117

the roof? Is it for these reasons, O god-maker, that Cleomedes 5.34.5 must be honored by us? Or will you add that other proof of his courage and favor with the gods, that he got into a sacred chest and, pulling the lid over himself, became uncatchable to his pursuers, as they tried to drag him out? O Cleomedes, a hero no longer mortal, what devices you invented for immortality! 5.34.6 At any rate, the gods immediately perceived your good deed and snatched you up, just as Homer's gods did Ganymede; but him for his beauty, and you for your strength 5.34.7 and for the good use of your strength. Would that, as I said, O prophet, you had left the sand and the salt-water and learned instead how valuable boxing is, so that you might have considered boxing asses to be gods and wild asses the best of the gods; and there would have been a fitting oracle for a dead wild ass rather than for your boxer: "pre-eminent among immortals is the wild ass, not Cleomedes, whom you are to honor with sacrifices as being no longer mortal." 5.34.8 For do not be surprised if a wild ass too should lay claim to immortality, being sufficiently equipped for divine things, and upon hearing this will not tolerate it, but will threaten to strike Cleomedes himself and throw him into the pit and not permit him to ascend to heaven; 5.34.9 for he would be more worthy than him of the divine gifts, since he is ready to fight not only him alone, even if he used iron thongs, but also the Thasian boxer, both at the same time, on account of whose statue 5.34.10 the gods became angry and made the land of the Thasians barren. And about this too we trust not a man, but the same god. From which I understood quite well that boxing was, it seems, a divine pursuit, though this had escaped the notice of the many who think themselves wise, so that, ceasing to be gentlemen, they might practice the arts of the Thasian boxer; to whom, though they did not give immortality as they did to Cleomedes, 5.34.11 the gods were greatly attached. Thus his bronze statue also showed something beyond the images of other men, having fallen upon the enemy who was scourging it, 5.34.12 by some divine providence, it seems. But the foolish Thasians, inexperienced in divine matters, were indignant and invoked a curse on the statue 5.34.13 and exacted punishment and dared to sink it into the sea. Yet the Thasians did not escape, but the gods showed what a great evil had been dared by them, by sending a famine, the minister of divine justice, which with difficulty taught them the counsels of the gods, and you, the most philanthropic of gods, in your own way sent them aid, saying: "By bringing exiles to their fatherland, you will reap Demeter's grain." 5.34.14 But the simpletons again thought that they must recall the exiled men; knowing poorly. For what indeed do the most unphilanthropic gods care about men being recalled any more than about statues? Naturally, the land was not helped at all by this so as to cease from its affliction, until one of the wise and knowledgeable understood the divine mind, that the exile was the statue that had been sunk in the sea. And so it was. For as soon as it was set up again, immediately the land flourished, and they celebrated Demeter henceforth. 