Plutarch, Quaestiones Graecae, ed. William W. Goodwin, 42

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

[42]

Question 42.

Whence was that proverbial speech, Let this prevail?

Solution.

Dinon the Tarentine general, being a man well skilled in military affairs, when the citizens manifested their dislike of a certain opinion of his by lifting up of hands, as the crier was declaring the majority of votes, stretched forth his right hand and said, This is better. Thus Theophrastus hath told the story; and Apollodorus in his Rhytinus adds this: When the crier had said, ’These are the most suffrages;’ ’Aye, but,’ saith Dinon, ’these are the best,’ and ratifies the suffrages of the minority.

Quaestiones Graecae. Plutarch. ed. William W. Goodwin. Boston. 1874.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Greek Questions (English) (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Chauncy, Isaac translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.)

Editions (2)

Αἴτια Ἑλληνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 42 focus

[42] ἀπὸ τίνος ἐρρήθη¹ τὸ παροιμιῶδες αὕτα κυρία;

Δίνων² ὁ Ταραντῖνος στρατηγῶν, ἀνὴρ δʼ ὢν ἀγαθὸς ἐν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς, ἀποχειροτονησάντων αὐτοῦ τινα γνώμην τῶν πολιτῶν, ὡς ὁ κῆρυξ ἀνεῖπε τὴν νικῶσαν, αὐτὸς ἀνατείνας τὴν δεξιάν, ἃδε, εἶπε, κρείσσων · οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Θεόφραστος ἱστόρηκε. προσιστόρηκε δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀπολλόδωρος Ταραντίνων³ τοῦ κήρυκος, αὗται πλείους, εἰπόντος, ἀλλʼ αὗται, φάναι, βελτίους, καὶ ἐπικυρῶσαι τὴν τῶν ἐλαττόνων χειροτονίαν.

Κεφαλαίων καταγραφή Ἑλληνικά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 42 focus

[42] ἀπὸ τίνος ἐρρήθη ¹ τὸ παροιμιῶδες αὕτα κυρία; Δίνων ὁ Ταραντῖνος στρατηγῶν, ἀνὴρ δʼ ὢν ἀγαθὸς ἐν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς, ἀποχειροτονησάντων αὐτοῦ τινα γνώμην τῶν πολιτῶν, ὡς ὁ κῆρυξ ἀνεῖπε τὴν νικῶσαν, αὐτὸς ἀνατείνας τὴν δεξιὰν ἅδε εἶπε κρείσσων· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ Θεόφραστος ἱστόρηκε. προσιστόρηκε δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀπολλόδωρος ἐν Ῥυτίνῳ, ² τοῦ 5 κήρυκος αὗται πλείους εἰπόντος, ἀλλʼ αὗται φάναι βελτίους καὶ ἐπικυρῶσαι τὴν τῶν ἐλαττόνων χειροτονίαν. 301d

Translations (1)

The Greek Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 42 focus

[42] Whence arose the proverbial saying, This is valid?

When Deinon of Tarentum, a brave soldier, was general, his fellow-citizens voted to reject a certain proposal of his. When the herald reported the prevailing majority, he held up his right hand and said, But this is stronger. This is Theophrastus’s¹ version of the story; but Apollodorus has a supplementary version, that when the herald of the Tarentines proclaimed, These are in the majority Deinon said, But these are better! and validated the vote of the minority.

Plutarch Quaestiones Graecae 42

ed. William W. Goodwin

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Question 42.

Solution.

Current edition Perseus

Stable identifiers