Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)
    Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)
    Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)
    Ebook625 pages5 hours

    Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)

    By Alciphron

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Alciphron was a second century AD writer of highly literary and stylistic letters, owing much to the New Comedy of Menander, while providing a fascinating window into the social life of Athens after the reign of Alexander. The letters represent some of the most important and appealing compositions of the Second Sophistic period. They comprise a wide variety of circumstances, detailing the colourful lives of parasites, courtesans, fishermen and farmers; the theme of erotic love is never far. Alciphron’s inventive imagination and compelling realism have won him a place of distinction in the early development of romantic prose. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This eBook presents Alciphron’s complete extant works, with illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)


    * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Alciphron's life and works
    * Features the complete extant works of Alciphron, in both English translation and the original Greek
    * Concise introductions
    * Provides multiple translations of the letters
    * The 1896 Athenian Society appears with hyperlinked endnotes, ideal for students
    * Also includes F. A. Wright’s 1922 translation, appearing here for the first time in digital print
    * Excellent formatting of the texts
    * Easily locate the letters you want to read with individual contents tables
    * Features a brief biography


    Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set


    CONTENTS:


    The Translations
    The Letters of Alciphron, 1896 Translation
    Letters from the Country and the Town, of Fishermen, Farmers, Parasites and Courtesans, 1922 Translation


    The Greek Text
    Contents of the Greek Text


    The Biography
    Brief Biography


    Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDelphi Publishing Ltd
    Release dateFeb 3, 2022
    ISBN9781801700498
    Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)

    Related to Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)

    Titles in the series (100)

    View More
    View More

    Related ebooks

    General Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Rome’s Stolen Mythology

      Jun 17, 2021

      How much of Roman mythology was influenced by the Greeks? Many of the Roman gods were the same as the Greek, for example Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love became Venus to the Romans. This pattern is replicated across the pantheon of gods but it is

      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Grow... Tuberose

      Jan 14, 2020

      How To Grow... Tuberose
      1 min read

    • Article

      Spreading The Cult Of Asclepius

      Oct 7, 2022

      Spreading The Cult Of Asclepius
      1 min read

    • Article

      A Textual Pompeii

      Jan 23, 2023

      A Textual Pompeii
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Leiden Amun Papyrus

      Aug 22, 2022

      The Leiden Amun Papyrus
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Big Idea: Could The Greatest Works Of Literature Be Undiscovered?

      May 30, 2022

      When the great library at Alexandria went up in flames, it is said that the books took six months to burn. We can’t know if this is true. Exactly how the library met its end, and whether it even existed, have been subjects of speculation for more tha

      4 min read

    • Article

      Classical Corner

      Feb 25, 2021

      Classical Corner
      3 min read

    • Article

      Post-colonial Bad Jokes

      Mar 25, 2021

      Post-colonial Bad Jokes
      5 min read

    • Article

      Hellenism in Rome

      Feb 29, 2024

      ‘‘TO A WISE MAN,” SAID THE FIRST-century wonderworker Apollonius of Tyana, “everywhere is Greece.” That is to say, Greece is not a mere place, but a special state of mind. For Apollonius, on his extensive travels around the Greco-Roman world, the pur

      3 min read

    • Article

      Tale Of The Centuries

      Jun 8, 2023

      Tale Of The Centuries
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Woman Of Genius

      Jul 26, 2023

      A Woman Of Genius
      5 min read

    • Article

      Medieval Life

      Dec 21, 2023

      Medieval Life
      5 min read

    • Article

      Wonders And Warnings From The Ancient World

      Feb 24, 2022

      IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED how letters were delivered in the ancient world, you could do worse than to read Procopius’s Secret History. Every bit as scandal-filled as Donna Tartt’s classic campus novel of the same name, it describes life in the court of

      5 min read

    • Article

      Samuel Pepys Would Have Been Huge on the Internet

      May 29, 2019

      Pepys’s fragmentary, digressive, contradictory, messy diary foreshadows our own individual self-fashioning. In Pepys we see Facebook; we see Twitter. The post Samuel Pepys Would Have Been Huge on the Internet appeared first on The Millions.

