But now the night extends her awful shade:If it please the company then, let us sacrifice to the Muses, to Neptune, and to Amphitrite, and so bid each adieu for this night. This was the conclusion of that meeting, my dear Nicarchus.
The Goddess parts you: be the night obeyed.
4
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Anacharsis after all this discourse spake to this
purpose: Since Thales has asserted the being of a soul in
all the principal and most noble parts of the universe, it
is no wonder that the most commendable acts are governed
by an over-ruling Power; for, as the body is the organ of
the soul, so the soul is an instrument in the hand of God.
Now as the body has many motions of its own proceeding
from itself, but the best and most from the soul, so the
soul acts some things by its own power, but in most things
it is subordinate to the will and power of God, whose
glorious instrument it is. To me it seems highly unreasonable—and I should be but too apt to censure the
wisdom of the Gods, if I were convinced.—that they use
fire, and water, and wind, and clouds, and rain for the
preservation and welfare of some and for the detriment
and destruction of others, while at the same time they
make no use of living creatures that are doubtless more
serviceable to their ends than bows are to the Scythians
or harps or pipes to the Greeks.
Chersias the poet broke off this discourse, and told the
company of divers that were miraculously preserved to his
[p. 40]
certain knowledge, and more particularly of Cypselus, Periander's father, who being newly born, his adversary sent
a party of bloody fellows to murder him. They found the
child in his nurse's arms, and seeing him smile innocently
upon them, they had not the heart to hurt him, and so
departed; but presently recalling themselves and considering the peremptoriness of their orders, they returned and
searched for him, but could not find him, for his mother
had hid him very carefully in a chest.1 When he came to
years of discretion, and understood the greatness of his
former danger and deliverance, he consecrated a chapel at
Delphi to Apollo, by whose care he conceived himself preserved from crying in that critical time, and by his cries
from betraying his own life. Pittacus, addressing his discourse to Periander, said: It is well done of Chersias to
make mention of that chapel, for this brings to my mind a
question I several times purposed to ask you but still forgot,
namely,—To what intent all those frogs were carved upon
the palm-tree before the door, and how they affect either
the Deity or the dedicator? Periander remitted him to
Chersias for answer, as a person better versed in these
matters, for he was present when Cypselus consecrated the
chapel. But Chersias smiling would not satisfy them, until
they resolved him the meaning of these aphorisms; ‘Do not
overdo,’
‘Know thyself,’ but particularly and principally
this,—which had scared divers from wedlock and others from
suretyship and others from speaking at all,—‘Promise,
and you are ruined.’ What need we to explain to you
these, when you yourself have so mightily magnified E sop's
comment upon each of them. Esop replied: When Chersias
is disposed to jest with me upon these subjects, and to jest
in earnest, he is pleased to father such sayings and sentences upon Homer, who, bringing in Hector furiously flying upon others, yet at another time represents him as flying
[p. 41]
from Ajax son of Telamon,2—an argument that Hector
knew himself. And Homer made Ulysses approve the
saying ‘Do not overdo,’ when he besought his friend Diomedes not to commend him too much nor yet to censure
him too much. And for suretyship he exposes it as a matter unsafe, nay highly dangerous, saying that to be bound
for idle and wicked men is full of hazard.3 To confirm
this, Chersias reported how Jupiter had thrown Ate headlong out of heaven, because she was by when he made the
promise about the birth of Hercules whereby he was circumvented.
Here Solon interrupted: I am of this mind, that we now
give ear to the most wise Homer,—
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