Chapter III. That the Greeks Were Plagiarists. From Porphyry, The Lecture on Literature, Bk. I

[PORPHYRY] [1] ‘WHEN Longinus was entertaining us in Athens at the banquet in memory of Plato, he had invited among many others Nicagoras the Sophist, and Major, and Apollonius the Grammarian, and Demetrius the Geometer, and Prosenes the Peripatetic, and Callietes the Stoic.

‘With these reclined the host himself making seven, and while supper was going on, and some question about Ephorus had arisen among the others, he said, Let us hear what is this clamour about Ephorus? Now the disputants were Caystrius and Maximus: for the latter was for preferring him to Theopompus, while Caystrius called him a plagiarist.

‘”For what,” said he, “belongs properly to Ephorus, who transfers from the writings of Daimachus, and Callisthenes, and Anaximenes word for word sometimes as much as three thousand whole lines?”

‘In answer to whom Apollonius the Grammarian said, “Yes, for you are not aware that even Theopompus, whom you prefer, is infected with the same fault, as having in the eleventh book of his History of Philipcopied word for word from the Areopagiticusof Isocrates that famous passage, “that nothing good and nothing evil comes to men quite of itself,” [2] and the rest.

‘And yet he despises Isocrates, and says that his master was defeated by himself in the contest in honour of Mausolus. Then he has committed a theft of facts, by transferring what he found told of some men to others, that in this way he might also be convicted of falsehood.

‘For whereas Andron in The Tripod,writing of the philosopher Pythagoras, had narrated the story of his predictions, and said that once at Metapontium having been thirsty, and having drawn up and drunk water from a certain well, he foretold that on the third day there would be an earthquake. And after adding some other remarks to these, he proceeds:

‘”So whereas Andron had told this story concerning Pythagoras, Theopompus filched it all. If he had mentioned Pythagoras, perhaps others also would have known about it, and said, The Master also said that. But now the change of the name has made the plagiarism manifest; for he has made use of the same facts, but substituted another name: and he has represented Pherecydes of Syros [3] as uttering this prediction.

‘And not only by this name does he try to conceal the theft, but also by a change of localities: for the prophecy of the earthquake narrated by Andron as spoken in Metapontium, Theopompus says was uttered in Syria. And the incident about the ship was observed, he says, not from Megara in Sicily, but from Samos: and the capture of Sybaris he has transferred to that of Messene.

‘But in order that he might seem to say something more than common, he has also added the name of the stranger, saying that he was called Perilaus.” “I too,” says Nicagoras, “in reading his Hellenicsand Xenophon’s, have detected him in transferring many things from Xenophon; and the mischief is that he has changed them for the worse.

‘”For instance, the account of the conference of Pharnabazus with Agesilaus through the mediation of Apollophanes of Cyzicus, and their conversations with each other under a truce, which Xenophon in his fourth Book recorded very gracefully and in a manner becoming to both, Theopompus has transferred into the eleventh Book of his Hellenics,and deprived of all vigour, and movement, and effect.

‘”For while, in order to hide his theft, he strives to throw in and to display forcible and elaborate language, he appears slow, and hesitating, and procrastinating, and destroys the animation and vigour of Xenophon.”

‘After Nicagoras had thus spoken, Apollonius said, But what wonder that the vice of plagiarism infected Theopompus and Ephorus, who were merely very dull men, when even Menander was full of this infirmity, though in censuring him Aristophanes the Grammarian, because of his excessive friendship for him, dealt gently in his parallel extracts from him and from those whom he plagiarised. But Latinus in six books, which he entitled Of Menander’s Appropriations,exposed the multitude of his plagiarisms.

‘In the same way Philostratus of Alexandria began a treatise On the Plagiarism of Sophocles.And Caecilius, thinking that he has discovered something of great importance, says that Menander transcribed a whole drama, The Augurof Antiphaues, from beginning to end, into The Superstitious Man.

‘But since, says he, it has seemed good to you, I know not how, to bring forward the plagiarists, I myself also inform against the charming Hyperides as having stolen many things from Demosthenes, both in the speech Against Diondasand in the one Concerning the bribes of Eubulus.

‘And that one of them has borrowed from the other is manifest: but as they were contemporaries it must be your task, Apollonius, says he, to track the plagiarist from the dates. Now I suspect that the one who has stolen is Hyperides: but as it is uncertain which it was, I admire Demosthenes, if he borrowed from Hyperides and made appropriate corrections; but I blame Hyperides if he borrowed from Demosthenes, and perverted it for the worse.’

