§333εὑρεῖν ἐκ δεξιᾶς τοῦ νεὼ μνῆμα κοινὸν ἐμοῦ τε καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Φιλίππου, διαφράγματι μέσῳ διειργόμενον· καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ κεῖσθαι, ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ δὲ αὐτὸς κείσεσθαι.
I seemed to find on the right of the temple a common tomb of myself and Alexander, son of Philip, separated by a partition in the middle; and that he lay in one part, and I myself should lie in the other.
ἐπιστὰς δὲ καὶ προκύψας ἀπολαύειν εὐωδίας θαυμαστῆς θυωμάτων, καὶ τούτων τὰ μὲν τῆς ἐκείνου θήκης εἶναι, τὰ δὲ ἐμοὶ προσαποκεῖσθαι.
And standing over it and leaning forward, I seemed to enjoy a wonderful fragrance of incense, and some of this belonged to his tomb, while some was laid up for me.
χαίρειν τε οὖν καὶ συμβάλλεσθαι ὡς ἄρα ἀμφότεροι τὸ ἄκρον λάχοιμεν, ὁ μὲν τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις δυνάμεως, ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις.
And so I rejoiced and conjectured that we both had obtained the highest limit, he of power in arms, and I of that in words.
καὶ προσέτι γε κἀκεῖνο εἰσελθεῖν με, ὅτι οὗτός τε ἐν Πέλλῃ γένοιτο, πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον, ἐπʼ ἐμοί τε οἱ τῇδε φιλοτιμήσοιντο.
And furthermore, this also occurred to me, that while he was born in Pella, so great a thing, those here would vie to honor me.
τοιαῦτα καὶ ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἰδεῖν ἔδοξα καὶ πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν εἰπεῖν τε καὶ συλλογίσασθαι, τὰ μὲν ὡς παρὰ τῷ Διὶ, τὰ δʼ ὡς ἐν Ἀσκληπιοῦ πρὸ τῆς οἰκίας.
Such things I seemed to hear and see, and to say to myself and reason, some as if with Zeus, and others as if in the precinct of Asclepius in front of the house.
τὰ δʼ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη, εἰ μὲν θέμις, εἰρήσθω καὶ γεγράφθω, εἰ δὲ μὴ, τοσοῦτον σοὶ μελήσειε, δέσποτα Ἀσκληπιὲ, ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγαγεῖν μοι διαγράψαι παντὸς δυσκόλου χωρίς.
From this point on, if it is lawful, let it be spoken and written, but if not, let it be your care, Lord Asclepius, to bring to my mind to erase it, free from all trouble.
πρῶτον μὲν ὤφθη τὸ ἕδος τρεῖς κεφαλὰς ἔχον καὶ πυρὶ λαμπόμενον κύκλῳ, πλὴν τῶν κεφαλῶν· ἔπειθʼ οἱ θεραπευταὶ προσειστήκειμεν, ὥσπερ ὅταν ὁ παιὰν ᾁδηται· σχεδὸν δὲ ἐν πρώτοις ἐγώ.
First, the statue was seen having three heads and shining with fire all around, except for the heads; then we, the attendants, stood by, as when the paean is sung, and I was almost among the first.
κἀν τούτῳ νεύει ἔξοδον ὁ θεὸς, ἔχων ἤδη τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σχῆμα ἐν ᾧπερ ἕστηκεν.
And during this, the god nodded our exit, having now his own shape in which he stands.
οἵ τε δὴ οὖν ἄλλοι πάντες ἐξῄεσαν κἀγὼ μετεστρεφόμην ὡς ἐξιὼν, καὶ ὁ θεός μοι τῇ χειρὶ προδείκνυσι μένειν.
So indeed all the others went out, and I turned around as if to go out, and the god indicated to me with his hand to remain.
κἀγὼ περιχαρὴς τῇ τιμῇ γενόμενος καὶ ὅσον τῶν ἄλλων προὐκρίθην ἐξεβόησα, εἷς, λέγων δὴ τὸν θεόν.
