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Having used such preambles, he testifies and forewarns not to reveal what is about to be said to many, saying thus: 4.8.1

9. THAT WHAT IS ABOUT TO BE SAID MUST NOT BE REVEALED TO ALL "But you, if anything, try not to publicize these things nor cast them before the profane for the sake of reputation or profit or any other unholy flattery. For there is danger not only for you who transgress these commands, but also for me who has rashly trusted one who is unable to keep benefits to himself. It must be given to those who have set their life toward the salvation of the soul." 4.8.2 And after other things he adds: "Conceal these things for me as more unutterable than the unutterable; for not even the gods prophesied about them openly, but through enigmas." 4.8.3 Since, therefore, the discourse has raised such matters, come, let us now examine through the inspired and Pythian oracles what sort of invisible powers one ought to consider those who are the subjects of theology to be; for a man's refutation might also come from his own words and practices. 4.8.4 Therefore, the aforementioned man, in the very works he entitled "On the Philosophy from Oracles," sets forth oracles of Apollo, who urges the performance of sacrifices of animals, and not only to daemons nor only to the powers around the earth, but to sacrifice animals also to the aetherial and celestial powers. 4.8.5 And in other places the same man, confessing that all those to whom the Greeks performed sacrifices through blood and slaughter of irrational animals are daemons, not gods, says that one must not, nor is it holy, to sacrifice animals to the gods. Hear, therefore, his first words, through which he collects matters concerning the philosophy from oracles, how Apollo teaches that one must worship the gods. This he also sets forth, writing as follows: 4.9.1 10. HOW APOLLO COMMANDS TO WORSHIP THE GODS THROUGH SACRIFICES "Following what has been said concerning piety, we might record what they prophesied concerning their worship, of which we have already set forth a part in our work on piety. And the oracle of Apollo also contains a division of the order of the gods: 4.9.2 Work, friend, having come to this god-given path, and do not forget the blessed ones, slaying sacrifices now to the terrestrial, now to the celestial, and sometimes to the aether's very kings and of the moist-pathed air and to the marine and to all the subterranean; for all things are bound together with the fulfillments of their nature. And of how it is lawful for animals to complete their consecrations, I will sing, and you inscribe my oracle on tablets, for the terrestrial and for the celestial gods: bright things for the celestial, and for the chthonic things of like color. Of the chthonic, divide the slain sacrifices in three ways: bury those of the nether world and send the blood into a pit; pour honey to the nymphs and the gifts of Dionysus; and as many as always fly about the earth, for these, having filled an altar everywhere with the blood of slaughter, cast the body into the fire, having sacrificed a winged animal and having mixed honey with Demeter's barley meal, then add vapors of frankincense and scatter barley groats; and when you go beside the sands, having poured gray salt-water sacrifice from the head and into the deep wave of the sea cast the whole animal. Having completed all these things, come to the broad choir of the aerial celestials. Then for the starry and for all the aetherial ones, the blood from the throats in streams around the offerings let it pool, and let the limbs be prepared for the gods in a feast, giving the extremities to Hephaestus, and consuming the rest, having filled all the flowing air with sweet vapors; and send up prayers to these." 4.9.3 And after a little he further explains, interpreting the oracle as follows: "And the sacrifices have this manner, being given out according to the aforesaid division of the gods. For there being subterranean and terrestrial gods, the subterranean being called also of the nether world, and the terrestrial being called also chthonic gods, he urges in common to bring black four-footed victims to these, but he varies concerning the manner of the sacrifice: for to the terrestrial he commands to slay upon altars, but to the others

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Τοιούτοις χρησάμενος προοιμίοις μαρτύρεται καὶ προπαραγγέλλει μὴ εἰς πολλοὺς ἐκφῆναι τὰ λεχθησόμενα, λέγων οὕτως· 4.8.1

