[1] Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, ἔτυχεν ἐπὶ τὴν Λευκίππην μετὰ τὴν πρός με ὁμιλίαν εὐθὺς εἰς τοὺς ἀγροὺς ἡ Μελίτη νεανίσκον ἀποστείλασα, ἐπείγειν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, μηδὲν ἔτι δεομένη φαρμάκων. [2] Ὡς οὖν ἧκεν οὗτος εἰς τοὺς ἀγρούς, καταλαμβάνει τὰς θεραπαινίδας ζητούσας τὴν Λευκίππην καὶ πάνυ τεταραγμένας: ὡς δὲ ἦν οὐδαμοῦ, δρόμῳ φθάσας ἀπήγγειλε τὸ συμβάν. [3] Ἡ δὲ ὡς ἤκουσε τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ, ὡς εἴην εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἐμβληθείς, εἶτα περὶ τῆς Λευκίππης, ὡς ἀφανὴς ἐγένετο, νέφος αὐτῆς κατεχύθη λύπης. [4] Καὶ τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς οὐκ εἶχεν εὑρεῖν, ὑπενόει δὲ τὸν Σωσθένην: βουλομένη δὲ φανερὰν αὐτῆς τὴν ζήτησιν ποιήσασθαι διὰ τοῦ Θερσάνδρου, τέχνην λόγων ἐπενόησεν, ἥτις μεμιγμένην εἶχε τῷ σοφίσματι τὴν ἀλήθειαν.
8. While all this was happening, it chanced that Melitte, after her visit to me, had sent a young man to the country seat after Leucippe, to bid her hasten to return, as there was no longer any need for the philtre. On his arrival there, he found the serving-maids looking for Leucippe, and greatly disordered; as she could not be found anywhere, he hurried back and related all he knew to his mistress. Having first heard my case, how I had been clapped into gaol, and now about the disappearance of Leucippe, a cloud of grief descended upon her. She had no means of finding out the truth, but suspected Sosthenes; and desiring to shed light on her enquiry by means of Thersander, she devised an artful plan to be put into effect by means of questions, mingling a little truth with the story she had made up.
[1] Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ Θέρσανδρος εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἐβόα πάλιν ‘σὺ τὸν μοιχὸν ἐξέκλεψας: σὺ τῶν δεσμῶν ἐξέλυσας καὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἐξαπέστειλας: σὸν τὸ ἔργον: τί οὖν οὐκ ἠκολούθεις αὐτῷ; τί δὲ ἐνταῦθα μένεις, ἀλλ̓ οὐκ ἄπει πρὸς τὸν ἐρώμενον, ἵνα αὐτὸν ἴδῃς στερροτέροις δεσμοῖς δεδεμένον;’ ἡ Μελίτη ‘ποῖον μοιχόν;’ ἔφη: ‘τί πάσχεις; εἰ γὰρ θέλεις τὴν μανίαν ἀφεὶς ἀκοῦσαι τὸ πᾶν, μαθήσῃ ῥᾳδίως τὴν ἀλήθειαν. [2] Ἓν οὖν σου δέομαι, γενοῦ μοι δικαστὴς ἴσος, καὶ καθήρας μέν σου τὰ ὦτα τῆς διαβολῆς, ἐκβαλὼν δὲ τῆς καρδίας τὴν ὀργήν, τὸν δὲ λογισμὸν ἐπιστήσας κριτὴν ἀκέραιον ἄκουσον. Ὁ νεανίσκος οὗτος οὔτε μοιχὸς ἦν ἐμὸς οὔτ̓ ἀνήρ, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν γένος ἀπὸ Φοινίκης, Τυρίων οὐδενὸς δεύτερος: ἔπλευσε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς οὐκ εὐτυχῶς, ἀλλὰ πᾶς ὁ φόρτος αὐτοῦ γέγονε τῆς θαλάσσης. [3] Ἀκούσασα τὴν τύχην ἠλέησα καὶ ἀνεμνήσθην σου, καὶ παρέσχον ἑστίαν ‘τάχα’ λέγουσα ‘καὶ Θέρσανδρος οὕτω που πλανᾶται: τάχα’ λέγουσα ‘τὶς κἀκεῖνον ἐλεήσει γυνή. Εἰ δὲ τῷ ὄντι τέθνηκε κατὰ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὡς ἡ φήμη λέγει, [4] φέρε πάντα τιμήσωμεν τὰ ναυάγια.’ Πόσους καὶ ἄλλους ἔθρεψα νεναυαγηκότας; πόσους ἔθαψα τῆς θαλάσσης νεκρούς; Εἰ ξύλον ἐκ ναυαγίας τῇ γῇ προσπεσὸν ἐλάμβανον, ‘τάχα’ ἔλεγον ‘ἐπὶ ταύτης τῆς νεὼς [5] Θέρσανδρος ἔπλει.’ Εἷς δὴ καὶ οὗτος ἦν τῶν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης σωζομένων: ἐχαριζόμην σοὶ τιμῶσα τοῦτον. Ἔπλευσεν ὥσπερ σύ: ἐτίμων φίλτατε, τῆς σῆς συμφορᾶς τὴν εἰκόνα. Πῶς οὖν ἐνταῦθα συνεπηγόμην; [6] ὁ λόγος ἀληθής. Ἔτυχε μὲν πενθῶν γυναῖκα, ἡ δ̓ ἄρα ἐλάνθανεν οὐκ ἀποθανοῦσα: τοῦτό τις αὐτῷ καταγορεύει καὶ ὡς ἐνταῦθα εἴη παρά τινι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπιτρόπων: Σωσθένην δὲ ἔλεγε. Καὶ οὕτως εἶχε: [7] τὴν γὰρ ἄνθρωπον ἥκοντες εὕρομεν. Διὰ τοῦτο ἠκολούθησέ μοι. Ἔχεις τὸν Σωσθένην, πάρεστιν ἡ γυνὴ κατὰ τοὺς ἀγρούς. Ἐξέτασον τῶν λεχθέντων ἕκαστον. Εἴ τι ἐψευσάμην, μεμοίχευμαι.’
9. When Thersander then came into the house, and began shouting again: “You have spirited away your gallant; you have loosed him from his fetters; you have got him out of the house! This is all your work; why do you not follow him? Why do you stay here? Why do you not get off to your beloved and see him now fettered in stronger bonds?”
“What gallant?” replied Melitte. “What is the matter with you? If you can but drop this fury of yours, and hear the whole story, you will have no difficulty in realising the truth. I only ask one thing of you — be an impartial judge, clear your ears of all the slander you have heard; expel anger from your heart and put reason into its place, the only unbiased arbiter. This young man has been neither my gallant nor my husband; he is a Phoenician by birth, and of a stock second to none among the people of Tyre. He too had an unfortunate voyage, and the whole cargo that he had shipped became the prey of the sea. I heard of his mishap and took pity on him; I thought of you, and offered him my hospitality. ‘Perhaps,’ I said, ‘Thersander is now a wanderer like him; perhaps some woman will take pity on him too. And if he has really perished at sea, as the report tells, let us do our best then for all the victims of shipwreck.’ How many others in such a plight did I not befriend? How many of the sea’s dead did I not bury, if but a plank of a wreck were washed ashore? and ‘Perhaps,’
I would say, ‘Thersander used to sail on the very ship of which this was a part?’ This man, then, was the last of my refugees saved from the waters; I thought that I was doing what I could for you by looking after him. He had gone on a voyage like you; I was honouring, my dear, the parallel to your fate. How then did I happen to be here in his company? I will tell you the whole true story. He happened to be mourning for the loss of his wife; but though he had lost her, she was not dead. Somebody informed him of this, and also that she was here, in the possession of one of our bailiffs; and told him the bailiff’s name, Sosthenes. This was actually the case; we found the woman here when we arrived. This was the reason that he came with me. You have Sosthenes at your disposal, and she is here at our country place; make inquiries as to the truth of every particular that I have told you. If my story is false in any respect, I admit myself convicted of unfaithfulness.”
