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[19]
ἄξιον δέ, ἐπεὶ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν καὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν διεξεληλύθαμεν, καὶ ἐς τὴν γείτονα αὐτῶν Αἴγυπτον καταβῆναι τῷ λόγῳ. δοκεῖ γάρ μοι ὁ παλαιὸς
μῦθος καὶ Πρωτέα τὸν Αἰγύπτιον οὐκ ἄλλο τι
ἢ ὀρχηστήν τινα γενέσθαι λέγειν, μιμητικὸν
[p. 232]
ἄνθρωπον καὶ πρὸς πάντα σχηματίζεσθαι καὶ μεταβάλλεσθαι δυνάμενον, ὡς καὶ ὕδατος ὑγρότητα μιμεῖσθαι καὶ πυρὸς ὀξύτητα ἐν τῇ τῆς κινήσεως
σφοδρότητι καὶ λέοντος ἀγριότητα καὶ παρδάλεως θυμὸν καὶ δένδρου δόνημα, καὶ ὅλως ὅ τι καὶ
θελήσειεν. ὁ δὲ μῦθος παραλαβὼν πρὸς τὸ
παραδοξότερον τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ διηγήσατο, ὡς γιγνομένου ταῦτα ἅπερ ἐμιμεῖτο. ὅπερ δὴ καὶ τοῖς νῦν ὀρχουμένοις πρόσεστιν, ἴδοις τ᾽ ἂν
οὖν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν καιρὸν ^ ὠκέως διαλλαττομένους καὶ αὐτὸν μιμουμένους τὸν Πρωτέα.
εἰκάζειν δὲ χρὴ καὶ τὴν Ἔμπουσαν τὴν ἐς μυρίας μορφὰς μεταβαλλομένην τοιαύτην τινὰ ἄνθρωπον ὑπὸ τοῦ μύθου παραδεδόσθαι.
Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1936. 5.
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