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they have named her Cinyras-goddess. And this is not at all surprising; for those who assigned this title even to venomous reptiles would hardly have deprived women of this honor. And indeed Ganymede too, as the poets say, ... the gods snatched up to be a wine-pourer for Zeus. And Helen too, after her much-talked-of and very frequent adultery, they separated from Menelaus and, as 3.32 Euripides says, led up to heaven. Therefore, the Greeks deified not only those who had done some good, but also the most licentious men and women. The Romans, having learned these things from them, deemed their own emperors worthy of deification after the end of their lives, and not only those who had ruled lawfully and had been mindful of justice, but also those who had directed the empire tyrannically and unjustly and unlawfully 3.33. For they enrolled in the catalogue of their gods Nero, who had wantonly pursued every form of licentiousness and lawlessness, and Domitian and Commodus, and indeed other murderous and most lecherous men. 3.34 This is the second form of deification that men devised; the third is by believing the myths of the poets. And Plato in the Timaeus urges us to believe them: "For concerning the other deities," he says, "to speak and to know their generation is a task too great for us, but we must believe those who have spoken before, who were, as they said themselves, offspring of the gods, and who must surely have known their own ancestors. It is impossible, therefore, to disbelieve the children of the gods, even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs, but as they claim to be reporting on their own family affairs, we must follow the law and believe them." 3.35 Then he brings Hesiod into the discussion, and Chaos and Oceanus and Tethys and Uranus and Gaea, and their children, Cronus, Rhea, Iapetus and the others; and then again those born from Cronus and Rhea: Zeus, 3.36 Hera, Poseidon, Pluto. And the philosopher does not blush to command belief in those who invent such myths and who introduce to us licentious gods who are patricides and child-killers. For Cronus cut off the genitals of his father Uranus and swallowed the children born to him, and Zeus, having driven his father Cronus from his kingdom and handed him over 3.37 to Tartarus, showed himself a tyrant and exceedingly licentious; for he made not only his sister, but also his mother and his daughter his wives, and in addition to these he had intercourse with countless other goddesses and women. But nevertheless, though Plato clearly knew these things, he urged belief in the poets, even though they speak without probable and necessary proofs, solely because of 3.38 the law. He is therefore clearly afraid of the Athenian populace and the delusion that possesses it. And that this is true, he himself is a witness, speaking thus in the Republic: "First of all, I said, the greatest lie and about the greatest things, the one who told it did not lie truly, how Uranus did what Hesiod says he did, and how Cronus in turn took revenge on him. But as for the deeds of Cronus and his sufferings at the hands of his son, even if they were true, they ought not to be told so lightly to the foolish and young, but it would be best to be silent about them, and if there were some necessity to tell them, for them to be heard in secret 3.39." And again, after a little, he said this too: "For, said he, the stories are troublesome and not to be told, Adeimantus, in our city; nor should it be said in the hearing of a young person that in committing the worst injustices he would be doing nothing surprising, nor if he punished his unjust father in every way, but that he would be doing what the first 3.40 and greatest of the gods did. Nor does it seem to me at all fitting to say, I said, nor to another, how gods war with gods and plot against them and fight; for it is neither true nor beneficial, if indeed those who are to guard our city must consider it most shameful to be easily hostile to one another. Far from it should we tell them myths of wars with giants and weave them into tapestries, and other various plots of gods and heroes against their own kinsfolk 3.41 and relatives." Then, having laid down the law, what one must

