No More Learning

Our space does not permit us to discuss the criti-
4. A Magnesian epic poet of the time of An-
cism of Socrates on that Epinician Ode ; our con- tiochus the Great, whose exploits, and especially
viction is, after repeatedly studying it, in its con- his battle with the Gauls, be celebrated in a poem.
nectiou both with the whole dialogue and with the (Suid. s. v. ; Vossius, Hist. Graec. p. 161, ed.
life of Simonides, that it is meant for a bona fide Westermann. ).
exposition, and not a mere sophistical darkening of 5. Of Carystus or Eretria, an epic poet, only
a poem already obscure, for the purpose of perplex mentioned by Suidas (s. v. ), who gives a most con-
ing or confounding Protagoras ; the latter end had fused account of his works.
already been sufficiently attained. ) It is also clear 6. An historian, contemporary with the philo-
that the bitter enmities between Simonides and sopher Speusippus, to whom he wrote an account
Pindar were chiefly the fruit of their unworthy of the acts of Dion and Bion (Diog. Laërt. iv. 5).
competition for the favour of Hiero. (See Schnei- He must therefore have flourished in the latter
dewin, p. xxx. )
half of the fourth century B. C. He also wrote a
The chief characteristics of the poetry of Simo-work upon Sicily, which is quoted in the Scholia
nides were sweetness (whence his surname of to Theocritus (i. 65).


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SIMPLICIUS.
837
SIMPLICIUS.
19
7. A distinguished philosopher, who flourished But, disappointed in their hopes, they returned
in the reign of Jovian (Suid. s. v. ).
home, after Kosroës, in a treaty of peace concluded
Respecting the question, to which of these wri- with Justinian, probably in a. D. 533, bad stipu-
ters we should assign the several epigrams which lated that the above-inentioned philosophers should
are found in the Greek Anthology with those of be allowed to return without risk, and to practise
the great Simonides, see Jacobs, Anthol. Graec. the rites of their patemal faith (Agathins ii. 30 ;
vol. xiii. pp. 954, 955.
(P. S. ] comp. C. G. Zumpt, Ueber den Bestund der phi-
SIMONIDES, a Greek painter, of whom we losophischen Schulen in Athen, in the Schriften
know nothing except the statement of Pliny,“ Si der Berl. Akademie, 1843). Of the subsequent
monides (pinxit) Agatharcum et Mnemosynen fortunes of the seven philosophers we learn no-
(H. N. xxxv. 11. 8. 40. § 38). [P. S. ] thing. As little do we know wbere Simplicius
SIMPLEX, CAECI'LIUS, was raised to the lived and taught. That he not only wrote, but
consulship by Vitellius, and was consul suffectus taught, is proved by the address to his hearers in
along with C. Quintius Atticus from the 1st of the commentary on the Physica Auscultatio of
November, A. D. 69. (Tac. Hist. ii. Go, iii. 68 ; Aristotle (f. 173), as well as by the title of his
Dion Cass. Ixv. 17. )
commentary on the Categories. He had received
SIMPLICIUS (Equitalkios), a native of Ci- his training partly in Alexandria, under Ammo
licia (Agathias, ji. 30 ; Suid. s. v. apé obeis - it is nius (see especially Simplicius in U. de Cuelo,
inaccurately that Suid. s. v. Dumascius calls him a f. 113), partly in Athens, as a disciple of Da-
countryman of Eulamius the Phrygian), was a mascius ; and it was probably in one of these two
disciple of Ammonius (Simpl. in Phys. Ausc. f. 42, cities that he subsequently took up his abode ; for,
43, &c. ), and of Damascius (ibid. 150, a. b. , 183, with the exception of these cities and Constan-
b. , 186, &c. ), and was consequently one of the last ſtinople, it would have been difficult to find a town
members of the Neo-Platonic school. Since this which possessed the collections of books requisite
school had found its head-quarters in Athens, it for the composition of his commentaries, and he
had, under the guidance of Plutarchus the son of could hardly have had any occasion to betake
Nestorius, of Syrianus, Proclus, Marinus, Isidorus himself to Constantinople. As to his personal
and Damascius (from about A. D. 400 to 529), history, especially his migration to Persia, no
become the centre of the last efforts to maintain definite allusions are to be found in the writings
