Yale Studies in English Volume 15 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 Excerpt: ...invention.' 8 Meineke iii. 518. sentiment of the man who wrote, 'Against the knave, knavery itself is no bad tool'--as it were commending us to become like the knave--we are to use the words of Diogenes,1 who, being asked how a man might revenge himself upon an enemy, said, 'by being an honest and upright man himself.' Diogenes may also be cited against Sophocles, who caused utter despair to multitudes of men when he wrote thus about the mysteries: 'Thrice happy mortals they who behold these, mysteries ere the journey to Hades; to them alone is it given there to enjoy life's vigor; on others all ills attend.' For when Diogenes heard some such thing, 'What then, ' says he, 'shall Pataecion the thief enjoy a better lot than Epaminondas,8 simply because he was initiated?' And when Timotheus4 in the theatre was extolling Artemis, calling her 'mad, inspired, possessed, frenzied, '5 Cinesias6 straightway shouted back, 'May thy daughter be such'a one.' Similarly, when Theognis7 said, 'Naught may he say or do who bears the yoke of poverty; his tongue is bound, '8 Bion9 cleverly replied, 'How comes it then that thou thyself, being so poor, so copiously pratest and chatterest in this manner?'10 1 See pp. 117. s Nauck 247. 3 Statesman and general; b. at Thebes about 418 B.C. Epaminondas was the successful leader of the Thebans in their wars with the Spartans, showing remarkable military genius. 'He left a pure and exalted reputation as a patriot, a statesman, and a sage, and is universally admitted to have been one of the greatest captains of antiquity. Cicero expressed the opinion that Epaminondas was the greatest man that Greece had produced.' 4 The most admired Greek musician of his day; flourished towards the close of the fourth century, B.C. His innovation consisted...