§10ὅθεν ἔμοιγε καὶ θαυμάζειν ἔπεισι τοὺς τὴν ἀθεότητα φάσκοντας ἀσέβειαν εἶναι, μὴ φάσκοντας δὲ τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν.
Hence it occurs to me even to wonder at those who assert that atheism is impiety, but do not assert this of superstition.
καίτοι γʼ Ἀναξαγόρας δίκην ἔφυγεν ἀσεβείας ἐπὶ τῷ λίθον εἰπεῖν τὸν ἥλιον, Κιμμερίους δʼ οὐδεὶς εἶπεν ἀσεβεῖς ὅτι τὸν ἥλιον οὐδʼ εἶναι τὸ παράπαν νομίζουσι.
And yet Anaxagoras fled a prosecution for impiety because he said the sun was a stone, but no one called the Cimmerians impious because they believe that the sun does not even exist at all.
τί σὺ λέγεις;
What do you say?
ὁ μὴ νομίζων θεοὺς ἀνόσιός ἐστιν;
Is the one who does not believe in gods impious?
ὁ δὲ τοιούτους νομίζων οἵους οἱ δεισιδαίμονες, οὐ μακρῷ δόξαις ἀνοσιωτέραις σύνεστιν;
But is not the one who believes them to be such as the superstitious do, possessed by far more impious opinions?
ἐγὼ γοῦν ἂν ἐθέλοιμι μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λέγειν περὶ ἐμοῦ μήτε γεγονέναι τὸ παράπαν μήτʼ εἶναι Πλούταρχον ἢ λέγειν ὅτι Πλούταρχός ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ἀβέβαιος εὐμετάβολος, εὐχερὴς πρὸς ὀργήν, ἐπὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσι τιμωρητικός, μικρόλυπος· ἂν καλῶν ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἑτέρους παραλίπῃς ἐκεῖνον, ἂν ἀσχολίας σοι γενομένης ἐπὶ θύρας μὴ ἔλθῃς ἢ μὴ προσείπῃς, διέδεταί σου τὸ σῶμα προσφὺς ἢ συλλαβὼν ἀποτυμπανιεῖ τὸ παιδίον, ἢ θηρίον ἔχων τοῖς καρποῖς ἐφήσει καὶ λυμανεῖται τὴν ὀπώραν. τοῦ Τιμοθέου τὴν Ἄρτεμιν ᾄδοντος ἐν Ἀθήναις καὶ λέγοντος θυιάδα φοιβάδα μαινάδα λυσσάδα Κινησίας ὁ μελοποιὸς ἐκ τῶν θεατῶν ἀναστάς
τοιαύτη σοι
εἶπε
θυγάτηρ γένοιτο. καὶ μὴν ὅμοια τούτοις καὶ χείρω περὶ Ἀρτέμιδος οἱ δεισιδαίμονες ὑπολαμβάνουσιν
αἵ τε κἂν ἀπʼ ἀγχόνας ἀίξασα αἵ τε καλεχόνα κναίσατε αἵ τε κανέκεκρος μαίουσα ἂν πεφυρμένα ἐσῆλθες αἵ τε καὶ ἐκ τριπόδων καθαρμάτεσσιν ἐπισπώμενα τῷ παλαμναίῳ συμπλεχθεῖσα. οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων ἐπιεικέστερα φρονοῦσι περὶ Ἀπόλλωνος περὶ Ἥρας περὶ Ἀφροδίτης· πάντας γὰρ τούτους τρέμουσι καὶ δεδοίκασι.
For my part, I would rather have people say about me that Plutarch never existed at all nor is now, than to say that "Plutarch is an inconstant man, changeable, easily moved to anger, vindictive over trifles, and small-minded; if you invite others to dinner and pass him by, or if, being busy, you do not visit his door or greet him, he will cling to and gnaw your body, or seize and beat your child to death, or keep a wild beast to let loose upon your crops and ruin your harvest." When Timotheus was singing of Artemis in Athens, calling her "raving, frenzied, mad, and wild," Cinesias the lyric poet stood up from the spectators and said, "May you have such a daughter yourself!" And indeed, the superstitious hold similar and worse views about Artemis: "Whether rushing down from the noose, or... or midwife of the dead, having entered defiled with blood, or even drawn from the tripods by purifications, entangled with the avenger." And they hold no more reasonable opinions than these concerning Apollo, Hera, or Aphrodite; for they tremble at and fear all of them.
καίτοι τί τοσοῦτον ἡ Νιόβη περὶ τῆς Λητοῦς ἐβλασφήμησεν, ὅσου ἡ δεισιδαιμονία πέπεικε περὶ τῆς θεοῦ τοὺς ἄφρονας, ὡς ἄρα λοιδορηθεῖσα κατετόξευσε τῆς ἀθλίας γυναικὸς
"ἓξ μὲν θυγατέρας, ἓξ δʼ υἱέας ἡβώοντας;
And yet, what blasphemy did Niobe utter against Leto so great as that which superstition has persuaded foolish people to believe about the goddess—namely, that because she was insulted, she shot down the wretched woman's "six daughters and six young, vigorous sons"?
"
οὕτως ἄπληστος ἀλλοτρίων κακῶν ἦν καὶ ἀνίλαστος.
So insatiable of others' misfortunes and so implacable was she!
εἰ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἡ θεὸς χολὴν εἶχε καὶ μισοπόνηρος ἦν καὶ ἤλγει κακῶς ἀκούουσα καὶ μὴ κατεγέλα τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀμαθίας καὶ ἀγνοίας ἀλλʼ ἠγανάκτει, τούτους ἔδει κατατοξεῦσαι τοὺς τοσαύτην ὠμότητα καὶ πικρίαν καταψευδομένους αὐτῆς καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγοντας καὶ γράφοντας.
