---
title: "The Passing of Peregrinus · Περὶ τῆς Περεγρίνου Τελευτῆς"
author: "Lucian"
translator: "Austin Morris Harmon"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
url: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/
cite: "Lucian, tr. Austin Morris Harmon, The Passing of Peregrinus · Περὶ τῆς Περεγρίνου Τελευτῆς. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/"
---

# The Passing of Peregrinus · Περὶ τῆς Περεγρίνου Τελευτῆς

*Lucian, tr. Austin Morris Harmon*

The Cynic Peregrinus, once a leader of the Christians, burns himself alive at the Olympic Games.

> Greek: ed. Austin Morris Harmon, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0062.tlg042, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Austin Morris Harmon, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0062.tlg042.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## Contents

1. [Sections 1–22](https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/1.md)
2. [Sections 23–45](https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/2.md)

## 1. Sections 1–22

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/1/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/1/#p-N

[¶0] 1. Best wishes from Lucian to Cronius. Unlucky Peregrinus, or, as he delighted to style himself, Proteus, has done exactly what Proteus in Homer did. After turning into everything for the sake of notoriety and achieving any number of transformations, here at last he has turned into fire; so great, it seems, was the love of notoriety that eae be him. And now your genial friend has got imself carbonified after the fashion of Empedocles, except that the latter at least tried to escape observation when he threw himself into the crater, while this gentleman waited for that one of the Greek festivals which draws the greatest crowds, heaped up a very large pyre, and leaped into it before all those witnesses; he even addressed the Greeks on the subject not many days before his venture.

> Greek: 1. Λουκιανὸς Κρονίῳ εὖ πράττειν. ΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸς κακοδαίμων Περεγρῖνος, ἢ ὡς αὐτὸς ἔχαιρεν ὀνομάζων ἑαυτόν, Πρωτεύς, αὐτὸ δὴ ἐκεῖνο τὸ τοῦ Ὁμηρικοῦ Πρωτέως ἔπαθεν· ἅπαντα γὰρ δόξης ἕνεκα γενόμενος καὶ μυρίας τροπὰς τραπόμενος, τὰ τελευταῖα ταῦτα καὶ πῦρ ἐγένετο· τοσούτῳ ἄρα τῷ ἔρωτι τῆς δόξης εἴχετο. καὶ νῦν ἐκεῖνος ἀπηνθράκωταί σοι ΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸς βέλτιστος κατὰ τὸν Ἐμπεδοκλέα, παρʼ ὅσον ΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸς μὲν κἂν διαλαθεῖν ἐπειράθη ἐμβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τοὺς κρατῆρας, ΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸςΛουκιανὸς δὲ γεννάδας οὗτος, τὴν πολυανθρωποτάτην τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν πανηγύρεων τηρήσας, πυρὰν ὅτι μεγίστην νήσας ἐνεπήδησεν ἐπὶ τοσούτων μαρτύρων, καὶ λόγους τινὰς ὑπὲρ τούτου εἰπὼν πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας οὐ πρὸ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ τολμήματος.

[¶1] 2. I think I can see you laughing heartily at the old man’s drivelling idiocy—indeed, I hear you give tongue as you naturally would: “Oh, the stupidity! Oh, the vainglory! Oh”—everything else that we are in the habit of saying about it all. Well, you are doing this at a distance and with far greater security, but I said it right by the fire and even earlier in a great crowd of listeners, angering some of them—as many as admired the old man’s fool-hardiness; but there were others beside myself who laughed at him. However, I narrowly missed getting torn limb from limb for you by the Cynics just as Actaeon was by his dogs or his cousin Pentheus by the Maenads.

> Greek: 2. πολλὰ τοίνυν δοκῶ μοι ὁρᾶν σε γελῶντα ἐπὶ τῇ κορύζῃ τοῦ γέροντος, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἀκούω βοῶντος οἷά σε εἰκὸς βοᾶν, ὢ τῆς ἀβελτερίας, ὢ τῆς δοξοκοπίας, ὢ — τῶν ἄλλων ἃ λέγειν εἰώθαμεν περὶ αὐτῶν. σὺ μὲν οὖν πόρρω ταῦτα καὶ μακρῷ ἀσφαλέστερον, ἐγὼ δὲ παρὰ τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ καὶ ἔτι πρότερον ἐν πολλῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀκροατῶν εἶπον αὐτά, ἐνίων μὲν ἀχθομένων, ὅσοι ἐθαύμαζον τὴν ἀπόνοιαν τοῦ γέροντος· ἦσαν δέ τινες οἳ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐγέλων ἐπʼ αὐτῷ. ἀλλʼ ὀλίγου δεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν Κυνικῶν ἐγώ σοι διεσπάσθην ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀκταίων ὑπὸ τῶν κυνῶν ἢ ὁ ἀνεψιὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ Πενθεὺς ὑπὸ τῶν Μαινάδων.

[¶2] 3. The complete mise en scéne of the affair was as follows. You know, of course, what the playwright was like and what spectacular performances he presented his whole life long, outdoing Sophocles and Aeschylus. As for my part in it, as soon as I came to Elis, in going up? by way of the gymnasium I overheard a Cynic bawling out the usual street-corner invocations to Virtue in a loud, harsh voice, and abusing everyone without exception. Then his harangue wound up with Proteus, and to the best of my ability I shall try to quote for you the very words he said. You will find the style familiar, of course, as you have often stood near them while they were ranting.

> Greek: 3. ἡ δὲ πᾶσα τοῦ πράγματος διασκευὴ τοιάδε ἦν. τὸν μὲν ποιητὴν οἶσθα οἷός τε ἦν καὶ ἡλίκα ἐτραγῴδει παρʼ ὅλον τὸν βίον, ὑπὲρ τὸν Σοφοκλέα καὶ τὸν Αἰσχύλον. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπεὶ τάχιστα εἰς τὴν Ἦλιν ἀφικόμην, διὰ τοῦ γυμνασίου ἀνιὼν ἐπήκουον ἅμα Κυνικοῦ τινος μεγάλῃ καὶ τραχείᾳ τῇ φωνῇ τὰ συνήθη ταῦτα καὶ ἐκ τριόδου τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐπιβοωμένου καὶ ἅπασιν ἁπαξαπλῶς λοιδορουμένου. εἶτα κατέληξεν αὐτῷ ἡ βοὴ ἐς τὸν Πρωτέα, καὶ ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ πειράσομαί σοι αὐτὰ ἐκεῖνα ἀπομνημονεῦσαι ὡς ἐλέγετο. σὺ δὲ γνωριεῖς δηλαδή, πολλάκις αὐτοῖς παραστὰς βοῶσιν.

[¶3] 4. “Does anyone dare,” he said, ‘to call Proteus vainglorious, O Earth, O sun, O rivers, O sea, O Heracles, god of our fathers!—Proteus, who was imprisoned in Syria, who renounced five thousand talents in favour of his native land, who was banished from the city of Rome, who is more conspicuous than the sun, who is able to rival Olympian Zeus himself? Because he has resolved to depart from life by way of fire, are there people who attribute this to vainglory? Why, did not Heracles do so? Did not Asclepius and Dionysus, by grace of the thunderbolt? Did not Empedocles end by leaping into the crater?”

> Greek: 4. Πρωτέα γάρ τις, ἔφη, κενόδοξον τολμᾷ λέγειν, ὦ γῆ καὶ ἥλιε καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ θάλαττα καὶ πατρῷε Ἡράκλεις — Πρωτέα τὸν ἐν Συρίᾳ δεθέντα, τὸν τῇ πατρίδι ἀνέντα πεντακισχίλια τάλαντα, τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως ἐκβληθέντα, τὸν τοῦ Ἡλίου ἐπισημότερον, τὸν αὐτῷ ἀνταγωνίσασθαι τῷ Ὀλυμπίῳ δυνάμενον; ἀλλʼ ὅτι διὰ πυρὸς ἐξάγειν τοῦ βίου διέγνωκεν ἑαυτόν, εἰς κενοδοξίαν τινὲς τοῦτο ἀναφέρουσιν; οὐ γὰρ Ἡρακλῆς οὕτως; οὐ γὰρ Ἀσκληπιὸς καὶ Διόνυσος κεραυνῷ; οὐ γὰρ τὰ τελευταῖα Ἐμπεδοκλῆς εἰς τοὺς κρατῆρας;

[¶4] 5. When Theagenes —for that was the bawler’s, name—said that, I asked a bystander, “What is the meaning of his talk about fire, and what have Heracles and Empedocles to do with Proteus?” “Before long,” he replied, “Proteus is going to burn himself up at the Olympic festival.” “How,” said I, “and why?” Then he undertook to tell me, but the Cynic was bawling, so that it was impossible to hear anyone else. I listened, therefore, while he flooded us with the rest of his bilge-water and got off a lot of amazing hyperbole about Proteus, for, not deigning to compare him with the man of Sinope, or his teacher Antisthenes, or even with Socrates himself, he summoned Zeus to the lists. Then, however, he decided to keep them about equal, and thus concluded his speech:

> Greek: 5. ὡς δὲ ταῦτα εἶπεν ὁ Θεαγένης — τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ κεκραγὼς ἐκεῖνος ἐκαλεῖτο — ἠρόμην τινὰ τῶν παρεστώτων, τί βούλεται τὸ περὶ τοῦ πυρός, ἢ τί Ἡρακλῆς καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς πρὸς τὸν Πρωτέα. ὁ δέ, οὐκ εἰς μακράν, ἔφη, καύσει ἑαυτὸν ὁ Πρωτεὺς Ὀλυμπίασιν. πῶς, ἔφην, ἢ τίνος ἕνεκα; εἶτα ὁ μὲν ἐπειρᾶτο λέγειν, ἐβόα δὲ ὁ Κυνικός, ὥστε ἀμήχανον ἦν ἄλλου ἀκούειν. ἐπήκουον οὖν τὰ λοιπὰ ἐπαντλοῦντος αὐτοῦ καὶ θαυμαστάς τινας ὑπερβολὰς διεξιόντος κατὰ τοῦ Πρωτέως· τὸν μὲν γὰρ Σινωπέα ἢ τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ Ἀντισθένη οὐδὲ παραβάλλειν ἠξίου αὐτῷ, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὸν Σωκράτη αὐτόν, ἐκάλει δὲ τὸν Δία ἐπὶ τὴν ἅμιλλαν. εἶτα μέντοι ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ ἴσους πως φυλάξαι αὐτούς, καὶ οὕτω κατέπαυε τὸν λόγον·

[¶5] 6. “These are the two noblest masterpieces that the world has seen—the Olympian Zeus, and Proteus; of the one, the creator and artist was Phidias, of the other, Nature. But now this holy image is about to depart from among men to gods, borne on the wings of fire, leaving us bereft.” After completing this discourse with copious perspiration, he shed tears in a highly ridiculous way and tore his hair, taking care not to pull very hard; and at length he was led away, sobbing as he went, by some of the Cynics, who strove to comfort him.

