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of the question is this: O Arcadian men, fishermen by trade, have we caught anything? And the fishermen answered with this verse: What we caught, we left behind; what we did not catch, we carry with us. The meaning of this verse is this: The lice we caught, we killed here; those we were not able to catch, we carry in our clothes. But Homer, they say, did not understand this verse, and having been there a little while, he died from grief. They also say there was an oracle delivered to Homer, that when a puzzle was put to him and he could not solve it, he would then die. 4.34 The thirty-fourth story is about Aristotle and the Euripus. And it is this. Aristotle the philosopher was a student of Plato. Even if he especially devoted himself to the natural part of philosophy, he was eager to state the causes and natures of all things after the celestial bodies, such as of earth, sea, air, aether, animals, plants, rain, snow, earthquakes, comets, of all things simply. Therefore, having investigated the nature of all things, he wished also to explain the nature of the Euripus. But being unable to comprehend it, he threw himself into this part of the sea, exclaiming this: Since Aristotle did not grasp the Euripus, let the Euripus have Aristotle. And so Aristotle died. The Euripus is a place in the sea between the island of Boeotia and Attica, which turns seven times a day. And it turns by the water in this part receding and being, as it were, sucked up, and again being disgorged and the water being filled again as it was. And this happens, as I said, seven times a day. And the "they died" is a common term for Homer and Aristotle, the one because of the Arcadian puzzle, the other because of the Euripus. 4.35 The thirty-fifth story is about the well of Cleanthes. And it is this. Cleanthes was himself also one of the Cynic philosophers. He, having stationed himself at a certain well, drew water for those passing by, and giving it to them to drink, he received bread from them and ate. And he is admired by the philosophers as one of great endurance. 4.36 The thirty-sixth story is about the strap of Anaxagoras. And it is this. 4.37 The thirty-seventh story is about the melancholy of Heraclitus. And it is this. Heraclitus and Democritus, not having lived at the same time, but being natural philosophers, similarly made light of the world's succession of events, the one laughing, the other weeping. Democritus laughed continually at things, while Heraclitus wept. Democritus was of Abdera, and Heraclitus of Ephesus. 4.38 The thirty-eighth story is about the phalli. And it is this. When celebrating a festival for Dionysus, the Greeks honored him with phalli. A phallus is a shape of a man's private parts made of reddish leather. And this they placed around themselves both on their necks and between their thighs, and they danced wildly, honoring Dionysus by this. And they paid this honor to Dionysus for such a reason. Dionysus is born from Semele, the daughter of Cadmus. But she, having been struck by lightning, was sought by Dionysus. And while he was wandering and searching, a boy named Polyhymnus met Dionysus, and promised to show him his mother, if he would have intercourse with him. And Dionysus promised this. Polyhymnus tells him that Semele is in Lerna. Then Dionysus, entering the sea in order to cross to Lerna, was followed by Polyhymnus also. And Dionysus, as a god, was saved, but Polyhymnus died. But Dionysus, grieved that his lover had died, in his honor carved a wooden phallus from a fig tree's wood, and always kept it in memory, as I said, of Polyhymnus. For this reason they honor Dionysus with phalli. So they are all phalli, but ithyphalli are those tied straight onto the thighs. 4.39 The thirty-ninth story is about the black-buttocked and the buttockless. And these are different, and the one about the buttockless is this. Pirithous, having gone down into Hades to snatch Persephone, the wife of Pluto, was bound below by certain rocks.

