§18καλέσας τοῦ νεηνίσκου τὸν πατέρα κάρτα ὀρρωδέοντα,
ἥδε ἡ νοῦσος,
ἔφη,
ἣν ὁ παῖς ὅδε ἀρρωστέει, οὐ νοῦσός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ἀδικίη·
Calling the father of the young man, who was greatly anxious, he said, "This disease, which this boy is sick with, is not a disease, but an injustice.
ὅδε γάρ τοι ἀλγέει μὲν οὐδέν, ἔρως δέ μιν καὶ φρενοβλαβείη ἔχει.
For he suffers no pain, but love and madness possess him.
ἐπιθυμέει δὲ τῶν οὐδαμὰ τεύξεται, φιλέων γυναῖκα ἐμήν, τὴν ἐγὼ οὔτι μετήσομαι. ὁ μὲν ὦν τοιάδε σοφίῃ ἐψεύδετο.
And he desires things which he will never obtain, loving my wife, whom I will by no means relinquish." Thus indeed he lied by his cunning.
ὁ δὲ αὐτίκα ἐλίσσετο,
πρός τε σοφίης καὶ ἰητρικῆς, μή μοι παῖδα ὀλέσῃς·
But the father at once entreated him, "By both your wisdom and medicine, do not destroy my child!
οὐ γὰρ ἐθέλων ταύτῃ συμφορῇ ἔσχετο, ἀλλὰ οἱ ἡ νοῦσος ἀεκουσίη.
For he was not willingly seized by this disaster, but his disease is involuntary.
τῷ σὺ μηδαμὰ ζηλοτυπέων πένθος ἐγεῖραι πάσῃ βασιληίῃ μηδὲ ἰητρὸς ἐὼν φόνον προξενέειν ἰητρικῇ. ὁ μὲν ὧδε ἀγνὼς ἐὼν ἐδέετο.
Therefore, do not by any means out of jealousy raise grief for the whole kingdom, nor, being a physician, bring about murder by your medical art." Thus he entreated, being ignorant.
ὁ δέ μιν αὖτις ἀμείβετο,
ἀνόσια σπεύδεις γάμον ἐμὸν ἀπαιρεόμενος ἠδὲ ἰητρὸν ἄνδρα βιώμενος.
But the physician answered him again, "You urge unholy things, robbing my marriage and forcing a man who is a physician.
σὺ δὲ κῶς ἂν αὐτὸς ἔπρηξας, εἴ τοι σὴν γυναῖκα ἐπόθεεν, ἐμεῦ τάδε δεόμενος; ὁ δὲ πρὸς τάδε ἔλεγεν ὡς οὐδʼ αὐτὸς ἄν κοτε γυναικὸς ἐφείσατο οὐδὲ παιδὶ σωτηρίης ἐφθόνεεν, εἰ καί τι μητρυιῆς ἐπεθύμεεν· οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίην συμφορὴν ἔμμεναι γαμετὴν ἢ παῖδα ὀλέσαι.
But how would you yourself have acted, if he had longed for your wife, while you are asking these things of me?" And he said in reply to this that he himself would never have spared his wife, nor grudged safety to his child, even if he had desired his stepmother; for it is not an equal disaster to lose a wife or to destroy a child.
ὡς δὲ τάδε ὁ ἰητρὸς ἤκουσεν,
τί τοι,
ἔφη,
ἐμὲ λίσσεαι;
And when the physician heard this, he said, "Why then do you entreat me?
καὶ γάρ τοι σὴν γυναῖκα ποθέει· τὰ δὲ ἐγὼ ἔλεγον πάντα ἔην ψεύδεα. πείθεται μὲν τουτέοισι, καὶ τῷ μὲν παιδὶ λείπει καὶ γυναῖκα καὶ βασιληίην, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐς τὴν Βαβυλωνίην χώρην ἀπίκετο καὶ πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ Εὐφρήτῃ ἐπώνυμον ἑωυτοῦ ἐποιήσατο, ἔνθα οἱ καὶ ἡ τελευτὴ ἐγένετο.
