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of the temple, and to partake of the divine mysteries the law does not permit some and forbid others, but it commands that these too be initiated and instructed in the mysteries just as those, and indeed the prizes of virtue are set before these as well as those, since 5.58 the contests of virtue are common. Nor indeed does the difference of tongues harm nature; for among both Greeks and barbarians it is possible to see both students of virtue and workers of evil. Indeed, the Greeks agree with this argument. For they admire Anacharsis, a Scythian man, not an Athenian nor an Argive nor indeed a Corinthian nor a Tegean or Spartan, and they highly esteem the Brahmans, who are Indians, not Dorians nor Aeolians nor indeed Ionians; and they praise the Egyptians as being most wise; for indeed 5.59 they learned many sciences from them. Therefore the difference of tongues does not injure nature. For Homer called the Hippemolgi most just; and this is a Thracian race; and Xenophon the son of Gryllus admired Cyrus son of Cambyses, who was a Persian on his father's side and a Mede on his mother's, for his prudence and moderation and justice and 5.60 courage. Accordingly the Greeks also agree that there is among barbarians some care for virtue, and that the difference of language does not hinder this possession. For all the heralds of the truth, I mean prophets and apostles, did not partake of Greek eloquence, but being full of the true wisdom, they brought the divine teaching to all nations, both Greek and barbarian, and filled all land and sea with writings about virtue and piety 5.61. And now everyone, having abandoned the trifles of the philosophers, delights in the teachings of the fishermen and tax collectors and cherish the writings of the shoemaker; and of the Italic and Ionian and Eleatic schools they do not even know the names—for time has erased their memory—but the names 5.62 of the prophets, who lived more than a thousand and five hundred years before them, they carry on their lips. And indeed also those even more ancient than these, I mean Abraham and his children, and those more ancient than them, Abel, Enoch, Noah and the others, as many as a praiseworthy life made renowned; but of the seven wise men who lived after the prophets and of those who succeeded them, not even those who embrace the Greek 5.63 tongue know their names. And why do I speak of those now? For even among the ancients there was much dispute about these. For some add to these Periander the Corinthian, others Epimenides the Cretan, others Acusilaus the Argive, others Anacharsis the Scythian, still others Pherecydes the Syrian, and Plato at least 5.64 Myson the Chenean. These men, then, even their neighbors were ignorant of; but Matthew and Bartholomew and James, and indeed also Moses and David and Isaiah and the other apostles and prophets they know as well as the names of their own children. So then, they immediately mock the names as barbaric; but we bewail their foolishness, because, seeing that barbarous-speaking men have conquered Greek eloquence, and that the polished myths have been completely driven out, and the fishermen's solecisms have overthrown the Attic syllogisms, they do not blush nor cover their faces, but shamelessly champion their error, and this though they are few and easily counted and do not even share in Greek correctness of speech, but, so to speak, committing as many barbarisms as the words they utter, yet they suppose it to be the height of culture and brilliance of speech if, when swearing, they should say "By the gods" and "By the sun," and invent such oaths for their 5.65 speeches. But if I do not speak the truth, tell me, O men, what successor did Xenophanes of Colophon have for his school? what one Parmenides the Eleatic? what one Protagoras and Melissus? what one Pythagoras or Anaxagoras? what one

