Table Of ContentPARALLEL LIVES
BY PLUTARCH
A series of 4 single biographies and 23 pairs of biographies
of Greeks and Romans, origionally written in Greek (Attic dialect)
by Plutarch who lived from approximately 46 to 120 A.D.
This free e-book was created and is distributed not-for-profit by Candida Martinelli of
Candida Martinelli’s Italophile Site
2
common dialect, fall into two Cicero, are followed with a brief
principal classes: the didactic comparison. Composed with
Preface Provided by
essays and dialogues, grouped great learning and research, the
Editor under the title of Moralia; and the Lives are not only historical
biographies, the Parallel Lives of works of great value, but they are
famous Greeks and Romans. also, and purposely, character
The more than 80 essays are studies with a moral. The first
Plutarch (AD 46?-120), Greek
charmingly written and enlivened translation of the Lives into
biographer and essayist, born in
by anecdotes and quotations. English was by Sir Thomas North
Chaeronea in Boeotia. He was
The essays treat matters of in 1579; this is the translation
educated in Athens and is
ethics and religion. Some are Shakespeare followed closely in
believed to have traveled to
philosophical works supporting the composition of his plays
Egypt and Italy and to have
the teachings of Plato in based on Roman history, such as
lectured in Rome on moral
opposition to the doctrines of the Coriolanus, Julius Caesar, and
philosophy. He frequently visited
Stoics and the Epicureans, and Antony and Cleopatra.1
Athens and was a priest in the
nine books of Symposiaca, or
temple at Delphi. He spent the
Table Talks, by wise men on
later years of his life at
various subjects.
Chaeronea, where he held
municipal office. Many of the
Best known are Plutarch's
treatises he wrote are probably
Parallel Lives, a series of 4 single
based on his lecture notes. To
biographies and 23 pairs of
his students, Plutarch was
biographies. Many of the pairs,
regarded as a genial guide,
such as those on the legendary
philosopher, and spiritual
lawgivers Lycurgus and Numa
director.
Pompilius, the generals 1"Plutarch," Microsoft® Encarta® 96
Encyclopedia. © 1993-1995 Microsoft
Alexander the Great and Julius
His extant works, written in a Corporation. All rights reserved. ©
Caesar, and the orators
modified Attic, a so-called Funk & Wagnalls Corporation. All
Demosthenes and Marcus Tullius
rights reserved.
COMPARISON OF TIMOLEON WITH AEMILIUS
PAULUS ......................................................................455
PREFACE PROVIDED BY EDITOR ..........................3
PELOPIDAS................................................................457
THESEUS ........................................................................6
MARCELLUS.............................................................485
ROMULUS ....................................................................34
COMPARISION OF PELOPIDAS WITH
COMPARISON OF ROMULUS WITH THESEUS .63
MARCELLUS.............................................................513
LYCURGUS ..................................................................67
ARISTIDES.................................................................516
NUMA POMPILIUS...................................................100
MARCUS CATO ........................................................543
COMPARISON OF NUMA WITH LYCURGUS ...125
COMPARISON OF ARISTIDES WITH MARCUS
SOLON.........................................................................131
CATO...........................................................................570
POPLICOLA...............................................................156
PHILOPOEMEN ........................................................575
COMPARISON OF POPLICOLA WITH SOLON 174
FLAMININUS.............................................................593
THEMISTOCLES ......................................................178
COMPARISON OF PHILOPOEMEN WITH
CAMILLUS.................................................................206 FLAMININUS.............................................................614
PERICLES...................................................................242 PYRRHUS ...................................................................617
FABIUS........................................................................281 CAIUS MARIUS.........................................................652
COMPARISON OF PERICLES WITH FABIUS....306 LYSANDER ................................................................694
ALCIBIADES..............................................................309 SYLLA .........................................................................721