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Crucible Of Alchemy

      Feb 28, 2020

      The Crucible Of Alchemy
      10 min read

    • Article

      Ancient World

      Dec 21, 2023

      Ancient World
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Tantalizing Promise

      Aug 4, 2023

      A Tantalizing Promise
      4 min read

    • Article

      Legends And Pseudonyms

      Feb 28, 2020

      One of the joys of being a writer is seeing your name in print (see my own humble byline above) yet in the past many authors of alchemical texts hid their identity behind pseudonyms. Were these noms de plume a method of concealment or conceit? As wit

      5 min read

    • Article

      Magna Graecia

      Feb 14, 2022

      Magna Graecia
      6 min read

    • Article

      History’s Greatest Mysteries

      May 14, 2020

      History’s Greatest Mysteries
      36 min read

    • Article

      Room To Imagine

      Apr 1, 2023

      Room To Imagine
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated)

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Delphi Complete Works of Alciphron (Illustrated) - Alciphron

      cover.jpg

      The Complete Works of

      ALCIPHRON

      (fl. 2nd century AD)

      img1.jpg

      Contents

      The Translations

      The Letters of Alciphron, 1896 Translation

      Letters from the Country and the Town, of Fishermen, Farmers, Parasites and Courtesans, 1922 Translation

      The Greek Text

      Contents of the Greek Text

      The Biography

      Brief Biography

      The Delphi Classics Catalogue

      img2.png

      © Delphi Classics 2022

      Version 1

      img3.jpg

      Browse Ancient Classics

      img4.jpgimg5.jpgimg6.jpgimg7.jpgimg8.jpgimg9.jpgimg10.jpg

      The Complete Works of

      ALCIPHRON

      img11.png

      By Delphi Classics, 2022

      COPYRIGHT

      Complete Works of Alciphron

      First published in the United Kingdom in 2022 by Delphi Classics.

      © Delphi Classics, 2022.

      All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

      ISBN: 978 1 80170 049 8

      Delphi Classics

      is an imprint of

      Delphi Publishing Ltd

      Hastings, East Sussex

      United Kingdom

      Contact: sales@delphiclassics.com

      img12.png

      www.delphiclassics.com

      The Translations

      img13.jpg

      View of Athens’ ancient agora. No biographical details about Alciphron have survived. The majority of his works are set in Athens or its surrounding demes, soon after the reign of Alexander the Great.

      The Letters of Alciphron, 1896 Translation

      img14.png

      LITERALLY AND COMPLETELY TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK, WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES

      Translated by the Athenian Society, 1896

      CONTENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      BOOK I.

      LETTER I. EUDIUS TO PHILOSCAPHUS.

      LETTER II. GALENUS TO CYRTON.

      LETTER III. GLAUCUS TO GALATEA.

      LETTER IV. CYMOTHUS TO TRITONIS.

      LETTER V. NAUBATES TO RHODIUS.

      LETTER VI. PANOPE TO EUTHYBOLUS.

      LETTER VII. THALASSIUS TO PONTIUS.

      LETTER VIII. EUCOLYMBUS TO GLAUCE.

      LETTER IX. AEGIALEUS TO STRUTHION.

      LETTER X. CEPHALUS TO PONTIUS.

      LETTER XI. THYNNAEUS TO SCOPELUS.

      LETTER XII. NAUSIBIUS TO PRYMNAEUS.

      LETTER XIII. AUCHENIUS TO ARMENIUS.

      LETTER XIV. ENCYMON TO HALICTYPUS.

      LETTER XV. HALICTYPUS TO ENCYMON.

      LETTER XVI. ENCYMON TO HALICTYPUS.

      LETTER XVII. EUSAGENUS TO LIMENARCHUS.

      LETTER XVIII. EUPLOUS TO THALASSEROS.

      LETTER XIX. THALASSEROS TO EUPLOUS.

      LETTER XX. THERMOLEPYRUS TO OCIMON.

      LETTER XXI. CONOPOSPHRANTES TO ISCHOLIMUS.

      LETTER XXII. EUBULUS TO GEMELLUS.

      LETTER XXIII. PLATYLAEMUS TO EREBINTHOLEON.

      LETTER XXIV. AMNION TO PHILOMOSCHUS.

