Κύθηρα δὲ κεῖται μὲν ἀπαντικρὺ Βοιῶν, ἐς δὲ Πλατανιστοῦντα—ἐλάχιστον γὰρ τῆς ἠπείρου ταύτῃ διέστηκεν ἡ νῆσος—ἐς ταύτην τὴν ἄκραν τὸν Πλατανιστοῦντα ἀπὸ ἄκρας τῆς ἠπείρου, καλουμένης δὲ Ὄνου γνάθου, σταδίων πλοῦς τεσσαράκοντά ἐστιν. ἐν Κυθήροις δὲ ἐπὶ θαλάσσης Σκάνδειά ἐστιν ἐπίνειον, Κύθηρα δὲ ἡ πόλις ἀναβάντι ἀπὸ Σκανδείας στάδια ὡς δέκα. τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν τῆς Οὐρανίας ἁγιώτατον καὶ ἱερῶν ὁπόσα Ἀφροδίτης παρʼ Ἕλλησίν ἐστιν ἀρχαιότατον· αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ θεὸς ξόανον ὡπλισμένον.
πλέοντι δὲ ἐκ Βοιῶν τὴν ὑπὸ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς Μαλέας λιμήν ἐστιν ὀνομαζόμενον Νύμφαιον καὶ Ποσειδῶνος ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν καὶ σπήλαιον θαλάσσης ἐγγύτατα, ἐν δὲ αὐτῷ γλυκέος ὕδατος πηγή· καὶ ἄνθρωποι περιοικοῦσι πολλοί. περιπλεύσαντι δὲ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς Μαλέας καὶ ἑκατὸν στάδια ἀποσχόντι, ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ χωρίον ἐν ὅροις Βοιατῶν Ἀπόλλωνος μὲν ἱερόν ἐστιν, Ἐπιδήλιον δὲ ὀνομαζόμενον·
τὸ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος ξόανον, ὃ νῦν ἐστιν ἐνταῦθα, ἐν Δήλῳ ποτὲ ἵδρυτο. τῆς γὰρ Δήλου τότε ἐμπορίου τοῖς Ἕλλησιν οὔσης καὶ ἄδειαν τοῖς ἐργαζομένοις διὰ τὸν θεὸν δοκούσης παρέχειν, Μηνοφάνης Μιθριδάτου στρατηγὸς εἴτε αὐτὸς ὑπερφρονήσας εἴτε καὶ ὑπὸ Μιθριδάτου προστεταγμένον —ἀνθρώπῳ γὰρ ἀφορῶντι ἐς κέρδος τὰ θεῖα ὕστερα λημμάτων—, οὗτος οὖν ὁ Μηνοφάνης, ἅτε οὔσης
ἀτειχίστου τῆς Δήλου καὶ ὅπλα οὐ κεκτημένων τῶν ἀνδρῶν, τριήρεσιν ἐσπλεύσας ἐφόνευσε μὲν τοὺς ἐπιδημοῦντας τῶν ξένων, ἐφόνευσε δὲ αὐτοὺς τοὺς Δηλίους· κατασύρας δὲ πολλὰ μὲν ἐμπόρων χρήματα, πάντα δὲ τὰ ἀναθήματα, προσεξανδραποδισάμενος δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα, καὶ αὐτὴν ἐς ἔδαφος κατέβαλε τὴν Δῆλον. ἅτε δὲ πορθουμένης τε καὶ ἁρπαζομένης, τῶν τις βαρβάρων ὑπὸ ὕβρεως τὸ ξόανον τοῦτο ἀπέρριψεν ἐς τὴν θάλασσαν· ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὁ κλύδων ἐνταῦθα τῆς Βοιατῶν ἀπήνεγκε, καὶ τὸ χωρίον διὰ τοῦτο Ἐπιδήλιον ὀνομάζουσι.