CORIOLANUS ...........................................................347 COMPARISON OF LYSANDER WITH SYLLA...758
COMPARISON OF ALCIBIADES WITH CIMON ........................................................................763
CORIOLANUS ...........................................................383
LUCULLUS.................................................................784
TIMOLEON ................................................................387
COMPARISON OF LUCULLUS WITH CIMON ..826
AEMILIUS PAULUS .................................................423
NICIAS ........................................................................829
CRASSUS ....................................................................860 COMPARISON OF TIBERIUS AND CAIUS
GRACCHUS WITH AGIS AND CLEOMENES...1352
COMPARISON OF CRASSUS WITH NICIAS......893
DEMOSTHENES......................................................1356
SERTORIUS ...............................................................898
CICERO ....................................................................1381
EUMENES...................................................................924
COMPARISON OF DEMOSTHENES AND CICERO
COMPARISON OF SERTORIUS WITH EUMENES
....................................................................................1420
......................................................................................942
DEMETRIUS ............................................................1424
AGESILAUS ...............................................................944
ANTONY ...................................................................1467
POMPEY .....................................................................981
COMPARISON OF DEMETRIUS AND ANTONY
COMPARISON OF POMPEY AND AGESILAUS
....................................................................................1529
....................................................................................1057
DION..........................................................................1532
ALEXANDER ...........................................................1062
MARCUS BRUTUS..................................................1574
CAESAR ....................................................................1132
COMPARISON OF DION AND BRUTUS ............1617
PHOCION .................................................................1186
ARATUS ....................................................................1621
CATO THE YOUNGER ..........................................1216
ARTAXERXES.........................................................1660
AGIS...........................................................................1272
GALBA ......................................................................1685
CLEOMENES ...........................................................1288
OTHO ........................................................................1706
TIBERIUS GRACCHUS..........................................1317
CAIUS GRACCHUS ................................................1336
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account of Lycurgus the lawgiver meet with candid readers, and
and Numa the king, I thought I such as will receive with
THESEUS
might, not without reason, indulgence the stories of
ascend as high as to Romulus, antiquity.
being brought by my history so
near to his time. Considering Theseus seemed to me to
As geographers, Sosius, crowd
therefore with myself resemble Romulus in many
into the edges of their maps parts
particulars. Both of them, born
of the world which they do not
Whom shall I set so great a man out of wedlock and of uncertain
know about, adding notes in the
to face? Or whom oppose? parentage, had the repute of
margin to the effect, that beyond
who's equal to the place? being sprung from the gods.
this lies nothing but sandy
deserts full of wild beasts,
(as Aeschylus expresses it), I Both warriors; that by all the
unapproachable bogs, Scythian
found none so fit as him that world's allowed.
ice, or a frozen sea, so, in this
peopled the beautiful and far-
work of mine, in which I have
famed city of Athens, to be set in Both of them united with strength
compared the lives of the
opposition with the father of the of body an equal vigor mind; and
greatest men with one another,
invincible and renowned city of of the two most famous cities of
after passing through those
Rome. Let us hope that Fable the world the one built Rome,
periods which probable
may, in what shall follow, so and the other made Athens be
reasoning can reach to and real
submit to the purifying processes inhabited. Both stand charged
