The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called Cynegeticus — John Shaqi
The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called CynegeticusXenophon
Philosophy
The Sportsman: On Hunting, a Sportsman's Manual, Commonly Called Cynegeticus
Xenophon
Classical literature; Sportsmanship -- Early works to 1800
(35) Castor, Polydeuces, s. Pollux--the great twin brethren. See
Grote, "H. G." i. 232 foll.
Machaon and Podaleirius (36) were trained in this same lore, and proved
themselves adepts in works of skill, in argument and feats of arms. (37)
(36) As to the two sons of Asclepius, Machaon and Podaleirius, the
leaders of the Achaeans, see "Il." ii. 728; Schol. ad Pind.
"Pyth." iii. 14; Paus. iii. 26; iv. 3; Strab. vi. 4 (284); Diod.
iv. 71. 4; Grote, "H. G." i. 248.
(37) Or, "in crafts, in reasonings, and in deeds of war."
Antilochus, (38) in that he died for his father, obtained so great a
glory that, in the judgment of Hellas, to him alone belongs the title
"philopator," "who loved his father." (39)
(38) Antilochus, son of Nestor, slain by Memnon. "Od." iv. 186 foll.;
Pind. "Pyth." vi. 28; Philostr. "Her." iv.; "Icon." ii. 281.
(39) Lit. "to be alone proclaimed Philopator among the Hellenes." Cf.
Plat. "Laws," 730 D, "He shall be proclaimed the great and perfect
citizen, and bear away the palm of virtue"; and for the epithet
see Eur. "Or." 1605; "I. A." 68.
Aeneas (40) saved the ancestral gods--his father's and his mother's;
(41) yea, and his own father also, whereby he bore off a reputation
for piety so great that to him alone among all on whom they laid their
conquering hand in Troy even the enemy granted not to be despoiled.
(40) As to Aeneas see Poseidon's speech, "Il." xx. 293 foll.; Grote,
"H. G." i. 413, 427 foll.
(41) Cf. "Hell." II. iv. 21.
Achilles, (42) lastly, being nursed in this same training, bequeathed to
after-days memorials so fair, so ample, that to speak or hear concerning
him no man wearies.
(42) "The highest form that floated before Greek imagination was
Achilles," Hegel, "Lectures on the Philosophy of History" (Eng.
tr. p. 233); and for a beautiful elaboration of that idea, J. A.
Symonds, "Greek Poets," 2nd series, ch. ii.
Such, by dint of that painstaking care derived from Cheiron, these all
proved themselves; of whom all good men yet still to-day are lovers
and all base men envious. So much so that if throughout the length and
breadth of Hellas misfortunes at any time befell city or king, it was
they who loosed the knot of them; (43) or if all Hellas found herself
confronted with the hosts of the Barbarians in strife and battle,
once again it was these who nerved the arms of Hellenes to victory and
rendered Hellas unconquered and unconquerable.
(43) Reading {eluonto autous}, or if as L. D., {di autous}, transl.
"thanks to them, they were loosed."
For my part, then, my advice to the young is, do not despise hunting or
the other training of your boyhood, if you desire to grow up to be
good men, good not only in war but in all else of which the issue is
perfection in thought, word, and deed.
II
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