Million Book Collection - The Fishers of Men Ministries

THE GREEK THILOSOPPIY.395that it seems to me that no single man can ever beduly thankful for the kindnesses of the gods. Donot let this trouble you, Euthydemus, for you seethe god at Delphi, when anyone asks him how tobe grateful to the gods, answers, By your country'slaw. Now it is surely law everywhere toplease the gods by sacrifices, as best you can.How then can anyone honour the gods better ormore piously than by doing what themselves bid?Only we must not be behind our power: for anyonewho is so behind surely is manifest therein asnot honouring the gods. Our duty is to honourthem to the utmost of our power, and then to takeheart and hope from them, the greatest goods: fora man cannot show a sound mind in hoping fromothers greater goods than from those who have thepower to give the greatest aid; nor from those inany other way than by pleasing them. And howcan one better please them than by the most unfailingobedience to them? Now by saying suchthings, o / and himself doing o them, / he was ever ^ oing those who were in intercourse with him topiety and a sound mind."The last words of this man to his V iudges O were:" And now it is time that we depart, I to death,and you to life; but which of us are going untothe better thing is not clear to anyone save toGod."37 And when the hemlock was reaching hisheart,38 he uncovered his head, and said with his37 Plato, Apol., at the end. 3S Phcedo, p. 118.