§9.93.1οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ἐπισχόντες ταύτην τὴν ἡμέρην τῇ ὑστεραίῃ ἐκαλλιερέοντο, μαντευομένου σφι Δηιφόνου τοῦ Εὐηνίου ἀνδρὸς Ἀπολλωνιήτεω, Ἀπολλωνίης δὲ τῆς ἐν τῷ Ἰονίῳ κόλπῳ.
The Greeks, having waited for this day, offered sacrifices for favorable omens on the next day, while Deiphonus, the son of Evenius, a man of Apollonia, and indeed of that Apollonia in the Ionian gulf, acted as seer for them.
τούτου τὸν πατέρα Εὐήνιον κατέλαβε πρῆγμα τοιόνδε.
A thing of the following sort befell Evenius, the father of this man.
ἔστι ἐν τῇ Ἀπολλωνίῃ ταύτῃ ἱρὰ ἡλίου πρόβατα, τὰ τὰς μὲν ἡμέρας βόσκεται παρὰ Χῶνα ποταμόν, ὃς ἐκ Λάκμονος ὄρεος ῥέει διὰ τῆς Ἀπολλωνίης χώρης ἐς θάλασσαν παρʼ Ὤρικον λιμένα, τὰς δὲ νύκτας ἀραιρημένοι ἄνδρες οἱ πλούτῳ τε καὶ γένεϊ δοκιμώτατοι τῶν ἀστῶν, οὗτοι φυλάσσουσι ἐνιαυτὸν ἕκαστος· περὶ πολλοῦ γὰρ δὴ ποιεῦνται Ἀπολλωνιῆται τὰ πρόβατα ταῦτα ἐκ θεοπροπίου τινός· ἐν δὲ ἄντρῳ αὐλίζονται ἀπὸ τῆς πόλιος ἑκάς.
There are in this Apollonia certain sacred sheep of the Sun, which by day graze along the river Chon, which flows from Mount Lacmon through the territory of Apollonia into the sea near the harbor of Oricum, but by night, men chosen from the citizens, the most distinguished for wealth and birth, guard these, each for a year; for the Apolloniates hold these sheep in high esteem because of a certain oracle; and they are folded in a cave far from the city.
§9.93.2ἔνθα δὴ τότε ὁ Εὐήνιος οὗτος ἀραιρημένος ἐφύλασσε.
There indeed at that time this Evenius, having been chosen, was keeping guard.
καὶ κοτὲ αὐτοῦ κατακοιμήσαντος φυλακὴν παρελθόντες λύκοι ἐς τὸ ἄντρον διέφθειραν τῶν προβάτων ὡς ἑξήκοντα.
And once, when he had fallen asleep during his watch, wolves entered the cave and destroyed about sixty of the sheep.
ὁ δὲ ὡς ἐπήισε, εἶχε σιγῇ καὶ ἔφραζε οὐδενί, ἐν νόῳ ἔχων ἀντικαταστήσειν ἄλλα πριάμενος.
When he perceived this, he kept silent and told no one, intending to buy others and substitute them.
§9.93.3καὶ οὐ γὰρ ἔλαθε τοὺς Ἀπολλωνιήτας ταῦτα γενόμενα, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐπύθοντο, ὑπαγαγόντες μιν ὑπὸ δικαστήριον κατέκριναν, ὡς τὴν φυλακὴν κατακοιμήσαντα, τῆς ὄψιος στερηθῆναι.
But this occurrence did not escape the notice of the Apolloniates, and as soon as they learned of it, they brought him before a court of justice and condemned him, on the ground that he had fallen asleep during his watch, to be deprived of his sight.
ἐπείτε δὲ τὸν Εὐήνιον ἐξετύφλωσαν, αὐτίκα μετὰ ταῦτα οὔτε πρόβατά σφι ἔτικτε οὔτε γῆ ἔφερε ὁμοίως καρπόν.
But after they had blinded Evenius, immediately after this, neither did their sheep bear young for them, nor did the land bear fruit as before.
§9.93.4πρόφαντα δέ σφι ἔν τε Δωδώνῃ καὶ ἐν Δελφοῖσι ἐγίνετο, ἐπείτε ἐπειρώτων τοὺς προφήτας τὸ αἴτιον τοῦ παρεόντος κακοῦ, οἳ δὲ αὐτοῖσι ἔφραζον ὅτι ἀδίκως τὸν φύλακον τῶν ἱρῶν προβάτων Εὐήνιον τῆς ὄψιος ἐστέρησαν· αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἐπορμῆσαι τοὺς λύκους, οὐ πρότερόν τε παύσεσθαι τιμωρέοντες ἐκείνῳ πρὶν ἢ δίκας δῶσι τῶν ἐποίησαν ταύτας τὰς ἂν αὐτὸς ἕληται καὶ δικαιοῖ· τούτων δὲ τελεομένων αὐτοὶ δώσειν Εὐηνίῳ δόσιν τοιαύτην τὴν πολλούς μιν μακαριεῖν ἀνθρώπων ἔχοντα.
And declarations were made to them both at Dodona and at Delphi, when they asked the prophets the cause of the present evil; and these declared to them that they had unjustly deprived Evenius, the guardian of the sacred sheep, of his sight; for they themselves had sent the wolves, and would not cease from taking vengeance for him until they should give him such recompense for what they had done as he himself should choose and think right; and when this was fulfilled, they themselves would give Evenius such a gift as would cause many men to call him blessed for possessing it.