history find a footing in, I might
of Reason as to take the with the rape of women; neither
very well say of those that are
character of exact history. In any of them could avoid domestic
farther off, Beyond this there is
case, however, where it shall be misfortunes nor jealousy at
nothing but prodigies and
found contumaciously slighting home; but towards the close of
fictions, the only inhabitants are
credibility, and refusing to be their lives are both of them said
the poets and inventors of fables;
reduced to anything like probable to have incurred great odium with
there is no credit, or certainty any
fact, we shall beg that we may their countrymen, if, that is, we
farther. Yet, after publishing an
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may take the stories least like they ascribe to Pittheus,-- Pittheus, therefore, taking
poetry as our guide to the truth. advantage from the obscurity of
Unto a friend suffice A stipulated the oracle, prevailed upon him, it
The lineage of Theseus, by his price; is uncertain whether by
father's side, ascends as high as persuasion or deceit, to lie with
to Erechtheus and the first which, also, Aristotle mentions. his daughter Aethra. Aegeus
inhabitants of Attica. By his And Euripides, by calling afterwards, knowing her whom
mother's side he was descended Hippolytus " scholar of the holy he had lain with to be Pittheus's
of Pelops. For Pelops was the Pittheus," shows the opinion that daughter, and suspecting her to
most powerful of all the kings of the world had of him. be with child by him, left a sword
Peloponnesus, not so much by and a pair of shoes, hiding them
the greatness of his riches as the Aegeus, being desirous of under a great stone that had a
multitude of his children, having children, and consulting the hollow in it exactly fitting them;
married many daughters to chief oracle of Delphi, received the and went away making her only
men, and put many sons in celebrated answer which forbade privy to it, and commanding her,
places of command in the towns him the company of any woman if she brought forth a son who,
round about him. One of whom before his return to Athens. But when he came to man's estate,
named Pittheus, grandfather to the oracle being so obscure as should be able to lift up the stone
Theseus, was governor of the not to satisfy him that he was and take away what he had left
small city of the Troezenians, clearly forbid this, he went to there, she should send him away
and had the repute of a man of Troezen, and communicated to to him with those things with all
the greatest knowledge and Pittheus the voice of the god, secrecy, and with injunctions to
wisdom of his time; which then, it which was in this manner,-- him as much as possible to
seems, consisted chiefly in grave conceal his journey from every
maxims, such as the poet Hesiod Loose not the wine-skin foot, one; for he greatly feared the
got his great fame by, in his book thou chief of men, Until to Athens Pallantidae, who were continually
of Works and Days. And, thou art come again. mutinying against him, and
indeed, among these is one that despised him for his want of
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children, they themselves being went thither, and a place there to They write also that this was the
fifty brothers, all sons of Pallas. this day is yet named Thesea, as reason why Alexander gave
it is said, from him. He clipped command to his captains that all
When Aethra was delivered of a only the fore part of his head, as the beards of the Macedonians
son, some say that he was Homer says the Abantes did.% should be shaved, as being the
immediately named Theseus, And this sort of tonsure was from readiest hold for an enemy.
from the tokens which his father him named Theseis. The
had put @ under the stone; Abantes first used it, not in Aethra for some time concealed
others that he received his name imitation of the Arabians, as the true parentage of Theseus,
afterwards at Athens, when some imagine, nor of the and a report was given out by
Aegeus acknowledged him for Mysians, but because they were Pittheus that he was begotten by
his son. He was brought up a warlike people, and used to Neptune; for the Troezenians pay
under his grandfather Pittheus, close fighting, and above all Neptune the highest veneration.
and had a tutor and attendant set other nations accustomed to He is their tutelar god, to him
over him named Connidas, to engage hand to hand; as they offer all their first-fruits, and
whom the Athenians, even to this Archilochus testifies in these in his honor stamp their money
time, the day before the feast verses: -- with a trident.
