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PAUSANIAS,¹ THE SON OF CLEOMBROTUS

[1] Pausanias, son of Cleombrotus, at the time when the people of Delos were asserting their rightful claims to the island against the Athenians, and said that according to the law² which prevailed among them there were no births and no burials in the island, said, How can this be your native land in which no one of you has ever been born nor shall ever be hereafter?³

[2] When the exiles were inciting him to lead his army against the Athenians, and saying that, when his name was proclaimed at Olympia, they were the only people who hissed him, he said, What do you think that those who hissed when they were being well treated will do if they are treated ill ?⁴

[3] When someone inquired why the Spartans had made Tyrtaeus the poet a citizen, he said, So that a stranger shall never appear as our leader.⁵

[4] In answer to the man who was weak in body, but was urging that they risk a battle against the enemy by both land and sea, he said, Are you willing to strip yourself and show what kind of a man you are — you who advise us to fight?

[5] When some people were amazed at the costliness of the raiment found among the spoils of the barbarians, he said that it would have been better for them to be themselves men of worth than to possess things of worth.⁶

[6] After the victory at Plataea over the Persians he ordered that the dinner which had been prepared for the Persians should be served to himself and his officers. As this had a wondrous sumptuousness, he said, By Heaven, the Persian was a greedy fellow who, when he had all this, came after our barley-cake.⁷

Apophthegmata Laconica. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1931.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Sayings of Spartans (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Ἀποφθέγματα Λακωνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).) — 58 focus

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

[1] Παυσανίας ὁ Κλεομβρότου, Δηλίων δικαιολογουμένων περὶ τῆς νήσου πρὸς Ἀθηναίους καὶ λεγόντων ὅτι κατὰ τὸν νόμον τὸν παρʼ αὐτοῖς οὔθ̓¹ 230d αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τίκτουσιν οὔθʼ οἱ τελευτήσαντες θάπτονται, πῶς ἂν² οὖν, ἔφη, αὕτη πατρὶς ὑμῶν εἴη, ἐν ᾗ οὔτε γέγονέ τις ὑμῶν οὔτʼ ἔσται³;

[2] τῶν δὲ φυγάδων αὐτὸν προτρεπομένων ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἄγειν τὴν στρατιὰν λεγόντων τε ὅτι τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις ἀνακηρυττομένου αὐτοῦ ἐσύριττον αὐτὸν μόνοι, τί οὖν οἴεσθε, ἔφη, τοὺς ὅτε εὖ ἔπασχον συρίττοντας παθόντας κακῶς ποιήσειν;ν

[3] πυνθανομένου δέ τινος διὰ τί Τυρταῖον τὸν ποιητὴν ἐποιήσαντο πολίτην, ὅπως, ἔφη, μηδέποτε ξένος φαίνηται ἡμῶν ἡγεμών.

[4] 230e πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀσθενῆ μὲν τῷ σώματι, συμβουλεύοντα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν διακινδυνεύειν, θέλεις οὖν, ἔφη, δεῖξαι σεαυτὸν ἐκδύς, οἷος ὢν ἡμῖν μάχεσθαι συμβουλεύεις;ν

[5] θαυμαζόντων δέ τινων ἐν τοῖς λαφύροις τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῆς ἐσθῆτος, κρεῖττον ἔφη αὐτοὺς εἶναι, πολλοῦ ἀξίους ἢ κεκτῆσθαι πολλοῦ ἄξια.

[6] μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν Πλαταιαῖς κατὰ Μήδων γενομένην νίκην τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν ἐκέλευσε τὸ προητοιμασμένον Περσικὸν δεῖπνον παραθεῖναι· τούτου δὲ 230f θαυμαστὴν πολυτέλειαν ἔχοντος, νὴ τοὺς θεούς, ἔφη, λίχνος ἦν ὁ Πέρσης, ὅτι τοσαῦτα ἔχων ἐπὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἦλθε μᾶζαν.

