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THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC Volume I. The Progymnasmata
i
Society of Biblical Literature
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS GRAECO-ROMAN RELIGION SERIES
edited by Hans Dieter Betz Edward N. O'Neil
Texts and Translations 27 Graeco-Roman Religion Series 9
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC Volume I. The Progymnasmata ii
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC Volume I. The Progymnasmata
by Ronald F. Hock and Edward N. O'Neil
Scholars Press Atlanta, Georgia iii
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC Volume I. The Progymnasmata
by Ronald F. Hock and
Edward N. O'Neil
@
1986
The Society of Biblical Literature
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Main entry under title: The Chreia in ancient rhetoric. (Graeco-Roman religion series 9) (Texts and translations ; 27) Bibliography: v. I, p. Includes index. Contents: v. I. The progymnasmata. I. Chreiai. 2. Chreiai-Translations into English. 3. Classical literaure-Translations into English. 4. English literture-Translations from classical languages. 5. Classical wit and humor. 6. Rhetoric, Ancient. I. Hock, Ronald F., I94411. O'Neil, Edward N. III. Series. IV. Series: Texts and trans lations ; no. 27. 85-142002 888'.002'08 PA3469.C48C5 1985 ISBN 0-89130-846-6 (v. I alk. paper) ISBN 0-89130-847-4 (pbk. v. I : alk. paper)
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
iv
CONTENTS vii ix xiii
Contributon Preface Abbreviations
General Introduction to Volume I Ronald F. Hock
1
PRINCIPAL TEXTS Introductions, Translations, and Comments Aelius Theon of Alexandria Ronald F. Hock and Edward N. O'Neil Marcus Fabius Quintilianus Edward N. O'Neil Hermogenes of Tarsus Burton L. Mack and Edward N. O'Neil Priscian Edward N. O'Neil Aphthonius of Antioch James R. Butts and Ronald F. Hock Nicolaus of Myra Lester L. Crabbe and Ronald F. Hock The Vatican Grammarian Edward N. O'Neil Catalogue of Chreiai Ronald F. Hock and Edward N. O'Neil Index Nominum Edward N. O'Neil Select Bibliography Ronald F. Hock
61
113
153 183 209
235 271 295 347 353
CONTRIBUTORS EDWARD N. O'NEIL, Professor of Classics, University of Southern California. Director of Chreia Project at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont. Co-editor of Volume I. RONALD F. HOCK, Associate Professor of Religion, University of Southern California. Co-editor of Volume I. BURTON L. MACK, Professor of Religion, School of Theology at Claremont, Institute for Antiquity and Christianity. LESTER L GRABBE, Lecturer in Old Testament, University of Hull (England). JAMES R. BUTTS, Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Le Mayne College.
PREFACE 'IIJ'DKPIXTl'lc; Tijc; ,ra1,6e:Cac; T�v p(l:av ffl.Kpav lcs,11 y>.VKE:'Cc; 6� Tove; Kap,rovc;.
Isocrates said that education's root is bitter, its fruit sweet. Chreia "' This project has indeed been an education for the members of the "Hellenistic Texts Seminar," the successor to the Corpus Hellenisticum at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, It. t.ook root, however, in an entirely different field from the one in which it has grown. Our st.udy of the chreia began in t.he spring of 1979 while we were reading various compositions by and about. Cynics. As we read, we kept. encountering the lit.tie vignettes called chreiai, and we soon realized that. we did not know enough about. t.his form t.o understand its role in t.he compositions. A look at. the secondary literature failed to satisfy our curiosity or to inform us sufficiently. We found that. many people had discussed t.he chreia, but. very few had ever t.aken t.he trouble t.o read the texts of t.he rhetoricians who had formulated the rules, Many of the discussions which we found were shallow, mis-informed and contradict.cry, Disappointed wit.h the secondary material, the group put aside t.he Cynics and t.urned to t.he Greek rhetoricians them selves: Theon, Hermogenes, Aphthonius, Nicolaus, Doxapatres, Libanius and at.hers, Here, too, we found problems. We soon realized that lit tie work had been done on these t.ext.s in the last. hundred years or so, that in particular no satisfactory translation existed for any of the authors, much less any real commentary. Furthermore, the books themselves are scarce, and only people who have access to a large library can find copies of all the t.exts. As a result of these conditions we formed a plan. We would
collect
all
the
discussions
of the
chreia, make a
K
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
translation and provide the Greek or Lat.in text. to accompany it.. Then we would add a few not.es and comments to assist. in understanding the passages. Even in the initial stages of our work, it became apparent. that we were dealing with more material than a single volume could hold. Further analysis showed that the selections fall into three natural groups and that each group is large enough to fill at. least one volume. Consequently, the present. volume contains only the selections of rhetoricians whose primary purpose is to define and classify the chreia. Most of these passages stand as chapters in Progy,nn�s•�t�. and we have simply lifted them out of their context. The second volume will have the select.ions which demonstrate how one should manipulate the chreia. Two basic exercises appear here: the tpycxa(cx and the KXCa1.�. The third volume will contain the various scholia and commentaries on the passages which appear in th■ first. volume. This, then, is the basic pattern of the three volumes, but. we have added other features designed to provida additional information wherever wa consider them necessary and useful to others. A word about the division of responsibility in the volume, Alt.hough each chapter is attributed to one or t.wo individuals, the project. has been a team effort.. In the early stages, every chapter profited from t.he careful criticism of the whole group, and in that process many problems were solved. In the final stages, the co-editors have reworked all the material, revising wherever the need arose. For any shortcomings that remain they alone are responsible. As always, of course, the evenings which we have spent in the Boardroom of the Institute have been enjoyable and rewarding. f"or such pleasant surroundings we express our gratitude to all the members of the Institute and in particular to Professor James M. Robinson, its Director. Without his friendly counsel our labors might never have borne fruit. Lastly, but most importantly, all the contributors to this volume - and especial! Y the co-editors - here pay homage to
PREFACE
Kl
t.heir long-suffering wives who have spent. many lonel� hours while their husbands labored in fellowship t.o produce t.his volume, So, t.o B. J., Char lot.t.e, Carol, Elizabeth and Jane, than ks, Take heart! On ly t.wo more volumes t.o go -on this p roject.!
ABBREVIATION'S
ARW
Archiv l'iir Religions1tissenschal't
BAGD
W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich, and F, Danker (eds.>, A Creek-English
Lexicon ol' the Helt Testament and other £arly Christian Literature.
Chicago: University of Chicago, 1979.
BICS
Bulletin ol' the Institute ol' Classical Studies
BJRL
Bulletin ol' the John Rylands Library
Bonner, £duc11tion in
S. F. Bonner, £duc11tion in Ancient Rome l'rom the elder Cato to the younger Pliny. Berkeley: University
Ancient Rome
of California, 1977.
BZ
Byz,antinische Zeitschril't
CAH Christ-Schmid-Stahlin,
Ceschichte der griechischen Literatur
C11mbridge Ancient History
w. V, Christ-W. Schmid-0. Stahlin,
Ceschichte der griechischen Literatur (Handbuch der
Altertumswissenschaft; Vol. 2, part 1; 6th ed.; Munich: Beck, 1924)
CJ
Cl.assical Journal
CPh
Clas,ical Philology
CR
Classical Revie1t
CSM
Colonial Society ol' Has,achusett,
G 8r R
Greece & Rome
GRBS
Creek, Roman and Byzantine Studies
Hunger, Die
Hunger, Die hochsprachliche prol'ane Literatur der Byzantiner (Handbuch
hochsprachliche prof'ilne Literatur
JHS Kennedy, Art ol'
Rhetoric
der Altertumswissenschaf't; 2 vols,; Munich: Beck, 1978)
Journal ol' Hellenic Studie,
G. Kennedy, The Art ol' Rhetoric in the Roman llorld. Princeton: Princeton University, 1972
l'IIV
THE CBREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
Kennedy, Creek Rhetoric
a. Kennedy, Greek Rhetoric under Chri1ti1n E111peror1. Princeton: Princeton University, 1983
Kennedy, Rhetoric ••• l'ro• Ancient to /fodern Ti!M!S'
G, Kennedy, Cldssic1/ Rhetoric ind Its- Chri1ti1n •nd Secul•r Tr•dition l'rom Ancient to /fodern Times-. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1980
Kustas, Studies in Byzdntine Rhetoric
G. Kustas, Studies in Byz,gntine Rhetoric , generals,
courtesans,
and
parasites,
as
these
chreiai
illustrate: Alexander, on being asked what kind of king seemed to be the best, said: "The one who keeps his friends with gifts and who makes friends of his enemies through benefactions."2 4 Epameinondas (the general> used to say that death in war is the most honorable,25 Gnathaena (the courtesan>, when some youths while drinking had come to blows over her, said to the one who had been worsted: .. Cheer up, boy! The prize involved in this contest is not a wreath, but money."2 6 Bithys, the parasite of King Lysimachus, when Lysimachus threw a wooden scorpion in his cloak, was terrified and jumped up. Then, on realizing what had happened, he said: .. I, too, will scare you, King. Give me a talent!"2 7
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
7
The popularity of the chreia, finally, is shown not only by the variety of persons to whom chreiai are attributed, but also by the numbers of people who knew chreiai and by the numbers of chreiai that are used by various authors. Thus Dio Chrysostom remarks that everybody could recite chreiai about Diogenes, 28 and thousands of chreiai can be found in the writings of, say, Plutarch, Quintilian, Aulus Gellius, Lucian, Diogenes Laertius, Aelian, Philostratus, and Stobaeus, This is not to say that chreiai are ubiquitous in ancient literature; they are rare in Epictetus and Dia Chrysostom and even missing altogether in others, such as Pausanias. Still, there can be no doubt that throughout the period under consideration the chreia was a widely known and important literary form, Transmission and Preservation of' the Chreia, The fact that Diogenes Laertius, as we noted above, could not catalogue all the chreiai attributed to Diogenes, even though Diogenes had lived many centuries earlier, raises the question of how chreiai were transmitted and preserved. Doubtlessly, transmission was frequently oral, but preservation, over centuries, ultimately depended on chreiai being written down. Consequently, our discussion focuses on the written transmission of chreiai, Two examples of oral transmission will suffice. On the one hand, Diogenes Laertius reports that the hedonist Arcesilaus, when rebuked for living openly with •.wo courtesans, responded to his critics by reciting chreiai of Aristippus;29 surely one of them was the following: Aristippus the Cyrenaic, on being reproached because he was oft.en in the company of the Corinthian courtesan Lais, said: "I keep her, not she me."30
B
THE CHREJA JN ANCIENT RHETORIC
On the other hand, Plutarch refers t.o the sayings of virtuous women, which Eurydice as a young woman regularly received while staying in his household,3 1 Plutarch is also helpful in tracking down the convent.ions of put.ting chreiai down in writing, at. least. on an informal basis, He refers t.o his own pract.ice32 and t.o that. of ot.hers 33 of making personal collect.ions of chreiai, Seneca, alt.hough he condemns t.he practice, nevertheless is another witness t.o it,3 4 But. these personal collect.ions are already largely a literary activity, t.he chreiai being gathered from various literary sources. Thus, the prior quest.ion is: where did a Plutarch or a Seneca look when making their collect.ions? Neither one is specific at this point., but. Menander of' Laodicea, a rhetorician writing in t.he fourth century A,D,, recommends 8(01, ("Lives") - and Plutarch's Lives at that ! 35 That. Lives, and not. just Plutarch's, were a fruitful source for those seeking chreiai is confirmed by Diogenes L aert.ius and Athenaeus, two writers who make extensive use of chreiai. They frequently cite various L ives as t.he source of' their chreiai,36
But. a perusal of their writings also shows that. other genres
served as sources for chreiai - for 'Awoµvru.10vE:vµaTa t:.1.acSo,caC 37 and 3 8 < .. Reminiscences">. Deserving special attention, however, are frequently
example,
t.he published collect.ions of chreiai, called Chreidi. Diogenes Laertius quotes most. frequently from t.he collect.ion of' Hecat.o, This collect.ion provided Diogenes Laert.ius with chreiai att.ribut.ed t.o Antisthenes, Diogenes, Metrocles, Zeno, and Cleant.hes, 39 Moreover, Diogenes Laert.ius cites at. least once from the similar collect.ions of' Met.rocles, Zeno, and perhaps Ariston.4 D Finally, Diogenes Laertius seems to know of still other published chreiai, though presumably only indirectly, such as
from lists
of writings that. he had of
various
philosophers. At. any rate, the Chrei,gi in this category include those of Aristippus, Demetrius of' Phalerum, Diogenes, Persaeus, and Cleanthes, 4 1 And to this considerable list of
9
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Chreidi we can also add the use Athenaeus made of' the Chreidi of' Machon4 2 and the use Stobaeus made of' the similar collections by Oio Chrysostom43 and Aristotle, H Such, then, is the broader historical cont.ext. of the chreia, The chreia, originating probably in the Socratic circle, was an exceedingly popular form for expressing the wit. and wisdom of philosophers and, to a lesser extent, of sophists, kings, generals, and courtesans, Oral transmission was one way that. chreiai survived the centuries, but. preservation was more assured if chreiai were writ.ten down, either in informal
personal
collections
for
lat.er
use
or
in
formal
compositions like ••uves," ..Reminiscences, " and Chreiai, What. remains is to consider the chreia in the more narrow historical context. of ancient education.
II A papyrus scrap from Oxyrhynchus introduces us to the chreia in an educational context.. The papyrus, insofar as the preserved port.ions permit us to say, seems to have been a schoolboy's rhetorical catechism, containing various questions and answers about the chreia. 4 5 The questions begin, appropriately enough, with ""What is a chreia?" The answer to this question - that the chreia is a concise and praiseworthy reminiscence about some character - is then clarified by further questions, such as why the word "reminiscence" is used, why the attribution to some "character" is essential, and why the form is called by the name ..chreia." The answers to these questions will be given in due course, but for now the significance of this papyrus lies in a more general observation. The questions and answers of this papyrus merely summarize and simplify discussions of the chreia that are found in the Progymnasmata.4 6
In other words, if we want to learn more about the chrela than did this schoolboy, we need to look where this papyrus Points. We need to familiarize ourselves with the Pro gymnasmata and especially with what they have to say about the chreia. Accordingly, after some introductory remarks
10
THE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
about the Progy111ndS'llldtd - their origins and history, their contents and function - we will investigate more closely their discussions of the chreia. Origin1 dnd History ol' the Progy111n4smiltd, As was the case with the chreia itself, the origins of the textbooks that came to be called Progymndsmdta are obscure,◄? The earliest surviving textbook is that of Aelius Theon of Alexandria, who most likely wrote sometime between the middle of t.he first century A,D, and the beginning of the second. 4B But Theon was not t.he first to write such a text.book, as is clear from his own st.atements 49 and as is confirmed by the remarks of his contemporary, the orator Quintilian. The latter's survey of the early st.ages of rhetorical education not. only refers to specific exercises contained in these t.ext.books5 D but also reveals that practices in teaching some of them varied bet.ween the Greek East. and Rome. S t Quintilian thus shows that. these textbooks were already a standard part of the educational curriculum of the early Empire. Fewer and less precise statements from Suetonius push these text.books back to the first century e .c., 5 2 an era we would know more about if Cicero had not refused to speak about. the preliminary stages of rhetorical educat.ion, 53 St.ill, there are hints in Cicero's writings, although the clearest evidence of this period is in the anonymous Rhetorici!I ad Herennium, which contains an elaboration of a maxim.5 4 But then the
evidence ends,
except for
the ambiguous and
perhaps questionable occurrence of the word ,rpoyvµvacrµa in the much earlier Rhetoricil dd Alexilndrum, 55 Thus,
a late
Hellenistic dating seems a likely, if vague, period for the origins of these textbooks, 56 How closely Theon's text.book follows his predecessors• in form and content is hard to say,5 7 but we should not imagine the first examples to be as complex and self conscious as Theon•s textbook, especially if they arose, as seems plausible, out of lectures for students. S B We need to use less imagination, however, with the sub sequent history of these textbooks, although the
11
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
evidence is always frustrati ngly i ncomplete. Thus one By zanti ne writer claims that many rhetor s wrote these textbooks,59 but only four is the technical term. The same situation is reflected a century or so lat.er when we can check the usage of Hermogenes. When referring t.o the exercises in his text.book on four occasions, he uses yuµvaaµa each time. 79 The evidence for the years bet.ween Hermogenes and Apht.honius is sparse. Still, one fragment. of Sopater contains ,rpoyuµvaaµa.80 But. Sopat.er is only a younger contemporary of Aphthonius, and hence his usage says lit tie about. when the shift. from yvµvaaµa to ,rpoyuµva11µa began, only that Apht.honius is not. alone responsible for it.. In any case, Apht.honius frequently and unambiguously uses ,rpoyvµvaaµa as a technical term for the exercises in his textbook. For
13
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
example,
when
speaking
of
t.he
exercise
"refut.at.ion"
also calls for comment. Theon and Aphthonius understand the aptness to reside in the correspondence between saying or f>.E:yE: ("he used to say">. The second is a saying that is introduced by a participle of seeing, usually CcSoov but also 8E:aaaµE:vo� . Here are examples of each: Cato used to say cf>.E:yE:) that he liked those who turned red out of modesty more than those who turned white out of fear. 183 Philoxenus, on seeing cCcSoov> a youth turning red out of modesty, said: "Cheer up! For virtue has such a color."1 84
29
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The EZ'Bo� cxffoKpL'Tl.K6v includes those chreiai in which the character responds to a question or to some kind of remark, Theon identifies four variations of such responsive sayings chreiai, three of them responses to questio ns - questions calling for a simple yes or no (cx,roKpL'Tl.KOV KOC'T' €pOO'TflO'l.V), or for a longer answer (tt,roKpl.'Tl.K�v KOC'TIX ,ruaµoc), or for some
explanation c&,roKpl.'Tl.Kov KOCT' [p6l'Tria1.v ocC'Tl.c38E�). 1 8 5
Theon illustrates each of these variations with a chrela, but even so the distinctions seem too finely drawn. For one thing, chreiai in which a character answers a question with a simple yes or no are naturally rare, as in the following exa mple: Diogenes,
on
lea ving
the
baths
said
"No"
(�pv�aocTo) to the one who asked if many men were bathing, but "Yes.. (ooµo,-.6-yriaE> to a nother who a sked if a large crowd was there, 18 6 For another, the characterizing participles of responsive chreiai- [poo'Tf18EC� < .. on being asked"> a nd ,rv8oµhov 'Tl.V6� (..when someone a sked") - do not match up with the right kind of question, that is, EPOOTfl8EC� with a simple question (EpOO'Tfl0'1.�> and ,rv8oµfvov Tl.l'6� with a question calling for a longer answer (,rvaµoc), This distinction, then, breaks down in practice, The third variation, a questio n calling for an explanation, also seems o verly subtle, but at least the saying can be formally
distinguished
from
the
previous
two
since
the
explana tion is expressed in a clause co ntaining yttp what the oldest of all things is, a nswered: "God. For (-yttp) he is
30
THE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
uncreated. •"188 Now if t.he t.hree variat.ions of quest.ions are t.oo finely drawn, t.he fourt.h variation, which covers all other kinds of responses, is not. drawn finely enough. Theon's definition of t.his
fourt.h
variat.ion
amounts
to
lit.tie
more
t.han
a
miscellaneous cat.egory for non-int.errogat.ive responsive chreiai: Responsive chreiai are those which are based neit.her on a simple quest.ion nor on an inquiry; rat.her, they cont.a in some remark t.o which t.he response is made, 189 Theon's illustrat.ive chreia (Chreia 50>, which has Plat.a respond t.o Diogenes' luncheon invit.at.ion, suggest.s what. might belong to this grab-bag cat.egory. So does t.he wording in Theon's definit.ion just. quot.ed, in part.icular the phrase ..some remark t.o which (,rpo� «rv> t.he response is made." At. any rat.e, many chreiai are charact.erized formally by ,rpo� T'OV KT'>.. < .. To
t.he one who . , ,"), For example: To
those
who
were
advising
C,rpo�
T'OV�
crvµf,:lo>.EvovT'a�> him that. he should look for his runaway slave, Diogenes said: .. It. is ridiculous if Manes is living without. Diogenes, but. Diogenes will not. be able t.o live wit.hout Manes, " 190 Perhaps also belonging to t.his miscellaneous group are those chreiai in which the charact.er responds to praise, reproach, rebuke, or simply some statement. examples of such non-int.errogat.ive chreiai:
Here
Ant.ist.henes, when praised (/,ra1,vovµEVO�) once by wicked men, said: "I am afraid t.hat. I have done somet.hing wrong."19 1 Anacharsis, when reproached (>.01.cSopovµEVO�) by someone because he was a Scyt.hian, said: .. I am
are
31
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
by birth, but not in manner of' living," 192 Diogenes, when someone rebuked (ovE:1.BCZ:ovTo�> him f'or his poverty, said: "You poor devil, I have seen no one playing the tyrant on account of'
his poverty, wealth."193
but all do on account of'
their
Antisthenes the Socratic, when someone stated (E:.,',rovTo�> that war destroys the poor, said: '"On the contrary, it makes many more poor,"19 4 After discussing the two kinds of statement chreiai and the four kinds of responsive chreiai, Theon then introduces yet another kind of sayings chreia. He calls it a "double" chreia, although the Vatican Grammarian has a more apt term: rel'utativa ("with a rebuttal"),19 S At any rate, Theon understands such a chreia to be "one with statements of two characters, either one of which creates a chreia of one character,"19 6 Theon illustrates with Chreia 24,197 as does John of Sardis centuries later, but the latter in doing so adds some clarification: There are two classes of sayings chreiai: single and double, Single chreiai are those which have one saying made by one character - for example (cf. Chreia
24):
Alexander, on seeing Diogenes
sleeping, said: "To sleep all night ill suits a counsellor," Double chreiai are those which have another saying that opposes the one that had been made - for example (Chreia 24>: Alexander stood over a sleeping Diogenes and said: "To sleep all night ill suits a counsellor." And Diogenes arose and said to him: "On whom the folk rely, whose cares are many,"198
32
T H E CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
In other words, a double chreia has the sayings of' two characters in which the retort of' the second rebuts the first statement, as in this final example: There was a Roman knight drinking in the seats of' the theatre, to whom August.us sent. word, saying: '"If' I wish to have lunch, I go home:• The knight said: "Certainly, f'or you are not. afraid that you will lose your place !.. 1 99 Theon proposes only a simple sub-division of' act.ion-chreiai and none at all f'or the mixed chreia. He distinguishes action chreiai according to whether the character acts or is acted upon.
He
calls
these
chreiai
h€P'Yl'l'TI.KaC
and
,ra81'1TI.KaC
respectively, 2 00 This distinct.ion, however, seems purely theoretical. Passive chreiai do not appear outside these textbooks, and even Theon•s example, Chreia 21, appears
elsewhere as a sayings chreia, 2D 1 It looks as if' Theon had to recast Chreia 21 in order f'or it. to illustrate his passive
action chreia. In any case, active action-chreiai make up a frequently encountered, if' redundant, sub-division, as in this example about the madly amorous Stoic, Oionysius: Oionysius was
once walking with some of' his
students, as it happened, by the brothel at which he had spent. some time the day before and owed some money, Since by chance he now had the money, he st.retched out his hand as all looked on and paid the money, 20 2 Having discussed the principal division of' the chreia as well as its sub-division, we come finally to the third division of' the chreia, This division involves only the sayings-chreia, although now the classification does not depend on whether the saying is made voluntarily or is prompted by a circumstance, question, remark, or the saying of' a second character, This classification depends rather on a formal consideration of the sayings themselves, More specifically,
33
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Theon provides twelve formal categories in all. The sayings can be a maxim, a demonstration, a joke, a syllogism, an enthymeme, an example, a wish, a symbolic expression, a figure, a double entendre, a change of subject, or a combination of two or more of these,2 03 We need not illustrate all twelve, since Theon himself has done so, 20◄ but three examples of three categories will illustrate how formalized the sayings of chreiai are and how thoroughly reflective of literary practice the categories are. first, three chreiai whose sayings contain an oc1r6cS€1.E.u;, or demonstration which is introduced by yap : Antisthenes says that it is preferable to fall among ravens than among flatterers. For (yap) the former inflict indignities on the body of a dead man, but the latter on the soul of one who is alive, 205 Plato,
when
disgusting
angered slave,
by
a
gluttonous
and
summoned
his Speusippus, sister's son, and said as he was leaving: "Beat this slave, l'or (yap) I am too angry." 206 Diogenes said that courtesans of kings are their queens, l'or (yap) they do whatever the courtesans want, 207 Next., three chreiai whose sayings contain a avHoy1.aµ6c;, or syllogism with Its clauses beginning with €L IJ€V ., €C cSi • . • ("If • . ., but if , . ,"): Agesilaus was dying and ordered his friends to make nothing fabricat.ed or copied you know what you are doing, you are blessed, but
;r
(E:L Si> you do
not, you are cursed and a transgressor of the law."210 Finally, three chreiai whose sayings contain a E:U,C �, or wish, formulated with E:L8£ and the optative or past tenses
of the indicative ( ..Would that . • • ">:
Aristeides' wife, when he was busy with civic affairs, said: ..llould (E:L8£) that you considered clv6µl"IO"ac;> your personal affairs public and your public affairs personal. "211 Diogenes used to say to those who objected to his masturbating in public: "llould e:C'8E: that / were also able
1.C1n.�, or "inflection" of a chreia through the various cases and numbers, so that t.he character is cast in t.he nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, and vocative as well as in the singular, dual, and plural; 222
3>
h1.a,6>vl'Jcru;, or "comment" on a chreia as to it.s being true, noble, advantageous, or consonant. with t.he opinions of others; 223
4)
&vn>.o-vCa, or "object.ion" t.o a chreia as t.o its being the opposite of the qualities listed in the preceding exercise; 22 ◄
5>
£1T£KT£Cvoocr1.�, or ••expansion" of a chreia by reciting it at great.er length - for example, by amplifying the question and answer in the chreia;225
6>
crvcrTo>.�, or ••condensation" of an expanded chreia back t.o it.s concise formulat.ion; 226
7)
&vacr1, which make the chreia now one sub-type of sayings chreia, now another, Still, for all the differences the point of the chreia is not. obscured: the independence of the Cynic from the vagaries and supposed necessities of life,
40
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
A nd yet, t.he differences in Aelian•s recitation, particularly the greater length, suggest that. he is doi ng somethi ng more than reciti ng this chreia. Aelian has in fact expanded this chreia as well, so that it becomes a good transition t.o the seco nd of the exercises we are discussi ng, Manipulati ng a chreia by amplifyi ng the circumstances and sayi ng
is another exercise that has left clear traces i n ancient
literature, Two examples will suffice, The first is a chreia attributed to Anacharsis, which Diogenes Laertius has recited in its co ncise form: Anacharsis used to say that oli ve-oil is a drug which produces madness, since athletes, o n anoi nti n g themsel ves with it, fall madly upo n o ne another, 242 Dia Chrysostom makes use of this chreia, but instead of reciting i t he expands it as follows: Anacharsis used to say that in each city of the Greeks there is a designated area , on entering the Temple, began to evict those who bought and those who sold in the Temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seals of those who sold pigeons, and he kept forbidding anyone to carry a vessel through the Temple. And he was teaching and saying lo them: "'Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a cave for brigands:•2-4 5 Given these literary examples of the classroom exercises known as recitation and expansion, it should now be clear that the manipulative exercises that students learned from the chreia chapter of a Progymnasmata developed skills in composition
that
served
them
later
in
literary
life.
Consequently, our familiarity with the chreia chapters not only aids us in understanding the pre-rhetorical stage of ancient education, but also helps us in analyzing chreiai as they occur in ancient literature. More broadly, we can now recognize what the ancients would identify as a chreia, what terms they would use in classifying species and subspecies of this form, and what skills they possessed when making use of chreiai,
IV There remains one subject which, while not explicitly discussed in the chreia chapters of the Progymnasmata, is nevertheless implicit in various aspects of these discussions. That subject is the historical reliability of the chreia, This subject, as
42
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
we will see, has been discussed before but not on the basis of' the implications of the contents of the chreia chapters in these rhetorical handbooks.
The Chrei,;, ,;,nd the Question of' Historicity. Scholars have generally been reluctant to assign much historical credibility to chreiai. Many years ago Gustav Gerhard and Kurt van Fritz, f'or example, argued that most chreiai attributed to Diogenes can hardly go back to the historical Diogenes, Many chreiai present the philosopher as espousing later and even contradictory views, overly rigorous portrayal of'
usually
Cynicism, 2
Diogenes
those of
hedonistic or an
a
◄6 Thus a hedonistic or parasitical
in
the
following
chreia renders it
historically dubious: Diogenes, while dining in a temple, was served dark bread, He picked up the loaves and threw them out, adding that nothing unclean ought to enter a temple, 2 47 Conversely, an overly rigorous or misanthropic portrayal of Diogenes in the following chreia makes it equally dubious: Diogenes entered a theatre just as the rest were leaving. On being asked why, he said: .. I make it my business to do this sort of thing in every area of life," 2 48 Recently,
Richard
S aller
has
argued
f'or
a
similar
although on different 2 grounds. 49 Anthropological study of the anecdote, he says , has shown that it is among the least reliable forms of or al tradition, a conclusion he confirms for the early Roman Empir e skepticism regarding
the
anecdote,
by a perusal of anecdotes in Suetonius. Saller shows th at chronological and physical set tings, characters, minor det ails, even
the
remarkably
punchlines when
of
anecdotes
compared with anecdotes in other authors, 25 0
in
Suetonius
citations
of
the
v ar':/
s ame
The skepticism of Gerhard, von Fritz, and Saller sho uld
43
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
not surprise us, given the discussions of' the chreia i n the Progymnasmata, especially their manipulative exercises. We have already seen that the exerci ses of' expansion and recita tion open up the chreia ta considerable variation, even invention. The freedom ta use ••other words,.. as Theon puts it,2 5 1 instead of' the same ones when reciting a chreia makes it unlikely that we can recover the ipsissima verba or even the circ umstance that prompted a saying or action. Far example, in the several extant recitations of' the saying attributed to Diogenes about his runaway slave, Manes, which we quoted above. did Diogenes regard his inability ta live without Manes to be something '"amazing" Cso Teles>, '" terrible"
Cso
Stobaeus),
•• disgraceful"
< so
Seneca>,
'"ridiculous" < so Diogenes Laertius>, or '"shamef ul" Cso Aelia n>? Was his remark cast in the f'orm of' a question (so Aelian) or a statement (so the others)? And was the remark in response to his learning of Manes' flight (so Stobaeus), ta the advice of' those who would have him seek after Manes (so Diogenes Laertius>, or to the report of those who had found Manes (so Seneca>? The many variations in the recitations of' this chreia make these questions unanswerable. And yet, variations in recita tion are only the beginning of' problems with the historical reliability of the chreia. Mare problems emerge at the paint of' attribution. Chreiai require, say Theon and Aphthonius, 2 5 2 only aptness, not accuracy.
Consequently,
sayings
attributed, as
Plutarch 253
or
actions
and Diogenes
are
often
Laertius254
variously
recognized.
Far example, Plutarch attributes the following chreia ta King Antigonus and the Cynic Thrasyllus: When Thrasyllus the Cynic asked Antigonus far a drachma, the King said: '"But the gift does not befit a king." When the other responded, ••well, then, give me a talent!" the King said: "But to receive that much does not befit a Cynic...255
44
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
I n the Cnomologium V,3tic,3num, however, this chreia is attributed t.o Alexa nder a nd Diogenes : Alexander, when Diogenes begged a dr achma, said: "The gift. does not. befit. a king." When Diogenes replied, "So give me a talent., .. he said: '"But. this request. does not. befit a Cynic ," 25 6 Attribution varies even more in the case of Chreia 9. At one point. Diogenes Laertius at tributes Aristippus and Diogenes as follows : Diogenes,
as
this
chreia
to
he was washing off some edible
greens, mocked Aristippus as he was passing by, saying: "If you had lear ned to eat these greens, you would not be a flatterer at the courts of tyrants." But Aristippus said: " If you k new how to associate with men, you would not be washing these greens. "25 7 Elsewhere,
however,
chreia to Plato a nd
Diogenes Laertius
at.tributes
this
Diogenes 2 S B
and a variant of it t.o t.he at.heist Theodorus and the Cynic Metrocles,259 Finally, the Vatican Grammarian attributes this chreia t.o Arist.ippus and Ant.isthenes,2 6 0 Just
how
common
variation
in
attribution
is
in
t.he
litera ture becomes
apparent. from the f ollowing examples: Epictetus at. tributes a chreia to t.he Stoic Cleant.hes26 1 but. t.he Cnomologium V,3tic,3num at.tributes it. t.o Zeno; 262 Machon at.tributes a chreia to the courtesan Mania,2 6 3 but. Lynceus to the courtesan Gnathaena; 26◄ Diogenes Laer tius attributes a chreia to Diogenes, 2 6 5 but Lynceus to the parasite
Philoxenus; 266 Diogenes Laert.ius at.tributes the same chreia now to Anaxagoras, 26 7 now to Xenophon. 2 68 Lastly, Chreia 16 has multiple attributions: Theon to Damon, 26 9 Plutarch to Damonidas,270 Arist.odemus t.o Dorion, 2 7 1 and the Cnomologium
V ,3tic,3num to Eumonidas,2 7 2 I t is difficult, in short, not to be skeptical a bout the a ttributions of most chreiai. Mere aptness
45
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
hardly assures reliable at tribut.ion. The
historical reliability of chreiai becomes even more
problematic once we recognize how conventional are many circumstances that supposedly prompt a saying or action. Indeed, the very formal cues of a chreia - for example, .. So and so, on seeing
," and .. So and so, on being asked
. . - already suggest standard circumstances. What. is more, even specific circumstances oft.en appear purely conventional. For example, questions about marriage prompt many sayings, as these chreiai just from Diogenes Laert.ius illustrate: Socrates, on
being
asked whet.her one should
marry, said: ..You will come to regret whichever you do, .. 27 3 To the one who asked whet.her the good man should marry, Menedemus said:
0
00 you think I
am a good
man?" When he said that he was, Menedemus said: ••Well, / am married."2 7 4 Bion, on being asked whether one should marry, s aid: .. If you should marry an ugly woman, you will have to bear her; but if a beautiful one, you will have to share her."275 Diogenes, on being asked when one should marry, said: ••For young men not yet., for older ones never."2 7 6 In
another
example
the
question
is
almost
surely
conventional. Indeed, seldom does a prompting question seem so cont.rived as in these variants of' a popular chreia: Aristippus, on being asked what he had gained from philosophy, said:
0
To be able to converse
boldly with everybody:•2 7 7 Antisthenes, on being asked what he had gained from philosophy, said: ••ro be able to converse
with myself , "27 8
46
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
Diogenes, on being asked what he had gained from philosophy, said: .. If nothing else, at leasst I am prepared for e very eventuality."27 9 Xe nocrates, on being asked what he had gained from philosophy, said: .. Doing willingly what has been prescribed by the laws ...2 00 Ctesibus of Chalcis, on being asked by someone what he had gained from philosophy, said: .. To go to dinners without pa ying my share:•2 81 These
various
chreiai clearly demonstrate h ow elusive
historicity is and why the burden of proof properly falls on those claiming his toricity for any one chreia or for chreiai in general, Indeed, each part of the chreia f orm - the character, the prompting circumstance (if any>, and the saying or action - ca n be manipulated in ways that do litt.le to preserve historical reminiscence. Thus attribution to a character, needing only to be apt, can vary, so that we ca nnot be sure Nho said or did something, The prompting question or circumstance can als o vary according to the freedoms permitted in recitation and expansion or they can simply reflect a conventional set ting, s o that we cannot be sure of the exact circumstdnce or question that elicited the saying or action. And, f inally, the saying itself can be recited in different words, so that we ca nnot be sure of the exact Nords in a saying, only the general se ntiment. Surely, we can use chreiai in reconstructing the life a nd message of, say, Diogenes or Aristippus only if' we caution and sophistication.
exercise
considerable
Conclusion. It has been the purpos e of this Introduction to discuss the general issues regarding the chreia and thus to provide the historical context for reading a nd investigating the specific rhetorical texts on the chreia that follow in this volume. Accordingly, we first surveyed the e vidence f or the history a nd popularity of the chreia outside the rhetorical
tradition. 'We noted that the chreia as
a
47
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
literary form long preceded the chreia as a compositional form in the schools and that its popularity, especially among philosophers, was widespread and long-lived, as indicated by its frequent inclusion in various literary genres as well as by the collections of chreiai. Within the rhetorical tradition we found that the chreia occupied a special place in the compositional textbooks known eventually as Progymnasmata. The chreia was one of several forms that prepared students for the rhetorical tasks of composing all the types of speeches and each of the parts of a speech. As with these other forms so with the chreia students learned to define, classify, and manipulate it. We noted, furthermore, that while these discussions of the chreia served an educational purpose, they nevertheless can
prove
illuminating
outside
this
context,
for,
as
the
numerous quotations of chreiai from literary sources show, students carried over the classifications and manipulations of chreiai in their use of this form in literary compositions. And we noted that the very definition of the chreia as well as the manipulations of recitation and expansion confirm scholars' suspicions, raised on other grounds, that chreiai are not likely to be historically reliable.
