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as it was Hellenic, or the common thing was assigned to one of the gods or demons among you, just as many other common sacrifices have been established by law.

104. But if you will not say this, but lay claim to the language as yours, and for this reason you will put us far away, as from a paternal inheritance, and having nothing to do with us, first, I do not see what the reason is, or how you will connect this to the demons. For it is not the case that, if it happens that those who speak Greek are also of the same religion, that words are then also of the religion, and for this reason we would rightly be excluded from it; but this seems illogical even to your own logicians; for if both concern the same thing, it does not mean both are the same as each other; or if, in that case, we were to suppose the same man to be a goldsmith and a painter, goldsmithing will be converted into painting, or painting into goldsmithing; this is a lot of nonsense.

105. Then I will ask you, O you lover of Hellenes and lover of letters, whether you will exclude us from all speaking of Greek, such as these common and prosaic words, and of the usage of the many, or from the elegant and superior kind, as being attainable by no others than those who excel in education? for if it is the latter, what is the allotment, that the "terrible," 35.641 and "to crash," and "surely not," and "I suppose," and "what," and "somehow" belong to the dialect alone, while the rest have been cast off to Cynosarges, like the bastards of old? But if the plain and unadorned speech is likewise part of speaking Greek, why do you not also deprive us of these, and simply of every Greek sound, of whatever sort it might be, and however it may happen to be? This would be more benevolent of you and completely in keeping with your lack of culture.

106. For it is thus, that I may philosophize for you concerning these things, in a higher and more complete way: If there are certain divine voices that proceed from vocal organs, and are poured through the air and flow into ears, better and more distinct than ours (for I laugh at your solemn "Moly," and "Xanthus," and "Chalcis"), or if they commune with one another through bare thoughts and impressions, it is not for us to say; but our case is as follows: Neither is language the possession only of its inventors, but of all who participate in it; nor any art or pursuit you might wish to consider; but just as in a skillful and musical harmony one sound comes from one string that is tightened, or another that is loosened, but all come from the one tuner and craftsman, tending towards one beauty of harmony; so also in these matters the craftsman and creator, the Word, has appointed one man as the inventor of one pursuit or art, and another of another, but has set forth all things in common for all who wish for them, binding our life together with community and fellowship, and making it more civilized.

107. Is speaking Greek yours? Tell me. What then? Are not letters Phoenician? or as some say, Egyptian? or of the Hebrews, who are wiser still than these? Who believe that the law was inscribed by 35.644 God on tablets divinely carved? Is speaking Attic yours? But what of playing draughts and counting, and reckoning on fingers, and measures and weights, and even before these, tactics and warfare, whose are they? Are they not of the Euboeans? if indeed Palamedes was a Euboean, the inventor of many things, and for this reason an object of envy, and was indeed called to account for his wisdom, and condemned by those who warred against Ilium? What then? If the Egyptians, and Phoenicians, and Hebrews, whom we make use of for our own education, and what if the inhabitants of the island of Euboea lay claim to these things as belonging to them, according to your hypotheses, what shall we do? or what defense shall we make to them, having been caught by our own laws? Or is it altogether necessary to be deprived of these things, and to suffer the fate of the jackdaw, to be stripped of borrowed feathers and be naked and unsightly?

108. Are the poems yours? What then? Are they not rather that old woman's, who, having her shoulder shaken by someone

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ὡς Ἑλληνικὸν ἦν, ἤ τινι τῶν παρ' ὑμῖν θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων τὸ κοινὸν ἀπεκρίθη, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ τῶν κοι νῶν θύειν νενομοθέτηται.

Ρ∆ʹ. Εἰ δ' οὐχὶ τοῦτο φήσεις, τῆς γλώσσης δὲ ὡς ὑμετέρας μεταποιήσῃ, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πόῤῥω θήσεις ἡμᾶς, ὥσπερ κλήρου πατρικοῦ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν διαφέροντος, πρῶτον μὲν οὐχ ὁρῶ τίς ὁ λόγος, ἢ πῶς τοῦτο προσάξεις τοῖς δαίμοσιν. Οὐ γὰρ, εἰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς τήν τε γλῶσσαν Ἑλληνίζοντας καὶ τὴν θρη σκείαν εἶναι συμβέβηκεν, ἤδη καὶ τῆς θρησκείας οἱ λόγοι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτ' ἃν εἰκότως ἔξω ταύτης ἡμεῖς γραφείημεν· ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γε καὶ ἀσυλλόγιστον δοκεῖ τοῖς καθ' ὑμᾶς τεχνολόγοις· οὐ γὰρ, εἰ περὶ ταυ τὸν ἄμφω, καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἄμφω ταυτά· ἢ οὕτω γε, εἰ χρυσοχόον τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ζωγράφον θείημεν, τὸ χρυσοχοεῖν εἰς τὸ ζωγραφεῖν, ἢ τὸ ζωγραφεῖν εἰς τὸ χρυσοχοεῖν περιστήσεται· πολλῶν ταῦτα τῶν ληρημάτων.

