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is believed. For, having emulated the vice of Midas the Phrygian, you are rich while starving, hanging yourself as if with golden nooses. Chloazon to Mecon Yesterday, Mecon, I sent wild pears to the desired one; but she cast off the woof and straightway rose from her weaving, and taking the gifts she distributed them to the pigs, and sent away the messenger as an ill-omened angel. But I weep; for love is terrible, wronging us, compelling us to love an unseemly girl. Fortune and the Loves are blind, the latter providing pains, the former happiness, rashly and at random.

21 Perdicias to Rhodope You sing unmusically and you grieve, you do not please, your lovers; for you warble a tragedy, not a charming song to your listeners. And your lovers weep, being grieved; for your songs teach them to be sober instead of wanton; for you have not made the melody alluring. Spare us, then, by the gods, who are grieved; for you seem to be not a flute-girl, but a mourner to the audience. And we would all block our ears with wax, if you were to practice your melody; for we would sooner hear wailing Sirens than Muses.

22 Antisthenes to Pericles Alexander, the son of Philip, was by no means puffed up by his successes, but philosophized about the puffs of fortune, not being accustomed to be beguiled by the greatest acclamations. For this very reason, in the turning-point of the war, seeing Darius fallen, he covered his enemy with his cloak, displaying the nobility of virtue and fortune. Thereupon his subjects reviled Alexander, and piety was an accusation against the king. Alexander, therefore, being a philosopher, feared, as it seems, the uncertainty of fortune; wherefore, when very many successes were announced to him at once, he said: "3O Zeus, mix some misfortune with the good things"3. Thus Alexander most prudently was wary of prosperities that reach the extreme. If, then, you have not known that nature is close to reversals, after not long you will see experience as your teacher, and you will have lessons older than knowledge; but if you are willingly blind, you will meet with a harsher penalty, paying the price for your transgressions and your knowledge.

23 Astachyon to Mylon Cleanse the field of its hemlock; for it has harmed my bees. Do not, by the gods, cause troubles for a farmer. You are no different to us than the drones. Why then are you unreasonably angry with your neighbor? If you do not desist from your wickedness, you utterly wicked man, I shall inscribe your intemperance on my doors, and I will show your injustice to our country neighbors, so that all may shun you as some evil hard to meet.

24 Telesilla to Lais Neither miners tracking a vein of gold, nor well-diggers searching the secret places of the earth, seeking to behold the eyes of the waters, have been so diligent in their own craft as I have been searching the whole city, if I might anywhere behold Agesilaus. For I have heard that the maenad Leucippe has made a love-potion for him, and a violent thunderbolt has come upon us, and my passion inflames inconsolable tears. Therefore I shall be a fellow-worker of tragedy; for we shall no longer behold the rising sun. Thus I shall become more terrible than both Medea and Phaedra.

25 Sosipater to Axiochus They say that you recently buried your brother, and are grieving exceedingly and inconsolably at your suffering. And how can I admire you, a philosopher, being so overcome by suffering? The much-talked-of death among us is a kind of sleep, longer than this usual one, but very short in relation to the coming day. The dead have been sent on a long journey; our separation from them is not for long; endure the separation, awaiting the reunion again. Do not suffer from having a body-loving soul, since even Plotinus seemed to be ashamed that he was in a body; thus this mortal tabernacle grieved the philosopher. Stop for me at this point

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πεπίστευται. τοῦ Φρυγὸς γὰρ Μίδου τὴν κακίαν ζηλώσας λιμώττων πλουτεῖς, βρόχοις ὥσπερ χρυσοῖς ἀπαγχόμενος. Χλοάζων Μήκωνι Ἀχράδας χθές, Μήκων, πέπομφα τῇ ποθουμένῃ· ἡ δὲ τὴν κρόκην ἀπέρριψε καὶ τῆς ἱστουργίας εὐθὺς ἐξανίστατο, καὶ λαβοῦσα τὰ δῶρα τοῖς χοίροις διένειμε, καὶ τὸν πρέσβιν ὡς ἀπαίσιον ἄγγελον ἀπεπέμψατο. ἐγὼ δὲ κλάω· φοβερὸς γὰρ ὁ ἔρως ἡμᾶς ἀδικῶν, ἀπρεποῦς κόρης ἐρᾶν βιαζόμενος. τυφλώττουσι Τύχη καὶ Ἔρωτες, οἱ μὲν τὰς ἀλγηδόνας, ἡ δὲ τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν εἰκῆ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε παρεχομένη.

21 Περδικία Ῥοδόπῃ Ἄιδεις ἀμούσως καὶ λυπεῖς, οὐ τέρπεις, τοὺς ἐραστάς· τραγῳδίαν γὰρ ἀναμινύρῃ, οὐ θελκτήριον ᾠδὴν τοῖς ἀκούουσι. καὶ δακρύουσιν οἱ ἐρασταὶ ἀνιώμενοι· σώφρονας γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀντὶ λάγνων τὰ σὰ διδάσκουσιν ᾄσματα· οὐ γὰρ ἐπαγωγὸν τὴν μελῳδίαν πεποίησαι. φεῖσαι τοίνυν, πρὸς θεῶν, ἀνιωμένων ἡμῶν· οὐ γὰρ αὐλητρίς, ἀλλὰ θρηνήτρια τοῖς θεαταῖς εἶναι δοκεῖς. καὶ κηρῷ τὰ ὦτα πάντες ἐμφράξαιμεν, εἰ μελῳδίαν ἀσκήσειας· Σειρήνων γὰρ μᾶλλον ἢ Μουσῶν ὀδυρομένων ἀκούσαιμεν.

