§351καὶ ἅμα ἕῳ νέφη τε ἦν καὶ ὑετὸς οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον.
And at dawn there were clouds, and rain not much later.
ὥσθʼ οἱ μὲν συνέχαιρον ὡς οὐ προεξῆλθον, οἱ δʼ ἐθαύμαζον τῆς προρρήσεως τὴν ἀκρίβειαν.
Consequently, some rejoiced with me that I had not departed beforehand, while others marveled at the accuracy of the prediction.
μένοντι δέ μοι αὐτόθι ἡμέρας τινὰς ἀγγέλλεται ἡ τῆς τροφοῦ θυγάτηρ ἀσθενοῦσα καὶ ἔχουσα σφαλερῶς.
While I was staying there for some days, it was reported to me that my nurse's daughter was sick and in a dangerous state.
κἀκείνῃ μὲν ἰατρὸν ἔπεμπον, αὐτὸς δὲ, ἐπειδὴ τάχιστα παρέσχεν, εἰχόμην τῆς ὁδοῦ.
To her indeed I sent a doctor, but as for myself, as soon as opportunity allowed, I kept to my journey.
καί μου προϊόντος ἤδη ὑπεκινεῖτο ὁ ἀὴρ, ὡς πρὸς ὕδωρ τε καὶ χειμῶνα.
And as I was already proceeding, the air began to stir, as if towards rain and storm.
καὶ δέος ἦν μὴ καταληφθῶμεν, ἄλλως τε καὶ δυσπόρων ὄντων.
And there was fear lest we should be overtaken, especially since the roads were difficult to pass.
ὅμως δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀντέσχεν ὅσον δύο σταδίους ἐλλείπεσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος.
Nevertheless, it held out so far that only two stades were lacking to the temple of Apollo.
τηνικαῦτα δὲ ὁμίχλη τε κατέβη βαθεῖα καὶ ψακάς τις διέθει· καὶ παρελθόντων εἴσω λαμπρῶς ἤδη τὸ ὕδωρ παρῆν, ὥστε ἑορτὴν ἤγομεν.
At that moment a deep mist descended and a drizzle ran through; and when we had gone inside, the rain was already present in full force, so that we kept a festival.
ἐπισχόντων δέ με κἀνταῦθα ὀνειράτων ἐπέμεινα.
Since dreams detained me here too, I remained.
πρὸς δὲ τοῖς ἐπισχοῦσι καὶ τοιόνδε ἐγεγόνει.
In addition to those that detained me, something of this sort also occurred.
ἐδόκουν ἱερεῖόν τι τεθυκὼς ἐπισκοπεῖσθαι τόν τε δὴ θεὸν, οἶμαι, καλούμενον καὶ λυτῆρα, καί τινος τῶν μάντεων ἐπελθόντος πυνθάνεσθαι τί βούλοιτο ὁ λυτὴρ, πότερον καθάπαξ λύοι τι ἢ μικρότερον ἀντὶ μείζονος ποιοίη καὶ ἀναβολῆς εἴη σημεῖον.
I seemed, having sacrificed a victim, to be inspecting the god, called, I believe, the Deliverer, and when one of the seers approached, to be asking what the Deliverer wished, whether he would release once for all, or make a smaller thing instead of a greater, and whether this was a sign of postponement.
ὁ δʼ ἐῴκει οὐ πάνυ τι ἰσχυρότατα ἡγουμένῳ εἰς τὸ καθάπαξ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀέρας καὶ ἀστέρας καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ᾐτιᾶτο.
But he seemed by no means very strongly convinced of the once-for-all solution, but blamed both winds and stars and such things.
κἀν τούτῳ ἠγγέλθη περὶ τῆς κόρης ὅτι εἴη τεθνεῶσα.
In the meantime, news came concerning the girl that she was dead.
εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν ἀκούσασιν ἐδόκει θεῖον εἶναι τὸ μὴ τυχεῖν παρόντα ἐμὲ τῇ συμφορᾷ, ἀλλὰ προεξελθεῖν· ἔτι δὲ σαφέστερον ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον χρησμῶν ἐγένετο ὡς οὐκ ἄνευ δαιμονίου τινὸς πᾶν τοῦτο συνέβη.
Immediately, then, to those who heard, it seemed to be a divine thing that I did not happen to be present at the misfortune, but had departed beforehand; and it became still clearer from the subsequent oracles that all this did not happen without some divine agency.
ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κατέβην ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους δευτέρᾳ νυκτὶ ὕστερον, ὤφθη τοιάδε, ἔμεινα δὲ καὶ πλείους κατέχοντος τοῦ θεοῦ.
For when I went down from the mountain on the second night after, such things were seen, and I remained even more days as the god held me back.
Τελεσφόρος ἦν ὀρεωκόμος· οὗτος ἐδόκει μοι ὁρμηθεὶς αὐτόθεν βαδίζειν ὀπίσω, τὰ χρησθέντα ἐπὶ τῇ Φιλουμένῃ σημαίνων, τοῦτο γὰρ ὄνομα τῇ κόρῃ, κεχρῆσθαι δʼ αὐτὰ Ἀλκίμῳ πατρὶ τῆς κόρης, καὶ δὴ καὶ γράμματα ἔχειν, εἴτε δὴ σεσημασμένα εἴτε καὶ μή·
Telesphorus was a muleteer; he seemed to me, having started from there, to walk back, indicating the oracles given concerning Philumena, for this was the girl's name, and that they had been delivered to Alcimus, the girl's father, and indeed that he had a letter, whether sealed or not.
ἃ τὸν Ἄλκιμον νύκτωρ ἀκούσαντα παρʼ αὐτῆς ἀπομνημονεύσαντα γράψασθαι, θαυμαστὰ πλήθει καὶ δυνάμει, φέροντα εἰς ἐμὲ, ὥστε §352θαυμάζειν ὅπως καὶ ἀπεμνημόνευσε.
Alcimus, having heard it from her by night and having remembered it, had written it down, marvelous in quantity and power, referring to me, so that one would wonder how he even remembered it.
κεφάλαιον δʼ ἦν, ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σώματι τῆς Φιλουμένης καὶ τοῖς ἐντὸς, ὥσπερ ἐν σπλάγχνοις ἱερείων, ἐγγεγραμμένου παντὸς τοῦ περὶ αὐτὴν πράγματος.
The sum of it was as if on the very body of Philumena and her inner parts, as on the entrails of victims, all the business concerning her was written.
ἐδόκουν δὲ καὶ κοιναί τινες εἶναι πλείους, καὶ ἅμα πως ἑώρων αὐτὰς, αἱ μὲν ἄνω ὑγιεῖς καὶ εὖ διακείμεναι, ἐν δὲ τῇ τελευταίᾳ τὸ πεπονθὸς ἦν.
And there seemed to be also several common cavities, and at the same time somehow I saw them, those above being healthy and well-disposed, but in the last one was the affected part.
καὶ ἐδείκνυντο ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐφεστῶτος ὅστις καὶ ἦν.
And they were pointed out by the one standing over, whoever he was.
καὶ ἠρόμην γὰρ δὴ αὐτὸν, πόθεν οὖν οἱ ὄκνοι καὶ ἡ δυσεργία; ὁ δὲ ἐδείκνυεν ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον.
For indeed I asked him, "Whence then the hesitations and the difficulty?" And he pointed to that place.
οἱ δʼ οὖν χρησμοὶ τοιοῦτοί τινες ἦσαν.
At any rate, the oracles were of this sort.
ἐνεγέγραπτο μὲν τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἐμὸν οὑτωσὶ, Αἴλιος Ἀριστείδης· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐκ διαλειμμάτων ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα ἐπίσημα τοῦ ὀνόματος·
My name was written there in this way, "Aelius Aristides"; and almost at intervals, various other features of the name.
