Chapter XCIV.

But if the soul of birds is to be esteemed divine because future events are predicted by them, why should we not rather maintain, that when omens979    κληδόνες. are accepted by men, the souls of those are divine through which the omens are heard?  Accordingly, among such would be ranked the female slave mentioned in Homer, who ground the corn, when she said regarding the suitors:—

“For the very last time, now, will they sup here.”980    Cf. Homer, Odyss., iv. 685; cf. also xx. 116, 119.

This slave, then, was divine, while the great Ulysses, the friend of Homer’s Pallas Athene, was not divine, but understanding the words spoken by this “divine” grinder of corn as an omen, rejoiced, as the poet says:—

“The divine Ulysses rejoiced at the omen.”981    Cf. Homer, Odyss., xx. 120.

Observe, now, as the birds are possessed of a divine soul, and are capable of perceiving God, or, as Celsus says, the gods, it is clear that when we men also sneeze, we do so in consequence of a kind of divinity that is within us, and which imparts a prophetic power to our soul.  For this belief is testified by many witnesses, and therefore the poet also says:—

“And while he prayed, he sneezed.”982    Cf. Homer, Odyss., xvii. 541.

And Penelope, too, said:—

“Perceiv’st thou not that at every word my son did sneeze?”983    Cf. Homer, Odyss., xvii. 545.

Εἴπερ δὲ θεία ἐστὶν ἡ τῶν ὀρνίθων ψυχὴ διὰ τὸ δι' αὐτῶν προλέγεσθαι τὰ μέλλοντα, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον, ὅπου κληδόνες ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων λαμβάνονται, θείαν εἶναι φήσομεν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκείνων, δι' ὧν αἱ κληδόνες ἀκούονται; Θεία οὖν τις ἦν κατὰ τοὺς τοιούσδε ἡ παρὰ τῷ Ὁμήρῳ "ἀλετρίς", περὶ τῶν μνηστήρων εἰποῦσα· Ὕστατα καὶ πύματα νῦν ἐνθάδε δειπνήσειαν. Κἀκείνη μὲν θεία ἦν· ὁ δὲ τηλικοῦτος Ὀδυσσεύς, ὁ τῆς ὁμηρικῆς Ἀθηνᾶς φίλος, οὐκ ἦν θεῖος ἀλλὰ συνεὶς τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας ἀλετρίδος εἰρημένων κληδόνων ἔχαιρεν, ὡς ὁ ποιητής φησι· Χαῖρεν δὲ κλεηδόνι δῖος Ὀδυσσεύς. Ἤδη δὲ ὅρα, εἴπερ οἱ ὄρνιθες θείαν ἔχουσι ψυχὴν καὶ αἰσθάνονται τοῦ θεοῦ ἤ, ὡς ὁ Κέλσος ὀνομάζει, τῶν θεῶν· δηλονότι καὶ ἡμεῖς πταρνύμενοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀπό τινος ἐν ἡμῖν οὔσης θειότητος καὶ μαντικῆς περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν πταρνύμεθα. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο μαρτυρεῖται ὑπὸ πολλῶν· διὸ καὶ ὁ ποιητὴς λέγει τό· Ὁ δ' ἐπέπταρεν εὐχομένοιο, διὸ καὶ ἡ Πηνελόπη φησίν· Οὐχ ὁράᾳς, ὅ μοι υἱὸς ἐπέπταρε πᾶσιν ἔπεσσι;