Golden locks gleamed about his back and his breast, and he seemed altogether as one bathing and having been bathed. And when his companions were astonished, "Let us go," he said 5.2.6 "to the next spring," and he led the way as he went, and was deep in thought. Then, having done the same things there too, he called forth another Eros, similar in every way to the first, except that his locks were darker and sun-scorched and streamed down. And both the boys embraced him, and clung to him as if growing on some genuine father. And he returned them to their own appointed places, and, 5.2.7 while his companions were reverencing him, he went away, having bathed. After this the crowd of his associates inquired no further, but from the proofs that had appeared, they were drawn as if by an unbreakable rein, and they believed in all things. And even more paradoxical and monstrous things were told, but I have recorded none of these, considering it a precarious and god-hated thing to introduce a corrupt and 5.2.8 fluid rumor into a stable and fixed account. But even these things I write with fear, since they are hearsay, except insofar as I follow men who, disbelieving other things, were convinced by the perception of what had appeared. And none 5.2.9 of his companions wrote it down, so far as we know; and I have said this moderately, since Aedesius said that neither he himself had written, nor had anyone else dared to. 5.3.1 In the times of Iamblichus there was also the most skilled dialectician Alypius, who happened to have a very small body, and his body surpassed a pygmy's in smallness, and even his apparent 5.3.2 body was in danger of being soul and mind; so much had the perishable part not increased in size, being spent on what was more godlike. Just as, then, the great Plato says that divine bodies are the reverse, being contained in their souls, so might one say of him too that he had entered into his soul and was held and governed 5.3.3 as if by something better. Now Alypius had many emulators, but the instruction went only as far as conversation, and not one produced a book; so that they ran most gladly to Iamblichus, as from an overflowing spring, not remaining within itself, to be sated and to drink. And as the fame of both grew upwards, they once met or encountered each other like stars, and an audience 5.3.4 such as one might imagine for a great museum sat around them. And since Iamblichus chose to be questioned rather than to question, Alypius, contrary to all expectation, leaving aside every philosophical question, and becoming one of the audience, said to him, "Tell me, philosopher, is the rich man either unjust or the heir of an unjust man, yes or no? For there is nothing in between." But he, disliking the blow of the argument, said, "But this is not, O most wonderful of all men, the manner of our discourse, if someone has something superfluous in external matters, but if he abounds in the virtue that is proper and fitting 5.3.5 for a philosopher." Having said these things, he departed, and, when he rose, the gathering was no more. But when he had gone away and was by himself, and had admired his acuteness, he often met with him privately, and he so exceedingly admired the man for his precision 5.3.6 and intelligence, that when he was gone he even wrote his life. And the one writing these things has read what was written; but what was written was obscured by the composition, and a deep cloud ran over it, not at all because of the obscurity of what was said, but because he had some long discourse of Alypius as his teacher, and there was no record 5.3.7 of rational discourses. And the book told of sojourns in Rome, for which no cause was given, nor was the greatness of his soul made evident. But it is hinted that many followed, astonished at the man; but what he said 5.3.8 or did of note, is not shown; but the wonderful Iamblichus seems to have suffered the same thing as painters, who, when painting those in their prime, whenever they wish to add some favor from themselves to the painting, they destroy the entire form of the likeness, so as at once to have missed the model 5.3.9 and the

