by us adultery is forbidden, but among the Massagetae indifference in this respect is allowed by custom, as Eudoxos of Cnidus relates in the first part of his book of travels; among us it is forbidden [Greek:  metrasi mignusthai], but among the Persians it is the custom by preference to marry so; the Egyptians marry sisters also, which among us is forbidden by law.  Further, 153 we place a custom in opposition to a school, when we say that most men [Greek:  anachorountes mignuontai tais heauton gunaixin, ho de Krates te Hipparchia demosia], and Diogenes went around with one shoulder bare, but we go around with our customary clothes.  We place a custom in opposition to a mythical 154 belief, as when the myths say that Cronus ate his own children, while with us it is the custom to take care of our children; and among us it is the custom to venerate the gods as good, and not liable to evil, but they are described by the poets as being wounded, and also as being jealous of each other.  We place a custom in opposition to a dogmatic opinion when we say that 155 it is a custom with us to seek good things from the gods, but that Epicurus says that the divine pays no heed to us; Aristippus also held it to be a matter of indifference to wear a woman’s robe, but we consider it shameful.  We place a school in opposition to a law, as according to the law it is not allowed 156 to beat a free and noble born man, but the wrestlers and boxers strike each other according to the teaching of their manner of life, and although murder is forbidden, the gladiators kill each other for the same reason.  We place a mythical 157 belief in opposition to a school when we say that, although the myths say of Hercules that in company with Omphale—­

      “He carded wool, and bore servitude,”

and did things that not even an ordinary good man would have done, yet Hercules’ theory of life was noble.  We place a 158 mythical belief in opposition to a dogmatic opinion when we say that athletes seeking after glory as a good, enter for its sake upon a laborious profession, but many philosophers, on the other hand, teach that glory is worthless.  We place law in opposition to mythical belief when we say the poets 159 represent the gods as working adultery and sin, but among us the law forbids those things.  We place law in opposition to dogmatic opinion when we say that the followers of Chrysippus hold 160 that it is a matter of indifference to marry one’s mother or sister, but the law forbids these things.  We place a mythical belief in opposition to a dogmatic opinion when we say that 161 the poets represent Jupiter as descending and holding intercourse with mortal women, but the Dogmatics think this was impossible; also that the poet says that Jupiter, on account 162 of his sorrow for Sarpedon, rained drops of blood upon the earth, but it is a dogma of the philosophers that the divine is exempt from suffering; and they