§14.6.4τί δὲ δεῖ τῶν ποιητῶν θαυμάζειν, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν τοιούτων οἷς ἡ πᾶσα περὶ τὴν φράσιν ἐστὶ σπουδή, τὰ τοῦ Δαμάστου συγκρίνοντας, ὅστις τῆς νήσου τὸ μῆκος ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρκτων πρὸς μεσημβρίαν ἀποδίδωσιν, ἀπὸ Ἱεροκηπίας, ὥς φησιν, εἰς Κλεῖδας;
And why must we wonder at the poets, and especially at those of such a kind whose whole zeal is about expression, when we compare the statements of Damastes, who gives the length of the island from north to south, from Hierokepia, as he says, to the Cleides?
οὐδὲ ὁ Ἐρατοσθένης εὖ· αἰτιώμενος γὰρ τοῦτον οὐκ ἀπʼ ἄρκτων φησὶν εἶναι τὴν Ἱεροκηπίαν, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ νότου· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπὸ νότου, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ δύσεως, εἴπερ ἐν τῇ δυσμικῇ πλευρᾷ κεῖται, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἡ Πάφος καὶ ὁ Ἀκάμας.
Nor is Eratosthenes correct; for in censuring Damastes he says that Hierokepia is not on the north but on the south; for it is not even on the south, but on the west, if indeed it lies on the western side, on which are both Paphos and Acamas.
§14.6.5διάκειται μὲν οὕτως ἡ Κύπρος τῇ θέσει.
Such is Cyprus in terms of its position.
κατʼ ἀρετὴν δʼ οὐδεμιᾶς τῶν νήσων λείπεται· καὶ γὰρ εὔοινός ἐστι καὶ εὐέλαιος σίτῳ τε αὐτάρκει χρῆται· μέταλλά τε χαλκοῦ ἐστιν ἄφθονα τὰ ἐν Ταμασσῷ, ἐν οἷς τὸ χαλκανθὲς γίνεται καὶ ὁ ἰὸς τοῦ χαλκοῦ, πρὸς τὰς ἰατρικὰς δυνάμεις χρήσιμα.
But in virtue it is second to none of the islands; for it is rich in wine and rich in olive oil, and it uses self-sufficient grain; and there are abundant copper mines at Tamassos, in which copper sulphate and the rust of copper are produced, useful for medical properties.
φησὶ δʼ Ἐρατοσθένης τὸ παλαιὸν ὑλομανούντων τῶν πεδίων ὥστε κατέχεσθαι δρυμοῖς καὶ μὴ γεωργεῖσθαι, μικρὰ μὲν ἐπωφελεῖν πρὸς τοῦτο τὰ μέταλλα δενδροτομούντων πρὸς τὴν καῦσιν τοῦ χαλκοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀργύρου, προσγενέσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν ναυπηγίαν τῶν στόλων ἤδη πλεομένης ἀδεῶς τῆς θαλάττης καὶ μετὰ δυνάμεων· ὡς δʼ οὐκ ἐξενίκων, ἐπιτρέψαι τοῖς βουλομένοις καὶ δυναμένοις ἐκκόπτειν καὶ ἔχειν ἰδιόκτητον καὶ ἀτελῆ τὴν διακαθαρθεῖσαν γῆν.
Eratosthenes says that in ancient times the plains were overgrown with forests so as to be covered with thickets and not cultivated, and that the mines helped a little towards this by cutting down trees for the burning of the copper and silver, and that shipbuilding for fleets was also added, since the sea was now sailed without fear and with forces; and when they could not overcome the forest, they permitted those who wished and were able to cut it down to keep the cleared land as private property and free of taxes.
§14.6.6πρότερον μὲν οὖν κατὰ πόλεις ἐτυραννοῦντο οἱ Κύπριοι, ἀφʼ οὗ δʼ οἱ Πτολεμαϊκοὶ βασιλεῖς κύριοι τῆς Αἰγύπτου κατέστησαν, εἰς ἐκείνους καὶ ἡ Κύπρος περιέστη συμπραττόντων πολλάκις καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων.
Formerly, therefore, the Cyprians were ruled by tyrants city by city, but from the time the Ptolemaic kings became masters of Egypt, Cyprus also passed to them, with the Romans often cooperating.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ὁ τελευταῖος ἄρξας Πτολεμαῖος, ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Κλεοπάτρας πατρὸς τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς βασιλίσσης, ἔδοξε πλημμελής τε εἶναι καὶ ἀχάριστος εἰς τοὺς εὐεργέτας, ἐκεῖνος μὲν κατελύθη, Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ κατέσχον τὴν νῆσον, καὶ γέγονε στρατηγικὴ ἐπαρχία καθʼ αὑτήν.
But when the last Ptolemy who ruled, the brother of the father of Cleopatra, our queen, was deemed to be offensive and ungrateful to his benefactors, he was deposed, and the Romans took possession of the island, and it became a praetorian province by itself.
μάλιστα δʼ αἴτιος τοῦ ὀλέθρου κατέστη τῷ βασιλεῖ Πόπλιος Κλαύδιος Ποῦλχερ· ἐμπεσὼν γὰρ εἰς τὰ λῃστήρια, τῶν Κιλίκων ἀκμαζόντων τότε, λύτρον αἰτούμενος ἐπέστειλε τῷ βασιλεῖ δεόμενος πέμψαι καὶ ῥύσασθαι αὐτόν·
The chief cause of ruin to the king was Publius Claudius Pulcher; for having fallen into the hands of pirates, when the Cilicians were at their height, he sent a letter to the king, demanding a ransom and begging him to send it and rescue him.
ὁ δʼ ἔπεμψε μὲν μικρὸν δὲ τελέως ὥστε καὶ τοὺς λῃστὰς αἰδεσθῆναι λαβεῖν ἀλλὰ ἀναπέμψαι πάλιν, τὸν δʼ ἄνευ λύτρων ἀπολῦσαι.
The king sent indeed, but so utterly small an amount that even the pirates were ashamed to take it but sent it back again, and released him without ransom.
σωθεὶς δʼ ἐκεῖνος ἀπεμνημόνευσεν ἀμφοτέροις τὴν χάριν, καὶ γενόμενος δήμαρχος ἴσχυσε τοσοῦτον ὥστε ἐπέμφθη Μάρκος Κάτων ἀφαιρησόμενος τὴν Κύπρον τὸν κατέχοντα.
Having been saved, he remembered his obligation to both parties, and when he became tribune he attained such power that Marcus Cato was sent to deprive the possessor of Cyprus.
ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν ἔφθη διαχειρισάμενος αὑτόν, Κάτων δʼ ἐπελθὼν παρέλαβε τὴν Κύπρον καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν οὐσίαν διέθετο καὶ τὰ χρήματα εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ταμιεῖον τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐκόμισεν· ἐξ ἐκείνου δʼ ἐγένετο ἐπαρχία ἡ νῆσος καθάπερ καὶ νῦν ἐστι στρατηγική· ὀλίγον δὲ χρόνον τὸν μεταξὺ Ἀντώνιος Κλεοπάτρᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀδελφῇ αὐτῆς Ἀρσινόῃ παρέδωκε, καταλυθέντος δὲ ἐκείνου συγκατελύθησαν καὶ αἱ διατάξεις αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι.
He, therefore, anticipated him by putting an end to himself, and Cato on his arrival took over Cyprus and disposed of the royal property and brought the money into the public treasury of the Romans; and from that time the island became a province, just as it is now, praetorian; but for a short intervening time Antony handed it over to Cleopatra and her sister Arsinoe, but when he was overthrown all his ordinances were also abolished together with him.