The unschooled, seeing all this, now spit scornfully at philosophy, thinking that all of us are like
this and blaming me for my teachings, so that for
a long time now it has been impossible for me
to win over a single one of them. I am in the
same fix as Penelope, The story of Penelope’s web is told several times in the Odyssey; II, 93-110; XIX, 138-156; XXIV, 129-146. for truly all that I weave
is instantly unravelled again; and Stupidity and
Wrongdoing laugh in my face to see that I cannot
bring my work to completion and my toil to an
end.



 
 ZEUS 
Ye gods! what treatment our dear Philosophy has
had from those scoundrels! It is high time, then,
to see what is to be done and how they are to be
punished. Well, the thunderbolt despatches at a
single blow, and the death is a swift one.
 APOLLO 
I will offer you a suggestion, father, for I myself
have come to detest the knaves; the Muses mean
nothing to them, so I am indignant on behalf of the
Nine. Those fellows are by no means worthy of a
thunderbolt or of that right hand of yours. Send
Hermes down to get after them, if you think best,
with unlimited powers in the matter of their punishment. As he himself is interested in argumentation,
he will very soon know those who are genuine students
of philosophy and those who are not. Then he will
commend the former, naturally, and the latter will
be punished as he sees fit in the circumstances.
 ZEUS 
A good idea, Apollo. But you go too, Heracles;
take along Philosophy herself and all be off, as
quickly as you can, to the world. Bear in mind
that you will be doing a thirteenth labour of no mean
order if you exterminate such pestilential, shameless
beasts.
 HERACLES 
On my word, father, I should have preferred to
clean out the muck of Augeas once more, rather than
to get involved with these creatures. Let us be off,
however.

 

 PHILOSOPHY 
I do not want to go with you, but I must, in
accordance with father’s orders.
 HERMES 
Let us be going down, so that we may exterminate
at least a few of them to-day. What direction should
we take, Philosophy? You know where they are.
In Greece, no doubt?
 PHILOSOPHY 
Not by any means, or only a few, those who are
genuine students of philosophy, Hermes. These
others have no use for Attic poverty; we must look
for them in some quarter where much gold or silver
is mined.
 HERMES 
Then we must make straight for Thrace.
 HERACLES 
Quite right, and indeed I will show you the way,
as I know the whole of Thrace from repeated visits.
So, if you please, let us now take this direction.
 HERMES 
What direction do you mean?
 HERACLES 
Do you see two ranges, Hermes and Philosophy,
the highest and most beautiful of all mountains (the
higher is Haemus, the one opposite is Rhodope), and
a plain of great fertility outspread beneath them,
beginning at the very foothills of each? Also,


 

three very beautiful eminences standing up, not so
rough as to be shapeless? They look like multiple
citadels belonging to the city beneath them. For the
city, too, is now in sight.
 HERMES 
Yes, by Zeus, Heracles, the greatest and loveliest
of all cities! In fact, its beauty is radiant from afar.
And also, a very large river flows past it, coming quite
close to it.
 HERACLES 
That is the Hebrus, and the city was built by the
famous Philip. Philippopolis. We are now close to earth and the
clouds are above us, so let us make a landing, with
the blessing of Heaven.