Pythagoras: His Life and Teaching, a Compendium of Classical Sources (5 page)

CHAPTER 2

H
IS
F
IRST
E
DUCATION AND
M
ASTERS

M
nesarchus (says Iamblichus) returning from Syria to Samos with much wealth and abundance of merchandise, built a Temple which he dedicated to Apollo the Pythian, and brought up his son in several excellent disciplines. He committed him sometimes to Creophilus, sometimes to Pherecydes of Syria, and to almost all the Prefects of the Temple, as being blessed with the fairest and most divine son that ever man had.
²²

Some there are who affirm that Pythagoras was a wrestler;
²³
and that when Pherecydes first discoursed among the Greeks concerning the immortality of the soul, Pythagoras the Samian, moved at the novelty of the discourse, changed from being a wrestler to a philosopher.
²⁴
But these relations seem to have been occasioned by confounding Pythagoras the philosopher with a wrestler of that name, his contemporary, of whom more hereafter.

Cleanthes
²⁵
and Suidas
²⁶
relate that Pythagoras first heard Pherecydes the Syrian at Samos; and in the second place Hermodomas,
“the Creophylian,” at the same Samos, then very old.
²⁷
Hermodamas was his name, but he was surnamed Creophylus, wherefore perhaps instead of
should be read,
²⁸
Or else he was termed a Creophylian, as well as surnamed Creophylus,
²⁹
because he was reported to be descended from Creophylus, a Samian, who in times past entertained Homer as his guest, and was, as some say, his master and his rival in poetry.
³⁰
But when Apuleius says Hermodamas (or Leodamas, as he calls him) was disciple to that Creophilus, he makes an error no less in chronology than when he says Pythagoras was disciple of Plato, unless the whole text be corrupted.
³¹

Pythagoras, his father dying, grew up in prudence and temperance, being while he was yet very young generally much respected and honored even by the most aged.
³²
His presence and discourse attracted all persons. To everyone on whom he looked, he appeared worthy of admiration, insomuch that many averred he was the son of a deity. He, being thus confirmed by the great opinions that were
had of him, by the education of his infancy, and by his natural excellence, made himself daily more worthy of these advantages. He adorned himself with devotions, with sciences, with excellent conversation, with constancy of mind, with grave deportment, and with a sweet inimitable serenity; never transported with anger, laughter, emulation, contention, or any other disorder; living like some good genius come to converse in Samos. Hereupon, though young, a great report was spread of him to Thales at Miletus, to Bias at Priene—two of the sages—and to all the cities thereabout. Many in all those parts commending the young man made him famous, calling him by a proverb:

The Samian Comer or, The fair-hair'd Samian.

About this time began the tyranny of Polycrates. Pythagoras, now eighteen years old, foreseeing the event, and how obstructive it would prove to his designs and to the pursuit of learning, which he intended above all things, being young and desirous of knowledge, he left his country to go to travel.
³³
He stole away privately by night, taking with him Hermodamas (surnamed Creophylus, and descended, as was reported, from that Creophylus who was host to Homer). They made a voyage to Pherecydes at Lisbus (to whom, Laertius says, he was recommended by his Uncle Zoilus); and to Anaximander, the natural philosopher; and to Thales at Miletus.

With each of these he conversed severally in such manner that they all loved him, admired his parts, and communicated their learning to him. Under Anaximander, the Milesian, he is said to have studied the knowledge of natural things.
³⁴
Thales entertained him kindly; and wondering at his excellence above other youths which much surpassed the report he had received, assisted him as far as he was able in sciences. Withal, accusing his own age and infirmity, he advised Pythagoras to make a voyage to Egypt there to get acquaintance with the priests of Memphis and Diospolis.
³⁵
He said that of them he had learned those things for which he was by many esteemed wise, though he were not of such forwardness, neither by nature or education, as he saw Pythagoras to be. Whence he
presaged that if he conversed with those priests, he should become the most divine and wisest of men.

