Complete Works of Achilles Tatius

by Achilles Tatius

  6. “You see this grove here behind the shrine. Within it is a grotto that may not be entered by any women except clean maids, and a little within its walls there hangs up a pan-pipes. If this instrument is found as a native institution among you of Byzantium, you will be well acquainted with that of which I speak, but if any of you are less familiar with music of this description, allow me to explain it to you and to tell you the whole story of Pan. The panpipes is in reality a set of flutes, and while each reed is a flute, the whole group of reeds is equal to one flute (Because the one flute can make all the notes of the group of single reeds.); they are fastened together in a row, one after the other, to form a single whole, and the instrument appears the same whether regarded from the back or the front. The reeds differ slightly from one another in length; the shortest is fixed at one end of the row, then comes that which is next above it in size, then, third, the one which is as much longer than the second as the second is longer than the first, and so the whole of them in due order, going up in equal gradations from the first, and the middle one is half-way in size between the first and the last. (The whole of this passage is difficult to translate; the description of the instrument is clumsy and involved, and the text is far from secure. I do not flatter myself that I have done more than represent as closely as possible the general sense of the Greek.) The reason for this arrangement is to be found in the intervals of the scale: that which gives the highest note is at the top, and the note descends with the length of the reed, so that the two extremities are occupied by the pipes which are musically furthest apart; while, as for the intervals between these extremities, each reed is a note below its neighbour until it comes to the deepest of all at the far end. The sounds which Athene’s flute makes within, the pan-pipes makes at the ends of the reeds, but whereas in the former the note is governed by the movement of the fingers over the holes, in the latter case the performer’s lips replace the office of the fingers. With the flute, the performer stops all the holes but one, through which the breath escapes; but with the pan-pipes all the rest of the reeds are left untouched, and the lips are applied to one alone, the one which is to speak, and thence moves from one reed to another as the necessities of the tune indicate, so that the mouth may be said to dance along the pipes. Now originally the pan-pipes was neither pipe nor reed, but a maiden so fair that one would judge her worthy of a place among the gods. (The story is given in full by Ovid, Metamorphoses i. 691, though the passage is unfortunately too long to quote here.) Pan was chasing her, a chase inspired by love, and in her flight she entered a thick wood; he, close on her heels, was just stretching out his hand to catch her. He thought that his chase had been successful, and that he was grasping her hair: but his hand only clutched a bunch of reeds; she, it is said, had sunk into the ground, which bore a clump of reeds in her place. Pan, in a passion, cut away the reeds, thinking that they were hiding his beloved from him: but when, after a search lasting some time, he was unable to find her, he realised that she had been transformed into the reeds and regretted his action, thinking that he had actually cut down the object of his love. So he collected the fragments of reed as though they had been the maiden’s limbs and put them together as though to form a single body: and then, holding the pieces in his hands, kissed them, as though they had been her wounds. As he put his lips to them he groaned from love, and breathed down upon the reeds while he kissed them; and his breath, pouring down through the holes in them, gave musical notes, and the pan-pipes found its voice. So it is said that Pan there hung up the instrument, shutting it up in a cave, and that it was his custom to resort there often and play on the pipes. Some time after he made a gift of the whole spot to Artemis, making a compact with her that it should be entered by no woman no longer a maid. If therefore any girl is accused of being of doubtful virginity, she is sent by public decree to the door of the grotto, and the panpipes decides the ordeal for her; she goes in, clad in the proper dress, and the doors are closed behind her. If she is in reality a virgin, a clear and divine note is heard, either because there is some breeze in the place which enters the pipes and makes a musical sound, or possibly because it is Pan himself that is piping: and after a short time the doors of the grotto open of their own accord, and out comes the virgin with a wreath of the foliage of the pine upon her head. But if she has lied about her virginity, the pan-pipes is silent, and a groan comes forth from the cave instead of a musical sound; the people go away and leave the woman inside. On the third day after, the virgin priestess of the spot comes and finds the pan-pipes lying on the ground, but there is no trace of the woman. It is advisable therefore that you should take most careful thought as to the position that you are in, and be prudent. If she is a virgin, as I hope and think, go on light-heartedly and find the pan-pipes in your favour, for there is no instance of their giving a false decision; but if not, for you know that in the various trials to which she has been subject, it is possible that she, all against her will—”

