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We have considered it superfluous and of no value to speak in detail of the abominable things done by them, because of the great corruption among men, and the practice of wickedness and *. For in Media again six 3.510 different heresies are said to exist, and in Ethiopia how many, and among the Persians or in Parthia or Elamitis or Caspia or the land of the Germans, or Sarmatia or as many as are among the Daunians or among the Zicchi and Amazons, and the Lazi and Iberians and Bosporans or the Geli or the Seres or the other nations, how many differences of laws and philosophies and heresies and an immeasurable multitude of differences. For example, the men of the Seres weave, sitting at home, perfuming themselves and being effeminate, preparing themselves for women, while the women, on the contrary, cut the hair of their heads, gird themselves with a man's belt and perform all the tasks of the field. But among the Geli, on the contrary, those who do wicked things are praised by their laws. And among the Greeks how many mysteries and rites? How the women who celebrate the Megarian rites and the Thesmophoria differ from one another; and how many other things, the mysteries of Deo and Pherephatte at Eleusis and the shameful acts of the sanctuaries there, the strippings of women, to put it more modestly, and drums and cakes, and a rhombus and a basket, worked wool and a cymbal and the kykeon prepared in a cup, and how many other things, the mysteries of Archemorus at Pytho, and others at the Isthmus, of Athamas and Melicertes the offspring of Ino; and all those who carry the phallus aloft, and the † phallarizousai, practices of shameful deeds, and the men who serve Rhea, having cut off the male member, continuing without the form of genitals, being able neither to be men any longer nor having become women; and others, the Dionysioi, who initiate into the rites of the Curetes and the tearing of flesh, wreathed with snakes, shouting "eua, eua," calling 3.511 upon that Eve who was once deceived by the serpent, or, with an aspirated sound, summoning the serpent from the Hebrew tongue to their own delusion. For "Eva" with a smooth breathing means "the woman," but with a rough breathing "hevia" means "the serpent," as the children of the Hebrews name it. 11. And "what shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell" about the things that are countless in number in the differences of men with respect to virtue and wickedness; for instance, as many as in the land of the Egyptians, others being initiated to Kronos, having confined themselves in iron collars, with very long hair, and using filthy and tattered clothing, piercing their own nostrils with rings each day for Kronos in the town called Astu—this is a mother-village in the nome called Prosopite—according to the accursed rites of the public assembly of the deluded, and of those who make a din and celebrate orgies, they put on a show of supposedly frenzied hierophantic displays; and these men are utterly destroyed. and among others, as many as, such as those near the Boutikos or the town of Buto itself who nurse Harpocrates, who are already old men in age *, who at the sacred new moon are compelled by the demon to perform the phantom-like enthusiasms of Horus. And each of the citizens, even a very old man, along with like-minded youths and other ages in their prime, supposedly priests of this same Horus and Harpocrates, with their heads shaven, rather each one shamelessly bears the slavish and at the same time accursed and childish mark, and having made themselves playthings for the wise, having given themselves over to the things from the demon, and being frenzied and senseless, they are carried away, being made a spectacle without restraint, having first smeared their faces with porridge and fine flour, and other vulgar preparations, then having put their face into a boiling cauldron, and having deceptively driven the crowds to a frenzy with the supposed miracle from their face, they share it out, wiping it from their face with their hand to each of those who ask for a share of health and a cure for pains