5.34.15 How then are these not clear proofs of the god-befitting nature of athletics, that it is honored by the gods? For indeed the gods were wroth at the statue of a pentathlete that had been insulted, and the Locrians suffered from famine because of this, just like the Thasians, until your oracle healed them, which ran thus: "By holding the dishonored one in honor, then you will plow your land;" 5.34.16 for the Locrians did not perceive the divine intention before you became its agent for them. But they threw Euthycles the pentathlete into prison, having accused him of taking bribes against his fatherland; and not only this, but even after he had died, these people also committed outrages against his images, until the gods, not enduring what was happening, sent upon them the mightiest famine; and they would have perished from the famine, if aid had not come from you, saying that they must honor fattened men, whom the gods love no less than the oxen which the barley-meal makers fatten, through which men sometimes persuade you by sacrificing; no less, perhaps, but even much more than fat oxen, do fat men delight you thus

117

τὴν στέγην; ἆρ', ὦ θεοποιέ, διὰ ταῦθ' ἡμῖν ὁ Κλεομήδης 5.34.5 τιμητέος ἐστίν; ἢ κἀκεῖνο προσθήσεις, τὸ ἕτερον δεῖγμα τῆς ἐκείνου ἀνδρείας ἅμα καὶ θεοφιλίας, ὅτι δὴ ἐμβὰς εἰς ἱερὸν κιβώτιον καὶ τὸ πῶμα ἐπαγαγόμενος ἄληπτος ἐγένετο τοῖς διώκουσι, πειρωμένοις αὐτὸν ἐξελκύσαι; ὦ Κλεόμηδες, ἆρα ἥρως οὐκέτι θνητός, οἷα τὰ μηχανήματα ὑπὲρ ἀθανασίας ἐξεῦρες· 5.34.6 ᾔσθοντο γοῦν εὐθέως οἱ θεοὶ τῆς ἀγαθουργίας καὶ ἀνηρείψαντό σε, ὥσπερ οἱ τοῦ Ὁμήρου τὸν Γανυμήδην· ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει, σὲ δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἰσχύϊ 5.34.7 καὶ τῆς ἰσχύος τῇ χρήσει τῇ ἀγαθῇ. εἴθ' οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, ὦ μάντι, ἐάσας τὴν ψάμμον καὶ τὴν ἅλμην ἀντ' αὐτῶν ἐξέμαθες ὁπόσου ἄξιόν ἐστιν ἡ πυκτική, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς πύκτας ὄνους θεοὺς ἐνόμιζες καὶ τοὺς ὀνάγρους τῶν θεῶν τοὺς ἀρίστους· καὶ ἦν ἄν τι οἰκεῖον λόγιον ἐπ' ἀποθανόντι ὀνάγρῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ σῷ πύκτῃ· ἔξοχος ἀθανάτων ὄνος ἄγριος, οὐ Κλεομήδης, ὃν θυσίαις τιμᾶσθ' ὡς οὐκέτι θνητὸν ἐόντα. 5.34.8 μὴ γὰρ δὴ θαυμάσῃς εἰ καὶ ὄναγρος ἐπιδικάσεται ἀθανασίας, ἱκανῶς τὰ θεῖα παρεσκευασμένος, καὶ ἀκούσας μὴ ἀνασχήσεται, ἀλλ' ἀπειλήσει καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Κλεομήδη πατάξας εἰς τὸ βάραθρον ἐμβαλεῖν καὶ οὐκ ἐπιτρέψειν αὐτῷ 5.34.9 εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβῆναι· εἶναι γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἀξιώτερος αὐτῶν τῶν θείων δώρων, ἅτε μήτε αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἕτοιμος ὢν μάχεσθαι, κἂν εἰ σιδηροῖς χρῷτο τοῖς ἱμᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Θασίῳ πύκτῃ ἅμα ἀμφοτέροις, ὑπὲρ οὗ τοῦ ἀνδριάντος 5.34.10 ἐχαλέπηναν οἱ θεοὶ καὶ τὴν Θασίων γῆν ἄφορον εἰργάσαντο. πιστεύομεν δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου οὐκ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἀλλὰ θεῷ τῷ αὐτῷ. ἐξ ὧν ἐγὼ καὶ πάνυ κατενόησα ὅτι θεῖόν τι ἄρα ἦν ἐπιτήδευμα ἡ πυκτική, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς καὶ οἰομένους εἶναι σοφοὺς ἐλελήθει, ἵν' ἀφέμενοι τοῦ καλοὶ κἀγαθοὶ εἶναι ἤσκουν τὰ τοῦ Θασίου πύκτου· ᾧ ἀθανασίαν μέν, ὥσπερ Κλεομήδει, οὐκ ἔδωκαν, 5.34.11 ἐφίλησαν δὲ μεγάλως οἱ θεοί. οὕτως καὶ ὁ χάλκεος αὐτοῦ ἀνδριὰς ἔδειξέν τι ὑπὲρ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ἀνθρώπων εἰκόνας, ἐπικατενεχθεὶς τῷ μαστιγοῦντι 5.34.12 ἐχθρῷ κατά τινα, ὡς ἔοικεν, δαιμονίαν μέριμναν. ἀλλ' οἱ ἄφρονες Θάσιοι καὶ θείων ἄπειροι πραγμάτων ἠγανάκτησάν τε καὶ ἄγος ἐπεκάλεσαν τῷ ἀνδριάντι 5.34.13 καὶ δίκην εἰσεπράξαντο καὶ καταδῦσαι ἐτόλμησαν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν. οὐ μὴν διέφυγόν γε οἱ Θάσιοι, ἀλλ' οἱ θεοὶ ἔδειξαν ἡλίκον κακὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐτολμήθη, λιμὸν ἐπιπέμψαντες τὸν τῆς θείας δίκης διάκονον, ὃς ἐδίδαξεν μόλις αὐτοὺς τὰ τῶν θεῶν βουλεύματα, ὅ τε φιλανθρωπότατος θεῶν σὺ τῷ οἰκείῳ τρόπῳ τὴν βοήθειαν αὐτοῖς ἔπεμψας λέγων· εἰς πάτρην φυγάδας κατάγων ∆ήμητραν ἀμήσεις. 5.34.14 ἀλλ' οἱ ἀβέλτεροι πάλιν τοὺς φεύγοντας ἀνθρώπους ᾤοντο ὅτι δεῖ αὐτοὺς κατακαλεῖν· κακῶς εἰδότες. τί γὰρ δὴ καὶ μέλει τοῖς ἀφιλανθρωποτάτοις θεοῖς ἀνθρώπων κατακαλουμένων ὅσονπερ ἀνδριάντων; ἀμέλει οὐδὲν ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὠφελήθη ἡ γῆ ὥστε παύσασθαι νοσοῦσα, εἰ μὴ τῶν σοφῶν καὶ ἐπισταμένων τις τὸν θεῖον νοῦν συνῆκεν φυγάδα εἶναι τὸν καταπεποντωμένον ἀνδριάντα. καὶ ἦν οὕτως. ἅμα γὰρ ἀνεστάθη καὶ εὐθὺς ἡ μὲν γῆ ἀνέθαλλεν, οἱ δὲ ἐκόμων 5.34.15 ∆ήμητρι λοιπόν. πῶς οὖν οὐ τεκμήρια ταῦτά ἐστιν ἐναργῆ τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ἀθλητικῆς, ὅτι ἐστὶ θεοτίμητος; καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ πεντάθλου ἀνδριάντι ὑβρισμένῳ ἐμήνισαν οἱ θεοί, καὶ Λοκροὶ ἐπείνησαν διὰ τοῦτο, ὥσπερ Θάσιοι, ἕως αὐτοὺς ἰάσατο λόγιον σὸν οὕτως ἔχον· ἐν τιμῇ τὸν ἄτιμον ἔχων τότε γαῖαν ἀρώσεις· 5.34.16 οὐδὲ γὰρ Λοκροὶ ᾔσθοντο θείας διανοίας πρότερον ἢ σὲ αὐτοῖς τούτου πρόξενον γενέσθαι. ἀλλ' Εὐθυκλέα τὸν πένταθλον ἐνέβαλον εἰς εἱρκτήν, αἰτιασάμενοι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ πατρίδι εἰληφέναι δῶρα· καὶ οὐ μόνον τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀποθανόντος καὶ οὗτοι εἰς τὰς εἰκόνας ἐξύβριζον, ἕως οἱ θεοὶ οὐκ ἀνασχόμενοι τῶν γιγνομένων ἐπαφῆκαν αὐτοῖς τὸν κράτιστον λιμόν· κἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ διώλοντο ἄν, εἰ μὴ ἡ παρὰ σοῦ ἦλθε βοήθεια, λέγουσα ὅτι δεῖ αὐτοὺς τιμᾶν ἄνδρας πεφατνευμένους, οὓς οἱ θεοὶ φιλοῦσιν οὐχ ἧττον ἢ οὓς οἱ ἀλφιτοποιοὶ πιαίνουσι βοῦς, δι' ὧν ὑμᾶς οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐνίοτε θύοντες πείθουσιν· οὐχ ἧττον ἴσως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺ μᾶλλον παχέων βοῶν οἱ παχεῖς ἄνθρωποι εὐφραίνουσιν ὑμᾶς οὕτως