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wants there; and hence he is called Pluto or the rich。 He will have
nothing to do with the souls of men while in the body; because he cannot
work his will with them so long as they are confused and entangled by
fleshly lusts。 Demeter is the mother and giver of foode didousa meter
tes edodes。 Here is erate tis; or perhaps the legislator may have been
thinking of the weather; and has merely transposed the letters of the word
aer。 Pherephatta; that word of awe; is pheretapha; which is only an
euphonious contraction of e tou pheromenou ephaptomene;all things are in
motion; and she in her wisdom moves with them; and the wise God Hades
consorts with herthere is nothing very terrible in this; any more than in
the her other appellation Persephone; which is also significant of her
wisdom (sophe)。 Apollo is another name; which is supposed to have some
dreadful meaning; but is susceptible of at least four perfectly innocent
explanations。 First; he is the purifier or purger or absolver (apolouon);
secondly; he is the true diviner; Aplos; as he is called in the Thessalian
dialect (aplos = aplous; sincere); thirdly; he is the archer (aei ballon);
always shooting; or again; supposing alpha to mean ama or omou; Apollo
becomes equivalent to ama polon; which points to both his musical and his
heavenly attributes; for there is a 'moving together' alike in music and in
the harmony of the spheres。 The second lambda is inserted in order to
avoid the ill…omened sound of destruction。 The Muses are so calledapo
tou mosthai。 The gentle Leto or Letho is named from her willingness
(ethelemon); or because she is ready to forgive and forget (lethe)。
Artemis is so called from her healthy well…balanced nature; dia to artemes;
or as aretes istor; or as a lover of virginity; aroton misesasa。 One of
these explanations is probably true;perhaps all of them。 Dionysus is o
didous ton oinon; and oinos is quasi oionous because wine makes those think
(oiesthai) that they have a mind (nous) who have none。 The established
derivation of Aphrodite dia ten tou athrou genesin may be accepted on the
authority of Hesiod。 Again; there is the name of Pallas; or Athene; which
we; who are Athenians; must not forget。 Pallas is derived from armed
dancesapo tou pallein ta opla。 For Athene we must turn to the
allegorical interpreters of Homer; who make the name equivalent to theonoe;
or possibly the word was originally ethonoe and signified moral
intelligence (en ethei noesis)。 Hephaestus; again; is the lord of lighto
tou phaeos istor。 This is a good notion; and; to prevent any other getting
into our heads; let us go on to Ares。 He is the manly one (arren); or the
unchangeable one (arratos)。 Enough of the Gods; for; by the Gods; I am
afraid of them; but if you suggest other words; you will see how the horses
of Euthyphro prance。 'Only one more God; tell me about my godfather
Hermes。' He is ermeneus; the messenger or cheater or thief or bargainer;
or o eirein momenos; that is; eiremes or ermesthe speaker or contriver of
speeches。 'Well said Cratylus; then; that I am no son of Hermes。' Pan; as
the son of Hermes; is speech or the brother of speech; and is called Pan
because speech indicates everythingo pan menuon。 He has two forms; a
true and a false; and is in the upper part smooth; and in the lower part
shaggy。 He is the goat of Tragedy; in which there are plenty of
falsehoods。
'Will you go on to the elementssun; moon; stars; earth; aether; air;
fire; water; seasons; years?' Very good: and which shall I take first?
Let us begin with elios; or the sun。 The Doric form elios helps us to see
that he is so called because at his rising he gathers (alizei) men
together; or because he rolls about (eilei) the earth; or because he
variegates (aiolei = poikillei) the earth。 Selene is an anticipation of
Anaxagoras; being a contraction of selaenoneoaeia; the light (selas) which
is ever old and new; and which; as Anaxagoras says; is borrowed from the
sun; the name was harmonized into selanaia; a form which is still in use。
'That is a true dithyrambic name。' Meis is so called apo tou meiousthai;
from suffering diminution; and astron is from astrape (lightning); which is
an improvement of anastrope; that which turns the eyes inside out。 'How do
you explain pur n udor?' I suspect that pur; which; like udor n kuon; is
found in Phrygian; is a foreign word; for the Hellenes have borrowed much
from the barbarians; and I always resort to this theory of a foreign origin
when I am at a loss。 Aer may be explained; oti airei ta apo tes ges; or;
oti aei rei; or; oti pneuma ex autou ginetai (compare the poetic word
aetai)。 So aither quasi aeitheer oti aei thei peri ton aera: ge; gaia
quasi genneteira (compare the Homeric form gegaasi); ora (with an omega);
or; according to the old Attic form ora (with an omicron); is derived apo
tou orizein; because it divides the year; eniautos and etos are the same
thoughto en eauto etazon; cut into two parts; en eauto and etazon; like
di on ze into Dios and Zenos。
'You make surprising progress。' True; I am run away with; and am not even
yet at my utmost speed。 'I should like very much to hear your account of
the virtues。 What principle of correctness is there in those charming
words; wisdom; understanding; justice; and the rest?' To explain all that
will be a serious business; still; as I have put on the lion's skin;
appearances must be maintained。 My opinion is; that primitive men were
like some modern philosophers; who; by always going round in their search
after the nature of things; become dizzy; and this phenomenon; which was
really in themselves; they imagined to take place in the external world。
You have no doubt remarked; that the doctrine of the universal flux; or
generation of things; is indicated in names。 'No; I never did。' Phronesis
is only phoras kai rou noesis; or perhaps phoras onesis; and in any case is
connected with pheresthai; gnome is gones skepsis kai nomesis; noesis is
neou or gignomenon esis; the word neos implies that creation is always
going onthe original form was neoesis; sophrosune is soteria phroneseos;
episteme is e epomene tois pragmasinthe faculty which keeps close;
neither anticipating nor lagging behind; sunesis is equivalent to sunienai;
sumporeuesthai ten psuche; and is a kind of conclusionsullogismos tis;
akin therefore in idea to episteme; sophia is very difficult; and has a
foreign lookthe meaning is; touching the motion or stream of things; and
may be illustrated by the poetical esuthe and the Lacedaemonian proper name
Sous; or Rush; agathon is ro agaston en te tachuteti;for all things are
in motion; and some are swifter than others: dikaiosune is clearly e tou
dikaiou sunesis。 The word dikaion is more troublesome; and appears to mean
the subtle penetrating power which; as the lovers of motion say; preserves
all things; and is the cause of all things; quasi diaion going throughthe
letter kappa bei