Epictetus wrote nothing; and all that we have under his name was written
by an affectionate pupil, Arrian, afterwards the historian of Alexander
the Great, who, as he tells us, took down in writing the philosopher's
discourses ("Epistle of Arrian to Lucius Gellius," p. i). These
Discourses formed eight books, but only four are extant under the title
of [Greek: Epichtaeton diatribai]. Simplicius, in his commentary on the
[Greek: Egcheiridion] or Manual, states that this work also was put
together by Arrian, who selected from the discourses of Epictetus what
he considered to be most useful, and most necessary, and most adapted to
move men's minds. Simplicius also says that the contents of the
Encheiridion are found nearly altogether and in the same words in
various parts of the Discourses. Arrian also wrote a work on the life
and death of Epictetus. The events of the philosopher's studious life
were probably not many nor remarkable; but we should have been glad if
this work had been preserved, which told, as Simplicius says, what kind
of man Epictetus was.

Photius (Biblioth., 58) mentions among Arrian's works "Conversations
with Epictetus," [Greek: Homiliai Epichtaeton], in twelve books. Upton
thinks that this work is only another name for the Discourses, and that
Photius has made the mistake of taking the Conversations to be a
different work from the Discourses. Yet Photius has enumerated eight
books of the Discourses and twelve books of the Conversations.
Schweighaeuser observes that Photius had not seen these works of Arrian
on Epictetus, for so he concludes from the brief notice of these works
by Photius. The fact is that Photius does not say that he had read these
books, as he generally does when he is speaking of the books which he
enumerates in his Bibliotheca. The conclusion is that we are not certain
that there was a work of Arrian entitled "The Conversations of