The life of Apollonius of Tyana

Front matter

mm ui

HHH

Wmm

BOOK I.— Contents

Observations on the Doctrine of Pythagoras, fyc. — Country of Apollonius — his Birth — Education, Progress in the Pythagorean Philosophy — Residence in the Temple of Esculapius — Death of his parents — Goes to Anlioch — Meets Dames at Ninus—Goes to Babylon — Interview with King Bardanes — Conversation with the Magi — Sets out on his journey to India.

Chap. I

1 HEY who commend* Pythagoras the Samian, say o£ him, that before his birth in Ionia, he was Euphort^T at Troy ; and that after his death at that place, vnich is recorded by Homer, he returned again to life. Hiey add,

* Whoever is desirous to understand fully the cha/aeter of Apollonius, as given here by Philostratus, should read with care and attention all that is written of Pythagoras, of whom he was t strict follower and rigorous disciple. The best accounts of Pythagoras, and his philosophical tenets, are to be found in Diogenes Laertius, Porphyry, and Iamblichus, among the ancients ; and in Stanley's Lives of the Philosophers, and Brucker's Histoiia Critica among the moderns.

t Homer, in the 17th book of the Iliad, describes the death of Euphorbus, and the simile by which he illustrates his beauty and sudden fall is exquisitely fine. From Porphyry and Iamblichus it appears,

that B z

that he rejected the use of all clothing made from the skins of animals, and abstained both from eating and sacrificing them. He never polluted with blood the altars of the Gods, to whom he offered cakes of honey, and frankincense, and hymns ; for such oblations he knew were more acceptable to them than whole hecatombs, and the

\^ sacrificial knife. He conversed with the Gods, and learnt ^ from them, how men may do what is pleasing to them,

I and how the contrary. Hence ^he spoke of the nature of things as a man inspired: for he said other men guessed only of the divine will, but that Apollo had visited him and declared his Godhead. Pallas and the Muses, he also said, had conversed with him, without declaring who they were, and other deities whose names and aspects were not as yet known to mortals. Whatever was taught by Pythagoras, was observed as a law by his disciples, who reverenced him as a man come from Jove; and the silence he enjoined was most vigilantly adhered to by them, with a zeal which a doctrine so sublime merited; for whilst it continued, they heard many things of a divine and mysterious nature, which would have been difficult for them to retain and comprehend, had they not first learnt that Pytihgoras admired the verses so much, that he had them set to the harp. His admiration of them probably induced him to say, that his soul transmigrated to him from that hero. Pope has well translated them.

' As the young olive, in some sylvan scene, ' Crown'o. by fresh fountains with eternal green,

* Lifts the gay head, in snowy flow'rets fair, ' And plays, and dances to the gentle air j

* When lo ! a whirlwind from high heaven invades ' The tender plant, and withers all its shades ;

' It lies uprooted from its genial bed, ' A lovely ruin, now defae'd and dead.

* Thus young, thus beautiful, Enphorbus lay,

* While the fierce Spartan tore his arms away.* that silence* itself was the beginning and rudiment of wisdom. This mode of philosophizing, it is said,f Empedocles of Agrigentum pursued, who says in some of his poems, " Farewel, my friends, mortal I shall be no more," and also — " A boy I was, then did a maid become." Besides,^ the ox which he made of honey and barley, and sacrificed at Olympia, shews that he approved of the system of Pythagoras. Many other things are related of the followers of Pythagoras which I think not now necessary to notice, as I am anxious to go on with my proposed narrative.

* The to <ri*m<Li \oyoq of Pythagoras is illustrated by what Claudian says in speaking of the consulship of Mallius Theodoras, " Quicquid Deraocritus risit, dixitque tacendo Pythagoras."

Isocrates acknowledges the force of the above expression, Solomon says, " the words of wise men are heard in quiet."

t For an account of Empedocles see Diogenes Laertius, Stanley's lives of the Philosophers, and Brucker's Historia Critica.

