666 Diogenes 32, to Aristippos *
I have heard that you have been disparaging me, and that when you are with the tyrant,* have never lost an opportunity to abuse me for my poverty, saying that you once caught me at the well washing chicory to eat with my bread.* But I wonder, my good friend, how you can venture to criticize the poverty of those who value things of true worth, especially when you have been a disciple of Socrates, who wore the same rough cloak in winter and summer and at all times whatever, and who shared it with the women, and did not acquire the seasoning for his food from the gardens and cook-shops, but from the gymnasia. But it would seem that this has escaped your mind because you spend your time at those richly laden Sicilian tables. I will not remind you of the high value that is placed on poverty, especially at Athens, nor will I try to defend myself on this point (for I do not need to refer to you in judging what is good for me, in the way that you refer to others, for it is enough for me to be sure about such matters in my own mind), but rather I will remind you about Dionysios and his happy retinue, in which you take such delight; when you are eating and drinking at sumptuous banquets—may I never have anything to do with such things!—and must constantly see some men being whipped, others being fixed to a stake, and others again taken away to the stone-quarries, * while the wives of some, the children of others, and the slaves of more, are taken away to suffer the outrages not only of one person or of the tyrant himself, but of many infamous men, and when you see yourself drinking there under constraint and having to remain, and going off and trying to get away, but finding yourself unable to escape because you are held back by your golden fetters—I remind you of all of this in return for your insults.
How much better do we live, I say, we who know how to wash chicory, but do not know how to pay court to Dionysios, than do you, who stand at the tyrant’s side with your advice and hold sway over the whole of Sicily. But may it be granted to you, however much you arrogantly rail against us, to recover your good sense, so that your passions are no longer in conflict with your reason.*
667 Aristippos 27, to his daughter Arete *
I have received the letters that you have sent to me on repeated occasions, in which you have asked me to return to Cyrene as soon as possible, saying that you have not met with good treatment from the state officials, and that your husband is not capable of administering your property, because he is so reserved and is accustomed to living far away from the turmoil of the city. I did in fact try to gain leave from Dionysios to sail away to you, but fate stood in my way, and I fell ill at Lipari.* I have found that Sonicos and his friends behaved in an exemplary manner toward me, taking excellent care of me…. With regard to what you wrote, wondering about what respect you could count on from the slaves who have been set free by me, who said in fact that they would never abandon Aristippos as long as they would be able to satisfy me and you, you should place entire confidence in them; for enough will be left over to them from my way of life for them not to turn to the bad. I advise you to arrange your affairs with the officials in such a way as to enable you to profit from my advice, namely that you should not foster excessive desires. For in that way you will be able to pass the days of your life with the greatest equanimity, having nothing but disdain for all that is superfluous. And in point of fact these people will not carry their wrongdoing against you so far as to leave you in real want. You still have those two gardens left to you, which will suffice even to enable you to live in some luxury; and the estate in Berenice, * even taken on its own, will not fail to provide you with what is needed for a very satisfactory way of life. I am not recommending that you should hold small things in scorn, but that you should not allow yourself to be disturbed by small matters, given that anger is out of place even with regard to major ones.
If, when I have reached my natural end, you would seek to fulfil my wishes, give young Aristippos as good an education as possible, and go to Athens and pay respect to Xanthippe and Myrto,* who have often implored me to have you initiated into the Mysteries. * So pass a pleasant life in their company, and allow the officials to do you whatever wrong they wish (for they would not carry that so far as actually to take your life). Try to live in good accord with Xanthippe and Myrto as I did with Socrates, improving yourself through their friendship; for there no show of pride has any place. If Lamprocles, son of Socrates, * who associated with me in Megara, should come to Cyrene, do your best to show him hospitality and honour him equally with your own son. If you no longer wish to rear your daughter,* because of the many troubles associated with that….
Above all else, I enjoin you to take good care of little Aristippos, so that he may be worthy of us and of philosophy; for that is the true inheritance that I bequeath to you. If the state officials in Cyrene have hostile designs against all the rest, when it comes to philosophy, you have not written anything to me to suggest that anyone has taken that away from you. So you should rejoice, good lady, to be rich in this wealth that lies within your possession, and ensure that your son comes to share in it, he whom I would have wished to have as my own son. Since I will die filled with such riches, I trust in you to conduct him along that path that befits good men. Keep well and do not worry about me.
668 Antisthenes 8, to Aristippos *
It is unworthy of a philosopher to stay at the courts of tyrants and attend Sicilian banquets, no, he should rather remain in his own country and be satisfied with simple fare. You consider, however, that the advantage of being a man of substance lies in this, in being able to amass riches and to count the most powerful men among one’s friends. For all that, riches are not necessary to us, and even if they were necessary, it would not be honourable to acquire them in such a way, or to make friends with a mob of ignorant people and even tyrants. I advise you, then, to leave Syracuse and Sicily. But if, as you say, you have a great love of pleasure and attach yourself to things which are not suitable for a man of reason, you should go off to Anticyra, for you would benefit from a draught of hellebore, * which is indeed much better than the wine of Dionysios. For the wine induces grave madness, while the hellebore puts a stop to madness; and then you would be greatly improved from your present state, to the degree that health and wisdom differ from disease and madness. Keep well.
