§39Τιμοκλῆς
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶμαι καὶ ἄλλης ἐπὶ τούτοις δεῖν ἀποδείξεως.
Timocles I do not think there is need of any other proof in addition to these.
ὅμως δʼ οὖν ἐρῶ· ἀπόκριναι γάρ μοι, Ὅμηρός σοι δοκεῖ ἄριστος ποιητὴς γενέσθαι;
Nevertheless I will speak; answer me, does Homer seem to you to have been the best poet?
Δάμις
καὶ μάλα.
Damis Very much so.
Τιμοκλῆς
οὐκοῦν ἐκείνῳ ἐπείσθην τὴν πρόνοιαν τῶν θεῶν ἐμφανίζοντι.
Timocles Therefore I was persuaded by him as he reveals the providence of the gods.
Δάμις
ἀλλʼ, ὦ θαυμάσιε, ποιητὴν μὲν ἀγαθὸν Ὅμηρον γενέσθαι πάντες σοι συνομολογήσουσι, μάρτυρα δὲ ἀληθῆ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων οὔτʼ ἐκεῖνον οὔτε ἄλλον ποιητὴν οὐδένα· οὐ γὰρ ἀληθείας μέλει αὐτοῖς, οἶμαι, ἀλλὰ τοῦ κηλεῖν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μέτροις τε κατᾴδουσι καὶ μύθοις κατηχοῦσι καὶ ὅλως ἅπαντα ὑπὲρ τοῦ τερπνοῦ μηχανῶνται.
Damis But, my admirable friend, that Homer was a good poet everyone will agree with you, but as a true witness concerning such matters, neither him nor any other poet; for they do not care for truth, I think, but for charming their hearers, and for this reason they sing to them in meters and din them with myths, and in general contrive everything for the sake of pleasure.
§40Δάμις
ἀτὰρ ἡδέως ἂν καὶ ἀκούσαιμι οἷστισι μάλιστα ἐπείσθης τῶν Ὁμήρου·
Damis But I would also gladly hear by which of Homer's passages you were especially persuaded.
ἆρα οἷς περὶ τοῦ Διὸς λέγει, ὡς ἐπεβούλευον συνδῆσαι αὐτὸν ἡ θυγάτηρ καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἡ γυνή;
Is it by what he says about Zeus, how his daughter, his brother, and his wife plotted to bind him?
καὶ εἴ γε μὴ τὸν Βριάρεων ἡ Θέτις ἐκάλεσεν ἐπεπέδητο ἂν ἡμῖν ὁ βέλτιστος Ζεὺς συναρπασθείς.
And if Thetis had not called Briareus, our excellent Zeus would have been bound and carried off.
ἀνθʼ ὧν καὶ ἀπομνημονεύων τῇ Θέτιδι τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἐξαπατᾷ τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα ὄνειρόν τινα ψευδῆ ἐπιπέμψας, ὡς πολλοὶ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἀποθάνοιεν.
In return for which, remembering his favor to Thetis, he deceives Agamemnon by sending him a false dream, so that many of the Achaeans might die.
ὁρᾷς;
Do you see?
ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ κεραυνὸν ἐμβαλόντι καταφλέξαι τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα αὐτὸν ἄνευ τοῦ ἀπατεῶνα εἶναι δοκεῖν.
For it was impossible for him, by throwing a thunderbolt, to burn up Agamemnon himself without appearing to be a deceiver.
ἢ ἐκεῖνά σε μάλιστα εἰς τὴν πίστιν ἐπεσπάσαντο, ἀκούοντα ὡς Διομήδης μὲν ἔτρωσε τὴν Ἀφροδίτην, εἶτα τὸν Ἄρη αὐτὸν Ἀθηνᾶς παρακελεύσει, μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ αὐτοὶ συμπεσόντες οἱ θεοὶ ἐμονομάχουν ἀναμὶξ ἄρρενες καὶ θήλειαι, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ μὲν Ἄρη καταγωνίζεται ἅτε καὶ προπεπονηκότα, οἶμαι, ἐκ τοῦ τραύματος ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Διομήδους εἰλήφει,
"Λητοῖ δʼ ἀντέστη σῶκος ἐριούνιος Ἑρμῆς;
Or did those things especially draw you to belief, when you hear how Diomedes wounded Aphrodite, and then Ares himself at Athena's urging, and how a little later the gods themselves clashed and fought in single combat, males and females mixed together, and Athena overcame Ares, who was already worn out, I suppose, from the wound he had received from Diomedes, "and against Leto stood the strong, helper Hermes"?