NOTES 1, The word ,cpe:Ccx is dif f icult to translate. Perhaps "anecdote" is the best rendering, but it is, on the one hand, too general, taking in other forms. such as the "reminiscence" (aTroµv1iµ6ve:uµcx), which rhetoricians were quick to distinguish from the ,cp-.Ccx. On the other hand. the humorous connotation of "anecdote" f ails to capture the didactic purpose of many examples of this form. Other renderings, such as "moral saying" or '"moral anecdote, " are too narrow or too clumsy, Consequently, we have simply tr ansliterated the word - thus, chreia (plural: chreiaD, as other scholars have done before US, For other liter ature on the chreia. see, e.g., G. von War t.ensleben, Begril'I' der griechischen Chrei,3 und Beitriige zur Geschichte ihrer Form esp, 1 -30 and 1 3 8 - 42 ; O . S c h i s s e l von F l e s c h e nberg, Novellenkriinze L uki,3ns < H alle: Neumeyer, 1912) 3-21; M. Dibelius, From Tr,3dition to Gospel < N e w York: Scribner's, 1935) 22-43; K. Horna, "Gnome, G n o m e nd i chtung, G n o m o l o g i e n , .. RE S uppl, 6 ( 1 935) 74-87 (with a d d i t i o n a l c o m m e n t s b y K. von F r i t z , 8 7 - 90>; H. R. Hollerbach, Zur Bedeutung des Norts X P E I A < D i s s . Kain, 1 9 6 4 ) e s p . 74-81; A. S , F , G o w , Ht3chon: The Fr,3gments ( C am b r i d g e : Cambridge U n i v e r s i t y , 1 9 6 5 ) 1 2 - 1 5 ; H. A. Fischel, "Studies in Cynicism and the Anc i e n t. N e a r E a s t. : T h e T r a n s f o r m a t i o n of a Chr i a " in J, N e u s n e r ( e d . ) , Religions in Antiquity: Ess,3ys in llemory ol' E. R. Goodenough and 10 , 9 (p, 137, 5-21>, and 11 (p. 168, 13-20>. 89. " The rationale for the title" (� cx{'TCa 'TrJt;; hn:ypcx is one of eight standard topics for discussing a book. See the list in Pro/. Sy/I, 8 . Cf, also Diomedes and Doxapatres, Hom. . 104. The various prolegomena to Apht.honius' textbook collected by H. Rabe (ed.>, Prolegomenon Sy/loge (Rhet.ores Graeci 14; Leipzig: Teubner, 1931>, esp. nos. 8, 9, 10, and 11, 105, Text. in H. Rabe (ed.>, loannis Sardiani Commentarium in Aphthonii Progymnasmata (Rhetores Graeci 15; Leipzig: Teubner, 1928> esp. 34-55 (on the chreia), 106. Text in Walz, Rhetores f;raeci, 2.81-564, esp. 247-86 . 107. See, e.g., Doxapatres, Hom. (2,104, 16-18 Walz>, and Kust.as, Studies in Byzantine Rhetoric, 24-25, 108. Seven of the eight fragments of Sopater come from John of Sardis; for references, see Rabe's index s.v. 109, For det.ails, see the "Introduction" to Nicolaus, below pp. 238-39. 110. Anon. Schol. (2.56 7, 7-10 Walz>: µo8oc;, S1.f'ly11µcx, ,cp£Ca, yvd)µl'l,
55
NOTES TO INTRODUCTION
&vcxcrK€U�, KCXTCXCl'K€uh K01.l•o� T6,ro�, hK00µ1,ov, �80,ro1,(cx, €KQ)pcxcr1,�. efo1.�. €LCl'Q)Opa 'TOU v6µou.
w6yo�.
cruyKp1.cr1.�.
1 11. Hermogenes and Nicolaus share Aphthonius' number and order of progymnasmata, once we realaize they put refutation and confirmation together and likewise encomium and censure. Nicolaus also has an introductory chapter. 1 12, For details, see Stegemann, .. Theon, " 2040-42. For the reference to the ineptus homo, see O. Hopplicher, De Theone, Nermogene, Aphthonioque Progymnasmatum scriptoribus (diss. Virceburg, 1884> 47. Rabe CPhll 51 (19311 1240-41> places the date of this revision in the sixth century or slightly later, 113. This list is reconstructed from Theon's more rambling discussion of his sequence of exercises (cf. Progymn. 1 [1,157, 3-158, 12 Walz]), Cf. further Stegemann, .. Theon, " 2042. 114, On these other exercises, see Stegemann, "Theon," 2040-42. 115. This variety is also clear from the brief comments of Quintilian and the Vatican Grammarian, on whom see the "Introductions" below, pp. 117-38 and 275-78. More variety would also be likely if we still had such second century textbooks as those of Paulus of Tyre and Minucianus of Athens. 1 16. Ooxapatres, Hom. (2,130, 20-131, 6 Walz). Much the same thing appears in Pro/, Sy//. 8 (p. 78, 12-27 Rabe) and 11 (p. 169, 20-30). 1 17. See Aphthonius, Progymn. 1 (p. 1, 6-10 Rabe), 118, See Aphthonius, Progymn. 1 (p. 1, 11-14 Rabel. 119. See Aphthonius, Progym. 1 (pp. 1, 15-2, 2 Rabel. 120. See Aphthonius, Progymn. 1 (p. 2, 3-12 Rabel, 121. See Theon, Progymn. 3 (1.173, 5 Walz). 122. See Nicolaus, Progymn. 2 Ip. 6, 9-10 Felten). Cf. also Sopater, l'rag. 1 Ip. 59, 2-5 R abe>. 123. See Hermogenes, Progymn. 1 Ip. 1, 9-10 Rabel. 124. See Nicolaus, Progymn. 2 (pp. 6, 20-7, 4 Felten). 125. On expanding and condensing the fable, see Hermogenes, Progymn. 1 (pp. 2, 11-3, 14 Rabe>, and Theon, Progymn. 3 (1.177, 17-19 Walz). On confirming and refuting the fable, see Theon, Progymn. 3 ( 1.178, 15-181, 23>. 126. See Hermogenes, Progymn. 1 Ip. 3, 15-16 Rabe). 127. See Nicolaus, Progymn. 2 , Theon is alone in using cx,r6coaa1.c; , as Theon puts it, is reporting an assigned chreia as clearly as possible (acx¢,foTaTa) by using the same words or by using others. 4 8 Of interest here is Theon's point that clarity rather than mere repetition is the aim of recitation. For thus is explained the many variations that are found when a chreia is recited by several authors or even several times by the same author. F"or example, in Chreia 45 Theon has the Laconian being asked where Sparta's boundaries are, 4 9 whereas in Nicolaus the question concerns Sparta's walls(!), S O Similarly, in Chreia 57 Theon himself varies his wording, preferring now "Socrates," now ..Socrates the
philosopher."5 1 Incidentally, greater variation is encountered in other occurrences of this chreia. Thus one recitatiton has "King
Archelaus"
instead
of
Theon's
'"the
Great
King,"
69
TREON OF ALEXANDRIA
whereas
another recitation Socrates• a,r6tt,aau; .S 2 The
lengthens
second manipulative exercise
Theon•s is
report
inflexion.5 3
It
of is
obviously related to recitation, for here, too, the chreia is s imply reported. But now the concern is not so much clarity as correctness in the case endings of the name of the ,rp6ac.o,rov and related words when they are recited in the various numbers and cases. With the latter several phrases are suggested, so that. the cases are all possible, Thus, the phrase "'the saying of Diogenes is remembered.. puts "Diogenes.. in the genitive, whereas the phrases ••it occurred to Diogenes to say .. and •• they say that Diogenes said" put
••Diogenes .. in the dative and accusative cases,5 4
Inflexion of chreiai has been much maligned as excessively pedantic and, especially in the dual and plural, clearly absurd,
as even Nicolaus perceived.SS Still, such rote exercise was necessary , to judge from a student's declension of a chreia that has been preserved, complete with errors (not. unexpectedly> in the dative plural part.iciple,5 6 And in defense of Theon it should be added that. even he was aware that
only the accusative would be used out.s ide the class room. For
in his treatment. of the fable he says: "One should inflect fables and the chreia into the numbers and oblique cases , but
one
should
especially
practice
with
the
accusative
because the classical authors have recited the majority of fables in this way ... 5 7 So also with the chreia: when a chreia is not recited in the nominative, it is cast in the accusative, that is, dependent on "they say:•5 8 Accordingly, in his actual class room prac tice Theon probably s tressed the accusative when his students were doing this exercise. Having learned to recite a chreia clearly and inflect it correctly, students then learned how to comment on a chreia, The third and fourth exercises involve instructions on adding a positive c omment (l,r1,tt,oov€fv> or a negative one , of logic , and of morality (inappropriateness, us�essness, shamefu�ess�67 To
judge
from
Theon's
examples
of
this
exercise, 68
students were presumably given several chreiai t.o refute. The students then read them in light of these categories, selecting whatever category that seemed a suitable basis for criticizing a specific chreia. Theon himself, for example, recites Chreia 62 as follows: A , Sybarite,
on seeing the Lacedaemonians
living a life of toil, said he did not wonder t.hat in their wars they do not hesitate t.o die, for death is better than such a life,69 Theon
then
refutes
this
chreia
on
moral
grounds,
pronouncing it "shameful." For, he explains, the Sybarite made his '"statement. in an effeminate manner and one t.hat is not in keeping with a manly character." 70 At first, one is inclined to criticize this exercise and especially Theon's treatment of it. The exercise seems mechanical, and Theon is hardly correct in his estimation of the chreia quoted immediately above. Indeed, far from espousing a shameful way of life, Chreia 62 promotes just the opposite, as Stobaeus recognized when he included this
72
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
chreia in his Anthology under the topic '"On the love of toil."7 1 And yet, on second thought these criticisms may be too harsh. After all, the exercise is part of a progymn,gsm,g, and the first one at that, so that it is designed for students who are taking their first steps in composing and thinking for themselves, Seen thus, the nine categories at least have a formal utility, providing students with various analytical perspectives from which to judge a chreia. Presumably, with experience
students
could
recognize,
say,
pleonasm
(the
second of the categories> in a chreia attributed to Aristippus that Athenaeus recites rather loquaciously, 72 Students could then recite this chreia as concisely as Diogenes Laertius has done. 73 The eighth exercise should be "confirmation" (KCX'ilX!J'K€V�>. which is not only the analytical partner of refutation or avcxcrK€V�, but is also the exercise Theon himself had announced in the list of exercises which introduced the section devoted to manipulative exercises, 7-4 Indeed, not only does Theon not explicitly identify this exercise as "confirmation," he also speaks enigmatically of "each part of the chreia" µgpri), 75 and he refers elliptically to some topoi or standard arguments that are to be used in this exercise.76 And, to make matters still more confusing, Theon seems to envision, as we shall see, both a beginners' and an advanced form of this exercise, Consequently, any discussion of this exercise must remain somewhat tentative. Fortunately, though, a comparison of this section with the
corresponding
(and
larger)
section
of
Theon's
fable
chapter allows us to clarify what he says here about this last exercise with the chreia, Thus the fable chapter also contains the twin manipulations of refutation and confirmation of fables, 77 but with respect to the latter Theon explicitly calls it "confirmation."7 8 Therefore, in the chreia chapter we must assume that Theon also understood this eighth exercise to be "confirmation," even if he did not say so. Similarly,
Theon
refers
to
"each
part
of
the
fable"
73
TREON or ALEXANDRIA
(fKalJ'TOV µ£pot; 'T'OV µu8ou) 7 9 and t.o specific topoi, at. least. for refutation of fables (as he does for chreiai>. Indeed, these
topoi are quite similar t.o those for refutation of chreiai: obscurity, implausibility, impropriety, ellipsis, pleonasm - eleven in au.BO But. Theon explicitly says of confirmation of fables that it involves arguing "from the opposite topoi" (€K 'T'OOl' Evo:v'T'Cc.oi• 'T'o,roov>. 8 1 Furthermore, on the basis of the examples of these topoi in refutation of fables and chreiai,9 2 it becomes clear that. the µ£pl") of a fable or chreia are the .. details" that.
are
arguably
obscure,
implausible,
etc.
Accordingly,
confirmation of fables and chreiai - for neither of which does Theon
provide
any
examples - would
presumably
involve
identifying details that are arguably clear, plausible, etc. In
one
respect.,
however,
the
confirmation
of
chreiai
differs from that of fables in that. besides the topoi already identified Theon adds that.
advanced students83 can take
their starting points for argument from the more plentiful and
subtle
topoi
that
are
normally used in the later progymn;,sm;, known as .. thesis. ,,9 4 Thus these students can argue that the parts or details of a chreia are feasible, according to nature and the customs of all peoples, easy, praiseworthy, pious, necessary, advantageous, t.o name a few of these thesis topoi. With these clarifications we can now summarize the main features of Theon's last exercise with the chreia, what we are probably justified to call .. confirmation," Students begin with an specific
introduction (,rpoo(µ1,ov) that
chreia, 8 5
Then
the
chreia
is
designed
for each
itself is set
forth or 86 recited. Then follow the arguments, with beginning students making use of arguments which are opposite of those they used to refute chreiai, whereas the more advanced students appeal to the topoi associated with theses, In any case, the students may use as many arguments as possible, 87 Finally, they can also make use of amplifications, digressions, and character delineations where feasible.BB All in all, confirmation turns out. to be a rather sophisticated exercise. With "confirmation" Theon's series of eight manipulative
(4
THE CHREIA I N ANCIENT RB£TORIC
exercises comes to an end - and thereby his discussion of the chreia. That discussion - involving matters of definition, classification , and manipulation - surely provided his students with a thorough intr oduction to this literary form and just as surely served his overall goal of producing in his students a .. facility with language and a good moral character." 8 9 The Text of' Theon's Progymnasmata. The two critical editions of Theon that scholar s usually cite are those of Christian Walz and Leonard Spengel.90 These editions, however,
are not only old . They are also inadequate, as Italo Lana's monograph on the MS tradition of Theon amply attests. 91 Spengel, for example, merely took over Christoph Finckh's 1834 edition, which was not based on a personal inspection of the Mss, and Walz did little better , consulting only one MS, Consequently, the adequate critical edition has long been felt.
need for
an
Hans Herter's announced edition for the Teubner Rhetores Cr,;,eci series was never published, since the materials for the edition,
including Hugo Rabe's notes,
were destroyed
during the b ombing of the Second Wor ld War.9 2 I n 1959 Lana
also announced a critical edition of Theon, but that edition has not yet appeared. Chreia Project member James Butts is also preparing a critical edition of Theon based on his own collation of the four Greek Mss as well as on the recently published papyrus fragment and the Armenian version. His edition is far enough along so that we can use his text for the chreia chapter in this volume, although the appariltus criticus has been considerably reduced in light of the different pur poses of this study. Finally, an E nglish translation of the whole of Theon, the first in any moder n language, will accompany Butts's text.
NOTES 1. See, e.g., Codex Pariesiens is 2918: 8fowo� aocin,aToO Ilpo yuµvaaµaTa as discussed in Walz, Rhetores Graeci, 1.140. 2, See the Suda (2,702, 17-29 Adler> : ' AXE:E.av6p1:v�, ao; Plutarch, De tuenda san. 1 3 60 ; and A the nae us , 4.1 3 8 d. E x am ples from li ter ature of chr e i ai c as t in the o ther cases are very rare. For chreiai i n the dativ e cas e , see Plutarch, Conviv. U S A , and Dia, Orat. 66.26. 59. Theon 276-97, esp. 278-80. 60. Theon 298-99. 61. See Plutarch, Ad princ. inerud. 782C. 62, See Athenaeus , 10.421e. 63. See Plutarch, Guom. adul. ab amico internosc. 61C. 64. Theon 309-12, 65, Theon 318-33, 66. Theon 314-17. 67, Theon 334-38. 68. Theon 339-83. 69. Theon 377-81. 70. Theon 381-82. 71. See Stobaeus, 3,29.96 (p. 658 Hense). 72. Athenaeus, 12.544c. 73. See Diogenes Laertius, 2. 73. 74. For the l i s t of exercises, see Theon 190-194, esp. 194: ava1TKE:Uttl;OIJE:V KIit Kll'TIIITKE:UIXl;OIJE:V,.
75. 76. 77. 78. 79.
See Theon 384 and 399. See Theon 386, See Theon, Progymn. 3 (1,178, 15-181, 23 Walz), See Theon, Progymn. 3 (1,181, 13-14 Walz>. Theon, Progymn. 3 (1,179, U Walz>.
...
·1·n11:. CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
80. See Theon, Progymn. 3 (1,179, 12-16 Walz), 8 1 . Theon, Progymn. 3 ( 1 . 1 8 1 , 1 3 - 1 4 Wal z) : .. Now we shall confirm from the opposite topoi. " 82. For the refut ation of fables, see Theon, Progymn. 3 ( 1 , 1 79, 1 6 - 1 8 1 , 13 Walz). For refutation of chreiai, see Theon 339-83. 83. See Theon 392-93: -rot� 0£ �6'1 T€1'€1.o-ripo1,�. 84. See Theon, Progymn. 12 . 90, C. Walz, Rhetores (;r,geci (9 vol s , ; Stut tgart: Cottae, 1 8 32 - 36, repr. OsnabrLlck: Zeller, 1968) 1.137-262; and L. Spengel, Rhetores f;r,geci (3 vols,; Leipzig: Teubner, 1 8 5 3 - 5 6 , repr. Frankfurt.: Minerva, 1966) 2.57-130. 91. See Lana, Progimn,gsmi, 84-89. 92, For the announcement of Herter's edition, see Stegemann, "Theon," 2053, For its destruction during World War II, see the review of Lana's book by A. E. Douglas in CR 11 (1961) 164-65, esp. 164.
SIGLA
A = consensus codicum LPMMa L = Mediceus Laurenzianus plut. LV .10, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence. saec. XIII. L 1 = qui codicem L transcripsit. L2 = qui codicem L correxit (= R3). P = Parisinus 2918, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. saec. XIV. p l = qui codicem P transcripsit p2 = qui codicem P correxit M = Estensis 1 16 (= a. P. 5. 14), Biblioteca Estensis, Modena. saec. XV. M 1 = qui codicem M transcripsit. M2 = qui codicem M correxit. Ma = Marcianus, gr. cl. X. 1 (= 1 374), Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice. saec. XVI. R = Theonis edition princeps: Theonis Rhetoris De Modo Dec lamandi Libellus, ed. Angelo Barbato (Rome, 1520). R 1 = qui primus edit. prin. correxit. R2 = qui secundus edit. prin. correxit. R3 = qui tertius edit prin. correxit (=L2). Arm3 = Theonis liber in Armeniacum convertus, MS 837 1 of the Matenadaran. State Museum of Erevan). saec. XVII. Theonis Progymnasmata Armeniace et Graece , ed. Agap Manandrian (Erevan, 1938). Note
The sigla for the remammg authors in this volume, viz. Quintilian, Hermogenes, Priscian, Aphthonius, Nicolaus and the Vatican Grammarian, are the same as those in the standard texts which we have used.
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
(p, 201,17 Walz)
(201,20)
(202,5)
(202,10)
(202,15)
ntpt Xpt(cxi;;
Xpt(cx EO'TI. avvToµoi;; &116cs,cxa1.i;; ii ,rp&E.1.i;; µtT' €\IO'TO,cCcxi;; &vcxCDtpoµb,, tt'i;; n oop1.aµbov ,rp60'CAlffOV ii &va>.o'YoOv ,rpoaco11C9, ncxplXK€1.TIXI. 8€ IXVTO 'YV6>µ,, Kat &11oµVl'11J6' , , . , '1'€U1Ja, fflXO'a 'Yap 'Y'l'CAllJl'l O'UVTOIJ� €I.Ii; ffpOO'CAlffO'I' &:vaCDtpoµbl'l ,cptCcxv ,roi.tt. Kat TO choµvl'lµ6V€uµa 8€ ,rp&tCi;; tanv � >.6'Yoi;; f11.CAlCD£>.�i;;. 61.acs,ipti. 8€ � µ€v 'V'l'OOIJl'l Tl)li; ,cptCcxi;; T€Tpcxa1. TotaSt:• (1) Tq> T�v ,cptCcxv w&vTcoi;; &:vcxCD€pta8cx1. tti;; wp6aCAlffOV, T�v 8€ 'YVOOIJl"IV ov w&vTooi;;· (2) Kcxt Tq> ffOT€ µ£v TO Kcx86>.ou, ffOT€ t5€ TO i11t µipoui;; &110CDcxCvta8cx1. T�v ,cptCcxv, T�v 8€ 'YV�µl"IV TO Kcx86>.ou µ6vov· (3) ln St Tq> ,ccxp1.tvTCl:ta8cx1. T�v ,cptCcxv bCoTt µ1"1Stv l,couacxv f11.ooCDt>.ii;;, T�v 8£ 'YV�IJl"IV &:e:t ,re:pt T�v iv Tq> f11.q, ,CPl"IO'Cµoov e:tvai.· (4) T€TapTov �Tl. � 1J€V ,cptCcx ,rp&E.1.i;; , , , , I; u11cxp,ct1., , , �,1 >.o'YO . , l'l St 'YVCA>µl'l >.o'YO!i; E:O'TI. µovov, To 8€ ttffOIJVl"IIJ6VtUµa Suat TotaSe: K€,Coop1.a TCXI. Tik ,cptCcxi;;· (1) � IJ(V 'Yap O'V'l'TOµoi;;, TO 8€ 'Y«P &:wo1.1vl'11.16vwµcx la8' �T€ htKTtCvtTCXI. Kat (2) � µh• &vcxCDtpE:TCXI. e:t'i;; nvcx t1p6aoot1a, TO 8€ &t1oµvl'11.16vwµa Kcxt Kcx8' icxuTo IJVl'lµov, E:UE:TCXI., Et'pl"ITIXI. 8€ ,cptCa KIXT' tE.o,c�v �Tl. µ&>.>.ov T�V &'>.>.oov ,rpoi;; t10>.>.a ,cpE:1.�s,,i;; EO'Tt Tq> ai.4,, K1X8CX11E:p Kat "oµ,,pov t10>.>.6.>v �VTCA>V ff01.l"IT6.>v KCXT' ho,c�v TOVTOV µ6vov KIX>.E:'Cv tlco8cxµtv nol.l"IT�V.
5
10
15
. ,
In multis per sectionem locis aliter atque Walz et Spengel tacite interpunximus. 5 'YVOOµl'l om. haud re1;_te �ein, &t1oµv�µ61•e:u.t'cx \II alzl -µcxTcx mss et edd. om. 10 et 12 Tq>l To PMa 13 cx11ocs,a1.ve:a8cx1. AR] v,ro- Oox unde Camer. 13-15 T�V 8€ , • , ,cpe:Ccxv AR' (in mg,) et Doxl om. R unde Camer. 19-21 Svat . , . &t1oµvl'1µove:vµcx AR' (in mg.)l om. R unde Camer,
20
25
On the Chreia A chreia is a concise statement or action which is attributed with aptness to some specified character 1 or to something analogous to a character,2 Closely related to the chreia are maxim and reminiscence, 3 For every concise maxim, if it is attributed to a character, produces a chreia, And the reminiscence is an action or saying that is useful for living,4 The maxim, however, differs from the chreia in these four ways: 1) The chreia is always attributed to a character, while the maxim never is. 2) The chreia sometimes makes a general statement, sometimes a specific one, while the maxim makes only a general one. 3> Furthermore, the chreia is witty, sometimes containing nothing useful for living, while the maxim is always concerned with matters useful in life. And 4> the chreia is an action or saying, while the maxim is only a saying, The reminiscence is distinguished from the chreia in these two ways: 1> The chreia is concise,
while the reminiscence is sometimes expanded. And 2) the former is attributed to various characters, while the reminiscence is also told by itself,5 It has the name .. chreia" because of its excellence, for more than the other excercises it is useful in many ways for life, Just as in the case of Homer, too, although there are many poets, we customarily call him alone .. Poet"
because of his excellence.
THE CHIIEJA JJlf ANCIENT IIBETOIIJO
1114
(202,20)
Tik cS� ,CJ>€(11� Ta &vc.oT&Tc.o yhri Tp(cx· ex� l,l�l' y&p ,Ca1. >.oy1.K11(, a� 8€ 11paKnKaC, II� 8c .J. , • • 1,11.K'rllC, >.o'V'-Kal.' 1,11:l' ,1.a1.v 111. X.lo� &ne�vot'rO, &>.>.' h. �v ,!s,l', ,..En KCX� ToO &woKp!.'rl.KOV ,Ca1.v tt'cSri na aotpct, (1) T6 n Kll'r' �pC:,'rl')CJ'I.V Kot� (2) .,.a Kot'J'U wucrµot K� (3) To KCXT' tp�'rl"IO'I.V 11tn&\cS,� KIi� \i, .!. I A I I f I ., (4) 'J'O UJAO>l'UJIO>� 'rql y€V€1. >.t:y01,1€VOV CXtlOl.rivcxt� lpc.oTl')9t�� ,t >.otl'8«tt1. n� To� e,o� cs,cxO>.ov T1. t101.&1v ' ' 'rl"I' V , , , t:1.Hl', • 00, ouc5€ 61.otvoouµt� '," 1,11:Tcx yap &1r6ecxa1.v To 1rpoan8i1,1tl'OV Hpi.aa6v lanv, �.,� Kot� mecnptfil"ro� IIV'rOV (W�CI. � &1r6e11a1.�.
30
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(203,5)
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40
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'°
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
There are three main classes of chreiai. 6 Some are sayings-chreiai, some action-chreiai, some mixed chrelai. Saylngs-chreiai are those which mak e their point in words without act.ion. For example
(2) 'H U wpvaµcxnK� TCM1C-6T'l iaTCr clov (Chreia 64) .. tkavQ> � nv8cxyop1.K� cD1.>-6aoco� lpc.oTl'}81i:aa vw6 TI.V� ffOO'TaCa 'Y"Vfl &w'&v� � " L. ' , Ka8apa (I.� TO' 81aµoeoopc1.0v KaT(I.O'I.V €1.HV, ••Awa J.l�V TOO t.sCov ,rapa,cp�a. cb� 6� TOO &>.>.oTp(ov ouBhon'," (3) A� U icaT' lp6>TJ10'1.V aCn&IBc1.� ,tai.v &111. ,cc.opt� Tfj� ,r� T�v lp6>Trp1.v &,rOKpCa,c.o� Kat cxCTCcxv Tl.Va l',covai.v � avµSov>.�v � Tl. TOI. OUTOV, clov (Ctreia 57) .. EcoKpUT� lpt.oTJlk�� ,ucSaCµcov IXVT(9 cSOKt:i: n,pa&;v �a1.>.,G�. --. � , ., ' , l , ,,cc.o >.,y • Dute t:1.cS11vcx1. •� nv, ' nu, • 1.1'181' yap l,c,1. wai.BcCa� '," (4) 'AffOKp!.TI.KIX� Bi ,ta1.v at J.l�T( KIXT" �palTJlCJ'I.V J.l�Tt: ICIXTI¼ WWJ.IIX, >.6yov Be Tl.VII l,covacn ,r� Mv lanv � &1r6tcpi.a1.�• o!'ov (Chrei1 50) .. n>.&Tc.ov ffoT� t.1.oybo� &pi.aTlovT� b &y� ' .... , , , , , ., , KIii. 1.ouvT� IXVTOl' '"" TO Clpt.O'TOl', • S2 t.1.0ycv,�: ,!Hv, •� ,cap(cv Iv ;v aov TO clw>.aaTov µ� w>.aaTav �v '," oG'n yap t.1.oyb� w,pC nv� �pif>Ta Tov n>.&nwa, oG'Tt: d n>.&Tcov wvvi!>L. . .. IX/\/\ . .. .. .IX'lr/\� . .. .. 'lrf'U'i _, .. _,i_ TO , IXp!.O'TOl' .. ICIA/\(I. V1Al't:TIXI. IXVT0\1 1 CIVT6v, �,p laT� Tl»V ovcSt:T(pt.oV, .. EaT1. U ,rape¼ Ta0Ta icat cl>.>.o ,ts�, lµ wt'WTov ,C� Tc¼� >.oy1.1.o{,µ,vov 61.w>.oOv. &w>.i; Be Ian ,cpc(a � Bue wpoa,wc.ov &,roco&a,1.� 1 � , r "' 1< , J. • , 11:,covaa, cov µ18•11:v..,,,,rpoaco,rov 111. ,1 ,npa ,cJKCcxv w01.,t• otov (Chrei1 24) .. 'A>.h,avB� T(.Ol' MaKtcS6vc.ov Saai.>.t� iff1.aTa� t.1.oycv,1. KOI.J,IQ)J.1€\ICI) t:!'fft:V (IL 2.24),
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80
90
TREON: TEXT AND TIIANSLATIDN
2> The chreia wit.h an inquiry is like t.his, for example (Chreia 64), Theilno the Pythilgore,r,n philosopher, on being ilaked by someone hoN long ilf'ter intercourse Nith ii llliln does ii NO•iln go in purity to the Theamorphorion, ailid: "llith your oNn, i•111ediiltely,- Nith ilnother'a, nf!tfer." 3) Chreiai cont.aining an explanatory response t.o a quest.ion are those which, apart. from t.he answer t.o t.he quest.ion, also have some explanation or advice or some such t.hing. For example (Chreia 57), Socriltea, on being ,111ked Nhether the Peraiiln king see111ed hilppy to him, ailid: ..I ciln't sily, f'or I Ciln 't kno1t Nhere he stilnda on educiltion."
4> "Responsive" chreiai are those which are based neither on a simple quest.ion nor on an inquiry; rat.her, t.hey contain some remark to which the response is made. For example (Chreia 50), Once 1then Diogen111 #ill hwing lunch in the 11tilrket-pl11ce ilnd im,ited hi• to lunch, Plilto silid: ..Diogenes, ho1t chilr•ing your unpretentiou.rne,, 1tould be, if' it Nere not 10 pretentious." For neit.her has Dioigenes quest.ioned Plat.a about anyt.hing, nor does Plat.o inquire of him. Rat.her, one simply invites t.he at.her t.o lunch. And t.his belongs t.o neit.her of' the species, In addition to t.hese, t.here is anot.her species f'alling within t.he sayings-chreiai which is called "double," A double chreia is one wit.h st.at.ements of' t.wo characters, either one of' which creates a chreia of' one charact.er, For example (Chreia 24), Alexilnder the lfilcedoniiln king stood over Diogenes ill he ,lept ilnd 8ilid (JI. 2.24): ..To sleep ill/ night ill suit, ii counsellor." ilnd Diogenes responded UI. 2,25>:
..On 1tho111 the f'olk rely, Nhose Cilrea ilre lllilny."