the ancient Hellenic mythology against the vic- of Simplicius. Only at the end of his explanation
torious encroachments of Christianity, and was of the treatise of Epictetus (p. 331, ed. Heins. )
therefore first attacked by the imperial edicts pro- Simplicius mentions, with gratitude, the conso-
mulgated in the fifth century against the heathen lation which he had found under tyrannical op-
cultus. Athens had preserved temples and images pression in such ethical contemplations ; from which
longer than other cities; yet Proclus, who had it may be concluded, though certainly with but a
rejoiced in dwelling between the temples of Aes- small amount of probability, that it was composed
culapius and Bacchus, lived long enough to be during, or immediately after, the above-mentioned
compelled to witness the removal of the consecrated persecutions. Of the commentaries on Aristotle,
statue of Minerva from the Parthenon. (Marinus, that on the books de Caelo was written before that
Vita Procli, c. 29. ) Proclus died in A. D. 485. on the Physica Auscultatio, and probably not in
The promise of the goddess, who had appeared to Alexandria, since he mentions in it an astrono-
him in a dream, that she would thenceforth inhabit mical observation made during his stay in that
his house, served to console him (ibid. c. 30). city by Ammonius (1. c. f. 113; Brandis, Scholia
Against personal maltreatment the followers of the in Arist. p. 496. 28). Simplicius wrote his com-
ancient faith found legal protection (Cod. Theod. mentary on the Physica Auscultatio after the death
16. tit. 10), until, under the emperor Justinianus, of Damascius, and therefore after his return from
they had to endure great persecutions. In the Persia (in Arist. Phys. Ausc. f. 184, &c. ). After
year 528 many were displaced from the posts the Phys. Ausc. Simplicius seems to have applied
which they held, robbed of their property, some himself to the Metaphysica, and then to the books
put to death, and in case they did not within on the soul (de Anima). In the commentary on
three months come over to the true faith, they the latter he refers to his explanations on the
were to be banished from the empire. In addition, Physica Auscultatio and on the Metaphysica (in
it was forbidden any longer to teach philosophy Arist. de Anima, 55, b. , 7, 61). When it was
and jurisprudence in Athens (A. D. 529 ; Malalas, that he wrote his explanations of the Categories,
xviii. p. 449. 51, ed. Bonn ; comp. Theophanes, whether before or after those on the above-
i. 276, ej. ed. ). Probably also the property of mentioned Aristotelian treatises, it is impossible to
the Platonic school, which in the time of Proclus ascertain.
was valued at more than 1000 gold pieces (Da- Simplicius, in his mode of explaining and un-
masc. ap. Phot. p. 346, ed. Bekk. ), was confis- derstanding his author, attaches himself to the
cated ; at least, Justinian deprived the physicians Neo-Platonists ; like them, he endeavours, fre-
and teachers of the liberal arts of the provision- quently by forced interpretations, to show that
money (OTMOEIS), which had been assigned to Aristotle agrees with Plato even on those points
them by previous emperors, and confiscated funds which he controverts, and controverts them only
which the citizens had provided for spectacles and that, by setting aside superficial interpretations, he
other civic purposes (Procop. Arcan. C. 26). Ac- may lead the way to their deeper, hidden meaning,
cordingly, seven philosophers, among whom were In his view not only Plotinus, but also Syrianus,
Simplicius, Eulamius, Priscianus, and others, with Proclus, and even Ammonius, are great philo.
Damascius, the last president of the Platonic school sophers, who have penetrated into the depths of
in Athens at their head, resolved to seek protection the wisdom of Plato. Many of the more ancient
at the court of the famous Persian king Kosroës, Greek philosophemata also he brings into much
who had succeeded to the throne in A. D. 531. too close a connection with Platonism. He is
3 н 3


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838
SIMPLICIUS.
