But concerning the ship built by Hiero, the tyrant of Syracuse, which also Archimedes the geometrician superintended, I do not think it right to be silent, since a certain man named Moschion has given a description of it, which I read over with great care very lately. Moschion, then, writes as follows:—"Diocles, a citizen of Abdera, speaks with great admiration of the engine called Helepolis, which was brought by Demetrius against the city of the Rhodians, and applied to their walls. And Timæus extols highly the funeral pile made for Dionysius the tyrant of Sicily. And Hieronymus lavishes his admiration on the building and adorning of the chariot in which the body of Alexander was borne to the tomb. And Polycletus speaks in high terms of the candlestick which was made for the king of Persia. But Hiero, the king of the Syracusans, who was in every respect a friend to the Romans, was very attentive to the furnishing of temples and gymnasia; and was also very earnest in ship-building, having built a great number of vessels to carry corn; the construction of one of which I will describe. For the wood, he caused such a number of trees to be cut down on Mount Aetna as would have been sufficient for sixty triremes, and when this was done he prepared nails, and planks for the sides and for the inside, and wood for every other purpose that could be required, some from Italy and some from Sicily. And for ropes he provided cordage from Spain, and hemp, and pitch from the river Rhone; and he collected great quantities of useful things from all quarters. And he collected also shipwrights and other artisans. And having appointed Archias the Corinthian the superintendent of them all, and the principal architect, he bade them labour at the construction with zeal and earnestness, he himself also devoting his days to watching its progress. And in this way he finished half the ship in six months; and every part of the vessel as soon as it was finished was immediately covered over with plates of lead. And there were three hundred workmen employed in working up the timber, besides the subord nate journeymen whom they had to assist them. And it was arranged to draw this portion that was done so far down to the sea, that it might receive the last finishing strokes there. And when there was a great inquiry as to the best method of launching it into the sea, Archimedes the mechanician launched it by himself with the aid of a few persons. Eor having prepared a helix he drew this vessel, enormous as it was, down into the sea. And Archimedes was the first person who ever invented this helix. But after the remainder of the ship had also been completed in six months more, and it had been surrounded all round with brazen nails, the greater part of which weighed ten minæ, and the rest were half as big again—(and they were driven in through holes made beforehand by gimlets, so as to hold the planks firm; and they were fastened to the wood with leaden plugs; pieces of cloth being put under, impregnated with pitch)—after, I say, Hiero had completed the external figure of the vessel, he laboured at the interior. "And the vessel was constructed with twenty banks of oars, and three entrances, having the lowest entrance leading to the hold, to which the descent was by two ladders of many steps each: and the next was contrived for those who wished to go down to the eating-rooms: and the third was for the armed men. And on each side of the middle entrance were apartments for the men, each with four couches in them, thirty in number. And the supper-room for the sailors was capable of holding fifteen couches, and it had within it three chambers, each containing three couches; and the kitchen was towards the stern of the ship. And all these rooms had floors composed of mosaic work, of all kinds of stones tesselated. And on this mosaic the whole story of the Iliad was depicted in a marvellous manner. And in all the furniture and the ceilings and the doors everything was executed and finished in the same admirable manner. And along the uppermost passage was a gymnasium and walks, having their appointments in all respects corresponding to the size of the vessel. And in them were gardens of all sorts of most wonderful beauty, enriched with all sorts of plants, and shaded by roofs of lead or tiles. And besides this there were tents roofed with boughs of white ivy and of the vine, the roots of which derived their moisture from casks full of earth, and were watered in the same manner as the gardens. And the tents themselves helped to shadow the walks. And next to these things was a temple devoted to Venus, containing three couches, with a floor of agate and other most beautiful stones, of every sort which the island afforded. And its walls and its roof were made of cypress-wood, and its doors of ivory and citron-wood. And it was furnished in the most exquisite manner with pictures and statues, and with goblets and vases of every form and shape imaginable.
περὶ δὲ τῆς ὑπὸ Ἱέρωνος τοῦ Συρακοσίου κατασκευασθείσης νεώς, ἧς καὶ Ἀρχιμήδης ἦν ὁ γεωμέτρης ἐπόπτης, οὐκ ἄξιον εἶναι κρίνω σιωπῆσαν, σύγγραμμα ἐκδόντος Μοσχίωνός τινος, ᾧ οὐ παρέργως ἐνέτυχον ὑπογυίως. γράφει οὖν ὁ Μοσχίων οὕτως· Διοκλείδης μὲν ὁ Ἀβδηρίτης θαυμάζεται ἐπὶ τῇ πρὸς τὴν Ῥοδίων πόλιν ὑπὸ Δημητρίου προσαχθείσῃ τοῖς τείχεσιν ἑλεπόλει, Τίμαιος δ’ ἐπὶ τῇ πυρᾷ τῇ κατασκευασθείσῃ Διονυσίῳ τῷ Σικελίας τυράννῳ, καὶ Ἱερώνυμος ἐπὶ τῇ κατασκευῇ τῆς ἁρμαμάξης ᾗ συνέβαινε κατακομισθῆναι τὸ Ἀλεξάνδρου σῶμα, Πολύκλειτος δ’ ἐπὶ τῷ λυχνίῳ τῷ κατασκευασθέντι τῷ Πέρσῃ. Ἱέρων δὲ ὁ Συρακοσίων βασιλεύς, ὁ πάντα Ῥωμαίοις φίλος, ἐσπουδάκει μὲν καὶ περὶ ἱερῶν καὶ γυμνασίων κατασκευάς, ἦν δὲ καὶ περὶ ναυπηγίας φιλότιμος, πλοῖα σιτηγὰ κατασκευαζόμενος, ὧν ἑνὸς τῆς κατασκευῆς μνησθήσομαι. εἰς ὕλην μὲν ξύλωσιν ἐκ τῆς Αἴτνης παρεσκεύαστο ἑξήκοντα τετρηρικῶν σκαφῶν πλῆθος ἐξεργάσασθαι δυναμένην. ὡς δὲ ταῦτα ἡτοιμάσατο γόμφους τε καὶ ἐγκοίλια καὶ σταμῖνας καὶ τὴν εἰς τὴν ἄλλην χρείαν ὕλην τὴν μὲν ἐξ Ἰταλίας, τὴν δ’ ἐκ Σικελίας, εἰς δὲ σχοινία λευκέαν μὲν ἐξ Ἰβηρίας, κάνναβιν δὲ καὶ πίτταν ἐκ τοῦ Ῥοδανοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ τἄλλα πάντα τὰ χρειώδη πολλαχόθεν. συνήγαγε δὲ καὶ ναυπηγοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τεχνίτας καὶ καταστήσας ἐκ πάντων Ἀρχίαν τὸν Κορίνθιον ἀρχιτέκτονα παρεκάλεσε προθύμως ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς κατασκευῆς, προσκαρτερῶν καὶ αὐτὸς τὰς ἡμέρας, τὸ μὲν οὖν ἥμισυ τοῦ παντὸς τῆς νεὼς ἐν μησὶν ἓξ ἐξειργάσατο … καὶ ταῖς ἐκ μολίβου ποιηθείσαις κεραμίσιν ἀεὶ καθ’ ὃ ναυπηγηθείη μέρος περιελαμβάνετο, ὡς ἂν τριακοσίων ὄντων τῶν τὴν ὕλην ἐργαζομένων τεχνιτῶν χωρὶς τῶν ὑπηρετούντων, τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τὸ μέρος εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καθέλκειν προσετέτακτο, τὴν λοιπὴν κατασκευὴν ἵν’ ἐκεῖ λαμβάνῃ. ὡς δὲ περὶ τὸν καθελκυσμὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν πολλὴ ζήτησις ἦν, Ἀρχιμήδης ὁ μηχανικὸς μόνος αὐτὸ κατήγαγε δι’ ὀλίγων σωμάτων, κατασκευάσας γὰρ ἕλικα τὸ τηλικοῦτον σκάφος εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν κατήγαγε. πρῶτος δ’ Ἀρχιμήδης εὗρε τὴν τῆς ἕλικος κατασκευήν, ὡς δὲ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ μέρη τῆς νεὼς ἐν ἄλλοις ἓξ μησὶ κατεσκευάσθη καὶ τοῖς χαλκοῖς ἥλοις πᾶσα περιελήφθη, ὧν οἱ πολλοὶ δεκάμνοοι ἦσαν, οἱ δ’ ἄλλοι τούτων ἡμιόλιοι—διὰ τρυπάνων δ’ ἦσαν οὗτοι ἡρμοσμένοι τοὺς σταμῖνας συνέχοντες· μολυβδίναις δὲ κεραμίσιν ἐπεστεγνοῦντο πρὸς τὸ ξύλον, ὑποτιθεμένων ὀθονίων μετὰ πίττησ—ὡς οὖν τὴν ἐκτὸς ἐπιφάνειαν ἐξειργάσατο, τὴν ἐντὸς διασκευὴν ἐξεπονεῖτο. ἦν