For if the goddess truly possessed bitter anger, was a hater of evil, felt pain at being ill spoken of, and did not laugh at human ignorance and stupidity but was indignant, she ought to have shot down those who falsely attribute such cruelty and bitterness to her, and who speak and write such things.
τῆς γοῦν Ἑκάβης προβαλλόμεθα τὴν πικρίαν ὡς βάρβαρον καὶ θηριώδη λεγούσης
"
τοῦ ἐγὼ μέσον ἧπαρ ἔχοιμι
ἐσθέμεναι προσφῦσα,
"
τὴν δὲ Συρίαν θεὸν οἱ δεισιδαίμονες νομίζουσιν, ἂν μαινίδας τις ἢ ἀφύας φάγῃ, τὰ ἀντικνήμια διεσθίειν, ἕλκεσι τὸ σῶμα πιμπράναι, συντήκειν τὸ ἧπαρ.
At any rate, we reject the bitterness of Hecuba as barbarian and beastly when she says "Would that I might cling to and devour the middle of his liver, "yet the superstitious believe that the Syrian goddess, if anyone eats herrings or anchovies, gnaws through their shins, inflames their body with ulcers, and melts away their liver.
§11ἆρʼ οὖν τὸ μὲν λέγειν τὰ φαῦλα περὶ τῶν θεῶν ἀνόσιον, τὸ δὲ δοξάζειν οὐκ ἀνόσιον;
Is it then impious to say bad things about the gods, but not impious to think them?
ἢ καὶ τὴν φωνὴν ἄτοπον ἡ δόξα ποιεῖ τοῦ βλασφημοῦντος;
Or is it the belief that makes even the voice of the blasphemer offensive?
καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὴν βλασφημίαν ὅτι δυσμενείας σημεῖόν ἐστι προβαλλόμεθα, καὶ τοὺς κακῶς ἡμᾶς λέγοντας ἐχθροὺς νομίζομεν ὡς καὶ κακῶς φρονοῦντας.
For we too reject slander because it is a sign of ill-will, and we consider those who speak ill of us as enemies, on the ground that they also think ill of us.
ὁρᾷς δʼ οἷα περὶ τῶν θεῶν οἱ δεισιδαίμονες φρονοῦσιν, ἐμπλήκτους ἀπίστους εὐμεταβόλους τιμωρητικοὺς ὠμοὺς μικρολύπους ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ἐξ ὧν ἀνάγκη καὶ μισεῖν τὸν δεισιδαίμονα καὶ φοβεῖσθαι τοὺς θεούς.
And you see what kind of things the superstitious think about the gods, supposing them to be impulsive, unfaithful, fickle, vengeful, cruel, and small-minded; from which it is inevitable that the superstitious person both hates and fears the gods.
πῶς γὰρ οὐ μέλλει, τὰ μέγιστα τῶν κακῶν αὑτῷ διʼ ἐκείνους οἰόμενος γεγονέναι καὶ πάλιν γενήσεσθαι;
For how could he help it, since he believes that the greatest of evils have come upon him because of them, and will come upon him again?
μισῶν δὲ θεοὺς καὶ φοβούμενος ἐχθρός ἐστι.
And one who hates and fears the gods is their enemy.
καίτοι προσκυνεῖ γε καὶ θύει καὶ κάθηται πρὸς ἱεροῖς, καὶ οὐ θαυμαστόν ἐστι· καὶ γὰρ τοὺς τυράννους ἀσπάζονται περιέπουσι χρυσοῦς ἀνιστᾶσιν, ἀλλὰ μισοῦσι σιγῇ
κάρα σείοντες. Ἀλέξανδρον Ἑρμόλαος ἐθεράπευε, Παυσανίας ἐδορυφόρει Φίλιππον, Χαιρέας Γάιον, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος τούτων ἔλεγε παρακολουθῶν
"ἦ σʼ ἂν τισαίμην, εἴ μοι δύναμίς γε παρείη. "
οὐκ οἴεται θεοὺς εἶναι ὁ ἄθεος, ὁ δὲ δεισιδαίμων οὐ βούλεται, πιστεύει δʼ ἄκων· φοβεῖται γὰρ ἀπιστεῖν.
And yet he worships them, sacrifices, and sits at their temples, and it is no wonder; for men also greet tyrants, court them, and erect golden statues of them, but they hate them in silence, "shaking their heads." Hermolaus attended Alexander, Pausanias was a bodyguard to Philip, Chaerea to Gaius, but each of them, as he followed, would say: "Verily I would take vengeance on you, if only power were mine." The atheist does not think that gods exist, but the superstitious person wishes they did not, yet believes against his will; for he is afraid not to believe.
καίτοι γʼ ὥσπερ ὁ Τάνταλος ὑπεκδῦναι τὸν λίθον ἐπαιωρούμενον οὕτω καὶ οὗτος τὸν φόβον ὡς οὐχ ἧττον ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πιεζόμενος ἀγαπήσειεν ἄν, καὶ μακαρίσειε τὴν τοῦ ἀθέου διάθεσιν ὡς ἐλευθέριον.
And yet, just as Tantalus would gladly escape the stone suspended over him, so this man too, being no less oppressed by his fear, would welcome an escape from it, and would call the disposition of the atheist happy, as being free.
νυνὶ δὲ τῷ μὲν ἀθέῳ δεισιδαιμονίας οὐδὲν μέτεστιν, ὁ δὲ δεισιδαίμων τῇ προαιρέσει ἄθεος ὢν ἀσθενέστερός ἐστιν ἢ ὥστε δοξάζειν περὶ θεῶν ὃ βούλεται.
But as it is, the atheist has no share in superstition, whereas the superstitious person, though an atheist by inclination, is too weak to think of the gods as he wishes.