Accordingly the Cynic philosopher, Diogenes, exhibited such a loftiness and greatness of spirit, that when he was taken prisoner by some robbers, and when they fed him very sparingly, and scarcely gave him even necessary food, he was not weighed down by the circumstances which surrounded him, and did not fear the inhumanity of the masters into whose power he had fallen, but said "that it was a most absurd thing for pigs or sheep, when they were going to be sold, to be


 


 carefully provided with abundant food, so as to be rendered fat and fleshy; but for the most excellent of all animals, man, to be reduced to a skeleton by bad food and continual scarcity, and so to be rendered of less value than before." And then, when he had obtained sufficient food, and when he was about to be sold with the rest of the captives, he sat down first, and breakfasted with great cheerfulness and courage, giving some of his breakfast to his neighbours. And seeing one of them not merely sorrowful, but in a state of extreme despondency, he said,
"Will you not give up being miserable? take what you can get." "For the golden haired Niobe asked for her food, Though her twelve noble children lay welt’ring in blood; Six daughters, fair emblems of virtue and truth, And six sons, the chief flower of the Lydian youth."

 And then, speaking boldly to some one who seemed inclined to become a purchaser, and who asked him the question,
"What do you know?" he replied, "I know how to govern men:" his soul from within, as it appears, prompting his free, and noble, and naturally royal spirit. And then he at once, with his natural indifference and serenity, turned to facetious discourse, at which all the rest, who were all full of despondency were annoyed. Accordingly it is said that, seeing one of the intended purchasers afflicted with the female disease, as he did not even look like a man, he went up to him, and said,
"Do you buy me, for you appear to me to be in want of a husband;" so that he, being grieved and downcast by reason of the infirmities of which he was conscious, slunk away, while all the rest admired the ready wit and happy courage of the philosopher.


Shall we then say that such a man as this was in a state of slavery, and not rather in a state of freedom, only without any irresponsible authority?


 And there was also a man of the name of Choereas, a man of considerable education, who was a zealous imitator of Diogenes’s freedom of speech; for he, being an inhabitant of Alexandria in Egypt, on one occasion, when Ptolemy was offended with him, and was uttering no slight threats against him, thinking that the freedom which was implanted in his nature was in no respect inferior to the royal authority of the other, replied—


 "Rule your Egyptian slaves; but as for me, - 


 



 I neither care for you, nor fear your wrath 
 And angry threats." This is a parody on Hom Il. i 180, where Agamemnon says to Achilles— Οἴκαδ’ ἰὼν σὺν νηῦσί τεσαῖς καὶ σοϊς ἑτάροισι Μυρμιδόνεσσι ἄνασσε.