Tables of Cebes
Preserved but no longer current.
Cebes was a Theban philosopher, a disciple of Socrates, and one of the interlocutors of Plato's Phtzdo. His Tables or Tableau supposes him to be placed before a tableau or panorama representing the life of man, which the philosopher describes with great accuracy of judgment and splendour of sentiment. It is sometimes appended to the works of Epictetus.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Tables of Cebes” mean?
Cebes was a Theban philosopher, a disciple of Socrates, and one of the interlocutors of Plato's Phtzdo. His Tables or Tableau supposes him to be placed before a tableau or panorama representing the life of man, which the philosopher describes with great accuracy of judgment and splendour of sentiment. It is sometimes appended to the works of Epictetus.
Is “Tables of Cebes” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.