ever seen anything more
perfect. Some hold that it represents Pythagoras, but this opinion is
incorrect. The statue represents a youth of remarkable beauty; his
hair is parted evenly in the midst of his forehead and streams over
either cheek. Behind his hair is longer and reaches down to his
shoulders, covering the neck whose sheen one may detect between the
tresses. The neck is plump, the jaws full, the cheeks fine, and there
is a dimple in the middle of his chin. His pose is that of a player on
the lyre. He is looking at the goddess, and has the appearance of one
that sings, while his embroidered tunic streams to his very feet. He
is girt in the Greek style, and a cloak covers either arm down to the
wrists. The rest of the cloak hangs down in graceful folds. His lyre
is fastened by an engraven baldric, which holds it close to the body.
His hands are delicate and taper. The left touches the strings with
parted fingers, the right is in the attitude of one that plays and is
approaching the lyre with the plectrum, as though ready to strike as
soon as the voice ceases for a moment to sing. Meanwhile the song
seems to well forth from the delicate mouth, whose lips are half open
for the effort. This statue may represent one of the youthful
favourites of the tyrant Polycrates[43] hymning his master's love in
Anacreontic[44] strain. But it is far from[45] likely that it is a
statue of the philosopher Pythagoras. It is true he was a native of
Samos, remarkable for his unusual beauty, and skilled beyond all men
in harping and all manner of music, and living at the period when
Polycrates was lord of Samos. But the philosopher was far from being a
favourite of this tyrant. Indeed Pythagoras fled secretly from the
island at the very beginning of the tyrant's reign. He had recently
lost his father Mnesarchus, who was, I read, a skilful jeweller
excelling in the carving of gems, though it was fame rather than
wealth that he sought in the exercise of his art. There are some who
assert that Pythagoras was about this time carried to Egypt among the
captives of King Cambyses, and studied under the _magi_ of Persia,
more especially under Zoroaster the priest of all holy mysteries;
later they assert he was ransomed by a certain Gillus, King of Croton.
However, the more generally accepted tradition asserts that it was of
his own choice he went to study the wisdom of the Egyptians. There he
was initiated by their priests into the mighty secre