§16.12.1ἡ δὲ τῶν Ἰασέων πόλις κεῖται μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τῷ μεταξὺ κειμένῳ τοῦ τῆς Μιλησίας Ποσειδίου καὶ τῆς Μυνδίων πόλεως, προσαγορευομένῳ, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς πλείστοις Βαργυλιητικῷ συνωνύμως ταῖς περὶ τὸν μυχὸν αὐτοῦ πόλεσιν ἐκτισμέναις.
The city of Iasos lies in Asia on the gulf situated between the Poseidion of the Milesian territory and the city of Myndos, which is called [the Iasian Gulf], but by most people the Bargylietic Gulf, synonymously with the cities founded around its recess.
§16.12.2εὔχονται δὲ τὸ μὲν ἀνέκαθεν Ἀργείων ἄποικοι γεγονέναι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Μιλησίων, ἐπαγαγομένων τῶν προγόνων τὸν Νηλέως υἱὸν τοῦ κτίσαντος Μίλητον διὰ τὴν ἐν τῷ Καρικῷ πολέμῳ γενομένην φθορὰν αὐτῶν.
They claim to have been originally colonists of the Argives, and subsequently of the Milesians, their ancestors having brought in the son of Neleus, the founder of Miletus, owing to the destruction they suffered in the Carian war.
τὸ δὲ μέγεθος τῆς πόλεώς ἐστι δέκα στάδια.
The size of the city is ten stades.
§16.12.3καταπεφήμισται δὲ καὶ πεπίστευται παρὰ μὲν τοῖς Βαργυλιήταις διότι τὸ τῆς Κινδυάδος Ἀρτέμιδος ἄγαλμα, καίπερ ὂν ὑπαίθριον, οὔτε νίφεται τὸ παράπαν οὔτε βρέχεται, §16.12.4παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἰασεῦσι τὸ τῆς Ἀστιάδος· καὶ ταῦτά τινες εἰρήκασι καὶ τῶν συγγραφέων.
It is rumored and believed among the Bargylians that the statue of Artemis Cundyas, although standing in the open air, is never snowed upon nor rained upon at all, and among the Iasians, the same is believed of the statue of Artemis Astias; and some of the historians also have stated these things.
§16.12.5ἐγὼ δὲ πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας ἀποφάσεις τῶν ἱστοριογράφων οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως παρʼ ὅλην τὴν πραγματείαν ἐναντιούμενος καὶ δυσανασχετῶν διατελῶ.
For my part, I do not know how it is that throughout my whole work I continue to oppose and be annoyed by such assertions of historical writers.
§16.12.6δοκεῖ γάρ μοι τὰ τοιαῦτα παντάπασι παιδικῆς εὐηθείας ὅσα μὴ μόνον τῆς τῶν εὐλόγων ἐκτὸς πίπτει θεωρίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τοῦ δυνατοῦ.
For it seems to me to be a mark of complete childish simplicity to state things which fall not only outside the limits of reasonable consideration, but even outside those of possibility.
§16.12.7τὸ γὰρ φάσκειν ἔνια τῶν σωμάτων ἐν φωτὶ τιθέμενα μὴ ποιεῖν σκιὰν ἀπηλγηκυίας ἐστὶ ψυχῆς· ὃ πεποίηκε Θεόπομπος, φήσας τοὺς εἰς τὸ τοῦ Διὸς ἄβατον ἐμβάντας κατʼ Ἀρκαδίαν ἀσκίους γίνεσθαι.
To assert, indeed, that some bodies when placed in the light do not produce a shadow belongs to a soul that has lost all feeling; which is what Theopompus has done, saying that those who enter the sacred enclosure of Zeus in Arcadia become shadowless.
§16.12.8τούτῳ δὲ παραπλήσιόν ἐστι καὶ τὸ νυνὶ λεγόμενον.
What is now being said is very similar to this.
§16.12.9ὅσα μὲν οὖν συντείνει πρὸς τὸ διασῴζειν τὴν τοῦ πλήθους εὐσέβειαν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον, δοτέον ἐστὶ συγγνώμην ἐνίοις τῶν συγγραφέων τερατευομένοις καὶ λογοποιοῦσι περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα· τὸ δʼ ὑπεραῖρον οὐ συγχωρητέον.
Now, as much as contributes to maintaining the piety of the multitude towards the divine, we must excuse some writers when they tell marvels and make up stories about such things; but what goes beyond this must not be allowed.
§16.12.10τάχα μὲν οὖν ἐν παντὶ δυσπαράγραφός ἐστιν ἡ ποσότης, οὐ μὴν ἀπαράγραφός γε.
Perhaps, indeed, in everything the precise limit of amount is difficult to define, yet it is certainly not impossible to define.
§16.12.11διὸ καὶ παρὰ βραχὺ μὲν εἰ καὶ ἀγνοεῖται καὶ ψευδοδοξεῖται, δεδόσθω συγγνώμη, τὸ δʼ ὑπεραῖρον ἀθετείσθω κατά γε τὴν ἐμὴν δόξαν.
Therefore, if a man is ignorant or holds false opinions in a small degree, let him be pardoned, but what goes beyond this must be rejected, at least in my opinion.