      LETTER XXV. EUSTOLUS TO ELATION.

      LETTER XXVI. AGELARCHIDES TO PYTHOLAUS.

      LETTER XXVII. ANICETUS TO PHOEBIANE.

      LETTER XXVIII. PHOEBIANE TO ANICETUS.

      LETTER XXXIX. GLYCERA TO BACCHIS.

      LETTER XXX. BACCHIS TO HYPERIDES.

      LETTER XXXI. BACCHIS TO PHRYNE.

      LETTER XXXII. BACCHIS TO MYRRHINE.

      LETTER XXXIII. THAIS TO THESSALE.

      LETTER XXXIV. THAIS TO EUTHYDEMUS.

      LETTER XXXV. SIMALION TO PETALE.

      LETTER XXXVI. PETALE TO SIMALION.

      LETTER XXXVII. MYRRHINE TO NICIPPE.

      LETTER XXXVIII. MENECLIDES TO EUTHYCLES.

      LETTER XXXIX. MEGARA TO BACCHIS.

      LETTER XL. PHILUMENE TO CRITO.

      BOOK II.

      LETTER I. LAMIA TO DEMETRIUS.

      LETTER II. LEONTIUM TO LAMIA.

      LETTER III. MENANDER TO GLYCERA.

      LETTER IV. GLYCERA TO MENANDER.

      BOOK III.

      LETTER I. GLAUCIPPE TO CHAROPE.

      LETTER II. CHAROPE TO GLAUCIPPE.

      LETTER III. EVAGRUS TO PHILOTHERUS.

      LETTER IV. TRECHEDEIPNUS TO LOPADECTHAMBUS.

      LETTER V. HECTODIOCTES TO MANDILOCOLAPTES.

      LETTER VI. ARTEPITHYMUS TO CNISOZOMUS.

      LETTER VII. HETOEMOCORUS TO ZOMECPNEON.

      LETTER VIII. OENOPECTES TO COTYLOBROCHTHISUS.

      LETTER IX.

      LETTER X. IOPHON TO ERASTON.

      LETTER XI. DRYANTIDAS TO CHRONIUM.

      LETTER XII. PRATINAS TO EPIGONUS.

      LETTER XIII. CALLICRATES TO ARGON.

      LETTER XIV. SITALCES TO OENOPION.

      LETTER XV. COTINUS TO TRYGODORUS.

      LETTER XVI. PHYLLIS TO THRASONIDES.

      LETTER XVII. CHAERESTRATUS TO LERIUM.

      LETTER XVIII. EUSTACHYS TO PITHACION.

      LETTER XIX. PITHACION TO EUSTACHYS.

      LETTER XX. NAPAEUS TO CRENIADES.

      LETTER XXI. EUNAPE TO GLAUCE.

      LETTER XXII. POLYALSUS TO EUSTAPHYLUS.

      LETTER XXIII. THALLUS TO PITYISTUS.

      LETTER XXIV. PHILOPOEMEN TO MOSCHION.

      LETTER XXV. HYLE TO NOMIUS.

      LETTER XXVI. LENAEUS TO CORYDON.

      LETTER XXVII. GEMELLUS TO SALMONIS.

      LETTER XXVIII. SALMONIS TO GEMELLUS.

      LETTER XXIX. ORIUS TO ATHOPHORION.

      LETTER XXX. AMPELION TO EVEROUS.

      LETTER XXXI. PHILOCOMUS TO THESTYLLUS.

      LETTER XXXII. SCOPIADES TO SCOTION.

      LETTER XXXIII. ANTHYLLA TO CORISCUS.

      LETTER XXXIV. GNATHO TO CALLICOMIDES.

      LETTER XXXV. THALLICUS TO PETRAEUS.

      LETTER XXXVI. PRATINUS TO MEGALOTELES.

      LETTER XXXVII. EPIPHYLLIS TO AMARICINE.

      LETTER XXXVIII. EUDICUS TO PASION.

      LETTER XXXIX. EUTHYDICUS TO EPIPHANIUM.

      LETTER XL. PHILOMETOR TO PHILISUS.

      LETTER XLI. DRYADES TO MELION.

