Icaromenippus

Since I flew down without mischance, I began to aspire high and used to take wing from Parnes or Hymettus, flying to Geraneia and from there up to Acrocorinthus and then over Pholoe and Erymanthus clear to Taygetus. Now that I had thoroughly practised my experiment and had become an adept and a lofty soarer, I no longer had fledgling aspirations but ascended Olympus, provisioned myself as lightly as I could and this time made straight for Heaven. At first I was dizzied by the height, but afterwards I stood even that without discomfort. But when I had left the clouds far below and had got close to the moon, I felt myself getting tired, especially in

the left wing, the vulture’s. Flying up, therefore, and perching on the moon, I rested myself, looking down on the earth from on high and like Homer’s Zeus,[*](Iliad 13, 4.) now observing the land of the horse-loving Thracians, now the land of the Mysians, and presently, if I liked, Greece, Persia and India; and from all this I got my fill of kaleidoscopic pleasure.

FRIEND Then do tell me about it, Menippus, so that I may not miss a single detail of the trip, but may even know whatever you may have found out incidentally. I assure you, I am looking forward to hearing a good deal about the shape of the earth and about everything upon it as it looked to you, viewing it all from above.

MENIPPUS You are right in your assumption, my friend, so mount up to the moon in fancy as best you can and share my trip and my view of the whole scheme of things on earth.

In the first place, imagine that the earth you see is very small, far less than the moon, [ mean; so that when I suddenly peered down I was long uncertain where the big mountains and the great sea were, and if I had not spied the Colossus of Rhodes[*](The Colossus of Rhodes had been lying prostrate for several centuries at the time this dialogue was written. It stood upright for only 56 years (ca. 283-2278.¢.). Consequently the allusion is thought to come from Menippus.) and the lighthouse on Pharos, I vow I shouldn’t have known the earth at all. But as it was, the fact that they were high and prominent and that the ocean glinted in the sun showed me that what I saw was the earth. But as soon as I had concentrated my gaze fixedly, the life of man

in its entirety disclosed itself to me, and not only the nations and cities but the people themselves as clear as could be, the traders, the soldiers, the farmers, the litigants, the women, the animals and, in a word, all the life that the good green earth supports.[*](A reminiscence of Homer; cf. Il. 2, 548 ; Od. 4, 229; 9, 357- 2 Od. 16, 187) FRIEND What you say is completely beyond belief and self-contradictory, for you told me just now that you had to look for the earth because it was diminished by the intervening distance, and that if the Colossus hadn’t given you your bearings, perhaps you would have thought you were looking at something else. How is it, then, that you have suddenly turned into a Lynceus and can make out everything on earth— the men, the animals and very nearly the nests of the mosquitoes ?

MENIPPUS Thanks for reminding me; somehow or other I neglected to say what I certainly should have said. When I recognised the earth by sight, but was unable to distinguish anything else on account of the height, because my vision did not carry so far, the thing annoyed me excessively and put me in a great quandary. I was downcast and almost in tears when the philosopher Empedocles came and stood behind me, looking like a cinder, as he was covered with ashes and all burned up. On catching sight of him I wasa bit startled, to tell the truth, and thought I beheld a lunar spirit ; but he said “Don’t be alarmed, Menippus;

1. No god am I: why liken me to them?

Od. 16, 187. I am the natural philosopher Empedocles, at your service. You see, when I threw myself head-first into the crater, the smoke snatched me out of Aetna and brought me up here, and now I dwell in the moon, although I walk the air a great deal, and I live on dew. So I have come to get you out of your present quandary ; for it annoys and torments you, I take it, that you cannot clearly see everything on earth.” “Thank you very much, Empedocles,” said I; “you are most kind, and as soon as I fly down to Greece again I will remember to pour you a drink-offering in the chimney[*](Jn the chimney, because the burned and blackened appearance of Empedocles suggested this as the most appropriate spot; and then too, the smoke goes up to the moon.) and on the first: of every month to open my mouth at the moon three times and make a prayer.” “Great Endymion !” said he, “I didn’t come here for pay; my heart was touched a bit when I saw you sorrowful. Do you know what to do in order to become sharp-sighted ?”

“No,” said I, “unless you are going to take the mist from my eyes somehow. At present my sight seems to be uncommonly blurred.” “Why,” said he, “you won’t need my services at all, for you yourself have brought the power of sharp sight with you from the earth.” “What is it, then, for I don’t know?” I said. “Don’t you know,” said he, “that you are wearing the right wing of an cagle?” “Of course,” said I, “but what is the connection between wings and eyes?” “This,” said he; “the eagle so far surpasses all the other creatures in strength of sight that he alone can look square at the sun, and the mark of the genuine royal cagle is that he can face its rays without winking an eye.” “So they say,” I

replied, “and I am sorry now that when I came up here I did not take out my own eyes and put in those of the eagle. As things are, I have come in a_halffinished condition and with an equipment which is not fully royal; in fact, I am like the bastard, disowned eaglets they tell about.”[*](If an eaglet failed to stand the test, he was pushed out of the nest; cf. Aelian de Nat, Anim, 2, 26.) “Why,” said he, “it is in your power this minute to have one eye royal, for if you choose to stand up a moment, hold the vulture’s wing still, and flap only the other one, you will become sharp-sighted in the right eye to match the wing; the other eye cannot possibly help being duller, as it is on the inferior side.” It will satisfy me,” said I, “if only the right one has the sight of an eagle; it would do just as well, for I am sure I have often seen carpenters getting on better with only one eye when they were trimming off timbers to the straight-edge.” This said, I set about doing as Empedocles advised, while he receded little by little and gradually dissolved into smoke.