δὲ ἡ ναῦς τῇ μὲν κατασκευῇ εἰκόσορος, τριπάροδος δέ· τὴν μὲν κατωτάτω ἔχων ἐπὶ τὸν γόμον, ἐφ’ ἣν διὰ κλιμάκων πυκνῶν ἡ κατάβασις ἐγίνετο· ἡ δ’ ἑτέρα τοῖς εἰς τὰς διαίτας βουλομένοις εἰσιέναι ἐμεμηχάνητο· μεθ’ ἣν ἡ τελευταία τοῖς ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις τεταγμένοις. ἦσαν δὲ τῆς μέσης παρόδου παρ’ ἑκάτερον τῶν τοίχων δίαιται τετράκλινοι τοῖς ἀνδράσι, τριάκοντα τὸ πλῆθος, ἡ δὲ ναυκληρικὴ δίαιτα κλινῶν μὲν ἦν πεντεκαίδεκα, θαλάμους δὲ τρεῖς εἶχε τρικλίνους, ὧν ἦν τὸ κατὰ τὴν πρύμναν ὀπτανεῖον. ταῦτα δὲ πάντα δάπεδον εἶχεν ἐν ἀβακίσκοις συγκείμενον ἐκ παντοίων λίθων, ἐν οἷς ἦν κατεσκευασμένος πᾶς ὁ περὶ τὴν Ἰλιάδα μῦθος θαυμασίως ταῖς τε κατασκευαῖς καὶ ταῖς ὀροφαῖς, καὶ θυρώμασι δὲ πάντα ἦν ταῦτα πεπονημένα. κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀνωτάτω πάροδον γυμνάσιον ἦν καὶ περίπατοι σύμμετρον ἔχοντες τὴν κατασκευὴν τῷ τοῦ πλοίου μεγέθει, ἐν οἷς κῆποι παντοῖοι θαυμασίως ἦσαν ὑπερβάλλοντες ταῖς φυτείαις, διὰ κεραμίδων μολυβδινῶν κατεστεγνωμένων ἀρδευόμενοι, ἔτι δὲ σκηναὶ κιττοῦ λευκοῦ καὶ ἀμπέλων, ὧν αἱ ῥίζαι τὴν τροφὴν ἐν πίθοις εἶχον γῆς πεπληρωμένοις, τὴν αὐτὴν ἄρδευσιν λαμβάνουσαι καθάπερ καὶ οἱ κῆποι, αὗται δὲ αἱ σκηναὶ συνεσκίαζον τοὺς περιπάτους, ἑξῆς δὲ τούτων Ἀφροδίσιον κατεσκεύαστο τρίκλινον, δάπεδον ἔχον ἐκ λίθων ἀχατῶν τε καὶ ἄλλων χαριεστάτων ὅσοι κατὰ τὴν νῆσον ἦσαν ` τοὺς τοίχους δ’ εἶχε καὶ τὴν ὀροφὴν κυπαρίττου, τὰς δὲ θύρας ἐλέφαντος καὶ θύου γραφαῖς δὲ καὶ ἀγάλμασιν, ἔτι δὲ ποτηρίων κατασκευαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως κατεσκεύαστο.
"And next to that was a drawing-room capable of containing five couches, with its walls and doors made of boxwood, having a book-case in it, and along the roof a clock, imitated from the dial at Achradina. And there was also a bath-room, capable of containing three couches, having three brazen vessels for holding hot water, and a bath containing five measures of water, beautifully variegated with Tauromenian marble. And many rooms were also prepared for the marines, and for those who looked to the pumps. And besides all this there were ten stalls for horses on each side of the walls; and by them the fodder for the horses was kept, and the arms and furniture of the horsemen and of the boys. There was also a cistern near the head of the ship, carefully shut, and containing two thousand measures of water, made of beams closely compacted with pitch and canvass. And next to the cistern there was a large Water-tight well for fish, made so with beams of wood and lead. And it was kept full of sea-water, and great numbers of fish were kept in it. And on each side of the walls there were also projecting beams, placed at well-proportioned intervals; and to these were attached stores of wood, and ovens, and baking places, and mills, and many other useful offices. And all round the outside of the ship ran atlases six cubits high, which supported the weight which was placed above them, and the triglyph, all being placed at convenient distances from one another. And the whole ship was adorned with suitable pictures.
τούτου δ’ ἐφεξῆς σχολαστήριον ὑπῆρχε πεντάκλινον, ἐκ πύξου τοὺς τοίχους καὶ τὰ θυρώματα κατεσκευασμένον, βιβλιοθήκην ἔχον ἐν αὑτῷ, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὀροφὴν πόλον ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν Ἀχραδίνην ἀπομεμιμημένον ἡλιοτροπίου, ἦν δὲ καὶ βαλανεῖον τρίκλινον πυρίας χαλκᾶς ἔχον τρεῖς καὶ λουτῆρα πέντε μετρητὰς δεχόμενον ποικίλον τοῦ Ταυρομενίτου λίθου, κατεσκεύαστο δὲ καὶ οἰκήματα πλείω τοῖς ἐπιβάταις καὶ τοῖς τὰς ἀντλίας φυλάττουσι. χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἱππῶνες ἦσαν ἑκατέρου τῶν τοίχων δέκα· κατὰ δὲ τούτους ἡ τροφὴ τοῖς ἵπποις ἔκειτο καὶ τῶν ἀναβατῶν καὶ τῶν παίδων τὰ σκεύη, ἦν δὲ καὶ ὑδροθήκη κατὰ τὴν πρῷραν κλειστή, δισχιλίους μετρητὰς δεχομένη, ἐκ σανίδων καὶ πίττης καὶ ὀθονίων κατεσκευασμένη. παρὰ δὲ ταύτην κατεσκεύαστο διὰ μολιβδώματος καὶ σανίδων κλειστὸν ἰχθυοτροφεῖον· τοῦτο δ’ ἦν πλῆρες θαλάττης, ἐν ᾧ πολλοὶ ἰχθύες ἐνετρέφοντο. ὑπῆρχον δὲ καὶ τῶν τοίχων ἑκατέρωθεν τρόποι προεωσμένοι, διάστημα σύμμετρον ἔχοντες· ἐφ’ ὧν κατεσκευασμέναι ἦσαν ξυλοθῆκαι καὶ κρίβανοι καὶ ὀπτανεῖα καὶ μύλοι καὶ πλείους ἕτεραι διακονίαι. ἄτλαντές τε περιέτρεχον τὴν ναῦν ἐκτὸς ἑξαπήχεις, οἳ τοὺς ὄγκους ὑπειλήφεσαν τοὺς ἀνωτάτω καὶ τὸ τρίγλυφον, πάντες ἐν διαστήματι συμμέτρῳ βεβῶτες. ἡ δὲ ναῦς πᾶσα οἰκείαις γραφαῖς ἐπεπόνητο.
"And in the vessel were eight towers of a size proportioned to the burden of the ship, two at the stern, and as many at the head, and the rest in the middle of the ship. And to each of these were fastened two large beams, or yards, from which port-holes were fixed, through which stones were let down upon any enemy who might come against the ship. And on each of the towers stood four young men fully armed, and two archers. And the whole of the interior of the towers was full of stones and darts. And a wall, having buttresses and decks, ran all through the ship, supported on trestles; and on these decks was placed a catapult, which hurled a stone weighing three talents, and an arrow twelve cubits long. And this engine was devised and made by Archimedes; and it could throw every arrow a furlong. And besides all this, there were mats composed of stout ropes suspended by brazen chains; and as there were three masts, from each of them were suspended two large yard bearing stones, from which hooks and leaden weights were let down upon any enemy which might attack the vessel. And there was also a palisade all round the ship, made of iron, as a defence against those who might attempt to board it; and iron ravens, as they were called, all round the ship, which, being shot forth by engines, seized on the vessels of the enemy, and brought them round so as to expose them to blows. And on each of the sides of the ship stood sixty young men clad in complete armour; and an equal number stood on the masts, and on the yards which carried the stones; and they were also on the masts, up at the mast-head, which was made of brass. On the first there were three men, and on the second two, and on the third one. And they had stones brought up to them in wicker baskets by means of pulleys, and arrows were supplied to them by boys, within the defended parts of the mast-heads. And the vessel had four wooden anchors and eight iron ones. And of the masts, the second and third were easily found; but the first was procured with difficulty among the mountains of the Bruttii, and was discovered by a swineherd. And Phileas, a mechanic of Tauromenium, brought it down to the seaside. And the hold, although of a most enormous depth, was pumped out by one man, by means of a pulley, by an engine which was the contrivance of Archimedes. And the name of the ship was 'The Syracusan;' but when Hiero sent it to sea, he altered its name and called it 'The Alexandrian.' "And it had some small launches attached to it, the first of which was one of the light galleys called cercurus, able to hold a weight of three thousand talents; and it was wholly moved by oars. And after that came many galleys and skiffs of about fifteen hundred talents burthen. And the crew also was proportionably numerous; for besides the men who have been already mentioned, there were six hundred more, whose post was at the head of the ship, always watching for the orders of the captain. And there was a tribunal instituted to judge of all offences which might be committed on board the ship, consisting of the captain and the pilot, and the officer of the watch; and they decided in every case according to the laws of the Syracusans.