SIMPLICIUS.
3
however, advantageously distinguished from his dominion, or that he no longer felt himself firmly
predecessors, whom he so extravagantly admires, enough rooted in the heathen faith. In Ethics he
partly in confounding and jumbling things together seems to have abandoned the mystical pantheistic
much less than they do, especially in making very purification theory of the Neo-Platonists, and to
much less frequent application of spurious Orphic, have found full satisfaction in the ethical system of
Hermetic, Chaldaic, and other Theologumena of the the later stoics, which approximated to that of
East, and in not giving himself up to a belief in Christianity, however little he was disposed towards
the magical theurgic superstition ; partly in pro- their logical and physical doctrines, which indeed
ceeding much more carefully and modestly in the were almost given up by Epictetus.
explanation and criticism of particular points, and Of the commentaries of Simplicius on Aristotle
in striving with unwearied diligence to draw from which have come down to us, that on the books
the original sources a thorough knowledge of the de Anima is palpably inferior to the rest in the
older Greek philosophy. His commentaries may, copiousness of its information respecting the doc-
therefore, without hesitation, be regarded as the trines of earlier philosophers, as well as in the care
richest in their contents of any that have come shown in making use of preceding interpreters,
down to us bearing on the explanation of Aristotle. though there is no reason for considering it spurious.
But for them, we should be without the most im- Besides these commentaries of Simplicius which
portant fragments of the writings of the Eleatics, have been preserved, he himself mentions expla-
of Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Diogenes of Apollonia, nations on the metaphysical books (see above),
and others, which were at that time already very and an epitome of the Physica of Theophrastus.
scarce (in Phys. Ausc. f. 31), as well as without (Simplicius, in Arist. de Anima, 38. )
many extracts from the lost books of Aristotle, Editions. - Simplicius's commentary on the Cate-
Theophrastus and Eudemus : but for them we gories was the first that was published (by Zacha-
should hardly be able to unriddle the doctrine of rias Calliergus, Venet. 1499, fol. ), under the title,
the Categories, so important for the system of the Elut Aikiou Sidao nalou Toù uerálov oxória do
Stoics. It is true he himself complains that in his | φωνής αυτού εις τας Αριστοτέλους κατηγορίας.
time both the school and the writings of the fol- A second edition was published at Basle, in 1551,
lowers of Zeno had perished (in Arist. de Caclo, by Michael Isingrin. A Latin translation of this
79, b). But where he cannot draw immediately work, by Guil. Dorotheus, was published at Venice,
from the original sources, he looks round for guides 1541, by Hieron. Scotus. An anonymous trans-
whom he can depend upon, who had made use of lation was published in the same place in 1550
those sources. In addition, we have to thank him and 1567. Fabricius mentions two other trans-
for such copious quotations from the Greek com-lations, published at Venice in 1500 and 1516.
mentaries from the time of Andronicus Rhodius | The earlier translation of Guil. de Moërbeka ap-
down to Ammonius and Damascius, that, for the pears to be still unprinted. Then, in 1526, Fran-
Categories and the Physics, the outlines of a history ciscus Asulanus, the heir of the Aldi, published
of the interpretation and criticism of those books the commentary on the Physica Auscultatio, and,
may be composed (comp. Ch. A.