87
TBE CHIIEJA JJf ANCIENT IIBETOIIJO
(205,20)
(205,25)
(206,5)
(206,10)
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.,
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(206,15)
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100
105
110
120
125
101 61110CD&yovJ &cScSrico&yov Darm, Dox, Plan 103 At.66µ.,i1111.v Arm a DoxJ &vT(>.,i1111.v AR et. edd, pr. 125 BCoovJ d BCIX� Darm, Oox, Plan
TREON: TEXT AND TIIANSLATJON
For even as it was, this was a chreia without the addition of the response by Diogenes, Action-chreiai are those which reveal some thought without speech, Of action-chreiai some are active, some are passive, The active are those which show some aggressive act, For example (Chreia 25>, Diogene, the Cynic: philo1opher, on seeing ii boy Nho Nill ,11 gour111ilnd, struck the pilidilgogus Nith his still'/'. The passive are those pointing out something experienced.9 For example (Chreia 21>, Oidymon the l'lute-plilyer, on being convicted ol' ildultery, Nill hilnged by his nil111t11i1k11, i0 Mixed chreiai are those which share characteristics of both the sayaings-species and the action-species but make their point with the action, For example (Chreia 54>, Pythilgorils the philosopher, on being ilsked hoN long humiln li/'11 is, Nt1nt up to hi, bedroo111 ,11nd peeked in l'or ii short tiae, shoNing thereby its brevity. And also (Chreia 45>, A Lilc:oniiln, Nh11n someone illked him Nhere the L i1c:edi1e1110niiln1 c:on1ider the boundilrie1 ol' their li•nd to b11, 1h0Ned his speilr, These, then, are the species of chreiai, Chreiai are expressed: 1> in the manner of a maxim, 2) In the manner of an explanation, 11 3) with wit, 4> with a syllogism, 5) with an enthymeme, 6> with an example, 7> with a wish, 8> In a symbolic mannar, 9) in a figurative manner, 10> with double antandre, U> with a change of subject, 12> in a combination of the forms mentionad a bove, 1) "In the manner of a maxim." For exampla
(Chraia 10>, Bion the 1ophi1t u1ed to 1,11y th1t love ol' 1110ney is the 1110ther-c:ity ol' every evil.
89
90
(207,5)
TR£ CRR£1A IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
(2) 'AwoS11.KTI.K� St o!ov (Chreia 41) , --L.T� 0 • Pl'JTCA>p ,, - yVCA>p1410I.� (• • .. ,laOKfA' fllXPl'JV!I. TOI.� wpoT141uv Tc.ov yovicov To� &SccaK&>.ov� �Tl. o� µ�v ToO �v µ6vov, 0.: S� &SuaKcc>.01. iccc� ToO KCC>.CO� rt}v cct:'Tl.01. y£y6vcca1,v, " T�V yap &wo cDaal.ll anhoO 'IaoKplXT� µ1Ta &:woS€Ct,co� h., IVl'JVO,CI, (3) KccTa ,C1Xf:)l.(VT1.aµo11 U otov (Chreia 48) .. 'o>.vµwux� ffV801,1€Vl'J TOV v�av 'A>.ttccvSpov , , '\, ,61,� IXVTOll IXTIOCl>IXI.V€1.V, • Ou TICCVa€TIXI. OVTO�, • l'll>l'J, • Sux8a:>.>.cov µ£ wpo� T�v "Hpccv ';" (4) Ev>.>.oy1.aT1.Kii>� SE orov (Chreia 27) , • , , , , n... ...61.oy€v� o i,1.>.oa011>� 1.Scov µe:1.pcc1C1.ov wtp1.aa-, , ' wpo� � ccvSpcx� ., Kcx>.>.cow1.{0µ1vov, €1.Tl€V, • E1, µe:v &Tv,c,t�, ,t Sc ,r� yvvcctKcc� &61.ic,t� ',"' (5) 'Ev8vµ1"11,1cxT1.Kc.o� 6£ C>tov (ctreia 58) .. :Cc»KpaT� .; 11>1.>.000� 'A,ro>.>.oScopov Tl.Ve½ yvco p(µov >.iyovT� cxuTcp, • •AS1.K&\� aov e&vccTov KCXTtyvcoaccv •A9rtvcxt01. • yt>.aacc� f11>1"1, • Eu s� • leou>.ov 61.KccCco� ';"' wpoa1v8vµe:ta8cc1, ycxp �µa� s,t �T1. tlpa ei>.no11 &:61.K&l� � 61.KccCc.o� KccT tyv&\aecn, �HP Iv TO ,cpe:Cq SOKEt wcxpcc>.€>.tti,8cc1. Svvaµe:1, Sl'J>.ovµtvov, . ' , ' (6) KccTcc wcxpcxS€1.yµcx Se: 01.ov (Chreta 3) ...A>.t!_ccvS� d MccKt:S6vc.ov 8cxa1.>.t� WIXplXKCC>.ou� , ,, aVVIXYDl'YEI.V ,CPl'Jl,IDITQI 1,1(� V110' Tc»V IDl,I\C.Oll €1.ff€V, • ,A>.>.a TQIVTQI OVK cZVl'JO'(V ovSc K�aov ••.,. (7) EuKTI.Kl.3� St o!ov (Chreia 16) .. .6&µcov & ffCXI.SoTf)(8� ,cco>.ov� l,co>V TO� w6Scc� K>.aw (ll'TCOV auToO Ti.i>v u11061"11,1a:Tcov ltl'J • Et°8e: bap µ0011.t Tep K>.£ff'TTI •," (8) Evµ80>.1.Ki.i>� s, o!ov (Chreia 4) .. 'A>.t!.-
.
.,.
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(208,5)
(208,10)
. -
(208,15)
.
.
.
-
130
135
140
145
no
132 ccvToG Flnckhl auToG AR et. edd, plures 135 v�ov ARl om. (fort.. rect.e) edd, pr, 136 cxvTOV Hein,] ccuTOV AR unde Camer. 146 ,rpoe:v8v L 146-7 yap '11,lii� StC' om, R (in mg,R1 ) �cx�l \1/alz 149 Svva:µ11. om. (fort. recte) R add, in mg, R1 152 €1.Wtv om. M 153 &>.>.ex TCCVTCX MJ (in mg,) und• R et edd,; om. A
vµii�
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
2) .. In t.h■ manner of' a n explanat.ion." For example (Chrela 41>, /1ocrate1 the rhetor u1ed to 11dvi1e his 1tudent1 to honor th11ir te11cher1 b111'ore their pilrent,, because the liltter are the c11u1e only ol' living, Nhile te11cher1 ilre the c11u1e ol' living
nobly. For I socrates made his st.at.ement with a n explanat.lon. 3) ..With wit." For example CChrela 48>, Oly111pii11, on he11ring th11t her son Alexilnder Nill procl11i111ing hi..,.ell' the ol'l'1pring ol' Zeus, s11id: ..llon 't this
1'111/0# ,top 1l11nd11ring 111t1 to Heril'!" 4> .. I n t.he manner of' a sylloglsm," 1 2 For example CChreia 27>, Oiogene, the philo1oph11r, on seeing 11 youth dre11ed l'oppishly, ,aid: ..II' you are doing thi1 l'or hu1band1, you are 11ccur1ed; ii' l'or Nive,,
you are unju1t." 5> .. In the man ner of' a n enthymeme."1 3 For
example (Chreia 58) Socrates the philo1opher, Nhen ii certain ,tudent na111ed Apollodoru, said to him, ..The Athenian, have unjustly conde111ned you to de11th, " ,aid 111ith ii laugh: ..But did you 11ant them to do it justly'!" For we must further deduce that it. is surely better to be condemned un justly than justly, and it is t.his very point which appears to have been omitted in the chreia, though the implicatio n is clear, 6) "With an example." For example (Chreia 3>,
Alexander the Hacedonian king, on being urged by hi, l'riends to amas, 111Dney, 111id: "But it didn't help even Croesu,. " 7> .. I n the manner of' a wish."1 4 For example
(Chreia 16>, D11mon the gymnastic teacher 11hose l'eet 11ere del'ormed, 11hen his shoes had been stolen,
said: "H;,y they l'it the thiel'. " 8> .. In a symbolic manner." For example , Alex-
91
9Z
TRI: CRllll:JA JN ANCJIINT IIRIJTOIIJO
r•.,
(208,20)
a
IXV� TQv Mcx1.1� lpc.oTl'J8e:t1, uw6 Tl.VOi, woo (,ce:1. TO� 8'1171Xupov�. • 'Ev TOUTOI.I,, ' S1C!.cx� TO� .C>.ov�. " (9) Tpotr1.1.&-rc.ov �Spi.3TI. cl e1.>.6aoe� TOU� T'll, &pe:Tit� 1.covcx1, 1(0[� w6V01.1, eut:a8cxl.. " (10) KcxTu &µCDI.So>.Ccxv otov (Chreia 42) .. 'Ia01.va11ip,cc.ov '." (12) 'o avve:Ctvyµiv01, Tpc,1101, oOK els,,>.� laTl.v, lS°TI. wo>.>.cx,ci� y(ve:TCXI.' � yup yvt.0µ1.Kcp wcxpcxS1:CyµcxT1. avµ,c cxp1.t:vT1.aµq, avµw>.cxK�t:TCXI. So>.1.K4\ � &µCDl,fito>.(q KCX� µe:Tcx>.�IJl€1. � &11>.&\� Kcx8' g.,.o� K� 11>.>.ov� Tpotrov� SuvcxTcxi. avyy1:via8cx1. avCvy(cx, �TOI. .Svo"i:v � Kcxt w>.e:1.6vr4v Tp6wc.ov e:[� µCcxv ,cpe:Ccxv wcxpcx>.cxµSavoµbc»v, otov (Chreia 28) .. �1.oybl')I, d Kvvi.Kc31, CD1.>.6aoeo� t.wv µe:1.p&1.Ceo� fit&>.>.ov, • ncxOacx1., • • wcxi.&Cov, µ� &:yvooOv ,rcxCaa1, Tc3v wcxTipcx '." f,ce:1. , ., , "' , , 1 ' ' ycxp cxµcx 1.1.Kc.o� KCXI. ,ccxpi.e:vTco� ,1 cxwoeaai.�.
.s�
160
r•.,
s,
165
,t111:,
(209,5)
(209,10)
s,
It
(209,15)
r•.,,
168-9 KAINOT LPMaArm•l 1.>.6µe:vov Carner. und• edd.J -µivov AR; !8,,>.ov Darm, Dox, Plan. 174 nv�l 'Ewcxµ1.v6w8a� Darm, Dox, Plan. 176 'Avnye:vv(Scx� AR] -y1vCScx1, C arner., Hein., Schef',; -yu•{Sfll, Suda, Darm, Dox, Plan 187 µ01.,coO LPR1 (in mg,) Darm, Dox, Plan] ToC,cov M (ex corr.) unde R et edd. pr,; s&>.>.ov- wcxOaa1. L(Sch>.oov)PM Arm•l S, 1:C� &yop&v• ,r, M1(in mg.) unde R et edd. plur. S, 1:C1, w>.fi801,• ,r, Darm, Dox, Plan S, 1:t� g,c>.ov "· D.L. 6.62.
170
175
180
1115
THEON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
ilnder the llilcedoni,r,n king. on being ilS'ked by ,omeone Nhere he hild hiS' treilS'ureS', pointed to hiS' l'riendS' ,r,nd S'ilid: "In theS'e. '' 9) "In a figurative manner." For example , Plilto the philoS'opher US'ed to S'ilY thilt the ol'l'
S'hootS' of' virtue groN by sNeilt ilnd toil.
10) '"With double entendre' •• For example .Cae:1., (3) lwtAcovficre:1., (4) -r6 &vn>.oy(,, (5) lwe:1.>.01,1e:V -r,.v ,r� lJ'KtucxC01,1tv KIi� (8) Kll'rlllJ'KCUCX{oµe:v. (1) K11t � l,ICV &1rane:>.Ca Q)OIVE:pa lan. pf19rtacxv yap ,cpe:Ccxv Wt:1.pco1,1e:811 KCXT� TO Buva-rov ! ' , �'I KCXI.' t:'1'€pot.� · - OVU),1110'1.V • 1... CXUTOI.� IJ'CXQ)€1J'TOITOI
190
195
iwrivrOcrlXI..
(2) 'H Be K>.Cai.� Ian wo1.1cC>.fl, Ta yap lv T6 ,cpe:(IJ wp6aco,ra e:t� TO� Tpe:t� &p1.81,10�� lv cx>.>.&n01,1rr K11t -roOTo ou,c dw>.�, &>.>.'o!ov b�� ' , ' , , ' _,l.. Y •� 1:va [Buol ,rpo� Buo KOii. C1r>.t1.ou�l •� w>.tCo�. KCX� wa>.1.v Buotv ,rp�� lva KIit fl� Buo KOi� wPI¼ ,r>.e:Cou�. fn Be w>.e:1.6vcov fl� lvcx KIi� Bvo Kat ,rp� ,r>.e:Cou�. 1'p0Kt:l.µiv� ycxp ,cpe:Ca�, �n (Chreia 40) .. 'Ia0Kpan1� o p�TCA>p Tov� E:Odlut'C� Toov µa8flTOOV 8E:&lv 1r11tcS11� . , l'i .,. ., , � ' ,rpo� t:>.e:yt:v [I.VOii., " OUTlAl K>.1.voµe:r (VO� µe:v .! l.' V � • • , , ' t:VII, 01.0V .. laOKpcxTfl� D 1-'rJTCAf TOV €\JCl)U(OI TCA>V µcx8rJTWV 81:c»v wat&x (>.rytv 1:1.v011.. " Buotv Be ,rp� &Go- .. 'IaOKpaTE:[ T� P�TOpE: Ta> ['UQ)U€[ T«>V µ018rJTcov 8tl.3v woctBt hty€TflV rt'v111.. " w>.e:1.6vcov Be ,rp�� w>.e:Cou�• .. 'IaOKpan:1.� � P�TOpt� TOV� E:Odlutt� -r&\v µa8f1TOOV 8t&>v watBa� l'>.tyov r?'v011.. " • .,, ' , ..._ j ..� E:K - KOCI. ' TOU� ' ....,.VtJ,1UV TOUTCA>V fllAl� 01 MOU� Tp6wo� 1.1.voOµe:v. µe:-rcx>.crµSavov-r111. y�p Ken rt� -rcx� wb-rr fl'ra>crt1.�, &>.>.'hrt -rl3v ,cpe:i.l3v a� µb ,tai.v >.oyi.Kcr(, a� Bt: wpa1 comment, and 4> objection. We also 5) expand and 6) condense the chreia, In addition, we 7) refute and B> confirm it. And so U "Recitation" is obvious. For we try to the best of our ability to report the assigned chreia very clearly in the same words or in others as well. 2> "Inflexion" is complex. For we change the characters in the chreia into the three numbers. And we do not do this unilaterally, but, for example, from singular to singular, and to dual, and to plural. And again, from dual to singular, and to dual, and to plural. Further, from plural to singular, and to dual, and to plural, 16 For in the case of a previous chreia - namely , lsocr.ates the rhetor
used to s.ay th.at gil'ted students .are children ol' gods - we inflect in this way: singular to singular, for example, lsocr.ates the rhetor used to s.ay th.at the gil'ted student is .a child ol' gods. Dual to dual: The tNo rhetors n.a11ted Isocr.ates used to s.ay th,at the tNo gil'ted students .are tNo children ol' gods. Plural to plural: The rhetors n,amed Isocr.ates used to s.ay th,at gil'ted students ,are children ol' gods. 1 7 It is obvious from these examples how we will inflect in the other ways, too. For chreiai are also changed into the five cases, But since some chreiai are sayings-chreiai, some action-chreiai, and some a mixture of both of these, and since each of these classes is further divided into several species, we will try to demonstrate for each of these its inflection with an example,
95
96
(211,5)
TR£ CBll£1A IN ANCIENT 1181:TOIIIC
' H ...�v O�V bp8� ov&E1,1C11v f,cEI. SuaKo>.Ccxv, KIIT« y«p IIVT�V lKaCTTI') Tlov ,cpc1.&>v Et'co8c ,rpo �pccr8m.. T�v U YEVI.K�V 'IITci>CTI.V otTCJo K>.1.vo01,1cvEIIV 1,11:v >.oyl.KI') ti ,cptl.11, 11pocr81')1TOl,l(V IIVTtl .. TD >.6y� a:1r01,1Vll,IOVEUCT111. pl')8€v 1,1v{il,I� l'TV,CE " , , , , . , El.flOVT�, " TO l,IEV OVV 'llp0TEp0V l,ICTII Tl')V CX'IIl • V :t,. • • , , cxyyc>.1.cxv o>.� T ,r, ,cpc1.11� 1v,rpc11e:� ccrT'l.v E11cvcKEtv ot'ov (Chreia 40) .. •tcroKpaTov� TOO p�T� TO� EVGIV€t� Ti.av 1,11181')TC.OV k&>v wcxt&x� , , .,ETV,CE, " TD� oe:� ' l,IVl')l,IV� I\EYOVTO� El.VIII. TO' pl')8EV .scvTEpov .,aEcrovcr� cxvTn� Kcxt Tn� &1r041&crECAl� &p,co.,a�vl')�, clov (Chrtia 49) .. Il1.TTCXK00 TOO M1.Tv>.l')vcx(ov lpooTl')8bT� 1t >.11ve&v11. Tl.� TO� ko� ioa0>.6v Tl. ,r01.&\v >.6y� a:w01,11')1,10VEVET111. E(,r6vT�, • 008€ 81.CXVOOVl,ltVO� '," 'Apµ6TTCI. &€ µii>.>.ov Ta l,lfl' '" >,6y� a:1101,!V'l'OVCUCT'III. " ,r&cr111.� Text� >.oyi.Kcxt� ,cpcC111.� 11>.�v T,k Kcx8'lKovcr1.ov a:,r6ci,11cr1.v, TIIVTtl y�p .. TO pl')8b l,IV�I')� lTV,CIV, " , El. l,IEV ' flll81')T'I.Kq.). .Ecxv ' oe:� ,rpaKTI.KI') ti ,cpc1.11, tC'I'), ,rpoa81Tiov .. TO ITVJ,18«1' µv{wJ� TV,CIV, " ,[ U lvcpyl')TI.K�, .. TO '11pa,C8fV µvfu,i� fTV,C(V, " &.,.oC� U KIi� l11t Tov 1,11.KTOV, lT� TbE1. .,aivTDI. Ti.ov ,cpc1.i.ov Kcxt TOVTcov lKcxcrTov ,rpocr8cTiov, ot'ov (Chreia 21) .. lt.1.Sv.,aoovo� TOO IXV>.l')TOV cx>,6vTO� , KIXI., EK , . , 1,101.,CEI.CJ , TOV ,.,,. OV1.1t,11XT� , L. . £'Ill. Kpcl,IIXCT8EVTO� TO CTVJ.l�V .,iv�� lTv,cc. " Kat (Chreia 25) .. lt.1.oybo� ToO Kvvi.Kov 1111.>.ocr6111ov ls6vT� 6111oci,ayov wat&x KIX� TOV fllXI.SIXycoyov Tt\ Sm, Of'
Oidymon the l'lute-pl,ayer, Nho Ntal convicted of' ,adultery ,and h,anged by his n,ames,ake, the
11xperience is remembered. Also .oaocs,cp 1.cSovn µnpcxtn.ov w>.oua1.ov , , , , . ., &wcncSrvTov ,cSol,rv r1.wr1.v, • ,.. • OvToi.; • ran puwoi.; "'P""IP'V"P.11T6 &>.6vn ht µ01.,crCq CJuv iS11 iK TOO 6v6µcxToi.; Kprµcxa8ijvcx1,, " 'Ewt cS� Trji.; cxlncxnKrj� ,rpoa8fiaoµrv Kcx86>.ou hL w&a11i.; ,cprCcxi.; TO .. tDCXat, " TO .. >.i-y ncx1.. " orov (Chreia 23) " li.LO'Yiv11v TOV KVVLKOV C01,>.6c:roe11ov tcS6VTcx µnp&KLOV ,r>.owi.ov . , ' . ,.. .... , CXffCXLcSruTOV tDCXaLV €Lff€LV (11 >.r'YITCXL), • OuTO� laTL pv,roi.; "'P""IP'YVPC.Oµb� '," 'H c5€ K>."ITLK� acxCI)� €aTL, WOLl')CJ6.,.,ecx 'YIXP TOV >.6'YOV ffPc¼ ,rcxpov ,iµtv ,rp611c.o,rov, le11' a ,cprCcx &vcxCl)(p(TCXL, o?ov (Chreia 23) .. ti.1.6'Y(V[� KVVLK€ e111.>.6110CII[, lcS�v µ11.paKLOV ,r>.ovcnov • ... 4? , • ., , CXffCXLc5cUTOV [LffCX�, • OVToi.; [CJTL pu,roi.; ,rrp1.'1P'YVP(A)Jlboi.; ·." (3) 'Ew1.C11CA>v1:'Cv � €CJTLV &wocSr,coµbou� , , , , � >.t:'YDµ(VOV " T,r, I:.. 01.K(L� KCXL" CJUVTDµC.O� To 61.cx ,cprCcx� Tl COi, &>..,ei� €aTLV � �... Kcx>.ov Tl � avµ Cll(pov � coi.; KCXL ;>.>.01.i.; TO CXVTO TOUTO l'cSol.rv &vsp&111. cS,cSoK1.µcxCJµ£v01.�. �ov (Chreia 38) " Evp1.,r(cS� d 7101."IT� TOV voOv �µt.av lK&CJTOU ., , , , ' («l)l')CJ[V (I.VCXI. 8rov. " €ffUtCA>V"IIJDµ€V cSr (K µrv ToO &>..,eo� o�Tc.o� ere¼ 'VCXP 5vTc.o� tKcxaTq, l, vo� le11'cf µ€v auµ�pr1. wpoTphc.ov �µ&�, &w rCp'YC.OV cS� Ti.av l:.,µ1.ovVTC.OV, iK cS� TOV Kcx>.oO O�TC.O' Kcx>.ov 'YIXP lKCXCJTOV µ� lv ,cpvacp Kcxt , , &pyupcp VDµl.{€1.V (I.VIII. .,. � 8t:6V, ex>.>. ' "€V E:CXUT 1 Jl TDV 't',
.
2'5
260
265
"' '
(212,10)
�
...
(212,20)
,.
270
275
280
285
259 pv,roi.; LMRl pOwoi.; P1 (ex corr.) Ma t'noi.; P1 (in ras,) Darm, Oox, Plan 262 ti.1.Svµc.ov1. L 1 (ex corr.) PMM&R et edd. plur, 268 pu,roi.; PMa. 272 ol C9 (sic) PMa 274 pu,ro� PMa 285 €K c5€l 8€ om, Walz
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
In t.he dative case, in every chreia except. t.he passive we will add the expression "it seemed best.•• or "it appeared best" or ""it occurred.. or even ..it came t.o mind.. or some such phrase. For example , To Diogenes the Cynic philosopher. on .reeing ., rich young m•n #ho Nils uneducilted, it
.reemed best to s•y: .. This fte/lo# is silver-plilted l'ilth. " In the passive chreia we will add the expression ..it was the experience." for example , To Didymon the l'luteplilyer Hho #ilS convicted ol' ildultery it Nils the experience to be hilnged by his nilmesilke. In the accusative case we will generally add to any chreia the words .. t.hey say,•• "it is said.'' For example (Chreia 23>, They s11y (or it is s,11id) thilt Diogenes the Cynic philosopher, on seeing ii rich young miln #ho #as uneducated, S8id: ..This l'elloN i.r sih,er-plated l'ilth."
The vocative case is straight-forward. For we will direct.ly address the character before us, to whom the chreia is attribut.ed. For example , You, Diogenes, Cynic philosopher, on seeing a rich young man Hho #as uneducilted, said: ..This l'elloH is sih,er-plated l'ilth." 3) It is also possible for those who approve of what. has been fittingly and concisely said in a chreia to comment t.hat. it is true or noble or advantageous or that the saying has also appealed to other men of distinct.ion. For example (Chreia 38>, The poet Euripides hils said thilt the mind ol' ei6ch ol' us is a god. We will add comments on its being true like this: .. the mind in each of us really is a god, directing us toward what is advantageous and keeping us from injurious things." On its being noble, like this: "'it is indeed noble for each of us to believe that god exists not in gold and silver but in himself.••
99
100
(212,25)
THE CHIIEIA IN ANCIENT IIBETOIIIC
lK B� ToO cn,1,1GiipoVTo� ot'Y't.0�• • • • t°l'cx 1,1� Bui µcxKpoO Ktta8cx1. TO nµa,po0l' ol61,1tl'01. wo>.>.�v TOO &61.Kt:LV l,c01.1,1tv ,{,,cipc1.cxv, lK U .,.� 'Y'CA>V toBoKCµc.ov µcxpTvpCcx�, lS°Tcxv � a*v � voµo9hriv � ffDl.l"l'Y'�V � &'>.>.ov nv� .,.&,v 61.CAlvo µcxaµfyc.ov >-hc.oµ,v dµoyvc.oµomv prifivn. 01.ov twl. 'Y'l"I� Wpol(tl.l,IE'.l'� ,CJKI.IX� triaoµtv (Od, 18. 136-37)• Toto� ya:p v6� laTtl' lw1.,c80...Cc.ov &Y8,r,nrc.ov, . tw , ,.,. ., , ervopc.ov • ., .. 'Y'E'. 8E'.C.OV .. 'rt, 01.0l' l"IIJIXP CX-y't)O'I. wer'Y'rJP (4) 'A..,n>.iyoµ1l' M Text� ,cpcCer1.� b Tlav ll'erl'TCt.0v, c:i� (Chreia 41) 11� 'Y'OV 'IaoKp«'Y'l"IV ct,r6vTer lf.,.1. 'Y'O� 61.BcraK&>.o� wponµri.,.fov 'riv 'lfer'Y'ipc.ov, � µ�v yap 'Y'O (t\v i'iµtv, � Bl &B«aKer>-01. TO Ker>.� C6v ,rcr�a,cov'Y'o, CDCXµtv yelp &vn>.iyovn� lfn OUK b"v Ker>.&\� Cijv, ,t µ� .,.� C6v ci werTiJK� werpia,cov'Y'o, ct6ber1. U s,t lST1. oo Bvver.,.a.., c5:..,.,...,_fy11.l' w&ao ,cpe:� wo>.>.iav Ker>.&� Ker� &1,1iµw'Y'� ,tpl"ll,livc.ov• &Sawtp ooU w&aer� la'Y'I.V lwer1.vttl' Bu� 'Y'O 'Y'I.VC.OV ,{,&� ' , , ffpOO'ffl.'lf'Y'II.V 'Y'l"IV er'Y'OWl.erV, (5) 'Ew1K'Y't(voµtv Bi .,.�v ,cpt(erv be:1.6cb Ta:� lv ero'Y'ij lpco.,.�a1:1.� n Kert &wOl(pCae:1.�, Ker� ,t wpu!.1.� .,...� � ,r&:80� bv,r&p,co, 1,1riK6v01.µe:v. (6) I:vcni>.>.0µ1:v Bl TO lvervTCov ,r01.00vn�, , ' . , 01.ov avvToµo� µ,v ,cp1:1.er (Chreia 37) .. E,rerµ,1.v�vBer� cfT1Kvo� &wo8v�Kcov l>.1:y1 'Y'OL� GIC>.01.�, • �(,o 8vyerTipcr� &wi>-1.,rov, .,.�v .,., "'� At0K'Y'pcr nKl"IV Ker� 'r�V fftpt MerVTCv,1.erv .... lKn(vcoµtv Bt o�.,.co�• 'Ewcr1,11:1.v�vBcx� chcov erieerCcov aTper'Y'ri' ' ,1.privriv • , yo� riv µie:v Kerl.' ,rerper' 'Y'l"IV "r \ erper ., &vrip ' &yer8�, aw.,.&v.,.o� B� .,.5 ,rcr.,.pCB1. wo>.iµov •
(213,5)
•
,
A
I
,
290
.,.q; I
300
.
(213,15)
310
""
315
310
288 lacun•m r1tcte suspexit Scheff, 314 'Ewerµnvt{,vBcr� MRJ -1.V6wBer� LPMa 316 /\1:0K'Y'per MRJ AtVK'Y'perv LPMa unde Walz 317 lKTtCvc.oµ1l' PMa Arm•J -01,11:v LM et edd, -Tboµtv R 318 81'JBerCcov MaR1 (in mg,)l 'A8riverCc.ov LPMR
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
On it.s being advant.ageous, like t.his: 2D "• • • so that. by supposing t.hat punishment is not long delayed we will not have a great. deal of tolerance for wrong doing," On t.he basis of test.imony of renowned persons: whenever we say that. a wise man or legislat.or or poet. or some other well-known person agrees with t.he saying. For example, in t.he case of the preceding chreia we will say (Od. 18.136-37>: The mind of earthly men is like the day Which t.he fat.her of men and gods brings on. 4> We also object. to chreiai from t.he opposite points of view, as, for example , against /socriltea' silying thilt one should honor teilchers bef'ortt pilrttnt,, sinctt the lilttttr h.we of'f'ered us the chilnce to live but teilchera the chilnce to live nobly. We say in objecting to this idea t.hat it is impossible to live nobly, unless our parents have given us the chance to live. One must realize, however, t.hat. it is impossible t.o object t.o every chrela, since many have been expressed properly and faultlessly. In the same way it is not possible to praise all of them because some fall into outright absurdity. 5) We expand the chreia whenever we enlarge upon the questions and responses in it, and upon whatever act. or experience is in it. 6) We condense by doing the opposite. For example, a concise chreia (Chreia 37>: Epilmeinondils, ill he Nils dying childless, silid to hi1 f'riend1: "I h.we lef't tNo dilughters - the victory at Leuctra 11nd the one at Hilntineiil, " Let. us expand like t.his: Epameinondas t.he Theban general was, of course, a good man in time of peace, and when war against
101
102 (213,20)
(213,25)
(214,5)
(214,10)
(214,15)
THE CRltEIA IN ANOl■NT ltBETDltlO
Wp0� /UXKt:&nµovCou� 110>.>.a ICU� >.&µwpcr (pya ,.� µcya>.0111u,cCa� he:&C!.a'ro, fi101,a,,-ap,cC4v µiv wept /\cOtcTpa lvCKa 'TO� wo>.e:µCo�, npcrnv6µa,� St �dp 'rfW wa'rp(S� Ka� &ycov1.Z:6µe:v� &11i8ave:v b Mav'Tl.vcC11, lwe:� 6€ Tpco8e:t� ln>.e:o'ra 'rOV li!Cov, 6>.�upoµba,v 'TCOV IO(>.a,v Ta ,., !>.>.a ica� &6'r1. !nKv� &woevfiaK01., µ11.&&D'a�, .. wawaD"8c, " le1>ri, .. ;:; «1>C>.01., K>.aC ovn�, cya, ya:p vµt'v cx8aVIX'TOU� 6vo KCX'Tot>.f>.01.wa 8vya'rfpa�, 600 vCKa� ,.�� ,ra,-pCSo� Ka"Ta: , .l. µe:v '!, cv , .. • /\au6a1.µov1.a,v, Triv /\e:uic'Tpoi.� 'TTJV wpe:D"lilu"Tipav, ve:a,,-ipav Si 'T�v lp'TI. µ01. ye:vo µivriv iv Mav'Tl.vcC11, (7) 'AvaD"Ke:vaD"Tiov 6€ l''TI. 'rU� ,cpe:Ca�• CK 'TOV UD"aCl>o�, lie TOO w>.e:ov&z:ov"T�, €K 'TOV b>.e:(,rov'To�. (IC 'TOV &6uv6:Tou, lie 'TOO &w1.8a vou, (K 'TOV 1J1e:u6ov�. (K 'TOV O:D"vµCl>6pou, (K 'TOV & ,cpfio'Tou, IK 'TOO atD",cpov. 'EK µ(v 'TOV O:D"aCl)ov�· � ,t >.iyoµe:v 'T�V 'ID"o�'TTJV (cf', Chreia 42) µ� D"aCl)l.i\� 61.a,p1.ici vcx1. Q)V St:'�'rCXI, ,rpo� PrJ'Tope:Cav 'TO D'UVI.D''Taµe:vov av-rq, ,rai.&Cov, oµoCco� 6€ r',ce:1. icat (cf', Chreia 21) � 61.Soµcovo� 'rOV av>.TJ'r'OV, ov ycxp lfflXD'I. D'!XCI>(� lD"'TI. 'TO .. (K 'TOO 6v6µa'TO� licpe:µaD"8rJ, " 'EK Si 'TOO w>.e:ov&z:ov'T�' he:1.Sa:v >.iy. , ' '!l "'TJ'T'TOV 01.CXµCV(I. � , ... ae1>a1.pe:8€V'T� TJ'r'CXI., 'Tl. OU ou6e;V I , .. • , t I ri ,cpe:1.a. 01.ov (Chre1a 57) .. I:coKpa'TrJ� o 1111.>.ot .. , . , • c. .. .! D'�� e:pco'rrJ8e:1.� '" e:v6a1.µcov aVT.., 60K11. o ne:pD'WV lilaD"i.>.e:G�• • OUK l',ca, >.(ye:1.v, ' re11ri, • µ� ycxp e:tsfvcx1. woo� l,c11. 11a1.se:Ca� •." h>.e:6vaD"e: ' , , ' , , , ' 'TrJV L. . yap O U µovov ,rpo� e:pCO'TrJOW aWOKPI.VU),l(VD�,
325
323 /\e:OK'Tpa MRJ /\e:OK'Tpa Ma /\e:UK"Tpav P unde Walz /\vKTpav L 328 le11ri om, MR (in mg. R 1 ) 329 Ka"Ta>.bot.wal Ka"Tt>.1.,ra PMa, 339 ct >.fyoµe:v PMa Arm") c.o5 b.fyoµe:v LMR � ,, >.iyoi.µe:v Carner., Hein, unde Walz 340 61.a,p1.Ke:va1.l 61.011ep(va1. PMa 343 61.Svµa,vo� L (in ras.) Darm, Dox, Plan) 61.Svµov L 2 (ex corr,) PMMaR et edd.
c.o�
330
340
345
350
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
t.he Lacedaemonians came t.o his country, he displayed many out.st.anding deeds of great. courage. As a Boeot.arch at. Leuct.ra, he triumphed over t.he enemy, and while campaigning and fighting for his country, he died at Mant.ineia. While he was dying of his wounds and his friends were lamenting, among ot.her t.hings, t.hat. he was dying childless, he smiled and said: .. St.op weeping, friends, for I have left. you t.wo immortal daughters: t.wo victories of our country over the Lacedaemonians, t.he one at. Leuct.ra, who is t.he older, and t.he younger, who is just. now being born at. Mant.ineia." 7> f"urt.hermore, one must. refute chreiai: for obscurity, for pleonasm, for ellipsis, for impossibility, for implausibility, for falsity, for unsuitability, for uselessness, for shamefulness• ..f"or obscurity:" as if we say that Isocrates (cf. Chreia 42> did not. identify clearly what. t.he boy being enrolled wit.h him needed for a course in rhetoric.2 1 The chreia (cf. 21> about. Didymon the flute-player is similar, f"or t.he expression "being hanged by his namesake" is not clear t.o everyone.22 ••For pleonasm:" whenever something is said which, if it is t.aken away, t.he chreia nonetheless remains. f"or example , Socrates the
philosopher, on being asked Nhether the Persian king seemed h,.ppy to him, said: ..I can't say, f'or I can't even knoN Nhere he stands on education."
f"or he has been pleonastic not only in responding t.o t.he quest.ion,
103
104
(214,20)
TR£ CBRll:JA JN ANCIENT RBll:TORIC
ch>.u KCX� T� CX'lfot.t:C11ov-roc;• K-rcxv c5t:CKvv1,11v 1,1� K111>.lilc; (cf. Chreia 17) Cl)a1,t€VOV TOV �'ll,loa eivf}V u116Kp1.a1.v t:!vcx1. T�V P'IT0pl.K�v· wo>.>.&\v , ' KCXI.' cx>.>.cov ., , �1v .S101,1t:8cx, ' cxv-r, ycxp 11.c; 'EK .s� TOO &:.svv&:ToU' C:,c; V 11>lli1,1cv ,rp� TOV 'IaoKpmTflV (cf. Chreia 40) 1,1� .Suvcx-rov IK k£v &vepc:,wouc; Y€V€a8c11., 1,1'1.s'av €UCl)unc; :0-1.v. 'EK U -roO &:w1.8&:vou• Kn 1,1� ttK� lanv (Ctreia 6) 'Avna8brrv 'A-rnK6v yt !v-rcx, wcxpcx yo6',cvov 'A8�vri8cv t:Cc; hcxK18cxC1,1ovcx, EK -rfk yuvcx1.KcovCn.soc; >.iyt1.v t:Cc; T�v &v.Spcovt-r1.v , ,
a
(215,5)
('lfl.CVCJI..
