§30.25.1ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς οὗτος βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας τοὺς ἐν τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ συντετελεσμένους ἀγῶνας ὑπὸ Αἰμιλίου Παύλου τοῦ Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοῦ, βουλόμενος τῇ μεγαλοδωρίᾳ ὑπερᾶραι τὸν Παῦλον ἐξέπεμψε πρέσβεις καὶ θεωροὺς εἰς τὰς πόλεις καταγγελοῦντας τοὺς ἐσομένους ἀγῶνας ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Δάφνης, ὡς πολλὴν γενέσθαι τῶν Ἑλλήνων σπουδὴν εἰς τὴν ὡς αὐτὸν ἄφιξιν.
The same king, having heard of the games celebrated in Macedonia by the Roman general Aemilius Paulus, wishing to surpass Paulus in his generosity, sent envoys and sacred messengers to the cities to announce the games that would be held by him at Daphne, so that there arose among the Greeks a great eagerness to come to him.
§30.25.2ἀρχὴν δʼ ἐποιήσατο τῆς πανηγύρεως τὴν πομπείαν οὕτως ἐπιτελεσθεῖσαν.
And he made the procession, celebrated in the following manner, the beginning of the festival.
§30.25.3καθηγοῦντό τινες Ῥωμαϊκὸν ἔχοντες καθοπλισμὸν ἐν θώραξιν ἁλυσιδωτοῖς, ἄνδρες ἀκμάζοντες ταῖς ἡλικίαις πεντακισχίλιοι· μεθʼ οὓς Μυσοὶ πεντακισχίλιοι.
At the head went five thousand men in the prime of life, having Roman armor and wearing chain-mail breastplates; after whom came five thousand Mysians.
§30.25.4συνεχεῖς δʼ ἦσαν Κίλικες εἰς τὸν τῶν εὐζώνων τρόπον καθωπλισμένοι τρισχίλιοι, χρυσοῦς ἔχοντες στεφάνους.
Next to them were three thousand Cilicians armed in the manner of light-armed troops, wearing golden crowns.
§30.25.5ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις Θρᾷκες τρισχίλιοι καὶ Γαλάται πεντακισχίλιοι.
Behind these were three thousand Thracians and five thousand Galatians.
τούτοις ἐπέβαλλον Μακεδόνες δισμύριοι καὶ χαλκάσπιδες πεντακισχίλιοι, ἄλλοι δὲ ἀργυράσπιδες, οἷς ἐπηκολούθει μονομάχων ζεύγη διακόσια τετταράκοντα.
To these succeeded twenty thousand Macedonians, of whom five thousand were brass-shields, and the others silver-shields, who were followed by two hundred and forty pairs of gladiators.
§30.25.6τούτων κατόπιν ἦσαν ἱππεῖς Νισαῖοι μὲν χίλιοι πολιτικοὶ δὲ τρισχίλιοι, ὧν οἱ μὲν πλείους ἦσαν χρυσοφάλαροι καὶ χρυσοστέφανοι, οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι ἀργυροφάλαροι.
Behind them were cavalry: a thousand Nisaeans and three thousand citizens, of whom the majority had golden trappings and golden crowns, and the others silver trappings.
§30.25.7μετὰ δὲ τούτους ἦσαν οἱ λεγόμενοι Ἑταῖροι ἱππεῖς· οὗτοι δὲ ἦσαν εἰς χιλίους, πάντες χρυσοφάλαροι.
After these came the cavalry called Companions; these were about a thousand, all with golden trappings.
τούτοις συνεχὲς ἦν τὸ τῶν φίλων σύνταγμα, §30.25.8ἴσον καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον.
Next to them was the troop of Friends, equal both in number and in equipment.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἐπίλεκτοι χίλιοι, οἷς ἐπηκολούθει τὸ καλούμενον ἄγημα, κράτιστον εἶναι δοκοῦν σύστημα τῶν ἱππέων, §30.25.9περὶ χιλίους.
Behind these were a thousand chosen men, followed by the so-called Agema, which was considered the finest squadron of cavalry, about a thousand in number.
τελευταία δʼ ἦν ἡ κατάφρακτος ἵππος, οἰκείως τῇ προσηγορίᾳ τῶν ἵππων καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐσκεπασμένων τοῖς ὅπλοις· ἦσαν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ χίλιοι καὶ πεντακόσιοι.
Last of all came the cataphract cavalry, both horses and men being covered with armor appropriately to their name; they too were fifteen hundred.
