§25καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἀρχὴν οἱ τὸν φόβον ἡμῖν ἐνεργασάμενοι τοῦτον αἴτιοι γεγόνασι τοῦ μὴ παντάπασι θηριωδῶς διακεῖσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
For indeed, in the first place, those who instilled this fear in us have become the cause of our not being disposed toward one another in an entirely beastly manner.
ἐκεῖνοι τοίνυν οὕτως ἁγίως περὶ ταῦτα καὶ σεμνῶς ἔχουσιν ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους πιστοτέρους εἶναι τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων ἱεροῖς ἢ τοὺς παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις καθεστῶτας, καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ἕκαστον οἴεσθαι παραχρῆμα δώσειν δίκην, ἀλλʼ οὐ διαλήσειν τὸν παρόντα χρόνον, οὐδʼ εἰς τοὺς παῖδας ἀναβληθήσεσθαι τὰς τιμωρίας.
They, then, are so holily and solemnly disposed toward these matters that even the oaths taken in their temples are more credible than those established among others, and they believe that each of the wrongdoings will immediately suffer punishment, and will not escape notice in the present time, nor will the punishments be deferred to their children.
§26καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰκότως δοξάζουσιν· πολλὰς γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ παντοδαπὰς ἀσκήσεις τῆς ὁσιότητος ἐκεῖνος κατέστησεν, ὅστις καὶ τῶν ζῴων τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν καταφρονουμένων ἔστιν ἃ σέβεσθαι καὶ τιμᾶν ἐνομοθέτησεν, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῶν, ἀλλʼ ἅμα μὲν ἐθίζειν οἰόμενος δεῖν τὸν ὄχλον ἐμμένειν ἅπασι τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων παραγγελλομένοις, §27ἅμα δὲ βουλόμενος πεῖραν λαμβάνειν ἐν τοῖς φανεροῖς, ἥντινα περὶ τῶν ἀφανῶν διάνοιαν ἔχουσιν.
And they believe these things reasonably; for he established for them many and manifold exercises of piety, who even legislated that they should worship and honor certain of the animals that are despised among us, not because he was ignorant of their power, but because he thought at the same time that it was necessary to habituate the crowd to abide by all things commanded by the rulers, and at the same time because he wished to take a test in manifest things of what kind of mind they have concerning invisible things.
ἐνόμιζε γὰρ τοὺς μὲν τούτων ὀλιγωροῦντας τυχὸν καὶ τῶν μειζόνων καταφρονήσειν, τοὺς δʼ ἐπὶ πάντων ὁμοίως ἐμμένοντας τῇ τάξει βεβαίως ἔσεσθαι τὴν αὑτῶν εὐσέβειαν ἐπιδεδειγμένους.
For he thought that those who neglected these things would perhaps also despise the greater things, while those who remained in the order likewise in all things would have firmly demonstrated their own piety.
§28ἔχοι δʼ ἄν τις μὴ σπεύδειν ὡρμημένος πολλὰ καὶ θαυμαστὰ περὶ τῆς ὁσιότητος αὐτῶν διελθεῖν, ἣν οὔτε μόνος οὔτε πρῶτος ἐγὼ τυγχάνω καθεωρακώς, ἀλλὰ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν ὄντων καὶ τῶν προγεγενημένων, ὧν καὶ Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιός ἐστιν· ὃς ἀφικόμενος εἰς Αἴγυπτον καὶ μαθητὴς ἐκείνων γενόμενος τήν τʼ ἄλλην φιλοσοφίαν πρῶτος εἰς τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐκόμισε, καὶ τὰ περὶ τὰς θυσίας καὶ τὰς ἁγιστείας τὰς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἐπιφανέστερον τῶν ἄλλων ἐσπούδασεν, ἡγούμενος, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῷ διὰ ταῦτα πλέον γίγνοιτο παρὰ τῶν θεῶν, ἀλλʼ οὖν παρά γε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐκ τούτων μάλιστʼ εὐδοκιμήσειν.
