Fame and Infamy: Essays for Christopher Pelling on Characterization in Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography

430 Pages·2015·3.067 MB·English

by  Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, Frances B. Titchener

Title Pages
Fame and Infamy: Essays on Characterization in
Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography
Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, and Frances B. Titchener
Print publication date: 2015
Print ISBN-13: 9780199662326
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.001.0001
Title Pages
(p.i) Fame and Infamy
(p.iii) Fame and Infamy
(p.ii)
Page 1 of 3
Title Pages
Chris Pelling giving the Syme lecture at
Wolfson College,Oxford (November 6th,
2014)
(p.iv)
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP,
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Title Pages
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Page 3 of 3
Epigraph
Fame and Infamy: Essays on Characterization in
Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography
Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, and Frances B. Titchener
Print publication date: 2015
Print ISBN-13: 9780199662326
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.001.0001
Epigraph
(p.v)
Caesaris o scripsisse breuem doctissime uitam
Bellaque fraterna suscipienda nece,
Raram urbem solus tolerans, ne rarior esset,
Praeceptor potuit te memorare satis.
Caesar’s life,
Breaking Rome,
Renowned Chris —
Plutarch, come!
Page 1 of 1
Acknowledgements
Fame and Infamy: Essays on Characterization in
Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography
Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, and Frances B. Titchener
Print publication date: 2015
Print ISBN-13: 9780199662326
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.001.0001
(p.x) (p.xi) Acknowledgements
As always in a volume such as this one, the editors have the pleasure of warmly
thanking a number of people for helping to make it a reality. Our wonderful
editorial assistant Rebecca Richards did heroic work checking the bibliography
for the whole volume. We were exceptionally lucky too in working with our
talented copy-editor at OUP, Malcolm Todd. Without the former Classics editor
Hilary O’Shea, the volume would never have happened at all. She was
instrumental in setting up the project initially, while Annie Rose, Charlotte
Loveridge, and Kizzy Taylor-Richelieu at OUP together smoothly oversaw the
production stage. John Cairns of John Cairns Photography kindly supplied the
photo of Chris for the frontispiece.
We also want to express our gratitude to our many contributors. Participating in
a multi-authored volume is not always easy, but the contributors have been
superb at responding to requests promptly and all pulling together to create this
tribute to Chris Pelling. Luke Pitcher was also kind enough to compose the
epigram for Chris. Unconventionally, we would also like to thank the very many
people who would have wanted to contribute articles to this book, but were
unable to do so through constraints of space and time. Chris Pelling has
influenced and nurtured so many people over the course of his career that it was
regretfully not possible to involve everybody. However, we hope that the articles
in the volume can represent the respect and affection of a much, much wider
circle.
Finally, we would like to thank Margaret, Charlie, and Sally Pelling for their
support and encouragement throughout the project. Last but not least, there is
Chris himself, to whom we owe the biggest debt of all. His ‘virtual presence’ as
the inspiration for all the articles in the volume has made the editors’ task a
uniquely enjoyable one.
Page 1 of 2
Acknowledgements
Rhiannon Ash
Judith Mossman
and Fran Titchener
October 2014
Page 2 of 2
A Conversation Between Plutarch and Lamprias
Fame and Infamy: Essays on Characterization in
Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography
Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, and Frances B. Titchener
Print publication date: 2015
Print ISBN-13: 9780199662326
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.001.0001
(p.xii) (p.xiii) A Conversation Between
Plutarch and Lamprias
Donald Russell
Colloquuntur Lamprias et Plutarchus
Λαμπρίας δ᾽ ὁ ἀδελφός, ἠρέμα γελάσας, Ἀλλὰ τὸν Χριστοφόρον ἐκεῖνον, εἶπεν,
οὗ σὺ μνημονεύεις, πάντες ἴσμεν ἤδη σὸν ἐραστὴν γενόμενον ἔφηβον ὄντα, νῦν
δ᾽ ὑπὲρ τὰ ἑξήκοντα γεγονὼς ἔτη τὰ σὰ συγγράμματα διατελεῖ καὶ ἐξελίττων
αὐτὸς καὶ ἐξηγούμενος καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις προκηρύττων· ὥστε κἄν τι
φλυαρῇς, ὥσπερ εἴωθας, τοῦθ᾽ ὡς σοφώτατ᾽ εἰρημένον ἐπαινεῖν κινδυνεύει.
