Honoring the God

Babrius 48 (tr. Robin Waterfield): A square-cut statue of Hermes had been placed by the side of a road, supported by a pile of stones at its base. A dog came up and said, "To begin with, Hermes, I salute you. But then I'd like to anoint you. I can't walk past a deity without doing so, and especially you, the god of wrestling." And the statue said, "I'll thank you not to come and lick off the oil with which I'm already coated, and not to piss on me either. That's all the honor I need from you." Ἐν ὁδῷ τις ἑρμῆς τετράγωνος εἱστήκει, λίθων δ' ὑπ' αὐτῷ σωρὸς ἦν. κύων τούτῳ εἶπεν προσελθών "χαῖρε πρῶτον, Ἑρμεία· ἔπειτ' ἀλεῖψαι βούλομαί σε, μηδ' οὕτω θεὸν παρελθεῖν, καὶ θεὸν παλαιστρίτην." ὁ δ' εἶπεν "ἤν μου τοῦτο μὴ 'πιλιχμήσῃς τοὔλαιον ἐλθών, μηδέ μοι προσουρήσῃς, χάριν εἴσομαί σοι· καὶ πλέον με μὴ τίμα. Related post: Commit No Nuisance.