§10.32.14ἐν δὲ τῇ Τιθορέων καὶ δὶς ἑκάστου τοῦ ἔτους τῇ Ἴσιδι πανήγυριν ἄγουσι, τὴν μὲν τῷ ἦρι, τὴν δὲ μετοπωρινήν·
In the land of the Tithoreans, they hold a festival for Isis twice every year, one in the spring and the other in autumn.
τρίτῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ πρότερον κατὰ ἑκατέραν τῶν πανηγύρεων, ὅσοις ἐστὶν ἐσελθεῖν ἄδεια, τὸ ἄδυτον ἐκκαθαίρουσι τρόπον τινὰ ἀπόρρητον, καὶ δὴ καὶ τῶν ἱερείων ἃ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἐνεβλήθη πανηγύρεως, τούτων ὁπόσα ἂν ὑπολειπόμενα εὕρωσι κομίζουσιν ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ ἀεὶ χωρίον καὶ κατορύσσουσιν ἐνταῦθα· δύο τε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδύτου στάδια ἐτεκμαιρόμεθα ἐς τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ χωρίον.
Three days before each of the festivals, those who have permission to enter cleanse the inner shrine in a certain secret manner; and indeed, of the victims that were thrown in during the previous festival, whatever remains they find, they carry to the same place always and bury there; and we estimated that this place is two stades distant from the inner shrine.
§10.32.15ταύτῃ μὲν δὴ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοσαῦτα περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν δρῶσι, τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ σκηνὰς οἱ καπηλεύοντες ποιοῦνται καλάμου τε καὶ ἄλλης ὕλης αὐτοσχεδίου·
Now on this day they perform these things around the sanctuary, but on the next day the merchants build booths of reeds and other improvised materials.
τῇ τελευταίᾳ δὲ τῶν τριῶν πανηγυρίζουσι πιπράσκοντες καὶ ἀνδράποδα καὶ κτήνη τὰ πάντα, ἔτι δὲ ἐσθῆτας καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ χρυσόν·
On the last of the three days, they hold a fair, selling both slaves and all kinds of cattle, and also clothing, silver, and gold.
§10.32.16μετὰ δὲ μεσοῦσαν τὴν ἡμέραν τρέπονται πρὸς θυσίαν.
After midday they turn to the sacrifice.
θύουσι δὲ καὶ βοῦς καὶ ἐλάφους οἱ εὐδαιμονέστεροι, ὅσοι δέ εἰσιν ἀποδέοντες πλούτῳ, καὶ χῆνας καὶ ὄρνιθας τὰς μελεαγρίδας· οἰσὶ δὲ ἐς τὴν θυσίαν οὐ νομίζουσιν οὐδὲ ὑσὶ χρῆσθαι καὶ αἰξίν.
The wealthier sacrifice both oxen and deer, and those who are lacking in wealth sacrifice geese and guinea-fowl; but they do not think it right to use sheep, pigs, or goats for the sacrifice.
ὅσοις μὲν δὴ καθαγίσασι τὰ ἱερεῖα ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον ἀποστεῖλαι πεποιημένους ἀρχήν, καθελίξαι δεῖ σφᾶς τὰ ἱερεῖα λίνου τελαμῶσιν ἢ βύσσου· τρόπος δὲ τῆς σκευασίας ἐστὶν ὁ Αἰγύπτιος.
Those who, having slaughtered the victims, have made it their first task to send them into the inner shrine, must wrap the victims in bandages of linen or papyrus; and the manner of preparation is the Egyptian one.
§10.32.17πομπεύει τε δὴ πάντα ὅσα ἔθυσαν καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον τὰ ἱερεῖα ἐσπέμπουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἔμπροσθε τοῦ ἀδύτου καθαγίζουσι τὰς σκηνὰς καὶ ἀποχωροῦσιν αὐτοὶ σπουδῇ.
