"The first day's ride was slow and gentle, as the horses were still needing to
adjust to being again on land. Men with only two legs and quick minds need a few minutes to
adjust to solid land and a few more to settle onto a rocking boat deck. Horses, brutes with four
legs take considerably longer. All things considered however, we made good time back to
Athens, having been gone less that a moon all told. Once we arrived, we were distraught to
find that nearly a full half of the populace had succumbed to the disease and passed on. Those
who had once been assigned to bear garbage out to the dumps beyond the city walls now made twice as
many rounds to bear out the dead to the mass graves that were being dug day and night in order to house
the bodies. And I cannot honestly say that the living were better off than the dead, being
surrounded by dead family and friends at all times.
"Epimenedes told us to make hast and find a flock of sheep. We did
so, a fine flock of twenty ewes that had belonged to an outskirts shepherd. He had succumbed
to the plague, and had no more need of his sheep, but we had most desparate need of
them. Epimenedes then told us to gather the stonemasons who still lived, and enough stone
and mortar for twenty shrines. The sheep were then penned up for the night without grass,
while Epimenedes explained his idea.
"'If there is nothing within the world that can be done to stop this plague, which
it seems there is not,' he began, 'then it would seem reasonable to assume that the solution, if solution
there is lies in another realm. As there are only two realms, the realm of matter and the realm
of spirit, we must appeal to the realm of spirit. In addition, because the realm of spirit is
occupied by the gods, we must appeal to them, for they are the arbiters of the disposition of the spiritual
realm. Since every god known to you has been appealed to, we can assume one of these
things: the god who controls the solution has been appealed to, and appeased for the reason
he has withheld it, but chooses not to save Athens. In that case, there is no hope for you at
all. Another case: the god who can save you has been appealed to, but is not satisfied, and
will therefore not give you the solution. In this case as well, you have no hope, for there is no
way known to appease a god but through sacrifice, and if your sacrifice was not accepted you can do
nothing else. Finally, there is one more option: the god who can save you has not
been appealed to at all. Since you have appealed to every god you know of, this would mean
that there is a god of which you do not know who needs to be appeased. This too seems
hopeless.
"'However, I submit to you, men of Athens, this proposition. The
god who would have within his power the ability to cure plague cannot be a vengeful or mean-hearted
god. Instead, the god should be benevolent and loving, as well as extremely
powerful. Therefore, I would offer to you this suggestion. If we ask this god
whose name we do not know for forgiveness of our igorance, and then honor him as well as we know how,
he may be merciful to us, and restore health to your city.'