Plutarch

Character studies comparing statesmen and generals of pre-Christian Greece and Rome.

As geographers, Sosius, crowd into the edges of their maps parts of the world which they do not know about, adding notes in the margin to the effect, that beyond this lies nothing but sandy deserts full of wild beasts, unapproachable bogs, Scythian ice, or a frozen sea, so, in this work of mine, in which I have compared the lives of the greatest men with one another, after passing through those periods which probable reasoning can reach to and real history find a footing in, I might very well say of those that are farther off, Beyond this there is nothing but prodigies and fictions, the only inhabitants are the poets and inventors of fables; there is no credit, or certainty any farther.

"Plutarch's biographies of eminent Greeks and Romans are renowned not just for their historical importance but also for their insights into the personalities they describe. In prose that is rich, elegant, and sprinkled with learned references, Plutarch explores with an extraordinary degree of insight the interplay of character and political action. He portrays virtues to be emulated and vices to be avoided, but his purpose is implicitly to warn and educate those in his own day who wielded power. Plutarch brought to biography not only a clear moral objective, but also a natural storyteller's ear for a good anecdote. Influential in their own day, the Lives were drawn on by later historians and writers, including Shakespeare." "This selection of nine Lives, chosen for their range and interest, offers a new translation as well as a lucid introduction and helpful notes and indexes."--BOOK JACKET.