Plutarch's Lives - Vol. II

Book excerpt: Plutarch's “Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans”, often simply referred to as “Plutarch's Lives”, is a series of biographies of notable ancient Greek and Roman figures most likely written at the beginning of the second century AD. Instead of simply writing histories, Plutarch explores the effect that character, good or bad, had on the lives and careers of these famous men, to which end the people treated are ordered in pairs in an attempt to highlight their common moral virtues or shortcomings. This book contains volume II of the English translation by Aubrey Stewart and George Long, presented here for the enjoyment of modern readers with an interest in the ancient world. Contents include: “Life of Pelopidas”, “Life of Marcellus”, “The Comparison of Pelopidas with Marcellus”, “Life of Aristeides”, “Life of Marcus Cato”, “Comparison of Aristeides and Cato”, “Life of Pyrrhus”, etc. Plutarch (c. AD 46 – AD 120) was a Greek biographer and essayist most famous for this series of biographies and his work “Moralia”. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.