§48ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἕν τι καὶ μέγιστον τόλμημα τοῦ μιαροῦ ἀνδρὸς ἄκουσον.
And among his other deeds, listen to one and the greatest piece of audacity of this vile man.
ἔχων γὰρ οὐ μικρὰν ἐπίβασιν ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια καὶ τὴν αὐλὴν τὸν Ῥουτιλιανὸν εὐδοκιμοῦντα, διαπέμπεται χρησμὸν τοῦ ἐν Γερμανίᾳ πολέμου ἀκμάζοντος, ὅτε θεὸς Μάρκος ἤδη τοῖς Μαρκομάνοις καὶ Κουάδοις συνεπλέκετο.
For having no small means of access to the palace and the court through the esteemed Rutilianus, he sent an oracle when the war in Germany was at its height, when the deified Marcus was already engaged in battle with the Marcomanni and the Quadi.
ἠξίου δὲ ὁ χρησμὸς δύο λέοντας ἐμβληθῆναι ζῶντας εἰς τὸν Ἴστρον μετὰ πολλῶν ἀρωμάτων καὶ θυσιῶν μεγαλοπρεπῶν.
The oracle required two live lions to be cast into the Ister, along with many perfumes and magnificent sacrifices.
ἄμεινον δὲ αὐτὸν εἰπεῖν τὸν χρησμόν· "
Ἐς δίνας Ἴστροιο διιπετέος ποταμοῖο
ἐσβαλέειν κέλομαι δοιοὺς Κυβέλης θεράποντας,
θῆρας ὀριτρεφέας, καὶ ὅσα τρέφει Ἰνδικὸς ἀὴρ
ἄνθεα καὶ βοτάνας εὐώδεας· αὐτίκα δʼ ἔσται
νίκη καὶ μέγα κῦδος ἅμʼ εἰρήνῃ ἐρατεινῇ. "
γενομένων δὲ τούτων ὡς προσέταξεν, τοὺς μὲν λέοντας ἐκνηξαμένους εἰς τὴν πολεμίαν οἱ βάρβαροι ξύλοις κατειργάσαντο ὥς τινας κύνας ἢ λύκους ξενικούς·
It is better to quote the oracle itself: "Into the whirlpools of the Ister, the heaven-fed river, I command to cast two servants of Cybele, beasts bred in the mountains, and all the fragrant flowers and herbs that the Indian air nurtures; immediately there shall be victory and great glory, along with lovely peace." When these things were done as he had commanded, the lions swam across to the enemy's territory, and the barbarians dispatched them with clubs as if they were some strange dogs or wolves.
αὐτίκα δὲ τὸ μέγιστον τραῦμα τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἐγένετο, δισμυρίων που σχεδὸν ἀθρόων ἀπολομένων.
Immediately the greatest disaster befell our forces, with some twenty thousand perishing almost all at once.
εἶτα ἐπηκολούθησε τὰ περὶ Ἀκυληΐαν γενόμενα καὶ ἡ παρὰ μικρὸν τῆς πόλεως ἐκείνης ἅλωσις.
Then followed the events around Aquileia and the near-capture of that city.
ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἀποβεβηκὸς τὴν Δελφικὴν ἐκείνην ἀπολογίαν καὶ τὸν τοῦ Κροίσου χρησμὸν ψυχρῶς παρῆγεν· νίκην μὲν γὰρ προειπεῖν τὸν θεόν, μὴ μέντοι δηλῶσαι Ῥωμαίων ἢ τῶν πολεμίων.
But he, in the face of the outcome, coldly produced that Delphic defense and the oracle of Croesus, saying that the god had indeed predicted victory, but had not, however, declared whether it would belong to the Romans or to the enemy.
§49ἤδη δὲ πολλῶν ἐπὶ πολλοῖς ἐπεισρεόντων καὶ τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν θλιβομένης ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἐπὶ τὸ χρηστήριον ἀφικνουμένων καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια διαρκῆ μὴ ἐχούσης, ἐπινοεῖ τοὺς νυκτερινοὺς καλουμένους χρησμούς.
But now, as many upon many streamed in, and their city was hard-pressed by the multitude of those arriving at the oracle and did not have sufficient provisions, he devised the so-called night oracles.
λαμβάνων γὰρ τὰ βιβλία ἐπεκοιμᾶτο, ὡς ἔφασκεν, αὐτοῖς καὶ ὡς ὄναρ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀκούων ἀπεκρίνετο, οὐ μέντοι σαφεῖς τοὺς πολλούς, ἀλλʼ ἀμφιβόλους καὶ τεταραγμένους καὶ μάλιστα εἴ ποτε θεάσαιτο περιεργότερον τὸ βιβλίον κατεσφραγισμένον.
For receiving the books, he would sleep on them, as he claimed, and would answer as though hearing from the god in a dream; yet most of them were not clear, but ambiguous and confused, especially if he ever saw the book rather carefully sealed up.
οὐ γὰρ παρακινδυνεύων, τὸ ἐπελθὸν ἄλλως ὑπέγραφε, χρησμοῖς πρέπον καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον οἰόμενος.
For not running any risks, he would write underneath whatever came into his mind, thinking that this too was fitting for oracles.
