§33Τυχιάδης
ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν καὶ ἄλλο διηγήσομαι αὐτὸς παθών, οὐ παρʼ ἄλλου ἀκούσας· τάχα γὰρ ἂν καὶ σύ, ὦ Τυχιάδη, ἀκούων προσβιβασθείης πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν τῆς διηγήσεως.
Tychiades "I will tell you another thing from my own experience, not having heard it from another; for perhaps even you, Tychiades, by hearing it might be brought over to the truth of the narrative.
ὁπότε γὰρ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ διῆγον ἔτι νέος ὤν, ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπὶ παιδείας προφάσει ἀποσταλείς, ἐπεθύμησα εἰς Κοπτὸν ἀναπλεύσας ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὸν Μέμνονα ἐλθὼν ἀκοῦσαι τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο ἠχοῦντα πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα τὸν ἥλιον.
For when I was still young and living in Egypt, having been sent by my father for the sake of education, I desired to sail up to Coptos and from there go to Memnon to hear him emit that wonderful sound toward the rising sun.
ἐκείνου μὲν οὖν ἤκουσα οὐ κατὰ τὸ κοινὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἄσημόν τινα φωνήν, ἀλλά μοι καὶ ἔχρησεν ὁ Μέμνων αὐτὸς ἀνοίξας γε τὸ στόμα ἐν ἔπεσιν ἑπτά, καὶ εἴ γε μὴ περιττὸν ἦν, αὐτὰ ἂν ὑμῖν εἶπον τὰ ἔπη. §34Τυχιάδης
κατὰ δὲ τὸν ἀνάπλουν ἔτυχεν ἡμῖν συμπλέων Μεμφίτης ἀνὴρ τῶν ἱερῶν γραμματέων, θαυμάσιος τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν παιδείαν πᾶσαν εἰδὼς τὴν Αἰγύπτιον·
Now, I did hear him, not with an indistinct sound as is common to the crowd, but Memnon himself actually opened his mouth and delivered an oracle to me in seven hexameters; and if it were not superfluous, I would have told you the verses themselves." Tychiades "And during our voyage up the river, it happened that there sailed with us a man of Memphis, one of the sacred scribes, wonderful in wisdom and knowing all the Egyptian learning.
ἐλέγετο δὲ τρία καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη ἐν τοῖς ἀδύτοις ὑπόγειος ᾠκηκέναι μαγεύειν παιδευόμενος ὑπὸ τῆς Ἴσιδος. Παγκράτην· ,
ἔφη ὁ Ἀρίγνωτος,
λέγεις ἐμὸν διδάσκαλον, ἄνδρα ἱερόν, ἐξυρημένον, ἐν ὀθονίοις, ἀεὶ νοήμονα, οὐ καθαρῶς ἑλληνίζοντα, ἐπιμήκη, σιμόν, πρόχειλον, ὑπόλεπτον τὰ σκέλη. αὐτόν,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
ἐκεῖνον τὸν Παγκράτην·
It was said that he had lived underground in the sanctuaries for twenty-three years, being instructed in magic by Isis." "You are speaking of Pancrates," said Arignotus, "my master, a sacred man, shaven, in linen robes, always thoughtful, not speaking Greek perfectly, tall, flat-nosed, thick-lipped, with rather thin legs." "That very same," he said, "that Pancrates.
καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἠγνόουν ὅστις ἦν, ἐπεὶ δὲ ἑώρων αὐτὸν εἴ ποτε ὁρμίσαιμεν τὸ πλοῖον ἄλλα τε πολλὰ τεράστια ἐργαζόμενον, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ κροκοδείλων ὀχούμενον καὶ συννέοντα τοῖς θηρίοις, τὰ δὲ ὑποπτήσσοντα καὶ σαίνοντα ταῖς οὐραῖς, ἔγνων ἱερόν τινα ἄνθρωπον ὄντα, κατὰ μικρὸν δὲ φιλοφρονούμενος ἔλαθον ἑταῖρος αὐτῷ καὶ συνήθης γενόμενος, ὥστε πάντων ἐκοινώνει μοι τῶν ἀπορρήτων.
At first, I did not know who he was; but when I saw him, whenever we moored the boat, performing many other wonders, and especially riding on crocodiles and swimming with the beasts, while they cowered and fawned with their tails, I knew he was some sacred man, and by degrees, showing him friendliness, I became his companion and intimate without notice, so that he shared all his secrets with me.
καὶ τέλος πείθει με τοὺς μὲν οἰκέτας ἅπαντας ἐν τῇ Μέμφιδι καταλιπεῖν, αὐτὸν δὲ μόνον ἀκολουθεῖν μετʼ αὐτοῦ, μὴ γὰρ ἀπορήσειν ἡμᾶς τῶν διακονησομένων· καὶ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο οὕτω διήγομεν. §35Τυχιάδης
ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἔλθοιμεν εἴς τι καταγώγιον, λαβὼν ἂν ὁ ἀνὴρ ἢ τὸν μοχλὸν τῆς θύρας ἢ τὸ κόρηθρον ἢ καὶ τὸ ὕπερον περιβαλὼν ἱματίοις ἐπειπών τινα ἐπῳδὴν ἐποίει βαδίζειν, τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι δοκοῦντα.
