De Defectu Oraculorum

When Ammonius had said this and I remained silent, Cleombrotus, addressing himself to me, said, Already you have conceded this point, that the god both creates and abolishes these prophetic shrines.

No indeed, said I, my contention is that no prophetic shrine or oracle is ever abolished by the instrumentality of the god. He creates and provides many other things for us, and upon some of these Nature brings destruction and disintegration; or rather, the matter composing them, being itself a force for disintegration, often reverts rapidly to its earlier state and causes the dissolution of what was created by the more potent instrumentality; and it is in this way, I think, that in the next period there are dimmings and abolitions of the prophetic agencies; for while the god gives many fair things to

mankind, he gives nothing imperishable, so that, as Sophocles[*](Cf. Nauck, Trag. Graec. Frag. p. 311, Sophocles, no. 766 (no. 850 Pearson). The same thought is in the Oedipus at Colonus, 607.) puts it, the works of gods may die, but not the gods. Their presence and power wise men are ever telling us we must look for in Nature and in Matter, where it is manifested, the originating influence being reserved for the Deity, as is right. Certainly it is foolish and childish in the extreme to imagine that the god himself after the manner of ventriloquists (who used to be called Eurycleis, [*](Eurycles was a famous ventriloquist. Cf. Plato, Sophist, 252 c, and Aristophanes, Wasps, 1019, with the scholium.) but now Pythones) enters into the bodies of his prophets and prompts their utterances, employing their mouths and voices as instruments.[*](Cf. 397 c and 404 b, supra.) For if he allows himself to become entangled in mens needs, he is prodigal with his majesty and he does not observe the dignity and greatness of his preeminence.