προσενεγέγραπτο δὲ Σωσιμένης καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα σωτηρίαν ἐπαγγελλόμενα, καὶ ὅτι ἡ Φιλουμένη ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σῶμα ἀντὶ σώματος ἀντέδωκε, τὰ αὑτῆς ἀντὶ τῶν ἐμῶν.
And there was written in addition "Sosimenes" and other such things promising salvation, and that Philumena gave her soul instead of a soul, and body instead of a body, her own instead of mine.
καὶ τἄλλα εἰς ταυτὸν φέροντα ἐνῆν, ἅπαντα ἐν βιβλίοις τισὶν ἐγγεγραμμένα, ἃ πάντα γράψαντος τοῦ Ἀλκίμου ἐδόκει ἀποκομίζειν ὁ Τελεσφόρος οἴκαδε.
And other things tending to the same purpose were in it, all written in certain books, which, when Alcimus had written them all, Telesphorus seemed to carry home.
ἐνῆσαν δὲ καὶ Πορφυρίωνος τοῦ ἰατροῦ παραινέσεις ὡς πρὸς τὴν μητέρα αὑτῆς, μάλιστα μὲν καὶ λούσασθαι, εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἀλλὰ τραφῆναι.
And there were also admonitions of Porphyrion the doctor to her mother, especially indeed to bathe, but if not, at least to be nourished.
ταύτης τῆς κόρης Ἑρμείας ἐκεῖνος ἀδελφὸς ἦν, ὃς ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ νόσῳ, ὅτε καὶ ἡ θεὸς ἐφάνη μοι, ἀπέθανε καὶ αὐτὸς σχεδὸν ὡς εἰπεῖν ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ.
Of this girl, Hermeias was the brother, who in the great sickness, when the goddess also appeared to me, died himself, almost so to speak, instead of me.
τῇ γὰρ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ, ὡς ὕστερον ἐπυθόμην, ἐκεῖνός τε ἐτελεύτα κἀγὼ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀπηλλαττόμην καὶ πάνυ χρονισθέντος.
For on the same day, as I afterwards learned, he died and I was delivered from the fever, even though it had lasted a very long time.
ἄμφω δὲ ἤστην παῖδες ἐμῆς συντρόφου Καλλιτύχης.
And both were children of my foster-sister Callityche.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τοσοῦτον.
And these things indeed to this extent.
πέντε δὲ ἡμέρας ὑπὸ τῷ ὄρει μείνας καὶ διαιτηθεὶς ὡς παρήγγειλεν, ἕκτῃ κινήσαντος ἐξῄειν ἐπὶ Περγάμου· καὶ ἦσαν μὲν ἐπίβδαι, ἣν Ῥωμαῖοι πρώτην ἄγουσι τοῦ ἔτους.
Having remained five days under the mountain and having lived as he commanded, on the sixth, when he moved me, I went out towards Pergamum; and it was the day after the festival, which the Romans keep as the first of the year.
χειμὼν δὲ οὕτω δή τι σφοδρὸς ὥστε μηδʼ οἴκοι μένοντι ῥᾳδίως ἔχειν ὑπενεγκεῖν.
And the storm was indeed so severe that even for one remaining at home it was not easy to endure.
καὶ συνέβη τοῦτο δὴ θειότατον τῆς ὁδοῦ, τὸ γὰρ τοῦ Ὁμήρου σαφὲς ἦν ὅτι τις θεῶν ἡγεῖτο καὶ ὅστις γε ὁ θεὸς, ἐξόπισθεν μὲν γὰρ βορέου πνεῦμα ἐπέκειτο οἷον ψυχρότατον, νεφέλας ἐλαῦνον μελαίνας καὶ πυκνὰς, ἐκ δεξιᾶς δὲ ἅπαντα κατενίφετο, ὗε δὲ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ, καὶ
And this truly most divine thing happened on the road, for that of Homer was clear, that some one of the gods was leading, and indeed who the god was; for from behind a breath of the north wind lay heavy, extremely cold, driving dark and thick clouds, and on the right everything was being covered with snow, while it was raining on the left, and