      LETTER XLII. RHAGESTRANGISUS TO STAPHYLODAEMON.

      LETTER XLIII. PSICHOCLAUSTES TO BUCION.

      LETTER XLIV. GNATHON TO LEICHOPINAX.

      LETTER XLV. TRAPEZOLEICHON TO PSICHODIALECTES.

      LETTER XLVI. STEMPHYLOCHAERON TO TRAPEZOCHARON.

      LETTER XLVII. HOROLOGIUS TO LACHANOTHAUMASUS.

      LETTER XLVIII. PHLOIOGLYPTES TO MAPPAPHASIUS.

      LETTER XLIX. CAPNOSPHRANTES TO ARISTOMACHUS.

      LETTER L. BUCOPNICTES TO ANTOPICTES.

      LETTER LI. PSICLEOLOBE TO LAEMOCYCLUS.

      LETTER LII. COPADION TO EVENISSUS.

      LETTER LIII. ACRATOLYMAS TO CHONEICRATUS.

      LETTER LIV. CHYTROLEICTES TO PATELLOCHARON.

      LETTER LV. AUTOCLETUS TO HETOEMARISTUS.

      LETTER LVI. THYMBROPHAGUS TO CYPELLISTES.

      LETTER LVII. OENOLALUS TO POTERIOPHLYARUS.

      LETTER LVIII. ALOCYMINUS TO PHILOGARELAEUS.

      LETTER LIX. LIMENTERUS TO AMASETUS.

      LETTER LX. CHASCOBUCES TO HYPNOTRAPEZUS.

      LETTER LXI. HYDROSPHRANTES TO MERIDAS.

      LETTER LXII. CHIDROLEPISUS TO CAPYROSPHRANTES.

      LETTER LXIII. PHILOMAGEIRUS TO PINACOSPONGUS.

      LETTER LXIV. TURDOSYNAGUS TO EPHALLOCYTHRAS.

      LETTER LXV. MISOGNIPHUS TO RHIGOMACHUS.

      LETTER LXVI. GAMOCHAERON TO PHAGODAETES.

      LETTER LXVII. DIPSOPHAPAUSILYPUS TO PLACYNTOMION.

      LETTER LXVIII. HEDYDEIPNUS TO ARISTOCORAX.

      LETTER LXIX. TRICHINOSARAX TO GLOSSOTRAPEZUS.

      LETTER LXX. LIMUSTES TO THRASOCYDOEMUS.

      LETTER LXXI. PHILOPORUS TO PSICHOMACHUS.

      LETTER LXXII. OENOCHAERON TO RAPHANOCORTASUS.

      img15.jpg

      Roman bust of Menander after a Greek original (c. 300 BC) – Menander was an important influence on the style of Alciphron.

      INTRODUCTION

      ALCIPHRON was a Greek sophist, and one of the most eminent of the Greek epistolographers. We have no direct information of any kind respecting his life or the age in which he lived. Some assign him to the fifth century A.D.; others, to the period between Lucian and Aristaenetus (170-350 A.D.); while others again are of opinion that he lived before Lucian. The only circumstance that suggests anything in regard to the period at which he lived is the fact that, amongst the letters of Aristaenetus, there are two which passed between Lucian and Alciphron; and, as Aristaenetus is generally trustworthy, we may infer that Alciphron was a contemporary of Lucian, which is not incompatible with the opinion, true or false, that he imitated him.

      It cannot be proved that Alciphron, any more than Aristaenetus, was a real name. It is probable that there was a well-known sophist of that name in the second century A.D., but it does not follow that he wrote the letters.

      The letters, as we have them, are divided into three books. Their object is to delineate the characters of certain classes of persons by introducing them as expressing their peculiar sentiments and opinions upon subject with which they are familiar. For this purpose Alciphron chose country people, fishermen, parasites, and courtesans. All are made to express themselves in most elegant and graceful language, even where the subjects are low and obscene. The characters are thus to some extent raised above the ordinary standard, without any great violence being done to the truth of the reality. The form of these letters is very beautiful, and the language in which they are written is the purest Attic. The scene is, with few exceptions, Athens and its neighbourhood; the time, some period after the reign of Alexander the Great, as is clear from the letters of the second book. The New Attic comedy was the chief source from which Alciphron derived his material, and the letters contain much valuable information in regard to the characters and manners he describes, and the private life of the Athenians. We come across some remarkably modern touches, as the thimble-rigger at the fair and the claquers at the theatre. Alciphron perhaps imitated Lucian in style; but the spirit in which he treats his subjects is very different, and far more refined.