$ Plutarch says Pythagoras sacrificed an ox on the discovery of a certain mathematical proposition ; now as we know that Pythagoras abstained entirely from the shedding of blood, the ox he sacrificed to the Gods on that occasion must have been of the same composition with that of Empedocles. Porphyry says, Pythagoras offered an ox in sacrifice, not a living ox, but one made of paste. Athenaeus reports in like manner, that Empedocles, a disciple of Pythagoras, having been crowned at the Olympic games, distributed to those who were present an ox made of myrrh, incense, and all sorts of aromatic drugs.

B 2

K>

Chap. II

APOLLONIUS, who engaged in like pursuits and studies, devoted himself to philosophy with a more divine enthusiasm than Pythagoras. He vanquished tyrannies, and lived in times neither remote nor modem, and yet he is not recognised by that true wisdom which he cultivated with such a chaste philosophical spirit, and is amongst men still mentioned with various praise. Some consider him as one of the Magi, because he conversed with the wise men of Babylon, and the Brachmans of India, and the Gymnosophists of Egypt, and even his wisdom is reviled, as being acquired by means of the magic art ; so erroneous are the opinions formed of him. Whereas, Empedocles, and Pythagoras, and Democritus, though they conversed with the same magi, and advanced many paradoxical sentiments, have not fallen under like imputation. Even Plato, who travelled into Egypt, and blended with his doctrines many opinions collected there from the priests and prophets, like a painter who improves his sketches with new colouring, incurred not such a suspicion, though envied above all men on account of his superior wisdom. The faculty Apollonius possessed of foreseeing and foretelling many things, should not call in question his wisdom, else might Socrates* be arraigned for the information he received from his demon, and Anaxagorasf for

* Ammianus Marcellinus ranks Apollonius among those eminent men who have been assisted by the supernatural aid of a daemon, or genius, as Socrates or Numa.

t Read the life of Anaxagoras in Diogenes Laertius and Stanley. Ammianus Marcellinus says, that Anaxagoras, instructed in the science of Egypt, foretold the falling of stones from Heaven, and that there should be earthquakes, in consequence of the mud which he perceived on the surface of the wells. B. 22. c. 16.

his predictions. For who is ignorant that the latter, during the Olympic games, at a time when there was not the least appearance of rain, entered the stadium wrapt in a thick woollen cloak, under the full conviction of a shower, that he foretold the fall of a certain house* that day should be turned into night, and that stones should fall from Heaven at iEgos-Potamos ;* and does not every one know that these things happened according to his predictions ? and yet they who ascribe the predictions of Anaxagoras to his superior wisdom, act not very consistently in depreciating the wisdom of Apollonius, and in saying he performed all by the means of magic ?+ I have therefore thought it proper to oppose the ignorance of the multitude, and to examine minutely the character of the man both as to what he said and did, together with the times in which he lived — and to mark that peculiar mode of philosophising, by which he acquired the reputation of being not only under the influence of a demon, but of being divine.^ The history I mean to give of the man has been drawn in part from the cities wherein he was held in high esteem, in part from the temples whose long disused rites he restored, in part from what tradition has preserved of him, and lastly from his own epistles, which were addressed to kings, and sophists, and philosophers — to Eleans, Delphians, Indians, and Egyptians, all written on the subject of their deities, countries, morals, and laws : it being his constant practice to redress whatever he found wrong.

* jEgos-Potamos, a river in the Thracian Chersonesus, situate to the north of Sestos. Pliny mentions a stone, " ad aegos flumen qui etiam nunc ostenditur, magnitudine vehis colore adusto." L. %. c. 58. He says Anaxagoras foretold its falling from the sun.

t Eusebius says, that in his time there were persons who pretended to perform magical incantations by invoking of Appollonius.

% Eusebius, in his refutation of Hierocles cites him ascribing to Apollonius a divine and hidden wisdom, by which, and not by magical art, he had performed great wonders.

The most probable account I have been able to collect from the above sources, will appear in the following relation.

