Ἐκ δὲ Ἁλικαρνασσοῦ παῖς Ἀνθεὺς ἐκ βασιλείου γένους ὡμήρευσε παρὰ Φοβίῳ, ἑνὶ τῶν Νειλειδῶν, τότε κρατοῦντι Μιλησίων. Τούτου Κλεόβοια, ἥν τινες Φιλαίχμην ἐκάλεσαν, τοῦ Φοβίου γυνή, ἐρασθεῖσα πολλὰ ἐμηχανᾶτο εἰς τὸ προσαγαγέσθαι τὸν παῖδα· ὡς δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἀπεωθεῖτο, ποτὲ μὲν φάσκων ὀρρωδεῖν μὴ κατάδηλος γένοιτο, ποτὲ δὲ Δία Ξένιον καὶ κοινὴν τράπεζαν προϊσχόμενος, ἡ Κλεόβοια κακῶς φερομένη ἐν νῷ εἶχε τίσασθαι αὐτόν, ἀνηλεῆ τε καὶ ὑπέραυχον ἀποκαλουμένη.
Ἔνθα δὴ χρόνου προϊόντος τοῦ μὲν ἔρωτος ἀπηλλάχθαι προσεποιήθη, πέρδικα δὲ τιθασὸν εἰς βαθὺ φρέαρ κατασοβήσασα ἐδεῖτο τοῦ Ἀνθέως ὅπως κατελθὼν ἀνέλοιτο αὐτόν. τοῦ δὲ ἑτοίμως ὑπακούσαντος διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ὑφορᾶσθαι, ἡ Κλεόβοια ἐπισείει στιβαρὸν αὐτῷ πέτρον· καὶ ὁ μὲν παραχρῆμα ἐτεθνήκει, ἡ δὲ ἄρα ἐννοηθεῖσα ὡς δεινὸν ἔργον δεδράκοι, καὶ ἄλλως δὲ καομένη σφοδρῷ ἔργον τοῦ παιδός, ἀναρτᾷ ἑαυτήν.
Φοβίος μέντοι διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν ὡς ἐναγὴς παρεχώρησε Φρυγίῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς. Ἔφασαν δέ τινες οὐ πέρδικα, σκεῦος δὲ χρυσοῦν εἰς τὸ φρέαρ βεβλῆσθαι, ὡς καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Αἰτωλὸς μέμνηται ἐν τοῖσδε ἐν Ἀπόλλωνι· παῖς Ἱπποκλῆος Φοβίος Νειληιάδαο ἔσται ἰθαιγενέων γνήσιος ἐκ πατέρων· τῷ δ’ ἄλοχος μνηστὴ δόμον ἵξεται, ἧς ἔτι νύμφης ἠλάκατ’ ἐν θαλάμοις καλὸν ἑλισσομένης Ἀσσησοῦ βασιλῆος ἐλεύσεται ἔκγονος Ἀνθεύς, ὅρκἰ ὁμηρείης πίστ’ ἐπιβωσάμενος, πρωθήβης, ἔαρος θαλερώτερος ʽοὐδὲ Μελίσσῳ Πειρήνης τοιόνδ’ ἀλφεσίβοιον ὕδωρ θηλήσει μέγαν υἱόν, ἀφ’ οὗ μέγα χάρμα Κορίνθῳ ἔσται καὶ βριαροῖς ἄλγεα Βακχιάδαις’, Ἀνθεὺς Ἑρμείῃ ταχινῷ φίλος, ᾧ ἔπι νύμφη μαινὰς ἄφαρ σχήσει τὸν λιθόλευστον ἔρων· καί ἑ καθαψαμένη γούνων ἀθέμιστα τελέσσαι πείσει· ὁ δὲ Ζῆνα Ξείνιον αἰδόμενος σπονδάς τ’ ἐν Φοβίου καὶ ἅλα ξυνεῶνα θαλείης κρήναις καὶ ποταμοῖς νίψετ’ ἀεικὲς ἔπος· ἡ δ’ ὅταν ἀρνῆται μελεὸν γάμον ἀγλαὸς Ἀνθεύς, δὴ τότε οἱ τεύξει μητιόεντα δόλον, μύθοις ἐξαπαφοῦσα· λόγος δέ οἱ ἔσσεται οὗτος· γαυλός μοι χρύσεος· φρείατος ἐκ μυχάτου νῦν ὅ γ’ ἀνελκόμενος διὰ μὲν κακὸν ἤρικεν οὖσον, αὐτὸς δ’ ἐς Νύμφας ᾤχετ’ ἐφυδριάδας· πρὸς σὲ θεῶν, ἀλλ’ εἴ μοι, ἐπεὶ καὶ πᾶσιν ἀκούω ῥηιδίην οἶμον τοῦδ’ ἔμεναι στομίου, ἰθύσας ἀνέλοιο, τότ’ ἂν μέγα φίλτατος εἴης. ὧδε μὲν ἡ Φοβίου Νειλιάδαο δάμαρ φθέγξεθ̓· ὁ δ’ οὐ φρασθεὶς ἀπὸ μὲν Λελεγήιον εἷμα μητρὸς ἑῆς ἔργον θήσεται Ἑλλαμενῆς· αὐτὸς δὲ σπεύδων κοῖλον καταβήσεται ἄγκος φρείατος· ἡ δ’ ἐπί οἱ λιρὰ νοεῦσα γυνὴ ἀμφοτέραις χείρεσσι μυλακρίδα λᾶαν ἐνήσει· καὶ τόθ’ ὁ μὲν ξείνων πολλὸν ἀποτμότατος ἠρίον ὀγκώσει τὸ μεμορμένον, ἡ δ’ ὑπὸ δειρὴν ἁψαμένη σὺν τῷ βήσεται εἰς Ἀΐδην.
From Aristotle and the writers of Milesian History
