§27ὁ γοῦν Σευηριανῷ δοθεὶς ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Ἀρμενίαν εἰσόδου τῶν αὐτοφώνων καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν.
At any rate, the oracle given to Severianus concerning his invasion of Armenia was itself one of those "self-spoken" ones.
προτρέπων γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν εἰσβολὴν οὕτως ἔφη· "
Πάρθους Ἀρμενίους τε θοῷ ὑπὸ δουρὶ δαμάσσας
νοστήσεις Ῥώμην καὶ Θύβριδος ἀγλαὸν ὕδωρ
στέμμα φέρων κροτάφοισι μεμιγμένον ἀκτίνεσσιν.
For, urging him on to the invasion, it spoke thus: "Subduing Parthians and Armenians under your swift spear, you shall return to Rome and the glorious water of the Tiber, bearing on your temples a crown mingled with rays.
"
εἶτʼ ἐπειδὴ πεισθεὶς ὁ ἠλίθιος ἐκεῖνος Κελτὸς εἰσέβαλε καὶ ἀπήλλαξεν αὐτῇ στρατιᾷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ὀσρόου κατακοπείς, τοῦτον μὲν τὸν χρησμὸν ἐξαιρεῖ ἐκ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων, ἐντίθησιν δʼ ἄλλον ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ· "
μὴ σύ γʼ ἐπʼ Ἀρμενίους ἐλάαν στρατόν, οὐ γὰρ ἄμεινον,
μή σοι θηλυχίτων τις ἀνὴρ τόξου ἄπο λυγρὸν
πότμον ἐπιπροϊεὶς παύσῃ βιότοιο φάους τε. "
"Then, when that foolish Celt, having been persuaded, invaded and perished, being cut to pieces together with his army by Osroes, he removed this oracle from the records and put another in its place: "Do not lead an army against the Armenians, for it is not better, lest some man in woman's attire, letting fly a grievous fate from his bow, rob you of the light of life.
§28καὶ γὰρ αὖ καὶ τοῦτο σοφώτατον ἐπενόησε, τοὺς μεταχρονίους χρησμοὺς ἐπὶ θεραπείᾳ τῶν κακῶς προτεθεσπισμένων καὶ ἀποτετευγμένων.
"For he also devised this most clever thing: post-dated oracles to cure those that had been badly prophesied and had failed.
πολλάκις γὰρ πρὸ μὲν τῆς τελευτῆς τοῖς νοσοῦσιν ὑγίειαν ἐπηγγέλλετο, ἀποθανόντων δὲ χρησμὸς ἄλλος ἕτοιμος ἦν παλινῳδῶν· "
Μηκέτι δίζησθαι νούσοιο λυγρῆς ἐπαρωγήν· πότμος γὰρ προφανὴς οὐδʼ ἐκφυγέειν δυνατόν σοι. "
For often, before their death, he would promise health to the sick, but when they died, another oracle was ready to sing a different tune: "Seek no longer helper for your grievous sickness; for your doom is clear, nor is it possible for you to escape.
§29εἰδὼς δὲ τοὺς ἐν Κλάρῳ καὶ Διδύμοις καὶ Μαλλῷ καὶ αὐτοὺς εὐδοκιμοῦντας ἐπὶ τῇ ὁμοίᾳ μαντικῇ ταύτῃ, φίλους αὐτοὺς ἐποιεῖτο, πολλοὺς τῶν προσιόντων πέμπων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς λέγων· "Ἐς Κλάρον ἵεσο νῦν, τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς ὡς ὄπʼ ἀκούσῃς. "
καὶ πάλιν· "Βραγχιδέων ἀδύτοισι πελάζεο καὶ κλύε χρησμῶν. "
καὶ αὖθις· "ἐς Μαλλὸν χώρει θεσπίσματά τʼ Ἀμφιλόχοιο. " §30ταῦτα μὲν ἐντὸς τῶν ὅρων μέχρι τῆς Ἰωνίας καὶ Κιλικίας καὶ Παφλαγονίας καὶ Γαλατίας.
"And knowing that those in Claros, Didyma, and Mallos were themselves highly esteemed for this same kind of divination, he made them his friends, sending many of those who came to them, saying: "Haste now to Claros, that you may hear the voice of my father." And again: "Draw near to the sanctuaries of the Branchidae and hear the oracles." And once more: "Go to Mallos and the prophecies of Amphilochus." These things indeed occurred within the borders as far as Ionia, Cilicia, Paphlagonia, and Galatia.
