Herm. Wherefore thus brooding, Zeus? wherefore apart, And palely pacing, as Earth’s sages1 use? Let me thy counsel know, thy cares partake; And find thy comfort in a faithful fool.
Ath. Cronides, lord of lords, and all our sire, I clasp thy knees; grant thou what I require; A boon2 the lightning-eyed Tritonia asks: Speak, rend3 the veil thy secret thought that masks; Reveal what care thy mind within thee gnaws4, Blanches5 thy cheek, and this deep moaning draws.
Zeus. Speech hath no utterance6 of surpassing fear, Tragedy holds no misery8 or woe9, But our divinest essence soon shall taste.
Ath. Alas10, how dire11 a prelude12 to thy tale!
Zeus. O brood maleficent, teemed13 from Earth’s dark womb! And thou, Prometheus, how hast thou wrought14 me woe!
Ath. Possess us; are not we thine own familiars?
Zeus. With a whirr and a crash Let the levin-bolt dash — Ah, whither?
Hera. A truce15 to your passion, Zeus. We have not these good people’s gift for farce16 or recitation; we have not swallowed Euripides whole, and cannot play up to you. Do you suppose we do not know how to account for your annoyance17?
Zeus. Thou knowst not; else thy waitings had been loud.
Hera. Don’t tell me; it’s a love affair; that’s what’s the matter with you. However, you won’t have any ‘wailings’ from me; I am too much hardened to neglect. I suppose you have discovered some new Danae or Semele or Europa whose charms are troubling you; and so you are meditating18 a transformation19 into a bull or satyr, or a descent through the roof into your beloved’s bosom20 as a shower of gold; all the symptoms — your groans21 and your tears and your white face — point to love and nothing else.
Zeus. Happy ignorance, that sees not what perils22 now forbid love and such toys!
Hera. Is your name Zeus, or not? and, if so, what else can possibly annoy you but love?
Zeus. Hera, our condition is most precarious24; it is touch-and-go, as they call it, whether we are still to enjoy reverence25 and honour from the earth, or be utterly26 neglected and become of no account.
Hera. Has Earth produced a new brood of giants? Have the Titans broken their chains, overpowered their guards, and taken up arms against us once more?
Zeus. Nay27, fear not that; Hell threatens not the Gods.
Hera. What can the matter be, then? To hear you, one might think it was Polus or Aristodemus, not Zeus; and why, pray, if something of that sort is not bothering you?
Zeus. My dear, a discussion somehow arose yesterday between Timocles the Stoic28 and Damis the Epicurean; there was a numerous and respectable audience (which particularly annoyed me), and they had an argument on the subject of Providence30. Damis questioned the existence of the Gods, and utterly denied their interest in or government of events, while Timocles, good man, did his best to champion our cause. A great crowd gathered round; but no conclusion was reached. They broke up with an understanding that the inquiry32 should be completed another day; and now they are all agog33 to see which will win and prove his case. You all see how parlous34 and precarious is our position, depending on a single mortal. These are the alternatives for us: to be dismissed as mere35 empty names, or (if Timocles prevails) to enjoy our customary honours.
Hera. This is really a serious matter; your ranting36 was not so uncalled-for, Zeus.
Zeus. You fancied me thinking of some Danae or Antiope; and this was the dread37 reality. Now, Hermes, Hera, Athene, what is our course? We await your contribution to our plans.
Herm. My opinion is that an assembly be summoned and the community taken into counsel.
Hera. And I concur38.
Ath. Sire, I dissent39 entirely40; you should not fill Heaven with apprehensions41, nor let your own uneasiness be visible, but take private measures to assure Timocles’s victory and Damis’s being laughed out of court.
Herm. It cannot be kept quiet, Zeus; the philosophers’ debate is public, and you will be accused of despotic methods, if you maintain reserve on a matter of so great and general interest.
Zeus. Make proclamation and summon all, then. I approve your judgement.
Herm. Here, assemble, all ye Gods; don’t waste time, come along, here you are; we are going to have an important meeting.
Zeus. What, Hermes? so bald, so plain, so prosy an announcement — on this momentous42 occasion?
Herm. Why, how would you like it done?
Zeus. Some metre, a little poetic43 sonority44, would make the style impressive, and they would be more likely to come.
Herm. Ah, Zeus, that is work for epic29 poets or reciters, and I am no good at poetry. I should be sure to put in too many feet, or leave out some, and spoil the thing; they would only laugh at my rude verses. Why, I’ve known Apollo himself laughed at for some of his oracles45; and prophecy has the advantage of obscurity, which gives the hearers something better to do than scanning verses.
Zeus. Well, well, Hermes, you can make lines from Homer the chief ingredient of your composition; summon us in his words; you remember them, of course.
Herm. I cannot say they are exactly on the tip of my tongue; however, I’ll do my best:
Let ne’er a God (tum, tum), nor eke47 a Goddess, Nor yet of Ocean’s rivers one be wanting, Nor nymphs; but gather to great Zeus’s council; And all that feast on glorious hecatombs, Yea, middle and lower classes of Divinity, Or nameless ones that snuff fat altar-fumes
Zeus. Good, Hermes; that is an excellent proclamation: see, here they come pell-mell; now receive and place them in correct precedence, according to their material or workmanship; gold in the front row, silver next, then the ivory ones, then those of stone or bronze. A cross-division will give precedence to the creations of Phidias, Alcamenes, Myron, Euphranor, and artists of that calibre, while the common inartistic jobs can be huddled49 together in the far corner, hold their tongues, and just make up the rank and file of our assembly.
Herm. All right; they shall have their proper places. But here is a point: suppose one of them is gold, and heavy at that, but not finely finished, quite amateurish50 and ill proportioned, in fact — is he to take precedence of Myron’s and Polyclitus’s bronze, or Phidias’s and Alcamenes’s marble? or is workmanship to count most?
Zeus. It should by rights. Never mind, put the gold first.
