clearest manner. And, the amity of the Gods indeed towards men, he unfolded through piety and scientific cultivation; but that of dogmas towards each other, and universally of the soul towards the body, and of the rational towards the species of the irrational part, through philosophy, and the theory pertaining to it. With respect to the amity of men also towards each other; that of citizens he delivered through sane legisla- tion, but that of strangers through a correct physiology; and that between man and wife, or children, or brothers, and kindred, through unperverted communion. In short, he unfolded the friendship of all things towards all, and still farther, of certain irrational animals, through justice and a physical connexion and associa- tion. But the pacification and conciliation of the body, which is of itself mortal, and of its latent contrary powers, he unfolded through health, and a diet and temperance conformable to this, in imitation of the salubrious condition of the mundane elements. In all these, however, Pythagoras is acknowledged to have been the inventor and legislator of the summary com- prehension of them in one and the same name, which is that of friendship. And indeed he delivered such an admirable friendship to his associates, that even now those who are benevolent in the extreme towards each other, are said to belong to the Pythagoreans. It is necessary therefore to narrate the discipline of Pytha- goras respecting these things, and the precepts which he used towards his disciples.
These men, then, exhorted others to remove from true friendship, contest and contention, and if possible, indeed, from all friendship; but if not, at least from that which is parental, and universally from that which pertains to seniors and benefactors. For to strive or contend with such as these, in consequence of anger intervening, or some other such-like passion, is not the salvation of the existing friendship. But they said it is requisite that there should be the least possible scars
and ulcers in friendships; and that this will be the
case, if those that are friends know how to soften
and subdue anger. If both indeed know this, or rather
the younger of the two, and who ranks in some one
of the above-mentioned orders [their friendship will
be more easily preserved]. They also were of opinion,
that corrections and admonitions, which they called
pedartases, should take place from the elder to the
younger with much suavity and caution; and likewise,
that much sedulous and appropriate attention should
be manifested in admonitions. For thus they will be
decorous and beneficial. They also said, that confi-
dence should never be separated from friendship,
neither seriously nor even in jest. For it is no longer
easy for the existing friendship to be in a sane condition,
when falsehood once insinuates itself into the manners
of those that acknowledge themselves to be friends.
Again, according to them, friendship should not be
abandoned on account of misfortune, or any other
imbecility to which human life is incident; but they
said, that the only approvable rejection of a friend
and friendship, is that which arises from great and in-
corrigible vice. Likewise, that hatred should not be
voluntarily entertained against those who are not per-
fectly bad; but that if it is once formed, it should be
generously and strenuously retained, unless the object
of it changes his manners, so as to become a better man.
That the hostility also should not consist in words, but
' in deeds. And that this war is legitimate and holy,
when it is conducted in such a way as it becomes one
man to contend with another.
They likewise said, that we should never, to the
utmost of our power, become the cause of dissension;
but that we should as much as possible avoid the
source of it. That in the friendship also, which is
intended to be pure, the greater part of the things
pertaining to it ought to be definite and legitimate.
And that these should be properly distinguished, and
should not be casual; and moreover, that we should
be careful that our conversation may never be negli-
gently and casually performed, but with modesty,
benevolence, and good order. Also, that no passion,
such as desire, or anger, be rashly excited, and in a
bad and erroneous manner. And the same thing must
be said of the remaining passions and dispositions.
Moreover, that they did not decline foreign friend-
ships carelessly, but that they avoided and guarded
against them, with the greatest sedulity; and also,
that they rigidly preserved friendship towards each
other for many ages, may be inferred from what Aris-
toxenus in his treatise On the Pythagoric life, says he
heard from Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, when having
fallen from monarchy he taught grammar at Corinth.
For Aristoxenus says as follows: “These men as much
as possible prohibited lamentations and tears, and every
thing of this kind; and in a similar manner adulation,
entreaty, supplication, and the like. Dionysius, there-
fore, having fallen from his tyranny and come to
Corinth, narrated to us the particulars concerning
Phintias and Damon the Pythagoreans; and these were
respecting the one being sponsor for the death of the
other. But the mode of the suretyship was as follows:
He said that certain persons, who were familiar with
him, had frequently made mention of the Pythagoreans,
defaming and reviling them, calling them arrogant,
and asserting that their gravity, their pretended fidelity,
and apathy would be laid aside, if any one should cause
them to fall into [some great] calamity. Certain per-
sons however contradicting this, and contention arising
on the subject, recourse was had to artifice, and one
of the accusers of Phintias said before him, that he
evidently conspired with certain others against the
life of Dionysius. This also was testified by some that
were present, and the charges against Phintias appeared
to be very probable. Phintias therefore was astonished
at the accusation. But when Dionysius had unequi-
I2i
vocally said, that he had accurately explored all these
particulars, and that it was necessary that he should
die, Phintias replied, that if it appeared requisite to
him that this should take place, he requested that he
would grant him the remainder of the day, in order
that he might settle his own affairs, and also those of
Damon. For those men lived together, and had all
things in common. Phintias, however, being the elder,
the management of the domestic concerns was for the
most part undertaken by him. He requested there-
fore, that Dionysius would suffer him to depart for
this purpose, and he would appoint Damon for his
surety. Dionysius therefore said that he wondered at
the request, and that he asked him whether there was
any man who was willing to become security for the
death of another. But Phintias asserting that there
was, Damon was sent for, who, on hearing what had
happened, said that he would become the sponsor,
and that he would remain there till Phintias returned.
Dionysius therefore said, that he. was immediately
astonished at these circumstances; but that they who
at first introduced the experiment, derided Damon as
one who would be caught, and said sneeringly that he
would be the vicarious stag. When therefore it was
near sunset, Phintias came to die; at which all that
were present were astonished and subdued. But Diony-
sius said, that having embraced and kissed the men,
he requested that they would receive him as the third
into their friendship. They however would by no
means consent to a thing of this kind, though he
entreated them to comply with his request.” And
these things are related by Aristoxenus, who received
them from Dionysius himself.
It is also said, that the Pythagoreans endeavoured to
perform the offices of friendship to those of their sect,
though they were unknown to, and had never been seen
by each other, when they had received a certain indi-
cation of the participation of the same doctrines; so
that from such friendly offices the assertion may be
credited, that worthy men, even though they should
dwell in the most remote parts of the earth, are
mutually friends, and this before they become known
to and salute each other. It is said therefore, that a
certain Pythagorean, travelling through a long and
solitary road on foot, came to an inn; and there,
from labor and other all-various causes, fell into a long
and severe disease, so as to be at length in want of the
necessaries of life. ‘The inn-keeper, however, whether
from commiseration of the man, or from benevolence,
supplied him with every thing that was requisite,
neither sparing for this purpose any assistance or ex-
pense. But the Pythagorean falling a victim to the
disease, wrote a certain symbol, before he died, in
a table, and desired the inn-keeper, if he should
happen to die, to suspend the table near the road,
and observe whether any passenger read the symbol.
For that person, said he, will repay you what you have
spent on me, and will also thank you for your kind-
ness. ‘The inn-keeper, therefore, after the death of the
Pythagorean, having buried, and paid the requisite
attention to his body, had neither any hopes of being
repaid, nor of receiving any recompense from some one
who might read the table. At the same time, however,
being surprised at the request of the Pythagorean, he
was induced to expose the writing in the public road.
A long time after, therefore, a certain Pythagorean
passing that way, having understood the symbol, and
learnt who it was that placed the table there, and
having also investigated every particular, paid the inn-
keeper a much greater sum of money than he had
disbursed.
It is likewise related of Clinias the Tarentine, that
when he had learnt that Prorus the Cyrenzan, who
was zealously addicted to the Pythagorean doctrines,
was in danger of losing all his property, he sailed to
Cyrene, after having collected a sum of money, and
restored the affairs of Prorus to a better condition, uot only incurring, in so doing, a diminution of his own property, but despising the peril which he was exposed to in the voyage. After the same manner also, Thestor Posidoniates, having learnt from report alone, that Thymaridas Parius the Pythagorean had fallen into poverty, from the possession of great wealth, is said to have sailed to Parus, after having collected a large sum of money, and thus reinstated Thymaridas in property. These therefore are beautiful instances of friendship. The decisions, however, of the Pytha- goreans respecting the communion of divine gocds, the concord of intellect, and things pertaining to a divine soul, are much more admirable than the above examples. For they perpetually exhorted each other, not to divulse the God within them. Hence all the endeavour of thetr friendship both in deeds and words, was directed to a certain divine mixture, to a union with divinity, and to a communion with intellect and a divine soul. But it is not possible to find any thing better than this, either in what is uttered by words, or performed by deeds. For I am of opinion, that all the goods of friendship are comprehended in this. Hence, as we have collected in this, as in a summit, all the prerogatives of the Pythagoric friendship, we shall omit to say any thing further about it.
CHAP. XXXIV.
Since, however, we have thus generally, and with
arrangement, discussed what pertains to Pythagoras
and the Pythagoreans; let us after this narrate such
scattered particulars relative to this subject, as do not
fall under the above-mentioned order. It is said, there-
fore, that each of the Greeks who joined himself to
this community of the Pythagoreans, was ordered to
use his native language. For they did not approve of
the use of a foreign tongue. Foreigners also united
themselves to the Pythagoric sect, viz. the Messenians,
the Lucani, Picentini, and the Romans. And Metro-
dorus the son of Thyrsus who was the father of Epi-
charmus,! and who transferred the greater part of his
doctrine to medicine, says in explaining the writings
of his father to his brother, that Epicharmus, and prior
to him Pythagoras, conceived that the best dialect, as
well as the best harmony of music, is the Doric; that
the Ionic and the olic participate of the chromatic
harmony; but that the aie dialect is replete with
this in a still greater degree. They were also of
opinion, that the Doric dialect, which consists of vocal
letters, is enharmonic.
Fables likewise bear testimony to the antiquity of
this dialect. For in these it is said that Nereus
married Doris the daughter of Ocean; by whom he
had fifty daughters, one of which was the mother of
Achilles. Metrodorus also says, that according to some,
Hellen was the offspring of Deucalion, who was the
son of Prometheus and Pyrrha the daughter of Epi-
metheus; and that from him came Dorus, and olus.
He farther observes, that he learnt from the sacred
rites of the Babylonians, that Hellen was the offspring
of Jupiter, and that the sons of Hellen were Dorus,
Xuthus, and Holus; with which narrations Herodotus
also accords. It is difficult, however, for those in more
recent times to know accurately, in particulars so
ancient, which of these narrations is to be preferred.
But it may be collected from each of these histories,
that the Doric dialect is acknowledged to be the most
ancient; that the folic is next to this, which received
its name from Afolus; and that the Ionic ranks as
the third, which derived its appellation from Ion the