καὶ ἦσάν τινες ἐξηγηταὶ ἐπὶ τοῦτο καθήμενοι καὶ μισθοὺς οὐκ ὀλίγους ἐκλέγοντες παρὰ τῶν τοὺς τοιούτους χρησμοὺς λαμβανόντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξηγήσει καὶ διαλύσει αὐτῶν.
And there were certain interpreters sitting for this purpose, who collected no small fees from those receiving such oracles for their explanation and resolution.
καὶ τοῦτο αὐτῶν τὸ ἔργον ὑπόμισθον ἦν· ἐτέλουν γὰρ οἱ ἐξηγηταὶ τῷ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τάλαντον Ἀττικὸν ἑκάτερος.
And this work of theirs was a paid service; for the interpreters each paid an Attic talent to Alexander.
§50ἐνίοτε δὲ μήτε ἐρομένου τινὸς μήτε πεμφθέντος, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ὅλως ὄντος ἐχρησμῴδει πρὸς ἔκπληξιν τῶν ἀνοήτων, οἷον καὶ τοῦτο· "
Δίζεαι ὅστις σὴν ἄλοχον μάλα πάγχυ λεληθὼς
Καλλιγένειαν ὑπὲρ λεχέων σαλαγεῖ κατὰ δῶμα;
And sometimes, though no one had asked, nor had anything been sent, nor did the person exist at all, he would deliver oracles to amaze the simple-minded, such as this: "Do you seek to know who, utterly undetected by you, is violating your wife Calligenia in the marriage-bed within your house?
δοῦλος Πρωτογένης, τῷ δὴ σύ γε πάντα πέποιθας.
It is the slave Protogenes, in whom you put your entire trust.
ὤπυιες γὰρ ἐκεῖνον, ὁ δʼ αὖθις σὴν παράκοιτιν,
ἀντίδοσιν ταύτην ὕβρεως ἄκρην ἀποτίνων.
For you had intercourse with him, and he in turn with your wife, paying this extreme retribution for your outrage.
ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ σοὶ δὴ φάρμακʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν λυγρὰ τέτυκται,
ὡς μήτʼ εἰσαΐοις μήτʼ εἰσοράοις ἃ ποιοῦσιν.
But indeed a dire poison has been prepared for you by them, so that you may neither hear nor see what they do.
εὑρήσεις δὲ κάτω ὑπὸ σῷ λέχει ἀγχόθι τοίχου
πρὸς κεφαλῆς.
And you will find it down under your bed, near the wall, at the head.
καὶ σὴ θεράπαινα σύνοιδε Καλυψώ. "
τίς οὐκ ἂν Δημόκριτος διεταράχθη ἀκούσας ὀνόματα καὶ τόπους ἀκριβῶς, εἶτα μετʼ ὀλίγον κατέπτυσεν ἄν, συνεὶς τὴν ἐπίνοιαν αὐτῶν;
And your maid Calypso is privy to it." What Democritus would not have been disturbed upon hearing names and places so accurately, and then a little later would have spat in contempt, understanding their trick?
§52Ἄλλῳ πάλιν οὔτε παρόντι οὔτε ὅλως τινὶ ὄντι ἔφη ἄνευ μέτρου ἀναστρέφειν ὀπίσω
ὁ γὰρ πέμψας σε τέθνηκεν ὑπὸ τοῦ γείτονος Διοκλέους τήμερον, λῃστῶν ἐπαχθέντων Μάγνου καὶ Βουβάλου, οἳ καὶ ἤδη δέδενται ληφθέντες. §51ἀλλὰ καὶ βαρβάροις πολλάκις ἔχρησεν, εἴ τις τῇ πατρίῳ ἔροιτο φωνῇ, Συριστὶ ἢ Κελτιστί, ῥᾳδίως ἐξευρίσκων τινὰς ἐπιδημοῦντας ὁμοεθνεῖς τοῖς δεδωκόσιν.
To another again, who was neither present nor existed at all, he told in prose to turn back: "For he who sent you has died today at the hands of his neighbor Diocles, through the agency of the robbers Magnus and Bubalus, who have already been caught and bound." But he also frequently delivered oracles to barbarians, if anyone asked in his native tongue, in Syrian or in Celtic, easily finding some residents of the same nation as those who had submitted the questions.
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πολὺς ὁ ἐν μέσῳ χρόνος ἦν τῆς τε δόσεως τῶν βιβλίων καὶ τῆς χρησμῳδίας, ὡς ἐν τοσούτῳ κατὰ σχολὴν λύοιντό τε οἱ χρησμοὶ ἀσφαλῶς καὶ εὑρίσκοιντο οἱ ἑρμηνεῦσαι δυνάμενοι ἕκαστα.
For this reason also, there was a long interval of time between the submission of the books and the delivery of the oracle, so that in the meantime the questions might be safely unsealed at leisure, and those capable of translating each of them might be found.
οἷος καὶ ὁ τῷ Σκύθῃ δοθεὶς χρησμὸς ἦν· "μορφὴν εὐβάργουλις εἰς σκιὰν χνεχικραγη λείψει φάος. "
Such was the oracle given to the Scythian: "morpheen eubargoulis eis skian chnechikrage leipsei phaos."