§1.199.1ὁ δὲ δὴ αἴσχιστος τῶν νόμων ἐστὶ τοῖσι Βαβυλωνίοισι ὅδε· δεῖ πᾶσαν γυναῖκα ἐπιχωρίην ἱζομένην ἐς ἱρὸν Ἀφροδίτης ἅπαξ ἐν τῇ ζόῃ μιχθῆναι ἀνδρὶ ξείνῳ.
Now, the most shameful of the laws among the Babylonians is this: every native woman must sit in the temple of Aphrodite once in her life and have intercourse with a stranger.
πολλαὶ δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἀξιούμεναι ἀναμίσγεσθαι τῇσι ἄλλῃσι, οἷα πλούτῳ ὑπερφρονέουσαι, ἐπὶ ζευγέων ἐν καμάρῃσι ἐλάσασαι πρὸς τὸ ἱρὸν ἑστᾶσι· θεραπηίη δέ σφι ὄπισθε ἕπεται πολλή.
And many who do not deign to mix with the others, because they are proud of their wealth, drive to the temple in covered carriages and stand there, and a large crowd of attendants follows behind them.
§1.199.2αἱ δὲ πλεῦνες ποιεῦσι ὧδε· ἐν τεμένεϊ Ἀφροδίτης κατέαται στέφανον περὶ τῇσι κεφαλῇσι ἔχουσαι θώμιγγος πολλαὶ γυναῖκες· αἳ μὲν γὰρ προσέρχονται, αἳ δὲ ἀπέρχονται.
But the majority of them do as follows: many women sit in the sacred precinct of Aphrodite, having a crown of cord around their heads; some are arriving, and others are departing.
σχοινοτενέες δὲ διέξοδοι πάντα τρόπον ὁδῶν ἔχουσι διὰ τῶν γυναικῶν, διʼ ὧν οἱ ξεῖνοι διεξιόντες ἐκλέγονται·
And passages marked out by ropes run in every direction through the women, through which the strangers pass and make their choice.
§1.199.3ἔνθα ἐπεὰν ἵζηται γυνή, οὐ πρότερον ἀπαλλάσσεται ἐς τὰ οἰκία ἤ τίς οἱ ξείνων ἀργύριον ἐμβαλὼν ἐς τὰ γούνατα μιχθῇ ἔξω τοῦ ἱροῦ·
Once a woman sits down there, she does not return home before one of the strangers casts money into her lap and has intercourse with her outside the temple.
ἐμβαλόντα δὲ δεῖ εἰπεῖν τοσόνδε· ἐπικαλέω τοι τὴν θεὸν Μύλιττα. Μύλιττα δὲ καλέουσι τὴν Ἀφροδίτην Ἀσσύριοι.
And when he casts it, he must say this: "I invoke the goddess Mylitta upon you." Now, the Assyrians call Aphrodite Mylitta.
§1.199.4τὸ δὲ ἀργύριον μέγαθος ἐστὶ ὅσον ὦν· οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἀπώσηται· οὐ γάρ οἱ θέμις ἐστί· γίνεται γὰρ ἱρὸν τοῦτο τὸ ἀργύριον.
The money may be of any amount whatever; for she will by no means reject it, for it is not lawful for her to do so, for this money becomes sacred.
τῷ δὲ πρώτῳ ἐμβαλόντι ἕπεται οὐδὲ ἀποδοκιμᾷ οὐδένα.
She follows the first man who casts it, and rejects no one.
ἐπεὰν δὲ μιχθῇ, ἀποσιωσαμένη τῇ θεῷ ἀπαλλάσσεται ἐς τὰ οἰκία, καὶ τὠπὸ τούτου οὐκ οὕτω μέγα τί οἱ δώσεις ὥς μιν λάμψεαι.
And when she has had intercourse, having discharged her sacred duty to the goddess, she departs to her home; and from that time on, you cannot give her any sum so great that you will win her.
§1.199.5ὅσσαι μέν νυν εἴδεός τε ἐπαμμέναι εἰσὶ καὶ μεγάθεος, ταχὺ ἀπαλλάσσονται, ὅσαι δὲ ἄμορφοι αὐτέων εἰσί, χρόνον πολλὸν προσμένουσι οὐ δυνάμεναι τὸν νόμον ἐκπλῆσαι· καὶ γὰρ τριέτεα καὶ τετραέτεα μετεξέτεραι χρόνον μένουσι.
Those who are endowed with beauty and stature depart quickly; but those of them who are ugly wait a long time, being unable to fulfill the law; indeed, some of them wait for a period of three or four years.
ἐνιαχῇ δὲ καὶ τῆς Κύπρου ἐστὶ παραπλήσιος τούτῳ νόμος.
In some parts of Cyprus too, there is a law similar to this.