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let us leave behind with the impious myths; for the chief of these shows the chief of the gods lamenting, as being unable to help his son, but being overcome by the threads of Clotho and wishing to undo them, but being prevented by Atropos and Lachesis and for this reason lamenting and 6.5 wailing and mixing much lamentation with his words. This man also showed Poseidon wishing to take vengeance on the general of the Cephallenians, because he had blinded Polyphemus, but not being able to overcome fate, since it was fated for the son of Laertes to see Ithaca. Leaving these aside, then, let us bring forward the swarm of philosophers. 6.6 So, they say that Diagoras and his followers were surnamed atheists because they utterly denied the divine; and they say Protagoras held an ambiguous opinion concerning these matters; for they have reported him as saying that he did not know, either if gods exist, or if they do not exist at all. But Epicurus son of Neocles and his company said that God does exist, but is turned toward himself 6.7 and neither has troubles nor wishes to provide them for others. But the son of Nicomachus supposed that God governs as far as the moon, but has neglected all things beyond it and has handed over their guardianship to the necessity of fate, and that it not only distributes to men wealth and poverty and health and sickness and slavery and freedom and war and peace, but also 6.8 allots virtue and vice. Of these things Oenomaus the Cynic clearly made accusation, and he joined the Pythian oracle to the accused, as giving similar prophecies; and he named his treatise "The Detection of Impostors"; and he speaks thus: "For it is lost, at least according to the wise, from human life, it is lost, whether one delights in calling it a tiller, or a ballast, or a foundation, the power of our life, which we for our part set down as the absolute ruler of the most necessary things; But Democritus, if I am not at all mistaken, and Chrysippus, the one devises to show the noblest of human things a slave, the other a half-slave. But the argument of these men is of as much worth as one might expect, being a man, from men. But if indeed the 6.9 divine also makes war upon us, alas, what things we shall suffer." And having said many other such things, he added these as well: "Come, let us too be indignant in our turn. Why ever so? Wherever it seems good to us, this will be both most trustworthy and most ancient; but where it does not seem good, there something hidden from it holds sway, heimarmenē and peprōmenē, having different meanings for each of us, for one from god, for another from those small bodies that are borne upwards and vibrate downwards and are interwoven and dissolved and separated and 6.10 placed side-by-side by necessity?" And again after a little: "For these reasons I have brought these things into the argument, that