§1.48.1ὁ μὲν οὖν πιστότατος τῶν λόγων, ᾧ κέχρηται τῶν παλαιῶν συγγραφέων Ἑλλάνικος ἐν τοῖς Τρωικοῖς, περὶ τῆς Αἰνείου φυγῆς τοιός2δε ἐστίν.
Now the most trustworthy of the accounts, which Hellanicus, one of the ancient historians, has used in the Trojan History, concerning the flight of Aeneas is as follows.
εἴρηνται δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν οὐ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ἔχοντες λόγοι, οὓς ἧττον ἔγωγε τούτου πιθανοὺς εἶναι νομίζω.
But accounts have been told also by certain others concerning the same things, which do not hold to the same effect, and which I consider to be less credible than this one.
κρινέτω δὲ ὡς ἕκαστος τῶν ἀκουόντων βούλεται.
Let each of the hearers, however, judge as he wishes.
§1.48.2Σοφοκλῆς μὲν ὁ τραγῳδοποιὸς ἐν Λαοκόωντι δράματι μελλούσης ἁλίσκεσθαι τῆς πόλεως πεποίηκε τὸν Αἰνείαν ἀνασκευαζόμενον εἰς τὴν Ἴδην, κελευσθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς Ἀγχίσου κατὰ τὴν μνήμην ὧν Ἀφροδίτη ἐπέσκηψε καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν νεωστὶ γενομένων περὶ τοὺς Λαοκοωντίδας σημείων τὸν μέλλοντα ὄλεθρον τῆς πόλεως συντεκμηραμένου.
Sophocles, the tragic poet, in his play Laocoon, has represented Aeneas, when the city was about to be taken, packing up his household goods for Mount Ida, having been ordered to do so by his father Anchises, who, from the memory of what Aphrodite had enjoined and from the signs recently occurred concerning Laocoon and his sons, had inferred the coming destruction of the city.
ἔχει δʼ ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ ἰαμβεῖα ἐν ἀγγέλου προσώπῳ λεγόμενα ὧδε· "νῦν δʼ ἐν πύλαισιν Αἰνέας ὁ τῆς θεοῦ πάρεστʼ ἐπʼ ὤμων πατέρʼ ἔχων κεραυνίου νώτου καταστάζοντα βύσσινον φάρος.
And the iambic verses spoken in it by the character of a messenger run as follows: 'But now at the gates is Aeneas, the goddess's son, having on his shoulders his father, from whose lightning-struck back drapes a linen cloak.
κύκλῳ δὲ πᾶσαν οἰκετῶν παμπληθίαν· συμπλάζεται δὲ πλῆθος οὐχ ὅσον δοκεῖς, οἳ τῆς2δʼ ἐρῶσι τῆς ἀποικίας Φρυγῶν. " §1.48.3Μενεκράτης δὲ ὁ Ξάνθιος προδοῦναι τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς αὐτὸν ἀποφαίνει τὴν πόλιν τῆς πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον ἔχθρας ἕνεκα, καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ταύτην Ἀχαιοὺς αὐτῷ συγχωρῆσαι διασώσασθαι τὸν οἶκον.
And all around is the entire multitude of his household; and there joins in flight a crowd, not as small as you think, who desire this emigration of Phrygians.' But Menecrates of Xanthus declares that he betrayed the city to the Achaeans on account of his enmity towards Alexander, and that because of this service the Achaeans permitted him to save his household.
σύγκειται δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος ἀρξαμένῳ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀχιλλέως ταφῆς τὸν τρόπον τόνδε· ʽἈχαιοὺς δʼ ἀνίη εἶχε καὶ ἐδόκεον τῆς στρατιῆς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπηράχθαι.
And his account is composed, beginning from the burial of Achilles, in this manner: 'But distress held the Achaeans, and they thought that the head of their army had been struck off.
ὅμως δὲ τάφον αὐτῷ δαίσαντες ἐπολέμεον βίῃ πάσῃ, ἄχρις Ἴλιος ἑάλω Αἰνείεω ἐνδόντος.
Nevertheless, having celebrated his funeral feast, they fought with all their might, until Ilios was taken, Aeneas having surrendered.
Αἰνείης γὰρ ἄτιτος ἐὼν ὑπὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ ἀπὸ γερέων ἐξειργόμενος ἀνέτρεψε Πρίαμον· ἐργασάμενος δὲ ταῦτα εἷς Ἀχαιῶν ἐγεγόνεἰ. §1.48.4ἄλλοι δέ τινες ἐπὶ τοῦ ναυστάθμου τοῦ Τρωικοῦ τυχεῖν αὐτὸν τηνικαῦτα διατρίβοντα λέγουσιν, οἱ δʼ εἰς Φρυγίαν ἀπεσταλμένον ὑπὸ Πριάμου μετὰ δυνάμεως ἐπί τινα χρείαν στρατιωτικήν· εἰσὶ δʼ οἳ μυθωδεστέραν αὐτοῦ ποιοῦσι τὴν ἔξοδον.
For Aeneas, being unhonored by Alexander and excluded from privileges, overthrew Priam; and having done these things, he became one of the Achaeans.' And certain others say that he happened at that time to be spending time at the Trojan naval station, and others that he had been sent into Phrygia by Priam with a force for some military service; and there are those who make his departure more mythical.
ἐχέτω δʼ ὅπῃ τις αὑτὸν πείθει.
But let it be as anyone convinces himself.