Zeus Alas, alack! What an outcry the crowd
made, deities, applauding Damis! And our man
seems to have lost his head. He is frightened,
certainly, and trembling, and on the point of throwing away his shield. He is already looking about
for some loop-hole through which he can slip and
make his escape. Timokles Perhaps you do not think that Euripides says anything sound, either, when he introduces the gods themselves upon the stage and
shows them engaged in saving the good among


 


the heroes, but destroying the wicked and impiety
like yours? Damis But, most illustrious of philosophers, if
the dramatists have convinced you by such means
as that, one of two things follows. Either you
believe the actors to be for the moment gods, or
else the divine masks themselves, and the shoes,
and the tunics flowing to the feet, and the cloaks,
and the loose sleeves, and the false paunches, and
the padding, and all the rest of the apparatus
which makes the tragedy impressive, which is
most ridiculous, I think. But whenever Euripides
speaks his own mind, unforced by the exigencies
of the dramas, hear how bold he is:

 You see this boundless aether spread on high, 
 Enfolding earth in damp, encircling arms? 
 Deem then that this is Zeus, believe this god. 

and again,

 Zeus, 
 Whoe'er Zeus is, for I know not, unless 
 By hearsay, 
and other similar passages. Timokles Then all mankind and the nations
have been deceived in believing in the gods and
celebrating their feasts? Damis It is a good thing, Timokles, that you
reminded me of the religious opinions among the
nations, the very things which best show that
there is no certainty about gods. For there is


 



much confusion, and different races have different
faiths. The Scythians worship a sword; the
Thracians, Zamolxis, a fugitive who came to them
from Samos; the Phrygians, Mena; the Ethiopians,
Day; the Assyrians, a dove; the Persians, fire; the
Egyptians, water. Moreover, while this waterworship is common to all the Egyptians, the peculiar god of the people of Memphis is the bull,
and that of the Pelusians is the onion; and others
worship the ibis or the crocodile, and others a
dog-headed creature or a cat or an ape. And,
again, the rural communities differ from one another, so that some men hold the right shoulder
to be a god, but those that dwell opposite to them
the left. And some worship one side of the head,
and others an earthen wine-cup or a bowl. Are
not these things absurd, friend Timokles? Momos Did I not tell you, deities, that all
these things would come to light and be rigorously
investigated? Zeus You did, Momos, and your censure was
just; and if we escape this present danger, I for
one will try to straighten out these matters.