person
Croesus
also: Croeso, Croesi
Last king of Lydia (sixth century BC), proverbially rich, who consulted the Delphic oracle before his disastrous war with Persia. Cicero cites his oracle and the speaking infancy of his son as instances of Greek divination.
Reading notes
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §2.87 the counsel Solon gave to Croesus
In Herodotus, the Athenian sage Solon warned the rich Lydian king Croesus to "call no man happy until he is dead," since fortune can reverse at any time. Cicero invokes the story while arguing that the happy life must be secure and complete.
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §3.45 a farthing added to the riches of Croesus
Croesus, the proverbially wealthy last king of Lydia (reigned c. 585-546 BC), stands for boundless riches. A teruncius (farthing) added to his fortune is negligible, illustrating how bodily goods vanish before the magnitude of virtue.
- On the Ends of Good and Evil §4.29 to add a farthing to the wealth of Croesus
Croesus, the last king of Lydia, was proverbial for immense riches; a teruncius (a quarter-as, here 'farthing') added to his fortune is negligible. The image illustrates how trivially small goods are 'obscured' in a sum.