> Greek: 6. δύο γὰρ ταῦτα, ἔφη, ὁ βίος ἄριστα δημιουργήματα ἐθεάσατο, τὸν Δία τὸν Ὀλύμπιον καὶ Πρωτέα· πλάσται δὲ καὶ τεχνῖται, τοῦ μὲν Φειδίας, τοῦ δὲ ἡ φύσις. ἀλλὰ νῦν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων εἰς θεοὺς τὸ ἄγαλμα τοῦτο οἰχήσεται, ὀχούμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρός, ὀρφανοὺς ἡμᾶς καταλιπόν. ταῦτα ξὺν πολλῷ ἱδρῶτι διεξελθὼν ἐδάκρυε μάλα γελοίως καὶ τὰς τρίχας ἐτίλλετο, ὑποφειδόμενος μὴ πάνυ ἕλκειν· καὶ τέλος ἀπῆγον αὐτὸν λύζοντα μεταξὺ τῶν Κυνικῶν τινες παραμυθούμενοι.

[¶6] 7. After him, another man went up at once, not permitting the throng to disperse, but pouring a libation on the previous sacrificial offerings while they were still ablaze. At first he laughed a long time, and obviously did it from the heart. Then he began somewhat after this fashion: “Since that accursed Theagenes terminated his pestilential remarks with the tears of Heraclitus, I, on the contrary, shall begin with the laughter of Democritus.” And again he went on laughing a long time, so that he drew most of us into doing likewise.

> Greek: 7. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἄλλος εὐθὺς ἀναβαίνει, οὐ περιμείνας διαλυθῆναι τὸ πλῆθος ἀλλὰ ἐπʼ αἰθομένοις τοῖς προτέροις ἱερείοις ἐπέχει τῶν σπονδῶν. καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐγέλα καὶ δῆλος ἦν νειόθεν αὐτὸ δρῶν· εἶτα ἤρξατο ὧδέ πως· ἐπεὶ ὁ κατάρατος Θεαγένης τέλος τῶν μιαρωτάτων αὐτοῦ λόγων τὰ Ἡρακλείτου δάκρυα ἐποιήσατο, ἐγὼ κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον ἀπὸ τοῦ Δημοκρίτου γέλωτος ἄρξομαι. καὶ αὖθις ἐγέλα ἐπὶ πολύ, ὥστε καὶ ἡμῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ ὅμοιον ἐπεσπάσατο.

[¶7] 8. Then, changing countenance, he said, “Pray, what else, gentlemen, are we to do when we hear utterances so ridiculous, and see old men all but standing on their heads in public for the sake of a little despicable notoriety? That you may know what manner of thing is this ‘holy image’ which is about to be burned up, give me your ears, for I have observed his character and kept an eye on his career from the beginning, and have ascertained various particulars from his fellow-citizens and people who cannot have helped knowing him thoroughly.

> Greek: 8. εἶτα ἐπιστρέψας ἑαυτόν, ἢ τί γὰρ ἄλλο, ἔφη, ὦ ἄνδρες, χρὴ ποιεῖν ἀκούοντας μὲν οὕτω γελοίων ῥήσεων, ὁρῶντας δὲ ἄνδρας γέροντας δοξαρίου καταπτύστου ἕνεκα μονονουχὶ κυβιστῶντας ἐν τῷ μέσῳ; ὡς δὲ εἰδείητε οἷόν τι τὸ ἄγαλμά ἐστι τὸ καυθησόμενον, ἀκούσατέ μου ἐξ ἀρχῆς παραφυλάξαντος τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν βίον ἐπιτηρήσαντος· ἔνια δὲ παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπυνθανόμην καὶ οἷς ἀνάγκη ἦν ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι αὐτόν.

[¶8] 9. “This creation and masterpiece of nature, this Polyclitan canon, as soon as he came of age, was taken in adultery in Armenia and got a sound thrashing, but finally jumped down from the roof and made his escape, with a radish stopping his vent. Then he corrupted a handsome boy, and by paying three thousand drachmas to the boy’s parents, who were poor, bought himself off from being brought before the governor of the province of Asia.

> Greek: 9. τὸ γὰρ τῆς φύσεως τοῦτο πλάσμα καὶ δημιούργημα, ὁ τοῦ Πολυκλείτου κανών, ἐπεὶ εἰς ἄνδρας τελεῖν ἤρξατο, ἐν Ἀρμενίᾳ μοιχεύων ἁλοὺς μάλα πολλὰς πληγὰς ἔλαβεν καὶ τέλος κατὰ τοῦ τέγους ἁλόμενος διέφυγε, ῥαφανῖδι τὴν πυγὴν βεβυσμένος. εἶτα μειράκιόν τι ὡραῖον διαφθείρας τρισχιλίων ἐξωνήσατο παρὰ τῶν γονέων τοῦ παιδός, πενήτων ὄντων, μὴ ἐπὶ τὸν ἁρμοστὴν ἀπαχθῆναι τῆς Ἀσίας.

[¶9] 10. “All this and the like of it I propose to pass over; for he was still unshapen clay, and our ‘holy image’ had not yet been consummated for us. What he did to his father, however, is very well worth hearing; but you all know it—you have heard how he strangled the aged man, unable to tolerate his living beyond sixty years. Then, when the affair had been noised abroad, he condemned himself to exile and roamed about, going to one country after another.

> Greek: 10. ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐάσειν μοι δοκῶ· πηλὸς γὰρ ἔτι ἄπλαστος ἦν καὶ οὐδέπω ἐντελὲς ἄγαλμα ἡμῖν δεδημιούργητο. ἃ δὲ τὸν πατέρα ἔδρασεν καὶ πάνυ ἀκοῦσαι ἄξιον· καίτοι πάντες ἴστε, καὶ ἀκηκόατε ὡς ἀπέπνιξε τὸν γέροντα, οὐκ ἀνασχόμενος αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἑξήκοντα ἔτη ἤδη γηρῶντα. εἶτα ἐπειδὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα διεβεβόητο, φυγὴν ἑαυτοῦ καταδικάσας ἐπλανᾶτο ἄλλοτε ἄλλην ἀμείβων.

[¶10] 11. “It was then that he learned the wondrous lore of the Christians, by associating with their priests and scribes in Palestine. And—how else could it be P—in a trice he made them all look like children; for he was prophet, cult-leader, head of the synagogue, and everything, all by himself. He interpreted and explained some of their books and even composed many, and they revered him as a god, made use of him as a lawgiver, and set him down as a protector, next after that other, to be sure, whom they still worship, the man who was crucified in Palestine because he introduced this new cult into the world.

> Greek: 11. ὅτεπερ καὶ τὴν θαυμαστὴν σοφίαν τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐξέμαθεν, περὶ τὴν Παλαιστίνην τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν καὶ γραμματεῦσιν αὐτῶν ξυγγενόμενος. καὶ τί γάρ; ἐν βραχεῖ παῖδας αὐτοὺς ἀπέφηνε, προφήτης καὶ θιασάρχης καὶ ξυναγωγεὺς καὶ πάντα μόνος αὐτὸς ὤν, καὶ τῶν βίβλων τὰς μὲν ἐξηγεῖτο καὶ διεσάφει, πολλὰς δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ συνέγραφεν, καὶ ὡς θεὸν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνοι ᾐδοῦντο καὶ νομοθέτῃ ἐχρῶντο καὶ προστάτην ἐπεγράφοντο, μετὰ γοῦν ἐκεῖνον ὃν ἔτι σέβουσι, τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν ἐν τῇ Παλαιστίνῃ ἀνασκολοπισθέντα, ὅτι καινὴν ταύτην τελετὴν εἰσῆγεν ἐς τὸν βίον.

[¶11] 12. “Then at length Proteus was apprehended for this and thrown into prison, which itself gave him no little reputation as an asset for his future career and the charlatanism and notoriety-seeking that he was enamoured of. Well, when he had been imprisoned, the Christians, regarding the incident as a calamity, left nothing undone in the effort to rescue him. Then, as this was impossible, every other form of attention was shown him, not in any casual way but with assiduity; and from the very break of day aged widows and orphan children could be seen waiting near the prison, while their officials even slept inside with him after bribing the guards. Then elaborate meals were brought in, and sacred books of theirs were read aloud, and excellent Peregrinus—for he still went by that name—was called by them ‘the new Socrates.’

> Greek: 12. τότε δὴ καὶ συλληφθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὁ Πρωτεὺς ἐνέπεσεν εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ὅπερ καὶ αὐτὸ οὐ μικρὸν αὐτῷ ἀξίωμα περιεποίησεν πρὸς τὸν ἑξῆς βίον καὶ τὴν τερατείαν καὶ δοξοκοπίαν ὧν ἐρῶν ἐτύγχανεν. ἐπεὶ δʼ οὖν ἐδέδετο, οἱ Χριστιανοὶ συμφορὰν ποιούμενοι τὸ πρᾶγμα πάντα ἐκίνουν ἐξαρπάσαι πειρώμενοι αὐτόν. εἶτʼ, ἐπεὶ τοῦτο ἦν ἀδύνατον, ἥ γε ἄλλη θεραπεία πᾶσα οὐ παρέργως ἀλλὰ σὺν σπουδῇ ἐγίγνετο· καὶ ἕωθεν μὲν εὐθὺς ἦν ὁρᾶν παρὰ τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ περιμένοντα γρᾴδια χήρας τινὰς καὶ παιδία ὀρφανά, οἱ δὲ ἐν τέλει αὐτῶν καὶ συνεκάθευδον ἔνδον μετʼ αὐτοῦ διαφθείραντες τοὺς δεσμοφύλακας. εἶτα δεῖπνα ποικίλα εἰσεκομίζετο καὶ λόγοι ἱεροὶ αὐτῶν ἐλέγοντο, καὶ ὁ βέλτιστος Περεγρῖνος — ἔτι γὰρ τοῦτο ἐκαλεῖτο — καινὸς Σωκράτης ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ὠνομάζετο.

[¶12] 13. “Indeed, people came even from the cities in Asia, sent by the Christians at their common expense, to succour and defend and encourage the hero. They show incredible speed whenever any such public action is taken; for in no time they lavish their all. So it was then in the case of Peregrinus; much money came to him from them by reason of his imprisonment, and he procured not a little revenue from it. The poor wretches have convinced themselves, first and foremost, that they are going to be immortal and live for all time, in consequence of which they despise death and even willingly give themselves into custody, most of them. Furthermore, their first lawgiver persuaded them that they are all brothers of one another after they have transgressed once for all by denying the Greek gods and by worshipping that crucified sophist himself and living under his laws. Therefore they despise all things indiscriminately and consider them common property, receiving such doctrines traditionally without any definite evidence. So if any charlatan and trickster, able to profit by occasions, comes among them, he quickly acquires sudden wealth by imposing upon simple folk.