πύργοι τε ἦσαν ἐν αὐτῇ ὀκτὼ σύμμετροι τὸ μέγεθος τοῖς τῆς νεὼς ὄγκοις· δύο μὲν κατὰ πρύμναν, οἱ δ’ ἴσοι κατὰ πρῷραν, οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ κατὰ μέσην ναῦν. τούτων δὲ ἑκάστῳ παρεδέδεντο κεραῖαι β᾽, ἐφ’ ὧν κατεσκεύαστο φατνώματα, δι’ ὧν ἠφίεντο λίθοι πρὸς τοὺς ὑποπλέοντας τῶν πολεμίων, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πύργων ἕκαστον ἀνέβαινον τέτταρες μὲν καθωπλισμένοι νεανίσκοι, δύο δὲ τοξόται. πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἐντὸς τῶν πύργων λίθων καὶ βελῶν πλῆρες ἦν. τεῖχος δὲ ἐπάλξεις ἔχον καὶ καταστρώματα διὰ νεὼς ἐπὶ κιλλιβάντων κατεσκεύαστο· ἐφ’ οὗ λιθοβόλος ἐφειστήκει, τριτάλαντον λίθον ἀφ’ αὑτοῦ ἀφιεὶς καὶ δωδεκάπηχυ βέλος, τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μηχάνημα κατεσκεύασεν Ἀρχιμήδης, ἑκάτερον δὲ τῶν βελῶν ἔβαλλεν ἐπὶ στάδιον. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραρρύματα ἐκ τροπῶν παχέων συγκείμενα διὰ ἁλύσεων χαλκῶν κρεμάμενα, τριῶν δὲ ἱστῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐξ ἑκάστου κεραῖαι λιθοφόροι ἐξήρτηντο β᾽, ἐξ ὧν ἅρπαγές τε καὶ πλίνθοι μολίβου πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιτιθεμένους ἠφίεντο. ἦν δὲ καὶ χάραξ κύκλῳ τῆς νεὼς σιδηροῦς πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιχειροῦντας ἀναβαίνειν κόρακές τε σιδηροῖ κύκλῳ τῆς νεὼς, οἳ δι’ ὀργάνων ἀφιέμενοι τὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐκράτουν σκάφη καὶ παρέβαλλον εἰς πληγήν. ἑκατέρῳ δὲ τῶν τοίχων ἑξήκοντα νεανίσκοι πανοπλίας ἔχοντες ἐφειστήκεσαν καὶ τούτοις ἴσοι περί τε τοὺς ἱστοὺς καὶ τὰς λιθοφόρους κεραίας, ἦσαν δὲ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ἱστοὺς ἐν τοῖς καρχησίοις οὖσι χαλκοῖς ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου τρεῖς ἄνδρες, εἶθ’ ἑξῆς καθ’ ἕνα λειπόμενοι τούτοις δ’ ἐν πλεκτοῖς γυργάθοις διὰ τροχιλίων εἰς τὰ θωράκια λίθοι παρεβάλλοντο καὶ βέλη διὰ τῶν παίδων, ἄγκυραι δὲ ἦσαν ξύλιναι μέν τέτταρες, σιδηραῖ δ’ ὀκτώ. τῶν δὲ ἱστῶν ὁ μὲν δεύτερος καὶ τρίτος εὑρέθησαν εὐχερῶς, δυσχερῶς δὲ ὁ πρῶτος εὑρέθη ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι τῆς Βρεττίας ὑπὸ συβώτου ἀνδρὸς· κατήγαγε δ’ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ θάλατταν Φιλέας ὁ Ταυρομενίτης μηχανικός, ἡ δὲ ἀντλία καίπερ βάθος ὑπερβάλλον ἔχουσα δι’ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐξηντλεῖτο διὰ κοχλίου, Ἀρχιμήδους ἐξευρόντος. ὄνομα δ’ ἦν τῇ νηὶ Συρακοσία· ὅτε δ’ αὐτὴν ἐξέπεμπεν Ἱέρων, Ἀλεξανδρίδα αὐτὴν μετωνόμασεν. ἐφόλκια δ’ ἦσαν αὐτῇ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον κέρκουρος τρισχίλια τάλαντα δέχεσθαι δυνάμενος· πᾶς δ’ ἦν οὗτος ἐπίκωπος. μεθ’ ὃν χίλια πεντακόσια βαστάζουσαι ἁλιάδες τε καὶ σκάφαι πλείους. ὄχλος δ’ ἦν οὐκ ἐλάττων …, μετὰ τοὺς προειρημένους ἄλλοι τε ἑξακόσιοι παρὰ τὴν πρῷραν ἐπιτηροῦντες τὰ παραγγελλόμενα, τῶν δὲ κατὰ ναῦν ἀδικημάτων δικαστήριον καθειστήκει ναύκληρος, κυβερνήτης καὶ πρῳρεύς, οἵπερ ἐδίκαζον κατὰ τοὺς Συρακοσίων νόμους.
And they put on board the ship sixty thousand measures of corn, and ten thousand jars of Sicilian salt-fish, and twenty thousand talents weight of wool, and of other cargo twenty thousand talents weight also. And besides all this, there were the provisions necessary for the crew. And Hiero, when he had understood that there was no harbour in Sicily large enough to admit this ship, and, moreover, that some of the harbours were dangerous for any vessel, determined to send it as a present to Alexandria to Ptolemy the king of Egypt. For there was a great dearth of corn in Egypt. And he did so; and the ship came to Alexandria, where it was put in port. And Hiero honoured Archimelus, also, the epigrammatic poet, who wrote an epigram on the ship, with a thousand bushels of wheat, which he also sent at his own expense to the Piræus; and the epigram runs thus—Who placed this monstrous mass upon the earth;What master led it with untiring cables,How was the deck nail'd to the mighty beams,And with what axe did men the vessel form?Surely it equals Aetna in its height,Or any isle which rises from the seaWhere the Egean wave entwined foamsAmid the Cyclades; on either sideIts breadth is equal, and its walls alike.Sure 'twas the giants' work, who hoped to reachBy such vast ladder to the heights of heaven.Its topmast reaches to the stars; and hidesIts mighty bulwarks 'mid the endless clouds.It holds its anchors with untiring cables,Like those with which proud Xerxes bound the straitWhich between Sestos and Abydos foams.A deftly carved inscription on the sideShows what strong hand has launch'd it on the deep;It says that Hiero, Hierocles' son,The king of Sicily, pride of Dorian race,Sends it a wealthy messenger of giftsTo the Aegean islands; and the GodWho rules the sea, great Neptune, convoys itSafe o'er the blue and foaming waves to Greece.And I intentionally pass over the sacred trireme built by Antigonus, which defeated the commanders of Ptolemy off Leucolla, a city under the dominion of Cos; and after that, Antigonus consecrated it to Apollo; but it was not one-third, or perhaps not even one-fourth part of the size of the Syracusan or Alexandrian vessel.
