. THE MAXIMS OF THEOGNIS THE MEGAREAN. 1 O KING, son of Latona, child of Jove, never shall I forget thee, beginning nor ending. But ever first and last and in the middle will I sing thee. Hear thou me, and grant me blessings. King Phoebus, when the goddess, august Latona, having grasped with her hands the taper palm,3 bare thee most beauteous of immortals at the circular lake, boundless Delos was all filled with ambrosial odour, and5 the vast earth smiled, whilst the deep wide-waters of the gray brine rejoiced." Beast-slaying Artemis, daughter of Jove, whose statue Agamemnon set up, when in swift-ships he was sailing to Beginning nor ending;] Cf. Hesiod, Theogon. 34, opãs d'auràs πρῶτόν τε καὶ ὕστερον αἰὲν ἀείδειν, and 48, Αρχόμεναί θ' ὑμνεῦσι θεαὶ, λnyovσí ráoidñs. Hor. Ep. i. 1, Prima dicta mihi, summâ dicende Camæna Mecænas. Virg. Ecl. viii. 11, A te principium; tibi desinet. Hom. Il. ix. 97. Cf. Theocr. xvii. 3, 4, ̓Ανδρῶν, δ ̓ αὖ Πτολεμαῖος ἐνὶ πρώτοισι λεγέσθω Καὶ πύματος, καὶ μέσσος· ὁ γὰρ προφερέστατος ἀνδρῶν. Neander. Milton's Parad. Lost, v. 165, "Him first, him last, him midst, and without end." 3 Callimachus describes this, H. in Del. 209-211, Λύσατο δε ζώνην, ἀπὸ δ' ἐκλίθη ἔμπαλιν ὤμοις φοίνικος ποτὶ πρέμνον ἀμηχανης ὑπὸ λυγρῆς τειρομένη. Hom. Od. vi. 163. Cf. Call. H. in Ap. 4; Eurip. Hecub. 458-460. 4 τροχοειδέϊ λίμνη. Cf. Callim. Η. in Del. 261, χρυσῶ δε τροχόεσσα πανήμερος ἔῤῥεε λίμνη. 5,6 ἐγέλασσε δὲ γαῖα πελώρη, &c. Cf. Hesiod, Theogony, 41, and the notes there (supra. p. 4, note 2); cf. also Æsch. Prom. V. 89, 90. ποντίων τε κυμάτων Ανήριθμον γέλασμα. oal', set up. In one MS. above caro is written "cognovit." Troy, hear me at-my-prayer, and avert from me evil fates. Little to thee, O goddess, this, but much to me.1 Muses and Graces, daughters of Jove,2 who of old went to the nuptials of Cadmus, and sang a noble strain: "what is beautiful, is dear, and that which is not beautiful, is not dear."3 Through immortal mouths this word hath come. 6 7 Cyrnus, let a seal be set on these words of mine, as I pursue wisdom, but it will never escape notice, if it be stolen.3 Nor will any one take-in-exchange worse, when the good is present but thus shall every one say, these are the poems of Theognis, the Megarean, and one celebrated among all men: yet not yet am I able to please all the citizens. No wonder, son of Polypas, for not even doth Jove please all, either when he rains, or when he holds up. But to thee with kind intenIf the aor. could be used in this sense, it would suit the passage better than "set up," but eioaro, from side, seems generally to mean, was like." It is not anywhere stated, as far as I can discover, that Agamemnon set up a statue or temple of Artemis, though we find that he dedicated his rudder to her. Callimachus, H. in Dian. 228. See Livy, xlv. 27. For his sin against her, and its expiation, see Agam. Esch. 110, &c.; Eur. Iph. in Aul. 90; Taur. 15; Ov. Met. xii. 31, &c. Aristot. Eth, Eudem. (vii. 10, p. 205,) quotes this passage, as Gaisford points out. The Muses are spoken of as daughters of Jove. Hesiod, Theog. 25, 53, 54. In Hes. Theogon. 64, the Graces have dwellings near the Muses in Olympus at festivals, and at 906, they are called daughters of Jupiter and Eurynome.—Kádμov έs yaμov. The marriage of Cadmus with Harmonia, whom Zeus gave him to wife. The marriage ceremony was honoured by the presence of all the Olympian gods in the Cadmea. Cf. Eurip. Phœniss. 822-827. 3 Valkenaer from this line has suggested an emendation of Eurip. Phœniss. 828, (Pors.) ἐν γὰρ ὅ μὴ καλὸν, ὄυποτ ̓ ἔφυ φίλον, where the old reading is kaλov, which he shows from Theognis was the burden of their song at these nuptials. (Ver. 20-28-Fragm. ix. Frere.) Cyrnus was the son of Polypas, (cf. 25,) a young man bound to him by firm and pure friendship, of age and standing to be sent to Delphi as" Theorus." Cf. 805; and art. Theognis in Smith's Dictionary of Gr. and R. B., vol. iii. p. 1076. 