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The Moralia (: — loosely translatable as Matters relating to customs and mores) of the first-century Greek priest Plutarch
Plutarch

Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. AD 46 ? 120 ? commonly known in English as Plutarch ? was a Ancient Rome historian , biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonism....
 of Delphi
Delphi

Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
 is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They give an insight into Roman and Greek life, but often are also fascinating timeless observations in their own right.






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Moralia
The Moralia (: — loosely translatable as Matters relating to customs and mores) of the first-century Greek priest Plutarch
Plutarch

Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. AD 46 ? 120 ? commonly known in English as Plutarch ? was a Ancient Rome historian , biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonism....
 of Delphi
Delphi

Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
 is an eclectic collection of 78 essays and transcribed speeches. They give an insight into Roman and Greek life, but often are also fascinating timeless observations in their own right. Many generations of Europeans have read or imitated them, including Montaigne and the Renaissance
Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe....
 Humanists and Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment or The Enlightenment is a term used to describe a time in Western philosophy and cultural life centered upon the eighteenth century, in which rationalism was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority....
 philosophers.

The Moralia include On the Fortune or the Virtue of Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
 — an important adjunct to his Life of the great general — On the Worship of Isis and Osiris (a crucial source of information on Egyptian religious rites), and On the Malice of Herodotus
Herodotus

Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
 (which may, like the orations on Alexander's accomplishments, have been a rhetorical exercise), in which Plutarch criticizes what he sees as systematic bias in the Father of History's work; along with more philosophical treatises, such as On the Decline of the Oracles, On the Delays of the Divine Vengeance, On Peace of Mind and lighter fare, such as Odysseus and Gryllus, a humorous dialog between Homer
Homer

Homer is traditionally held to be the author of the ancient Greek language epic poems the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as of the Homeric Hymns....
's Odysseus and one of Circe
Circe

In Greek mythology, Circe , is a Queen goddess living on the island of Aeaea.Circe's father was Helios , the god of the sun and the owner of the land where Odysseus' men ate cattle, and her mother was Hecate the goddess of magic and the moon ; she was sister of two kings of Colchis, Aeetes and Perses, and of Pasipha?, mother of the Mino...
's enchanted pigs. The Moralia were composed first, while writing the Lives occupied much of the last two decades of Plutarch's own life.

Some editions of the Moralia include several works now known to be pseudepigrapha: among these are the Lives of the Ten Orators (biographies of the Ten Orators of ancient Athens
Athens

Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
, based on Caecilius of Calacte
Caecilius of Calacte

Caecilius, of Calacte in Sicily, Greek rhetorician, flourished at Rome during the reign of Augustus.Originally called Archagathus, he took the name of Caecilius from his patron, one of the Metelli....
), The Doctrines of the Philosophers, and On Music. One "pseudo-Plutarch" is held responsible for all of these works, though their authorship is of course unknown. Though the thoughts and opinions recorded are not Plutarch's and come from a slightly later era, they are all classical in origin and have value to the historian.

The book is famously the first reference to the problem of the Chicken and the egg.

Reincarnation


Moralia asserts a belief in reincarnation
Reincarnation

Reincarnation, literally "to be made flesh again", is a doctrine or Metaphysics belief that some essential part of a living being survives death to be reborn in a new body....
:

"The soul
Soul

In many religions and parts of philosophy, the soul is the immaterial part of a person. It is usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and Personality psychology, and can be synonymous with the spirit, mind or self....
, being eternal, after death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
 is like a caged bird that has been released. If it has been a long time in the body, and has become tame by many affairs and long habit, the soul will immediately take another body and once again become involved in the troubles of the world. The worst thing about old age is that the soul's memory of the other world grows dim, while at the same time its attachment to things of this world becomes so strong that the soul tends to retain the form that it had in the body. But that soul which remains only a short time within a body, until liberated by the higher powers, quickly recovers its fire and goes on to higher things." (From The Consolation.)


