Page:Plutarch - Moralia, translator Holland, 1911.djvu/68

46 you shall have him let his beard grow down to his foot, like a grave philosopher: who but he then, in his side threadbare student's cloak, after the Greek fashion, as if he had no care of himself, nor joy of anything else in the world: not a word then in mouth, but of the numbers, orthangles and triangles of Plato. If peradventure there fall into his hands an idle do-nothing, who is rich withal, and a good fellow, one that loveth to eat and drink and make good cheer,

That wily fox Ulysses though His ragged garments will off do,

off goes then his bare and overworn studying gown, his beard he causeth to be cut and shorn as near as a new mown field in harvest, when all the com is gone: no talk then but of flagons, bottles, pots, and cooling pans to keep the wine cold: nothing now but merry conceits to move laughter in every walking place and gallery of pleasure: Now he letteth fly frumps and scoffs against scholars and such as study philosophy.

Thus by report it fell out upon a time at Syracuse: For when Plato thither arrived, and Denys all on a sudden was set upon a furious fit of love to philosophy, his palace and whole court was full of dust and sand, by reason of the great recourse thither of students in geometry, who did nothing but draw figures therein. But no sooner had Plato incurred his displeasure and was out of favour: no sooner had Denys the Tyrant bidden philosophy farewell, and given himself again to belly-cheer, to wine, vanities, wantonness, and all looseness of life: but all at once it seemed the whole court was transformed likewise (as it were by the sorcery and enchantment of Circes) into hatred and detestation of good letters; so as they forgat all goodness, and betook themselves to folly and sottishness.

To this purpose it were not amiss for to allege as testimonies the fashions and acts of some notorious flatterers, such, I mean, as have governed commonwealths and affected popularity. Among whom the greatest of all other was Alcibiades, who all the while he was at Athens used to scoff, and had a good grace in merry conceits and pleasant jests: he kept great horses, and lived in jollity, most gallantly, with the love and favour of all men: when he sojourned in Sparta, he went always shaven to the bare skin, in an overworn cloak, or else the same very coarse, and never washed his body but in cold water. Afterwards, being in Thrace, he became a soldier, and would carouse and drink lustily with the best. He came no sooner to Tissaphernes