Herm. I see; property qualification, comparative wealth, is the test, not merit. — Gold to the front row, please. — Zeus, the front row will be exclusively barbarian51, I observe. You see the peculiarity52 of the Greek contingent53: they have grace and beauty and artistic48 workmanship, but they are all marble or bronze — the most costly54 of them only ivory with just an occasional gleam of gold, the merest surface-plating; and even those are wood inside, harbouring whole colonies of mice. Whereas Bendis here, Anubis there, Attis next door, and Mithras and Men, are all of solid gold, heavy and intrinsically precious.
Pos. Hermes, is it in order that this dog-faced Egyptian person should sit in front of me, Posidon?
Herm. Certainly. You see, Earth-shaker, the Corinthians had no gold at the time, so Lysippus made you of paltry55 bronze; Dog-face is a whole gold-mine richer than you. You must put up with being moved back, and not object to the owner of such a golden snout being preferred.
Aph. Then, Hermes, find me a place in the front row; I am golden.
Herm. Not so, Aphrodite, if I can trust my eyes; I am purblind56, or you are white marble; you were quarried57, I take it, from Pentelicus, turned by Praxiteles’s fancy into Aphrodite, and handed over to the Cnidians.
Aph. Wait; my witness is unexceptionable — Homer. ‘The Golden Aphrodite’ he calls me, up and down his poems.
Herm. Oh, yes, no doubt; he called Apollo rich, ‘rolling in gold’; but now where will you find Apollo? Somewhere in the third-class seats; his crown has been taken off and his harp58 pegs59 stolen by the pirates, you see. So you may think yourself lucky with a place above the fourth.
Col. Well, who will dare dispute my claim? Am I not the Sun? and look at my height. If the Rhodians had not decided60 on such grandiose61 dimensions for me, the same outlay62 would have furnished forth63 a round dozen of your golden Gods; I ought to be valued proportionally. And then, besides the size, there is the workmanship and careful finish.
Herm. What shall I do, Zeus? Here is a difficulty again — too much for me. Going by material, he is bronze; but, reckoning the talents his bronze cost, he would be above the first class.
Zeus. What business has he here dwarfing65 the rest and blocking up all the bench? — Why, my excellent Rhodian, you may be as superior to the golden ones as you will; but how can you possibly go in the front row? Every one would have to get up, to let you sit; half that broad beam of yours would fill the whole House. I must ask you to assist our deliberations standing31; you can bend down your head to the meeting.
Herm. Now here is another problem. Both bronze, equal aesthetically67, being both from Lysippus’s studio, and, to crown all, nothing to choose between them for birth — two sons of yours, Zeus — Dionysus and Heracles. Which is to be first? You can see for yourself, they mean to stand upon their order.
Zeus. We are wasting time, Hermes; the debate should have been in full swing by now. Tell them to sit anyhow, according to taste; we will have an ad hoc meeting another day, and then I shall know how to settle the question of precedence.
Herm. My goodness, what a noise! what low vulgar bawling68! listen —‘Hurry up with that carving69!’ ‘Do pass the nectar!’ ‘Why no more ambrosia70?’ ‘When are those hecatombs coming?’ ‘Here, shares in that victim!’
Zeus. Call them to order, Hermes; this nonsense must cease, before I can give them the order of the day.
Herm. They do not all know Greek; and I haven’t the gift of tongues, to make myself understood by Scythians and Persians and Thracians and Celts. Perhaps I had better hold up my hand and signal for silence.
Zeus. Do.
Herm. Good; they are as quiet as if they were so many teachers of elocution. Now is the time for your speech; see, they are all hanging on your lips.
Zeus. Why — there is something wrong with me — Hermes, my boy — I will be frank with you. You know how confident and impressive I always was as a public speaker?
Herm. I know; I used to be in such a fright; you threatened sometimes to let down your golden cord and heave up earth and sea from their foundations, Gods included.
Zeus. But today, my child — it may be this terrible crisis — it may be the size of the audience — there is a vast number of Gods here, isn’t there — anyhow, my thoughts are all mixed, I shiver, my tongue seems tied. What is most absurd of all, my exordium is gone clean out of my head; and I had prepared it on purpose to produce a good impression at the start.
Herm. You have spoiled everything, Zeus. They cannot make out your silence; they are expecting to hear of some terrible disaster, to account for your delay.
Zeus. What do you think? Reel off the exordium in Homer?
Herm. Which one?
Zeus. Lend me your ears, Gods all and Goddesses.
Herm. Rubbish! you made quite exhibition enough of yourself in that vein71 in our cabinet council. However, you might, if you like, drop your metrical fustian72, and adapt any one of Demosthenes’s Philippics with a few alterations73. That is the fashionable method with speakers nowadays.
Zeus. Ah, that is a royal road to eloquence74 — simplifies matters very much for a man in difficulties.
Herm. Go ahead, then.
Zeus. Men of — Heaven, I presume that you would be willing to pay a great price, if you could know what in the world has occasioned the present summons. Which being so, it is fitting that you should give a ready hearing to my words. Now, whereas the present crisis, Heavenians, may almost be said to lift up a voice and bid us take vigorous hold on opportunity, it seems to me that we are letting it slip from our nerveless grasp. And I wish now (I can’t remember any more) to exhibit clearly to you the apprehensions which have led to my summoning you.
