§1.1## ΑΛΗΘΩΝ ΔΙΗΓΗΜΑΤΩΝ
ὥσπερ τοῖς ἀθλητικοῖς καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἐπιμέλειαν ἀσχολουμένοις οὐ τῆς εὐεξίας μόνον οὐδὲ τῶν γυμνασίων φροντίς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς κατὰ καιρὸν γινομένης ἀνέσεως — μέρος γοῦν τῆς ἀσκήσεως τὸ μέγιστον αὐτὴν ὑπολαμβάνουσιν — οὕτω δὴ καὶ τοῖς περὶ τοὺς λόγους ἐσπουδακόσιν ἡγοῦμαι προσήκειν μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν τῶν σπουδαιοτέρων ἀνάγνωσιν ἀνιέναι τε τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἔπειτα κάματον ἀκμαιοτέραν παρασκευάζειν.
TRUE HISTORIES Just as for athletes and those occupied with the care of their bodies, there is concern not only for good condition and exercises, but also for relaxation happening at the proper time — indeed, they consider it the greatest part of their training — so also indeed I think it is fitting for those who are devoted to literature, after much reading of more serious works, to relax their mind and to prepare it to be more vigorous for the subsequent toil.
§1.2γένοιτο δʼ ἂν ἐμμελὴς ἡ ἀνάπαυσις αὐτοῖς, εἰ τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν ἀναγνωσμάτων ὁμιλοῖεν, ἃ μὴ μόνον ἐκ τοῦ ἀστείου τε καὶ χαρίεντος ψιλὴν παρέξει τὴν ψυχαγωγίαν, ἀλλά τινα καὶ θεωρίαν οὐκ ἄμουσον ἐπιδείξεται, οἷόν τι καὶ περὶ τῶνδε τῶν συγγραμμάτων αὐτοὺς φρονήσειν ὑπολαμβάνω·
And their relaxation would be harmonious if they should associate with such readings as will not only provide bare entertainment from what is witty and charming, but will also exhibit some study not uncultured; such as, I suppose, they will think also concerning these writings of mine.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον τὸ ξένον τῆς ὑποθέσεως οὐδὲ τὸ χαρίεν τῆς προαιρέσεως ἐπαγωγὸν ἔσται αὐτοῖς οὐδʼ ὅτι ψεύσματα ποικίλα πιθανῶς τε καὶ ἐναλήθως ἐξενηνόχαμεν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἱστορουμένων ἕκαστον οὐκ ἀκωμῳδήτως ᾔνικται πρός τινας τῶν παλαιῶν ποιητῶν τε καὶ συγγραφέων καὶ φιλοσόφων πολλὰ τεράστια καὶ μυθώδη συγγεγραφότων, οὓς καὶ ὀνομαστὶ ἂν ἔγραφον, εἰ μὴ καὶ αὐτῷ σοι ἐκ τῆς ἀναγνώσεως φανεῖσθαι ἔμελλον
For not only will the novelty of the subject and the charm of the purpose be attractive to them, nor that we have set forth various falsehoods persuasively and plausibly, but also because each of the things related has been alluded to not without comic irony toward some of the ancient poets, historians, and philosophers who have written many monstrous and mythical things, whom I would have written even by name, if they were not about to be clear to you yourself from the reading.
§1.3Κτησίας ὁ Κτησιόχου ὁ Κνίδιος, ὃς συνέγραψεν περὶ τῆς Ἰνδῶν χώρας καὶ τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἃ μήτε αὐτὸς εἶδεν μήτε ἄλλου ἀληθεύοντος ἤκουσεν.
Ctesias, the son of Ctesiochus, of Cnidus, is one, who wrote about the land of the Indians and what is among them, things which he neither saw himself nor heard from anyone else telling the truth.
ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ Ἰαμβοῦλος περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ θαλάττῃ πολλὰ παράδοξα, γνώριμον μὲν ἅπασι τὸ ψεῦδος πλασάμενος, οὐκ ἀτερπῆ δὲ ὅμως συνθεὶς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν.
And Iambulus also wrote many extraordinary things about those in the great sea, having fashioned a falsehood obvious to everyone, but nevertheless having composed no unpleasing plot.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τὰ αὐτὰ τούτοις προελόμενοι συνέγραψαν ὡς δή τινας ἑαυτῶν πλάνας τε καὶ ἀποδημίας, θηρίων τε μεγέθη ἱστοροῦντες καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὠμότητας καὶ βίων καινότητας·
And many others also, choosing the same things as these, wrote what they claimed were certain wanderings and travels of their own, relating the sizes of beasts, the cruelties of men, and novelties of lives.
ἀρχηγὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ διδάσκαλος τῆς τοιαύτης βωμολοχίας ὁ τοῦ Ὁμήρου Ὀδυσσεύς, τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκίνουν διηγούμενος ἀνέμων τε δουλείαν καὶ μονοφθάλμους καὶ ὠμοφάγους καὶ ἀγρίους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους, ἔτι δὲ πολυκέφαλα ζῷα καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ φαρμάκων τῶν ἑταίρων μεταβολάς, οἷα πολλὰ ἐκεῖνος πρὸς ἰδιώτας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς Φαίακας ἐτερατεύσατο.
