§1.84.1ἀπίστων δὲ φαινομένων πολλοῖς τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ μύθοις παραπλησίων πολλῷ παραδοξότερα φανήσεται τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ῥηθησόμενα.
And though many of the things mentioned appear incredible and resembling myths to many people, what is about to be said after this will seem far more paradoxical.
λιμῷ γάρ ποτε πιεζομένων τῶν κατʼ Αἴγυπτόν φασι πολλοὺς ἀλλήλων μὲν ἅψασθαι διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν, τῶν δʼ ἀφιερωμένων ζῴων τὸ παράπαν μηδʼ αἰτίαν σχεῖν μηδένα προσενηνέχθαι.
For they say that when those in Egypt were once oppressed by famine, many, because of the scarcity, laid hands on one another, but of the consecrated animals not a single person incurred even the accusation of having touched them.
§1.84.2ἀλλὰ μήν γε καὶ καθʼ ἣν ἂν οἰκίαν εὑρεθῇ κύων τετελευτηκώς, ξυρῶνται πάντες οἱ κατʼ οἶκον ὄντες ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ ποιοῦνται πένθος, καὶ τὸ τούτου θαυμασιώτερον, ἐὰν οἶνος ἢ σῖτος ἤ τι τῶν πρὸς τὸν βίον ἀναγκαίων τυγχάνῃ κείμενον ἐν τοῖς οἰκήμασιν οὗ τὸ ζῆν ἐξέλιπέ τι τῶν θηρίων, οὐκ ἂν ἔτι χρήσασθαι πρὸς οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ὑπομείνειαν.
Moreover, in whatever house a dog is found dead, all those in the house shave their entire body and go into mourning; and what is more wonderful than this, if wine or grain or any of the necessaries of life happens to be lying in the rooms where one of these beasts has lost its life, they would no longer endure to use them for any purpose.
§1.84.3κἂν ἐν ἄλλῃ χώρᾳ που στρατευόμενοι τύχωσι, λυτρούμενοι τοὺς αἰλούρους καὶ τοὺς ἱέρακας κατάγουσιν εἰς Αἴγυπτον· καὶ τοῦτο πράττουσιν ἐνίοτε τῶν ἐφοδίων αὐτοὺς ὑπολιπόντων.
And if they happen to be serving in the army anywhere in another country, they ransom the cats and the hawks and bring them back to Egypt; and they do this sometimes even when their provisions are failing them.
§1.84.4τὰ δὲ γινόμενα περὶ τὸν Ἆπιν τὸν ἐν Μέμφει καὶ τὸν Μνεῦιν τὸν ἐν Ἡλιουπόλει καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν τράγον τὸν ἐν Μένδητι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τὸν κροκόδειλον τὸν κατὰ τὴν Μοίριδος λίμνην καὶ τὸν λέοντα τὸν τρεφόμενον ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ Λεόντων πόλει, καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦθʼ ἕτερα, διηγήσασθαι μὲν εὐχερές, ἀπαγγείλαντα δὲ πιστευθῆναι παρὰ τοῖς μὴ τεθεαμένοις δύσκολον.
And the things that take place concerning Apis in Memphis and Mnevis in Heliopolis, and those concerning the he-goat in Mendes, and in addition to these, the crocodile near Lake Moeris and the lion fed in the city called Leonton Polis, and many other such things, are easy to narrate, but hard to be believed when reported to those who have not seen them.
§1.84.5ταῦτα γὰρ ἐν ἱεροῖς μὲν περιβόλοις τρέφεται, θεραπεύουσι δʼ αὐτὰ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀξιολόγων ἀνδρῶν τροφὰς διδόντες τὰς πολυτελεστάτας· σεμίδαλιν γὰρ ἢ χόνδρον ἕψοντες ἐν γάλακτι καὶ πέμματα παντοδαπὰ μέλιτι φυρῶντες, καὶ κρέα χήνεια τὰ μὲν ἕψοντες, τὰ δʼ ὀπτῶντες ἀνεκλείπτως χορηγοῦσι, τοῖς δʼ ὠμοφάγοις πολλὰ τῶν ὀρνέων θηρεύοντες παραβάλλουσι, καὶ τὸ καθόλου μεγάλην εἰσφέρονται σπουδὴν εἰς τὴν πολυτέλειαν τῆς τροφῆς.
For these are fed in sacred enclosures, and many of the distinguished men care for them, giving them the most costly foods; for boiling finest flour or groats in milk, and mixing all kinds of pastries with honey, and providing goose meat, some boiled and some roasted, without stint, and for those that eat raw food, catching many of the birds and throwing them to them, and in general, they show great eagerness for the luxury of their food.
§1.84.6λουτροῖς τε χλιαροῖς χρώμενοι καὶ μύροις τοῖς κρατίστοις ἀλείφοντες καὶ παντοδαπὰς εὐωδίας θυμιῶντες οὐ διαλείπουσι, στρωμνάς τε τὰς πολυτελεστάτας καὶ κόσμον εὐπρεπῆ χορηγοῦσι, καὶ τῶν συνουσιῶν ὅπως τυγχάνῃ κατὰ φύσιν φροντίδα ποιοῦνται τὴν μεγίστην, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὁμοφύλους θηλείας ἑκάστῳ τῶν ζῴων τὰς εὐειδεστάτας συντρέφουσιν, ἃς παλλακίδας προσαγορεύουσι καὶ θεραπεύουσι ταῖς μεγίσταις δαπάναις καὶ λειτουργίαις.
And they do not cease using warm baths and anointing them with the best ointments, and burning all kinds of sweet-smelling incense; and they provide the most costly beddings and beautiful adornment, and they make the greatest care so that their matings may happen according to nature; and in addition to these, they rear together with each of the animals the most beautiful females of the same species, which they call concubines and care for with the greatest expenses and services.
ἐὰν δὲ τελευτήσῃ τι, §1.84.7πενθοῦσι μὲν ἴσα τοῖς ἀγαπητῶν τέκνων στερομένοις, θάπτουσι δὲ οὐ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν δύναμιν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν οὐσίας ὑπερβάλλοντες.
And if any of them dies, they mourn for them just as those who are deprived of beloved children, and they bury them not according to their own means, but far exceeding the value of their own property.
§1.84.8μετὰ γὰρ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου τελευτήν, Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Λάγου παρειληφότος ἄρτι τὴν Αἴγυπτον, ἔτυχεν ἐν Μέμφει τελευτήσας ὁ Ἆπις γήρᾳ· ὁ δὲ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἔχων αὐτοῦ τήν τε ἡτοιμασμένην χορηγίαν, οὖσαν πάνυ πολλήν, εἰς ταφὴν ἅπασαν ἐδαπάνησε καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Πτολεμαίου πεντήκοντα ἀργυρίου τάλαντα προσεδανείσατο.
For after the death of Alexander, when Ptolemy the son of Lagus had newly taken over Egypt, it happened that Apis died in Memphis of old age; and the one who had the care of him spent all the prepared allowance, which was very great, for the burial, and borrowed in addition fifty talents of silver from Ptolemy.
καὶ καθʼ ἡμᾶς δὲ τινες τῶν τὰ ζῷα ταῦτα τρεφόντων εἰς τὰς ταφὰς αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔλαττον τῶν ἑκατὸν ταλάντων δεδαπανήκασιν.
And in our time also, some of those who feed these animals have spent no less than a hundred talents on their burials.