... There is a genuine ring in that line of Anacreon's--
"The Thracian filly I no longer heed."
The same merit belongs to that original phrase in Theophrastus; to me,
at least, from the closeness of its analogy, it seems to have a peculiar
expressiveness, though Caecilius censures it, without telling us why.
"Philip," says the historian, "showed a marvellous alacrity in _taking
doses of trouble_."[1] We see from this that the most homely language is
sometimes far more vivid than the most ornamental, being recognised at
once as the language of common life, and gaining immediate currency by
its familiarity. In speaking, then, of Philip as "taking doses of
trouble," Theopompus has laid hold on a phrase which describes with
peculiar vividness one who for the sake of advantage endured what was
base and sordid with patience and cheerfulness.
[Footnote 1: See Note.]
2
The same may be observed of two passages in Herodotus: "Cleomenes having
lost his wits, cut his own flesh into pieces with a short sword, until
by gradually _mincing_ his whole body he destroyed himself";[2] and
"Pythes continued fighting on his ship until he was entirely _hacked to
pieces_."[3] Such terms come home at once to the vulgar reader, but
their own vulgarity is redeemed by their expressiveness.
[Footnote 2: vi. 75.]
[Footnote 3: vii. 181.]