For indeed he longs for your wife; and the things I said were all lies." He was persuaded by these words, and left both wife and kingdom to his child, and himself departed to the Babylonian territory and built a city on the Euphrates named after himself, where indeed his end also came.
ὧδε μὲν ὁ ἰητρὸς ἔρωτα ἔγνω τε καὶ ἰήσατο.
Thus the physician both recognized and cured the love.
§19ἥδε δὴ ὦν ἡ Στρατονίκη ἔτι τῷ προτέρῳ ἀνδρὶ συνοικέουσα ὄναρ τοιόνδε ἐθεήσατο, ὥς μιν ἡ Ἥρη ἐκέλευεν ἐγεῖραί οἱ τὸν ἐν τῇ ἱρῇ πόλει νηόν, εἰ δὲ ἀπειθέοι, πολλά οἱ καὶ κακὰ ἀπείλεεν.
Now this Stratonice, while still living with her former husband, saw such a dream: that Hera commanded her to build her the temple in the sacred city, and threatened her with many evils if she should disobey.
ἡ δὲ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα οὐδεμίαν ὤρην ἐποιέετο· μετὰ δὲδὲδὲ, ὥς μιν μεγάλη νοῦσος ἔλαβεν, τῷ τε ἀνδρὶ τὴν ὄψιν ἀπηγήσατο καὶ τὴν Ἥρην ἱλάσκετο καὶ στήσειν τὸν νηὸν ὑπεδέξατο.
At first she paid no attention; but afterwards, when a great sickness seized her, she related the vision to her husband, appeased Hera, and promised to erect the temple.
καὶ αὐτίκα ὑγιέα γενομένην ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐς τὴν ἱρὴν πόλιν ἔπεμπε, σὺν δὲδὲδὲ οἱ καὶ χρήματα καὶ στρατιὴν πολλήν, τοὺς μὲν οἰκοδομέειν, τοὺς δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀσφαλέος εἵνεκα.
And immediately upon her recovering, her husband sent her to the sacred city, and with her also much money and a great army, some to build, and some for the sake of safety.
καλέσας δὲδὲδὲ τινα τῶν ἑωυτοῦ φίλων, νεηνίην κάρτα καλόν, τῷ οὔνομα ἦν Κομβάβος,
ἐγώ τοι,
ἔφη,
ὦ Κομβάβε, ἐσθλὸν ἐόντα φιλέω τε μάλιστα φίλων ἐμῶν καὶ πάμπαν ἐπαινέω σοφίης τε καὶ εὐνοίης τῆς ἐς ἡμέας, ἣν δὴ ἐπεδέξαο.
And having called one of his friends, a very handsome young man whose name was Combabus, he said: "I love you, O Combabus, since you are noble, most of all my friends, and I completely praise you for your wisdom and goodwill toward us, which you have shown.
νῦν δὲδὲδὲ μοι χρειὼ μεγάλης πίστιος, τῷ σε θέλω γυναικὶ ἐμῇ ἑσπόμενον ἔργον τέ μοι ἐπιτελέσαι καὶ ἱρὰ τελέσαι καὶ στρατιῆς ἐπικρατέειν· σοὶ δὲ ἀπικομένῳ ἐξ ἡμέων τιμὴ μεγάλη ἔσσεται. Πρὸς τάδε ὁ Κομβάβος αὐτίκα λίσσετο πολλὰ λιπαρέων μή μιν ἐκπέμπειν μηδὲ πιστεύειν οἱ τὰ πολλὸν ἑωυτοῦ μέζονα χρήματα καὶ γυναῖκα καὶ ἔργον ἱρόν.
But now I have need of great trust, wherefore I wish you to accompany my wife, to complete the work for me, to perform the sacred rites, and to command the army; and to you upon your return there will be great honor from us." In reply to this, Combabus at once earnestly entreated him not to send him out, nor to trust to him the money, the wife, and the sacred work, which were much greater than himself.
τὰ δὲ ὀρρώδεεν μή κοτέ οἱ ζηλοτυπίη χρόνῳ ὑστέρῳ ἐς τὴν Στρατονίκην γένοιτο, τὴν μοῦνος ἀπάξειν ἔμελλεν.
