Source edition
Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This satirical work, written in the form of a letter to a friend named Cronius, recounts the self-immolation of the Cynic philosopher Peregrinus (also known as Proteus) at Olympia, driven by an insatiable desire for fame and vanity. The narrator introduces the enthusiastic praises of Peregrinus's followers while systematically exposing his deceptive past. The text details his youthful misdeeds, his manipulation of the gullible Christian community in Palestine, the theatrical renunciation of his estate, and his subsequent antics that led to his expulsion from various cities. At Olympia, the narrator coldly witnesses Peregrinus's actual self-immolation and ridicules how the disciples and the crowd readily embrace manufactured miracles surrounding the death. Ultimately, by revealing Peregrinus's actual cowardice and illness prior to his death, the work delivers a biting critique of human vanity and the gullibility of the masses.