Lacydes' Life

I. Lacydes, the son of Alexander, was a native of Cyrene. He it is who was the founder of the New Academy, having succeeded Arcesilaus; and he was a man of great gravity of character and demeanour, and one who had many imitators.

I. Lacydes, the son of Alexander, came from Cyrene. He succeeded Arcesilaus and founded the New Academy. He was very serious in character and manner, and many people imitated him.

II. He was industrious from his very childhood, and poor, but very pleasing and sociable in his manners.

II. He was hardworking from early childhood and was poor, but he was also very pleasant and sociable.

III. They say that he had a pleasant way of managing his house-keeping affairs. For when he had taken anything out of his store-chest, he would seal it up again, and throw in his seal through the hole, so that it should be impossible for anything of what he had laid up there to be stolen from him, or carried off. But his servants learning this contrivance of his, broke the seal, and carried off as much as they pleased, and then they put the ring back through the hole in the same manner as before; and though they did this repeatedly, they were never detected.

III. They say he had an amusing way of managing his household. Whenever he took anything from his storage chest, he sealed it again. Then he dropped his seal through a hole in the chest. This was meant to make it impossible for anyone to steal or carry off anything he had stored there. But his servants learned about his trick. They broke the seal, took as much as they pleased, and then dropped the ring back through the hole as before. Although they did this repeatedly, they were never caught.

IV. Lacydes now used to hold his school in the Academy in the garden which had been laid out by Attalus the king, and it was called the Lacydeum, after him. And he was the only man, who, while alive, resigned his school to a successor; but he resigned this to Telicles and Evander, of Phocis; and Hegesinus, of Pergamus, succeeded Evander; and he himself was in his turn succeeded by Carneades.

IV. Lacydes held his school at the Academy, in a garden laid out by King Attalus. The garden was called the Lacydeum after him. He was the only man to hand over his school to a successor while still alive. He handed it over to Telicles and Evander of Phocis. Hegesinus of Pergamus succeeded Evander, and Carneades succeeded Hegesinus.

V. There is a witty saying, which is attributed to Lacydes. For they say that when Attalus sent for him, he answered that statues ought to be seen at a distance. On another occasion, as it is reported, he was studying geometry very late in life, and some said to him, “Is it then a time for you to be learning now?” “If it is not,” he replied, “when will it be?”

V. Lacydes is credited with a witty remark. They say that when Attalus sent for him, he replied that statues should be seen from a distance. On another occasion, Lacydes was reportedly studying geometry very late in life. Some people asked him, “Is this really the time for you to be learning?” He replied, “If it isn’t, when will it be?”

VI. And he died in the fourth year of the hundred and thirty-fourth Olympiad, when he had presided over his school twenty-six years. And his death was caused by paralysis, which was brought on by drinking. And we ourselves have jested upon him in the following language.

VI. He died in the fourth year of the 134th Olympiad, after leading his school for 26 years. His death was caused by paralysis brought on by drinking. We have made the following joke about him.