Complete Works of Achilles Tatius

by Achilles Tatius

  [1] ‘Γυναῖκα’ ἔφη ‘κακοδαίμονα ἐξαπατήσαντες οἱ λῃσταὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μισθῷ πωλουσῶν τὰ Ἀφροδίτης, ὡς δὴ ναυκλήρῳ τινὶ συνεσομένην ἐπὶ τοῦ σκάφους, ταύτην εἶχον ἐπὶ τῆς νεώς, ἀγνοοῦσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐφ̓ ὃ παρῆν, ὑποπίνουσαν δὲ ἡσυχῆ σύν τινι τῶν πειρατῶν: [2] λόγῳ δ̓ ἦν ἐραστὴς ὁ λῃστής. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἁρπάσαντές με, ὡς εἶδες, ἐνέθεσαν τῷ σκάφει καὶ πτερώσαντες αὐτὸ ταῖς κώπαις ἔφυγον, ὁρῶντες τὴν διώκουσαν ναῦν φθάνουσαν, περιελόντες τόν τε κόσμον καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τῆς ταλαιπώρου γυναικὸς ἐμοὶ περιτιθέασι, τοὺς δὲ ἐμοὺς χιτωνίσκους ἐκείνῃ: καὶ στήσαντες αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς πρύμνης, ὅθεν διώκοντες ὄψοισθε, τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτέμνουσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἔρριψαν, ὡς εἶδες, κατὰ τῆς θαλάσσης, τὴν δὲ κεφαλήν, ὡς ἔπεσεν, εἶχον ἐπὶ τῆς νεὼς τότε. [3] Μικρὸν γὰρ ὕστερον καὶ ταύτην ἀποσκευάσαντες ἔρριψαν ὁμοίως, ὅτε μηκέτι τοὺς διώκοντας εἶδον. Οὐκ οἶδα δὲ πότερον τούτου χάριν προπαρασκευάσαντες ἔτυχον τὴν γυναῖκα ἢ διεγνωκότες ἀνδραποδίσαντες πωλῆσαι, ὥσπερ ὕστερον πεπράκασι κἀμέ: τῷ δὲ διώκεσθαι πρὸς ἀπάτην τῶν διωκόντων ἀντ̓ ἐμοῦ σφάττουσι, νομίζοντες πλέον ἐμπολήσειν ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς πράσεως ἢ τῆς ἐκείνης. [4] Διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τὸν Χαιρέαν τὴν ἀξίαν δόντα δίκην ἐπεῖδον: αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ὁ συμβουλεύσας ἀντ̓ ἐμοῦ τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἀποκτείναντας ῥῖψαι. [5] Ὁ δὲ λοιπὸς τῶν λῃστῶν ὄχλος οὐκ ἔφασάν με αὐτῷ ἀφήσειν μόνῳ: φθάνειν γὰρ ἤδη λαβόντα σῶμα ἕτερον, ὃ πραθὲν ἂν παρέσχεν αὐτοῖς ἀφορμὴν κέρδους: δεῖν δὲ ἀντὶ τῆς θανούσης ἐμὲ πραθεῖσαν κοινὴν ἅπασιν αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ. [6] Ὡς δὲ ἀντέλεγε, δικαιολογούμενος δῆθεν καὶ τὰς συνθήκας προφέρων, ὡς οὐκ εἰς πρᾶσιν ἁρπάσειεν αὐτοῖς ἀλλ̓ ἐρωμένην αὑτῷ, καί τι θρασύτερον εἶπε, εἷς τῶν λῃστῶν, καλῶς ποιῶν, [7] ὄπισθεν ἑστὼς ἀποκόπτει τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν δίκην οὐ μεμπτὴν δοὺς τῆς ἁρπαγῆς ἔρριπτο καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ τῆς θαλάσσης, οἱ δὲ λῃσταὶ δύο πλεύσαντες ἡμερῶν ἄγουσί με οὐκ οἶδ̓ ὅποι γε καὶ πιπράσκουσιν ἐμπόρῳ συνήθει, κἀκεῖνος Σωσθένει.’

