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Such is Cronus, the child-eater. He rises up against him, and snatches the kingdom from him, and makes his own father Cronus fall from power. But he said in imitation of his father that Cronus also rose up against Ouranos, and cut off his genitals, and took the kingdom. But he calls Zeus a sweet stone and the same one a bitter tyrant-slayer. A stone, because, as I said, Rhea gave a stone to Cronus to swallow instead of Zeus. But he calls him a tyrant-slayer either because Zeus rose up against Cronus, or because this stone made him vomit also those whom he had previously swallowed. 4.90 The ninetieth story is about the god Cerdous. It is this. The Greeks call Hermes the god Cerdous, as one who brings about gain. For which reason Aristophanes the comic poet, in the play *Plutus*, being at a loss what to call Hermes, says, "Let us establish him as Empolaeus," that is, overseer of gain. 4.91 The ninety-first story is about everything happening because of women. And it speaks about Zeus. For Zeus, having become an eagle, seized Ganymede, having lusted for him with pederastic love. And Ganymede was a Phrygian. And the myth holds that Zeus seized Ganymede to make him a wine-pourer when he gives a feast for the gods. And this Zeus, having become gold, had intercourse with Danae; and as a bull he seized Europa; and having become a swan, he fornicated with Leda. And concerning the fifty daughters of Thestius, we have already said that Heracles in one night had intercourse with the fifty daughters of Thestius. And the same Heracles is also called Triesperos, as we have already said, as having been born in three days. 4.92 The ninety-second story is about Ares restraining his anger. And this is clear, that Ares is said to be the overseer of wars and breathing rage, since in wars we need the spirited part to be stirred in us. 4.93 The ninety-third story is about the drunkenness of Dionysus. It is this. It is said that Dionysus is the overseer of the vine and of wine and of drunkenness itself, and that they also make him drunk, with Hera having introduced drunkenness to him so that he might become mad. For Hera was angry with him as a son of Zeus. For she was jealous of those born from Zeus. 4.94 The ninety-fourth story is about Artemis who hates strangers. And it is clear. For we have spoken about Iphigenia and the Taurian people. For Artemis was honored among the Taurians in Scythia, and having Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, as her priestess, who sacrificed strangers to her, she rejoiced in the slaughter of strangers. 4.95 The ninety-fifth story is about Loxias the oracle-giver. It is this. Apollo, when giving oracles, did not speak the oracles clearly nor explicitly to those consulting them, but obscurely and crookedly; for which reason he was called Loxias, as one who prophesied the opposite of what would happen. And by this many were deceived, among all of whom was Croesus the Lydian. For the oracle given to him was this: "Croesus, by crossing the Halys, will destroy a great empire." But it was not clear what empire he would destroy. So Croesus, thinking that it spoke of the empire of his enemies, crossed the Halys river, and destroyed his own empire. 