Translations from Lucian 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: ALEXANDER; OR, THE FALSE PROPHET Perhaps, my dear Celsus, you were under the impression that you were setting me quite a light and easy task when you suggeste... more »d that I should send you an account of the life of Alexander of Abonotichus, the magician, which should give an idea of the boldness and effrontery of the man, and the devices by which he carried out his impostures. But, on the contrary, the truth is, that such an account, if it were to be at all exact or exhaustive, would be almost as great an undertaking as a life of Alexander, the son of Philip of Macedon; for our Alexander was no less remarkable for the infamy of his character than his great namesake was for his heroism. However, if you will promise to be an indulgent reader and make up your mind beforehand to find many deficiencies in my work, I will undertake the task at your desire, and try to clear out this Augean stable, if not thoroughly, at least to the best of my ability. Some basketfuls of the refuse I will bring out for your inspection, so that you may see how vast and indescribable is the accumulation of filth which has gathered during the many years in which three thousand oxen have been housed in it. I must confess, however, that I feel a little shame, both on your account and on my own,—on yours who propose thus to perpetuate the memory of a thrice accursed wretch by committing his doings to writing, and on my own, who am devoting myself to the task ofrecording the deeds of a scoundrel who, so far from deserving to occupy the attention of persons of culture, was only fit to afford a spectacle for the mob, by being torn to pieces by monkeys and foxes in some monstrous amphitheatre. However, if any one should reproach us with this, we can plead a distinguished example in our excuse—that of no less a person ...« less