§5.77.1πλοῦτον δὲ γενέσθαι φασὶν ἐν Τριπόλῳ τῆς Κρήτης ἐκ Δήμητρος καὶ Ἰασίωνος, διττῶς ἱστορουμένης αὐτοῦ τῆς γενέσεως.
And they say that Plutus was born in Tripolus of Crete of Demeter and Iasion, and his birth is recorded in two ways.
οἱ μὲν γάρ φασι τὴν γῆν σπαρεῖσαν ὑπὸ Ἰασίωνος καὶ τυγχάνουσαν ἐπιμελείας τῆς προσηκούσης ἀνεῖναι τοσοῦτο πλῆθος καρπῶν, ὥστε τοὺς ἰδόντας ἴδιον ὄνομα θέσθαι τῷ πλήθει τῶν γενομένων καρπῶν καὶ προσαγορεῦσαι πλοῦτον· διὸ καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις παραδόσιμον γενέσθαι τὸ τοὺς πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν κτησαμένους ἔχειν πλοῦτον. §5.77.2ἔνιοι δὲ μυθολογοῦσιν ἐκ Δήμητρος καὶ Ἰασίωνος γενέσθαι παῖδα Πλοῦτον ὀνομαζόμενον, ὃν πρῶτον ἐπιμέλειαν βίου καὶ χρημάτων ἀθροισμὸν καὶ φυλακὴν εἰσηγήσασθαι, τῶν πρὸ τοῦ πάντων ὀλιγώρως ἐχόντων περὶ τὸ σωρεύειν καὶ τηρεῖν ἐπιμελῶς χρημάτων πλῆθος.
For some say that the land, having been sown by Iasion and having received the proper care, brought forth such an abundance of crops that those who saw it gave a unique name to the abundance of the crops produced and called it "plutus" (wealth); and because of this, it was handed down to subsequent generations that those who have acquired more than enough possess "plutus." But others relate in myth that a child named Plutus was born of Demeter and Iasion, and that he was the first to introduce care for life, the accumulation of property, and its safeguarding, whereas all men before him had been careless about piling up and carefully keeping an abundance of property.
§5.77.3περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν θεῶν οἱ Κρῆτες τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς λεγομένων γεννηθῆναι τοιαῦτα μυθολογοῦσι· τὰς δὲ τιμὰς καὶ θυσίας καὶ τὰς περὶ τὰ μυστήρια τελετὰς ἐκ Κρήτης εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους παραδεδόσθαι λέγοντες τοῦτο φέρουσιν, ὡς οἴονται, μέγιστον τεκμήριον· τήν τε γὰρ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι γινομένην τελετήν, ἐπιφανεστάτην σχεδὸν οὖσαν ἁπασῶν, καὶ τὴν ἐν Σαμοθρᾴκῃ καὶ τὴν ἐν Θρᾴκῃ ἐν τοῖς Κίκοσιν, ὅθεν ὁ καταδείξας Ὀρφεὺς ἦν, μυστικῶς παραδίδοσθαι, κατὰ δὲ τὴν Κρήτην ἐν Κνωσῷ νόμιμον ἐξ ἀρχαίων εἶναι φανερῶς τὰς τελετὰς ταύτας πᾶσι παραδίδοσθαι, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐν ἀπορρήτῳ παραδιδόμενα παρʼ αὐτοῖς μηδένα κρύπτειν τῶν βουλομένων τὰ τοιαῦτα γινώσκειν.
Now, concerning the gods who are said among them to have been born, the Cretans relate such myths; and in saying that the honors, sacrifices, and rites of the mysteries were handed down from Crete to other men, they bring forward what they think is the greatest proof: namely, that the rite celebrated among the Athenians at Eleusis, which is almost the most illustrious of all, and that in Samothrace, and that in Thrace among the Cicones, whence came Orpheus who introduced it, are handed down mystically, whereas in Crete, in Knossos, it has been a custom since ancient times to hand down these rites openly to all, and those things which are handed down in secret among other peoples are, among them, not hidden from anyone who wishes to know such things.
