δράκοντες δὲ—οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ ἕτερον γένος—ἐς τὸ ξανθότερον ῥέποντες χρόας ἱεροὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ νομίζονται καὶ εἰσὶν ἀνθρώποις ἥμεροι, τρέφει δὲ μόνη σφᾶς ἡ τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων γῆ. τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ εὑρίσκω καὶ ἄλλαις χώραις συμβεβηκός· Λιβύη μέν γε μόνη κροκοδείλους τρέφει χερσαίους διπήχεων οὐκ ἐλάσσονας, παρὰ δὲ Ἰνδῶν μόνων ἄλλα τε κομίζεται καὶ ὄρνιθες οἱ ψιττακοί. τοὺς δὲ ὄφεις οἱ Ἐπιδαύριοι τοὺς μεγάλους ἐς πλέον πηχῶν καὶ τριάκοντα προήκοντας, οἷοι παρά τε Ἰνδοῖς τρέφονται καὶ ἐν Λιβύῃ, ἄλλο δή τι γένος φασὶν εἶναι καὶ οὐ δράκοντας.
ἐς δὲ τὸ ὄρος ἀνιοῦσι τὸ Κόρυφον, ἔστι καθʼ ὁδὸν Στρεπτῆς καλουμένης ἐλαίας φυτόν, αἰτίου τοῦ περιαγαγόντος τῇ χειρὶ Ἡρακλέους ἐς τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα. εἰ δὲ καὶ Ἀσιναίοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι ἔθηκεν ὅρον τοῦτον, οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε εἰδείην, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ ἑτέρωθι ἀναστάτου γενομένης χώρας τὸ σαφὲς ἔτι οἷόν τε τῶν ὅρων ἐξευρεῖν. ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ ἄκρᾳ τοῦ ὄρους Κορυφαίας ἐστὶν ἱερὸν Ἀρτέμιδος, οὗ καὶ Τελέσιλλα ἐποιήσατο ἐν ᾄσματι μνήμην.
κατιοῦσι δὲ ἐς τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων τὴν πόλιν χωρίον ἐστὶ πεφυκυίας ἀγριελαίους ἔχον· Ὑρνήθιον δὲ καλοῦσι τὸ χωρίον. τὰ δὲ ἐς αὐτό, ὡς Ἐπιδαύριοί τε λέγουσι καὶ εἰκὸς ἔχει, γράψω. Κεῖσος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ Τημένου παῖδες μάλιστα ᾔδεσαν Δηιφόντην λυπήσοντες, εἰ διαλῦσαί πως ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν Ὑρνηθὼ δυνηθεῖεν. ἀφίκοντο οὖν ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον Κερύνης καὶ Φάλκης· Ἀγραίῳ γὰρ τῷ νεωτάτῳ τὰ ποιούμενα οὐκ ἤρεσκεν. οὗτοι δὲ στήσαντες τὸ ἅρμα ὑπὸ τὸ τεῖχος κήρυκα ἀποστέλλουσι παρὰ τὴν ἀδελφήν, ἐλθεῖν δῆθεν ἐς λόγους αὐτῇ βουλόμενοι.
ὡς δὲ ὑπήκουσε καλοῦσιν, ἐνταῦθα οἱ νεανίσκοι πολλὰ μὲν Δηιφόντου κατηγόρουν, πολλὰ δὲ αὐτὴν ἱκέτευον ἐκείνην ἐπανήκειν ἐς Ἄργος, ἄλλα τε ἐπαγγελλόμενοι καὶ ἀνδρὶ δώσειν αὐτὴν Δηιφόντου τὰ πάντα ἀμείνονι καὶ ἀνθρώπων πλειόνων καὶ γῆς ἄρχοντι εὐδαιμονεστέρας. Ὑρνηθὼ δὲ τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν ἀλγήσασα ἀπεδίδου σφίσι τὴν ἴσην, Δηιφόντην μὲν αὑτῇ τε ἄνδρα ἀρεστὸν εἶναι φήσασα καὶ Τημένῳ γενέσθαι γαμβρὸν οὐ μεμπτόν, ἐκείνοις δὲ Τημένου προσήκειν σφαγεῦσιν ὀνομάζεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ παισίν.
καὶ τὴν μὲν οὐδὲν ἔτι ἀποκρινάμενοι συλλαμβάνουσιν, ἀναθέντες δὲ ἐς τὸ ἅρμα ἀπήλαυνον· Δηιφόντῃ δὲ ἀγγέλλει τις τῶν Ἐπιδαυρίων ὡς Κερύνης καὶ Φάλκης ἄγοντες οἴχοιντο ἄκουσαν Ὑρνηθώ. ὁ δὲ αὐτός τε ὡς τάχους εἶχεν ἤμυνε καὶ οἱ Ἐπιδαύριοι πυνθανόμενοι προσεβοήθουν. Δηιφόντης δὲ Κερύνην μὲν ὡς κατελάμβανεν ἀναιρεῖ βαλών, Φάλκην δὲ ἐχόμενον Ὑρνηθοῦς βαλεῖν μὲν ἔδεισε, μὴ ἁμαρτὼν γένοιτο αὐτῆς ἐκείνης φονεύς, συμπλακεὶς δὲ ἐπειρᾶτο ἀφαιρεῖσθαι. Φάλκης δὲ ἀντεχόμενος καὶ ἕλκων βιαιότερον ἀπέκτεινεν ἔχουσαν ἐν γαστρί.