θʹ. ΟΤΙ ΟΥ ΧΡΗ ΤΑ ΛΕΧΘΗΣΟΜΕΝΑ ΕΙΣ ΠΑΝΤΑΣ ΕΚΦΑΙΝΕΙΝ «Σὺ δ' εἴπερ τι καὶ ταῦτα πειρῶ μὴ δημοσιεύειν μηδ' ἄχρι καὶ τῶν βεβήλων ῥίπτειν αὐτὰ δόξης ἕνεκα ἢ κέρδους ἤ τινος ἄλλης οὐκ εὐαγοῦς κολακείας. κίνδυνος γὰρ οὐ σοὶ μόνον τὰς ἐντολὰς παραβαίνοντι ταύτας, ἀλλὰ κἀμοὶ ῥᾳδίως πιστεύσαντι τῷ στέγειν παρ' ἑαυτῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ τὰς εὐποιίας. δοτέον δὴ τοῖς τὸν βίον ἐνστησαμένοις πρὸς τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν.» 4.8.2 Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει· «Ταῦτά μοι ὡς ἀρρήτων ἀρρητότερα κρύπτειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ θεοὶ φανερῶς περὶ αὐτῶν ἐθέσπισαν, ἀλλὰ δι' αἰνιγμάτων.» 4.8.3 Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τοιαῦτα ὁ λόγος ἀνετείνατο, φέρε λοιπὸν διὰ τῶν ἐνθέων καὶ Πυθοχρήστων λογίων σκεψώμεθα, ποταπὰς εἶναι τὰς θεολογουμένας ἀφανεῖς δυνάμεις προσήκει λογίζεσθαι· γένοιτο γὰρ καὶ ἀνδρὸς ἔλεγχος 4.8.4 ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων λόγων τε καὶ ἐπιτηδευμάτων. ὁ δὴ οὖν προδηλωθεὶς ἀνὴρ ἐν αὐτοῖς οἷς ἐπέγραψεν «Περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας» χρησμοὺς τίθησι τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος, τὰς διὰ ζῴων θυσίας ἐργάζεσθαι παρακελευομένου καὶ μὴ μόνοις δαίμοσιν μηδὲ μόναις ταῖς περιγείοις δυνάμεσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ 4.8.5 ταῖς αἰθερίοις καὶ οὐρανίοις ζῳοθυτεῖν. ἐν ἑτέροις δ' ὁ αὐτὸς δαίμονας, ἀλλ' οὐ θεοὺς εἶναι ὁμολογῶν ἅπαντας, οἷς Ἕλληνες τὰς δι' αἱμάτων καὶ ζῴων ἀλόγων σφαγῆς ἐπετέλουν θυσίας, μὴ χρῆναι μηδὲ ὅσιον εἶναι θεοῖς ζῳοθυτεῖν φησίν. ἄκουε τοιγαροῦν τῶν πρώτων αὐτοῦ φωνῶν, δι' ὧν τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐκ λογίων φιλοσοφίας συνάγων, πῶς ὁ Ἀπόλλων χρῆναι θεραπεύειν τοὺς θεοὺς διδάσκει. ὃ καὶ παρατίθεται γράφων ὧδε· 4.9.1 ιʹ. ΟΠΩΣ ΘΕΡΑΠΕΥΕΙΝ ∆ΙΑ ΘΥΣΙΩΝ Ο ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΤΤΕΙ ΤΟΥΣ ΘΕΟΥΣ «Ἀκολούθως μετὰ τὰ ῥηθέντα περὶ εὐσεβείας ἃ περὶ τῆς θεραπείας αὐτῶν ἔχρησαν, ἀναγράφοιμεν ἂν ὧν ἐκ μέρους κἀν τοῖς περὶ εὐσεβείας φθάσαντες παρατεθείκαμεν. ἔστιν δὲ ὁ χρησμὸς τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ἅμα καὶ διαίρεσιν τῆς τῶν θεῶν περιέχων τάξεως· 4.9.2 ἐργάζευ, φίλε, τήνδε θεόσδοτον ἐς τρίβον ἐλθών, μηδ' ἐπιλήθεο τῶν μακάρων, θυσίας ἐναρίζων πῆ μὲν ἐπιχθονίοις, πῆ δ' οὐρανίοις, ποτὲ δ' αἴθρης αὐτοῖσιν βασιλεῦσι καὶ ἠέρος ὑγροπόροιο ἠδὲ θαλασσαίοις καὶ ὑποχθονίοισιν ἅπασιν· πάντα γὰρ ἐνδέδεται φύσεως μεστώμασι τῶνδε. ζῴων δ' ὡς θέμις ἐστὶ τελευτῆσαι καθαγισμοὺς ἀείσω δέλτοις δὲ χαράσσετε χρησμὸν ἐμεῖο, τοῖς μὲν ἐπιχθονίοις, τοῖς δ' οὐρανίοισι θεοῖσι· φαιδρὰ μὲν οὐρανίοις, χθονίοις δ' ἐναλίγκια χροιῇ. τῶν χθονίων διάειρε τριχῇ θυσίας ἐναρίζων· νερτερίων κατάθαπτε καὶ ἐς βόθρον αἷμα ἴαλλε· χεῦε μέλι νύμφαισι ∆ιωνύσοιό τε δῶρα· ὅσσοι δ' ἀμφὶ γέην πωτώμενοι αἰὲν ἔασιν, τοῖσδε φόνου πλήσας πάντη πυριπληθέα βωμὸν ἐν πυρὶ βάλλε δέμας θύσας ζῴοιο ποτανοῦ καὶ μέλι φυρήσας ∆ηωΐῳ ἀλφίτῳ ἔνθευ ἀτμούς τε λιβάνοιο καὶ οὐλοχύτας ἐπίβαλλε· εὖτε δὲ πὰρ ψαμάθοισιν ἴῃς, γλαυκὴν ἅλα χεύας κὰκ κεφαλῆς θυσίαζε καὶ εἰς βαθὺ κῦμα θαλάσσης ζῷον ὅλον προΐαλλε. τελευτήσας τάδε πάντα ἐς πλατὺν ἠερίων χορὸν ἔρχεο οὐρανιώνων. ἀστραίοις δἤπειτα καὶ αἰθερίοις ἐπὶ πᾶσιν αἷμα μὲν ἐκ λαιμῶν κρουνώμασιν ἀμφὶ θυηλὰς λιμνάζειν, τὰ δὲ γυῖα θεοῖς ἐν δαιτὶ πονεῖσθαι, ἄκρα μὲν Ἡφαίστῳ δόμεναι, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ πάσασθαι, ἀτμοῖσιν λαροῖσιν ἐνιπλήσαντες ἅπαντα ἠέρα ῥευσταλέον· ἐπὶ δ' εὐχὰς πέμπετε τοῖσδε.» 4.9.3 Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα ἐπεξηγεῖται τὸν χρησμὸν ἑρμηνεύων ὧδε· «Αἱ δὲ θυσίαι ἔχουσι τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον κατὰ τὴν προρρηθεῖσαν διαίρεσιν τῶν θεῶν ἐκδεδομέναι. ὄντων γὰρ ὑποχθονίων καὶ ἐπιχθονίων θεῶν καὶ τῶν μὲν ὑποχθονίων καὶ νερτερίων καλουμένων, τῶν δ' ἐπιχθονίων καὶ χθονίων κληθέντων θεῶν, κοινῶς μὲν τούτοις ἱερεῖα τετράποδα μέλανα ἄγειν παρακελεύεται, περὶ δὲ τὸν τρόπον τῆς θυσίας ἐξαλλάττει· τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐπιχθονίοις σφάττειν ἐπὶ βωμῶν, τοῖς δ'