§57καταθέμενος δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐν Αἰγιαλοῖς, ὧν καὶ ὁ καλὸς Ὅμηρος μέμνηται, ὀπίσω ἀπήλαυνον.
And having set us down at Aegiali, which even the fair Homer mentions, they sailed back.
ἔνθα ἐγὼ παραπλέοντας εὑρὼν Βοσποριανούς τινας, πρέσβεις παρʼ Εὐπάτορος τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὴν Βιθυνίαν ἀπιόντας ἐπὶ κομιδῇ τῆς ἐπετείου συντάξεως, καὶ διηγησάμενος αὐτοῖς τὸν περιστάντα ἡμᾶς κίνδυνον, καὶ δεξιῶν αὐτῶν τυχών, ἀναληφθεὶς ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον διασώζομαι εἰς τὴν Ἄμαστριν, παρὰ τοσοῦτον ἐλθὼν ἀποθανεῖν.
There I, having found some Bosporans sailing past, envoys going from King Eupator to Bithynia for the collection of the annual contribution, and having told them of the danger that had surrounded us, and having obtained their favour, was taken on board their ship and saved to Amastris, having come so close to dying.
τοὐντεῦθεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεκορυσσόμην αὐτῷ καὶ πάντα κάλων ἐκίνουν ἀμύνασθαι βουλόμενος, καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἤδη μισῶν αὐτὸν καὶ ἔχθιστον ἡγούμενος διὰ τὴν τοῦ τρόπου μιαρίαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κατηγορίαν ὡρμήμην πολλοὺς συναγωνιστὰς ἔχων καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς ἀπὸ Τιμοκράτους τοῦ Ἡρακλεώτου φιλοσόφου·
From then on, I myself also armed against him and moved every rope, wishing to avenge myself, and hating him already even before the plot and holding him most loathsome because of the vileness of his character, I was eager for the accusation, having many co-fighters, and especially those from the philosopher Timocrates of Heraclea.
ἀλλʼ ὁ τότε ἡγούμενος Βιθυνίας καὶ τοῦ Πόντου Αὔειτος ἐπέσχε, μονονουχὶ ἱκετεύων καὶ ἀντιβολῶν παύσασθαι· διὰ γὰρ τὴν πρὸς Ῥουτιλιανὸν εὔνοιαν μὴ ἂν δύνασθαι, καὶ εἰ φανερῶς λάβοι ἀδικοῦντα, κολάσαι αὐτόν.
But Avitus, the then governor of Bithynia and Pontus, restrained me, almost-only begging and entreating me to stop; for he said that due to his goodwill toward Rutilianus, he would not be able to punish him, even if he caught him openly doing wrong.
οὕτω μὲν ἀνεκόπην τῆς ὁρμῆς καὶ ἐπαυσάμην οὐκ ἐν δέοντι θρασυνόμενος ἐφʼ οὕτω δικαστοῦ διακειμένου.
Thus indeed my impulse was checked, and I stopped showing unnecessary boldness under a judge so minded.
§58ἐκεῖνο δὲ πῶς οὐ μέγα ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὸ τόλμημα τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, τὸ αἰτῆσαι παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μετονομασθῆναι τὸ τοῦ Ἀβώνου τεῖχος καὶ Ἰωνόπολιν κληθῆναι, καὶ νόμισμα καινὸν κόψαι ἐγκεχαραγμένον τῇ μὲν τοῦ Γλύκωνος, κατὰ θάτερα δὲ Ἀλεξάνδρου, στέμματά τε τοῦ πάππου Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ τὴν ἅρπην ἐκείνην τοῦ πατρομήτορος Περσέως ἔχοντος;
And how is that not a great piece of daring among the other things of Alexander's, to ask the Emperor that Abonoteichus be renamed and called Ionopolis, and to strike a new coin engraved on one side with the figure of Glycon, and on the other with that of Alexander holding the crowns of his grandfather Asclepius and that harpe of his maternal ancestor Perseus?
§59προειπὼν δὲ διὰ χρησμοῦ περὶ αὑτοῦ ὅτι ζῆσαι εἵμαρται αὐτῷ ἔτη πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατόν, εἶτα κεραυνῷ βληθέντα ἀποθανεῖν, οἰκτίστῳ τέλει οὐδὲ ἑβδομήκοντα ἔτη γεγονὼς ἀπέθανεν, ὡς Ποδαλειρίου υἱὸς διασαπεὶς τὸν πόδα μέχρι τοῦ βουβῶνος καὶ σκωλήκων ζέσας· ὅτεπερ καὶ ἐφωράθη φαλακρὸς ὤν, παρέχων τοῖς ἰατροῖς ἐπιβρέχειν αὐτοῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν διὰ τὴν ὀδύνην, ὃ οὐκ ἂν ποιῆσαι ἐδύναντο μὴ οὐχὶ τῆς φενάκης ἀφῃρημένης.