  [1] Καὶ εὐθὺς ἡ Λευκίππη πρὶν τὸν ἱερέα εἰπεῖν τὸν ἑξῆς λόγον ‘ὡς γέ μοι δοκεῖ, μηδὲ εἴπῃς: ἐγὼ γὰρ ἑτοίμη εἰς τὸ τῆς σύριγγος σπήλαιον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ χωρὶς προκλήσεως κατακεκλεῖσθαι.’ ‘Ἀγαθὰ λέγεις’ ὁ ἱερεὺς εἶπε ‘καί σοι συνήδομαι ὑπὲρ σωφροσύνης καὶ [2] τύχης.’ Τότε μὲν οὖν ἑσπέρας γενομένης ἕκαστος ἡμῶν ἀπῄει κοιμησόμενος ἔνθα ὁ ἱερεὺς παρεσκεύασεν, ὁ Κλεινίας δὲ οὐκ ἦν ἡμῖν συνδειπνῶν, ὡς ἂν μὴ φορτικοὶ δοκοίημεν εἶναι τῷ ξενοδόκῳ: ἀλλ̓ ἔνθα καὶ τὴν πρόσθεν ἡμέραν, καὶ τὴν τότε. [3] Τὸν μέντοι Σώστρατον ἑώρων ὑποθορυβηθέντα τῷ τῆς σύριγγος διηγήματι, μὴ ἄρα τὰ περὶ τῆς παρθενίας δἰ αἰδῶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ψευδώμεθα. [4] Διανεύω δὴ τῇ Λευκίππῃ νεύματι ἀφανεῖ τὸν φόβον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξελεῖν ἐπισταμένῃ οἵῳ δὴ τρόπῳ μάλιστα οἴεται πείσειν. Κἀκείνη δὲ ἐδόκει μοι ταὐτὸν ὑποπτεύειν, ὥστε ταχύ μου συνῆκε. Διενοεῖτο δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ παῤ ἐμοῦ νεύματος πῶς ἂν κοσμιώτατα προσενεχθείη τῷ πιστώματι. [5] Μέλλουσα οὖν πρὸς ὕπνον ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀσπαζομένη τὸν πατέρα ἠρέμα πρὸς αὐτὸν ‘θάρρει πάτερ’ ἔφη ‘περὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ πίστευε τοῖς εἰρημένοις. Μὰ τὴν γὰρ Ἄρτεμιν, οὐδέτερος ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἐψεύσατο.’ [6] Τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ περὶ τὴν θεωρίαν ἦσαν ὅ τε Σώστρατος καὶ ὁ ἱερεύς, καὶ ηὐτρεπισμέναι ἦσαν αἱ θυσίαι, παρῆν δὲ καὶ ἡ βουλὴ μεθέξουσα τῶν ἱερείων: εὐφημίαι δὲ ἦσαν εἰς τὴν θεὸν πολλαί, καὶ ὁ Θέρσανδρος （ἔτυχε γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς παρὼν） προσελθὼν τῷ προέδρῳ ‘πρόγραψον εἰς αὔριον’ ἔφη ‘τὰς περὶ ἡμῶν δίκας, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν καταγνωσθέντα σοι χθὲς ἤδη τινὲς ἔλυσαν, καὶ ὁ Σωσθένης ἐστὶν οὐδαμοῦ.’ Προγέγραπτο μὲν οὖν εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἡ δίκη, παρεσκευαζόμεθα δὲ ἡμεῖς μάλα εὐπρεπῶς ἔχοντες.

  7. But Leucippe would not let the bishop finish his sentence. I am quite determined,” she broke in; “say nothing more. I am ready to go into the grotto of the pan-pipes and to be shut up there even without any legal challenge.”

  “Good news,” said the bishop, “and I congratulate you o
n your discretion (σωφροσύνη is exactly equivalent to the French sagesse in this rather technical shade of meaning. We are unable to represent it with precision in English. I fear that the bishop’s next words sound a little cynical; we know that he was well up in Aristophanes, but I am not sure whether our author intends him to be speaking here with a smile.) and your good fortune.” It was by this time the evening, and we each of us retired to bed according as the bishop had made disposition for us: Clinias had not dined with us, as we did not wish to seem to impose on the hospitality of our good host, but had stayed in the same lodging where he had been the day before. I should say that I had noticed that Sostratus shewed some slight signs of uneasiness during the story about the pan-pipes; he was evidently afraid that we had somewhat exaggerated Leucippe’s virginity out of respect to his presence; I therefore gave Leucippe an imperceptible sign that she should relieve her father’s anxiety, as she would obviously know best how to convince him; from the readiness with which she understood my hint, I rather think that she must have had the same suspicion about him, so that she quickly understood me and even before my sign she had been thinking of the most seemly way to make his assurance doubly sure. When therefore she was on the point of retiring to bed, she kissed her father good-night, and said to him in a low voice: “Courage, father, as far as I am concerned; and believe our story. I swear to you by Artemis that neither of us concealed the truth in any detail.”