that is dedicated to Theseus,
sacrifice a ram, giving this honor Slings shall not whirl, nor many Theseus displaying not only
to his memory upon much juster arrows fly, When on the plain the great strength of body, but equal
grounds than to Silanio and battle joins; but swords, Man bravery, and a quickness alike
Parrhasius, for making pictures against man, the deadly conflict and force of understanding, his
and statues of Theseus. There try, As is the practice of Euboea's mother Aethra, conducting him to
being then a custom for the lords Skilled with the spear.-- the stone, and informing him who
Grecian youth, upon their first was his true father, commanded
coming to man's estate, to go to Therefore that they might not him to take from thence the
Delphi and offer first-fruits of their give their enemies a hold by their tokens that Aegeus had left, and
hair to the god, Theseus also hair, they cut it in this manner. to sail to Athens. He without any
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difficulty set himself to the stone and humanity, though naturally land from Athens to
and lifted it up; but refused to lauded by common people, either Peloponnesus; and Pittheus,
take his journey by sea, though it out of want of courage to commit giving him an exact account of
was much the safer way, and injuries or fear to receive them, each of these robbers and
though his mother and yet no way concerned those who villains, their strength, and the
grandfather begged him to do so. were strong enough to win for cruelty they used to all strangers,
For it was at that time very themselves. Some of these, tried to persuade Theseus to go
dangerous to go by land on the Hercules destroyed and cut off in by sea. But he, it seems, had
road to Athens, no part of it being his passage through these long since been secretly fired by
free from robbers and murderers. countries, but some, escaping his the glory of Hercules, held him in
That age produced a sort of men, notice while he was passing by, the highest estimation, and was
in force of hand, and swiftness of fled and hid themselves, or else never more satisfied than in
foot, and strength of body, were spared by him in contempt listening to any that gave an
excelling the ordinary rate, and of their abject submission; and account of him; especially those
wholly incapable of fatigue; after that Hercules fell into that had seen him, or had been
making use, however, of these misfortune, and, having slain present at any action or saying of
gifts of nature to no good or Iphitus, retired to Lydia, and for a his. So that he was altogether in
profitable purpose for mankind, long time was there slave to the same state of feeling as, in
but rejoicing and priding Omphale, a punishment which he after ages, Themistocles was,
themselves in insolence, and had imposed upon himself for the when he said that he could not
taking the benefit of their superior murder, then, indeed, Lydia sleep for the trophy of Miltiades;
strength in the exercise of enjoyed high peace and security, entertaining such admiration for
inhumanity and cruelty, and in but in Greece and the countries the virtue of Hercules, that in the
seizing, forcing, and committing about it the like villanies again night his dreams were all of that
all manner of outrages upon revived and broke out, there hero's actions. and in the day a
every thing that fell into their being none to repress or chastise continual emulation stirred him
hands; all respect for others, all them. It was therefore a very up to perform the like. Besides,
justice, they thought, all equity hazardous journey to travel by they were related, being born of
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cousins-german. For Aethra was he slew Periphetes, in the above all art. This Sinnis had a
daughter of Pittheus, and neighborhood of Epidaurus, who daughter of remarkable beauty
Alcmena of Lysidice; and used a club for his arms, and and stature, called Perigune,
Lysidice and Pittheus were from thence had the name of who, when her father was killed,
brother and sister, children of Corynetes, or the club-bearer; fled, and was sought after
Hippodamia and Pelops. He who seized upon him, and everywhere by Theseus; and
thought it therefore a forbade him to go forward in his coming into a place overgrown
dishonorable thing, and not to be journey. Being pleased with the with brushwood shrubs, and
endured, that Hercules should go club, he took it, and made it his asparagus- thorn, there, in a
out everywhere, and purge both weapon, continuing to use it as childlike, innocent manner,
land and sea from wicked men, Hercules did the lion's skin, on prayed and begged them, as if
and he himself should fly from whose shoulders that served to they understood her, to give her
the like adventures that actually prove how huge a beast he had shelter, with vows that if she
came in his way; disgracing his killed; and to the same end escaped she would never cut
reputed father by a mean flight Theseus carried about him this them down nor burn them. But
by sea, and not showing his true club; overcome indeed by him, Theseus calling upon her, and
one as good evidence of the but now, in his hands, invincible. giving her his promise that he
greatness of his birth by noble would use her with respect, and
and worthy actions, as by the Passing on further towards the offer her no injury, she came
tokens that he brought with him, Isthmus of Peloponnesus, he forth, and in due time bore him a
the shoes and the sword. slew Sinnis, often surnamed the son, named Melanippus; but
Bender of Pines, after the same afterwards was married to
With this mind and these manner in which he himself had Deioneus, the son of Eurytus, the
thoughts, he set forward with a destroyed many others before. Oechalian, Theseus himself
design to do injury to nobody, but And this he did without having giving her to him. Ioxus, the son
to repel and revenge himself of either practiced or ever learnt the of this Melanippus who was born
all those that should offer any. art of bending these trees, to to Theseus, accompanied
And first of all, in a set combat, show that natural strength is Ornytus in the colony that he
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