§14Μῶμος
πέρας γοῦν, εἰ ἐθέλεις, ὦ Ζεῦ, ψήφισμά τι περὶ τούτων ἀναγνώσομαι ἤδη ξυγγεγραμμένον.
Momus Finally, if you wish, O Zeus, I will now read a certain decree concerning these matters, which has already been drafted.
Ζεύς
ἀνάγνωθι· οὐ πάντα γὰρ ἀλόγως ᾐτιάσω.
Zeus Read it; for not all your accusations were without reason.
καὶ δεῖ τὰ πολλὰ αὐτῶν ἐπισχεῖν, ὡς μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἂν γίγνηται.
And we must restrain most of these things, so that they may not increase further.
Μῶμος
ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ.
Momus With good fortune.
ἐκκλησίας ἐννόμου ἀγομένης ἑβδόμῃ ἱσταμένου ὁ Ζεὺς ἐπρυτάνευε καὶ προήδρευε Ποσειδῶν, ἐπεστάτει Ἀπόλλων, ἐγραμμάτευε Μῶμος Νυκτὸς καὶ ὁ Ὕπνος τὴν γνώμην εἶπεν.
At a lawful assembly held on the seventh day of the rising month, Zeus was prytanis, Poseidon presided, Apollo acted as epistates, Momus, son of Night, was secretary, and Sleep proposed the motion.
Ἐπειδὴ πολλοὶ τῶν ξένων, οὐ μόνον Ἕλληνες ἀλλὰ καὶ βάρβαροι, οὐδαμῶς ἄξιοι ὄντες κοινωνεῖν ἡμῖν τῆς πολιτείας, παρεγγραφέντες οὐκ οἶδα ὅπως καὶ θεοὶ δόξαντες ἐμπεπλήκασι μὲν τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡς μεστὸν εἶναι τὸ συμπόσιον ὄχλου ταραχώδους πολυγλώσσων τινῶν καὶ ξυγκλύδων ἀνθρώπων, ἐπιλέλοιπε δὲ ἡ ἀμβροσία καὶ τὸ νέκταρ, ὥστε μνᾶς ἤδη τὴν κοτύλην εἶναι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πινόντων· οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ αὐθαδείας παρωσάμενοι τοὺς παλαιούς τε καὶ ἀληθεῖς θεοὺς προεδρίας ἠξιώκασιν αὑτοὺς παρὰ πάντα τὰ πάτρια καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ προτιμᾶσθαι θέλουσι· §15Μῶμος
δεδόχθαι τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ ξυλλεγῆναι μὲν ἐκκλησίαν ἐν τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ περὶ τροπὰς χειμερινάς, ἑλέσθαι δὲ ἐπιγνώμονας τελείους θεοὺς ἑπτά, τρεῖς μὲν ἐκ τῆς παλαιᾶς βουλῆς τῆς ἐπὶ Κρόνου, τέτταρας δὲ ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα, καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸν Δία·
Since many foreigners, not only Greeks but also barbarians, who are by no means worthy to share in our citizenship, having been falsely enrolled, I know not how, and having been thought to be gods, have filled heaven so that the banquet is full of a turbulent crowd of certain polyglot and mixed people, and the ambrosia and nectar have run short, so that a kotyle now costs several minas because of the multitude of drinkers; and they, having pushed aside the ancient and true gods through insolence, have claimed front seats for themselves contrary to all ancestral customs, and wish to be preferred on earth; Momus Be it resolved by the Council and the Assembly, that an assembly be gathered on Olympus around the winter solstice, and that seven complete gods be chosen as commissioners: three from the ancient council of Cronus's time, and four from the Twelve, and Zeus among them.
τούτους δὲ τοὺς ἐπιγνώμονας αὐτοὺς μὲν καθέζεσθαι ὀμόσαντας τὸν νόμιμον ὅρκον τὴν Στύγα, τὸν Ἑρμῆν δὲ κηρύξαντα ξυναγαγεῖν ἅπαντας ὅσοι ἀξιοῦσι ξυντελεῖν ἐς τὸ ξυνέδριον, τοὺς δὲ ἥκειν μάρτυρας ἐπαγομένους ἐνωμότους καὶ ἀποδείξεις τοῦ γένους.
And that these commissioners themselves, after swearing the customary oath by the Styx, shall sit; and Hermes, having made proclamation, shall assemble all who claim to belong to the council, and that they shall come bringing sworn witnesses and proofs of their lineage.