      In the great majority of cases the names in the headings of the letters, which seem very clumsy in an English dress, are fictitious, and are purposely coined to express some characteristic of the persons between whom they are supposed to pass.

      In the volume of Lucian in this series some account has been given of the courtesans of Athens. It will here be interesting to describe briefly another curious class of personages, the parasites — a word which has had a remarkable history.

      Originally, amongst the Greeks, the parasites were persons who held special functions. They had a right, like the priests, to a certain portion of the sacrificial victims, and their particular duty was to look after the storage and keep of the sacred corn, hence their name. They enjoyed an honourable position, and the Athenians resigned to them even the management of the temples, which gave them rank next to the priests.

      Soon, after the example of Apollo, the richest citizens looked out for witty table-companions, to amuse them with jests, and flatter them in proportion to their importance and liberality. By degrees, however, these parasites, lending themselves to ridicule, fell into discredit and contempt. The name, diverted from its etymological signification, was applied to every haunter of the tables of the rich, to every sponger for a free meal, to every shameless flatterer who, in order to satisfy the needs of his stomach, consented to divert the company and patiently endure the insults which it pleased the master of the house to heap upon him.

      At first this was by no means the case with all parasites. Gaiety, audacity, liveliness, good humour, a knowledge of the culinary art, and sometimes even a certain amount of independence lent an additional charm to the members of the profession. One of the most famous of parasites was Philoxenus of Leucas, of whom we read in Athenaeus. It was his practice, whether at home or abroad, after he had been to the bath, to go round the houses of the principal citizens, followed by boys carrying in a basket oil, vinegar, fish-sauce, and other condiments. After he had made his choice, Philoxenus, who was a great gourmand, entered without ceremony, took his seat at table, and did honour to the repast before him. One day, at Ephesus, finding that there was nothing left in the market, he asked the reason. Being told that everything had been bought up for a wedding festival, he washed and dressed himself, and deliberately walked to the house of the bridegroom, by whom he was well received. He took his seat at table, ate, drank, sang an epithalamium or marriage-song, and delighted the guests. I hope you will dine here to-morrow, said the host. Yes, answered Philoxenus, if you lay violent hands upon the market as you have done to-day. I wish I had a crane’s neck, he sometimes exclaimed; then I should be able to relish the flavour of the food for a longer time. Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, who knew that he was very fond of fish, invited him to dinner, and, while an enormous mullet was set before himself, sent his guest a very small one. Without being in the least disconcerted, Philoxenus took up the small fry, pretended to speak to it, and put it close to his ear, as if to hear its reply. Well, said Dionysius, somewhat annoyed, what is the matter? I was asking him certain information about the sea which interests me; but he has been caught too young: this is his excuse for having nothing to tell me. The fish in front of you, on the contrary, is old enough to satisfy my curiosity. Dionysius, pleased with the rejoinder, sent on to him his own fish. To perpetuate his memory, Philoxenus composed a Manual of Gastronomy, which was held in great repute.

      Philoxenus, it must be admitted, was a very favourable specimen of his class. As a rule the parasites were among the most abject and worthless of men. Selected for their profligacy, their impudence, or their wit, they were admitted to the tables of the wealthy, to promote licentious mirth. This being the case, it does not seem at all unnatural that we should at the same time find them the friends and companions of the courtesans. Such characters could not but be mutually necessary to each other. The courtesan solicited the acquaintance of the parasite, that she might the more easily obtain and carry on intrigues with the rich and dissipated. The parasite was assiduous in his attention to the courtesan, as procuring through her means more easy access to his patrons, and was probably rewarded by them both, for the gratification which he obtained of the vices of the one and the avarice of the other.