σίτου δὲ ἐνεβάλλοντο εἰς τὴν ναῦν μυριάδας ἕξ, ταρίχων δὲ Σικελικῶν κεράμια μύρια, ἐρεῶν τάλαντα δισμύρια, καὶ ἕτερα δὲ φορτία δισμύρια. χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ὁ ἐπισιτισμὸς ἦν τῶν ἐμπλεόντων. ὁ δ’ Ἱέρων ἐπεὶ πάντας τοὺς λιμένας ἤκουεν τοὺς μὲν ὡς οὐ δύνατοί εἰσι τὴν ναῦν δέχεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐπικινδύνους ὑπάρχειν, διέγνω δῶρον αὐτὴν ἀποστεῖλαι Πτολεμαίῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν καὶ γὰρ ἦν σπάνις σίτου κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον. καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησε, καὶ ἡ ναῦς κατήχθη εἰς τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν, ἔνθα καὶ ἐνεωλκήθη. ὁ δ’ Ἱέρων καὶ Ἀρχίμηλον τὸν τῶν ἐπιγραμμάτων ποιητὴν γράψαντα εἰς τὴν ναῦν ἐπίγραμμα χιλίοις πυρῶν μεδίμνοις, οὓς καὶ παρέπεμψεν ἰδίοις δαπανήμασιν εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ, ἐτίμησεν. ἔχει δ’ οὕτως τὸ ἐπίγραμμα· τίς τόδε σέλμα πέλωρον ἐπὶ χθονὸς εἵσατο; ποῖος κοίρανος ἀκαμάτοις πείσμασιν ἠγάγετο; πῶς δὲ κατὰ δρυόχων ἐπάγη σανίς, ἢ τίνι γόμφοι τμηθέντες πελέκει τοῦτ’ ἔκαμον τὸ κύτος, ἢ κορυφαῖς Αἴτνας παρισούμενον ἢ τινι νάσων ἃς Αἰγαῖον ὕδωρ Κυκλάδας ἐνδέδεται, τοίχοις ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἰσοπλατές; ἦ ῥα Γίγαντες τοῦτο πρὸς οὐρανίας ἔξεσαν ἀτραπιτούς. ἄστρων γὰρ ψαύει καρχήσια καὶ τριελίκτους θώρακας μεγάλων ἐντὸς ἔχει νεφέων. πείσμασι δ’ ἀγκύρας ἀπερείδεται οἷσιν Ἀβύδου Ξέρξης καὶ Σηστοῦ δισσὸν ἔδησε πόρον. μανύει στιβαρᾶς κατ’ ἐπωμίδος ἀρτιχάρακτον γράμμα, τίς ἐκ χέρσου τάνδ’ ἐκύλισε τρόπιν φατὶ γὰρ ὡς Ἱέρων Ἱεροκλέος Ἑλλάδι πάσᾳ καὶ νάσοις καρπὸν πίονα δωροφορῶν· Σικελίας σκαπτοῦχος ὁ Δωρικός, ἀλλά, Πόσειδον, σῷζε κατὰ, γλαυκῶν σέλμα τόδε ῥοθίων.παρέλιπον δ’ ἑκὼν ἐγὼ τὴν Ἀντιγόνου ἱερὰν τριήρη, ᾗ ἐνίκησε τοὺς Πτολεμαίου στρατηγοὺς περὶ Λεύκολλαν τῆς Κῴας, ὅπου δὴ καὶ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι αὐτὴν ἀνέθηκεν ἥτις οὐδὲ τὸ τρίτον, τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ τέταρτον εἶχε τῆς Συρακοσίας ἢ Ἀλεξανδρίδος ταύτης νεώς.
All this, then, we have said about the catalogue of the ships, not beginning with the Bœotians, but with the shows and processions exhibited at public assemblies. And since I know that my excellent friend Ulpian will attack s again, and ask what that thing is which Callixenus calls ἐγγυθήκη, we tell him that there is a speech which is attributed to Lysias the orator, written about the ἐγγυθήκη, which begins with these words—“If, O judges, Lysimanes had said anything reasonable or moderate.” And going on a little, he proceeds to say—“I should not have been eager to plead in an action about this chest (ἐγγυθήκη), which is not worth thirty drachmæ.” And presently he tells us that the chest was a brazen one—“But when I wished last year to repair it I gave it to a brazier; for it is well put together, and has the faces of Satyrs and large heads of oxen carved upon it. There is also another coffer of the same size; for the same workman made many such articles of the same size, and alike in many particulars.” In these words Lysias, having said that the chest was made of brass, shows plainly enough, as Callixenus also said, that they were things that might be used as stands for kettles. For so Polemo Periegetes said, in the third of those books of his which are addressed to Adæus and Antigonus, where he explains the subject of the picture which is at Phlius, in the portico of the polemarchs, painted by Sillax the Rhegian, who is mentioned by Epicharmus and Simonides. And his words are—“Ἐγγυθήκη, and a large goblet on it.” And Hegesander the Delphian, in his book entitled a Commentary on Statues and Images, says that the pedestal dedicated by Glaucus the Chian at Delphi is like an iron ἐγγυθήκη, the gift of Alyattes. And that is mentioned by Herodotus, who calls it ὑποκρητηρίδιον (a stand for a goblet). And Hegesander uses the same expression. And we ourselves have seen that lying at Delphi, a thing really worth looking at, on account of the figures of animals which are carved upon it, and of other insects, and living things, and plants........ can be put upon it, and goblets, and other furniture. But the thing which is called by the Alexandrians ἀγγοθήκη is a triangular vessel, hollow in the middle, capable of receiving an earthen wine-jar inside of it. And poor men have this made of wood, but rich men have it of brass or of silver.
τοσαῦτ’ οὖν καὶ περὶ τοῦ τῶν νεῶν καταλόγου οὐκ ἀπὸ Βοιωτῶν ἀρξάμενοι κατελέξαμεν, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ πανηγυρικῶν πομπῶν, καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸν καλὸν Οὐλπιανὸν οἶδα πάλιν προβαλοῦντα ἡμῖν τίς αὕτη ἡ παρὰ τῷ Καλλιξείνῳ ἐγγυθήκη, φαμὲν αὐτῷ ὅτι καὶ λόγος τις εἰς Λυσίαν ἀναφέρεται τὸν ῥήτορα περὶ ἐγγυθήκης ἐπιγραφόμενος, οὗ ἡ ἀρχή· εἰ μὲν δίκαιον ἔλεγεν ἢ μέτριον, ἄνδρες δικασταί, Λυσιμένης. ἐν ᾧ προελθών φησιν οὐκ ἂν ἐσπούδαζον περὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐγγυθήκης δικαιολογεῖσθαι, ἣ οὔκ ἐστιν ἀξία τριάκοντα δραχμῶν. ὅτι δὲ χαλκῆ ἦν ἡ ἐγγυθήκη ἑξῆς φησι· πέρυσιν δὲ ἐπισκευάσαι αὐτὴν βουλόμενος ἐξέδωκα εἰς τὸ χαλκεῖον ἐστὶ γὰρ συνθετὴ καὶ Σατύρων ἔχει πρόσωπα καὶ βουκεφάλια …, ἄλλο ἔτι μέγεθος τὸ αὐτό. ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς τεχνίτης πολλὰ σκεύη ταὐτὰ καὶ ὅμοια ἐργάζεται. ἐν τούτοις ὁ Λυσίας εἰπὼν ὅτι καὶ χαλκῆ ἦν ἡ ἐγγυθήκη, σαφῶς παρίστησιν, ὡς καὶ ὁ Καλλίξεινος εἴρηκε, λεβήτων αὐτὰς ὑποθήματα εἶναι, οὕτως γὰρ καὶ Πολέμων ὁ περιηγητὴς εἶπεν ἐν γ’ τῶν πρὸς Ἀδαῖον καὶ Ἀντίγονον ἐξηγούμενος διάθεσιν ἐν Φλιοῦντι κατὰ τὴν πολεμάρχειον στοὰν γεγραμμένην ὑπὸ Σίλλακος τοῦ Ῥηγίνου, οὗ μνημονεύουσιν Ἐπίχαρμος καὶ Σιμωνίδης, λέγων οὕτως· ἐγγυθήκη καὶ ἐπ’ αὐτῆς κύπελλον. Ἡγήσανδρος δὲ ὁ Δελφὸς ἐν τῷ ἐπιγραφομένῳ ὑπομνήματι ἀνδριάντων καὶ ἀγαλμάτων Γλαύκου φησὶ τοῦ Χίου τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ὑπόστημα οἷον ἐγγυθήκην τινὰ σιδηρᾶν, ἀνάθημα Ἀλυάττου· οὗ ὁ ʽ Ἡρόδοτος μνημονεύει ὑποκρητηρίδιον αὐτὸ καλῶν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἡγήσανδρος ταῦτα λέγει, εἴδομεν δ’ αὐτὸ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀνακείμενον ἐν Δελφοῖς ὡς ἀληθῶς θέας ἄξιον διὰ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐντετορευμένα ζῳδάρια καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ζῳύφια καὶ φυτάρια, ἐπιτίθεσθαι ἐπ’ αὐτῷ δυνάμενα καὶ κρατῆρας καὶ ἄλλα σκεύη, ἡ δ’ ὑπ’ Ἀλεξανδρέων καλουμένη ἀγγοθήκη τρίγωνός ἐστι, κατὰ μέσον κοίλη, δέχεσθαι δυναμένη ἐντιθέμενον κεράμιον. ἔχουσι δὲ ταύτην οἱ μὲν πένητες ξυλίνην, οἱ δὲ πλούσιοι χαλκῆν ἢ ἀργυρᾶν.
