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a workman <γ>, but now also 5.33.12 the city of the Athenians, because it alone produced tragedians. If, therefore, applause is a sufficient judge and the table on the Acropolis, I say nothing more, seeing Euripides dining on the Acropolis and the people of the Athenians and Macedonians applauding together; but if there is also, apart from these, some vote of the gods, and this is trustworthy and not inferior to that of tyrants nor of the crowds, come, tell us on account of which of his fine deeds you, the gods, cast your vote for Euripides, so that we may hasten and pursue heaven, following in the footsteps of your praises. 5.33.13 For indeed, even now, both Sabaians and Lycambae are not ready to be lampooned in comedy, and as for being portrayed in tragedy, neither Thyestes nor Oedipus nor that Phineus would object even now. Nor would they, I think, begrudge anyone desiring the friendship of the gods, but even they themselves, it seems to me, if they had perceived that there would be some Euripides, a man who became beloved of the gods for adapting them, would have neglected their own misfortunes and turned not for <τὸ> thinking the better things, 5.33.14 but for composing verse; and if they heard that the names of men of old were full of grandeur, to use these for their journey to heaven, so that having arrived they might sit on Olympus with the boxers in the 5.33.15 court of Zeus; for this is what the poet at Delphi says. Come, let us also look at the question of the blessed Homer, which he asks the god; for it was surely some heavenly and sufficient thing to summon forth the god; for not so readily would the god have declared him blessed, and in addition to his blessedness, have assigned him an oracle: You seek your fatherland; it is your mother-city, not your fatherland; neither near nor far from the land of Minos, in which it is your fate to end your life, when from their tongue you understand the incomprehensible speech of children spoken in many words. 5.33.16 For it is a terrible thing, O wisest of men, or rather of gods, if the blessed one knew neither where on earth he sprung from his mother, nor where he will lie with his eyes closed. And I thought it was the same for Homer to approach the god about these matters as for one of the dung beetles, and that the god would not more readily have explained such matters of ignorance 5.33.17 to Homer than to a dung beetle; just as if a dung beetle, having been born, did not live or grow old in that dung-heap, but encountered a hostile wind and a harsh beetle-spirit, which lifted him up high and carried him by force to another land and another dung-heap, and then, coming to Delphi, he asked what his ancestral dung-heap was and what land would receive him when he died.” So much, then, concerning the poets. 5.34.1 32. THAT THEY URGED TO HONOR BOXERS AND ATHLETES WITH HONORS EQUAL TO THE GODS

And since the wondrous god deified not only poets, but now also boxers and athletes through his own oracles, it seems fitting to me that the aforementioned one refutes these things too with these words: 5.34.2 “O you who know the number of the sand and the measures of the sea, and understand the deaf and hear the one who does not speak, if only you were ignorant of all such things, but knew this, that boxing differs in no way from kicking, so that you would either make donkeys immortal or not even Cleomedes the boxer of Astypalaea, saying thus: The last of the heroes, Cleomedes of Astypalaea, whom you should honor with sacrifices as being no longer mortal. 5.34.3 For why, O ancestral interpreter of the Hellenes, as Plato calls you, did you deify this man? Is it because at Olympia with a single blow he struck his opponent and opened up his side and thrusting in his hand took hold of his lung— 5.34.4 O Apollo, a deed worthy of a god!? Or not only that, but also because, having been fined four talents for this, he did not submit, but out of vexation and heavy-heartedness he vented his anger on the children in the school, by pulling out from under the pillar which supported