§5.77.4τῶν γὰρ θεῶν φασι τοὺς πλείστους ἐκ τῆς Κρήτης ὁρμηθέντας ἐπιέναι πολλὰ μέρη τῆς οἰκουμένης, εὐεργετοῦντας τὰ γένη τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ μεταδιδόντας ἑκάστοις τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων εὑρημάτων ὠφελείας.
For they say that most of the gods, setting out from Crete, visited many parts of the inhabited world, conferring benefits on the races of men and sharing with each the usefulness of their own inventions.
Δήμητραν μὲν γὰρ περαιωθεῖσαν εἰς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς Σικελίαν ἀπᾶραι, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτʼ εἰς Αἴγυπτον· ἐν δὲ τούτοις τοῖς τόποις μάλιστα τὸν τοῦ σίτου καρπὸν παραδοῦσαν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν σπόρον διδάξασαν μεγάλων τιμῶν τυχεῖν παρὰ τοῖς εὖ παθοῦσιν.
For Demeter, having crossed over to Attica, set out from there for Sicily, and after that for Egypt; and having especially handed down the fruit of corn in these places and taught the matters concerning sowing, she obtained great honors among those who had benefited.
§5.77.5ὁμοίως δʼ Ἀφροδίτην ἐνδιατρῖψαι τῆς μὲν Σικελίας περὶ τὸν Ἔρυκα, τῶν δὲ νήσων περὶ Κύθηρα καὶ Πάφον τῆς Κύπρου, τῆς δὲ Ἀσίας περὶ τὴν Συρίαν· διὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐπιδημίαν αὐτῆς τοὺς ἐγχωρίους ἐξιδιάζεσθαι τὴν θεόν, καλοῦντας Ἀφροδίτην Ἐρυκίνην καὶ Κυθέρειαν καὶ Παφίαν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Συρίαν.
Similarly, Aphrodite spent time near Eryx in Sicily, near Cythera among the islands, near Paphos in Cyprus, and near Syria in Asia; and because of her appearance and her rather long stay, the inhabitants made the goddess their own, calling her Aphrodite Erycina, Cythereia, Paphia, and also Syria.
§5.77.6ὡσαύτως δὲ τὸν μὲν Ἀπόλλωνα πλεῖστον χρόνον φανῆναι περὶ Δῆλον καὶ Λυκίαν καὶ Δελφούς, τὴν δʼ Ἄρτεμιν περὶ τὴν Ἔφεσον καὶ τὸν Πόντον, ἔτι δὲ τὴν Περσίδα καὶ τὴν Κρήτην· διόπερ §5.77.7ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων ἢ πράξεων τῶν παρʼ ἑκάστοις συντελεσθεισῶν τὸν μὲν Δήλιον καὶ Λύκιον καὶ Πύθιον ὀνομάζεσθαι, τὴν δʼ Ἐφεσίαν καὶ Κρησίαν, ἔτι δὲ Ταυροπόλον καὶ Περσίαν, ἀμφοτέρων ἐν Κρήτῃ γεγεννημένων.
In the same way, Apollo appeared for the longest time near Delos, Lycia, and Delphi, and Artemis near Ephesus and the Pontus, as well as Persia and Crete; wherefore, from the places or the deeds performed among each of them, Apollo is named Delian, Lycian, and Pythian, and Artemis is named Ephesian, Cretan, and also Tauropolos and Persian, both of them having been born in Crete.
§5.77.8τιμᾶται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Πέρσαις ἡ θεὸς αὕτη διαφερόντως, καὶ μυστήρια ποιοῦσιν οἱ βάρβαροι, συντελούμενα παρʼ ἑτέροις μέχρι τῶν νῦν χρόνων Ἀρτέμιδι Περσίᾳ.
And this goddess is honored exceedingly among the Persians, and the barbarians perform mysteries for Persian Artemis, which are celebrated among other peoples down to the present times.
παραπλήσια δὲ μυθολογοῦσι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν, περὶ ὧν ἡμῖν ἀναγράφειν μακρὸν ἂν εἴη, τοῖς δʼ ἀναγινώσκουσι παντελῶς ἀσύνοπτον.
They relate similar myths also about the other gods, but to write about them would be a long task for us and completely tedious for those who read.