Iamblichus
LIFE OF PY THAGORAS,
PYTHAGORIC LIFE.
Iamblichus’
LIFE OF PY THAGORAS,
PYTHAGORIC LIFE.
ACCOMPANIED BY
FRAGMENTS OF THE ETHICAL WRITINGS
OF CERTAIN PYTHAGOREANS IN THE DORIC DIALECT ;
And a
COLLECTION OF PYTHAGORIC SENTENCES
FROM STOB/EUS AND OTHERS,
WHICH ARE OMITTED BY GALE IN HIS
OPUSCULA MYTHOLOGICA,
AND HAVE NOT BEEN NOTICED BY ANY EDITOR.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK.
By THOMAS TAYLOR.
Approach ye genuine philosophic few,
The Pythagoric Life belongs to you:
But far, far off ye vulgar herd profane ;
For Wisdom’s voice is heard by you in vain:
And you, Mind's lowest link, and darksome end,
Good Rulers, Customs, Laws, alone can mend.
London:
J. M. WATKINS I8I8
INTRODUCTION.
Wuen it is considered that Pythagoras was the father
of philosophy, authentic memoirs of his life cannot fail
to be uncommonly interesting to every lover of wisdom,
and particularly to those who reverence the doctrines
of Plato, the most genuine and the best of all his
disciples. And that the following memoirs of Pytha-
goras by Iamblichus are authentic, is acknowledged by
all the critics, as they are for the most part obviously
derived from sources of very high antiquity; and
where the sources are unknown, there is every reason
to believe, from the great worth and respectability of
the biographer, that the information is perfectly accu-
rate and true.
Of the biographer, indeed, Iamblichus, it is well known to every tyro in Platonism that he was dignified by all the Platonists that succeeded him with the epithet of divine ; and after the encomium passed on him by the acute Emperor Julian, “that he was paaihedd indeed in time, but not 1n gentus, to Plato,” + all further praise of him would be as unnecessary, as the defamation of him by certain modern critics is contemptible and idle. For these homonculi looking solely to his deficiency in point of style, and not to the magnitude of his intellect, perceive only his little blemishes, but have not even a glimpse of his surpassing excellence. They minutely
1 OiSa pév obv xat TlAdrwva tov péyav, Kat perd rourdy dvdpa Tos Xpovois pev, ov TH MYV pica, KaTadeerrEepoy, TOV Xarxidda Ppt rov "lapBAxov, x. X. Julian. Orat. rv.
Thus too the celebrated Bullialdus, in his Notes on Theo of Smyrna, speaks of Iamblichus as a man of a most acute genius.
notice the motes that are scattered in the sunbeams
of his genius, but they feel not its invigorating warmth,
they see not its dazzling radiance.
Of this very extraordinary man there is a life extant by Eunapius, the substance of which I have given in my History of the Restoration of the Platonic Theology, and to which I refer the English reader. At present I shall only select from that work the following biogra- phical particulars respecting our Iamblichus: He was descended of a family equally illustrious, fortunate, and rich. His country was Chalcis, a city of Syria, which was called Cele. He associated with Anatolius who was the second to Porphyry, but he far excelled him in his attainments, and ascended to the very summit of philosophy. But after he had been for some time connected with Anatolius, and most probably found him insufficient to satisfy the vast desires of his soul, he applied himself to Porphyry, to whom (says Euna- pius) he was in nothing inferior, except in the structure and power of composition. For his writings were not so elegant and graceful as those of Porphyry: they were neither agreeable, nor perspicuous; nor free from im- purity of diction. And though they were not entirely involved in obscurity, and perfectly faulty; yet as Plato formerly said of Xenocrates, he did not sacrifice to the Mercurial Graces. Hence he is far from detain- ing the reader with delight, who merely regards his diction; but will rather avert and dull his attention, and frustrate his expectation. However, though the surface of his conceptions is not covered with the flowers of elocution, yet the depth of them is admirable, and his genius is truly sublime. And admitting his style to abound in general with those defects, which have been noticed by the critics, yet it appears to me that the decision of the anonymous Greek writer respecting his Answer to the Epistle of Porphyry, is more or less
