He was born in Atheneh, which is known as the city of sages, and was the grandfather of the noble Aflatûn. He was so eloquent of speech that the people called his words the openers of hearts. He nevertheless fled, being persecuted by the mob, and quaffed during his exile the beverage of death in conformity with the saying: ‘Every soul must taste death.’ Some of his maxims are as follows: ‘The best thing in the power of kings is the alleviation of the bitterness of punishments, and the lightening of the burdens of the people.—When a man falls into distress he is not to consult a poverty-stricken wretch on the best manner of bettering his circumstances, because the advice of such a person will tend more to evil than to good.’ Having been asked the following [three] questions: Who is liberal? what is worse than the sword? and what ought to be the chastisement of a parricide? he replied: ‘He is liberal who gives away what he himself covets, and covets no other man’s property. The tongues of those orators and poets who perpetuate a man’s bad repute are worse than swords; but as for a parricide, I never thought about one, and I know of no chastisement suitable for him.’ One day he said to a man pluming himself on his wealth: ‘No one is able to deprive me of my wealth either by force or by flattery, and the more I spend of it, the more fruit it bears, and no diminution of the original stock ensues. Your wealth will, however, some day be enjoyed by others, and spending decreases it. Worldly goods are perishable, and eternal salvation cannot be acquired except by doing good to others, and abstaining from indulgence in passions.’ His abstemiousness and trust in Providence were such that he never dared to keep a greater store of provisions than was sufficient to maintain him more than one day. When he was told that the king harboured enmity towards him, he replied: ‘Is there a king in existence who does not hate a man more independent and happy than himself?’