The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

CHAP. I.

Socrates, his Country, Parents, and time of birth.

SOcrates was by Country an Athenian, borne at Alopece,* 1.1 a towne, according to Suidas and Pha∣vorinus, belonging to the Antiochian tribe. This was one of those small villages scattered through Attica, before These••s reduc'd the people into the walls of a City, which not∣withstanding his decree, were not deserted, but continued and preserved by their Inhabitants.

His Parents were very meane;* 1.2 Sophroniscus (an* 1.3 Athenian) his Father,* 1.4 a statuary, or carver of Images in stone, Phaenareta his mother a Midwife, a woman of a bold, generous & quick spi∣rit, as is implyd by the character* 1.5 Plato gives her (though wrested by* 1.6 Athenaeus) of which professions of his Parents, he is* 1.7 obser∣ved to have been so farre from being asham'd, that hee often tooke occasion to mention them.

* 1.8 Apollodorus, Laertius and Suidas affirme he was borne in the fourth yeare of the 77. Olympiad, which may likewise be col∣lected from the marble at ••rundel Ho••se, which saith, he dyed when Laches was Arc••on, and reckons 70. yeares of his life, which was compleat, because* 1.9 Plato sayes 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and from* 1.10 Dome∣trius Phalereus (who was himselfe archon the fourth yeare of the 117. Olympiad,) who saith, he dyed the first yeare of the 95. Olym∣piad, when he had lived 76 yeares, the 70. yeare inclusively upwards, is the fourth of the 77 Olympiad, when Apsephion, (or, as some call him Aphepsion) was Archon, of whose name in * 1.11 Diodorus Siculus no more is left then* 1.12 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which should be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but hath been incuriously alter'd into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which if * Meursius had observed, he had not corrected Laertius with∣out cause, nor he and * Allatius follow'd the mistake of Sca∣liger (whom they terme Anonymus) in placing Aphepsion in the fourth yeare of the 74. Olympiad.

The day of Socra••es birth, was* 1.13 according to Apollodorus, the sixt of the month Thargelion, memorable (saith Laertius) for the birth of Diana according to the traditions of the Delians; upon which day the Athenians did yearely lustrate the •• City. Many other good fortunes happening to the A••henians upon this day are recorded by* 1.14 Aelian. The day following, viz. the seventh

of this month was the birthday of Pla••o, both which were kept with much solemnity by the Greek Philosophers, (* 1.15 even to the time of Plotinus) as is affirmed by* 1.16 Plutarch, who thereupon observes it as the effect rather of Providence, then of chance, that their birth-daies should be so near, and that of the Master precede the Scholer's.

To accommodate this time with our accompt, is neither ea∣sie nor certain, yet in respect it may give some satisfaction by way of conjecture, we shall found it upon these hypotheses, ta∣king that order of months which Petavius gives.

1. That after the Olympiads the beginning of the Grecian year was alwaies on the first of Hecatombaeon, and Olympick games on the 15th.

2. That the Neomenia of Hecatombaeon, did (at least in the times wherein we enquire) never precede the solstice, being then about the Calends, or pridie Calendarum Iulij, they supposing them in octavis signorum, it did not precede the ninth of Iuly. This postulatum, though it be doubly question'd by Petavius, yet none of his Argumen ts pretend beyond Meton's time.

3. That upon that supposition, if Scaliger hath rightly order'd the Neomenia in his Olympick period (against which Petavius brings no one sufficient Argument) and consequently the rest, the Olympick period doth certainly exhibi••t the Neomenia of Hecatombaeon. It is true that Petavius disputes the period of 76 years, as having never been used till Calippus his time, but we take it here onely proleptically, as the Julian year, to which we would accomodate it.

4. That this being after Solon's time, the Civill year was Luna∣ry (and consisted of months, which were alternately of 29. and 30. daies,) at Athens, though diverse places of Greece, especially the more remote from thence, did not for a long time after part with their tricenary months.

These things supposed the sixt of Thargelion, (will according to the Julian accompt taken proleptically) fall upon Tuesday the twentieth of May: according to the Gregorian, upon Tuesday the thirtieth of May, in the year of the Julian period, 4247. before the Incarnation 467. years, the fourth year of the 77. Olympiad, at what time Socrates was born.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Laert.
• * 1.2

  Laert. ••lat. The••at. Alcib.
• * 1.3

  Liban.
• * 1.4

  Laert. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Val. Max. marmorarius.
• * 1.5

  Thea••tet.
• * 1.6

  Deipnos. 5.
• * 1.7

  Liban. Apol.
• * 1.8

  Apol••g.
• * 1.9

  Laert.
• * 1.10

  Lib. 11.
• * 1.11

  Archont. 2. 7▪
• * 1.12

  Dialog. de script. Socr.
• * 1.13

  Laert.
• * 1.14

  Var. hist. 2.
• * 1.15

  Porphyr. vit. Plut.
• * 1.16

  Sympos. 8. 1