And I, becoming overjoyed at the honor and because I was preferred to the others, cried out, "One!" meaning indeed the god.
καὶ ὃς ἔφη, σὺ εἶ. τοῦτο τὸ ῥῆμα ἐμοὶ, δέσποτʼ Ἀσκληπιὲ, παντὸς ἀνθρωπίνου βίου κρεῖττον, τούτου πᾶσα ἐλάττων νόσος, τούτου πᾶσα ἐλάττων χάρις, τοῦτʼ ἐμὲ καὶ δύνασθαι καὶ βούλεσθαι ζῆν ἐποίησε.
And he said, "It is you." This word to me, Lord Asclepius, is better than all human life, than this every disease is less, than this every favor is less, this made me both able and willing to live.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἡμῖν εἰρηκόσι μηδὲν ἔλαττον εἴη τῆς πρόσθεν τιμῆς παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ.
And may these things we have spoken be in no way less than the previous honor from the god.
λόγον δέ ποτε ἤκουσα τοιόνδε φέροντα εἰς λόγους καὶ ὁμιλίαν θείαν.
Once I heard a discourse of this kind, leading to divine words and association.
ἔφη χρῆναι κινηθῆναι τὸν νοῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ καθεστηκότος, κινηθέντα δὲ συγγενέσθαι θεῷ, συγγενόμενον δὲ ὑπερέχειν ἤδη τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἕξεως· καὶ οὐδέτερόν γε εἶναι θαυμαστὸν, οὔτε ὑπερέχειν θεῷ συγγενόμενον οὔθʼ ὑπερσχόντα συνεῖναι θεῷ.
It said that the intellect must be moved from its established state, and having been moved, associate with god, and having associated, already transcend the human condition; and that neither is wonderful, neither that one who has associated with god should transcend, nor that having transcended, one should be with god.
καὶ μὴν τοὔνομά §334γε ὁ Θεόδωρος οὕτως ἐπωνομάσθη μοι.
And indeed the name Theodoros was thus given to me.
προσρηθῆναι μὲν ἔδοξα ὡς ἐν Σμύρνῃ ὑπό τινος καὶ μάλα συγχαίροντος, Θεόδωρε χαῖρε· καὶ Ἀσιάρχης, οἶμαι, προσῆν· δέξασθαι δὲ οὕτω τὴν πρόσρησιν, ὡς ἄρα πᾶν τοὐμὸν εἴη τοῦ θεοῦ δωρεά.
I seemed to be addressed as if in Smyrna by someone who was very congratulatory, "Hail, Theodoros!" and he was, I think, an Asiarch; and to receive the address in such a way, as if my whole self were indeed a gift of god.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἕτερον τοιόνδε ἐπιγίγνεται.
After this, another thing of this kind occurred.
ἦν Ἐπάγαθος τῶν τροφέων τῶν ἐμῶν, ὃς πρῶτος ἔθρεψέ με, καὶ μάλα ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ σαφέστατα ὁμιλῶν θεοῖς καὶ χρησμοὺς ἀπομνημονεύων ὅλους ἐξ ἐνυπνίων· οἱ δʼ ἀπέβαινον σχεδὸν ὡς εἰπεῖν αὐθημερόν.
Epagathus was one of my foster-fathers, who first raised me, and a very good man, and one who associated most clearly with the gods and memorized whole oracles from dreams; and they turned out almost, so to say, on the same day.
ἐγένετο μὲν τοιοῦτός τις ὁ Ἐπάγαθος, τὸ δὲ ὄναρ οὕτως εἶχεν· ἐδόκει μοι οὗτος ἤτοι ἐμοῦ πυθομένου ἢ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κινηθεὶς εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἐμὲ ὅτι αὐτῷ γένοιτο ἐνύπνιον τοιόνδε, περὶ δὲ Θεοδώρου μελήσει τῇ μητρὶ τῶν θεῶν.
Epagathus was such a person, and the dream was as follows: he seemed to me, either because I asked or moved of his own accord, to say to me that a dream of this kind came to him, and that concerning Theodoros, the Mother of the Gods would care.
