6

who was his namesake, was sent to Delos to watch over the island, where the two deities1 presided, according to some brazen tablets, that Opis and Hecaergus2 had brought from the Hyperboreans; and that he learnt that after3 the soul was released from the body, it departed to the uncertain spot, and some dwelling under ground, where is the royal palace of Pluto,5 not less than the hall of Zeus, inasmuch as the earth possesses the middle portion of the world, and the pole (of heaven) is spherical; of which the gods of heaven have obtained by lot one portion of the hemisphere, and the gods below the other, being some of them brothers, and others the children of brothers;7 and that the gates before the road to Pluto's domain are fast bound by iron locks and keys; and that the river Acheron receives him, who has opened them, and, after it, Cocytus, both of which it is necessary for him to pass over, and to be led to Minos and Rhadamanthus, 8 (where is) what is called the plain of Truth. [20.] There are they seated as judges to sift each of the comers as to what life he had led, and in what pursuits he had dwelt in the body;9 and that to tell a falsehood is out of his power. On such then as a kind dæmon has breathed during life, these are located in the region of the pious. 10 There without stint the seasons bloom with every kind of produce, and fountains of pure

1 The two deities were Apollo and Artemis.

2 By Opis was meant Artemis, and by Hecaergus, Apollo.

3 In lieu of karà Horreus once proposed to read μerà, which I have adopted, confirmed, as it is, by the best MS. V. Fischer however says that Horreus changed his opinion in Miscell. Crit. p. 171.

4 Since a

good MS. Z. reads "Adov in lieu of adnov, perhaps the author wrote "Αιδου ἀνήλιον, similar to τὰν ἀστιβῆ ̓Απόλλωνι-χέρσον in Esch. S. Th. 857. Ficinus has " occultum-"

5 In Ficinus it is "Junonis," evidently a literal error for "Plutonis." These were Zeus, Poseidon, and Pluto.

Namely Minos, acus, and Rhadamanthus.

8_8 I have translated, as if iv' had dropt out between 'Padáμavovv and 8, and or after KλýεTαι. Ficinus has, what the sense requires, "in eam videlicet regionem, qui veritatis campus cognominatur.'

As the subject of ivykioon is wanting, it is to be supplied, I suspect, by reading ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡ ψυχὴ οὖσα— For ἡ ψυχὴ οὖσα might easily have dropt out before evoaolai. Ficinus avoids all the difficulty by omitting Beẞiwre-owμari, and rendering "cujusque vitam," as if his MS. read ἑκάστου τὸν βίον in lieu of ἕκαστον, τίνα βίον

10_10 Wolf was the first to remark the poetical colour of this passage;

water flow; 10 and every where are meadows made beautiful1 by flowers of varied hues, and places of discussions for philosophers, and theatres of poets, and cyclic choirs,2 and the hearing of music, and elegant 3 banquets, and feasts self-furnished, and an unmixed freedom from pain, and a delightful mode of living. Nor is produced there violent cold or heat, but a well-tempered air is diffused around, mixed with the sun's mild beams. There is the seat of honour to those, who have shared in the Mysteries; for they perform together their holy rites even thither.5 How then is there not to you first 6 a share in the honour, as being of the family of the goddesses? And there is a report that Heracles and Dionysus descended to Hades after having previously shared in the Mysteries here; and that they put on 9a boldness for the journey thither from the Eleusinian (rites).9 [21.] But they, whose life has been passed in a course of evil doings, are driven by the Furies to Erebus and Chaos through Tartarus, where

7

where it is easy to elicit a distich, probably of Sophocles, "Eve' ap¤ova μὲν ἦρι παγκάρπῳ γύαι Βρύουσι, καθαρῶν δ ̓ ἐκρέουσι ναμάτων Πηγαί : Ficinus too has-"ver æternum-'

1 In lieu of lapilóμɛvoi, which is not a Greek word, I have translated, as if the author had written ὡραϊζόμενοι—

66

2 From the juxta-position of Tointov, I have taken rúkλioι in the sense of "cyclic." It may however mean circular”for κυκλίων χορῶν is found in Eurip. Helen. 1328.

3 Instead of εvμελñ, five good MSS. read iμμɛλñ, similar to “jocunda " in Ficinus, which I have adopted; although the author wrote, I suspect, πιμελῆ --“ rich.”

4 Compare Soph. Fragm. Inc. 52, ὡς τρισόλβιοι Κεῖνοι βροτῶν, οἳ ταῦτα δερχθέντες τέλη, Μόλωσ ̓ ἐς "Αιδου. τοῖσδε γὰρ μόνοις ἐκεῖ Ζῇν ἔστι· τοῖς δ ̓ ἄλλοισι πάντ' οἰκεῖ κακά.

5 Correct Greek would require κἀκεῖ, not κἀκεῖσε—in which word lies hid, however, Kaтà KίOTαg. On the box, used at the Mysteries, see Lobeck's Aglaophamus, p. 25, who quotes from Clemens Alex. Cohortat. p. 18, ἔλαβον ἐκ κίστης—ἀπεθέμην εἰς κάλαθον καὶ ἐκ καλάθου εἰς κίστην. • In lieu of πρώτῳ one would prefer εἴπερ τῳ, i. e. “ if to any one— For Axiochus was not the first who had a share in the honour.

