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-losopher, son of Nestorius, who flourished about the time of the first Emperor Constantinus. 5

Charonea was in old time called AрNн, as Pau-sanias, followed by Stephanus of Byzantium, says: ΕΚΑΛΕΙΤΟ ΔΕ Η ΠΟΛΙΣ ΑΡΝΗ ΤΟ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΝ .”

Under this name it is mentioned in Homer's Cata-logue of Ships: 6

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and in Lycophron's Cassandra (v. 644):

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APNHC ΠΑΛΑΙΑΣ ΓΕΝΝΑ ΤΕΜΜΙΚΩΝ πΡΟΜΟΙ. Alluding to the city's change of name, Plutarchus himself says:7

-NHN

ΩΣΠΕΡ ΤΗΝ ΕΜΗΝ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΑ προς ΖΕΦΥΡΟΝ ΑΝΕΜΟΝ ΚΕΚΛΙΜΕ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΝ ΗΛΙΟΝ ΕΡΕΙΔΟΝΤΑ ΔΕΙΛΗΣ ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΡΝΑΣ ΟΥ TAC ΑΝΑΤΟΛΑΣ ΤΡΑΠΗΝΑΙ ΛΕΓΟYCIN ΥΛΟ ΤΟΥ

ΔΕΧΟΜΕΝΗΝ

ΕΠΙ 1

XAIPWNOC."

Charonea was but a very small city in Plutarch's time 8:

66

HMEIC ΔΕ ΜΙΚΡΑΝ ΟΙΚΟΥΝΤΕΣ ΠΟΛΙΝ, ΚΑΙ INA MH MIKPOTEPA ΓΕΝΗΤΑΙ ΦΙΛΟχωρο γΝΤΕΣ

Even in the time of Lucullus, nearly 200 years be-fore the time of Plutarchus, the city was very much reduced 9:

5 Brucker (Hist. Phil., Vol. 2, p. 183.) says: "Duodecim Plutarchos cum enumerent viri docti, noster ab aliis accurate distinguendus, et imprimis cum Plutarcho Nestorii -fundendus non est.

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BIWN MAрAAA. p. 846, E. [ i. e. in vit. Demosth. ] 9 in vit. Cimon. p. 479, A.

ΑΤΕ ΔΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΠΑΤΡΙΔΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ тоте лупра пратгоуснс ΚΑΙ ΔΙΑ ΜΙΚΡΟΤΗΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΠΕΝΙΑΝ ΠΑΡΟΡΩΜΕΝΗΣ

Marcus Antonius forced the Charonenses to serve as porters; and caused them to be flogged when they were dilatory with their burdens; as Plutar-chus relates in his life of that commander. 10

Cap. III.

The Boeotians were generally considered as a stu-pid people. Thus Cicero says 1:

"Athenis tenue cœlum, ex quo acutiores etiam putantur Attici: crassum Thebis, itaque pingues Thebani et valentes. "

Similarly Dionysius Halicarnessensis says 2:

ΑΘΗΝΑΙΟΣ ToPoc ΛΑΛΟΣ софос : IWN аврос,

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-NOC : Βοιωτος ΕΥΗΘΗΣ : ΘΕΤΤΑΛΟΣ ΔΙΠΛΟΥΣ по кілос." and Lucianus introduces Momus as saying [to Hercules]:

"6 ΑΓΡΟΙΚΟΝ ΤΟΥΤΟ ΕΙΡΗΚΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΔΕΙΝΟΣ ΒΟΙΩΤΙΟΝ.”

Plutarchus himself acknowledges that this failing was attributed to his compatriots, when he speaks of Hercules as

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NEOC WN KAI KOMIAH BOIWTIOC.”

and when again he says 5:

τους Βοιωτους HMAC οι ΑΤΤΙΚΟΙ, ΚΑΙ ΠΑΧΕΙΣ, ΚΑΙ ΑΝ -ΑΙΘΗΤΟΥΣ, ΚΑΙ ΗΛΙΘΙΟΥΣ, ΜΑΛΙΣΤΑ ΔΙΑ ΤΑΣ ΑΔΗΦΑΓΙΑΣ, προς ΗΓΟΡΕΥΟΝ · οντοι se Ay crct.”