ΡΕʹ. Ἔπειτα ἐρήσομαί σε, ὦ φιλέλλην σὺ καὶ φιλόλογε, πότερον παντὸς εἴρξεις ἡμᾶς τοῦ Ἑλληνί ζειν, οἷον δὴ καὶ τῶν ἐν μέσῳ καὶ πεζῶν τούτων ῥημάτων, καὶ τῆς τῶν πολλῶν χρήσεως, ἢ τοῦ κομ ψοῦ τε καὶ ὑπεραίροντος, ὡς οὐκ ἄλλοις ἐφικτοῦ ἢ τοῖς κατὰ παίδευσιν διαφέρουσιν; εἰ μὲν γὰρ τούτου, τίς ἡ ἀποκλήρωσις, τὸ μὲν σμερδαλέον, 35.641 καὶ τὸ κοναβίξειν, καὶ τὸ μῶν, καὶ τὸ δήπουθεν, καὶ τὸ ἅττα, καὶ τὸ ἀμωσγέπως εἶναι τῆς διαλέκτου μόνης, τἄλλα δὲ ἀπεῤῥίφθαι εἰς Κυνόσαργες, ὥσπερ τὸ πάλαι τοὺς νόθους; εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ εὐτελὲς τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἀκαλλώπιστον ὁμοίως τοῦ Ἑλληνίζειν ἐστὶ, τί μὴ καὶ τούτων ἀποστερεῖτε ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἁπλῶς πάσης Ἑλλάδος φωνῆς, ὁποία πότ' ἂν ᾖ, καὶ ὡς ἂν ἔχουσα τύχῃ; τοῦτ' ἂν ἦν ὑμῶν φιλανθρω πότερον καὶ τελείως τῆς ἀμουσίας τῆς ὑμετέ ρας.

Ρςʹ. Ἔχει γὰρ οὕτως, ἵνα σοι φιλοσοφήσω περὶ τούτων, ὑψηλότερόν τε καὶ τελεώτερον· Εἰ μὲν καὶ θεῖαί τινές εἰσι φωναὶ φωνητικοῖς ὀργάνοις ἐκ πορευόμεναι, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος χεόμεναί τε καὶ ἀκοαῖς εἰσρέουσαι, τῶν ἡμετέρων κρείττους καὶ εὐσημότεραι (γελῶ γὰρ ὑμῶν τῶν σεμνῶν τὸ Μῶλυ, καὶ τὸν Ξάνθον, καὶ τὴν Χαλκίδα), ἢ διὰ γυμνῶν ἀλλήλοις συγγίνονται τῶν ἐννοιῶν καὶ τῶν τυπωμά των, οὐχ ἡμέτερον λέγειν· τὸ δ' οὖν ἡμέτερον τοιοῦ τόν ἐστιν· Οὔτε φωνὴ τῶν εὑρομένων μόνον ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν μετεχόντων· οὔτε τέχνη τις ἢ ἐπιτήδευσις, ἣν ἂν ἐνθυμηθῆναι θελήσῃς· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν ἁρμονίᾳ τεχνικῇ τε καὶ μουσικῇ ἄλλος μὲν ἦχος ἄλλης τινὸς τῶν νευρῶν συντεταμένος, ἢ ἀνει μένος, πάντα δὲ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἁρμοστοῦ καὶ τεχνίτου, πρὸς ἕν τι κάλλος ἁρμονίας συντείνοντα· οὕτω κἀν τούτοις ὁ τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς Λόγος ἄλλον μὲν ἄλλης τινὸς ἐπιτηδεύσεως ἢ τέχνης εὑρετὴν προὐστήσατο, πάντα δὲ εἰς μέσον προὔθηκε πᾶσι τοῖς βουλομένοις, τῷ κοινωνικῷ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ συνδέων τὸν βίον ἡμῖν, καὶ ποιῶν ἡμερώτερον.

ΡΖʹ. Σὸν τὸ Ἑλληνίζειν; εἰπέ μοι· τί δέ; οὐ Φοι νίκων τὰ γράμματα; ὡς δέ τινες, Αἰγυπτίων; ἢ τῶν ἔτι τούτων σοφωτέρων Ἑβραίων; οἳ καὶ πλαξὶ θεοχαράκτοις ἐγγραφῆναι τὸν νόμον παρὰ 35.644 Θεοῦ πιστεύουσι; Σὸν τὸ Ἀττικίζειν; Τὸ πετ τεύειν δὲ καὶ ἀριθμεῖν, καὶ λογίζεσθαι δακτύ λοις, μέτρα τε καὶ σταθμὰ, καὶ ἔτι πρὸ τούτων, τὰ τακτικὰ καὶ πολεμικὰ, τίνος; οὐκ Εὐβοέων; εἵ περ Εὐβοεὺς ὁ Παλαμήδης, ὁ πολλῶν εὑρετὴς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπίφθονος, καὶ μέντοι καὶ δίκας τῆς σο φίας ἀπαιτηθεὶς, καὶ κατακριθεὶς τοῖς ἐπὶ Ἰλίου στρατεύσασι; Τί οὖν; ἂν Αἰγύπτιοι, καὶ Φοίνικες, Ἑβραῖοί τε, οἷς ἡμεῖς συγχρώμεθα πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέ ραν παίδευσιν, τί δ' ἂν οἱ τὴν νῆσον ἔχοντες Εὔβοιαν μεταποιοῦνται τούτων ὡς αὐτοῖς διαφε ρόντων, κατὰ τὰς σὰς ὑποθέσεις, τί δράσομεν; ἢ τί δικαιολογησόμεθα πρὸς αὐτοὺς, τοῖς οἰκείοις ἑαλω κότες νόμοις; Ἢ πᾶσα στέρεσθαι τούτων ἀνάγκη, καὶ τὸ τοῦ κολοιοῦ πάσχειν, γυμνοὺς εἶναι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων περιαιρεθέντας πτερῶν καὶ ἀσχήμο νας; ΡΗʹ. Σὰ τὰ ποιήματα; τί δέ; οὐ τῆς γραὸς μᾶλλον ἐκείνης, ἣ, τὸν ὦμον σεισθεῖσα παρά τινος