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τὸ κατ' εἶδος λέγειν καὶ τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν μυσαρὰ γινόμενα περιττὸν ἡγησάμεθα καὶ οὐδὲν ἄξιον, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις φθοράν, κακίας τε καὶ * ἐργασίαν. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ Μηδίᾳ ἓξ αἱρέσεις πάλιν λέγονται εἶναι 3.510 διάφοροι, ἐν δὲ τῇ Αἰθιοπίδι ὅσαι, παρὰ Πέρσαις τε ἢ ἐν τῇ Παρθίᾳ ἢ Ἐλαμίτιδι ἢ Κασπίᾳ ἢ Γερμανῶν χώρᾳ, ἢ Σαρματίᾳ ἢ ὁπόσοι ἐν τοῖς ∆αύνισιν ἢ παρὰ Ζικχοῖς καὶ Ἀμαζόσι, Λαζοῖς τε καὶ Ἴβηρσι καὶ Βοςπορηνοῖς ἢ Γηλοῖς ἢ Σηροῖς ἢ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσι, πόσαι νόμων τε διαφοραὶ καὶ φιλοσοφιῶν καὶ αἱρέσεων καὶ διαφορῶν ἄμετρον πλῆθος. ὡς Σηροὶ μὲν ἄνδρες ἐμπλέκονται, οἴκαδε καθεζόμενοι, μυριζόμενοί τε καὶ θηλευόμενοι, γυναιξὶν ἑτοιμαζόμενοι, αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες τὸ ἀνάπαλιν τὴν τρίχα τῆς κεφαλῆς κουρευόμεναι, ἀνδρείῳ ζώματι ζωννύμεναι καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἄρουραν πάντα ἔργα ἐκτελοῦσαι. παρὰ Γηλοῖς δὲ τοὐναντίον οἱ τὰ φαῦλα δρῶντες πρὸς τῶν νόμων αὐτῶν ἐπαινοῦνται. παρ' Ἕλλησι δὲ πόσα μυστήρια καὶ τελεταί; ὡς αἱ μεγαρίζουσαι γυναῖκες καὶ θεσμοφοριάζουσαι ἀλλῆλαι πρὸς ἀλλήλας διαφέρονται· ὅσα τε ἄλλα, τά τε ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι μυστήρια ∆ηοῦς καὶ Φερεφάττης καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἀδύτων τὰ αἰσχρουργήματα, γυναικῶν ἀπογυμνώσεις, ἵνα σεμνότερον εἴπω, τύμπανά τε καὶ πόπανα, ῥόμβος τε καὶ κάλαθος, ἐρέα ἐξειργασμένη καὶ κύμβαλον καὶ κυκεὼν ἐκπώματι κατεσκευασμένος, ὅσα τε ἄλλα, τὰ ἐν Πυθοῖ Ἀρχεμόρου τὰ μυστήρια, ἐν Ἰσθμοῖς δὲ ἕτερα, Ἀθάμαντός τε καὶ Μελικέρτου τοῦ Ἰνοῦς γόνου· καὶ ὅσοι τὸν φαλλὸν ἀναστρέφοντες, αἵ τε † φαλλαρίζουσαι αἰσχρουργίας μελετήματα, οἵ τε τὴν Ῥέαν θεραπεύοντες ἄνδρες, παρακόψαντες τε τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἄρρενα, ἄνευ σχήματος μορίων διατελέοντες, οὔτε μὴν ἄνδρες δυνάμενοι ἔτι εἶναι οὔτε γυναῖκες γεγενημένοι· ∆ιονύσιοί τε ἕτεροι, οἱ τοὺς Κούρητας καὶ τὴν κρεωνομίαν μυοῦντες, τοὺς ὄφεις ἀνεστεμμένοι, εὐάζοντες τὸ οὐὰ οὐά, ἐκείνην τὴν Εὔαν ἔτι τὴν διὰ τοῦ ὄφεως ἀπατηθεῖσαν ἐπικα3.511 λούμενοι ἢ διὰ τῆς δασείας φωνῆς τὸν ὄφιν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑβραΐδος εἰς ἑαυτῶν πλάνην κικλήσκοντες. Εὔα γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ψιλὴν ἀπόδοσιν τὴν γυναῖκα, κατὰ δὲ τὴν δασεῖαν εὑΐα τὸν ὄφιν παῖδες Ἑβραίων ὀνομάζουσι. 11. Καὶ «τί ἐρῶ; ἐπιλείψει γάρ μοι ὁ καιρὸς διηγουμένῳ» περὶ τῶν ἀμυθήτως ἐχόντων τῷ ἀριθμῷ ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων διαφοραῖς πρὸς τῇ ἀρετῇ τε καὶ φαυλότητι· ὅσοι μὲν κατὰ τὴν Αἰγυπτίων χώραν τῷ μὲν Κρόνῳ ἕτεροι τελισκόμενοι, κλοιοῖς ἑαυτοὺς σιδηρέοις καθείρξαντες, χαίτῃ τε ὑπερτάτῃ, ἐσθῆτί τε ῥυπαρᾷ καὶ καταμεμωκημένῃ χρώμενοι, ὡς κρίκοις μὲν τοὺς ἑαυτῶν μυκτῆρας ἐμπείραντες καθ' ἑκάστην τῷ Κρόνῳ ἐν τῇ Ἀστῷ καλουμένῃ πολίχνη δέ ἐστιν αὕτη μητροκωμία κατὰ τὸν Προσωπίτην καλούμενον νομόν κατὰ τὰς ἐναγεῖς τῆς πανδήμου τῶν πεπλανημένων συνελεύσεως τελετὰς καὶ τῶν παταγιζόντων καὶ ὀργιώντων ἐμμανεῖς δῆθεν ἱεροφαντίας σχηματίζονται· ἐξώλεις δὲ οὗτοι. παρ' ἄλλοις δὲ ὅσοι, ὡς οἱ μὲν παρὰ τὸν Βουτικὸν ἢ αὐτὴν τὴν Βουτὼ τὴν πολίχνην τὸν Ἁρποκράτην τιθηνοῦντες, οἳ γέροντες μὲν ἤδη εἰσὶ τὴν ἡλικίαν *, οἱ πρὸς τῇ ἱερομηνίᾳ τὰς φαντασιώδεις τοῦ Ὤρου ἐνθουσιάσεις ἐπιτελεῖν ἐκ τοῦ δαίμονος ἀναγκαζόμενοι. ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν πολιτῶν, καὶ πρεσβύτης ἤδη ὑπεράγαν ἅμα νεανίαις ὁμοτρόποις καὶ ἑτέραις ἡβηδὸν ἡλικίαις, ἱερεῖς τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ὤρου δῆθεν καὶ Ἁρποκράτους, ἐπὶ τῆς κάρας ἐξυρημένοι, μᾶλλον ἕκαστος φέρει ἀναιδῶς τὸ δουλικὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐπικατάρατον καὶ παιδαριῶδες σῆμα φέροντες, ἀθύρμασί τε παρὰ τοῖς συνετοῖς τοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος ἑαυτοὺς ἐκδεδωκότες, ἐμμανεῖς τε καὶ ἀφραίνοντες γελοιώμενοί τε ἀσχέτως φέρονται, ἀθήραις τε καὶ σεμιδάλεσιν, ἄλλαις τε βαναυσοποιίαις πρῶτον μὲν τὰς ὄψεις χρίσαντες, εἶτα λέβητι ἀνακοχλάζοντι τὸ πρόσωπον ἐνθέντες ἀπό τε τοῦ προσώπου δῆθεν ὑπὲρ θαύματος ἀπατηλῶς τὰ πλήθη ἐξοιστρήσαντες, μεταδιδόασι τῇ χειρὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου ἀπομαξάμενοι ἑκάστῳ τῶν αἰτησάντων εἰς μετάληψιν ὑγείας τε καὶ ἄκους πόνων