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and to Zeus in a supposedly sacred place rather than from anger and greed, or to other similar demons on altars or in the streets he should slaughter the man, having proclaimed him a holy victim; but such a sacrifice is murder and manslaughter. 4.16.13 Why then, O men, wisest of all other living creatures, do we avoid the savage beasts, and if anywhere we encounter a bear or a lion, we turn aside, as when one seeing a serpent in the mountain glens starts back, and trembling seizes his limbs, and he withdraws again, but demons, whom you perceive and understand to be destructive and sinful, treacherous and man-hating and ruinous, do you not turn aside from nor avoid them?” 4.16.14 Thus far Clement. But I can present to you another witness of the blood-guiltiness of the godless and inhuman demons, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a man who composed an accurate account of all Roman history. This man then also writes that Zeus and Apollo once demanded human sacrifices, and that those from whom they were demanded sacrificed to the gods the due portion of all their fruits and cattle, but because they did not also sacrifice men, they were beset by all kinds of misfortunes. But there is nothing like hearing the author himself, who relates it somehow thus: 4.16.15 “But he remained a short time in Italy, by the providence of the Aborigines. First, then, the beginning of the desolation of their cities seemed to be that the land was afflicted by drought, when no ripe fruit remained upon the trees, but fell off unripe, nor did any of the seeds that put forth shoots blossom, fulfilling their natural time until the ear was ripe, nor did sufficient grass grow for the cattle; and of the flowing streams, some were no longer fit to drink, some failed in summer, and others were completely dried up. Similar things happened concerning the offspring of sheep and women: for either the embryos miscarried, or they perished during childbirth, some even destroying the mothers along with them. And if any survived the danger of the birth-pangs, being maimed or incomplete or harmed by some other chance, it was not fit to be reared. Then also the rest of the population, especially those in their prime, was afflicted with diseases and frequent deaths beyond what was likely. And when they consulted the oracle as to which of the gods or demons they had transgressed to suffer these things, and what they must do to have hope of relief from their terrible plight, the god replied that having obtained what they wished, they had not rendered what they had vowed, but were still in debt for the things of most value. For the Pelasgians, when a scarcity of all things occurred in their land, had vowed to Zeus and Apollo and the Cabeiri to sacrifice a tenth of all that should be produced. And when the vow was due, they set apart the due portion of all the fruits and cattle and sacrificed it to the gods, as if they had vowed concerning these things alone. Myrsilus the Lesbian has related these things, writing in almost the same words as I do now, except that he does not call the people Pelasgians, but Tyrrhenians. And the reason for this I shall state a little later. 