[8] ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΔΙΟΝΥΣΟΥ ΑΓΑΛΜΑ. Δαιδάλῳ μὲν ἐξῆν, εἰ δεῖ τῷ περὶ Κρήτην πιστεύειν θαύματι, κινούμενα μηχανᾶσθαι τὰ ποιήματα καὶ πρὸς ἀνθρωπίνην αἴσθησιν ἐκβιάζεσθαι τὸν χρυσόν, αἱ δὲ δὴ Πραξιτέλειοι χεῖρες ζωτικὰ διόλου κατεσκεύαζον τὰ τεχνήματα. ἄλσος ἦν καὶ Διόνυσος εἱστήκει ἠιθέου σχῆμα μιμούμενος οὕτω μὲν ἁπαλός, ὡς πρὸς σάρκα μεταρρυθμίζεσθαι τὸν χαλκόν, οὕτω δὲ ὑγρὸν καὶ κεχαλασμένον ἔχων τὸ σῶμα, ὡς ἐξ ἑτέρας ὕλης, ἀλλὰ μὴ χαλκοῦ πεφυκώς, ὃς χαλκὸς μὲν ὢν ἠρυθραίνετο, ζωῆς δὲ μετουσίαν οὐκ ἔχων ἐβούλετο τὴν ἰδέαν δεικνύναι, ἁψαμένῳ δέ σοι πρὸς τὴν ἀκμὴν ὑπεξίστατο, καὶ ὄντως μὲν ἦν ὁ χαλκὸς στεγανός, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τέχνης μαλαττόμενος εἰς σάρκα ἀπεδίδρασκε τῆς χειρὸς τὴν αἴσθησιν. ἦν δὲ ἀνθηρός, ἁβρότητος γέμων, ἱμέρῳ ῥεόμενος, οἷον αὐτὸν Εὐριπίδης ἐν Βάκχαις εἰδοποιήσας ἐξέφηνε, κισσὸς δ´ αὐτὸν ἔστεφε περιθέων ἐν κύκλῳ - ὡς κισσὸς ἦν ὁ χαλκὸς εἰς κλῶνας καμπτόμενος καὶ τῶν βοστρύχων τοὺς ἑλικτῆρας ἐκ μετώπου κεχυμένους ἀναστέλλων - γέλωτος δὲ ἔμπλεως, ὃ δὴ καὶ παντὸς ἦν ἐπέκεινα θαύματος, ἡδονῆς ἀφιέναι τὴν ὕλην τεκμήρια καὶ τὴν παθῶν δήλωσιν ὑποκρίνεσθαι τὸν χαλκόν. νεβρὶς δὲ αὐτὸν ἔσκεπεν οὐχ οἵαν εἴωθεν ὁ Διόνυσος ἐξάπτεσθαι, ἀλλ´ εἰς τὴν τῆς δορᾶς μίμησιν ὁ χαλκὸς μετεβάλλετο, εἱστήκει δὲ τὴν λαιὰν ἐπερείδων τῷ θύρσῳ, ὁ δὲ θύρσος ἠπάτα τὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ ἐκ χαλκοῦ πεποιημένος χλοερόν τι καὶ τεθηλὸς ἀποστίλβειν ἐδοξάζετο πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀμειβόμενος τὴν ὕλην. ὄμμα δὲ ἦν πυρὶ διαυγὲς μανικὸν ἰδεῖν· καὶ γὰρ τὸ βακχεύσιμον ὁ χαλκὸς ἐνεδείκνυτο καὶ ἐπιθειάζειν ἐδόκει, ὥσπερ οἶμαι τοῦ Πραξιτέλους καὶ τὸν βακχεῖον οἶστρον ἐγκαταμῖξαι δυνηθέντος.

[8] ON THE STATUE OF DIONYSUS. Daedalus, if one is to place credence in the Cretan marvel, had the power to construct statues endowed with motion and to compel gold to feel human sensations, but in truth the hands of Praxiteles wrought works of art that were altogether alive. There was a grove, and in it stood Dionysus in the form of a young man, so delicate that the bronze was transformed into flesh, with a body so supple and relaxed that it seemed to consist of some diffèrent material instead of bronze : for though it was really bronze, it nevertheless blushed, and though it had no part in life, it sought to show the appearance of life and would yield to the very finger-tip if you touched it, for though it was really compact bronze, it was so softened into flesh by art that it shrank from the contact of the hand. It had the bloom of youth, it was full of daintiness, it melted with desire, as indeed Euripides represented him when he fashioned his image in the Bacchae. A wreath of ivy encircled the head—since the bronze was in truth ivy, bent as it was into sprays and holding up the curly locks which fell in profusion from his forehead. And it was full of laughter, nay, it wholly passed the bounds of wonder in that the material gave out evidence of joy and the bronze feigned to represent the emotions. A fawn-skin clothed the statue, not such as Dionysus was accustomed to wear, but the bronze was transformed to imitate the pelt ; and he stood resting his left hand on a thyrsus, and the thyrsus deceived the beholder's vision; for while it was wrought of bronze it seemed to glisten with the greenness l of young growth, as though it were actually transformed into the plant itself. The eye was gleaming with fire, in appearance the eye of a man in a frenzy ; for the bronze exhibited the Bacchic madness and seemed to be divinely inspired, just as, I think, Praxiteles had the power to infuse into the statue also the Bacchic ecstasy.