Didymus, in his books of 'Exegesis on Pindar,' says that Melisseus, king of the Cretans, was the first to sacrifice to the gods and to introduce new rites and ceremonial processions of sacred things. He had two daughters, Amalthaea and Melissa, who nourished the boy Jupiter with goat's milk and honey. Whence that poetic fable took its origin, that bees flew up and filled the boy's mouth with honey. And Melissa was first appointed priestess to the Great Mother by her father, whence even to this day the attendants of the same Mother are called Melissae (bees). But sacred history testifies that Jupiter himself, after he had gained power over things, came to such great insolence that he set up shrines to himself in many places.
狄狄摩斯（Didymus）在他《品達註釋》（Exegesis on Pindar）各卷中說，克里特人的王梅利塞俄斯（Melisseus）最先向諸神獻祭，並引進了新的祭儀與聖物的儀仗行列。他有兩個女兒，阿瑪爾忒亞（Amalthaea）和梅利薩（Melissa），她們用山羊奶與蜂蜜哺養了孩童朱庇特。那則詩中的寓言便由此而來，說有蜜蜂飛來，把蜜灌滿了孩童的口。梅利薩則是她父親最先指派作「大母神」（Mater magna）的女祭司，因此直到如今，這位母神的祭司們仍被稱為「梅利塞」（Melissae，意即蜜蜂）。但神聖的歷史見證說，朱庇特自己在掌權之後，竟狂妄到這等地步，以致在許多地方為自己設立神廟。
For when he was traversing the lands, into whatever region he had come, he bound to himself by hospitality and friendship the kings or chief men of the peoples; and when he departed from each, he ordered a shrine to be founded for himself under the name of his host, as though in this way the memory of friendship and alliance might be preserved. Thus were established the temples to Jupiter Atabyrius, to Jupiter Labrandius. For Atabyrius and Labrandius were his hosts and helpers in war. Likewise to Jupiter Laprius, to Jupiter Molion, to Jupiter Casius, and others of the same kind. This he most craftily devised, that he might acquire for himself divine honour, and for his hosts a perpetual name joined with religion.
They rejoiced, therefore, and hence willingly obeyed his command, and for the sake of their own name celebrated yearly rites and festivals. Aeneas did something similar in Sicily, when he gave to the city he founded the name of his host Acestes, so that afterwards Acestes, glad and willing, might cherish, enlarge, and adorn it. In this way Jupiter sowed throughout the world the religion of his own worship, and gave an example to others to imitate. Whether, then, the rite of worshipping the gods flowed forth from Melisseus, as Didymus has handed down, or from Jupiter himself, as Euhemerus holds—yet concerning the time it is established when the gods began to be worshipped. Melisseus indeed far preceded in age, since he reared Jupiter his grandson.
And therefore it may be that he instituted the worship of the gods either before, or while Jupiter was still a boy—that is, the mother of his foster-child; and the grandmother Tellus (Earth), who was the wife of Uranus, and the father Saturn: and that he himself, by this example and institution, advanced Jupiter to such great pride that afterwards he dared to assume divine honours for himself. CHAPTER 23. Now, since we have detected the origin of vain superstitions, it remains that we should also collect the times during which those existed whose memory is worshipped. Theophilus, in his book on the Times written to Autolycus, says that in his history Thallus states that Belus, whom the Babylonians and Assyrians worship, is found to be older than the Trojan War by three hundred and twenty-two years:
and that Belus was contemporary with Saturn, and both grew up at one time. This is so true that it can be gathered by reasoning itself. For Agamemnon, who waged the Trojan War, was the great-great-grandson of Jupiter, and Achilles and Ajax his great-grandsons, and Ulysses was next of the same degree; Priam indeed by a long line. But certain authors hand down that Dardanus and Iasius were the sons of Corythus, not of Jupiter. For otherwise, had it been so, he could not have kept Ganymede, his own great-grandson, for shameful uses. Therefore, if you apportion the years of the parents of those whom I named above, in due proportion, the number will agree. From the destruction of the city of Troy, however, there are reckoned 1,470 years.
From this reckoning of times it is manifest that Saturn, who was also the begetter of all the gods, was born not more than 1,800 years ago. Let not these men, then, boast of the antiquity of their sacred rites, whose origin, and rationale, and dates have been detected. There still remain some things that have very great force for convicting the false religions. But I have now resolved to make an end of the book, lest it exceed due measure. For those matters are to be pursued more fully, so that, all things being refuted which seem to stand in the way of truth, we may be able to imbue with the true religion men who, through ignorance of what is good, wander about uncertain. Now the first step of wisdom is to understand what is false; the second, to recognize what is true.
Therefore, in whomever this our first instruction has taken effect—by which we have uncovered what is false—he will be roused to the knowledge of the truth, than which no pleasure is more delightful to man; and he will now be worthy of the wisdom of heavenly teaching, who comes to learn the rest willingly and ready.