7 So Fischer understands γεννήτῃ. But as three MSS. read γενήση, and two yɛvɛinty, little doubt can remain of the truth of Wolf's correction, γε μύστη

8 I have adopted Wolf's elegant ἐνΔύσασθαι, in lieu of ἐνΑύσασθαι, which Fischer vainly attempts to explain. Ficinus has "suscipere--" 9—9 Although TEλETNS might perhaps be understood after rйS Ελευσινίας, yet I should prefer τῆς Ἐλευσῖνι ἁγνείας—

is the region of the impious, and the unfilled urns of the daughters of Danaus, and the thirst of Tantalus, 1and the entrails of Tityus, and the uncompleted stone of Sisyphus, To whom begins again his labour's end.1

There too are persons licked round by wild beasts,2 and 3 terrified by the torches of the Furies glaring around them ;3 and enduring every kind of ignominious treatment, they are by eternal punishments worn down. This account did I hear from Gobryas; and you, Axiochus, can decide upon it. For carried along myself by reason I know firmly this alone, that the soul is wholly immortal, and that, when it is removed from this spot, it is there without pain; so that it must needs be, Axiochus, that, if you have lived piously, you will be happy either below or above.

Axio. I am ashamed, Socrates, to say a word.5 For so far am I from fearing death, that already I feel a desire for it; 6so greatly has this beautiful discourse of yours7 persuaded me, as if it were a heavenly one. And even now I

11 In the Greek lies hid the following dramatic distich—Kai onλáyɣva Τιτύου Σισύφου τ ̓ ἀνήνυτος Πέτρος, οὗ τὰ τέρματ' αὖθις ἔρχεται πόνων. 2 I do not remember to have read elsewhere of persons in Hades being licked round by wild beasts, except in the case of Bacchus, as described by Horace "Te vidit insons Cerberus-leniter atterens Caudam et recedentis trilingui Ore pedes tetigitque crura "-nor in fact could the act of licking indicate any thing of a dreadful kind. Hence in lieu of πepiλixμώμενοι one would prefer περίαλλα χασμωμένοις—i, e, with jaws very widely opened. Ficinus avoids the difficulty by his version-"ubi feræ mordaces inseparabiliter corporibus se circumplicant." "fired con

3 The Greek is λαμπάσιν ἐπιμόνως πυρούμενοι, i. e. tinually with torches." But as Stobæus offers daoiv instead of Xaμπáσiv, I have translated, as if the Greek were δᾳσὶ περιλαμπομέναις πτυρόμενοι : for πτυρόμενοι would be another example of the verb πτύρεσθαι, found in § 16, where the best MS. V. reads incorrectly upeins for πrupeins. Ficinus, unable to understand satisfactorily the Greek, has given, what I suspect he did not find in his MS., "ubi faces inextinguibiles carnes exurunt."

I have translated as if the Greek were not kai, but iκɛî, to balance i τοῦδε τοῦ χωρίου.

"Ficinus has " ulterius loqui," as if his MS. read, rɩ ɛinɛiv πλéov— 66 The Greek is at present ovтw μɛ kai ovtos-but three MSS. read OUT μηv Kai-and one omits rai. Hence the Greek was, I suspect, originally, οὕτως μ' ἄγαν καλὸς

7 I have adopted ò còs, furnished by two MSS., in lieu of ò simply. Three MSS. omit correctly ò before oúpávios- One would prefer, however, v oupávios- Ficinus has "quasi cœleste oraculum."

have a contempt for life, as being about to remove to a better home. For the present then I will cast up quietly with myself' what has been said; and at mid-day you will be with me, Socrates.

Soc. I will do as you say. And for a while2 I will go back for a walk to Cynosarges,3 from whence I was sent for hither.

: In lieu of ἀναριθμήσομαι, the best MS. V. reads ἀπαριθμήσομαι, which seems to lead to πάντ' ἀριθμήσομαι— Ficinus has “ animadvertam- Wolf suggests avaμпovкýσoμaι, i. e. " nominabor-"

2 In lieu of dè, two MSS. read yap. I have translated as if the author wrote τέως

3 Matthiæ, as I learn from the Zurich editors, proposed to reject is Kuvórapyes. Why, I know not.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ERYXIAS.

Or this dialogue, which Fischer has, on the authority of Suidas, attributed to Æschines, a follower of Socrates, but Boeckh to an unknown writer, five translations have appeared in Latin, one in German, and one in French. But as they have been all made from a printed text, they are in a critical point of view of very little use. And a similar observation is applicable to the notes of the different editors, who have been apparently unwilling to meddle with the text, even when they could scarcely have failed to see it was corrupt. I have therefore been reluctantly compelled to supply partially their omissions, and to attempt to do, what would have come with a better grace from Boeckh.

From the allusion in § 2, to the embassy sent from Sicily to Athens, as recorded by Thucydides in iii. 86, Fischer infers that the dialogue is supposed to have taken place about Ol. 88, 2; and as regards the subject of it, that the wise alone are the really wealthy, he refers to Cicero, Paradox 6, and to Iamblichus, Protrept. p. 23, ed. Arcer.