Book 1, Chapter 25

52 “But now, if you agree, let us come to philosophers’ dreams.

“In Plato, Socrates, while in public custody, tells his friend Crito that he must die three days later. He had dreamed of a woman of surpassing beauty who called him by name and spoke a verse of Homer along these lines:

“‘The third glad day will bring you to Phthia.’

“The account says it happened just as foretold. Xenophon the Socratic—what a man, and how great!—describes his own dreams during the campaign he served with Cyrus the Younger, and their remarkable fulfillment.

53 “Shall we say Xenophon lies or raves? And Aristotle, a man of singular, almost divine genius—is he mistaken himself, or does he wish to mislead others? He writes that his friend Eudemus of Cyprus, traveling to Macedonia, came to Pherae, then a highly distinguished city in Thessaly, but held in cruel subjection by the tyrant Alexander. There Eudemus fell so gravely ill that all the physicians despaired of him. In his sleep a young man of exceptional beauty appeared and told him that he would recover very soon, that the tyrant Alexander would die within a few days, and that Eudemus himself would return home five years later. Aristotle writes that the first predictions came true at once: Eudemus recovered and the tyrant was killed by his wife’s brothers. But at the end of the fifth year, when the dream had led people to expect his return from Sicily to Cyprus, he fell fighting at Syracuse. From this they interpreted the dream to mean that Eudemus’ soul had returned home when it left his body.

54 “To the philosophers let us add a man of the deepest learning, and indeed a divine poet: Sophocles. When a heavy golden bowl had been stolen from the temple of Hercules, he dreamed that the god himself told him who had done it. He ignored the dream once and a second time. When it recurred repeatedly, he went up to the Areopagus and reported the matter. The Areopagites ordered the arrest of the man Sophocles had named. Under torture he confessed and returned the bowl. From this event the shrine was named the temple of Hercules the Informer.

52 “But now, if you agree, let's turn to philosophers' dreams.

“In Plato, Socrates, while held in the public prison, tells his friend Crito that he must die in three days. He has dreamed of an extraordinarily beautiful woman who called him by name and spoke a line of Homer something like this:

“‘The third day will bring you happily to Phthia.’

“The account says it happened just as predicted. Xenophon, the follower of Socrates—and what a great man he was!—writes about his own dreams during the campaign he served on with Cyrus the Younger. Their outcomes were amazing.

53 “Will we say Xenophon is lying or out of his mind? And Aristotle, a man of exceptional, almost divine intelligence—is he mistaken himself, or is he trying to make others mistaken? His account follows his friend Eudemus of Cyprus on a journey to Macedonia: he arrived at Pherae, then a very famous town in Thessaly, held under the cruel rule of the tyrant Alexander. In that town Eudemus became so seriously ill that all the doctors gave up hope. As he slept, a very handsome young man appeared and promised him a speedy recovery. Alexander the tyrant, he said, had only a few days left to live; Eudemus himself would be home again in five years. Aristotle says the first predictions were fulfilled immediately: Eudemus got well; the tyrant's killers were his wife's brothers. The fifth year was drawing to its close. On the strength of that dream, people expected him to go back to Cyprus from Sicily; instead, he died in battle at Syracuse. So the dream was interpreted to mean that when Eudemus' soul left his body, it had returned home.

54 “To the philosophers let's add Sophocles, a very learned man and a truly divine poet. A heavy golden bowl had been stolen from Hercules' temple. In a dream he saw the god himself telling him who had done it. He ignored this the first and second time. When it happened several more times, he went up to the Areopagus and reported it. The members of the court ordered the arrest of the man Sophocles named. Questioned under torture, the man confessed and brought back the bowl. Because of this, the shrine was named after Hercules the Informer.