Xenophon Memorabilia

Xenophon Memorabilia

Xenophon Memorabilia Translated and Annotated by AMY L. BONNETTE WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS ITHACA AND LONDON Copyright © 1994 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850. First published 1994 by Cornell University Press First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2001 Printed in the United States of America Libmnt of Congress Cntaloging-in-Publication Data Xenophon. [Memorabilia. English] Xenophon, Memorabilia I translated and annotated by Amy L. Bonnette ; with an introduction by Christopher Bruell. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN o-8014-2963-3 (doth : alk. paper) ISBN o-8014-8171-6 (pbk : alk. paper) 1. Socrates. 2. Philosophers, Ancient-Biography-Early works to 18oo. I. Bonnette, Amy L., 1961- U. Title. BX,316.X2B66 1994 183'.2-dc2o [Bl Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. Books that bear the logo of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) use paper taken from forests that have been inspected and certified as meeting the highest standards for environmental and social responsibility. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. 1 3 5 7 9 Cloth printing 10 8 6 4 2 1 3 5 7 9 Paperback printing 10 8 6 4 2 Contents Introduction: Xenophon and His Socrates vii Christopher Bruell Translator's Nate xxiii Amy L. Bonnette ~ Memorabilia ~ Xenophon BOOK I Chapters 1-7 1 BOOK II Chapters 1-1 a 33 BooK III Chapters 1-14 71 BooK IV Chapters 1-8 111 Notes Index INTRODUCTION Xenophon and His Socrates Christopher Bruell The following remarks are intended to lend support to the view that Xenophon's account of Socrates deserves more respectful at­ tention from those interested in Socrates than it often receives to­ day. The demonstration of such a proposition is too great a task in this context. But I will try to create a predisposition in its favor (or on behalf of open-minded consideration of it) in two ways: first, by considering in a very general way what might be responsible for the current neglect of Xenophon's account; and, then, by giving a brief summary of the contents of the Memorabilia/ the longest of Xenophon1 S four Socratic writings and the one to which this vol­ ume is devoted. 1. Far more obviously than Plato/ Xenophon calls attention in his writings to his own relationship with Socrates. He claims fre­ quently/ Plato only once1 to have been present at the Socratic con­ versations he reports. He often comments/ in his own name/ on Socrates' words and deeds and on his life as a whole/ something Plato never does; and he sometimes talks of the impression they made on him in particular. In accord with this, he calls his long­ est Socratic work "Memorabilia// that is/ "Recollections/' his rec­ ollections of Socrates; there is no parallel to this in the Platonic dialogues. One might add that whereas the dialogues, with the An earlier version of this introduction appeared in Interpretation 16, no. 2 (Winter tg88-8g): 295-306. It is used here, in revised and corrected form, with the kind permission of the editor in chief of that journal, Hilail Gildin. viii] Introduction possible exception of the Laws (and the Epinomis), are devoted en­ tirely to Socrates-Plato himself being mentioned only three times, almost in passing-Xenophon's works include not only the Education of Cyrus, devoted to the founder of the Persian empire, but also the Anabasis of Cyrus, whose real hero, the rescuer of al­ most ten thousand Greeks from extreme peril in the heart of the Persian empire, is Xenophon himself. All of this would seem to justify an expectation on our part of finding in Xenophon's works an account of his association with Socrates. But this expectation, if not entirely disappointed, is ful­ filled in a surprising way. Xenophon recounts only two episodes in what must have been a complex friendship of some duration. The first was a conversation that took place in the presence of Cri­ to's son, Critobulus, a lazy, fun-loving, and spendthrift youth, whom Socrates, despite or perhaps in part because of these quali­ ties, liked to spend time with: "Tell me, Xenophon," he said, "didn't you hold Critobulus to be one of the moderate rather than the rash human beings, and one of those with forethought rather than senseless and reckless?" "Certainly," said Xenophon. "Well, hold now that he is hotheaded and heedless in the ex­ treme. He would even make somersaults into daggers and leap into fire." "And what did you see him doing," said Xenophon, "that you have formed such judgments about him?" "Did he not dare to kiss the son of Aldbiades, who is most fair and in his bloom?" he said. "But if that is the reckless deed,'' said Xenophon, "in my opin­ ion, I, too, would endure this risk." "You wretch!" Socrates said. "And what do you think you would suffer after kissing someone beautiful? Would you not immediately be a slave rather than free, spend a lot for harmful pleasures, be in great want of leisure for attending to anything noble and good, and be compelled to take seriously what even a madman would not take seriously?" "Herac1es!" said Xenophon. "What a terrible power you as­ cribe to a kiss." "And do you wonder at this?" said Socrates. "Don't you know Xenophon and His Socrates [ix that poisonous spiders not even half an obol in size crush human beings with pain and drive them from their senses merely by touching them with their mouths?" "Yes, by Zeus!" said Xenophon. "For spiders inject something through their sting." "You fool!" said Socrates. "Do you think that when those who are beautiful kiss they don't inject anything, just because you don't see it? Don't you know that this beast that they call beau­ tiful and in bloom is so much more terrible than spiders that, while spiders inject something when they touch, it (even when it does not touch, but if one just looks at it) injects even from quite far away something of the sort to drive one mad? ... But I coun­ sel you, Xenophon, whenever you see someone beautiful, to flee without looking back." Xenophon often comments favorably on the effectiveness of So­ cratic exhortations. For some reason, he refrained from doing so in this case. The second episode is recounted not in the Socratic writings proper, but in the Anabasis. Xenophon had received a letter from a friend inviting him to accompany the friend on an expedition being organized by Cyrus, the younger brother of the then Persian king. Xenophon took the letter to Socrates and consulted with him about the trip. Socrates was worried that association with Cyrus might get Xenophon into trouble with Athens, since Cyrus was thought to have given enthusiastic assistance to Sparta in its recent war with Athens. So Socrates advised Xenophon to go to Delphi to consult with the god about the trip. Xenophon went to Delphi, and he put a question to Apollo: to which of the gods should he sacrifice and pray in order to make the journey he intended to make in the no­ blest and best manner and to come back safely, having acted in a noble manner. When Xenophon returned to Athens with Apollo's answer, Socrates blamed him for not having asked first whether it was better for him to make the trip or not; instead, Xenophon had made the chief decision himself and had asked only about the means. As a result, Socrates was compelled to advise Xenophon to proceed with the trip in accordance with the god's instructions. The account of his association with Socrates that Xenophon con­ veys through these stories is somewhat surprising in any case. It is x] Introduction all the more surprising for its apparent inconsistency with the im­ pression conveyed by the features of his Socratic works we have mentioned: the stories seem to indicate that Xenophon did not place very great weight on his relationship with Socrates, even that he took it lightly. But perhaps that impression was in need of quali­ fication or correction. More precisely, what the stories indicate is that Xenophon was not entirely receptive to Socrates' advice. Be­ yond that, as his life as a whole also serves to suggest, Xenophon did not regard the Socratic life-the philosophic life pure and sim­ ple-as a model for him to follow in every respect. It is safe to assume that he expected the same to be true of many of his readers as well. This consideration may help to explain another feature of Xen­ ophon's Socratic works: the almost total absence from them of phil­ osophic protreptic, exhortations to philosophize of the sort found in abundance in the Platonic dialogues. In their place, we find-in Xenophon's Symposium-a witty and lighthearted but no less tell­ ing critique of the Socratic circle, or at least of some of its most conspicuous members. (The very terms "philosophy," "philoso­ phers," "philosophize," occur very infrequently in the Socratic writings.) Xenophon had a precise understanding of what the ab­ sence of philosophic protreptic entails.

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