§1.216.1νόμοισι δὲ χρέωνται τοιοῖσιδε.
And they use such customs as these.
γυναῖκα μὲν γαμέει ἕκαστος, ταύτῃσι δὲ ἐπίκοινα χρέωνται· τὸ γὰρ Σκύθας φασὶ Ἕλληνες ποιέειν, οὐ Σκύθαι εἰσὶ οἱ ποιέοντες ἀλλὰ Μασσαγέται·
Each man marries a wife, but they use them in common; for what the Greeks say the Scythians do, it is not the Scythians who do it, but the Massagetae.
τῆς γὰρ ἐπιθυμήσῃ γυναικὸς Μασσαγέτης ἀνήρ, τὸν φαρετρεῶνα ἀποκρεμάσας πρὸ τῆς ἁμάξης μίσγεται ἀδεῶς.
For whenever a Massagetan man desires a woman, he hangs his quiver in front of her wagon and has intercourse with her without fear.
§1.216.2οὖρος δὲ ἡλικίης σφι πρόκειται ἄλλος μὲν οὐδείς· ἐπεὰν δὲ γέρων γένηται κάρτα, οἱ προσήκοντές οἱ πάντες συνελθόντες θύουσί μιν καὶ ἄλλα πρόβατα ἅμα αὐτῷ, ἑψήσαντες δὲ τὰ κρέα κατευωχέονται.
And no other limit of age is set for them; but when a man becomes very old, all his relatives gather together and sacrifice him and other sheep along with him, and having boiled the flesh, they feast upon it.
§1.216.3ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ὀλβιώτατά σφι νενόμισται, τὸν δὲ νούσῳ τελευτήσαντα οὐ κατασιτέονται ἀλλʼ γῇ κρύπτουσι, συμφορὴν ποιεύμενοι ὅτι οὐκ ἵκετο ἐς τὸ τυθῆναι.
This is considered by them the happiest lot, but one who dies of disease they do not eat, but bury in the earth, considering it a misfortune that he did not reach the point of being sacrificed.
σπείρουσι δὲ οὐδέν, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ κτηνέων ζώουσι καὶ ἰχθύων· οἳ δὲ ἄφθονοί σφι ἐκ τοῦ Ἀράξεω ποταμοῦ παραγίνονται·
They sow nothing, but live on cattle and fish; and these are provided for them in abundance from the river Araxes.
§1.216.4γαλακτοπόται δʼ εἰσί.
And they are milk-drinkers.
θεῶν δὲ μοῦνον ἥλιον σέβονται, τῷ θύουσι ἵππους.
Of the gods, they worship only the sun, to whom they sacrifice horses.
νόος δὲ οὗτος τῆς θυσίης· τῶν θεῶν τῷ ταχίστῳ πάντων τῶν θνητῶν τὸ τάχιστον δατέονται.
And this is the meaning of the sacrifice: to the swiftest of the gods they assign the swiftest of all mortal things.