Plutarch, Phocion, ed. Bernadotte Perrin, 20

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[1] Φώκῳ δὲ τῷ υἱῷ βουλομένῳ ἀγωνίσασθαι Παναθηναίοις ἀποβάτην ἐφῆκεν,¹ οὐχὶ τῆς νίκης ὀρεγόμενος, ἀλλʼ ὅπως ἐπιμεληθεὶς καὶ ἀσκήσας τὸ σῶμα βελτίων ἔσοιτο καὶ γὰρ ἦν ἄλλως φιλοπότης καὶ ἄτακτος ὁ νεανίσκος, νικήσαντος δὲ καὶ πολλῶν αἰτουμένων ἑστιᾶσαι τὰ νικητήρια, τοὺς ἄλλους Φωκίων παραιτησάμενος ἑνὶ τὴν φιλοτιμίαν ταύτην συνεχώρησεν.

[2] ὡς δὲ ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ δεῖπνον ἄλλην τε σοβαρὰν ἑώρα παρασκευὴν καὶ ποδανιπτῆρας οἴνου διʼ ἀρωμάτων προσφερομένους τοῖς εἰσιοῦσι, καλέσας τὸν υἱὸν, οὐ παύσεις ἔφη, τὸν ἑταῖρον, ὦ Φῶκε, διαφθείροντά σου τὴν νίκην ; βουλόμενος δὲ καὶ καθόλου μεταστῆσαι τὸ μειράκιον ἐκ τῆς διαίτης ἐκείνης, ἀπήγαγεν εἰς Λακεδαίμονα καὶ κατέμιξε τοῖς ἀγομένοις τὴν λεγομένην ἀγωγὴν νεανίσκοις.

[3] καὶ τοῦτο τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐλύπησεν, ὡς ὑπερορῶντος καὶ ὑπερφρονοῦντος τὰ οἰκεῖα τοῦ Φωκίωνος· εἰπόντος δὲ τοῦ Δημάδου πρὸς αὐτόν, τί οὐ πείθομεν, ὦ Φωκίων, Ἀθηναίους τὴν Λακωνικὴν προσδέξασθαι πολιτείαν; ἐὰν γὰρ σὺ κελεύῃς, ἐγὼ γράφειν καὶ λέγειν ἕτοιμός εἰμι, πάνυ γοῦν, ἔφη, πρέψειεν ἄν σοι μύρου τοσοῦτον ὄζοντι καὶ χλανίδα τοιαύτην φοροῦντι συμβουλεύειν Ἀθηναίοις περὶ φιλιτίων καὶ τὸν Λυκοῦργον ἐπαινεῖν.

Phocion. Plutarch. ed. Bernadotte Perrin. Cambridge, MA. 1919.

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Current edition Perseus

Φωκίων (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VIII. Perrin, Bernadotte, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.)

Translations (1)

Phocion Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Lives, Vol. VIII. Perrin, Bernadotte, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1919.) — 20 focus

[1] When Phocus his son wished to compete at the Panathenaic festival as a vaulting rider of horses, Phocion permitted it, not because he was ambitious for the victory, but in order that care and training of the body might make his son a better man; for in general the youth was fond of wine and irregular in his habits. The youth was victorious, and many asked him to their houses for the victor’s banquet; but Phocion declined the other invitations and granted the coveted honour to one host only.

[2] And when he went to the banquet and saw the general magnificence of the preparations, and particularly the foot-basins of spiced wine that were brought to the guests as they entered, he called his son and said: Phocus, do not let thy companion ruin thy victory. Moreover, wishing to remove the young man entirely from that style of living, he took him off to Sparta and put him among the youths who were following the course of discipline called agoge.¹

[3] This vexed the Athenians, who thought that Phocion despised and looked down upon the native customs. And once Demades said to him: Phocion, why shouldn’t we try to persuade the Athenians to adopt the Spartan polity? For if thou sayest the word, I am ready to introduce and support the requisite law. But Phocion replied: Indeed it would very well become thee, with so strong a scent of ointment upon thee, and wearing such a mantle as thine, to recommend to the Athenians the public mess-halls of the Spartans, and to extol Lycurgus.

Notes on the current edition

Phocion

1. Φώκῳ βουλομένῳ ἐφῆκεν with Coraës, Sintenis 1, and Bekker, after F a: Φῶκον βουλόμενον ἀφῆκεν.

Plutarch Phocion 20

ed. Bernadotte Perrin

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