When Hercules was received among the gods and was entertained at a banquet by Jupiter, he responded courteously1 to the greetings of all with the exception of Plutus, the god of wealth. When Plutus approached him, he cast his eyes upon the ground, and turned away and pretended not to see him. Jupiter was surprised at this conduct on his part, and asked why, after having been so cordial(热忱的) with all the other gods, he had behaved like that to Plutus. "Sire," said Hercules, "I do not like Plutus, and I will tell you why. When we were on earth together I always noticed that he was to be found in the company of scoundrels(恶棍,无赖)."
赫拉克勒斯被众神接纳为神以后,朱庇特为他设宴庆贺。宴会上,赫拉克勒斯热情友好地向众神一一问好,唯独财神普罗托斯除外。当财神向他走去时,他却低下头盯着地面看,然后转身走开了,假装没有看到他。朱庇特看到他的举动十分惊讶,便问他为什么与其他神都能高兴地打招呼,唯独对财神普罗托斯却另眼相看。赫拉克勒斯回答说:“陛下,我不喜欢财神普罗托斯,我会告诉您原因的。当我们俩都在人间时,总会见到他与坏人在一起。”