And he was terrified lest some jealousy should arise in later time against him concerning Stratonice, whom he was to lead away alone.
§20ὡς δὲ οὐδαμὰ ἐπείθετο, ὁ δὲ ἱκεσίης δευτέρης ἅπτεται δοῦναί οἱ χρόνον ἑπτὰ ἡμερέων, μετὰ δὲ ἀποστεῖλαί μιν τελέσαντά τι τῶν μάλιστα ἐδέετο.
But when he was by no means persuaded, he clung to a second supplication, to grant him a time of seven days, and after that to dispatch him when he had completed something of which he had the greatest need.
τυχὼν δὲ ῥηιδίως, ἐς τὸν ἑωυτοῦ οἶκον ἀπικνέεται καὶ πεσὼν χαμᾶζε τοιάδε ὠδύρετο· ὢ δείλαιος, τί μοι ταύτης τῆς πίστιος;
And having easily obtained this, he arrived at his own house, and falling to the ground, lamented in this way: "O wretched me! Why is there this trust for me?
τί δέ μοι ὁδοῦ, τῆς τέλος ἤδη δέρκομαι;
And what is this journey to me, whose end I already see?
νέος μὲν ἐγὼ καὶ γυναικὶ καλῇ ἕψομαι.
I am young, and I will accompany a beautiful woman.
τὸ δέ μοι μεγάλη συμφορὴ ἔσσεται, εἰ μὴ ἔγωγε πᾶσαν αἰτίην κακοῦ ἀποθήσομαι· τῷ με χρῆν μέγα ἔργον ἀποτελέσαι, τό μοι πάντα φόβον ἰήσεται. Τάδε εἰπὼν ἀτελέα ἑωυτὸν ἐποίεεν, καὶ ταμὼν τὰ αἰδοῖα ἐς ἀγγήιον μικρὸν κατέθετο σμύρνῃ τε ἅμα καὶ μέλιτι καὶ ἄλλοισι θυώμασι· καὶ ἔπειτα σφρηγῖδι τὴν ἐφόρεε σημηνάμενος τὸ τρῶμα ἰῆτο.
This will be a great disaster for me, unless I remove all cause of evil; therefore I must accomplish a great deed, which will cure all my fear." Having said these things, he made himself incomplete, and having cut off his private parts, he deposited them in a small vessel together with myrrh, honey, and other perfumes; and then, having sealed it with the seal which he wore, he cured the wound.
μετὰ δέ, ὥς μιν ὁδοιπορέειν ἐδόκεεν, ἀπικόμενος ἐς τὸν βασιλέα πολλῶν παρεόντων διδοῖ τε ἅμα τὸ ἀγγήιον καὶ λέγει ὧδε· ὦ δέσποτα, τόδε μοι μέγα κειμήλιον ἐν τοῖσι οἰκείοισι ἀπεκέατο, τὸ ἐγὼ κάρτα ἐπόθεον· νῦν δὲ ἐπεὶ μεγάλην ὁδὸν ἔρχομαι, παρὰ σοὶ τόδε θήσομαι.
And afterwards, when it seemed time for him to travel, coming to the king in the presence of many, he gave him the vessel and spoke as follows: "O master, this great treasure of mine was laid up among my household goods, which I loved exceedingly; but now since I am going on a long journey, I will deposit this with you.
σὺ δέ μοι ἀσφαλέως ἔχειν· τόδε γάρ μοι χρυσοῦ βέλτερον, τόδε μοι ψυχῆς ἐμῆς ἀντάξιον.
Keep it safely for me; for this is better to me than gold, and this is worthy of my soul.
εὖτʼ ἂν δὲ ἀπίκωμαι, σόον αὖτις ἀποίσομαι. ὁ δὲ δεξάμενος ἑτέρῃ σφρηγῖδι ἐσημαίνετο καὶ τοῖσι ταμίῃσι φρουρέειν ἐνετείλατο.
And when I return, I shall take it back safe." And he, having received it, sealed it with another seal and commanded the stewards to guard it.