Having said this much about the ἐγγυθήκη, let us now go on to speak of those kings who are and have been fond of good cheer. For the king, who is the namesake of the abovementioned Antiochus, and the son of Demetrius, according to the account of Posidonius, used to entertain a great crowd of people every day, and in addition to what they ate on the spot, he would give every one of the guests large heaps, consisting of entire joints of meat of beasts, and birds, and fishes, undivided and ready dressed, enough to fill a wagon. And besides all this, he gave them heaps of hone-cakes, and of garlands, of myrrh, and frankincense, with large fillets and bandages of golden embroidery as long as a man. And another king, Antiochus, when celebrating the games at Daphne, himself also made very sumptuous entertainments, as Posidonius himself relates; and he was the first person who ever made a distribution among the guests of whole joints of meat; and also of geese, and hares, and antelopes alive. And golden chaplets were also given to the guests, and a great quantity of silver plate, and of slaves, and horses, and camels. And each man was bound to get on the camel and drink a draught of wine, and then to accept of the camel and of the boy who stood by it. “And,” says he, “all the natives and inhabitants of Syria, on account of the fertility of the land, are accustomed to make frequent feasts after their necessary labours, in order that they may rejoice together, using their gymnasia as baths, and anointing themselves with expensive oil and perfumes; and at their grammatea (for that is the name which they give to their public entertainments) living as if in their own houses, and gratifying their stomachs the greater part of the day with wine and meat, and also carrying away a quantity of the same to their own homes, they thus spend the day, listening also to the music of the loud lyre made of the tortoise shell, so that whole cities resound with noises of this kind” And I, my friends, praise very much the entertainment which was given by Alexander the king of Syria. And this Alexander was a supposititious son of Antiochus Epiphanes, substituted on account of the hatred which all men bore to Demetrius, concerning whom our companion Athenæus has spoken in his treatise on the Kings who have reigned in Syria. Now that entertainment was conducted as nearly as may be in this fashion. Diogenes the Epicurean, having a very tolerable acquaintance with the doctrines of the sect which he professed, was by birth a native of Seleucia, in the district of Babylon. And he was kindly received by the king, although the monarch rather inclined to the doctrines of the Stoic school. Accordingly, Alexander treated him with great distinction, although a man of anything but a reputable course of life, and so given to calumny and envy, that if he could raise a laugh by it, he could not abstain from even the king himself. And when he preferred to the king a request that had no great connexion with philosophy—namely, that he might be allowed to wear a purple robe and a golden crown, having a face of Virtue in the centre of it, as he claimed to be addressed as the priest of Virtue, he agreed to it all, and besides that, made him a present of the crown. And these ornaments Diogenes, being in love with a woman who was one of the Bacchanalian singers, gave to her. But Alexander, hearing of this, collected a banqueting party of philosophers and eminent men, and among them he invited Diogenes. And when he arrived he begged him to take his seat with his crown and his purple robe on. And when he replied that that would be unseemly, the king nodded to his servants to introduce the musicians, among whom this singing woman appeared, crowned with the crown of Virtue, and clothed also in the purple robe. So when every one burst into laughter at this, the philosopher kept quiet, and never stopped praising the singing woman. But Antiochus, who succeeded Alexander in the kingdom, could not tolerate the abusive language of this Diogenes, and accordingly ordered him to be put to death. But Alexander was at all times, and in all circumstances, of a gentle disposition, and affable to every one in conversation, and not at all like Athenion the Peripatetic philosopher, who had a philosophical school at Athens, and at Messene, and also at Larissa in Thessaly, and who subsequently became tyrant of Athens; concerning whom Posidonius of Apamea gives a very particular account, which I, even though it is rather long, will quote, in order that we may come to a thorough understanding and appreciation of those men who profess to be philosophers, and that we may not be taken in by their ragged cloaks and unshaven chins. For, as Agatho says—If I do tell the truth I shall not please you;And if I please you, I shall speak no truth.But “let truth,” as the saying is, “be one's friend.” At all events, I will quote the account given of the man.
εἰπόντες οὖν περὶ ἐγγυθήκης ἑξῆς πάλιν μνησθησόμεθα φιλοδείπνων βασιλέων, ὁ γὰρ τῷ προειρημένῳ Ἀντιόχῳ ὁμώνυμος βασιλεύς, Δημητρίου δ’ υἱός, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Ποσειδώνιος, ὑποδοχὰς ποιούμενος καθ’ ἡμέραν ὀχλικὰς χωρὶς τῶν ἀναλισκομένων σωρευμάτων ἑκάστῳ ἀποφέρειν ἐδίδου τῶν ἑστιατόρων ὁλομελῆ κρέα χερσαίων τε καὶ πτηνῶν καὶ θαλαττίων ζῴων ἀδιαίρετα ἐσκευασμένα, ἅμαξαν πληρῶσαι δυνάμενα· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα μελιπήκτων καὶ στεφάνων ἐκ σμύρνης καὶ λιβανωτοῦ σὺν ἀνδρομήκεσι λημνίσκων χρυσῶν πιλήμασι πλήθη, καὶ ἄλλος δ’ Ἀντίοχος βασιλεὺς ἐπιτελῶν τοὺς ἐν Δάφνῃ ἀγῶνας ἐποιήσατο καὶ αὐτὸς ὑποδοχὰς λαμπράς, ὡς ὁ αὐτός φησι Ποσειδώνιος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ἀναδόσεις ἐποιήσατο κατ’ ἄνδρα ὁλομελῶν βρωμάτων, μετὰ δὲ καὶ ζώντων χηνῶν καὶ λαγωῶν καὶ δορκάδων. ἀνεδίδοντο δὲ καὶ χρυσοῖ στέφανοι τοῖς δειπνοῦσι καὶ ἀργυρωμάτων πλῆθος καὶ θεραπόντων καὶ ἵππων καὶ καμήλων, καὶ ἔδει ἀναβάντα ἐπὶ τὴν κάμηλον πιεῖν ἕκαστον καὶ λαβεῖν τὴν κάμηλον καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τὴν κάμηλον καὶ τὸν παρεστῶτα παῖδα. καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὴν Συρίαν δὲ πάντες, φησί, διὰ τὴν τῆς χώρας εὐβοσίαν ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ τἀναγκαῖα κακοπαθείας συνόδους ἔνεμον πλείους ἵνα εὐωχοῖντο συνεχῶς, τοῖς μὲν γυμνασίοις ὡς βαλανείοις χρώμενοι, ἀλειφόμενοι ἐλαίῳ πολυτελεῖ καὶ μύροις, τοῖς δὲ γραμματείοισ—οὕτως γὰρ ἐκάλουν τὰ κοινὰ τῶν συνδείπνων—ὡς οἰκητηρίοις ἐνδιαιτώμενοι, καὶ τὸ πλεῖον μέρος τῆς ἡμέρας γαστριζόμενοι ἐν αὐτοῖς οἴνοις καὶ βρώμασιν, ὥστε καὶ προσαποφέρειν πολλά, καὶ καταυλούμενοι πρὸς χελωνίδος πολυκρότου ψόφους, ὥστε τὰς πόλεις ὅλας τοῖς τοιούτοις κελάδοις συνηχεῖσθαι. ἐπαινῶ δ’ ἐγώ, ἄνδρες φίλοι, τὸ γενόμενον παρ’ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς Συρίας συμπόσιον. ὁ δ’ Ἀλέξανδρος οὗτος ὢν Ἀντιόχου τοῦ Ἐπιφανοῦς υἱὸς ὑποβληθείς, … διό εἶχον μῖσος πάντες ἄνθρωποι εἰς Δημήτριον περὶ οὗ ἱστόρησεν ὁ ἑταῖρος ἡμῶν Ἀθήναιος ἐν τοῖς περὶ τῶν ἐν Συρίᾳ βασιλευσάντων. τὸ οὖν συμπόσιον τοῦτο τοιόνδε τι ἐγένετο. Διογένης ὁ Ἐπικούρειος, ἕξιν ἔχων ἱκανὴν ἐν οἷς μετεχειρίζετο λόγοις, τὸ μὲν γένος ἦν ἐκ Σελευκείας τῆς ἐν Βαβυλωνίᾳ, ἀποδοχῆς δ’ ἐτύγχανε παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ καίτοι τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς στοᾶς λόγοις χαίροντι. ἐπολυώρει οὖν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος καίπερ ὄντα τῷ βίῳ φαῦλον, ἔτι δὲ βλάσφημον καὶ βάσκανον ἕνεκά τε τοῦ γελοίου μηδὲ τῶν βασιλέων ἀπεχόμενον. καὶ αἰτησαμένῳ αὐτῷ φιλοσοφίας ἀλλοτρίαν αἴτησιν, ὅπως πορφυροῦν τε χιτωνίσκον φορήσει καὶ χρυσοῦν στέφανον ἔχοντα πρόσωπον Ἀρετῆς κατὰ μέσον, ἧς ἱερεὺς ἠξίου προσαγορεύεσθαι, συνεχώρησε καὶ τὸν στέφανον προσχαρισάμενος. ἅπερ ὁ Διογένης ἐρασθείς τινος λυσιῳδοῦ γυναικὸς ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῇ. ἀκούσας δ’ ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ συνάγων φιλοσόφων καὶ ἐπισήμων ἀνδρῶν συμπόσιον ἐκάλεσε καὶ τὸν Διογένη· καὶ παραγενόμενον ἠξίου κατακλίνεσθαι ἔχοντα τὸν στέφανον καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα. ἄκαιρον δ’ εἶναι εἰπόντος νεύσας εἰσαγαγεῖν ἐκέλευσε τὰ ἀκούσματα, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡ λυσιῳδὸς εἰσῆλθεν ἐστεφανωμένη τὸν τῆς Ἀρετῆς στέφανον, ἐνδῦσα καὶ τὴν πορφυρᾶν ἐσθῆτα. γέλωτος οὖν πολλοῦ καταρραγέντος ἔμενεν ὁ φιλόσοφος καὶ τὴν λυσιῳδὸν ἐπαινῶν οὐκ ἐπαύσατο. τοῦτον τὸν Διογένη ὁ μεταλαβὼν τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀντίοχος, οὐκ ἐνέγκας αὐτοῦ τὴν κακολογίαν, ἀποσφαγῆναι ἐκέλευσεν. ὁ δ’ Ἀλέξανδρος προσηνὴς ἦν ἐν πᾶσι καὶ φιλόλογος ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις καὶ οὐχ ὅμοιος Ἀθηνίωνι τῷ περιπατητικῷ φιλοσόφῳ, τῷ καὶ διατριβῆς προστάντι φιλοσόφου Ἀθήνησί τε καὶ ἐν Μεσσήνῃ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐν Λαρίσῃ τῆς Θετταλίας, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς Ἀθηναίων πόλεως τυραννήσαντι. περὶ οὗ καθ’ ἕκαστα ἱστορεῖ Ποσειδώνιος ὁ Ἀπαμεύς, ἅπερ εἰ καὶ μακρότερὰ ἐστιν ἐκθήσομαι, ἵν᾽ ἐπιμελῶς πάντας ἐξετάζωμεν τοὺς φάσκοντας εἶναι φιλοσόφους καὶ μὴ τοῖς τριβωνίοις καὶ τοῖς ἀκάρτοις πώγωσι πιστεύωμεν. κατὰ γὰρ τὸν Ἀγάθωνα εἰ μὲν φράσω τἀληθές, οὐχὶ σ’ εὐφρανῶ·· εἰ δ’ εὐφρανῶ· τί σ᾽, οὐχὶ τἀληθὲς φράσω. ἀλλὰ φίλη γάρ, φασίν, ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἐκθήσομαι τὰ περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ὡς ἐγένετο.
"In the school of Erymneus the Peripatetic there was a certain man of the name of Athenion, who applied himself very perseveringly to philosophical discussions. He, having bought an Egyptian female slave, made her his mistress. And when she became a mother, either by him or by some one else, the child was bred up by Athenion, and received the same name as his master. And having been taught literature, he became accustomed to lead his master about when he became an old man, in company with his mother; and when he died he succeeded him as his heir, and became a citizen of Athens, being enrolled under the name of Athenion. And having married a very beautiful girl, after that he betook himself to the profession of a sophist, hunting out for boys to come to his school. And having pursued his profession of sophist at Messene and at Larissa in Thessaly, and having amassed a considerable fortune, he returned to Athens. And having been appointed an ambassador by the Athenian people, when the chief power in all that district was lodged in the hands of Mithridates, he insinuated himself into the good graces of the king, and became one of his friends, being held by him in the greatest honour; in consequence of which he wrote letters to the Athenians to raise their spirits, as one who had the greatest influence with the king of Cappadocia, leading them to hope that they should be discharged of all their existing debts, and live in peace and concord with him; and also that they should recover their democratic constitution, and receive great presents both publicly and privately. And the Athenians boasted of all these promises which were made to them, feeling sure that the supremacy of the Romans would be put an end to.
ἐν τῇ Ἐρυμνέως τοῦ περιπατητικοῦ σχολῇ διέτριβέ τις Ἀθηνίων προσκαρτερῶν τοῖς λόγοις. ὅστις Αἰγυπτίαν ὠνησάμενος θεράπαιναν ἐπεπλέκετο αὐτῇ. ταύτης οὖν παῖς εἴτ’ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τεκούσης, εἴτ’ ἐξ ἄλλου τινος, ὁμώνυμος Ἀθηνίωνι τῷ δεσπότῃ παρετρέφετο. γράμματα δὲ μαθὼν καὶ πρεσβύτην γενόμενον τὸν δεσπότην μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἐχειραγώγει καὶ ἀποθανόντα κληρονομήσας παρέγγραφος Ἀθηναίων πολίτης ἐγένετο. γήμας τε παιδισκάριον εὔμορφον μετὰ τούτου πρὸς τὸ σοφιστεύειν ὥρμησε μειράκια σχολαστικὰ θηρεύων. καὶ σοφιστεύσας ἐν Μεσσήνῃ κἀν Λαρίσῃ τῇ Θετταλικῇ καὶ πολλὰ ἐργασάμενος χρήματα ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας, καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων πρεσβευτής, ὅτε εἰς Μιθριδάτην τὰ πράγματα μετέρρει, ὑποδραμὼν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν φίλων εἷς ἐγένετο, μεγίστης τυχὼν προαγωγῆς, διόπερ μετεώριζε τοὺς Ἀθηναίους δι’ ἐπιστολῶν ὡς τὰ μέγιστα παρὰ τῷ Καππαδόκῃ δυνάμενος, ὥστε μὴ μόνον τῶν ἐπιφερομένων ὀφλημάτων ἀπολυθέντας ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ ζῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν δημοκρατίαν ἀνακτησαμένους, καὶ δωρεῶν μεγάλων τυχεῖν ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ. ταῦτα οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι διεκόμπουν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν καταλελύσθαι πεπιστευκότες.
"Now when all Asia had revolted to the King, Athenio set out to return to Athens; and being tossed about by a storm he was driven to Carystus. And when the Cecropidæ heard this, they sent some ships of war to conduct him back, and a litter with silver feet. And now he is entering the city; and almost the whole of the citizens has poured out to meet him; and many other spectators came together, marvelling at this preposterous freak of fortune, that this intrusive citizen, Athenion, foisted into Athens in such a manner, should be conducted into the city on a litter with silver feet, and lying on purple clothes, a man who had never before seen even purple patch on his ragged cloak; when no one, not even of the Romans, had ever exhibited such pomp and insulting show in Attica before. So there ran to this spectacle men, women, children, all expecting some glorious honours from Mithridates. While Athenio, that ancient beggar, who gave lectures for trifling sums of money, was now making a procession through the country and through the city, relying on the king's favour, and treating every one with great insolence. There met him also the artisans of the spectacles of Bacchus, calling him a messenger of the young Bacchus, and inviting him to the common altar, and to the prayers and libations which were to be offered at it; and he, who had formerly come out of a hired house, into the * * * * * was conducted into a mansion adorned with couches, and pictures, and statues, and a display of silver plate. And from it he issued forth, dragging on the ground a bright cloak, and with a golden ring on his finger, having on it a carved portrait of Mithridates. And numbers of attendants went before him and followed him in procession. And in the plot of ground belonging to the artisans, sacrifices were performed in honour of the return of Athenio, and libations made with formal proclamation by a herald. And the next day many people came to his house and awaited his appearance; and the whole Ceramicus was full of citizens and foreigners, and there was a voluntary thronging of the whole population of the city to the assembly. And at last he came forth, being attended by all who wished to stand well with the people, as if they had been his bodyguards, every one hastening even to touch his garment.
