Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1823-10-01
SAYINGS OF THE ANCIENTS,

Many of the repartees of the ancient
wits and Philosophers are admirable.
They do not consist in mere verbal
antithesis, where the understanding after
short interval, discovers that it has
been cheated by the ears: nor in the
ludicrous perversion of meaning, in an
outrageous pun, but in thoughts unex-
pected, yet just, sudden, as the occasion
required, but often SO profound as to
seem the result Of continued reflection {:
and sometimes, though not so often of a
wit SO polished, that The object of IFS
satire might find that he had been wound
ed, though he felt not the inAiction.
A certain person charged Diogenes
with having committed forgery, on some
occasion. 81 acknowledged" replied
Diogencs, s' that once wac. what YOU
are now; but what | am now, you can
never be-"
Some one told Diogenes, that he had
lost his understanding. ''No," replied
ne, 81 have not lost it; but such as
yours never had"
An Armenian once reproaChed Ana
charsis, because be was born in Scythia.
The philosopher replied, '''Tis true my
country is disgrace to me ; but you are
disgrace toyour country
Socrates, once at q feast was reprov-
ing friend with great severity, when
Plato said to him would it not be better
to tell him those things in private? So
crates replied, And would it not be
better TO tell me so in private.'
The Philosopher Aristippus, a d;sci-
pie of Socrates, seeing Diogencs wash
ing salad, said TO him, if Diogenes
knew how to behave to kings, he would
not be obliged TO eat raw herbs. dog
enes replied, elf Aristippns had learn
ed TO be content with salad, he would
disdain to act the spaniel even to a
king"
Antigonus once caught the poet Anita
goras cooking eels in his tent, and turn
ing the pan with his own hands; coming
behind the poet suddenly, he said; do
you suppose, Antagoras that Homer Us.
ed TO cook eels, when he was writing
the exploits of Agamemnon? The poet
replied, and do you imagine, Amigo
nus, that when Agamemnon was per-
forming those great exploits, that he u.s.
ed to go peeping about, 10 discover if
any one in the army was frying cells o.
This last is bon mot, for though it is
not said that the King was so much pleas
ed with this saucy answer as to give the
poet halt cro7cn, yet it is related that
he had magnanimity enough to take il
in good part.
The Athenians preferred the ignorant
Demades, to the Veteran Phocion, and
made him their commander in the place
of the latter. Demades was greatly in
iiated with this victory over Phocion,
which he had obtained by hattering the
populace, bribery and similar arts. In
the height Of his triumph, therefore, he
said to Phocion, with great insolence,
" Lend me that dirty old cloak of yours,
which you generally wear in the army"
Phocion replied, "You need not want
any thing dirty, as long as you are what
you are"
Demosthenes one said to the same
virtuous patriot; Phocion, the Athcni-
ans will kill you, if they ever loose their
senses" " Yes" said Phocion, land
they will kill you if they ever recover
them"
When Dcmetrius was about to mar
ry second wife, his children who were
displeased with it, asked if he had any
fault to find with them. "Not at all"
replied he, " on the contrary wish 10
have others just like you"