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of pure fire being compressed. And nature dares to show forth these things of your birth, immortal Paean. 5.8.11 And again Apollo: The stream of Phoebus' radiance, sent from on high, veiled by the clear breath of pure air, charmed by songs and unspeakable words, fell upon the head of the blameless recipient of delicate membranes; and it filled his soft tunic, gushing up through his belly and rushing back again; and from a mortal pipe it produced a beloved voice.” 5.8.12 To these things the author adds: “Nothing could be clearer or more divine and more natural than these things. For the descending spirit and emanation from the celestial power, having entered into an organic and ensouled body, using the soul as a base, produces a voice through the body as an instrument.” 5.8.13 But that they are compelled, these things are sufficient to demonstrate. And that they also demand to be released, as the departure is not in their power, you may learn from these things: 5.9.1 9.

THAT THEY ARE NOT EVEN ABLE TO DEPART OF THEIR OWN ACCORD “But that the so-called gods are eager to depart, such things as these will show, when they say: Release the lord at last, a mortal can no longer contain a god. 5.9.2 And again: Why, tarrying, do you long torment a mortal? 5.9.3 And again: Go and depart swiftly, having saved this man. 5.9.4 And how one must release them, he himself will teach, saying: Cease now, wise one, from your discourse, and give the man rest, releasing the grey image from the shrubs, and from his limbs the linen of Nile, having strongly removed it with your hands. 5.9.5 And he spoke the dismissal: Raise the high-prowed foot, hold back the speech from your innermost parts,” 5.9.6 and the things said in addition to these. To which he adds: “and when they are slow to release him, he says: Unfurl the cloud of linen and release the recipient. And again at another time he gave such a dismissal: 5.9.7 Naiad Nymphs, together with the Muses release Phoebus, singing with divine voices of the far-darting Apollo. 5.9.8 And again at another time he says: Release my crowns and sprinkle my feet with white water and wipe away the lines, and I would depart. With your hands take the branch of laurel from my right hand and wipe my twin eyes and the nostrils of my face; lift up the man from the earth, having raised him, companions.” 5.9.9 To which the author adds: “He urges them, therefore, to wipe away the lines, so that he may depart; for these hold him, and indeed also the other form of the investiture, because it bears images of the so-called gods.” 5.9.10 I think it has been clearly shown through these things that there is nothing at all befitting a god, neither great nor truly divine, in spirits that have fallen to such a degree of abasement, as to be dragged down and drawn along by ordinary men, not for the attainment of virtue and wisdom, but only if they pursue and practice the arts of elaborate sor5.9.11 cery. Therefore, neither Pythagoras the Rhodian, nor he who gave this testimony to him, nor any other man could reasonably call them gods, nor even good demons, who are dragged by mortal men, and these sorcerers, not according to their own will, but by force and necessity, and do not even have in their own power the authority for their release from their bonds. 5.9.12 For if, indeed, the divine is by nature unforced and uncompelled and superior to all things, being impassible and free, how could they be gods <who> are charmed by enchantments through such figures and lines and types, and with crowns and flowers from the earth, and with certain other meaningless and barbarous sounds and voices, and are subdued by ordinary men and, as it were, enslaved by bonds, so that they do not even preserve in themselves 5.9.13 the power of free will and choice? And how could they be called good demons, being dragged down by force and necessity? For what is the reason for them to give themselves unwillingly, and not of their own free will, 5.9.14 to those in need of help? For if, being good, they make their appearance for a good purpose, and if there were any benefit to the soul from them, they ought, surely, to embrace the good by choice, anticipating

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συνθλιβομένου πυρὸς ἁγνοῦ. τολμᾷ δὲ φύσις ταῦτα προφαίνειν τῆς σῆς γενέθλης, ἄμβροτε Παιάν. 5.8.11 καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἀπόλλων· ῥεῦμα τὸ Φοιβείης ἀπονεύμενον ὑψόθεν αἴγλης πνοιῇ ὑπὸ λιγυρῇ κεκαλυμμένον ἠέρος ἁγνοῦ, θελγόμενον μολπαῖσι καὶ ἀρρήτοις ἐπέεσσιν κάππεσεν ἀμφὶ κάρηνον ἀμωμήτοιο δοχῆος λεπταλέων ὑμένων· μαλακὸν δ' ἐνέπλησε χιτῶνα, ἀμβολάδην διὰ γαστρὸς ἀνεσσύμενον παλίνορσον· αὐλοῦ δ' ἐκ βροτέοιο φίλην ἐτεκνώσατο φωνήν.» 5.8.12 Τούτοις ὁ συγγραφεὺς ἐπιλέγει· «Τούτων οὔτε σαφέστερα οὔτε θεϊκώτερα καὶ φυσικώτερα γένοιτ' ἄν. πνεῦμα γὰρ τὸ κατιὸν καὶ ἀπόρροια ἐκ τῆς ἐπουρανίου δυνάμεως εἰς ὀργανικὸν σῶμα καὶ ἔμψυχον εἰσελθοῦσα, βάσει χρωμένη τῇ ψυχῇ, διὰ τοῦ σώματος ὡς ὀργάνου φωνὴν ἀποδίδωσιν.» 5.8.13 Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἀναγκάζονται, ἱκανὰ καὶ ταῦτα παραστῆσαι. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀξιοῦσιν ἀπολυθῆναι, ὡς οὐκ ἐπ' αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως κειμένης, μάθοις ἂν ἐκ τούτων· 5.9.1 θʹ.