[1] Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγε προσποιησαμένη τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τῆς Λευκίππης μὴ ἐγνωκέναι: ταμιευσαμένη αὖθις, εἰ ζητήσει ὁ Θέρσανδρος εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὰς θεραπαινίδας ἀγαγεῖν, αἷς συναπελθοῦσα ἔτυχεν, ἂν μὴ παραγένηται περὶ τὴν ἕω, λεγούσας, ὅπερ ἦν, οὐδαμοῦ φαίνεσθαι τὴν κόρην. [2] Οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὴν ἐγκεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν φανερῶς, ὡς καὶ τὸν Θέρσανδρον ἐπαναγκάσαι. Ταῦτα οὖν ὑποκριναμένη πιθανῶς κἀκεῖνα προσετίθει ‘πίστευσον, ἄνερ: οὐδέν μου, φί�
�τατε, παρὰ τὸν τῆς συμβιώσεως κατέγνωκας χρόνον: [3] μηδὲ νῦν τοιοῦτον ὑπολάβῃς. Ἡ δὲ φήμη διαπεφοίτηκεν ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὸν νεανίσκον τιμῆς, οὐκ εἰδότων τῶν πολλῶν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κοινωνίας. [4] Καὶ γὰρ σὺ φήμῃ τέθνηκας. Φήμη δὲ καὶ Διαβολὴ δύο συγγενῆ κακά: θυγάτηρ ἡ Φήμη τῆς Διαβολῆς. Καὶ ἔστι μὲν ἡ Διαβολὴ μαχαίρας ὀξυτέρα, πυρὸς σφοδροτέρα, Σειρήνων πιθανωτέρα: ἡ δὲ Φήμη ὕδατος ὑγροτέρα, πνεύματος δρομικωτέρα, πτερῶν ταχυτέρα. [5] Ὅταν οὖν ἡ Διαβολὴ τοξεύσῃ τὸν λόγον, ὁ μὲν δίκην βέλους ἐξίπταται καὶ τιτρώσκει μὴ παρόντα καθ̓ οὗ πέμπεται, ὁ δὲ ἀκούων ταχὺ πείθεται καὶ ὀργῆς αὐτῷ πῦρ ἐξάπτεται καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν βληθέντα μαίνεται: τεχθεῖσα δὲ ἡ Φήμη τῷ τοξεύματι ῥεῖ μὲν εὐθὺς πολλὴ καὶ ἐπικλύζει τὰ ὦτα τῶν ἐντυχόντων, διάττει δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον καταιγίζουσα τῷ τοῦ λόγου πνεύματι καὶ ἐξίπταται κουφιζομένη τῷ τῆς γλώττης πτερῷ. [6] Ταῦτά με τὰ δύο πολεμεῖ: ταῦτά σου τὴν ψυχὴν κατέλαβε καὶ ἀπέκλεισέ μου τοῖς λόγοις τῶν ὤτων σου τὰς θύρας.’
10. This was the story she told, pretending that she knew nothing of Leucippe’s abduction; but on the other hand she held in reserve her power, if Thersander should attempt to discover the truth, of bringing forward the serving-maids in whose company Leucippe had departed, to say, if she did not reappear in the morning, that she could not be found anywhere. She could thus openly continue her search for the girl, and at the same time compel Thersander to reveal his own plans. In addition to the plausible story that she had already contrived, she went on as follows: “Trust me, my husband; in all the period of our married life, you have never, my dear, had anything with which to reproach me, and do not now suspect me of anything of the kind. This rumour got abroad because of the care which I took of the young man; the community did not know the real reason of our association; and by rumour, you, too, were dead. Rumour and Slander are two kindred Furies: Rumour is Slander’s daughter. Slander is sharper than any sword, stronger than fire, more persuasive than a Siren; Rumour is more slippery than water, runs faster than the wind, flies quicker than any winged bird. When Slander shoots forth a lying report, it flies like an arrow and wounds him at whom it is aimed even though he is not present where the word is spoken; the hearer quickly believes it, the fire of his anger is kindled, and he is soon furious and mad against the object of the shot. Rumour, brought into being by the act of shooting, at once flows onward gaining in volume, and overwhelms the ears of all whom she meets; she travels far, like a wind, carried storm-wise on the gale of words; she flies, (The metaphors seem a little mixed, but they are only repeating the three similes applied to Rumour in § 4 above.) borne aloft by the wings of the human tongue. These two plagues are my enemies: they have captured your mind, and by their arguments they have shut against me the doors of your ears.”