> Greek: 13. καὶ μὴν κἀκ τῶν ἐν Ἀσίᾳ πόλεων ἔστιν ὧν ἧκόν τινες, τῶν Χριστιανῶν στελλόντων ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ, βοηθήσοντες καὶ συναγορεύσοντες καὶ παραμυθησόμενοι τὸν ἄνδρα. ἀμήχανον δέ τι τὸ τάχος ἐπιδείκνυνται, ἐπειδάν τι τοιοῦτον γένηται δημόσιον· ἐν βραχεῖ γὰρ ἀφειδοῦσι πάντων. καὶ δὴ καὶ τῷ Περεγρίνῳ πολλὰ τότε ἧκεν χρήματα παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ προφάσει τῶν δεσμῶν, καὶ πρόσοδον οὐ μικρὰν ταύτην ἐποιήσατο. πεπείκασι γὰρ αὑτοὺς οἱ κακοδαίμονες τὸ μὲν ὅλον ἀθάνατοι ἔσεσθαι καὶ βιώσεσθαι τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, παρʼ ὃ καὶ καταφρονοῦσιν τοῦ θανάτου καὶ ἑκόντες αὑτοὺς ἐπιδιδόασιν οἱ πολλοί. ἔπειτα δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης ὁ πρῶτος ἔπεισεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ἀδελφοὶ πάντες εἶεν ἀλλήλων, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ παραβάντες θεοὺς μὲν τοὺς Ἑλληνικοὺς ἀπαρνήσωνται, τὸν δὲ ἀνεσκολοπισμένον ἐκεῖνον σοφιστὴν αὐτὸν προσκυνῶσιν καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἐκείνου νόμους βιῶσιν. καταφρονοῦσιν οὖν ἁπάντων ἐξ ἴσης καὶ κοινὰ ἡγοῦνται, ἄνευ τινὸς ἀκριβοῦς πίστεως τὰ τοιαῦτα παραδεξάμενοι. ἢν τοίνυν παρέλθῃ τις εἰς αὐτοὺς γόης καὶ τεχνίτης ἄνθρωπος καὶ πράγμασιν χρῆσθαι δυνάμενος, αὐτίκα μάλα πλούσιος ἐν βραχεῖ ἐγένετο ἰδιώταις ἀνθρώποις ἐγχανών.

[¶13] 14. “However, Peregrinus was freed by the then governor of Syria, a man who was fond of philosophy.. Aware of his recklessness and that he would gladly die in order that he might leave behind him a reputation for it, he freed him, not considering him worthy even of the usual chastisement. Upon returning to his home, he found that the matter of his father’s murder was still at fever heat and that there were many who were for pressing the charge against him. Most of his possessions had been carried off during his absence, and only his farms remained, amounting to fifteen talents; for the entire property which the old man left had been worth perhaps thirty talents, not five thousand as that utterly ridiculous Theagenes asserted. Even the entire city of Parium, taking along with it the five that are its neighbours, would not fetch that much, including the men, the cattle, and all the rest of their belongings.

> Greek: 14. πλὴν ἀλλʼ ὁ Περεγρῖνος ἀφείθη ὑπὸ τοῦ τότε τῆς Συρίας ἄρχοντος, ἀνδρὸς φιλοσοφίᾳ χαίροντος, ὃς συνεὶς τὴν ἀπόνοιαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὅτι δέξαιτʼ ἂν ἀποθανεῖν ὡς δόξαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀπολίποι, ἀφῆκεν αὐτὸν οὐδὲ τῆς κολάσεως ὑπολαβὼν ἄξιον. ὁ δὲ εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανελθὼν καταλαμβάνει τὸ περὶ τοῦ πατρῴου φόνου ἔτι φλεγμαῖνον καὶ πολλοὺς τοὺς ἐπανατεινομένους τὴν κατηγορίαν. διήρπαστο δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν κτημάτων παρὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ μόνοι ὑπελείποντο οἱ ἀγροὶ ὅσον εἰς πεντεκαίδεκα τάλαντα. ἦν γὰρ ἡ πᾶσα οὐσία τριάκοντά που ταλάντων ἀξία ἣν ὁ γέρων κατέλιπεν, οὐχ ὥσπερ ὁ παγγέλοιος Θεαγένης ἔλεγε πεντακισχιλίων· τοσούτου γὰρ οὐδὲ ἡ πᾶσα τῶν Παριανῶν πόλις πέντε σὺν αὐτῇ τὰς γειτνιώσας παραλαβοῦσα πραθείη ἂν αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ βοσκήμασιν καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ παρασκευῇ.

[¶14] 15. “However, the charge and complaint was still aglow, and it was probable that before long somebody would appear against him; above all, the people themselves were enraged, mourning over a good old man (as he was called by those who had seen him) so impiously slain. But observe what a plan our clever Proteus discovered to cope with all this, and how he escaped the danger. Coming before the assembly of the Parians—he wore his hair long by now, dressed in a dirty mantle, had a wallet slung at his side, the staff was in his hand, and in general he was very histrionic in his get-up—manifesting himself to them in this guise, he said that he relinquished to the state all the property which had been left him by his father of blessed memory. When the people, poor folk agape for largesses, heard that, they lifted their voices forthwith: ‘The one and only philosopher! The one and only patriot! The one and only rival of Diogenes and Crates!’ His enemies were muzzled, and anyone who tried to mention the murder was at once pelted with stones.

> Greek: 15. ἀλλʼ ἔτι γε ἡ κατηγορία καὶ τὸ ἔγκλημα θερμὸν ἦν, καὶ ἐῴκει οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐπαναστήσεσθαί τις αὐτῷ, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ δῆμος αὐτὸς ἠγανάκτει, χρηστόν, ὡς ἔφασαν οἱ ἰδόντες, γέροντα πενθοῦντες οὕτως ἀσεβῶς ἀπολωλότα. ὁ δὲ σοφὸς οὗτος Πρωτεὺς πρὸς ἅπαντα ταῦτα σκέψασθε οἷόν τι ἐξεῦρεν καὶ ὅπως τὸν κίνδυνον διέφυγεν. παρελθὼν γὰρ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν Παριανῶν — ἐκόμα δὲ ἤδη καὶ τρίβωνα πιναρὸν ἠμπείχετο καὶ πήραν παρήρτητο καὶ τὸ ξύλον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ ἦν, καὶ ὅλως μάλα τραγικῶς ἐσκεύαστο — τοιοῦτος οὖν ἐπιφανεὶς αὐτοῖς ἀφεῖναι ἔφη τὴν οὐσίαν ἣν ὁ μακαρίτης πατὴρ αὐτῷ κατέλιπεν δημοσίαν εἶναι πᾶσαν. τοῦτο ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ δῆμος, πένητες ἄνθρωποι καὶ πρὸς διανομὰς κεχηνότες, ἀνέκραγον εὐθὺς ἕνα φιλόσοφον, ἕνα φιλόπατριν, ἕνα Διογένους καὶ Κράτητος ζηλωτήν. οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ ἐπεφίμωντο, κἂν εἴ τις ἐπιχειρήσειεν μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ φόνου, λίθοις εὐθὺς ἐβάλλετο.

[¶15] 16. “He left home, then, for the second time, to roam about, possessing an ample source of funds in the Christians, through whose ministrations he lived in unalloyed prosperity. For a time he battened himself thus; but then, after he had transgressed in some way even against them—he was seen, I think, eating some of the food that is forbidden them — they no longer accepted him, and so, being at a loss, he thought he must sing a palinode and demand his possessions back from his city. Submitting a petition, he expected to recover them by order of the Emperor. Then, as the city sent representatives to oppose the claim, he achieved nothing, but was directed to abide by what he had once for all determined, under no compulsion from anyone.

> Greek: 16. ἐξῄει οὖν τὸ δεύτερον πλανησόμενος, ἱκανὰ ἐφόδια τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἔχων, ὑφʼ ὧν δορυφορούμενος ἐν ἅπασιν ἀφθόνοις ἦν. καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα οὕτως ἐβόσκετο· εἶτα παρανομήσας τι καὶ ἐς ἐκείνους — ὤφθη γάρ τι, ὡς οἶμαι, ἐσθίων τῶν ἀπορρήτων αὐτοῖς — οὐκέτι προσιεμένων αὐτὸν ἀπορούμενος ἐκ παλινῳδίας ἀπαιτεῖν ᾤετο δεῖν παρὰ τῆς πόλεως τὰ κτήματα, καὶ γραμματεῖον ἐπιδοὺς ἠξίου ταῦτα κομίσασθαι κελεύσαντος βασιλέως. εἶτα τῆς πόλεως ἀντιπρεσβευσαμένης οὐδὲν ἐπράχθη, ἀλλʼ ἐμμένειν ἐκελεύσθη οἷς ἅπαξ διέγνω μηδενὸς καταναγκάσαντος.

[¶16] 17. “Thereafter he went away a third time, to Egypt, to visit Agathobulus, where he took that wonderful course of training in asceticism, shaving one half of his head, daubing his face with mud, and demonstrating what they call‘indifference’ by erecting his notorious indifference of the Cynics towards what they ate. Peregrinus may have signalised his relapse to Cynicism by sampling a “dinner of Hecate” at the cross-roads. yard amid a thronging mob of bystanders, besides giving and taking blows on the back-sides with a stalk of fennel, and playing the mountebank even more audaciously in many other ways.

> Greek: 17. τρίτη ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀποδημία εἰς Αἴγυπτον παρὰ τὸν Ἀγαθόβουλον, ἵναπερ τὴν θαυμαστὴν ἄσκησιν διησκεῖτο, ξυρόμενος μὲν τῆς κεφαλῆς τὸ ἥμισυ, χριόμενος δὲ πηλῷ τὸ πρόσωπον, ἐν πολλῷ δὲ τῶν περιεστώτων δήμῳ ἀναφλῶν τὸ αἰδοῖον καὶ τὸ ἀδιάφορον δὴ τοῦτο καλούμενον ἐπιδεικνύμενος, εἶτα παίων καὶ παιόμενος νάρθηκι εἰς τὰς πυγὰς καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ νεανικώτερα θαυματοποιῶν.

[¶17] 18. “From there, thus equipped, he set sail for Italy and immediately after disembarking he fell to abusing everyone, and in particular the Emperor, knowing him to be mild and gentle, so that he was safe in making bold. The Emperor, as one would expect, cared little for his libels and did not think fit to punish for mere words a man who only used philosophy as a cloak, and above all, a man who had made a profession of abusiveness. But in our friend’s case, even from this his reputation grew, among simple folk anyhow, and he was a cynosure for his recklessness, until finally the city prefect, a wise man, packed him off for immoderate indulgence in the thing, saying that the city had no need of any such philosopher. However, this too made for his renown, and he was on everybody’s lips as the philosopher who had been banished for his frankness and excessive freedom, so that in this respect he approached Musonius, Dio, Epictetus, and anyone else who has been in a similar predicament.

