Select Works of Porphyry

original source of many of the Sentences of the celebrated Sextus the Pythagoreanm, which have been

m See the Latin translation of these Sentences by Tyrannius Rufinus original: Ruffinus, in the Small Mythological Works original: Opuscula Mythologica by Thomas Gale. The Sentences found in this Epistle of Porphyry were published by me, along with some criticisms original: animadversions, in the Classical Journal about two years ago. However, due to the great importance of these Sentences, and for the benefit of those who may not own that journal, I will repeat here what I wrote there on this subject.

After stating that the editor deserves great praise for publishing this Epistle, I noted that he failed to mention the sources for many of the beautiful moral sayings that fill this work. Therefore, it is necessary to reveal original: unfold them to the reader, especially since this allows several of the Sentences of Sextus the Pythagorean to be recovered in their original Greek. I then remarked:

“However, before revealing these sources, I will provide the reader with a correction original: emendation of the following faulty sentence on page 19: Education consists not in the collection of much learning [but in the release] from the passions of the soul. original Greek: Το δε πεπαιδευσθαι ουκ εν πολυμαθειας αναληψει παλαξει δε των ψυχικων παθων εθεωρειτο. The editor, not being an expert original: adept in the philosophy of Pythagoras and Plato, thought that palaxei original Greek: παλαξει was a real word; he notes, ‘Note the word palaxis original Latin: Nota vocabulum παλαξις,’ when in fact it is only part of a word—specifically, a fragment of apallagei original Greek: απαλλαξει; meaning 'release' or 'liberation'. Therefore, if after the word analepsei original Greek: αναληψει; meaning 'acquisition' the words en apallagei original Greek: εν απαλλαξει; meaning 'in release' are inserted, Porphyry's sentence will be perfect in both its structure and meaning. In English, it would read: ‘True education original: Erudition does not consist in the gathering of many facts original: resumption of polymathy, but is seen in a liberation from the passions belonging to the soul.’ The editor, failing to see the need for this correction, completely misunderstood the meaning of the sentence in his translation: ‘But a good education is never—’ original Latin: Bonam autem institutionem nun-