THE TENTH TROPE.

The tenth Trope is the one principally connected with 145 morals, relating to schools, customs, laws, mythical beliefs, and dogmatic opinions.  Now a school is a choice of a manner of life, or of something held by one or many, as for example the school of Diogenes or the Laconians.  A law is a written 146 contract among citizens, the transgressor of which is punished.  A custom or habit, for there is no difference, is a common acceptance of a certain thing by many, the deviator from which is in no wise punished.  For example, it is a law not to commit adultery, and it is a custom with us [Greek:  to me demosia gynaiki mignusthai].  A mythical belief is a tradition 147 regarding things which never took place, but were invented, as among others, the tales about Cronus, for many are led to believe them.  A dogmatic opinion is the acceptance of something that seems to be established by a course of reasoning, or by some proof, as for example, that atoms are elements of things, and that they are either homogeneous, or infinitesimal, or of some other description.  Now we place each of these things sometimes in opposition to itself, and sometimes in opposition to each one of the others.  For example, we place a custom in 148 opposition to a custom thus:  some of the Ethiopians tattoo new-born children, but we do not, and the Persians think it is seemly to have a garment of many colors and reaching to the feet, but we think it not so.  The Indians [Greek:  tais gynaixi deomosia mignyntai] but most of the other nations consider it a shame.  We place a law in opposition to a law in this way:  149 among the Romans he who renounces his paternal inheritance does not pay his father’s debts, but among the Rhodians he pays them in any case; and among the Tauri in Scythia it was a law to offer strangers in sacrifice to Artemis, but with us it is forbidden to kill a man near a temple.  We place a school in 150 opposition to a school when we oppose the school of Diogenes to that of Aristippus, or that of the Laconians to that of the Italians.  We place a mythical belief in opposition to a mythical belief, as by some traditions Jupiter is said to be the father of men and gods, and by others Oceanus, as we say—­

   “Oceanus father of the gods, and Tethys the mother.”

We place dogmatic opinions in opposition to each other, when 151 we say that some declare that there is only one element, but others that they are infinite in number, and some that the soul is mortal, others that it is immortal; and some say that our affairs are directed by the providence of the gods, but others that there is no providence.  We place custom in opposition 152 to other things, as for example to a law, when we say that among the Persians it is the custom to practice [Greek:  arrenomixiai], but among the Romans it is forbidden by law to do it;