Books

Since the Stephanus
Henry Estienne

Henri Estienne, also known as Henricus Stephanus or Henry Stephens, was a 16th-century Parisian printing.Henry Estienne, the eldest son of the great Robert Estienne, was born in Paris in 1528 , and died at Lyon in 1598....
 edition of 1572, the Moralia have traditionally been arranged in 14 books, as follows:

  • I.
    • 1. On the Education of Children ( - De liberis educandis)
    • 2. How the Young Man Should Study Poetry (??? de? t?? ???? p???µ?t?? a???e?? - Quomodo adolescens poetas audire debeat)
    • 3. On Hearing (?e?? t?? a???e?? - De recta ratione audiendi)
    • 4. How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend (??? a? t?? d?a??????e t?? ???a?a t?? f???? - Quomodo adulator ab amico internoscatur)
    • 5. How a Man May Become Aware of his Progress in Virtue (??? a? t?? a?s???t? ea?t?? p????pt??t?? ep’ a?et? - Quomodo quis suos in virtute sentiat profectus)
  • II.
    • 6. How to Profit by One's Enemies (??? a? t?? ?p’ e????? ?fe???t? - De capienda ex inimicis utilitate)
    • 7. On Having Many Friends (?e?? p???f???a? - De amicorum multitudine)
    • 8. On Chance (?e?? t???? - De fortuna)
    • 9. On Virtue and Vice (?e?? a?et?? ?a? ?a??a? - De virtute et vitio)
    • 10. Letter of Condolence to Apollonius
      Apollonius

      Apollonius may be:Historical people:* Apollonius Cronus , philosopher of the Megarian school* Apollonius Dyscolus , grammarian* Apollonius Molon , rhetorician...
       (?a?aµ???t???? p??? ?p???????? - Consolatio ad Apollonium)
    • 11. Advice about Keeping Well (???e??? pa?a????µata - De tuenda sanitate praecepta)
    • 12. Advice to Bride and Groom (Gaµ??? pa?a????µata - Coniugalia praecepta)
    • 13. Dinner of the Seven Wise Men (?pt? s?f?? s?µp?s??? - Septem sapientium convivium)
    • 14. On Superstition (?e?? de?s?da?µ???a? - De superstitione)
  • III.
    • 15. Sayings of Kings and Commanders (?as????? ap?f???µata ?a? st?at???? - regum et imperatorem apophthegmata)
    • 16. Sayings of the Sparta
      Sparta

      Sparta was a city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the Eurotas River in the southern part of the Peloponnese. From circa 650 BC it rose to become the dominant military power in the region and as such was recognized as the overall leader of the combined Greek forces during the Greco-Persian Wars....
      ns (?p?f???µata ?a?????? - apophthegmata Laconica)
    • 17. Institutions of the Spartans (?a pa?a?? t?? ?a?eda?µ????? ep?t?de?µata - instituta Laconica)
    • 18. Sayings of the Spartan Women (?a?a???? ap?f???µata - Lacaenarum apophthegmata)
    • 19. Virtues of Women (G??a???? a?eta? - Mulierum virtutes)
  • IV.
    • 20. Roman Questions (??t?a ??µa??? - Quaestiones Romanae)
    • 21. Greek Questions (??t?a ???????? - Quaestiones Graecae)
    • 22. Greek and Roman Parallel Stories (S??a???? ?st????? pa?a?????? ????????? ?a? ??µa???? - Parallela minora) (pseudo-Plutarch
      Pseudo-Plutarch

      Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the unknown authors of a number of pseudepigrapha attributed to Plutarch.Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia....
      )
    • 23. On the Fortune of the Romans (?e?? t?? ??µa??? t???? - De fortuna Romanorum)
    • 24. On the Fortune or Virtue of Alexander the Great
      Alexander the Great

      Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
       (?e?? t?? ??e???d??? t???? ? a?et?? - De Alexandri magni fortuna aut virtute)
    • 25. On the Glory of the Athenians
      Attica

      Attica is a Peripheries of Greece in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece. Attica is subdivided into the prefectures of Greece of Athens Prefecture, Piraeus Prefecture, East Attica and West Attica....
       (??te??? ????a??? ?at? p??eµ?? ? ?at? s?f?a? e?d???te??? - De gloria Atheniensium)
  • V.
    • 26. On Isis
      ISIS

      ISIS is an industry standard interface for technologies, developed by Pixel Translations in 1990 .ISIS is an open standard for scanner control and a complete image-processing framework....
       and Osiris
      Osiris

      Osiris was an Egyptian mythology, usually called the god of the Afterlife.Osiris is one of the oldest gods for whom records have been found; one of the oldest known attestations of his name is on the Palermo Stone of around 2500 BC....
       (?e?? ?s?d?? ?a? ?s???d?? - De Iside et Osiride)
    • 27. On the EI at Delphi
      Delphi