[1] Καὶ ἅμα λέγουσα χειρός τε ἔθιγε καὶ καταφιλεῖν ἤθελεν. Ἐγεγόνει δὲ ἡμερώτερος, καὶ αὐτὸν ἔσαινε τῶν λεγομένων τὸ πιθανόν, καὶ τὸ τῆς Λευκίππης σύμφωνον τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Σωσθένους μέρος τῆς ὑπονοίας μετέφερεν: οὐ μέντοι τέλεον ἐπίστευσε: ζηλοτυπία γὰρ ἅπαξ ἐμπεσοῦσα ψυχῇ δυσέκνιπτόν ἐστιν. [2] Ἐθορυβήθη οὖν ὅτι τὴν κόρην ἤκουσεν εἶναί μου γυναῖκα, ὥστε ἐμίσει με μᾶλλον. Τότε μὲν οὖν εἰπὼν ἐξετάσειν περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων, κοιμησόμενος ᾤχετο καθ̓ αὑτόν: ἡ δὲ Μελίτη κακῶς εἶχε τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς ἐκπεσοῦσα πρός με τῆς ὑποσχέσεως. [3] Ὁ δὲ Σωσθένης προπέμψας μέχρι τινὸς τὸν Θέρσανδρον καὶ καθυποσχόμενος περὶ τῆς Λευκίππης αὖθις ἀναστρέφει πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ σχηματίσας τὸ πρόσωπον εἰς ἡδονὴν ‘κατωρθώσαμεν’ εἶπεν ‘ὦ Λάκαινα: Θέρσανδρος ἐρᾷ σου καὶ μαίνεται, ὥστε τάχα καὶ γυναῖκα ποιήσεταί σε: τὸ δὲ κατόρθωμα τοῦτο ἐμόν. [4] Ἐγὼ γάρ σου πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τοῦ κάλλους πολλὰ ἐτερατευσάμην καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ φαντασίας ἐγέμισα. Τί κλάεις; ἀνάστηθι καὶ θῦε ἐπὶ τοῖς εὐτυχήμασιν Ἀφροδίτῃ: μνημόνευε δὲ κἀμοῦ.’
11. While she was still speaking, she took his hand and made as though to kiss him. He was already somewhat calmed by her words; and was both coaxed by the plausibility of what she said and had part of his suspicions removed by the harmony of her story with that of Sosthenes. However, he did not yet completely trust her: for when jealousy has once entered the heart, it is hard indeed to remove its stain. Then he was greatly vexed at hearing that the maiden was my wife, and this made him but hate me the more. For the time, he said that he would make further inquiries about the story that she had told him, and retired alone to bed; Melitte, the while, was greatly distressed in that she had failed to perform her promise to me.
Sosthenes, after accompanying Thersander on part of his journey home and encouraging him to hope for Leucippe’s favours, turned back again and went to her. He composed his face to wear an expression of delight, and, “We have succeeded, Lacaena,” he said. “Thersander is in love with you, madly in love, so that he is likely to make you his wife. All this success was my doing; for it was I who dilated at great length to him of your beauty, and have filled his heart with a violent fancy for you. Why do you weep? Up, and sacrifice to Aphrodite for your good fortune; and then mind you remember me too.”
