§9.41.1ὁπόσα δὲ εἶναι τῶν Ἡφαίστου ποιηταί τε ᾄδουσι καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἠκολούθηκεν ἡ φήμη, τούτων, ὅτι μὴ τὸ Ἀγαμέμνονος σκῆπτρον, ἄλλο γε οὐδὲν ἀξιόχρεών ἐστιν ἐς πίστιν.
Of all the things which are sung by poets and followed by the rumor of men as being the works of Hephaestus, of these, except for the sceptre of Agamemnon, nothing else is worthy of belief.
Λύκιοι μέν γε ἐν Πατάροις ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος χαλκοῦν ἐπιδεικνύουσι κρατῆρα, ἀνάθημα εἶναι φάμενοι Τηλέφου καὶ ἔργον Ἡφαίστου· καὶ σφᾶς, ὥς γε εἰκός, λέληθε Θεόδωρον καὶ Ῥοῖκον Σαμίους εἶναι τοὺς διαχέαντας χαλκὸν πρώτους.
For the Lycians in Patara exhibit in the temple of Apollo a bronze mixing-bowl, saying that it is an offering of Telephus and the work of Hephaestus; and it has escaped their notice, as is indeed likely, that Theodorus and Rhoecus of Samos were the first to melt and cast bronze.
§9.41.2Πατρεῖς δὲ οἱ Ἀχαιοὶ λόγῳ μὲν λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἡφαίστου ποίημά ἐστιν ἡ λάρναξ ἣν Εὐρύπυλος ἤνεγκεν ἐξ Ἰλίου, ἔργῳ δὲ οὐ παρέχουσιν αὐτὴν θεάσασθαι.
And the Achaians of Patrae say indeed in word that the chest which Eurypylus brought from Ilium is a work of Hephaestus, but in deed they do not allow it to be seen.
ἔστι δὲ Ἀμαθοῦς ἐν Κύπρῳ πόλις, Ἀδώνιδος ἐν αὐτῇ καὶ Ἀφροδίτης ἱερόν ἐστιν ἀρχαῖον· ἀνακεῖσθαι δὲ ἐνταῦθα λέγουσιν ὅρμον Ἁρμονίᾳ μὲν δοθέντα ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καλούμενον δὲ Ἐριφύλης, ὅτι αὐτὴ δῶρον ἔλαβεν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρί· ὃν ἀνέθεσαν μὲν οἱ παῖδες ἐς Δελφοὺς οἱ Φηγέως—τρόπον δὲ ὅντινα ἐκτήσαντο αὐτόν, ἐδήλωσεν ἤδη μοι τὰ ἐς Ἀρκάδας ἔχοντα—, ἐσυλήθη δὲ ὑπὸ τυράννων τῶν ἐν Φωκεῦσιν.
And Amathus is a city in Cyprus, and in it there is an ancient temple of Adonis and Aphrodite; and they say that a necklace is dedicated there, which was given from the beginning to Harmonia, but is called the necklace of Eriphyle, because she received it as a gift at the cost of her husband; which the sons of Phegeus dedicated at Delphi—and in what manner they acquired it, my account of Arcadia has already shown—but it was plundered by the tyrants in Phocis.
§9.41.3οὐ μὴν παρὰ Ἀμαθουσίοις γε ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοῦ Ἀδώνιδος ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν ἐστίν· ἐν Ἀμαθοῦντι μὲν γάρ ἐστι λίθοι χλωροὶ συνδέοντος χρυσοῦ σφᾶς ὁ ὅρμος, τὸν δὲ τῇ Ἐριφύλῃ δοθέντα Ὅμηρός φησιν ἐν Ὀδυσσείᾳ πεποιῆσθαι χρυσοῦ, καὶ οὕτως ἔχει· "
ἣ χρυσὸν φίλου ἀνδρὸς ἐδέξατο τιμήεντα.
Yet, as it seems to me, it is not indeed among the Amathusians in the temple of Adonis; for the necklace in Amathus consists of green stones with gold binding them together, but Homer says in the Odyssey that the one given to Eriphyle was made of gold, and it runs thus: "ἣ χρυσὸν φίλου ἀνδρὸς ἐδέξατο τιμήεντα.
