Olympiodorus - Life of Plato

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1、OlympiodorusTheLifeofPlatoTranslatedbyGeorgeBurgesinTheWorksofPlato:anewandliteralversion(London:HenryG.Bohn,1865),volumeVI,pp.232-240.Someofthetranslator’snoteshavebeenomittedandtherearesomechangestothetexttofacilitateeasierreading.Thisdocumentisinthepublicdom

2、ain.platonic-philosophy.orgComethen,letusspeakofthefamilyofthephilosopher,notforthesakeofprolixity,butofbenefitratherandinstructiontothose,whobetakethemselvestohim.Forhewasnot“aNobody,”butrather—Tomanyofmankindhewasacare.ForPlatoissaidtohavebeenasonofhisfathe

3、rAriston,thesonofAristocles,fromwhomhecarrieduphisfamilytoSolon,thelaw-giver;andhencehewrote,inimitationofhisancestor,theLawsintwelvebooks,andaPoliticalConstitutionineleven.HecameintotheworldbyhismotherPerictione,whowasdescendedfromNeleus,thesonofCodrus.Forthey

4、saythatApolloinavisionhadanintercoursewithhismotherPerictione,and,appearinginthenighttoAriston,orderedhimtohavenoconnexionwithPerictioneuntilthetimeofherbringingforth.Andsoheacted.Andhisparentstakinghimafterhisbirth,andwhenhewasstillaninfant,placedhimonMountHym

5、ettus,intendingtomakeasacrificetothedeitiesthere,namely,Pan,andtheNymphs,andApollo,whopresidesovershepherds.Butwhilehewaslyingthere,beescameandfilledhismouthwithhoneyfromthecomb,inorderthatitmightbesaidtrulyofhim—Fromhismouthflow’davoicethanhoneyfarmoresweet.An

6、dhecallshimselfoneverysideandafellow-slavewiththeswans,asifhehadproceededfromApollo;forthebirdbelongstoApollo.InearlylifehefirstwentasapupiltoDionysiusthegrammar-master,tolearnthecommoncourseofinstruction,ofwhomhehasmadementionintheRivals,inorderthatDionysiusmi

7、ghtnotbewithoutashareofremembranceonthepartofPlato.AfterhimhemadeuseofAristontheArgive,ashismasteringymnastics,bywhom,astheysay,hisnamewaschangedintoPlato,havingbeenpreviouslycalledAristocles,afterhisgrandfather;andhewascalledPlato,fromhishavingtwopartsofhisbod

8、yverywide,namely,hisbreastandforehead,ashislikenessproves,putupeverywherewithsucharepresentation.Butothersassertthatitwasnotforthisreasonhisnamewaschanged,butonaccountoftheb