"
ἢ τὰ περὶ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδός σοι πιθανὰ ἔδοξεν, ὡς ἐκείνη μεμψίμοιρος οὖσα ἠγανάκτησεν οὐ κληθεῖσα ἐφʼ ἑστίασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ Οἰνέως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σῦν τινα ὑπερφυᾶ καὶ ἀνυπόστατον τὴν ἀλκὴν ἐπαφῆκεν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ;
Or did the stories about Artemis seem plausible to you, how she, being discontented, was indignant because she was not invited to a feast by Oeneus, and for this reason sent a certain monstrous boar of irresistible strength against his land?
ἆρʼ οὖν τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγων σε Ὅμηρος πέπεικε;
Is it then by saying such things that Homer has persuaded you?
§41Ζεύς
βαβαί·
Zeus Heavens!
ἡλίκον, ὦ θεοί, ἀνεβόησε τὸ πλῆθος, ἐπαινοῦντες τὸν Δᾶμιν·
What a shout the crowd raised, O gods, praising Damis!
ὁ δʼ ἡμέτερος ἀπορουμένῳ ἔοικεν· ἰδίει γοῦν καὶ ὑποτρέμει καὶ δῆλός ἐστιν ἀπορρίψων τὴν ἀσπίδα, καὶ ἤδη περιβλέπει οἷ παρεκδὺς ἀποδράσεται.
But our man seems to be at a loss; at any rate, he is sweating and trembling and is clearly about to throw away his shield, and is already looking around to see where he can slip out and escape.
Τιμοκλῆς
οὐδʼ Εὐριπίδης ἄρα σοι δοκεῖ λέγειν τι ὑγιές, ὁπόταν αὐτοὺς ἀναβιβασάμενος τοὺς θεοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν δεικνύῃ σώζοντας μὲν τοὺς χρηστοὺς τῶν ἡρώων, τοὺς πονηροὺς δὲ καὶ κατὰ σὲ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἐπιτρίβοντας;
Timocles Does Euripides then not seem to you to say anything sound, whenever he brings the gods themselves onto the stage and shows them saving the worthy among the heroes, but destroying the wicked and those impious like you?
Δάμις
ἀλλʼ, ὦ γενναιότατε φιλοσόφων Τιμόκλεις, εἰ ταῦτα ποιοῦντες οἱ τραγῳδοὶ πεπείκασί σε, ἀνάγκη δυοῖν θάτερον, ἤτοι Πῶλον καὶ Ἀριστόδημον καὶ Σάτυρον ἡγεῖσθαί σε θεοὺς εἶναι τότε ἢ τὰ πρόσωπα τῶν θεῶν αὐτὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐμβάτας καὶ τοὺς ποδήρεις χιτῶνας καὶ χλαμύδας καὶ χειρῖδας καὶ προγαστρίδια καὶ τἆλλα οἷς ἐκεῖνοι σεμνύνουσι τὴν τραγῳδίαν, ὅπερ καὶ γελοιότατον·
Damis But, most noble of philosophers Timocles, if the tragic poets by doing these things have persuaded you, one of two things is necessary: either you must think that Polus and Aristodemus and Satyrus were gods at that time, or the very masks of the gods, and the buskins, and the long robes, and cloaks, and sleeves, and false bellies, and the other things with which they solemnize tragedy—which is most ridiculous.
ἐπεὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ὁπόταν ὁ Εὐριπίδης, μηδὲν ἐπειγούσης τῆς χρείας τῶν δραμάτων, τὰ δοκοῦντά οἱ λέγῃ, ἀκούσῃ αὐτοῦ τότε παρρησιαζομένου,
"
ὁρᾷς τὸν ὑψοῦ τόνδʼ ἄπειρον αἰθέρα
καὶ γῆν πέριξ ἔχονθʼ ὑγραῖς ἐν ἀγκάλαις; τοῦτον νόμιζε Ζῆνα, τόνδʼ ἡγοῦ θεόν.
For when Euripides, when the necessity of the plays does not constrain him, speaks his own mind, you will hear him then speaking with frankness: "Do you see this boundless ether on high, and holding the earth around in its damp embrace?
"
καὶ πάλιν,
"Ζεύς, ὅστις ὁ Ζεύς, οὐ γὰρ οἶδα, πλὴν λόγῳ κλύων. "
καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα.
Regard this as Zeus, consider this as god." And again: "Zeus, whoever Zeus may be, for I know not, except by report." And suchlike things.