" §9.41.4οὐ μὲν οὐδὲ ἠγνόει τοὺς ὅρμους τοὺς ποικίλους· ἐν μέν γε τοῖς Εὐμαίου λόγοις πρὸς Ὀδυσσέα, πρὶν ἢ ἐκ Πύλου Τηλέμαχον ἀφικέσθαι σφίσιν ἐπὶ τὴν αὐλήν, ἐν τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ἐστὶν
"
ἤλυθʼ ἀνὴρ πολύιδρις ἐμοῦ πρὸς δώματα πατρός
χρύσεον ὅρμον ἔχων, μετὰ δʼ ἠλέκτροισιν ἔερτο,
" §9.41.5καὶ ἐν Πηνελόπης δώροις—ἄλλους τε γὰρ τῶν μνηστήρων δῶρα καὶ Εὐρύμαχον διδόντα Πηνελόπῃ πεποίηκεν—
"
ὅρμον δʼ Εὐρύμαχος πολυδαίδαλον αὐτίκʼ ἔνεικε
χρύσεον, ἠλέκτροισιν ἐερμένον, ἠέλιον ὥς· "
Ἐριφύλην δὲ οὐ χρυσῷ καὶ λίθοις ποικίλον δέξασθαί φησιν ὅρμον.
"Nor indeed was he ignorant of variegated necklaces; for in the words of Eumaeus to Odysseus, before Telemachus arrived to them at the courtyard from Pylos, in these words there is: "ἤλυθʼ ἀνὴρ πολύιδρις ἐμοῦ πρὸς δώματα πατρός χρύσεον ὅρμον ἔχων, μετὰ δʼ ἠλέκτροισιν ἔερτο, "and among Penelope's gifts—for he has made others of the suitors give gifts, and Eurymachus too giving them to Penelope— "ὅρμον δʼ Εὐρύμαχος πολυδαίδαλον αὐτίκʼ ἔνεικε χρύσεον, ἠλέκτροισιν ἐερμένον, ἠέλιον ὥς· "but he says that Eriphyle received a necklace not variegated with gold and stones.
οὕτω τὸ εἰκὸς τῷ σκήπτρῳ πρόσεστιν εἶναι μόνον ποίημα Ἡφαίστου.
Thus, probability belongs to the sceptre alone to be the work of Hephaestus.
§9.41.6ἔστι δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν πόλιν κρημνὸς Πετραχὸς καλούμενος· Κρόνον δὲ ἐθέλουσιν ἐνταῦθα ἀπατηθῆναι δεξάμενον ἀντὶ Διὸς πέτρον παρὰ τῆς Ῥέας, καὶ ἄγαλμα Διὸς οὐ μέγα ἐστὶν ἐπὶ κορυφῇ τοῦ ὄρους.
And above the city is a crag called Petrachus; and they will have it that Cronus was deceived here, receiving from Rhea a stone instead of Zeus; and there is a small statue of Zeus on the summit of the mountain.
§9.41.7ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῇ Χαιρωνείᾳ μύρα ἀπὸ ἀνθῶν ἕψουσι κρίνου καὶ ῥόδου καὶ ναρκίσσου καὶ ἴρεως· ταῦτα ἀλγηδόνων ἰάματα ἀνθρώποις γίνεται.
Here in Chaeroneia they boil ointments from the flowers of lily, rose, narcissus, and iris; these become remedies for pains to men.
τὸ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ῥόδων ποιούμενον, εἰ καὶ ἀγάλματα εἰργασμένα ξύλου χρίοις, ῥύεται καὶ ταῦτα σηπεδόνος.
And that which is made from roses, even if you should smear statues made of wood with it, preserves them too from decay.
ἡ δὲ ἶρις φύεται μὲν ἐν ἕλεσι, μέγεθος δʼ ἐστὶν ἴση κρίνῳ, χρόαν δὲ οὐ λευκή, καὶ ὀσμὴν ἀποδεῖ κρίνου.
And the iris grows in marshes, and is equal in size to a lily, but is not white in color, and falls short of the lily in smell.