5 KλETTOμÉva is the reading of three MSS., and is preferable, as its subject will be ἐπῆ. Oevyvidos, for Ocóyvidos, as in Callim. Epigr. xxxii. 4, Devpopín; Apollon. Rhod. iii. 676; Call. H. in Cer. 58, eɛúc for eɛóc. Theog. xxviii. 13. 7 Son of Polypas.] (Cf. 19.) Some have considered that this name designated another person, but it is generally agreed that Пoλvaidηs tion I will give advice, Cyrnus, even such as I myself learned, when yet a boy, from the good.1 Be wise, and do not on condition of shameful or unjust acts draw to thyself honours, nor distinctions, nor wealth. These things know thus: and consort not with bad men, but ever cleave to the good with them eat and drink, sit with them, and please them, of whom there is a large force. For from the good thou shalt learn good, but with the bad if-thou shouldst mix, thou wilt lose even the mind thou hast. Learn this, associate with the good, and sometime thou wilt say, that I give good advice to my friends. 6 Cyrnus,3 this city is pregnant: but I fear that it will bringforth a man to be a chastiser of our evil violence. For the citizens here on their part are as yet sober-minded: but the leaders, have turned themselves so as to fall into much worthlessness. No city yet, Cyrnus, have good men ruined ; but when it pleases the bad to be insolent, and they corrupt the commons, and give judgments in favour of the unjust,5 for the sake of private gains and power, expect that that city will not long be kept tranquil, even though now it is settled in much is a patronymic, designating Cyrnus.—TávṬeoσ' àvdávεi, an emendation of Porson at Eurip. Orest. 1623, where he says that he knows no instance of àvdávw with the accusative. The editions generally have Távras here.-ávéxwv is here used in a neuter sense. Probably we must explain it by the ellipse of tauróv; see Matth. § 496, 1, p. 828. 1 ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν. “ It should be recollected that the terms οἱ άγαθοί, ἐσθλὸι, βελτιστοί, &c., are frequently used by the Greek writers to signify the nobles-oi kakoi, deiλoi, &c., to denote the commons." (W. Smith's H. of Greece, p. 85.) So it is with Theognis. So also Sallust uses the terms boni, optimates, optimus quisque, mali, &c. In ver. 30, ἀρετὰς is used in a kindred sense to this of ἀγάθος. See more at Welcker's Theogn. præf. p. xxi. seq.; Donaldson's New Cratylus, Sect. 322, p. 506. This passage is put in the mouth of Socrates in Plato's Meno, 95, D. (vol. ix. 294, Ast), and in Xenophon, Symposium, ii. 5. 3 (Ver. 39-52 Fragm. Frere, xxiii.) Mr. Frere explains the scope of this passage to be, that an aristocracy directed by generous and bold spirits is never overthrown; its danger is, when such are succeeded by a self-seeking corrupt generation of statesmen. * On the contrary they constitute the city. Cf. Thuc. vii. 77, ävδρες γὰρ πόλις, καὶ οὐ τειχῆ, and Soph. (Ed. Τ. 56, 57. Cf. here Hesiod, W. and D. 214, 215, ßpis yap Tε Kakỳ dεiλ βροτῷ, κ. τ. λ., and 220, 221, τῆς δε δικῆς ῥόθος ἐλκομένης ᾗ κ ̓ ἄνδρες ἄγωσι Δωροφάγοι. So Hesiod again, Op. et D. 240, woλλákı yáp oúμñаoа móds κακοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀπηύρα. calm, when these gains shall have become dear to the ignoble men, coming along with public hurt. For from these is sedition, and civil bloodshed of men, and to a state such as this a monarch would never be pleasing. Cyrnus, this state is still a state indeed: but its people truly are other, who aforetime knew nor rights nor laws, but were wont to wear-out goat-skins about their sides, and to inhabit this city, like stags, without the walls.2 And now, son of Polypas, they are noble: but they who were bettermost of yore, now are of-low-degree: who can endure to look on3 these things? They deceive also one another, laughing one at the other, conscious of the sentiments neither of bad nor good. Son of Polypas, get none of these citizens as a friend, with thine whole heart, for the sake of any advantage: but seem