Selections from Lucian

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I his last years, one oot almos in Charon's boat, as h says, ita received in appotntinent frona the Emperor Commodus prob- ably to a lucrative an honorabie post in the civi service of Egypt. His uties vere in Connection villa lae Cotiris, and the office so important, or his favor a Couri S great, l)at ad Strong opes of a et laigher appo intiment. Ue have no reason to Suppo Se ctiast theS hopes vere realige l. e certaint live to agood id age, but xvlaere or vlaen or in via at manne lae die is absolui ely unknown. Hi burtesque poetr in celebration os laegout malces it probabie lae may thave been tiaras sed b that demonos hi σla living but ne holita hardi infer, a Some haVe One, that this ivas the cause of his dealla. About his dona esti lite nostin is known but frona his mention o a Son ive an inferthat he va marmed, and the whole tenor of his vritings gives Sreason to belle verilaat his honae lite vas happy and agre eatae.

IN orde to underStan an appreciate the plan and work of Lucian, tri neces Sarnio ad tota in very bries the salient Cham aciem stic of the perio in ivllicli his activit felL He lourishedin the bridiant age of the Antonines, charactemgedi Gibbon ivitii

Some What XCessive enthusiasna the perio in the histor of the wori duran whicli the conditio of the una an race vas imos thappy an proSperouS. Protund eace reigne d a it hac doneso generations throughout the vas extent of the Roma domin-ions. Absolute potver, vietae Ivith virtve and vis dona, produced the woridi ver a SenSe of Securit an Comparative re e dona. Mencouldio an Conae a the pleas ed, could thlialc an say vhat theychos e. Loca institutions stili retainei much of their old-tin iesignificance an influence, and imperiat laxationi ad not et be conie

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XVI GENERAL INTRODUCTTON

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o the Cynic, and thunderest orth, vitii the ea of the fanaticpreacher, indi nant protest at the luxur an licens o societyand the ee dies corruption o life . While the philosophers vere stili divide into the old secis, yet the lines of separation verem longermo harpi dra Iun. Philosophyiad os it Leennes of dialectic, it botanes and originalit o speculation. It was contentin iis et ivith nrea sonino

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O tiae critica pie es, the Trial before lae Voweis is vorti, of mention . Si mi bring a Complain os ejectio against Tau, vlaolaas Surpe lais place in o many vorus. The tria is ingeni ou Alyconducte aster lae Atheni an fornis, and is interestin a evidenCeo Lucian' thorougia stud of the language. The declamation areo the rue sophistica Sori, a suci tities a the 'Tyrannicide, the

Encontium os a ly, Clearly indicate. The last vel repays ead- in g, RS a maSterpie Ce of the Clas to vhicla it be longs. The lightand gracesia manne in ivlaicla the habit of the Dare describe is ver entertaining. II. The numerous and diversi fiex KTitings of the secon classcannot be arrange in the order of thei composition. It is prob- able that nos of the narrative ieces vere Iumite firSt, and that perfection o dialogue indicates a later perio in Lucian' literaryCareer. ut his prinCiple mustio be carrie to oriar. In earlyal the productions of the secon perio there is illae a Clearly Sounded note or an eas ity distinguis hed underio ne of Satire. .ucian 'sdisgust vitia rhetoric vas probata no Sudden ancy, but a Con- Stant growlla dum nitiae ear si devote to her Service a he a v

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thernes. So lae turne to the profounde Stud of philosophy, o ni to in tiae sanae puerilities of metho prevalent amon me Schoois the fame barrennes of practica restilis attendant ponthei te acta ings. The religio of his iiDes, vitia iis Chi Mista credit lily, iis bounoles Superstition, arou sed hi nario pit an dem: Sion. Society, vitia it upstari an parvenus, it fortune-hunter and parasites, iis rossne SA an Philistini Sm, it bactam luxur and Corrhiption appalle hirn. Gra duallu, o hi Clear Ommon SenSe, lais direcines an love os truth, canae the fui consciousnes of his mission in the worid. Villa the ea os an con octast, he entereditae lisis Gainst the tenden cies of the Jay, and wielde xvithout cessation his merci leS potver of nocher an odiciale against ille false rhetoric the degenerate platio Sophy, the ain religion, and the deprave societ whicli prevalle about hirn. It is impossibi inour limit to mentio an Characterige ach Coinposition. It must suffice to ad attention to the niost notabie. It is to b borne inmind too that sonae pie ces Could ery vel be assigne to more

to craticisna the litile brochur ivlaicia reat Vritin History' has the greate Si permanent valve. In the firSi part lae expoSe and radicules the fauit an assectations of the historians of the Partia ianwar A. D. 6I-I66h; laei lach of symmetr - thei servile imitatio of the letter xvi thout Calching the spirit o Thucydides and Herodotus - thei Siaameles distortionis fac in orde to exalt thegior of their o xv fide. In the se Con parti laysio vn principiesto be observed in ivritin history in Sistin upo trulla, impartiali ty, independenCe, Cratical vel hin os eviden Ce caretu regard sor historaca perspective, bre adit an Consistenc of Viexv alon ovilla a Correct an pleasin Style, a the late merit os a true historian.

Compare the closing sentence of De Sac a Democritus ohe onerio augia a the ignorificiis, where the declaration is made that rance of in masses the ther, o deplore the popular bellei denianus ameracleitus o theiri By.

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in in the old poet an pro se uriters by vhicla the last vestiges of the malad xvit be efface an menta an rhetorica health

brought to the convictio that it is impossitae to decide viaicli SyStena, i any, vili lead to the truth ohat villa lis so hor it is

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likel that this dialogue oused Strong feelin againSt Luciam atali evenis, he fel it necessar to explain or defend la iniself. In