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νεώς, καὶ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων μεταλαχεῖν οὐ τοῖς μὲν ὁ νόμος ἐπιτρέπει, τὰς δὲ κωλύει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτας τελεῖσθαι καὶ μυστα γωγεῖσθαι παραπλησίως ἐκείνοις παρακελεύεται, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὰ ἆθλα καὶ ταύταις πρόκειται ὡς ἐκείνοις, ἐπειδὴ 5.58 τῆς ἀρετῆς οἱ ἀγῶνες κοινοί. Οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τῶν γλωττῶν τὸ διά φορον τῇ φύσει λυμαίνεται· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν Ἕλλησι καὶ ἐν βαρβά ροις ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἀρετῆς φροντιστὰς καὶ κακίας ἐργάτας. Τῷδε μέντοι καὶ Ἕλληνες ξυμφωνοῦσι τῷ λόγῳ. Καὶ γὰρ Ἀνάχαρσιν θαυμάζουσιν, ἄνδρα Σκύθην, οὐκ Ἀθηναῖον οὐδὲ Ἀργεῖον οὐδέ γε Κορίνθιον οὐδὲ Τεγεάτην ἢ Σπαρτιάτην, καὶ τοὺς Βραχμᾶνας ὑπεράγανται, Ἰνδοὺς ὄντας, οὐ ∆ωριέας οὐδὲ Αἰολέας οὐδέ γε Ἴωνας· ἐπαινοῦσι δὲ καὶ Αἰγυπτίους ὡς σοφωτάτους· πολλὰς 5.59 γάρ τοι καὶ παρὰ τούτων ἔμαθον ἐπιστήμας. Οὔκουν ἡ τῶν γλωττῶν ἑτερότης πημαίνει τὴν φύσιν. Καὶ γὰρ τοὺς Ἱππη μολγοὺς δικαιοτάτους ἐκάλεσεν Ὅμηρος· Θρᾳκικὸν δὲ τοῦτο τὸ γένος· καὶ Κῦρον τὸν Καμβύσου, Πέρσην ὄντα πατρόθεν καὶ Μῆδον μητρόθεν, ἐπὶ φρονήσει καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ 5.60 ἀνδρείᾳ Ξενοφῶν ὁ Γρύλλου τεθαύμακεν. Τοιγάρτοι ξυνομολο γοῦσι καὶ οἱ Ἕλληνες, καὶ παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις εἶναί τινα ἐπι μέλειαν ἀρετῆς, καὶ μὴ κωλύειν τήνδε τὴν κτῆσιν τῆς φωνῆς τὸ διάφορον. Καὶ γὰρ ἅπαντες τῆς ἀληθείας οἱ κήρυκες, προφῆταί φημι καὶ ἀπόστολοι, τῆς μὲν Ἑλληνικῆς οὐ μετέλαχον εὐγλωτ τίας, ἔμπλεοι δὲ τῆς ἀληθινῆς ὄντες σοφίας, πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ Ἑλληνικοῖς καὶ βαρβαρικοῖς, τὴν θείαν διδασκαλίαν προσ ήνεγκαν καὶ πᾶσαν γῆν καὶ θάλατταν τῶν ἀρετῆς πέρι καὶ εὐσεβείας 5.61 ξυγγραμμάτων ἐνέπλησαν. Καὶ νῦν ἅπαντες τῶν φιλοσόφων τοὺς λήρους καταλιπόντες τοῖς τῶν ἁλιέων καὶ τελωνῶν ἐντρυφῶσι μαθήμασι καὶ τὰ τοῦ σκυτοτόμου ξυγγράμματα περιέπουσι· καὶ τῆς μὲν Ἰταλικῆς καὶ Ἰωνικῆς καὶ Ἐλεατικῆς ξυμμορίαςοὐδὲ τὰς προσηγορίας ἐπίστανται-ἐξήλειψε γὰρ αὐτῶν ὁ χρό νος τὴν μνήμην-τῶν δέ γε προφητῶν, πλείοσιν ἢ χιλίοις καὶ πεντακοσίοις ἔτεσι τούτων πρόσθεν γεγενημένων, τὰς προσηγο 5.62 ρίας ἐν τῷ στόματι περιφέρουσιν. Καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοὺς ἔτι τού των παλαιοτέρους, τὸν Ἁβραάμ φημι καὶ τοὺς τούτου παῖδας, καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων ἀρχαιοτέρους, τὸν Ἄβελ, τὸν Ἐνώχ, τὸν Νῶε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, ὅσους ἀριδήλους ὁ ἀξιέπαινος ἀπέφηνε βίος· τῶν δὲ μετὰ τοὺς προφήτας γεγενημένων ἑπτὰ σοφῶν καὶ τῶν ἐκείνους διαδεξαμένων οὐδὲ οἱ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν ἀσπαζόμενοι 5.63 γλῶτταν ἴσασι τὰ ὀνόματα. Καὶ τί λέγω τοὺς νῦν; καὶ γὰρ τοῖς πάλαι πολλὴ περὶ τούτων ἀμφιλογία γεγένηται. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ τού τοις Περίανδρον ξυντάττουσι τὸν Κορίνθιον, οἱ δὲ Ἐπιμενίδην τὸν Κρῆτα, οἱ δὲ Ἀκουσίλαον τὸν Ἀργεῖον, οἱ δὲ Ἀνάχαρσιντὸν Σκύθην, ἄλλοι δὲ Φερεκύδην τὸν Σύριον, ὁ δέ γε Πλάτων 5.64 Μύσωνα τὸν Χηνέα. Τούτους μὲν οὖν καὶ οἱ πέλας ὄντες ἠγνοή κασι· τὸν δὲ Ματθαῖον καὶ τὸν Βαρθολομαῖον καὶ τὸν Ἰάκωβον, καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸν Μωϋσέα καὶ τὸν ∆αυὶδ καὶ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀποστόλους τε καὶ προφήτας οὕτως ἴσασιν ὡς τὰς τῶν παίδων προσηγορίας. Αὐτίκα τοίνυν καὶ κωμῳδοῦσιν ὡς βάρβαρα τὰ ὀνόματα· ἡμεῖς δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν ἐμπληξίαν ὀλοφυρόμεθα, ὅτι δὴ ὁρῶντες βαρβαροφώνους ἀνθρώπους τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν εὐγλωττίαν νενικηκότας, καὶ τοὺς κεκομψευμένους μύθους παν τελῶς ἐξεληλαμένους, καὶ τοὺς ἁλιευτικοὺς σολοικισμοὺς τοὺς Ἀττικοὺς καταλελυκότας ξυλλογισμούς, οὐκ ἐρυθριῶσιν οὐδ' ἐγκαλύπτονται, ἀλλ' ἀνέδην ὑπερμαχοῦσι τῆς πλάνης, καὶ ταῦτα ὀλίγοι ὄντες καὶ ἀριθμηθῆναι ῥᾳδίως δυνάμενοι καὶ οὐδὲ τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς εὐστομίας μετέχοντες, ἀλλὰ τοσαῦτα, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, βαρβαρίζοντες ὅσα φθέγγονται, παίδευσιν δὲ ἄκραν καὶ λαμπρότητα λόγων ὑπολαμβάνοντες, εἰ ὀμνύντες εἴποιεν "Μὰ τοὺς θεούς" καὶ "Μὰ τὸν ἥλιον", καὶ τοιούτους τινὰς τοῖς 5.65 λόγοις ἐπιπλάττοιεν ὅρκους. Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀληθῆ λέγω, εἴπατε, ὦ ἄνδρες, τίνα Ξενοφάνης ὁ Κολοφώνιος ἔσχε διάδοχον τῆς αἱρέ σεως; τίνα δὲ Παρμενίδης ὁ Ἐλεάτης; τίνα Πρωταγόρας καὶ Μέλισσος; τίνα Πυθαγόρας ἢ Ἀναξαγόρας; τίνα