[149b]
the prophet's only answer1— evidently it was all that the god allowed—was to call them to him and say: “Thus saith Ammon to the Athenians: I would rather have the reverent reserve2 of the Spartans than all the ritual of the Greeks.” So much he said, and not a word further. Now by “reverent reserve” I suppose the god could only mean their prayer, since in fact it differs greatly from those that are generally offered.
1 The use of ἀποκριθῆναι for “answered” instead of the usual ἀποκρίνασθαι is evidence for placing the writer a good deal later than Plato.
2 εὐφημία means “avoidance of speech that may offend”—the opposite being βλασφημία.
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 8 translated by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1955.
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