Plutarch, Parallela minora, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 39

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[39] Phalaris, the tyrant of Agrigentum, used to inflict most cruel torture and torment upon the strangers that passed his way. Perillus, a bronze-founder by trade, made a bronze heifer and gave it to the king that he might burn the strangers in it alive. But Phalaris on this one occasion proved himself a just man and threw into it the artisan; the heifer seemed to give forth a sound of bellowing.¹ So in the second book of Causes.²

In Segesta, a city of Sicily, there lived a certain cruel despot, Aemilius Censorinus, who used to reward with gifts those who invented more novel forms of torture; and a certain Arruntius Paterculus constructed a horse of bronze and gave it as a gift to the aforesaid that he might cast the citizens therein. But on this occasion, for the first time, the despot behaved in a just manner and thrust first the giver of the gift into the horse, so that he himself should be the first to experience the torment which he had devised for others. Then he seized the man and hurled him from the Tarpeian Rock. It is believed that those who rule with great cruelty are called Aemilii from this Aemilius. So Aristeides in the fourth book of his Italian History.

Parallela minora. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

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Current edition Perseus

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 39 focus

[39] Φάλαρις Ἀκραγαντίνων τύραννος ἀποτόμως τοὺς παριόντας ξένους ἐστρέβλου καὶ ἐκόλαζε. Πέριλλος δὲ τῇ τέχνῃ χαλκουργὸς δάμαλιν κατασκευάσας χαλκῆν ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἂν τοὺς ξένους κατακαίῃ ζῶντας ἐν αὐτῇ· ὁ δὲ μόνον τότε γενόμενος δίκαιος αὐτὸν ἐνέβαλεν. ἐδόκει ι δὲ 315d μυκηθμὸν ἀναδιδόναι ἡ δάμαλις· ὡς ἐν δευτέρῳ Αἰτίων.

ἐν Ἀιγέστηι πόλει τῆς Σικελίας ἐγένετό τις ὠμὸς τύραννος Αἰμίλιος Κενσωρῖνος. οὗτος τοὺς καινότερα βασανιστήρια κατασκευάσαντας ἐδωροδόκει. εἷς δέ τις Ἀρούντιος Πατέρκουλος δημιουρ γήσας ἵππον χαλκοῦν τῷ προειρημένῳ δῶρον ἔδωκεν, ʼἵν’ ἐμβάλλῃ ἀστούς. ὁ δὲ τότε πρῶτον νομίμως ἀναστραφεὶς τὸν χαρισάμενον πρότερον ἔβαλεν ὡς ἄν, ἣν ἐπενόησε βάσανον ἄλλοις, αὐτὸς πάθῃ πρῶτος. τοῦτον συλλαβὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ταρπηίου ὄρους ἔρριψε. καὶ δοκοῦσιν οἱ ἀποτόμως βασιλεύσαντες ἀπʼ ἐκείνου Αἰμίλιοι προσαγορεύεσθαι· ὡς 315e Ἀριστείδης ἐν τετάρτῳ Ἰταλικῶν.

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol 2. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 39 focus

[39] Φάλαρις Ἀκραγαντίνων τύραννος ἀποτόμως τοὺς παριόντας ξένους ἐστρέβλου καὶ ἐκόλαζε· Πέριλλος ¹ δὲ τῇ τέχνῃ χαλκουργὸς δάμαλιν κατασκευάσας 25 χαλκῆν ἔδωκε τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἂν τοὺς ξένους κατακαίῃ ζῶντας ἐν αὐτῇ· ὁ δὲ μόνον τότε 315d γενόμενος δίκαιος αὐτὸν ἐνέβαλεν. ἐδόκει δὲ μυκηθμὸν ἀναδιδόναι ἡ δάμαλις· ὡς ἐν δευτέρῳ Αἰτιῶν. ² ἐν Αἰγέστῃ τῇ πόλει τῆς Σικελίας ἐγένετό τις ὠμὸς τύραννος Αἰμίλιος Κενσωρῖνος. οὗτος τοὺς 5 καινότερα βασανιστήρια κατασκευάσαντας ἐδωροδόκει. εἷς δέ τις Ἀρούντιος Πατέρκουλος ³ δημιουργήσας ἵππον χαλκοῦν τῷ προειρημένῳ δῶρον ἔδωκεν, ἵνα βάλλῃ αὐτούς. ὁ δὲ τότε πρῶτον νομίμως ἀναστραφεὶς τὸν χαρισάμενον πρότερον ἔβαλεν ὡς ἄν, ἣν 10 ἐπενόησε βάσανον ἄλλοις, αὐτὸς πάθῃ πρῶτος. τοῦτον συλλαβὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ Ταρπηίου ⁴ ὄρους ἔρριψε. καὶ δοκοῦσιν οἱ ἀποτόμως βασιλεύσαντες ἀπʼ ἐκείνου 315e Αἰμίλιοι προσαγορεύεσθαι· ὡς Ἀριστείδης ⁵ ἐν τετάρτῳ Ἰταλικῶν. 15

Translations (1)

Parallels, or a comparison between the Greek and Roman Histories. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 5. Goodwin, William W., editor; Oswald, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 39 focus

[39] Phalaris of Agrigentum, a cruel tyrant, was wont to put strangers and travellers to the most exquisite torment. Perillus, a brass-founder, made a cow of brass, and presented it to the king for a new invention, that he might burn strangers alive in it. Phalaris for this once was just, in making the first proof of it upon Perillus himself; and the invention was so artificial, that upon putting it in execution, the engine itself seemed to bellow.— Second Book of Questions or Causes.

In Egesta, a city of Sicily, there was a certain tyrant called Aemilius Censorinus, who was so inhuman that he proposed rewards to the inventors of new tortures. There was one Aruntius Paterculus that had framed a brazen horse, and made a present of it to the tyrant to practise with it upon whom he pleased. It was the first piece of justice that ever the tyrant did, to make trial of the torment upon the author of it, that he might first feel himself the torments he had provided for others. He was afterwards thrown down from the Tarpeian Rock. It may be thought that unmerciful rulers are from this tyrant called Aemilii. — Aristides’s Fourth Book of Italian History.

Notes on the current edition

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories

1. Cf. Stobaeus, Florilegium, xlix. 49 (iv. p. 318 Hense).

2. Probably, as Bentley conjectured, the Aetia of Callimachus ( cf. Mair’s edition, L.C.L. p. 203). Schneider’s objections Schlereth has shown to be irrelevant.

Plutarch Parallela minora 39

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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