Lucian's Dialogues, Namely, the Dialogues of the Gods, of the Sea-Gods, and of the Dead; Zeus the Tragedian, the Ferry-Boat, Etc (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt: ...difficult thing. They are both of them, in point of fact, bronze, and of the same workmanship--each of them the work of Lysippus, and, what is most important, of the same rank as to birth--seeing both are sons of Zeus--Dionysus here and Herakles. Which of them, pray, shall have precedence? For they are wrangling, as you observe. Zeus. We are wasting time, Hermes; whereas we ought long ago to have been at business. So now let them take their seats higgledy-piggledy, where each has a mind to; and, at some future time, a sitting shall be given to settle that point, and I shall know then what is the rank to assign to them. Hermes. But, Herakles what an uproar they make with their clamours for their vulgar and every-day wants--"doles doles where is our nektar? The ambrosia runs short. Where are the hecatombs? The sacrificial victims for the public " 1 A semicircular hill, near the Areiopagus, on which the Athenian 'EjocXjjo-ui, or Commons' House, held its sittings. For an entertaining scene at one of these sittings, see Aristoph. 'Axap. 1-202. a A double satire on the celestial gourmandism and the selfish policy of the imperial Roman Government in keeping the populace of Zeus. Silence them at once, Hermes, that they may learn on what account they have been assembled, and drop this nonsense. Hermes. Not all of them, Zens, understand Greek, and I am not much of a linguist, so as to make my proclamations intelligible to Tartars, and Persians, and Thracians, and Kelts. It will be better, therefore, I imagine, to make signs, and in that way to enjoin silence. Zeus. So do. Hermes. Capital: they have become dumber than the philosophers themselves. So it is high time for you to harangue them. You observe they have been long regarding you fixedly, expecting ...