  On the following day Sostratus and the bishop went about the business of the sacred embassy, and the sacrifices were handsomely performed, the members of the council being present and assisting at the service. Many were the blessings and hymns with which the goddess was invoked, when Thersander, who had also put in an appearance, went up to the presiding officer, saying: “I request you to put down my case for to-morrow; some persons have taken it upon themselves to release the prisoner whom you condemned yesterday, and Sosthenes is nowhere to be found.” The case had therefore been put down for the following day, and we were making the most elaborate preparations for our part in it.

  [1] Ἡκούσης δὲ τῆς κυρίας ὁ Θέρσανδρος εἶπεν ὧδε ‘Οὐκ οἶδα τίνος ἄρξωμαι λόγου καὶ πόθεν, οὐδὲ τίνων κατηγορήσω πρῶτον καὶ τίνων δεύτερον. Τά τε γὰρ τετολμημένα πολλὰ ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ οὐδὲν οὐδενὸς τῷ μεγέθει δεύτερον: πάντα δὲ ἀλλήλων γυμνὰ καὶ μεθ̓ ὧν οὐδ̓ ἂν ἅψωμαι κατηγορῶν. [2] Τὰ γὰρ τῆς ψυχῆς κρατούσης φοβοῦμαι μὴ ἀτελής μοι ὁ λόγος γένηται, τῆς τῶν ἄλλων μνήμης τὴν γλῶτταν ἐφ̓ ἕκαστον ἑλκούσης. Ἡ γὰρ εἰς τὸ μήπω λεχθὲν ἔπειξις τοῦ λόγου τὸ ὁλόκληρον τῶν ἤδη λεχθέντων παραιρεῖται. [3] Ὅταν μὲν γὰρ φονεύωσι τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους οἰκέτας οἱ μοιχοί, μοιχεύωσι δὲ τὰς ἀλλοτρίας γυναῖκας οἱ φονεῖς, λύωσι δ̓ ἡμῖν τὰς θεωρίας οἱ πορνοβοσκοί, τὰ δὲ σεμνότατα τῶν ἱερῶν μιαίνωσιν αἱ πόρναι, τὰς ἡμέρας δὲ λογιζόμενος, ἢ ταῖς δούλαις καὶ τοῖς δεσπόταις, τί δράσειέ τις ἔτι, ἀνομίας ὁμοῦ καὶ μοιχείας καὶ ἀσεβείας καὶ μιαιφονίας κεκερασμένης; [4] Κατεγνώκατέ τινος θάνατον ἐφ̓ αἷς δή ποτ̓ οὖν αἰτίαις （οὐδὲν γὰρ διαφέρει） καὶ δεδεμένον εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ἀπεστείλατε φυλαχθησόμενον τῇ καταδίκῃ: οὗτος δὲ παρέστηκεν ὑμῖν, ἀντὶ τῶν δεσμῶν λευκὴν ἠμφιεσμένος στολήν, καὶ ἐν τῇ τάξει τῶν ἐλευθέρων ἕστηκεν ὁ δεσμώτης. Τάχα δὲ καὶ τολμήσει φωνὴν ἀφεῖναι καὶ ἐπιρρητορεῦσαί τι κατ̓ ἐμοῦ, μᾶλλον δὲ καθ̓ ὑμῶν καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας ψήφου. [5] Λέγε δὲ τῶν προέδρων καὶ τῶν συμβούλων τὸ δόγμα. Ἀκούετε καθάπερ ἐψηφίσασθε καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτου μοι γραφήν. Ἔδοξεν ἀποθνήσκειν Κλειτοφῶντα. Ποῦ τοίνυν ὁ δήμιος; ἀπαγέτω τοῦτον λαβών. Δὸς ἤδη τὸ κώνειον. [6] Ἤδη τέθνηκε τοῖς νόμοις: κατάδικός ἐστιν ὑπερήμερος. Τί λέγεις, ὦ σεμνότατε καὶ κοσμιώτατε ἱερεῦ; Ἐν ποίοις ἱεροῖς γέγραπται νόμοις τοὺς ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τῶν πρυτάνεων κατεγνωσμένους καὶ θανάτοις καὶ δεσμοῖς παραδοθέντας ἐξαρπάζειν τῆς καταδίκης καὶ τῶν δεσμῶν