Juppiter Tragoedus

Lucian of Samosata

The Works of Lucian of Samosata, complete, with exceptions specified in thepreface, Vol. 3. Fowler, H. W. and Fowlere, F.G., translators. Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1905.

Timocles Weil, well; my ship leaves you unconvinced; I must drop my sheet-anchor, then; that at least is unbreakable.

Zeus I wonder what it is.

Timocles See whether this is a sound syllogism; can you upset it?—

v.3.p.104

If there are altars, there are Gods: there are altars; therefore, there are Gods. Now then.

Damis Ha, ha, ha! I will answer as soon as I can get done with laughing.

Timocles Will you never stop? At least tell me what the joke is.

Damis Why, you don’t see that your anchor (sheet-anchor, too) hangs by a mere thread. You depend 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.