And soon after he says:

‘”Why need I tell you, how the Barbarian Customsof Hellanicus is a compilation out of the works of Herodotus and Damastes? Or how Herodotus in his second Book has transferred many passages of Hecataeus of Miletus from the Geography,verbally with slight falsifications, as the account of the bird Phoenix, and of the hippopotamus, and of the hunting of crocodiles?

‘Or how the statements in Isaeus concerning torture, in his oration Concerning the inheritance of Cylon,are found also in the Trapeziticusof Isocrates, and in the oration of Demosthenes Against Onetor on an action of ejectmentare expressed almost in the same words?

‘Or how Dinarchus in his first speech Against Cleomedon in an action for assaulthas transferred many things word for word from the speech of Demosthenes Against Conon for assault?

‘Or how this sentiment of Hesiod’s,

“Nought can man better than a good wife win, Nor find a worse bane than a vicious shrew,” [4]

was borrowed by Simonides in his eleventh Book, who took it thus:

“Of all the prizes man can win, a wife If good is best, if evil far the worst.” [5]

‘And by Euripides in Melanippe the Captive:

“For than a bad wife nought can e’er be worse, Nor aught excel a virtuous woman’s worth; But of their natures there is difference great.” [6]

‘And whereas Euripides said:

“A race most wretched we poor women are,” [7]

Theodectes says in the Alcmaeon:

“Tis a true proverb in the mouths of men, Than woman nought more wretched e’er was born.” [8]

This author has not only taken the suggestion from that passage, but has also employed the very words; and he craftily preferred to give it a proverbial character, and to employ it as a saying used by many, rather than to seem to have taken it from its original author.

‘Antimachus too steals Homer’s verse, and blunders in correcting it. For Homer having said:

“Idas was strongest born of men on earth,” [9]

Antimachus says:

“Idas was strongest of all men on earth.” [10]

And Lycophron praises the alteration on the ground that the line is thereby strengthened.

‘As to Homer’s

“Τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος προσέφη κρείων Διομήδης”

I say nothing, since Homer has been ridiculed in comedy by Cratinus because of his frequent repetition of

“Τὸν δ' ἀπαμειβόμενος”

which, though so trite, Antimachus did not hesitate to borrow.

‘The line,

“The tribes he ruled with mild paternal sway,” [11]

is Homer’s: and again in another place it is written,

“They on either side In closer ranks the deep battalions ranged.” [12]

But Antimachus, by transferring half-lines, has made the verse

“Of all the tribes they ruled In closer ranks the deep battalions ranged.” [13]

‘But lest while charging others with plagiarism I should be convicted as a plagiarist myself, I will indicate those who have treated this subject. There are two books of Lysimachus Concerning the Plagiarism of Ephorus.Alcaeus also, the poet of the vituperative Iambics and Epigrams, has detected and parodied the plagiarisms of Ephorus: then there is an epistle of Pollio to Soteridas Concerning the Plagiarism of Ctesias,and a book of the same author Concerning the Plagiarism of Herodotus,and in the book entitled The Searchersthere are many statements concerning Theopompus, and there is a treatise of Aretades Concerning Coincidence,from which works one may learn many examples of this kind.’

After other passages he adds: [14]

‘Prosenes also said, The other plagiarists you have detected: but that even this hero Plato himself, after whom the feast which . we are celebrating to-day is named, makes use of many works of his predecessors (for in his case I feel too much respect to use the term “plagiarism”), this you have not proceeded to discover.

‘What say you? said Callietes. I not only say, replied Prosenes, but I also offer the proof of my statement. Now the books of Plato’s predecessors are rare: else perhaps one might have detected more of the philosopher’s plagiarisms. As to one, however, which I myself lighted upon by chance, in reading the discourse of Protagoras Concerning Beingagainst those who represent “Being “ as one, I find him employing answers of the following kind; for I was careful to remember wlfat he said in his very words.’

And after this preface he sets out the proofs at large.

But I think that out of numberless examples those which have been mentioned are sufficient to show what was the character of the Greek writers, and that they did not spare even the exposure one of another. Yet in farther preparation for showing the benefit which has overflowed to the Greeks from the Hebrew Scriptures, I think it will be right and necessary for me to prove generally that all the celebrated learning and philosophy of the Greeks, both their elementary studies, and their grand system of logical science, have been collected by them from Barbarians, so that none of them may any longer lay blame upon us, because forsooth we have preferred the religion and philosophy of the Barbarians to their grand doctrines.