The Life of Heraclides

I. Heraclides was the son of Euthyphron, and was born at Heraclea, in Pontus; he was also a wealthy man.

I. Heraclides was the son of Euthyphron and was born in Heraclea, in Pontus. He was also wealthy.

II. After he came to Athens, he was at first a disciple of Speusippus, but he also attended the schools of the Pythagorean philosophers, and he adopted the principles of Plato; last of all he became a pupil of Aristotle, as we are told by Sotion in his book entitled the Successions.

II. After he came to Athens, he first became a student of Speusippus. But he also attended the schools of the Pythagorean philosophers and adopted Plato’s principles. Finally, he became a student of Aristotle, according to Sotion in his book the Successions.

III. He used to wear delicate garments, and was a man of great size, so that he was nicknamed by the Athenians Pompicus⁵³ instead of Ponticus. But he was of quiet manners and noble aspect.

III. He wore fine clothes and was a large man. So the Athenians nicknamed him Pompicus⁵³ instead of Ponticus. But he had quiet manners and a noble appearance.

IV. There are several books extant by him, which are exceedingly good and admirable. They are in the form of dialogue; some being Ethical dialogues; three on the subject of Justice; one on Temperance; five on Piety; one on Manly Courage; one, and a second which is distinct from it, on Virtue; one on Happiness; one on Supremacy; one on Laws and questions connected with them; one on Names; one called Covenants; one called The Unwilling Lover; and the Clinias.

IV. Several of his books survive, and they are exceptionally good and admirable. They are written as dialogues, some of them on ethics. There are three on Justice, one on Temperance, five on Piety, and one on Courage. There are two distinct dialogues on Virtue, and one each on Happiness and Supremacy. There is one on Laws and related questions, and one on Names. There are also Covenants, The Unwilling Lover, and the Clinias.

Of the physical dialogues, one is on the Mind; one on the Soul; one on the Soul, and Nature and Appearances; one addressed to Democritus; one on the Heavenly Bodies; one on the State of Things in the Shades below; two on Lives; one on the Causes of Diseases; one on the Good; one on the doctrines of Zeno; one on the Doctrines of Metron.

Of the dialogues on nature, one is about the mind, and one is about the soul. Another is about the soul, nature, and appearances. One is addressed to Democritus, and one is about the heavenly bodies. One is about the state of things in the underworld. Two are about lives. One is about the causes of diseases, one is about the good, and one is about the doctrines of Zeno. One is about the doctrines of Metron.

Of his grammatical dialogues, there are two on the Age of Homer and Hesiod; two on Archilochus and Homer.

Among his grammatical dialogues, two are on the age of Homer and Hesiod. Two are on Archilochus and Homer.

There are some on Music too; three on Euripides and Sophocles, and two on Music. There are also two volumes, Solutions of Questions concerning Homer; one on Speculations; one, the Three Tragedians; one volume of Characters; one dialogue on Poetry and the Poets; one on Conjecture; one on Foresight; four, being Explanations of Heraclitus; one, Explanations with reference to Democritus; two books of Solutions of Disputed Points; one, the Axiom; one on Species; one book of Solutions; one of Suppositions; one addressed to Dionysius.

There are also some works on Music, three on Euripides and Sophocles, and two on Music. There are two volumes titled Solutions of Questions concerning Homer, one on Speculations, and one titled The Three Tragedians. There is one volume of Characters, one dialogue on Poetry and the Poets, one work on Conjecture, and one on Foresight. There are four volumes of Explanations of Heraclitus and one volume of Explanations concerning Democritus. There are two books of Solutions of Disputed Points, one work titled The Axiom, and one on Species. There is one book of Solutions, one of Suppositions, and one addressed to Dionysius.

Of rhetorical works, there is the dialogue on the being an Orator, or the Protagoras.

Among the rhetorical works is the dialogue on being an orator, or the Protagoras.

Of historical dialogues, there are some on the Pythagoreans, and on Inventions. Of these, some he has drawn up after the manner of Comic writers; as, for instance, the one about Pleasure, and that about Temperance. And some in the style of the Tragedians, as, for instance, the dialogues on the State of Things in the Shades below; and one on Piety, and that on Supremacy. And his style is a conversational and moderate one, suited to the characters of philosophers and men occupied in the military or political affairs conversing together. Some of his works also are on Geometry, and on Dialectics; and in all of them he displays a very varied and elevated style; and he has great powers of persuasion.

Some of his historical dialogues are about the Pythagoreans and inventions. He wrote some of these dialogues in the style of comic writers, such as those on Pleasure and Temperance. Others are in the style of tragic writers. These include the dialogues on conditions in the underworld, Piety, and Supremacy. His style is conversational and restrained, suited to philosophers and people involved in military or political affairs talking together. Some of his works are also about Geometry and Dialectics. In all his works, his style is varied and elevated, and he is highly persuasive.

V. He appears to have delivered his country when it was under the yoke of tyrants, by slaying the monarch, as Demetrius of Magnesia tells us, in his treatise on People of the Same Name.

V. He appears to have freed his country from tyrannical rule by killing the monarch. Demetrius of Magnesia reports this in his treatise on People of the Same Name.

VI. And he gives the following account of him. That he brought up a young serpent, and kept it till it grew large; and that when he was at the point of death, he desired one of his faithful friends to hide his body, and to place the serpent in his bed, that he might appear to have migrated to the Gods. And all this was done; and while the citizens were all attending his funeral and extolling his character, the serpent hearing the noise, crept out of his clothes and threw the multitude into confusion. And afterwards everything was revealed, and Heraclides was seen, not as he hoped to have been, but as he really was. And we have written an epigram on him which runs thus:—

VI. And he gives the following account of him. Heraclides raised a young serpent and kept it until it grew large. When he was dying, he asked a faithful friend to hide his body and place the serpent in his bed. He wanted it to appear that he had joined the gods. His friend did as he asked. All the citizens attended his funeral and praised his character. But the serpent heard the noise and crept out of his clothes, throwing the crowd into confusion. Afterwards, everything was revealed. Heraclides was seen not as he had hoped to be seen, but as he really was. We have written an epigram about him that goes as follows:

And Hippobotus gives the same account.