1 There is a Greek and Latin edition of this admirable work by Gale, under the title of Iamblichus De Mysteriis.
applicable to all his other works. For he says, “that
his diction in that Answer is concise and definite, and
that his conceptions are full of efficacy, are elegant,
and divine.” 4
Iamblichus shared in an eminent degree the favor
of divinity, on account of his cultivation of justice;
and obtained a numerous multitude of associates and
disciples, who came from all parts of the world, for the
purpose of participating the streams of wisdom, which
so plentifully flowed from the sacred fountain of his
wonderful mind. Among these was Sopater the
‘Syrian,? who was most .skilful both in speaking and
writing; Eustathius the Cappadocian; and of the
Greeks, Theodorus and Euphrasius. All these were
excellent for their virtues and attainments, as well as
many other of his disciples, who were not much inferior
to the former in eloquence; so that it seems wonderful
how Iamblichus could attend to all of them, with such
gentleness of manners and benignity of disposition as
he continually displayed.
He performed some few particulars relative to the
veneration of divinity by himself, without his associates
and disciples; but was inseparable from his familiars
in most of his operations. He imitated in his diet the
frugal simplicity of the most ancient times; and during
his repast, exhilarated those who were present by his
behaviour, and filled them as with nectar by the sweet-
ness of his discourse.
A celebrated philosopher named Alypius, who was
deeply skilled in dialectic, was contemporary with
Iamblichus, but was of such a diminutive stature, that
he exhibited the appearance of a pigmy. However,
his great abilities amply compensated for this trifling
1 "AdAd Kai 7d Ts A€fews Komparixov, kal ddoprorixdy, Kai Td Tov évvowwv mpaypatixoy, Kat yAadupdv, cai &Oouw, x. A. See the Testimonies prefixed by Gale to his edition of the above-mentioned work.
2 This Sopater succeeded Plotinus in his philosophical school.
defect. For his body might be said to be consumed
into soul; just as the great Plato says, that divine
bodies, unlike those that are mortal, are situated in
souls. ‘Thus also it might be asserted of Alypius, that
he had migrated into soul, and that he was contained
and governed by a nature superior to man. This Aly-
pius had many followers, but his mode of philoso-
phizing was confined to private conference and disputa-
tion, without committing any of his dogmas to writing.
Hence his disciples gladly applied themselves to Iam-
blichus, desirous to draw abundantly from the exube-
rant streams of his inexhaustible mind. The fame
therefore of each continually increasing, they once
accidentally met like two refulgent stars, and were
surrounded by so great a crowd of auditors, that it
resembled some mighty museum. While Jamblichus
on this occasion waited rather to be interrogated, than
to propose a question himself, Alypius, contrary to the
expectation of every one, relinquishing philosophical
discussions, and seeing himself surrounded with a
theatre of men, turned to Jamblichus, and said to him:
“Tell me, O philosopher, is either the rich man unjust,
or the heir of the unjust man? For in this case there
is no medium.” But Jamblichus hating the acuteness
of the question, replied: “O most wonderful of all
men, this manner of considering, whether some one
excels in externals, is foreign from our method of
philosophizing; since we inquire whether a man abounds
in the virtue which it is proper for him to possess, and
which is adapted to a philosopher.” After he had said
this he departed, and at the same time all the surround-
ing multitude was immediately dispersed. But Jam-
blichus, when he was alone, admired the acuteness of
the question, and often privately resorted to Alypius,
whom he very much applauded for his acumen and
sagacity; so that after his decease, he wrote his life.
This Alypius was an Alexandrian by birth, and died in
his own country, worn out with age: and after him
1x
Iamblichus,! leaving behind him many roots and
fountains of philosophy; which through the cultiva-
tion of succeeding Platonists, produced a fair variety
of vigorous branches, and copious streams.