  16. “She was one of those unfortunate women,” said she, who make a traffic of love. The pirates had imposed upon her, on the pretext that she was to become the wife of a skipper who was aboard; and they kept her on the ship, where she did not know the real reason that they desired her presence, but was secretly intimate with one of the pirates, who was supposed to be her lover. Now when they carried me off, as you saw, and put me aboard and went off with all the speed that their oars could effect, they saw that the pursuing vessel was gaining upon them; they therefore stripped the poor woman of her ornaments and clothes, which they put upon me, while they clad her in my garments, and then put her on the prow, where you, the pursuers, could see all that took place, and struck off her head. Her body, as you saw, they threw into the sea, while they picked up her head and kept it for the time on the ship: not long after, when they were no longer being pursued, they made away with her head too and threw it overboard. I do not know whether that was the actual reason that they had arranged to have the woman on the ship, or whether they intended to sell her as a slave, just as they afterwards bartered me away: but at any rate, when they were chased, they killed her in my place to cheat their pursuers, thinking that they would gain a greater profit from my sale than from hers. The result was that I saw Chaereas suffer the fate he deserved — it was he who had advised them to kill the female, and throw her overboard instead of me. The rest of the band of pirates said that they were certainly not going to hand me over to him alone; he had already had his share in the body of one slave, which, if sold, would have afforded them a considerable gain to begin with; and in the place of the dead woman I must be sold and so be a common source of profit to them all rather than to him only. He objected to this, arguing with them and alleging the agreement to which he had come with them; he asserted that he had not carried me off for them to sell, but to be his mistress. He went on to speak in a somewhat violent manner, when one of the pirates, I am thankful to say, crept behind him and struck off his head. He thus received the most providential reward for his violent abduction of me, and was himself thrown into the sea: the pirates sailed on for two days more, carrying me to some county or other, I know not where, and sold me to their regular slave-dealer, and he in turn to Sosthenes.”