Brandis, über in the same year, the commentary on the books
die Reihenfolge der Bücher des Aristotelischen Or de Caelo (Venet. fol. ). The Latin translation of
ganons und ihre Griechischen Ausleger, in the the former by Lucilius Philaltheus was published
Schriften der Berliner Akademie, 1833). With at Venice, by Hieron Scotus, in 1543, 1565, 1567,
a correct idea of their importance, Simplicius has and 1587, and at Paris in 1545, fol. ; the trans-
made the most diligent use of the commentaries of lation of the latter by Guil, de Moërbeka was
Alexander Aphrodisiensis and Porphyrius ; and published at Venice in 1540, fol. , that by Guil.
although he often enough combats the views of the Dorotheus at the same place in ) 544, and, without
former, he knew how to value, as it deserved, his the name of the translator, at the same place, in 1548,
(in the main) sound critical exegetical sense. 1555, 1563, and 1584, fol. That the printed Greek
He has also preserved for us intelligence of several text of the commentary on the books de Caelo is
more ancient readings, which now, in part, have probably a re-translation from the Latin version of
vanished from the manuscripts without leaving Moërbeka, was first suggested by Amad. Peyron,
any trace, and in the paraphrastic sections of who at the same time gave specimens of the genuine
his interpretations furnishes us here and there Greek text, in the fragments of Empedocles and
with valuable contributions for correcting or Parmenides (Empedoclis et Parmenidis frugmenta
settling the text of Aristotle. Not less valuable ex codice Taurinensis Bibliothecae restituta et illus-
are the contributions towards a knowledge of the trata, ab A. Peyron, Lips. 1810. ) Extracts from
ancient astronomical systems for which we have to this commentary, according to the genuine text,
thank him in his commentary on the books de which exists in a number of manuscripts, may be
Caelo. We even find in his writings some traces found in the Scholia in Aristotelem, ed. Ch. A.
of a disposition for the observation of nature. Brandis, Berol. 1836, pp. 468–518. A complete
(Comm. in Phys. Ausc. 173, 176 ; de Anima, and amended edition of the commentaries Sim-
35, b. 36. )
plicius on the Physica Auscultatio and the treatise
That Simplicius continued averse to Christianity de Caelo, is being prepared by C. Gabr. Cobet, in
cannot be doubted, although he abstains from as- conjunction with Simon Karsten. The commen-
sailing peculiarly Christian doctrines, even when tary on the books de Anima was published, together
he combats expressly and with bitterness the with the explanations of Alexander Aphrodisiensis
work of his contemporary, Johannes Grammation on the book de Sensu et Sensibili, and the paraphrase
or Philoponus, directed against the Aristotelian of Michael Ephesius on the so-called Parva Natu-
doctrine of the eternity of the universe (in Arist. ralia, in Greek, also by Asulanus, Venet. 1527.
de Cuelo, 6, b, &c. , 72 ; in Phys. Ausc. 257, 262, The Latin translation by Joh. Faseolus was pub-
&c. , 312, &c. , 320); whether it was that he feared lished at Venice in 1543, fol. , and another by
the church, which had now attained to unrestricted | Evangel. Lungus, in 1564 and 1587. The intro
;


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SIMYLUS.
839
SINON.
a
duction (prooemium), which is wanting in the but Maussacus (ad Ilurpoc. I. c. ) has clearly shown
Greek edition, is printed separately in Iriarte, Cu that Squaw is the true reading, and the editors,
talog. Bibl. Matrit. p. 182. The “Interpretation of from Reiske downwards, have adopted it. Athe-
the Enchiridion of Epictetus” (εξήγησις εις το naeus (viii. p. 318) quotes from Theophrastus a
'ETIKTÁTOU ¢yxeepld. ov) was first published in curious witticism aimed at Simylus by the musi-
Greek, at Venice, in 1528, 4to. , and in a Latin cian Stratonicus, the point of which can hardly be
translation, at Venice, in 1546, 1560, fol. , and at given in English. (See Maussacus, l. c. ). The tragic
Basle in 1560 and 1568. It was next published actor has been confounded with the comic poet ;
by Dan. Heinsius (Lugd. Batav. 1611); and lastly but Meineke observes (l. c. ) that such a combina-
by Joh. Schweighäuser, in Epicteteae Philosophiuc tion of professions is very improbable both in itself,
Monumentu, vol. iv. The notes on it in vol. iv. and on account of the express testimony of Plato,
pp. 175-496.