And the leader and teacher of such buffoonery for them was Homer's Odysseus, relating to those around Alcinous the slavery of the winds, and one-eyed, raw-flesh-eating, and savage men, and furthermore many-headed beasts, and the transformations of his companions by drugs — many such monstrous things which he told to simple-minded men, the Phaeacians.
§1.4τούτοις οὖν ἐντυχὼν ἅπασιν, τοῦ ψεύσασθαι μὲν οὐ σφόδρα τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐμεμψάμην, ὁρῶν ἤδη σύνηθες ὂν τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς φιλοσοφεῖν ὑπισχνουμένοις·
Reading all these, therefore, I did not heavily blame the men for lying, seeing that this was already habitual even to those who promise to philosophize.
ἐκεῖνο δὲ αὐτῶν ἐθαύμασα, εἰ ἐνόμιζον λήσειν οὐκ ἀληθῆ συγγράφοντες.
But I wondered at this in them: if they thought they would escape notice in writing what was not true.
διόπερ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὸ κενοδοξίας ἀπολιπεῖν τι σπουδάσας τοῖς μεθʼ ἡμᾶς, ἵνα μὴ μόνος ἄμοιρος ὦ τῆς ἐν τῷ μυθολογεῖν ἐλευθερίας, ἐπεὶ μηδὲν ἀληθὲς ἱστορεῖν εἶχον — οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐπεπόνθειν ἀξιόλογον — ἐπὶ τὸ ψεῦδος ἐτραπόμην πολὺ τῶν ἄλλων εὐγνωμονέστερον·
Therefore, I myself too, out of vanity, being eager to leave something to those after us, so that I alone might not be without a share in the freedom of storytelling, since I had nothing true to relate — for I had experienced nothing noteworthy — turned to lying, much more honestly than the others.
κἂν ἓν γὰρ δὴ τοῦτο ἀληθεύσω λέγων ὅτι ψεύδομαι.
For in this one thing at least I shall speak the truth: when I say that I am lying.
οὕτω δʼ ἄν μοι δοκῶ καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων κατηγορίαν ἐκφυγεῖν αὐτὸς ὁμολογῶν μηδὲν ἀληθὲς λέγειν.
And thus I think I shall also escape accusation from others, by myself admitting that I say nothing true.
γράφω τοίνυν περὶ ὧν μήτε εἶδον μήτε ἔπαθον μήτε παρʼ ἄλλων ἐπυθόμην, ἔτι δὲ μήτε ὅλως ὄντων μήτε τὴν ἀρχὴν γενέσθαι δυναμένων.
I write, therefore, about things which I neither saw nor experienced nor learned from others, and furthermore which neither exist at all nor could have happened in the first place.
διὸ δεῖ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας μηδαμῶς πιστεύειν αὐτοῖς.
Therefore, those who read them must by no means believe them.
§1.5ὁρμηθεὶς γάρ ποτε ἀπὸ Ἡρακλείων στηλῶν καὶ ἀφεὶς εἰς τὸν ἑσπέριον ὠκεανὸν οὐρίῳ ἀνέμῳ τὸν πλοῦν ἐποιούμην.
Setting out once from the Pillars of Heracles and launching into the western ocean, I made my voyage with a favorable wind.
αἰτία δέ μοι τῆς ἀποδημίας καὶ ὑπόθεσις ἡ τῆς διανοίας περιεργία καὶ πραγμάτων καινῶν ἐπιθυμία καὶ τὸ βούλεσθαι μαθεῖν τί τὸ τέλος ἐστὶν τοῦ ὠκεανοῦ καὶ τίνες οἱ πέραν κατοικοῦντες ἄνθρωποι.
And the cause and purpose of my travel was the curiosity of my mind and the desire for novel things, and the wishing to learn what the end of the ocean is and who the men dwelling on the other side are.
τούτου γέ τοι ἕνεκα πάμπολλα μὲν σιτία ἐνεβαλόμην, ἱκανὸν δὲ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐνεθέμην, πεντήκοντα δὲ τῶν ἡλικιωτῶν προσεποιησάμην τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην ἔχοντας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὅπλων πολύ τι πλῆθος παρεσκευασάμην καὶ κυβερνήτην τὸν ἄριστον μισθῷ μεγάλῳ πείσας παρέλαβον καὶ τὴν ναῦν — ἄκατος δὲ ἦν — ὡς πρὸς μέγαν καὶ βίαιον πλοῦν ἐκρατυνάμην.
For this reason, indeed, I put on board very many provisions, and placed in sufficient water, and took to myself fifty of my companions having the same mind as me, and furthermore I prepared a very great quantity of weapons, and having persuaded the best helmsman with a large wage I took him along, and strengthened my ship — it was a light galley — as if for a long and violent voyage.