'EK .SC -roO IJltv.SoOc;• .!i'n 1,1� &>.ri9� (Ctnia 10) .. d eCcov l'>.t:yt -r�v e111.>.cxpyup(cxv 1,1ri-rp6,ro>.1.v VCXI. -rfk KCXKCcxc;, ,, 1,1&>.>.ov yup &tpoavvri lanv. 'EK U -roO &aU1,111>6pou• �Tl. S>.a:Scpllic; 11cxpcx1.vct' (Chreia 56) 1:l.1,1covC.Sric; 11cxCZ:t1.v Iv , - J ft � ' cx,r>.C,\)c; • Tep P'-Cf) KIXI.' Hp!.' 1,1,...,tv a,rou.ScxZ:11.v. 'EK .S� -rov &:,cp�a-rou· &ov tt cDa:Cv01.-ro ,rpoc; ov.Sh coe1>t>.1.1,1ov TO P'l�V Tep Si.Ip, 'EK .S� -rov cxta,cpoO• dw6-r111v 111Ca,cpuv Ka� lwovcC61.a-rov &wocDa:Cvco1,1tv -r�v ,cpe:(cxv, . , , , , , 01.ov (Chreta 62) .. CXV'IP EuBapc.-rric; 1.&»v hcxK1.Scx1.1,1ovCouc; h1.116vooc; Z:oov-rmc; ou 8111U1,1&Z:nv l'tria«v .!i'T1. b -rote; wo>.f1,101.c; oVK 6tcvova1.v &wo8v�K11.v, CXl,1€1.VOV yap €I.VIII. TOV 8CXVIXTOV TOU TOI.OUTOU sCou. ,, 'lfCXVU yup 1,1cx>.CXKCOC, Kat O\IK &v.SpcCou , . ' ll'lfocDCXal. . , ' , ' ouv ' 1,1€V Tp0'1fOU T'IV V [1'01.riacx-ro. IK -rou-rCA>v &vaaKt:ucxa-rfov.
,r (215,10)
...
(215,15)
a,
'\,
.ip
357 KCI� T�V PMMaR. 373 �aovl
'\,
O�OV
,
A
Hein. et edd. rec.
,
365
370
375
380
TREON: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
but also in providing the explanation for his response without waiting to see whether the person was even going to ask a further question, This was not at all like Socrates, who was one to use dialectic, "For ellipsis:" whenever we show that Demosthenes did not speak properly in saying that that it is impossible for people to be born from gods, even if they are gifted, "For implausibility:" because it is unlikely that (Chreia 6> Antisthenes, who was of course an Athenian, G1id on coming f'rom Athens to L 1cedae1tt0n th1t he 1t.as coming fro"' the 1tomen's quilrterG to the men'G,2 4
"For falsity:" because (Chreia 10) Bion s1id untruthfully th.at love of money is the mother-city of' evil. Rather, the evil is ignorance.2 5 "For unsuitability:" namely (Chreia 56) Simonides• ,advice to pl1y in life and to be entirely seriouG ,about nothing is harmful.
"For uselessness:" to the extent that the saying should appear useful for nothing in life, "For shamefulness:" whenever we pronounce the chreia shameful and disgraceful, For example , A Sybarite, on seeing the L1ced1emonians living • lif'e of toil, s,aid he did not 1tonder that in their 1tilrs they do not hesitilte to die, for deilth is better th.an Guch a life. For he made a statement in a very effeminate manner and one that is not in keeping with a manly character, So then, one should refute on the basis of these reasons,
105
106
TBE CRIIEIA llf ANCIENT IIBETOIIIC
u
(216,5)
(216,10)
(216,15)
(Bl n� t1.>.a,v dw&:11-rc»v, lr-ro.:11 l!. boc; 800 -rc.ov &11co-r&-rm µe:pl.av -ra:c; &a, cwcxc; 'r'1011 ,rp001.µ(a,11 >.o.:µl:lava,µe:v. µe:-ru 8€ TO wpoo(µ1.011 o.:v-r�v -re: -r�v ,cpe:(0111 t1, a nd 4> the mea ning of narratiuncula . The analysis of each problem must often touch upon that of the others, yet it is better to keep the discussions separa ted a s far as that i s possible. 1) Meaning of quaedam dicendi primordia. This phrase has attracted little a ttentioin because critics have assumed that Quintilian means by it nothing more or less than pro gymnasmata, This assumption, h owever, is incorrect but contains just enough of the truth to conceal the author's real reasons for employing the unusual expression.
_
• • • • - a Uftl.C
There are three reasons. First, as earlier discussions have
shown, 9 the term progymnasmata was not used to designate these classroom exercises until sometime after Quintilian and Theon. If a regular term existed at all among the Greeks,
it was gymnasmata. And yet, even this rfesignation was apparently unsatisfactory to Quintilian, and this point leads to his other reasons for employing the term quaedam dicendi primordia. First, although he is concerned with elementary exercises which were - or at least became - a part of the standard pro gymnasmata, Quintilian at most includes only the first four, viz. fable, maxim, chreia, and narrative. As his discussion clearly shows, these four are the only exercises which a grammaticus should handle, Consequently, here in 1,9 he turns aside after narratiunculae to a discussion of the respective roles of a grammaticus and rhetor. When he later returns to his treatment of the exercises Nature of the exercise with poetic passages (9-14), The problem here concerns the discussion in lines 6-14. Do these lines deal only with the fable or does Quintilian add a similar but different exercise which involves the paraphrase and recitation of poetic passages? For several reasons the answer must be, as F. H. Colson
long ago demonstrated, 1 0 that the discussion involves two separate exercises. The break comes with the words versus primo solvere
(9),
In the first place, the term "Aesop's
Fables" refers to a species of fable, 1 1 and these compositions were usually writ t.en in prose. The noun versus can, of course, refer to a line of prose, but Quintilian's phrase versus solvere, contrary to H. E. Butler's interpretation, 12 means "to express in prose," thus demonstrating that he has poetic models in mind, not "Aesop's Fables," J. P. Post.gate, who recognized only one exercise here, attempted to get around the reference to Aesop's Fables by suggesting that Quintilian actually refers to the fables of Phaedrus.13 Vet, if this were his intention, Quintilian would surely have named his author. As a matter of fact, it is apparent in several places that he has Greek, not Latin,
models in mind: cf, putt3nt C25) and dicunt "'._p,;:1.oocS,;:� (28-29).
The chief argument against two separate exercises is the syntax of the Latin and in particular the construction of condiscant (9), This verb clearly governs the two preceding infinitives narr,3re (7) and exigere (9) as well as the three which follow: solvere (9), interpretari and vertere (10>. If we are to punctuate the text in such a way that the two exercises are distinct, we must do something about condisct3nt. Colson, despite his belief that Quintilian discusses two exercises, printed a colon after condiscant in his edition, 1 4 Later both Helmut Rahn 15 and Michael \l/interbottom l6 used the same mark. Butler, who apparently recognized only one exercise, printed a semi-colon. 1 7 Neither mark is satisfactory, The colon implies that the second statement follows logically
on the first; the semi-colon begs t.he question. Vet the fact remains t.hat, whatever punctuation we use, we must understand condisc;gnt wit.h the words that. follow the mark, The only alternative is t.o emend t.he t.ext and insert. a second condiscdnt. Vet.
emendation
is an unlikely solution
because of Quintilian's avowed brevity in this chapter (cf. 37), so we are left with the need to supply the verb. An edit.or, however, must. also give a clear indication of exactly where the discussion of one exercise ends and that of the second
begins.
Whether
the
solution in
this text
is an
improvement. or not, we have elected to place a period aft.er condisc;gnt and in the translation repeat t.he verb with the words that follow. However the passage is punctuated, two points are clear: Quintilian discusses two separate exercises, and he intends for the reader to understand condiscdnt as the main verb with both. The Lat.in is awkward, but. the author's at.tempt at brevity is the cause. There is another
problem
in this passage.
Quintilian's
statement. that the task of paraphrasing and reciting is consumm;gtis prof'essoribus dif'f'icile has prompted several critical comments and interpretations. Uncertainty about the meaning of these words is reasonable, for the exercise under discussion, whet.her it involves fables or poetic passages, is expressly designed for young students who are still under the tutelage of the gr;g,nm;gticus. How then can such a teacher expect. his charges to cope with an exercise that is a challenge even for him? Vet apparently Quintilian expects it., for later in 10.5.8, where he has in mind those students who are working under a rhetor, he points out. that. paraphrase itself utilisim;g est exercitdtioni dif'f'icu/t;gs, Apparently, then, his philosophy advocates throwing the young student into deep water and forcing him to swim. In fact, he voices this same philosophy earlier in 1.1,30 where he discusses the learning of syllables and says
QUINTILI AN: INTRODUCTION
lll
Syllabis nullum compendium est; perdiscendae omnis nee, ut fit plerumque, diff icillima quaeque earum differenda, ut in nominibus scribendis depre hendantur. For syllables there is no short cut. All must be learned thoroughly, nor, as frequently happens, should the most dif ficult ones be postponed with the result that they are caught making errors in the writing of words. Despite Quintilian's later evaluation of paraphrase and his earlier comment on learning syllables, some editors have been troubled by his statement here in 1,9 and have attempted to alter the obvious sense of the words either by emending the text or by interpreting the phrase in a way that differs from a normal understanding. For example, Colson rejects the
suggestion of Spalding that consummatis prol'essoribus is ablative and means ••with accomplished teachers." 18 Colson is
right, for the ablative is impossible, No Roman could have understood anything but the dative with dil'l'ici/e, Furthermore, had Quintilian intended the idea which Spalding suggested, he would probably have written apud consummatos prol'essores (cf. 15). Colson himself is more attracted to the emendation suggested by Sarpe, who wanted to read prol'ectibus, but this word seems equally impossible. The sense of Quintilian's phrase surely points to people, but prol'ectus in Quintilian and seemingly everywhere else - refers to "progress," not to those making progress. For the latter sense we need prol'ectis or even ii/is prol'ectis, and in combination with consummatis either expression is extremely awkward, if not impossible.
In summary, then, the words consummatis prol'essoribus
dil'l'icile refer to an exercise involving paraphrase and recitation of poetic passages. Moreover, despite what. at first glance appears to be a curious statement, the text is sound. We must accept the fact that. Quintilian advocated a "sink
__ _____
&n
_.,.,a a:; NT
RHETORIC
or swim" philosophy in t.he early training of boys. 3> The problem of ",3etio/ogi,3" (15 and 18>. Actually the problem is a three-fold one: a> the manuscript. evidence for ,3etiologi,3 and for etho/ogi,3, the reading which most editors have adopted; b) the meaning of the two words; c> Quintilian's apparent confusion of the term with chri,3, a) The evidence for ,3etiologi,3 and ethologi,3 has been discussed by Colson l9 and more especially by R. P. Robinson,20 both
of
whom
have shown
that
no
manuscript authority
whatsoever exists for ethologi,3 in Quintilian 1.9 and very little for it in Suetonius' De Gr,3m, 4.7,
the passage which
editors have invariably cited as a parallel, It. w a s R a p h a l! I Regius who f i r s t (1493) printed ethologi,3 in Quintilian and Beroaldus - for nothing prevents our using this word - but also persuasion, consolation and e xhortation are n ecess ary. To these he adds .. the investigation of causes," aetiologia - for I s e e no reson why we should not venture to use this term since the grammatici, guardians of the Lat.in language, use it in their own right. He says that description of individual virtues will also be use ful. This description Posidonius calls ethologia, some
people
call
it
characterismos ,
which
describes the signs and distinguishing marks of individual virtues and vices by which similar things are distinguished from one another, At first. glance, this passage seems to provide us with the ne cessary info rmation to distinguish aetio/ogia and
ethologia. The former, says Seneca, means investigation of causes and is a word used by the grammatici,- the latter is the same as characterismos, which me ans a description of signs and distinguishing marks of individual virtues and vices. Vet S eneca makes it clear throughout his discussion that he is concerned with Posidonius' moral system of philosophy, not with rhetorical or grammatical terminology as
such,2 6 His reference to the grammatici merely justifies his use of a loan word and in no way implies the existence of
- ------� u• ANlilENT RHETORIC
a regular exercise called aetiologia. He has made a similar apology in the opening remark after using praeceptio to translate Posidonius' ,rapa1.v£n.K�. 2 7 In this instance he gives the Lat.in word a sense that is outside its normal range of meaning, and for that reason he calls attention to the fact by saying ••for nothing prevents our using this word," Thus in his effort to express some of Posidonius' terms, Seneca felt. it necessary to give a new meaning to one standard Latin word 2 8 and to use two Greek words which were apparently not in regular use in Latin. But ta repeat, philosophy is the subject here, not rhetorical principles, exercises or terminology. This passage offers just one exam ple of the fact that some words were technical terms in bath philosophy and rhetoric, The evidence for ethologia, however, either as a philosophical or rhetorical term, is sparse. E xcept for the passage of Seneca, it seems to appear only in Charisius,29 In his section entitled De schemate dianoeas which Aenesidemus proposed for refuting every cSo-yµo:T1.K� o:lT1.o"o-yCa. 39 In rhetorical and grammatical texts, aetiologia always means "statement of causes." This is its meaning in such Latin writers as Rutilius Rufus, 4 0 Julius Rufinanus, 4 1 the Carmen de Figuris, 42 Schemata Oianoeas, 43 Isidore 44 and St. Augustine. 45 Among Greek writers the same definition appears in three works bearing the title TI€pL a,c l"lµtxToov. 4 6 In addition, ps.-Aristeides, who offers no precise definition of o:�no"o-yCo:, analy zes six different passages from literature 47 in such a way that he clearly understands the term in exactly the same way as the other writers. Any one of the definitions may suffice, but that of Isidore is as clear as most: aetiologia est cum proponimus aliquid eiusque causam et rationem reddimus . Such a definition, even though of a figure rather than an exercise, clari fies Quintilian's phrase in line 1 5 : subiectis dictorum rationibus. As Robinson has observed, these words refer only to the term which immediately precedes t.hem. 48 Since they m a ke no sense with ethologia while defining aetio/ogia accurately, the latter word must be what Quintilian wrote. In fact, he may elsewhere describe just such an exercise.
As part of his discussion of theses, he says (2.4.26>:
, ""' ._n,uaA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
My teachers used t.o prepare us for conject.ual cases by a t.ype of exercise t.hat. was bot.h useful and enjoyable. They would instruct. us t.o ask and t.o explore such quest.ions as "Why among t.he Lacedaemonians is Venus arm ed?" and " Why is Cupid considered a boy as well as winged and armed wit.h arrows and a t orch?" and similar t opics where we invest.igat.ed intent., and t.he quest ion of' intent is frequent. in debates. This exercise can appear to be a type of chreia, Such an e xercise as this is obviously concerned with assigned questions f'or which the student was expected to provide an answer and rationale. Thus it at least resembles an i/letiologia and may in fact be one; certainly it. cannot. be an ethologiil, Yet, despite his own fond memories of' t.he activity, Quintilian assigns no name t.o it. He merely says that. it can resemble a t.ype of' chreia, and that remark is strange. Without a complete recasting of t.he material, such examples as Quintilian cit.es cannot resemble any form of' a chreia that is known to us. Be that as it may, in his mind this exercise which to us seems to resemble an aetiologia could appear to be a type of chreia. And in chapter 9, line 15 it is the i!letiologia that he sets side by side with the chreia. Consequently, despite some ambiguity and uncertainty much of' which results from Quintilian's brevity - i!letiologia must be the correct reading in line 15, By its nature it is a rhetorical figure which is used as an exercise by the grammatici. That they did indeed employ it, or that at least Quintilian considered it appropriate for them to do so, is clear from his remark that such exercises apud grammaticos scribantur (16). c> Quintilian's apparent confusion of aetiologia and chriil, No explanation of' aetiologia in line 15 can solve the problem of its appearance in line 18. Consider what the text says:
127
QUINTILIAN: INTRODUCTION
Of all t.hese e x e r c i s e s the principle is t.he same, t h e f o r m different in that the maxim is a general s t a t ement; t h e aetiology is
a s s o c i a t e d with
c h a r a c t ers, Of the c h r e i a i there are s ev e r al traditional types. Q u i n tilian seems t.o say that the three exercises are alike in principle, pur pose, rationale, This is a correct observation. He c on tinues by pointing o u t t h a t t. h e f o r m of e a c h is different and apparently explains how this evaluation is true, Like e v e r y o t h e r ancient a u t h o r i t y , he first identifies the maxim as a general statement (his brevitas leaves unsaid the f a c t t h a t a m a x i m is not a s s o c i a t ed w i t h a character>, but then h e inex plicably s a y s t h a t the aetiologia is associated with
characters,
the
very
distinction
which
we
are
accustomed to read a b o u t t h e c h r e i a . Ab out the nature of the chreia h e says absolutely not hing before beginning his classification of the form, and even in the light of his brevity the omission is s trange. C o l son49 long ago suggested that after continetur (19) the
t e x t should r e a d ut chria. Narum plura, etc. This is an
ingenious emendation paleographically, b u t it conf uses the m a t t e r by f a iling to make the real and necessary distinction bet.ween aetiologia and chria. More
recently,
'11/in terbo t t o m S 0
has
suggested
an
emendation d e s i g n e d to m a k e t h e d i s t i nction. He proposed adding rebus, chria after aetiologia (18), with the sense then being " t h e aetiology is associated with subjects, the chreia with c h a r a c t e r s . " As e vidence for this addition of rebus
Win t e r b o t t o m cited the definition in the anonymous Schemata
dianoeas:5 1 aCno>.o-yCa est cum causam alicuius rei et rationem subici111Us. This reading is v er y close t o w h a t is needed, but rebus still m i s s e s t h e m a r k , nor is it e a s y to expl ain how it could h a v e f allen from t h e t e x t . E ac h of t h e t h r e e e x er c i s es m a x i m , chr eia and a e t i o logy - must be concerned with a res , i.e., a subject. T he v e r y u s e o f alicuius t o m o d i f y rei in
t h e d e f i n i t ion o f the Schemata dianoeas shows that rei is
- --- - - - -- - � - �" .KNI•. I .t; NT
RHETORIC
no t. t. he key word. What. dist. inguishes aetio/ogia from bot.h t.he maxim and t.he chreia is i t. s connection wit.h .. st.atement of cause." A better reading, therefore, is aetiologia causis, chria personis continetur: '" aetiology is as sociat.ed with causes, chreia with characters." Were it not clum sy, rationibua instead of causis would be possible. It is the term which Quintilian uses in line 15 to identify the aetiologia, and it also occurs in the definition of Isidore and the anonymous Schemata dianoeas. On the other hand, causa also appears in the two definitions, It too gives the proper sense here and is palaeographically more feasible. In summary, then, t.he text of lines 17-19 makes an erron eous and incomplete statement as it stan ds in all editions, and only an emendation can bring any sense to the passage. It is long past. time to rest.ore to Quintilian's text., if no t. his ipsissima verba, at least the sense which he surely intended. That sense is expressed by aetiologia causis, chria personis continetur, and t.hat. is what. t.he text. of this volume offers. 4) The meaning of "narratiuncu/ae" (32>. The last exercise
which Quintilian mentions in his treat.ment of quaedam dicendi
primordia is narratiunculae, but he fails to define the term. He merely says that. n arratiuncu/ae are used in profusion by poets and should be handled, no t. for the purpose of eloquence, but to impart information. 5 2 What, then, are narratiuncu/ae and what part did they play in the educat.ional proces s ? Quintilian him self clarifies these point.s later C. Declension of chreia (30-32). A
glance
at.
the
c o r r e sponding
sec t.ions
in
T heon,
Hermogenes, N i c o l a u s or even t h e v ery con cise Apht.honius shows just. how curtailed Quintilian's analysis is. Consider first his defini tion. If we follow the r e a ding of' the manuscripts, he gives no definition, and e v e n if' we emend the t e x t as we m u s t f o r o t h e r r e asons 5 5 and print < 1 9 ) chria pers,onis,
continetur, the defini tion is s t i ll f ar less precise than any of' t h e o t h e r s . It. d o e s l i t tle more, in f a c t , than distinguish
the chreia from the sententia and aetiologia. Vet for Quintilian this general identification was apparently sufficient.
Then when we m o v e on to his opening s t a t ement in the c l a s s i f i c a t ion proper
, t h e r e is confusion unles s we
a s s ume that, unlike the Greek rhetoricians, Quintilian does not use genera (y€vri> in t h e technical s e n s e of .. c l a s s e s . " Vet
this a s s umption becomes fact not only when we consider the d i s c u s s ion which f ollows, but also when we recall his comment in
2.4.26 t h a t a c e r t ain exercise which he has just described
can appear to be a genus, chriae. By t h i s phrase, as t h e
c o n t e x t s h o w s , h e does not mean a ••class" but r a th er, in a more general and non-technical sense, a "'type" of chreia.
T h e s a m e meaning of genera m u s t be his inten t.ion here
in line 1 9 , f o r o therwise his s t a t e m e n t t h a t. chriarum plura genera traduntur is nonsense in t h e light of the discussion t h a t follows. Elsewhere we regularly find three .. classes" of'
SUINTILI AJr. INTRODUCTION
ch reiai: sayings (>.o-yi.KaC: dicti >, action hrpaK'TI.KaC: f'ilcti > and mixed (µ1.KTaC: mixti >, Quintilian, however, uses no such technical terms or distinctions and has been content merely with the description of some '"types" of chreiai: unum simile sententide, quod est positum in voce simplici ; and huic non diasimile (""one not. unlike this one"), The point is that in later classifications these three generd are not separate .. classes." Rat.her they are three species < Ee'8ri> of the same genus: i.e., of the sayings-chreia. The
species
terminology, 5 6
are, 1)
t.o
use
&,rot!)aV'TI.KOV
Theon's arrangement and Ka8 ' €Koucr1.ov cx,r6tacr1.v , Pausanias (6.14.5-8) and Athenaeus ,
own example of this species. But the anecdote cannot, by any stretching of the imagination, an action-chreia in which the action is passive i.e., where the ,rp6aoo,rov suffers an adverse
experience because of something he has done. F"or a typical chreia of this species see Chreia 21 CDidymon). So once again Quintilian's classification differs from those of Theon and the later writers of Progymn,asm,at,a, He is apparently unaware of the elaborate system of 81.aCpE:au; such as we find in Theon, and, no m att.er how unsatisfactory his arrangement may seem to us, it is unfair to attempt to force upon his brief discussion of the chreia all the details which later developed. Another case in point here is Quintilian's silence about the third class of chreia, the mixed-chreia. By its very nature, this class could not have developed until the first two were well established and easily identified. Since in Quintilian's system this preliminary stage seems not to have been fully developed, it is unlikely that he even thought about a class which possessed characteristics of the first two, F"or that reason, he has nothing to say about a mixed chreia. On the other hand, he is well aware of one primary function of the chreia ,apud gr,amm,aticos and includes (30-32) a brief reference to the exer cise called declin,atio (1.fo1.�): In his omnibus et declin,atio per eosdem ducitur c,asus et t,am l',actorum qu,am dictorum r,atio est ( .. In all these, too, declension is done in the same cases, and the method is the same for both action-chreiai and sayings-chreiai"), The first part of this sentence confused H. E. Butler, 5 9 who apparently never took the trouble to consult either the Greek rhetoricians or Latin grammarians. Yet, to anyone who has looked at such passages Quintilian's remarks here seem
Q UINTILIAN: INTRODUCTION
s tra igh tforward, even if' c ompres sed. By in his omnibus he refers to the ex a mp les which he h a s j u s t used or to a l l chreia i, The s ense is the same in either case. The words per eosdem ducitur casus mea n s imply th a t a n!',' chreia c a n be dec lined in the s ix c a ses of L a tin, that some cases are not more a ppropriate to s a y ings-chreiai, some to action-chreiai, The point is tha t dec lension was designed primarily to teach
the y ou ng s tudents form a nd syntax, and c onsequently the
a c tua l
sense
of
the L a tin
in
the
various
c a s es was
u nimporta nt. O ne need only gla nce at, for example, Theon's treatment of th is exercise (199-275) to s ee h ow c ont.rived
a nd artific ia l s ome of' the maneuvers become, 6 0 Quintilian, with
his usua l brevity, is s a y ing s imply that the sense of' the chreia in these ma nipul a tions ma kes no difference; form is the primary concern. T he s a me s implified a pproach is reflec ted by h is fina l observa tion here: tam l'actorum quam dictorum ration est. The key word is, of c ourse, ratio which refers to the meth od by which s omeone can introduce a chreia s o that each oblique
c a s e follows logica lly a nd s y ntac tic a l ly . For example, Theon (226-75) lis ts s ever a l phr ases which are a ppropriate for introduc ing a c hreia in the various cases, some f' or sayings chreiai, s ome for a c tion- c h reiai, He even su bdiv ides a nd prov ides phra ses for a c tion-c hreiai which are ac tive, a nd th ose which are p a s s ive. Q u intilia n, whether or not he was fa miliar with such c omp lica ted exer c ises , here advoc t.es a simple a pproach: treat. every chreia a like and merely dec line it without introduc ing c omp lica tion. T h is a t titude is quite in keeping with his view that the chreia, as one of the quaedam dicendi primordia, is a s imple exerecise a nd one des igned ex press ly f'or the y ou ng s tudent wh o is s t. i l l under the tutelage of' a grammaticus. With this observation on declinatio Quintilian conc ludes his dis c u s s ion of the c hreia, He h a s used les s th a n a hundred
words , but. even s o he h a s devoted much more space to the c hreia th a n to any other of the quaedam dicandi primordia, T o l'abula he a l lows three lines ( 6-9 > ; to recitatio he gives
136
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
three more ( 9 - 1 2 ) ; the sententia receives hardly a sentence of its own ( 1 8 ) ; and the aetiologia really has only two brief
remarks ( 15 and 1 8 ) ; and finally, narratiunculae are dismissed in one brief sentence (32-33). Obviously, then, the chreia stood in a posit.ion of special importance in Quintilian's limited set of elementary exercises. It has a similar position of prominence in Theon•s fuller sequence of ex ercises and retained it in the works of the later rhetores, Quintilian 's Contribution to the Development ol' the Chreia. Rather than contribution, however, we should perhaps say role in the history o f the development, for it seems likely that he was content merely to report the status quo. His very brevity in discussing matters which he is at pains to insist properly belong to the grammaticus rather than to the rhetor points to his relative lack of professional interest in all these early exercises, Lack o f interest probably caused him to ex pend little time and e f f ort o n developing the material which he found ready at hand, Instead, he has handled the subject, as he must, but he has only touched upon it, sketched an outline as it were, and hastened on to the subjects in which he as a rhetor has an interest and feels qualified to make evaluations and contributions. This interest has undoubtedly caused his abrupt change of subject from the last preliminary
exercise to the duties of grammatici and rhetores (33ff.). One remark which Quintilian makes on this subject deserves comment. He says (35-36) f;raeci magis operum suorum et onera et modum norunt 1,157. 13. See J, P. Postgate, ••Phaedrus and Seneca, " CR 33 (1919) 19-24, esp. 23. Later Postgate .oyCa with cbr6¢>aau; ('"statement.">. 42. Cdrmen de Figuris 25-27 personis continelur. (4) Chriarum plura genera tradunt.ur: unum simile senlentiae, quod est posit.um in voce simplici: "'dixit ille.. aul " dicere solebal .. ;
20
alterum quod est in respondendo : "interrogat.us ille, " vel .. cum hoc ei dictum esset, respondil "; terlium huic non dissimile: .. cum quis dixisset aliquid.. vel .. fecisset... (5> Etiam in ipsorum fact.is esse chriam put.ant, ut. (Chreia 14> "'Crates, cum indoct.um puerum vidisset, paedagogum eius percussit.... el aliud paene par ei,
25
1 4 chriae vel ,Ju/lien 15 aetiologiae 81 aethio- A aethimo- ,aut ethimo- taut et.hymo- ,a/ii ethologiae Regius et edd. multi. 17 Num q uarum? cl'. supr,a v.J. 1 8 aetio lo gi a 8 1 aeti mo - A et.hymo- ,a/ii ethologia Regius et edd. multi. aet.ologia causis, chri a tempt,avi aet. iologia rebus, chri a llinterbottom. continetur ut et chria. Harum Colson.
Inst, Orat. 1.9,1-1.10,1 9, And now two sections which this profession offers have been completed; that is, the art of speaking and the interpretation of authors, 1 They call the former methodice,
the latter historice.2 But let us add to their study certain elementary rules of speaking for the benefit of those whose age has not yet prepared them to enroll with a rhetor, (2) These young boys, then, 3 should learn how to recite Aesop"s fables, which are the immediate successor of nursery tales, in language that is natural4 and not unduly embellished and then to execute the same simplicity of style in writing, They should also learn first to render verses in prose, then to recite5 them in different words, then to turn with more confidence to paraphrase in which it is permissible to abridge6 or embellish certain elements, provided the poet's meaning remains intact. The one who can successfully handle this task, difficult. even for accomplished instructors, will be capable of learning anything. Maxims, too, and chriae, as well as aet.iologies, with the reason for the saying added, should be written under the guidance of teachers of literature because these forms have their origin in reading, Of all these exercises, the principle is the same, the form different, in that the maxim is a general statement, the aetiology is connected with characters, (4) In the case of chriae, there are several traditional types: one resembles the maxim in that it is cast in the form of a simple statement: "He said" or "He used to say," A second is cast in the form of a reply: .. On being asked" or .. When this had been said to him, he replied." A third type is not unlike this: .. When someone had said" or .. done something," (5 ) They also believe that a chria occurs in the actions of characters, as Crates, Nhen he saN an uneducated boy, struck his paedagogus, And there is another type almost its equivalent,
148
T H E CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
quad tamen eodem nomine appellare non audent, sed dicunt �p€1.l' says that some attribute the Progymn,11sm,11t,11 to Libanius (Codd. Paris 1983 and 2977 [=7.511, 3-4 Walz]); 2) Two Mss of Priscian•s t.ranslation have a sub1criptio designating the author as Hermogenes or Libanius; 3) Syrianus fails to include the Progymna1m,11t,11 in his list of' Hermogenes• works; and 4) No scholia on the Progymn,11smat,11 exist. Rabe chose to ignore the first set of' evidence as well as the negative nature of' much of' the data in his second set and concluded that the author was no longer known in the fifth and sixth centuries and that the attributions to
HERMOGENES: INTRODUCTION
1:59
Libanius and Hermogenes were merely conjectures. R a dermacher agrees with R a b e's evaluation and goes so far as to say that t.he Progymnt3sm,gt,g .. ist dUrftig und schwerlich van der Hand des H(ermogenes>." 43 Since Rabe and R a d e r m a c h er, other critics have held t.he same posit.ion, most
notably George L Kustas, 44 who of course cites Rabe.
On t.he a t.her hand, S t anley F. Bonner r e fers t.o Rabe's rejection of Hermogenes as the author but otherwise seems t.o follow t.he t r a d i t i o n a l a s s ump tion that Hermogenes wrote t.he work. 45 Ge orge Kennedy, however, gives no hint at any uncertainty of a u t h o r s h i p a n d names Hermogenes as t h e aut.hor. 46 As for R a b e ' s arguments, they are far from persuasive. Rather, they seem to be in keeping with the fad of nineteenth century, e s p e c i ally in Germany, whereby ancient texts were frequently re-written to s u i t. modern n o t. i o n s , 4 7 and where w o r k s were d e c l a r e d anonymous rather than the product of the a u t h o r t o whom they had been t r a d i t i onally a s signed. That occasionally such claims were correct - or at. least could n o t be proved i n c orrect - only encouraged more s u c h attempts. In t.he case of Hermogenes and this Progy•masmata, Rabe and those who accept h i s t h e s i s may be correct. But they m a y a l s o be wrong. In e i t h e r c a s e , we h a ve t.he document, and, w h e t h er Hermogenes or '' anonymous" is the author, at l e a s t. s o m e of t.he e v idence p o i n t s to a s trong p o s s i b i l i t y t h a t i t w a s composed in t h e period b e t w een Theon a n d
Aphthonius. E v e n R a b e 4 8 and Radermacher 49 agree with this supposition. The e v i d e n c e which p o i n t s to a time bet.ween Theon and Aphthonius may be summarized as follows: 1 > The emph a sis on a rhetorical use of the exercises rather than, as in Theon, on a l e s s r e s tr i c t e d use; 2> Changes in the order of t h e e x e r c i s e s - for ex ample, t. h e c h r e i a c h a p t e r b e i n g m o v e d from f i r st. t.o third posit.ion, 5 D and t. h e chapter o n description being put a f t e r c h a r a c t e r i z a t ion; 3) New exercises, such as t.he chapter on t.he maxim and an independent. chapter on
160
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
refutation and confirmation; and finally 41 The attempt in the treatme nt of each subject to simplify and clarify the discussion. When we examine Aphthonius' Progymn,:1sm,:1t,:1, we see that it retains the basic order, not of Theon, but of this set of exercises. Furth er, Aphthonius adds two chapters of his own by separating confirmation and refutation and by balancing the chapter on encomium with one on censure. He even continues the trend toward simplification and adds completely worked out models as examples of each exercise. None of this evidence proves that Hermogenes wrote the Progymn,:1sm,:1t,:1 which passes under his name. Indeed, we know of at least two other men living in roughly the same period who dealt with the same subject: Paulus of Tyre and Minucianus and, to an even great.er extent., the rebuttal only when we have acquired some skill."S6 Yet., whet.her Theon ever included elaboration in any lat.er chapter is debatable, for no such exercise appears in our text. of his Progymnasmata. In
any case,
Theon broke with tradition; Hermogenes
followed it., and subsequent writers followed him, not Theon. Apht.honius, in his usual succinct. fashion, devotes most. of his chapter to an lpyaaCa, and his popularity insured t.he continued use of the elaboration with the chreia throughout the rest. of antiquity. Even earlier than Aphthonius, however, Libanius composed four such lpyaaC011. which in length and wealth of detail far exceed anything we might expect from Hermogenes• or Apht.honius•
brief
treatments.
