Note 1416 — Chapter X · (a) Capitalist Despots of the Age of Aristotle, (b) the Money Power of the Rulers of Pergamum, (c) Protogenes of Olbia
Reading edition
Strabo XIII. 610; cp. 614. See further Diod. XVI. 52; Diog. Laert. V. 1. 3–11 (quoting Demetrius Magnes and Theocritus); Dion. Hal. Ep. ad Amm. 5; Demetrius, de Eloc. 293; Hesych. Miles. F.H.G. IV. p. 156; Harpocrat. s.v. Ἑρμίας; Hesych. s.v. Τάρνη; Suid. s.v. Ἀριστοτέλης; Et. Mag. s.v. Ἑρμῆς; Lucian, Eunuch. 9; Himerius, VI. 6; Tertull. Apol. adv. Gent. 46; Euseb. Prep. Ev. XV. 2. Suid. s.v. Ἀριστοτέλης and Hesych. Miles. make Aristotle marry a daughter of Hermias; Diog. Laert. “a daughter or niece”; Euseb., Harpocrat., Suid. s.v. Ἑρμίας and Et. Mag. an adopted daughter who was by birth the tyrant’s sister (Euseb.).
Plato (?), Ep. VI., implies that two of Hermias’ companions had attended the Academy, but not Hermias himself. But even so the letter, if genuine, is evidence of intercourse between Hermias and Plato.
The sources for Hermias are collected and discussed by Boeckh, Klein. Schrift. VI. 188 f. and Larcher, Mém. Acad. Insc. et B.-Lettr. XLVIII. pp. 208 f. Larcher, writing in 1792, is less complete, but extremely interesting from his attitude towards Hermias’ rebellion from the king of Persia. “Moi-même, j’ai longtemps été persuadé qu’un rebelle qui avoit été justement puni du dernier supplice, n’étoit pas un personnage assez important pour mériter qu’on s’en occupât. Mais en le voyant célébré par Aristote j’ai pensé qu’un homme qui s’étoit attiré les louanges d’un grand philosophe devoit sortir de l’espèce d’obscurité à laquelle il étoit en quelque sort condamné”; p. 208; cp. p. 225, where Larcher explains the Greek conception of the rights of nationality and their refusal to submit to a foreign conqueror. This perverted attitude of the Greeks he attributes to their benighted religion.