§26.1.1Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανὴς μὲν κληθείς, Ἐπιμανὴς δʼ ἐκ τῶν πράξεων ὀνομασθείς περὶ οὗ φησι Πολύβιος τάδε, ὡς ἀποδιδράσκων ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ἐνίοτε τοὺς θεραπεύοντας, οὗ τύχοι τῆς πόλεως, ἀλύων ἐφαίνετο δεύτερος καὶ τρίτος.
Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes but named Epimanes from his conduct, is described by Polybius as follows: sometimes escaping from his attendants in the palace, he would be seen wandering about in whatever part of the city he happened to be, with only one or two companions.
§26.1.2μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἀργυροκοπείοις εὑρίσκετο καὶ χρυσοχοείοις, εὑρησιλογῶν καὶ φιλοτεχνῶν πρὸς τοὺς τορευτὰς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τεχνίτας.
He was chiefly to be found at the shops of the silversmiths and goldsmiths, conversing with the engravers and other artisans on matters of invention and their craft.
§26.1.3ἔπειτα καὶ μετὰ δημοτῶν ἀνθρώπων συγκαταβαίνων ὡμίλει, ᾧ τύχοι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν παρεπιδημούντων συνέπινε τῶν εὐτελεστάτων.
Furthermore, he would condescend to associate with common people, conversing with whomever he met, and drank with the cheapest of the visiting foreigners.
§26.1.4ὅτε δὲ τῶν νεωτέρων αἴσθοιτό τινας συνευωχουμένους, οὐδεμίαν ἔμφασιν ποιήσας παρῆν ἐπικωμάζων μετὰ κερατίου καὶ συμφωνίας, ὥστε τοὺς πολλοὺς διὰ τὸ παράδοξον ἀφισταμένους φεύγειν.
And whenever he perceived any of the younger men feasting together, he would present himself without any warning to join the revelry with a horn and a band of music, so that most of them, departing because of the unexpectedness of it, fled.
§26.1.5πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀποθέμενος ἐσθῆτα τήβενναν ἀναλαβὼν περιῄει κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἀρχαιρεσιάζων καὶ τοὺς μὲν δεξιούμενος, τοὺς δὲ καὶ περιπτύσσων παρεκάλει φέρειν αὑτῷ τὴν ψῆφον, ποτὲ μὲν ὡς ἀγορανόμος γένηται, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ὡς δήμαρχος.
Often, too, putting off his royal robe and assuming a toga, he would go about the marketplace canvassing for votes, grasping some by the hand and embracing others, entreating them to cast their vote for him, sometimes that he might become an aedile, and sometimes a tribune.
§26.1.6τυχὼν δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ καθίσας ἐπὶ τὸν ἐλεφάντινον δίφρον κατὰ τὸ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἔθος διήκουε τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν γινομένων συναλλαγμάτων καὶ διέκρινε μετὰ πολλῆς σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας.
Having obtained the office and seating himself upon the curule chair after the Roman fashion, he would hear the contracts made in the marketplace and decide them with great earnestness and zeal.
ἐξ ὧν εἰς ἀπορίαν ἦγε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς· §26.1.7οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀφελῆ τινα αὐτὸν εἶναι ὑπελάμβανον, οἱ δὲ μαινόμενον.
By this conduct he reduced the respectable citizens to utter perplexity; for some supposed him to be a simpleton, and others a madman.
καὶ γὰρ περὶ τὰς δωρεὰς ἦν παραπλήσιος· ἐδίδου γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἀστραγάλους δορκαδείους, §26.1.8τοῖς δὲ φοινικοβαλάνους, ἄλλοις δὲ χρυσίον.
His conduct regarding gifts was also very similar; for to some he would give knuckle-bones of gazelles, to others dates, and to others gold.
§26.1.9καὶ ἐξ ἀπαντήσεως δέ τισιν ἐντυγχάνων, οὓς μὴ ἑωράκει ποτέ, ἐδίδου δωρεὰς ἀπροσδοκήτους.
And meeting people by chance whom he had never seen before, he would bestow unexpected gifts upon them.
§26.1.10ἐν δὲ ταῖς πρὸς τὰς πόλεις θυσίαις καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς τιμαῖς πάντας ὑπερέβαλλε τοὺς βεβασιλευκότας.
But in the sacrifices he offered to cities and the honors he paid to the gods, he surpassed all who had ever reigned.
§26.1.11τοῦτο δʼ ἄν τις τεκμήραιτο ἔκ τε τοῦ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις Ὀλυμπιείου καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν ἐν Δήλῳ βωμὸν ἀνδριάντων.
This one might infer both from the Olympieum at Athens and from the statues around the altar at Delos.
§26.1.12ἐλούετο δὲ κἀν τοῖς δημοσίοις βαλανείοις, ὅτε δημοτῶν ἦν τὰ βαλανεῖα πεπληρωμένα, κεραμίων εἰσφερομένων αὐτῷ μύρων τῶν πολυτελεστάτων.
He would also bathe in the public baths when they were filled with common citizens, very costly ointments being brought in for him in jars.
§26.1.13ὅτε καί τινος εἰπόντος "3Μακάριοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς οἱ βασιλεῖς οἱ καὶ τούτοις χρώμενοι καὶ ὀδωδότες ἡδύ"3 [καὶ] μηδὲν τὸν ἄνθρωπον προσειπών, ὅπου ʼκεῖνος τῇ ἑξῆς ἐλοῦτο, ἐπεισελθὼν ἐποίησεν αὐτοῦ καταχυθῆναι τῆς κεφαλῆς μέγιστον κεράμιον πολυτελεστάτου μύρου, τῆς στακτῆς καλουμένης, §26.1.14ὡς πάντας ἀναστάντας κυλίεσθαι τοὺς λουομένους τῷ μύρῳ καὶ διὰ τὴν γλισχρότητα καταπίπτοντας γέλωτα παρέχειν, καθάπερ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα.
On one occasion, when someone said, "Blessed are you kings who use such things and smell so sweet," he said nothing to the man, but entering the place where that man was bathing on the following day, he caused a huge jar of the most costly ointment, called stacte, to be poured over his head, so that all the bathers arose and rolled themselves in the ointment, and falling down because of its slipperiness, they provoked laughter, just as the king himself did.