Lucian's Dialogues: Namely the Dialogues of the Gods, of the Sea-gods, and ... - Lucian (of Samosata.) - Google Books

Books

PA 4231 .A5W7 1893 272041

Copyri

CHISWICK PRESS C. WHITTINGHAM AND CO., TOOKS COURT,

CHANCERY LANE.

CONTENTS.

Page

xiii

1

3

5

9

12

15

17

DIALOGUES OF THE GODS.

I. Prometheus obtains his release from Zeus by a

II. Zeus threatens to put Eros in fetters.

III. Zeus orders Hermes to slay Argus, and to conduct

IV. Zeus instructs Ganymedes as to the nature of his

duties in heaven

V. Hera upbraids Zeus with his love for Ganymedes

VI. Ixion makes love to Hera.

VII. Hephaestus recounts to Apollo the actions of the

infant prodigy, Hermes.

VIII. Hephaestus assists at the parturition of Zeus and the

birth of Athena

IX. Hermes refuses Poseidon admission to Zeus, and

assigns as the reason the lying-in of the king of

Gods and men with Bacchus.

X. Hermes conveys to Helios the order of Zeus: that

he is to refrain from driving his chariot, until the

completion of the amour of the king of gods and

men with Alkmene

XI. Aphrodite charges Selene with her love for Endy

mion, and, at the same time, laments the tyranny

of her son, Eros, over herself.

XII. Aphrodite upbraids Eros for his mischievous conduct

in the past, and cautions him for the future. Eros

defends himself

XIII. Asklepius and Herakles quarrel on a question of pre-

cedence in heaven.

XIV. Apollo recounts to Hermes the manner of the death

of Hyakinthus, and his grief for the same

XV. Hermes and Apollo envy the deformed Hephaestus

the possession of his beautiful wives

XVI. Hera and Leto dispute about the merits of their

respective children.

Page

XVII. Hermes relates to Apollo the adultery of Ares and

Aphrodite, and the revenge of Hephaestus

XVIII. Hera denounces, and Zeus defends, the character of

XIX. Eros explains to his mother why he does not assail

Athena, the Musæ, and Artemis

XX. The Judgment of Paris

XXI. Ares ridicules the threat of Zeus, and the Chain let

down from heaven.

XXII. Pan urges his claims to be the son of Hermes, who

is unwilling to admit his paternity

XXIII. Apollo remarks to Bacchus on the heterogeneousness

of Aphrodite's children; while Bacchus exposes

the character of Priapus

XXIV. Hermes complains to his mother of the multiplicity

of his employments

XXV. Helios, accused by Zeus of rash conduct in giving up

his chariot to his son, obtains a conditional pardon

XXVI. Apollo asks Hermes to point out to him, of the twin

Dioscuri which is Kastor, and which Polydeukes ;

and takes the opportunity of criticizing their divine

DIALOGUES OF THE SEA-GODS.

I. Doris ridicules the figure and manners of Polyphemus,

the lover of Galateia.

II. Polyphemus complains to Poseidon, his father, of his

treatment at the hands of Odysseus .

III. Poseidon questions Alpheius, a river-god, respecting

his amour with the nymph Arethusa.

IV. Menelaus expresses to Proteus his incredulity in regard

to the alleged miraculous transformations of that di-

vinity

V. Panope relates to Galene the scene of the introduction

of the golden apple by Eris into the nuptial feast of

Peleus and Thetis, the discord between the three

rival Goddesses, and their dismissal to Mount Ida for

VI. The rape of Amymone by Poseidon

VII. Zephyrus recounts to Notus the metamorphosis and

adventures of Io

VIII. At Poseidon's request, the dolphins narrate to him the

story of Arion's escape

IX. Poseidon and Amphitrite dispute as to the fitting place

of burial for Helle, drowned in the Hellespont. Po-

seidon directs the Nereids to take up her body, and

bury it in the Troad

X. Iris conveys to Poseidon the commands of Zeus that he

should keep the island of Delos stationary, where

Leto was to lie-in

Page

XI. The river Xanthus supplicates Thalassa (the Sea) to

receive him, and cure the burns inflicted upon him by

Hephaestus on behalf of Achilleus

XII. Thetis relates to Doris the story of the exposure of

Danae and her infant, Perseus.