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2 In syntagm. пeрi лoгWN EZETACEWC .

[In his admirable “ Jupiter Tragœdus," ch. 32. ] 4 In libr, περι του ει ΤΟΥ ΕΝ Δελφοίς, p. 387, D, 5 In orat. лері саркофагіас, р. 995, Е.

He remarks, however, that this reproach was al-ready wearing away, when expressing his fear 6

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ΑΝΕΓΕΙΡΕΙΝ ΤΟ ΚΑΤΑ ΒΟΙΩΤΩΝ ΑΡΧΑΙΟΝ EIC MICΟΛΟΓΙΑΝ ΟΝΕΙΟΔΟΣ ΗΔΗ ΜΑΡΑΙΝΟΜΕΝΟΝ.

But the talents of Epaminondas and Pindarus had already shewn :

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Summos posse viros, et magna exempla daturos
Vervecum in patriâ, crasso que sub aere nasci. "'

as Juvenalis says, when speaking of Democritus, a native of Abdera, in Thrace, a calumniated city, in a similarly calumniated country.

Cap. IV.

The year in which Plutarchus was born cannot be exactly ascertained.

8

Origines & mentions him among the

τοις Νεωτεροις ΚΑΙ ΧΘΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΩΗΝ ΓΕΓΕΝΗΜΕΝΟΙΣ

And Origines was born A. D. 191, according to the anonymous author of the Fasti Siculi; and flourish-ed Ă. D. 230, according to the Chronicon of Euse-bius.

Photius, as also Paulus Diaconus, mentions Plu-tarchus en TOY NEPWNOC.

The anonymous writer, above mentioned, says, at the 13th. year of Nero, when Capito and Rufus were consuls :

"

ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΥΤΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΧΡΟΝΟΝ ΛΟΥΚΙΑΝΟΣ ΠΑΡΑ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΙΣ

6 In libr. περι του σωκρατογς ΔΑΙΜΟΝΙΟΥ, Ρ. 575, Ε.

7 Sat. X. v. 49.

8

KATA KEACOY, B. 5. [ p. 268. edit. Spencer. ]

9 Myriobibl. Cod. 245. in fine.

"

МЕГАС HN ΚΑΙ ΕΠΑΙΝΟΥΜΕΝΟΣ : ΟΜΟΙΩΣ AE KAI MOYCWNIOC, ΚΑΙ ΠΛΟΥΤΑΡΧος, φιλοσοφοι ΕΓΝΩΡΙΖΟΝΤΟ. Eusebius, in one part of his Chronicle, places Mu-sonius and Plutarchus in the 14th. year of Nero; but, in another part of his Chronicle, at the 3rd. year of the 224th. Olympiad, or A. D. 120, he says: "ПлоYтAрXоC XAIPWNEYC, CEZTOC ΚΑΙ ΑΓΑΘΟΒΟΥ-1ος, φιλοσοφοι ΕΓΝΩΡΙΖΟΝΤΟ .

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So also Suidas says of Plutarchus :

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ΓΕΓΟΝΕΝΑΙ ΕΠΙ ΤΩΝ ΤΡΑΓΑΝΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ CAPOC ΧΡΟΝΩΝ ΚΑΙ ETI просOEN .

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All the information that can be derived from these contradictory data, is, that Plutarchus was proba-bly born about the middle of the reign of Claudius. 10 He could not have been born much later: because, when Nero (probably about the 11th. year of his reign was at Delphi, Plutarchus was already stu-dying under Ammonius. 2 Again, he could not have been born much earlier; because he lived (probably many years) under the reign of Trajanus. 3

10 Who reigned from the 24th. of Jan. A. D. 41 to the 13th. of Oct. A. D. 54.

1 A. D. 66.

. vid. libr. nepI TOY EI EN AEлp. p. 385, B.

3 Who reigned from the 27th, of July A. D. 98, to Aug. A. D. 117.

4

THE following Table will present the reader with a synoptic view of Plutarch's contemporaries.

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Caius Valerius Flaccus

aged about 30 about A. D. 93, or 94

Marcus Valerius Martialis

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