CHAP. XXII.
ANOTHER mode also of erudition is transmitted to us, which was effected through Pythagoric precepts, and sentences which extended to human life and human opinion ; a few of which out of many I shall narrate. One of these therefore contains an exhortation to re- move contention and strife from true friendship, and especially from all friendship, if possible. But if this is not possible, at least to expel it from paternal friend- ship, and universally from that which subsists with elders and benefactors. For to contend pervicaciously with such as these, anger or some other similar passion intervening, is not to preserve, [but destroy] the exist- ing friendship. But they say it is necessary that the smallest lacerations and ulcerations should take place in friendships. And that this will be effected, if both the friends bnaw how to yield and subdue their anger, and especially the younger of the two, and who belongs to some one of the above-mentioned orders. They likewise thought it necessary that the corrections and admonitions which they called pedartases, and which the elder employed towards the younger, should be made with much suavity of manners and great caution; and also that much solicitude and appropriation should be exhibited in admonitions. For thus the admonition
will become decorous and beneficial. They likewise
say that faith should never be separated from friend-
ship, neither seriously nor in jest. For it is no longer
easy for the existing friendship to remain in a
sane condition, when falsehood once insinuates itself
into the manners of those who assert themselves to be
friends. And again they say, that friendship is not to
be rejected on account of misfortune, or any other
imbecility which happens to human life; but that the
only laudable rejection of a friend and of friendship,
is that which takes place through great and ncurstle
vice. Such therefore was the form of correction with
the Pythagoreans through sentences, and which ex-
tended to all the virtues, and to the whole of life.
CHAP. XXIII.
Tue mode however of teaching through symbols,
was considered by Pythagoras as most necessary. For
this form of erudition was cultivated by nearly all the
Greeks, as being most ancient. But it was trans-
cendently honored by the Egyptians, and adopted by
them in the most diversified manner. Conformably to
this, therefore, it will be found, that great attention
was paid to it by Pythagoras, if any one clearly unfolds
the significations and arcane conceptions of the Pytha-
goric symbols, and thus develops the great rectitude
and truth they contain, and liberates them from their
enigmatic form. For they are adapted according to
a simple and uniform doctrine, to the great geniuses of
these philosophers, and deify in a manner which sur-
passes human conception. For those who came from
this school, and especially the most ancient Pytha-
goreans, and also those young men who were the dis-
ciples of Pythagoras when he was an old man, viz.
Philolaus ! and Eurytus, Charondas and Zaleucus, and
Brysson, the elder Archytas also, and Aristzus, Lysis
and Empedocles, Zanolxis and Epimenides, Milo and
Leucippus, Alcemzon, Hippasus and Thymaridas, and
all of that age, consisting of a multitude of learned men,
and who were above measure excellent,—all these
adopted this mode of teaching, in their discourses with
each other, and in their commentaries and annotations.
Their writings also, and all the books which they pub-
lished, most of which have been preserved even to our
time,* were not composed by them in a popular and
vulgar diction, and in a manner usual with all other
writers, so as to be immediately understood, but in
such a way as not to be easily apprehended by those
that read them. For they adopted that taciturnity
which was instituted by Pythagoras as a law, in con-
cealing after an arcane mode, divine mysteries from the
uninitiated, and obscuring their writings and con-
ferences with each other. Hence he who selecting
these symbols does not unfold their meaning by an
apposite exposition, will cause those who may happen
to meet with them to consider them as ridiculous and
inane, and as full of nugacity and garrulity. When,
however, they are unfolded in a way conformable to
these symbols, and become obvious and clear even to
the multitude, instead of being obscure and dark, then
they will be found to be analogous to prophetic sayings,
and to the oracles of the Pythian Apollo. They will
then also exhibit an admirable meaning, and will pro-
duce a divine afflatus in those who unite intellect with
1 Jamblichus, in this list of Pythagoreans, must not be supposed to enumerate those only who were contemporary with Pythagoras : since, if he did, he contradicts what he says of Philolaus in Chap. 31, viz. “ that he was many ages posterior to Pythagoras ;”” but those in general who came from the school of Pythagoras, and were his most celebrated disciples.