it has escaped you, o seer, of what things we ourselves are masters; and you who know all things do not yet know these, the cables of which are fastened from our own will." 6.11 The Cynic made these accusations against the Pythian and Democritus and Chrysippus in the same way, being reasonably indignant that they, having enslaved the free nature of our mind, handed it over to the necessity of heimarmenē and peprōmenē. And Chrysippus said that peprōmenē is a determined and accomplished administration; and heimarmenē a certain sequence, whether from the will of God, or from any cause whatsoever; and that the Moirai (Fates) were named from something being apportioned and distributed to each of us; and so also chreōn (necessity) was said from chreos (debt), that which is befalling 6.12 and due according to heimarmenē. And that the number of the Moirai signifies the three times, in which all things revolve and through which they are accomplished; and that Lachesis was so called from allotting to each his peprōmenon (destiny), and Atropos from the unalterable and unchangeable nature of the apportionment, and Clotho from all things being spun together and linked in a series, and their one fixed opinion. And they have called this Pronoia (Providence), because it manages each thing for a useful end; and the same Adrasteia, because 6.13 nothing it

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μετὰ τῶν δυσσε βῶν καταλίπωμεν μύθων· καὶ γὰρ τούτων ὁ κορυφαῖος τὸν τῶν θεῶν κορυφαῖον ὀλοφυρόμενον δείκνυσιν, ὡς ἐπαμῦναι τῷ παιδὶ μὴ δυνάμενον, ἀλλὰ τῶν τῆς Κλωθοῦς νημάτων ἡττώμενον καὶ ἀναλῦσαι ταῦτα βουλόμενον μέν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς Ἀτρόπου καὶ τῆς Λαχέσεως κωλυόμενον καὶ τούτου χάριν ὀλοφυρόμενον καὶ κω 6.5 κύοντα καὶ γόον πολὺν ἀναμιγνύντα τοῖς λόγοις. Οὗτος καὶ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα δέδειχε τίσασθαι μὲν βουλόμενον τῶν Κεφαλλήνων τὸν στρατηγόν, ὅτι τυφλὸν εἰργάσατο τὸν Πολύφημον, οὐ δυνά μενον δὲ νικῆσαι τὴν εἱμαρμένην, ἐπειδήπερ εἵμαρτο τῷ Λαέρτου τὴν Ἰθάκην ἰδεῖν. Τούτους τοίνυν καταλιπόντες, τὸν τῶν φι λοσόφων ἑσμὸν παραγάγωμεν. 6.6 Τοὺς μὲν οὖν ἀμφὶ τὸν ∆ιαγόραν φασὶν ἀθέους ἐπίκλην ὀνο μασθῆναι διὰ τὸ πάμπαν ἀρνηθῆναι τὸ θεῖον· Πρωταγόραν δὲ ἀμφίβολον περί γε τούτων ἐσχηκέναι λέγουσι δόξαν· φάναι γὰρ αὐτὸν εἰρήκασιν οὐκ εἰδέναι, οὔτε εἴπερ εἰσὶ θεοί, οὔτε εἰ παν τάπασιν οὐκ εἰσίν. Ἐπίκουρος δὲ ὁ Νεοκλέους καὶ ἡ ἐκείνου ξυμμορία εἶναι μὲν ἔφασαν τὸν Θεόν, πρὸς αὑτὸν δὲ ἀπεστράφθαι 6.7 καὶ μήτε ἔχειν πράγματα μήτε παρέχειν ἄλλοις ἐθέλειν. Ὁ δέ γε Νικομάχου μέχρι σελήνης ὑπείληφε τὸν Θεὸν πρυτανεύειν, τῶν δὲ μετὰ ταύτην ἁπάντων ἠμεληκέναι καὶ τῇ τῆς εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκῃ παραδεδωκέναι τὴν τούτων ἐπιτροπείαν, καὶ οὐ μόνον πλοῦτον καὶ πενίαν καὶ ὑγίειαν καὶ νόσον καὶ δουλείαν καὶ ἐλευ θερίαν καὶ πόλεμον καὶ εἰρήνην διανέμειν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ καὶ 6.8 