As
Bonner,
with
slight
hyperbole, says about one of Libanius• lpy01aCa1., it is "so lucid and natural that., if one did not already know the pegs on which it. was hung, one would not suspect it to be an artificial composition at aH:•57 This application of the lpyaa(a, then, which reached such a high point of development, may have begun in a much earlier
BERMOGENES: INTRODUCTION
1f1::I
period. For us, however, it begins with Hermogenes, who saw it as the basis for writing one specific rhetorical composition rather than a mere elementary exercise designed to help the young student analyze a piece of literature. The Text ol' Hermogenes. The text used in this volume is that of Rabe, who has edited the standard text of all of Hermogenes' writings, published as volume 6 of the Teubner Rhetores f;raeci series.58 A translation of the whole of the Progymnasmata is available.59
ROTES 1. The dating of Dia and Philostratus cannot be precise. E vidence points to Dio's publishing his work sometime after A,D, 2 22 and no later than 229. Philostratus• Vit,ae Sophist,11rum appeared no earlier than 230 and perhaps as late as 238. In any case, the two appear to be independent witnesses for the meeting between Hermogenes and the Emperor. 2, See Syrianus, In Hermogenem Comm. (2.1, 8ff, Rabe), 3. See Sopater, E,c6�1.a tl� Ta1, O"TIXO"E:1.� (5.8, Hf. Walz>. 4. A full list. appears in H. Rabe's "Aus Rhet.oren-Hand schrift.en. 1. Nachrichten uber das Leben des Hermogenes," Rhll 62 (1907) 247-62, esp. 247-55. 5, See Rabe, ..Nachricht.en," 247-51. 6. See L Radermacher, ..Hermognes (22)," RE 8 (1912> 865-877, esp. 867, 7. This date depends solely on two points: a> that. Hermogenes met Marcus Aurelius in 1 76 and b) that he was 15 years old at the time. On the first point, see n. 14; on the second, see n. 13. 8. Philostratus, V. Soph. 511 . 9. Cf. Codd. Paris 1983 (11th c.> f. 7v., and 2977 (11th c.>. Rabe ("Nachrichten," 247) doubts this piece of information. 10. Sopater, E,c6�1.a £�I, Tex� ITT«xan� (5.8, 25 Walz>. Cf. Rabe, ..Nachrichten," 247: ..Die Uberlieferung ist verdachtig.'' 1 1 . Cod. Paris. 1987 f,7v, but. this bit of information cannot be any more correct than the statement of the Sud,a that Musonius heard Hermogenes. Scopelian flourished in the reign of Domitian and was too old in the reign of Hadrian t.o go on an embas s y to the Emperor on behalf of Smyrna (cf. Philostratus, V. Soph. 521>. Certainly, as Christ-Schmid-St.ahlin Cf;eschichte der griechischen L iter1tur, 771 n, 5) pointed out long ago, .. dieser (sc. Scopelian> kann in den siebzieger Jahren des 2. Jhs. nicht. mehr doziert haben." As Radermacher c••Hermogenes," 868) observes , the ancients liked t.o set up teacher-student successions, but the choice of Scopelian is s trange. A more logical candidate could easily have been found, even though Scopelian is reputed to have had students from all over the East (cf. Philostratus, V. Soph. 518). 12. Philostratus, V. Soph. 521. 13. Philost.ratus, V. Soph. 5 77, at least implies that the meeting between Hermogenes and Marcus occurred when the youth was fifteen, The source of' this age, however, may be nothing more than an interpretation of a sentence from the speech which Hermogenes supposedly delivered before
166
TRI: CRIIEJA JN ANCIENT IIBETOIIJC
the E mperor C Philostrat.us , V. Soph. 5 78>: "Behol d ! I come before you, Emperor, as a rhet.or needing a paedagogus, a rhetor awaiting manhood.'" 14, As Rabe C"Nachrichten, " 259) s ays: "176 Cnicht 175)," Vet numerous histories, encyclopedias , etc. cannot decide between 175 and 176. It is true that beyond t.he bare notice that Marcus visited Hermogenes and heard him declaim we have no evi dence for a cont.act between the two, but on t.he assumption that the m eeting was historical and that. It occurred during the period in which t.radit.lon places It, some reasonable interpret.at.ion is possible. First, a brief s ummary of Marcus• act.ivit.ies in the lat.t.er part of A,o. 175 and most of 176: Aft.er the ass assination of Avi dius Cassius .1.a €L� Tex� O'TIXD'€1.� , who also died a1.ij >.€-ye:a8a1,, T�l' 6£ ,c pe:Cav ffOAAIXKl,I; (Ka�> KOl'TIX €/J�'Tf'lO'I, V r,1,v -rep 'T�V µ£v ,cpe:Cav 'TO ffE:ffOl.f'lKOI; !I' " • , 6 , ... � ff/J O'Cl)ffOV E,C€1,V f'l €1./Jf'lKOI;, 'TlfV 6E� 'VVOOµf'lV Oll'€V ff/JOO'�ffOV A€'V€0"8a1,, J\e:ye:-r011, 6£ ff€/JL 61,ais,op&, ,cpe:1,oov ,r>.e:ta-ra ,rcxpa Tot', ,ra>.011,ot,, �Tl, Cl� µ€V av-rwv E:LO'l,V oc,ro lSIOIV'Tl,KOIL, IXL 6£ €/JOOTf'lµaT1,KaC, a� 6£ ,rvcrµ01T1,K01C.
oo,
19: Post 6€t add. PZ: (fort. ex Theone 22-24), om. LbPhg et Prise. ('Tl, 6� �Tl, � µ�v &vais,tpe:-ra1, 'Tl,VIX ,rp6cr(l)ffa, -r3 .S� &,roµvf'lµ6ve:vµcx Kat Ka8'au-ra µv,iµove:ve:-ra1,, Quae verba accipiunt. Walz et. Spengel, omisit. Rabe propt.er Prisciani silent.ium. 21: KOIL ex Dax (2,305, 9 W) addit Rabe et laudat. Prise. qui "etiam" in hoc loco ostendit.
,t,
5
10
15
20
25
On t.he Chreia 1 A chreia is a reminiscence of some saying or action or a combination of both which has a concise resolution, 2 generally3 for the purpose of something useful. Some are sayings-chreiai, some action-chreiai, some mixed chreiai. Sayings-chreiai are those in which there is only s peech; for example (Chreia 52) Plilto Silid thilt the Huses dNell in the souls of' the gil'ted. Ac tion-chreiai are those in which there is only action; for example (Chreia 26) Diogenes, on seeing ii youth misbeh.wing, beilt the piledilgogus. Mixed chreiai are those with a mixture of speech and action; for example (cf. Chreia 26) Diogenes, on seeing ii youth misbeh.wing, beilt the piled.agogus and Silid ..llhy Nere you teilching such things'!" A chreia differs from a reminiscence mainly in its length, for reminiscences may occur also in greater lengths, but the chreia must be concise, 4 A chreia differs from a maxim in that the maxim is expressed in a simple statement,
but the chreia is frequentl y expressed also with a question and an answer. And further, the:y differ in that the chreia has to do with ac tio ns, but the maxim has to do only with words. And further, they differ in that the chreia has a character who has acted or spoken, 5 but the maxim is expressed without a character. On the different species 6 of chreiai, it is said, mainly in the older writers, 7 that some of them are
statements, some responses to simple questions, and some responses to enquiries requiring an explanation.
176 (7,10)
THE CHREIA I N ANCIENT RHETORIC
•A>.>.a v0v ht 'TO avvf,cov ,coopwµ€V, 'TOV'TO 6£ Ea'Tl.v � lpyocaCoc. €pyocaCoc ToCvvv o�TC.1>c; faTCA>' (1) t!pOOTOV €YK�I.OV 61.a Spoc,ctCA>V 'TOV €Cw6vToc; � "' • , , 11poc ' !.OCV'T�, €1.'TOC (2) OCVTfl, 'T'l, ,Cp€ 1.0Cc; 11ocpoccs,poca1.c;, � , €1.Ta (3) l'l oc1.'Tl.a, "' . , O1.ov (Chreta 43) .. Iao1.>.a fl>.CXTUVCA>V 'T�V £pµf1V€Cocv. • , , ' ' , (3) E�l.'TOC '1 011.'Tl.01' .. TIX yap µ£y1.aT01 'TCA>V ,rpayµaTCXCAlV EK fl6VCA>V cz,1.>.€L K1X'Top800a8011., KIX'Top8CA>0tvTIX 6t T�v �6ov�v Qltpt:1.. " � ' ,. , ' ' ' yap (4) El.TIX KCX'TOC TO t:VIXV'TI.OV' .. TIX µ€V Tv,c6vTa Tiav wpayµaToov ov 6E:°i:Ta1. '110\ICA>V Kat To TE>.oc; ari6taTCXTOV l,cn, Tex a'llov6rx'i:a 6£ TotvaVTCov. " "' ' ,rapaSo>.ric;· •• 't) (5) EI.TIX €K "'a '11€p yap ' TO� ' 1 yt:C1>pyovc; 6t:L ,rov�a011 Toc; wtpL 'T�V yfiv Koµ(Z:u8011. 'TOVc; K�Wouc;, OV'TCA) KCXL 'TOVc; >.6yovc;. " (6) E1.T01 EK flocpa:6£(yµ01Toc;· " 6riµoa8bnc; K018E:(pP.ac; €1XVTOV EV olK�µa'TI. KCXL wo>.>.a µo,c8fiV
110\ICA>V flCAl>.oOa1.l' flµLV fllXV'TCX Taya8' � 8€oC."
(8) 'El' U Tq> TE>.t1. wapcx1.r1ow ,rpoaefi.tCAlTE:pocv oaavTa 11poc; 61.6oca1.Cav vanpov €Lan,
n '
,
60
HERMDGENES: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
177
But now let us move on to the chief matter, 8 and this is the elaboration. 9 Accordingly , let the elaboration be as follows:
(1)
F"irst, an encomium, in a few words,
for the one who spoke or acted. Then (2) a paraphrase of the chreia itself; then (3) the rationale, For example 10 (Chreia 43) Jsocrdtes sdid thdt educdtion '1 root i1 bitter, its l'ruit is 1Neet. (1) Praise: 1 1 "I socrates was wise," and you amplify the subject moderately. (2) Then the chreia: .. He said thus and so, " and you are not to express it simply 12 but rather by amplifying the presentation. (3) Then the rationale: '"f"or the most impor tant affairs generally succeed because of toil, and once they have succeeded, they bring pleasure." (4) Then the statement from the opposite: "f"or ordinary affair s do not need toil, and they have an outcome that is entirely without pleasure; but serious affairs have the opposite outcome." Then the statement fr om analogy: .. F"or just as it is the lot of farmers to reap their fruits after (5)
working with the land, so also i s it for those working with words."
(6) Then the statement from example: "Demosthenes, 1 3
after locking himself in a r oom and toiling long, later reaped his fruits: wreaths and public acclamations." (7) It is also possible1 4 to argue from the statement by an authority. f"or example, Hesiod said .rou1.� indicates the outcome, t.he ••point." of the anecdote. Priscian uses demonstrHtio which is an accur ate translation, but even t.he Lat.in noun, as a rhetorical term, lacks a close English correspondence, 3 . .. Generally": with the phrase l,r� To ,r>.E:t:D"Tov Hermogenes implies that a chreia need not. always be useful (for living> despite the etymology of ,cpE:(a. Theon also alt.empts a similar disclaimer Clines 14-17) and lat.er includes a ,c pl'lD"TCa as one reason for refuting a chreia. Vet. in his subsequent reference Clines 373-74) t.o the ,cpE:Ca &',cpl'lD' TO� he fails to provide an examp le. The only reason Theon gives for the uselessness of a chreia is wit., and Nicolaus Clines 78-109) responds to this not.ion and, in effect., refutes the statement of Theon: a chreia can be both witty and useful for living as Chreia 16 or 48 proves. 4 . Af t.er this sentence some Mss add two sentences (see apparatus) which Walz, f ollowed as usual by Spengel, emends and prints in his edition. Rabe omits them because they are identical to a passage in Theon ( lines 22-24) and because Priscian fails to translate them. See Prisclan, comment. 14, esp. 14h. 5. Not.ice that here in lines 24-25 and again in 6 1 Hermogenes u s e s the perfect tense of the two participles, but In lines 33-34 he uses the aorist.. This variation is deliberate, for with the aorist he refers t.o the actual, i.e. the historical, person who is to be praised. With the perfect
l.DU
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
tense, howe ver, he refers to the ,rp6ac.o,rov of the chreia who "has spoken or ac ted" and thus, in effect, continues to do so, Thus, as u sual, the perfect tense is the equ ivalent of the present, while the aorist is the preterit, 6, .. Different species" translates 61.a(l)opa which seems to be an Aristotelian term. See, for example, Hetaph. 10,1057b7; c f, Plutarch , Ad Stoic, 1075C, Prisc ian' s dif'f'erentia (line 27) has the same technical sense. 7, ••older writers" may inc lude Theon. Vet. Hermogenes ignores, or at least departs from, the tradition to which he here refers. He is c learly not interested in such su b classifications as Theon inc ludes .�v which means "unadorned, unelaborated, unslanted (in the speaker's view)." Despite his failure to repeat ,rocpaa,pocu1., from line 33, Hermogenes is discussing paraphrase, and he seems to have in mind the use of' the B1.�yriu1., of' a speech. See Nicolaus, lines 1 5 3-62; cf'. Quint. 4.2,2-4 et p1111im. 1 3. See Plutarch, Demo,th. 8498-C; cf', ps. Plutarch, Vit. dee. or11t. 8440. 1 4. ..It is also possible": this phrase suggests that "Statement by authority" was not yet a regular part of' the lpyocuCoc (can Hermogenes be the innovator?). As with other aspects of the ancient rhetorical tradition, the lpyocu(oc may not yet have received its final form before Hermogenes' day. That this fluid state of' the art existed may be indicated by Rhet, 11d Her. 4.44, 5 7 where, contrary to what the Loeb editor, Harry Caplan, says (p. 3 73, note e), the section on .. Testimony of' the ancients" is not a part of the elaboration of the maxim. The section is, however, a regular part of' the lpyauCoc of the chreia in Aphthonius, Libanius, Nicolaus. Priscian, of course, reflects the optional nature of Hermogenes ' statement by using the subjunctive form of the verb: 11rgumenteri, .Cocv and Et'ua suggests that the person to whom Hermogenes addresses this remark (and whom he may have in mind throughout the Progymn111m11t11> is the teacher. The noun means .. instruction by a teacher," and to say to a student .. you will learn the instruction" is illogical. What he says is ••you will learn the inst.ruction . In fact, the editor is Keil himself as anyone can see by glancing at the title page which faces p. 384 and more especially by reading the ""Prael'atio Henrici l 1.469-70. 3. M. Salaman, "'Priscianus und seine Sch 'lerkreis in Konst.antinopel, " Philologua 1 2 3 (1979> 91-96, esp. 92, is a bit more specific, at least about his death. He says 1 October 527 A.O. 4 . Inat. Gramm. 2.51 (2,238, 7 Keil>. The same man is referred to in Caaaiodorii Excerpt.a (8,213, 1 Keil>, Cf. Schanz-Hosius Kruger, Geachichte der romiachen Literature, 221. The name appears in various forms in the Mss, but most editors have accepted "Theoctist.us." 5. Cf'. W. Smith, Dictionary ol' Greek and L atin Biography and Hytho/ogy (3 vols,; London: Murray, 1844; repr. New York: AMS, 196 7) 2.650, cites Goltz and the preface of his edition of the Epitome of the Novellae. 6. Although A and A Cameron 313-16, 10, These t.it.les vary slightly. The forms here are those adopted by Kell. 11, Schanz-Hosius-KrUger, Ceschichte der riJ111ischen Literiltur, 83-84, 12, F'or a def.ailed discussion of Boet.hius and Symmachus, their lives, relationship and deaths, see T. Hodgkin, Jt,a/y ilnd Her lnvilder, (8 vols,; 2nd ed.; Oxford: Clarendon, 1896) 3.466-518, esp. 472ff. This old work has yet t.o be superceded, 13, One other datable piece of evidence is available, Theodorus, pupil of Priscian, completed a transcript.ion of' the In,titutiones in 526-527 at. Const.ant.inople. Cf', Schanz-Hosius KrUger, Ceschichte der romischen Literiltur, 230, At. the very least., we have here a terminus ,ad que111 for the compost.ion of' t.his work, 14, Aldhelm, De 111etris 142 (ed. R, Ehwald, Honumentil Germ. Hist. 15 [19131 p. 203, 15>, says that the Emperor Theodosius II, who lived 401 -450, copied out Priscian•s entire grammatical work in his own hand . In Nicolaus (cf, 136-37) and in the anonymous scholia (2,588, 5-6 Walz> this statement appears in a responsive chreia, and consequently the same grammatical situation does not arise, 9, Latin writers regularly transliterate ,rai.cSayc.oy�, but Priscian, as he does in the case of ,cp£(a-u1u1, translates with the relatively rare pedisecus. This noun normally refers t.o a slave who is assigned menial tasks and who has nothing
200
THE CHREIA JN ANCIENT RHETORIC
t.o do wit.h educat.ion or t.he guarding of boys. lnst.ead, a pediaecua usually serves as a ••page, foot.man, " et.c. (see, e.g., Plaut.us, Aul. 501, Hi/. Glor. 1009; Nepos, Cim. 4.2) or represents an even more menial servant, e.g., a .. lackey" (cf. Cicero, De Oomo 42,110; Ad Att. 2.16.1). The only other passage where pedisecua may be a translation of ,ra1,t5ayooy6, is, curiously enough, Rhet. ad Her. 4,52,65, The text, however, is very uncertain, and the reading is an emendation: ..Heua, " inquit, "t;orgia, " pedisequo puerorum, ..absconde pueros, del'ende, l'ac ut incolumis ad adulescentiam perducas " (.. Listen, Gorgias," he says to the boys' attendant, ..hide them, defend them, be sure that you bring them safely to young manhood."> 10. Priscian adds virga to his translation of Hermogenes' version of the chreia, Perhaps his familiarity with similar passages (e.g., Chreia 25) caused an automatic addition. Or, of course, the practice of a,rayye:>.Ca, which permitted such alterations, may have led the change which is, after all, slight and logical. 11. Hera Priscian makes some small changes in Hermogenes' wording, but the general sense remains unchanged. In particular, where Hermogenes repeats the whole chreia in order to add the remark of Diogenes, Priscian repeats only the verb before making the addition. 12, For Harmogenes' imperfect haCt5e:ve:, Priscian writes the perfect erudiisti. Others (e.g., Nicolaus, Progymn. (1,272, 23 Walz> and Libanius, Progymn. (8,74, 3 Foerster) have the present tense. 13, Here Priscian interprets auvToµo, in a non-temporal sense, i.e., breviter= ..concisely" or "with brevity," Cf. Comments 4 and 14. 14. This passage, when compared with Hermogenes' words, presents a number of problems, though even the Greek is not free of difficulties. There are, in fact, eight separate elements to the overall problem. a)
Where Hermogenes says t51.a111lpe:1, t5€ ,cpe:Ca &,roµvriµove:uµaTo�, Priscian correctly translates with interest autem inter usum et commemorationem.
b>
Hermogenes' µa>.1.11Ta Tep µhpq> (a phrase which some editors have suspected) becomes simply hoc quod in Priscian. This is an economical and idiomatic way of expressing the Greek thought, but even so the Latin is not very close to the Greek.
c)
Where Hermogenes begins his comparison with
PRISCIAN: COMMENT5 -ru -■ n"'n"'.,- . •-••
the reminiscence, Priscian strangely reverses the order and begins with the chreia. And where Hermogenes ends the comparison with the chreia, Priscian concludes with the reminiscence, d)
e)
f)
g)
Furthermore, in neither phrase is Priscian•s entirely f"or translation accurate. Hermogenes' Kat 6ux µaKpOTEPCl.'IV '2 v yboLTO, Priscian says simply longiores sunt, thus missing the effect of KaC ('"also" or perhaps '"even") and of the potential optative, Thus Hermogenes says that the reminiscences can be longer; Priscian says that they are. The same situation exists in the two phrases on the chreia, Hermogenes says T�v 6€ ,cpE:Cav O'UVToµov E:rVOCL 6E:'i: ('"the chreia must be concise"), Vet Priscian says simply usus breviter prof'ertur ('"The chreia is set forth briefly"), and in the process (cf, Comment 13) he gives a meaning to avvToµo� that differs from the one he used earlier (cf. Comment 4>. Hermogenes says that the chreia must be concise; Priscian says simply that it is. Another rather peculiar situation is the fact that Priscian has waited until now to explain that commemoro1tio is his translation of &11oµvriµ6vE:vµa. Why has he postponed the definition? The term occurs first in line 1 where it would have been logical to insert the words quem &:11oµvriµ6vE:vµa or inter and the accusative, but the genitive or even t.he dative (which 1ententiile may be in form> seems impossible, And yet Priscian may use a genitive of separation in an even stranger way below in his translation of Hesiod's line. See comment 30. h)
The final difference in the t.wo passages may indicate a deeper problem. In Hermogenes' text some codices add two sentences just. before the words yvcoµrii;; 6i 61.cxCS,EpE'.1. (line 19>: lan 6€ �Tl, � µ€V IXVDldl�PE'.TDII. E'.t'� Tl.VIX ff POIJ'CA>ff01, TD 6€ a,roµvriµovE'.vµa KDIL K018'DIUTD µvriµoVE'.UE'.TDII., Walz (and Spengel of course) changed l'an to l'n and printed t.he t.wo sentences, Rabe, following t.he other codices, omitted t.he words, His reasons for t.he omission are: 1> The words are identical with a passage in Theon (cf, 22-24) and were probably borrowed t.o make Hermogenes' discussion conform at. this point. with that. of Theon; and 2> Priscian has not translated the sentences, Rabe may be correct. in omit.ting t.he words, for they do not sound like Hermogenes. Vet in view of all the points made above, Rabe's reliance on Priscian at this point may not be well placed. What.ever the reasons for Priscian's changes in this sect.ion, the fact. remains that while he begins and ends with a very close translation of Hermogenes' words, bet.ween these two points he reverses t.he order of the Greek discussion, makes an awkward identification and fails to retain some of the important. nuance of the original. Can we then be so sure that Priscian is a reliable witness of Hermogenes' text here? There is room for doubt.
15, Priscian's quod sententiil indiciltive prof'ertur translates Tq> T�v µiv lv a,rocs,avaE:1. 1J11.>.6 >.EyE:a8011., and for once the translation is more lucid and succinct than t.he original, 16. In place of Tep , , E:!v011. Priscian writes so/et inveniri. The use of so/et is perhaps a legitimate translation of t.he Greek articular infinitive which can express an habitual
situation, but inveniri may have a significance that is not present in Hermogenes' version. The use of inveniri resembles the language of Nicolaus (cf. 48-49>, who uses £vplaK€Ta1.. In Nicolaus the implication is that a chreia is an invention, a contrived vignette, which of course it is. Consequently, it is tempting to read in Priscian's choice of term a suggest.ion that such invent.ions can be made with an action-chreia as well as a sayings-chreia. Some legitimate objections against this interpretation are possible. As Priscian's sentence stands, inveniri must, like Hermogenes' €!va1., be understood with the following clause as well: sententid vero in verbis tdntum. It is true that the idea of invention applies equally well to the maxim, but this seems a strange place and met.hod of making such an observation. Furthermore, like several at.her Latin verbs, inveniri can be a vivid substitution for esse. Nevertheless, Priscian's choice of substitution, if that is all inveniri is, remains interesting and perhaps even provocative. 17. The use of omnimodo here is interesting because nothing in the Greek of Hermogenes accounts for it.. In fact, the Latin here is not unlike the language of Theon's discussion of the same subject (cf. Theon 10-11) where the adverb ,rav-r� appears twice. The Latin translation of ,rav-roo� is omnimodo. Can Priscian have momentarily remembered Theon's definition? 18. Like Hermogenes' cS1.adlopaC, dil'l'erentide indicates "different types" or "different species," The Greeks differ in their classification of sayings-chreiai: Theon gives four types, Nicolaus gives two; Aphthonius says nothing on the subJect. Hermogenes himself identifies three types : &,rolD(XvT1.KaC, ipooTl'lµanKaC and ,rvaµanKaC. Priscian, however, e ven though he is translating Hermogene s, follows the practice of all Latin writers on the subject and omits the distinction be tween ipoo-r�anKaC and flVO'µaTI.KCII., 19. For some reason Priscian has changed the sense of Hermogenes' Greek and in doing so has introduced an incongruity. The Greek says >.iy£-ra1. BE fl€P� c51,aa,opci� ,cp£1,oov fl�£ta-ra ,rapa ,rcr�a1,ot� on . • .: "But it is said about. the different species of chreiai, mostly in older writers, that. . • . " Priscian has made "species" the subject of his verb and converted the adverb fl�€ta-ra into an adjective with "species." As a result, he says that "several species" are handed down, but then he identifies only two. Logically he should have writ.ten dude or dup/ices, for surely plures implies more than two. 20. Here Priscian expands the Greek . For -rov-ro cS[ ianv � ipyaaCa he offers hoc est dd operdtione111 et ordlndtione111
THE CHREJA JH AHCJEHT RBETORJC
£U4
ad usus pertinentium capitulorum. With the expansion he adds a new thought, for by itself operotio translates ipyaaCa. 21, Again Priscian expands, and for the simple o�TCl.>C, laToo he writes disponendum igitur sic. He makes the same use of a gerundive in line 47: utendum. 22, Hermogenes uses lyKroµ1.ov here v K€CS,a�a(oov and thus become longer than the v1168,a1.c; it self. 26. Priscian's translation of this section raises questions and may indicate that his text of Hermogenes differed from ours or, more likely, that he had the same text but found it expedient to make changes. At this point Hermogenes says ' ' • l.. "'"""'I'' "' l.. ' ' "' ' ""a'TV'l'CAl'I' ""eJI11• ,cp,1.a· ' .. €I.fl€ � TO's€' "' Kai.' ov• e'110'€1.C, OVTq'I' (I, al\l\lX T�'I' lpµ11v,C1Xv. Priscian translates with posteil sequiltur elocutio ipsius usus,- non oportet tamen ipsum per se ponere, sed liltiu1 interpretilri, There are four points of difference here: 1> 2) 3) 4)
F'or ,fe•� ,cp,Ca Priscian writes posteil e/ocutio ipsius usuS', Priscian adds sequiltur. The phrase ,f11, T6cS, is not represented in the Latin. The awkward construction of the Greek K1Xt
PRISCIAN: COMMENTS TU -,-,.....,.,..,_ a n,n
ov 8�a€1.� , , , lpµr,v€(av, where the reader must understand 8�arn; after cx>.>.a in order to have a construction for ffXaTvvoov, has been smoothed out by Priscian, whose two infinitives ponere and interpret,;,ri are parallel and depend on oportet. Now, of these four points, the first can be explained. Priscian simply expands the Greek to include what it must mean (cf. comment 12 to Hermogenes>, The fourth point, too, probably represents no problem, Priscian has merely interpreted the Greek and expressed it clearly and reasonably smoothly, But the second and third points are more troublesome. There is nothing in the Greek to explain sequ,;,tur, nor anything in the Latin to suggest €�ff€ T68€. Walz, ,;,d /oc., cites Ward' s suggestion of €1J'ff€TOO for €rff€ T68€, thus attempting to solve both problems at once, Rabe, however, ignores the suggestion, and he is probably correct, Nonetheless, sequ,;,tur is unnecessary and obtrusive. Priscian regularly indicates sequence with such words as deinde, hinc, posth,;,c, postere,;, and, as here, poste,;,, But nowhere else in the Pr,;,eexercit,;,mina does he use any form of sequor for this or any other purpose. Vet. several passages elsewhere present lists similar to the one here where he could have used some form of this verb, His failure to do so suggests that sequor was not part of his technical vocabulary any more than rffoµo11. was a part of Hermogenes', Arguments ex silentio are dangerous and vain, Still, the fact remains that either sequatur reflects something lost from the Greek or Priscian has elected in just this one place to use that verb when he expanded. As for €!ff€ T08€, these words are unnecessary and just. a bit. obscure. Priscian again may have elected to omit them because he considered them unimportant to the sense. So one can explain away the individual differences in this passage, but in a final analysis the fact. remains that Priscian has altered the Greek in a way that is uncharacteristic of him. 27. The Greek has €rTa � aCTCa and does not begin to use the phrase with €K until the fourth item (line 48), Priscian begins with the preposition here: deinde ,;, causa, 28. On the surface, the Latin is fairly close to the Greek, but on closer inspect.ion the translation gains - of loses ideas. In both versions there is discussion of the theme ffovo� (/,;,bor> vs, �Bov� Ciucundit,;,s, a regular but weak translation>, but Priscian's choice of vocabulary, deliberate or not, is
THIil CHKlllA IN ANClllNT KllllTUKIC
st.ranger t.han that which Hermogenes has used, F'or example, both vilissimae rerum and f'inem taeterrimum are more pejorative than their counterparts, -ra -rv,c6v-ra -rc.ov ,rpayµ&nov and -ra -r€>.o� 1XT16€a-ra-rov , and studiossimae res is much stronger and more vivid t.han -ra a,rovc5a'i:a. Apparently a bit of Roman Stoicism (or at. least anti-Epicureanism) has crept. int.a Priscian's version. 29, Priscian makes some changes in the sect.ion on analogy and in doing so alters the sense. Where the Greek has the aorist participle active ,rov�aav-rE:� to express time prior to c5E:t, the Lat.in has /aborantes expressing time contemporary with oportet. The reason for the change is, of course, obvious: Latin has no past active participle except with deponent verbs. To retain the original sequence Priscian would have needed to use a verbose construction and destroy the succint. expression of the chreia. There is a second point of difference: for the elliptical othCAl KaL ffE:PL >.6yov� Priscian writ.es sic etiam e/oquentes, He may have Intended nothing more with the participle than Hermogenes did with his prepositional phrase, but the Latin seems to imply more than the Greek. F'. H. Colson (If. Fabii Quintiliani lnstitutionis Oratoriae liber I [Cambridge: Cambridge University, 19241 xxii> points out that "the idea of 'eloquentia ' always carried wit.h it wealth of thought as well as wealth of words." In addition, eloquor here seems to express the idea of action. That. is, just as laborante1 refers to physical laboring, so eloquentes indicates the mental activity In /oquentia, i.e. of a rhetor. In an effort to express these ideas in English, t.he translation appears to expand the Latin. It also differs from the translation of Hermogenes. 30. Priscian's line is technically a dactylic hexameter, but it is an extremely clumsy one. Every foot, except the fifth, is a spondee, and the third has dieresis but no caesura. As a result, the conflict of ictus and accent. everywhere except. the sixth foot. renders the line intolerable. In addition, Priscian has done some violence t.o Latin grammar, In his attempt to translate Hesiod's line in the same order, word for word (except '5£), he uses virtutis as a genitive of separation (cf. above, line 19 and comment 14g) with /onge. Neither such a genitive nor such a use of /onge seems to occur elsewhere. In short, his at.tempt. at. a literal translation has resulted in bad verse and worse Lat.in. 31. Priscian omits the final sentence of Hermogenes' section Clines 63-64), and any speculation on his reason for doing so is probably futile. Nonetheless, it is interesting and
perhaps suggestive that Priscian has omitted the only remarks of Hermogenes which are clearly directed to teachers. Cf. comment 15 to Hermogenes.
