Zeno the Eleatic's Life
I. Zeno was a native of Velia. Apollodorus, in his Chronicles, says that he was by nature the son of Teleutagoras, but by adoption the son of Parmenides.
I. Zeno was from Velia. Apollodorus says in his Chronicles that Zeno was the biological son of Teleutagoras, but was adopted by Parmenides.
II. Timon speaks thus of him and Melissus:—
II. Timon says this about him and Melissus:
Great is the strength, invincible the might Of Zeno, skilled to argue on both sides Of any question, th’ universal critic; And of Melissus too. They rose superior To prejudice in general; only yielding To very few.
Great is the strength and invincible the power Of Zeno, who could argue both sides Of any question and criticized everything, And of Melissus too. Both rose above Prejudice in general, giving in To very few prejudices.
And Zeno had been a pupil of Parmenides, and had been on other accounts greatly attached to him.
Zeno had been a student of Parmenides and was also deeply attached to him for other reasons.
III. He was a tall man, as Plato tells us in his Parmenides, and the same writer, in his Phædrus, calls him also the Eleatic Palamedes.
III. Plato tells us in his Parmenides that he was tall. In his Phædrus, Plato also calls him the Eleatic Palamedes.
IV. Aristotle, in his Sophist, says that he was the inventor of dialectics, as Empedocles was of rhetoric. And he was a man of the greatest nobleness of spirit, both in philosophy and in politics. There are also many books extant, which are attributed to him, full of great learning and wisdom.
IV. In his Sophist, Aristotle says that he invented dialectics, just as Empedocles invented rhetoric. He was a man of great nobility of spirit, both in philosophy and in politics. Many surviving books are also attributed to him. They are full of great learning and wisdom.
V. He, wishing to put an end to the power of Nearches, the tyrant (some, however, call the tyrant Diomedon), was arrested, as we are informed by Heraclides, in his abridgment of Satyrus. And when he was examined, as to his accomplices, and as to the arms which he was taking to Lipara, he named all the friends of the tyrant as his accomplices, wishing to make him feel himself alone. And then, after he had mentioned some names, he said that he wished to whisper something privately to the tyrant; and when he came near him he bit him, and would not leave his hold till he was stabbed. And the same thing happened to Aristogiton, the tyrant slayer. But Demetrius, in his treatise on People of the same Name, says that it was his nose that he bit off.
V. He wanted to end the power of Nearches, the tyrant. Some, however, call the tyrant Diomedon. According to Heraclides, in his abridgment of Satyrus, he was arrested. He was questioned about his accomplices and the weapons he was taking to Lipara. He named all the tyrant’s friends as his accomplices, hoping to make the tyrant feel alone. After naming some of them, he said that he wanted to whisper something privately to the tyrant. When he came near the tyrant, he bit him and would not let go until he was stabbed. The same thing happened to Aristogiton, the tyrant slayer. But Demetrius, in his treatise on People of the same Name, says that he bit off the tyrant’s nose.
Moreover, Antisthenes, in his Successions, says that after he had given him information against his friends, he was asked by the tyrant if there was any one else. And he replied, “Yes, you, the destruction of the city.” And that he also said to the bystanders, “I marvel at your cowardice, if you submit to be slaves to the tyrant out of fear of such pains as I am now enduring.” And at last he bit off his tongue and spit it at him; and the citizens immediately rushed forward, and slew the tyrant with stones. And this is the account that is given by almost every one.
Antisthenes also gives an account in his Successions. He says that after the man informed on his friends, the tyrant asked him if there was anyone else. He replied, “Yes, you, the ruin of the city.” He also said to the bystanders, “I am amazed at your cowardice. You submit to being slaves to the tyrant because you fear the pain I am now enduring.” Finally, he bit off his tongue and spit it at the tyrant. The citizens immediately rushed forward and stoned the tyrant to death. This is the account given by almost everyone.
But Hermippus says, that he was put into a mortar, and pounded to death. And we ourselves have written the following epigram on him:—
But Hermippus says he was put in a mortar and pounded to death. We ourselves have written the following epigram about him:
Your noble wish, O Zeno, was to slay A cruel tyrant, freeing Elea From the harsh bonds of shameful slavery, But you were disappointed; for the tyrant Pounded you in a mortar. I say wrong, He only crushed your body, and not you.
Your noble wish, Zeno, was to kill A cruel tyrant and free Elea From the harsh chains of shameful slavery. But you failed, because the tyrant Pounded you in a mortar. No, I am wrong. He crushed only your body, not you.
VI. And Zeno was an excellent man in other respects, and he was also a despiser of great men in an equal degree with Heraclitus; for he, too, preferred the town which was formerly called Hyele, and afterwards Elea, being a colony of the Phocæans, and his own native place, a poor city possessed of no other importance than the knowledge of how to raise virtuous citizens, to the pride of the Athenians; so that he did not often visit them, but spent his life at home.
VI. Zeno was an excellent man in other respects, and he despised great men as much as Heraclitus did. Like Heraclitus, he preferred his own birthplace to the grandeur of the Athenians. His hometown was once called Hyele and later Elea, and it was a colony of the Phocæans. It was a poor city, important only for knowing how to raise virtuous citizens. So Zeno rarely visited the Athenians, but spent his life at home.
VII. He, too, was the first man who asked the question called Achilles, though Phavorinus attributes its first use to Parmenides, and several others.
VII. He was also the first to ask the question known as Achilles. But Phavorinus credits Parmenides and several others with first using it.
See the life of Parmenides.
VIII. His chief doctrines were, that there were several worlds, and that there was no vacuum; that the nature of all things consisted of hot and cold, and dry and moist, these elements interchanging their substances with one another; that man was made out of the earth, and that his soul was a mixture of the before-named elements in such a way that no one of them predominated.
VIII. His main teachings were that there were several worlds and no vacuum. He held that all things consisted of heat, cold, dryness, and moisture, and that these elements exchanged substances with one another. He also held that man was made from the earth. His soul was a mixture of these elements, with none predominating.
IX. They say that when he was reproached, he was indignant; and that when some one blamed him, he replied, “If when I am reproached, I am not angered, then I shall not be pleased when I am praised.”
IX. They say he became angry when people criticized him. When someone blamed him for this, he replied, “If criticism does not make me angry, then praise will not please me.”
X. We have already said in our account of the Cittiæan, that there were eight Zenos; but this one flourished about the seventy-ninth olympiad.
X. In our account of the Cittiæan, we already said that there were eight Zenos. But this Zeno flourished around the seventy-ninth Olympiad.