§15.1.44τῶν δὲ μυρμήκων τῶν χρυσωρύχων δέρματα ἰδεῖν φησιν οὗτος παρδαλέαις ὅμοια.
This writer [Nearchus] says that he saw the skins of the gold-digging ants, which were like the skins of leopards.
Μεγασθένης δὲ περὶ τῶν μυρμήκων οὕτω φησὶν ὅτι ἐν Δέρδαις, ἔθνει μεγάλῳ τῶν προσεῴων καὶ ὀρεινῶν Ἰνδῶν, ὀροπέδιον εἴη τρισχιλίων πως τὸν κύκλον σταδίων· ὑποκειμένων δὲ τούτῳ χρυσωρυχείων οἱ μεταλλεύοντες εἶεν μύρμηκες, θηρία ἀλωπέκων οὐκ ἐλάττω, τάχος ὑπερφυὲς ἔχοντα καὶ ζῶντα ἀπὸ θήρας·
Megasthenes, however, speaks of the ants as follows: that among the Derdae, a great tribe of the eastern and mountainous Indians, there is a plateau about three thousand stadia in circumference; and that underneath this are gold mines, and that the miners are ants, beasts no smaller than foxes, which possess extraordinary speed and live by hunting.
ὀρύττει δὲ χειμῶνι τὴν γῆν, σωρεύει τε πρὸς τοῖς στομίοις, καθάπερ οἱ ἀσφάλακες· ψῆγμα δʼ ἐστὶ χρυσοῦ μικρᾶς ἑψήσεως δεόμενον·
They dig the earth in winter and heap it up at the mouths of their burrows, like moles; and this is gold dust, requiring but little smelting.
τοῦθʼ ὑποζυγίοις μετίασιν οἱ πλησιόχωροι λάθρᾳ· φανερῶς γὰρ διαμάχονται καὶ διώκουσι φεύγοντας, καταλαβόντες δὲ διαχρῶνται καὶ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια.
The inhabitants of the neighborhood go after this secretly with beasts of burden; for the ants fight openly and pursue those who flee, and if they catch them, they destroy both them and their beasts.
πρὸς δὲ τὸ λαθεῖν κρέα θήρεια προτιθέασι κατὰ μέρη· περισπασθέντων δʼ ἀναιροῦνται τὸ ψῆγμα καὶ τοῦ τυχόντος τοῖς ἐμπόροις ἀργὸν διατίθενται, χωνεύειν οὐκ εἰδότες.
In order to escape detection, the people put out pieces of wild beast's meat in various places; and while the ants are distracted, they carry away the gold dust, and since they do not know how to smelt it, they dispose of it in its raw state to merchants for whatever price they can get.
§15.1.45Ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν θηρευτῶν λόγῳ καὶ περὶ τῶν θηρίων ἐμνήσθημεν ὧν τε Μεγασθένης εἶπε καὶ ἄλλοι, προσθετέον καὶ ταῦτα.
Since in our account of the hunters we have also mentioned the wild beasts of which Megasthenes and others spoke, we must add these details as well.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ Νέαρχος τὸ τῶν ἑρπετῶν θαυμάζει πλῆθος καὶ τὴν κακίαν· ἀναφεύγειν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν πεδίων εἰς τὰς κατοικίας τὰς διαλανθανούσας ἐν ταῖς ἐπικλύσεσι καὶ πληροῦν τοὺς οἴκους· διὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὑψηλὰς ποιεῖσθαι τὰς κλίνας, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε καὶ ἐξοικίζεσθαι πλεονασάντων· εἰ δὲ μὴ τὸ πολὺ τοῦ πλήθους ὑπὸ τῶν ὑδάτων διεφθείρετο, κἂν ἐρημωθῆναι τὴν χώραν.
For Nearchus marvels at the multitude of reptiles and their venomous nature; for he says that they flee from the plains to the settlements that escape the floods, and fill the houses; for this very reason the people make their beds high, and sometimes even abandon their homes when the reptiles become too numerous; and if the greater part of their multitude were not destroyed by the waters, the country would have been depopulated.
καὶ τὴν μικρότητα δʼ αὐτῶν εἶναι χαλεπὴν καὶ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ μεγέθους, τὴν μὲν διὰ τὸ δυσφύλακτον τὴν δὲ διʼ ἰσχύν, ὅπου καὶ ἑκκαιδεκαπήχεις ἐχίδνας ὁρᾶσθαι·
He says that both their extreme smallness and their excessive size are troublesome, the former because they are hard to guard against, and the latter because of their strength, so that even vipers sixteen cubits long are seen.
ἐπῳδοὺς δὲ περιφοιτᾶν ἰᾶσθαι πεπιστευμένους, καὶ εἶναι σχεδόν τι μόνην ταύτην ἰατρικήν· μηδὲ γὰρ νόσους εἶναι πολλὰς διὰ τὴν λιτότητα τῆς διαίτης καὶ τὴν ἀοινίαν· εἰ δὲ γένοιντο, ἰᾶσθαι τοὺς σοφιστάς.
And he says that charmers go about, who are believed to heal the bites, and that this is almost the only medicine they have; for there are not many diseases among them, owing to the simplicity of their diet and their abstinence from wine; but if they should fall ill, the sophists cure them.
Ἀριστόβουλος δὲ τῶν θρυλουμένων μεγεθῶν οὐδὲν ἰδεῖν φησιν, ἔχιδναν δὲ μόνον ἐννέα πηχῶν καὶ σπιθαμῆς.