> Greek: 18. ἐκεῖθεν δὲ οὕτω παρεσκευασμένος ἐπὶ Ἰταλίας ἔπλευσεν καὶ ἀποβὰς τῆς νεὼς εὐθὺς ἐλοιδορεῖτο πᾶσι, καὶ μάλιστα τῷ βασιλεῖ, πρᾳότατον αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμερώτατον εἰδώς, ὥστε ἀσφαλῶς ἐτόλμα· ἐκείνῳ γάρ, ὡς εἰκός, ὀλίγον ἔμελεν τῶν βλασφημιῶν καὶ οὐκ ἠξίου τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ὑποδυόμενόν τινα κολάζειν ἐπὶ ῥήμασι καὶ μάλιστα τέχνην τινὰ τὸ λοιδορεῖσθαι πεποιημένον. τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τὰ τῆς δόξης ηὐξάνετο, παρὰ γοῦν τοῖς ἰδιώταις, καὶ περίβλεπτος ἦν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ, μέχρι δὴ ὁ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτετραμμένος ἀνὴρ σοφὸς ἀπέπεμψεν αὐτὸν ἀμέτρως ἐντρυφῶντα τῷ πράγματι, εἰπὼν μὴ δεῖσθαι τὴν πόλιν τοιούτου φιλοσόφου. πλὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο κλεινὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ διὰ στόματος ἦν ἅπασιν, ὁ φιλόσοφος διὰ τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ τὴν ἄγαν ἐλευθερίαν ἐξελαθείς, καὶ προσήλαυνε κατὰ τοῦτο τῷ Μουσωνίῳ καὶ Δίωνι καὶ Ἐπικτήτῳ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἐν περιστάσει τοιαύτῃ ἐγένετο.

[¶18] 19. “Coming at last to Greece under these circumstances, at one moment he abused the Eleans, at another he counselled the Greeks to take up arms against the Romans, and at another he libelled a man outstanding in literary attainments and position because he had been a benefactor to Greece in many ways, and particularly because he had brought water to Olympia and prevented the visitors to the festival from dying of thirst, maintaining that he was making the Greeks effeminate, for the spectators of the Olympic games ought to endure their thirst—yes, by Heaven, and even to lose their lives, no doubt, many of them, through the frequent distempers which formerly ran riot in the vast crowd on account of the dryness of the place! And he said this while he drank that same water! When they almost killed him with stones, mobbing him with one accord, he managed to escape death at the moment by fleeing to Zeus for sanctuary (stout fellow!), and afterwards, at the next Olympiad, he gave the Greeks a speech which he had composed during the four years that had intervened, praising the man who had brought in the water and defending himself for running away at that time.

> Greek: 19. οὕτω δὴ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ἐλθὼν ἄρτι μὲν Ἠλείοις ἐλοιδορεῖτο, ἄρτι δὲ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἔπειθεν ἀντάρασθαι ὅπλα Ῥωμαίοις, ἄρτι δὲ ἄνδρα παιδείᾳ καὶ ἀξιώματι προὔχοντα, διότι καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις εὖ ἐποίησεν τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ ὕδωρ ἐπήγαγεν τῇ Ὀλυμπίᾳ καὶ ἔπαυσε δίψει ἀπολλυμένους τοὺς πανηγυριστάς, κακῶς ἠγόρευεν ὡς καταθηλύναντα τοὺς Ἕλληνας, δέον τοὺς θεατὰς τῶν Ὀλυμπίων διακαρτερεῖν διψῶντας καὶ νὴ Δία γε καὶ ἀποθνήσκειν πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ὑπὸ σφοδρῶν τῶν νόσων, αἳ τέως διὰ τὸ ξηρὸν τοῦ χωρίου ἐν πολλῷ τῷ πλήθει ἐπεπόλαζον. καὶ ταῦτα ἔλεγε πίνων τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὕδατος. ὡς δὲ μικροῦ κατέλευσαν αὐτὸν ἐπιδραμόντες ἅπαντες, τότε μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν Δία καταφυγὼν ὁ γενναῖος εὕρετο μὴ ἀποθανεῖν, ἐς δὲ τὴν ἑξῆς Ὀλυμπιάδα λόγον τινὰ διὰ τεττάρων ἐτῶν συνθεὶς τῶν διὰ μέσου ἐξήνεγκε πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας, ἔπαινον ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐπαγαγόντος καὶ ἀπολογίαν ὑπὲρ τῆς τότε φυγῆς.

[¶19] 20. “At last he was disregarded by all and no longer so admired; for all his stuff was stale and he could not turn out any further novelty with which to surprise those who came in his way and make them marvel and stare at him—a thing for which he had a fierce craving from the first. So he devised this ultimate venture of the pyre, and spread a report among the Greeks immediately after the last Olympic games that he would burn himself up at the next festival.

> Greek: 20. ἤδη δὲ ἀμελούμενος ὑφʼ ἁπάντων καὶ μηκέθʼ ὁμοίως περίβλεπτος ὤν — ἕωλα γὰρ ἦν ἅπαντα καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι καινουργεῖν ἐδύνατο ἐφʼ ὅτῳ ἐκπλήξει τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας καὶ θαυμάζειν καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποβλέπειν ποιήσει, οὗπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς δριμύν τινα ἔρωτα ἐρῶν ἐτύγχανεν — τὸ τελευταῖον τοῦτο τόλμημα ἐβουλεύσατο περὶ τῆς πυρᾶς, καὶ διέδωκε λόγον ἐς τοὺς Ἕλληνας εὐθὺς ἀπʼ Ὀλυμπίων τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ὡς ἐς τοὐπιὸν καύσων ἑαυτόν.

[¶20] 21. And now, they say, he is playing the mountebank over that very thing, digging a pit, collecting logs, and promising really awesome fortitude. “What he should have done, I think, was first and foremost to await death and not to cut and run from life; but if he had determined to be off at all costs, not to use fire or any of these devices out of tragedy, but to choose for his departure some other form of death out of the myriads that there are. If, however, he is partial to fire as something connected with Heracles,. why in the world did he not quietly select a wellwooded mountain and cremate himself upon it in solitude, taking along only one person such as Theagenes here for his Philoctetes? On the contrary, it is in Olympia, at the height of the festival, all but in the theatre, that he plans to roast himself— not undeservedly, by Heracles, if it is right for parricides and for atheists to suffer for their hardinesses. And from that point of view he seems to be getting about it very late in the day; he ought long ago to have been flung into the bull of Phalaris to pay the fitting penalty instead of opening his mouth to the flames once for all and expiring in a trice. For people tell me that no other form of death is quicker than that by fire; you have only to open your mouth, and die forthwith.

> Greek: 21. καὶ νῦν αὐτὰ ταῦτα θαυματοποιεῖ, ὥς φασι, βόθρον ὀρύττων καὶ ξύλα συγκομίζων καὶ δεινήν τινα τὴν καρτερίαν ὑπισχνούμενος. ἐχρῆν δέ, οἶμαι, μάλιστα μὲν περιμένειν τὸν θάνατον καὶ μὴ δραπετεύειν ἐκ τοῦ βίου· εἰ δὲ καὶ πάντως διέγνωστό οἱ ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, μὴ πυρὶ μηδὲ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς τραγῳδίας τούτοις χρῆσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἕτερόν τινα θανάτου τρόπον, μυρίων ὄντων, ἑλόμενον ἀπελθεῖν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ πῦρ ὡς Ἡράκλειόν τι ἀσπάζεται, τί δή ποτε οὐχὶ κατὰ σιγὴν ἑλόμενος ὄρος εὔδενδρον ἐν ἐκείνῳ ἑαυτὸν ἐνέπρησεν μόνος, ἕνα τινὰ οἷον Θεαγένη τοῦτον Φιλοκτήτην παραλαβών; ὁ δὲ ἐν Ὀλυμπίᾳ τῆς πανηγύρεως πληθούσης μόνον οὐκ ἐπὶ σκηνῆς ὀπτήσει ἑαυτόν, οὐκ ἀνάξιος ὤν, μὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα, εἴ γε χρὴ καὶ τοὺς πατραλοίας καὶ τοὺς ἀθέους δίκας διδόναι τῶν τολμημάτων. καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο πάνυ ὀψὲ δρᾶν αὐτὸ ἔοικεν, ὃν ἐχρῆν πάλαι ἐς τὸν τοῦ Φαλάριδος ταῦρον ἐμπεσόντα τὴν ἀξίαν ἀποτετικέναι, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἅπαξ χανόντα πρὸς τὴν φλόγα ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τεθνάναι. καὶ γὰρ αὖ καὶ τόδε οἱ πολλοί μοι λέγουσιν, ὡς οὐδεὶς ὀξύτερος ἄλλος θανάτου τρόπος τοῦ διὰ πυρός· ἀνοῖξαι γὰρ δεῖ μόνον τὸ στόμα καὶ αὐτίκα τεθνάναι.

[¶21] 22. “The spectacle is being planned, I suppose, as Something awe-inspiring—a fellow getting burnt up in a holy place where it is impious even to bury the others who die. But you have heard, no doubt, that long ago a man who wished to become famous burned the temple of Ephesian Artemis, not being able to attain that end in any other way. He himself has something similar in mind, so great is the craving for fame that has penetrated him to the core.

> Greek: 22. τὸ μέντοι θέαμα ἐπινοεῖται, οἶμαι, ὡς σεμνόν, ἐν ἱερῷ χωρίῳ καιόμενος ἄνθρωπος, ἔνθα μηδὲ θάπτειν ὅσιον τοὺς ἄλλους ἀποθνήσκοντας. ἀκούετε δέ, οἶμαι, ὡς καὶ πάλαι θέλων τις ἔνδοξος γενέσθαι, ἐπεὶ κατʼ ἄλλον τρόπον οὐκ εἶχεν ἐπιτυχεῖν τούτου, ἐνέπρησε τῆς Ἐφεσίας Ἀρτέμιδος τὸν νεών. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπινοεῖ, τοσοῦτος ἔρως τῆς δόξης ἐντέτηκεν αὐτῷ.

## 2. Sections 23–45

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/2/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/lucian-the-passing-of-peregrinus/2/#p-N

[¶0] 23. “He alleges, however, that he is doing it for the sake of his fellow men, that he may teach them to despise death and endure what is fearsome. For my part, I should like to ask, not him but you, whether you would wish malefactors to become his disciples in this fortitude of his, and to despise death and burning and similar terrors. No, you would not, I am very sure. How, then, is Proteus to draw distinctions in this matter, and to benefit the good without making the bad more adventurous and daring?