      The name parasite first assumed a dishonourable signification in the works of the writers of the Middle and New Comedy. The first who so used it is said to have been Alexis. In the latter comedians they are stock characters, whose chief object was to get a dinner without paying for it. They are divided into different classes. There were the img16.png , or jesters, who, in order to secure an invitation, not only endeavoured to amuse, but endured the grossest insults, and personal ill-treatment (cf. Book III., Letters, 6, 7, 49). They had notebooks, in which they kept a collection of jokes ready for use. The img17.png , or flatterers, endeavoured to get invitations by playing upon the vanity of their prospective patrons. The img18.png , or officious parasites, tried to curry favour by services of the lowest and most degrading character, which are detailed in the sixth book of Athenaeus. They haunted the markets, wrestling-schools, baths, and other public places in search of patrons.

      The Romans also had their parasites. As the stern rigour of the Republic relaxed and degenerated into the splendour and dissipation of a despotic government, the Roman parasites became less respectable and more profligate. But it does not appear that in the most licentious ages of the Empire they ever equalled in meanness or in vice those worthless characters described in such lively colours by Athenaeus, Alciphron, and the comic poets of Greece. Frequent allusions to them are found in Horace, Juvenal, Plautus, and particularly in Terence.

      The latinized forms of the names of Greek gods and goddesses (such as Jupiter for Zeus) have been preserved in the translation as being more familiar, although, strictly speaking, they cannot be regarded as correct.

      BOOK I.

      LETTER I. EUDIUS TO PHILOSCAPHUS.

      HAPPILY for us, the sea to-day is smooth and calm again. The storm lasted for three days: the northwinds blew violently from the headlands towards the open; the blackening sea grew rough, the waters were white with foam; the billows everywhere broke over each other, some dashing against the rocks, while others swelled and burst. It was utterly impossible to work: we betook ourselves to the huts on the bank, collected a few fragments of wood, the remains of the oaks which had been felled by the ships’ carpenters, and lighted a fire to relieve the piercing cold. At last the fourth day came, a truly halcyon day, as we may conclude from the clearness of the air, and brought us wealth and fortune in abundance. For, as soon as the sun rose, and its first beams glittered on the sea, we quickly launched our little bark, which had lately been drawn up on land, and, putting our nets aboard, set to work. We cast them not far from land. Ha! what an enormous haul we made! The heavily-laden net, carried under water, almost dragged down the corks with it. Immediately the fish salesmen gathered round, with their yokes over their shoulders, from which hung baskets on either side; and, having purchased our fish for money down, hastened from Phalerum¹ to the city. We had enough to satisfy them all, and besides, took back to our wives and children a quantity of small fry, enough to keep them not only for one, but for several days, if bad weather should come on.

      ENDNOTES.

      ¹ Phalerum: One of the three harbours of Athens, the other two being Piraeus and Munychia.

      LETTER II. GALENUS TO CYRTON.

      ALL our labour is in vain, Cyrton! By day we are scorched by the heat of the sun, by night we explore the deep by the light of torches, and yet, in the words of the proverb, we are pouring the contents of our pitchers into the cask of the Danaides² — so idle and useless are our efforts! We have not even sea nettles³ or Pelorian mussels to fill our belly; but the master collects both the fish and the money. But all that he gets from us is not enough for him: he is continually searching our little bark. Only lately, when we sent the lad Hermon to him from Munychia with the fish, he ordered us to bring him some sponges and sea-wool, which grows in fairly large quantities in the pool of Eurynome⁴. Before he had finished giving these orders, Hermon left his load of fishes, the boat, and ourselves, and went off on a rowing-boat, with some Rhodian dyers whose acquaintance he had made. Thus the master has to mourn the loss of a slave; we, that of a true companion.

      ENDNOTES.

      ² The cask of the Danaides: These were the fifty daughters of Danaus; they were married to the fifty sons of Aegyptus, and all of them, except one, put their husbands to death on the wedding night. As a punishment, they were sentenced, in the lower world, to keep incessantly pouring water into casks which were full of holes. Hence the expression is used to signify useless labour.

      ³ Sea nettles: Fishes called by this name

      ⁴ In the pool of Eurynome: There is great doubt about the reading here. Eurynome is supposed to be either the name of a sea-nymph or a place.

      LETTER III. GLAUCUS TO GALATEA.

