§10.46.1ὅταν δὲ ταῦτα συνθέμενοι χωρισθῶσιν, ἑκάτερον ἐπὶ τοῦ τόπου δεήσει πρῶτον μὲν διόπτραν ἔχειν δύʼ αὐλίσκους ἔχουσαν, ὥστε τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀντιπυρσεύειν τῷ μὲν τὸν δεξιὸν τόπον, τῷ δὲ τὸν εὐώνυμον δύνασθαι θεωρεῖν.
When they have parted after making these agreements, each of them at their respective stations will need, first of all, to have a dioptra with two tubes, so that they can observe, of the party who is to signal back, with one tube the right-hand station, and with the other the left-hand station.
§10.46.2παρὰ δὲ τὴν διόπτραν ἑξῆς ὀρθὰ δεῖ τὰ πλατεῖα πεπηγέναι, §10.46.3παραπεφράχθαι δὲ καὶ τὸν δεξιὸν καὶ τὸν εὐώνυμον τόπον ἐπὶ δέκα πόδας, τὸ δὲ βάθος ὡς ἀνδρόμηκες, εἰς τὸ τοὺς πυρσοὺς αἰρομένους μὲν παρὰ ταῦτα τὴν φάσιν ἀκριβῆ ποιεῖν, καθαιρουμένους δὲ τὴν κρύψιν.
Beside the dioptra, the tablets must be fixed upright in order, and both the right and left-hand spaces must be fenced off to a width of ten feet, and to a height of a man's stature, in order that the torches when raised beside these screens may show clearly, and when lowered may be hidden.
§10.46.4τούτων δʼ ἑτοιμασθέντων παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις, ὅταν βούλῃ δηλῶσαι λόγου χάριν διότι "τῶν στρατιωτῶν τινες εἰς ἑκατὸν ἀποκεχωρήκασι πρὸς τοὺς ὑπεναντίους," πρῶτον δεῖ διαλέξαι τῶν λέξεων, ὅσαι διʼ ἐλαχίστων γραμμάτων δύνανται ταὐτὸ δηλοῦν, §10.46.5οἷον ἀντὶ τοῦ προειρημένου "Κρῆτες ἑκατὸν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν ηὐτομόλησαν. "νῦν γὰρ τὰ μὲν γράμματʼ ἐστὶν ἐλάττω τῶν ἡμίσεων, διασαφεῖται δὲ ταὐτόν.
When these preparations have been made on both sides, whenever you wish, for instance, to signal that "some of the soldiers, to the number of a hundred, have deserted to the enemy," you must first select from the vocabulary those words which can express the same meaning with the fewest letters, for example, instead of the phrase just mentioned, "A hundred Cretans have deserted from us." For in this way the letters are less than half, and yet the same meaning is made clear.
§10.46.6τούτου δὲ γραφέντος εἰς πινάκιον, οὕτω δηλωθήσεται τοῖς πυρσοῖς. πρῶτον δʼ ἐστὶ γράμμα τὸ κάππα·
When this has been written on a tablet, it will be signaled by the torches as follows.
§10.46.7τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ μερίδι καὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ πλατείῳ. δεήσει δὲ καὶ πυρσοὺς ἐκ τῶν εὐωνύμων δύʼ αἴρειν, ὥστε τὸν ἀποδεχόμενον γινώσκειν ὅτι δεῖ τὸ δεύτερον πλατεῖον ἐπισκοπεῖν.
The first letter is kappa; and as this is in the second group and on the second tablet, one must raise two torches from the left, so that the receiver may know that he must consult the second tablet.
§10.46.8εἶτʼ ἐκ τῶν δεξιῶν ἀρεῖ πέντε, διασαφῶν ὅτι κάππα· τοῦτο γὰρ πέμπτον ἐστὶ τῆς δευτέρας μερίδος, ὃ δεήσει γράφειν εἰς τὸ πινάκιον τὸν ἀποδεχόμενον τοὺς πυρσούς.
Next, he will raise five from the right, indicating that it is kappa; for this is the fifth letter of the second group, which the receiver of the torches must write on his tablet.
§10.46.9εἶτα τέτταρας ἐκ τῶν εὐωνύμων, ἐπεὶ τὸ ῥῶ τῆς τετάρτης ἐστὶ μερίδος. εἶτα δύο πάλιν ἐκ τῶν δεξιῶν· δεύτερον γάρ ἐστι τῆς τετάρτης. ἐξ οὗ τὸ ῥῶ γράφει [ὁ δεχόμενος τοὺς πυρσούς]· καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον.
Then he will raise four from the left, since rho belongs to the fourth group, and then again two from the right, since it is the second letter of the fourth group, from which [the receiver of the torches] writes down rho; and the rest of the letters in the same manner.
§10.46.10προδηλοῦται μὲν οὖν πᾶν τὸ προσπῖπτον ὡρισμένως κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐπίνοιαν,
In this way, every event that occurs is pre-signaled definitely according to this invention,