., Sri Imp. revised.)
Tbyphiodobus. Cf. Oppian.Xenophon: Cybopaedia. Walter Miller. 2 Vols. (Vol. I.
Uh Imp., Vol. II. 3rd Imp.)Xenophon: Hellenica, Anabasis, Apology, and Symposium.
C. L. Brownson and O. J. Todd. 3 Vols. (Vols. I. and III3rd Imp., Vol. II. Uh Imp.)
Xenophon : Memobabilia and Oeconomicus. E. C. Marchant(3rd Imp.)
Xenophon: Scbipta Minoea. E. C. Marchant. (3rd Imp.)
IN PREPARATION
Greek AuthorsAristotle: Histoby of Animals. A. L. Peck.Plotinus: a. H. Armstrong.
Latin AuthorsBabbius and Phaedbus. Ben E. Perry.
DESCRIPTIVE PROSPECTUS ON APPLICATION
London WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTDCambridge, Mass. HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Plutarchus. Pj^
Flutarch^s lives.po
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vol. 2.'