4.96 The ninety-sixth story is about the immoderation of laughter. It is this. The one about Hephaestus; when with his snares he bound Ares because of the adultery of Aphrodite and called the gods, they poured much laughter upon him, forsooth. And he calls the god Hephaestus himself the limping god; for this god was lame among them. And Hephaestus delighted in the shins of Ares, as Ares fell by the shins into the snares of Hephaestus. 4.97 The ninety-seventh story is about Zeus running to a rich feast. And this is also in Homer, that Zeus went away into Ethiopia for a feast, which the Ethiopians made, and they called both him and the other gods with him. And the feast of the Ethiopians is also this banquet. It was a sacrifice made to Zeus. And the verses are these: "For Zeus to Oceanus, with the blameless Ethiopians, went yesterday to a banquet, and all the gods together

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τοιοῦτός ἐστιν ὁ Κρόνος τεκνοφάγος, ἐπανίσταται αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀποσπᾷ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ ποιεῖ ἐκπεσεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν Κρόνον τὸν ἴδιον πατέρα. Κατὰ μίμησιν δὲ εἶπε τοῦ πατρὸς ὅτι καὶ ὁ Κρόνος ἐπανέστη τῷ Οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἐξέτεμεν αὐτοῦ τὰ αἰδοῖα, καὶ ἔλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν. Γλυκὺν δὲ λίθον καλεῖ τὸν ∆ία καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν πικρὸν τυραννοκτόνον. Λίθον μὲν ἐπειδὴ, ὡς εἶπον, ἡ Ῥέα λίθον δέδωκε τῷ Κρόνῳ καταπιεῖν ἀντὶ τοῦ ∆ιός. Τυραννοκτόνον δὲ καλεῖ ἢ ὅτι ἐπανέστη τῷ Κρόνῳ ὁ Ζεύς, ἢ ὅτι ὁ τούτου λίθος ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν ἐμέσαι καὶ οὓς πρότερον κατέπιεν. 4.90 Ἐνενηκοστή ἐστιν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ Κερδῴου θεοῦ. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Κερδῷον θεὸν καλοῦσιν τὸν Ἑρμῆν οἱ Ἕλληνες, ὡς κέρδους περιποιητικόν. διὸ καὶ Ἀριστοφάνης ὁ κωμικὸς ἐν τῷ δράματι τῷ Πλούτῳ ἀπορῶν τίνα δεῖ καλέσαι τὸν Ἑρμῆν φησιν, Ἐμπολαῖον αὐτὸν ἱδρυσώμεθα, τουτέστι, κέρδους ἔφορον. 4.91 Ἐνενηκοστὴ πρώτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ πάντα γινομένου διὰ τὰς γυναῖκας. λέγει δὲ περὶ τοῦ ∆ιός. Ὁ γὰρ Ζεὺς ἀετὸς γενόμενος ἥρπασε τὸν Γανυμήδην, ἐρασθεὶς αὐτοῦ πρὸς παιδεραστίαν. Φρὺξ δὲ ὁ Γανυμήδης. ὁ δὲ μῦθος ἔχει ὅτι ἥρπασεν ὁ Ζεὺς τὸν Γανυμήδην ἵνα ποιήσῃ αὐτὸν οἰνοχόον ὅταν ἀριστοποιῇ τοῖς θεοῖς. οὗτος δὲ ὁ Ζεὺς γενόμενος χρυσὸς ∆ανάῃ συνεγένετο, ταῦρος δὲ τὴν Εὐρώπην ἥρπασε, κύκνος δὲ γενόμενος Λήδαν ἐπόρνευσεν. Περὶ δὲ τῶν πεντήκοντα Θεστίου θυγατέρων, ἤδη εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι ὁ Ἡρακλῆς εἰς μίαν νύκτα συνεγένετο ταῖς πεντήκοντα θυγατράσι Θεστίου. ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἡρακλῆς καλεῖται καὶ ὁ Τριέσπερος, ὡς ἤδη εἰρήκαμεν, ὡς ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις γεννηθείς. 