CHAP. lit

THERE was a certain man named Damis, who was well read in philosophy, a citizen of the ancient Ninus,* who became one of the disciples of Apollonius, and wrote the account of his travels, wherein he set down his opinions, discourses, and predictions. A person nearly allied to Damis introduced the empressf Julia Augusta to a knowledge of his commentaries, which till then were not known ; as I was a good deal conversant in the imperial family from the encouragement given by the empress to rhetoric and its professors, she commanded me to transcribe and revise these commentaries,;); and pay particular attention to the style and language ; for the narrative of the Ninevite was plain, but not eloquent. To assist me in the work, I was fortunate in procuring the book of Maximus§ the iEgean, which contained all the actions of

* I shall speak of Ninus in a future note.

t Some account of the empress Julia is given in the preface to the reader, for further particulars see Gibbon's Roman history, vol. i. c. 6. Severus, the husband of Julia, died, A.D. 211, and his wife, after experiencing all the vicissitudes of fortune, put an end to her own life about the year 218.

$ They were now, says Mr. Charles Leslie, to be adapted to the ears of an empress, who loved rhetoric, alias, romancing, and fine stories. Meragenes's Commentaries, adds he, were not so romantic as those of Damis, and consequently not so fit for the entertainment of an empress, besides, it is supposed Meragenes considered him as a magician.

§ Of Maximus ^Egiensis, and Meragenes, little is known except what is found in the text, the writings of the latter were perhaps not

favorabh

Apollonius at iEgae, and a transcript of his will, from which it appeared how much his philosophy was under the influence of a sacred enthusiasm. I also happened to meet with the four books of one Meragenes, which were not of great value on account of the ignorance of the writer. I have now explained the manner of my collecting my materials, and the care taken in their compilation. I trust the work may do honor to the man who is the subject of it, and be of use to the lovers of literature, inasmuch as it will introduce them to the knowledge of things with which they were before unacquainted.* favorable to Apollonins, and on that account were not valued by Philostratus, who appears through this whole work to be more the panegyrist, than the historian of his life. From the accounts given of Damis and Meragenes, Lardner is inclined to think that Philostratus used only such materials in his history, as were to the advantage of his hero. Philostratns's principal author, Damis, is an obscure person, his memoirs were unknown, till brought to the empress Julia ; his friend who brought them is not named. Meragenes's four books were little regarded, probably from not being favorable to his hero. From such sources, must not the accounts be uncertain and deserving of little credit. Naudaeus, in his history of magic, considers this whole history, dressed up as it is by the pen of Philostratus, in the same light, as are at present the love-stories and romances which have been written for the entertaiment of queens and princesses.

* But how can things be received, says Lardner, which were not known till more than an hundred years after the death of the person spoken of. So extremely slight, says Mr. Charles Leslie, is the authority on which Philostratus has introduced his history, that some learned men have, not without reason, doubted whether there ever was such a man as Apollonius. Had he been such a man as he is here represented to have been, it is not possible he could have been so totally forgotten, as that no mention should have been made of him for one hundred years after such extraordinary things were said to have been done. Is it possible, that the death of so famous a person should not have been greatly noticed ? and his sepulchre honored and visited ?

Chap. IV

APOLLO NIUS was born in Tyana, a town founded by Greeks in Cappadocia. He was called Apollonius from his father, his family was ancient, and might be traced to the original settlers. His fortune was considerable, but the country abounded in riches. Whilst his mother was with child of him, Proteus* the Egyptian god appeared to her, who, as Homer writes, has the power of assuming such a variety of shapes. The woman without being much alarmed, asked him what she should bring forth ? to which he replied, Thou shalt bring forth me. This you may suppose excited her curiosity to ask again who he was, and he said the Egyptian god Proteus. But why need I mention the great wisdom of Proteus to those who have learnt from the poets his various and versatile transformations, the great difficulty in seizing him, and how he seemed not only to know, but to foreknow all things. It is however necessary to mention him, since it will appear in the sequel of this history, that Apollonius had a foreknowledge of what was to come to pass, much above Proteus; and was wont to solve many things which were difficult, and almost impossible to human capacity, and particularly at the time when he seemed to be most reduced to his ne plus ultra.f

* Homer gives us a very particular account of Proteus in the 4th book of his Odyssey. His story, which has been always considered as a subject of just ridicule by the dealers in fiction, is agreeably laughed at by Lucian in his Dialogues.

t On which Du Pin observes, " Ne voit-on pas clairement que cette apparition de Protle a la mere d'Apollone, est une fable de l'invention de Philostrate."

