§35Τιμοκλῆς
τί φής, ὦ ἱερόσυλε Δᾶμι, θεοὺς μὴ εἶναι μηδὲ προνοεῖν τῶν ἀνθρώπων;
Timocles: What do you say, you temple-robber Damis, that gods do not exist, nor do they care for human beings?
Δάμις
οὔκ· ἀλλὰ σὺ πρότερος ἀπόκριναί μοι ᾧτινι λόγῳ ἐπείσθης εἶναι αὐτούς.
Damis: No; but you answer me first, by what reasoning you were persuaded that they exist.
Τιμοκλῆς
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ σύ, ὦ μιαρέ, ἀπόκριναι.
Timocles: Not at all! Rather, you answer, you filthy wretch!
Δάμις
οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ σύ.
Damis: Not at all! Rather, you.
Ζεύς
ταυτὶ μὲν παρὰ πολὺ ὁ ἡμέτερος ἄμεινον καὶ εὐφωνότερον τραχύνεται.
Zeus: In this indeed, our man blusters far better and with a more resonant voice.
εὖ γε, ὦ Τιμόκλεις, ἐπίχει τῶν βλασφημιῶν·
Well done, Timocles, pour on the abuse!
ἐν γὰρ τούτῳ σοι τὸ κράτος, ὡς τά γε ἄλλα ἰχθύν σε ἀποφανεῖ ἐπιστομίζων.
For in this lies your strength, since in other matters he will shut your mouth and make you as mute as a fish.
Τιμοκλῆς
ἀλλά, μὰ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, οὐκ ἂν ἀποκριναίμην σοι πρότερος.
Timocles: But, by Athena, I will not answer you first.
Δάμις
οὐκοῦν, ὦ Τιμόκλεις, ἐρώτα· ἐκράτησας γὰρ τοῦτό γε ὀμωμοκώς·
Damis: Therefore, Timocles, ask; for you have won this point at least by swearing.
ἀλλʼ ἄνευ τῶν βλασφημιῶν, εἰ δοκεῖ.
But without the abuse, if you agree.
§36Τιμοκλῆς
εὖ λέγεις·
Timocles: Well said.
εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, οὐ δοκοῦσί σοι, ὦ κατάρατε, προνοεῖν οἱ θεοί;
Tell me then, you accursed wretch, do the gods not seem to you to exercise providence?
Δάμις
οὐδαμῶς.
Damis: Not at all.
Τιμοκλῆς
τί φής;
Timocles: What do you say?
ἀπρονόητα οὖν ταῦτα ἅπαντα;
Is all this, then, without providence?
Δάμις
ναί.
Damis: Yes.
Τιμοκλῆς
οὐδʼ ὑπό τινι οὖν θεῷ τάττεται ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμέλεια;
Timocles: And is the care of the universe not ordained under any god?
Δάμις
οὔ.
Damis: No.
Τιμοκλῆς
πάντα δὲ εἰκῆ φέρεται;
Timocles: And is everything carried along by chance?
Δάμις
ναί.
Damis: Yes.
Τιμοκλῆς
εἶτʼ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ἀνέχεσθε καὶ οὐ καταλεύσετε τὸν ἀλιτήριον;
Timocles: And then, you men, hearing this, do you tolerate it and not stone this sinner?
Δάμις
τί τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπʼ ἐμὲ παροξύνεις, ὦ Τιμόκλεις;
Damis: Why do you provoke the people against me, Timocles?
ἢ τίς ὢν ἀγανακτεῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν θεῶν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκείνων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀγανακτούντων;
Or who are you to be indignant on behalf of the gods, especially when they themselves are not indignant?
οἵ γε οὐδὲν δεινὸν διατεθείκασί με πάλαι ἀκούοντες, εἴ γε ἀκούουσιν.
They have done nothing terrible to me, though they have been listening for a long time—if indeed they listen.
Τιμοκλῆς
ἀκούουσι γάρ, ὦ Δᾶμι, ἀκούουσι, καί σε μετίασί ποτε χρόνῳ.
Timocles: For they do listen, Damis, they listen, and they will pursue you in course of time.
§37Δάμις
καὶ πότε ἂν ἐκεῖνοι σχολὴν ἀγάγοιεν ἐπʼ ἐμέ, τοσαῦτα, ὡς φής, πράγματα ἔχοντες καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἄπειρα τὸ πλῆθος ὄντα οἰκονομούμενοι;
Damis: And when would they find leisure to attend to me, having so many affairs, as you say, and administering things in the universe that are infinite in number?
ὥστε οὐδὲ σέ πω ἠμύναντο ὧν ἐπιορκεῖς ἀεὶ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἵνα μὴ βλασφημεῖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀναγκάζωμαι παρὰ τὰ συγκείμενα.
