Aesop's Life

The Life and History of Æsop is involved, like that of Homer, the most famous of Greek poets, in much obscurity. Sardis, the capital of Lydia; Samos, a Greek island; Mesembria, an ancient colony in Thrace; and Cotiæum, the chief city of a province of Phrygia, contend for the distinction of being the birthplace of Æsop. Although the honour thus claimed cannot be definitely assigned to any one of these places, yet there are a few incidents now generally accepted by scholars as established facts, relating to the birth, life, and death of Æsop. He is, by an almost universal consent, allowed to have been born about the year 620 B.C., and to have been by birth a slave. He was owned by two masters in succession, both inhabitants of Samos, Xanthus and Jadmon, the latter of whom gave him his liberty as a reward for his learning and wit. One of the privileges of a freedman in the ancient republics of Greece, was the permission to take an active interest in public affairs; and Æsop, like the philosophers Phædo, Menippus, and Epictetus, in later times, raised himself from the indignity of a servile condition to a position of high renown. In his desire alike to instruct and to be instructed, he travelled through many countries, and among others came to Sardis, the capital of the famous king of Lydia, the great patron, in that day, of learning and of learned men. He met at the court of Crœsus with Solon, Thales, and other sages, and is related so to have pleased his royal master by the part he took in the conversations held with these philosophers, that he applied to him an expression which has since passed into a proverb, “μᾶλλον ὁ Φρύξ.” “The Phrygian has spoken better than all.”

Much of Æsop’s life and history is uncertain, like that of Homer, the most famous Greek poet. Several places claim the honor of being Æsop’s birthplace. They are Sardis, the capital of Lydia, and Samos, a Greek island. The others are Mesembria, an ancient colony in Thrace, and Cotiæum, the main city of a province of Phrygia. Although none of these claims can be firmly established, scholars now generally accept a few facts about Æsop’s birth, life, and death. Almost everyone agrees that he was born around 620 B.C. and was born into slavery. He had two masters in succession, Xanthus and Jadmon, both residents of Samos. Jadmon later freed him as a reward for his learning and wit. In the ancient Greek republics, freedmen had the right to take an active part in public affairs. Æsop rose from the indignity of slavery to great fame, as did the philosophers Phædo, Menippus, and Epictetus in later times. Eager both to teach and to learn, Æsop traveled through many countries. Among the places he visited was Sardis, the capital of the famous king of Lydia. The king was a great supporter of learning and scholars in those days. At the court of Crœsus, Æsop met Solon, Thales, and other wise men. According to the story, Æsop’s contributions to their conversations so pleased his royal master that Crœsus used a phrase about him. The phrase has since become a proverb: “μᾶλλον ὁ Φρύξ.” “The Phrygian has spoken better than all.”

On the invitation of Crœsus he fixed his residence at Sardis, and was employed by that monarch in various difficult and delicate affairs of State. In his discharge of these commissions he visited the different petty republics of Greece. At one time he is found in Corinth, and at another in Athens, endeavouring, by the narration of some of his wise fables, to reconcile the inhabitants of those cities to the administration of their respective rulers Periander and Pisistratus. One of these ambassadorial missions, undertaken at the command of Crœsus, was the occasion of his death. Having been sent to Delphi with a large sum of gold for distribution among the citizens, he was so provoked at their covetousness that he refused to divide the money, and sent it back to his master. The Delphians, enraged at this treatment, accused him of impiety, and, in spite of his sacred character as ambassador, executed him as a public criminal. This cruel death of Æsop was not unavenged. The citizens of Delphi were visited with a series of calamities, until they made a public reparation of their crime; and, “The blood of Æsop” became a well-known adage, bearing witness to the truth that deeds of wrong would not pass unpunished. Neither did the great fabulist lack posthumous honours; for a statue was erected to his memory at Athens, the work of Lysippus, one of the most famous of Greek sculptors. Phædrus thus immortalizes the event:—

At Crœsus’s invitation, he settled in Sardis and served the king in various difficult and sensitive matters of state. While carrying out these tasks, he visited the small republics of Greece. At one time he was in Corinth, and at another in Athens. By telling some of his wise fables, he tried to win the citizens’ acceptance of their rulers’ governments. These rulers were Periander in Corinth and Pisistratus in Athens. One of these diplomatic missions, undertaken at Crœsus’s command, led to his death. He was sent to Delphi with a large sum of gold to distribute among the citizens. But their greed so angered him that he refused to distribute the money and sent it back to his master. Enraged by this treatment, the Delphians accused him of impiety. Despite his sacred status as an ambassador, they executed him as a public criminal. Æsop’s cruel death did not go unavenged. The citizens of Delphi suffered a series of disasters until they publicly made amends for their crime. And “The blood of Æsop” became a well-known saying, testifying to the truth that wrongdoing would not go unpunished. Nor did the great fable writer go without honours after his death. A statue was erected in his memory at Athens, made by Lysippus, one of the most famous Greek sculptors. Phædrus immortalizes the event in these words:

These few facts are all that can be relied on with any degree of certainty, in reference to the birth, life, and death of Æsop. They were first brought to light, after a patient search and diligent perusal of ancient authors, by a Frenchman, M. Claude Gaspard Bachet de Mezeriac, who declined the honour of being tutor to Louis XIII. of France, from his desire to devote himself exclusively to literature. He published his Life of Æsop, Anno Domini 1632. The later investigations of a host of English and German scholars have added very little to the facts given by M. Mezeriac. The substantial truth of his statements has been confirmed by later criticism and inquiry. It remains to state, that prior to this publication of M. Mezeriac, the life of Æsop was from the pen of Maximus Planudes, a monk of Constantinople, who was sent on an embassy to Venice by the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus the elder, and who wrote in the early part of the fourteenth century. His life was prefixed to all the early editions of these fables, and was republished as late as 1727 by Archdeacon Croxall as the introduction to his edition of Æsop. This life by Planudes contains, however, so small an amount of truth, and is so full of absurd pictures of the grotesque deformity of Æsop, of wondrous apocryphal stories, of lying legends, and gross anachronisms, that it is now universally condemned as false, puerile, and unauthentic.²⁰ It is given up in the present day, by general consent, as unworthy of the slightest credit.

These few facts are all we can rely on with any degree of certainty about Æsop’s birth, life, and death. A Frenchman, M. Claude Gaspard Bachet de Mezeriac, first uncovered these facts through patient research and careful reading of ancient authors. He turned down the honour of becoming tutor to Louis XIII. of France because he wanted to devote himself entirely to literature. He published his Life of Æsop in 1632. Later research by many English and German scholars has added very little to the facts M. Mezeriac presented. Later critical study and investigation have confirmed that his statements are substantially true. One point remains to be mentioned. Before M. Mezeriac’s publication, the account of Æsop’s life came from Maximus Planudes, a monk of Constantinople. The Byzantine Emperor Andronicus the elder sent Planudes on a diplomatic mission to Venice. Planudes wrote in the early fourteenth century. His biography appeared at the beginning of all early editions of these fables. As late as 1727, Archdeacon Croxall republished the biography as the introduction to his edition of Æsop. Yet Planudes’s biography contains very little truth. It is filled with absurd descriptions of Æsop’s grotesque deformity, fantastic and unfounded stories, false legends, and glaring historical errors. As a result, the biography is now universally condemned as false, childish, and inauthentic.²⁰ Today, everyone agrees that it deserves not the slightest belief.