Women -- Greece -- Biography; Women -- Greece -- History
The ugly and ill-shapen Crates of Thebes was one of the successors of
Antisthenes. A beautiful and popular maiden, Hipparchia, with her
brother Metrocles, heard the lectures of Crates, and she was so
captivated by his teachings and his manner of life that she became not
only his most zealous disciple, but fell violently in love with her
teacher. She scorned all her younger, richer, more handsome suitors, and
declared that she would have only Crates. She threatened to kill herself
if her parents did not secure Crates for her husband. They tried to
dissuade her; even Crates, at the request of her parents, sought to make
her abandon her purpose. Yet every effort was fruitless. Finally Crates,
throwing off his clothing, appeared before her and said: "Such is the
shape of your bridegroom: this is all he possesses. Take careful counsel
with yourself, for you cannot become my wife unless you accept my whole
manner of life. Ponder it well, that you may later have no pretext for
ill feeling." "Already a long time," answered the maiden, "have I
anticipated this and thought over it; I can nowhere on earth find a
richer or handsomer husband than you. Take me, then, with you, wherever
you may go." Seeing that her mind was made up, the parents finally gave
their consent to the marriage of their daughter with the philosopher.
Crates, as a true Cynic, straightway led his wife into one of the
colonnades, and publicly celebrated his nuptials. Hipparchia entered
fully into the manner of life of her husband. She clad herself in coarse
garments like his, accompanied him everywhere, and bore many privations.
Many cynical sophisms and apothegms are attributed to Hipparchia, who
became one of the most prominent members of the school. We know but
little of her later life, beyond the fact that she was the mother of one
son, Pasicles, and of several daughters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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