Thus they have not even punished you yet for the oaths you constantly break, nor the others, so that I myself may not be forced to utter abuse contrary to our agreement.
καίτοι οὐχ ὁρῶ ἥντινα ἂν ἄλλην ἐπίδειξιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν προνοίας μείζω ἐξενεγκεῖν ἐδύναντο ἢ σὲ κακὸν κακῶς ἐπιτρίψαντες.
And yet, I do not see what other greater demonstration of their providence they could have displayed than by utterly destroying you, a miserable wretch.
ἀλλὰ δῆλοί εἰσιν ἀποδημοῦντες, ὑπὲρ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν ἴσως μετʼ ἀμύμονας Αἰθιοπῆας· ἔθος γοῦν αὐτοῖς συνεχῶς ἰέναι παρʼ αὐτοὺς μετὰ δαῖτα καὶ αὐτεπαγγέλτοις ἐνίοτε.
But they are clearly abroad, perhaps beyond the Ocean among the blameless Ethiopians; for it is their habit to go constantly to them for feasts, and sometimes even uninvited.
§38Τιμοκλῆς
τί πρὸς τοσαύτην ἀναισχυντίαν εἴποιμι ἄν, ὦ Δᾶμι;
Timocles: What could I say in the face of such shamelessness, Damis?
Δάμις
ἐκεῖνο, ὦ Τιμόκλεις, ὃ πάλαι ἐγὼ ἐπόθουν ἀκοῦσαί σου, ὅπως ἐπείσθης οἴεσθαι προνοεῖν τοὺς θεούς.
Damis: That, Timocles, which I have long been desiring to hear from you—how you were persuaded to think that the gods exercise providence.
Τιμοκλῆς
ἡ τάξις με πρῶτον τῶν γινομένων ἔπεισεν, ὁ ἥλιος ἀεὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν ἰὼν καὶ σελήνη κατὰ ταὐτὰ καὶ ὧραι τρεπόμεναι καὶ φυτὰ φυόμενα καὶ ζῷα γεννώμενα καὶ αὐτὰ ταῦτα οὕτως εὐμηχάνως κατεσκευασμένα ὡς τρέφεσθαι καὶ κινεῖσθαι καὶ ἐννοεῖν καὶ βαδίζειν καὶ τεκταίνεσθαι καὶ σκυτοτομεῖν καὶ τἆλλα·
Timocles: First, the order of things that happen persuaded me: the sun always going the same path, and the moon likewise, and the seasons changing, and plants growing, and animals being generated, and these very creatures being constructed so ingeniously as to feed, move, think, walk, do carpentry, make shoes, and the rest.
ταῦτα προνοίας ἔργα εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ.
These seem to me to be the works of providence.
Δάμις
αὐτό που τὸ ζητούμενον, ὦ Τιμόκλεις, συναρπάζεις·
Damis: You are begging the very question at issue, Timocles.
οὐδέπω γὰρ δῆλον εἰ προνοίᾳ τούτων ἕκαστον ἀποτελεῖται.
For it is not yet clear whether each of these things is accomplished by providence.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὲν τοιαῦτά ἐστι τὰ γινόμενα φαίην ἂν καὶ αὐτός·
But that the things which happen are indeed of this kind, I myself would also say.
οὐ μὴν αὐτίκα πεπεῖσθαι ἀνάγκη καὶ ὑπό τινος προμηθείας αὐτὰ γίγνεσθαι·
However, there is no immediate necessity to be persuaded that they happen under some foresight; for it is possible that, having started in some other way, they are now composed similarly and in the same manner, and you call their necessity 'order'.
ἔνι γὰρ καὶ ἄλλως ἀρξάμενα νῦν ὁμοίως καὶ κατὰ ταὐτὰ συνίστασθαι, σὺ δὲ τάξιν αὐτῶν ὀνομάζεις τὴν ἀνάγκην, εἶτα δηλαδὴ ἀγανακτήσεις εἴ τίς σοι μὴ ἀκολουθοίη τὰ γινόμενα μὲν ὁποῖά ἐστι καταριθμουμένῳ καὶ ἐπαινοῦντι, οἰομένῳ δὲ ἀπόδειξιν ταῦτα εἶναι τοῦ καὶ προνοίᾳ διατάττεσθαι αὐτῶν ἕκαστον.
Then, of course, you will be indignant if someone does not follow you when you enumerate and praise what the things that happen are like, while thinking that these are a proof of each of them being arranged by providence.
ὥστε κατὰ τὸν κωμικόν· "τουτὶ μὲν ὑπομόχθηρον, ἄλλο μοι λέγε. "
So, as the comic poet says: 'This is somewhat wretched; tell me something else.'