> Greek: 23. καίτοι φησὶν ὅτι ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αὐτὸ δρᾷ, ὡς διδάξειεν αὐτοὺς θανάτου καταφρονεῖν καὶ ἐγκαρτερεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς. ἐγὼ δὲ ἡδέως ἂν ἐροίμην οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἀλλʼ ὑμᾶς, εἰ καὶ τοὺς κακούργους βούλοισθε ἂν μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι τῆς καρτερίας ταύτης καὶ καταφρονεῖν θανάτου καὶ καύσεως καὶ τῶν τοιούτων δειμάτων. ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἂν εὖ οἶδʼ ὅτι βουληθείητε. πῶς οὖν ὁ Πρωτεὺς τοῦτο διακρινεῖ καὶ τοὺς μὲν χρηστοὺς ὠφελήσει, τοὺς δὲ πονηροὺς οὐ φιλοκινδυνοτέρους καὶ τολμηροτέρους ἀποφανεῖ;

[¶1] 24. “Nevertheless, suppose it possible that only those will present themselves at this affair who will see it to their advantage. Once more I shall question you: would you desire your children to become imitators of such a man? You will not say so. But why did I ask that question, when even of his disciples them- selves not one would imitate him? In fact, the thing for which one might blame Theagenes most of all is that although he copies the man in everything else, he does not follow his teacher and take the road with him, now that he is off, as he says, to join Heracles; why, he has the opportunity to attain absolute felicity instanter by plunging headlong into the fire with him! “Emulation is not a matter of wallet, staff, and mantle; all this is safe and easy and within anyone’s power. One should emulate the consummation and culmination, build a pyre of fig-wood logs as green as can be, and stifle one’s selfin the smoke of them. Fire itself belongs not only to Heracles and Asclepius, but to doers of sacrilege and murder, who can be seen enduring it by judicial sentence. Therefore it is better to employ smoke, which would be peculiar and belong only to you and your like.

> Greek: 24. καίτοι δυνατὸν ἔστω ἐς τοῦτο μόνους ἀπαντήσεσθαι τοὺς πρὸς τὸ ὠφέλιμον ὀψομένους τὸ πρᾶγμα. ὑμᾶς δʼ οὖν αὖθις ἐρήσομαι, δέξαισθʼ ἂν ὑμῶν τοὺς παῖδας ζηλωτὰς τοῦ τοιούτου γενέσθαι; οὐκ ἂν εἴποιτε. καὶ τί τοῦτο ἠρόμην, ὅπου μηδʼ αὐτῶν τις τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ζηλώσειεν ἄν; τὸν γοῦν Θεαγένη τοῦτο μάλιστα αἰτιάσαιτο ἄν τις, ὅτι τἄλλα ζηλῶν τἀνδρὸς οὐχ ἕπεται τῷ διδασκάλῳ καὶ συνοδεύει παρὰ τὸν Ἡρακλέα, ὥς φησιν, ἀπιόντι, δυνάμενος ἐν βραχεῖ πανευδαίμων γενέσθαι συνεμπεσὼν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν ἐς τὸ πῦρ. οὐ γὰρ ἐν πήρᾳ καὶ βάκτρῳ καὶ τρίβωνι ὁ ζῆλος, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἀσφαλῆ καὶ ῥᾴδια καὶ παντὸς ἂν εἴη, τὸ τέλος δὲ καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον χρὴ ζηλοῦν καὶ πυρὰν συνθέντα κορμῶν συκίνων ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα χλωρῶν ἐναποπνιγῆναι τῷ καπνῷ· τὸ πῦρ γὰρ αὐτὸ οὐ μόνον Ἡρακλέους καὶ Ἀσκληπιοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἱεροσύλων καὶ ἀνδροφόνων, οὓς ὁρᾶν ἔστιν ἐκ καταδίκης αὐτὸ πάσχοντας. ὥστε ἄμεινον τὸ διὰ τοῦ καπνοῦ· ἴδιον γὰρ καὶ ὑμῶν ἂν μόνων γένοιτο.

[¶2] 25. “Besides, if Heracles really did venture any such act, he did it because he was ailing, because the blood of the Centaur, as the tragedies tell us, was preying upon him; but for what reason does this man throw himself bodily into the fire? Oh, yes! to demonstrate his fortitude, like the Brahmans, for Theagenes thought fit to compare him with them, just as if there could not be fools and notoriety-seekers even among the Indians. Well, then, let him at least imitate them. They do not leap into the fire (so Onesicritus says, Alexander’s navigator, who saw Calanus burning), but when they have built their pyre, they stand close beside it motionless and en- dure being toasted; then, mounting upon it, they cremate themselves decorously, without the slightest alteration of the position in which they are lying. “In this man’s case, what great thing will it be if he tumbles in and dies in the sudden grip of the fire? It is not beyond expectation that he will jump out half consumed, unless, as they say, he is going to see to it that the pyre is deep down in a pit.

> Greek: 25. ἄλλως τε ὁ μὲν Ἡρακλῆς, εἴπερ ἄρα καὶ ἐτόλμησέν τι τοιοῦτο, ὑπὸ νόσου αὐτὸ ἔδρασεν, ὑπὸ τοῦ Κενταυρείου αἵματος, ὥς φησιν ἡ τραγῳδία, κατεσθιόμενος· οὗτος δὲ τίνος αἰτίας ἕνεκεν ἐμβάλλει φέρων ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ πῦρ; νὴ Δίʼ, ὅπως τὴν καρτερίαν ἐπιδείξηται καθάπερ οἱ Βραχμᾶνες· ἐκείνοις γὰρ αὐτὸν ἠξίου Θεαγένης εἰκάζειν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἐνὸν καὶ ἐν Ἰνδοῖς εἶναί τινας μωροὺς καὶ κενοδόξους ἀνθρώπους. ὅμως δʼ οὖν κἂν ἐκείνους μιμείσθω· ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ οὐκ ἐμπηδῶσιν ἐς τὸ πῦρ, ὡς Ὀνησίκριτος ὁ Ἀλεξάνδρου κυβερνήτης ἰδὼν Κάλανον καόμενόν φησιν, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὰν νήσωσι, πλησίον παραστάντες ἀκίνητοι ἀνέχονται παροπτώμενοι, εἶτʼ ἐπιβάντες κατὰ σχῆμα καίονται, οὐδʼ ὅσον ὀλίγον ἐντρέψαντες τῆς κατακλίσεως. οὗτος δὲ τί μέγα εἰ ἐμπεσὼν τεθνήξεται συναρπασθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός; οὐκ ἀπʼ ἐλπίδος μὴ ἀναπηδήσασθαι αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμίφλεκτον, εἰ μή, ὅπερ φασί, μηχανήσεται βαθεῖαν γενέσθαι καὶ ἐν βόθρῳ τὴν πυράν.

[¶3] 26. There are people who say that he has even changed his mind, and is telling certain dreams, to the effect that Zeus does not permit pollution of a holy place. But let him be assured on that score; I would take my oath to it that no one of the gods would be angry if Peregrinus should die a rogue’s death. Moreover, it is not easy for him to withdraw now; for his Cynic associates are urging him on and pushing him into the fire and inflaming his resolution; they will not let him shirk it. If he should pull a couple of them into the fire along with him when he jumps in, that would be the only nice thing about his performance.

> Greek: 26. εἰσὶ δʼ οἳ καὶ μεταβαλέσθαι φασιν αὐτὸν καί τινα ὀνείρατα διηγεῖσθαι, ὡς τοῦ Διὸς οὐκ ἐῶντος μιαίνειν ἱερὸν χωρίον. ἀλλὰ θαρρείτω τούτου γε ἕνεκα· ἐγὼ γὰρ διομοσαίμην ἂν ἦ μὴν μηδένα τῶν θεῶν ἀγανακτήσειν, εἰ Περεγρῖνος κακῶς ἀποθάνοι. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ῥᾴδιον αὐτῷ ἔτʼ ἀναδῦναι· οἱ γὰρ συνόντες κύνες παρορμῶσιν καὶ συνωθοῦσιν ἐς τὸ πῦρ καὶ ὑπεκκάουσι τὴν γνώμην, οὐκ ἐῶντες ἀποδειλιᾶν· ὧν εἰ δύο συγκατασπάσας ἐμπέσοι εἰς τὴν πυράν, τοῦτο μόνον χάριεν ἂν ἐργάσαιτο.

[¶4] 27. “Thave heard that he no longer deigns to be called Proteus but has changed his name to Phoenix, because the phoenix, the Indian bird, is said to mount a pyre when it is very far advanced in age. Indeed, he even manufactures myths and repeats certain oracles, ancient, of course, to the purport that he is to become a guardian spirit of the night; it is plain, too, that he already covets altars and expects to be imaged in gold.

> Greek: 27. ἤκουον δὲ ὡς οὐδὲ Πρωτεὺς ἔτι καλεῖσθαι ἀξιοῖ, ἀλλὰ Φοίνικα μετωνόμασεν ἑαυτόν, ὅτι καὶ φοῖνιξ, τὸ Ἰνδικὸν ὄρνεον, ἐπιβαίνειν πυρᾶς λέγεται πορρωτάτω γήρως προβεβηκώς. ἀλλὰ καὶ λογοποιεῖ καὶ χρησμούς τινας διέξεισιν παλαιοὺς δή, ὡς χρεὼν εἴη δαίμονα νυκτοφύλακα γενέσθαι αὐτόν, καὶ δῆλός ἐστι βωμῶν ἤδη ἐπιθυμῶν καὶ χρυσοῦς ἀναστήσεσθαι ἐλπίζων.

[¶5] 28. “By Zeus, it would be nothing unnatural if, among all the dolts that there are, some should be found to assert that they were relieved of quartan fevers by him, and that in the dark they had encountered the guardian spirit of the night! Then too these accursed disciples of his will make an oracular shrine, I suppose, with a holy of holies, at the site of the pyre, because the famous Proteus, son of Zeus, the progenitor of his name, was given to soothsaying. I pledge m word, too, that priests of his will be appointed, wit whips or branding-irons or some such flummy-diddle, or even that a nocturnal mystery will be got up in his honour, including a torch festival at the site of the pye.