This Pherecydes fell sick at Delos. That he outlived not the fifty-seventh Olympiad [ca. 548–544
B.C.
] is manifest from a letter which he wrote the day before his death to Thales, who died the first year of the Olympiad following.
³⁶
And though the greater part of authors write that at the same time when the Cylonians in Crotona conspired against the Pythagoreans (which was not long before Pythagoras died), Pythagoras was gone from Italy to Delos to visit and bury Pherecydes—yet Dicaearchus and other more accurate authors (says Porphyry) aver that Pythagoras was present when that conspiracy broke forth; and that Pherecydes died before Pythagoras departed from Samos.
³⁷
The former relation has imposed, among others, upon the learned Salmasius, who to reconcile this with other circumstances concerning Pherecydes, is constrained to imagine another person of the same name.
³⁸
It was therefore before Pythagoras left Samos that Pherecydes, being desperately seized by a
Phthiriasis
, he went to visit him and attended him in his sickness until he died. And then performed the rites of funeral as to his master.
³⁹
For Laertius and Porphyry add that after the death and burial of Pherecydes, Pythagoras returned to Samos out of a desire to enjoy the society of Hermodamus.

Phavorinus, in the seventh book of his various History,
⁴⁰
and Porphyry,
⁴¹
relate that after he had lived awhile with Hermodamas, he first taught wrestlers—and of them Eurimenes—to diet with flesh (whereas other wrestlers used to eat dried figs, cheese-curds, and whey) whereby Eurimenes became victor at the Olympic Games. But Laertius and Iamblichus observe that this is falsely ascribed to Pythagoras the Samian (for he allowed not the eating of flesh), but was indeed the invention of Pythagoras, son of Eratocles, of whom more hereafter.
⁴²

CHAPTER 3

H
OW
H
E
T
RAVELED TO
P
HOENICIA

H
e learned of Thales above all things to husband his time. And forbearing wine and flesh, and having before refrained from eating much, he accustomed himself to such meats as were light and easy of digestion. By such means he procured a habit of watchfulness, clearness of mind, and an exact constant health of body.
⁴³

He made a voyage to Sidon, as well out of a natural desire to the place itself, esteeming it his country, as conceiving that he might more easily pass from thence into Egypt. Here he conferred with the prophets, successors of Mecus the physiologist, and with others, and with the Phoenician priests, and was initiated into all the mysteries of Byblus, and Tyre, and several of the principal
⁴⁴
sacred institutions in diverse other parts of Syria. He underwent these things not out of superstition, as may be imagined, but out of love to knowledge, and a fear lest anything worthy to be known, which was preserved amongst them in the miracles or mysteries of the gods, might escape him. Withal not being ignorant that the rites of those places were deduced from the Egyptian ceremonies, by means whereof he hoped to participate of the more sublime and divine mysteries in Egypt, which he pursued with admiration as his master Thales had advised him.

CHAPTER 4

H
OW
H
E
T
RAVELED TO
E
GYPT

S
ome Egyptian mariners passing accidentally along that coast which lies under Carmel (a Phoenician mountain where he spent much of his time in private retirement at the Temple), willingly received him into their ship.
⁴⁵
But observing during the voyage how temperately he lived, keeping his usual diet, they began to have a greater esteem for him. And perceiving some things in the excellence of his demeanor, more than human, they reflected within themselves how that he appeared to them as soon as they landed, coming down from the top of the mountain Carmel (which they knew to be more sacred than other hills, and not trode upon by the vulgar), easily and directly, neither stones nor precipices obstructing his passage. And how that coming to the side of the ship,
⁴⁶
he asked, whether they were bound for Egypt; and they, answering that they were, he went into the vessel, and silently sitting down in a place where he might least disturb the mariners in case they should be in any stress.

He continued in the same posture two nights and three days—without meat, drink, or sleep (except when none perceived he slumbered a little, sitting in the same unmovable posture, and this constantly to the end). They noted how that the voyage proceeded direct, beyond their expectation, as if assisted by the presence of some god. Laying all these things together, they concluded and persuaded themselves that some Divine Genius did indeed come along with them from Syria to Egypt. The rest of the voyage they performed prosperously, observing a greater respect then formerly in their words and actions, as well to one another as towards him, until they at last arrived upon the coast of Egypt by a most fortunate passage without any storm.