σπουδάζει δὲ μάλιστα τοὺς καλουμένους βίους, τούς τ᾽ ἄλλους καὶ τοὺς τῶν
ἡγεμόνων τῶν Ῥωμαίων· τὸν γοῦν Ἀντώνιον τὸν σὸν καὶ τὸν Καίσαρα καὶ νὴ
Δία τὸν Φιλοποίμενα καὶ τὸν Τίτον ὅλοις ἕκαστον ὑπομνήμασιν ἀκριβέστατ᾽
ἐξηγήσατο, καὶ οὐχ, ὡς οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν πρότερον φιλολογούντων, κλοπήν σου
καταδικάζει, πτερὰ λέγων ἀλλότρια περιάπτεσθαι κατὰ τὸν κολοιὸν τὸν
Αἰσώπειον, ἀλλ᾽ οἶδέ σε τὰ τῶν ἄλλων συγγραφέων οὕτως εἰς ἓν σῶμα
συντιθέντα ὥστε τό τ᾽ ἦθος τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν
προφανῆ ποιεῖσθαι· καὶ πολλὰ πολλάκις περὶ τῶν τοιούτων συγγράψας οὐδενὸς
ἧττον τὰς σὰς αὐξάνει τιμάς. ἱστορικώτατος δ᾽ ὢν αὐτὸς μὲν ἱστορίας οὐκ
ἔγραψεν, οἷς δ᾽ οἱ ἄλλοι συγγραφεῖς κανόσι καὶ νόμοις χρῶνται, τούτους
ἐξερευνᾶν σπουδάζει· καὶ δὴ καὶ περὶ τῆς διηγήσεως αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν εἰδῶν αὐτῆς
πολλὰ φιλοσοφεῖ, τὴν ἀληθεστάτην ἑκάστου προαίρεσιν, κἂν λανθάνῃ,
προθυμούμενος ἀποκαλύπτειν. σὲ δ᾽ οὐ μόνον ἐν λόγοις ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ βίῳ
μιμεῖσθαι δοκεῖ. σὺ μὲν γὰρ ἐν Χαιρωνείᾳ φιλοχωρῶν, ὡς φής, οὐκ ἀνάξιον
νομίζεις φιλοσόφου καὶ τὰ ἀτιμότερα τῶν κοινῶν διοικεῖν, κεράμῳ γε
διαμετρουμένῳ παρεστηκὼς καὶ λίθοις π (p.xiv) αρακομιζομένοις, καὶ ταῦτα
λέγων ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος πράττειν· οὗτος δ᾽ ἐν τῇ τῶν Σιλυρῶν γενόμενος
(ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτο τῶν ἐν Βρετανίᾳ δοκιμώτατον) ἄρτι τοῖς ἐκεῖ βιβλιοπώλαις τὴν
τῶν συγγραμμάτων συλλογὴν ἐκδοθησομένην ἐπέτρεψε, φιλόπατρίς γ᾽ὤν. ἔστι
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A Conversation Between Plutarch and Lamprias
δ᾽ ἐν Βρετανίᾳ πόλις μεγάλη καὶ εὐδαίμων, φιλοσόφων πλήθει καὶ παντοίων
λόγων ἔνδοξος· εἰς ταύτην οὖν ἥκων ὁ Χριστοφόρος νέος ὢν παιδείας ἕνεκα,
πρῶτον μὲν ἐν ἄλλῃ τῶν ἐκεῖθι σχολῶν (πολλαὶ δ᾽εἰσί) γραμματικῶν τινων
ἠκροᾶτο καὶ φιλοσόφων εὐδοκίμων, εἶτ᾽ εἰς ἄλλην μετοικήσας αὐτὸς ἐδίδασκεν,
ἐν ἄλλῃ δ᾽ αὖ τῇ πασῶν καλλίστῃ καθέδραν λαχὼν τὴν βασιλικὴν πάντας ἤδη
τοὺς ἑλληνίζοντας θεραπεύει καὶ νουθετεῖ. ὅπου δ᾽ ἂν ᾖ, τῶν κοινῶν ἀεὶ
φροντίζει, τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων διοίκησιν οὐ βαρύ τι νομίζων καὶ δύσεργον,
ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν σοφιστευόντων, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτοίμως τὰ τοιαῦτα μεταχειρίζων,
οὐ μέντοι πολυπραγμονῶν οὐδ᾽ ἄγαν φιλοτιμούμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ἠπίως καὶ
φιλανθρώπως τοὺς συνόντας πείθων· ὥστε εἶπέ μοί ποτε τῶν ἐπιφανῶν τις τῶν
τὰ δημόσιία πραττόντων, τὸ τοῦ Χριστοφόρου πιθανὸν καὶ φρόνιμον διαγνούς,
ὅτι εἰ τὰ τοιαῦτα προείλετο μεταχειρίζειν τὰ πρωτεῖ᾽ ἂν εἶχε καὶ ἴσως ἂν
ὑπογραφεὺς ἂν ᾑρέθη τοῦ τῶν πρώτων ἀνδρῶν συλλόγου. οὐδὲν οὖν θαυμαστὸν
εἰ πολλοὺς μὲν φίλους πολλοὺς δὲ μαθητὰς ἔχων ὑπὸ πάντων τυγχάνει
τιμώμενος.
