A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

484 HIPPOCRATES. HIPPOCRATES.
crates, inviting him by great offers to come to his erected a statue in his honour as to a divinity. A
assistance during a time of pestilence, and the re- fair lady resolved to prove that this god was a
fusal of Hippocrates, on the ground of his being mere mortal; and, accordingly, having made an
the enemy of his country. assignation with him, she let down for him a
Another story, perhaps equally familiar to the basket from her window. When she had raised
readers of Burton's "Anatomy of Melancholy," him half way, she left him suspended in the air
contains the history of the supposed madness of all night, till he was found by the emperor in the
Democritus, and his interview with Hippocrates, morning, and thus became the laughing-stock of
who had been summoned by his countrymen to the court. Another story makes him professor of
come to his relief. medicine in Rome, with a nephew of wondrous
If we turn to the Arabic writers, we find talents and medical skill, whom he despatched in
"Bokrd&" represented as living at Hems, and his own stead to the king of Hungary, who had
studying in a garden near Damascus, the situation sent for him to heal his son. The young leech, by
of which was still pointed out in the time of Abiu-l- his marvellous skill, having discovered that the
faraj in the thirteenth century. (Abuf-l-faraj, Hist. prince was not the king's own son, directed him to
Dynast. p. 56; Anon. Arab. Philosoph. Bibl. apud feed on " contrarius drink, contrarius mete, beves
Casiri, Bibliot. Arabico-Hisp. Escur. vol. i. p. 235.) flesch, and drink the brotht," and thereby soon
They also tell a story of his pupils taking his por- restored him to health. Upon his return home
trait to a celebrated physiognomist named Phile- laden with presents, "Ypocras" became so jealous
mon, in order to try his skill; and that upon his of his fame, that he murdered him, and afterwards
saying that it was the portrait of a lascivious old "he let aI his bokes berne." The vengeance of
man (which they strenuously denied), Hippocrates Heaven overtook him, and he died in dreadful
said that he was right, for that he was so by torments, confessing his crime, and vainly calling
nature, but that he had learned to overcome his on his murdered nephew for relief. (See Ellis,
amorous propensities. The confusion of names Spec. of Early Engl. Metr. Roman. vol. iii. p. 39;
that occurs in this last anecdote the writer has Weber, Metr. Rom. of the 13t/l, 141h, and 15th
never seen explained, though the difficulty admits Cent., 4c., vol. iii. p. 41; Way, Fabliaux or Tales
of an easy and satisfactory solution. It will no ofthe 12th and 13th Cent., Wc. vol. ii. p. 173; Ledoubt have brought to the reader's recollection the grand d'Aussy, Fablianz ou Contes, Fables et Rosimilar story told of Socrates by Cicero (Tusco Disp. mans du 12gme et du 13eme Siecles, tome i. p. 288;
iv. 37, De Fato, c. 5), and accordingly he will be Loiseleur Deslongchamps, Essai sur les Fables
quite prepared to hear that the Arabic writers have Ind. ic., p. 154, and Roman des Sept Sages, p.
confounded the word SI'okrdt, with Sty.t
onfounded the word b Sort with. If,2 from the personal history of Hippocrates, we
Bokrait, and have thus applied to Hippocrates an turn to the collection of writings that go under his
anecdote that in reality belongs to Socrates. The name, the parallel with Homer will be still more
name of the physiognomist in Cicero is Zopyrus, exact and striking. In both cases we find a number
which cannot have been corrupted into Philemon; of works, the most ancient, and, in some respects,
but when we remember that the Arabians have no the most excellent of their kind, which, though
P, and are therefore often obliged to express this they have for centuries borne the same name, are
letter by an F, it will probably appear not unlikely discovered, on the most cursory examination, to
-that either the writers, or their European trans- belong in reality to several different persons.
lators, have confounded Philemon with Polemon. Hence has arisen a question which has for ages
This conjecture is confirmed by the fact that Phile- exercised the learning and acuteness of scholars
mon is said by Abs-l-faraj to have written a wor~k and critics, and which is in both cases still far from
on Physiognomy, which is true of Polemon, whose being satisfactorily settled. With respect to the
treatise on that subject is still extant, whereas no writings of the Hippocratic Collection, "the first
person of the name of Philemon (as far as the glance," says M. Littre (vol. i. p. 44), "shows that
writer is aware) is mentioned as a physiognomist some are complete in themselves, while others are
by any Greek author. The only objection to merely collections of notes, which follow each other
this conjecture is the anachronism of making Pole- without connection, and which are sometimes hardly
mon a contemporary of Hippocrates or Socrates; intelligible. Some are incomplete and fragmentary,
but this difficulty will not appear very great to others form in the whole Collection particular series,
any one who is familiar with the extreme igno- which belong to the same ideas and the same
rance -and carelessness displayed by the Arabic' writer. In a word, however little we reflect on
writers on all points of Greek history and chro- the context of these numerous writings, we are led
nology. to conclude that they are not the work of one and
It is, however, among the European story- the same author. This remark has in all ages
tellers of the middle ages that the name of " Ypo- struck those persons who have given their attencras" is most celebrated. In one story he is repre- tion to the works of Hippocrates; and even at the
sented as.visiting Rome during the reign of Au- time when men commented on them in the Alexgustus, and restoring to life the emperor's nephew, andrian school, they already disputed about their
who was just dead; for which service Augustus authenticity."
But it is not merely from internal evidence
* There is at this present time among the MSS. (though this of itself would be sufficiently conat Leyden a little Arabic treatise on Physiognomy vincing) that we find that the Hippocratic Collecwhich bears the name of Philenon, and which (as tion is not the work of Hippocrates alone, for it so
the writer has been informed by a gentleman who happens that in two instances we find a passage
has compared the two works) bears a very great that has appeared from very early times as forming
resemblance to the Greek treatise by Polemon. part of this collection, quoted as belonging to a
(See Catal. Biblioth. Lugdun. p. 461. ~ 1286.) different person. Indeed if we had nothing but