Ἀνεγνώσθησαν Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Ἡφαιστίωνος περὶ τῆς εἰς πολυμαθίαν καινῆς ἱστορίας λόγοι ς΄.
Read: Ptolemy, son of Hephaestion, on the New History for wide learning, in six [sic] books.
χρήσιμον ὡς ἀληθῶς τὸ βιβλίον τοῖς περὶ τὴν ἱστορικὴν πολυμαθίαν πονεῖν ὡρμημένοις· ἔχει γὰρ δοῦναι συνειλεγμένα βραχεῖ χρόνῳ εἰδέναι, ἃ σποράδην τις τῶν βιβλίων ἀναλέγειν πόνον δεδεγμένος μακρὸν κατατρίψει βίον.
The book is truly useful to those who are bent on labouring at historical learning: for it can give, gathered together, so that one may know them in a short time, things that a person who undertook to pick them out piecemeal from books would wear out a long life on.
ἔχει δὲ πολλὰ καὶ τερατώδη καὶ κακόπλασα, καὶ τὸ ἀλογώτερον, ὅτι καὶ ἐνίων μυθαρίων αἰτίας, δι' ἃς ὑπέστησαν, ἀποδιδόναι πειρᾶται.
It also has many marvellous and ill-fashioned things, and, what is more irrational, it even tries to give the causes by which some little myths came into being.
ὁ μέντοι τούτου συναγωγεὺς ὑπόκενός τέ ἐστι καὶ πρὸς ἀλαζονείαν ἐπτοημένος, καὶ οὐδ' ἀστεῖος τὴν λέξιν.
Its compiler, however, is hollow and given to boastfulness, and not elegant in his diction.
προσφωνεῖ δὲ τὸ σύνταγμα Τερτύλλῃ τινί, ἣν καὶ δέσποιναν ἀνυμνεῖ καὶ τὸ φιλόλογον αὐτῇ καὶ πολυμαθὲς ἐπιφημίζει.
He dedicates the work to a certain Tertulla, whom he hymns as his mistress, and to whom he ascribes love of learning and wide learning.
διαβάλλει δ' ἐνίους καὶ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ οὐχ ὑγιῶς ἐπιβαλόντας τῇ ὑποθέσει.
He also finds fault with some of his predecessors as having taken up the subject unsoundly.
τά γε μὴν πλεῖστα τῶν ἱστορουμένων ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ ἀπιθάνου καὶ ἀπίστου καθαρεύει, παρηλλαγμένην ὅμως καὶ οὐκ ἄχαριν εἰδέναι τὴν μάθησιν ἐμπαρέχει.
Most of what he relates, however, all that is free from the implausible and the unbelievable, offers a knowledge that is unusual and not without charm.
Περιέχει μὲν οὖν τὸ α΄ βιβλίον περὶ Σοφοκλέους τῆς τελευτῆς, καὶ πρὸ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς Πρωτεσιλάου, εἶτα καὶ περὶ τῆς Ἡρακλέους, ὡς πυρὶ αὑτὸν ἀνεῖλε μὴ δυνηθεὶς τὸ οἰκεῖον ἐντεῖναι τόξον πεντηκοντέτης γενόμενος, περί τε τῆς Κροίσου ἐν τῇ πυρᾷ σωτηρίας, περί τε τῆς Ἀχιλλέως τελευτῆς, καὶ περὶ Λαΐδος τῆς ἑταίρας, ὡς τελευτήσοι ὀστοῦν ἐλαίας καταπιοῦσα.
The first book contains: the death of Sophocles, and before it that of Protesilaus; then that of Heracles, how he did away with himself by fire, being unable, when he had become fifty years old, to string his own bow; the rescue of Croesus on the pyre; the death of Achilles; and the courtesan Lais, how she died after swallowing an olive-stone.
τούτων ἕκαστον διεξιὼν ἀποφαίνει τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἐσφαλμένως τὰ περὶ τούτων ὑπολαβεῖν τε καὶ ἀναγράψαι.