As you are all aware, Mnesitheus the ship’s-captain yesterday made his votive offering for the narrow escape of his vessel75 off Caphereus, and those of us whom he had invited attended the banquet in Piraeus. After the libations you went your several ways. I myself, as it was not very late, walked up to town for an afternoon stroll in Ceramicus, reflecting as I went on the parsimony76 of Mnesitheus. When the ship was driving against the cliff, and already inside the circle of reef, he had vowed77 whole hecatombs: what he offered in fact, with sixteen Gods to entertain, was a single cock — an old bird afflicted78 with catarrh — and half a dozen grains of frankincense; these were all mildewed80, so that they at once fizzled out on the embers, hardly giving enough smoke to tickle81 the olfactories82. Engaged in these thoughts I reached the Poecile, and there found a great crowd gathered; there were some inside the Portico83, a large number outside, and a few seated on the benches vociferating as loud as they could. Guessing correctly that these were philosophers of the militant84 variety, I had a mind to stop and hear what they were saying. I was enveloped85 in a good thick cloud, under cover of which I assumed their habit, lengthened86 my beard, and so made a passable philosopher; then I elbowed my way through the crowd and got in undetected. I found an accomplished87 scoundrel and a pattern of human virtue88 at daggers89 drawn90; they were Damis the Epicurean and Timocles the Stoic. The latter was bathed in perspiration91, and his voice showed signs of wear, while Damis goaded92 him on to further exertions93 with mocking laughter.
The bone of contention94 was ourselves. Damis — the reptile95! — maintained that we did not concern ourselves in thought or act with human affairs, and practically denied our existence; that was what it came to. And he found some support. Timocles was on our side, and loyally, passionately96, unshrinkingly did he champion the cause; he extolled97 our Providence, and illustrated98 the orderly discerning character of our influence and government. He too had his party; but he was exhausted99 and quite husky; and the majority were inclining to Damis. I saw how much was at stake, and ordered Night to come on and break up the meeting. They accordingly dispersed100, agreeing to conclude the inquiry next day. I kept among the crowd on its way home, heard its commendations of Damis, and found that his views were far the more popular, though some still protested against condemning101 Timocles out of hand, and preferred to see what he would say for himself tomorrow.
You now know the occasion of this meeting — no light one, ye Gods, if you reflect how entirely our dignity, our revenue, our honour, depend on mankind. If they should accept as true either our absolute non-existence or, short of that, our indifference102 to them, farewell to our earthly sacrifices, attributes, honours; we shall sit starving and ineffectual in Heaven; our beloved feasts and assemblies, games and sacrifices, vigils and processions — all will be no more. So mighty103 is the issue; believe me, it behoves us all to search out salvation104; and where lies salvation? In the victory and acceptance of Timocles, in laughter that shall drown the voice of Damis. For I doubt the unaided powers of Timocles, if our help be not accorded him.
Hermes, make formal proclamation, and let the debate commence.
Herm. Hear, keep silence, clamour not. Of full and qualified105 Gods, speak who will. Why, what means this? Doth none rise? Cower106 ye confounded at these momentous tidings?
Mo.
Away, ye dull as earth, as water weak!
But I could find plenty to say, Zeus, if free speech were granted me.
Zeus. Speak, Momus, and fear not. You will use your freedom, surely, for the common good.
Mo. Hear, then, ye Gods; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. You must know, I foresaw all this clearly — our difficulty — the growth of these agitators107; it is ourselves who are responsible for their impudence108; I swear to you, we need not blame Epicurus nor his friends and successors, for the prevalence of these ideas. Why, what can one expect men to think, when they see all life topsy-turvy — the good neglected, pining in poverty, disease, and slavery, detestable scoundrels honoured, rolling in wealth, and ordering their betters about, temple-robbers undetected and unpunished, the innocent constantly crucified and bastinadoed? With this evidence before them, it is only natural they should conclude against our existence. All the more when they hear the oracles saying that some one
The Halys crossed, o’erthrows a mighty realm, but not specifying109 whether that realm is his own or his enemy’s;
or again
O sacred Salamis, thou shalt slay110 Full many a mother’s son.
The Greeks were mothers’ sons as well as the Persians, I suppose. Or again, when they hear the ballads111 about our loves, our wounds, captivities, thraldoms, quarrels, and endless vicissitudes112 (mark you, we claim all the while to be blissful and serene), are they not justified113 in ridiculing114 and belittling115 us? And then we say it is outrageous116 if a few people who are not quite fools expose the absurdity117 and reject Providence; why, we ought to be glad enough that a few still go on sacrificing to blunderers like us.
And at this point, Zeus — this meeting is private; the human element is not represented among us (except by Heracles, Dionysus, Ganymede, and Asclepius, and they are naturalized)— at this point, answer me a question frankly118: did your interest in mankind ever carry you so far as to sift119 the good from the bad? The answer is in the negative, I know. Very well, then; had not a Theseus, on his way from Troezen to Athens, exterminated120 the malefactors as an incidental amusement, Sciron and Pityocamptes and Cercyon and the rest of them might have gone on battening on the slaughter121 of travellers, for all you and your Providence would have done. Had not an old-fashioned thoughtful Eurystheus, benevolently122 collecting information of local troubles, sent this energetic enterprising servant of his about, the mighty Zeus would never have given a thought to the Hydra123 or the Stymphalian birds, the Thracian horses and the drunken insolence124 of Centaurs125.
If the truth must out, we sit here with a single eye to one thing — does a man sacrifice and feed the altars fat? Everything else drifts as it may. We get our deserts, and shall continue to get them, when men open their eyes by degrees and find that sacrifices and processions bring them no profit. Before long you will find we are the laughing-stock of people like Epicurus, Metrodorus, Damis, who will have mastered and muzzled126 our advocates. With whom does it lie to check and remedy this state of things? Why, with you, who have brought it on. As for Momus, what is dishonour127 to him? He was never among the recipients128 of honour, while you were still prosperous; your banquetings were too exclusive.
Zeus. He was ever a cross-grained censor129; we need not mind his maundering, Gods. We have it from the admirable Demosthenes: imputations, blame, criticism, these are easy things; they tax no one’s capacity: what calls for a statesman is the suggesting of a better course; and that is what I rely upon the rest of you for; let us do our best without his help.
Pos. As for me, I live ordinarily under water, as you know, and follow an independent policy in the depths; that policy is to save sailors, set ships on their way, and keep the winds quiet, as best I may. However, I do take an interest in your politics too, and my opinion is that this Damis should be got rid of before the debate; the thunderbolt would do it, or some means could be found; else he might win — you say he is a plausible130 fellow, Zeus. It would teach them that there is a reckoning for telling such tales about us, too.