τοὐντεῦθεν δὲ οἱ μὲν παρίτωσαν καθʼ ἕνα, οἱ δὲ ἐπιγνώμονες ἐξετάζοντες ἢ θεοὺς εἶναι ἀποφανοῦνται ἢ καταπέμψουσιν ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα ἠρία καὶ τὰς θήκας τὰς προγονικάς.
Thereupon, let them come forward one by one, and the commissioners, examining them, shall either declare them to be gods or send them down to their own tombs and ancestral graves.
ἢν δέ τις ἁλῷ τῶν ἀδοκίμων καὶ ἅπαξ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιγνωμόνων ἐκκριθέντων ἐπιβαίνων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἐς τὸν Τάρταρον ἐμπεσεῖν τοῦτον.
And if anyone of the unapproved, having once been rejected by the commissioners, is caught setting foot in heaven, he shall be cast into Tartarus.
§16Μῶμος
ἐργάζεσθαι δὲ τὰ αὐτοῦ ἕκαστον, καὶ μήτε τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν ἰᾶσθαι μήτε τὸν Ἀσκληπιὸν χρησμῳδεῖν μήτε τὸν Ἀπόλλω τοσαῦτα μόνον ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἕν τι ἐπιλεξάμενον μάντιν ἢ κιθαρῳδὸν ἢ ἰατρὸν εἶναι.
Momus And that each shall mind his own business, and neither Athena shall practice medicine, nor Asclepius deliver oracles, nor Apollo do so many things alone, but choosing one thing, he shall be either a prophet, a cithara-player, or a physician.
§17Μῶμος
τοῖς δὲ φιλοσόφοις προειπεῖν μὴ ἀναπλάττειν κενὰ ὀνόματα μηδὲ ληρεῖν περὶ ὧν οὐκ ἴσασιν.
Momus And to warn the philosophers not to invent empty names nor to talk nonsense about things they do not know.
§18Μῶμος
ὁπόσοι δὲ ἤδη ναῶν ἢ θυσιῶν ἠξιώθησαν, ἐκείνων μὲν καθαιρεθῆναι τὰ ἀγάλματα, ἐντεθῆναι δὲ ἢ Διὸς ἢ Ἥρας ἢ Ἀπόλλωνος ἢ τῶν ἄλλων τινός, ἐκείνοις δὲ τάφον χῶσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ στήλην ἐπιστῆσαι ἀντὶ βωμοῦ.
Momus And for those who have already been deemed worthy of temples or sacrifices, their statues shall be pulled down and replaced by those of Zeus or Hera or Apollo or some other, and the city shall heap up a tomb for them and set up a gravestone instead of an altar.
ἢν δέ τις παρακούσῃ τοῦ κηρύγματος καὶ μὴ ἐθελήσῃ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιγνώμονας ἐλθεῖν, ἐρήμην αὐτοῦ καταδιαιτησάτωσαν.
And if anyone disobeys the proclamation and does not wish to come before the commissioners, they shall decide against him by default.
"τοῦτο μὲν ὑμῖν τὸ ψήφισμα. " §19Ζεύς
δικαιότατον, ὦ Μῶμε·
"This is the decree for you." Zeus Most just, Momus.
καὶ ὅτῳ δοκεῖ, ἀνατεινάτω τὴν χεῖρα·
And let whoever agrees raise his hand.
μᾶλλον δέ, οὕτω γιγνέσθω, πλείους γὰρ οἶδʼ ὅτι ἔσονται οἱ μὴ χειροτονήσοντες.
Or rather, let it be so, for I know that those who will not vote for it will be more.
ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν ἄπιτε· ὁπόταν δὲ κηρύξῃ ὁ Ἑρμῆς, ἥκετε κομίζοντες ἕκαστος ἐναργῆ τὰ γνωρίσματα καὶ σαφεῖς τὰς ἀποδείξεις, πατρὸς ὄνομα καὶ μητρός, καὶ ὅθεν καὶ ὅπως θεὸς ἐγένετο, καὶ φυλὴν καὶ φράτορας.
But for now, depart; and whenever Hermes makes proclamation, come, each bringing clear tokens and plain proofs: the name of father and mother, and whence and how he became a god, and his tribe and phratry.
ὡς ὅστις ἂν μὴ ταῦτα παράσχηται, οὐδὲν μελήσει τοῖς ἐπιγνώμοσιν εἰ νεών τις μέγαν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἔχει καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι θεὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι νομίζουσιν.
For if anyone does not provide these, it will not matter to the commissioners at all if he has a great temple on earth and men believe him to be a god.