> Greek: 28. καὶ μὰ Δία οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς ἐν πολλοῖς τοῖς ἀνοήτοις εὑρεθήσεσθαί τινας τοὺς καὶ τεταρταίων ἀπηλλάχθαι διʼ αὐτοῦ φήσοντας καὶ νύκτωρ ἐντετυχηκέναι τῷ δαίμονι τῷ νυκτοφύλακι. οἱ κατάρατοι δὲ οὗτοι μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ χρηστήριον, οἶμαι, καὶ ἄδυτον ἐπὶ τῇ πυρᾷ μηχανήσονται, διότι καὶ Πρωτεὺς ἐκεῖνος ὁ Διός, ὁ προπάτωρ τοῦ ὀνόματος, μαντικὸς ἦν. μαρτύρομαι δὲ ἦ μὴν καὶ ἱερέας αὐτοῦ ἀποδειχθήσεσθαι μαστίγων ἢ καυτηρίων ἤ τινος τοιαύτης τερατουργίας, ἢ καὶ νὴ Δία τελετήν τινα ἐπʼ αὐτῷ συστήσεσθαι νυκτέριον καὶ δᾳδουχίαν ἐπὶ τῇ πυρᾷ.

[¶6] 29. "Theagenes, as I have been told by one of my friends, recently said that the Sibyl had made a prediction about all this; in fact, he quoted the verses from memory:
But when the time shall come that Proteus, noblest of Cynics,
Kindleth fire in the precinct of Zeus, our Lord of the Thunder,
Leapeth into the flame, and cometh to lofty Olympus,
Then do I bid all alike who eat the fruit of the ploughland
Honour to pay unto him that walketh abroad in the night-time,
Greatest of spirits, thronéd with Heracles and Hephaestus.

> Greek: 29. Θεαγένης δὲ ἔναγχος, ὥς μοί τις τῶν ἑταίρων ἀπήγγειλεν, καὶ Σίβυλλαν ἔφη προειρηκέναι περὶ τούτων· καὶ τὰ ἔπη γὰρ ἀπεμνημόνευεν·
ἀλλʼ ὁπόταν Πρωτεὺς Κυνικῶν ὄχʼ ἄριστος ἁπάντων
Ζηνὸς ἐριγδούπου τέμενος κάτα πῦρ ἀνακαύσας
ἐς φλόγα πηδήσας ἔλθῃ ἐς μακρὸν Ὄλυμπον,
δὴ τότε πάντας ὁμῶς, οἳ ἀρούρης καρπὸν ἔδουσιν,
νυκτιπόλον τιμᾶν κέλομαι ἥρωα μέγιστον
σύνθρονον Ἡφαίστῳ καὶ Ἡρακλῆϊ ἄνακτι.

[¶7] 30. “That is what Theagenes alleges he heard from the Sibyl. But I will quote him one of the oracles of Bacis dealing with these matters. Bacis expresses himself as follows, with a very excellent moral:
Nay, when the time shall come that a Cynic with names that are many
Leaps into roaring flame, soul-stirred by a passion for glory,
Then it is meet that the others, the jackals that follow his footsteps,
Mimic the latter end of the wolf that has taken departure.
But if a dastard among them shall shun the might of Hephaestus,
Let him be pelted with stones forthwith by all the Achaeans,
Learning, the frigid fool, to abjure all fiery speeches,
He that has laden his wallet with gold by the taking of usance;
Thrice five talents he owns in the lovely city of Patras.
What do you think, gentlemen? That Bacis is a worse soothsayer than the Sibyl? It is high time, then, for these wondrous followers of Proteus to look about for a place in which to aerify themselves—for that is the name they give to cremation.”

> Greek: 30. ταῦτα μὲν Θεαγένης Σιβύλλης ἀκηκοέναι φησίν. ἐγὼ δὲ Βάκιδος αὐτῷ χρησμὸν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐρῶ· φησὶν δὲ ὁ Βάκις οὕτω, σφόδρα εὖ ἐπειπών,
Ἀλλʼ ὁπόταν Κυνικὸς πολυώνυμος ἐς φλόγα πολλὴν
πηδήσῃ δόξης ὑπʼ ἐρινύι θυμὸν ὀρινθείς,
δὴ τότε τοὺς ἄλλους κυναλώπεκας, οἵ οἱ ἕπονται,
μιμεῖσθαι χρὴ πότμον ἀποιχομένοιο λύκοιο.
ὃς δέ κε δειλὸς ἐὼν φεύγῃ μένος Ἡφαίστοιο,
λάεσσιν βαλέειν τοῦτον τάχα πάντας Ἀχαιούς,
ὡς μὴ ψυχρὸς ἐὼν θερμηγορέειν ἐπιχειρῇ
χρυσῷ σαξάμενος πήρην μάλα πολλὰ δανείζων,
ἐν καλαῖς Πάτραισιν ἔχων τρὶς πέντε τάλαντα.
τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, ἄνδρες; ἆρα φαυλότερος χρησμολόγος ὁ Βάκις τῆς Σιβύλλης εἶναι; ὥστε ὥρα τοῖς θαυμαστοῖς τούτοις ὁμιληταῖς τοῦ Πρωτέως περισκοπεῖν ἔνθα ἑαυτοὺς ἐξαερώσουσιν· τοῦτο γὰρ τὴν καῦσιν καλοῦσιν.

[¶8] 31. When he had said these words, all the bystanders shouted: “Let them be burned right now; they deserve the flames!” And the man got down again laughing; but “Nestor failed not to mark the din: 3 I mean Theagenes. When he heard the shouting he came at once, took the platform, and fell to ranting and telling countless malicious tales about the man who had just got down—I do not know what that excellent gentleman’s name was. For my part, I left him splitting his lungs and went off to see the athletes, as the Hellanodicae were said to be already in the Plethrium.

> Greek: 31. ταῦτʼ εἰπόντος ἀνεβόησαν οἱ περιεστῶτες ἅπαντες, ἤδη καιέσθωσαν ἄξιοι τοῦ πυρός. καὶ ὁ μὲν κατέβη γελῶν, Νέστορα δʼ οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἰαχή, τὸν Θεαγένη, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἤκουσεν τῆς βοῆς, ἧκεν εὐθὺς καὶ ἀναβὰς ἐκεκράγει καὶ μυρία κακὰ διεξῄει περὶ τοῦ καταβεβηκότος· οὐ γὰρ οἶδα ὅστις ἐκεῖνος ὁ βέλτιστος ἐκαλεῖτο. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν διαρρηγνύμενον ἀπῄειν ὀψόμενος τοὺς ἀθλητάς· ἤδη γὰρ οἱ Ἑλλανοδίκαι ἐλέγοντο εἶναι ἐν τῷ Πλεθρίῳ.

[¶9] 32. Well, there you have what happened at Elis; and when we reached Olympia, the rear chamber was full of people criticising Proteus of praising his purpose, so that most of them even came to blows. Finally, Proteus himself appeared, escorted by a countless multitude, after the contest of the heralds, and had somewhat to say about himself, telling of the life that he had led and the risks that he had run, and of all the troubles that he had endured for philosophy’s sake. His speech was protracted, though I heard but little on account of the number of bystanders. Afterwards, fearing to be crushed in such a throng, because I saw this happening to many, I went away, bidding a long farewell to the sophist enamoured of death who was pronouncing his own funeral oration before his demise.

> Greek: 32. ταῦτα μέν σοι τὰ ἐν Ἤλιδι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς τὴν Ὀλυμπίαν ἀφικόμεθα, μεστὸς ἦν ὁ ὀπισθόδομος τῶν κατηγορούντων Πρωτέως ἢ ἐπαινούντων τὴν προαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ, ὥστε καὶ εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἦλθον οἱ πολλοί, ἄχρι δὴ παρελθὼν αὐτὸς ὁ Πρωτεὺς μυρίῳ τῷ πλήθει παραπεμπόμενος κατόπιν τοῦ τῶν κηρύκων ἀγῶνος λόγους τινὰς διεξῆλθεν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, τὸν βίον τε ὡς ἐβίω καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους οὓς ἐκινδύνευσεν διηγούμενος καὶ ὅσα πράγματα φιλοσοφίας ἕνεκα ὑπέμεινεν. τὰ μὲν οὖν εἰρημένα πολλὰ ἦν, ἐγὼ δὲ ὀλίγων ἤκουσα ὑπὸ πλήθους τῶν περιεστώτων. εἶτα φοβηθεὶς μὴ συντριβείην ἐν τοσαύτῃ τύρβῃ, ἐπεὶ καὶ πολλοὺς τοῦτο πάσχοντας ἑώρων, ἀπῆλθον μακρὰ χαίρειν φράσας θανατιῶντι σοφιστῇ τὸν ἐπιτάφιον ἑαυτοῦ πρὸ τελευτῆς διεξιόντι.

[¶10] 33. This much, however, I overheard; he said that he wanted to put a tip of gold on a golden bow; for one who had lived as Heracles should die like Heracles and be commingled with the ether. “And I wish,” said he, “to benefit mankind by showing them the way in which one should despise death; wherefore all men ought to play Philoctetes to me.” The more witless among the people began to shed tears and call out: “Preserve your life for the Greeks!” but the more virile part bawled “Carry out your purpose!” by which the old man was immoderately upset, because he hoped that all would cling to him and not give him over to the fire, but retain him in life—against his will, naturally! That “Carry out your purpose” assailing him quite unexpectedly caused him to turn still paler, although his colour was already deathly, and even to tremble slightly, so that he brought his speech to an end.

> Greek: 33. πλὴν τό γε τοσοῦτον ἐπήκουσα· ἔφη γὰρ βούλεσθαι χρυσῷ βίῳ χρυσῆν κορώνην ἐπιθεῖναι· χρῆναι γὰρ τὸν Ἡρακλείως βεβιωκότα Ἡρακλείως ἀποθανεῖν καὶ ἀναμιχθῆναι τῷ αἰθέρι. καὶ ὠφελῆσαι, ἔφη, βούλομαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους δείξας αὐτοῖς ὃν χρὴ τρόπον θανάτου καταφρονεῖν· πάντας οὖν δεῖ μοι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους Φιλοκτήτας γενέσθαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀνοητότεροι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐδάκρυον καὶ ἐβόων σώζου τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, οἱ δὲ ἀνδρωδέστεροι ἐκεκράγεσαν τέλει τὰ δεδογμένα, ὑφʼ ὧν ὁ πρεσβύτης οὐ μετρίως ἐθορυβήθη ἐλπίζων πάντας ἕξεσθαι αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ προήσεσθαι τῷ πυρί, ἀλλὰ ἄκοντα δὴ καθέξειν ἐν τῷ βίῳ. τὸ δὲ τέλει τὰ δεδογμένα πάνυ ἀδόκητον αὐτῷ προσπεσὸν ὠχριᾶν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐποίησεν, καίτοι ἤδη νεκρικῶς τὴν χροιὰν ἔχοντι, καὶ νὴ Δία καὶ ὑποτρέμειν, ὥστε κατέπαυσε τὸν λόγον.

[¶11] 34. You can imagine, I expect, how I laughed; for it was not fitting to pity a man so desperately in love with glory beyond all others who are driven by the same Fury. Anyhow, he was being escorted by crowds and getting his fill of glory as he gazed at the number of his admirers, not knowing, poor wretch, that men on their way to the cross or in the grip of the executioner have many more at their heels.