Zeus. You must be jesting, Posidon; you cannot have forgotten that we have no say in the matter? It is the Fates that spin a man’s thread, whether he be destined131 to the thunderbolt or the sword, to fever or consumption. If it had depended on me, do you suppose I should have let those temple-robbers get off unblasted from Pisa the other day? — two of my curls shorn off, weighing half a dozen pounds apiece. Would you have stood it, when that fisherman from Oreus stole your trident at Geraestus? Moreover, they will think we are sensitive and angry; they will suspect that the reason why we get the man out of the way without waiting to see him matched with Timocles is that we are afraid of his arguments; they will say we are just securing judgement by default.
Pos. Dear, dear! I thought I had hit upon a good short cut to our object.
Zeus. Nonsense, there is something fishy132 about it, Posidon; and it is a dull notion too, to destroy your adversary133 beforehand; he dies unvanquished, and leaves his argument behind him still debatable and undecided.
Pos. Then the rest of you must think of something better, if ‘fishy’ is the best word you have for me.
Apol. If we beardless juniors were competent to address the meeting, I might perhaps have contributed usefully to the discussion.
Mo. Oh, Apollo, the inquiry is so important that seniority may be waived134, and any one allowed his say; a pretty thing to split hairs about legal competence135 at a supreme136 crisis! But you are surely qualified by this time; your minority is prehistoric137, your name is on the Privy–Council roll, your senatorial rank dates back almost to Cronus. Pray spare us these juvenile139 airs, and give us your views freely; you need not be bashful about your smooth chin; you have a father’s rights in Asclepius’s great bush of a beard. Moreover, you never had a better opportunity of showing your wisdom, if your philosophic140 seances with the Muses141 on Helicon have not been thrown away.
Apol. Why, it does not lie with you to give me leave, Momus; Zeus must do that; and if he bids, I may find words that shall be not all uncultured, but worthy142 of my Heliconian studies.
Zeus. Speak, son; thou hast my leave.
Apol. This Timocles is a good pious143 man, and an excellent Stoic scholar; his learning has gained him a wide and paying connexion among young men; in private lessons his manner is indeed very convincing. But in public speaking he is timid, cannot produce his voice, and has a provincial144 accent; the consequence is, he gets laughed at in company, lacks fluency145, stammers146 and loses his thread — especially when he emphasizes these defects by an attempt at flowers of speech. As far as intelligence goes, he is extremely acute and subtle, so the Stoic experts say; but he spoils it all by the feebleness of his oral explanations; he is confused and unintelligible147, deals in paradoxes148, and when he is interrogated149, explains ignotum per ignotius; his audience does not grasp his meaning, and therefore laughs at him. I think lucidity150 a most important point; there is nothing one should be so careful about as to be comprehensible.
Mo. You praise lucidity, Apollo; your theory is excellent, though your practice does not quite conform; your oracles are crooked151 and enigmatic, and generally rely upon a safe ambiguity152; a second prophet is required to say what they mean. But what is your solution of the problem? How are we to cure Timocles of the impediment in his speech?
Apol. If possible, we should provide him with an able counsel (there are plenty such) to be inspired by him and give adequate expression to his ideas.
Mo. Your sapience153 is beardless indeed — in statu pupillari, one may say. A learned gathering154: Timocles with counsel by his side to interpret his ideas. Damis speaking in propria persona with his own tongue, his opponent employing a go-between into whose ears he privately155 pours inspiration, and the go-between producing ornate periods, without, I dare say, understanding what he is told — most entertaining for the listeners! We shall get nothing out of that device.
But, reverend sir, you claim the gift of prophecy, and it has brought you in good pay — golden ingots on one occasion? — why not seize this opportunity of exhibiting your art? You might tell us which of the disputants will win; a prophet knows the future, of course.
Apol. I have no tripod or incense79 here; no substitute for the divining-well of Castaly.
Mo. Aha! you are caught! you will not come to the scratch.
Zeus. Speak, my son, in spite of all; give not this enemy occasion to blaspheme; let him not flout156 thy powers with tripod and water and frankincense, as though thine art were lost without them.
Apol. Father, it were better done at Delphi or at Colophon, with all the customary instruments to hand. Yet, bare and unprovided as I am, I will essay to tell whether of them twain shall prevail. — If the metre is a little rough, you must make allowances.
Mo. Go on, then; but remember, Apollo: lucidity; no ‘able counsel,’ no solutions that want solving themselves. It is not a question of lamb and tortoise boiling 61 in Lydia now; you know what we want to get at.
Zeus. What will thine utterance be? How dread, even now, is the making ready! The altered hue157, the rolling eyes, the floating locks, the frenzied158 gesture — all is possession, horror, mystery.
Apol.
Who lists may hear Apollo’s soothfast rede Of stiff debate, heroic challenge ringing Shrill159, and each headpiece lined with fence of proof. Alternate clack the strokes in whirling strife160; Sore buffeted161, quakes and shivers heart of oak. But when grasshopper162 feels the vulture’s talons163, Then the storm-boding ravens164 croak165 their last, Prevail the mules166, butts167 his swift foals the ass7.
Zeus. Why that ribald laughter, Momus? It is no laughing matter. Stop, stop, fool; you’ll choke yourself.
Mo. Well, such a clear simple oracle46 puts one in spirits.
Zeus. Indeed? Then perhaps you will kindly168 expound169 it.
Mo. No need of a Themistocles this time; it is absolutely plain. The oracle just says in so many words that he is a quack170, and we pack-asses (quite true) and mules to believe in him; we have not as much sense, it adds, as a grasshopper.
Herac. Father, I am only an alien, but I am not afraid to give my opinion. Let them begin their debate. Then, if Timocles gets the best of it, we can let the meeting go on, in our own interest; on the other hand, if things look bad, I will give the Portico a shake, if you like, and bring it down on Damis; a confounded fellow like that is not to insult us.
