The Dissertations of Maximus Tyrius

Maximus Tyrius expresses a desire to have an oracle from Jupiter or Apollo to inquire about matters more profound than the mundane or trivial questions often asked of the gods.

He specifically mentions that he would not ask about the following things:

• The "kettle of Croesus": He mocks Croesus as the "most stupid of kings" and the "most unfortunate of cooks," referencing an oracle described by Herodotus where Croesus was told of a tortoise boiling with a lamb.
• Trivial counting or measurements: He is uninterested in asking about "the measures of the sea, or the number of the sands."
• Tactical military advice: He says he would neglect asking about immediate defensive strategies, such as how to defend against an "irruption" (an invasion) by the Medes, noting he would rely on "three-oared galleys" (triremes) instead.
• Imperial conquest: He states he would not ask how to take Sicily, which he might be designing to invade.

In essence, Maximus Tyrius implies that he would seek divine knowledge concerning the nature of the deity and the soul, rather than wasting the opportunity on personal, political, or trivial matters.