      HAPPY is he who lives on land! Husbandry involves no danger. With good reason, then, do the Athenians name it Aneisidora,⁵ because it bestows gifts, whereby we live and enjoy health. The sea is cruel, and a sailor’s life is full of perils. My judgment is right: I have learnt this by experience and instruction. I remember that, once, when I wanted to sell some fish, I heard one of those fellows who hang about the Painted Porch,⁶ a bare-footed wretch with livid features, reciting verses and declaiming against the folly of sailors. He said that the verses were written by a certain Aratus,⁷ an astronomer. I cannot repeat all that he said; but, as far as I remember, one of the verses ran as follows:

      A thin partition keeps off destruction.

      Why, then, wife, should we not be wise, and, even though it be late, avoid a life that is so near death? We have children; and, although our poverty prevents us from leaving them anything considerable, we shall at least be able to leave them in blessed ignorance of the stormy waves and the dangers of the deep. They will be brought up to an agricultural life, and will enjoy a life of security, untroubled by alarm.

      ENDNOTES.

      ⁵ Aneisidora: Corn is said to have been first produced in Attica; hence its inhabitants gave the earth the name of Aneisidora, producer of gifts.

      ⁶ Who hang about the Painted Porch: i.e., the Stoic philosophers. It was one of the most remarkable of porticos of Athens; it was so called from the variety of curious pictures it contained. Here it was that Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy, taught, and for that reason his followers were called Stoics.

      ⁷ Aratus: He wrote two poems on astronomical subjects; he is supposed to have lived about B.C. 270; Cicero translated part of his poems into Latin verse.

      LETTER IV. CYMOTHUS TO TRITONIS.

      THERE is as much difference between us, toilers on the sea, and those who live in cities and villages, as there is between sea and land. They either remain within the gates and occupy themselves with public affairs, or, devoting themselves to agriculture, wait quietly for the crops that are their support; but we, whose life is spent upon the water, find land death to us, even as the fishes, who are unable to breathe the air. Whatever, then, is the matter with you, my dear Tritonis, that you leave the shore and your yarn, and are constantly running into the city, visiting the Oschophoria and Lenaea⁸ in the company of wealthy Athenian ladies? This shows a want of prudence and modesty. It was not for this purpose that your father brought you up in Aegina⁹ and gave you to me in marriage. If you are so fond of the city, farewell; go; but, if you love the sea, return to your husband; that is the best thing you can do; but forget for ever these delusive city spectacles.

      ENDNOTES.

      ⁸ The Oschophoria and Lenaea: Two festivals in honour of Dionysus (Bacchus). The former was properly the name given to a day of the Athenian festival, on which chosen boys, sons of citizens, in women’s dress, carrying vine-branches loaded with grapes, went in procession from the temple of Bacchus.

      The Lenaea: was so called from ληνὸς, a wine-press. Dramatic contests, especially between the comic poets, took place on this occasion.

      ⁹ Aegina: A well-known island in the Saronic Gulf, which played an important part in the history of ancient Greece.

      LETTER V. NAUBATES TO RHODIUS.

      YOU flatter yourself that you alone are wealthy, because you are able to entice my sailors with the offer of a higher salary. And no wonder; for only recently a lucky cast brought you in a quantity of golden darics,¹⁰ probably a relic of the battle of Salamis.¹¹ Perhaps a Persian ship went to the bottom there with the crew and all the treasures on board, at the time when Themistocles, son of Neocles, in the days of our forefathers, set up his great trophy in honour of his victory over the Medes. I, for my part, am content if I can procure the necessaries of life, by the daily work of my hands. If you are wealthy, do not forget what is just: let your wealth be to you an assistance in performing, not unjust, but good and generous actions.

      ENDNOTES.

      ¹⁰ Darics: A Persian gold coin, about equal in value to a guinea. Said to have been first coined by King Darius, but the name is probably derived from the Persian darâ, a king — cf. our sovereign.

      ¹¹ Salamis: B.C. 480, when Xerxes was defeated in a naval engagement by the Athenians under Themistocles.

      LETTER VI. PANOPE TO EUTHYBOLUS.

