THE TEMPLE PLUTARCH Edited by W. H. D. ROUSE M.A. DE ? P5.5 1898 v.4 LILLY LI B_;_ARY JUL 7 1965 EARLHAM COLLEGE THE LIVES OF THE NOBLE GREEKS AND ROMANS The most of them compared together by that _rave learned Philosopher and Historio- grapher Plutarch of Ch_ronea THE LIFE OF ARISTIDES AglS'rIDES the son of Lysimachus, wa's certainly of Aristides' the tribe of Antiochis, and of the town of Alopec4. wealth But for his goods and wealth, they diversely write of him. For.some say, he lived poorly all the days of his life, and that he left two daughters, which by reason of their poverty, lived unmarried many years after their father's death. And many of the oldest writers do confirm that for truth. Yet Demetrius Phalereus, in his book entitled Socrates, writeth the contrary: that he knew certain lands Aristides had in the village of Phalerum, which did yet bear the name of Aristides' lands, in the which his body is buried. And furthermore, to shew that he was well to live, and that his house was rich and wealthy, he bringeth forth these proofs. First, that he was one year mayor or provost of Athens, whom they called _4,'chon Bpon),rnos, because the year took the name of him that had it yearly. And they say he came to it, by drawing iv A PLUTARCH'S LIVES Good of the bean, according to the ancient use of the men Athenians, and their wonted manuer of making takemay their election of the said office : In which election gifts, none were admitted to draw the bean, but such as were highest set in their subsidy books, accord- ing to the value and rate of their goods, whom they called at Athens, Pentacosiomedimni, as you would say, those that might dispend five hundred bushels of wheat by the year, and upwards. Secondly, he allegeth he was banished by the Ostracismos, which banisheth the nobility and great rich men only, whom the common people envy, because of their greatness, and never dealeth with poor men. The third and last reason he makes is, that he left of his gift, threefooted stools in the temple of Bacchus, which those do commonly offer up, as have won the victory in comedies, tragedies, or other such like pastimes, whereof they themselves had borne the charge. And those threefooted stools remain there yet, which they say were given by Aristides, and have this inscription upon them : The tribe of Antiochis wan the victory, Aristides defrayed the charges of the games, and Archestratus the poet taught them to play his comedies. This last reason, though it seem likeliest of them all, yet is it the weakest of the rest. For Epaminondas (whom every man knoweth was poor even fi'om his birth, and always lived in great poverty) and Plato the philosopher, took upon him to defray the charges of games that were of no small expense, the one having borne the charges of flute players at Thebes, and the other the dance of the children which danced in a round at Athens : toward, the furnishing of which charges 1 ARISTIDES 3 Dion the Syracusan gave Plato money, and Pelopidas but after also gave Epaminondas money. Now, this is not a sort spoken that vertuous men should always refuse the gifts of their friends, and that they might not in some sort accept their friends' courtesy offered them : but because they should think it uncomely and dishonourable for them, to take any thing to enrich themselves, or to spare and hoard up. How- belt where there is any honourable act to be done, or any public shew to be made, not tending to their private benefit: in such a case they should not re- fuse their friends' loving offer, and goodwill towards them. And where Demetrius saith the threefooted stool was offered up in the temple of ]_._acchus, Pan_etius declareth plainly, that Demetrius was deceived by the semblance of the name. For since the time of the wars of the Medes, unto the begin- ning of the war of Peloponnesus, in all the registers and records kept of the defrayers of the charges of common plays, there were found but two men bear- ing name of Aristides that obtained victory: and neither of them both was son unto Lysimachus, whom we write of at this present. For the one is expressly named the son of Xenophilus, and the other was long after the same Aristides we now speak of: as appeareth easily by the writing and orthography, which is according to the grammar rules, we have used in Greece ever since Euclides' time. Moreover it is easy to be known, by the name of the poet Archestratus that is adjoined to it. For there is no man that maketh mention of a poet of this name, in all the wars of the Medes: but in the time of the wars of Peloponnesus, many do put him in for an author and maker of rimes 4 PLUTARCH'S LIVES Damon and songs that were sung in common dances. Yet babecausnishede for all Pan_etius' objections, the matter is to be he was better looked into, and considered of. But for the too wise Ostracismos banishment, it is true, that such as were great men in estimation above the common people, either in fame, nobility, or eloquence, they only were subject unto this banishment. For Damon himself, being Pericles' schoolmaster, was banished : only because the common people thought him too wise. Moreover, Idomeneus writeth, that Aristides was their provost for a year, not by lot of beans, but by voices of the Athenians that chose him. And if he were provost since the journey of Plat,ca, as Demetrius writeth: it is likely enough that they did him this honour, for his great vertue and notable service, which other were wont to obtain for their riches. But this Demetrius doth not only defend Aristides, but also Socrates' poverty, as if it were a foul vice and reproach to be poor. For he writeth, that he had not only a house of his own, but also threescore and ten minas at usury, which Criton gave him interest for. But now to our story again. Aristides was Clisthenes' very friend, he that restored the government at Athens after the expulsion of the thirty tyrants, and did reverence Lycurgus the Lawmaker of the Laced_e- monians for his laws, above all the men in his time : and therefore he ever favoured the state of Aristo- cratia, that is, where the noble men rule, and have the sovereignty. Howbeit he ever had Themis- tocles (Neocles' son) his continual adversary, as taking part with the contrary, and defending the popular state of government. Some say, that being scholars and brought up together, they were ever ARISTIDES 5 contrary one to another in all their actions and Aristides doings, were it in sport, or in matters of earnest: Themis-_.nd and ever after, men began to see the natural in- todes clination of them both, by their contrary affections, adver- For Themistocles was quick, nimble, adventurous, saries and subtile, and would renter on any thing upon light occasion. Aristides contrariwise was very quiet, temperate, constant and marvellous well stayed, who would for no respect be drawn away from equity and justice, neither would lie, flatter, nor abuse anybody, though it were hut in sport. Notwithstanding, Aristus of Chios writeth, that their malice began first of light love, and that it grew to greatness by process of time between them: for (saith he) both the one and the other of them fell in love with Stesileus, born in the Isle of Ceos. This fond light love of theirs, fell not easily from them, nor the envy they conceived one against an- other, but continued against each other in matters of state : such was their malice towards one another. In which calling, Themistocles sought the way to win friends, by whose means he came to great pre- ferment in short time, and had made himself very strong by them. Therefore, when a friend of his told him one day, he was worthy to govern the city of Athens, and were very fit for it, if he were indifferent, and not partial. The gods forbid (quoth he) I should ever occupy the place of a governor, where my friends should not find more favour than strangers, that do me no pleasure. But Aristides taking another course by himself, would not stand upon his friends in government. First, because he would do no man wrong, with pleasuring his friends: nor yet would anger them, by denying their 6 PLUTARCH'S LIVES Aristides' requests. Secondly, because he saw many rulers manner of and men of authority bold to do injustice, and dealing manifest wrong, bearing themselves upon their withcommonthe friends : but he carried this opinion, that no honest wealth man, or good citizen, should trust to any bolstering of friends, but to his own just and upright doings. Notwithstanding, Aristides perceiving that Themis- tocles did rashly alter many things, and ever en- countered all his ways, and hindered his doings: he was enforced sometime to cross Themistocles again, and to speak against that he preferred, partly to be even with him, but most to hinder his credit and authority, which increased still through the people's favour and goodwills towards him : think- ing it better by contrarying him a little to disappoint sometime a thing that might have fallen out well for the common wealth, rather than by giving him the head, to suffer him to grow too great.