ἀπολύειν καὶ κυριώτερον σαυτὸν ποιεῖν τῶν προέδρων καὶ τῶν δικαστηρίων; [7] Ἀνάστηθι τοῦ θώκου, πρόεδρε, παραχώρησον τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῷ καὶ τοῦ δικαστηρίου: οὐκέτι οὐδενὸς εἶ κύριος: οὐδὲν ἔξεστί σοι κατὰ τῶν πονηρῶν ψηφίσασθαι, καὶ σήμερον ὅ τι δόξει λύεται. Τί ἕστηκας, ἱερεῦ, σὺν ἡμῖν ὡς τῶν πολλῶν εἷς; [8] Ἀνάβηθι καὶ κάθισον ἐν τῷ τοῦ προέδρου θρόνῳ καὶ σὺ δίκαζε λοιπὸν ἡμῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ κέλευε τυραννικῶς, μηδὲ ἀναγινωσκέσθω σοί τις νόμος μηδὲ γνῶσις δικαστηρίου, μηδ̓ ὅλως ἄνθρωπον σεαυτὸν ἡγοῦ: μετὰ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος προσκυνοῦ: [9] καὶ γὰρ τὴν ἐκείνης τιμὴν ἐξήρπασας. Αὐτῇ μόνῃ τοὺς ἐπ̓ αὐτὴν καταφεύγοντας ἔξεστι σώζειν, καὶ ταῦτα πρὸ δικαστηρίου γνώσεως. Δεδεμένον δὲ οὐδένα λέλυκεν ἡ θεός, οὐδὲ θανάτῳ παραδοθέντα ἠλευθέρωσε τῆς τιμωρίας. Τῶν δυστυχούντων εἰσίν, [10] οὐ τῶν ἀδικούντων οἱ βωμοί. Σὺ δὲ καὶ τοὺς δεθέντας ἐλευθεροῖς καὶ τοὺς καταδίκους ἀπολύεις. Οὕτως παρευδοκίμησας καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν. Τίς ᾤκησεν ἀντὶ δεσμωτηρίου τὸ ἱερόν; Φονεὺς καὶ μοιχὸς παρὰ τῇ καθαρᾷ θεῷ: οἴμοι μοιχὸς παρὰ τῇ παρθένῳ. Συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ γυνή τις ἀκόλαστος, ἀποδρᾶσα τὸν δεσπότην. [11] Καὶ γὰρ ταύτην, ὡς εἴδομεν, ὑπεδέχου, καὶ μία γέγονεν αὐτοῖς ἑστία παρὰ σοὶ καὶ συμπόσιον, τάχα δὲ καὶ συνεκάθευδες, ἱερεῦ, οἴκημα τὸ ἱερὸν ποιήσας. Ἡ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος οἰκία μοιχῶν γέγονε καὶ πόρνης θάλαμος. [12] Ταῦτα μόλις ἐν χαμαιτυπείῳ γίνεται. Εἷς μὲν δή μοι λόγος οὗτος κατ̓ ἀμφοῖν. Τὸν μέντοι ἀξιῶ τῆς αὐθαδείας δοῦναι τιμωρίαν, τὸν δὲ ἀποδοθῆναι κελεῦσαι τῇ καταδίκῃ. Δεύτερος δέ ἐστί μοι πρὸς Μελίτην μοιχείας ἀγών, πρὸς ἣν οὐδὲν δέομαι λόγων: ἐν γὰρ τῇ τῶν θεραπαινῶν βασάνῳ τὴν ἐξέτασιν γενέσθαι δέδοκται. [13] Ταύτας οὖν αἰτῶ, αἳ ἂν βασανιζόμεναι φήσωσιν οὐκ εἰδέναι τοῦτον τὸν κατάδικον χρόνῳ πολλῷ συνόντα αὐτῇ καὶ ἐν ἀνδρὸς χώρᾳ ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τῇ ἐμῇ, οὐκ ἐν μοιχοῦ μόνον κ
αθεστηκότα, πάσης αἰτίας αὐτὴν ἀφίημι. Ἂν τοίνυν τοὐναντίον, τὴν μὲν κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἀφεῖσθαι τῆς προικὸς φημὶ δεῖν ἐμοί, τὸν δὲ ὑποσχεῖν τὴν ὀφειλομένην τοῖς μοιχοῖς τιμωρίαν: θάνατος δέ ἐστιν αὕτη: ὥστε ὁποτέρως ἂν οὗτος ἀποθάνῃ, ὡς μοιχὸς ἢ ὡς φονεύς, ἀμφοτέροις ἔνοχος ὤν, δίκην δεδωκὼς οὐ δέδωκεν. [14] Ἀποθανὼν γὰρ ὀφείλει θάνατον ἄλλον. Ὁ δέ μοι τρίτος τῶν λόγων πρὸς τὴν δούλην ἐστὶ τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ τὸν σεμνὸν τοῦτον πατρὸς ὑποκριτήν, ὃν εἰς ὕστερον, ὅταν τούτων καταψηφίσησθε, ταμιεύομαι.’