2 From this passage it is evident that Iamblichus had many sources
of information, which are unknown to modern critics; and this cir- cumstance alone ought to check their pedagogical impertinence.
erudition. Nor will it be improper to mention a few
of them, in order that this mode of discipline may
become more perspicuous: Enter not into a temple
negligently, nor in short adore carelessly, not even
though you should stand at the very doors themselves.
Sacrifice and adore unshod. Declining from the public
ways, walk in unfrequented paths. Speak not about
Pythagoric concerns without light. And such are the
outlines of the mode adopted by Pythagoras of teach-
ing through symbols.
CHAP. XXIV.
SincE, however, nutriment greatly contributes to the best discipline, when it is properly used, and in an orderly manner, let us consider what Pythagoras also instituted as a law about this. Universally, therefore, he rejected all such food as is flatulent, and the cause of perturbation, but he approved of the nutriment contrary to this, and ordered it to be used, viz. such food as composes and compresses the habit of the body. Hence, likewise, he thought that millet was a plant adapted to nutrition. But he altogether rejected such food as is foreign to the Gods; because it withdraws us from familiarity with the Gods. Again, according to another mode also, he ordered his disciples to abstain from such food as is reckoned sacred, as being worthy of honor, and not to be appropriated to common and human utility. He likewise exhorted them to abstain from such things as are an impediment to prophesy, or to the purity and chastity of the soul, or to the habit of temperance, or of virtue. And lastly, he rejected all such things as are adverse to sanctity, and which obscure and disturb the other purities of the soul, and the phantasms which occur insleep. These things there- fore he instituted as laws in common about nutriment.
Separately, however, he forbade the most contem- plative of philosophers, and who have arrived at the summit of philosophic attainments, the use of super- fluous and unjust food, and ordered them never to eat any thing animated, nor in short, to drink wine, nor to sacrifice animals to the Gods, nor by any means to injure animals, but to preserve most solicitously justice towardsthem. And he himself lived after this manner, abstaining from animal food, and adoring altars undefiled with blood. He was likewise careful in preventing others from destroying animals that are of a kindred nature with us, and rather corrected and instructed savage animals through words and deeds, than injured them through punishment. And farther still, he also enjoined those politicians that were legislators to ab- stain from animals. For as they wished to act in the highest degree justly, it is certainly necessary that they should not injure any kindred animal. Since, how could they persuade others to act justly, if they themselves were detected in indulging an insatiable avidity by partaking of animals that are allied to us? For chroush the communion of life and the same ele- ments, and the mixture subsisting from these, they are as it were conjoined to us by a fraternal alliance. He permitted, however, others whose life was not entirely purified, sacred and philosophic, to eat of certain animals; and for these he appointed a definite time of abstinence. ‘These therefore, he ordered not to eat the heart, nor the brain; and from the eating of these he entirely prohibited all the Pythagoreans. For these arts are es a ruling nature, and are as it were certain adders and seats of wisdom and life. But other?! things were considered by him as sacred on account of the nature of a divine reason. Thus he exhorted his disciples to abstain from mallows, because this plant is the first messenger and signal of the aac of
1 For avra. here I read, conformably to the version of Obrechtus, adXa.
celestial with terrestrial natures. ‘Thus, too, he ordered
them to abstain from the fish melanurus; for it is
sacred to the terrestrial Gods. And also not to receive
the fish erythinus, through other such like causes. He
likewise exhorted them to abstain from beans, on
account of many sacred and physical causes, and also
such causes as pertain to the soul. And he established
as laws other precepts similar to these, beginning
through nutriment to lead men to virtue.
CHAP: XXV.