Zeus. Now by Heracles — I can swear by you, I certainly cannot swear by your plan — what a crude — what a shockingly philistine171 suggestion! What! destroy all those people for one man’s wickedness? and the Portico thrown in, with the Miltiades and Cynaegirus on the field of Marathon? Why, if these were ruined, how could the orators172 ever make another speech, with the best of their stock-intrade taken from them? Besides, while you were alive, you might possibly have done a thing like that; but now that you are a God, you surely understand that only the Fates are competent, and we cannot interfere174?
Herac. Then when I slew175 the lion or the Hydra, was I only the Fates’ instrument?
Zeus. Of course you were.
Herac. And now, suppose any one insults me, or robs my temple, or upsets an image of me, am I not to pulverize176 him, just because the Fates have not decreed it long ago?
Zeus. Certainly not.
Herac. Then allow me to speak my mind;
I’m a blunt man; I call a spade a spade.
If this is the state of things with you, good-bye for me to your honours and altar-steam and fat of victims; I shall be off to Hades. There, if I show my bow ready for action, the ghosts of the monsters I have slain177 will be frightened, at least.
Zeus. Oh, splendid! ‘Thine own lips testify against thee,’ says the book; you would have saved Damis some trouble by putting this in his mouth.
But who is this breathless messenger? Bronze — a nice clean figure and outline — chevelure rather out of date. Ah, he must be your brother, Hermes, who stands in the Market by the Poecile; I see he is all over pitch; that is what comes of having casts taken of you every day. My son, why this haste? Have you important news from Earth?
Hermag. Momentous news, calling for infinite energy.
Zeus. Speak, tarry not, if any peril23 else hath escaped our vigilance.
Hermag.
It chanced of late that by the statuaries My breast and back were plastered o’er with pitch; A mock cuirass tight-clinging hung, to ape My bronze, and take the seal of its impression. When lo, a crowd! therein a pallid178 pair Sparring amain, vociferating logic179; ’Twas Damis and —
Zeus. Truce to your iambics, my excellent Hermagoras; I know the pair. But tell me whether the fight has been going on long.
Hermag. Not yet; they were still skirmishing — slinging180 invective181 at long range.
Zeus. Then we have only, Gods, to look over and listen. Let the Hours unbar, draw back the clouds, and open the doors of Heaven.
Upon my word, what a vast gathering! And I do not quite like the looks of Timocles; he is trembling; he has lost his head; he will spoil everything; it is perfectly182 plain, he will not be able to stand up to Damis. Well, there is one thing left us: we can pray for him
Inwardly, silently, lest Damis hear.
Ti. What, you miscreant183, no Gods? no Providence?
Da. No, no; you answer my question first; what makes you believe in them?
Ti. None of that, now; the onus138 probandi is with you, scoundrel.
Da. None of that, now; it is with you.
Zeus. At this game ours is much the better man — louder-voiced, rougher-tempered. Good, Timocles; stick to invective; that is your strong point; once you get off that, he will hook and hold you up like a fish.
Ti. I solemnly swear I will not answer first.
Da. Well, put your questions, then; so much you score by your oath. But no abuse, please.
Ti. Done. Tell me, then, and be damned to you, do you deny that the Gods exercise providence?
Da. I do.
Ti. What, are all the events we see uncontrolled, then?
Da. Yes.
Ti. And the regulation of the universe is not under any God’s care?
Da. No.
Ti. And everything moves casually184, by blind tendency?
Da. Yes.
Ti. Gentlemen, can you tolerate such sentiments? Stone the blasphemer.
Da. 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.
Ti. They do hear you; they do; and some day their vengeance185 will find you out.
Da. Pray when are they likely to have time to spare for me? They are far too busy, according to you, with all the infinite concerns of the universe on their hands. That is why they have never punished you for your perjuries186 and — well, for the rest of your performances, let me say, not to break our compact about abuse. And yet I am at a loss to conceive any more convincing proof they could have given of their Providence, than if they had trounced you as you deserve. But no doubt they are from home — t’other side of Oceanus, possibly, on a visit to ‘the blameless Ethiopians.’ We know they have a way of going there to dinner, self-invited sometimes.
Ti. What answer is possible to such ribaldry?
Da. The answer I have been waiting for all this time; you can tell me what made you believe in divine Providence.
Ti. Firstly, the order of nature — the sun running his regular course, the moon the same, the circling seasons, the growth of plants, the generation of living things, the ingenious adaptations in these latter for nutrition, thought, movement, locomotion187; look at a carpenter or a shoemaker, for instance; and the thing is infinite. All these effects, and no effecting Providence?
Da. You beg the question; whether the effects are produced by Providence is just what is not yet proved. Your description of nature I accept; it does not follow that there is definite design in it; it is not impossible that things now similar and homogeneous have developed from widely different origins. But you give the name ‘order’ to mere blind tendency. And you will be very angry if one follows your appreciative188 catalogue of nature in all its variety, but stops short of accepting it as a proof of detailed189 Providence. So, as the play says,
Here lurks190 a fallacy; bring me sounder proof.
Ti. I cannot admit that further proof is required; nevertheless, I will give you one. Will you allow Homer to have been an admirable poet?
Da. Surely.
Ti. Well, he maintains Providence, and warrants my belief.
Da. Magnificent! why, every one will grant you Homer’s poetic excellence191; but not that he, or any other poet for that matter, is good authority on questions of this sort. Their object, of course, is not truth, but fascination192; they call in the charms of metre, they take tales for the vehicle of what instruction they give, and in short all their efforts are directed to pleasure.
