Lucian, Volume VI by Lucian Of Samosata

Author:Lucian Of Samosata [Lucian Of Samosata]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, History, Humor, Philosophy
Goodreads: 51615025
Publisher: Libre Dionysia
Published: 1959-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Note 57

Works and Days, 482; i.e., “ your harvest will be poor.”

Back

Note 58

Glaucus. See Graves, The Greek Myths, vol. I, p. 304 (Penguin Books Ltd.).

Back

THE SCYTHIAN OR THE CONSUL

Lucian, now in Macedonia, appeals to a father and son for their patronage and, as in Harmonides, tells a traditional story to point the flattery. For another story of Anacharsis the Scythian see his Anacharsis (Loeb, vol. IV, pp. 1 ff.).

THE SCYTHIAN OR THE CONSUL

Anacharsis was not the first to come from Scythia to Athens out of a longing for Greek culture. Before him there was Toxaris, a wise man, who loved beauty and was eager in pursuit of the best styles of living. At home he was not a member of the royal family or of the aristocracy; he belonged to the general run of the people—called “ eight feet ” in Scythia, meaning the owner of two oxen and a cart. This Toxaris never went back to Scythia, but died in Athens, where not long after his death he came to be considered a hero, and the Athenians sacrifice to him as “ The Foreign Physician ”—this was the name they gave him when they made him a hero. The reason for this designation, and the events which brought about his enrolment among the heroes, and his reputation as one of the sons of Asclepius are perhaps worth relating. Then you may see that to confer immortality on someone and send him to Zamolxis[59] is a custom not of the Scythians only—it is also possible for Athenians to deify Scythians in Greece.

At the time of the great plague[60] the wife of Archetiles the Areopagite dreamed that the Scythian Toxaris stood by her side and bade her tell the Athenians that they would be released from the grip of the plague if they sprinkled their alleyways liberally with wine. The Athenians took notice of what she told them and carried out frequent sprinklings with the result that the plague stopped— the smell of the wine may have dispersed some noxious vapours, or the hero Toxaris, being a medical man, may have had some other special knowledge when he gave his advice. In any case to this day payment for his cure is still offered to him—a white horse, sacrificed on his tomb. Dimaenete said he came from there when he gave her the instructions about the wine, and Toxaris was found buried there, being recognised by the inscription, though it was no longer all visible, and more especially by a carving of a Scythian on the pillar; in the figure’s left hand was a strung bow, in his right what looked like a book; even now you may still see more than half of it, including all the bow and the book; the upper half of the pillar including the face has been worn away in the course of time; it is situated not far from the Dipylon, on the left as you go towards the Academy; the mound is quite

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.