Καὶ ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἐσιώπησεν, ἐγὼ δέ, Εὖ λέγεις, ἔφην, φιλῶ γὰρ καὶ
αὐτὸς τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἄξιον εἶναι νομίζω καὶ τῶν ἐγκωμίων τῶν σῶν καὶ τῆς
δωρεᾶς ἣν αὐτῷ διδόναι τοὺς φίλους ἐν τοῖς γενεθλίοις ἀκούω.
A conversation between Plutarch and Lamprias
‘Well’, said my brother Lamprias with a little laugh, ‘this Christopher you speak
of, we all know he became your lover when he was a student; and now, at over
sixty, he still goes on reading your books and expounding them and advertising
them to the whole world. And so whatever nonsense you spout (and you usually
do!), he is likely to praise it as the most brilliant possible utterance. He
particularly studies the Lives, especially those of Roman generals; indeed, he has
written separate commentaries on your Antony, your Caesar and your
Philopoemen and Flamininus, expounding them in great detail. (p.xv) Nor does
he—like many earlier scholars of these matters—accuse you of plagiarism,
saying that, like Aesop’s jackdaw, you have other people’s feathers hung round
you. He knows, you see, how skilled you are in putting the contributions of
others together into a unified whole, so making the character and politics of
your subjects clear to the reader. He has written much and often about such
matters, and he has done as much as anyone to enhance your prestige.
He is indeed a real historian, but he does not write history himself, but studies to
discover the principles and rules that other historians use. He theorizes a great
deal about Narrative and the Species of Narrative, and is very desirous of
exposing the real intentions of writers, even when these are beneath the surface.
He seems also not only to be devoted to your writings, but to imitate you in some
ways in his life. You, sticking so fondly to Chaeronea, as you say, think it not
unworthy of a philosopher to undertake even humble public duties, checking
quantities of tiles or deliveries of stone, and claiming to do so for the city’s sake.
So he, who was born in the land of the Silures (a particularly famous nation in
Page 2 of 3
A Conversation Between Plutarch and Lamprias
Britain) recently sent the collection of his articles to the University there for
publication, so fond is he of the land of his fathers. There is in Britain a large
and prosperous city, famous for its abundance of philosophers and all kinds of
learning. Coming to this city as a young man for his education, Christopher first
became the pupil of some distinguished scholars and philosophers in one of its
many schools; then he moved to another one and taught literature there; then
again, in another, the grandest of all, he has held the Regius chair, and cares for
and monitors all those who study Greek. He is the kind of man who is always
thinking of the common good; he does not, like most academics, think
administration a disagreeable burden, but readily undertakes tasks of this kind,
not officiously or out of personal ambition, but mildly and humanely exercising
persuasion on his colleagues. Indeed, a distinguished public servant, who had
noted Christopher’s persuasiveness and good sense, said to me once that, if he
had chosen to go into the public service, he would have been at the top, and
would perhaps have been chosen to be Cabinet Secretary. So it’s no wonder that
he has many friends and many pupils, and is universally respected and loved.’
My brother now fell silent. ‘Well spoken’, I said, ‘for I too am fond of the man,
and I think he well deserves both your praises and the present which I hear his
friends are giving him for his birthday.’
Page 3 of 3
An Appreciation of Chris Pelling
Fame and Infamy: Essays on Characterization in
Greek and Roman Biography and Historiography
Rhiannon Ash, Judith Mossman, and Frances B. Titchener
Print publication date: 2015
Print ISBN-13: 9780199662326
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2015
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199662326.001.0001
(p.xvi) (p.xvii) An Appreciation of Chris
Pelling
Frances B. Titchener
In autumn 1987, I was on my very first trip abroad, heading for Athens to attend
the first international meeting of the International Plutarch Society. This
congress was fraught by more than the usual organizational challenges,
including the fact that once I got there, no one was aware that I was coming. I
was frantic about not being listed on the programme, fearing denial of
institutional funding and tax consequences, until I discovered that there wasn’t
actually a programme. Or venue, for that matter.
A colleague of mine from grad school at The University of Texas at Austin was on
the scene in residence at the American School, and proved invaluable when it
came to organizing rooms, finding copying machines, and giving general advice.
One important piece of advice was showing me a central taverna and revealing
the glories of the poikilia, or varied appetizer plate.
When the real classicists started rolling in, I was thrilled to be possessed of this
valuable knowledge, and sat happily at a table with all kinds of fancy people. I
was down at the grad student end of the table, happy to be with My Kind, and
feeling very relaxed. I was particularly warmed by the very friendly man to my
left, travelling with his wife and his two grown children. He seemed grateful to
know about the poikilia! And his family was just lovely.
This became the first of many, many lessons I would learn from the Nice Man.
For of course this Nice Man at the relaxed grad student end of the table turned
out to be Chris Pelling, or as the neon lights began to flash in my mind, C.B.R.
PELLING. And his nice grown children were Judith Mossman and Simon (as in
S.C.R.!) Swain. Oh (p.xviii) Juppiter. For it was way too late—I had been
Page 1 of 4