The Essays and Hymns of Synesius of Cyrene, Vol. 2

at times with natural desire and approach the point of madness, until finally he joins the Bacchic women in dances. But Silenus moderates his madness, lest, often unconsciously, he runs wild in both directions, and lest he becomes too difficult for his father to 5 raise. But we must speedily come back to our point, having obtained adequate proof that brains are present whenever hair has taken its departure, and that hair is present wherever brains have taken their departure.

Socrates, the son of Sophroniscus, a moderate man in other 10 respects and, beyond any one of his associates, most chary of self-praise, could not but feel this pride in his resemblance to Silenus Plato, Symposium 215 A; Xenophon, Symposium 4, 19.; for his whole desire was in this—to prepare his head as a receptacle of mind. But like many other of the thoughts of Socrates, this also escaped the comprehension of the dull-witted: namely, that he 15 prided himself overmuch on his likeness to Silenus. The fact that the blossom of hair well befits youths at the moment of life when we have not yet begun to reason, but flits away from age and does not await maturity—which manifestly makes mind and thought dwell with living creatures—this you must surely admit condemns 20 the nature of hair as being bereft of reason. But you say, "What if a man has hair even although he is aged?" Well, some old men may also be devoid of sense, nor do all men attain the perfection of manhood. The case, therefore, stands thus: that mind and hair do not await each other, but yield place as darkness does to light. Now, to 25 those seeking the cause of this, the answer is somewhat cryptic. We will attempt, however, to say what may be sufficient for the present purpose, taking care to enshroud with purity all that is inviolable.

1180 7. The first of existing things are simple, but as nature descends 30 in the scale, she becomes varied, and matter is last in the order of existing things and therefore the most varied. Matter itself