The Golden Verses of Pythagoras — with commentary (1917)
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These are the dogmas by means of which Pythagoras established the necessity of Destiny, without harming the power of the Will, and left to Providence its universal empire, without being obliged either to attribute to it the origin of evil, as those who admitted only one principle of things, or to give to evil an absolute existence, as those who admitted two principles. In this, he was in accordance with the ancient doctrine which was followed by the oracles of the gods."* The Pythagoreans, however, did not regard
<• Hi^rocl., Aur. Carm., v. 14; Phot., Cod., 242 et 214.
* Diog. Laert., In Pythag.; ibid., In Emped.
^ Hi^rocl., Pont, apud Diog. Laert., 1. viii., § 4.
<* Maximus Tyrius has made a dissertation upon the origin of Evil, in
Examinations of the Golden Verses 171
pain, that is to say, whatever afflicts the body in its mortal life, as veritable evils; they called veritable evils only sins, vices, and errors into which one falls voluntarily. In their opinion, the physical and inevitable evils being illustrated by the presence of virtue, could be transformed into blessings and become distinguished and enviable. These last evils, dependent upon necessity.
Lysis commended to be judged for what they were; that is, to consider as an inevitable consequence of some mistake, as the chastisement or remedy for some vice ; and therefore to endure them, and far from irritating them further by impatience and anger, on the contrary to modify them by the resignation and acquiescence of the will to the judgment of Providence.
He does not forbid, as one sees in the lines cited, assuaging them by lawful means ; on the contrary, he desires that the sage should apply himself to diverting them if possible, and healing them. Thus this philosopher did not fall into the excess with which the Stoics have been justly reproached.* He considered pain evil, not that it was of the same nature as vice, but because its nature, a purgative for vice, makes it a necessary consequence.
Plato adopted this idea, and made all the inferences felt with his customary eloquence. As to what Lysis said, always following Pythagoras, that the sage was never exposed to the cruelest evils, this can be understood as Hierocles has understood it, in a simple and natural manner, or in a more mysterious manner as I stated.
It is evident at once, in following the inferences of the principles which have been given, that the sage is not, in reality, subject to the severest evils, since, not aggravating by his emotions those which the necessity of destiny which he asserts that the prophetic oracles, having been consulted on this subject, responded by these two lines from Homer:
"We accuse the gods of our evils, while we ourselves By our own errors, are responsible for them." o Hi^rocl., Aur. Carm., v. l8. * Plutar., De Repugn. Stoic.
c In Gorgi. et Phileb.
172 The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
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