ἤδη οὖν τῆς Ἀσίας μεταβεβλημένης ὁ Ἀθηνίων ἐπανῆγεν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας καὶ ὑπὸ χειμῶνος ἐνοχληθεὶς εἰς τὴν Καρυστίαν κατηνέχθη. τοῦτο μαθόντες οἱ Κεκροπίδαι ἔπεμψαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνακομιδὴν αὐτοῦ ναῦς μακρὰς καὶ φορεῖον ἀργυρόπουν. ἀλλ’ εἴσεισιν ἤδη, καὶ σχεδὸν τὸ πλεῖστον μέρος τῆς πόλεως ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκδοχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐξεκέχυτο· συνέτρεχον δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ ἄλλοι θεαταὶ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς τύχης θαυμάζοντες, εἰ ὁ παρέγγραφος Ἀθηνίων εἰς Ἀθήνας ἐπ’ ἀγρυρόποδος κατακομίζεται φορείου καὶ πορφυρῶν στρωμάτων, ὁ μηδέποτε ἐπὶ τοῦ τρίβωνος ἑωρακὼς πορφύραν πρότερον, οὐδενὸς οὐδὲ Ῥωμαίων ἐν τοιαύτῃ φαντασίᾳ καταχλιδῶντος τῆς Ἀττικῆς. συνέτρεχον οὖν πρὸς τὴν θέαν ταύτην ἄνδρες, γυναῖκες, παῖδες, τὰ κάλλιστα προσδοκῶντες παρὰ Μιθριδάτου, ὁπότε Ἀθηνίων ὁ πένης καὶ τὰς ἐρανικὰς ποιησάμενος ἀκροάσεις διὰ τὸν βασιλέα σιληπορδῶν διὰ τῆς χώρας καὶ πόλεως πομπεύει. ὑπήντησαν δ’ αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον τεχνῖται, τὸν ἄγγελον τοῦ νέου Διονύσου καλοῦντες ἐπὶ τὴν κοινὴν ἑστίαν καὶ τὰς περὶ ταύτην εὐχάς τε καὶ σπονδάς. ὁ δὲ πρότερον ἐκ μισθωτῆς οἰκίας ἐξιὼν εἰς τὴν διευς οἰκίαν τοῦ τότε πλουτοῦντος ἀνθρώπου ταῖς ἐκ Δήλου προσόδοις εἰσηνέχθη, κεκοσμημένην στρωμναῖς τε καὶ γραφαῖς καὶ ἀνδριᾶσι καὶ ἀργυρωμάτων ἐκθέσει, ἀφ’ ἧς ἐξῄει χλαμύδα λαμπρὰν ἐπισύρων καὶ περικείμενος δακτύλιον χρυσίου ἐγγεγλυμμένην ἔχοντα τὴν Μιθριδάτου εἰκόνα· προεπόμπευον δ’ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐφείποντο θεράποντες πολλοί, ἐν δὲ τῷ τεμένει τῶν τεχνιτῶν θυσίαι τε ἐπετελοῦντο ἐπὶ τῇ Ἀθηνίωνος παρουσίᾳ καὶ μετὰ κήρυκος προαναφωνήσεως σπονδαί. καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ πολλοὶ μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἐλθόντες ἀνέμενον αὐτοῦ τὴν πρόοδον πλήρης δ’ ἦν καὶ ὁ Κεραμεικὸς ἀστῶν καὶ ξένων καὶ αὐτόκλητος εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν ὄχλων συνδρομή, ὁ δὲ μόλις προῆλθε δορυφορούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν εὐδοκιμεῖν παρὰ τῷ δήμῳ θελόντων, ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος κἂν προσάψασθαι τῆς ἐσθῆτος.
“He then having ascended the tribunal which had been erected for the Roman generals in front of the portico of Attalus, standing on it, and looking round on all the people in a circle, and then looking up, said, 'O men of Athens, the state of affairs and the interests of my country compel me to relate to you what I know. But the greatness of the affairs that must be mentioned, owing to the unexpected character which circumstances have assumed, hinders me from doing so.' And when all the bystanders called out to him with one accord to be of good cheer, and to tell them,” I tell you, then,' said he, ' of things which have never been hoped for, nor even imagined by any one in a dream. The king Mithridates is master of Bithynia, and of Upper Cappadocia; and he is master of the whole of Asia, without any break, as far as Pamphylia and Cilicia: and the kings of the Armenians and Persians are only his guards; and he is lord of all the nations which dwell around the Palus Mæotis, and the whole of Pontus, so that his dominions are upwards of thirty thousand furlongs in circumference. And the Roman commander in Pamphylia, Quintus Oppius, has been surrendered to him, and is following him as a prisoner, but Manius Aquillius, a man of consular rank, who has celebrated a triumph for his victory over the Sicilians, is fastened by a long chain to Bastarna, a man of gigantic stature, and is dragged byhim on foot at the tail of his horse. And of the other Roman citizens in Asia some have fallen down at the images of the gods, and the rest have put on square cloaks and acknowledge again the claims of their original country. And every city honouring him with more than human honours, galls the king a god; and oracles everywhere promise him the dominion over the whole world, on which account he is now sending large armies against Thrace and Macedonia, and every part of Europe is coming over bodily to his side. For ambassadors are coming to him, not only from the Italian tribes, but also from the Carthaginians, begging him to enter into alliance with them for the destruction of the Romans.' "Having stopped a little after saying this, and having given time for the multitude to converse together about the news thus unexpectedly announced to them, he wiped his face, and went on, 'What then do I advise?—Not to bear this state of anarchy any longer, which the Roman senate makes continue, while it is deciding what constitution you are to enjoy for the future. And do not let us be indifferent to our temples being closed, to our gymnasia being left in the dirt, to our theatre being always empty, and our courts of justice mute, and the Pnyx, consecrated by the oracles of the gods, being taken from the people. Let us not, O Athenians, be indifferent to the sacred voice of Bacchus being reduced to silence, to the holy temple of Castor and Pollux being closed, and to the schools of the philosophers being silence as they are.' And when this slave had said all this and a good deal more, the multitude conversing with one another and running together to the theatre elected Athenio general over the entire army. And then, the Peripatetic coming into the orchestra, walking like Pythocles, thanked the Athenians, and said, 'Now you yourselves are your own generals; and I am the commander-in-chief: and if you exert all your strength to co-operate with me I shall be able to do as much as all of you put together.' And he, having said this, appointed others to be his colleagues in the command, proposing whatever names he thought desirable. "And a few days afterwards, the philosopher having thus appointed himself tyrant, and having proved how much weight is to be attached to the doctrine of the Pythagoreans about plots against others, and what was the practical effect of the philosophy which the admirable Pythagoras laid down, as Theopompus has related in the eighth book of his Philippics, and Hermippus, the Callimachean, has corroborated the account, he immediately removed all the citizens who were right-thinking and of a good disposition (contrary to the sentiments of, and rules laid down by, Aristotle and Theophrastus; showing how true is the proverb which says, Do not put a sword into the hand of a child); and he placed sentinels at the gates, so that many of the Athenians, fearing what he might be going to do, let themselves down over the walls by night, and so fled away. And Athenio sending some horsemen to pursue them slew some of them, and brought back some in chains, having a number of bodyguards about his person of the kind called phractici. And often he convened assemblies, pretending great attachment to the side of the Romans; and bringing accusations against many as having kept up communications with the exiles, and aiming at a revolution, he put them to death. And he placed thirty guards at each gate, and would not allow any one to go either in or out. And he seized on the property of many of the people, and collected such a quantity of money as to fill several wells; and he also sent all over the country people to lie in wait, as it were, for every one who was travelling, and they brought them to him; and he put them to death without any trial, torturing and racking them into the bargain. And he also instituted prosecutions for treason against several people, saying that they were co-operating with the exiles to effect their return. And some of the parties prosecuted fled out of fear before the trials came on, and some were condemned before the tribunals, he himself giving his own vote and collecting those of the others. And he brought about in the city a scarcity of the things necessary for life, stinting the citizens of their proper quantity of barley and wheat. He also sent out heavy-armed soldiers over the country, to hunt out any of those who had fled and who could be found within the borders of the land, or any of the Athenians who were escaping beyond the borders. And whoever was detected he beat to death; and some of them he exhausted beforehand with tortures; and he caused proclamation to be made, that all must be in their houses by sunset, and that no one should presume to walk abroad with a lantern-bearer.
