Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1881-06-16

the good iuck of the two legatees. They,
however, promptly accepted the trust,
and, one of them dying soon after, the
other supported the philosophers
mother, found suitable husband for
the daughter. and gave her portion of
two talents. about equal to twenty-five
hundred dollars of our money. He
gave the same portion to his own
daughter and both were married on the
same day.
The will of the illustrious Greek phi
losopher. Plato. who died 3iS Is. c., We
possess entire. and it gives us the pleas
ing knowledge that he was a gentleman
of property. He leaves two farms to
his only son; likewise q considerable
sum OF money, various cups OF silver
and heavy gold ring. He frees from
bondage his slave Diana. but bequeaths
his four other slaves and all his "chat-
tells to his son. Il have no debts"
says Plato: an excellent thing to be able
to say in will; and he appoints no less
than SIX executors.
We have also the will of Aristotle. a
document of some length. and very
minute in its provisions. He decides
who is to marry his little daughter
when she grows up. He frees several of
his slaves. and orders that the children
of the rest when they are of age shall be
set iree. ''if they have deserved it,"
We see from his will. and from other
wills OF the period, why so manr ship
loads of statues have been found in
Greece. Every man of substance APP
pears to have had statues made. either
of his friends orof the gods Aristotle
expressly requires that the statues he
had ordered should be finished and
placed where he meant them to be. He
gives q Ceres, which had once belonged
to his mother. to be deposited in a tenn
pie. He adds this provision:
81 further wish the four stone animals
promised by me as vOtive offerings for the
preservation of Nicanor ibis destined son-in-
law to be placed at stagyra TO Jupiter and
nerva- Tney are to be four cubits six feet
high
There are similar requests in the will
of Theophrastus, pupil of Aristotle.
His will, indeed, is interesting on many
accounts, and shows to what point of
refinement and elevation of mind few
Of the Greeks of that age had attained.
He had consecrated small garden to
the MUSES., and this he orders in his will
shall be finished according to his plan.
and adorned with statues of the god
desses, executed in the highest style of
art. In the little temple appertaining
to this sacred garden, he ordered his
portrait of Aristotle to be placed, as
well as his ''maps of the world and
"a richly worked altar" He specially
charges the immortal sculptor, Praxit-
eles. to finish statue which he had
ordered of him. and to spare no money
required for its perfection. He leaves
his house and garden to eleven OF his
philosophical friends, to be held and
used by them in common as a sort of
Concord School of Philosophy. There
they were to meet and discuss high
questions. and the property should be
held forever for that purpose. He also
freed several of his slaves, and be-
queathes slaves to some of those whom
he emancipated. Two of them were to
have their freedom in four years, dur
ing which they were to work in the
garden and to behave well.
Under the Romans, the art and mys-
terry OF will-making were so complete
ly developed that the lapse of fifteen
centuries has added very little. TO them.
At first the Romans wrote their wills
upon tablets of wood or wax. aud it
was necessary for each Of the five wit
nesses to make mark with his ring
upon the wax, besides writing his
name. The most minute provisions
were made concerning the form and
adjuncts of the will. II had to be tied
with threefold thread in just such a
place. perforated and sealed in just
such methods, or else the will was void.
When it was finished it could be de-
posted either with friend or in one
gins. - -
After the testator's death the will