Chap. V

APOLLON1US is said to have been born in a certain meadow, near which stands a temple dedicated to him. Of the manner of his birth* no one should be ignorant. When his mother was near the time of her delivery, she was warned in a dream to go and gather flowers in a meadow; when she came there, whilst her maidens were dispersed up and down employed in their several amusements, she fell asleep on the grass. In this situation a flock of swansi* that was feeding in the meadow, formed a chorus around her, and clapping their wings, as their custom is, sung in unison, all the time the air was fanned by a gentle zephyr. The singing of the birds

* Born about the latter end of the reign of Augustus. t The idea of swans singing at the birth of Apollonius, is taken from Callimachus's hymn in Delum, in which these poetical birds perform the same office for Latona. The following version comes from the pen of Mr. Boyd, the elegant translator of Dante — whose character is too well known in the literary world to require any tiling more than my thanks. — And

" Thanks to men Of noble minds is honourable meed." —

She spoke — the swans, Apollo's plumy choir,

Upsoaring from Pactolus, with loud clang

Circled the happy island. Seven times round

They skimm'd the shores, as oft the swelling strain

They chanted, first in favor with the maids

Of Pindus, and in harmony excelling

All the plum'd choiristers that wing the winds.

'Twas thence for every lay that chear'd the pangs

Of his sad mother, Phoebus to his lyre

The heavenly concert, and the Lord of day

In jubilee was born. Sweet sung the nymphs

Symphonious, and the deep flood's solemn base,

Joined in full chorus to Lucina's praise. Boyd.

caused her to start out of her sleep, and at that moment she was delivered of a son — premature labours being sometimes the effects of sudden alarms. The natives of the place affirm, that at the instant of her deliver), a thunderbolt which seemed ready to fall on the ground, rose aloft, and suddenly disappeared. By this the Gods prefigured, I think, the splendor of the child, his superiority over earthly beings, his intercourse with them, and what he was to do when arrived to man^ hood.

Chap. VI

IN the vicinity of Tyana is a fountain consecrated to Jupiter, whose water is esteemed the water of oaths, and is called by the natives Asbamoean. # Its source is cold, but it bubbles up as a cauldron does over a fire. The water of this fountain is mild and sweet to the taste of all who respect an oath, but to all who do not, is a present punishment, by the manner in which it affects the eyes, and hands, and feet, and by the dropsies and consumptions which are said to be the consequence of drinking it. The guilty are not able to leave it, but there are detained,

Diodorus Siculus speaks of certain sulphureous springs at Palica in Sicily, which were something of the same nature with those mentioned in the text, he says the natives swore by their waters in the most solemn manner, and adds, that adjoining to them stood the temple of Palici, indigenous divinities, who were supposed to punish perjury. Trials by fire and water were long in use, especially, even after the establishment of Christianity.

lamentiug and confessing their sins.* All the people of the country say that Apollonius was the son of Jupiter, but he constantly called himself the son of Apollonius.

Chap. VII

WHEN he grew up,+ and was capable of instruction, he gave signs of great strength of memory and persevering application. He used the attic dialect, and never suffered his speech to be corrupted by the place of his birth. The eyes of all were attracted by his beauty. When .he was fourteen years of age his father carried him to Tarsus,J and committed him to the care of Euthydemus the Phenician, a celebrated rhetorician. Apollonius became attached to his master, but thought the manners of the town absurd, and not suited to philosophical pursuits, inasmuch as the people of it were insolent scoffers — addicted to pleasure, and more passionately fond of fine clothes, than the Athenians ever were of philosophy. The Cydnus § runs through it, on whose banks the citi-

* Cette relation, says Du Pin, est une episode qui n'a rien de commun avec la vie d'Apollone ; mais qui fait voir que Philostrate s'est etudie a faire entrer dans son histoire tout ce qu'il a pu apprendre de marveilleux, sans se soucir qu'il fut veritable.

t Here is an imitation of Pythagoras, of whom the same is said by the writers of his life.

t Tarsus, the metropolis of Cilicia, called by Strabo the Mother of Cities, from its great learning, and which St. Paul says, was no mean city.

