Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras, or Pythagoric Life: Accompanied by Fragments of the Ethical Writings of certain Pythagoreans in the Doric dialect; and a collection of Pythagoric Sentences from Stobaeus and others, which are omitted by Gale in his Opuscula Mythologica, and have not been noticed by any editorIamblichus
Philosophy
Iamblichus' Life of Pythagoras, or Pythagoric Life: Accompanied by Fragments of the Ethical Writings of certain Pythagoreans in the Doric dialect; and a collection of Pythagoric Sentences from Stobaeus and others, which are omitted by Gale in his Opuscula Mythologica, and have not been noticed by any editor
Iamblichus
Ethics, Ancient; Philosophers -- Greece -- Biography; Philosophy, Ancient; Pythagoras; Pythagoras and Pythagorean school
becoming, the adapted, and whatever else there may be homogeneous to
these. He likewise asserted, that principle [or the beginning] is in the
universe unity, and is the most honorable of things; and that in a
similar manner it is so in science, in experience, and in generation.
And again, that the number two is most honorable in a house, in a city,
in a camp, and in all such like systems. But that the nature of
principle is difficult to be surveyed and apprehended in all the
above-mentioned particulars. For in sciences, it is not the province of
any casual understanding to learn and judge, by well surveying the parts
of things, what the nature is of the principle of these. He added, that
it makes a great difference, and that there is danger with respect to
the knowledge of the whole of things, when principle is not rightly
assumed. For none, in short, of the consequent conclusions can be sane,
when the true principle is unknown. The same thing may also be said
respecting a principle of another kind. For neither can a house, or a
city, be well instituted, unless each has a true ruler, who governs
those that voluntarily submit to him. For it is necessary that in both
these the governor should be willing to rule, and the governed to obey.
Just as with respect to disciplines, when they are taught with proper
effect, it is necessary that there should be a concurrence in the will
both of the teacher and learner. For if there is a resistance on the
part of either, the proposed work will never be accomplished in a proper
manner. Thus therefore, he proved, that it was beautiful to be persuaded
by rulers, and to be obedient to preceptors. But he exhibited the
following as the greatest argument through deeds, of the truth of his
observations. He went from Italy to Delos, to Pherecydes the Syrian, who
had been his preceptor, in order that he might afford him some
assistance, as he was then afflicted with what is called the morbus
pedicularis, and he carefully attended him to the time of his death, and
piously performed whatever rites were due to his dead preceptor. So
diligent was he in the discharge of his duties to him from whom he had
received instruction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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