And so all the things they sacrificed go in procession; and some send the victims into the inner shrine, while others, in front of the inner shrine, burn the booths and withdraw in haste themselves.
καί φασί ποτε ἄνθρωπον οὐ τῶν καταβαινόντων ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον, βέβηλον δέ, ἡνίκα ἤρχετο ἡ πυρὰ καίεσθαι, τηνικαῦτα ἐσελθεῖν ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον ὑπὸ πολυπραγμοσύνης τε καὶ τόλμης· καί οἱ πάντα ἀνάπλεα εἰδώλων φαίνεσθαι, καὶ ἀναστρέψαι μὲν αὐτὸν ἐς τὴν Τιθορέαν, διηγησάμενον δὲ ἃ ἐθεάσατο ἀφεῖναι τὴν ψυχήν.
And they say that once a man who was not of those permitted to go down into the inner shrine, but a profane person, entered the inner shrine out of curiosity and boldness, just when the fire was beginning to burn; and it seemed to him that everything was full of phantoms, and though he returned to Tithorea, after relating what he had beheld, he gave up his ghost.
§10.32.18ἐοικότα δὲ ἀνδρὸς ἤκουσα Φοίνικος, ἄγειν τῇ Ἴσιδι Αἰγυπτίους τὴν ἑορτήν, ὅτε αὐτὴν τὸν Ὄσιριν πενθεῖν λέγουσι· τηνικαῦτα δὲ καὶ ὁ Νεῖλος ἀναβαίνειν σφίσιν ἄρχεται, καὶ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων πολλοῖς ἐστιν εἰρημένα ὡς τὰ αὔξοντα τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ ἄρδειν τὰς ἀρούρας ποιοῦντα δάκρυά ἐστι τῆς Ἴσιδος.
And I heard a similar story from a Phoenician man, that the Egyptians hold the festival for Isis at the time when they say she mourns for Osiris; at that time also the Nile begins to rise for them, and it is said by many of the natives that the tears of Isis are what swell the river and cause it to water the fields.
τότε οὖν τὸν Ῥωμαῖον, ὃς ἐπετέτραπτο Αἴγυπτον, ἄνδρα ἔφη χρήμασιν ἀναπείσαντα ἐς τὸ ἄδυτον καταπέμψαι τῆς Ἴσιδος τὸ ἐν Κόπτῳ· καὶ ὁ ἐσπεμφθεὶς ἀνέστρεψε μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἀδύτου, διηγησάμενον δὲ ὁπόσα ἐθεάσατο καὶ τοῦτον αὐτίκα ἐπυνθανόμην τελευτῆσαι.
Then, therefore, the Roman who had been entrusted with Egypt, having persuaded a man with money, sent him down into the inner shrine of Isis at Coptos; and he who was sent returned indeed from the inner shrine, but after relating all that he had beheld, I heard that he also died immediately.
τὸ ἔπος οὖν ἀληθεύειν ἔοικε τὸ Ὁμήρου, σὺν οὐδενὶ αἰσίῳ τοὺς θεοὺς τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐναργῶς ὁρᾶσθαι.
Therefore the verse of Homer seems to be true, that the gods do not appear to the race of men with any good omen when they are seen vividly.
§10.32.19τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον τὸ ἐν τῇ Τιθορέων ἀποδεῖ μὲν πλήθει τοῦ τε Ἀττικοῦ καὶ τοῦ Σικυωνίου, χρόᾳ δὲ ὑπερβάλλει καὶ ἡδονῇ τὸ Ἰβηρικὸν καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς νήσου τῆς Ἰστρίας· καὶ μύρα τε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ παντοῖα ἑψοῦσι καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ὡς βασιλέα ἄγουσιν.
The olive oil in the land of the Tithoreans is inferior in quantity to that of Attica and Sicyon, but in color and sweetness it surpasses the Iberian oil and that from the island of Istria; and they boil all kinds of ointments from it, and they carry the olive oil to the King.