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Κινύρου-θεὰν ὠνομάκασιν. Καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὐδέν· οἱ γὰρ δὴ καὶ τοῖς ἰοβόλοις τῶν ἑρπετῶν τήνδε τὴν προσηγορίαν προσνείμαντες σχολῇ γ' ἂν τὰς γυναῖκας τοῦδε τοῦ γέρως ἐστέρησαν. Καὶ μὲν δὴ καὶ τὸν Γανυμήδην, καθά φασιν οἱ ποιηταί, ... ἀνηρείψαντο θεοὶ ∆ιῒ οἰνοχοεύειν. Καὶ τὴν Ἑλένην δέ, μετὰ τὴν πολυθρύλητον καὶ παμπόλλην μοιχείαν, τοῦ Μενέλεω χωρίσαντες, εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, ᾗ φησιν 3.32 Εὐριπίδης, ἀνήγαγον. Οὔκουν τοὺς ἀγαθόν τι δεδρακότας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀσελγεστάτους ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας ἐθεοποίησαν Ἕλληνες. Ταῦτα καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι παρὰ τούτων μεμαθηκότες, τοὺς σφετέρους βασιλέας μετὰ τὸ τέρμα τοῦ βίου θεοποιΐας ἠξίουν, καὶ οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἐννόμως γε βεβασιλευκότας καὶ τοῦ δικαίου πεφρον τικότας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς τυραννικῶς τε καὶ ἀδίκως καὶ παρανόμως 3.33 ἰθύναντας τὴν ἀρχήν. Καὶ γὰρ Νέρωνα, πᾶσαν ἰδέαν ἀκολασίας καὶ παρανομίας κατακόρως μετεληλυθότα, καὶ ∆ομετιανὸν καὶ Κόμοδον, καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἄλλους μιαιφόνους ἄνδρας καὶ λαγνι στάτους τῷ τῶν σφετέρων θεῶν καταλόγῳ ξυνέταξαν. 3.34 Τοῦτο δεύτερον οἱ ἄνθρωποι θεοποιΐας ἐπενόησαν εἶδος, τρίτον δὲ τοῖς μύθοις πεπιστευκότες τῶν ποιητῶν. Τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ πιστεύειν παρεγγυᾷ· "Περὶ γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων δαιμόνων" φησίν "εἰπεῖν καὶ γνῶναι τὴν γένεσιν μεῖζον ἢ καθ' ἡμᾶς, πιστευτέον δὲ τοῖς εἰρηκόσιν ἔμπροσθεν, ἐκγόνοις μὲν οὖσι θεῶν, ὡς αὐτοὶ ἔφασαν, σαφῶς δέ πως τοὺς ἑαυτῶν προγόνους εἰδότων· ἀδύνατον οὖν θεῶν παισὶν ἀπιστεῖν, καίπερ ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσιν, ἀλλ' ὡς οἰκεῖα φασκόντων ἀπαγγέλλειν, ἑπομένους τῷ νόμῳ πιστευτέον." 3.35 Εἶτα τὸν Ἡσίοδον εἰς μέσον παράγει καὶ τὸ Χάος καὶ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν καὶ τὴν Τηθὺν καὶ τὸν Οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν Γῆν καὶ τούτοιν τοὺς παῖδας, τὸν Κρόνον, τὴν Ῥέαν, τὸν Ἰαπετὸν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους· καὶ αὖ πάλιν τοὺς ἐκ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας φύντας, τὸν ∆ία, 3.36 τὴν Ἥραν, τὸν Ποσειδῶνα, τὸν Πλούτωνα. Καὶ οὐκ ἐρυθριᾷ ὁ φιλόσοφος πιστεύειν κελεύων τοῖς τὰ τοιαῦτα μυθολογοῦσι καὶ ἀκολάστους ἡμῖν θεοὺς καὶ πατραλοίας καὶ παιδοκτόνους εἰσ άγουσιν. Ὅ τε γὰρ Κρόνος Οὐρανοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξέτεμε τὰ αἰδοῖα καὶ τοὺς τικτομένους αὐτῷ κατέπινε παῖδας, ὅ τε Ζεύς, τὸν πατέρα τὸν Κρόνον ἐξελάσας τῆς βασιλείας καὶ παραδοὺς 3.37 τῷ Ταρτάρῳ, τύραννος ἀνεφάνη καὶ λίαν ἀκόλαστος· οὐ γὰρ δὴ μόνην τὴν ἀδελφήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα γαμετὰς ἐποιήσατο, καὶ πρὸς ταύταις ἄλλαις καὶ θεαῖς καὶ γυναιξὶ ξυνεμίγη μυρίαις. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα ὁ Πλάτων σαφῶς ἐπιστάμενος, πιστεύειν τοῖς ποιηταῖς παρεγγύησε, καὶ ταῦτα ἄνευ εἰκότων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἀποδείξεων λέγουσι, διὰ μό 3.38 νον γε τὸν νόμον. ∆ῆλος οὖν ἐστι τὸν Ἀθηναίων ὅμιλον ὀρρω δῶν καὶ τὸν ἐκεῖνον κατέχοντα πλάνον. Καὶ ὅτι γε τοῦτο ἀληθές, μάρτυς αὐτὸς, ὧδε λέγων ἐν Πολιτείᾳ· "Πρῶτον μέν, ἦν δ' ἐγώ, τὸ μέγιστον καὶ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων ψεῦδος ὁ εἰπὼν οὐκ ἀληθῶς ἐψεύσατο, ὅτι Οὐρανός τε εἰργάσατο, ἅ φησι δρᾶσαι αὐτὸν Ἡσίοδος, ὅ τε αὖ Κρόνος ὡς ἐτιμωρήσατο αὐτόν. Ὅτι δὲ δὴ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κρόνου ἔργα καὶ πάθη ὑπὸ τοῦ υἱέος, οὐδ' ἂν εἰ ἦν ἀληθῆ, δεῖν ῥᾳδίως οὕτω λέγεσθαι πρὸς ἄφρονάς τε καὶ νέους, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν σιγᾶσθαι, εἰ δὲ ἀνάγκη τις ἦν λέγειν, δι' 3.39 ἀπορρήτων ἀκούειν." Καὶ αὖ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγα καὶ τάδε ἔφη· "Καὶ γάρ, ἦ δ' ὅς, οἵ τε λόγοι χαλεποὶ καὶ οὐ λεκτέοι γε, ὦ Ἀδείμαντε, ἐν τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ πόλει· οὐδὲ λεκτέον νέῳ ἀκούοντι, ὡς ἀδικῶν τὰ ἔσχατα οὐδὲν ἂν θαυμαστὸν ποιοῖ, οὐδὲ ἀδικοῦντα τὸν πατέρα κολάζων παντὶ τρόπῳ, ἀλλὰ δρῴη ἂν ἅπερ θεῶν οἱ 3.40 πρῶτοί τε καὶ μέγιστοι. Οὐδὲ αὐτῷ μοι δοκεῖ ἐπιτήδεια εἶναι λέγειν οὐδὲ ἄλλῳ, ἦν δ' ἐγώ, τὸ παράπαν, ὡς οἱ θεοὶ θεοῖς πο λεμοῦσι καὶ ἐπιβουλεύουσι καὶ μάχονται· οὔτε γὰρ ἀληθῆ οὔτε ξύμφορα· εἴ γε δεῖ ἡμῖν τοὺς μέλλοντας τὴν πόλιν φυλάττειν αἴσχιστον νομίζειν τὸ ῥᾳδίως ἀλλήλοις ἀπεχθάνεσθαι. Πολλοῦ γε δεῖ γιγαντομαχίας τε μυθολογητέον αὐτοῖς καὶ ὑφαντέον καὶ ἄλλας ἐπιβουλὰς παντοδαπὰς θεῶν τε καὶ ἡρώων πρὸς ξυγγενεῖς 3.41 τε καὶ οἰκείους αὐτῶν." Ἔπειτα νομοθετήσας, τίνα χρὴ