THE CHREIA DISCUSSION OF
APHTHONIUS OF ANTIOCH Introduction, Translation and Comments by JAMES R. BUTTS RONALD F. HOCK
IRTRODUCTIOlf I
Lil'e ilnd llritings, Evidence a bou t the life of Aphthonius is scarce. The Sudil says only that Aphthonius was a aoci,1.a-r�� and that he composed a Progymnilsmiltil for the -r�,cv11 of Hermogenes. 1 The title aoisn,aT�� appears in references to Aphthonius in the writings of such Byzantine scholars as John Doxapatres and John Argyropulus,2 and it has the nearly unanimous support of the MS tradition of the Progymnilsm.r,t,71,3 Moreover, no one ever questions the claim that Aphthonius composed the Pro gymnilsmiltil, S Still, these two facts, even if uncontested, do not allow us to place Aphthonius in a specific historical context. For that we must turn to Argyropulus, who adds the information that Aphthonius came from Syrian Antioch and that he was a pupil of Libanius and, less clearly, of Phasganius.6 Argyropulus' testimony is, of course, late, but confirmation of some of it comes from a letter of Libanius to Aphthonius. This letter, written in A,o. 392, expresses Libanius' delight in Aphthonius' ••toils" and specifically in his having written "many things," all of which "nobly manifest the seed,"7 The language clearly suggests a teacher-pupil relationship and thus places Aphthonius' student years in Antioch sometime between that time and 354 when Libanius opened his school in Antioch.8 Unfortunately, Libanius does not say where Aphthonius was living and presumably teaching at the time of the letter. Attempts to locate Aphthonius more precisely have not been successful. For example, in the nineteenth century several scholars tried to argue that Aphthonius' model lK¢,paa1.�, which is a vivid description of the Serapeum and Acropolis at Alexandria, shows that he must have lived in this city and indeed that he composed the Progymnilsmiltil before 391, the date of the temple's destruction. 9 This argument, however, fails to convince because the features
212
THE CRltEIA IN ANCIENT ltBETOltIC
of the Serapeum were famillar out.side of Alexandria and because the memory of it lived long after its destruction. 1° Moreover, the vividness of Aphthonlus• description is precisely what this exercise is int.ended to accomplish, Thus the vividness says more about Aphthonius• rhetorical skiH than about his place and time. Consequently, we must. be content to place Aphthonius In the late fourth-early fifth century and locate him In Antioch for at least part of his life. Of the ••many things" that Aphthonius wrote very Ht.ti■ has survived. Besides the Progy111nillllliltil, only a collection of forty fables is e>et.ant.,11 but Phallus refers, in passing, to
some .,it>.h·on.,
or practice
exercises,
of
Aphthonlus.12
Nothing more about them is known, but some scholars plausibly suggest that they were a collection of model exercises for the various progy111ni11111.di1, of which the fable collect.Ion is only a part.. 13 The ..Nilchlebtm" ol' Aphthoniu1• Progy•nillllliltil, The In fluence of Apht.honius• little book on European cult.ur■ - at first In the Greek East. and then in the Lat.In West - is all out of proportion to its size. Indeed, it. Is hard to overestimate the impact. of Aphthonius on European rhetoric and education, an impact that lasted well into the seventeenth century. When Apht.honius wrote his littie book, no one could have predicted its lat.er importance and influence, His book was just one of many. Apht.honius' predecessors in teaching youths the essentials of composition st.ill had readers, as recently published papyrus fragments of Theon's 4 1 Progy111ni111t1.dil at.t.est. In addition, a younger contemporary of
Apht.honlus,
Sopat.er,
was
to
write
another
such
text.book, 15 as would Nicolaus still later. Moreover, Prlscian
was to select Hermogenes' Progy111ni11111iltil, not Aphthonius•, for translation into Lat.In. Thus, even after a century or so Aphthonius• textbook had not yet assumed its dominance. It was not long, however, before Aphthonlus' text.book did become dominant., largely as the consequence of its
APBTRONtUS: INTRODUCTION
213
inclusion in the Corpus Her•ogeniilnu• sometime in the first half of the sixth century. 1 6 Mor eov er , since the Corpus Her•ogeni,11nu• soon proved victorious ov er the Progy111n,111111,11t,11 and advanced rhetorical treatises of Minucianus, the Progymn,111m,11t,11 of Aphthonius was assured of preservation. 17 In fact, the Progymn,111111,11t,11 app ear in the two main classes of Hermogenes Mss, introducing Hermogenes• De 1t,11tibu1, De inventione, De l'ormis or,11tioni1, and De methodo grdVit,11ti1, 1 8 Accor dingly, the Sud,11 i s, strictly speaking, wrong in saying that Aphthonius composed his textbook l'or the technical treatises of Hermogenes, 1 9 although by that tim e the M S tradition made i t appear so, Later tradition may well be right., however, on another point: the reason for selecting Apht.honius• textbook over the others, Thus Argyropulus says: .. Since Hermogenes• Pro gy•n•1•,11t,11 seemed unclear and hard to understand , many other rhet.ors offered their Progy111n,11a111,11t,11 to replace his, and among that group was the sophist. Aphthonius, whose Progy•n,111111,11t,11 was th■ preferred one for reading sine■ it. was clearer,n:!O The greater clarity of Aphthonius derived, as Doxapat.res explains, from his use of model exercises for each progy•n.,,,• .,,,2 1 In other words, what.ever the actual circumstances of select.ion, Aphthonius• model exercises probably made his textbook stand out.. At. any rate, in its lead-off position in the Corpu, Her.ageni,11nu• the text.book of Aphthonlus served as Introductory exercises, as progy111n,a1111,at,a, for the actual rhetorical instruction in Hermogenes• several treatises. The Progy•n,111111,11t,11 functioned, as Doxapatres puts it, "to anoint and quicken youths to the study of Hermogenes• writings.n22 The importance of Apht.honius• Progy•n•s••t•, therefore, derives from its (originally unforseen> association with the '1'1,CY'l of Hermogenes. Accordingly, as the Corpu, Her1110geni,11nu• emerged as the standard rhetorical curriculum, Apht.honius• Progy•n,111111,11t,11 achieved virtual canonical st.at.us in Byzantine education. This status is apparent in several
214
T H E CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
ways. It. Is obvious, for example, from the casual way In which, say, Nicephorus Blemmydes' autobiography refers to Aphthonius the purpose of Apht.honlus' Progy111n.a1•atil, 2> its usefulness, 3) it.s authenticity, 4> its place in the sequence of rhetorical textbooks, 5> the reason for it.s t.it.le, 6) the division of progy111n.a1111atil according t.o t.heir similarlt.y to one of the types or part.s of a speech, 7) its didactic methods, and 8) the reason for preferring t.he Progymna1•ata of Aphthonius to all others. 29
We hardly need to add t.he numerous scholia on and a n epitome of the Progy111na1•ata30 to appreciate t.he status of Apht.honius in Byzantine education and literature, Indeed, it. Is not surprising that. one writ.er even composed an epigram for Apht.honius' Utt.le book:
APBTHDNIUS: INTRODUCTION
If your heart's set on rhetoric, my friend, Aphthonius" practices I recommend. 3 1 Aphthonius' influence, however, was not restricted t.o the Greek
East.
sometime
His
during
Progymnasmata the
reached
fourteenth
or
the
Latin West.
fifteenth
century.
Rhetoric was now emerging from the long shadows which the disciplines of grammar and dialectic had cast over It., For example, humanist. scholars, in their zeal t.o recover classical culture, discovered the complete text of Quintilian and even long forgotten rhetorical texts, such as Cicero's De or,11tore, Or,11tor, and Brutu,. They traveling Greek scholars
also welcomed the arrival of like George Trebizond, who
introduced the rhetorical works of Hermogenes into Italy. And finally they translated Greek rhetorical works into Latin, including Aphthonius' Progymnas111at,a,32 The first Latin translation of Aphthonius was that of Joannes Maria Catanaeus in 1507. 33 Rudolphus Agricola followed with another in 1532.34 These translations were destined to go through numerous printings - the former eleven, the latter
seven. Other translations continued to appear, 35 but. the most popular by far was Reinhold Lorich's, which between 1542 and 1689 went through seventy-three printings from presses throughout Europe.36 The importance of the Latin Apht.honius in European education is therfore obvious, as Julius Brzoska long ago pointed out..37 No one, however, has yet. t.o study adequately t.he importance of Apht.honius in the American colonies. For example, copies of Lorlch's Apht.honius crossed t.he Atlantic where Harvard students used them, 3 8 presumably each Friday when Henry Dunster, t.he College 's first president., lectured on rhetoric, 3 ' In t.he eighteenth century t.he classicist James Logan of Philadelphia had copies of the Progy111n,as111atil of Apht.honius (and Theon) in his library, 4D but by this time the actual use of Aphthonius in the classroom was in irreversible decline in America - and in Europe,4 1 And so the eighteenth century marks the end of the Nachleben of Apht.honius' Progymnasmata. By any standard
2111
TRE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
its influence is remarkable, Within a century or so Aphthonlus' littie book had risen above all its competitors, and for • millenium or so it first dominated Byzantine education and literature, then spread Its influence to Western Europe, and even found a place, however short-lived, in America.
II Aphthoniu.r' Oiacuaaion ol' the Chrelil, After chapters on the fable and narrative, Aphthonius turns his attention to the chreia. This discussion is far shorter than Theon's 404 lines, and at 79 lines is only slightly longer than Hermogenes' 63 lines, Indeed, Aphthonius' discussion Is closer to that of Hermogenes in more than length. As we shall see, it Is also sometimes similar in content. Nevertheless, it is not. necessary to claim, as Brzoska does, that. Apht.honius "doubtlessly had the Progyw,nila1t111t1 of Hermogenes in front of him,"42 In any case, Aphthonius organizes his discussion, as had Theon and Hermogenes, around the three general topics of definition Clines 2-4>, classification (5-17), and manipulation (18-79), He restricts himself, however, only to the essentials, especially in regard to definition and classification. For example, Aphthonius' definition of the chrela is the briefest we have, a mere nine words in Greek: "A chrela is a concise reminiscence aptly attributed to some character" (2-3). There follows an etymology of the word ..chreia" (not in Hermogenes), but instead of using an elaborate analogy to explain the etymology, as Theon (cf. 25-28) had, Aphthonius says simply: .. Since it is useful (,Cp€1.6>6�>. It is called 'chreia' " (4), And unlike both Theon (cf. 9-24) and Hermogenes (cf. 16-26>, Apht.honius leaves out any discussion of what distinguishes a chreia from a reminiscence or maxim, at least in this chapter.43 Aphthonius' economy of thought and expression is even more apparent In his classification of the chreia. Gone are Theon's complex subdivisions of sayings chreiai (36-95; cf, Hermogenes 27-29> as well as Theon's alternate formal classification of &woCD&ae:1.c; (115-89).44 All that remains is the
APBTRONIU51 JNTRODUCTJON
217
simpl■ &.cx(pccr1.c; of the chreia into saying!I, action, and mixed chreiai . Aphthonius defines each and provides an example .cx1.&>v to Hermogenes' lK KpCcruoc; (21; cf. Hermogen■s 55) and the eighth hC>.oyoc; Spcx,c:uc; to Hermogenes' ,rcxpcxK>.l'llJ'l.c; (21-22; cf. Hermogenes 60). In one respect, however, Apht.honius ' discussion is an improvement. over Hermogenes. Thus, whereas both illustrate th■ elaboration exercise by means of Chreia 43, only Apht.honius does so completely and independently of his enumeration of the eight parts, Aphthonius' elaboration is fifty three lines long, a detailed and coherent short. essay, In contrast, if one were to extract the elaboration from Hermogenes• discussion of the eight parts, it would be only twenty line!I long. He only hints at what the encomium might contain . 10. On the destruction of the Serapeum and its legacy, see J. Schwartz, "La Fin du Serapeum d' Alexandrie, " in Essilys in Honor ol' C. Bradl'ord llelles (ed. A. Samuel; American Studies in Papyrology, 1966) 97-111, and A. Rowe and B. Rees, "The Great Serapeum of Alexandria, " BJRL 39 , Corpus l'abularum Aesopicarum , loilnnis Silrdiilni Commentilrium in Aphthonii Progymnilsmiltil 172-85, esp. 177, Cf. also A. 0. Norton, ..Harvard Text.books and Reference Books of t.he Seventeenth Century," CSlf 28 (1933>, 361-438, esp. 385-86. 39. President. Dunster refers to the lectures on rhetoric in his "New Englands F"irst f"ruits.•• Text in S. E. Morison, The Founding of' Harvard College (Cambridge: Harvard, 1935) 432-46, esp. 435-36. 40. See E. Wolf 2nd, The Library of' James Logan of' Philadelphia (Philadelphia: The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1974) 15-16 (Aphthonius) and 484 (Theon). 41. By the early 18th c. at. Harvard Aphthonius was yielding to t.he rhetorical manuals of William Dugard and Thomas rarnaby (so Morison, Harvard College, 146 and 177-78). More onimously, Clark (.. Rise and f"all," 262-63) emphasiszes that. the last. printing of Lorich's Aphthonius in 1689 coincides with the emergence of a demand for a more scientific and less rhetorical curriculum. 42. Brzoska, .. Apht.honios," 2798. That. there are many similarities bet.ween Aphthonius and Hermogenes (and even Theon) is clear, See the collection of parallel passages in O. Hopplicher, Oe Theone, Hermogene, Aphthonique Progymnasmaticum scriptoribus (Virceburg: Becker, 1884) 5-14. But. t.hat these similarities require the literary dependence of Apht.honius on Hermogenes is not. so clear. ror the similarities, on the one hand, seem more impressive in the isolation of Hopplicher•s lists but appear more scattered and haphazard when read in context. Aphthonius hardly seems to have followed Hermogenes. On the other hand, if Aphthonius did use sources (which seems likely>, he may just as easily have used sources which are no longer extant.
Tll&i
l.i ft ft &i .& .M.
.&ft
.M,ftl.j.&,Eift I
n a e, I U ft & I.,
43, Aphthonius does distinguish the chreia from the maxim, but not. until t.he chapter on the maxim. He says there (cf, Progymn. 4 [p, 8, 7-10 Rabel> t.hat the chreia differs from the maxim in that 1) the chreia occasionally contains an action, whereas the maxim always is a saying, and 2> the chreia requires a character, whereas the maxim is expressed without a character, Not.e that Aphthonius thus anticipates Nicolaus who also reserves this discussion until the chapter on the ma,cim. Nicolaus' discussion, however, is long enough that we have appended that discussion to the t.ext of the chreia chapter .oOv T�v C.:,a,E>.11,cxv· o!ov (Chrei• 51) n>.&:T(A)V TO� Trk Upe:T� K>.&>vcxc; �8p(.oTI. 1(0[� trov01.c; l'>.e:ye: a,Ge:a8cx1.." ,rpcxlCTI.KOV 8€ TO ,rp&..1,v aruicx'i:vov- clov (Chreia 54) "Ilv8cxy6pcxc; e:pooTr,8e:Cc;, �aoc; � V t:l':l"I TCA>V UV8p�11(A)l' 0 ��. li!pCX,CV TL d)CXVe:ic; &tre:t.vKe:'i:c; 8( T01Jc; Kap,rovc;. (1) 8cxVJ,16:11cx1, 8(1.cxµwpc,TaTov, Kat �'l Tl.c; '\, , '\, , 41" , A t , I'll' CXO'KOOV ure:811.!.aTO. KCXI. KrtPUTT(I, TrtV '1"€,CV'lV' , , , ., ' , , ' OUIC au-roe; E:K T'CXVT'lc; KE:K'lPVKT'CX\., oaa J.IE:V T'OI.VVV � lilaa1.>.e:Oa1. Yoµo8t:Tall' � ,rapa1,va,y To'i:c; KCX8' l1.oa6ci,r,ae:v.
.
10
15
20
25
30
On the Chreia A chreia is a concise reminiscence aptly attributed to some charact.er,1 Since it is useful, it is called "'chreia."
Of' the chreia there is the sayings-class, 2 the action class and the mixed class. The sayings-class is the one which demonstrates its utility 3 by a saying. For example CChreia 51) Plilto used to say that the of'f'-shoots of' virtue groN by sNeat and toil. The action-class is the one which depicts an action. For example (Chreia 54) Pythagor11, on being 11.rked hoN long human lif'e Ciln be, Nill vi.rible /'or ,. .rhort time ,:md di.rilppei!lred, •iilking his visibility the me,a.rure ol' lif'e, The mixed class is the one which is composed of both, a saying and an act.ion. For example (cf'. Chreia 26) Diogene.r, h.wing seen ii youth 111isbeh.wing, .rtruck the piledi!lgogul', ildding, "llhy ilrtl you te,.ching l'Uch things'?" This, then, is the classification of the chreia. You can elaborate the chreia under the following headings: (U Encomiastic, (2) Paraphrastic, (3) Of' the Rationale, (4) From the opposite, Analogy, (6) Example, (7) Testimony of the Ancients, Short Epilogue. A Sayings-Chreia CChreia 43)
lsocrates said that education's root is bitter, its fruts sweet. CU It is right t.o admire Isocrates for his art, for he gave it distinction by his illustrious name and by his practice showed how important it was. 4 And so he is
a herald for this art; he himself has not been heralded
by it. How often, moreover, either as lawgiver to kings or adviser to individuals he has benef'itted the life of mankind would be a long story to set forth in detail, 5 But what a philosophy of education he had!
226 (5,5)
(5,10)
(5,15)
(5,20)
(6,1)
(6,5)
THE CHREIA I N ANCIENT RHETORIC
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35
40
45
50
55
60
APHTHONJUS: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
227
(2) The lover of education, 6 he says, begins with t oil but toil which nevertheless ends in profit. And so this was his philosophy; and in the words that follow we will express our admiration of it.
(3) For lovers of education are reckoned among the
leaders of education, at whose school it is both fearsome to appear, and from which it i s very foolish to stay away, Fear i s always beneficial to boys, both present and future.7 Teachers are succeeded by paedagogi who are fearful to behold and more fearful when they are inflicting punishment.B Apprehe nsion pre cedes the endeavour 9 and chasti seme nt succeeds the apprehe nsion. And so they assail the mistakes of the boys but consider their work done correctly as only proper, Harsher than the paedagogi are the fathers as they closely examine the paths they are following, insist that they make progress and regard the market-place with suspicion.1 0 And if there is need to chastise, they are ignorant of human nature, 1 1 Still, by being in such circumstances, the boy, on reaching manhood , is still crowned with virtue. (4) If, howe ver, anyone in fear of all this avoids his teachers, avoids his parents by running away, avoids his paedagogi be cause of his aversion to them, he comes to be completely without their guidance and in ridding himself of his apprehension also rids himself of their guidance.1 2 All these things, then, i nfluenced l socrates• decision to call education's root bitter.
(5) For just as those who till the land sow the seeds in the land with toil and then gather the fruits with greater pleasure, in the same way those who pursue
education with toil attain the subsequent reputation.
(6,10)
(6,15)
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70
75
APRTRONJUS: TEXT AND TRANSLATION
229
(6) Consider, if you will, the life of Demosthenes which was 1110re industrious than any orator's and has become more acclaimed than any. Indeed, his life so excelled in zeal that he even removed t.he adornment from his head, 13 regarding t.he best adornment. to be what c0111es from virtue. And so he spent. on toil what. others spend on pleasures. (7) Therefore, one must admire Hesiod for saying that virtue's road is rough but. it.s summit. smooth, 14 since he taught. t.he same sentiment as lsocrat.es. f"or what Hesiod termed a "road,.,. lsocrates called a ••root.," both pointing to a single thought. with different words. (8) When these points are considered, we must admire 15 Isocrates, whose philosophy of education is best.
COMMENTS 1, Apht.honiu s' definition of' t.he chreia is so brief' that. a principal feature of the chreia, i.e., t.he saying or action (>.6yo� ,rp&E.1.�> feature t.hat is elsewhere so central, seems t.o have been left. out., But not. really, for Apht.honius' choice of "reminiscence" (a,roµvr11.16ve:v1,1oc> makes up for t.he seeming deficiency, Theon, we recall, defined t.his relat.ed form as an action or saying (,rp&E.1.� � >.6yo�) that. is useful for living (cf', Theon 7-8). 2, Apht.honius is again brief', t.hough not to the point. of obscurity, for the neuter article ('T6) clearly presupposes the noun ybo� ("class"), Hence our translation. 3, Perhaps 00111€>.e:1.oc might. even be translated by "point.," Not.e also t.he use of 61"1>.oOv here, on which see the full discussion in Comment 2 on the translation of Hermogenes, 4. For similar assessments of Isocrates' t.alent. and importance, see, e.g., Cicero, 0� Orat. 2,22.94, and esp. Hermogenes, Ile:� l.Sio.w (pp. 397, 14-398, 14 Rabe>. For modern discussion, see H, I. Marrou, A History ol' Education in Antiquity (New York: Sheed & Ward, 1956) 79-91, 5. This statement., as John of' Sardis (Co111111. in Aphthon. Cp. 52, 2-3 Rabe]) recognized, is an example of t.he rhetorical figure known as paraleipaia, or pretending t.o "pass over" something and st.ill call at.tent.ion t.o it. (cf. Rh�t. ;,d A/�1t. 1438b 6-7). It.s use is especially appropriate here since it allows Apht.honius in effect. t.o say more t.han he actually does and thus to fulfill the requirement. t.hat. an introduction be brief. 6. The use of' erotic language, i.e., o� ,roc1..Se:(oc� ip&lv'Te:�. in an educational cont.ext. should not go unnoticed, as it is especially characteristic of education in antiquity, Cf', Marrou, Hiatory ol' Education, 26-35, esp. 31-32: "Throughout Greek history the relationship between master and pupil was to remain that. between a lover and his beloved: education remained in principle not so much a form of' teaching, an instruct.ion in techniques, as an expenditure of loving effort by an elder concerned to promote the growth of a younger man who was burning with desire to respond to this love and show himself' worthy of it," 7, In what follows we have a vivid, if somewhat onesided, picture of a boy's school day. This picture focuses on the fear -the fear of failure, the fear of punishment -that. was an ever present. reality as the boy went first to the teacher, then home for study with the paidagogus, and then was examined by his father. This frightening picture can be easily confirmed. Thus for t.he sequence teachers, paedagogi, and
Ii'
232
THE CRREIA IH ANCIENT RHETORI C
parent.s, see, e.g., Quintilian, Inst. 1.1.25; for t.he fear t.hat. at.t.ended learning, see, e.g., Plutarch, De recta rat. aud. 47B; Dia, Orat. 72,10; and esp. the school day of Kot.t.alos as seen in Herodas' third mime. See also Comments 8, 9, and 11 below. St.ill, given the function of this picture in Apht.honius' lpyaCJCix, namely, t.o provide the rationale (alTCa> of' t.he !laying of' Isocrates about. education being a largely toilsome and painful experience, we must. recognize that t.his plctur■ I• also one-sided, Thus for balance, see, e.g., Diogenes Laert.lus, 6,30-31, and Bonner, Education in Ancient Rollll!, 38-46, f"or another picture of' a school day, which st.resses different. details, see ps.-Lucian, .A., 44-4!5, 8, f"or examples of' punishing paedagogl (and t.eaohers>, see Herodas, 3,!58-93; Lucian, So-,,,n , 2; Alciphron, ep. 3.7.3-5; and, more generally, Plutarch, De recta rat. aud. 370. Again, t.hough, f'or balance, se■ the recommendations f'or leniency of' Quint.Ulan (Inst, 1,3,6-7 and 2,2,5-7), 9, The endeavor (� ,mpQ) I■ presumably t.h■ at.t.ernpt t.o do t.he assigned homework, f'or the paedagogus and homework, see Bonner, Education In Ancient Ro-., 39, 10, On t.he responsiblllt.y of' f'at.hers In their boys' eduoat.lon, see the advice In ps,-Plut.arch, 011 /lb. tldut:, to, advice that some at least. t.ook serlously, such as Aulus G■fflus (se■ N. A. pr1111'. 23), On parents' strictness, see Dia, OrM, 15,19-19. Not.• also t.he test.Ing of' Kott.alas by hi■ f'at.h■r yov� &1roaTpoC116 The noun in each subordinate phrase Ca-c) is the direct object of' CIIV'Ytl Ct.he key to t.he whole sentence), The use of µiv • • • Bi serves t.o point up the parallelism of t.he three nouns, In b) &wocSp&:a,1. Is added because obviously a son can avoid his parents only by running away from home (cf, Herodas, 3.36-39), In c> &:woaTpocs,ij, although parallel to &wocSp&:a,1. In t.he Greek, cannot. be rendered the same way In English. It indicates the boy's reason for ■voiding the paedagogl: his aversion to them. The use of &wOCJ'TPOCII� may also be part of t.he erotic vocabulary associated with t.he language of education (see Comment. 6 above>, for Plot.inus CEnn. 1,1,U, In a series of' contrast.Ing pairs, balances &:woaTpOCII� with h1.8vµCa. Finally, consider the apodosls of this condition. It contains two verbs in the perfect. Indicative to lndioat.e a present. general condition as vividly and distinctly •• possible. Thus Apht.honius says that if the boy runs away, he is co111pletely deprived of the teachings and advice of those who111 he avoids. Everything seems ta fit together rat.her effectively and in the manner of Aphthanius, who w■■ a more careful writer than many of his fellow rhetoricians. 13. Aphthonlus refers ta De111asthenes' practice of withdrawing to an underground chamber In order t.o pr■par■ his speech. During this time he would shave half' hi■ head so as to be tao asha111ed to leave. See Plutarch, D•.01111. 849B-C. Cf. also Quintilian, In,t. 10,3,25, and ps.-Plut.■rch, VII. dee. oral. 8440.
234
THE CRREJA nr
ANCIENT
RHETORIC
14, Aphthonius is alluding to Hesiod, Op, 287-91, Note that Hermogenes (see line 57) also refers to Hesiod in his much briefer elaboration of this chreia, although he explicitly quotes line 289, 15, Aphthonius' use of 8cxvµ�l;E:1.v (to admire) is apt, sine■ he thereby recalls the opening lines of the elaboration (so line 26; cf, also 37),
THE CHREIA DISCUSSION OF
NICOLAUS OF MYRA Introduction, Translation and Comments by LESTER L. GRABBE RONALD F. HOCK
IJIJTRODVCTIOlf I Lil'• ilnd llriting,. The Sudil distinguishes two rhetoricians with the name Nicolaus, 1 but. scholars have long suspected that. they are one and t.he same person. They not only share th■ same name and profession but both also lived at the sa111■ time, studied at Athens, and composed various rhetorical wrltings,2 Joseph Felten explains the confusion by arguing that the Sudil keeps separate two sources about. Nicolaus, one philosophical and one lexical.3 Accordingly, If we assume that only one Nicolaus is Involved and combin■ the two Suda articles into on■, we can say the following about. Nicolaus: He was born in Myra in Lycia, probably about. A,o, 430, as Kurt Orinsky estimates,4 rath■r t.han about. 410, as Felt.an claims, 5 As a youth he went t.o Athens, where he st.udied under t.he rhetor Lachares,6 and later taught rhetoric In Constantinople, He died during the period of Anastasius (491-518>, having achieved a considerable reputation as a rhetoriclan.7 Nicolaus is thus the latest. of t he rhetoricians whose Progy•na1•illil are extant, and his very lateness has led Felten to ask whether this handbook was not. also writ.t.en by a Christian, But apart from circumstantial evidence, such as the fact that. a bishop of Myra at. this time was named Nicolaus and so might suggest that th■ parents of our Nicolaus were Christian, 8 t.here is, as WIiiy Stegemann rlght.ly notes, nothing in the Progy•nill•ilta of Nicolaus that. bet.rays any Christian influence.' Thus, t.he quest.Ion, however t.he evidence is Interpreted, has no bearing on our concerns. The Sudil articles at.tribute several writings to Nicolaus, Besides the Progy•ni11•ali1, the llst.s contain an advanced rhetorical treatise (T£,CYfl pl')Topt.ic�>, rhet.orical declamations (f,lc>.iT111. prrrop.icmC> . and .. some other writings" .>.cx Ti.1'&>, 1 0 a phrase which, if vague, at. least. suggests a considerable ltt.erary activity on the part of Nicolaus. The T€,CYfl Is no longer ext.ant., alt.hough th■r■ Is a
238
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
reference to it. in the Progymnasmata. 1 1 The µe:�inti. have likewise not. survived. To be sure, some scholars, such as Felten, 12 have assumed the identity of the µe:��TIXI. wit.h t.he model exercises (,rpoyvµv6:crµcx-ra:) which are preserved in several Mss and edited by Christian Walz under the name of Nicolaus, i3 but there are weighty objections against. this identification, On t.he one hand, t.he term µe:>.�-rcxi. more likely refers t.o actual rhetorical declamations than to pre-rhetorical exercies, t.hat is, to "(\.lµvo:crµcx-ra: rat.her than to ,rpoyvµvacrµa:-ra:. 14 On the other hand, even if this term is not. always used so precisely, 1 5 it. is extremely doubtful t.hat these model exercises are correctly attributed to Nicolaus. As Stegemann demonstrates, the MS tradition raises considerable doubt, for only t.wo (of four) Mss ascribe the exercises t.o Nicolaus and many of these exercises are also handed down in other MS!II under the name of Libanius, 1 6 Stegemann also shows that these exercises, when analyzed for their style, content, and underlying rhetorical theory, are closer to Aphthonius than t.o Nicolaus, 1 7 Indeed, the similarities are so close and numerous that Stegemann is led t.o propose Aphthonius as the author of these model exercises. 18 Whether Stegemann is right about. Aphthonian authorship is a question t.hat must. await the treatment. of the f'our model chreia exercises, or elaborations, in volume II. St.ill, at present it is safe to say that at least. Nicolaus did not comps■ these 11t0del exercies, and hence we are left. wit.h only the Progya11•1•at• from t.he many writings of' Nicolaus. The Diactwery ol' the Progyan•a•at• ol' Nicol•ua. Even the Progyan•a•at• was merely a title in the list. of' Nicolaus' writings provided by t.he Sud• untH the mid-nineteenth cent.try when Eberhard F"inckh realized that. the Pro gyan•1•lt• lay hidden in the anonymous Aphthonius schoffa edited by Walz in the second volume of' his Rhetore, Gr•eci. 19 F'inckh's discovery came from a careful and perceptive reading of Doxapatres' Ho•ili•e on Aphthonius, He noticed that. Ooxapat.res cited as his sources Nicolaus and an unnamed co■■entator on Apht.honius when discussing dif'f'erences
239
NICOLAUS: INTRODUCTION
b etween 81.�y11µix a nd 81.�'Yl'la1.�.20 He a lso noted that this very discussion a ppears in the Aphthonius scholia.2 1 Fi nckh further identified several passages i n Dox apat.res which cite Nicolaus as their source a nd which a lso a p p ear i n the scholia.22 He concluded
that.
the
Aphthonius
scholia
were Doxa pat.res'
u nnamed source a nd that. the scholiast. hims elf had made tacit. use
of
Nicolaus•
Progymna,mata,23
Finckh
then
tried
to
r econstruct. Nicolaus• Progy•na1•ata from the scholia, the results of' which are now in L eo nard S p e ngel's third volume of the Rhetore, Graec;,24 That Finckh was largely correct. in his r econstruction was proved in 1895 when Heinrich Graev e n discovered a MS in the British Museum that contai n ed the Progymna1•ata of' Nicolaus, or at. least. a large part. of it.25 This f'if't.eenth c e ntury Ms, numbered
11889 a nd
give n
the
siglum 0,
prints
the
Pro
gymna,mata a lo n g with that. of' Apht.honius, with the latter in larger script a nd the former fitted a lo n gside a nd u nder
the Apht.honius t. ext.26 Gra even is no doubt right i n exp lain i n g this format a s suggestin g that. Nicolaus• Progy•na1•ata had lit.tie
i ndependent.
value
a nd
thus
served
commentary o n Apht.honius.27 At. a ny r ate,
m er e ly
as
a
i n 1913 Joseph
F elt.e n based his T eu b n er edit.io n of' Nicolaus o n this Ms, 28 a lt.hough from p. 58, 18 o n, where O ends, he had to use the Apht.honius scholia a s had Finckh,29 Thus, while much progress has been made recover i n g the Progy•naa•ata of' Nicolaus, it. i� st.ill not. comp letely r ecover ed. Nicolaus' chapter o n the chreia, however, is preserved i n 0.
II Nicolau,• Oi1cu11ion ol' the Chreia, Nicolaus, lik e the at.hers, i nc ludes the now familiar topics of defi n i n g, classifyin g, a nd m a nipulatin g the chreia. But. while Nicolaus thus has much that is familiar, he is not for that r easo n u nd es ervin g of a careful readin g. For, o n the o n e ha nd, eve n the familiar topics co nta i n n e w or differently nua nced posit.io ns regardi n g the chrela. And, o n the other h a nd, the sizeable parts of the chapter that r emain i ntroduce sub j ects not otherwise encountered
240
THE CRltEIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
in the ext.ant. Progymn,1s•-1ta. This mixture of the familiar and t.he new - which, incident.ally, demonstrates the cont.lnuity and t.he richness of the rhetorical tradition regarding t.he chreia - will become apparent as we sur vey the cont.ents of Nicolaus• discussion of the chreia. Nicolaus has di vided his treat.ment. of the chreia int.a five parts: 1> the proper place of the chreia in the sequence of progymnas111,1t,1 ; 2) the definition of' the chrela and
relat.ed
matters,
such
as
etymology
;
3)
t.he
different. ways of classifying chreiai (65-137); 4) t.he usefulness of
the chreia for rhetorical training (138-61>; and 5) the
manipulation of the chreia b y means of elaboration (162-81>, A few lines close out t.he chapter (182-84), In addition, in the second part. (cf. 57-58), Nicolaus promises a discussion of how the chreia differs from the maxim and reminiscence, b ut. he
does not fulfill that promise until he reaches the chapter on the maxim. For that reason we have included this part of t.he latter chapter here (185-214). The various parts of Nicolaus• chapter on t.he chreia conform to his usual treat.ment. of all the progy111na1•ata, with only comments on the st.yle appropriate to the chreia
being left out,30 This o verall conception of Nicolaus' task for
his Progy,,,ni1861ilta thus explains why he shares only t.he second, third, and fifth parts wit.h his predecessors. T he first. of Nicolaus' five parts t.reats the placement (Ta�i.c;> of the chreia chapter in the o verall sequence of the progy111na1a,ata
NICOLAUS: JNTRODUCTJOR
245
Nicolaus• different. terminology bet.rays some differences in substance as well. These dif'f'erences would be clearer, however, if Nicolaus had provided a model elaboration to exemplify his formal discussion. The last. heading in Nicolaus• elaboration is also dlf'f'erent., but the difference is merely terminological. He prefers "exhort.at.ion" (,r11pttK>.l')a1.�> (172) to Aphthonius' "epilogue" .oyo�>. Interestingly, Nicolaus regards this heading as not essential Ccf'. 171: clv sfa>, Still, Nicolaus, like Aphthonius, says that this heading is to be brief' Ccf'. 171>. To sum up: it should now be apparent that Nicolaus' discussion of' the chreia, while sharing much with Theon, Hermogenes, and Aphthonlus, nevertheless contains more that. is different. At times these differences are the result of' Nicolaus taking up discussions from Progy,,,na,.,,,•t• which are no longer extant. Here belong Nicolaus' treatments of' the sequence of' the chrela, the alternative dif'f'erentiatlons of' the chrela, and perhaps the differences in terminology for the elaboration headings. At. other times, however, the differences may be due t.o Nicolaus• own contributions, such as the demonstration of' the rhetorical utility of' the chreia and its elaboration. Consequently, Nicolaus' chapter on t,t,. chrela not only at.tests to the continuity of' the educational theory regarding the chrela, but also gives ample proof' of' the diversity and even development of' that. theory. Th• T� o, Nicol•u1. F'or the reasons given above In regard t.o the discovery of t.ha Progyw,n•1••t• of' Nlcolaus in a MS of' the British Museum, SO the text. of' Nicolaus used here is that. of' Joseph Felt.en which was published In 1913 as volume 11 in the Teubner Rh11tor111 Gr•11ci serles,51 And yet., while Felt.en"s text. is clearly the best. text available, It. must also be said the text is far f'rom certain in many places (so, for example, 104-08 and especially 182-87). Even where individual sentences or whole sections appeer to be sound, the lack of' any logical connection or progression raises doubts (see, for example, 116-37). F'lnally, some sections are still very reminiscent of the schoHa and co111mant.arm
246
TltS csasI.A D Aa!CJDT IIBBTOJUC
fl-oa wnch car knowfedge of Mcolaus co■es . Consequently, we ■ust. be gratef'ul for F'ett.e.•s pioJ 1ea 'flQ work on the t.ext. of Nicolaus, even if we Cannot be coapetay satJsrll!d with it. No t.rans&atmn of Mcofaus is available.