κἀγὼ γνωρίσας, ἔοικε φάναι, καὶ τῇ μητρὶ τῶν θεῶν κατὰ ταὐτὰ δοκεῖν περὶ ἐμοῦ καθάπερ τῷ Ἀσκληπιῷ· ὁ γὰρ Θεόδωρος ἐκεῖθέν μοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγένετο. ἐπέδειξε δέ μοι καὶ περὶ τῆς φύσεως τῆς αὑτοῦ τὰ μὲν ὄψει, τὰ δὲ καὶ λόγῳ.
And I, recognizing it, seemed to say, "It seems that to the Mother of the Gods also, in the same way, it seems concerning me as to Asclepius; for Theodoros began for me from there." And he showed me also concerning his own nature, partly by sight, and partly also by word.
ἔσχε δὲ οὑτωσί. ἀνεῖχε μὲν ἑωσφόρος, ἡνίκʼ ἦν τὸ ἐνύπνιον.
And it was as follows: the morning star was rising when the dream occurred.
ἐδόκουν δὲ βαδίζειν ὁδόν τινα διʼ ἐμαυτοῦ χωρίου προσορῶν τῷ ἀστέρι ἄρτι ἥκοντι, καὶ γὰρ εἶναι πορείαν πρὸς ἀνατολάς.
I seemed to be walking a certain road through my own land, looking at the star which had just arrived, for indeed the journey was toward the east.
παρεῖναι δὲ Πυραλλιανὸν τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, ἄνδρα ἡμῖν τε ἑταῖρον καὶ περὶ τοὺς Πλάτωνος λόγους εὖ γεγυμνασμένον, οἷα δʼ ἐν ὁδῷ καὶ ἡσυχίας οὔσης προσπαίζων αὐτὸν καὶ ἅμα ἐρεσχελῶν εἰπεῖν, ἔχεις μοι πρὸς θεῶν εἰπεῖν—πάντως δʼ ἐσμὲν μόνοι—τί ταῦτα ὑμεῖς οἱ περὶ τὸν Πλάτωνα ἀλαζονεύεσθε καὶ ἐκπλήττετε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. ἔφερε δέ μοι τοῦτο εἰς τοὺς περὶ φύσεως αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ὄντων λόγους.
And Pyrallianus from the temple was present, a man who was our companion and well-trained in the discourses of Plato, and as on the road and in quietness, playing with him and at the same time teasing him, I seemed to say, "Can you tell me, by the gods—since we are completely alone—why do you followers of Plato boast so and astound men?" And this led me to the discourses concerning his nature and of beings.
καὶ ὃς ἀκολουθεῖν με ἐκέλευε προσέχοντα τὸν νοῦν.
And he bid me to follow, paying attention.
ἐκ τούτου δὲ ὁ μὲν ἡγεῖτο, ἐγὼ δʼ εἱπόμην.
Thereupon, he led, and I followed.
καὶ προσελθὼν μικρὸν ἀνασχὼν τὴν χεῖρα δείκνυσί μοι τόπον τινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ἅμα δεικνὺς ἔφη, οὗτος δή σοί ἐστιν ὃν καλεῖ Πλάτων τοῦ παντὸς ψυχήν. ἀναβλέπω τε δὴ καὶ ὁρῶ Ἀσκληπιὸν τὸν ἐν Περγάμῳ ἐνιδρυμένον ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἅμα τε ἀφυπνιζόμην ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ τὴν ὥραν αἰσθάνομαι ταύτην ἐκείνην οὖσαν ἐν ᾗ ἐδόκουν ταῦτα ὁρᾶν.
And having gone forward a little, raising his hand, he showed me a certain place of heaven; and showing it at the same time, he said, "This indeed is what Plato calls the soul of the universe." And I looked up and saw Asclepius, the one established in Pergamum, in heaven, and at the same time I awoke upon these things and perceived that this hour was that very one in which I seemed to see these things.
ἔτι τοίνυν ἑτέρων τοιῶνδε μέμνημαι.
Furthermore, I remember other such things.
τοῦτο μὲν αὐτὸν
On the one hand, him...