Pythagoras: His Life and Teaching, a Compendium of Classical Sources (12 page)

CHAPTER 22

H
IS
W
RITINGS

S
ome there are who hold, that Pythagoras left not anything in writing. Of this opinion are Plutarch,
²³⁰
Josephus,
²³¹
Lucian,
²³²
Porphyry,
²³³
Ruffinus,
²³⁴
and others. But Laertius says that all such as affirm he wrote nothing do but jest. For Heraclitus, the natural philosopher, said expressly that Pythagoras, son of Mnesarchus, was skilful in history above all men; and selecting those writings, made up his own wisdom and variety of learning and art.
²³⁵
To which citation, perhaps, Clement of Alexandria refers who says, Heraclitus being later than Pythagoras, mentioned him in his writings.
²³⁶

The books attributed to Pythagoras are these:

Three treatises:
Education, Politics
, and
Physic
, to which Laertius
²³⁷
refers the foresaid testimony of Heraclitus—forasmuch as Pythagoras, in the beginning of his physical treatise says, “Neither by the air that I breathe; nor by the water that I drink, shall I not bear the blame of this discourse.”
²³⁸

Six treatises are reckoned by Heraclides, son of Serapion, in his
Epitome of Solion.
One concerns the universe in verse. The second entitled,
The Sacred Discourse
, beginning thus:
²³⁹

Young men in silence entertain all these.

To the same book perhaps belongs this:

Wretched, thrice wretched, beans forebear to eat,

Your parents' heads as well may be your meat.

And this cited by Eustathius:
²⁴⁰

Which way to Orcus souls descend; which way

Return, and the Sun's cheerful light survey.

The third book, of the soul. The fourth, of piety. The fifth concerning Helothales, father of Epicharmus. The sixth, Crotona and others.

Two treatises, a discourse concerning nature, and another concerning the gods; both of which he, in a short time, taught Abaris through Hyperborean.
²⁴¹
The first may possibly be the same as the physical treatise mentioned by Laertius. The second, as Iamblichus says, is entitled also
The Sacred Discourse
(but it is not the same as that
Sacred Discourse
which Heraclides ascribes to him; for that was in verse, this in prose). It is described as being collected out of the most mystical places of Orpheus. Most hold that it was written by Pythagoras. However, some eminent and creditable persons of that school assert that Telauges collected commentaries left by Pythagoras with Damo, his daughter, sister of Telauges. After her death, they report these to have been given to Bitale, daughter of Damo, and to Telauges, son of Pythagoras, husband to Bitale. [This is unclear as written—Ed.] What Iamblichus cites out of this work (see hereafter in the Doctrine of Pythagoras) is cited also by Hierocles,
²⁴²
Syrianus, and others.

An
Oration to Abaris
is mentioned by Proclus.
Orpheus
, a poem, is affirmed by Ion the Chian in
Triagmis
(Laertius).
²⁴³
The Scopiads
, beginning thus,
[“behave not shamelessly to anyone”] (Laertius).
Hymns
, out of which Proclus brings these verses:

—Sacred Number Springs

From th' uncorrupted Monad, and proceeds

To the Divine Tetractys, she who breeds

All; and assigns the proper bounds to all,

Whom we the pure immortal Decad call.

Arthmetic
is mentioned by Isidore, who affirms Pythagoras was the first that wrote upon this subject amongst the Grecians, which was afterward more copiously composed by Nicomachus.
²⁴⁴

Prognostics
, of which thus Tzetzes:
²⁴⁵

Pythagoras Samian, Mnesarchus son,

Not only knew what would by fate be done,

But even for those who futures would perceive,

He of Prognostics several Books did leave.

Of the Magical Virtues of Herbs
, frequently cited by Pliny, who says that though some ascribe it to Cleemporus, a physician, yet pertinacious fame and antiquity vindicate it to Pythagoras. And this very thing gives authority to the volumes. (Pliny asked if anyone thought Cleemporus could have written it, seeing that he put forth other things in his own name.
²⁴⁶
) To this work seems to belong that volume, which Pythagoras wrote concerning the sea onion, cited also by Pliny; but by Laertius ascribed to another Pythagoras, a physician.

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras
, or as others, of the Pythagoreans. But indeed their author, as Suidas says, is not certainly known, though some ascribe them to him. Of these is Proclus who styles him, “Father of the Golden Verses.”
²⁴⁷
Even the verses themselves seem to confirm it, there being amongst them some which Pythagoras is known to have repeated to his disciples by the testimonies of Laertius, Porphyry, and others.

Nor suffer sleep at night to close thy eyes,

Till thrice they acts that day thou hast ore-run;

How slipped? What deeds? What duty left undone?