But having foretold through an oracle about himself that it was fated for him to live a hundred and fifty years, and then to die struck by lightning, he died before being even seventy years old by a most pitiable end, since, although the son of Podalirius, his foot rotted up to the groin and swarmed with worms; when indeed he was also caught being bald, since he allowed the doctors to drench his head because of the pain, which they could not have done unless his wig had been removed.
§60τοιοῦτο τέλος τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου τραγῳδίας καὶ αὕτη τοῦ παντὸς δράματος ἡ καταστροφὴ ἐγένετο, ὡς εἰκάζειν προνοίας τινὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον, εἰ καὶ κατὰ τύχην συνέβη.
Such was the end of Alexander's tragedy, and this was the catastrophe of the whole drama, so that one might likeness it to some providence, even if it happened by chance.
ἔδει δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐπιτάφιον αὐτοῦ ἄξιον γενέσθαι τοῦ βίου, καὶ ἀγῶνά τινα συστήσασθαι ὑπὲρ τοῦ χρηστηρίου, τῶν συνωμοτῶν ἐκείνων καὶ γοήτων, ὅσοι κορυφαῖοι ἦσαν, ἀνελθόντων ἐπὶ διαιτητὴν τὸν Ῥουτιλιανόν, τίνα χρὴ προκριθῆναι αὐτῶν καὶ διαδέξασθαι τὸ μαντεῖον καὶ στεφανωθῆναι τῷ ἱεροφαντικῷ καὶ προφητικῷ στέμματι.
It was necessary also that his funeral oration should be worthy of his life, and that some contest should be set up over the oracle, when those conspirators and impostors, as many as were leaders, went up to Rutilianus as arbitrator, to decide which of them ought to be preferred and succeed to the oracle and be crowned with the hierophantic and prophetic crown.
ἦν δὲ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ Παῖτος, ἰατρὸς τὴν τέχνην, πολιός τις, οὔτε ἰατρῷ πρέποντα οὔτε πολιῷ ἀνδρὶ ταῦτα ποιῶν.
And among them was also Paetus, a physician by trade, a grey-haired man, doing things becoming neither a physician nor a grey-haired man.
ἀλλʼ ὁ ἀγωνοθέτης Ῥουτιλιανὸς ἀστεφανώτους αὐτοὺς ἀπέπεμψεν αὐτῷ τὴν προφητείαν φυλάττων μετὰ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγήν.
But Rutilianus, the contest-director, sent them away uncrowned, keeping the prophecy for him after his departure from here.
§61ταῦτα, ὦ φιλότης, ὀλίγα ἐκ πολλῶν δείγματος ἕνεκα γράψαι ἠξίωσα, καὶ σοὶ μὲν χαριζόμενος, ἀνδρὶ ἑταίρῳ καὶ φίλῳ καὶ ὃν ἐγὼ πάντων μάλιστα θαυμάσας ἔχω ἐπί τε σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἔρωτι καὶ τρόπου πραότητι καὶ ἐπιεικείᾳ καὶ γαλήνῃ βίου καὶ δεξιότητι πρὸς τοὺς συνόντας, τὸ πλέον δέ, — ὅπερ καὶ σοὶ ἥδιον, — Ἐπικούρῳ τιμωρῶν, ἀνδρὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἱερῷ καὶ θεσπεσίῳ τὴν φύσιν καὶ μόνῳ μετʼ ἀληθείας τὰ καλὰ ἐγνωκότι καὶ παραδεδωκότι καὶ ἐλευθερωτῇ τῶν ὁμιλησάντων αὐτῷ γενομένῳ.
These few things out of many, my dear friend, I have thought worthy to write by way of sample, partly to gratify you, a companion and friend, and one whom I admire most of all for your wisdom, your love for truth, the gentleness of your character, your equity, the serenity of your life, and your pleasantness toward those you live with; and still more—which is also more pleasing to you—to avenge Epicurus, a man truly sacred and divine in his nature, who alone with truth knew and handed down what is noble, and became the liberator of those who associated with him.
οἶμαι δὲ ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἐντυχοῦσι χρήσιμόν τι ἔχειν δόξει ἡ γραφή, τὰ μὲν διεξελέγχουσα, τὰ δὲ ἐν ταῖς τῶν εὖ φρονούντων γνώμαις βεβαιοῦσα.
And I think that the writing will seem to possess something useful also for those who read it, refuting some things, and confirming others in the minds of those who are well-minded.