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ἐρ<γ>αστής, ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ 5.33.12 ἡ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πόλις, ὅτι μόνη τραγῳδοὺς ἤνεγκεν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ὁ κρότος ἱκανὸς κριτὴς καὶ ἡ ἐν ἀκροπόλει τράπεζα, οὐδὲν ἔτι λέγω, βλέπων ἐν ἀκροπόλει δειπνοῦντα τὸν Εὐριπίδην καὶ τὸν Ἀθηναίων ἅμα καὶ τὸν Μακεδόνων δῆμον ἐπιψοφοῦντα· εἰ δὲ καὶ δίχα τούτων ἐστίν τις καὶ θεῶν ψῆφος καὶ αὕτη πιστὴ καὶ οὐχ ἥττων τῆς τῶν τυράννων οὐδὲ τῆς τῶν ὄχλων, φέρε, φράσον ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τίνι τῶν καλῶν ἠνέγκατε ὑμεῖς οἱ θεοὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Εὐριπίδου ψῆφον, ἵνα σπεύσωμεν καὶ διώξωμεν τὸν οὐρανὸν κατὰ πόδας τῶν ὑμετέρων ἐπαί5.33.13 νων. οὐ γὰρ δὴ οὐκ εἰσὶ καὶ νῦν ἕτοιμοι κωμῳδεῖσθαι καὶ Σαβαῖοι καὶ Λυκάμβαι, πρὸς δέ γε τὸ τραγῳδεῖσθαι οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ νῦν ἐνσταίη οὔτε ὁ Θυέστης οὔτε ὁ Οἰδίπους οὔτε ὁ Φινεὺς ἐκεῖνος. οὐδ' ἄν, οἶμαι, φθονήσαιεν οὐδενὶ ἐπιθυμοῦντι φιλίας τῆς τῶν θεῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄν μοι δοκοῦσιν ἐκεῖνοι, εἰ ᾔσθοντο ὅτι ἔσοιτό τις Εὐριπίδης, ἀνὴρ ἐπὶ τῷ διασκευάσαι αὐτοὺς γενόμενος θεοφιλής, ἀμελῆσαι ἂν ἐκείνων τῶν κακῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ <τὸ> τὰ κρείττονα 5.33.14 φρονεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ μετροποιεῖν τραπέσθαι· καὶ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν ἀνθρώπων εἰ τὰ ὀνόματα ὄγκου πλήρη ἤκουον, χρῆσθαι τούτοις εἰς τὴν πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁδοιπορίαν, ἵν' ἐλθόντες καθίζοιντο ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ μετὰ τῶν πυκτῶν ἐν τῇ 5.33.15 τοῦ ∆ιὸς αὐλῇ· ταῦτα γὰρ λέγει ὁ ἐν ∆ελφοῖς ποιητής. φέρε καὶ τὴν Ὁμήρου τοῦ ὀλβίου ἴδωμεν ἐρώτησιν, ἣν τὸν θεὸν ἐρωτᾷ· ἦ που γάρ τις οὐρανία ἦν καὶ ἱκανὴ τὸν θεὸν ἐκκαλέσασθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὕτω ῥᾳδίως ὁ θεὸς ὄλβιον μὲν ἐπεφώνησεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ ὀλβίῳ ῥῆσιν ἀπένειμεν· πατρίδα δίζηαι· μητρὶς δέ τοι, οὐ πατρίς ἐστιν· Μίνωος δ' ἀπὸ γῆς οὔτε σχεδὸν οὔτ' ἀπὸ τηλοῦ, ἐν τῇ σοι μοῖρ' ἐστὶ τελευτῆσαι βιότοιο, εὖτ' ἂν ἀπὸ γλώσσης γνῷς παίδων ἀξύνετον πολλοῖσι λόγοις εἰρημένον. 5.33.16 δεινὸν γάρ, ὦ σοφώτατε ἀνδρῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ θεῶν, εἰ μήτε ὅπου τῆς γῆς ἐξέθορεν τῆς μητρὸς εἰδείη ὁ ὄλβιος μήτε ὅπου καταμύσας κείσεται. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ᾤμην ἴσον εἶναι Ὅμηρόν τε ὄντα περὶ τούτων προσιέναι τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἕνα τῶν κανθάρων, καὶ τὸν θεὸν μὴ μᾶλλον ἂν Ὁμήρῳ ἀφηγήσασθαι περὶ τοιούτων 5.33.17 ἀγνοημάτων ἢ κανθάρῳ· οἷον εἰ καὶ κάνθαρός τις γεννηθεὶς οὐκ ἐνεβίωσεν οὐδ' ἐνεγήρασεν ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ κοπρίᾳ, ἀλλ' ἐχθρῷ ἀνέμῳ περιέτυχεν καὶ κανθαρίῳ δαίμονι σκληρῷ, ὃς αὐτὸν μετέωρον ἄρας βίᾳ ἀπήνεγκεν ἐπί τινα ἄλλην γῆν καὶ ἄλλην κοπρίαν, κἄπειτα ἐλθὼν εἰς ∆ελφοὺς ἀνηρώτα ἥτις ἄρα ποτὲ αὐτῷ ἦν ἡ πατρῴα κοπρία καὶ ἥτις αὐτὸν γῆ δέξεται ἀποθανόντα.» Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν περὶ τῶν ποιητῶν. 5.34.1 λβʹ. ΟΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΠΥΚΤΑΣ ΑΝ∆ΡΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΘΛΗΤΑΣ ΤΙΜΑΙΣ ΙΣΟΘΕΟΙΣ ΓΕΡΑΙΡΕΙΝ

ΠΑΡΕΚΕΛΕΥΟΝΤΟ Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ μόνους ποιητάς, ἤδη δὲ καὶ πύκτας καὶ ἀθλητὰς ὁ θαυμάσιος θεὸς διὰ τῶν οἰκείων χρησμῶν ἐξεθέωσεν, εἰκότως μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ταῦτα ἀπελέγχειν ὁ δεδηλωμένος τούτοις τοῖς ῥήμασιν· 5.34.2 «Ὦ εἰδὼς ψάμμου τ' ἀριθμὸν καὶ μέτρα θαλάσσης, καὶ κωφοῦ ξυνιεὶς καὶ μὴ λαλέοντος ἀκούων, εἴθε ὤφελες τὰ μὲν τοιαῦτα πάντα ἀγνοεῖν, ἐκεῖνο δὲ εἰδέναι, ὅτι ἡ πυκτικὴ τῆς λακτικῆς οὐδὲν διαφέρει, ἵν' ἢ καὶ τοὺς ὄνους ἀπηθανάτους ἢ μηδὲ Κλεομήδην πύκτην Ἀστυπαλαιέα, λέγων οὕτως· ὕστατος ἡρώων Κλεομήδης Ἀστυπαλαιεύς, ὃν θυσίαις τιμᾶσθ' ὡς οὐκέτι θνητὸν ἐόντα. 5.34.3 διὰ τί γάρ, ὦ πάτριε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐξηγητά, ὥς σε καλεῖ Πλάτων, ἐθέωσας τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον; ἢ ὅτι Ὀλυμπίασι πληγῇ μιᾷ πατάξας τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν ἀνέῳξέ τε τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐμβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα ἐλάβετο τοῦ πνεύμονος 5.34.4 Ἄπολλον, ἀξιοθέου ἔργου!; ἢ οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτι προστιμηθεὶς τεσσάρων ταλάντων ζημίαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ οὐχ ὑπέστη, ἀλλ' ὑπ' ἀχθηδόνος καὶ βαρυθυμίας ἐνήρεισε τὸν θυμὸν τοῖς ἐν τῷ διδασκαλείῳ παισίν, τὸν κίονα ὑφελκύσας, ὃς ἀνεῖχε