§ The Cydnus runs through Tarsus, and falls into the sea about a mile from its walls.

zens are wont to sit like water-fowl ; Apollonius wrote them a letter, in which he desired them to cease intoxicating themselves with water. On obtaining his father's permission he retired with his master to iEgae,* a town in the neighbourhood of Tarsus, where he found a tranquillity more adapted to science, and studies more suitable to his years ; besides a temple of Esculapius, where the God sometimes shewed himself to his votaries, and here he enjoyed the conversation of the disciples of Plato, and Chrysippus, and Aristotle. He listened to, but did not contemn the opinions of Epicurus. Those of Pythagoras he embraced with an ineffable zeal, though his master was not well read in the discipline of that philosopher, nor devoted to any efficient study. He was of an amorous temperament, and fond of good living, his manner of life was formed according to the doctrine of Epicurus, and his name was Euxenus, born in Heraclea, a town of Pontus. He knew some of the sayings — of Pythagoras, as birds know what they are taught by men. For there are some birds that can say^«^ E , and ev wpotTrs, and Ztvq ^suq f and such like phrases of compliment — but know not what they say, neither do they mean by them any kindness to men, but only utter them from being taught such a certain modulation of sounds. As the young eagle never quits the side of its parent, when learning to fly; but grown stronger, assumes a bolder flight, sometimes soaring obove her, and sometimes skimming along the ground, lured by the scent of prey ; so did Apollonius, whilst a bov, submit to the authority of Euxenus, and was guided by his advice

* JEgaD, a maritime town of Cilicia, situate at the mouth of the river Pyramus, and not far from Tarsus, in which was a temple consecrated to the God Esculapius, which had a regular establishment of priests and ceremonies, and was famous through all the country for miraculous cures performed on sick persons by the God of Health.

IS

in the ways of knowledge* But when arrived at the age of sixteen, he became an enthusiastic disciple of Pythagoras, and a zealous admirer of his doctrine, winged thereto by a superior intelligei ce. Nevertheless, he always continued to respect Euxenus, and as a proof of his regard, gave him a house which his father purchased for him, with a garden and fountains belonging to it, at the same time saying, " live you in what manner you please," but for me, " I shall live after the manner of Pytha-

Chap. VIII

FROM this declaration,*]- Euxenus naturally supposed Apollonius had higher objects in view, and one day he asked him how he intended to begin his course of life, to which he replied, he would begin like physicians, who by means of purifying the human body, prevent distempers in some, and cure them in others. After this avowal he declined eating any thing which had life, from an idea of its being impure, and capable of weakening the understanding. He lived on fruits and vegetables, declaring that the productions of the earth were alone pure. He allowed that wine was a pure beverage, as produced from a tree not injurious to man. Howbeit, he reckoned it adverse to a composed state of mind by reason of the power it possessed of disturbing the divine particle of air of which it is

* In this account, Apollonius is drawn by Philostratus in perfect resemblance of Pythagoras.

t The course of life laid down by Apollonius in this chapter, and to which he adhered throughout, is exactly conformable to what was enjoined by Pythagoras to his disciples.

formed. After making this regulation in his mode of diet, he set about an alteration in his dress. He went barefooted, clothed himself in linen, and rejected the use of all garments made from living creatures. He next let his hair grow, and spent most of his time in the temple of Esculapius,* all the officers of which were astonished at his conduct, and even the God himself sometimes accosted the officiating priest, and said he had pleasure in performing his cures in the presence of such a witness as Apollonius. His fame soon spread far and near, so that the Cilicians, and all the dwellers in and about the country, came and visited him ; and the saying of the Cilicians, " Whither run you so fast?" " Is it to see the young man?** first applied on this occasion, obtained the authority of becoming proverbial.