> Greek: 34. ἐγὼ δέ, εἰκάζεις, οἶμαι, πῶς ἐγέλων· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐλεεῖν ἄξιον ἦν οὕτω δυσέρωτα τῆς δόξης ἄνθρωπον ὑπὲρ ἅπαντας ὅσοι τῇ αὐτῇ Ποινῇ ἐλαύνονται. παρεπέμπετο δὲ ὅμως ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ ἐνεφορεῖτο τῆς δόξης ἀποβλέπων ἐς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν θαυμαζόντων, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὁ ἄθλιος ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀπαγομένοις ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ δημίου ἐχομένοις πολλῷ πλείους ἕπονται.

[¶12] 35. Soon the Olympic games were ended, the most splendid Olympics that I have seen, though it was then the fourth time that I had been a spectator. As it was not easy to secure a carriage, since many were leaving at the same time, I lingered on against my will, and Peregrinus kept making postponements, but at last had announced a night on which he would stage his cremation; so, as one of my friends had invited me to go along, I arose at midnight and took the road to Harpina, where the pyre was. This is quite twenty furlongs from Olympia as one goes past the hippodrome towards the east. As soon as we arrived, we found a pyre built in a pit about six feet deep. It was composed mostly of torchwood, and the interstices filled with brush, that it might take fire quickly.

> Greek: 35. καὶ δὴ τὰ μὲν Ὀλύμπια τέλος εἶχεν, κάλλιστα Ὀλυμπίων γενόμενα ὧν ἐγὼ εἶδον, τετράκις ἤδη ὁρῶν. ἐγὼ δέ — οὐ γὰρ ἦν εὐπορῆσαι ὀχήματος ἅμα πολλῶν ἐξιόντων — ἄκων ὑπελειπόμην. ὁ δὲ ἀεὶ ἀναβαλλόμενος νύκτα τὸ τελευταῖον προειρήκει ἐπιδείξασθαι τὴν καῦσιν· καί με τῶν ἑταίρων τινὸς παραλαβόντος περὶ μέσας νύκτας ἐξαναστὰς ἀπῄειν εὐθὺ τῆς Ἁρπίνης, ἔνθα ἦν ἡ πυρά. στάδιοι πάντες οὗτοι εἴκοσιν ἀπὸ τῆς Ὀλυμπίας κατὰ τὸν ἱππόδρομον ἀπιόντων πρὸς ἕω. καὶ ἐπεὶ τάχιστα ἀφικόμεθα, καταλαμβάνομεν πυρὰν νενησμένην ἐν βόθρῳ ὅσον ἐς ὀργυιὰν τὸ βάθος. δᾷδες ἦσαν τὰ πολλὰ καὶ παρεβέβυστο τῶν φρυγάνων, ὡς ἀναφθείη τάχιστα.

[¶13] 36. When the moon was rising—for she too had to witness this glorious deed—he came forward, dressed in his usual fashion, and with him the leaders of the Cynics; in particular, the gentleman from Patras, with a torch—no bad understudy. Proteus too was bearing a torch. Men, approaching from this side and that, kindled the fire into a very great flame, since it came from torchwood and brush. Peregrinus—and give me your close attention now!— laying aside the wallet, the cloak, and that notable Heracles-club, stood there in a shirt that was downright filthy. Then he requested incense to throw on the fire; when someone had proffered it, he threw it on, and gazing towards the south—even the south, too, had to do with the show —he said: “Spirits of my mother and my father, receive me with favour.”

> Greek: 36. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ σελήνη ἀνέτελλεν — ἔδει γὰρ κἀκείνην θεάσασθαι τὸ κάλλιστον τοῦτο ἔργον — πρόεισιν ἐκεῖνος ἐσκευασμένος ἐς τὸν ἀεὶ τρόπον καὶ ξὺν αὐτῷ τὰ τέλη τῶν κυνῶν, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ γεννάδας ὁ ἐκ Πατρῶν, δᾷδα ἔχων, οὐ φαῦλος δευτεραγωνιστής· ἐδᾳδοφόρει δὲ καὶ ὁ Πρωτεύς. καὶ προσελθόντες ἄλλος ἀλλαχόθεν ἀνῆψαν τὸ πῦρ μέγιστον ἅτε ἀπὸ δᾴδων καὶ φρυγάνων. ὁ δέ — καί μοι πάνυ ἤδη πρόσεχε τὸν νοῦν — ἀποθέμενος τὴν πήραν καὶ τὸ τριβώνιον καὶ τὸ Ἡράκλειον ἐκεῖνο ῥόπαλον, ἔστη ἐν ὀθόνῃ ῥυπώσῃ ἀκριβῶς. εἶτα ᾔτει λιβανωτόν, ὡς ἐπιβάλοι ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ, καὶ ἀναδόντος τινὸς ἐπέβαλέν τε καὶ εἶπεν ἐς τὴν μεσημβρίαν ἀποβλέπων — καὶ γὰρ καὶ τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ πρὸς τὴν τραγῳδίαν ἦν, ἡ μεσημβρία — δαίμονες μητρῷοι καὶ πατρῷοι, δέξασθέ με εὐμενεῖς. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπήδησεν ἐς τὸ πῦρ, οὐ μὴν ἑωρᾶτό γε, ἀλλὰ περιεσχέθη ὑπὸ τῆς φλογὸς πολλῆς ἠρμένης.

[¶14] 37. With that he leaped into the fire; he was not visible, however, but was encompassed by the flames, which had risen to a great height. Once more I see you laughing, Cronius, my urbane friend, at the dénouement of the play. For my own part, when he called upon the guardian spirits of his mother, I did not criticise him very strongly, but when he invoked those of his father as well, I recalled the tales that had been told about his murder, and I could not control my laughter. The Cynics stood about the pyre, not weeping, to be sure, but silently evincing a certain. amount of grief as they gazed into the fire, until my gorge rose at them, and I said: “Let us go away, you simpletons. It is not an agreeable spectacle to look at an old man who has been roasted, getting our nostrils filled with a villainous reek. Or are you waiting for a painter to come and picture you as the companions of Socrates in prison are portrayed beside him?” They were indignant and reviled me, and several even took to their sticks. Then, when I threatened to gather up a few of them and throw them into the fire, so that they might follow their master, they checked themselves and kept the peace.

> Greek: 37. αὖθις ὁρῶ γελῶντά σε, ὦ καλὲ Κρόνιε, τὴν καταστροφὴν τοῦ δράματος. ἐγὼ δὲ τοὺς μητρῴους μὲν δαίμονας ἐπιβοώμενον μὰ τὸν Δίʼ οὐ σφόδρα ᾐτιώμην· ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς πατρῴους ἐπεκαλέσατο, ἀναμνησθεὶς τῶν περὶ τοῦ φόνου εἰρημένων οὐδὲ κατέχειν ἠδυνάμην τὸν γέλωτα. οἱ Κυνικοὶ δὲ περιστάντες τὴν πυρὰν οὐκ ἐδάκρυον μέν, σιωπῇ δὲ ἐνεδείκνυντο λύπην τινὰ εἰς τὸ πῦρ ὁρῶντες, ἄχρι δὴ ἀποπνιγεὶς ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς, ἀπίωμεν, φημί, ὦ μάταιοι· οὐ γὰρ ἡδὺ τὸ θέαμα ὠπτημένον γέροντα ὁρᾶν κνίσης ἀναπιμπλαμένους πονηρᾶς. ἢ περιμένετε ἔστʼ ἂν γραφεύς τις ἐπελθὼν ἀπεικάσῃ ὑμᾶς οἵους τοὺς ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ ἑταίρους τῷ Σωκράτει παραγράφουσιν; ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἠγανάκτουν καὶ ἐλοιδοροῦντό μοι, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς βακτηρίας ᾖξαν. εἶτα, ἐπειδὴ ἠπείλησα ξυναρπάσας τινὰς ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὸ πῦρ, ὡς ἂν ἕποιντο τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ἐπαύσαντο καὶ εἰρήνην ἦγον.

[¶15] 38. As I returned, I was thinking busily, my friend, reflecting what a strange thing love of glory is; how this passion alone is unescapable even by those who are considered wholly admirable, let alone that man who in other respects had led a life that was insane and reckless, and not undeserving of the fire.

> Greek: 38. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπανιὼν ποικίλα, ὦ ἑταῖρε, πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν ἐνενόουν, τὸ φιλόδοξον οἷόν τί ἐστιν ἀναλογιζόμενος, ὡς μόνος οὗτος ὁ ἔρως ἄφυκτος καὶ τοῖς πάνυ θαυμαστοῖς εἶναι δοκοῦσιν, οὐχ ὅπως ἐκείνῳ τἀνδρὶ καὶ τἄλλα ἐμπλήκτως καὶ ἀπονενοημένως βεβιωκότι καὶ οὐκ ἀναξίως τοῦ πυρός.

[¶16] 39. Then I encountered many people coming out to see the show themselves, for they expected to find him still alive. You see, on the day before it had been given out that he would greet the rising sun, as, in fact, they say the Brahmans do, before mounting the pyre. Well, I turned back most of them by saying the deed had been done already, those to whom it was not in itself highly desirable to see the actual spot, anyhow, and gather up some relic of the fire. In that business, I assure you, my friend, I had no end of trouble, telling the story to all while they asked questions and sought exact information. Whenever I noticed a man of taste, I would tell him the facts without embellishment, as I have to you; but for the benefit of the dullards, agog to listen, I would thicken the plot a bit on my own account, saying that when the pyre was kindled and Proteus flung himself bodily in, a great earthquake first took place, accompanied by a bellowing of the ground, and then a vulture, flying up out of the midst of the flames, went off to Heaven, saying, in human speech, with a loud voice:
I am through with the earth; to Olympus I fare.
They were wonder-struck and blessed themselves with a shudder, and asked me whether the vulture sped eastwards or westwards; I made them whatever reply occurred to me.

