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

SIMPLICIUS. SIMPLICIUS. 837
7. A distinguished philosopher, who flourished But, disappointed in their hopes, they returned
in the reign of Jovian (Suid. s. v.). home, after Kosroes, in a treaty of peace concluded
Respecting the question, to which of these wri- with Justinian, probably in A. D. 533, had stipiters we should assign the several epigrams which lated that the above-mentioned philosophers should
are found in the Greek Anthology with those of be allowed to return without risk, and to practise
the great Simonides, see Jacobs, Anthol. Graec. the rites of their paternal faith (Agathias ii. 30;
vol. xiii. pp. 954, 955. [P. S.] comp. C. G. Zumrpt, Ueber den Bestacnd der phsiSIMO'NIDES, a Greek painter, of whom we losophisclen Sc]hulen in Athen, in the Sehrifen
know nothing except the statement of Pliny, " Si- der Berl. Akademie, 1843). Of the subsequent
mnonides (pinxit) Agatharcumn et' Mnemosynen" fortunes of the seven philosophers we learn no(H. N. xxxv. 11. s. 40. ~ 38). [P. S.] thing. As little do we know where Simpliciius
SIMPLEX, CAECItLIUS, was raised to the lived and taught. That he not only wrote, but
consulship by Vitellius, and was consul suffectus taught, is proved by the address to his hearers in
along with C. Quintius Atticus from the 1st of the commentary on the Physica Auscultatio of
November, A..D. 69. (Tac. Hist. ii. 60, iii. 68; Aristotle (f. 173), as well as by the title of his
Dion Cass. lxv. 17.) commentary on the Categories. He had received
SIMPLI'CIUS (2Et17rMtKio K), a native of Ci- his training partly in Alexandria, under Ammolicia (Agathias, ii. 30; Suid. s. v. vrpso-els —it is nius (see especially Simplicius in 11. de Caelo,
inaccurately that Suid. s. v. Damascius calls him a f. 113), partly in Athens, as a disciple of Dacountryman of Eulamius the Phrygian), was a mascius; and it was probably in one of these two
disciple of Ammonius (Simpl. in Phys. Ausc. f. 42, cities that he subsequently took up his abode; for,
43, &c.), and of Damascius (ibid. 150, a. b., 183, with the exception of these cities and Constanb., 186, &c.), and was consequently one of the last tinople, it would have been difficult to find a town
members of the Neo-Platonic school. Since this which possessed the collections of books requisite
school had found its head-quarters in Athens, it for the composition of his commentaries, and he
had, under the guidance of Plutarchus the son of could hardly have had any occasion to betalke
Nestorius, of Syrianus, Proclus, Marinus, Isidorus himself to Constantinople. As to his personal
and Daenascius (from about A. D. 400 to 529), history, especially his migration to Persia, no
become the centre of the last efforts to maintain definite allusions are to be found in the writings
the ancient Hellenic mythology against the vic- of Simplicius. Only at the end of his explanation
torious encroachments of Christianity, and was of the treatise of Epictetus (p. 331, ed. Heins.)
therefore first attacked by the imperial edicts pro- Simplicius mentions, with gratitude, the consomulgated in the fifth century against the heathen lation which he had found under tyrannical opcultus. Athens had preserved temples and images pression in such ethical contemplations; from which
longer than other cities; yet Proclus, who had it may be concluded, though certainly with but a
rejoiced in dwelling between the temples of Aes- small amount of probability, that it was composed
culapius and Bacchus, lived long enough to be during, or immediately after, the above-mentioned
compelled to witness the removal of the consecrated persecutions. Of the commentaries on Aristotle,
statue of Minerva from the Parthenon. (Marinus, that on the books de Caelo was written before that
Vita Procli, c. 29.) Proclus died in A. D. 485. on the Physice Auscultatio, and probably not in
The promise of the goddess, who had appeared to Alexandria, since he mentions in it an astronohim in a dream, that she would thenceforth inhabit mical observation made during his stay in that
his house, served to console him (ibid. c. 30). city by Ammonius (I. c. f. 113; Brandis, Scheolia
Against personal maltreatment the followers of the in Arist. p. 496. 28). Simplicius wrote his comancient faith found legal protection (Cod. Theod. mentary on the Phy.ica Auscultatio after the death
16. tit. 10), until, under the emperor Justinianus, of Damascius, and therefore after his return from
they had to endure great persecutions. In the Persia (in Arist. Phys. Ausc. f. 184, &c.). After
year 528 many were displaced from the posts the Phys. Ausc. Simplicius seems to have applied
which they held, robbed of their property, some himself to the Metaphysica, and then to the books
put to death, and in case they did not within on the soul (de Anima). In the commentary on
three months come over to the true faith, they the latter he refers to his explanations on the
were to be banished from the empire. In addition, Physica Ausczlltatio and on the 1Metaphysica (in
it was forbidden any longer to teach philosophy Arist. de Animna, 55, b., 7, 61). When it was
and jurisprudence in Athens (A. D. 529; Malalas, that he wrote his explanations of the Categories,
xviii. p. 449. 51, ed. Bonn; comp. Theophanes, whether before or after those on the abovei. 276, ej. ed.). Probably also the property of mentioned Aristotelian treatises, it is impossible to
the Platonic school, which in the time of Proclus ascertain.
was valued at more than 1000 gold pieces (Da- Simplicius, in his mode of explaining and unmasc. ap. Phot. p. 346, ed. Bekk.), was confis- derstanding his author, attaches himself to the
cated; at least, Justinian deprived the physicians Neo-Platonists; like them, he endeavours, freand teachers of the liberal arts of the provision- quently by forced interpretations, to show that
money (m'Lr'7sELS), which had been assigned to Aristotle agrees with Plato even on those points
them by previous emperors, and confiscated funds which he controverts, and controverts them only
which the citizens had provided for spectacles and that, by setting aside superficial interpretations, he
other civic purposes (Procop. Arcan. c. 26). Ac- may lead the way to their deeper, hidden meaning.
-ordingly, seven philosophers, among whom were In his view not only Plotinus, but also Syrianus,
Simplicius, Eulamius, Priscianus, and others, with Proclus, and even Ammonius, are great philoDamascius, the last president of the Platonic school sophers, who have penetrated into the depths of
in Athens at their head, resolved to seek protection the wisdom of Plato. Many of the more ancient
at the court of the famous Persian king Kosrois, Greek philosophemata also he brings inlto much
who had succeeded to the throne in A. D. 531. too close a connection with Platoiiism. I-le is,
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