119. But what wilt thou say about the Moral department of these teachers? Whence and from what principles will they start, and what arguments will they use, in order to incite men unto virtue, and render them honest people by their lessons? A very good thing is Concord, for states to agree together, and nations, and families, and individuals; following the law and disposition of Nature which hath divided and united all; and hath made all this into one single world out of several parts. By what examples will they go about to prove this? Perhaps by quoting the wars of the gods, their tumults, and rebellions, and the whole host of evils which they suffer themselves and occasion to others, publicly and privately; with which pretty nearly all history and poetry is filled! Sooner, from the things mentioned, would they render people quarrelsome and furious instead of sane, than convert the imprudent and rude into orderly and sober men, by means of examples like these! For people whom, even without anything to draw them into wickedness, it is a hard matter to reform from evil ways, and bring over to the better part from the worse----who can possibly make such as these gentle and self-restrained, when they have gods for inciters and patrons of their passions; where the being vicious is an honourable thing, inasmuch as some one of the gods presides over it, to whom the particular passion belongs, being dignified with altars and sacrifices, and invested with legal impunity. For this is the most terrible part of it all----that the very things which are punished by the laws are your objects of worship: so great is the absurdity of unrighteousness!

ΡΚʹ. Τί δ' ἂν εἴποις περὶ τοῦ ἠθικοῦ μέρους αὐτῶν; Πόθεν, καὶ ἐκ τίνων ὁρμώμενοι, καὶ τίσι χρώμενοι λόγοις, πλάττειν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀρετὴν δυνήσονται, καὶ πλείστου ποιεῖν ἀξίους ταῖς παραινέσεσιν; Ἄριστον ὁμόνοια, καὶ τὸ συμφρονεῖν ἀλλήλοις πόλεις, καὶ δήμους, καὶ οἰκίας, καὶ τοὺς καθ' ἕκαστον, νόμῳ καὶ τάξει φύσεως ἑπομένους, ἣ πάντα διεῖλέ τε καὶ συνέδησε, καὶ τὸ πᾶν τοῦτο κόσμον ἕνα ἐκ πλειόνων πεποίηκε. Τίσι τοῦτο διδάξουσιν ὑποδείγμασιν; Ἆρα τοὺς πολέμους λέγοντες τῶν θεῶν, καὶ τὰς στάσεις, καὶ τὰς ἐπαναστάσεις, καὶ τῶν κακῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ὧν αὐτοί τε ἔχουσι, καὶ ἀλλήλοις παρέχουσιν, ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ δημοσίᾳ, ὧν μικροῦ πᾶσα πεπλήρωται συγγραφή τε καὶ ποίησις; Θᾶττον μέν τ' ἂν ἐξ εἰρηνικῶν μαχίμους, καὶ παραπλῆγας ἀντὶ σοφῶν, ἢ τοὐναντίον μετρίους καὶ σώφρονας ἀντὶ θρασέων καὶ ἀπαιδεύτων τοῖς τοιούτοις ἂν ἐργάσαιντο παραδείγμασιν. Οὓς γὰρ καὶ δίχα τῶν εἰς τὸ χεῖρον ἑλκόντων χαλεπὸν μεταθεῖναι κακίας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κρείσσω μεταστῆσαι μοῖραν ἀπὸ τῆς χείρονος, τούτους τίς ἂν πείσειεν ἡμέρους εἶναι καὶ καθεκτοὺς, θεοῖς χρωμένους ὁδηγοῖς τῶν παθῶν καὶ προστάταις: ἔνθα τὸ κακὸν εἶναι καὶ τίμιον, ὡς θεῶν τινα προϊστάμενον, οὗ τὸ πάθος ἐστὶ βωμοῖς τε καὶ θυσίαις τιμώμενον, καὶ παῤῥησίαν εἰληφὸς ἔννομον; Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ δεινότατον, ὅτι ἃ τοῖς νόμοις κολάζεται, ταῦτα ὡς θεῖα σέβεται: τοσαύτη τις ὑμῖν τῆς ἀδικίας ἡ περιουσία.