§37Τυχιάδης
οὐ παύσεσθε,
ἦν δʼ ἐγώ,
τὰ τοιαῦτα τερατολογοῦντες γέροντες ἄνδρες;
Tychiades "Will you not stop," I said, "telling such monstrous tales, you old men?
εἰ δὲ μή, ἀλλὰ κἂν τούτων γε τῶν μειρακίων ἕνεκα εἰς ἄλλον τινὰ καιρὸν ὑπερβάλλεσθε τὰς παραδόξους ταύτας καὶ φοβερὰς διηγήσεις, μή πως λάθωσιν ἡμῖν ἐμπλησθέντες δειμάτων καὶ ἀλλοκότων μυθολογημάτων.
If not, at least for the sake of these youths here, postpone these strange and fearful narratives to some other time, lest they should unawares be filled with terrors and bizarre mythologies.
φείδεσθαι οὖν χρὴ αὐτῶν μηδὲ τοιαῦτα ἐθίζειν ἀκούειν, ἃ διὰ παντὸς τοῦ βίου συνόντα ἐνοχλήσει καὶ ψοφοδεεῖς ποιήσει ποικίλης τῆς δεισιδαιμονίας ἐμπιπλάντα, §38Τυχιάδης
εὖ γε ὑπέμνησας,
ἦ δʼ ὃς ὁ Εὐκράτης,
εἰπὼν τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν.
It is necessary, therefore, to spare them and not to accustom them to hear such things which, remaining with them through all their lives, will distress them and make them timid by filling them with all kinds of superstition." Tychiades "‘You did well to remind me,’ said Eucrates, ‘by speaking of superstition.
τί γάρ σοι, ὦ Τυχιάδη, περὶ τῶν τοιούτων δοκεῖ, λέγω δὴ χρησμῶν καὶ θεσφάτων καὶ ὅσα θεοφορούμενοί τινες ἀναβοῶσιν ἢ ἐξ ἀδύτων ἀκούεται ἢ παρθένος ἔμμετρα φθεγγομένη προθεσπίζει τὰ μέλλοντα;
For what is your opinion, Tychiades, concerning such things—I mean, of oracles and divine utterances, and whatever inspired persons cry out, or what is heard from the sanctuaries, or when a virgin, speaking in verse, foretells the future?
ἢ δηλαδὴ καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀπιστήσεις;
Or will you indeed disbelieve even such things as these?
ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι μὲν καὶ δακτύλιόν τινα ἱερὸν ἔχω Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Πυθίου εἰκόνα ἐκτυποῦντα τὴν σφραγῖδα καὶ οὗτος ὁ Ἀπόλλων φθέγγεται πρὸς ἐμέ, οὐ λέγω, μή σοι ἄπιστα δόξω περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ μεγαλαυχεῖσθαι·
Now, that I possess a certain sacred ring having the image of Pythian Apollo engraved on its seal, and that this Apollo speaks to me, I will not mention, lest I should seem to you to boast of unbelievable things about myself.
ἃ δὲ Ἀμφιλόχου τε ἤκουσα ἐν Μαλλῷ, τοῦ ἥρωος ὕπαρ διαλεχθέντος μοι καὶ συμβουλεύσαντος περὶ τῶν ἐμῶν, καὶ ἃ εἶδον αὐτός, ἐθέλω ὑμῖν εἰπεῖν, εἶτα ἑξῆς ἃ ἐν Περγάμῳ εἶδον καὶ ἃ ἤκουσα ἐν Πατάροις.
But what I heard from Amphilochus at Mallus, when the hero conversed with me in a waking vision and advised me about my affairs, and what I saw myself, I wish to tell you, and then next what I saw at Pergamum and what I heard at Patara.
Ὁπότε γὰρ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐπανῄειν οἴκαδε ἀκούων τὸ ἐν Μαλλῷ τοῦτο μαντεῖον ἐπιφανέστατόν τε καὶ ἀληθέστατον εἶναι καὶ χρᾶν ἐναργῶς πρὸς ἔπος ἀποκρινόμενον οἷς ἂν ἐγγράψας τις εἰς τὸ γραμματεῖον παραδῷ τῷ προφήτῃ, καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγησάμην ἐν παράπλῳ πειραθῆναι τοῦ χρηστηρίου καί τι περὶ τῶν μελλόντων συμβουλεύσασθαι τῷ θεῷ — §39Τυχιάδης
ταῦτα ἔτι τοῦ Εὐκράτους λέγοντος ἰδὼν οἷ τὸ πρᾶγμα προχωρήσειν ἔμελλε καὶ ὡς οὐ μικρᾶς ἐνήρχετο τῆς περὶ τὰ χρηστήρια τραγῳδίας, οὐ δοκιμάσας μόνος ἀντιλέγειν ἅπασιν, ἀπολιπὼν αὐτὸν ἔτι διαπλέοντα ἐξ Αἰγύπτου εἰς τὴν Μαλλόν — καὶ γὰρ συνίειν ὅτι μοι ἄχθονται παρόντι καθάπερ ἀντισοφιστῇ τῶν ψευσμάτων —
ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἄπειμι,
ἔφην,
Λεόντιχον ἀναζητήσων·
For when I was returning home from Egypt, hearing that this oracle at Mallus was most famous and true, and that it gave clear answers, word for word, to whatever questions one wrote on a tablet and delivered to the prophet, I thought it well, during my coastal voyage, to make trial of the oracle and to consult the god about the future—’" Tychiades While Eucrates was still saying these things, seeing where the matter was going to turn out and that he was entering upon no small theatrical display concerning the oracles, I did not think it wise to argue alone against them all, and left him while he was still sailing from Egypt to Mallus—for indeed I perceived that they were vexed with my presence as if I were a rival sophist against their lies— "But I am going away," I said, "to look for Leontichus; for I need to meet with him.