4.16.16 But when they learned the oracle that was brought back, they were unable to interpret what was said. And while they were at a loss, one of the elders, interpreting the oracle, said that they were entirely mistaken, if they thought the gods were accusing them unjustly. For the first-fruits of their possessions had all been rendered to them rightly and justly, but the due portion of human offspring, a thing most precious of all to the gods, was still owed. And if they should receive the just share of these also, the oracle would have its fulfillment for them. To some, indeed, these things seemed to be rightly spoken, but to others, the speech seemed to be contrived out of malice. And when someone proposed the opinion to ask the god again, if it was his will to receive tithes of men, they sent 4.16.17 envoys a second time, and the god declared that they should do so. From this, sedition seized them concerning the manner of the tithing, and the rulers of the cities were then first thrown into confusion among themselves, and then the rest of the populace began to hold those in authority in suspicion. The migrations took place with no order, but, as was likely, of men driven by frenzy and divine madness, and many entire households were wiped out as part of them moved away; for their relatives did not think it right that those

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καὶ ∆ιὶ ἐν ἱερῷ δῆθεν χωρίῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ὀργῇ καὶ φιλαργυρίᾳ, ἄλλοις ὁμοίοις δαίμοσιν ἐπὶ βωμοῖς ἢ ἐν ὁδοῖς ἀποσφάττοι τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἱερὸν ἱερεῖον ἐπιφημίσας· ἀλλὰ φόνος ἐστὶ καὶ ἀνδροκτασία ἡ τοιαύτη θυσία. 4.16.13 τί δὴ οὖν, ὦ σοφώτατοι τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ἄνθρωποι, τὰ μὲν θηρία περιφεύγομεν τὰ ἀνήμερα, κἄν που περιτύχωμεν ἄρκτῳ ἢ λέοντι, ἐκτρεπόμεθα, ὡς δ' ὅτε τίς τε δράκοντα ἰδὼν παλίνορσος ἀπέστη οὔρεος ἐν βήσσῃς ὑπό τε τρόμος ἔλλαβε γυῖα ἄψ τ' ἀνεχώρησεν, δαίμονας δὲ ὀλεθρίους καὶ ἀλιτηρίους ἐπιβούλους τε καὶ μισανθρώπους καὶ λυμεῶνας ὄντας προαισθόμενοι καὶ συνιέντες οὐκ ἐκτρέπεσθε οὐδὲ ἀποστρέφεσθε;» 4.16.14 Τοσαῦτα καὶ ὁ Κλήμης. ἔχω δέ σοι καὶ ἄλλον παραστῆσαι μάρτυρα τῆς τῶν ἀθέων καὶ ἀπανθρώπων δαιμόνων μιαιφονίας, ∆ιονύσιον τὸν Ἁλικαρνασσέα, ἄνδρα τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἱστορίας ἀκριβῆ τὴν γραφὴν ἅπασαν ἐκθέμενον. γράφει δ' οὖν καὶ οὗτος τὸν ∆ία καὶ τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα αἰτῆσαί ποτε ἀνθρωποθυσίας, τοὺς δ' αἰτηθέντας καρπῶν μὲν ἁπάντων καὶ βοσκημάτων τὸ λάχος ἀποθῦσαι τοῖς θεοῖς, ὅτι δὲ μὴ καὶ ἀνθρώπους ἔθυσαν παντοίαις περιστῆναι συμφοραῖς. οὐδὲν δὲ οἷον τὸ καὶ τοῦ συγγραφέως ἀκοῦσαι ὧδέ πη διεξιόντος· 4.16.15 «Ὀλίγον δὲ κατέμεινεν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ, τῶν Ἀβοριγίνων προνοίᾳ. πρῶτονμὲν οὖν τῆς οἰκοφθορίας ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐδόκει αὐχμῷ ἡ γῆ κακωθεῖσα ἄρξαι, ἡνίκα οὔτε ἐπὶ τοῖς δένδρεσι καρπὸς