1. A YOUTH named Antheus, of royal blood, had been sent as a hostage from Halicarnassus to the court of Phobius, one of the race of Neleus, who was at that time ruler of Miletus. Cleoboea, the wife of Phobius (other authorities call her Philaechme), fell in love with him, and employed all possible means to gain his affections. 2. He, however, repelled her advances; sometimes he declared that he trembled at the thought of discovery, while at others he appealed to Zeus as god of hospitality and the obligations imposed on him by the King’s table at which they both sat. Cleoboea’s passion took an evil turn; she called him void of pity and proud, and determined to wreak vengeance on him: 3. and so, as time went on, she pretended that she was rid of her love, and one day she chased a tame partridge down a deep well, and asked Antheus to go down and fetch it out. 4. He readily consented, suspecting nothing ill; but when he had descended, she pushed down an enormous stone upon him, and he instantly expired. Then she realised the terrible crime she had committed and, being also still fired with an exceeding passion for the lad, hanged herself: 5. but Phobius considered himself as under a curse because of these events, and handed over his kingship to Phrygius. Other authorities say that it was not a partridge, but a cup of gold, that was thrown down into the well. This is the story given by Alexander Aetolus in his Apollo:—
Next is the tale of Phobius begun, / Of Neleus’ noble line the true-born son. / This child of Hippocles a spouse shall win, / Young, and content to sit at home and spin: / But lo, Assesus sends a royal boy, / Antheus, as hostage, than the spring’s first joy / A stripling lovelier—not he so fair / Whom to Melissus did Pirene bear / (That fruitful fount), who joyful Corinth freed, / To the bold Bacchiads a bane indeed. / Antheus is dear to Mercury above, / But the young wife for him feels guilty love: / Clasping his knees, she prays him to consent; / But he refuses, fearing punishment, / If Jove, the god of hospitality, / And the host’s bread and salt outragéd be: / He will not so dishonour Phobius’ trust, / But casts to sea and stream the thought of lust. / Antheus refusing, she will then devise / A baneful stratagem. These are her lies:— / “Drawing my golden cup from out the well / Just now, the cord broke through, and down it fell: / Wilt thou descend and—easy ’tis, they say / Save what were else the water-maidens’ prey ? / Thus wilt thou gain my thanks.” So speaks the queen: / He, guileless, doffs his tunic (which had been / His mother’s handiwork, her son to please, / Hellamene, among the Leleges), / And down he climbs: the wicked woman straight / A mighty mill-stone rolls upon his pate. / Can guest or hostage sadder end e’er have ? / The well will be his fate-appointed grave: / While she must straightway knit her neck a noose, / And death and shades of Hell with him must choose.