§30.25.10πάντες δʼ οἱ προειρημένοι εἶχον πορφυρᾶς ἐφαπτίδας, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ διαχρύσους καὶ ζῳωτάς.
All the aforementioned wore purple cloaks, and many also had them embroidered with gold and figures of animals.
§30.25.11ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἕξιππα μὲν ἦν ἑκατόν, τέθριππα δὲ τετταράκοντα, ἔπειτα ἐλεφάντων ἅρμα καὶ συνωρίς.
Behind these were a hundred six-horse chariots, and forty four-horse chariots, then a chariot drawn by elephants and a pair-horse chariot.
καθʼ ἕνα δὲ εἵποντο ἐλέφαντες διεσκευασμένοι τριάκοντα καὶ ἕξ.
One by one, thirty-six equipped elephants followed.
τὴν δʼ ἄλλην πομπὴν λέγειν ἐστὶ δυσέφικτον, §30.25.12ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ λεκτέον.
To describe the rest of the procession is difficult, but it must be told in outline.
ἔφηβοι μὲν γὰρ ἐπόμπευσαν εἰς ὀκτακοσίους, χρυσοῦς ἔχοντες στεφάνους, βόες δʼ εὐτραφεῖς περὶ χιλίους, θεωρίδες δὲ βραχὺ λείπουσαι τριακοσίων, ἐλεφάντων δὲ ὀδόντες ὀκτακόσιοι.
For about eight hundred youths marched in the procession wearing golden crowns, about a thousand well-fed oxen, slightly fewer than three hundred sacred delegations, and eight hundred elephants' tusks.
§30.25.13τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀγαλμάτων πλῆθος οὐ δυνατὸν ἐξηγήσασθαι· πάντων γὰρ τῶν παρʼ ἀνθρώποις λεγομένων ἢ νομιζομένων θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων, προσέτι δὲ ἡρώων εἴδωλα διήγετο, τὰ μὲν κεχρυσωμένα, τὰ δʼ ἠμφιεσμένα στολαῖς διαχρύσοις.
The multitude of the statues cannot be fully described; for images of all those called or believed by men to be gods, dæmons, and moreover heroes, were carried along, some gilded, others clothed in robes of gold tissue.
§30.25.14καὶ πᾶσι τούτοις οἱ προσήκοντες μῦθοι κατὰ τὰς παραδεδομένας ἱστορίας ἐν διασκευαῖς πολυτελέσι παρέκειντο.
And to all these were added the appropriate myths according to the handed-down histories in costly representations.
§30.25.15εἵπετο δʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ Νυκτὸς εἴδωλον καὶ Ἡμέρας, Γῆς τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ, καὶ Ἠοῦς καὶ Μεσημβρίας.
There followed them also images of Night and Day, of Earth and Heaven, and of Dawn and Noon.
§30.25.16τὸ δὲ τῶν χρυσωμάτων καὶ ἀργυρωμάτων πλῆθος οὕτως ἄν τις ὑπονοήσειεν ὅσον ἦν· ἑνὸς γὰρ τῶν φίλων, Διονυσίου τοῦ ἐπιστολιαγράφου, χίλιοι παῖδες ἐπόμπευσαν ἀργυρώματα ἔχοντες, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐλάττονʼ ὁλκὴν εἶχεν δραχμῶν χιλίων.
The abundance of gold and silver vessels might be estimated from this: a thousand boys belonging to one of the king's Friends, Dionysius the secretary, marched in the procession carrying silver vessels, none of which weighed less than a thousand drachmæ.
§30.25.17βασιλικοὶ δὲ παῖδες παρῆλθον ἑξακόσιοι χρυσώματα ἔχοντες.
And six hundred royal pages passed by holding gold vessels.
ἔπειτα γυναῖκες ἐκ χρυσῶν καλπίδων μύροις ἔρραινον, εἰς διακοσίας.
Then followed women, to the number of two hundred, sprinkling perfumes from golden vases.
§30.25.18ταύταις δʼ ἑξῆς ἐπόμπευον ἐν χρυσόποσι μὲν φορείοις ὀγδοήκοντα γυναῖκες, ἐν ἀργυρόποσι δὲ πεντακόσιαι καθήμεναι, πολυτελῶς διεσκευασμέναι.
Next to these, eighty women sat in litters with golden feet, and five hundred in litters with silver feet, sumptuously adorned.
§30.25.19καὶ τῆς μὲν πομπῆς τὰ ἐπιφανέστατα ταῦτα ἦν.
And these were the most brilliant parts of the procession.