Such, then, was his outward appearance ; but his
soul and his mind—O Heracles Forfender ! O Zeus,
Averter of Mischief! O Twin Brethren, our Saviours !
may it be the fortune of our enemies and ill-wishers
to encounter and have to do with the like of him!
In understanding, quick-wittedness, and penetration
he was far beyond everyone else; and activity of
mind, readiness to learn, retentiveness, natural aptitude for studies—all these qualities were his, in every
case to the full. But he made the worst possible use
of them, and with these noble instruments at his
service soon became the most perfect rascal of all those
who have been notorious far and wide for villainy, surpassing the Cercopes, surpassing Eurybatus, or Phrynondas, or Aristodemus, or Sostratus.The Cercopes were two impish pests who crossed the ath of Heracles to their disadvantage. For the little that is known about the other typical rascals, see the Index.
_ He himself,
writing to his son-in-law Rutilianus once upon a
time and speaking of himself with the greatest
reserve, claimed to be like Pythagoras; but—
with all due respect to Pythagoras, a wise man
of more than human intelligence—if he had been
this man’s contemporary, he would have seemed
a child, I am very sure, beside him!Yet Pythagoras was no mean thaumaturge ; see Plutarch, Numa, 65.
In the
name of the Graces, do not imagine that I say this
to insult Pythagoras, or in the endeavour to bring
them into connection with one another by likening
their doings. On the contrary, if all that is worst
and most opprobrious in what is said of Pythagoras
to discredit him (which I for my part cannot believe
to be true) should nevertheless be brought together
for comparison, the whole of it would be but an
infinitesimal part of Alexander’s knavery. In sum,
imagine, please, and mentally configure a highly
diversified soul-blend, made up of lying, trickery,
perjury, and malice; facile, audacious, venturesome,
diligent in the execution of its schemes, plausible,
convincing, masking as good, and wearing an appearance absolutely opposite to its purpose. Indeed,
there is nobody who, after meeting him for the first
time, did not come away with the idea that he was
the most honest and upright man in the world—yes,
and the most simple and unaffected. And on top
of all this, he had the quality of magnificence, of
forming no petty designs but always keeping his
mind upon the most important objects.