4.92 Ἐνενηκοστὴ δευτέρα ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ ἐπικόπτειν τοῦ θυμοῦ τὸν Ἄρεα. Φανερὰ δὲ αὕτη ἐστὶν ὅτι λέγεται ἔφορος τῶν πολέμων ὁ Ἄρης καὶ ὀργὴν πνέων, ἐπειδὴ δεόμεθα ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἵνα τὸ θυμικὸν κινῆται ἐν ἡμῖν. 4.93 Ἐνενηκοστὴ τρίτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς μέθης τοῦ ∆ιονύσου. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Λέγεται ὅτι τῆς ἀμπέλου ἔφορός ἐστιν ὁ ∆ιόνυσος καὶ τοῦ οἴνου καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς μέθης, καὶ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸν ποιοῦσι μεθυσκόμενον, τῆς Ἥρας αὐτῷ τὸ μεθύσκεσθαι εἰσηγησαμένης ἵνα γένηται παράφρων. ὠργίζετο γὰρ αὐτῷ ἡ Ἥρα ὡς υἱῷ τοῦ ∆ιός. ἐζηλοτύπει γὰρ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ∆ιὸς γεννωμένους. 4.94 Ἐνενηκοστὴ τετάρτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς μισοξένου Ἀρτέμιδος. ἔστι δὲ φανερά. Εἴπομεν γὰρ περὶ τῆς Ἰφιγενείας καὶ τῶν Ταύρων ἀνθρώπων. ἡ γὰρ Ἄρτεμις ἐτιμᾶτο παρὰ τοῖς Ταύροις ἐν Σκυθίᾳ, καὶ ἔχουσα τὴν Ἰφιγενείαν, τὴν Ἀγαμέμνονος θυγατέρα, ἱέρειαν τοὺς ξένους αὐτῇ καταθύουσαν ἔχαιρε τῇ ξενοκτονίᾳ. 4.95 Ἐνενηκοστὴ πέμπτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ κατὰ τὸν Λοξίαν χρησμολόγον. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Ὁ Ἀπόλλων μαντευόμενος, οὐ σαφῶς οὐδὲ διαρρήδην τοὺς χρησμοὺς τοῖς χρησμῳδουμένοις ἔλεγεν, ἀλλ' ἀσαφῶς καὶ λοξῶς· διὸ ἤκουσε Λοξίας, ὡς τἀναντία τῶν ἐκβησομένων χρησμῳδῶν. καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἠπατῶντο πολλοί, ὧν μετὰ πάντων ὁ Κροῖσος ὁ Λυδός. ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ δοθεὶς χρησμὸς οὗτος· Κροῖσος Ἅλυν διαβὰς μεγάλην ἀρχὴν καταλύσει. οὐκ ἦν δὲ σαφὲς ποίαν ἀρχὴν καταλύσει. νομίσας οὖν ὁ Κροῖσος ὅτι τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων λέγει ἀρχήν, ἐπέρασε τὸν Ἅλυν ποταμόν, καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀρχὴν κατέλυσεν. 4.96 Ἐνενηκοστὴ ἕκτη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τῆς γέλωτος ἀμετρίας. ἔστι δὲ αὕτη. Ἡ περὶ τοῦ Ἡφαίστου· ὅτε ταῖς πάγαις τὸν Ἄρεα διὰ τὴν μοιχείαν τῆς Ἀφροδίτης συνέδησεν καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς θεούς, πολὺν δῆθεν κατ' αὐτοῦ κατέχεον γέλωτα. Χωλεύοντα δὲ λέγει θεὸν αὐτὸν τὸν Ἥφαιστον· χωλὸς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς οὗτος ἦν παρ' αὐτοῖς. ταῖς δὲ Ἄρεως κνήμαις ἐπετέρπετο ὁ Ἥφαιστος ὡς κατὰ τὰς κνήμας ἐμπεσὼν ὁ Ἄρης εἰς τὰς πάγας τοῦ Ἡφαίστου. 4.97 Ἐνενηκοστὴ ἑβδόμη ἐστὶν ἱστορία ἡ περὶ τοῦ Ἐπὶ δαῖτα λιπαρὰν τρέχειν τὸν ∆ία. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ αὕτη παρ' Ὁμήρῳ, ὅτι ὁ Ζεὺς ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῇ Αἰθιοπίᾳ ἐπὶ ἄριστον, ὃ οἱ Αἰθίοπες ποιήσαντες, ἐκάλεσαν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ. τὸ δὲ ἄριστον τὸ τῶν Αἰθιόπων καὶ ἡ δαὶς αὕτη ἐστίν. θυσία ἦν γινομένη τῷ ∆ιί. τὰ δὲ ἔπη εἰσὶ ταῦτα· Ζεὺς γὰρ ἐς Ὠκεανὸν μετ' ἀμύμονας Αἰθιοπῆας χθιζὸς ἔβη κατὰ δαῖτα, θεοὶ δ' ἅμα πάντες