Going through each of these, he shows that his predecessors were mistaken in what they understood and wrote about them.
ἐφεξῆς δὲ περὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ βασιλέως φησίν, ὡς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ θεασάμενος Παλαμήδην δολοφονούμενον ἐν πίνακι ἐθορυβήθη, διότι ἐῴκει τῷ δολοφονουμένῳ Ἀριστόνεικος ὁ σφαιριστὴς Ἀλεξάνδρου· τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν Ἀλέξανδρος τὸ ἦθος, ἐπιεικὴς καὶ φιλέταιρος.
Next he says about King Alexander that when he saw Palamedes being treacherously murdered in a painting at Ephesus he was disturbed, because Aristoneicus, Alexander's ball-player, resembled the man being murdered; for Alexander was such in character, reasonable and fond of his companions.
εἶτα ὅτι τὸ παρ' Εὐφορίωνι ἐν Ὑακίνθῳ ἀπορούμενον „Κωκυτὸς μοῦνος ἀφ' ἕλκεα νίψεν Ἄδωνιν" τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Κωκυτὸς ὄνομα, Χείρωνος ἐπὶ τῇ ἰατρικῇ μαθητής, ἐθεράπευσε τὸν Ἄδωνιν ὑπὸ τοῦ συὸς τρωθέντα.
Then he says that the puzzling line in Euphorion's Hyacinthus, "Cocytus alone washed Adonis' wounds [?]", means this: Cocytus is a name, a pupil of Chiron in medicine, who treated Adonis when he had been wounded by the boar.
λέγει δ' ὅτι ὁ παρ' Ἡροδότῳ ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ τῶν ἱστοριῶν ὑπὸ Ἀδράστου τοῦ Γορδίου ἀνηρημένος Ἀγάθων ἐκαλεῖτο, καὶ ἀναιρεθῆναι αὐτὸν περὶ ὄρτυγος φιλονεικοῦντα.
He says that the man in Herodotus' first book who was killed by Adrastus son of Gordias was called Agathon, and that he was killed while quarrelling over a quail.
καὶ ὡς Κάδμος καὶ Ἁρμονία εἰς λέοντας μετεμορφώθησαν, καὶ ὡς Τειρεσίας ἑπτάκις μετεμορφώθη, διὰ τί τε ὑπὸ Κρητῶν οὗτος Φόρβαντος κόρη ἐκαλεῖτο.
And how Cadmus and Harmonia were changed into lions [?], and how Teiresias was changed seven times, and why he was called by the Cretans "the daughter of Phorbas".
ὅτι Ἐρύμανθος ὁ παῖς Ἀπόλλωνος ἐτυφλώθη, διότι ἴδοι λουμένην Ἀφροδίτην ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀδώνιδος μίξεως, καὶ Ἀπόλλων μηνίσας ἑαυτὸν εἰς σύαγρον μετεμόρφωσε, καὶ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι πλήξας ἀνεῖλε τὸν Ἄδωνιν.
That Erymanthus, the son of Apollo, was blinded because he saw Aphrodite bathing after her union with Adonis; and Apollo, in anger, changed himself into a wild boar and killed Adonis, striking him with his tusks.
„διὰ τί ὁ ποιητὴς πελειάδας ἐποίησε τῆς τροφῆς τῶν θεῶν διακόνους, καὶ τίνα Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης εἰς τοῦτο εἶπον, καὶ περὶ Ὁμήρου καὶ πελειάδων.
Why the poet made doves (peleiades) the servants of the gods' food, and what King Alexander and Aristotle said on this point, and about Homer and the doves.
ὅτι Ἐπίχαρμος ὁ ποιητὴς ἀπ' Ἀχιλλέως τοῦ Πηλέως εἷλκε τὸ γένος.
That the poet Epicharmus drew his descent from Achilles, the son of Peleus.
ὅτι Πάτροκλον ἐξόχως Ὅμηρος ἱππέα καλεῖ ὡς παρὰ Ποσειδῶνος ἐραστοῦ γεγονότος μαθόντα τὴν ἡνιοχικήν.