And Hippobotus gives the same account.

But Hermippus says that once, when a famine oppressed the land, the people of Heraclea consulted the Pythian oracle for the way to get rid of it; and that Heraclides corrupted the ambassadors who were sent to consult the oracle, and also the priestess, with bribes; and that she answered that they would obtain a deliverance from their distresses, if Heraclides, the son of Euthyphron, was presented by them with a golden crown, and if when he was dead they paid him honours as a hero. Accordingly, this answer was brought back from the oracle to Heraclea, but they who brought it got no advantage from it; for as soon as Heraclides had been crowned in the theatre, he was seized with apoplexy, and the ambassadors who had been sent to consult the oracle were stoned, and so put to death; and at the very same moment the Pythian priestess was going down to the inner shrine, and while standing there was bitten by a serpent, and died immediately. This then is the account given of his death.

But Hermippus says that a famine once struck the land of Heraclea. The people consulted the Pythian oracle to learn how to end it. Heraclides bribed the ambassadors sent to consult the oracle, as well as the priestess. She answered that their troubles would end if they gave Heraclides, son of Euthyphron, a golden crown and honored him as a hero after his death. This answer was brought back to Heraclea, but those who brought it gained nothing from it. As soon as Heraclides was crowned in the theater, he suffered a stroke. The ambassadors who had consulted the oracle were stoned to death. At that very moment, the Pythian priestess was going down to the inner shrine. As she stood there, a snake bit her, and she died immediately. This is the account given of his death.

VII. And Aristoxenus the musician says, that he composed tragedies, and inscribed them with the name of Thespis. And Chamæleon says, that he stole essays from him on the subject of Homer and Hesiod, and published them as his own. And Autodorus the Epicurean reproaches him, and contradicts all the arguments which he advanced in his treatise on Justice. Moreover, Dionysius, called the Deserter, or as some say Spintharus, wrote a tragedy called Parthenopæus, and forged the name of Sophocles to it. And Heraclides was so much deceived that he took some passages out of one of his works, and cited them as the words of Sophocles; and Dionysius, when he perceived it, gave him notice of the real truth; and as he would not believe it, and denied it, he sent him word to examine the first letters of the first verses of the book, and they formed the name of Pancalus, who was a friend of Dionysius. And as Heraclides still refused to believe it, and said that it was possible that such a thing might happen by chance, Dionysius sent him back word once more, “You will find this passage too:—

VII. Aristoxenus the musician says that he wrote tragedies and put Thespis’s name on them. Chamæleon says that he stole essays from him about Homer and Hesiod and published them as his own. Autodorus the Epicurean criticizes him and disputes all the arguments he made in his treatise on Justice. Dionysius, known as the Deserter, or, as some say, Spintharus, wrote a tragedy called Parthenopæus and falsely attributed it to Sophocles. Heraclides was so deceived that he quoted passages from one of his works as the words of Sophocles. When Dionysius noticed this, he told Heraclides the truth. But Heraclides would not believe him and denied it. So Dionysius told him to look at the first letters of the opening lines of the book. They spelled the name of Pancalus, a friend of Dionysius. Heraclides still refused to believe him and said that this could have happened by chance. So Dionysius sent him another message: “You will find this passage too:—

And he added, “Heraclides knows nothing of letters, and has no shame.”

And he added, “Heraclides knows nothing about literature and has no shame.”

VIII. And there were fourteen persons of the name of Heraclides. First, this man of whom we are speaking; the second was a fellow citizen of his, who composed songs for Pyrrhic dances, and other trifles; the third was a native of Cumæ, who wrote a history of the Persian war in five books; the fourth was also a citizen of Cumæ, who was an orator, and wrote a treatise on his art; the fifth was a native of Calatia or Alexandria, who wrote a Succession in six books, and a treatise on Ships, from which he was called Lembos; the sixth was an Alexandrian, who wrote an account of the peculiar habits of the Persians; the seventh was a dialectician of Bargyleia, who wrote against Epicurus; the eighth was a physician, a pupil of Hicesius; the ninth was a physician of Tarentum, a man of great skill; the tenth was a poet, who wrote Precepts; the eleventh was a sculptor of Phocæa; the twelfth was an Epigrammatic poet of considerable beauty; the thirteenth was a Magnesian, who wrote a history of the reign of Mithridates; the fourteenth was an astronomer, who wrote a treatise on Astronomy.

VIII. There were fourteen people named Heraclides. The first was the man we are discussing. The second was from the same city and wrote songs for Pyrrhic dances and other trifles. The third was from Cumæ and wrote a history of the Persian war in five books. The fourth was also from Cumæ. He was an orator and wrote a treatise on his art. The fifth was from Calatia or Alexandria. He wrote a Succession in six books and a treatise on Ships, which earned him the name Lembos. The sixth was from Alexandria and wrote an account of the Persians' peculiar habits. The seventh was a dialectician from Bargyleia who wrote against Epicurus. The eighth was a physician and a pupil of Hicesius. The ninth was a highly skilled physician from Tarentum. The tenth was a poet who wrote Precepts. The eleventh was a sculptor from Phocæa. The twelfth was a poet who wrote epigrams of considerable beauty. The thirteenth was from Magnesia and wrote a history of the reign of Mithridates. The fourteenth was an astronomer who wrote a treatise on Astronomy.