ὡς δὲ καὶ εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν διεφοίτησεν τοῦ μαντείου τὸ κλέος καὶ εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἐνέπεσεν, οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἄλλος πρὸ ἄλλου ἠπείγετο, οἱ μὲν αὐτοὶ ἰόντες, οἱ δὲ πέμποντες, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ δυνατώτατοι καὶ μέγιστον ἀξίωμα ἐν τῇ πόλει ἔχοντες·
But when the fame of the oracle traveled even into Italy and fell upon the city of Rome, there was no one who did not hasten, one before another, some going themselves, others sending, and especially those of the greatest power and highest dignity in the city.
ὧν πρῶτος καὶ κορυφαιότατος ἐγένετο Ῥουτιλιανός, ἀνὴρ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ἐν πολλαῖς τάξεσι Ῥωμαϊκαῖς ἐξητασμένος, τὰ δὲ περὶ τοὺς θεοὺς πάνυ νοσῶν καὶ ἀλλόκοτα περὶ αὐτῶν πεπιστευκώς, εἰ μόνον ἀληλιμμένον που λίθον ἢ ἐστεφανωμένον θεάσαιτο, προσπίπτων εὐθὺς καὶ προσκυνῶν καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺ παρεστὼς καὶ εὐχόμενος καὶ τἀγαθὰ παρʼ αὐτοῦ αἰτῶν.
Of these, the first and foremost was Rutilianus, a man otherwise noble and good, and tested in many Roman offices, but very diseased in what concerned the gods, and believing strange things about them; if he only saw anywhere a stone anointed with oil or crowned with flowers, he would immediately fall down and worship it, standing by it for a long time, praying and asking for blessings from it.
οὗτος τοίνυν ἀκούσας τὰ περὶ τοῦ χρηστηρίου μικροῦ μὲν ἐδέησεν ἀφεὶς τὴν ἐγκεχειρισμένην τάξιν εἰς τὸ τοῦ Ἀβώνου τεῖχος ἀναπτῆναι.
This man, then, having heard about the oracle, was within a little of throwing up the office committed to him and flying to Abonoteichos.
ἔπεμπε δʼ οὖν ἄλλους ἐπʼ ἄλλοις·
At any rate, he kept sending messenger after messenger.
οἱ δὲ πεμπόμενοι, ἰδιῶταί τινες οἰκέται, ῥᾳδίως ἐξαπατηθέντες ἂν ἐπανῄεσαν, τὰ μὲν ἰδόντες, τὰ δὲ ὡς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες διηγούμενοι καὶ προσεπιμετροῦντες ἔτι πλείω τούτων, ὡς ἐντιμότεροι εἶεν παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ.
But those who were sent, being simple-minded servants, were easily deceived and would return, telling partly what they saw, and partly what they claimed to have seen and heard, adding still more to this so that they might be more highly esteemed by their master.
ἐξέκαιον οὖν τὸν ἄθλιον γέροντα καὶ εἰς μανίαν ἐρρωμένην ἐνέβαλον.
Thus they inflamed the wretched old man and threw him into a strong madness.
§31ὁ δέ, ὡς ἂν τοῖς πλείστοις καὶ δυνατωτάτοις φίλος ὤν, περιῄει τὰ μὲν διηγούμενος ὡς ἀκούσειε παρὰ τῶν πεμφθέντων, τὰ δὲ καὶ παρʼ αὑτοῦ προστιθείς.
He, being a friend to most of the most powerful people, went about relating what he had heard from those he sent, and adding some things of his own.
ἐνέπλησεν οὖν τὴν πόλιν καὶ διεσάλευσεν οὗτος, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ τοὺς πλείστους διεθορύβησεν, οἳ αὐτίκα καὶ αὐτοὶ ἠπείγοντο ἀκοῦσαί τι τῶν καθʼ αὑτούς.
He therefore filled the city and shook it, and threw most of those in the court into excitement, who immediately themselves made haste to hear something concerning their own affairs.
ὁ δὲ τοὺς ἀφικνουμένους πάνυ φιλοφρόνως ὑποδεχόμενος ξενίοις τε καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις δωρεαῖς πολυτελέσιν εὔνους ἐργαζόμενος αὑτῷ ἀπέπεμπεν οὐκ ἀπαγγελοῦντας μόνον τὰς ἐρωτήσεις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμνήσοντας τὸν θεὸν καὶ τεράστια ὑπὲρ τοῦ μαντείου καὶ αὐτοὺς ψευσομένους.
But he, receiving those who arrived very kindly and making them well-disposed to him by hospitality and other costly gifts, sent them away not only to report the answers to their questions, but also to sing the praises of the god, to tell marvels about the oracle, and themselves to lie.