      Delphi is an archaeology site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Pythia, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, when it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo after he slew the Python , a deity who lived there and protecte...
       (?e?? t?? ?? t?? ?? ?e?f??? - De E apud Delphos)
    • 28. Oracles at Delphi no Longer Given in Verse (?e?? t?? µ? ??a? ?µµet?a ??? t?? ????a? - De Pythiae oraculis)
    • 29. On the Obsolescence of Oracles (?e?? t?? e??e???p?t?? ???st????? - De defectu oraculorum)
  • VI.
    • 30. Can Virtue be Taught? (?? d?da?t?? ? a?et? - An virtus doceri possit)
    • 31. On Moral Virtue (?e?? ?????? a?et?? - De virtute morali)
    • 32. On the Control of Anger (?e?? a????s?a? - De cohibenda ira)
    • 33. On Tranquility of Mind (?e?? e???µ?a? - De tranquillitate animi)
    • 34. On Brotherly Love (?e?? f??ade?f?a? - De fraterno amore)
    • 35. On Affection for Offspring (?e?? t?? e?? ta ?????a f???st????a? - De amore prolis)
    • 36. Whether Vice is Sufficient to Cause Unhappiness (?? a?t????? ? ?a??a p??? ?a??da?µ???a? - An vitiositas ad infelicitatem sufficiat)
    • 37. Whether Affections of the Soul are Worse than Those of the Body (?e?? t?? p?te??? ta ????? ? ta s?µat?? p??? ?e????a - Animine an corporis affectiones sint peiores)
    • 38. On Talkativeness (?e?? ad??es??a? - De garrulitate)
    • 39. On Being a Busybody (?e?? p???p?a?µ?s???? - De curiositate)
  • VII.
    • 40. On Love of Wealth (?e?? f???p???t?a? - De cupiditate divitiarum)
    • 41. On Compliancy (?e?? d?s?p?a? - De vitioso pudore)
    • 42. On Envy and Hate (?e?? f????? ?a? µ?s??? - De invidia et odio)
    • 43. On Praising Oneself Inoffensively (?e?? t?? ea?t?? epa??e?? a?ep?f????? - De laude ipsius)
    • 44. On the Delays of Divine Vengeance (?e?? t?? ?p? t?? ?e??? ß?ad??? t?µ????µ???? - De sera numinis vindicta)
    • 45. On Fate (?e?? e?µa?µ???? - De fato) (pseudo-Plutarch
      Pseudo-Plutarch

      Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the unknown authors of a number of pseudepigrapha attributed to Plutarch.Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia....
      )
    • 46. On the Sign of Socrates
      Socrates

      Socrates was a Classical Greece Philosophy. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known only through the classical accounts of his students....
       (?e?? t?? S????t??? da?µ????? - De genio Socratis)
    • 47. On Exile (?e?? f???? - De exilio)
    • 48. Consolation to his Wife (?a?aµ???t???? p??? t?? ???a??a - Consolatio ad uxorem)
  • VIII.
    • 49. Table Talk (S?µp?s?a?? - Quaestiones convivales)
  • IX.
    • 50. Dialogue on Love (???t???? - Amatorius)
  • X.
    • 51. Love Stories (???t??a? d????se?? - Amatoriae narrationes)
    • 52. A Philosopher Ought to Converse Especially with Men in Power (?e?? t?? ?t? µ???sta t??? ??eµ?s?? de? t?? f???s?f?? d?a???es?a? - Maxime cum principibus philosopho esse disserendum)
    • 53. To an Uneducated Ruler (???? ??eµ??a apa?de?t?? - Ad principem ineruditum)
    • 54. Whether an Old Man Should Engage in Public Affairs (?? p?esß?t??? p???te?t??? - An seni respublica gerenda sit)
    • 55. Precepts of Statecraft (????t??? pa?a????µata - Praecepta gerendae reipublicae)
    • 56. On Monarchy, Democracy and Oligarchy (?e?? µ??a???a? ?a? d?µ???at?a? ?a? ????a???a? - De unius in republica dominatione, populari statu, et paucorum imperio)
    • 57. That we Ought Not to Borrow (?e?? t?? µ? de?? da?e??es?a? - De vitando aere alieno)
    • 58. Lives of the Ten Orators (???? t?? d??a ??t???? - Vitae decem oratorum) (pseudo-Plutarch
      Pseudo-Plutarch

      Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the unknown authors of a number of pseudepigrapha attributed to Plutarch.Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia....
      )
    • 59. Comparison between Aristophanes
      Aristophanes

      Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a prolific and much acclaimed comedy playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays have come down to us virtually complete....
       and Menander
      Menander

      Menander , Greek dramatist, the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy, was the son of well-to-do parents; his father Diopeithes is identified by some with the Athenian general and governor of the Thracian Chersonese known from the speech of Demosthenes De Chersoneso....
       (S?????se?? ???st?f????? ?a? ?e???d??? ep?t?µ? - Comparationis Aristophanis et Menandri compendium)
  • XI.
    • 60. On the Malice of Herodotus
      Herodotus

      Herodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greeks historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture....
       (?e?? t?? ???d?t?? ?a????e?a? - De malignitate Herodoti)
    • 61. On the Opinions of the Philosophers (?e?? t?? a?es???t?? f???s?f??? f?s???? d??µ?t?? - De placitis philosophorum)
    • 62. Causes of Natural Phenomena (??t?a f?s??? - Quaestiones naturales)
  • XII.
    • 63. On the Face Which Appears in the Orb of the Moon ( - De facie in orbe lunae)
    • 64. On the Principle of Cold (?e?? t?? p??t?? ?????? - De primo frigido)
    • 65. Whether Fire or Water is More Useful (??te??? ?d?? ? p?? ???s?µ?te??? - Aquane an ignis sit utilior)
    • 66. Whether Land or Sea Animals are Cleverer (??te?a t?? ???? f????µ?te?a, ta ?e?sa?a ? ta ???d?a - De sollertia animalium)
    • 67. Beasts are Rational (?e?? t?? ta ????a ???? ???s?a? - Bruta animalia ratione uti)
    • 68. On the Eating of Flesh (?e?? sa???fa??a? - De esu carnium)
  • XIII.
    • 69. Platonic Questions (??at????? ??t?µata - Platonicae quaestiones)
    • 70. On the Birth of the Spirit in Timaeus (?e?? t?? e? ??µa?? ????????a? - De animae procreatione in Timaeo)
    • 71. Summary of the Birth of the Spirit (?p?t?µ? t?? pe?? t?? e? t? ??µa?? ????????a? - Epitome libri de animae procreatione in Timaeo)
    • 72. On Stoic Self-Contradictions (?e?? St????? e?a?t??µ?t?? - De Stoicorum repugnantiis)
    • 73. The Stoics Speak More Paradoxically than the Poets (?t? pa?ad???te?a ?? St????? t?? p???t?? ?????s?? - Stoicos absurdiora poetis dicere)
    • 74. On Common Conceptions against the Stoics (?e?? t?? ?????? e?????? p??? t??? St?????? - De communibus notitiis adversus Stoicos)
  • XIV.
    • 75. It is Impossible to Live Pleasantly in the Manner of Epicurus (?t? ??d? ?d??? ??? ?st?? ?at’ ?p??????? - Non posse suaviter vivi secundum Epicurum)
    • 76. Against Colotes
      Colotes

      Colotes of Lampsacus was a 3rd century BC hearer of Epicurus, and one of the most famous of his disciples. He wrote a work to prove That it is impossible even to live according to the doctrines of the other philosophers ....
       (???? ????t?? - Adversus Colotem)
    • 77. Is the Saying "Live in Obscurity" Right? (?? ?a??? e???ta? t? ???e ß??sa? - An recte dictum sit latenter esse vivendum)
    • 78. On Music (?e?? µ??s???? - De musica) (pseudo-Plutarch
      Pseudo-Plutarch

      Pseudo-Plutarch is the conventional name given to the unknown authors of a number of pseudepigrapha attributed to Plutarch.Some of these works were included in some editions of Plutarch's Moralia....
      )


Editions

  • 1959, Harvard University Press, ISBN 0-674-99446-9


External links


  • Complete William W. Goodwin translation 1878 in PDF facsimile, plus selections as PDF ebooks and HTML.
  • (20th century English translation includes On the Fortune or Virtue of Alexander, On the Fortune of the Romans, Roman Questions, Isis and Osiris, "On Putting One's Enemies to Use", and the so-called Parallela Minora, which is probably one of those pseudepigrapha.)
  • Selected translations.
  • from Project Gutenberg
    Project Gutenberg

    Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive and distribute cultural works, as founder Michael Hart said "To encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."....
  • Volledige Nederlandse vertaling Plutarchus Moralia: uitgeverij Chaironeia