Strab. ix. 397.
Hippolytus[26] was honoured by our lady Artemis and with her conversed,[27] and in his latter end, by reason of his sobriety and holiness, was reckoned among the blest.
[26] See the play of Euripides. Paus. i. 22; Diod. iv. 62.
[27] Al. 'lived on the lips of men.' But cf. Eur. 'Hipp.' 85, {soi kai
xeneimi kai logois s' ameibomai}. See Frazer, 'Golden Bough,' i.
6, for the Hippolytus-Virbius myth.
Palamedes[28] all his days on earth far outshone those of his own times in wisdom, and when slain unjustly, won from heaven a vengeance such as no other mortal man may boast of.[29] Yet died he not at their hands[30] whom some suppose; else how could the one of them have been accounted all but best, and the other a compeer of the good? No, not they, but base men wrought that deed.
[28] As to Palamedes, son of Nauplius, his genius and treacherous
death, see Grote, 'H. G.' i. 400; 'Mem.' IV. ii. 33; 'Apol.' 26;
Plat. 'Apol.' 41; 'Rep.' vii. 522; Eur. fr. 'Palam.'; Ov. 'Met.'
xiii. 56; Paus. x. 31. 1; ii. 20. 3.
[29] For the vengeance see Schol. ad Eur. 'Orest.' 422; Philostr.
'Her.' x. Cf. Strab. viii. 6. 2 (368); Leake, 'Morea,' ii. 358;
Baedeker, 'Greece,' 245.
[30] i.e. Odysseus and Diomed. (S. 11, I confess, strikes me as
somewhat in Xenophon's manner.) See 'Mem.' IV. ii. 33; 'Apol.' 26.
Menestheus,[31] through diligence and patient care, the outcome of the chase, so far overshot all men in love of toil that even the chiefs of Hellas must confess themselves inferior in the concerns of war save Nestor only; and Nestor, it is said,[32] excelled not but alone might rival him.
[31] For Menestheus, who led the Athenians against Troy, cf. Hom.
'Il.' ii. 552; iv. 327; Philostr. 'Her.' ii. 16; Paus. ii. 25. 6;
i. 17. 6; Plut. 'Thes.' 32, 35.
[32] Or, 'so runs the tale,' e.g. in 'The Catalogue.' See 'Il.' ii.
l.c.: {Nestor oios erizen}, 'Only Nestor rivalled him, for he was
the elder by birth' (W. Leaf).
Odysseus and Diomedes[33] were brilliant for many a single deed of arms, and mainly to these two was due the taking of Troy town.[34]
[33] The two heroes are frequently coupled in Homer, e.g. 'Il.' v.
519; x. 241, etc.
[34] Or, 'were brilliant in single points, and broadly speaking were
the cause that Troy was taken.' See Hygin. 'Fab.' 108; Virg.
'Aen.' ii. 163.
Castor and Polydeuces,[35] by reason of their glorious display of arts obtained from Cheiron, and for the high honour and prestige therefrom derived, are now immortal.
[35] Castor, Polydeuces, s. Pollux-the great twin brethren. See
Grote, 'H. G.' i. 232 foll.
Machaon and Podaleirius[36] were trained in this same lore, and proved themselves adepts in works of skill, in argument and feats of arms.[37]
[36] As to the two sons of Asclepius, Machaon and Podaleirius, the
leaders of the Achaeans, see 'Il.' ii. 728; Schol. ad Pind.
'Pyth.' iii. 14; Paus. iii. 26; iv. 3; Strab. vi. 4 (284); Diod.
iv. 71. 4; Grote, 'H. G.' i. 248.
[37] Or, 'in crafts, in reasonings, and in deeds of war.'
Antilochus,[38] in that he died for his father, obtained so great a glory that, in the judgment of Hellas, to him alone belongs the title 'philopator,' 'who loved his father.'[39]
[38] Antilochus, son of Nestor, slain by Memnon. 'Od.' iv. 186 foll.;
Pind. 'Pyth.' vi. 28; Philostr. 'Her.' iv.; 'Icon.' ii. 281.
[39] Lit. 'to be alone proclaimed Philopator among the Hellenes.' Cf.
Plat. 'Laws,' 730 D, 'He shall be proclaimed the great and perfect
citizen, and bear away the palm of virtue'; and for the epithet
see Eur. 'Or.' 1605; 'I. A.' 68.
Aeneas[40] saved the ancestral gods-his father's and his mother's;[41] yea, and his own father also, whereby he bore off a reputation for piety so great that to him alone among all on whom they laid their conquering hand in Troy even the enemy granted not to be despoiled.
[40] As to Aeneas see Poseidon's speech, 'Il.' xx. 293 foll.; Grote,
'H. G.' i. 413, 427 foll.
[41] Cf. 'Hell.' II. iv. 21.
Achilles,[42] lastly, being nursed in this same training, bequeathed to after-days memorials so fair, so ample, that to speak or hear concerning him no man wearies.
[42] 'The highest form that floated before Greek imagination was
Achilles,' Hegel, 'Lectures on the Philosophy of History' (Eng.
tr. p. 233); and for a beautiful elaboration of that idea, J. A.
Symonds, 'Greek Poets,' 2nd series, ch. ii.
Such, by dint of that paintstaking care derived from Cheiron, these all proved themselves; of whom all good men yet still to-day are lovers and all base men envious. So much so that if throughout the length and breadth of Hellas misfortunes at any time befell city or king, it was they who loosed the knot of them;[43] or if all Hellas found herself confronted with the hosts of the Barbarians in strife and battle, once again it was these who nerved the arms of Hellenes to victory and rendered Hellas unconquered and unconquerable.
[43] Reading {eluonto autous}, or if as L. D., {di autous}, transl.
'thanks to them, they were loosed.'
For my part, then, my advice to the young is, do not despise hunting or the other training of your boyhood, if you desire to grow up to be good men, good not only in war but in all else of which the issue is perfection in thought, word, and deed.
II
The first efforts of a youth emerging from boyhood should be directed to the institution of the chase, after which he should come to the rest of education, provided he have the means and with an eye to the same; if his means be ample, in a style worthy of the profit to be derived; or, if they be scant, let him at any rate contribute enthusiasm, in nothing falling short of the power he possesses.
What are the aids and implements of divers sorts with which he who would enter on this field must equip himself? These and the theory of each in particular I will now explain. With a view to success in the work, forewarned is forearmed. Nor let such details be looked upon as insignificant. Without them there will be an end to practical results.[1]
[1] Or, 'The question suggests itself-how many instruments and of
what sort are required by any one wishing to enter this field? A
list of these I propose to give, not omitting the theoretical side
of the matter in each case, so that whoever lays his hand to this
work may have some knowledge to go upon. It would be a mistake to
regard these details as trivial. In fact, without them the
undertaking might as well be let alone.'
The net-keeper should be a man with a real passion for the work, and in tongue a Hellene, about twenty years of age, of wiry build, agile at once and strong, with pluck enough to overcome the toils imposed on him,[2] and to take pleasure in the work.
[2] {toutous}, 'by this, that, or the other good quality.'