Pytuacoras was likewise of opinion that music con-
tributed greatly to health, if it was used in an appro-
priate manner. For he was accustomed to employ a
purification of this kind, but not in a careless way.
And he called the medicine which is obtained through
music by the name of purification. But he employed
such a melody as this about the vernal season. F or he
placed in the middle a certain person who played on
the lyre, and seated in a circle round him those who
were able to sing. And thus, when the person in the
centre struck the lyre, those that surrounded him
sung certain pzans, through which they were seen to
be delighted, and to become elegant and orderly in
their manners. But at another time they used music
in the place of medicine. And there are certain
melodies devised as remedies against the passions of
the soul, and also against js Gaeeeeh and lamentation,
which Pythagoras invented as things that afford the
greatest assistance in these maladies. And again, he
employed other melodies against rage and anger, and
1 For Syypous here, I read éduppous ; as I do not see what morsus has to do with this place. Obrechtus has in his version “ pectorisque morsus;” but I have no doubt lamentations is the proper word, which aptly associates with despondency.
against every aberration of the soul. There is also another kind of modulation invented as a remedy against desires. He likewise used dancing; but em- ployed the lyre as an instrument for this purpose. For he conceived that the pipe was calculated to excite insolence, was a theatrical instrument, and had by no means a liberal sound.’ Select verses also of Homer and Hesiod were used by him, for the purpose of correcting the soul. Among the deeds of Pythagoras likewise, it is said, that once through the spondaic song of a piper, he extinguished the rage of a Tauromenian lad, who had been feasting by night, and intended to burn the vestibule of his mistress, in consequence of seeing her coming from the house of his rival. For the lad was inflamed and excited [to this rash attempt] by a Phrygian song; which however Pythagoras most rapidly suppressed. But Pythagoras, as he was astron- omizing, happened to meet with the Phrygian piper at an unseasonable time of night, and persuaded him to change his Phrygian for a spondaic song; through which the fury of the lad being immediately repressed, he returned home in an orderly manner, though a little before this, he could not be in the least restrained, nor would in short, bear any admonition; and even stupidly insulted Pythagoras when he met him. When a certain youth also rushed with a drawn sword on Anchitus, the host of Empedocles, because, being a judge, he had publicly condemned his father to death, and would have slain him as a homicide, Empedocles
1“ Well-instituted polities,” (says Proclus in MS. Comment. in Alcibiad. prior.) “‘ are averse to the art of playing on wind-instruments ; and therefore neither does Plato admit it. The cause of this is the variety of this instrument, the pipe, which shows that the art which uses it should be avoided. For instruments called Panarmonia, and those consisting of many strings, are imitations of pipes. For every hole of the pipe emits, as they say, three sounds at least; but if the cavity above the holes be opened, then each hole will emit more than three sounds.”
changed the intention of the youth, by singing to his lyre that verse of Homer,
Nepenthe, without gall, o’er every ill Oblivion spreads; 7
and thus snatched his host Anchitus from death, and
the youth from the crime of homicide. It is also
related that the youth from that time became the
most celebrated of the disciples of Pythagoras. Farther
still, the whole Pythagoric school produced by certain
appropriate songs, what they called exartysts or adapta-
tion, synarmoge or elegance of manners, and epaphe or
contact, usefully conducting the dispositions of the
soul to passions contrary to those which it before
possessed. For when they went to bed they purified
the reasoning power from the perturbations and noises
to which it had been exposed during the day, by certain
odes and peculiar songs, and by this means procured for
themselves tranquil sleep, and few and good dreams.
But when they rose from bed, they again liberated
themselves from the torpor and heaviness of sleep, by
songs of another kind. Sometimes, also, by musical
sounds alone, unaccompanied with words, they healed
the passions of the soul and certain diseases, enchanting,
as they say, in reality. And it is probable that from
hence this name epode, i.e. enchantment, came to be
generally used. After this manner, therefore, Pytha-
goras through music produced the most beneficial
correction of human manners and lives.