But
as for you, my admirable friend, since you claim to
be a prophet and have collected large fees for such
work, even to the extent of getting ingots of gold
once upon a time, why do you not give us a timely
display of your skill by foretelling which of the
How can I do that, Momus, when we have no tripod here, and no incense or prophetic spring like Castaly ?
There now! you dodge the test when it comes to the pinch.
Speak up, my boy, all the same, and don’t give this libeller a chance to malign and insult your profession by saying that it all depends on a tripod and water and incense, so that if you didn’t have those things you would be deprived of your skill.
It would be better, father, to do such business at Delphi or Colophon where I have all the necessaries at hand, in the usual way. However, even thus devoid of them and unequipped, I will try to foretell whose the victory shall be: you will bear with me if my verses are lame.
Do speak ; but let it be clear, and not itself in need of a spokesman or an interpreter. It is not now a question of lamb and turtle cooking together in Lydia, but you know what the debate is about.
What in the world are you going to say, my boy?
These preliminaries to your oracle are terrifying in
themselves; your colour is changed, your eyes are
rolling, your hair stands on end, your movements are