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‘ἐπιστρέψαι γὰρ ὑμᾶς διανοηθεὶς ἐς λόγους φυσικωτέρους τε καὶ ἀληθεστέρους ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ περὶ τῆς Αἴτνης ᾄδουσιν, αὐτὸς ἐς ἔπαινον μύθων ἀπηνέχθην, οὐ μὴν ἄχαρις ἡ ἐκβολὴ τοῦ λόγου γέγονεν: ὁ γὰρ μῦθος, ὃν παραιτούμεθα, οὐ τῶν Αἰσώπου λόγων ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ τῶν δραματικωτέρων καὶ ὧν οἱ ποιηταὶ θρυλοῦσιν: ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ Τυφῶ τινα ἢ Ἐγκέλαδον δεδέσθαι φασὶν ὑπὸ τῷ ὄρει καὶ δυσθανατοῦντα ἀσθμαίνειν τὸ πῦρ τοῦτο, ἐγὼ δὲ γίγαντας μὲν γεγονέναι φημὶ καὶ πολλαχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἀναδείκνυσθαι τοιαυτὶ σώματα ῥαγέντων τῶν τάφων, οὐ μὴν ἐς ἀγῶνα ἐλθεῖν τοῖς θεοῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ὑβρίσαι μὲν τάχα ἐς τοὺς νεὼς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἕδη, οὐρανῷ δὲ ἐπιπηδῆσαι καὶ μὴ ξυγχωρεῖν τοῖς θεοῖς ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῦ εἶναι μανία μὲν λέγειν, μανία δὲ οἴεσθαι. καὶ μηδὲ ἐκεῖνος ὁ λόγος καίτοι δοκῶν εὐφημότερος εἶναι τιμάσθω, ὡς Ἡφαίστῳ μέλει τοῦ χαλκεύειν ἐν τῇ Αἴτνῃ, καὶ κτυπεῖταί τις ἐνταῦθα ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἄκμων, πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα ὄρη πολλαχοῦ τῆς γῆς ἔμπυρα καὶ οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιμεν ἐπιφημίζοντες αὐτοῖς γίγαντας καὶ Ἡφαίστους.’
Flavii Philostrati Opera, Vol 1. Philostratus the Athenian. Carl Ludwig Kayser. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1870. Keyboarding.
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