XXX. EUBULIDES

1. Philod. rhet. I p. 84, 31 sq.:… τὸ δὲ δὴ μὴ [κατʼ] ἐ[πιστήμην περαί[νεσθαί] τ[ινα]ς τῶν ῥητορικῶν λόγων [ἀλλʼ ἐμπειρί]ᾳ καὶ στοχασμῷ [πῶς] δεῖ πάλιν λαβεῖν; ο[ὐ γ]ὰρ αὐτό γε τοῦτο δ[ήπου νο]εῖν δεῖ σημαίνεσθαι κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ταύτην, τὸ μὴ συλλογισμοὺς διαλεκτικοὺς ἔχειν αὐτούς. οὐ γὰρ τινὲς τοῦ[το πεπ]όνθασιν ἀλ[λ]ὰ [πάν]τες, χωρὶς τοῦ ἀ[παιδεύ]τῳ συναρέσκειν τοῦτο λίαν. [Εὐ]βουλίδῃ γοῦν ἐγκαλ[εῖ π]ου καταφρονοῦν[τι] τῶν [μ]ὴ συλλογισμοὺ[ς] ἐχόντων λόγων· [μ]ανθά[ν]ειν γὰ[ρ] {τούτων} καὶ ἄνευ το[ύτω]ν ἡμᾶς τὰ πράγματά [φησι]ν.

1 -βούλιδι

Eubulidem dialecticum, Demosthenis, ut aiunt, magistrum (sic etiam Philod. II 206, 9), Aristotelis detrectatorem (Natorp, RE VI 870), de oratoris opere praecepta edidisse ex Philodemi verbis apparet. Diog. Laert. II 10 (4), 108: τῆς δʼ Eὐκλείδου διαδοχῆς ἐστι καὶ Εὐθουλίδης ὁ Μιλήσιος, ὃς καὶ πολλοὺς ἐν διαλεκτικῇ λόγους ἠρτησε, τόν τε ψευδόμενον καὶ τὸν διαλανθάνοντα καὶ Ἠλέκτραν καὶ ἐγκεκαλυμμένον καὶ σωρίτην καὶ κερατίνην καὶ φαλακρόν. περὶ τούτου φησί τις τῶν κωμικῶν (Mein. IV 618, 51)·

οὑριστικὸς δʼ Eὐβουλίδης κερατίνας ἐρωτῶν

καὶ ψευδαλάζοσιν λόγοις τοὺς ῥήτορας κυλίων

ἀπῆλθʼ ἔχων Δημοσθένους τὴν ῥωποστωμυλήθραν.

ἐῴκει γὰρ αὐτοῦ καὶ Δημοσθένης ἀκηκοέναι καὶ ῥωπικώτερος ὢν παύσασθαι. ὁ δὲ Eὐβουλίδης καὶ πρὸς Ἀριστοτέλην διεφέρετο καὶ πολλὰ αὐτὸν διαβέβληκε (cf. Euseb. Praep. ev. 15, 2. Athen. 354 c. Themist. XXIII p. 285 c).

 

XXX. Eubulides

1. Philodemus, On Rhetoric: How are we to interpret the claim that some rhetorical speeches are completed not through knowledge but by experience and intuition? We should not, at any rate, think that this way of putting it signifies the lack of dialectical syllogisms, since the latter is common to all speeches, not just a few, independently of the fact that this situation is especially liked by the uneducated. So he berates Eubulides for despising discourse that lacks syllogisms, for, he says, we understand matters just as well without them.

It is clear from Philodemus’ words that the dialectician Eubulides, said to be Demosthenes’ teacher (so also Philod. 2.206.9) and a disparager of Aristotle (Natorp, RE VI 870), published teachings on the orator’s craft. Diog. Laert. 2.10 (4), 108: ‘One of Euclides’ successors is Eubulides of Miletus, who interrogated many kinds of speech in dialectic, the lying one, the fallacious one, Electra, the wrapped-in one, the Sorites, the fallacy of the Horns, the bald one. One of the comedians writes the following (Mein. 4.618.51

 

The eristic sophist Eubulides, interrogating Horns,

Rolling along the rhetors with with false and lazy speeches,

Ran away with Demosthenes’ petty trick-heavy wordiness.

It is likely that Demosthenes too listened to him and stopped dealing in petty trickery. Eubulides also had his differences with Aristotle and slandered him a great deal’ (cf. Euseb. Praep. ev. 15.2; Athen. 354 c; Themist. 23 p. 285 c).