he is afraid of another revolt, of their waging war with heaven, like
the Giants.

That the cause of the Gods suffered nothing at my hands is evident;
show me the slightest instance to the contrary, and I will say no
more; I have but my deserts. But for the positive benefits I have
conferred, use the evidence of your eyes. The earth, no longer barren
and untilled, is decked with cities and farms and the fruits of
cultivation; the sea has its ships, the islands their inhabitants.
Everywhere are altars and temples, everywhere festivals and
sacrifices:

Zeus with his presence fills their gatherings,
He fills their streets.

Had I created mankind for my own private convenience, it might perhaps
have denoted a grasping spirit: but I made them common property; they
are at the service of every God of you. Nay more: temples of Zeus, and
Apollo, and Hera, temples of Hermes, are everywhere to be seen; but
who ever saw a temple of Prometheus? You may judge from this, how far
I have sacrificed the common cause to my private ambition.

And further. Consider, Hermes: can any good thing whatsoever, be it
gift of Nature or work of our hands, give the full measure of
enjoyment to its possessor, when there is none to see, none to admire?
You see whither my question tends? But for mankind, the glories of the
universe must have been without a witness; and there was little
satisfaction to be derived from a wealth which was doomed to excite no
envy in others. We should have lacked a standard for comparison; and
should never have known the extent of our happiness, while all were as