> Greek: 39. εἶτα ἐνετύγχανον πολλοῖς ἀπιοῦσιν ὡς θεάσαιντο καὶ αὐτοί· ᾤοντο γὰρ ἔτι καταλήψεσθαι ζῶντα αὐτόν. καὶ γὰρ καὶ τόδε τῇ προτεραίᾳ διεδέδοτο ὡς πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἀσπασάμενος, ὥσπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τοὺς Βραχμᾶνάς φασι ποιεῖν, ἐπιβήσεται τῆς πυρᾶς. ἀπέστρεφον δʼ οὖν τοὺς πολλοὺς αὐτῶν λέγων ἤδη τετελέσθαι τὸ ἔργον, οἷς μὴ καὶ τοῦτʼ αὐτὸ περισπούδαστον ἦν, κἂν αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν τὸν τόπον καί τι λείψανον καταλαμβάνειν τοῦ πυρός. ἔνθα δή, ὦ ἑταῖρε, μυρία πράγματα εἶχον ἅπασι διηγούμενος καὶ ἀνακρίνουσιν καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἐκπυνθανομένοις. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἴδοιμί τινα χαρίεντα, ψιλὰ ἂν ὥσπερ σοὶ τὰ πραχθέντα διηγούμην, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς βλᾶκας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀκρόασιν κεχηνότας ἐτραγῴδουν τι παρʼ ἐμαυτοῦ, ὡς ἐπειδὴ ἀνήφθη μὲν ἡ πυρά, ἐνέβαλεν δὲ φέρων ἑαυτὸν ὁ Πρωτεύς, σεισμοῦ πρότερον μεγάλου γενομένου σὺν μυκηθμῷ τῆς γῆς, γὺψ ἀναπτάμενος ἐκ μέσης τῆς φλογὸς οἴχοιτο ἐς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνθρωπιστὶ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ λέγων ἔλιπον γᾶν, βαίνω δʼ ἐς Ὄλυμπον. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἐτεθήπεσαν καὶ προσεκύνουν ὑποφρίττοντες καὶ ἀνέκρινόν με πότερον πρὸς ἕω ἢ πρὸς δυσμὰς ἐνεχθείη ὁ γύψ· ἐγὼ δὲ τὸ ἐπελθὸν ἀπεκρινάμην αὐτοῖς.

[¶17] 40. On my return to the festival, I came upon a greyhaired man whose face, I assure you, inspired confidence in addition to his beard and his general air of consequence, telling all about Proteus, and how, since his cremation, he had beheld him in white raiment a little while ago, and had just now left him walking about cheerfully in the Portico of the Seven Voices, wearing a garland of wild olive. Then on top of it all he put the vulture, swearing that he himself had seen it flying up out of the pyre, when I myself had just previously let it fly to ridicule fools and dullards.

> Greek: 40. ἀπελθὼν δὲ ἐς τὴν πανήγυριν ἐπέστην τινὶ πολιῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ἀξιοπίστῳ τὸ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τῷ πώγωνι καὶ τῇ λοιπῇ σεμνότητι, τά τε ἄλλα διηγουμένῳ περὶ τοῦ Πρωτέως καὶ ὡς μετὰ τὸ καυθῆναι θεάσαιτο αὐτὸν ἐν λευκῇ ἐσθῆτι μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν, καὶ νῦν ἀπολίποι περιπατοῦντα φαιδρὸν ἐν τῇ ἑπταφώνῳ στοᾷ κοτίνῳ τε ἐστεμμένον. εἶτʼ ἐπὶ πᾶσι προσέθηκε τὸν γῦπα, διομνύμενος ἦ μὴν αὐτὸς ἑωρακέναι ἀναπτάμενον ἐκ τῆς πυρᾶς, ὃν ἐγὼ μικρὸν ἔμπροσθεν ἀφῆκα πέτεσθαι καταγελῶντα τῶν ἀνοήτων καὶ βλακικῶν τὸν τρόπον.

[¶18] 41. Imagine what is likely to happen in his honour hereafter, how many bees will not settle on the place, what cicadas will not sing upon it, what crows will not fly to it, as they did to the tomb of Hesiod, and so forth! As to statues, I know that many will be set up right soon by the Eleans themselves and also by the other Greeks, to whom he said he had sent letters. The. story is that he despatched missives to almost all the famous cities—testamentary dispositions, so to speak, and exhortations and prescriptions—and he appointed a number of ambassadors for this purpose from among his comrades, styling them “messengers from the dead” and “underworld couriers.”

> Greek: 41. ἐννόει τὸ λοιπὸν οἷα εἰκὸς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ γενήσεσθαι, ποίας μὲν οὐ μελίττας ἐπιστήσεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, τίνας δὲ τέττιγας οὐκ ἐπᾴσεσθαι, τίνας δὲ κορώνας οὐκ ἐπιπτήσεσθαι καθάπερ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἡσιόδου τάφον, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα. εἰκόνας μὲν γὰρ παρά τε Ἠλείων αὐτῶν παρά τε τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων, οἷς καὶ ἐπεσταλκέναι ἔλεγεν, αὐτίκα μάλα οἶδα πολλὰς ἀναστησομένας. φασὶ δὲ πάσαις σχεδὸν ταῖς ἐνδόξοις πόλεσιν ἐπιστολὰς διαπέμψαι αὐτόν, διαθήκας τινὰς καὶ παραινέσεις καὶ νόμους· καί τινας ἐπὶ τούτῳ πρεσβευτὰς τῶν ἑταίρων ἐχειροτόνησεν, νεκραγγέλους καὶ νερτεροδρόμους προσαγορεύσας.

[¶19] 42. So ended that poor wretch Proteus, a man who (to put it briefly) never fixed his gaze on the verities, but always did and said everything with a view to glory and the praise of the multitude, even to the extent of leaping into fire, when he was sure not to enjoy the praise because he could not hear it.

> Greek: 42. τοῦτο τέλος τοῦ κακοδαίμονος Πρωτέως ἐγένετο, ἀνδρός, ὡς βραχεῖ λόγῳ περιλαβεῖν, πρὸς ἀλήθειαν μὲν οὐδεπώποτε ἀποβλέψαντος, ἐπὶ δόξῃ δὲ καὶ τῷ παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν ἐπαίνῳ ἅπαντα εἰπόντος ἀεὶ καὶ πράξαντος, ὡς καὶ εἰς πῦρ ἁλέσθαι, ὅτε μηδὲ ἀπολαύειν τῶν ἐπαίνων ἔμελλεν ἀναίσθητος αὐτῶν γενόμενος.

[¶20] 43. I shall add one thing more to my story before I stop, in order that you may be able to have a good laugh. For of course you have long known that other tale of mine, as you heard it from me at once, when on my return from Syria I recounted how I sailed from the Troad in his company, and about his self-indulgence on the voyage, and the handsome boy whom he had persuaded to turn Cynic that he too might have an Alcibiades, and how, when we were disturbed during the night in mid-Aegean by a tempest that descended and raised an enormous sea, this wondrous person who was thought to be superior to death fell to walling along with the women!

> Greek: 43. ἓν ἔτι σοι προσδιηγησάμενος παύσομαι, ὡς ἔχῃς ἐπὶ πολὺ γελᾶν. ἐκεῖνα μὲν γὰρ πάλαι οἶσθα, εὐθὺς ἀκούσας μου ὅτε ἥκων ἀπὸ Συρίας διηγούμην ὡς ἀπὸ Τρῳάδος συμπλεύσαιμι αὐτῷ καὶ τήν τε ἄλλην τὴν ἐν τῷ πλῷ τρυφὴν καὶ τὸ μειράκιον τὸ ὡραῖον ὃ ἔπεισε κυνίζειν ὡς ἔχοι τινὰ καὶ αὐτὸς Ἀλκιβιάδην, καὶ ὡς ἐπεὶ ταραχθείημεν τῆς νυκτὸς ἐν μέσῳ τῷ Αἰγαίῳ γνόφου καταβάντος καὶ κῦμα παμμέγεθες ἐγείραντος ἐκώκυε μετὰ τῶν γυναικῶν ὁ θαυμαστὸς καὶ θανάτου κρείττων εἶναι δοκῶν.

[¶21] 44. Well, a short time before his end, about nine days, it may be, having eaten more than enough, I suppose, he was sick during the night and was taken with a very violent fever. This was told me by Alexander the physician, who had been called in to see him. He said that he found him rolling on the ground, unable to stand the burning, pleading very passionately for a drink of cold water, but that he would not give it to him. Moreover, he told him, he said, that Death, if he absolutely wanted him, had come to his door spontaneously, so that it would be well to go along, without asking any favour from the fire; and Proteus replied: “But that way would not be so notable, being common to all men.” aside Levi's interpretation of dyad as meaning lutta d’amore, but his own defence of it as meaning “‘discrimen” does not properly reckon with the context. -The archetype had a peculiar pointed w, frequently confused with a: and, and these with it.

> Greek: 44. ἀλλὰ μικρὸν πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς, πρὸ ἐννέα σχεδόν που ἡμερῶν, πλεῖον, οἶμαι, τοῦ ἱκανοῦ ἐμφαγὼν ἤμεσέν τε τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἑάλω πυρετῷ μάλα σφοδρῷ. ταῦτα δέ μοι Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ ἰατρὸς διηγήσατο μετακληθεὶς ὡς ἐπισκοπήσειεν αὐτόν. ἔφη οὖν καταλαβεῖν αὐτὸν χαμαὶ κυλιόμενον καὶ τὸν φλογμὸν οὐ φέροντα καὶ ψυχρὸν αἰτοῦντα πάνυ ἐρωτικῶς, ἑαυτὸν δὲ μὴ δοῦναι. καίτοι εἰπεῖν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς εἰ πάντως θανάτου δέοιτο, ἥκειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας αὐτόματον, ὥστε καλῶς ἔχειν ἕπεσθαι μηδὲν τοῦ πυρὸς δεόμενον· τὸν δʼ αὖ φάναι, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὁμοίως ἔνδοξος ὁ τρόπος γένοιτʼ ἂν, πᾶσιν κοινὸς ὤν.

[¶22] 45. That is Alexander’s story. And I myself not many days previously saw him smeared with ointment in order that the sharp salve might relieve his vision by making him shed tears. Do you get the idea? Aeacus is reluctant to receive people with weak eyes! It is as if a man about to go up to the cross should nurse the bruise on his finger. What do you think Democritus would have done, had he seen this? Would not he have laughed at the man as roundly as he deserved? And yet, where could he have got that much laughter? Well, my friend, you may have your laugh also, particularly when you hear the rest of them admiring him.

> Greek: 45. ταῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδʼ αὐτὸς πρὸ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν εἶδον αὐτὸν ἐγκεχρισμένον, ὡς ἀποδακρύσειε τῷ δριμεῖ φαρμάκῳ. ὁρᾷς; οὐ πάνυ τοὺς ἀμβλυωποῦντας ὁ Αἰακὸς παραδέχεται. ὅμοιον ὡς εἴ τις ἐπὶ σταυρὸν ἀναβήσεσθαι μέλλων τὸ ἐν τῷ δακτύλῳ πρόσπταισμα θεραπεύοι. τί σοι δοκεῖ ὁ Δημόκριτος, εἰ ταῦτα εἶδε; κατʼ ἀξίαν γελάσαι ἂν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρί; καίτοι πόθεν εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος τοσοῦτον γέλωτα; σὺ δʼ οὖν, ὦ φιλότης, γέλα καὶ αὐτός, καὶ μάλιστα ὁπόταν τῶν ἄλλων ἀκούῃς θαυμαζόντων αὐτόν.