669 Aristippos 9, to Antisthenes
Our lot is indeed a miserable one, Antisthenes, miserable to no slight degree. And after all, how could it not be when we are living with a tyrant, and are eating and drinking extravagantly day after day, and are anointed with some of the most fragrant perfumes, and are dressed in soft robes from Tarentum? And no one will deliver me from the cruelty of Dionysios, who is holding me here as a hostage who is not lacking in renown, and as a witness, furthermore, to the discourses of Socrates, and is feeding and anointing and clothing me in the manner that I have described. It is evident that he has neither fear of divine justice nor respect for humanity to subject me to such treatment! And now matters are going from bad to worse, since he presented me with three Sicilian women * of quite exceptional beauty and a large sum of money in addition.
So you do well to be concerned about the misfortunes of others, and I for my part rejoice in the happiness that you are enjoying, so repaying you for your kindness. Put aside some dried figs to make sure you have some for the winter, and also some Cretan barley-meal; for those do indeed seem to be of greater value than riches. Wash and drink at the fountain of the Nine Springs, * and wear the same rough and filthy cloak in summer and winter alike, as befits a free man who lives in Athens as a democrat.
As for me, from the moment that I arrived in a city and island under tyrannical rule, I knew that I was fated to suffer a miserable lot there, just as you have written; and now the Syracusans cast pitying glances at me, as do the Agrigentans, Gelans, and other Sicilians who are staying in the city. As punishment for having been crazy enough to throw myself into such misfortune, I call down curses on myself, which I richly deserve. May these evils not take leave of me, given that having reached such an age and passing for wise, I have not wished to suffer from hunger and cold, and incur ill-repute, or grow a long beard. I am sending you some large white lupin seeds, so that you may have something to chew on after delivering your discourse on Heracles * to the young men; for they say that you talk and write in no mean manner about such things.
670 Aeschines the Socratic 10, to Aristippos
I have written to Plato too to ask him to do what he can to ensure that the Locrian youths * are saved, and I am confident that it is not out of place to ask you to do the same. You are aware of the ties of friendship that bind me to them, and know that Dionysios was mistaken to suppose that they had committed any wrong. So try to do this as soon as possible. Keep well.
671 Aristippos 11, to Aeschines
Those young men whom you wrote to me about, the Locrians, have been released from their imprisonment and will not die. Nor will they suffer any loss of money, even though they have come close to death. Do not say anything to Antisthenes, though, about the fact that I have saved your friends. For he does not approve of anyone including tyrants among their friends, but prefers that one should seek out barley-merchants and tavern-keepers, to see if any are selling barley-groats and wine at an honest price in Athens, or offering good thick tunics for sale when the Scironian winds * are blowing; and he prefers, moreover, to dance attendance on Simon.*
672 Simon the cobbler 12, to Aristippos
I hear that you have been casting scorn on our wisdom at the court of Dionysios. I admit to being a cobbler and working at that trade, and I am prepared accordingly to cut whips, if it should be necessary, to punish foolish people who think fit to wallow in luxury, contrary to all that Socrates taught. But it will be Antisthenes who brings you to order, foolish children that you are, for you have written to him making fun of our discussions. Call to mind hunger and thirst, however, for these can achieve great things for those who are striving to be of sound mind.
It is not I who am making fun of you, but Phaedo, by claiming that you have become better and wiser than Prodicos of Ceos, saying that you have refuted him with regard to the encomium of Heracles* that he composed. For my part I admire and praise you for the fact that you abound with wisdom, although only a cobbler, and have long been able to induce Socrates and the most handsome and noble youths to sit with you in your workshop. Such men as Alcibiades, son of Cleinias, and Phaidros, son of Myrrhinous, and Euthydemos, * son of Glaucos, and from among men prominent in public affairs, Epicrates the Shield-bearer * and Eurysthenes, and many another; so no doubt even Pericles, * son of Xanthippos, if he had not been so busy as a general fighting his wars, would have sought out your company. And now we well know what kind of a man you are since Antisthenes is constantly at your side.
You could do well to come to Syracuse too to practise your philosophy; for whips and leatherwork are in high demand here. And are you not aware that I, as a regular wearer of shoes, contrive to arouse admiration everywhere for your craft, whereas Antisthenes, since he walks barefoot, does nothing other than deprive you of work and profit, by persuading the young men and the Athenians in general to wear no shoes? So consider, then, how much of a friend I am to you, I who approve of comfort and pleasure. If you profess to call Prodicos sagaciously to account, you have failed to recognize what implications that has for you; for otherwise you would admire me, and you would laugh at the imposture of those who wear their beards long and carry heavy sticks, and are filthy and louse-ridden and have long nails like wild beasts, and propound teachings that are damaging to your trade.