ἐκ δὲ Μεγάλης πόλεως ἰόντι ἐς Μεσσήνην καὶ σταδίους μάλιστα προελθόντι ἑπτά, ἔστιν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ τῆς λεωφόρου θεῶν ἱερόν. καλοῦσι δὲ καὶ αὐτὰς τὰς θεὰς καὶ τὴν χώραν τὴν περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν Μανίας· δοκεῖν δέ μοι θεῶν τῶν Εὐμενίδων ἐστὶν ἐπίκλησις, καὶ Ὀρέστην ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ τῆς μητρός φασιν αὐτόθι μανῆναι.
οὐ πόρρω δὲ τοῦ ἱεροῦ γῆς χῶμά ἐστιν οὐ μέγα, ἐπίθημα ἔχον λίθου πεποιημένον δάκτυλον, καὶ δὴ καὶ ὄνομα τῷ χώματί ἐστι Δακτύλου μνῆμα· ἐνταῦθα ἔκφρονα Ὀρέστην γενόμενον λέγουσιν ἕνα τῆς ἑτέρας τῶν χειρῶν ἀποφαγεῖν δάκτυλον. τούτῳ δέ ἐστιν ἕτερον συνεχὲς χωρίον Ἄκη καλούμενον, ὅτι ἐγένετο ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς νόσου τῷ Ὀρέστῃ τὰ ἰάματα· πεποίηται δὲ Εὐμενίσι καὶ αὐτόθι ἱερὸν.
ταύτας τὰς θεάς, ἡνίκα τὸν Ὀρέστην ἔκφρονα ἔμελλον ποιήσειν, φασὶν αὐτῷ φανῆναι μελαίνας· ὡς δὲ ἀπέφαγε τὸν δάκτυλον, τὰς δὲ αὖθις δοκεῖν οἱ λευκὰς εἶναι, καὶ αὐτὸν σωφρονῆσαί τε ἐπὶ τῇ θέᾳ καὶ οὕτω ταῖς μὲν ἐνήγισεν ἀποτρέπων τὸ μήνιμα αὐτῶν, ταῖς δὲ ἔθυσε ταῖς λευκαῖς. ὁμοῦ δὲ αὐταῖς καὶ Χάρισι θύειν νομίζουσι. πρὸς δὲ τῷ χωρίῳ τοῖς Ἄκεσιν ἕτερόν ἐστιν Κουρεῖον ὀνομαζόμενον ἱερόν, ὅτι Ὀρέστης ἐνταῦθα ἐκείρατο τὴν κόμην, ἐπειδὴ ἐντὸς ἐγένετο αὑτοῦ·
Πελοποννησίων δὲ οἱ τὰ ἀρχαῖα μνημονεύοντες πρότερα τῷ Ὀρέστῃ τὰ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ γενέσθαι φασὶν ὑπὸ Ἐρινύων τῶν Κλυταιμνήστρας ἢ ἐν Ἀρείῳ πάγῳ τὴν κρίσιν, καὶ αὐτῷ κατήγορον οὐ τὸν Τυνδάρεων—περιεῖναι γὰρ οὐκέτι ἐκεῖνον—, Περίλαον δὲ ἐπιστῆναι δίκην ἐπὶ τῷ αἵματι τῆς μητρὸς αἰτοῦντα ἅτε ἀνεψιὸν τῆς Κλυταιμνήστρας· Ἰκαρίου γὰρ παῖδα εἶναι Περίλαον, γενέσθαι δὲ ὕστερον καὶ θυγατέρας τῷ Ἰκαρίῳ.
ἐκ Μανιῶν δὲ ὁδὸς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀλφειόν ἐστιν ὅσον πέντε σταδίων καὶ δέκα· κατὰ τοῦτο Γαθεάτας ποταμὸς ἐκδίδωσιν ἐς τὸν Ἀλφειόν, ἐς δὲ τὸν Γαθεάταν πρότερον ἔτι κάτεισιν ὁ Καρνίων. τούτῳ μὲν δὴ αἱ πηγαὶ γῆς εἰσι τῆς Αἰγύτιδος ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος τοῦ Κερεάτα τὸ ἱερόν, τῷ Γαθεάτᾳ δὲ τῆς Κρωμίτιδος χώρας ἐν Γαθέαις.
ἡ δὲ Κρωμῖτις ἀνωτέρω τοῦ Ἀλφειοῦ σταδίους ὡς τεσσαράκοντά ἐστι, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ πόλεως Κρώμων οὐ παντάπασι τὰ ἐρείπια ἦν ἐξίτηλα. ἐκ δὲ Κρώμων ὡς εἴκοσι στάδιά ἐστιν ἐπὶ Νυμφάδα· καταρρεῖται δὲ ὕδατι καὶ δένδρων ἀνάπλεώς ἐστιν ἡ Νυμφάς. καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς στάδια εἴκοσί ἐστιν ἐπὶ τὸ Ἑρμαῖον, ἐς ὃ Μεσσηνίοις καὶ Μεγαλοπολίταις εἰσὶν ὅροι· πεποίηνται δὲ αὐτόθι καὶ Ἑρμῆν ἐπὶ στήλῃ.
Just seven furlongs along the road that leads from Megalopolis to Messene there is a sanctuary of certain goddesses on the left of the high road. The goddesses themselves, as well as the district round about the sanctuary, bear the name of Maniae (‘madnesses’): this is, I believe, an appellation of the Eumenides, and they say that here Orestes went mad in consequence of shedding his mother’s blood.
Not far from the sanctuary is a small mound of earth surmounted by a finger made of stone. Indeed, the mound is named Finger’s Tomb. They say that here Orestes, when he went out of his mind, bit off a finger of one of his hands. Now, adjoining this place is another called Acé (‘remedies’), because in it Orestes was healed of his infirmity. Here, too, there is a sanctuary of the Eumenides. They say that when these goddesses were about to drive Orestes out of his wits they appeared to him black; but that when he had bitten off his finger, they seemed to him white, and his wits returned to him at the sight, and so he offered a sin-offering to the black goddesses to avert their wrath, but to the white goddesses he offered a thank-offering. It is the custom to sacrifice to the latter conjointly with the Graces. Near Acé is another place . . . called sacred, because there Orestes cut off his hair when he came to his senses. Peloponnesian antiquaries say that Orestes’ adventure with the Furies of Clytaemnestra in Arcadia happened before the trial at the Areopagus, and that the accuser who appeared against him was not Tyndareus, who was no longer in life, but Perilaus, who demanded vengeance for the mother’s blood, he being Clytaemnestra’s cousin ; for Perilaus was a son of Icarius, and Icarius afterwards had also daughters born to him. 3. From Maniae to the Alpheus is about fifteen furlongs. At this point the river Gatheatas falls into the Alpheus, and the Gatheatas is previously joined by the Carnion. The Carnion has its springs in the Aegytian district below the sanctuary of Apollo Cereatas ; while the Gatheatas has its springs at Gatheae in the Cromitian district. The Cromitian district is about forty furlongs up from the Alpheus; and in it the ruins of the city of Cromi can still be faintly traced. From Cromi it is about twenty furlongs to Nymphas, which is well watered and full of trees. From Nymphas it is twenty furlongs to the Hermaeum, where is the boundary between Megalopolis and Messenia. Here, too, there is a Hermes upon a slab.
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