  [1] Λέγει δὴ καὶ ὁ Σώστρατος ‘ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τοὺς ὑμετέρους μύθους, ὦ παιδία, κατελέξατε, φέρε ἀκούσατε’ ἔφη ‘καὶ παῤ ἐμοῦ τὰ οἴκοι πραχθέντα περὶ Καλλιγόνην τὴν σήν, ὦ Κλειτοφῶν, ἀδελφήν, [2] ἵνα μὴ ἀσύμβολος ὦ μυθολογίας παντάπασι.’ Κἀγὼ ἀκούσας τὸ τῆς ἀδελφῆς ὄνομα πάνυ τὴν γνώμην ἐπεστράφην καὶ ‘ἄγε, πάτερ’ εἶπον ‘λέγε: μόνον περὶ ζώσης λέγοις.’ Ἄρχεται δὴ λέγειν ἃ φθάνω προειρηκὼς ἅπαντα, τὸν Καλλισθένην, τὸν χρησμόν, [3] τὴν θεωρίαν, τὸν λέμβον, τὴν ἁρπαγήν. Εἶτα προσέθηκεν ὅτι ‘μαθὼν κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν ὡς οὐκ ἦν θυγάτηρ ἐμή, διημαρτήθη δὲ τὸ πᾶν ἔργον αὐτῷ, ἤρα δ̓ ὅμως καὶ σφόδρα τῆς Καλλιγόνης, προσπεσὼν αὐτῆς τοῖς γόνασι ‘δέσποινα’ εἶπε ‘μή με νομίσῃς λῃστὴν εἶναί τινα καὶ κακοῦργον, ἀλλὰ γάρ εἰμι τῶν εὖ γεγονότων, γένει Βυζάντιος, δεύτερος οὐδενός: ἔρως δέ με λῃστείας ὑποκριτὴν πεποίηκε καὶ ταύτας ἐπὶ σοὶ πλέξαι τὰς τέχνας. Δοῦλον οὖν με σεαυτῆς ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς ἡμέρας νόμιζε: καί σοι προῖκα ἐπιδίδωμι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐμαυτόν, ἔπειτα ὅσην οὐκ ἂν ὁ πατὴρ ἐπέδωκέ σοι: τηρήσω δέ σε παρθένον μέχριπερ ἂν σοὶ δοκῇ.’ Καὶ ταῦτα %5εἰπὼν καὶ ἔτι τούτων πλείονα εὐαγωγοτέραν τὴν κόρην αὐτῷ γενέσθαι παρεσκεύασεν. [4] Ἦν δὲ καὶ ὀφθῆναι καλὸς καὶ στωμύλος καὶ πιθανώτατος, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἧκεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, συμβόλαιον ποιησάμενος προικὸς μεγίστης καὶ τἆλλα πολυτελῶς παρασκευάσας, ἐσθῆτά τε καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ὅσα εἰς κόσμον γυναικῶν εὐδαιμόνων, περιεῖπεν εὖ καὶ καλῶς, ἄχραντον τηρῶν, ὡς ἐπηγγείλατο, ὥστε καὶ αὐτὴν ᾑρ
ήκει τὴν κόρην ἤδη. [5] Ὁ δὲ καὶ τἆλλα πάντα παρεῖχεν ἑαυτὸν κοσμιώτατον καὶ ἐπιεικῆ καὶ σώφρονα, καὶ ἦν τις ἐξαίφνης περὶ τὸν νεανίσκον θαυμαστὴ μεταβολή. Ἕδρας τε γὰρ ἐξανίστατο τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις καὶ ἐπεμελεῖτο φθάνειν προσαγορεύων τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, καὶ τὸ τέως ἄκριτον πολυτελὲς ἐκ τῆς πρὶν ἀσωτίας εἰς τὸ εὔβουλον μεταπῖπτον τὸ μεγαλόφρον ἐφύλαττε πρὸς τοὺς ἐν χρείᾳ τοῦ λαβεῖν διὰ πενίαν ὄντας, ὥστε θαυμάζειν ἅπαντας τὸ αἰφνίδιον οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ χείρονος εἰς τὸ πάνυ χρηστὸν μετελθόν. [6] Ἐμὲ δ̓ οὖν ᾑρήκει πάντων μᾶλλον, καὶ ὑπερηγάπων αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν πρὶν ἀσωτίαν φύσεως ἐνόμιζον εἶναι θαυμαστὴν μεγαλουργίαν, ἀλλ̓ οὐκ ἀκρασίαν. [7] Κἀμὲ οὖν ὑπεισῄει τὸ τοῦ Θεμιστοκλέους, ὅτι κἀκεῖνος τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν σφόδρα δόξας ἀκόλαστος εἶναι πάντας ὑπερέβαλεν Ἀθηναίους ὕστερον σοφίᾳ τε καὶ ἀνδραγαθίᾳ: καὶ δὴ μετενόουν ἀποσκορακίσας αὐτόν, ὅτε μοι περὶ τοῦ τῆς θυγατρὸς διελέχθη γάμου. [8] Καὶ γάρ με σφόδρα ἐθεράπευε καὶ ἐκάλει πατέρα καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐδορυφόρει καὶ τῶν εἰς πόλεμον γυμνασίων οὐκ ἠμέλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ἐρρωμένως ἐν ταῖς ἱππασίαις διέπρεπεν. [9] Ἦν μὲν οὖν καὶ παρὰ τὸν τῆς ἀσωτίας χρόνον τούτοις χαίρων καὶ χρώμενος, ἀλλ̓ ὡς ἐν τρυφῇ καὶ παιδιᾷ: τὸ δὲ ἀνδρεῖον ὅμως αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ἔμπειρον λεληθότως ἐτρέφετο: τέλεον δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ %5ἔργον πρὸς τὸ καρτερῶς καὶ ποικίλως διαπρέπειν ἐν τοῖς πολεμικοῖς. [10] Ἐπεδίδου δὲ καὶ χρήματα ἱκανὰ τῇ πόλει. Κἀκεῖνον ἅμα ἐμοὶ στρατηγὸν προεβάλοντο: ὅθεν ἔτι μᾶλλον ὑπερησπάζετό με, ὑπήκοόν μοι κατὰ πάντα παρέχων ἑαυτόν.’

