But I do intend to speak of one thing
that in my opinion ought by all means to be censured. 
It was you, Zeus, who began these illegalities and
caused the corruption of our body politic by cohabiting with mortal women and going down to visit them,
now in one form, now in another. It has gone so far
that we are afraid that someone may make a victim
of you if he catches you when you are a bull, or that
some goldsmith may work you up when you are gold,
and instead of Zeus we may have you turning up as a
necklace or a bracelet or an earring. However that
may be, you have filled heaven with these—demigods! I do not care to put it otherwise. And it is a
very ridiculous state of things when one suddenly
hears that Heracles has been appointed a god, but
Eurystheus, who used to order him about, is dead;
and that the temple of Heracles, who was a slave,
and the tomb of Eurystheus, his master, stand side
by side; and again, that in Thebes Dionysus is a



 

god, but his cousins Pentheus, Actaeon, and Learchus
were of all mankind the most ill-fated. All three were own cousins of Dionysus, being sons of other daughters of Cadmus; Pentheus of Agave, Actaeon of Autonoe, and Learchus of Ino. Learchus was killed by his father Athamas.