[12,51] τῷ γὰρ ὄντι καὶ τὴν ἄλογον ἂν ἐκπλήξειε τοῦτό γε τῶν ζῴων φύσιν, εἰ δύναιντο προσιδεῖν μόνον, ταύρων τε τῶν ἀεὶ πρὸς τόνδε τὸν βωμὸν ἀγομένων, ὡς ἑκόντας ὑπέχειν τοῖς καταρχομένοις, εἴ τινα παρέξουσι τῷ θεῷ χάριν, ἔτι δὲ ἀετῶν τε καὶ ἵππων καὶ λεόντων, ὡς τὸ ἀνήμερον καὶ ἄγριον σβέσαντας τοῦ θυμοῦ πολλὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν, τερφθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς θέας· ἀνθρώπων δέ, ὃς ἂν ᾖ παντελῶς ἐπίπονος τὴν ψυχήν, πολλὰς ἀναντλήσας συμφορὰς καὶ λύπας ἐν τῷ βίῳ μηδὲ ὕπνον ἡδὺν ἐπιβαλλόμενος, καὶ ὃς δοκεῖ μοι κατ´ ἐναντίον στὰς τῆσδε τῆς εἰκόνος ἐκλαθέσθαι ἂν πάντων ὅσα ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῳ βίῳ δεινὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ γίγνεται παθεῖν.

[12,51] For verily even the irrational brute creation would be so struck with awe if they could catch merely a glimpse of yonder statue, not only the bulls which are being continually led to this altar, so that they would willingly submit themselves to the priests who perform the rites of sacrifice, if so they would be giving some pleasure to the god, but eagles too, and horses and lions, so that they would subdue their untamed and cavage spirits and preserve perfect quiet, delighted by the vision ; and of men, whoever is sore distressed in soul, having in the course of his life drained the cup of many misfortunes and griefs, nor ever winning sweet sleep — even this man, methinks, if he stood before this image, would forget all the terrors and hardships that fall to our human lot.

[12,52] οὕτως σύγε ἀνεῦρες καὶ ἐμηχανήσω θέαμα, ἀτεχνῶς νηπενθές τ´ ἄχολόν τε, κακῶν ἐπίληθες ἁπάντων. τοσοῦτον φῶς καὶ τοσαύτη χάρις ἔπεστιν ἀπὸ τῆς τέχνης. οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἥφαιστον εἰκὸς ἐγκαλέσαι τῷδε τῷ ἔργῳ, κρίνοντα πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ τέρψιν ἀνθρωπίνης ὄψεως. εἰ δ´ αὖ τὸ πρέπον εἶδος καὶ τὴν ἀξίαν μορφὴν τῆς θεοῦ φύσεως ἐδημιούργησας, ὕλῃ τε ἐπιτερπεῖ χρησάμενος, ἀνδρός τε μορφὴν ὑπερφυᾶ τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος δείξας, πλὴν ἀνδρὸς καὶ τἄλλα ποιήσας ὡς ἐποίησας, σκοπῶμεν τὰ νῦν· ὑπὲρ ὧν ἀπολογησάμενος ἱκανῶς ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι, καὶ πείσας ὅτι τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ τὸ πρέπον ἐξεῦρες σχήματός τε καὶ μορφῆς τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ μεγίστῳ θεῷ, μισθὸν ἕτερον τοῦ παρ´ Ἠλείων προσλάβοις ἂν μείζω καὶ τελειότερον.

[12,52] Such a wondrous vision did you devise and fashion, one in very truth a "Charmer of grief and anger, that from men All the remembrance of their ills could loose !" So great the radiance and so great the charm with which your art has clothed it. Indeed it is not reasonable to suppose that even Hephaestus himself would criticize this work if he judged it by the pleasure and delight which it affords the eye of man." "But, on the other hand, was the shape you by your artistry produced appropriate to a god and was its form worthy of the divine nature, when you not only used a material which gives delight but also presented a human form of extraordinary beauty and size; and apart from its being a man's shape, made also all the other attributes as you have made them ? that is the question which I invite you to consider now. And if you make a satisfactory defence on these matters before those present and convince them that you have discovered the proper and fitting shape and form for the foremost and greatest god, then you shall receive in addition a second reward, greater and more perfect than the one given by the Eleans.