  17. Then said Sostratus: “Now that you, my children, have finished your stories, listen to mine: the story of what happened at home with regard to Calligone — your sister, Clitophon; I shall thus not have contributed absolutely nothing to these excellent recitals.” Hearing the name of my sister, I was all attention: “Speak on, father,” said I, “only may your story be of one who is still in the land of the living!” He began by recounting all that I described some time ago (Book II., chs xiii.-xviii.) — about Callisthenes, and the oracle, and the sacred embassy, and the boat, and the abduction.

  He then went on:— “Callisthenes, during the course of the voyage, realised that she was not my daughter, and that his attempt had therefore completely failed of its object: yet all the same he fell in love with Calligone, and that violently. Throwing himself at her feet, ‘Lady’ said he, ‘think not that I am a pirate or common malefactor; well born am I, a Byzantine, second to none, by descent: love made me act a pirate’s part and weave this plot against you. So from this day forward count me your slave. I bring you as a marriage portion, first of all myself, and, secondly, greater wealth than your father would have allotted to you as your dowry: and I will respect your virginity as long as seems good to you!’ By means of these words and others like them he was not unsuccessful in inducing the maiden to look upon him favourably, as he was handsome and both ready and persuasive of speech. On his arrival, too, at Byzantium, he made a marriage settlement of a very large sum of money upon her, and also provided her most handsomely with all else that she could require — clothes, gold, and all the ornaments that wealthy women wear: he treated her with the greatest respect, and, as he had promised, made no attempt on her chastity: with the result that he very soon captured her heart. In the other departments of life too he shewed himself polite, virtuous, and discreet; a most wonderful change had taken place in him! He would rise from his chair when anyone older than himself entered the room, he would be careful to be the first to salute people whom he met, and his former indiscriminate prodigality turned to prudence, but remained a copious liberality to those who, through their poverty, must needs accept favours. All wondered at this sudden transformation from the bad to the really excellent: I was perhaps of all the most attracted by him, both because I was naturally very fond of him and also because I thought that his former irregularities were more the result of an excess of extravagance, but never of vice.

  “I called to mind the case of Themistocles; how he in his early youth appeared to indulge in the wildest excesses, but later on excelled all the Athenians in wisdom and bravery. And so I began to be sorry that I had contemptuously rejected him when he had broached the subject of an alliance with my daughter — particularly as he always shewed me the greatest attention, calling me ‘Father,’ and escorting me through the open squares. Nor did he neglect the training that is necessary for military glory, but greatly distinguished himself in the cavalry exercises: indeed, even in the time of his dissipation he had been fond of horses and familiar with their use, but only as a distraction or a luxury, and he had thus, without knowing it, encouraged in himself the spirit of bravery and skill in horsemanship. It finally became his object to gain distinction in war by his endurance and his versatility: he gave large contributions towards the public services; and then his fellow-citizens appointed him as an associate-general with me, a position which made him still more deferential and cordial towards me, shewing himself willing to accede to my wishes at every turn.