indeed to be friend to all in tongue, yet associate with none of them in any serious matter at all. For you will learn the minds of wretched men, that in their deeds there is no reliance. But they have loved tricks, and deceits, and crafts in suchwise, as men no longer in-a-sound-condition.6 4 Never, Cyrnus, trustingly consult with a mean man, when 1 Ver. 53-68-Frere's Fragm. xii. 2 In this and the three preceding lines the effects of a revolution at Megara are portrayed. The ancient aristocracy has been driven out by skin-clad tillers of the ground who dwelt aforetime in the country. There seems no reason to read ɛow, with Brunck, as ižw may be explained of the former dwelling of this subject class outside the walls. In this view the Quarterly Reviewer, No. cxliv., on Mr. Frere's Theognis, and Sir G. Lewis's observations on the same, [Class. Museum, vol. i. p. 265,] seem to confirm me. The latter says, Instead of avoiding the frequented places, like timid deer, they now rule in the city."-These dopai aiywy were the same as the olovpai, or Bairai, of the Greek shepherds and soldiers. Mr. Frere has not here translated his original. Welcker reads τῆσδε—πολέος. * ανέχοιτ' ἐσορῶν. For this construction of ἀνεχέθαι with a participle, see Matth. Gr. Gr. § 550, b. 66 ix Ovμou. This preposition, much as drò in the next line, is often put with words importing an internal or external impulse of mind. Cf. Hom. Il. ix. 486, έk Ovμov piλéwy; Soph. Ed. C. 887; Matth. Gr. Gr. § 574, p. 998.-άπò yλwoons, however, is shown by Matth. Gr. Gr. § 396, 2, obs. 2, to be i. q. yλwooy. Cf. Ed. C. 936. 5 ἔπ' οὐδεμία. ἔπι is here i. q. ἔπεστι, the accent being retracted, by anastrophe, as in Hom. Il. i. 515; Od. xi. 367. Later editors have read r' here. • ὡς ἄνδρες μηκέτι σωζόμενοι. Cf. Plat. Theaetet. 176, D., ἀλλ ̓ ἄν δρες οἵους δεῖ ἐν πόλει τοὺς σωθησομένους. In the edition of Callim you may wish to accomplish a serious matter: but go to a man-of-worth, and take advice, after you have made great efforts, and accomplished, Cyrnus, a long journey afoot. 1 Not even to all friends communicate wholly a matter: few, look you, of many have a trusty mind. Rely on but few men when you take in hand great deeds, lest ever, Cyrnus, you find incurable sorrow. A faithful man is worthy to-be-prized-equally with gold and silver,2 O Cyrnus, in vexatious doubt. Few men, son of Polypas, will you find, as comrades, proving themselves faithful in difficult circumstances, who would have the courage, possessing a like-minded spirit, to share alike good fortunes and bad. And of these you will not find, by seeking even among all men, such a number in all as one ship would not carry upon whose tongue as well as eyes a-sense-of-shame is set, nor does gain lead them to a base dealing. machus, Theognis, &c., (Thos. Rentley, Cambridge,) this line is rendered, Ita tanquam viri non servati, prorsus perditi. ows. Brunck reads ouws, peræquè, pariter, i. e. "to all friends alike." Shaksp. in Henry VIII. act ii. sc. 1, makes Buckingham say, "Where you are liberal of your loves and counsels Be sure you be not loose: for those you make friends And give your hearts to, when they once perceive Like water from ye." This fragment is No. lxx. in Frere's Theognis. 2 This and the next line are quoted by Plat. Leg. i. 630, A. (vi. 20, Ast.) Something to the same purpose is Hor. Od. I. xxxv. 21 -24; and with ver. 78, cf. Od. III. iii. 1, 2, Justum et tenacem propositi virum Non civium ardor prava jubentium, &c. Lines 77 to 86 form Frere's 66th Fragment. The scarcity of comrades faithful in adversity is justified by Photinus in Lucan, viii. 485-487, Dat pœnas laudata fides, cum sustinet, inquit, Quos fortuna premit. Fatis accede, Deisque : and again at 535, Nulla fides unquam miseros elegit amicos. 4 ous vais μnμía. Welcker compares Cic. ad Div. xii. 25, Una navis est jam bonorum omnium, quam quidem nos damus operam, ut rectam teneamus. Two lines below cf. Virg. Æn. iii, 56, 57, |