..Utility of a different sort was the object of a group of earnest men,
mainly STOIC at first and then -omitting the Christians- Neoplatonic,
who sought to make themselves and their fellows at home in the world.
..
Some,like Epictetus or Plotinus,addressed their disciples ;
others,like Dion of Prusa or Maximus of Tyre,addressed large audiences ;
still others,like Plutarch and the Neoplatonists,addrssed a reading public.
..
A group of orators,including Themistius and Libanius,aimed rather at entertainment that edification.
..
Perhaps Lucian,
who deserves a place in the shortest list of ancient books worth the modern reader's attention,
shares the functions of teacher and entertainer.
His imaginative writings make a transition to the Greek romances,
which exerted a very great influence on our own function forms.
..