δέομαι γάρ τι αὐτῷ συγγενέσθαι. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐπείπερ οὐχ ἱκανὰ ἡγεῖσθε τὰ ἀνθρώπινα εἶναι, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἤδη τοὺς θεοὺς καλεῖτε συνεπιληψομένους ὑμῖν τῶν μυθολογουμένων
καὶ ἅμα λέγων ἐξῄειν.
Since you do not think human affairs to be sufficient, but are already calling upon the gods themselves to take part with you in your myth-making." And as I spoke, I went out.
οἱ δὲ ἄσμενοι ἐλευθερίας λαβόμενοι εἱστίων, ὡς τὸ εἰκός, αὑτοὺς καὶ ἐνεφοροῦντο τῶν ψευσμάτων.
And they, gladly obtaining their freedom, feasted themselves, as was natural, and gorged themselves on lies.
τοιαῦτά σοι, ὦ Φιλόκλεις, παρὰ Εὐκράτει ἀκούσας περίειμι νὴ τὸν Δία ὥσπερ οἱ τοῦ γλεύκους πιόντες ἐμπεφυσημένος τὴν γαστέρα ἐμέτου δεόμενος.
Hearing such things, Philocles, at Eucrates' house, I go about, by Zeus, puffed up in my stomach like those who have drunk new wine, and in need of vomiting.
ἡδέως δʼ ἄν ποθεν ἐπὶ πολλῷ ἐπριάμην ληθεδανόν τι φάρμακον ὧν ἤκουσα, ὡς μή τι κακὸν ἐργάσηταί με ἡ μνήμη αὐτῶν ἐνοικουροῦσα· τέρατα γοῦν καὶ δαίμονας καὶ Ἑκάτας ὁρᾶν μοι δοκῶ.
Gladly would I have bought somewhere at a great price some drug of oblivion for what I heard, lest the memory of them, harboring within me, should work me some mischief; at any rate, I seem to see monsters, spirits, and Hecates before my eyes.
§40Φιλοκλῆς
καὶ αὐτός, ὦ Τυχιάδη, τοιοῦτόν τι ἀπέλαυσα τῆς διηγήσεως.
Philocles "I too, Tychiades, have derived a similar effect from your narrative.
φασί γέ τοι μὴ μόνον λυττᾶν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ φοβεῖσθαι ὁπόσους ἂν οἱ λυττῶντες κύνες δάκωσιν, ἀλλὰ κἄν τινα ὁ δηχθεὶς ἄνθρωπος δάκῃ, ἴσα τῷ κυνὶ δύναται τὸ δῆγμα, καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ κἀκεῖνος φοβεῖται.
Indeed, they say that not only do those whom mad dogs bite become rabid and fear water, but if a bitten person bites someone else, the bite is as potent as the dog's, and that person fears the same things.
καὶ σὺ τοίνυν ἔοικας αὐτὸς ἐν Εὐκράτους δηχθεὶς ὑπὸ πολλῶν ψευσμάτων μεταδεδωκέναι κἀμοὶ τοῦ δήγματος· οὕτω δαιμόνων μοι τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνέπλησας. Τυχιάδης
ἀλλὰ θαρρῶμεν, ὦ φιλότης, μέγα τῶν τοιούτων ἀλεξιφάρμακον ἔχοντες τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι λόγον ὀρθόν, ᾧ χρωμένους ἡμᾶς μηδὲν μὴ ταράξῃ τῶν κενῶν καὶ ματαίων τούτων ψευσμάτων.
You too, therefore, having yourself been bitten by many lies at Eucrates' house, seem to have passed the bite on to me; so much have you filled my soul with spirits." Tychiades "But let us be of good courage, my friend, possessing as a great antidote against such things truth and right reason in all things; while we employ this, may none of these empty and vain lies disturb us."