25. Did we say
4213
that Venus
was a courtezan, deified by a Cyprian king named Cinyras? Who
reported that the palladium was formed from the remains of
Pelops? Was it not you? Who that Mars was Spartanus? was it
not your writer Epicharmus? Who that he was born within the
confines of Thrace? was it not Sophocles the Athenian, with the assent
of all his spectators? Who
that he was born
in Arcadia?
was it not you? Who that he was kept a prisoner for thirteen
months?
4214
was it not the
son of the river Meles? Who
said
that dogs were sacrificed
to him by the Carians, asses by the Scythians? was it not Apollodorus
especially, along with the rest? Who that in wronging
another’s marriage couch, he was caught entangled in snares? was
it not your writings, your tragedies? Did we ever write that the
gods for hire endured slavery, as Hercules at Sardis
4215
for lust and wantonness; as the Delian
Apollo,
who served
Admetus, as Jove’s brother,
who
served
the Trojan Laomedon, whom the Pythian also
served
, but
with his uncle; as Minerva, who gives light, and trims the lamps to
secret lovers? Is not he one of your poets, who represented Mars
and Venus as wounded by men’s hands? Is not Panyassis one
of you, who relates that father Dis and queenly Juno were wounded by
Hercules? Do not the writings of your Polemo say that
Pallas
4216
was
slain,
4217
covered with
her own blood, overwhelmed by Ornytus? Does not Sosibius declare
that Hercules himself was afflicted by the wound and pain he suffered
at the hands of Hipocoon’s children? Is it related at our
instance that Jupiter was committed to the grave in the island of
Crete? Do we say that the brothers,
4218
who were united in their cradle, were
buried in the territories of Sparta and Lacedæmon? Is the
author of our number, who is termed Patrocles the Thurian in the titles
of his writings, who relates that the tomb and remains of Saturn are
found
4219
in
Sicily? Is Plutarch of Chæronea
4220
esteemed one of us, who said that
Hercules was reduced to ashes on the top of Mount Œta, after his
loss of strength through epilepsy?
4213
So the
ms.
reading
numquid
dictatum
, which would refer this sentence to the end of the last
chapter. Gelenius, with Canth., Oberth., and Orelli, reads
quis ditatam
, and joins with the following sentence thus:
“Who related that Venus, a courtezan enriched by C., was
deified…? who that the palladium,” etc. Cf. v.
19.
4214
The
ms.
reads
quis mensibus in
Arcadia tribus et decem vinctum
—“Who that he was
bound thirteen months in Arcadia? was it not the son,” etc.
To which there are these two objections—that Homer never says so;
and that Clemens Alexandrinus [vol. ii. p, 179, this series], from whom
Arnobius here seems to draw, speaks of Homer as saying only that Mars
was so bound, without referring to Arcadia. The
ms.
reading may have arisen from carelessness on the part
of Arnobius in quoting (cf. ch. 14, n. 2), or may be a corruption of
the copyists. The reading translated is an emendation by Jortin,
adopted by Orelli.
4215
Sardibus
,—a conjecture of Ursinus, adopted by LB.,
Hild., and Oehler for the
ms.
sordibus
; for which the others read
sordidi
—“for the sake of base lust.”
4216
Lit., “the masculine one.”
4217
As
this seems rather extravagant when said of one of the immortals,
læsam
, “hurt,” has been proposed by
Meursius.
4218
Castor and Pollux.
4219
Lit., “contained.”
4220
The
ms.
reads
Hieronymus
Pl.
—“is Hier., is Pl.,” while Clem. Alex.
mentions only “Hieronymus the philosopher.”