Lucian of Samosata, Juppiter Tragoedus, Emily James Smith (Translator), 36

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

← Previous Next →

Timokles

Very well. Tell me, then, is it your opinion, accursed wretch, that the gods exert no providence?

Damis

They do not.

Timokles

What, is the universe, then, not the result of design?

Damis

It is not.

Timokles

And did no god arrange the whole superintendence of things either?

Damis

No.

Timokles

But all things are borne along haphazard by an unreasoning current?

Damis

Yes.

Timokles

Now can you men endure to hear this and not stone the guilty wretch?

Damis

Why do you stir up the audience against me, Timokles? And who are you to show anger in the gods' behalf when they are not angry themselves? At least they have not handled me roughly, though they have heard me for a long time, supposing they do hear.

Timokles

They hear, Damis, they hear, and they will take vengeance on you some day.

Juppiter Tragoedus. Lucian of Samosata. Emily James Smith (Translator). Medford, MA. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Zeus the Tragedian (English) (Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.)

Editions (1)

Ζεὺς Τραγῳδός Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 36 focus

Τιμοκλῆς

εὖ λέγεις· εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, οὐ δοκοῦσί σοι, ὦ κατάρατε, προνοεῖν οἱ θεοί ;

Δάμις

οὐδαμῶς.

Τιμοκλῆς

τί φής; ἀπρονόητα οὖν ταῦτα ἅπαντα;

Δάμις

ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς

οὐδʼ ὑπό τινι οὖν θεῷ τάττεται ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμέλεια;

Δάμις

οὔ.

Τιμοκλῆς

πάντα δὲ εἰκῆ φέρεται;

Δάμις

ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς

εἶτʼ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ἀνέχεσθε καὶ οὐ καταλεύσετε τὸν ἀλιτήριον;

Δάμις

τί τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπʼ ἐμὲ παροξύνεις, ὦ Τιμόκλεις; ἢ τίς ὢν ἀγανακτεῖς ὑπὲρ τῶν θεῶν, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκείνων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀγανακτούντων; οἵ γε οὐδὲν δεινὸν διατεθείκασί με πάλαι ἀκούοντες, εἴ γε ἀκούουσιν.

Τιμοκλῆς

ἀκούουσι γάρ, ὦ Δᾶμι, ἀκούουσι, καί σε μετίασί ποτε χρόνῳ.

Translations (2)

Zeus Rants Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 2. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1915.) — 36 focus

TIMOCLES

Very well. Tell me then, you scoundrel, don’t you think the gods exercise any providence?

DAMIS

Not in the least.

TIMOCLES

What’s that you say? Then is all that we see about us uncared for by any providence?

DAMIS

Yes.

TIMOCLES

And the administration of the universe is not directed by any god?

DAMIS

No.

TIMOCLES

And everything drifts at random?

DAMIS

Yes.

TIMOCLES

Men, do you hear that and put up with it? Aren’t you going to stone the villain?

DAMIS

Why do you embitter men against me, Timocles? And who are you to get angry on behalf of the gods, especially when they themselves are not angry? They have done me no harm, you see, though they have listened to me long—if indeed they have ears.

TIMOCLES

Yes, they have, Damis, they have, and they will punish you some day in the hereafter.

Zeus Tragoedus Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 36 focus

Timocles

Done. Tell me, then, and be damned to you, do you deny that the Gods exercise providence?

Damis

I do.

Timocles

What, are all the events we see uncontrolled, then?

Damis

Yes.

Timocles

And the regulation of the universe is not under any God's care?

Damis

No.

Timocles

And everything moves casually, by blind tendency?

Damis

Yes.

Timocles

Gentlemen, can you tolerate such sentiments? Stone the blasphemer.

Damis

What do you mean by hounding them against me? Who are you, that you should protest in the Gods’ name? They do not even protest in their own; they have sent no judgement on me, and they have had time enough to hear me, if they have ears.

Timocles

They do hear you; they do; and some day their vengeance will find you out.

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Timokles Very well. Tell me, then, is it your opinion, accursed wretch, that the gods exert no providence?

Damis They do not.

Timokles What, is the universe, then, not the result of design?

Damis It is not.

Timokles And did no god arrange the whole superintendence of things either?

Damis No.

Timokles But all things are borne along haphazard by an unreasoning current?

Damis Yes.

Timokles Now can you men endure to hear this and not stone the guilty wretch?

Damis Why do you stir up the audience against me, Timokles? And who are you to show anger in the gods' behalf when they are not angry themselves? At least they have not handled me roughly, though they have heard me for a long time, supposing they do hear.

Timokles They hear, Damis, they hear, and they will take vengeance on you some day.

Current edition Perseus

Τιμοκλῆς εὖ λέγεις· εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, οὐ δοκοῦσί σοι, ὦ κατάρατε, προνοεῖν οἱ θεοί ;

Δάμις οὐδαμῶς.

Τιμοκλῆς τί φής; ἀπρονόητα οὖν ταῦτα ἅπαντα;

Δάμις ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς οὐδʼ ὑπό τινι οὖν θεῷ τάττεται ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμέλεια;

Δάμις οὔ.