τὸ μέντοι μήνιμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ διέφυγεν οὔτε Μηνοφάνης οὔτε αὐτὸς Μιθριδάτης· ἀλλὰ Μηνοφάνην μὲν παραυτίκα, ὡς ἀνήγετο ἐρημώσας τὴν Δῆλον, λοχήσαντες ναυσὶν οἱ διαπεφευγότες τῶν ἐμπόρων καταδύουσι, Μιθριδάτην δὲ ὕστερον τούτων ἠνάγκασεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτόχειρα αὑτοῦ καταστῆναι, τῆς τε ἀρχῆς οἱ καθῃρημένης καὶ ἐλαυνόμενον πανταχόθεν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων· εἰσὶ δὲ οἵ φασιν αὐτὸν παρά του τῶν μισθοφόρων θάνατον βίαιον ἐν μέρει χάριτος εὕρασθαι.
τούτοις μὲν τοιαῦτα ἀπήντησεν ἀσεβήσασι· τῇ δὲ Βοιαῶν ὅμορος Ἐπίδαυρός ἐστιν ἡ Λιμηρά, σταδίους ὡς διακοσίους ἀπέχουσα Ἐπιδηλίου. φασὶ δὲ οὐ Λακεδαιμονίων, τῶν δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἀργολίδι Ἐπιδαυρίων εἶναι, πλέοντες δὲ ἐς Κῶν παρὰ τὸν Ἀσκληπιὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ προσσχεῖν τῆς Λακωνικῆς ἐνταῦθα καὶ ἐξ ἐνυπνίων γενομένων σφίσι καταμείναντες οἰκῆσαι.
λέγουσι δὲ καὶ ὡς οἴκοθεν ἐκ τῆς Ἐπιδαύρου δράκοντα ἐπαγομένοις αὐτοῖς ἐξέφυγεν ἐκ τῆς νεὼς ὁ δράκων, ἐκφυγὼν δὲ οὐ πόρρω κατέδυ θαλάσσης, καί σφισιν ὁμοῦ τῶν ὀνειράτων τῇ ὄψει καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ σημείου τοῦ κατὰ τὸν δράκοντα ἔδοξεν αὐτόθι καταμείναντας οἰκῆσαι. καὶ ἔνθα ὁ δράκων κατέδυ, βωμοί τέ εἰσιν Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ ἐλαῖαι περὶ αὐτοὺς πεφύκασιν.
προελθόντι δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ δύο που σταδίους, ἔστιν Ἰνοῦς καλούμενον ὕδωρ, μέγεθος μὲν κατὰ λίμνην μικράν, τῆς γῆς δὲ ἐν βάθει μᾶλλον· ἐς τοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ τῆς Ἰνοῦς ἐμβάλλουσιν ἀλφίτων μάζας. ταύτας ἐπὶ μὲν αἰσίῳ τοῦ ἐμβαλόντος καταδεξάμενον ἔχει τὸ ὕδωρ· εἰ δὲ ἀναπέμψαιτο σφᾶς, πονηρὸν κέκριται σημεῖον.
τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν Αἴτνῃ δηλοῦσιν οἱ κρατῆρες· καὶ γὰρ χρυσοῦ ἐς αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀργύρου ποιήματα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἱερεῖα τὰ πάντα ἀφιᾶσι· ταῦτα δὲ ἢν μὲν ὑπολαβὸν ἀπενέγκῃ τὸ πῦρ, οἱ δὲ χαίρουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ πεφηνότι ἀγαθῷ, ἀπωσαμένου δὲ τὰ ἐμβληθέντα συμφορὰν ἔσεσθαι τούτῳ τῷ ἀνδρὶ νομίζουσι.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ὁδὸν τὴν ἐκ Βοιῶν ἐς Ἐπίδαυρον τὴν Λιμηρὰν ἄγουσαν Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερόν ἐστιν ἐν τῇ Ἐπιδαυρίων Λιμνάτιδος. ἡ πόλις δὲ ἀπέχουσα οὐ πολὺ ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐπὶ μετεώρῳ μὲν ᾤκισται, θέας δὲ αὐτόθι ἄξια τὸ μὲν Ἀφροδίτης ἐστὶν ἱερόν, τὸ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ καὶ ἄγαλμα ὀρθὸν λίθου, καὶ Ἀθηνᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει ναός, πρὸ δὲ τοῦ λιμένος Διὸς ἐπίκλησιν Σωτῆρος.
