Fables

But it was permitted to the mythographer, I believe, to hasten from Perseus, son of Danae, to Alcmene, the wife of Amphitryon, the grandson of Perseus. Furthermore, this is also worthy of note: that after sections XLIX—LXV were moved back to after section XXVIII, three continuous orders of fables, which are of greater scope, end in three chapters of similar subject matter—XLVIII (kings of the Athenians), LXXVI (kings of the Thebans), CXXIV (kings of the Achaeans)—an evenness which no one will fail to notice was sought after. Thus, with the place discovered by more laborious investigation which the aforementioned chapters claim for themselves, the number of spurious fables is diminished just as much as the scope of the genuine ones increases. For he who has discerned the author's plan to linger longer on the fable of the Aeolids will rightly deny that chapters LX and LXI*) And section CCL also looks to this chapter, and section CCLXIV would undoubtedly look to it if it had not perished by chance. Although it is possible that the final words of chapter CCL pertained to CCLXIV.—There is indeed a mention of Ixion in section CCXLV, but for a different reason, because after his father-in-law Deioneus was killed, he was the first to "mix kindred blood among mortals.", inscribed with the names of Sisyphus and Salmoneus, should be excluded, as we have business with their progeny, Bellerophon, Pelias, and Alcestis. The more certain the matter is that Sisyphus and Salmoneus should be removed from the examples of criminals—though we are not ashamed of the error committed above, when even the Vatican mythographer II 104. 5. 6 (cf. I 13. 14) has treated Tityus, Sisyphus, and Ixion in sequence—the more easily we also perceive that the wickedness of the Aeolids gave an opportunity to the interpolator to remember also the crimes of Tityus, Ixion, and Prometheus**) Tantalus is omitted. I conjecture, however, that these words originated from the same person who introduced the criminals here, from chapter LXXXII: "Jupiter... preserves.", just as it is not unlike the truth that the same person was led by the commemoration of Cepheus changed into stone to extract more examples of changed forms. Nor perhaps will it be necessary for us to order the fable of Stheneboea (LVII) to close the column; but with the spurious little histories removed, we will be able to rest in this order of approved fables: Alcestis, Stheneboea and Bellerophon, Sisyphus, Salmoneus, Danae, Andromeda.

It remains that I submit the causes and reasons by which I am led not to grant a place among the genuine ones to either fable LII or LXV (Aegina, Alcyone). I remembered well that Alcyone is enumerated no less among the daughters of Aeolus than Canace, the grandmother of Otus and Ephialtes, but I thought I understood that the author of chapter LXV [is distinct] from him who [wrote] LXVI (Asterie)...