Cyniscus Everything proceeds from the Fates, you say? Zeus Yes. Cyniscus And is it in your power to unspin what they have spun? Zeus It is not. Cyniscus Shall I proceed, or is the inference clear? Zeus Oh, clear enough. But you seem to think that people sacrifice to us from ulterior motives; that they are driving a bargain with us, buying blessings, as it were: not at all; it is a disinterested testimony to our superior merit. Cyniscus There you are, then. As you say, sacrifice answers no useful purpose; it is just our good-natured way of acknowledging your superiority. And mind you, if we had a sophist here, he would want to know all about that superiority. You are our fellow slaves, he would say; if the Fates are our mistresses, they are also yours. Your immortality will not serve you; that only makes things worse. We mortals, after all, are liberated by death: but for you there is no end to the evil; that long thread of yours means eternal servitude.

 Zeus But this eternity is an eternity of happiness; the life of Gods is one round of blessings. Cyniscus Not all Gods’ lives. Even in Heaven there are distinctions, not to say mismanagement. You are happy, of course: you are king, and you can haul up earth and sea as it were a bucket from: the well. But look at Hephaestus: a cripple; a common blacksmith. Look at Prometheus: be gets nailed up on Caucasus, And I need not remind you that your own father lies fettered in Tartarus at this hour. It seems, too,

 

that Gods are liable to fall in love; and to receive wounds; nay, they may even have to take service with mortal men; witness your brother Posidon, and Apollo, servants to Laomedon and to Admetus. I see no great happiness in all this; some of you I dare say have a very pleasant time of it, but not so others. I might have added, that you are subject to robbery like the rest of us; your temples get plundered, and the richest of you becomes a pauper in the twinkling of an eye. To more than one of you it has even happened to be melted down, if he was a gold or a silver God. All destiny, of course.

 Zeus Take care, Cyniscus: you are going too far. You will repent of this one day. Cyniscus Spare your threats: you know that nothing can happen to me, except what Fate has settled first. I notice, for instance, that even temple-robbers do not always get punished; most of them, indeed, slip through your hands. Not destined to be caught, I suppose. Zeus I knew it! you are one of those who would abolish Providence. Cyniscus You seem to be very much afraid of these gentlemen, for some reason.