Vitae philosophorum

Diogenes Laertius

Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.

Nine dialogues of his are extant written in frigid style, Moschus, Aristippus or Callias, Ptolemy, Chaerecrates, Metrocles, Anaximenes, Epigenes, To his Daughter, Aristotle. Heraclides relates that Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school, was one of Stilpo’s pupils[*](Compare the anecdote in vii. 24 from Apollonius of Tyre.); Hermippus that Stilpo died at a great age after taking wine to hasten his end.

I have written an epitaph on him also[*](Anth Plan. v. 42.):

Surely you know Stilpo the Megarian; old age and then disease laid him low, a formidable pair. But he found in wine a charioteer too strong for that evil team; he quaffed it eagerly and was borne along.

He was also ridiculed by Sophilus the Comic poet in his drama The Wedding[*](Meineke, C.G.F. iv. 386, s.v. Diphilus.):

What Charinus says is just Stilpo’s stoppers.

Crito was a citizen of Athens. He was most affectionate in his disposition towards Socrates, and took such care of him that none of his wants were left unsupplied. Further, his sons Critobulus, Hermogenes, Epigenes and Ctesippus were pupils of Socrates. Crito too wrote seventeen dialogues which are extant in a single volume under the titles:

That men are not made good by instruction.

Concerning superfluity.

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What is expedient, or The Statesman.

Of Beauty.

On Doing Ill.

On Tidiness.

On Law.

Of that which is Divine.

On Arts.

Of Society.

Of Wisdom.

Protagoras, or The Statesman.

On Letters.

Of Poetry.

Of Learning.

On Knowing, or On Science.

What is Knowledge.

Simon was a citizen of Athens and a cobbler. When Socrates came to his workshop and began to converse, he used to make notes of all that he could remember. And this is why people apply the term leathern to his dialogues. These dialogues are thirty-three in number, extant in a single volume:

Of the Gods.

Of the Good.

On the Beautiful.

What is the Beautiful.

On the Just: two dialogues.

Of Virtue, that it cannot be taught.

Of Courage: three dialogues.

On Law.

On Guiding the People.

Of Honour.

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Of Poetry.

On Good Eating.

On Love.

On Philosophy.

On Knowledge.

On Music.

On Poetry.

What is the Beautiful

On Teaching.

On the Art of Conversation

Of Judging.

Of Being.

Of Number.

On Diligence.

On Efficiency.

On Greed.

On Pretentiousness.

On the Beautiful

Others are:

On Deliberation.

On Reason, or On Expediency.

On Doing Ill.

He was the first, so we are told, who introduced the Socratic dialogues as a form of conversation. When Pericles promised to support him and urged him to come to him, his reply was, I will not part with my free speech for money.

There was another Simon, who wrote treatises On Rhetoric; another, a physician, in the time of Seleucus Nicanor; and a third who was a sculptor.

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Glaucon was a citizen of Athens. Nine dialogues of his are extant in a single volume:

Phidylus.

Euripides.

Amyntichus.

Euthias.

Lysithides.

Aristophanes.

Cephalus.

Anaxiphemus.

Menexenus.

There are also extant thirty-two others, which are considered spurious.

Simmias was a citizen of Thebes. Twenty-three dialogues of his are extant in a single volume:

On Wisdom.

On Reasoning.

On Music.

On Verses.

Of Courage.

On Philosophy.

Of Truth.

On Letters.

On Teaching.

On Art.

On Government.

Of that which is becoming.

Of that which is to be chosen and avoided.

On Friendship.

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On Knowledge.

Of the Soul.

On a Good Life.

Of that which is possible.

On Money.

On Life.

What is the beautiful.

On Diligence.

On Love.