(Ch. A. B. ) that the same persons were never both tragic and
SIMUS (Liuos), or Simon, of Magnesin, a lyric comic actors.
[P. S. ]
poct, to whom is ascribed the invention of that SINATRUCES or SINTRICUS, a king of
sportive and licentious species of poetry, which | Parthia (AKSACES XI. )
was called from its character inappola, and from SINIS or SINNIS (Σίνις Or Σίννις), a son of
its author Equydia. The time at which he lived Polypemon, Pemon or Poseidon by Sylea, the
is not stated. The chief followers of Simus in this daughter of Corinthus. He was surnamed ac-
description of poetry were Lysis and Magus; cording to some Pityocamptes, and according to
and they had many imitators, who were called others Procrustes. He dwelt on the isthmus of
E. mydol," Avrindoi, and Maywooi. (Strab. xiv. Corinth as a robber, destroying the travellers
p. 648, a. ; Ath. xiv. p. 620, d. ; Fabric. Bibl. whom he had conquered, by fastening them to the
Gruec. vol. ii. p. 15); Bode, Gesch. d. Hellen. top of a fir-tree, which he curbed, and then let
Dichtk. vol. ii. pt. ii. p. 469. )
[P. S. ) spring up again. He himself was killed in this
SIMUS, artists. 1. A painter, of second-rate manner by_Theseus (Apollod. ii. 16. & 2; Plut.
merit, to whom Pliny ascribes the following works: Thes. 8 ; Paus. ii. 1. § 3, &c. ; Diod. iv. 59;
a youth resting in a fuller's workshop ; a person Eurip. Hippol. 977; Ov. Met. vii. 440, &c. ;
celebrating the festival called Quinquatrus; and an Hygin. Fab. 38 ; Schol. Pind. Hypoth. Isthm. ).
excellent picture of Nemesis. (Plin. H. N. xxxv. When Theseus bad accomplished this, he caused
ll. s. 40. § 39).
himself to be purified by Phytalus at the altar of
2. A statuary of Salamis, the son of Themisto- Zeus Meilichios, because Theseus himself was
crates, whose name is known to us by two extant related to Sinis (Paus. i. 37. § 3), or according
inscriptions. The one of these is upon a base in to others, he propitiated the spirit of Sinis by
the Louvre, brought from Thera, which, from the instituting in his honour the Isthmian games
marks upon it, evidently supported a bronze statue; (Schol. Pind. l. c. ; Plut. Thes. 25; Welcker,
and we learn from the inscription that the statue, Nachtrag, p. 133). The name is connected with
which was probably that of some private person, oivouan, expressing the manner in which he tore
was dedicated to Dionysus ; not, as Sillig states, his victims to pieces.
(L. S. )
a statue of Dionysus (Clarac, No. 686; Osann, SINNACES, one of the leading nobles in Par-
Sylloge, p. 365, No. xxvi. ; Böckh, C. 1. No. thia, dissatisfied with the reigning monarch, Arta-
2465 ; R. Rochette, Lettre à M. Schorn, p. 402. ) banus III. (Arsaces XIX. ), sent an embassy to
The other inscription, in which this artist is men- Rome in A. D. 35, in conjunction with the eunuch
tioned, is published by R. Rochette (p. 403), from Abdus, praying Tiberius to send to Parthia one of
a copy furnished by Ross in a letter from Athens, the sons of Phraates IV. to become their king.
dated Dec. 23, 1843. It is on a base found in Sinnaces subsequently took an active part in the
Rhodes, which supported the statue of a certain wars against Artabanus. (Tac. Ann. vi. 31, 32,
Hippomachus, the son of Stratippus, who had dis- 36, 37. ) (ARSACES XIX. ]
charged the offices of ugonothetes and choragus; the SINOE (Livon), an Arcadian nymph, brought
statue was dedicated to the gods by Smicythus of up the god Pan, who derived from her the surname
Athens. From the nature of this monument and Sinoeis. (Paus. viii. 30. $ 2. )
(L.