As soon as they landed they reverently took him up, and seating him on the cleanest part of the sand, reared an extemporary altar before him, on which they laid part of all the sorts of provisions which they had as the first fruits of their lading, and drew up their vessel in the same place where they first put to sea. Pythagoras, though weakened with long fasting, was not sick, either at his
landing or by their handling of him. Nor did he, when they were gone, abstain long from the fruits which they had laid before him, but took them and preserved his constitution therewith undisturbed, till he came to the next hours.
⁴⁷
From thence he went to search after all the Temples with diligent and exact inquisition.

Antiphon, in his book concerning such as were eminent for virtue,
⁴⁸
extolled his perseverance when he was in Egypt. He said Pythagoras, designing to become acquainted with the institution of the Egyptian priests, and diligently endeavoring to participate thereof, desired Polycrates the tyrant to write to Amasis king of Egypt—with whom he had friendship (as appears also by Herodotus
⁴⁹
) and hospitality (formerly)—that he might be admitted to the aforesaid doctrine. Coming to Amasis, the Pharoah gave him letters to the priests.

He went first to those of Heliopolis; they sent him to the priest of Memphis as the more ancient, which was indeed but a pretence of the Heliopolitans. (For the Egyptians imparted not their mysteries to everyone, nor committed the knowledge of divine things to profane persons, but to those only who were to inherit the kingdom; and of priests, to those who were adjudged to excel the rest in education, learning, and descent.
⁵⁰
) From Memphis, upon the same pretence, he was sent to Thebes. They, not daring for fear of the king to pretend excuses, but thinking that by reason of the greatness and difficulty thereof he would desist from the design, enjoined him very hard precepts, wholly different from the institution of the Grecians. These he readily performed to their so great admiration that they gave him power to sacrifice to the gods, and to acquaint himself with all their studies—which was never known to have been granted to any foreigner besides. Clement of Alexandria relates particularly that he was disciple to Sonchedes, an Egyptian arch-prophet.
⁵¹

Diogenes says that while he lived with these priests, he was instructed in the learning and language (as Antiphon also affirms) of the Egyptians,
⁵²
and in their three kinds of writing: Epistolic, Hieroglyphic, and Symbolic—whereof one imitates the common way of speaking, the rest allegorical by Enigmas.
⁵³
They who are taught by the Egyptians learn first the method of all the Egyptian letters, which is called Epistilographic; the second, Hieratic, used by those
who wrote of sacred things; the last and most perfect Hieroglyphic, whereof one is
Curiologic
, the other Symbolic.

Of the Symbolic, one is properly spoken by Imitation; another is written as it were Tropically; another on the contrary does allegorize by allusion and parable. For instance, in the hieroglyphic way, to express the Sun they made a circle; the Moon, a crescent. Tropically they do properly traduce and transfer and express by exchanging some things, and variously transfiguring others. Thus when they deliver the praises of kings in theological fables, they wrote with embossed symbolic characters. Of the third kind, by allusion and parable, let this be an example: All other stars, by reason of their oblique course, they likened to the bodies of serpents; but the Sun to that of a beetle, because having formed a ball of cow-dung, and lying upon its back, it rolls it about (from claw to claw). They say, moreover, that this creature lives six months underground, and the other half of the year upon the earth; and that it emits seed into the globe (of the earth) and so generates, there being no female of that species. Hitherto Clemens.
⁵⁴

Thus being acquainted with the learning of that nation, and enquiring into the commentaries of the priests of former times, he knew the observations of innumerable ages, as Valerius Maximus says.
⁵⁵
And living admired and beloved of all the priests and prophets with whom he conversed, he informed himself by their means accurately concerning everything; not omitting any person eminent at that time for learning, or any kind of religious rites; nor leaving any place unseen by going into which he conceived that he might find something extraordinary.
⁵⁶
For he went into the adyta of the Egyptians
⁵⁷
(and, as Clemens says, permitted himself to that end to be circumcised
⁵⁸
) and learned things not to be communicated concerning the gods and mystic philosophy. He traveled to all the priests, and was instructed by every one in that wherein they were particularly learned. In Egypt he lived twenty-two years in their private sacred places, studying Astronomy and Geometry, and was initiated (not cursorily or casually) into all the religious mysteries of the gods.

Laertius says he made three cups of silver and presented them to each (Society) of the Egyptian priests; which, as we said, were three: of Heliopolis, Memphis, and Thebes.