[1] Καὶ ἡ Λευκίππη ‘τοιαῦτα σοὶ’ ἔφη ‘γένοιτο εὐτυχήματα, οἷα ἐμοὶ κομίζων πάρει.’ Ὁ δὲ Σωσθένης τὴν εἰρωνείαν οὐ συνείς, ἀλλὰ νομίζων αὐτὴν τὰ ὄντα λέγειν, φιλοφρονούμενος προσετίθει ‘βούλομαι δέ σοι καὶ τὸν Θέρσανδρον ὅστις ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἂν μᾶλλον ἡσθείης. [2] Μελέτης μὲν ἀνήρ, ἣν εἶδες ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, γένει δὲ πρῶτος ἁπάντων τῶν Ἰώνων: πλοῦτος μείζων τοῦ γένους, ὑπὲρ τὸν πλοῦτον ἡ χρηστότης: τὴν δὲ ἡλικίαν οἷός ἐστιν εἶδες, ὅτι νέος καὶ καλός, [3] ὃ μάλιστα τέρπει γυναῖκα.’ Πρὸς τοῦτο οὐχ ὑπήνεγκεν ἡ Λευκίππη ληροῦντα τὸν Σωσθένην, ἀλλ̓ ‘ὦ κακὸν σὺ θηρίον’ ἔφη ‘μέχρι τίνος μοι [4] μιαίνεις τὰ ὦτα; Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ Θερσάνδρῳ κοινόν; Καλὸς ἔστω Μελίτῃ καὶ πλούσιος τῇ πόλει, χρηστός τε καὶ μεγαλόψυχος τοῖς δεομένοις: ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐδὲν μέλει τούτων, εἴτε ἐστὶ καὶ Κόδρου εὐγενέστερος εἴτε Κροίσου πλουσιώτερος. [5] Τί μοι καταλέγεις σωρὸν ἀλλοτρίων ἐγκωμίων; Τότε ἐπαινέσω Θέρσανδρον ὡς ἄνδρα ἀγαθόν, ὅταν εἰς τὰς ἀλλοτρίας μὴ ἐνυβρίζῃ γυναῖκας.’
12. “I pray,” said Leucippe, “that you may have just such good fortune as you come and bring me now.” Sosthenes did not in the least understand her sarcasm, and went on in high good humour: “I want to tell you all about Thersander, to give you the better conceit of your good luck. He is the husband of Melitte, the lady whom you saw at the country place; he is the very highest of all the lonians in birth, his riches are above his birth, and his amiability above his riches. His looks you could see for yourself; how he is young and well-favoured, things that women particularly appreciate.” At this point Leucippe could no longer bear the vapourings of Sosthenes, but burst out: “You vile beast, how much longer are you going on polluting my ears? What do I care about Thersander? Let him be well-favoured for his Melitte, and rich for his city, and amiable and generous for those who need it; I care for none of all these, whether he be nobler than Codrus, or richer than Croesus. Why go on piling up another’s praises to me? I shall esteem Thersander as a good man, when he stops forcing his attentions on other men’s wives.”
[1] Καὶ ὁ Σωσθένης σπουδάσας εἶπε ‘παίζεις.’ ‘Πῶς παίζω;’ ἔφη. ‘Ἔα με, ἄνθρωπε, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐμαυτῆς συντρίβεσθαι τύχης καὶ τοῦ κατέχοντός με δαίμονος: οἶδα γὰρ οὖσα ἐν πειρατηρίῳ.’ ‘Δοκεῖς μοι’ ἔφη ‘μαίνεσθαι μανίαν ἀνήκεστον. [2] Πειρατήριον ταῦτα εἶναί σοι δοκεῖ, πλοῦτος καὶ γάμος καὶ τρυφή, ἄνδρα τοιοῦτον λαβούσῃ παρὰ τῆς Τύχης, ὃν οὕτω φιλοῦσιν οἱ θεοί, ὡς αὐτὸν καὶ ἐκ μέσων τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν ἀναγαγεῖν;’ Εἶτα κατέλεγε τὴν ναυαγίαν, ἐκθειάζων ὡς ἐσώθη, καὶ τερατευόμενος ὑπὲρ τὸν δελφῖνα τὸν Ἀρίονος. [3] Ὡς δ̓ οὐδὲν ἡ Λευκίππη οὐκέτι μυθολογοῦντα πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπε, ‘σκέψαι’ ἔφη ‘κατὰ σὲ τί ἄμεινον, καὶ ὅπως μηδὲν τούτων πρὸς Θέρσανδρον ἐρεῖς, μὴ παροξύνῃς χρηστὸν ἄνδρα: [4] ὀργισθεὶς γὰρ ἀφόρητός ἐστι. Χρηστότης γὰρ τυγχάνουσα μὲν χάριτος ἐπὶ μᾶλλον αὔξεται, προπηλακισθεῖσα δὲ εἰς ὀργὴν ἐρεθίζεται. Τὸ γὰρ περιττὸν εἰς φιλανθρωπίαν ἴσον ἔχει τὸν θυμὸν εἰς τιμωρίαν.’
Complete Works of Achilles Tatius Page 76