ἀναβὰς οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα τὸ πρὸ τῆς Ἀττάλου στοᾶς ᾠκοδομημένον τοῖς Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοῖς στὰς ἐπὶ τούτου καὶ περιβλέψας κυκληδὸν τὸ πλῆθος, ἔπειτ’ ἀναβλέψας ᾽ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἔφη, τὰ πράγματα μὲν με βιάζεται καὶ τὸ τῆς πατρίδος συμφέρον ἀπαγγέλλειν ἃ οἶδα, τὸ δέ μέγεθος τῶν μελλόντων λέγεσθαι διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς περιστάσεως ἐμποδίζει με ἁθρόως δ’ ἐπιβοησάντων αὐτῷ τῶν περιεστώτων θαρρεῖν καὶ λέγειν, ᾽ λέγω τοίνυν, ἔφη, τὰ μηδέποτε ἐλπισθέντα μηδὲ ἐν ὀνείρῳ φαντασθέντα. βασιλεὺς Μιθριδάτης κρατεῖ μὲν Βιθυνίας καὶ τῆς ἄνω Καππαδοκίας, κρατεῖ δὲ τῆς συνεχοῦς Ἀσίας ἁπάσης ἄχρι Παμφυλίας καὶ Κιλικίας, καὶ βασιλεῖς μὲν αὐτὸν Ἀρμενίων καὶ Περσῶν δορυφοροῦσι, δυνάσται δὲ τῶν περὶ τὴν Μαιῶτιν καὶ τὸν ὅλον Πόντον κατῳκισμένων ἐθνῶν ἐν περιμέτρῳ τρισμυρίων σταδίων. Ῥωμαίων δὲ στρατηγὸς μὲν Παμφυλίας Κόιντος Ὄππιος παραδοθεὶς ἀκολουθεῖ δέσμιος, Μάνιος δὲ Ἀκύλλιος ὁ ὑπατευκώς, ὁ τὸν ἀπὸ Σικελίας καταγαγὼν θρίαμβον, συνδέτην ἔχων ἁλύσει μακρᾷ Βαστάρνην πεντάπηχυν πεζὸς ὑπὸ ἱππέως ἕλκεται, τῶν δ’ ἄλλων Ῥωμαίων οἱ μὲν θεῶν ἀγάλμασι προσπεπτώκασιν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ μεταμφιεσάμενοι τετράγωνα ἱμάτια τὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς πατρίδας πάλιν ὀνομάζουσι. πᾶσα δὲ πόλις ταῖς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον τιμαῖς ὑπαντῶσα κατακαλεῖται τὸν θεὸν βασιλέα· χρησμοὶ δὲ πάντοθεν τὸ κράτος τῆς οἰκουμένης θεσπιῳδοῦσι. διὸ καὶ πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην καὶ τὴν Μακεδονίαν μεγάλα πέμπεται στρατόπεδα, καὶ τὰ τῆς Εὐρώπης ἅπαντα μέρη ἁθρόα εἰς αὐτὸν μεταβέβληται. πάρεισι γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν πρέσβεις οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῶν Ἰταλικῶν ἐθνῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ Καρχηδονίων, συμμαχεῖν ἀξιοῦντες ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς Ῥώμης ἀναίρεσιν μικρὸν δ’ ἐπισχὼν ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἐάσας τοὺς πολλοὺς συλλαλῆσαι περὶ τῶν παραδόξως προηγγελμένων τρίψας τε τὸ μέτωπον ᾽ τί οὖν, εἶπε, συμβουλεύω; μὴ ἀνέχεσθαι τῆς ἀναρχίας ἣν ἡ Ῥωμαίων σύγκλητος ἐπισχεθῆναι πεποίηκεν, ἕως ἂν αὐτὴ δοκιμάσῃ περὶ τοῦ πῶς ἡμᾶς πολιτεύεσθαι δεῖ. καὶ μὴ περιίδωμεν τὰ ἱερὰ κεκλῃμένα, αὐχμῶντα δὲ τὰ γυμνάσια, τὸ δὲ θέατρον ἀνεκκλησίαστον, ἄφωνα δὲ τὰ δικαστήρια καὶ τὴν θεῶν χρησμοῖς καθωσιωμένην πύκνα ἀφῃρημένην τοῦ δήμου, μὴ περιίδωμεν δέ, ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τὴν ἱερὰν τοῦ Ἰάκχου φωνὴν κατασεσιγασμένην καὶ τὸ σεμνὸν ἀνάκτορον τοῖν θεοῖν κεκλῃμένον καὶ τῶν φιλοσόφων τὰς διατριβὰς ἀφώνους πολλῶν οὖν καὶ ἄλλων τοιούτων λεχθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ οἰκότριβος, συλλαλήσαντες αὑτοῖς οἱ ὄχλοι καὶ συνδραμόντες εἰς τὸ θέατρον εἵλοντο τὸν Ἀθηνίωνα στρατηγὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπλων, καὶ παρελθὼν ὁ περιπατητικὸς εἰς τὴν ὀρχήστραν ᾽ ἴσα βαίνων Πυθοκλεῖ ᾽ εὐχαρίστησέ τε τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ ἔφη διότι ᾽ νῦν ὑμεῖς ἑαυτῶν στρατηγεῖτε, προέστηκα δ’ ἐγώ. καὶ ἂν συνεπισχύσητε, τοσοῦτον δυνήσομαι ὅσον κοινῇ πάντες ὑμεῖς.᾽ ταῦτ’ εἰπὼν συγκατέστησεν ἑαυτῷ τοὺς ἄλλους ἄρχοντας, ὧν ἠβούλετο ὑποβαλὼν τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ μετ’ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας τύραννον αὑτὸν ἀποδείξας ὁ φιλόσοφος καὶ τὸ τῶν Πυθαγορικῶν ἀναδείξας δόγμα τὸ περὶ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς καὶ τί ἠβούλετο αὐτοῖς ἡ φιλοσοφία ἣν ὁ καλὸς Πυθαγόρας εἰσηγήσατο, καθάπερ ἱστόρησε Θεόπομπος ἐν ὀγδόῃ Φιλιππικῶν καὶ Ἕρμιππος ὁ Καλλιμάχειος, εὐθέως καὶ οὗτος τοὺς μὲν εὖ φρονοῦντας τῶν πολιτῶν—παρὰ τὰ Ἀριστοτέλους καὶ Θεοφράστου δόγματα· ὡς ἀληθῆ εἶναι τὴν παροιμίαν τὴν λέγουσαν ᾽μὴ παιδὶ μάχαιραν ᾽ ἐκποδὼν εὐθὺς ἐποιήσατο, φύλακας δ’ ἐπὶ τὰς πύλας κατέστησεν, ὡς νύκτωρ πολλοὺς τῶν Ἀθηναίων εὐλαβουμένους τὸ μέλλον κατά τῶν τειχῶν αὑτοὺς καθιμήσαντας φεύγειν. καὶ ὁ Ἀθηνίων ἱππέας ἐπαποστείλας οὓς μὲν ἐφόνευσεν, οὓς δὲ καὶ δεδεμένους κατήγαγε, δορυφόρους ἔχων πολλοὺς τῶν καταφρακτικῶν καλουμένων, συνάγων δὲ καὶ ἐκκλησίας πολλάκις τὰ Ῥωμαίων φρονεῖν προσεποιεῖτο … καὶ πολλοῖς αἰτίας ἐπιφέρων ὡς διαπεμπομένοις πρὸς τοὺς φυγάδας καὶ νεωτερίζουσιν ἐφόνευεν αὐτούς· καὶ τὰς πύλας … τριάκοντα καταστήσας ἐφ’ ἑκάστης οὔτ’ εἰσιέναι τὸν βουλόμενον οὔτ’ ἐξιέναι εἴα. ἀνελάμβανεν δὲ καὶ τὰς οὐσίας πολλῶν καὶ τοσαῦτα χρήματα συνήθροισεν ὡς καὶ φρέατα πληρῶσαι πλείονα, ἐξαπέστειλεν δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ὥσπερ ὁδοιδόκους τῶν ἀποχωρούντων, οἵτινες αὐτοὺς ἀνῆγον ὡς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀκρίτους ἀπώλλυεν προβασανίσας καὶ στρεβλώσας. πολλοῖς δὲ καὶ προδοσίας δίκας ἐπῆγεν ὡς τοῖς φυγάσι περὶ καθόδου συνεργοῦσιν ὧν οἱ μὲν διὰ τὸν φόβον πρὸ τῆς κρίσεως ἔφευγον, οἱ δ’ ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις κατεδικάζοντο, αὐτοῦ τὰς ψήφους φέροντος. ἐνειργάσατο δ’ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀναγκαίων ἔνδειαν, κριθίδια καὶ πυροὺς ὀλίγους διαμετρῶν. ἐξέπεμπε δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας ὁπλίτας τοὺς θηρεύσοντας, εἴ τις τῶν ἀνακεχωρηκότων ἐντός ἐστι τῶν ὅρων ἢ τῶν Ἀθηναίων τις εἰς τὴν ὑπερόριον ἀποδημεῖ· καὶ τὸν ληφθέντα ἀπετυμπάνιζεν, ὧν ἐνίους καὶ προκατανάλισκε ταῖς βασάνοις, ἐκήρυσσέν τε δύντος ἡλίου πάντας οἰκουρεῖν καὶ μετὰ λυχνοφόρου μηδένα φοιτᾶν.