Moreover, he not only compares human beings
with gods, but likens the long hair of Euphorbus to






 

the Graces, and that too when it was soaked with
blood! In short, this sort of thing is so frequent
that there is no part of his poetry which is not well
adorned with comparisons of gods. Therefore you
must either expunge all that, or permit us to be
equally venturesome. So exempt from all accountability is the use of comparisons and similes that
Homer actually did not hesitate to derive praise for
the goddesses from things of lower degree. For
instance, he likened Hera’s eyes to those of kine.
And someone else called Aphrodite violet-browed. The “Theban poet” of the preceding piece (p.271); i.e. Pindar. 
As for “rosy-fingered,” who that has even the
slightest acquaintance with Homer’s poetry does
not know it?
 
As far as personal appearance is concerned, it
signifies comparatively little if one is said to be
like a god. But how many there are who have
copied the very names of the gods, calling themselves Dionysius, Hephaestion, Zeno, Poseidonius,
Hermes! And there was a Leto, the wife of
Evagoras, king of Cyprus; yet the goddess did not
take on about it, though she might have turned her
into stone as she did Niobe. The Egyptians I forbear to mention, who, though the most superstitious
people in the world, yet use the names of the gods
to their hearts’ content; in fact, most of their names
are derived from Heaven.
 
It is not incumbent upon you, then, to be thus
timorous in respect of praise. If any offence at all
has been perpetrated against divinity in that essay,
you are not accountable for it—unless you think
that to listen makes one accountable; it is I whom


 

the gods will punish, after first punishing Homer
and the other poets! But to this day they have
not punished the best of the philosophers for saying
that man was God’s image! Hardly Plato, though he has something similar in the Republic, 501. But to him the universe is God’s image; see the end of the Timaeus. Perhaps Lucian means Diogenes, who said that good men were images of gods (Diog. Laert. 6, 51). 
 
Although I might say much more to you, I shall
stop for the sake of Polystratus here, so that he may
be able to repeat from memory what has been said.
 POLYSTRATUS 
I don’t know if that is any longer possible for me,
Lycinus. Even as it is, you have made a long
speech, far beyond your allowance of water. But
I shall try to remember it all the same; and, as you
see, I am already making off to her with my ears
stopped for fear that something else may pop in
to confuse its outline, and then I may have the bad
luck to be hissed by my hearers!
 LYCINUS 
That is your concern, Polystratus, to act your part
to the best advantage. As for me, now that I have
once for all put the play into your hands, I shall
withdraw for the present; but when they announce
the votes of the judges, I shall be there in person to
see what will be the outcome of the contest.