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ἐρωτήσεως οὗτος· Ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀρκάδες, ἁλιεῖς τὴν τέχνην, ἆρα ἐθηράσαμέν τι; οἱ δὲ ἁλιεῖς ἀπεκρίναντο τοῦτο τὸ ἔπος· οὓς ἕλομεν λιπόμεσθ', οὓς δ' οὐχ ἕλομεν φερόμεσθα. ὁ δὲ νοῦς τοῦδε τοῦ ἔπους τοιοῦτος, ὅτι, Οὓς μὲν φθεῖρας ἐθηράσαμεν, ἀπεκτείναμεν ἐνταῦθα, οὓς δὲ οὐκ ἰσχύσαμεν θηρᾶσαι, φέρομεν ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις. οὐκ ἐνόησε δὲ ὁ Ὅμηρος, ὥς φασι, τὸ ἔπος τοῦτο, καὶ μικρὸν ἐκεῖσε γενόμενος, ἀπέθανεν ἀπὸ λύπης. λέγουσι δὲ εἶναι καὶ χρησμὸν τὸν χρησμῳδηθέντα Ὁμήρῳ, ὅτι ὅταν αὐτῷ προταθείη ζήτημα, καὶ μὴ εὕροι, τότε ἀποθανεῖται. 4.34 Τριακοστὴ τετάρτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸν Ἀριστοτέλην καὶ τὸν Εὔριπον. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Ἀριστοτέλης ὁ φιλόσοφος μαθητὴς γέγονε Πλάτωνος. εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα περὶ τὸ φυσιολογικὸν μέρος τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἐπιδούς, ἐσπούδασε πάντων τῶν μετὰ τὰ οὐράνια σώματα τὰς αἰτίας εἰπεῖν καὶ τὰς φύσεις, οἷον γῆς, θαλάττης, ἀέρος, αἰθέρος, ζῴων, φυτῶν, ὑετοῦ, χιόνος, σεισμῶν, κομητῶν, πάντων ἁπλῶς. οὗτος οὖν τὴν πάντων διερευνησάμενος φύσιν, ἠβουλήθη καὶ τὴν τοῦ Εὐρίπου φύσιν φυσιολογῆσαι. ὁ δὲ μὴ ἰσχύσας καταλαβεῖν, ἔρριψεν ἑαυτὸν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει τῆς θαλάσσης, τοῦτο ἐπιφθεγξάμενος· Ἐπειδὴ Ἀριστοτέλης οὐχ εἷλε τὸν Εὔριπον, Εὔριπος ἐχέτω τὸν Ἀριστοτέλην. καὶ τέθνηκεν οὕτως ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης. Ὁ δὲ Εὔριπος τόπος ἐστὶ τῆς θαλάττης μεταξὺ τῆς Βοιωτίας νήσου καὶ τῆς Ἀττικῆς, ὃς ἑπτάκις τρέπεται τῆς ἡμέρας. τρέπεται δὲ τῷ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει ὑποφεύγειν καὶ οἱονεὶ ἀναρροφεῖσθαι, καὶ πάλιν ἐξερεύγεσθαι καὶ ἀναπληροῦσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ πάλιν ὡς ἦν. τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται, ὡς εἶπον, ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας. Τὸ δὲ τεθνήκασιν ἀπὸ κοινοῦ ἐστιν ἀντὶ τοῦ Ὅμηρος καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης, ὁ μὲν διὰ τὸ Ἀρκαδικὸν ζήτημα, ὁ δὲ διὰ τὸν Εὔριπον. 4.35 Τριακοστὴ πέμπτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸ φρέαρ Κλεάνθους. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Κλεάνθης εἷς ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν Κυνικῶν φιλοσόφων. οὗτος ἔν τινι φρέατι ἑαυτὸν στήσας, ἠρύετο ὕδωρ τοῖς παριοῦσι, καὶ διδοὺς πιεῖν, ἐλάμβανε παρ' αὐτῶν ἄρτον καὶ ἤσθιεν. θαυμάζεται δὲ παρὰ τῶν φιλοσόφων καὶ οὗτος ὡς καρτερικός. 4.36 Τριακοστὴ ἕκτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ Ἀναξαγόρου. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. 4.37 Τριακοστὴ ἑβδόμη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὴν Ἡρακλείτου κατήφειαν. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Ἡράκλειτος καὶ ∆ημόκριτος οὐκ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ γεγονότες χρόνῳ, φυσικοὶ δὲ ὄντες, ὁμοίως τὴν τοῦ κόσμου ἀλλεπαλληλίαν διέπαιξαν, ὁ μὲν γελῶν, ὁ δὲ κλαίων. ὁ μὲν ∆ημόκριτος ἐγέλα συνεχῶς τὰ πράγματα, ὁ δὲ Ἡράκλειτος ἔκλαιεν. ἦν δὲ ὁ μὲν ∆ημόκριτος Ἀβδηρίτης, ὁ δὲ Ἡράκλειτος Ἐφέσιος. 4.38 Τριακοστὴ ὀγδόη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τοὺς φαλλούς. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Τῷ ∆ιονύσῳ ἑορτὴν ἄγοντες οἱ Ἕλληνες φαλλοῖς ἐτίμων αὐτόν. φαλλὸς δέ ἐστιν ἐκ δέρματος ῥουσίου σχῆμα αἰδοίου ἀνδρός. καὶ τοῦτο περιετίθουν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐν τοῖς τραχήλοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέσοις μηροῖς, καὶ ἐξωρχοῦντο, τιμῶντες ἐκ τούτου τὸν ∆ιόνυσον. τὴν δὲ τιμὴν ταύτην ἦγον τῷ ∆ιονύσῳ διὰ τοιαύτην αἰτίαν. ἐκ Σεμέλης τῆς Κάδμου θυγατρὸς γεννᾶται ὁ ∆ιόνυσος. αὕτη δὲ κεραυνωθεῖσα, ἐζητεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆ιονύσου. περιπλανωμένῳ δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ζητοῦντι Πολύϋμνος παῖς οὕτω λεγόμενος περιέτυχε τῷ ∆ιονύσῳ, καὶ ὑπέσχετο δείξειν αὐτῷ τὴν μητέρα, εἰ παιδεραστήσει αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ ∆ιόνυσος ὑπέσχετο τοῦτο. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πολύϋμνος ὅτι ἐν Λέρνῃ ἐστὶν ἡ Σεμέλη. εἶτα εἰσελθὼν ὁ ∆ιόνυσος ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἵνα περάσῃ ἐν τῇ Λέρνῃ, συνηκολούθησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Πολύϋμνος. καὶ ὁ μὲν ∆ιόνυσος, ὡς θεός, ἐσώθη, ὁ δὲ Πολύϋμνος τέθνηκε. λυπηθεὶς δὲ ὁ ∆ιόνυσος ὅτι ὁ ἐραστὴς αὐτοῦ τέθνηκε, πρὸς τιμὴν αὐτοῦ αἰδοῖον ξύλινον ἐκ συκίνου ξύλου πελεκήσας, κατεῖχεν ἀεὶ πρὸς μνήμην, ὡς εἶπον, τοῦ Πολυΰμνου. ∆ιὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν τοῖς φαλλοῖς τιμῶσι τὸν ∆ιόνυσον. φαλλοὶ οὖν εἰσιν πάντες, ἰθύφαλλοι δὲ οἱ εἰς τοὺς μηροὺς ἐπ' εὐθείας ἐπιδεσμούμενοι. 4.39 Τριακοστὴ ἐνάτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τοὺς μελαμπύγους καὶ τοὺς ἀπύγους. εἰσὶ δὲ αὕται διάφοροι, καὶ ἡ κατὰ τοὺς ἀπύγους ἐστὶν αὕτη. Ὁ Πειρίθους κατελθὼν εἰς τὸν Ἅιδην διὰ τὸ ἁρπάξαι τὴν Περσεφόνην, τὴν τοῦ Πλούτωνος, ἐδέθη κάτω παρὰ πέτραις τισί.