ἀρετὴν καὶ κακίαν ἀποκληροῦν. Τούτων Οἰνόμαος ὁ Κυνικὸς ἐναργῶς κατηγόρησε, καὶ τὸν Πύθιον μάντιν, ὡς τὰ παραπλήσια χρησμῳδοῦντα, τοῖς κατηγορουμένοις ξυνέζευξε· καὶ τὸ μὲν ξύγγραμμα Φώραν γοήτων ὠνόμασε· λέγει δὲ ὧδε· "Ἀπόλωλε γάρ, τό γε ἐπὶ τοῖς σοφοῖς, ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου βίου, ἀπόλωλεν, εἴτε οἴακά τις αὐτό, εἴτε ἕρμα, εἴτε κρηπῖδα ὀνομάζων χαίρει, τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς ἡ ἐξουσία, ἣν ἡμεῖς μὲν αὐτοκράτορα τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων τιθέμεθα· ∆ημόκριτος δέ, εἰ μή τι ἠπάτημαι, καὶ Χρύσιππος, ὁ μὲν δοῦλον, ὁ δὲ ἡμίδουλον ἐπινοεῖ τὸ κάλλιστον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐπιδεῖξαι. Ἀλλὰ τούτων ὁ μὲν λόγος τοσοῦτος, ὅσον ἄν τις ἀξιῴη, ἄνθρωπος ὤν, ἀνθρώπους. Εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ τὸ 6.9 θεῖον ἡμῶν καταστρατεύεται, παπαί, οἷα πεισόμεθα." Πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα εἰπών, προστέθεικε καὶ ταῦτα· "Φέρε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνταγανακτήσωμεν. Τί δή ποτε; Ἔνθα ἂν ἡμῖν δοκῇ, ἔσται τοῦτο καὶ πιστότατον καὶ πρεσβύτατον· ἔνθα δ' ἂν μὴ δοκῇ, ἐκεῖ καταδυναστεύει τι λεληθὸς αὐτοῦ, εἱμαρμένη καὶ πεπρωμένη, διάφορα ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν ἔχουσα, τῷ μὲν ἐκ θεοῦ, τῷ δὲ ἐκ τῶν σμικρῶν ἐκείνων σωμάτων τῶν φερομένων ἄνω καὶ παλλομένων κάτω καὶ περιπλεκομένων καὶ διαλυομένων καὶ διϊσταμένων καὶ 6.10 παρατιθεμένων ἐξ ἀνάγκης;" Καὶ αὖ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγα· "Τού των δὲ εἵνεκα ταῦτα προσήνεγκα τῷ λόγῳ, ὅτι σε ἐκπέφευγεν, ὦ μάντι, ὧν κύριοί ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς· καὶ ὁ τὰ πάντα εἰδὼς ταῦτα οὔπω ἔγνως, ὧν τὰ πείσματα ἀνῆπται ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας βουλή σεως." 6.11 Ταῦτα ὁ Κυνικὸς κατὰ ταὐτὸν τοῦ Πυθίου καὶ ∆ημοκρίτου καὶ Χρυσίππου κατηγόρησεν, εἰκότως ἀγανακτῶν, ὅτι τοῦ ἡμετέ ρου νοῦ τὴν ἐλευθέραν ἐξανδραποδίσαντες φύσιν, τῇ τῆς εἱμαρμέ νης καὶ πεπρωμένης ἀνάγκῃ παρέδοσαν. Τὴν δὲ πεπρωμένην ὁ Χρύσιππος πεπερασμένην ἔφησεν εἶναι καὶ ξυντετελεσμένην διοίκησιν· τὴν δὲ εἱμαρμένην εἰρομένην τινά, εἴτε ἐκ Θεοῦ βουλήσεως, εἴτε ἐξ οἱασδήποτε αἰτίας· τὰς δὲ Μοίρας ὠνο μάσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ μεμερίσθαι καὶ κατανενεμῆσθαί τινα ἡμῶν ἑκάστῳ· οὕτω δὲ καὶ χρεὼν παρὰ τὸ χρέος εἰρῆσθαι, τὸ ἐπιβάλ 6.12 λον καὶ καθῆκον κατὰ τὴν εἱμαρμένην. Τὸν δὲ ἀριθμὸν τῶν Μοιρῶν τοὺς τρεῖς χρόνους παραδηλοῦν, ἐν οἷς κυκλεῖται τὰ πάντα καὶ δι' ὧν ἐπιτελεῖται· καὶ Λάχεσιν μὲν κεκλῆσθαι παρὰ τὸ λαγχάνειν ἑκάστῳ τὸ πεπρωμένον, Ἄτροπον δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἄτρεπτον καὶ ἀμετάθετον τοῦ μερισμοῦ, Κλωθὼ δὲ παρὰ τὸ ξυγκλώθεσθαι καὶ ξυνείρεσθαι τὰ πάντα, καὶ μίαν αὐτῶν τεταγμέ νην εἶναι δόξαν. Τὴν δὲ Πρόνοιαν τοῦτο κεκλήκασι, διότι πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον οἰκονομεῖ ἕκαστα· Ἀδράστειαν δὲ τὴν αὐτήν, ὅτι 6.13 οὐδὲν αὐτὴν