For an account of the theological writings of Iam-
blichus, I refer the reader to my above-mentioned
History of the Restoration of the Platonic Theology;
and for accurate critical information concerning all his
works, to the Bibliotheca Greca of Fabricius.
Of the following work, the life of Pythagoras, it is
necessary to observe that the original has been trans-
mitted to us in a very imperfect state, partly from the
numerous verbal errors of the text, partly from the
want of connexion in the things that are narrated, and
partly from many particulars being related in different
places, in the very same words; so that the conjecture
of Kuster, one of the German editors of this work, is
highly probable, that it had not received the last hand
of Iamblichus, but that others formed this treatise from
the confused materials which they found among his
Manuscripts, after his death. Notwithstanding all its
defects, however, it is, as I have before observed, a most
interesting work; and the benefits are inestimable,
which the dissemination of it is calculated to produce.
And as two of the most celebrated critics among the
Germans, Kuster and Kiessling, have given two splen-
did editions of this work, it is evident they must have
been deeply impressed with a conviction of its value
and importance.
As to the Pythagoric Ethical Fragments, all eulogy
of them is superfluous, when it is considered that,
independently of their being written by very early
Pythagoreans, they were some of the sources from
which Aristotle himself derived his consummate know-
1 The exact time of Iamblichus’ death is unknown. It is however certain that it was during the reign of Constantine ; and according to the accurate Fabricius, prior to the year of Christ 333. Vid. Biblioth. Grec. Tom. iv. p. 283.
ledge of morality, as will be at once evident by com- paring his Nicomachean Ethics with these fragments. With respect to the collection of Pythagoric Sentences in this volume, it is almost needless to observe that they are incomparably excellent; and it is deeply to be regretted that the Greek original of the Sentences of Sextus! being lost, the fraudulent Latin version of them by the Presbyter Ruffinus alone remains. I call it a fraudulent version, because Ruffinus, wishing to persuade the reader that these Sentences were written by a bishop of the name of Sixtus, has in many places perverted and contaminated the meaning of the original. In the selection, however, which I have made from these Sentences, I have endeavoured, and I trust not in vain, to give the genuine sense of Sextus, unmingled with the barbarous and polluted interpola- tions of Ruffinus. If the English reader has my trans- lation of the Sentences of Demophilus, and Mr. BripcMAN’s translation of the Golden Sentences of Democrates, and the Similitudes of Demophilus,? he will then be possessed of all the Pythagoric Sentences that are extant, those alone of Sextus excepted, which I have not translated, in consequence of the very im- pure and spurious state, in which they at present exist. I deem it also requisite to observe, that the Pytha- goric life which is here delineated, is a specimen of the greatest perfection in virtue and wisdom, which can be obtained by man in the present state. Hence, it exhibits piety unadulterated with folly, moral virtue uncontaminated with vice, science unmingled with sophistry, dignity of mind and manners unaccompanied
1 This Sextus is probably the same that Seneca so greatly extols, and from whom he derives many of those admirable sentences with which his works abound. Vid. Senece Epistolas, 59, 64, 98, et lib. 2 de Ira, c. 36, et lib. 3. c. 36.
2 All these were published in one vol. 12zmo. by Mr. Bripeman, under the title of Translations from the Greek, in the year 1804, and well deserve to be perused by the liberal reader.
with pride, a sublime magnificence in theory, without
any degradation in practice, and a vigor of intellect,
which elevates its possessor to the vision of divinity,
and thus deifies while it exalts.
The original of the engraving of the head of Iam-
blichus facing the title-page, is to be found at the end
of a little volume consisting of Latin translations of
Tamblichus De Mysteriis, Proclus On the First Alcib-
iades of Plato, &c. &c. &c. 18mo. Genev. 1607.
This engraving was added because it appeared to me
to be probable that the original was copied from an
ancient gem. And as it-is not impossible that it was,
_ if it is not genuine, it is at least ornamental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE.
For a representation of a fine bust of Pythagoras in
the Vatican, see Tom. 6, pl. 26, Statue del Museo Pio
Clementino.