These manifold inventions for mankind I perfected, who, out upon't, have none- No, not one shift-to rid me of this shame. […] But hear the sequel and the more admire What arts, what aids I cleverly evolved. The chiefest that, if any man fell sick, There was no help for him, comestible, Lotion or potion; but for lack of drugs They dwindled quite away; until I taught them To compound draughts and mixtures sanative, Wherewith they now are armed against disease. I staked the winding path of divination And was the first distinguisher of dreams, The true from false; and voices ominous Of meaning dark interpreted; and tokens Seen when men take the road; and augury By flight of all the greater crook-clawed birds With nice discrimination I defined; These by their nature fair and favourable, Those, flattered with fair name. And of each sort The habits I described; their mutual feuds And friendships and the assemblages they hold. And of the plumpness of the inward parts What colour is acceptable to the Gods, The well-streaked liver-lobe and gall-bladder. Also by roasting limbs well wrapped in fat And the long chine, I led men on the road Of dark and riddling knowledge; and I purged The glancing eye of fire, dim before, And made its meaning plain. These are my works. Then, things beneath the earth, aids hid from man, Brass, iron, silver, gold, who dares to say He was before me in discovering? None, I wot well, unless he loves to babble. And in a single word to sum the whole- All manner of arts men from Prometheus learned.

τοιαῦτα μηχανήματ΄ ἐξευρὼν τάλας βροτοῖσιν͵ αὐτὸς οὐκ ἔχω σόφισμ΄ ὅτῳ τῆς νῦν παρούσης πημονῆς ἀπαλλαγῶ. [...] (Πρ.) τὰ λοιπά μου κλύουσα θαυμάσῃ πλέον͵ οἵας τέχνας τε καὶ πόρους ἐμησάμην. τὸ μὲν μέγιστον͵ εἴ τις ἐς νόσον πέσοι͵ οὐκ ἦν ἀλέξημ΄ οὐδέν͵ οὔτε βρώσιμον͵ οὐ χριστόν͵ οὐδὲ πιστόν͵ ἀλλὰ φαρμάκων χρείᾳ κατεσκέλλοντο͵ πρίν γ΄ ἐγώ σφισιν ἔδειξα κράσεις ἠπίων ἀκεσμάτων͵ αἷς τὰς ἁπάσας ἐξαμύνονται νόσους. τρόπους τε πολλοὺς μαντικῆς ἐστοίχισα͵ κἄκρινα πρῶτος ἐξ ὀνειράτων ἃ χρὴ ὕπαρ γενέσθαι͵ κληδόνας τε δυσκρίτους ἐγνώρισ΄ αὐτοῖς ἐνοδίους τε συμβόλους. γαμψωνύχων τε πτῆσιν οἰωνῶν σκεθρῶς διώρισ΄͵ οἵτινές τε δεξιοὶ φύσιν εὐωνύμους τε͵ καὶ δίαιταν ἥντινα ἔχουσ΄ ἕκαστοι͵ καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους τίνες ἔχθραι τε καὶ στέργηθρα καὶ συνεδρίαι· σπλάγχνων τε λειότητα͵ καὶ χροιὰν τίνα ἔχουσ΄ ἂν εἴη δαίμοσιν πρὸς ἡδονὴν χολή͵ λοβοῦ τε ποικίλην εὐμορφίαν· κνίσῃ τε κῶλα συγκαλυπτὰ καὶ μακρὰν ὀσφῦν πυρώσας δυστέκμαρτον εἰς τέχνην ὥδωσα θνητούς͵ καὶ φλογωπὰ σήματα ἐξωμμάτωσα͵ πρόσθεν ὄντ΄ ἐπάργεμα. τοιαῦτα μὲν δὴ ταῦτ΄· ἔνερθε δὲ χθονὸς κεκρυμμέν΄ ἀνθρώποισιν ὠφελήματα͵ χαλκόν͵ σίδηρον͵ ἄργυρον χρυσόν τε͵ τίς φήσειεν ἂν πάροιθεν ἐξευρεῖν ἐμοῦ; οὐδείς͵ σάφ΄ οἶδα͵ μὴ μάτην φλῦσαι θέλων. βραχεῖ δὲ μύθῳ πάντα συλλήβδην μάθε, πᾶσαι τέχναι βροτοῖσιν ἐκ Προμηθέως.