XIII. Enipeus reproaches Poseidon with the fraudulent seduc-
tion of the nymph Tyro. Poseidon excuses himself

XIV. A Triton relates to the Nereids the story of the rescue

of Andromeda by Perseus.

XV. Zephyrus relates to Notus the manner of the rape of

Europa, and the marine pomp with which she was

conducted to her nuptials with Zeus.

DIALOGUES OF THE DEAD.

I. Diogenes commissions Polydeukes, about to return to

the upper world, to inform Menippus of the actual

condition of things in the land of shades, and to

deliver admonitory messages to various sorts of men

-the rich, the powerful, the proud; and, finally, to

the poor, whom, when they complain of their lot on

earth, he is to console by representing the complete

equality (looría) which prevails in the regions of

II. Kroesus, Midas, and Sardanapalus complain to Pluto

of Menippus that he derides them for their lamenta-

tions over the loss of the power, wealth, and luxury

which belonged to them on earth. Menippus, in spite

of Pluto's remonstrances, persists in his ridicule

III. Menippus ridicules the oracles of Trophonius and Am-

IV. Hermes demands from Charon arrears of payment due

to him for his services on the Styx. Charon excuses

himself on the plea of bad times; no great war or

famine, as it happened, ravaging the earth at that

moment. Hermes moralizes on the causes of death,

different from those of old, which despatch men in

crowds to Hades.

V. Pluto directs Hermes to bring him the fortune and

legacy-hunters and flatterers of a certain rich man,

and to suffer the latter to outlive his fawning satel-

lites

VI. Terpsion, a legacy-hunter, accuses Pluto and the Fates

in that, although only thirty years of age, they had

caused him to predecease the object of his tender

regards, the millionaire nonagenarian, Thukritus.

Pluto convinces Terpsion of the injustice of his accu-

sation; and the legacy-hunter consoles himself in

the prospect of being soon joined in Hades by his late

rivals on earth

VII. Zenophantes and Kallidemides, two parasites, bewail

one to the other their fates, in having been in the

midst of their scheming unexpectedly dismissed to

Hades. Kallidemides, in particular, recounts the

pleasant manner in which he brought about his own

VIII. Knemon, a legacy-hunter, laments to his neighbour

Damnippus, that, whereas he had publicly, in his

will, bequeathed all his wealth to the millionaire

Hermolaus, in the expectation that the latter would

reciprocate the benefit, he, the speculating testator,

by his sudden death, had been frustrated of all his

hopes, and, besides, had left his family destitute

IX. Polystratus, a centenarian plutocrat, upon arriving in

Hades, narrates to his friend Simylus how, by reason

of his great wealth, he had enjoyed the adulation of

the world and an abundance of gifts from speculating

flatterers, and how he had disappointed them all by

X. An alarming number of ghosts crowd to the Styx.

Charon, fearing for his boat, directs Hermes to see

that they were entirely stripped of their various

insignia of power, rank, wealth, and the weighty

load of vices, before they are admitted on board.

Menippus, who is one of the passengers, avails him-

self of the opportunity for ridiculing and railing at

the bewailing ghosts

Page

XI. Krates and Diogenes, meeting in Hades, indulge their

satire on the subject of the fates of two millionaire

merchants (cousins) who had been constantly plot-

ting, in the usual manner, each for the other's

legacy, and who had both perished on the same day

by shipwreck. The two eminent Cynics congratu-

late themselves on the recollection of the very diffe-

rent character of their own objects in life

XII. Alexander of Macedon and Hannibal, quarrelling for

precedence, submit the arbitrament of their cause

to Minos. Each recounts his exploits. Scipio, the

conqueror of Carthage, intervenes, and pronounces

in favour of Alexander, claiming the second place for

himself, and assigning the third place to Hannibal. 114

XIII. Diogenes jeers at Alexander of Macedon for his late

pretensions to divinity, at the same time satirizing

the servile attitude of the conquered Greek States to-

wards him. He proceeds to remind the arrogant

conqueror of all his vain power and glory, and casts

large part of the blame on Alexander's preceptor,

Aristotle, for flattering and fostering the pride and

ambition of his pupil. Diogenes, finally, recom-

mends the dead potentate to drink the waters of the

« Previous Continue »