22 Ἀντισθένης Περικλεῖ Ὁ Φιλίππου παῖς Ἀλέξανδρος ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐτυχίαις οὐδαμῶς ἐτετύφωτο, ἀλλ' ἐφιλοσόφει τὰ τῆς τύχης φυσήματα μεγίσταις εὐφημίαις οὐκ εἰωθὼς δελεάζεσθαι. διά τοι τοῦτο ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολέμου ῥοπῇ θεασάμενος πεπτωκότα ∆αρεῖον τῇ χλαμύδι τὸν ἐχθρὸν περιέσκεπεν, ἀρετῆς καὶ τύχης ἐνδεικνύμενος τὴν εὐγένειαν. ἐντεῦθεν ἐλοιδόρει τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον τὸ ὑπήκοον, καὶ ἦν ἔγκλημα τῷ βασιλεῖ ἡ εὐσέβεια. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος ἅτε δὴ φιλόσοφος ὢν ἐδεδοίκει τὸ τῆς τύχης, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἄδηλον· διὸ καὶ πλείστων αὐτῷ ἀγγελθέντων ὑφ' ἓν εὐτυχημάτων ἔφη· "3ὦ Ζεῦ, μῖξόν τι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καὶ δυστύχημα"3. οὕτως εὐλαβεῖτο τὰς εἰς ἄκρον εὐεξίας ἐμφρονέστατα ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος. εἰ μὲν οὖν γειτνιῶσαν ταῖς τροπαῖς τὴν φύσιν ἠγνόησας, μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὴν πεῖραν ὄψει διδάσκαλον, καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἕξεις πρεσβύτερα τὰ μαθήματα· εἰ δὲ τυφλώττεις ἑκών, χαλεπωτέρας τῆς ποινῆς ἐπιτεύξῃ πλημμελημάτων καὶ γνώσεως εἰσπραττόμενος δίκας.

23 Ἀσταχύων Μύλωνι Τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κωνείου ἐκκάθαρον· τὰς ἐμὰς γὰρ ἐλυμήνω μελίττας. μὴ πάρεχε, πρὸς θεῶν, πράγματα ἀνδρὶ γεωργῷ. οὐδὲν κηφήνων ἡμῖν διενήνοχας. τί δῆτα χαλεπαίνεις ἀλόγως τῷ γείτονι; εἰ μὴ τῆς κακίας ἀποσταίης, παμπόνηρε, τὴν σὴν ἀκολασίαν ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐπιγράψαιμι θύραις, καὶ τοῖς ἀγρογείτοσι τὴν ἀδικίαν ἐνδείξαιμι, ἵνα σε πάντες ὥσπερ τι κακὸν δυσάντητον ἀποφεύξωνται.

24 Τελέσιλλα Λαΐδι Οὔτε φλέβα χρυσοῦ μεταλλουργοὶ ἀνιχνεύοντες οὔτε φρεωρύχοι τὰ τῆς γῆς ἐρεβοδιφῶντες ἀπόρρητα, ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑδάτων ἀναζητοῦντες θεάσασθαι, οὕτω περὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐσπουδάκασι τέχνην, ὡς ἐγὼ τὴν πόλιν ἐσκινδαλάμιζον ἅπασαν, εἴ που τὸν Ἀγησίλαον ἦν μοι θεάσασθαι. πότον γὰρ αὐτῷ πεποιηκέναι τὴν μαινάδα Λευκίππην ἀκήκοα, καὶ ῥαγδαῖος σκηπτὸς ἡμῖν ἐνεδήμησε, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀπαρηγόρητα φλεγμαίνει μοι δάκρυα. διὸ τῆς τραγῳδίας συνέριθος ἔσομαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀνίσχοντα λοιπὸν τὸν ἥλιον θεασόμεθα. οὕτω καὶ Μηδείας καὶ Φαίδρας φοβερωτέρα γενήσομαι.

25 Σωσίπατρος Ἀξιόχῳ Τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἔναγχός σε θάψαι φασί, καὶ λίαν ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει ἀπαρηγόρητα δυσφορεῖν. καὶ πῶς σε φιλόσοφον ἄνδρα θαυμάσαιμι ὑπὸ πάθους ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον νικώμενον; ὕπνος τίς ἐστιν ὁ παρ' ἡμῖν περιθρυλλούμενος θάνατος, τοῦ μὲν συνήθους τούτου μακρότερος, πρὸς δὲ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἡμέραν βραχύτατος. ἐπὶ μακρὰν ἀποδημίαν οἱ τεθνηκότες ἐστάλησαν· οὐκ ἐπὶ πολὺ τούτων ἡμῖν ὁ χωρισμός· καρτέρησον τὴν διάζευξιν ἀναμένων αὖθις τὴν ἕνωσιν. μὴ πάθῃς τι φιλοσωμάτου ψυχῆς, ἐπεὶ καὶ Πλωτῖνος ἐῴκει αἰσχυνομένῳ ὅτιπερ ἐν σώματι ἦν· οὕτως ἐλύπει τὸν φιλόσοφον τὸ θνητὸν τουτὶ περισκήνιον. στῆσόν μοι μέχρι τούτου