•on:s /Jrru:tp, �
1. See t.he Suda Buc6�, n>.oVTixp,cov 1.a:1.cov. , e1.,1.ty1.1cx, 1.1cxpTup1.cx ._ ,, ,rcxpcx ,rcxpa:So"ri 50, See above pp. 238-39. 51. For bibliographical information, see above n. 3,
...
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
Ile:pt Xpe:(ac;
(p. 17, 14 Felten)
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I
(17,20)
,
(18,5)
,
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(18,10)
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'\,
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...
.cx1.01,c;, KIX/\wc; El.,CE:V e:yyuµvoci.E:O' >.oyq, 61.a 'TflV E:tlXI\/\IX'Yl'lV 'Tl'lV KIX'TIX Tac; ff'TCOO'E:l.c;' btl.cSn cS, �cSTl KE:dla>.cxC01.c; "t'I cS1.opfl'TIXI., Ka:>.&>c; ' ' ' • l I! ., , ti V €,COi. 'TIX'T'TE:1.V IXU'TriV µE:TOC 'TO t51.flYl'll.l0C, , , ' ' >.oyoc; Tl" ,rpcx"'�i;.1.c; €UO''TO,COc; ., XpE:1.IX cSE: taT'I. , , , v t,couacx ' ., . ., KOO. auvToµoc;, ti.c; n ,rpoaco,rov copi.aµoo , "" ' .,.. , , , , , ' e 'T'l'I' 0CVIXl1)0p0:'1', ,rpoc; Ha:vop COO'I.V nvoc; 'TCAW EV 'Tc.p ' • , , ' .. .. ,.{ ,ra:pcx>.a:µSa:voµtvri, cSe: '1 trpat1.c;, e:,re:1.cSri >.oyoc; p1,cp , . , ' , ' !. ' KIXI. EV >.oy01.c; e:up1.crKE:'T0CI. KIXI. t:V ,rpai;.€0'1.V, ' • cS ' • ' ,1 • ' .. ., , • (UO''TD,Coc; cSE:, HE:I. '1 €'I' 'TOU'TCf) €0''TI.V ,, 1.a,cuc; Tflc; • , , Jl , , ,. s'E:, ,Cl)(I.C,lc; €'I' 'Tlfl E:VO''TO,CCOc; E:l.p'10'80C1., O'U'l''TDµOc_; c1>c; cSux 'TIX ix,roµvµove:uµcxTCC, e:�c; 'Tl. 6£ ,rp6aco,rov l,covcrcx Tnv &:vcca,op&v' c.oc; cSux Tnv yvcoµriv· £KE:Cvri yap OUK e:Cc; ,rp6aco,rov fftXV'Tcoc; &vadl€pE:'T0CI., 'TO cSt ,rpac; t,rcxv6p8coaCv nvoc; Tlov b 'TC9 (i.cp wap11>.11µSa:voµcvri, t1t:1.cSn coc; i,t 'TO ,r>.E:taTO'I' &y11eft nc; fflXPIX(v,ai.c; f1rn0C1., &>.>.& ,rcpt µb T�c; &.adlOpac; CCVT@v tv 'Tep ,rcpt yv6>i,,ric; >.c,c8�0'1'TIXI,, E�Pl'JTai. a� ,cpcCcx, ou,c �n Ka:� ,,.{>.>.a 1rpo yuµ"'aµ11T11 OVK l1.f1Poi Tl.VIX ,cprCa:v, &>.>.' g.,.1, fi 'Ti KOI.V' 6v6.,11n KIIT' ilo,c�v '1c; t.6tq, 'TIT(J,flTIXI, 14c,,r1p 't>µl'Jpoc; d ffOl.l'JT�c; Kcxt /ll'Jl'00'8ivric; ! ��'Tf4P, .. J.I � � ' ' T}. , 'l ' (WI, g ""�l,O''T 'Tl.VOi; ICDCI, O'I' iK trCpt,O'TUO'I� ,cpcCocc; 'T �V &p,c�v CIU'Tij 'Tl.I; i,cpf)crCXTO, T@v U -'CPli.lav ocl &vcoTa-rc.o &,creopcx� -r�• mt µb y&p CXVT@v 1ta1, "0y1,1.>.&c; 51.creopa "� &>.>.�>.a:c; l,covcnv, c; c; kt' i,crvt&v11,v ric trllp(Xa-iccufk .,.ijc; ,re� fflY -r,i,cvriv .�•.�""" �,Cov�. >.CMK!n µb Cl.CJ!,'I' IXI, Qll4I l '•• L ♦ (Chrtll 43) ""l'f.OV µuvcov, 01.0V
.
,
,
,
(19,5)
(19,10)
35
,
'
'
'
•
'!(
'1.'l
'
'
'
'
'
'
40
,
45
t
(19,15)
(20,1)
(20,5)
t
(20,10)
Mi
50
55
60
NICOLAUS: TEXT AND TRANSLATIO•
2'5'5
on being asked ii' anyone e1cape1 the notice ol' the god, in committing some 1inl'ul act, ,aid, ullhy, not even in contemplating it," And so on in the dual and plural numbers, if perhaps it. should be possible for the sake of practice to attribute the saying to a second Pittacus or even several. But at present. the chreia should not be placed first for this reason: so long as it was not divided into any headings, training with the saying in the declension through the cases was satisfactory. But since the chreia has now been divided into headings at an, it. would be appropriate t.o place it after the narrative. A chreia is a saying or action which is apt and con cise, attributed to some specified character and employed for the purpose of correcting some aspect of' life, It is a "saying or action" since it is found with both sayings and actions. It is "apt" since the effec tiveness of' the chreia lies in it.s being aptly spoken. It. is ..concise" as distinct fro111 the reminiscences. It Is ..attributed t.o some character" as distinct from the maxim, since the maxim is never attributed to a char acter. It. is ..employed for the purpose of' improving some aspect of' life"' since some good advice usually accompanies it. Their differences, however, wlll ba dis cussed in t.ha section on t.he maxim.4 It Is called .. chreia,., not. because the of.her progym nasmata do not. satisf'� some naed (,cpcCoc), but. ■It.her because the chrela has been singled out with • common noun as t.hrough It. were • proper noun becaus• of It■ exo■llence, Just as Homer I■ ref'err■d t.o as Poet end Demosthenes as Orator; or becau■■ In the beginning som■ on■ us ■d .6yoc;. '" TD0To y&p lcrTI.V Cc:r,cvp6TorTOV, o,rotor B� Bet E!voc1,, ' ' ' "" (Chrela 8) " 'Apt,CJ'TEI.B'lc; ' • Epco-rri8ct.c; El.oOcror -r�,, B1.ocCpccrt.v• i,b µ�v yccp , ' , � ,,., t. • ICOCI,' TO" ,rp001,µ1,0v µrTcx trporyµcxTcx, t:CJ'TI. Ta Ofl01.0C T�V wcxp&ci,pcxcr1,v lworw1:c:r6µc8cx OCU'T�V me; &:>.Y18l.i>c; l',covcrcxll', C«ll' Si OflOC'cx Bet' crvoc1., �c; cC1.vtenc; S� TOVc; KCXp1'0�, " tr� Tl, ex� wpoc; 'T�V lp�Tria1.v, 0?011 (Chrela 52) " n>.&To.,v CPfl)'T'l8c�c; ,roO 0t1eoOa1,v ext M00aor1., • lv Tate; ,-&,v ,ra1.6Evoµfvo.,v, • [$rt, • 'l'V,ccxtc;. "'' T@v 8� ,rpoyvµvcxcrµcx'rcov .,.&,v µ�v 8vTo.,v
o
(22,10)
110
115
ro
(22,15)
�
(22,20)
.
(23,5)
....
,
.,
...
.
,
,
.
' "'
' .,
'
120
125
130
.,.
125-26: •� T� rlQ'l'CXI. T�v &.«(pcc:rt.v dubit.a of'f"ert. F'ett.en: dsb,ai, w� T�v &.cxCpcc:rt.1' Mss; 1C6bc,n, sect. F'inckh.
135
IIICOLAUSI TllXT AJID TRANSLATION
on the grounds that the person who Is the obJect of the persuasion has none of them, nor generally accept.ad fiction on the grounds that I.he fiat.Ion is obvious.7 Thus one should refute neither fables nor chrelai. For no sensible person is Ignorant of the fact that. fables are fabricated, nor will anyone be persuaded t.o heed t.he person who is trying to turn him from t.he good advice that is in t.he chrela, And besides, even in t.he fables themselves, the good we have in view when composing f' ables keeps t.he critics from appearing plausible. Next, some chreial demonstrate the way things are, while others demonstrate t.he way they should be, The way things are, as t.hls one (Chrela 2) Ae1op the I'•bl. writer, on being •1ked 11h•I Ille _,,, polenl Uling a.ong 111en Is, ,aid, "Speech," Far this remark is mast. certainly true.8 The way things should be, as this one CChrela 8) Ari1leide1, on being 11,ked 11h•I Ju11/ce ;,, 111id, "Nol de.riring U,e po.r,e,,ion, ol' 0Ul•r1." Far such Is t.he way things should be, This distinct.ion cant.rlbutes ta aur understanding of the division of' the ahrela, Far If' t.he chreia is domonstratlng the way things ar■, we win co111111end It. after the Introduction and th■ paraphrase as being true; but If' It d■111onst.rat.es the way they should be, we will commend it. as being probable, Next, some chrelal are slmple,9 while at.hers ar■ a response to something. The slmple, •• (Chrela 43> 1,ocr11te, ,•id th11t •duc•tion•, root /1 bltt11r, it, fru/11 11111111. Chrelal In response to something are tho11■ response t.o a quest.Ion. For example (Chrela
52)
In
Pl.to,
on being •,k•d 11her11 the llu,111 dN11II, 1•ld, M/n th• ,ou/1 ol' Ill• 11duc•t11d."
Since so111e progy111nas111at.a are partial spe■ch■s and
others are both partial and whole speeches, the chr■la
THE CBREIA IN ANCIENT RBETOIIIC
260
v
(23,10)
,
'\.
,
(23,20)
(24,1)
(24,5)
"
1 40
"""
1 45
.
.
(24,10)
"'
A
A
.
(23,15)
,
•
'""' ' "' , 'T OO V l(C(I, OA OO V , 'l ,c pE: 1.a µcpoov, 'TOOV .,6E: IJ E:pµt.aCTTt.KOV C,poVTLBCX ...,_ '> a,ro • ' €V ,ro1.0vµr80:, , • � l(C,:I,' < TO , 01.� Bi' TO' €1,K B .... ,,... , , oµrv, TOV t.KcrVt.l(OV, ,rcxpa6E:1.yµaTlA>V Ka'TCXCTlJ.11.ClaTucl.ov 1(($(1>.cxCmv y1.voµivcp, t'va µ� µ1tl:ov o TO 1rpoolµ1,ov .... ' e' ... ovv ..,. (1) 'TDV'Tcp ' Tep lWCICVq> 'T� VW0 ra100�. flPv, Ker� lwt w8a1, (5) TU &ca,'lTi v , r1., 1,118,.,'l", a v Stt1, , Km.' (6) rw1,' Spa,ct'i:&,,PQ> 1 coc; EV8uµflµCX, ,.. ' ' 't TCI.W yap CXffOcSEl.V TOOV µEV ovaCA>v ,,,,. "' ' "" ' EV8VµflµCXTl.KCA>l', TCA>l' cSE ,rcxpcxcSEl.'yµcxTt.KCA>V, EV " ' "' ' ' "' EV ' 8vµ11µcxTI.KCXl.c; ,cp�oµE ' 8a, µEv Tq> El.KOT!. Ta1.c; ,. ' ' " ' ' , Tcx1.c; ,rcxpacSE1.yµanEV cSE Tq> a,ro ,rapercSE1.yµaToov KCX1..c;, ooc; µEv ovv EV pcr,cE1. ,rpoyvµvcraµo:T1., OUTooc; KOC� ,rooc; cSE'C ,cpija8cx1. Tate; IXffDcSEC(Eal.V ' .... • 0' ' ' EV TCX1..c; TE>.e:1.oTEpcx1.c; v,ro e:ae:a1. µcr811aoµE8ex. ' 'CXVTflc; ' " ,. "" ' 6I,cScraKCX/\OV ' TOV e:,r ""(cS'e:> KCXI.' TCXVTCX cSE1. , , cS ,.. I.CX1..pe:aEcoc;. cSe:1.KVVVCXl, T'lc;
'
,..
•
,
'
..
' ' ,
I
' ,.
,
,
,
, e:aTi.v o:,roii,o:vai.c; KOC80>.1.Kfl, avµSov"flV ,. rvooµ11 ' ., "' , "' , , Tl.Va KOCI. ,rapcri.ve:ai.v e:,covacx ,rpoc; n Toov e:v Tq> q, ,cp11aCµC11v, �1.aii,€pe:1. BE Trt, ,cpE:Cac;, Ko1.voovoOacx KCXTIX "" ' ' "" ' €KEI.Vq>, ' T'lV ,rpooTOV µe:v (1) ' ,rcxacxv cSI.CXl.pE:ITI.V, 0T1. 11 µEv ,cpt(cr Kai lv >.6yo1.c; taTi Koci b , >.oy01.c; ..,.. , , , 'l EV , EI.TCX µov01.c;· ,rpcxte:ai.v, 'l Se: YVCA>J! (2) DTI. 11 µEv yv6>µ11 cx,r6iz,cxvaCc; £ITT!. Kcx80>.1.K� 'I , • I I I I KCXI. DV fflXVTt.Oc; El., ffPOITt.01'0V cxvcxCS,e:pETCX1.., 'l E ' , . ' , , , T'lV cxYCX!Zlopcxv ,rcxvTooc; E1.c; ,rpoac.o,rov E,CEI.' ,rpoc; TOVT01.c;, (3) OTI. 11 µEV ,cpe:Ccr €K Upl.lTTtXITEmc; • , , , J!' 'I. , Tl.Voe; avyKEI.TCX1.., 'l• i;,E yvc.oµfl EV ""'l8EI. /\O'YC.OV' b8vµflµIXTI.K�V tb6cSE1.!.1.V l,covacx TOO ' C, ,. , ' (,rpo)Ke:1.µEVOV [KCXl.l Kcr8o>.1.K'lV cxµcx ffOI.EI.TCXI, ., .1 ' , , • ' ., "' ,rcxpa:i.ve:cri.v· ECSl IXffCXITI.V [fl l (4) OTI, ,, µEV yvt.Oµfl "' � ' "' ' , " " • fflXVT.(a1,� (as, e.g., we find in Theon 199), 4, Since Nicolaus' discussion of' the differences between the chreia and maxim i s so long, we have included it at the end of the chreia chapter . 7. This s entence, but particularly the clause Bux TO µf)8bu ' ' E:,CE:I.V TDV ,re:1, oµe:vov, 1s no t a t all clear, The phrase Tov ,re:1,8oµe:vov is presumably the person whom the one doing a refutation Is trying t o persuade. If so, then the 81,m TD c, inf, clause expresses the grounds on which one might make refutation, Accordingly, the second 61,cx- clause also expresses the grounds on which one might refute a fable. At any rate, a textual variant listed by Felten, which replaces TOV 1m&q,e:vov by 'T�V ,cpe:C Fabricius raised the possibilt.y that this Cyrus is t.he same man as the sophist., yet both men seem t.o be Greek, and our ,rpoaco11ov appears t.o have a Roman name. The subject deserves more study, for a correct. identification of t.he man to whom VG refers could help us dat.e VG himself, whose aetas remains unknown. 25. Cf,, e.g., Plat.a, Protag. 345O-E, 3528-C, 3750, and Aristotle, EN 7.1145b 22ff, 1146a 7ff, and EE 2.1228a 5ff. 26. For similar and opposite sentiments, see Chreia 15 in the Catalogue of Chreiai.
TEXT AND TRANSLATION
(273,10>
(273,15)
(273,22) (273,25) (273,20)
De Chria
Chria est dicti vel facti praecipua memoratio: facti, ut : Titus + (;enetivus Cyrus 4 said that good men should knoN hoN to behave badly but should not do so. (2) In response to a question, 5 as (Chreia 11>: Harcus Porcius Cato, on being asked Nhy he Nas learning (;reek past the ilge of' f'orty, said, "Not that I may die learned, but
that I may not die unlearned." (3) With a rebuttal, 6 as (Chreia 9>: Antisthenes, the Cynic philosopher, Nhen he Nas Nashing greens and noticed Aristippus, the Cyrenaic philosopher, Na/king Nith Oionysius, the Sicilian tyrant, said, ..Aristippus, if' you Nere content Nith these greens, you Nould not be dogging the f'ootsteps of' ii king. " To him Aristippus replied, "lie/I, if' you could converse prof'itably Nith a king, you Nou/d not be content Nith them. " There is likewise7 the mixed chreia, 8 as (Chreia 29>: Diogenes, the Cynic philosopher, Nhen he saN a rustic taking up Nater Nith his hand in order to drink, threN ilNilY the cup Nhich he Nils carrying in his knapsack and said, ..NON I can be this much lighter. " In addition to these, there is also a fourth class which in Greek is called c5.;:L1 Libanius (8.63-102 Foerster> Matthaeus Cameriota (1,122-23 Walz> Nicolaus (1.272-78 Walz) Nicepherus Basilicus Nicepherus Callistus Xanthopulus (J, Glettner, BZ 33 [19331 9-10> Nicolaus of Myra b &v8p�1ro1.� €rff€V' .. .>.6yo�. "
Aesop t.he fable writ.er, on being asked what. the most. potent. thing among men's possessions is, said: " Speech." NicMyra 118-20; Planud 2.19, 6-7; Darm l. 143, 15-16; ScholAnon 2 .587, 26-28 Although t.his chreia appears f our times in the rhetorical tradition, there are n o significant differences, which is not surprising, given the literary dependence (direct or I ndirect> of Planud, Darm, and ScholAnon on NicMyra, Hence Aesop remains the ,rp6crCAl1rov throughout, and the f orm of' the chreia is always &w01Cp1.T1.Kov KOC'Ta ,rvcrµoc. I ndeed, even the &1rocyy£>.Coc of' the chreia is in virtually the same words (cf', Theon 195-98), We have not f ound this chreia outside the rhetorical tradition, although several passages are reminiscent of it and deserve at tent.ion here. Thus the same sentiment appears in p s.-Menander, Hon. 361 (p, 53 Jaekel>: "There is nothing more potent than speech," Similarly, in a chreia attributed to Demosthenes, the q uestion is not the same but the answer is: Demosthenes, on being asked what the greatest weapon is, said: "Speech" (f;no111. Vat. 219 Cp. 87 SternbachJ>. For the same question but different response, see Athenaeus, 10,451bc, For a chreia similar to this one, see Chraia 63,
302
THE CHREIA I N ANCIENT RHETORIC
o
3. Alexander
'A>.eE.avcSpo� TOOV MaKe:cS6voov Saa1.>.e:v�. ,rapaKa>.ov�e:vo, u,ro TWV (>.oov a\wa-ya-ye:tv ,cp�µaTa, e:1.,re:v· .. .A>.>.a Ta0Ta 0\/K oovrtae:v ovc5€ Kpo'Caov. " Alexander the Macedonian king, on being urged by his friends to amass money, said: ••sut it didn't help even Croesus." Theon 151 - 53; Dox 2. 258, 11- 13 C110111. Vat. 90 (p. 42 Sternbach) Croesus, of course, is a proverbial figure of a ruler who possessed both the enormous wealth and attendant pride that precede disaster .ftaviSpoc; tp(l)TT)8ttc; ,r68E:v lKT�aaTo TavaaUTT)V SvvaanCav, l'tT), •• MT)Sb ttc; a�p1.ov &vaSa>.>.6µtvoc;. "
Alexander, on being asked from what source he had acquired such great power, said: ••Bi,, putting not.hing off unt.il tomorrow."
JohnSard 40, 6-8 This chreia occurs onli,, t.he one time in t.he rhetorical texts, but. similar chreiai appear elsewhere, See (;nom. V,gt, 74 Cp. 34 St.ernbach) where several examples appear with a number of variations in both t.he question and in the repli,,. To t.his list we mai,, add St.obaeus, 4.13.48 Cp. 364 Hense) where Alexander makes a characteristic repli,, to a similar quest.ion by quot.ing Homer, although the line which he quotes does not appear in any Homeric text Ccf, Hense's note), On Alexander's fondness for quoting Homer, see Dio, Or.gt, 2,3ff. For an example of this fondness, see Chreia 24. 6. Antisthenes M� tLKoc; lanv 'Avna8EVT)V (ATT'I.KOl' 'YE: 5vTal ,rapayE:voµoov 'A8�vT)8E:l' tCc; haKE:6aCµova, EK Tijc; yvva1.K(l)VCT1.6oc; >.€yE:1.v tCc; T�v &v6p(l)vrnv €ffl.€Val., It is unlikely that Antisthenes (who was of course an Athenian) said on coming from Athens to Lacedaemon that he was coming from the men's quarters to the women's,
Theon 363-66; Nie 1.275, 17- 19 Diogenes Laertius, 6.59; Aulus Gellius, H.A. 17 .21.33 This chreia appears only three times, twice in the rhetorical traditioin and once elsewhere, but the differences in these passages are significant in three respects: &vadlopa, &,rayyt>.Ca, and v,ro61.aCpta1.c;. .Ca1.c; of this chreia deserves comment. F"or it is the only chreia outside the context of discussions of K>.Ca1.c; (see Theon 199-275 and NicMyra 14-38) that is recited with the ,rp6ac.o,ro1• in the geniti ve case: 'Adl8ovCov ToO ��Tepee;. Accordingly, we also have a complementary formula: (£{,r6vToc;) T� �118�1• &:,roµv11µov£(,£Tcx1.. Surprisingly , though, Dax has not declined this chreia according to the ru les as set forth by Theon, nor does he
CATALOGUE OF CRREIAI
305
follow t.he practice of t.his manipulation as we find it. in school t.ext.s. Thus Theon gives t.wo formulae for sayings chreiai in t.he genitive case. If, as in Chreia 7, it. is &,ro«oav'T1.Kav Ka8' iK06a1.ov, t.he formula is 'Ta �118b µv�µ11� f'TV'(:E:, But. if it. is any at.her species of sayings-chreia, t.he formula is >.6yo� &,roµv11µovE:VE:'Ta1., In t.he school t.ext. t.he formula is >.6yo� &:,roµvl'll,IOVE:UE:'Ta1., as it. is in NicMyra 24-27. Dax, h owever, has t.hus u sed a hybrid form: 'TO P'18€v a:,roµv11µovE:VE:'Ta1.. And yet., elsewhere (see, e.g., 2,264, 20> he uses t.he correct. formula. 8. Arist.eides 'Ap1.a'TE:(cS�� lpc.o'T'18€�� 'TC Ian 'Ta cS(Ka1.ov, €I.ff€' .. µ� b1.8vµE:tv 'TOOV &>.>.o'Tp(c.ov. "
ra
Arist.eides, on being asked what. just.ice is, said: ••Not. desiring t.he possessions of at.hers."
NicM:,rra 122-24; Planud 2.19, 8-9; Darm 1. 143, 17-18; ScholAnon 2.587, 29-31
Stobaeus, 3.9.32 (p. 357 Hense)
This chreia is always paired in t.he rhetorical t.ext.s wlt.h Chreia 2 and t.hus appears in t.he same four sources as t.hat chreia, Moreover, like Chreia 2, this chreia appears wit.h no significant changes. Even the a:,rayyE:>.Ca of it. is virtually identical, n ot. to mention at.tribut.ion and form. (Incidentally, Darm breaks off mid-way in this chreia, but. what is preserved suggests no changes in what. has been lost..> The appearance of this chreia in Stobaeus also shows no significant changes. Still, Stobaeus• inclusion of this chreia in his sect.ion ent.it.led IlE:p� c51.Ka1.oavv11� and his ident.ificat.ion of Arist.eides as d SCKa1.o� only underscore how E:Va'T6'(:c.o� t.he at.t.ribut.ion is, For Arist.eides came t.o be regarded as pre eminently the just man (see, e.g., Dio, Orat. 64.27, and Philost.rat.us, V. Apo/I. 6.21>. What better ,rp6ac.o,rov could be asked about the essence of just.ice'? 9. Arist.ippus-Ant.isthenes Ant.isthenes, cynlcus philosophus, cum oluscula lavaret et. animad vert.isset. Aristippum, Cyrenaeum philosophum, cum Dionysio, t.yranno Siculorum, ingredient.em, dixit, .. Aristippe, si his content.us esses, non regis pedes sequereris." cui respondit Arist.ippus, "at tu si posses commode cum rege, non his content.us esses."
306
THE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
Antisthenes, the Cynic philosopher, when he was washing greens and noticed Aristippus, the Cyrenaic philosopher, walking with Dionysius, the Sicilian tyrant, said, "Aristippus, if you were content with these greens, you would not be dogging the footsteps of a king," To him Aristippus replied, "Well, if you could converse profitably with a king, you would not be content with them,"
VatGram 15-22 Diogenes Laertius, 2.68, 102; 6.58; Horace, Epi'st. 1.17.13-32; Valerius Maximus, 4.3.4; ps.-Diogenes, ep. 32.3 (p. 138 Malherbe); i;n()/1. Vat. 192 (p. 78 Sternbach). Cf. also E. Mannebach, Aristt."ppi et c,renaic"ru111 Fra9111enta (Leiden: Brill, 1'61) frag s. 52A-C and 53A-B.
This chreia Is an example of a double chreia .1.v l>.E:yE: fflXIJ''l� KaK(a� E:rva1.. Bion the sophist used to say that love of money is the mother-city of every evil. Theon 125-26, 368-69; Dox 2.257, 2 9-30; Darm 1.142, 18- 19; Planud 2 . 17, 25-18, 1 Diogenes Laertius, 6.50; Stobaeus, 3.10.37 (p. 147 Hense); Cncm. Vat. 265 (p. 102 Sternbach) Most noteworthy of the many occurrences of this chreia, both within and without the rhetorical tradition, is the variation in &vaii,op6:. Theon of course attributes this chreia to Bion, but elsewhere in the rhetorical tradition the att.rlbution is always to Bias. Outside the tradtion the attribution is more varied. Stobaeus once again has Bion, but Diogenes Laertius attributes this saying to Diogenes, the f;nom. Vat, to Democritus, and the l'lorilegium llonacen1e to Demetrius of Phalerum . This variation in attribution is hardly surprising, given the gnomic character of the saying. The sentiment is very widespread, appearing, e.g., albeit with a different metaphor, in 1 Tim 6.10, Likewise, the metaphor of the µ'l-rp6,ro>.1.� occurs elsewhere- e.g., in Athenaeus where it is wine that is the µ11-rp61ro>.1.� of every evil. Consequently, with nothing distinctive in sentiment or in expression, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to identify the historically correct ,rp6am,rov. Nevertheless, rhetorically speaking, Bias is perhaps the most defensible. F"or as one of the wise men Bias is a E:�a-ro,c:� att.ribution since gnomic wisdom is especially characteristic of the wise men . 11, Cato, Marcus Porcius M. Porcius Cato interrogatus quid ita post quadrageslmum annum litteras graecas disceret, dixit, "non ut doctus, sed ut ne indoctus moriar." M, Porcius Cato, on being asked why he was learning Greek literature after the age of forty, said, "'Not that I may die learned, but that I may not die unlearned."
308
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
VatGram 11-14 This chreia which occurs only the one time may have been composed on the basis of Cicero, De sen. 8.26, The same subject is mentioned by Quint . Elsewhere Cato is said to have begun his study of Greek literature at. age 80, but the author of this chreia may have read the Ciceronian Cato's words qui litteras Craeca, senex didici literally and altered senex to post quadrage1i1flU111 annu1'1. 12. Cato, Marcus Porcius
Marcus Porcius Cato dixit leges nervos esse civitatium Marcus Porcius Cato said that laws are t.he sinews of states.
Diom 1.310, 20 This chreia, which appears in Latin form only t.he on■ time, may be an example of a chreia which has been translated from Greek with its ,rpooCAl,rov changed to an apt Roman figure, Cno111. Vat. 211 (p, 85 Sternbach) gives the Greek form and attributes the saying to Demosthenes: d 11u'Tac; l't'lO't 'Tove; v61,10vc; 6riµ0Kp11'TC11c; vtOp11, The Greek version, in turn, may have been composed on the basis of Demosthenes' De l'als. leg. 283. 1 3. Chaeremon X111.p�CAlv l'tri, •• n6:v'Ta 'Ta: &yaea: b µ6vq> 'Tit\ ¢,povttv fonv," Chaeremon said, "Every good exists in reasoning alone,"
Georg 1.553, 21-22 The language of' this chreia suggests that the ffpoO'CllffOV is a Stoic or at least influenced by Stoicism. Vet he cannot be Chaeremon of' Alexandria trov of Chrela 1 3. We must therefore assume that he Is otherwise unknown. 14. Crates Crates, cum indoctum puerum vidisset, paedagogum eius percussit, Crates, when he saw an uneducated boy, struck his paedagogus,
QI.int 26-27
This chreia is very similar to Chreiai 25-26 and might arguably be included under either of them. Certainly the action of striking the paedagogus is the same. Nevertheless, this chreia is distinctive in two respects and so seems to merit separate treatment. On the one hand, the trp6cnowov here is Crates, not his more famous teacher, Diogenes, as it always is in Chreiai 25-26, On the other hand, the trE:pCaTaa1.� which prompts Crates• act.ion Is his seeing an uneducated boy, not a youth who was a gourmand (so Chreia 25> nor a youth who was misbehaving (so Chreia 26>. In other words, the Tr•dition,geschichte of this chreia appears to be independent. of the others, even though the chreia is obviously similar. On the action of striking a paedagogus, see the discussion of Chreia 25. 15, Cyrus, Titus Genetius (?) Titus + Genetius Cyrus + dixit viros bonos scire oportere male agere, sed non agere. Titus + Genetius Cyrus + said that good men should know how to act badly but should not do 50, VatGram 9-10
This chreia may be ultimately based on some such Platonic passages as Resp. 3.396A or Leg. 7.816D-E. A similar idea appears in Publilius Syrus 532, but in 721 the reverse is found: Viri boni est nescire f',;,cere iniuri,;,m ("It is the mark of a good man not to know how to commit a wrong"), The name, and consequently the identity, of the trp6ao.>trov is uncertain. No one with a name even remotely similar seems to occur elsewhere, and the nomen is hardly Roman.
312
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
Demosthenes the orator, on being asked by someone what advantage rhetoric gives to those who learn it, said seems to have used a MS belonging to the same class. Cf. Cnom. V.;pt. 360 (p. 139 Sternbach) where the saying is attributed to lsocrates. 20. Demosthenes
�,rt
'1l')µOIJ'8€VI')� o p�'TCl)p t.soov ff€6�Tl')V ,ro>.uv ,cp6vov >.ov6µ€VO'I' €rff€, " 8CXplJ'€1.' ov µ� b>.v8t\�. " Demosthenes the orator, on seeing a prisoner bathing for a long time, said, "Don't worry, you won't get free."
JohnSard 43, 10-11.