χρυσοειδεῖς αὐτῷ κόμαι τὰ μετάφρενα καὶ τὰ στέρνα περιέστιλβον, καὶ ὅλον ἐῴκει λουομένῳ τε καὶ λελουμένῳ. καταπλαγέντων δὲ τῶν ἑταίρων, "ἐπὶ τὴν ἐχομένην" εἶπεν 5.2.6 "κρήνην ἴωμεν," καὶ ἡγεῖτο ἀπιών, καὶ σύννους ἦν. εἶτα κἀκεῖ τὰ αὐτὰ δράσας, ἐξεκάλεσεν ἕτερον Ἔρωτα τῷ προτέρῳ παραπλήσιον ἅπαντα, πλὴν ὅσον αἱ κόμαι μελάντεραί τε καὶ ἡλιῶσαι κατεκέχυντο. καὶ περιεπλέκετό γε ἀμφότερα αὐτῷ τὰ παιδία, καὶ καθάπερ γνησίου τινὸς πατρὸς ἐμφύντα περιείχετο. ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖνά τε ταῖς οἰκείαις ἀπέδωκε λήξεσιν, καί, 5.2.7 σεβαζομένων τῶν ἑταίρων, ἐξῄει λουσάμενος. οὐδὲν μετὰ τοῦτο ἐζήτησεν ἡ τῶν ὁμιλητῶν πληθύς, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν φανέντων δειγμάτων, ὥσπερ ὑπ' ἀρρήκτου ῥυτῆρος εἵλκοντο, καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπίστευον. ἐλέγετο δὲ καὶ παραδοξότερα καὶ τερατωδέστερα, ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων ἀνέγραφον οὐδέν, σφαλερόν τι καὶ θεομισὲς πρᾶγμα ἡγούμενος εἰς συγγραφὴν στάσιμον καὶ πεπηγυῖαν ἐπεισάγειν ἀκοὴν διεφθαρμένην καὶ 5.2.8 ῥέουσαν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτα γράφω δεδοικὼς ἀκοὴν οὖσαν, πλὴν ὅσαγε ἕπομαι ἀνδράσιν, οἵ, τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπιστοῦντες, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ φανέντος αἴσθησιν συνεκάμφθησαν. οὐδεὶς δὲ 5.2.9 αὐτοῦ τῶν ἑταίρων ἀνέγραψεν, ὅσα γε ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι· τοῦτο δὲ εἶπον μετρίως, Αἰδεσίου φήσαντος μήτε αὐτὸν γεγραφέναι, μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ τετολμηκέναι. 5.3.1 Κατὰ τοὺς Ἰαμβλίχου καιροὺς ἦν καὶ ὁ διαλεκτικώτατος Ἀλύπιος, ὃς ἔτυχε μὲν σώματος μικροτάτου, καὶ τὸ σῶμα πυγμαῖον παρέβαινεν ἐλάχιστον, ἐκινδύνευε δὲ καὶ τὸ φαι5.3.2 νόμενον σῶμα ψυχὴ καὶ νοῦς εἶναι· οὕτω τὸ φθειρόμενον οὐκ ἐπέδωκεν εἰς μέγεθος, δαπανηθὲν εἰς τὸ θεοειδέστερον. ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ μέγας Πλάτων φησὶ τὰ θεῖα σώματα τὸ ἀνάπαλιν ἔχειν ἐγκείμενα ταῖς ψυχαῖς, οὕτως ἄν τις εἴποι κἀκεῖνον ἐμβεβηκέναι τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ συνέχεσθαι καὶ κρατεῖσθαι 5.3.3 ᾗ παρά του κρείττονος. ζηλωτὰς μὲν οὖν εἶχεν πολλοὺς ὁ Ἀλύπιος, ἀλλ' ἡ παίδευσις ἦν μέχρι συνουσίας μόνης, βιβλίον δὲ προέφερεν οὐδὲ εἷς· ὥστε μάλα ἀσμένως πρὸς τὸν Ἰάμβλιχον ἀπέτρεχον, ὡς ἐκ πηγῆς ὑπερβλυζούσης, οὐ μενούσης καθ' ἑαυτήν, ἐμφορησόμενοι καὶ πιούμενοι. κατὰ δὲ τὸ κλέος ἀμφοῖν αὐξόμενον ἄνω καὶ συνέτυχόν ποτε ἀλλήλοις ἢ συνήντησαν ὥσπερ ἀστέρες, καὶ περιεκαθέσθη 5.3.4 γε αὐτοὺς θέατρον οἷον εἰκάσαι μεγάλου μουσείου. Ἰαμβλίχου δὲ τὸ ἐπερωτηθῆναι μᾶλλον ὑπομείναντος ἢ τὸ ἐπερωτᾶν, ὁ Ἀλύπιος παρὰ πᾶσαν ὑπόνοιαν ἀφεὶς ἅπασαν φιλόσοφον ἐρώτησιν, τοῦ δὲ θεάτρου γενόμενος, "εἰπέ μοι, φιλόσοφε," πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη "ὁ πλούσιος ἢ ἄδικος ἢ ἀδίκου κληρονόμος, ναὶ ἢ οὔ; τούτων γὰρ μέσον οὐδέν." ὁ δὲ τὴν πληγὴν τοῦ λόγου μισήσας, "ἀλλ' οὐχ οὗτός γε," ἔφη "θαυμασιώτερε πάντων ἀνδρῶν, ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἡμετέρας διαλέξεως, εἴ τῳ τι περιττόν ἐστι κατὰ τὰ ἐκτός, ἀλλ' εἴ τι πλεονάζει κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρετὴν φιλοσόφῳ καὶ πρέ5.3.5 πουσαν." ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἀπεχώρησεν, καί, διαναστάντος, οὐκ ἦν ὁ σύλλογος. ἀπελθὼν δὲ καὶ γενόμενος ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τὴν ὀξύτητα θαυμάσας, πολλάκις τε ἰδίᾳ συνέτυχεν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὕτως ὑπερηγάσθη τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς ἀκριβείας 5.3.6 καὶ συνέσεως, ὥστε καὶ ἀπελθόντος βίον συνέγραψε. καὶ ἐνέτυχεν ὁ ταῦτα γράφων τοῖς γεγραμμένοις· τὰ γεγραμμένα δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς συνθήκης ἐμελαίνετο, καὶ νέφος αὐτοῖς ἐπέτρεχε βαθύ, οὔ τι δι' ἀσάφειαν τῶν λεγομένων, ἀλλὰ διδάσκαλον εἶχε τῶν Ἀλυπίου λόγον μακρόν τινα, καὶ δια5.3.7 λέξεων οὐ προσῆν μνήμη λόγον ἐχουσῶν. ἀποδημίας τε εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἔφραζε τὸ βιβλίον, αἷς οὔτε αἰτία προσῆν, οὔτε τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς συνεφαίνετο μέγεθος. ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν εἵποντο πολλοὶ τεθηπότες τὸν ἄνδρα παραδηλοῦται· ὅ τι δὲ εἶπεν 5.3.8 ἢ ἔπραξεν ἀξιόλογον, οὐκ ἐπιφαίνεται· ἀλλ' ἔοικεν ὁ θαυμάσιος Ἰάμβλιχος ταὐτὸν πεπονθέναι τοῖς γραφικοῖς, οἳ τοὺς ἐν ὥρᾳ γράφοντες, ὅταν χαρίσασθαί τι παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰς τὴν γραφὴν βουληθῶσιν, τὸ πᾶν εἶδος τῆς ὁμοιώσεως διαφθείρουσιν, ὥστε ἅμα τε τοῦ παραδείγματος ἡμαρτη5.3.9 κέναι καὶ τοῦ