καὶ ὁ μὲν συνείς, οἷα ἐς τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐξειργασμένος ἔργα ἦν, ἤλαυνε τὸ ἅρμα ἀφειδέστερον, προλαβεῖν τῆς ὁδοῦ σπεύδων πρὶν ἢ πάντας ἐπʼ αὐτὸν συλλεχθῆναι τοὺς Ἐπιδαυρίους· Δηιφόντης δὲ σὺν τοῖς παισίν—ἐγεγόνεσαν γὰρ καὶ παῖδες αὐτῷ πρότερον ἔτι υἱοὶ μὲν Ἀντιμένης καὶ Ξάνθιππός τε καὶ Ἀργεῖος, θυγάτηρ δὲ Ὀρσοβία· ταύτην Πάμφυλον τὸν Αἰγιμίου λέγουσιν ὕστερον γῆμαι·—τότε δὲ ἀναλαβόντες τὸν νεκρὸν τῆς Ὑρνηθοῦς κομίζουσιν ἐς τοῦτο τὸ χωρίον τὸ ἀνὰ χρόνον Ὑρνήθιον κληθέν.
καί οἱ ποιήσαντες ἡρῷον τιμὰς καὶ ἄλλας δεδώκασι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πεφυκόσιν ἐλαίοις, καὶ εἰ δή τι ἄλλο δένδρον ἔσω, καθέστηκε νόμος τὰ θραυόμενα μηδένα ἐς οἶκον φέρεσθαι μηδὲ χρᾶσθαί σφισιν ἐς μηδέν, κατὰ χώραν δʼ αὐτοῦ λείπουσιν ἱερὰ εἶναι τῆς Ὑρνηθοῦς.
οὐ πόρρω δὲ τῆς πόλεως Μελίσσης μνῆμά ἐστιν, ἣ Περιάνδρῳ συνῴκησε τῷ Κυψέλου, καὶ ἕτερον Προκλέους πατρὸς τῆς Μελίσσης. ἐτυράννει δὲ καὶ οὗτος Ἐπιδαυρίων, καθὰ δὴ καὶ ὁ γαμβρός οἱ Περίανδρος Κορίνθου.
The . . . serpents and another sort, of a somewhat yellower hue, are considered sacred to Aesculapius and are tame. They breed nowhere but in Epidauria. I observe that other countries have their characteristic fauna. For example, Libya alone produces land-crocodiles not less than two ells long. From India alone are brought parrots and other strange creatures. But the huge snakes, upwards of thirty ells long, such as are bred in India and Libya, are said by the Epidaurians not to be serpents, but a different species of animal.
On the way up to Mount Coryphum there is beside the path an olive-tree called the Twisted Olive, because Hercules wrenched it with his hand into this shape. Whether he also set it to mark the boundary of Asine in Argolis, I cannot be sure; for when a country has been depopulated it is no longer possible to ascertain the exact boundaries. On the top of the mountain is a sanctuary of Coryphaean Artemis, which is mentioned in a song of Telesilla. On the way down to the city of Epidaurus there is a place where wild olives grow. They call the place Hyrnethium.
The story connected with it I will relate as the Epidaurians tell it and as it probably happened. Cisus and the other sons of Temenus knew that they could not wound Deiphontes more deeply than by parting him from Hyrnetho. So Cerynes and Phalces came to Epidaurus ; but the youngest brother Argaeus disapproved of the plot. Reining up their chariot under the city wall, they sent a herald to their sister under colour of desiring to speak with her. But when she came at their call, the young men fell to accusing Deiphontes of many things, and besought her earnestly to come back to Argos, promising her, among the rest, that they would wed her to a far better husband than Deiphontes, lord of a more numerous following and of wealthier lands. But stung by these words Hyrnetho spoke up to them. She said that Deiphontes was a dear husband to her and had been a blameless son-in-law to Temenus ; but as for them, if the truth were told, they were the murderers of Temenus rather than his sons. They answered never a word, but laid hold of her, and placing her in the chariot galloped away. But word came to Deiphontes that Cerynes and Phalces were carrying away Hyrnetho against her will. He hastened to the rescue ; and getting wind of it the Epidaurians joined in the hue and cry. Coming up with the fugitives Deiphontes shot Cerynes dead. But Phalces clung so tight to Hyrnetho that Deiphontes feared to shoot, lest he should miss him and kill her. So he grappled with him and strove to wrench him away. But Phalces held on, and in that iron grip his sister expired; for she was with child. When he saw what he had done to his sister, he drove the chariot more furiously, to gain upon his pursuers before the whole countryside should gather on his track. But Deiphontes and his children— for sons and a daughter had been born to him: the sons were Antimenes, Xanthippus, and Argeus; the daughter was Orsobia: they say she afterwards married Pamphilus, the son of Aegimius — took up Hyrnetho’s dead body and bore it to the spot which was afterwards called Hyrnethium. And they made a shrine for her, and bestowed honours on her: in particular a rule was made that of the olives and all the trees that grew there, no man might take home with him the broken boughs, or use them for any purpose whatever; but they leave the branches where they lie, because they are sacred to Hyrnetho.
Not far from the city is the tomb of Melissa, wife of Periander, son of Cypselus; also the tomb of Procles, father of Melissa. Procles was tyrant of Epidaurus, just as his son-in-law Periander was tyrant of Corinth.
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