Chap. IX

IN writing the life of a man who was in some estimation with the Gods, I think it not foreign to my purpose to mention a transaction which took place in the temple. A young Assyrian happened to visit Esculapius, who during his illness lived in a state of great luxury. He spent his

* Esculapius rejoiced to have Apollonius a witness of his cures, that is, as Blount observes, the priests of the temple were exceeding glad to have so crafty a man as Apollonius in collusion with them. In the temples of Esculapius, all kinds of diseases were believed to be publickly cured by the pretended help of that deity :^ in proof of which there were erected in each temple columns, or tables of brass, or marble, on which a distinct narrative of each particular cure was inscribed. This account is confirmed by Pausanias and Strabo, and thews that no school could have been better adapted for the education of an impostor, than a temple of Esculapius.

life, or rather I would say, he consumed his life, in drinking. This youth was attacked with a dropsy, and from the pleasure he had in inebriating himself, neglected every remedy to be applied in the way of exsiccation. This was the reason why Esculapius overlooked him, and did not favor him with a dream.* On the youth's complaining of this usage, the God appeared to him, and said, " if thou wilt consult Apollonius, thou shalt be well." In consequence of this, the young man waited on Apollonius, and asked what benefit can I receive from your wisdom, for to you Esculapius has commanded me to make my application. That, answered Apollonius, which can be of most service to you in your present condition : and is not health that which you stand most in need of ? Certainly said the youth, and is what Esculapius promised, but has not performed. Take care of what you say, said Apollonius. The God bestows health on all who are willing to receive it, but you on the contrary, feed your disease. You live in total subjection to your appetite, and overload with delicacies a weak and dropsical constitution, adding clay to water. Here Apollonius shewed a knowledge above that of Heraclitus,+ who when attacked with a similar disease, said, he required the aid of one who could extract dryness from humidity, words of dark and difficult meaning. Whereas Apollonius, after a clear de-

* To understand this, the reader must be informed, that for the recovery from sickness, the ancients used to bring the patient into the temple of Esculapius, where he was to compose himself on a couch, and the God of the place was supposed to visit him in his sleep. Consequently, whatever the sick person dreamed of, that was thought to be the remedy prescribed by Esculapius for his recovery.

t See the life of Heraclitns in Stanley, with the account of his last illness, and his two epistles to Amphidamas.

claration of his opinion, restored the Assyrian to health *

Chap. X

APOLLON1US on a particular occasion, beholding much blood sprinkled on the altars, and many sacrifices laid thereon, together with several Egyptian oxen, and swine of immense size slain ; observing the officers employed, some in flaying them, and others cutting them in pieces, also two consecrated bowls of gold filled with the most precious stones of India: when he considered what he saw, he said to the priest, what is the meaning of all this ? I suppose some great man is paying his court to the deity. You will be more surprised, I think, said the priest, when I tell you that the man has not yet preferred his petition, nor stayed his fixed time, nor received benefit from the God, nor in short obtained any one of the things for which he is come, (he came I. think but yesterday) and yet he sacrifices with so much generosity. He has even promised to make richer, and more splendid presents, provided Esculapius grants the prayer of his petition. I understand he is rich, and has greater possessions in Cilicia, than all the rest of the Cilicians besides : and the request I understand which he makes, is, that the God will restore him the eye he has lost. Apollonius fixing his eyes on the ground, (as his manner was in his old age) asked what his name was ? which, when he heard,

* He instructed him, that the God always bestowed health upon those who were willing to receive it, and by persuading him to practise abstinence, he cured his disease. Here he attempted nothing miraculous, but merely employed the authority of the God in enforcing sound morality.

iie said, I think the man should not be admitted into the temple, for he is unclean, and met widi the accident in a bad cause. I am of opinion that the bare circumstance of his making such costly sacrifices before the granting of his request, proves not so much the honest sacrificer, as one who wishes to deprecate the wrath of Heaven for some enormous offence. Such was the discourse of Apollonius. But Esculapius appearing by night to the priest, said, let both him and his offerings depart together ; for he is not deserving of the eye which remains . # When the priest made inquiries concerning him, he was informed that he was married to a woman who had a daughter by a former husband, that he had fallen in love with his stepdaughter, with whom he lived in most scandalous commerce; that her mother, as soon as she discovered the intrigue, surprised the two in bed, and with a needle put out both the eyes of her daughter, and one of her husband.