Plutarch, Quaestiones Convivales, ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs, 8.8.1

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[1] 5 ἐπεὶ δὲ τούτων λεγομένων ὁ Λεύκιος οὔτε ψέγων οὔτʼ ἐπαινῶν, ἀλλʼ ἡσυχίαν ἄγων, σιγῇ δὲ καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ὁρῶν ἤκουεν, ὀνομαστὶ καλέσας 10 τὸν Σύλλαν ὁ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς Λεύκιος εἶπεν ὁ ἑταῖρος εἰ μὲν ἄχθεται τοῖς λεγομένοις, ὥρα πεπαῦσθαι καὶ ἡμᾶς· εἰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐχεμυθίαν ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνό γε¹ δοκῶ μήτʼ ἄρρητον εἶναι μήτʼ ἀνέξοιστον 728e πρὸς ἑτέρους, ὅτι² δὴ μάλιστα τῶν ἰχθύων 15 ἀπείχοντο· καὶ γὰρ ἱστορεῖται τοῦτο περὶ τῶν παλαιῶν Πυθαγορικῶν καὶ τοῦ καθʼ ἡμᾶς Ἀλεξικράτους ἐνέτυχον μαθηταῖς, ἄλλα³ μὲν ἔστιν ὅτε μετρίως⁴ προσφερομένοις καὶ νὴ Δία θύουσιν, ἰχθύος δὲ μὴ γεύσασθαι τὸ παράπαν ὑπομένουσιν. ἣν δὲ 20 Τυνδάρης ὁ Λακεδαιμόνιος αἰτίαν ⁵ ἔλεγε δὲ τῆς ἐχεμυθίας τοῦτο⁶ γέρας εἶναι, τοὺς ἰχθῦς καλεῖν ἔλλοπας⁷, οἷον ἰλλομένην τὴν ὄπα καὶ καθειργομένην ἔχοντας· καὶ τὸν ὁμώνυμον ἐμοὶ τῷ παυσαμένῳ Πυθαγορικῶς περαίνειν τὰ δόγματα στέγουσαι φρενὸς 728f ἀλλʼ ὅπερ ἐλάσσω, καὶ ὅλως θεῖον⁸ ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν σιωπὴν τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τῶν θεῶν ἔργοις 5 καὶ πράγμασιν ἄνευ φωνῆς ἐπιδεικνυμένων ἃ βούλονται τοῖς ξυνετοῖς.

Quaestiones Convivales. Plutarch. ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs. Leipzig. 1892.

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Current edition Perseus

Συμποσιακῶν προβλημάτων βιβλία (Greek) (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. IV. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1892.)

Translations (1)

Symposiacs Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. III. Goodwin, William W., editor; Creech, Thomas, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 8.8.1 focus

[1] OUR former discourse Lucius neither reprehended nor approved, but, sitting silent and musing, gave us the hearing. Then Empedocles addressing his discourse to Sylla, said: If our friend Lucius is displeased with the discourse, it is time for us to leave off; but if these are some of their mysteries which ought to be concealed, yet I think this may be lawfully divulged, that they more cautiously abstain from fish than from other animals. For this is said of the ancient Pythagoreans; and even now I have met with Alexicrates’s scholars, who will eat and kill and even sacrifice some of the other animals, but will never taste fish. Tyndares the Spartan said, they spared fish because they had so great a regard for silence, and they called fish ἔλλοπας, because they had their voice shut up ( ἰλλομένην); and my namesake Empedocles advised one who left the school of Pythagoras to shut up his mind,... and they thought silence to be divine, since the Gods without any voice discover their meaning to the wise by their works.

Notes on the current edition

Συμποσιακῶν προβλημάτων βιβλία

1. γε] τε mei

2. ὅτι] ὅτε iidem

3. ἀλλὰ iidem

4. μετρίοις iidem

5. lac. signavit Duebnerus. Fort. supplendum ἣν δὲ Τ. ὁ Λακ. αἰτίαν [ ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἀποδέχομαι] ἔλεγε δὲ cf. Symb.

6. τοῦτο] sc. τὸ μὴ γεύεσθαι Cetera fort. sunt ita corrigenda: τοὺς γὰρ ἰχθῦς καλεῖν ἔλλοπας - καὶ τὸν ὁμών. ἐμοὶ τὸν παυσάνεμον (hoc cum Herwerdeno) πυθ. παραινεῖν τάδε ‘Δόγματα δὲ στέγ’ ἔσω φρενὸς ἔλλοπος οὔτι (haec cum W) ἔλασσον’

7. ἔλλοπας] om. mei

8. θεῖον Amyotus: θεὸν

Plutarch Quaestiones Convivales 8.8.1

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

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