The Works of Lucian of Samosata - v. 3 Author:Lucian Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: TOXARIS : A DIALOGUE OF FRIENDSHIP Mnesippus. Toxaris Mne. Now, Toxaris: do you mean to tell me that you people actually sacrifice to Orestes and Pylades ... more »? do you take them for Gods ? Tox. Sacrifice to them ? of course we do. It does not follow that we think they are Gods : they were good men. Mne. And in Scythia ' good men' receive sacrifice just the same as Gods ? Tox. Not only that, but we honour them with feasts and public gatherings. Mne. But what do you expect from them ? They are shades now, so their goodwill can be no object. Tox. Why, as to that, I think it may be just as well to have a good understanding even with shades. But that is not all: in honouring the dead we consider that we are also doing the best we can for the living. Our idea is that by preserving the memory of the noblest of mankind, we induce many people to follow their example. Mne. Ah, there you are right. But what could you find to 2 admire in Orestes and Pylades, that you should exalt them to godhead ? They were strangers to you : strangers, did I say ? they were enemies ! Why, when they were shipwrecked on your coast, and your ancestors laid hands on them, and took them off to be sacrificed to Artemis, they assaulted the gaolers, overpowered the garrison, slew the king, carried off the priestess, laid impious hands on the Goddess herself, and so took ship, snapping their fingers at Scythia and her laws. If you honour men for this kind of thing, there will be plenty of people to follow their example, and you will have your hands full. You may judge for yourselves, from ancient precedent, whether it will suit you to have so many Oresteses and Pyladeses putting into your ports. It seems to me that it will soon end in your having no religion left at all: God after God will be e...« less