ΟΤΙ ΟΥ∆Ε ΑΦ' ΕΑΥΤΩΝ ΑΝΑΧΩΡΕΙΝ ∆ΥΝΑΝΤΑΙ «Ὅτι δὲ σπεύδουσιν ἀναχωρεῖν οἱ κληθέντες θεοί, δηλώσει τὰ τοιαῦτα, λεγόντων· λύετε λοιπὸν ἄνακτα, βροτὸς θεὸν οὐκέτι χωρεῖ. 5.9.2 καὶ πάλιν· τίπτ' ἐπιδευόμενοι δηρὸν βροτὸν αἰκίζεσθε; 5.9.3 καὶ πάλιν· ἕρπε καὶ ὀτραλέως ἐπιέρχεο, τόνδε σαώσας. 5.9.4 καὶ πῶς ἀπολύειν αὐτοὺς χρή, αὐτὸς διδάξει λέγων· παύεο δή, περίφρων, ὀάρων, ἀνάπαυε δὲ φῶτα, θάμνων ἐκλύων πολιὸν τύπον ἠδ' ἀπὸ γυίων Νειλαίην ὀθόνην χερσὶ στιβαρῶς ἀπαείρας. 5.9.5 καὶ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν εἶπεν· ὑψίπρῳρον αἶρε ταρσόν, ἴσχε βάξιν ἐκ μυχῶν,» 5.9.6 καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐπιλελεγμένα. οἷς ἐπιφέρει· «καὶ βραδυνόντων ἀπολῦσαι φησίν· σινδόνος ἀμπέτασον νεφέλην λῦσόν τε δοχῆα. καὶ πάλιν ἄλλοτε ἀπόλυσιν ἔδωκεν τοιαύτην· 5.9.7 Ναϊάδες Νύμφαι, Μούσαις μίγα λύετε Φοῖβον ᾄδουσαι θείαις ἑκατηβόλον Ἀπόλλωνα. 5.9.8 καὶ πάλιν ἄλλοτέ φησιν· λύσατέ μοι στεφάνους καί μευ πόδας ὕδατι λευκῷ ῥάνατε καὶ γραμμὰς ἀπαλείψατε, καί κε μόλοιμι. χειρὸς δεξιτερῆς δάφνης κλάδον ἄρατε χερσὶν ψήχετέ τ' ὀφθαλμοὺς διδύμους ῥῖνάς τε προσώπου· ἄρατε φῶτα γαίηθεν ἀναστήσαντες, ἑταῖροι.» 5.9.9 Οἷς ἐπιλέγει ὁ συγγραφεύς· «Τὰς γραμμὰς τοίνυν παρακελεύεται ἀπαλείφειν, ἵνα ἀπέλθῃ· ταύτας γὰρ κρατεῖν καὶ μέντοι καὶ τὸ ἄλλο σχῆμα τῆς ἐνδύσεως, διὰ τὸ φέρειν εἰκονίσματα τῶν κεκλημένων θεῶν.» 5.9.10 ∆εδεῖχθαι σαφῶς ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τούτων ὅτι μηδὲν τὸ καθόλου θεοπρεπὲς μήτε μέγα μήτε ἀληθῶς θεῖον ἔνεστι τοῖς εἰς τοσοῦτον ταπεινότητος καταπεπτωκόσιν πνεύμασιν, ὡς τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις ὑποσύρεσθαι καθέλκεσθαί τε οὐ δι' ἀρετῆς καὶ σοφίας ἀνάληψιν, ἀλλ' εἰ μόνον τὰ τῆς περιέργου γοη5.9.11 τείας μετέλθοιέν τε καὶ διαπράξοιντο. οὔτ' οὖν ὀρθῶς ὁ Ῥόδιος Πυθαγόρας οὔθ' ὁ τούτῳ ταύτην παρασχὼν τὴν μαρτυρίαν οὔθ' ὁστισοῦν ἀνθρώπων θεοὺς προσείποι ἂν εὐλόγως, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἀγαθοὺς δαίμονας τοὺς ὑπὸ θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ταῦτα γοήτων, οὐ κατὰ γνώμην οἰκείαν, βίᾳ δὲ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ συρομένους καὶ μηδὲ τῆς τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπολύσεως τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς 5.9.12 ἔχοντας. εἰ γὰρ δὴ ἀβίαστον καὶ ἀκατανάγκαστον καὶ πάντων κρεῖττον τὴν φύσιν ἀπαθὲς ὂν καὶ ἐλεύθερον τὸ θεῖον, πῶς ἂν εἶεν θεοὶ <οἱ> μαγγανείαις ταῖς διὰ τοιῶνδε σχημάτων καὶ γραμμῶν καὶ τύπων στεφάνοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ γῆς ἄνθεσι καί τισιν ἄλλαις ἀσήμοις καὶ βαρβάροις ἠχαῖς τε καὶ φωναῖς κηλούμενοι καὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις χειρούμενοι καὶ ὡσπερεὶ δεσμοῖς καταδουλούμενοι, ὥστε μηδὲ τὴν αὐτεξούσιον καὶ προαιρετικὴν σῴζειν ἐφ' 5.9.13 ἑαυτοῖς δύναμιν; πῶς δὲ κἂν ἀγαθοὶ δαίμονες λεχθεῖεν βίᾳ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ κατασπώμενοι; τί γὰρ τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ ἄκοντας, οὐχὶ δὲ αὐτεξουσίους σφᾶς αὐ5.9.14 τοὺς τοῖς βοηθείας δεομένοις ἐπιδιδόναι; εἰ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ ποιοῦνται τὴν πάροδον ἀγαθοὶ ὄντες καὶ εἴπερ τις ἦν ἐξ αὐτῶν ψυχῆς ὠφέλεια, χρῆν δήπου προαιρέσει τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀσπάζεσθαι, φθάνοντας