Aristobulus, however, says that he saw none of the monster sizes that are talked about, but only a viper nine cubits and a span in length.
καὶ ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κομισθεῖσαν ἐκεῖθεν τηλικαύτην πως εἴδομεν.
And we ourselves in Egypt saw one of about that size which had been brought from there.
ἔχεις δὲ πολλούς φησι πολὺ ἐλάττους καὶ ἀσπίδας, σκορπίους δὲ μεγάλους.
He also says that there are many much smaller vipers and asps, and large scorpions.
οὐδὲν δὲ τούτων οὕτως ὀχλεῖν ὡς τὰ λεπτὰ ὀφείδια οὐ μείζω σπιθαμιαίων· εὑρίσκεσθαι γὰρ ἐν σκηναῖς, ἐν σκεύεσιν, ἐν θριγγοῖς ἐγκεκρυμμένα·
But none of these, he says, cause so much trouble as the small slender snakes, no longer than a span; for they are found hidden in tents, in utensils, and in walls.
τοὺς δὲ πληγέντας αἱμορροεῖν ἐκ παντὸς πόρου μετὰ ἐπωδυνίας, ἔπειτα ἀποθνήσκειν, εἰ μὴ βοηθήσει τις εὐθύς· τὴν δὲ βοήθειαν ῥᾳδίαν εἶναι διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν Ἰνδικῶν ῥιζῶν καὶ φαρμάκων.
Those who are bitten bleed from every pore with great pain, and then die unless someone gives help at once; but help is easy owing to the efficacy of Indian roots and medicines.
κροκοδείλους τε οὔτε πολλοὺς οὔτε βλαπτικοὺς ἀνθρώπων ἐν τῷ Ἰνδῷ φησιν εὑρίσκεσθαι, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα δὲ ζῷα τὰ πλεῖστα τὰ αὐτὰ ἅπερ ἐν τῷ Νείλῳ γεννᾶσθαι πλὴν ἵππου ποταμίου· Ὀνησίκριτος δὲ καὶ τοῦτόν φησι γεννᾶσθαι.
He says that crocodiles are neither numerous nor harmful to men in the Indus, and that most of the other animals produced there are the same as those in the Nile, except the hippopotamus; though Onesicritus says that this also is produced there.
τῶν δʼ ἐκ θαλάττης φησὶν ὁ Ἀριστόβουλος εἰς μὲν τὸν Νεῖλον ἀνατρέχειν μηδὲν ἔξω θρίσσης καὶ κεστρέως καὶ δελφῖνος διὰ τοὺς κροκοδείλους, ἐν δὲ τῷ Ἰνδῷ πλῆθος· τῶν δὲ καρίδων τὰς μὲν μικρὰς μέχρι * ὄρους ἀναθεῖν, τὰς δὲ μεγάλας μέχρι τῶν συμβολῶν τοῦ τε Ἰνδοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἀκεσίνου.
Of the sea-creatures, Aristobulus says that because of the crocodiles none run up into the Nile except the thrissa, the cestreus, and the dolphin, but that they run up into the Indus in great numbers; and of the shrimps, the small ones run up as far as the * mountain, but the large ones as far as the confluence of the Indus and the Acesines.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν θηρίων τοσαῦτα λέγεται· ἐπανιόντες δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν Μεγασθένη λέγωμεν τὰ ἑξῆς ὧν ἀπελίπομεν.
So much, then, is said concerning the wild beasts; let us now return to Megasthenes and tell what follows of the things we left out.
§15.1.46μετὰ γὰρ τοὺς θηρευτὰς καὶ τοὺς ποιμένας τέταρτόν φησιν εἶναι μέρος τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὰς τέχνας καὶ τοὺς καπηλικοὺς καὶ οἷς ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἡ ἐργασία·
For after the hunters and the shepherds, he says that the fourth class consists of those who work at crafts, those who are retail dealers, and those whose labor is from their bodies.
ὧν οἱ μὲν φόρον τελοῦσι καὶ λειτουργίας παρέχονται τακτάς, τοῖς δʼ ὁπλοποιοῖς καὶ ναυπηγοῖς μισθοὶ καὶ τροφαὶ παρὰ βασιλέως ἔκκεινται· μόνῳ γὰρ ἐργάζονται·
Of these, some pay tax and perform fixed public services, while to the armor-makers and shipbuilders, wages and food are provided by the king; for they work for him alone.
παρέχει δὲ τὰ μὲν ὅπλα τοῖς στρατιώταις ὁ στρατοφύλαξ, τὰς δὲ ναῦς μισθοῦ τοῖς πλέουσιν ὁ ναύαρχος καὶ τοῖς ἐμπόροις.
The commander of the army provides the weapons for the soldiers, and the admiral lets out the ships for hire to those who sail and to the merchants.
§15.1.47πέμπτον ἐστὶ τὸ τῶν πολεμιστῶν, οἷς τὸν ἄλλον χρόνον ἐν σχολῇ καὶ πότοις ὁ βίος ἐστὶν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ διαιτωμένοις, ὥστε τὰς ἐξόδους ὅταν ᾖ χρεία ταχέως ποιεῖσθαι, πλὴν τῶν σωμάτων μηδὲν ἄλλο κομίζοντας παρʼ ἑαυτῶν.
The fifth class is that of the warriors, whose life at other times is spent in leisure and drinking-parties, being maintained at the royal expense, so that when there is need they make their expeditions quickly, bringing nothing else of their own except their bodies.