Τιμοκλῆς πάντα δὲ εἰκῆ φέρεται;

Δάμις ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς εἶτʼ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ἀνέχεσθε καὶ οὐ καταλεύσετε τὸν ἀλιτήριον;

Τιμοκλῆς ἀκούουσι γάρ, ὦ Δᾶμι, ἀκούουσι, καί σε μετίασί ποτε χρόνῳ.

TIMOCLES Very well. Tell me then, you scoundrel, don’t you think the gods exercise any providence?

DAMIS Not in the least.

TIMOCLES What’s that you say? Then is all that we see about us uncared for by any providence?

DAMIS Yes.

TIMOCLES And the administration of the universe is not directed by any god?

DAMIS No.

TIMOCLES And everything drifts at random?

DAMIS Yes.

TIMOCLES Men, do you hear that and put up with it? Aren’t you going to stone the villain?

DAMIS Why do you embitter men against me, Timocles? And who are you to get angry on behalf of the gods, especially when they themselves are not angry? They have done me no harm, you see, though they have listened to me long—if indeed they have ears.

TIMOCLES Yes, they have, Damis, they have, and they will punish you some day in the hereafter.

Timocles Done. Tell me, then, and be damned to you, do you deny that the Gods exercise providence?

Damis I do.

Timocles What, are all the events we see uncontrolled, then?

Damis Yes.

Timocles And the regulation of the universe is not under any God's care?

Damis No.

Timocles And everything moves casually, by blind tendency?

Damis Yes.

Timocles Gentlemen, can you tolerate such sentiments? Stone the blasphemer.

Damis What do you mean by hounding them against me? Who are you, that you should protest in the Gods’ name? They do not even protest in their own; they have sent no judgement on me, and they have had time enough to hear me, if they have ears.

Timocles They do hear you; they do; and some day their vengeance will find you out.

Stable identifiers

Timokles

Very well. Tell me, then, is it your opinion, accursed wretch, that the gods exert no providence?

Damis

They do not.

Timokles

What, is the universe, then, not the result of design?

Damis

It is not.

Timokles

And did no god arrange the whole superintendence of things either?

Damis

No.

Timokles

But all things are borne along haphazard by an unreasoning current?

Damis

Yes.

Timokles

Now can you men endure to hear this and not stone the guilty wretch?

Damis

Why do you stir up the audience against me, Timokles? And who are you to show anger in the gods' behalf when they are not angry themselves? At least they have not handled me roughly, though they have heard me for a long time, supposing they do hear.

Timokles

They hear, Damis, they hear, and they will take vengeance on you some day.

Τιμοκλῆς

εὖ λέγεις· εἰπὲ οὖν μοι, οὐ δοκοῦσί σοι, ὦ κατάρατε, προνοεῖν οἱ θεοί ;

Δάμις

οὐδαμῶς.

Τιμοκλῆς

τί φής; ἀπρονόητα οὖν ταῦτα ἅπαντα;

Δάμις

ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς

οὐδʼ ὑπό τινι οὖν θεῷ τάττεται ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμέλεια;

Δάμις

οὔ.

Τιμοκλῆς

πάντα δὲ εἰκῆ φέρεται;

Δάμις

ναί.

Τιμοκλῆς

εἶτʼ ἄνθρωποι ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ἀνέχεσθε καὶ οὐ καταλεύσετε τὸν ἀλιτήριον;

Τιμοκλῆς

ἀκούουσι γάρ, ὦ Δᾶμι, ἀκούουσι, καί σε μετίασί ποτε χρόνῳ.

TIMOCLES

Very well. Tell me then, you scoundrel, don’t you think the gods exercise any providence?

DAMIS

Not in the least.

TIMOCLES

What’s that you say? Then is all that we see about us uncared for by any providence?

DAMIS

Yes.

TIMOCLES

And the administration of the universe is not directed by any god?

DAMIS

No.

TIMOCLES

And everything drifts at random?

DAMIS

Yes.

TIMOCLES

Men, do you hear that and put up with it? Aren’t you going to stone the villain?

DAMIS

Why do you embitter men against me, Timocles? And who are you to get angry on behalf of the gods, especially when they themselves are not angry? They have done me no harm, you see, though they have listened to me long—if indeed they have ears.

TIMOCLES

Yes, they have, Damis, they have, and they will punish you some day in the hereafter.

Timocles

Done. Tell me, then, and be damned to you, do you deny that the Gods exercise providence?

Damis

I do.

Timocles

What, are all the events we see uncontrolled, then?

Damis

Yes.

Timocles

And the regulation of the universe is not under any God's care?

Damis

No.

Timocles

And everything moves casually, by blind tendency?

Damis

Yes.

Timocles

Gentlemen, can you tolerate such sentiments? Stone the blasphemer.

Damis

What do you mean by hounding them against me? Who are you, that you should protest in the Gods’ name? They do not even protest in their own; they have sent no judgement on me, and they have had time enough to hear me, if they have ears.

Timocles

They do hear you; they do; and some day their vengeance will find you out.