This chreia is cited as one of two examples (Chreia 65 is the other) of chreiai which contain only wit, and JohnSard says, "The phrase ov µ� lKXv8t\� is spoken by the orator in a witty fashion but also politely." The "witty" sense must be "you won't get free, " while the "polite" sense must be "you aren't discouraged." There may be an additional pun which JohnSard failed to mention: a play on the sound of >.ov6µe:vov and lK>.v86� .ov86�: "you won't get clean, " i.e., "clear of the chains">. The aptness of Demosthenes as the ,rp6aoo,rov of such a chreia is questionable. Tthere is no tradition of Demosthenes as a man fond of jesting like this. Rather the reverse seems true. Cf., e.g., Plutarch's Compdrison of Demosthenes and Cicero, ch. 1 (886D-n. The life of Demosthenes in ps.-Plutarch, Vit. dee. orat. B"A-848O, fails to mention wit even once. 21. Didymon t.1..Suµrov d cxu>.l'J'T�� dc>.ov� l,r� µ01.,ce:C11 �K -roO 6v6µcx-ro� iKp€µcxa81'), Oidymon the flute-player, on being convicted of adultery, was hanged by his namesake,
CATALOGUE OF CBREIAJ:
313
Theon 103-104, 248-50, 262-63, cf. 343-44; JohnSard 42, 14-15; Dox 2.257, 20-21; Planud 2.17, 21-23 Diogenes Laertius, 6.51 The pun in lK TOO 6v61,1aToc; meaning of 6C6v1,1oc; as "t.est.icles." See, e.g., Philodemus in t.he Greek Anthology 5.126, 6 (Loeb> and UOC Deut. 25,11, Diogenes Laert.ius includes t.his chreia among t.hose at.t.ribut.ed t.o Diogenes, but. has recited it. as a sayings-chreia in which Diogenes is t.he ,rp6ac.o,rov who comments on t.he plight. of Didymon, using, of course, the same pun. In 6,68 Didymon appears in a Diogenes chreia, but. now the "pair" involved is the eyes. 22, Diogenes
t.1.oybric; 6 a,1.Maoa,oc; lpc.oTl')8£�c; u,r6 nvoc; ,r&\c; �v lv6o�oc; ybo1.To &1r€1, thereby making him the most. popular ,rpoac.o,rov in this collect.ion (a popularity that is also true of ancient literature as a whole). This chreia is recited in virtually t.he same words in all four passages. The aptness of Diogenes as the ,rpoac.o,rov t.o answer this quest.ion may be argued on the tradition t.hat is preserved about. Diogenes in Diogenes Laert.ius, 6.21. 23. Diogenes
t.1.oy€Vl')c; & Kvv1.1.6aoa,oc; tscov 1,1€1.j:!IXICI.OV ,r>.oua1.ov cx,raC6€V'T'OV €rff€v, •• O�Toc; �IJ'Tl. pv,roc; ff€Pl.l'JP'YVPC.01,1€VOc;. ,. Diogenes the Cynic philosopher, on seeing a rich young man who was uneducated, said: "This man is silverplated filt.h." Theon 41-44, 257-60, 266-69, 272-75; Dox 2.256, 16-17; Planud 2. 16, 19-21; Darm 1 . 141, B-9 C110111. Vat. 546 (p. 196 Sternbach)
314
THE CHREIA IN ANCIENT RBETORIC
Within the rhetorical tradition this chreia is always attributed to Diogenes and recited in the form &,roa,avnK�v KaTa: ffE:p(cnacnv. Even the wording is the same, except for vacillation between pG,ro,;; and '(,r,ro,;;. Outside it, however, the chreia is attributed to Philip and recited in the form a,roU,aV7'1.KOV Ka8' iK0Ga1.ov (so Cnom. Vat.). Similar chreiai abound, especially those comparing the same rich but uneducated person to golden sheep or golden slaves, Among these chreiai Socrates is usually the ,rpoaoo,rov (see, e.g., St.obaeus, 2,31,4" tp. 209 Wachsmuth]; 3.4.84 Cp. 238 Hense]; Cnom. Vat. 484 tp. 180 Sternbach1; and Cnom. Par. 154 Cp. 18 Sternbach]), Diogenes is t.he ,rp6croo,rov, however, in t.he occurrence of' this chreia in Diogenes Laertius, 6.47. 24. Diogenes-Alexander 'A>.€tavSpo,;; � Tei.iv McxK€66vrov l3cxcr1.>.€0t;; �ffl.ll'TIXt;; 61.oyivn KOl.µCA>µ€Vcp €rff€V (//, 2.24), , '\ , 1"' , ., " ov ,CPl'J ,rcxvvv,c1.ov €ViSe:1.v 13ov>.11111opov avSpa. " Kat & li1.oyh11,;; aff€Kp(vcxTO (//, 2.25), >.cxoC T' i1r1.T€Tp&a,aTa1. Ka� T6crcra µ€µ11>.e:v. "
"i
Alexander t.he Macedonian king stood over Diogenes as he slept and said C//, 2.24>, "To sleep all night ill-suits a counsellor," And Diogenes responded (//, 2.25), "On whom t.he folk rely, whose cares are many." Theon 88-93; JohnSard 39, 7 -9; 41, 4- 11; Dox 2 .254, 5- 12 Epictetus, Dias. 3 .22.92 In the rhetorical t.radit.ion this chreia is recited in various forms, depending on the use t.o which it is put.. In it.s most familiar form, t.he one cited above, it. is used t.o illustrate what Theon and JohnSard call a double chreia, i.e., a chreia wit.h the sayings of' two ,rp6crro,ra (see Theon 86-88), t.he second of which refutes the first (see John Sard 41, 7-8; cf. Vat.Gram 15: rel'utativa>. Epict.et.us also recites this chreia as a double chreia, When, however, JohnSard and Dox merely want to use this chreia to illustrate one etymology of t.he word ,cp£Cot as deriving from the "need" .>.(A)t11.Z:6µe:vov, e:1.,re:v· " Et µ�v ,rpoc; &'v.Spac;, CX'TV,CE:'i:c;, e:t 6� ,rpo�
CATALOGUE OF CBREIAI
317
'YVVlnKCX�, ttc51.K€'C�. " Diogenes the philosopher, on seeing a youth dressed foppishly, said: .. If' you are doing this for husbands, you are accursed; if' for wives, you are unjust.."
Theon 139-41; JohnSard 40, 9-11 Diogenes Laertius, 6.54; Stobaeus, 3.6.38 (p. 294 Hense); Cno111. Vat. 171 (p. 70 Sternbach)
This chreia, whose saying is expressed in t.he form of' a syllogism (cf'. Theon 115-17), appears in the rhetoricians and out.side without changes in ,rp6aoo,rov or even in cbcxyyt>.Ccx. The similar sound of' aTV,CEt� and &:81.KE:t'� is an example of' ,rcxpoµ0Cooa1.� (cf'. Rhet. ,11d Alex. 1436a 5f'f') and is lost. in translation. 28. Diogenes 61.oytvri� 6 KVVI.K�� Cl)1,,-.6aoa,o� tBoov µE1.p&K1.ov IK µ01.,coO ,-.ceov� s&,-.,-.ov, " ncxOacx1., " ra,ri, .. ffCX1.8Cov, µ� &:yvooOv ,rcxCaa� Tov ,rcxTe:pa. " Diogenes the Cynic philosopher, on seeing a youth who was the son of' an adulterer throwing stones, said: "Stop, boy! You may unwittingly hit your f' at.her."
Theon 186-88; Dox 2.258, 18-20; Planud 2.18, 1 1-13; Darm 1.142, 30-32 Diogenes Laertius, 6.62; Cnom. Vat. 178 (p. 73 Sternbach) This chreia is not only witty, as Theon says has rightly observed, is clearly attributed to Diogenes since it appears in Diogenes Laertius, 6.51-52, Accordingly, Diogenes is surely the t1p6ac.ot1ov of Chreiai 30-34. Chreia 30 is attributed elsewhere to Diogenes and in much the same language (so Diogenes Laertius). Expanded versions of this chreia appear in Plutarch, Quom. qui.s' .s'UO.s' in t,irt• .s'ent. prol'. 77F-78A, and in Aelian, V.N. 13.26, although these expansions seem to develop also the tradition preserved in Diogenes Laertius, 6.22.
31, Diogenes 'ItS�v -y[uvlatKa 81.SaCaKlof..lE \ll'lV .,. 'I' , , ypaµµaTa, £1.fl£V' " 01.ov !.1.«Do� IXKOV!X'J'IXI., " On seeing a woman being taught. letters, he said: "Wow! A sword is being sharpened."
PBoll' 1 (p. 23 Collart)
For discussion, see comment. on Chreia
32.
32, Diogenes 'IS�v yuvtalt'Ka yuCvlcx1.K� auµ Sou>.E:vouaav, £ffl£V' .. ,Aat1t1; flap' l,cCSvrt� cD�pµaKov t10p(Z:£Ta1.. " On seeing a woman giving advice t.o a woman, he said: "As asp is being supplied venom from a viper."
PBoll' 1 (p. 23 Collart)
Antonius and Maximus, Sel'/11. de 111uliert."buB illlprobia, p. 609 (as cited in F. Mulach, Fragaenta 3.304)
This chreia is elsewhere attributed explicitly to Diogenes , although the sentiment of the saying
320
THE CRREIA I N ANCIENT RHETORIC
also finds a parallel in Menander Vr.ag. 702 Koch>: yvva.:,c o 61.6CXO'KCA)V ypaµµaT' ov Ka>.c.oi;; ffOI.E:t aa,r(61, 6� QloSe:pij ffpOO'ffOT(�e:1, QlapµaKOV who teaches woman how to write acts wrongly, g ives fearful asp more venom to imbibe.
Interestingly, this Menandrian fragment is related to both Chreiai 31 and 32, The first line parallels the circumstance of Chreia 31, but the second parallels the saying of Chreia 32. Moreover, that. these chreiai, which are so negative toward women, should appear in an educational set.ting is distressing to us but not unprecedented, given the similar classroom use of Menander's Honostichoi, many of which are equally misogynist , Presumably, what men feared about. an educated woman is humorously illustrated by a chreia which, incidentally, makes use of a line from Homer .�Sl'l� T€TPl'JTa1.. " On seeing an Ethiopian shiting, he said: ..Wow! A kettie with holes in it." PBour (p. 24 Collart) Theon Ccf. 373-74) was seemingly unable to cite one useless chreia. here is an obvious candidate! 35. Diogenes Diogenes Cynicus philosophus in die accensa lucerna quaerebat hominem. Diogenes the Cynic philosopher used to seek a man with a lighted lamp by day. Diom 1.310, 22-23 and 24-30 Diogenes Laertius, 6 . 41; Antonius and Maximus, Ser11. 111alitia111 eese facile111, p. 39 (as cited in Mullach, Frag111enta, 3 . 300) This well-known story about Diogenes looking for an ..honest man" is preserved for us in chreiai of all three ybl'J: as a sayings-chreia in Antonius and Maximus, an action-chreia in Diam, and a mixed chreia in Diogenes Laertius. While an attribution to Diogenes is certainly apt., as is clear from similar chreiai as well as from a well-known tendency t.o characterize Diogenes as pessimistic (see esp. G. A. Gerhard, .. Zur Legende vom Kyniker Diogenes," ARII 15 [19121 388-408>, it is nevertheless the case that this chreia is also attributed to Aesop .>.o� 8t CDl')a1. " rt K6vw CIiva�� €l� TO aov &vaaTp€Cl)€Tal. ,rp6aoo,rov. " The same man, on seeing someone living shamefully and then rebuking someone else for the very same thing, said: ••vou are like a man who blows ash against the wind," Another man, however, said: .. Why are you blowing dust.? It. is being carried back into your face."
JohnSard 40, 13-16
What. is of interest here is that. JohnSard is not reciting a double chreia but is, it. seems, merely appending an alternative saying to that. of Diogenes, It is clearly not. Diogenes• .>.o�>. but. the other ,rp6aoowov is not further identified. 37, Epameinondas 'E,raµnv6w6a� IIT€KVO� &,roCl)v�KCA>V l'>.€'Y€ Toi;� Cl)().01.�, " two 8uyot'T'Epo«; &1rf>.1.,rov, Tnv T€ 1T€pt t\€VKTpav , ' � ' , VI.Kl')V KUI. TqV 1T€pl. M UVTI.V€1.UV, •• Epameinondas, as he was dying childless, said t.o his friends: .. I have left. two daughters, the victory at Leuct.ra and the one at Mant.ineia."
Theon 314-17, cf. 318-33; JohnSard 38, 12-15
Diodorus SiclJus, lS.87 .6; Valerius Maximus, 3.2.S. Cf. also Nepos, Epa111eu,onfia 10.2, for a similar remark, and Cno111. Vat. 16 (p. 35 Sternbach) for fl.f'ther references.
In both Theon and JohnSard this chreia is used as an example of the way in which a chreia can be expanded. With a lit.tie thought., of course, most chreiai can be expanded into a fairly extensive passage, and such exercises seem to have been a regular part. of the young student's training. 38. Euripides Evp1.,r(61')�- o ffOl.l')Tr)� TOV voOv �µ&>v EK«xaTou lCDl')a€'1' €?'va1. 8€6v. The poet Euripides has said that the mind of each of us is a god.
Theon 281-82
This saying of Euripides appears as l'rag. 1018 in Nauck's Trag. (;r. Frag. in the nominative form:
CATALOGUE OF CBREIAi
323
o voO� 'Y�P �µc.ov lanv tv £Ktt!J'TCf) 8£6�. This line, or one very similar to It, is quoted numerous times, attributed sometimes to Euripides, sometimes to Menander (cf. Hon. 588 (p. 67 Jaekel>, sometimes to still other poets. It is alluded to, without. the author's name, in the Ciltonia Oiatichil 1.1-2: Si deus est animus, nobis ut carmina dict11t, Hie tibi praecipue sit pura mente colendus. This chreia shows how a quotable remark of a writer, of prose or poetry, could be lifted from the cont.ext, attributed to the author and thus made into a chreia. Such chreiai as 60-61 (Socphocles) and 6 7-68 (Vergil> show the same technique. In the case of ps.-Menander's Honoatichoi we have the same situation except that. the whole collect.ion, rat.her than each individual line or couplet, is at.t.ributed to the comic poet. 39. Gregory €U€P'Y€'Tl.3V v6µLZ:€ µLµn1J8CXL 8€6V, Practise imitating God by showing kindness. NicephBas 1.442, 12 This saying, in one form or another, is very common in antiquity attribute it to Aristotle. Moreover, Theon•s dislike of this chreia for its slighting of' parents (cf', Theon 302-304) seems reflected in a more balanced and individualized version of this chreia, again attributed to Alexander, in which he said that he admired Aristotle but he loved Philip no less, because the latter had given him life while the former had taught him to live well (cf'. Plutarch, Alex. 8, and Gnom. Vat. 87 [p. 40 St.ernbachl>, Indeed, the contrast between TO l:6v and To 1, What is meant by To 1.o'Yi.K�, K118'lKoua1.ov, a,rO(ll(IVTI.K� and TpO'lrl.K�, and so it remain s throughout t he rhetorical tradition and outside it. Recitation is also constant, except for indecision about whether K11p,r61; should be singular or plural. Attribution, however, varies. I n the rhetorical tradition, it is nearly always to I socrates -and quite aptly in light of' a similar sentiment of ps.-Isocrat.es, Ad Oe1110n.
326
THE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RBETORIC
47, But Diom attributes this chreia to Cato, again with aptness (see Catonis distich. 4.27 and Catonis monostich. 53). Elsewhere the attribution is to Aristotle , to Demosthenes , or to Cicero ,ce:6e:1. lv KopCv8q> yp&µµ. F'or a contemporary picture of such a teacher's duties see first Demosthenes, De cor. 265 where the orator says to Aeschines i.sC.scxaKE:c;; yp&µµcxTot and then De cor. 258 where he describes exactly what it is that his opponent did: With yoll' f'ather at the school you served as menial, g rinding the ink; sponging off the benches, and sweeping out the waiting room of' the paedag ogi, holding the position of a slave, not that of a free-born boy. So apparently we - or rather the Philip in the chreia - must think of' the once-powerful tyrant of' Syracuse who had received Plato and other philosophers in his palace (as Philip had received Aristotle>, who had written poetry and philosophic treatises, as now earning a bare subsistence in exile by teaching at the very lowest level. And though this point may have nothing to do with the meaning of the chreia, we hear from ps.-Oiogenes, ep. 8, that Dionysius was a bad teacher even at. this level, We also hear f'rom Plutarch, aeni re,p. ger. 7830, that the Cynic Diogenes conversed with t.he ex-tyrant. In Corinth and berated him f'or living bE:v8ipc.oc;; Kot� &6E:&\c;; , all a part of' t.he Cynic's sarcastic taunt.. On the other hand, Dio Chrysostom, 37.19, paints an almost glowing picture of' Dionyslus' days at. Corinth: a efoµoc Ka>.>.1.aTOV (Ha glorious spectacle"> whom no one tried to wrong or to deprive of' t.he possessions which he had brought. f'rom Sicily, Vet., more t.o the point intended by Chreia 44, St.obaeus, 4.47, 13 (p. 1006 Hense>, 9ives us a different picture and quotes Dionysius as saying ooc;; µcxKcxpi.01. o� lK ,rcx(&oov 6vaTV,CE:'i:c;; .E:µov at,cµ&>.ooTo� yE:v6µE:vo� Ka� ffoo>.ovµE:vo� EIJOO'Tfl8E:�� v,r6'T1,VO� T( tSvva'Tal., IG>rt, .. EAE:V8E:p0� E:rV(XI,, " A Laconian, who had become a prisoner of war and was being sold, on being asked by someone what he could do, said, "Be free,"
JohnSard 40, 17-19.
We have several chreiai in which a Laconian (Spartan, Lacedaemonian) man or woman is sold into slavery and is asked a similar question. The response varies, but it is always appropriate to some Spartan characteristic and most oft.en depicts him or her as st.ill defiant in servitude. See, for example, Plutarch, Apoth. lac. 233C (#21>, 2348-C (#37-40) and L ac. apoth. 242C-D (tt27-30>; cf'. also Gnom. Vat. ,10 (p. 202 Sternbach). Diogenes L aert.ius, 6.29, cites a chreia about the Cy nic Diogenes, who is asked the same question when he is put up for sale, His response is clvBpcZ'v o!'p,cE:1.v. Indeed, the sale of Diogenes seems t. o have become something of a cause celebre, for Diogenes Laertius quotes from two works entitled
THE CRREIA IN ANCIENT RHETORIC
tu.oybouc; Ilp«t1.c;, one by either Menippus or Hermippus, one by Eubulus. Strangely enough, we have found no chreia about Plato and his reaction to being sold by the tyrant Dionysius II. 47. Milo Milo, quem vitulum adsueverat ferre, taurum ferebat. Milo used to carry the bull which he had grown accustomed to carry as a calf,
QI.int 29-30
On the form of this chreia see the discus sion In the "Introduction to Quintilian" (above, pp. 133-34), Milo of Crotona 11, " c51.aBch>.cov µ£ ,rp�c; T�v '1lpav; " Olympias, on hearing that her son Alexander was proclaiming himself the offspring of Zeus, said, "Won't this fellow stop slandering me to Hera?"
Theon 135-37; NicMyra 88-91, cf'. 97-100; ProgAnon 1.18,5-8; Darm 1.142,24-27; ScholAnon 2.587.9-11.
CATALDGUE OF CRREJAi
331
A similar remark of Olympias is found in Plutarch, Alex. ch, 3,2 (665E>, and Aulus Gellius, 13.4, quotes from a letter of Olympias to Alexander which he found in Marcus Varro•s Orestes ve/ De Insania. Gellius then not only briefly expands the remark much in the way that Theon does the chreia about Epameinondas , he also explains its lesson. In doing so, Gellius agrees with the analysis of NicMyra (97-100) that Olympias• reply serves as a gentle warning to her son and does not constitute merely a witty remark. For a humorous reference to the same subject see the conversation betwen Alexander and Diogenes in Dia Chrysostom 4.19 where the Cynic calls the king v1roSo>.1.µaC'� < .. bastard") and then defends his remark by referring to a statement of' Olympias that Zeus or some god was Alexander's father. 49. Pit.t.acus m.TTIXIC� � M1.-ru>.'lvatoc; tpCAlTrt9€tc; €t >.av8aV€1. Tl.I; TOUI; 9€0VI; CS,cxu>.ov Tl. ,roi.l.3v, €?°1T€V, " OvcS� cS1.ocvoovµ€voc;• •• Pit.t.acus of' Mitylene, on being asked if' anyone escapes the not.ice of the gods in commit.ting some sinful act, said, .. Not even in contemplating it.." Theon 56-58; 235-38; NicMyra 18-21, cf. 22-38; ProgAnon 1.216,24-217,4; D011 2.256,25-27; 264,16-18; 264,30-265,2; 265,8-10; Planud 2.16,24-17, 1, cf. 21,8-13; Darm 1.141,13-15, cf. 15-16; ScholAnon 2.585,19-23.
Theon quot.es this chreia and esp. Cnom. Vat. 316 (pp. 121-122 Sternbach). In addition, t.he same sentiment. appears frequently in non chreia form: e.g. Rhet. ad Alex. 1432a35-40; ps.-Menander, I/on. 626 Cp. 69 Jaekel> and cf. 347, 432, 841; Epictetus, Diss. 2.14.11; Lucian, Anth.Pal. 10.27; Sextus, Ench. 57a ; Stobaeus 1.3,11 (p. 54 Wachsmuth> = Trag. Frag. Adesp. 487 Cp. 934 Nauck Snell>. Similar remarks abound: e.g. Juvenal, Sat. 13.209-10; Aelian, V.H. 14.28; Marcus Aurelius i,3; Aulus Gellius 12.11,2; Apuleius, Flor. 4.20; Xenophon, lle111. 1.4,19; and Crit.ias, Frag. 1 Cp. 771 Nauck Snell>, esp. vv. 22-23. For additional references see J. E. B. Mayor's JtNenal, comment to Sat. 13,209-10 (vol. 2,pp. 281-82), The popularity of' the sentiment in general and of' the chreia in particular has caused some differences t.o develop in the wording of' Chreia 49: (1) The ,rp6croo,rov is always Pit.tacus in the rhetorical texts, but in other writers we find Thales in Diogenes laertius 1.36; Valerius Maximus 7,2,8; Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.14; and we find Zeno in Maximus of Tyre 5 Cp, 545,21ff', CCombefisJ>; Arsenius, p. 265,Uf. The quest.ion in the chreia Is introduced sometimes by lpooTl')8tC\, sometimes by wu8oµbou lTipou, etc, The quest.ion itself has ,ro1,l.3v TL, dlaO>.cc 1101.iv, d)cc0>.ov Tl, 1101.iilv or Tl, ,rpacrcroov, KCCKIX ,rpacrcroov. (3) The response, in addition t.o the regular ov6£ and the ov ou6€ of Theon .>.'ov6l, �TL µ1')8£, and in Clement we find Kee� ,r&>\ • • • �\ yt oust Valerius Maximus has ne cogitata quide111 which is probably a translation of' the usual ov6E 61.CCVOOUµE:VO\, Many other minor variations in t.he wording could be listed, but. none of' them aff'ect.s t.he basic sense of t.he chreia in any import.ant. way. They are merely what. one expects t.o find in a chreia, or in any t.ype o f' saying, t.hat. was as popular and as widely-used in a variety of' ways as Chreia 49 seems t.o have been. 50. Plato
..
n>.choov 110T� A1.oy�vou\ &111.crTlavTo\ €V ayo,rq Ka� KCC>.ovvTO\ CCVTOV Eff� , ., , TO CCffl.CJ'TOV, " S2 AI.O"'(E:VE:\, " €1.ffE:V, I , It-. � a, •• oo\ ,cccp1.E:v a v l')V crou To, a,r>.cccrTov E:t µ� ,r>.cccrTov �v. "
...
Once when Diogenes was having lunch in the marketplace and invited him t.o lunch, Plato said, "Diogenes, how charming your unpretentiousness would be, if' it were not. so pretentious,"
CATALOGUE OF CBREIAi
333
Theon 77-80; Dox 2.2 57 , 10- 13; Planud 2 . 17, 14-1 7; Darm 1 .142,6- 10; Cnom.
ltd. 445 (p. 167 Sternbach).
In each occurrence of this chreia, the form and wording remain virtually constant. On Diogenes eating in the marketplace, see, e.g. Diogenes Laertlus 6.22, 58 and 69. On the numerous instances of enmity between Diogenes and Plato, see Diogenes Laertius 6.24-26, 40-41, and 53. 5 1. Plato
II�6:-rc.ov d Qn,�6aoci,o� -ro�� -rfi� &pe:-r�� K�oova� re1111 tSpoon Ka� ,r6vo1.� ci,{u;:a8a1.. Plato the philosopher used to say that the off shoots of virtue grow by sweat and toil. Theon 161-63; Aphth 8-9; Dox 2. 254, 12 - 13; 256, 12- 13; 258,23-24; 260, 10-11; 264, 1 4-15; Planud 2. 18, 16- 1 7; Matt 1. 122 , 26-27; Darm 1 . 143, 2 -3; EpitAnon 1.12S', 22-23. This chreia, although it is rather popular in the rhetorical tradition, seems not to appear outside it, nor does it appear to be derived from a Platonic passage. At any rate, it Is missing even from the collection of passages in A. Riginos (P/.atonic.a: The Anecdotes concerning the Lire .and llriting, or
Pl.ato [Leiden: Brill, 19761).
52. Plato IIM-rcov l'e1111ae:v -ra� Mo6aa� b -rat� lj/V,Cixi;� 'rl.3V €VCIIVl1iV olKE:tV, Plato said that the Muses dwell in the souls of the gifted,
Hermog 7 -B; Prise S'- 10; NicMyra 136-37; ScholAnon 2.588,5- 6 . This chreia, which seems not to occur outside the rhetorical tradition, appears in two forms within it. The slmpler form, as shown above, belongs to Hermog (and, of course, Prise> . In this form the chreia is, to use Theon's more precise terminology (cf. Theon, lines 36-40), cboci,avnKov Ka8' EKOUa1.ov (cf. Hermog 28-29: &,roci,avnKaC; NicMyra 1 31-34: d,r�aw. NicMyra (cf. also ScholAnon>, however, not only recites the chreia differently (changing e:vci,voov to ,ra1.6e:vo1,1tvwv> but alters its form. He adds a question- "on being asked where the Muses dwell" - and hence turns the chreia into one which Theon would call a,rOKpl.'rl.Kc3v Ka'ra ,rua1,1a .E:u�. Z:TJTOUVTCA>V Tl.l'li>V ,rapa ,r6-rov ,r6-rE:po� KpE:(TTCA>V av>.ri-r�� ,AVTl.'iE:vvCcSa� ii Ea-rvpo�. .. 'E1,1ot 1,1b, ,, El.ff[, .. a-rpa TTJ'Y�� Ilo>.va,rip,ccov. " Pyrrhus, t.he king of Epirus, when some people were debating over wine whet.her Ant.igennidas or Sat.yrus was t.he bet.t.er flute-player, said, ••In my opinion, Polysperchon is t.he bett.er general."
Theon 174-7B; Dox 2.259,4-7; Planud 2.1B,25-19,2; Darm 1.143,9-12.
Plutarch, 8eg. et imp. apotl'J. 1B4C; l'-9rrl'Jus, ch. B (3B70); Stobaeus 4.13,57 (p. 367 Hense).
In addit.ion to numerous minor variations in the wording of t.he different. versions of this chreia, we find t.wo ,rp6aco,ra: Pyrrhus in Theon, Plut.arch, and St.obaeus; it is Epameinondas in Dox, Planud, and Darm. The rhetoricians cite t.his chreia as an example of one which contains a change of subject.. To make such a change more feasible and effective, t.he chreia mentions a discussion which t.akes place over wine and concerns t.wo flut.e-players (Ant.igennidas of Thebes was t.he son of Satyrus>. F'lut.e players oft.en appear as objects of ridicule (cf., for example; Plut.arch, Reg. et i111p. apoth. 193F'; 20DC>, and so Pyrrhus (or Epameinondas) changes t.he discussion t.o a more serious subject, i.e. t.o Polysperchon (or, more commonly, Polyperchon>,
one of Alexa nder's famous generals. As St.obaeus says, he makes t.he change 81.86:aKcov li'-r1. &:vayKata cSE:t Z:TJTE:tv Kat 1,1� il,cpria-ra. F'or a discussion of the technique used here as well as a n example of a change of subject. from music t. o milit.ary mat.t.ers a nd other serious matters, see Plutarch, Non posse suaviter
Vivi 1095C-1096C,
54. Pythagoras
Ilv8ay6pa� o e111.>.6aodlo� £pCA>TTJ8E�� ,r6ao £anv d -ri.i>v &vepir,,rcov S(o�, 1 &vaSa� ht -ra cSco1,1&:-r1.ov ,rap€KVl4'E:V l,>,(yov, cSri>.c.ov St.a TOUTOV T�V Spa,cu-rri-ra. Pythagoras t.he philosopher, on being asked how long human life is, went. up t.o his bedroom and
CATALOGUE OF CRREIAJ
peeked in for a short. t.ime, showing t.hereby it.s brevit.y,
Theon 107-11; Aphth 10-12; JohnSard 43,1-3; Dox 2.251,28-29; 257,16-18; 260,20-21; 261,6-7; 264,25-26; 265,5-7, 11-12; EpitAnon 1.129,24-26.
Theon uses this chreia to illust.rat.e a mixed chreia (cf, Theon, lines 105-7), but his definit.ion is idiosyncratic (see .. General Jnt.roduction," above p. 24). Usually a mixed chreia contains both a saying and an action. On this underst.anding the chreia is clearly an act.ion-chreia, as indeed Aphth classifies it without changing its form SCct> KO:� ffE:p� µ1')8£V tt,r>.ooc; a,rov .SttZ:E:l.V, Simonides' advice to play in life and to be entirely serious about nothing (is harmful).
Theon 371-72.
Although this chreia resembles several others in the collection .>.o.Soopov '' 'A81.Kt.i\� aov 8ava-rov Ka-r�yvooaav 'A8'1vato1., " y€>.aaa� ru,'1, " Ev .S� �Sov>.ov 81.Ka(oo�; "
'Tl.Va� yvc.op(µov >.iyov-ro� au-rip,
Socrates the philosopher, when a certain student named Apollodorus said to him, "The Athenians have unjustly condemned you to death,,. said with a laugh, "But did you want them to do it justly?" Theon 143-46; Dox 2.265 , 16 -20. Despite the apt and witty reply of Socrates, this chreia appears, with some variations, in only a few other places: Xenophon, Apo/. 28 (an even more wordy version than Chreia 58); Seneca, De Const,;,n, 1,3; Diogenes Laert.ius 2.35 (where Socrates makes his remark to Xanthippe>. See also f;nom. Vat. 478 (p. 177 St.ernbach> and 487 , where similar passages are listed, and add perhaps Teles 3.93-96 .6yo�. Some things are adorned by one thing, some by another, but only reason is t.he proper adorner of t.he soul.
338
THE CRREJA JN ANCIENT RBETORJC
GregCyp 2.269,1-273,14; see esp. 270,9-10. The passage which GregCyp has written is an lp-yccaCcc of' saying attributed to Socrates, as Hunger .cx Z:oua�. ,, Theophrastus, on being asked what love is, said, .. Passion of an idle soul." Lib 8.97 .11-12
Stobaeus 4.20.66 (p. 468 Hense); ,nom. Vat. 332 (p. 130 Sternbach).
This chreia is usually attributed to Theophrastus, and perhaps aptly, given a similar sentiment in another chreia attributed to him: "tpcoi;; Si �anv &>.oyCaTov nva� b1.8v1,1Ccx� U'll'tpSo>.� TIX,Ct'Cov µiv l',covacx T�v ,rp6aoSov, SpaStrcxv SE T�v &w6>.va1.v ("love is an excess of some illogical desire with a quick onset and a slow release"); cf. Stobaeus 4.20.64 Cp. 468 Hense>. Still, Packmohr COe Oiogenis dpophthegm,gtis, 31> knows of Mss that attribute this chreia to Theano, and the sentiment itself is not uncommon (see, e.g., Diogenes Laertius 6.51 and Publilius Syrus 34>. 67. Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro dixit (Aen. 3.57) Auri sacra fames. Publius Vergilius Maro said: "Accursed (is> the hunger for gold." Diom 1.310, 18 This chreia and the following one, like several others in this collection, consist of a brief quotation from a poet who thus becomes the ,rpooco,rov. Sometimes, as in Chreiai 60-61, the quotation becomes the subject of an �pycxaCcx; at other times, it is used in a K>.Ca1.�, as Diam suggests can be done with Chreiai 67-68, or it can even be the subject of a KIXTaaKE:V�, as Theon (280-297> uses Chreia 38, or of an &:vaaKtv�, as Theon (370-372> uses Chreia 56. 68. Vergil Publius Vergilius Maro dixit (Aen. 4.13), Degeneres animos timor arguit. Publius Vergilius Maro said: .. Fear reveals base born souls."
CATALOGUE OF CBREJAi
343
Diom 1.310,19 See the comment on Chreia 67 for the significance of this chreia and the techniques that may be employed i n its use,
INDEX OF ALTERNATE TIPOUlIIA
Occasionally one of the 68 chreiai in the Catalogue appears with a different 1tp6crnntov. The list which follows identifies these alternate 1tp6crco1to. to gether with the one used in the Catalogue. These variants are treated where necessary in the comments to the chreiai. Aesop, pro Diogenes (Chreia 35). Agesilaus, pro Laconian (Chreia 45). Alexander Molossus, pro Antisthenes (Chreia 6). Anacharsis, pro Thales (Chreia 63). Antigonus, pro Alexander (Chreia 4). Antisthenes, pro Isocrates (Chreia 42). Archidemus, pro Laconian (Chreia 45). Aristotle, pro Gregory (Chreia 39); pro Isocrates (Chreiai 41 and 43). Bias, pro Bion (Chreia 10); pro Thales (Chreia 63). Cato, pro Isocrates (Chreia 43). Cicero, pro Isocrates (Chreia 43). "Cynicus mordax," pro Antisthenes (Chreia 9). Damonidas, pro Damon (Chreia 16). Demetrius of Phalerum, pro Bion (Chreia 10). Democritus, pro Bion (Chreia 10); pro Gregory (Chreia 39). Demosthenes, pro Cato (Chreia 12); pro Gregory (Chreia 39); pro Isocrates (Chreia 43). Diogenes, pro Antislhenes (Chreia 6) ;
pro Aristippus vel etiam pro Antisthenes (Chreia 9); pro
Bion (Chreia 10). Dorion, pro Damon (Chreia 16). Epameinondas, pro Pyrrhus (Chreia 53). Eumonidas, pro Damon (Chreia 16). Homer, see discussion of Chreia 24. Isocrates, pro Gregory (Chreia 39). Lysander, pro Laconian (Chreia 45). Menander, see discussion of Chreia 38. Metrodorus, pro Aristippus (Chreia 9). Neilus of Constantinople, pro Gregory (Chreia 39). Philip of Macedon, pro Diogenes (Chreia 23). Pittacus, pro Thales (Chreia 63). Plato, pro Aristippus (Chreia 9). Praxagoras, pro Gregory (Chreia 39). Pythagoras, pro Gregory (Chreia 39). Thales, pro Pittacus (Chreia 49). Theano, pro Theophrastus (Chreia 66). Theocritus of Chios, see discussion of Chreia 9. Theodorus, pro Antisthenes (Chreia 9). Zeno, pro Pittacus (Chreia 49).
INDEX NOMINUM by EDWARD N. O'NEIL
Abbreviations:
Aphth Hermog NicMyra Prise Quint Theon VatGram
= = = = = = =
Aphthonius of Antioch Hermogenes of Tarsus Nicolaus of Myra Priscian of Caesarea Marcus Fabius Quintilianus Aelius Theon of Alexandria Vatican Grammarian
The or der of cit ations follows the sequence in which t he authors appear in Volume I: Theon, quint, Hermog, Prise, Aphth, NicMyra, Vat.Gram. * = Chief ,rp6aCA>,rov of a chreia. Achilles, Vat.Gram 31*. Hero of the Iliad. Aesop, Quint 6; NicMyra 118*. Writer of fables. Alexander, Theon 88*, 135*, 151*, 158*; NicMyra 88, cf. 99. The Macedonian king. Ant.igennidas, Theon 176. Theban flute-player. Apollodorus, Theon 143. Follower of Socrates. Aristeides, NicMyra 122*, Athenian statesman. Aristippus, Vat.Gram 17*, 19*, 21*, Cyrenaic philosopher. At.henian, Theon 145, [3181. See also At.tic. At.hens, Theon 364. At.tic, Theon 363. See also Athenian. Bion, Theon 125*, 368*, Cynic philosopher. Cato, M. Porcius, Vat.Gram 12*, Cato the Elder; Roman statesman. Crates, Quint 26*. Cynic philosopher. Croesus, Theon 153. Lydian king. cynic, C=Ant.ist.henes> VatGram
16; Theon 42, 100, 186, 251, 258, 267, 272; VatGram 4, 24. Cyrenaic,