Ἀποφθέγματα Λακωνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol II. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 58 focus

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

[1] 15 Παυσανίας ὁ Κλεομβρότου, Δηλίων δικαιολογουμένων περὶ τῆς νήσου πρὸς Ἀθηναίους καὶ λεγόντων, ὅτι κατὰ τὸν νόμον τὸν παρʼ αὐτοῖς οὔθʼ ¹ 230d αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τίκτουσιν οὔθʼ οἱ τελευτήσαντες θάπτονται, πῶς ἂν ² οὖν ἔφη αὕτη πατρὶς 20 ὑμῶν εἴη, ἐν ᾗ οὔτε γέγονέ τις ὑμῶν οὔτʼ ἔσται;³

[2] τῶν δὲ φυγάδων αὐτὸν προτρεπομένων ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἄγειν τὴν στρατιὰν λεγόντων τε ὅτι τοῖς Ὀλυμπίοις ἀνακηρυττομένου αὐτοῦ, ἐσύριττον αὐτὸν μόνοι, τί οὖν οἴεσθε ἔφη τοὺς ὅτε εὖ ἔπασχον συρίττοντας παθόντας κακῶς ποιήσειν;

[3] πυνθανομένου δέ τινος διὰ τί Τυρταῖον τὸν ποιητὴν ἐποιήσαντο πολίτην, ὅπως ἔφη μηδέποτε 5 ξένος φαίνηται ἡμῶν ἡγεμών.

[4] 230e πρὸς δὲ τὸν ἀσθενῆ μὲν τῷ σώματι, συμβουλεύοντα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν διακινδυνεύειν, θέλεις οὖν ἔφη 10 δεῖξαι σεαυτὸν ἐκδύς, οἷος ὢν ἡμῖν μάχεσθαι συμβουλεύεις;

[5] θαυμαζόντων δέ τινων ἐν τοῖς λαφύροις τῶν βαρβάρων τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῆς ἐσθῆτος, κρεῖσσον ἔφη αὐτοὺς εἶναι πολλοῦ ἀξίους ἢ κεκτῆσθαι πολλοῦ ἄξια. 15

[6] μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν Πλαταιαῖς κατὰ Μήδων γενομένην νίκην τοῖς ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν ἐκέλευσε τὸ προητοιμασμένον Περσικὸν δεῖπνον παραθεῖναι· τούτου δὲ 230f θαυμαστὴν πολυτέλειαν ἔχοντος, νὴ τοὺς θεούς ἔφη λίχνος ἦν ὁ Πέρσης, ὅτι τοσαῦτα ἔχων ἐπὶ 20 τὴν ἡμετέραν ἦλθε μᾶζαν.

Translations (1)

Laconic Apophthegms; or Remarkable Sayings of the Spartans. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. I. Goodwin, William W., editor; unknown, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 58 focus

Of Pausanias the Son of Cleombrotus.

Pausanias the son of Cleombrotus, when the Delians pleaded their title to the island against the Athenians, and urged that according to their law no women were ever brought to bed or any carcass buried in the isle, said. How then can that be your country, in which not one of you was born or shall ever lie? The exiles urging him to march against the Athenians, and saying that, when he was proclaimed victor in the Olympic games, these alone hissed; How, says he, since they hissed whilst we did them good, what do you think they will do when abused? When one asked him why they made Tyrtaeus the poet a citizen, he answered, That no foreigner should be our captain. A man of a weak and puny body advising to fight the enemy both by sea and land; Pray, sir, says he, will you strip and show what a man you are who advise to engage? When some amongst the spoils of the barbarians admired the richness of their clothes; It had been better, he said, that they had been men of worth themselves than that they should possess things of worth. After the victory over the Medes at Plataea, he commanded his officers to set before him the Persian banquet that was already dressed; which appearing very sumptuous, By heaven, quoth he, the Persian is an abominable glutton, who, when he hath such delicacies at home, comes to eat our barley-cakes.

Notes on the current edition

Sayings of Spartans

1. Regent of Sparta from 479 B.C.; commander at Plataea.

2. The law seems to have been put into effect (426-425 B.C.) some years after the death of this Pausanias (468 B.C.).

3. Cf. Thucydides, iii. 104.

4. A similar remark is attributed to Philip of Macedon in Moralia, 143 F, 179 A, and 457 F.

5. Tyrtaeus, according to tradition, was a native of Athens.

6. Cf. Plato, Laws, 870 B; Cicero, Paradoxa Stoicorum, vi. 1-3 (42-52).

7. Cf. Herodotus, ix. 82.

Plutarch Apophthegmata Laconica 58

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

PAUSANIAS,¹ THE SON OF CLEOMBROTUS

Current edition Perseus

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

Of Pausanias the Son of Cleombrotus.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

PAUSANIAS, 1 THE SON OF CLEOMBROTUS

Current edition Perseus

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

Παυσανίου τοῦ Κλεομβρότου

Of Pausanias the Son of Cleombrotus.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

PAUSANIAS,¹ THE SON OF CLEOMBROTUS