But I should be glad to hear which parts of Homer you pin your faith to. Where he tells how the daughter, the brother, and the wife of Zeus conspired193 to imprison194 him? If Thetis had not been moved to compassion195 and called Briareus, you remember, our excellent Zeus would have been seized and manacled; and his gratitude196 to her induced him to delude197 Agamemnon with a lying dream, and bring about the deaths of a number of Greeks. Do you see? The reason was that, if he had struck and blasted Agamemnon’s self with a thunderbolt, his double dealing198 would have come to light. Or perhaps you found the Diomede story most convincing? — Diomede wounded Aphrodite, and afterwards Ares himself, at Athene’s instigation; and then the Gods actually fell to blows and went a-tilting — without distinction of sex; Athene overthrew199 Ares, exhausted no doubt with his previous wound from Diomede; and
Hermes the stark200 and stanch201 ‘gainst Leto stood.
Or did you put your trust in Artemis? She was a sensitive lady, who resented not being invited to Oeneus’s banquet, and by way of vengeance sent a monstrous202 irresistible203 boar to ravage204 his country. Is it with tales like these that Homer has prevailed on you?
Zeus. Goodness me, what a shout, Gods! they are all cheering Damis. And our man seems posed; he is frightened and trembles; he is going to throw up the sponge, I am certain of it; he looks round for a gap to get away through.
Ti. And will you scout205 Euripides too, then? Again and again he brings Gods on the stage, and shows them upholding virtue in the Heroes, but chastising206 wickedness and impiety207 (like yours).
Da. My noble philosopher, if that is how the tragedians have convinced you, you have only two alternatives: you must suppose that divinity is temporarily lodged209 either in the actor — a Polus, an Aristodemus, a Satyrus — or else in the actual masks, buskins, long tunics210, cloaks, gloves, stomachers, padding, and ornamental211 paraphernalia212 in general of tragedy — a manifest absurdity; for when Euripides can speak his own sentiments unfettered by dramatic necessity, observe the freedom of his remarks:
Dost see this aether stretching infinite,
And girdling earth with close yet soft embrace?
That reckon thou thy Zeus, that name thy God.
And again,
Zeus, whatever Zeus may be (for, save by hearsay213,
I know not)—;
and there is more of the same sort.
Ti. Well, but all men — ay, all nations — have acknowledged and, feted Gods; was it all delusion214?
Da. Thank you; a timely reminder215; national observances show better than anything else how vague religious theory is. Confusion is endless, and beliefs as many as believers. Scythia makes offerings to a scimetar, Thrace to the Samian runaway216 Zamolxis, Phrygia to a Month–God, Ethiopia to a Day–Goddess, Cyllene to Phales, Assyria to a dove, Persia to fire, Egypt to water. In Egypt, though, besides the universal worship of water, Memphis has a private cult64 of the ox, Pelusium of the onion, other cities of the ibis or the crocodile, others again of baboon217, cat, or monkey. Nay, the very villages have their specialities: one deifies the right shoulder, and another across the river the left; one a half skull218, another an earthenware219 bowl or platter. Come, my fine fellow, is it not all ridiculous?
Mo. What did I tell you, Gods? All this was sure to come out and be carefully overhauled220.
Zeus. You did, Momus, and your strictures were justified; if once we come safe out of this present peril, I will try to introduce reforms.
Ti. Infidel! where do you find the source of oracles and prophecies, if not in the Gods and their Providence?
Da. About oracles, friend, the less said the better; I shall ask you to choose your instances, you see. Will Apollo’s answer to the Lydian suit you? That was as symmetrical as a double-edged knife; or say, it faced both ways, like those Hermae which are made double, alike whether you look at front or back. Consider; will Croesus’s passage of the Halys destroy his own realm, or Cyrus’s? Tet the wretched Sardian paid a long price for his ambidextrous221 hexameter.
Mo. The man is realizing just my worst apprehensions. Where is our handsome musician now? Ah, there you are; go down and plead your own cause against him.
Zeus. Hush222, Momus; you are murdering our feelings; it is no time for recrimination.
Ti. Have a care, Damis; this is sacrilege, no less; what you say amounts to razing223 the temples and upsetting the altars.
Da. Oh, not all the altars; what harm do they do, so long as incense and perfume is the worst of it? As for Artemis’s altar at Tauri, though, and her hideous224 feasts, I should like it overturned from base to cornice.
Zeus. Whence comes this resistless plague among us? There is none of us he spares; he is as free with his tongue as a tub orator173,
And grips by turns the innocent and guilty.
Mo. The innocent? You will not find many of those among us, Zeus. He will soon come to laying hands upon some of the great and eminent225, I dare say.
Ti. Do you close your ears even to Zeus’s thunder, atheist226?
Da. I clearly cannot shut out the thunder; whether it is Zeus’s thunder, you know better than I perhaps; you may have interviewed the Gods. Travellers from Crete tell another story: there is a tomb there with an inscribed227 pillar, stating that Zeus is long dead, and not going to thunder any more.
Mo. I could have told you that was coming long ago. What, Zeus? pale? and your teeth chattering228? What is the matter? You should cheer up, and treat such manikins with lofty contempt.
Zeus. Contempt? See what a number of them there is — how set against us they are already — and he has them fast by the ears.
Mo. Well, but you have only to choose, and you can let down your golden cord, and then every man of them
With earth and sky and all thou canst draw up.
Ti. Blasphemer, have you ever been a voyage?
Da. Many.
Ti. Well, then, the wind struck the canvas and filled the sails, and it or the oars229 gave you way, but there was a person responsible for steering230 and for the safety of the ship?
Da. Certainly.
Ti. Now that ship would not have sailed, without a steersman; and do you suppose that this great universe drifts unsteered and uncontrolled?
Zeus. Good, this time, Timocles; a cogent231 illustration, that.
Da. But, you pattern of piety208, the earthly navigator makes his plans, takes his measures, gives his orders, with a single eye to efficiency; there is nothing useless or purposeless on board; everything is to make navigation easy or possible; but as for the navigator for whom you claim the management of this vast ship, he and his crew show no reason or appropriateness in any of their arrangements; the forestays, as likely as not, are made fast to the stern, and both sheets to the bows; the anchor will be gold, the beak232 lead, decoration below the water-line, and unsightliness above.