  [1] ‘Ἐπεὶ δ̓ ἐνικήσαμεν τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιφανείᾳ τῶν θεῶν καὶ ὑποστρέψαντες εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, εὐφημοῦντες τὸν Ἡρακλέα καὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν ἐχειροτονήθημεν ἐγὼ μὲν ἐνταῦθα τῇ Ἀρτέμιδι, ὁ δὲ εἰς Τύρον Ἡρακλεῖ, λαβόμενός μου τῆς δεξιᾶς ὁ Καλλισθένης διηγεῖται πρῶτον τὰ πεπραγμένα αὐτῷ περὶ τὴν Καλλιγόνην. [2] ῾Ἀλλὰ ἅπερ ἐποιήσαμεν, πάτεῤ εἶπε ‘τὰ μὲν νεότητος φύσει πέπρακται βίᾳ, τὰ δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα προαιρέσει. Παρθένον γὰρ τὴν κόρην μέχρι τούτου τετήρηκα, καὶ ταῦτα πολέμοις ὁμιλῶν, ἐν οἷς οὐδεὶς ἀναβάλλεται τὰς ἡδονάς. [3] Νῦν οὖν εἰς τὴν Τύρον αὐτὴν ἀπαγαγεῖν ἔγνωκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ νόμῳ παῤ ἐκείνου λαβεῖν τὸν γάμον. Ἂν μὲν οὖν ἐθελήσῃ μοι δοῦναι τὴν κόρην, ἀγαθῇ τύχῃ δέξομαι: ἂν δὲ σκαιὸς γένηται καὶ δύσκολος, παρθένον αὐτὴν ἀπολήψεται. [4] Ἐγὼ γὰρ προῖκα ἐπιδοὺς οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἀγαπητῶς ἂν λάβοιμι τὸν γάμον.’ Ἀναγνώσομαι δέ σοι καὶ τὸ συμβόλαιον, ὃ φθάνω πρὸ τοῦ πολέμου γράψας, δεόμενος συνοικίσαι τῷ Καλλισθένει τὴν κόρην, τό τε γένος αὐτοῦ καταλέγων καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα καὶ τὰς ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀριστείας. [5] Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ἡμῖν τὸ συγκείμενον. Ἐγὼ δέ, ἢν τὴν ἔφεσιν ἀγωνισώμεθα, διέγνωκα πρῶτον μὲν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον διαπλεῦσαι, μετ
ὰ ταῦτα δὲ εἰς τὴν Τύρον.’ Καὶ ταῦτα διαμυθολογήσαντες ἐκοιμήθημεν τὸν

  18.”After we had brought the war to a successful conclusion, owing to the divine manifestations (That of Artemis is mentioned in VII. xii. § 4.) in our favour, we returned to Byzantium, as we desired to express our gratitude to Hercules and Artemis. It was voted I should be the delegate hither to Artemis and he to Hercules at Tyre. Before our departure, Callisthenes took me by the hand and told me the whole story about Calligone. ‘As for what I did, father,’ said he, ‘it began as a deed of violence in the heat of youth, but it has gone on as a matter of sober inclination. Up to this very moment I have respected her chastity, and that in war-time, when men are generally not accustomed to defer (For reasons given in IV. vii. § 3.) their pleasures. I have therefore now decided to take her back to her father at Tyre, and there to ask him to give her to me in marriage in accordance with the law. (Presumably the law mentioned in II. xiii. § 3. But that was a law at Byzantium, not at Tyre, and Callisthenes may merely mean “in due legal form.”) If he will give her to me, I will take her and rejoice at my good fortune; if he makes objections and refuses, he shall take her back, still a virgin: I have given her a marriage portion which is not to be despised, and I would gladly conclude the marriage.’ I will read you the letter which I wrote before he went to fight, asking Hippias to unite the girl to Callisthenes: in it is recited his good birth and worth, and also his brave deeds in the field (In other minor wars, I suppose.): that is the arrangement that Callisthenes and I made. As for myself, if we are successful in the appeal, (No mention has been made of this appeal. Perhaps it has dropped out in some imperfection of the text, or it may mean little more than the conclusion of the case, which was still technically unfinished.) I have made up my mind to sail first for Byzantium, and after that to proceed to Tyre.” When we had finished all this conversation, we retired to our couches as on the previous occasions.