And at last he persuaded me to leave all my servants in Memphis, and to follow him alone with himself, for he said we would not lack those who would minister to us; and after this, we lived in this manner." Tychiades "Whenever we came to an inn, the man would take either the bolt of the door, or the broom, or even the pestle, and having wrapped it in clothes and pronounced some charm over it, he made it walk, appearing to everyone else to be a human being.
τὸ δὲ ἀπιὸν ὕδωρ τε ἐμπίπλη καὶ ὠψώνει καὶ ἐσκεύαζεν καὶ πάντα δεξιῶς ὑπηρέτει καὶ διηκονεῖτο ἡμῖν·
And it would go off and fill water, buy provisions, cook, and skillfully serve and minister to us in all things.
εἶτα ἐπειδὴ ἅλις ἔχοι τῆς διακονίας, αὖθις κόρηθρον τὸ κόρηθρον ἢ ὕπερον τὸ ὕπερον ἄλλην ἐπῳδὴν ἐπειπὼν ἐποίει ἄν.
Then, when he had enough of its service, he would again make the broom a broom, or the pestle a pestle, by pronouncing another charm over it.
τοῦτο ἐγὼ πάνυ ἐσπουδακὼς οὐκ εἶχον ὅπως ἐκμάθοιμι παρʼ αὐτοῦ· ἐβάσκαινε γάρ, καίτοι πρὸς τὰ ἄλλα προχειρότατος ὤν.
Though I was very eager for this, I could not find a way to learn it from him; for he was grudging of it, although he was most ready in other matters.
μιᾷ δέ ποτε ἡμέρᾳ λαθὼν ἐπήκουσα τῆς ἐπῳδῆς, ἦν δὲ τρισύλλαβος σχεδόν, ἐν σκοτεινῷ ὑποστάς.
But one day, standing in a dark place, I secretly overheard the charm without his knowledge; it was of about three syllables.
καὶ ὁ μὲν ᾤχετο εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐντειλάμενος τῷ ὑπέρῳ ἃ ἔδει ποιεῖν. §36Τυχιάδης
ἐγὼ δὲ εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἐκείνου τι κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν πραγματευομένου λαβὼν τὸ ὕπερον σχηματίσας ὁμοίως, ἐπειπὼν τὰς συλλαβάς, ἐκέλευσα ὑδροφορεῖν.
And he went off to the market, having commanded the pestle what it had to do." Tychiades "And on the next day, while he was transacting some business in the market, I took the pestle, dressed it in the same way, pronounced the syllables, and ordered it to carry water.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐμπλησάμενον τὸν ἀμφορέα ἐκόμισε,
πέπαυσο,
ἔφην,
καὶ μηκέτι ὑδροφόρει, ἀλλʼ ἴσθι αὖθις ὕπερον· τὸ δὲ οὐκέτι μοι πείθεσθαι ἤθελεν, ἀλλʼ ὑδροφόρει ἀεί, ἄχρι δὴ ἐνέπλησεν ἡμῖν ὕδατος τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπαντλοῦν.
When it had filled and brought the amphora, 'Stop,' I said, 'and carry water no longer, but be a pestle again.' But it would no longer obey me, but kept carrying water continually, until indeed it filled our house with water by pouring it in.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἀμηχανῶν τῷ πράγματι — ἐδεδίειν γὰρ μὴ ὁ Παγκράτης ἐπανελθὼν ἀγανακτήσῃ, ὅπερ καὶ ἐγένετο — ἀξίνην λαβὼν διακόπτω τὸ ὕπερον εἰς δύο μέρη· τὰ δέ, ἑκάτερον τὸ μέρος, ἀμφορέας λαβόντα ὑδροφόρει καὶ ἀνθʼ ἑνὸς δύο μοι ἐγεγένηντο οἱ διάκονοι.
I, being helpless in this situation—for I feared lest Pancrates should return and be angry, which indeed happened—took an axe and cut the pestle in two; but each part took an amphora and began to carry water, and instead of one, two ministers had been created for me.
ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ὁ Παγκράτης ἐφίσταται καὶ συνεὶς τὸ γενόμενον ἐκεῖνα μὲν αὖθις ἐποίησε ξύλα, ὥσπερ ἦν πρὸ τῆς ἐπῳδῆς, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπολιπών με λαθὼν οὐκ οἶδ’ ὅποι ἀφανὴς ᾤχετο ἀπιών. νῦν οὖν,
ἔφη ὁ Δεινόμαχος,
οἶσθα κἂν ἐκεῖνο, ἄνθρωπον ποιεῖν ἐκ τοῦ ὑπέρου; νὴ Δίʼ, ἦ δʼ ὅς, ἐξ ἡμισείας γε·
In the meantime Pancrates appeared, and understanding what had happened, made them wood again as they were before the charm, but he himself left me and went off secretly, disappearing I know not where." "Now then," said Deinomachus, "do you know even that—how to make a man out of a pestle?" "By Zeus," he said, "only by halves!
οὐκέτι γὰρ εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον οἷόν τέ μοι ἀπάγειν αὐτό, ἢν ἅπαξ γένηται ὑδροφόρος, ἀλλὰ δεήσει ἡμῖν ἐπικλυσθῆναι τὴν οἰκίαν ἐπαντλουμένην.
For I am no longer able to bring it back to its old state, if once it becomes a water-carrier, but it will be necessary for our house to be flooded by the water poured in."