Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

​For they say that certain Ionian youths purchased a cast of the net from Milesian fishermen. But when the tripod was hauled up, a dispute arose, until the Milesians sent to Delphi; and the god gave the following oracle: “Offspring of Miletus, dost thou ask Phoebus concerning the tripod? Whosoever is first of all in wisdom, to him do I declare the tripod belongs.” They therefore gave it to Thales; and he gave it to another, and that other to another, until it reached Solon. But he said that the god was first in wisdom, and sent it to Delphi. Now Callimachus relates these matters differently in his Iambics, having taken the story from Maeandrius of Miletus. For he says that a certain Bathycles of Arcadia left behind a bowl and gave injunctions to give it to the best among the wise. It was given, then, to Thales, and after going the rounds, it came back again to Thales;

​and he sent it to the Didymean Apollo, speaking thus according to Callimachus: “Thales dedicated me to the ruler of Neileus’ people, having twice received this prize of excellence.” And the prose inscription runs as follows: “Thales, son of Examyes, a Milesian, dedicated this to Delphinian Apollo, having twice received the prize of excellence from the Greeks.” The son of Bathycles who carried the bowl around was called Thyrion, as Eleusis says in his work On Achilles and Alexon of Myndus in the ninth book of his Mythical Inquiries. Eudoxus of Cnidus and Evanthes of Miletus say that one of Croesus’ friends received a golden cup from the king, in order to give it to the wisest of the Greeks; and he gave it to Thales.

​And it passed round to Chilon, who inquired of the Pythian god who was wiser than himself; and the god replied that Myson was, about whom we shall speak. (Those around Eudoxus rank this man among the sages instead of Cleobulus, and Plato instead of Periander.) Concerning him the Pythian god delivered this oracle: “A certain Myson of Oeta I declare was born in Chen, more closely fitted with prudent wits than thou.” Some say the inquirer was Anacharsis. Daimachus the Platonist and Clearchus say that a bowl was sent by Croesus to Pittacus, and so went the rounds. Andron in his Tripod says that the Argives offered a tripod as a prize of virtue to the wisest of the Greeks; and Aristodemus the Spartan was chosen, who yielded it to Chilon.

​Alcaeus also mentions Aristodemus thus: “For indeed they say that Aristodamus once spoke no foolish word in Sparta: ‘Money makes the man, and no poor man was ever noble.’” Some say that a ship fully laden was sent by Periander to Thrasybulus the tyrant of the Milesians; and when it was wrecked in the Coan sea, the tripod was later found by some fishermen. Phanodicus, however, says it was found in the Athenian sea, and having been brought into the city, after an assembly was held, it was sent to Bias;

​and why this was so, we shall explain in the chapter on Bias. Others say it was wrought by Hephaestus and given by the god to Pelops when he married; and that it subsequently came to Menelaus and, having been carried off with Helen by Alexander, was cast into the Coan sea by the Spartan woman, who said that it would be an object of contention. In time, certain people of Lebedus bought a cast of the net there, and the tripod was caught with it; and when they quarrelled with the fishermen, their journey to Cos took place. And when they accomplished nothing, they made the matter known to the Milesians, since Miletus was their mother city. The Milesians, when their envoys were disregarded, waged war against the Coans. Many having fallen on both sides, an oracle was issued to give it to the wisest; and both sides agreed upon Thales. And he, after it had made the circuit, dedicated it to Didymean Apollo.

​To the Coans, then, the following oracle was given: “Never shall the strife of the Meropes and the Ionians cease, until you send out from your city the golden tripod, which Hephaestus cast into the sea, and it reaches the house of the man who is wise in things that are, things that shall be, and things that were before.” And to the Milesians: “Offspring of Miletus, dost thou ask Phoebus concerning the tripod?” and as was said before. So much for this matter. Hermippus, in his Lives, refers to Thales what is said by some concerning Socrates. For they say he used to say that he gave thanks to Fortune for three things: first, that I was born a human being and not a beast; second, that I was born a man and not a woman; and third, that I was born a Greek and not a barbarian.