§13.83.1ἦν δὲ τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων σχεδὸν πλουσιώτατος κατʼ ἐκεῖνον τὸν χρόνον Τελλίας, ὃς κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν ξενῶνας ἔχων πλείους πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις ἔταττεν οἰκέτας, οἷς παρηγγελμένον ἦν ἅπαντας τοὺς ξένους καλεῖν ἐπὶ ξενίᾳ.
At that time Tellias was about the wealthiest of the Acragantines, who, having many guest-rooms in his house, stationed servants at the gates, who had been instructed to invite all strangers to hospitality.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἀκραγαντίνων ἐποίουν τὸ παραπλήσιον, ἀρχαϊκῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως ὁμιλοῦντες· διόπερ καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς λέγει περὶ αὐτῶν,
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ξείνων αἰδοῖοι λιμένες, κακότητος ἄπειροι. " §13.83.2καὶ δή ποτε πεντακοσίων ἱππέων παραγενομένων ἐκ Γέλας χειμερίου περιστάσεως οὔσης, καθάπερ φησὶ Τίμαιος ἐν τῇ πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ βίβλῳ, πάντας αὐτὸς ὑπεδέξατο, καὶ παραχρῆμα πᾶσιν ἱμάτια καὶ χιτῶνας ἔνδοθεν προενέγκας ἔδωκεν.
And many of the other Acragantines also did the same, associating in an old-fashioned and hospitable manner; wherefore Empedocles also says of them: "Respectful havens for strangers, untouched by evil." Indeed once, when five hundred horsemen arrived from Gela in winter weather, as Timaeus says in his fifth book, he welcomed them all himself, and immediately brought out from within and gave himation-cloaks and tunics to all of them.
§13.83.3καὶ Πολύκλειτος ἐν ταῖς ἱστορίαις ἐξηγεῖται περὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν πιθεῶνος λέγων ὡς διαμείναντος αὐτοῦ τε στρατευομένου ἐν Ἀκράγαντι τεθεωρηκότος· εἶναι δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ τριακοσίους μὲν πίθους ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς πέτρας τετμημένους, ἕκαστον ἑκατὸν ἀμφορεῖς χωροῦντα· κολυμβήθραν δὲ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχειν κεκονιαμένην, χωροῦσαν ἀμφορεῖς χιλίους, ἐξ ἧς τὴν ῥύσιν εἰς τοὺς πίθους γίνεσθαι.
And Polyclitus in his Histories explains about the wine-cellar in his house, saying that he himself, while serving as a soldier, had stayed in Acragas and beheld it; and that there were in it three hundred jars carved out of the rock itself, each holding a hundred amphoras; and that there was a plastered vat beside them, holding a thousand amphoras, from which the flow into the jars took place.
§13.83.4γεγονέναι δέ φασι τὸν Τελλίαν τὸ μὲν εἶδος εὐτελῆ παντελῶς, τὸ δὲ ἦθος θαυμαστόν.
And they say that Tellias was altogether mean in appearance, but wonderful in character.
ἀποσταλέντος οὖν αὐτοῦ πρὸς Κεντοριπίνους κατὰ πρεσβείαν, καὶ παρεληλυθότος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, τὸ μὲν πλῆθος προέπεσεν εἰς ἄκαιρον γέλωτα, θεωροῦν καταδεέστερον τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ δόξης·
When, therefore, he was sent as an ambassador to the Centuripini, and had come forward into the assembly, the multitude burst into untimely laughter, seeing that he fell far short of his reputation.
ὁ δʼ ὑπολαβὼν εἶπε μὴ θαυμάζειν· ἐν ἔθει γὰρ εἶναι τοῖς Ἀκραγαντίνοις πρὸς μὲν τὰς ἐπιδόξους πόλεις ἀποστέλλειν τοὺς κρατίστους τῷ κάλλει, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ταπεινὰς καὶ λίαν εὐτελεῖς ὁμοίους.
But he, interrupting, told them not to wonder; for it was the custom of the Acragantines to send to famous cities those who were outstanding in beauty, but to humble and very mean cities, men like themselves.