§49διὰ τί ταῖς Χαλκηδονίαις ἔθος ἐστίν, ὅταν ἀνδράσιν ἀλλοτρίοις ἐντύχωσι, μάλιστα δʼ ἄρχουσι, τὴν ἑτέραν παρακαλύπτεσθαι παρειάν;
Why is it the custom among the Chalcedonian women, when they meet strange men, especially magistrates, to cover one of their cheeks?
πόλεμος ἦν αὐτοῖς πρὸς Βιθυνοὺς ἐκ πάσης παροξυνομένοις προφάσεως· Ζειποίτου δὲ βασιλεύσαντος τούτων, πανστρατιᾷ, καὶ Θρᾳκῶν ἐπικουρίας προσγενομένης, ἐπυρπόλουν καὶ κατέτρεχον τὴν χώραν.
They had a war with the Bithynians, who were provoked by every pretext; and when Zeipoetes was reigning over them, with an army of all their forces and the addition of a Thracian auxiliary force, they kept burning and overrunning the land.
ἐπιθεμένου δὲ τοῦ Ζειποίτου περὶ τὸ καλούμενον Φάλιον αὐτοῖς, κακῶς ἀγωνισάμενοι διὰ θράσος καὶ ἀταξίαν ὑπὲρ ὀκτακισχιλίους ἀπέβαλον στρατιώτας· καὶ παντελῶς μὲν οὐκ ἀνῃρέθησαν τότε, Ζειποίτου Βυζαντίοις χαρισαμένου τὰς διαλύσεις·
When Zeipoetes attacked them near the place called Phalion, having fought badly through boldness and disorder, they lost over eight thousand soldiers; and they were not completely destroyed at that time only because Zeipoetes granted the settlement to the Byzantines.
πολλῆς δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐρημίας ἀνδρῶν κατεχούσης, αἱ μὲν πλεῖσται γυναῖκες ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης ἀπελευθέροις καὶ μετοίκοις συνῴκησαν· αἱ δʼ ἀνανδρίαν ἀντὶ τοιούτων ἑλόμεναι γάμων, αὐταὶ διʼ αὑτῶν ἔπραττον ὅτου δεηθεῖεν παρὰ δικασταῖς καὶ ἄρχουσιν, ἀπάγουσαι θάτερον μέρος τοῦ προσώπου τῆς καλύπτρας.
But since a great scarcity of men possessed the city, most of the women married freedmen and metics by necessity; while those who chose to remain unmarried instead of entering into such marriages, whenever they had need of anything before judges and magistrates, managed their affairs by themselves, drawing away one part of their face from the veil (so as to expose it).
αἱ δὲ γεγαμημέναι διʼ αἰσχύνην ἀναμιμούμεναι ταύτας ὡς ἑαυτῶν βελτίονας εἰς ἔθος ὅμοιον κατέστησαν.
And the married women, out of shame, imitating these as their betters, fell into a similar custom.
§50διὰ τί πρὸς τὸ τοῦ Ἀγήνορος τέμενος τὰς ὄις προσελαύνοντες οἱ Ἀργεῖοι βιβάζουσιν;
Why do the Argives, when driving their sheep to the precinct of Agenor, make them copulate?
ἢ ὅτι κάλλιστα προβάτων ὁ Ἀγήνωρ ἐπεμελήθη καὶ πλεῖστα ποίμνια τῶν βασιλέων ἐκτήσατο;
Is it because Agenor took the best care of sheep and acquired the largest flocks of the kings?
§51διὰ τί Βαλλαχράδας ἑαυτοὺς Ἀργείων παῖδες ἐν ἑορτῇ τινι παίζοντες ἀποκαλοῦσιν;
Why do the children of the Argives, playing in a certain festival, call themselves "Ballachradas"?
ἢ ὅτι τοὺς πρώτους ὑπʼ Ἰνάχου καταχθέντας ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων εἰς τὰ πεδία ἀχράσι διατραφῆναι λέγουσιν;
Is it because they say that those who were first led down by Inachus from the heights to the plains were nourished on wild pears?
ἀχράδας δὲ πρῶτον ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ φανῆναι τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἔτι τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης Ἀπίας προσαγορευομένης ὅθεν ἄπιοι αἱ ἀχράδες ἐπωνομάσθησαν.
And that wild pears first appeared in Peloponnese to the Greeks when that land was still called Apia, whence wild pears were named "apioi"?
§52τίς ἡ αἰτία, διʼ ἣν Ἠλεῖοι τὰς ὀνοθόρους ἵππους ἐκτὸς ὅρων ἀπάγοντες βιβάζουσιν;
What is the reason why the Eleans, leading the mares that are covered by asses outside the borders, make them copulate?
ἢ ὅτι πάντων τῶν βασιλέων φιλιππότατος ὢν. ὁ Οἰνόμαος καὶ μάλιστα τὸ ζῷον ἀγαπήσας τοῦτʼ ἐπηράσατο πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ κατὰ τῶν ἵππους ὀχευόντων ἐν Ἤλιδι, καὶ φοβούμενοι τὴν κατάραν ἐκείνην ἀφοσιοῦνται;
Is it because Oenomaus, being the greatest lover of horses of all the kings and especially fond of this animal, laid many terrible curses upon those who made asses cover horses in Elis, and they, fearing that curse, perform the act outside to avoid it?
