L I F E.

¶¶ ij

And he made his will in this manner. The following epigrams were inscribed upon him.

In temperance and the just character of mortals surpassing all,
Here lies the divine Aristocles Plato’s given birth name was Aristocles; "Plato" was a nickname meaning "broad," possibly referring to his forehead or his wrestling physique..
If any man ever held great praise for wisdom among all people,
He holds it most of all, and envy does not follow.

Earth hides this body of Plato in her bosom,
But his soul holds its place among the ranks of the immortal blessed.
The son of Ariston, whom even a man living far away
Honors as a good man who saw the divine life.

Eagle, why have you stepped upon this tomb? Or whose
Starry home of the gods do you look upon?
I am the image of the soul of Plato, which has flown away to Olympus,
But the earth-born Attic soil holds his body.

And how, if Phoebus A title for the god Apollo. had not brought forth Plato throughout Greece,
Could he have healed the souls of men with his writings?
For just as Asclepius The god of medicine and son of Apollo. was born to be a healer
Of the body, so is the immortal Plato a healer of the soul.

Phoebus brought forth for mortals Asclepius and Plato,
The one to save the soul, the other to save the body.
Having celebrated a wedding feast, he went to the city which he once
Founded for himself, and settled in the soil of Zeus.

And these are the epigrams. His disciples were: Speusippus of Athens, Xenocrates of Chalcedon, Aristotle of Stagira, Philip of Opus, Hestiaeus of Perinthus, Dion of Syracuse, Amyclus of Heraclea, Erastus and Coriscus of Scepsis, Timolaus of Cyzicus, Evaeon of Lampsacus, Python and Heraclides of Aenus, Hippothales and Callippus of Athens, Demetrius of Amphipolis, Heraclides of Pontus, and many others. Among these were also two women, Lastheneia of Mantinea and Axiothea of Phlius, who (as Dicaearchus says) even wore men's clothing. Some say that Theophrastus also heard him, and Chamaeleon says the orator Hyperides and Lycurgus also did. Likewise, Polemo records the same of Demosthenes. Sabinus says Mnesistratus of Thasos was also a student, whom we place among the materials for study. And this is likely. But since you are rightly a "Plato-lover," and seek the doctrines of the philosopher with more zeal than anyone else, I have thought it necessary to describe the nature of his discourses, the order of his dialogues, and his method of induction, as far as is possible in an elementary and summary way, so that you may not lack his doctrines in your collection on his life. For it would be "bringing owls to Athens" An ancient Greek proverb meaning to perform a useless task, like "carrying coals to Newcastle," because Athens was already full of owls (the symbol of its patron goddess, Athena). if I were to describe the specifics to you. They say that Zeno the Eleatic was the first to write dialogues. But Aristotle, in the first book On Poets, says it was Alexamenus of Styra or Teos, as Favorinus also says in his Memoirs. It seems to me that Plato, having perfected this form, should rightly carry away the prizes not only for its beauty but also for its invention. A dialogue is a discourse composed of question and answer on some philosophical or political matter, with the appropriate characterization of the persons included and the arrangement of their speech. Dialectic The art of investigating or hunting for truth through reasoned argument is the art of discourse, through which we dismantle...

This is the copy of his own testament. His tomb is illustrated with these epigrams, of which this is the first:

Surpassing all in justice and a modest life,
Here in this mound is placed the divine Aristocles.
If wisdom ever carried anyone to great honors,
It carried this man there without envy.

The earth holds the body of Plato covered in its lap,
But his mind holds the blessed dwellings of the gods above.
Whom every honorable and upright man now venerates,
Even he whose region is far away.

Why, queen of birds, have you flown above the monument?
Tell me, which home of the gods above do you watch over?
I am the divine shadow of Plato carried into heaven,
But the Attic soil preserves his earthly body.

If you had not sired the learned Plato for the Greeks, O Phoebus,
There would be no one at all to heal the minds of men.
As Asclepius was born as a doctor for the sick body,
So is the wise Plato himself for the eternal soul.

Phoebus brought forth for us Asclepius and Plato,
So that this one might cure the body, and that one the soul,
Wishing to celebrate a marriage, he approached the city
Which he once founded, and placed it on the soil of Jove.

And thus it is with the epigrams. His disciples were truly Speusippus of Athens, Xenocrates of Chalcedon, Aristotle of Stagira, Philip of Opus, Hestiaeus of Perinthus, Dion of Syracuse, Amyclus of Heraclea, Erastus and Coriscus of Scepsis, Timolaus of Cyzicus, Evaeon of Lampsacus, Pithon and Heraclites of Aenus, Hippothales and Callippus of Athens, Demetrius of Amphipolis, Heraclides of Pontus, and many others. With these were also two women, Lasthenia of Mantinea and Axiothea of Phlius, who (as Dicaearchus is the authority) used to wear masculine clothing. Some report that Theophrastus was also his listener, and Chamaeleon says the orator Hyperides and Lycurgus were, and Polemo writes that Demosthenes was his student. Sabinus also mentions Mnesistratus of Thasos in the fourth book On Meditation, and that is indeed probable. But truly, since you are especially studious of Plato, and not without reason: you who are accustomed to search out the dogmas of the highest philosopher with a certain peculiar love and zeal above all others, I have judged it worthwhile to digest both the nature of his sermons, and the order of the dialogues, and the force of his persuasion or induction, according to my ability, as if by their elements and chapters; so that from his life which we have collected, his dogmas and decrees might not also be missed: otherwise, according to the proverb, it would be "Owls to Athens," if it were necessary to narrate to you those things which are distributed by their types. Thus they say Zeno the Eleatic first wrote dialogues. Aristotle in the first book On Poets says Alexamenus of Styra or Teos did, just as Favorinus also relates in his Commentaries. But Plato (in my judgment) polished that genre, otherwise still rough, and perfected it. Thus he claims the primacy for himself most worthily, not only for adorned and polished speech, but also for the invention itself. A Dialogue is composed of interrogation and response, concerning a matter which touches upon either philosophy or the parts of the republic, with a decent and congruent expression of the persons who are taken up, and an accurate composition of words. Dialectic is the art of disputing through which we either prove something...