οὐδεὶς ὡραῖος διέμεινεν, ἀλλ' ὠμοὶ κατέρρεον, οὔτε ὁπόσα σπερμάτων ἀνέντα βλαστοὺς ἀνθήσειεν, ἕως στάχυος ἀκμῆς τοὺς κατὰ νόμον ἐξεπλήρου χρόνους, οὔτε πόα κτήνεσιν ἐφύετο διαρκὴς τῶν τε ναμάτων τὰ μὲν οὐκέτι πίνεσθαι σπουδαῖα ἦν, τὰ δ' ὑπελίμπανε θέρους, τὰ δ' εἰς τέλος ἀπεσβέννυτο. ἀδελφὰ δὲ τούτοις ἐγίνετο περὶ προβάτων καὶ γυναικῶν γονάς· ἢ γὰρ ἐξημβλοῦτο τὰ ἔμβρυα ἢ κατὰ τοὺς τόκους διεφθείρετο, ἔστιν ἃ καὶ τὰς φερούσας συνδιαλυμηνάμενα. εἰ δέ τι διαφύγοι τὸν ἐκ τῶν ὠδίνων κίνδυνον, ἔμπηρον ἢ ἀτελὲς ἢ διὰ ἄλλην τινὰ τύχην βλαφθέν, τρέφεσθαι χρηστὸν οὐκ ἦν· ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ ἄλλο πλῆθος τὸ ἐν ἀκμῇ μάλιστα ἐκακοῦτο νόσοις καὶ θανάτοις παρὰ τὰ εἰκότα συχνοῖς. μαντευομένοις δ' αὐτοῖς τίνα θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων παραβάντες τάδε πάσχουσιν καὶ τί ποιήσασιν αὐτοῖς λωφῆσαι τὰ δεινὰ ἐλπίς, ὁ θεὸς ἀνεῖλεν ὅτι τυχόντες ὧν ἐβούλοντο οὐκ ἀπέδοσαν ἃ ηὔξαντο, ἀλλὰ προσοφείλουσι τὰ πλείστου ἄξια. οἱ γὰρ Πελασγοί, ἀφορίας αὐτοῖς γενομένης ἐν τῇ γῇ πάντων χρημάτων, ηὔξαντο τῷ ∆ιὶ καὶ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ τοῖς Καβείροις καταθύσειν δεκάτας τῶν προσγενησομένων ἁπάντων, τελεσθείσης δὲ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐξελόμενοι καρπῶν τε καὶ βοσκημάτων ἁπάντων τὸ λάχος ἀπέθυσαν τοῖς θεοῖς, ὡς δὴ κατὰ τούτων μόνων εὐξάμενοι. ταῦτα δὲ Μυρσίλος ὁ Λέσβιος ἱστόρηκεν ὀλίγου δεῖν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασι γράφων οἷς ἐγὼ νῦν, πλὴν ὅσον οὐ Πελασγοὺς καλεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ Τυρρηνούς· τὴν δ' αἰτίαν ὀλίγον ὕστερον ἐρῶ. 4.16.16 Ὡς δὲ ἀπενεχθέντα τὸν χρησμὸν ἔμαθον, οὐκ εἶχον τὰ λεγόμενα συμβαλεῖν. ἀμηχανοῦσι δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν γεραιτέρων τις λέγει συμβαλὼν τὸ λόγιον, ὅτι τοῦ παντὸς ἡμαρτήκασιν, εἰ οἴονται τοὺς θεοὺς ἀδίκως αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλεῖν. χρημάτων μὲν γὰρ ἀποδεδόσθαι τὰς ἀπαρχὰς αὐτοῖς ἁπάσας ὀρθῶς τε καὶ σὺν δίκῃ, ἀνθρώπων δὲ γονῆς τὸ λάχος, χρῆμα παντὸς μάλιστα θεοῖς τιμιώτατον, ὀφείλεσθαι· εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ τούτων λάβοιεν τὴν δικαίαν μοῖραν, τέλος ἕξειν σφίσι τὸ λόγιον. τοῖς μὲν δὴ ὀρθῶς ἐδόκει λέγεσθαι ταῦτα, τοῖς δ' ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς συγκεῖσθαι ὁ λόγος· εἰσηγησαμένου δέ τινος τὴν γνώμην τὸν θεὸν ἐπερέσθαι, εἰ αὐτῷ φίλον ἀνθρώπων δεκάτας ἀπολαμβάνειν, πέμπουσι τὸ 4.16.17 δεύτερον θεοπρόπους, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀνεῖλεν οὕτως ποιεῖν. ἐκ δὲ τούτου στάσις αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνει περὶ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς δεκατεύσεως καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλοις οἱ προεστηκότες τῶν πόλεων τότε πρῶτον ἐταράχθησαν, ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν πλῆθος δι' ὑποψίας τοὺς ἐν τέλει ἐλάμβανεν. ἐγίνοντο δὲ οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ αἱ ἀπαναστάσεις, ἀλλ', ὥσπερ εἰκός, οἴστρῳ καὶ θεοβλαβείᾳ ἀπελαυνομένων, καὶ πολλὰ ἐφέστια ὅλα ἐξηλείφθη μέρους αὐτῶν μεθισταμένου· οὐ γὰρ ἐδικαίουν οἱ προσήκοντες τοῖς