§53διὰ τί παρὰ Κνωσσίοις ἔθος ἦν ἁρπάζειν τοῖς δανειζομένοις τὸ ἀργύριον;
Why was it the custom among the Knossians for those who borrowed money to snatch it?
ἢ ὅπως ἀποστεροῦντες ἔνοχοι τοῖς βιαίοις ὦσι καὶ μᾶλλον κολάζωνται;
Is it so that, if they default on the loan, they may be liable to charges of violence and be punished more severely?
§54τίς ἡ αἰτία, διʼ ἣν ἐν Σάμῳ τὴν Δεξικρέοντος Ἀφροδίτην καλοῦσι;
What is the reason why they call the Venus in Samos "the Venus of Dexicreon"?
πότερον ὅτι τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τρυφῆς καὶ ὕβρεως ἀκόλαστα ποιούσας Δεξικρέων ἀνὴρ ἀγύρτης καθαρμῷ χρησάμενος ἀπήλλαξεν;
Is it because Dexicreon, a begging priest, by using purification, delivered their women when they were behaving dissolutely out of luxury and insolence?
ʼ
ἢ ὅτι ναύκληρος ὢν ὁ Δεξικρέων ἔπλευσεν εἰς Κύπρον ἐπʼ ἐμπορίᾳ, καὶ μέλλοντα γεμίζειν τὴν ναῦν ἡ Ἀφροδίτη ἐκέλευσεν ὕδωρ ἐμβαλόμενον καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο πλεῖν τὴν ταχίστην;
Or because Dexicreon, being a shipowner, sailed to Cyprus for trade, and when he was about to load his ship, Venus commanded him to put in water and nothing else, and to sail back as quickly as possible?
πεισθεὶς δὲ καὶ πολὺ ὕδωρ ἐνθέμενος ἐξέπλευσεν, εἶτα νηνεμίας καὶ γαλήνης ἐν τῷ πελάγει κατασχούσης, διψῶσι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐμπόροις καὶ ναυκλήροις ὕδωρ πιπράσκων ἀργύριον πολὺ συνήθροισεν.
Having obeyed and put in much water, he set sail, and then, when windlessness and calm seized the sea, by selling water to the other merchants and shipowners who were thirsty, he gathered much money.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου κατασκευάσας τὴν θεὸν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ προσηγόρευσεν.
From this he set up the statue of the goddess and called her after himself.
εἰ δὴ τοῦτʼ ἀληθές ἐστι, φαίνεται οὐχ ἕνα πλουτίσαι, πολλοὺς δὲ σῶσαι διʼ ἑνὸς ἡ θεὸς θελήσασα.
If indeed this is true, the goddess seems to have wished not only to enrich one man, but to save many through one.
§55διὰ τί τοῖς Σαμίοις, ὅταν τῷ Ἑρμῇ τῷ χαριδότῃ θύωσι, κλέπτειν ἐφεῖται τῷ βουλομένῳ καὶ λωποδυτεῖν;
Why is it permitted to anyone who wishes, among the Samians, to steal and rob when they sacrifice to Hermes the giver of joy?
ὅτι κατὰ χρησμὸν ἐκ τῆς νήσου μεταστάντες εἰς Μυκάλην ἀπὸ λῃστείας δέκα ἔτη διεγένοντο· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πλεύσαντες αὖθις εἰς τὴν νῆσον, ἐκράτησαν τῶν πολεμίων.
Because, having removed from the island to Mycale according to an oracle, they lived by plunder for ten years; and after this, having sailed again to the island, they overcame their enemies.
§56ἀπὸ τίνος Πάναιμα τόπος ἐν τῇ Σαμίων νήσῳ καλεῖται;
From what is the place called Panaima in the island of the Samians named?
ἢ ὅτι φεύγουσαι Διόνυσον αἱ Ἀμαζόνες ἐκ τῆς Ἐφεσίων χώρας εἰς Σάμον διέπλευσαν· ὁ δὲ ποιησάμενος πλοῖα καὶ διαβὰς μάχην συνῆψε καὶ πολλὰς αὐτῶν ἀπέκτεινε περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον, ὃν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ῥυέντος αἵματος οἱ θεώμενοι Πάναιμα θαυμάζοντες ἐκάλουν;
Is it because the Amazons, fleeing Dionysus, sailed from the territory of the Ephesians to Samos; and he, having made boats and crossed over, joined battle and killed many of them near this place, which the spectators in wonder called Panaima because of the abundance of the blood that flowed?
τῶν δʼ ἐλεφάντων ἀποθανεῖν τινες λέγονται περὶ τὸ Φλοιὸν καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ δείκνυται αὐτῶν· τινὲς δὲ λέγουσι καὶ τὸ Φλοιὸν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων ῥαγῆναι φθεγγομένων μέγα τι καὶ διάτορον.
And some of the elephants are said to have died near Phloion, and their bones are shown; and some say that Phloion also was ruptured by them as they uttered a loud and piercing cry.