As for the men, you will find some lazy awkward coward in second or third command, or a fine swimmer, active as a cat aloft, and a handy man generally, chosen out of all the rest to — pump. It is just the same with the passengers: here is a gaolbird accommodated with a seat next the captain and treated with reverence, there a debauchee or parricide234 or temple-robber in honourable235 possession of the best place, while crowds of respectable people are packed together in a corner and hustled236 by their real inferiors. Consider what sort of a voyage Socrates and Aristides and Phocion had of it, on short rations66, not venturing, for the filth237, to stretch out their legs on the bare deck; and on the other hand what a comfortable, luxurious238, contemptuous life it was for Callias or Midias or Sardanapalus.
That is how things go on board your ship, sir wiseacre; and who shall count the wrecks239? If there had been a captain supervising and directing, in the first place he would have known the difference between good and bad passengers, and in the second he would have given them their deserts; the better would have had the better accommodation above by his side, and the worse gone below; with some of the better he would have shared his meals and his counsels. So too for the crew: the keen sailor would have been made look-out man or captain of the watch, or given some sort of precedence, and the lazy shirker have tasted the rope’s end half a dozen times a day. The metaphorical240 ship, your worship, is likely to be capsized by its captain’s incompetence241.
Mo. He is sweeping242 on to victory, with wind and tide.
Zeus. Too probable, Momus. And Timocles never gets hold of an effective idea; he can only ladle out trite243 commonplaces higgledy-piggledy — no sooner heard than refuted.
Ti. Well, well; my ship leaves you unconvinced; I must drop my sheet-anchor, then; that at least is unbreakable.
Zeus. I wonder what it is.
Ti. See whether this is a sound syllogism244; can you upset it? — If there are altars, there are Gods: there are altars; therefore, there are Gods. Now then.
Da. Ha, ha, ha! I will answer as soon as I can get done with laughing.
Ti. Will you never stop? At least tell me what the joke is.
Da. Why, you don’t see that your anchor (sheet-anchor, too) hangs by a mere thread. You defend on connexion between the existence of Gods and the existence of altars, and fancy yourself safe at anchor! As you admit that this was your sheet-anchor, there is nothing further to detain us.
Ti. You retire; you confess yourself beaten, then?
Da. Yes; we have seen you take sanctuary245 at the altars under persecution246. At those altars I am ready (the sheet-anchor be my witness) to swear peace and cease from strife.
Ti. Tou are playing with me, are you, you vile247 body-snatcher, you loathsome248 well-whipped scum! As if we didn’t know who your father was, how your mother was a harlot! You strangled your own brother, you live in fornication, you debauch233 the young, you unabashed lecher! Don’t be in such a hurry; here is something for you to take with you; this broken pot will serve me to cut your foul249 throat.
Zeus. Damis makes off with a laugh, and the other after him, calling him names, mad at his insolence. He will get him on the head with that pottery250, I know. And now, what are we to do?
Herm. Why, the man in the comedy was not far out:
Put a good face on ‘t, and thou hast no harm.
It is no such terrible disaster, if a few people go away infected. There are plenty who take the other view — a majority of Greeks, the body and dregs of the people, and the barbarians251 to a man.
Zeus. Ah, Hermes, but there is a great deal in Darius’s remark about Zopyrus — I would rather have had one ally like Damis than be the lord of a thousand Babylons.
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1
sages
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| n.圣人( sage的名词复数 )；智者；哲人；鼠尾草（可用作调料） | |
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boon
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| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
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rend
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| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
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gnaws
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| 咬( gnaw的第三人称单数 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物 | |
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5
blanches
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| v.使变白( blanch的第三人称单数 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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teemed
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| v.充满( teem的过去式和过去分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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farce
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| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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meditating
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| a.沉思的，冥想的 | |
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transformation
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| n.变化；改造；转变 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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stoic
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| n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者 | |
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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agog
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| adj.兴奋的，有强烈兴趣的； adv.渴望地 | |
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parlous
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| adj.危险的，不确定的，难对付的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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36
ranting
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| v.夸夸其谈( rant的现在分词 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
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37
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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38
concur
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| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
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dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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41
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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42
momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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43
poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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44
sonority
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| n.响亮，宏亮 | |
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45
oracles
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| 神示所( oracle的名词复数 )； 神谕； 圣贤； 哲人 | |
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46
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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47
eke
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| v.勉强度日，节约使用 | |
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48
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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49
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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50
amateurish
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| n.业余爱好的，不熟练的 | |
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51
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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52
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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53
contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
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54
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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55
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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56
purblind
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| adj.半盲的；愚笨的 | |
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57
quarried
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| v.从采石场采得( quarry的过去式和过去分词 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石 | |
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58
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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59
pegs
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| n.衣夹( peg的名词复数 )；挂钉；系帐篷的桩；弦钮v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的第三人称单数 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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60
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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61
grandiose
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| adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的 | |
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62
outlay
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| n.费用，经费，支出；v.花费 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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64
cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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65
dwarfing
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| n.矮化病 | |
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66
rations
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| 定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量 | |
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67
aesthetically
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| adv.美地，艺术地 | |
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68
bawling
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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69
carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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70
ambrosia
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| n.神的食物；蜂食 | |
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71
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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72
fustian
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| n.浮夸的；厚粗棉布 | |
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73
alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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74
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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75
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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76
parsimony
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| n.过度节俭，吝啬 | |
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77
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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78
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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79
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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80
mildewed
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| adj.发了霉的，陈腐的，长了霉花的v.（使）发霉，（使）长霉( mildew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
tickle
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| v.搔痒，胳肢；使高兴；发痒；n.搔痒，发痒 | |
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82
olfactories
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| n.嗅觉的( olfactory的名词复数 ) | |
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83
portico
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| n.柱廊，门廊 | |
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84
militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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85
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
lengthened
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| （时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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88
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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89
daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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90
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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91
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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92
goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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93
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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94
contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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95
reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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96
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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97
extolled
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| v.赞颂，赞扬，赞美( extol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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99
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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100
dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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101
condemning
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| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
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102
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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103
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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104
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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105
qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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106
cower
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| v.畏缩，退缩，抖缩 | |
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107
agitators
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| n.（尤指政治变革的）鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 )；煽动者；搅拌器；搅拌机 | |
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108
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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109
specifying
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| v.指定( specify的现在分词 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性 | |
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110
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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111
ballads
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| 民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴 | |
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112
vicissitudes
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| n.变迁，世事变化；变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 )；盛衰兴废 | |
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113
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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114
ridiculing
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| v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的现在分词 ) | |
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115
belittling
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| 使显得微小，轻视，贬低( belittle的现在分词 ) | |
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116
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 | |
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117
absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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118
frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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119
sift
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| v.筛撒，纷落，详察 | |
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120
exterminated
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| v.消灭，根绝( exterminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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121
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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122
benevolently
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| adv.仁慈地，行善地 | |