Περὶ δὲ τῆς Ἀμύκλα θυγατρὸς τάδε λέγεται Δάφνης· αὕτη τὸ μὲν ἅπαν εἰς πόλιν οὐ κατῄει, οὐδ’ ἀνεμίσγετο ταῖς λοιπαῖς παρθένοις· παρασκευασαμένη δὲ κύνας ἐθήρευεν ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ ἐν τῇ Λακωνικῇ καὶ ἐπιφοιτῶσα εἰς τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς Πελοποννήσου ὄρη· δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν μάλα καταθύμιος ἦν Ἀρτέμιδι, καὶ αὐτὴν εὔστοχα βάλλειν ἐποίει.
Ταύτης περὶ τὴν Ἠλιδίαν ἀλωμένης Λεύκιππος, Οἰνομάου παῖς, εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἦλθε, καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄλλως πως αὐτῆς πειρᾶσθαι ἀπέγνω, ἀμφιεσάμενος δὲ γυναικείας ἀμπεχόνας καὶ ὁμοιωθεὶς κόρῃ συνεθήρα αὐτῇ.
Ἔτυχε δέ πως αὐτῇ κατὰ νοῦν γενόμενος, οὐ μεθίει τε αὐτὸν ἀμφιπολεύουσά τε καὶ ἐξηρτημένη πᾶσαν ὥραν. Ἀπόλλων δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς παιδὸς πόθῳ καόμενος, ὀργῇ τε καὶ φθόνῳ εἴχετο τοῦ Λευκίππου συνόντος, καὶ ἐπὶ νοῦν αὐτῇ βάλλει σὺν ταῖς λοιπαῖς παρθένοις ἐπὶ κρήνην ἐλθούσαις λούεσθαι.
Ἔνθα δὴ ὡς ἀφικόμεναι ἀπεδιδύσκοντο καὶ ἑώρων τὸν Λεύκιππον μὴ βουλόμενον, περιέρρηξαν αὐτόν· μαθοῦσαι δὲ τὴν ἀπάτην καὶ ὡς ἐπεβούλευεν αὐταῖς, πᾶσαι μεθίεσαν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰς αἰχμάς.
Καὶ ὁ μὲν δὴ κατὰ θεῶν βούλησιν ἀφανὴς γίνεται, Ἀπόλλωνα δὲ Δάφνη ἐπ’ αὐτὴν ἰόντα προϊδομένη, μάλα ἐρρωμένως ἔφευγεν· ὡς δὲ συνεδιώκετο, παρὰ Διὸς αἰτεῖται ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀπαλλαγῆναι, καὶ αὐτήν φασι γενέσθαι τὸ δένδρον τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἀπ’ ἐκείνης δάφνην.
From the elegiac poems of Diodorus of Elaea and the twenty-fifth book of Phylarchus
1. This is how the story of Daphne, the daughter of Amyclas, is related. She used never to come down into the town, nor consort with the other maidens; but she got together a large pack of hounds and used to hunt, either in Laconia, or sometimes going into the other countries of the Peloponnese. For this reason she was very dear to Artemis, who gave her the gift of shooting straight. 2. On one occasion she was traversing the country of Elis, and there Leucippus, the son of Oenomaus, fell in love with her; he resolved not to woo her in any common way, but assumed women’s clothes, and, in the guise of a maiden, joined her hunt. And it so happened that she very soon became extremely fond of him, nor would she let him quit her side embracing him and clinging to him at all times. 3. But Apollo was also fired with love for the girl, and it was with feelings of anger and jealousy that he saw Leucippus always with her; he therefore put it into her mind to visit a stream with her attendant maidens, and there to bathe. On their arrival there, they all began to strip; and when they saw that Leucippus was unwilling to follow their example, they tore his clothes from him: but when they thus became aware of the deceit he had practised and the plot he had devised against them, they all plunged their spears into his body. 4. He, by the will of the gods, disappeared; but Daphne, seeing Apollo advancing upon her, took vigorously to flight; then, as he pursued her, she implored Zeus that she might be translated away from mortal sight, and she is supposed to have become the bay-tree which is called daphne after her.
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