Xenophanes of Kolophon, son of Dexias (Apollodoros says of Orthomenes), was the founder of the Eleatic School. After a careful review of the evidence, Zeller (_Vorsokr. Phil._ pp. 521-522) concludes that he was born about 580 B.C.; it is agreed by all writers that he lived to a great age. The stories of his travels and adventures are very numerous. He speaks of the war between the Ionic colonies and the Persians as beginning in his youth. According to Diogenes he sang the founding of Elea in 2,000 hexameter verses. The reference to him by Herakleitos (Fr. 16) indicates the general respect for his philosophy. He composed poetry of all varieties, and is said to have recited his own poems. His philosophic views were embodied in a poem which was early lost, and to which later ages gave the name ‘περὶ φύσεως.’ Literature: Brandis, _Comm. Eleat._ 1813; Cousin, _Nouv. frag. phil._ 1828, pp. 9-45;. Karsten, _Phil. Graec. vet. reliq._ i. 1, 1830; Bergk, _Poet. Lyr. Graec._ ii.; F. Kern, _Quaestionum Xenophanearum cap. duo_, Naumb. 1864; _Beiträge_, Danzig 1871; _Ueber Xenophanes_, Stettin 1874; Freudenthal, _Die Theologie des Xenophanes_, 1886; and _Archiv f. d. Gesch. d. Phil._ i. 1888, p. 322 sqq.; Thill, _Xénophane de Colophon_, Luxemb. 1890. On the book _De Xen. Zen. Gorg. Aristotelis_, v. Fülleborn, Halle 1789; Bergk, 1843; Mullach, 1845; Ueberweg, _Philol._ viii. 1853, p. 104 sqq.; xxvi. 1868, p. 709 sqq.; Vermehren, 1861; F. Kern, _Symbola crit. ad libellum_ π. Ξενοφ. etc. Oldenb. 1867; Diels’ _Doxogr._ pp. 109-113; Zeller, _Geschichte d. Phil. d. Griechen_, i. 499-521. (_a_) FRAGMENTS OF XENOPHANES.[32] 1 εἷς θεὸς ἔν τε θεοῖσι καὶ ἀνθρώποισι μέγιστος, οὔτε δέμας θνητοῖσιν ὁμοίιος οὔτε νόημα. 2 οὖλος ὁρᾷ, οὖλος δὲ νοεῖ, οὖλος δέ τ’ ἀκούει. 3 ἀλλ’ ἀπάνευθε πόνοιο νόου φρενὶ πάντα κραδαίνει. 4 αἰεὶ δ’ ἐν ταὐτῷ μίμνει κινούμενον οὐδέν, οὐδὲ μετέρχεσθαί μιν ἐπιπρέπει ἄλλοτε ἄλλῃ. 5 ἀλλὰ βροτοὶ δοκέουσι γεννᾶσθαι θεοὺς, τὴν σφετέραν δ’ ἐσθῆτά τ’ ἔχειν φωνήν τε δέμας τε. 6 ... ἀλλ’ εἰ χεῖρας ἔχον βόες ἤε λέοντες, <ὡς> γράψαι χείρεσσι καὶ ἔργα τελεῖν ἅπερ ἄνδρες, καί κε θεῶν ἰδέας ἔγραφον καὶ σώματ’ ἐποίουν τοιαῦθ’, οἷόν περ καὶ αὐτοὶ δέμας εἶχον <ἕκαστοι> ἵπποι μέν θ’ ἵπποισι, βόες δέ τε βουσὶν ὁμοῖα. 7 πάντα θεοῖς ἀνέθηκαν Ὅμηρός θ’ Ἡσίοδός τε ὅσσα παρ’ ἀνθρώποισιν ὀνείδεα καὶ ψόγος ἐστί, καὶ πλεῖστ’ ἐφθέγξαντο· θεῶν ἀθεμίστια ἔργα, κλέπτειν, μοιχεύειν τε καὶ ἀλλήλους ἀπατεύειν. 8 ἐκ γαίης γὰρ πάντα, καὶ εἰς γῆν πάντα τελευτᾷ. 9 πάντες γὰρ γαίης τε καὶ ὕδατος ἐκγενόμεσθα. 10 γῆ καὶ ὕδωρ πάντ’ ἐσθ’ ὅσα γίνοντ’ ἠδὲ φύονται.