      WHEN you married me, Euthybolus, you did not marry an outcast or one of the common herd, but the daughter of respectable parents. Sosthenes of Stiria¹² was my father: Damophile, my mother. I was their sole heiress; and they consented to our union, in the hope of our having lawful children. But, notwithstanding, you are ever casting amorous glances upon the women, and are addicted to every kind of wanton pleasure: you neglect me and our children, Galene and Thallassion: you are enamoured of the strange woman from Hermione,¹³ who has arrived in Piraeus, to the misfortune of husbands and wives. The young fisherman of the coast hold orgies at her house: each gives her different presents: and she accepts and swallows all, like Charybdis. But you, more lavish than a fisherman can afford to be, are not satisfied with giving her sprats or mullets: although you are getting old, have been married a long time, and are the father of grown-up children, in your desire to oust your rivals, you send her Milesian hair-nets,¹⁴ Sicilian dresses, and even gold. Either give up this insulting conduct, your debauchery, and your madness for women, or I tell you plainly that I will go back to my father, who will know how to protect me and will summon you before the court for your cruel behaviour towards me.

      ENDNOTES.

      ¹² Stiria: One of the demes or townships into which Attica was divided.

      ¹³ Hermione: In Argolis, in Peloponnesus.

      ¹⁴ Hair-nets: A woman’s head-dress made of net, used to confine the hair with, especially indoors, such as are still used in Italy and Spain.

      LETTER VII. THALASSIUS TO PONTIUS.

      I SEND you a plaice, a sole, a mullet, and three dozen purple-fish: send me two oars for them, for mine are broken. The presents one friend makes to another are simple exchanges. He who asks for a thing boldly and without ceremony thereby declares that he considers the possessions of friends are common, and that he has a right to share what belongs to his friends.

      LETTER VIII. EUCOLYMBUS TO GLAUCE.

      THOSE who are undecided in their minds wait for some kind friend to advise them. So I, who have often addressed myself to the winds — since I never had the courage to consult you, my dear wife — have now decided to speak out, and beg you to assist me with your advice, if you have anything better to suggest. Listen now to the state of things as to which I want your opinion. My affairs are, as you know, in a very embarrassed condition, and I find it very hard to get a living, for there are hardly any fish in the sea. This rowing-boat which you see, with its numerous crew, is a Corycian bark¹⁵ manned by pirates. They want me to become a partner in their venture, and promise me vast wealth. I confess that my mouth waters for the gold and garments which they hold out to me as an inducement; but I have not the heart to become a murderer and stain with gore these hands of mine, which the sea has kept pure from evil-doing, from my childhood to the present day; and yet, on the other hand, it is hard and unendurable to live in continual poverty. The decision of my choice lies in your hands: to whatever course you are favourably inclined, I will follow you, dear wife; for the advice which friends give us often cuts the knot of indecision.

      ENDNOTES.

      ¹⁵ Corycian bark: So called from a mountain in Lydia, in Asia Minor, which was famous as being the haunt of pirates.

      LETTER IX. AEGIALEUS TO STRUTHION.

      CONFOUND it, how unlucky I am! All my affairs go wrong, and, as the proverb says, after the fashion of Mandrabulus.¹⁶ It is a sorry comfort to be always buying and selling the necessaries of life for worthless bits of money! It is time for you to help me, Struthion; you shall share the fruits of my labours on the sea. I want, through your recommendation, to get on familiar terms with one or two of our city millionaires, such as Erasicles of Sphettus or Philostratus of Cholargus,¹⁷ that I may take my baskets of fish to them in person. By this means, in addition to the price of the fish, I hope through your interest to get some trifle at their house on the day of the festival of Dionysia or Apaturia.¹⁸ Besides this, they will save us from the cruel hands of the market-inspectors,¹⁹ who, for their own profit, daily heap insults upon the inoffensive. Not only report, but also experience proves that you parasites have great influence with the young and wealthy.

      ENDNOTES.

      ¹⁶ After the fashion of Mandrobulus: That is, from bad to worse. The following is the explanation given of this proverbial expression: Mandrobulus, having had the good luck to discover a vast treasure, in gratitude to the gods, offered a golden ram to them; he afterwards offered one of silver; then one

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1