Others, such as Chrysippus, attribute them to his disciples;
²⁴⁸
some particularly to Lysis the Terentine; some to Philolaus. St. Hierom [i.e., Jerome—Ed.] conceives that the sentences and doctrines were of Pythagoras, but reduced to verse succinctly by Archippus and Lysides, his disciples, who had their schools in Greece and at Thebes, and having the precepts of their master by heart, made use of their own ingenuity instead of books. Or they might be compiled by Epicarmus, of whom Iamblichus says, coming to Syracusa in the reign of Hiero, he forbore to profess philosophy openly, but did reduce the opinions of the Pythagoreans into verse, thereby in sportive manner venting the doctrine of Pythagoras.
²⁴⁹

Epistles;
of which are extant two only, one to Anaximenes, the other to Hiero.

Pythagoras to Anaximenes.

And thou, O best of men, if thou didst not excel Pythagoras in extract and honor, wouldst have left Miletus. But now the honor of this country detains thee, and would also detain me, were I like Anaximenes. But if you, who are the most considerable persons, should forsake the cities, their glory would be lost and they become more infested by the Medes. Neither is it fit to be always busied in astrology; but better to take care of our country. Even I myself bestow not all my time in study, but sometimes in the wars, wherein the Italians are engaged one against another.

This epistle seems to have been written in answer to that of Anaximenes to Pythagoras, already produced in the
Life of Anaximenes.

Pythagoras to Hiero.

My life is secure and quiet, but yours will no way suit with me. A moderate and self-denying person, needs not a Sicilian table. Pythagoras, wheresoever he comes, has all things sufficient for the day; but to serve a Lord is heavy and insolvable, for one unaccustomed to it.
self-sufficiency, is a great and safe thing. For it has none that envies or conspires against it; whence that life seems to come nearest God. A good habit is not acquired by venereal pleasures nor high feeding, but by indigence, which leads to Virtue. Various and intemperate pleasures enslave the souls of weak persons, but especially those which you enjoy, inasmuch as you have given yourself over to them. For you are carried in suspense, and cannot be safe; because your reason opposes not itself to those things which are pernicious. Therefore, write not Pythagoras to live with you; for physicians will not fall sick to bear their patient's company.

These are mentioned as the genuine writings of Pythagoras; others there were accounted spurious, such as the following:

The Mystic Discourse
, which (says Laertius) they affirm to have been written by Hippasus, in detraction from Pythagoras. Many writings of Asto, a Crotonian, were likewise ascribed to Pythagoras;
²⁵⁰
as were also
Aliptic Commentaries
, written indeed by another of that name, son of Eratacles.
²⁵¹

The dialect used by Pythagoras and his disciples was the Doric, which some, such as Metrodorus cited by Iamblichus, conceive chosen by them as the most excellent. Epicharmus, says he, and before him Pythagoras, regarded the Doric as the best of dialects as it is also the best musical harmony. For the Ionic and Aeolic partake of the
Chromatic;
the Attic is much more participant of the Chromatic; but the Doric dialect is
Enharmonic
, consisting of full sounding letters.

The antiquity of the Doric dialect is testified by fable. Deucalion (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha (daughter of Epimetheus) begot Hellen, father of the whole Hellenic race. (In the Babylonian sacred records, Hellen is said to be the son of Jupiter.) Hellen had three sons: Dorus, ancestor of the Dorians; Aeolus, father of the Aeolians; and Xanthus, father of Io, from whom descend the Ionic races. Now it is not easy to speak exactly concerning the ancients to those of later times, yet is it acknowledged that the Doric is the most ancient of these dialects. (Orpheus, the most ancient of poets, used the Doric dialect.) A fourth dialect, the Attic, was founded by Creusa daughter of Erechtheus, so named three ages after the rest according to the Thracians, and the rape of Orithuia which many histories declare.

But perhaps the true reason is because it was the dialect of the country. For the Pythagoreans admonished all persons to use the language of their own country, what Grecians soever came into their community. For to speak a strange language, they approved not.
²⁵²
The Doric dialect was common throughout Magna Grecia. Crotona and Sybaris were colonies of the Achaeans, Syracuse of the Corinthians; both of which were originally Doric, as being of Peloponnesus. Thucydides alleged this as a motive which induced the Athenians to war with the Sicilians, lest being Doreans they should at some time or other assist the Doreans by reason of their affinity, and
being a colony of the Peloponnesians, should join with the Peloponnesians.
²⁵³
Hence to the stranger in Theocritus, his
Adoniazousai
²⁵⁴
reproving the Syracusian women thus:

Peace foolish babbling women, leave your place;

Your wide mouth'd Doric here is out of date.