Anyone who was not bent on rushing could discourse on many and wonderful things concerning their piety, which I happen to have observed neither alone nor first, but many both of those now living and of those who lived before, among whom is also Pythagoras of Samos; who, having arrived in Egypt and become their disciple, first brought other philosophy to the Greeks, and studied the matters concerning sacrifices and purifications in the temples more conspicuously than others, thinking that, even if no advantage should accrue to him from the gods because of these things, yet at any rate among human beings he would win the greatest reputation from them.
§29ὅπερ αὐτῷ καὶ συνέβη· τοσοῦτον γὰρ εὐδοξίᾳ τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπερέβαλεν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς νεωτέρους ἅπαντας ἐπιθυμεῖν αὐτοῦ μαθητὰς εἶναι, καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ἥδιον ὁρᾶν τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς αὑτῶν ἐκείνῳ συγγιγνομένους ἢ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιμελουμένους.
Which indeed is exactly what happened to him; for he so far surpassed others in reputation that all the younger men desired to be his disciples, and the older men saw with greater pleasure their own children associating with him than attending to their domestic affairs.
καὶ τούτοις οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἀπιστεῖν· ἔτι γὰρ καὶ νῦν τοὺς προσποιουμένους ἐκείνου μαθητὰς εἶναι μᾶλλον σιγῶντας θαυμάζουσιν ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῷ λέγειν μεγίστην δόξαν ἔχοντας.
And it is impossible to disbelieve these things; for even now, people admire those who pretend to be his disciples when they are silent more than those who have the greatest reputation for speaking.
§30ἴσως ἂν οὖν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀπαντήσειας, ὅτι τὴν μὲν χώραν καὶ τοὺς νόμους καὶ τὴν εὐσέβειαν, ἔτι δὲ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐπαινῶ τὴν Αἰγυπτίων, ὡς δὲ τούτων αἴτιος ἦν, ὃν ὑπεθέμην, οὐδεμίαν ἔχω λέγειν ἀπόδειξιν.
Perhaps then you might reply to what has been said, that while I praise the land, the laws, the piety, and furthermore the philosophy of the Egyptians, I have no proof to say that the one whom I assumed was the cause of these things.
ἐγὼ δʼ εἰ μὲν ἄλλος τίς μοι τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον ἐπέπληττεν, ἡγούμην ἂν αὐτὸν πεπαιδευμένως ἐπιτιμᾶν· σοὶ δʼ οὐ προσήκει ταύτην ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐπίληψιν.
If anyone else had censured me in this manner, I should think he was finding fault in an educated way; but it does not befit you to make this censure.
§31βουληθεὶς γὰρ Βούσιριν εὐλογεῖν προείλου λέγειν, ὡς τόν τε Νεῖλον περὶ τὴν χώραν περιέρρηξε καὶ τῶν ξένων τοὺς ἀφικνουμένους θύων κατήσθιεν· ὡς δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐποίησεν οὐδεμίαν πίστιν εἴρηκας.
For wishing to praise Busiris, you chose to say that he turned the Nile around the land and that he sacrificed and devoured the strangers who arrived; but that he did these things, you have spoken no proof.
καίτοι πῶς οὐ καταγέλαστόν ἐστι ταῦτα παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπαιτεῖν, οἷς αὐτὸς μηδὲ κατὰ μικρὸν τυγχάνεις κεχρημένος;
And yet, how is it not ridiculous to demand these things from others, which you yourself do not happen to have used even in the slightest degree?
§32ἀλλὰ τοσούτῳ πλέον ἡμῶν ἀπέχεις τοῦ πιστὰ λέγειν, ὅσον ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδενὸς αὐτὸν αἰτιῶμαι τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἀλλὰ νόμων καὶ πολιτείας, αἵπερ εἰσὶ πράξεις τῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν καλῶν κἀγαθῶν· σὺ δὲ τοιούτων δημιουργὸν ἀποφαίνεις, ὧν οὐδέτερον οὐδεὶς ἂν ἀνθρώπων ποιήσειεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν τῆς τῶν θηρίων ὠμότητος, τὸ δὲ τῆς τῶν θεῶν δυνάμεως ἔργον ἐστίν.
But you are as much further from speaking credibly than we are, as I do not charge him with any of the impossible things but with laws and constitution, which are indeed actions of gentlemen; whereas you show him as the author of such things, neither of which any of human beings could do, but one is the work of the cruelty of wild beasts, and the other of the power of the gods.