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123
hydra
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| n.水螅；难于根除的祸患 | |
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124
insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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125
centaurs
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| n.（希腊神话中）半人半马怪物( centaur的名词复数 ) | |
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126
muzzled
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| 给（狗等）戴口套( muzzle的过去式和过去分词 )； 使缄默，钳制…言论 | |
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127
dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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128
recipients
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| adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器 | |
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129
censor
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| n./vt.审查，审查员；删改 | |
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130
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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131
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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132
fishy
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| adj. 值得怀疑的 | |
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133
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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134
waived
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| v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等） | |
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135
competence
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| n.能力，胜任，称职 | |
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136
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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137
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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138
onus
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| n.负担；责任 | |
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139
juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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140
philosophic
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| adj.哲学的，贤明的 | |
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141
muses
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的第三人称单数 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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142
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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143
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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144
provincial
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| adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人 | |
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145
fluency
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| n.流畅，雄辩，善辩 | |
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146
stammers
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| n.口吃，结巴( stammer的名词复数 )v.结巴地说出( stammer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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147
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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148
paradoxes
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| n.似非而是的隽语，看似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法( paradox的名词复数 )；用于语言文学中的上述隽语；有矛盾特点的人[事物，情况] | |
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149
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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150
lucidity
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| n.明朗，清晰，透明 | |
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151
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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152
ambiguity
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| n.模棱两可；意义不明确 | |
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153
sapience
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| n.贤明，睿智 | |
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154
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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155
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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156
flout
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| v./n.嘲弄，愚弄，轻视 | |
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157
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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158
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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159
shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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160
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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161
buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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162
grasshopper
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| n.蚱蜢，蝗虫，蚂蚱 | |
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163
talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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164
ravens
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| n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
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165
croak
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| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
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166
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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167
butts
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| 笑柄( butt的名词复数 )； （武器或工具的）粗大的一端； 屁股； 烟蒂 | |
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168
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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169
expound
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| v.详述；解释；阐述 | |
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170
quack
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| n.庸医；江湖医生；冒充内行的人；骗子 | |
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171
philistine
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| n.庸俗的人；adj.市侩的，庸俗的 | |
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172
orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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173
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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174
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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175
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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176
pulverize
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| v.研磨成粉；摧毁 | |
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177
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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178
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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179
logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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180
slinging
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| 抛( sling的现在分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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181
invective
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| n.痛骂，恶意抨击 | |
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182
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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183
miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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184
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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185
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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186
perjuries
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| n.假誓，伪证，伪证罪( perjury的名词复数 ) | |
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187
locomotion
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| n.运动，移动 | |
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188
appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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189
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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190
lurks
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| n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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191
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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192
fascination
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| n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋 | |
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193
conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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194
imprison
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| vt.监禁，关押，限制，束缚 | |
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195
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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196
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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197
delude
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| vt.欺骗；哄骗 | |
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198
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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199
overthrew
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| overthrow的过去式 | |
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200
stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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201
stanch
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| v.止住（血等）；adj.坚固的；坚定的 | |
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202
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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203
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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204
ravage
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| vt.使...荒废，破坏...；n.破坏，掠夺，荒废 | |
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205
scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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206
chastising
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的现在分词 ) | |
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207
impiety
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| n.不敬；不孝 | |
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208
piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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209
lodged
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| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
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210
tunics
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| n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍 | |
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211
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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212
paraphernalia
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| n.装备；随身用品 | |
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213
hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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214
delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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215
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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216
runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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217
baboon
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| n.狒狒 | |
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218
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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219
earthenware
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| n.土器，陶器 | |
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220
overhauled
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| v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越 | |
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221
ambidextrous
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| adj.双手很灵巧的，熟练的，两面派的 | |
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222
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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223
razing
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| v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的现在分词 ) | |
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224
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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225
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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226
atheist
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| n.无神论者 | |
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227
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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228
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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229
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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230
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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231
cogent
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| adj.强有力的，有说服力的 | |
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232
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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233
debauch
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| v.使堕落，放纵 | |
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234
parricide
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| n.杀父母；杀亲罪 | |
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235
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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236
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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237
filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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238
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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239
wrecks
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| n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 )；（事故中）遭严重毁坏的汽车（或飞机等）；（身体或精神上）受到严重损伤的人；状况非常糟糕的车辆（或建筑物等）v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 )；使（船舶）失事，使遇难，使下沉 | |
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240
metaphorical
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| a.隐喻的，比喻的 | |
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241
incompetence
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| n.不胜任，不称职 | |
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242
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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243
trite
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| adj.陈腐的 | |
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244
syllogism
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| n.演绎法，三段论法 | |
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245
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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246
persecution
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| n. 迫害,烦扰 | |
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247
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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248
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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249
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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250
pottery
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| n.陶器，陶器场 | |
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251
barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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