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Periander, here assumed the discourse, and said: It was the manner of the ancient Grecians heretofore, O Cleodemus, to propound doubts to one another; and it hath been told us, that the most famous and eminent poets used to meet at the grave of Amphidamas in Chalcis.
A man I saw, who by his fire Did set a piece of brass Fast to a man, so that it seemed To him it welded was. Can you tell me, said he, how to construe this, and what the sense of it may be? No, said Cleodemus, it is no profit to know what it means. And yet, quoth Aesop, no man understands this thing better and practises it more judiciously and successfully than yourself.
Pyrrhias, is that the fact? 'Indeed it is, says Pyrrhias; 'what is more, I heard a dog barking in the hole, and if I am not mistaken I caught a glimmer of torchlight. I could not help a smile; it was handsome in Pyrrhias, this of the bark and the torchlight. 'Your experience, observed Cleodemus, 'is by no means without precedent. In fact I saw something of the same kind myself, not long ago.
When I got there, Leontichus had just gone away, so Eucrates said; but he had a number of other visitors. There was Cleodemus the Peripatetic and Dinomachus the Stoic, and Ion.
There had been a good deal of talk already about gout, and this was still going on; each man had his pet prescription to offer. Cleodemus was giving his.
If I may have leave to deliver my opinion, quoth Cleodemus, I must profess myself of a different judgment, especially now we sit at table; for as soon as the meat is taken away, what belongs to those gods that are the patrons of friendship and hospitality has been removed.
Pray tell me, quoth Cleodemus, what difference there is between these riddles and those of Eumetis, which she frames and invents to recreate herself with as much pleasure as other virgins make nets and girdles? They may be fit to offer and puzzle women withal; but for men to beat their brains to find out their mystery would be mighty ridiculous.
Yea, but Cleodemus stiffly maintains the necessity of eating and drinking, else we shall need tables and cups, and shall not be able to offer sacrifice to Ceres and Proserpina.
'Ion, said I, 'about that one who was so old: did the ambassador snake give him an arm, or had he a stick to lean on? 'Ah, you will have your joke, Cleodemus put in; 'I was an unbeliever myself once worse than you; in fact I considered it absolutely impossible to give credit to such things.
'What, Tychiades, says Cleodemus, with a faint grin, you don't believe these remedies are good for anything? 'I should have to be pretty far gone, I replied, 'before I could admit that external things, which have no communication with the internal causes of disease, are going to work by means of incantations and stuff, and effect a cure merely by being hung on.
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