ἄκρα δὲ ἐς τὸ πέλαγος κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἀνέχει καλουμένη Μινῴα· καὶ ὁ μὲν κόλπος οὐδέν τι ἔχει διάφορον ἢ ὅσαι κατὰ τὴν Λακωνικὴν ἄλλαι θαλάσσης εἰσὶν ἐσβολαί, αἰγιαλὸς δὲ ὁ ταύτῃ παρέχεται ψηφῖδας σχῆμα εὐπρεπεστέρας καὶ χρόας παντοδαπῆς.
Cythera lies opposite Boeae ; and to Cape Platanistus (‘plane-tree grove’), the nearest point in the island to the mainland, it is a sail of forty furlongs from Cape Onugnathus on the mainland. In Cythera there is the sea-port of Scandea on the coast: the city of Cythera is about ten furlongs inland from Scandea. The sanctuary of the Heavenly Goddess is most holy, and of all Greek sanctuaries of Aphrodite this is the most ancient. The goddess is represented by a wooden image armed. Sailing from Boeae, in the direction of Cape Malea, we come to a harbour named Nymphaeum, and a standing image of Poseidon, and close to the sea a cave in which is a spring of sweet water. The neighbourhood is thickly peopled.
After rounding Cape Malea you reach a place on the coast one hundred furlongs from Malea, on the borders of the territory of Boeae. It is sacred to Apollo and is named Epidelium ; for the wooden image of Apollo which is now there once stood in Delos. In the days when Delos was a mart of Greece, and traders were believed to be safe there under the protection of the god, Menophanes, general of Mithridates, knowing that the island was unfortified and the people unarmed, sailed to it with a fleet, massacred the population, foreigners and natives alike, looted much of the merchandise and all the votive offerings, sold the women and children into slavery, and razed the town of Delos to the ground. Whether he did it out of pure wantonness, or by the express orders of Mithridates, who can tell? A covetous man thinks more of gain than of godliness. In the hurly-burly of the sack a saucy barbarian hurled this wooden image into the sea; and the waves washed it to this spot in the territory of Boeae, and therefore they name the place Epidelium (‘New Delos’).
But neither Menophanes nor Mithridates himself eluded the wrath of the god. Menophanes was overtaken by it immediately ; for when he put out to sea after the sack of Delos the merchants who had escaped lay in wait for him and sent him to the bottom. At a later time Mithridates, shorn of his kingdom and hounded from land to land by the Romans, was driven by the god to lay hands on himself. Some say, however, that one of his mercenaries dealt him, as a favour, the fatal stroke. Such was the fate that befell these impious men. 4. The territory of Boeae is bordered by Epidaurus Limera, which is distant from Epidelium about two hundred furlongs. The people say that they are not Lacedaemonians, but Epidaurians of Argolis, and that being sent by the State to consult Aesculapius at Cos, they touched at this point of Laconia in the course of their voyage, and that here dreams were vouchsafed to them, in consequence of which they staid and took up their abode on the spot. They say, too, that they had brought with them from their home in Epidaurus a serpent, which escaped from the ship and dived into the earth not far from the sea. And so, what with the vision they had seen in their dreams, and what with the omen of the serpent, it seemed good to them to abide and dwell there. Where the serpent dived into the ground there are altars of Aesculapius, and olive-trees grow round about them.
Going forward on the right about two furlongs we come to what is called the water of Ino. It is as big as a small lake, but much deeper. At the festival of Ino they throw barley loaves into this water. If the water takes and keeps the loaves, it is a good augury for the person who threw them in; but if it sends them up to the surface, it is judged a bad omen. The craters at Etna give like indications, For people cast vessels of gold and silver and all sorts of victims into them; and if the fire swallows them up the people are glad, taking it for a happy omen ; but if the flame rejects what a man throws into it they think evil will befall that man.
On the way that leads from Boeae to Epidaurus Limera there is in the Epidaurian territory a sanctuary of Artemis of the Lake. The city is built on high ground not far from the sea, and the sights worth seeing here are a sanctuary of Aphrodite, a sanctuary of Aesculapius with a standing image of the god in stone, a temple of Athena on the acropolis, and another of Zeus, surnamed Saviour, in front of the harbour.
Opposite the city a cape called Minoa juts into the sea. The bay does not differ from the other inlets of the sea in Laconia; but the beach here affords pebbles of finer shape and of every hue.
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