That Homer calls Patroclus a horseman in a special way, because he had learned the art of driving a chariot from Poseidon, who had become his lover.
ὅτι Ὀδυσσεύς, διότι ὦτα μεγάλα εἶχεν, Οὖτις πρότερον ἐκαλεῖτο· ὑετοῦ δέ φησι γινομένου μὴ ἀντισχοῦσαν τὴν μητέρα ἔγκυον οὖσαν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τεκεῖν, καὶ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ὀνομασθῆναι.
That Odysseus, because he had big ears, was formerly called Outis ("Nobody"); but later, he says, when it rained, his mother, who was with child, could not hold out and gave birth on the road, and Odysseus was named so for this reason.
ὅτι Περιτάνος τις ὄνομα Ἀρκὰς Ἑλένην συνοῦσαν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ ἐν Ἀρκαδίᾳ ἐμοίχευσεν, Ἀλέξανδρος δ' αὐτὸν ποινὴν τῆς μοιχείας εἰσπραττόμενος ἐξευνούχισε, καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου Ἀρκάδες τοὺς εὐνούχους περιτάνους λέγουσιν.
That a certain Arcadian named Peritanus committed adultery with Helen while she was living with Alexander (Paris) in Arcadia, and Alexander, exacting a penalty for the adultery, made him a eunuch, and from that time the Arcadians call eunuchs "peritanoi".
ὡς Ἀχιλλέα μὲν Ἀριστόνικος ὁ Ταραντῖνος διατρίβοντα ἐν ταῖς παρθένοις παρὰ Λυκομήδει Κερκυσέραν καλεῖσθαι φησιν, ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ καὶ Ἰσσὰν καὶ Πυρρὰν καὶ Ἄσπετος καὶ Προμηθεύς.
How Aristonicus of Tarentum says that Achilles, while living among the maidens at the court of Lycomedes, was called Cercyseras; he was also called Issa and Pyrrha and Aspetos and Prometheus.
ὅτι Βοτρύας ὁ Μύνδιος τοὺς Νιόβης παῖδας πάντας ὑπὸ Ἀπόλλωνος φησιν ἀνῃρῆσθαι.
That Botryas of Myndus says that all the children of Niobe were killed by Apollo.
ὅτι Ὀδυσσεῖ ἑπέσθαι δίδωσιν ὁ πατὴρ μνήμονα Μυΐσκον τοὔνομα, Κεφαλλῆνα.
That his father gives Odysseus a "remembrancer" (mnemon) to attend him, Myiscus by name, a Cephallenian.
εἵπετο καὶ Ἀχιλλεῖ μνήμων τοὔνομα Νοήμων, γένει Καρχηδόνιος, καὶ Πατρόκλῳ Εὔδωρος.
A remembrancer also attended Achilles, Noemon by name, a Carthaginian by birth, and Eudorus attended Patroclus.
Ἀντίπατρος δέ φησιν ὁ Ἀκάνθιος Δάρητα, πρὸ Ὁμήρου γράψαντα τὴν Ἰλιάδα, μνήμονα γενέσθαι Ἕκτορος ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν ἑταῖρον Ἀχιλλέως.
Antipater of Acanthus says that Dares, who wrote the Iliad before Homer, became Hector's remembrancer, for the sake of not killing a companion of Achilles [?].
καὶ Πρωτεσιλάῳ δέ φησι Δάρδανον γενέσθαι, γένος Θεσσαλόν· καὶ Ἀντιλόχῳ δὲ Χάλκωνα ὑπασπιστὴν καὶ μνήμονα ὑπὸ Νέστορος συνεζεῦχθαι τοῦ πατρός.
He says that Dardanus, a Thessalian by birth, became Protesilaus' remembrancer; and that Chalcon was yoked to Antilochus by his father Nestor as shield-bearer and remembrancer.
ταῦτα μὲν ἐν τῇ α΄ βίβλῳ τὰ κεφάλαια.
These are the chapters in the first book.
Cite This Text