One of them answers,

Gup, whence are you? What is our talk to thee?

Correct your maids, not us of Sicily.

I would you knew it, we are from Corinth sprung,

As was Bellerophon, our mother tongue

Peloponnesian is, nor is it scorn

That they speak Doric who are Doric born.

For (says the Scholiast) the Syracusians were originally

Corinthians: Peloponnesus was inhabited by the Doreans,

together with the Heraclidae.
²⁵⁵

CHAPTER 23

H
IS
D
ISCIPLES

M
any were the persons, who from several parts, resorted to Pythagoras, to be his disciples and live with him in that condition. Of these there were, as Aristoxenus relates, Leucanians, Messapians (or, as Laertius, Peucepetians), and Romans.
²⁵⁶

Simichus, tyrant of the Centoropians (a people of Sicily, the town itself being called Centorpa), having heard him, laid down his command and distributed his riches, part to his sister, part to his citizens.
²⁵⁷

Abaris, also of Scythia, a Hyperborean came hither. He being unacquainted with the Greek language, and not initiated, and withal advanced into years, Pythagoras would not introduce him by various theorems; but instead of the silence, and the long attention, and other trials, he made him presently fit to receive his doctrines, and taught him in a short time to understand those two books concerning nature, and concerning the gods.
²⁵⁸
For Abaris now in years, came from the Hyperboreans, a priest of Apollo there; and converting the wisest things concerning religion from Greece to his own country, that he might lay up the collected gold to his god's use in his temple among the Hyperboreans.

He came by the way into Italy, and saw Pythagoras, and likened him to the god whose priest he was, and believed he was no other, not a man like him but very Apollo himself, both by his gravity, and by some marks and tokens which he knew. He gave Pythagoras an arrow which he had brought from the temple as necessary for his journey, through so many different contingencies, and such a long travel. For riding upon that, and so passing over places that were otherwise impassible—such as rivers, lakes, marshes, mountains, and the like—and coming to any place, as they say, he made purifications, and expelled pestilences and storms from those cities that desired his assistance. We are informed, that Lacedaemon being purged by him, never had the pestilence afterwards, whereas it was formerly very subject to that sickness, by reason of want of free
passage of the air. (The Taygetan Mountains, amongst which it is built, penning it up. For those hills lie above it, as Gnossus to Crete.) And other such signs of the power of Abaris are reported.
²⁵⁹

But Pythagoras, accepting the arrow and not looking strangely upon it, or asking the cause why he gave it him; but, as if he were himself the true god, taking Abaris aside he showed him his golden thigh, as an assured mark that he was not mistaken. And then, reckoning every particular of all those that were in the temple, proved that he did not guess amiss. He added that he came for the benefit of men, and for this reason was in man's shape, that they might not be astonished at one so far above them, and so fly his doctrine. And he commanded Abaris to stay there, and to join with him in instructing them who came to him. As for the gold which Abaris had gathered for his god, Pythagoras commanded him to give it to those whom he had assembled; insomuch that he actually confirmed the sentence, “All things are common amongst friends.”

Abaris thus staying with him (as we said), he gave him the epitome of physiology and theology. And instead of the art of guessing by sacrifices, he taught him that kind of Prognostic which is by numbers, as thinking that more sacred and divine, and more agreeable to the celestial numbers of the gods. And other doctrines he taught Abaris, such as were proper for him.

Milo of Crotona, the most eminent wrestler of those times, was another disciple to Pythagoras.
²⁶⁰
He, when in the hall of the college a pillar begun to yield, went under it; and by that means saved all the scholars, and at last got away himself. It is probable that this confidence in his great strength was the occasion of his death. For they report that as he was going through a thick wood far from any way, finding a great tree with wedges in it, he set his hand and feet to it, trying to split it asunder; whereupon the wedges fell out, and he being caught, became a prey to the wild beasts. In his house it was that the Pythagoreans were surprised and burned by the Cylonians.

Calliphon of Crotona, is mentioned by Hermippus as an intimate friend of Pythagoras, who reported when Calliphon was dead, that his soul was continually present with him. He also said that the soul commanded him that he should not pass the place where his
ass fell; and that he should abstain from impure water, and avoid ill-speaking.
²⁶¹

We only mention these here as being most particularly interested in the relation of Pythagoras and his life: a more perfect account of the rest, we will add in the following catalogue.

Sport competitions of many kinds were popular with the ancient Greeks, and wrestling was among the most important. Pythagoras' disciple Milo of Crotona, famed as a wrestler, would have engaged in contests like the one shown on the obverse of this silver stater of c.420–370
B.C.
, isued by the city of Aspendus in Asia Minor.

Photo courtesy of Numismatica Ars Classica