Synesius of Cyrene→Alethius, (brother of Florentius)|c. 410 AD|Synesius of Cyrene
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Letter 136: A visit to Athens
[1] To his Brother
I hope that I may profit as much as you desire from my residence at Athens . It seems to me that I have already grown more than a palm and a finger's length in wisdom, and I can give you at once a proof of the progress I have made. [2] Well, it is from Anagyrus that I am writing to you; and I have visited Sphettus, Thria, Cephisia, and Phalerum. [3] But may the accursed ship-captain perish who brought me here! Athens has no longer anything sublime except the country's famous names! Just as in the case of a victim burnt in the sacrificial fire, there remains nothing but the skin to help us to reconstruct a creature that was once alive - so ever since philosophy left these precincts, there is nothing for the tourist to admit except the Academy, the Lyceum, and - by Zeus ! - the Decorated Porch which has given its name to the philosophy of Chrysippus . note [The Academy was the school of Plato , the Lyceum of Aristotle , the Decorated Porch ("Stoa Poikilê") of Zeno and Chrysippus.] This is no longer Decorated, for the proconsul has taken away the panels on which [the painter] Polygnotus of Thasos has displayed his skill. [4] Today Egypt has received and cherishes the fruitful wisdom of Hypatia. Athens used to be the dwelling place of the wise: today the beekeepers alone bring it honor. Such is the case of that pair of sophists in Plutarch who draw the young people to the lecture room - not by the fame of their eloquence, but by the pots of honey from Hymettus. note [The Hymettus was a mountain near Athens. The anecdote from Plutarch cannot be identified.]
Letter 136: A visit to Athens
[1] To his Brother
I hope that I may profit as much as you desire from my residence at Athens . It seems to me that I have already grown more than a palm and a finger's length in wisdom, and I can give you at once a proof of the progress I have made. [2] Well, it is from Anagyrus that I am writing to you; and I have visited Sphettus, Thria, Cephisia, and Phalerum. [3] But may the accursed ship-captain perish who brought me here! Athens has no longer anything sublime except the country's famous names! Just as in the case of a victim burnt in the sacrificial fire, there remains nothing but the skin to help us to reconstruct a creature that was once alive - so ever since philosophy left these precincts, there is nothing for the tourist to admit except the Academy, the Lyceum, and - by Zeus ! - the Decorated Porch which has given its name to the philosophy of Chrysippus . note [The Academy was the school of Plato , the Lyceum of Aristotle , the Decorated Porch ("Stoa Poikilê") of Zeno and Chrysippus.] This is no longer Decorated, for the proconsul has taken away the panels on which [the painter] Polygnotus of Thasos has displayed his skill. [4] Today Egypt has received and cherishes the fruitful wisdom of Hypatia. Athens used to be the dwelling place of the wise: today the beekeepers alone bring it honor. Such is the case of that pair of sophists in Plutarch who draw the young people to the lecture room - not by the fame of their eloquence, but by the pots of honey from Hymettus. note [The Hymettus was a mountain near Athens. The anecdote from Plutarch cannot be identified.]
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Letter 136: A visit to Athens
[1] To his Brother
I hope that I may profit as much as you desire from my residence at Athens . It seems to me that I have already grown more than a palm and a finger's length in wisdom, and I can give you at once a proof of the progress I have made. [2] Well, it is from Anagyrus that I am writing to you; and I have visited Sphettus, Thria, Cephisia, and Phalerum. [3] But may the accursed ship-captain perish who brought me here! Athens has no longer anything sublime except the country's famous names! Just as in the case of a victim burnt in the sacrificial fire, there remains nothing but the skin to help us to reconstruct a creature that was once alive - so ever since philosophy left these precincts, there is nothing for the tourist to admit except the Academy, the Lyceum, and - by Zeus ! - the Decorated Porch which has given its name to the philosophy of Chrysippus . note [The Academy was the school of Plato , the Lyceum of Aristotle , the Decorated Porch ("Stoa Poikilê") of Zeno and Chrysippus.] This is no longer Decorated, for the proconsul has taken away the panels on which [the painter] Polygnotus of Thasos has displayed his skill. [4] Today Egypt has received and cherishes the fruitful wisdom of Hypatia. Athens used to be the dwelling place of the wise: today the beekeepers alone bring it honor. Such is the case of that pair of sophists in Plutarch who draw the young people to the lecture room - not by the fame of their eloquence, but by the pots of honey from Hymettus. note [The Hymettus was a mountain near Athens. The anecdote from Plutarch cannot be identified.]
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.