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and the wings of ibises are hostile to snakes. It gorges itself on the flesh of snakes and scorpions and delights in this prey. Therefore, just as from some putrid offspring, the Basilisk sprouted forth as a terrible evil. This is why the Egyptians destroy the eggs of ibises whenever they see them, as if cutting off in advance a future plague for themselves. If, then, Priam had emulated the Egyptians, or Laius had killed Oedipus, Troy would not have been captured, nor would the mother-marrying union have occurred in Thebes. {POL.} I would have much gratitude for Pericles, Antisthenes; for he has become the cause of the greatest knowledge for us. Since our discourse imitates the Egyptian Proteus for us, having a short while ago undertaken the theories about crows, at another time those of the diamond, then moving on to the theories of the ibises, it now lurks in the pastures of the plovers. Come now, change the subject of our conversation. They say that those suffering from jaundice are immediately freed from the affliction, if a plover were to look at them. The envious plover, therefore, closes the pupils of its eyes, as if having a grudging disposition towards the transfer of health. {ANT.} Away with this absurdity, Polycrates, away. For irrational animals have no share in envy; nor is Prometheus punished among them for having shared some good thing, fire, with men. But the plover closes its eyes because the affliction is transferred and the disease immediately passes to the bird. {POL.} The greatest wisdom exists in the smallest part of human nature. Come now, friend, let us linger a little while around this almond tree, as it whispers something sweet to me, and some gentle breezes blow around it. {ANT.} Look at the almond tree, weighed down with its fruit and almost bent and nodding to the ground with the burden of its produce. It is therefore a very great sign of a good season, Polycrates. {POL.} How so, my good man? {ANT.} This plant embraces a good temperament of the air, and it has blossomed for fruitfulness, whenever this earthly habitation might enjoy a peaceful season. For this reason the almond tree becomes a harbinger of a good season, not announcing the assault of winter, nor an influx of rains. {POL.} But if you agree, let us go more quickly to this stoa; for as you see it is beginning to drizzle and I perceive from the movements of the winds that they threaten a visitation of rain. And some benefit has occurred to me for the recollection of meteorology. {ANT.} How great might the undertaking be? {POL.} Waters that are boiled by fire are more incorruptible by nature, as if their earthy substance has been consumed. At any rate, it would be necessary that the waters that come to us from rain should be somehow more incorruptible than other waters, since the sun filters and draws up the finest part. But one can see the very opposite; for waters that come from rain putrefy more quickly. {ANT.} The nature of rains is most mixed, my friend; for the sun draws up from all liquids. The irregularity, therefore, is easily moved and looks more quickly toward some corruption. For to discordant things, separation is most welcome. And what is more, the heaviest part of what was drawn up is brought down again, since what is heavy has been allotted its inclination toward that which is downward. For the finest part of the exhalation became the nature of winds. {POL.} Excellent, indeed. But you will free me from the charge of perplexity by completing for me the arguments concerning nature, Antisthenes. Lysimachus the son of Phalaris said he saw that the frogs in Seriphos were voiceless. {ANT.} The nature of the waters is the cause of their voicelessness, Polycrates, on account of the excessive coldness. Hence if someone were to transfer the animal to other waters, he would immediately make it vocal and restore it to its own nature, as if released from the bonds of Circe. But the bitterness of the waters renders the Cyrenaean frog speechless. {POL.} Very learnedly, my friend. What is this we have experienced? I seem to be standing suddenly in Attica and somehow recalling the symposium of Theagenes; -for Theagenes the Salaminian was hosting both me and Dositheus the son of Clinias; and he had for us dainties and honey-cake. I therefore, having bid farewell to the drinking, was occupied with some discussions, ambitiously as it seems, -and indeed to me the

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καὶ πτερὰ ἴβεων πολέμια ὄφεσιν. ἐμφορεῖται δὲ σαρκῶν ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων καὶ γέγηθεν ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ θήρᾳ. οὐκοῦν ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος σηπεδονώδους γεννήμα33 τος δεινόν τι κακὸν ὁ Βασιλίσκος ἐβλάστησε. διὸ φθείρουσιν Αἰγύπτιοι ὅτε που ᾠὰ θεάσοιντο ἴβεων, ὥσπερ λύμην ἐσομένην αὐτοῖς προαποκείροντες. εἴπερ οὖν Αἰγυπτίους ἐζήλωσε Πρίαμος, ἢ τὸν Οἰδίπουν ἀπέκτεινε Λάϊος, οὐκ ἂν ἥλω Τροία, οὐ μητρόγαμος συμπλοκὴ ἀνὰ τὰς Θήβας ἐγένετο. {ΠΟΛ.} Πολλὴν ἔχοιμι τῷ Περικλεῖ χάριν, ᾿Αντίσθενες· μεγίστης γὰρ ἡμῖν γνώσεως καθέστηκεν αἴτιος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον Πρωτέα ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν ὑποκρίνεται, πρὸ μικροῦ μὲν τὰς περὶ κοράκων ὑποδὺς θεωρίας, ἄλλοτε τὰς ἀδάμαντος, εἶτα πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἴβεων μετελθὼν θεωρίας, νῦν ἐπὶ ταῖς τῶν χαραδριῶν ἐμφωλεύει νομαῖς. ῎Αγε δῆτα τὴν συνουσίαν μετάμειβε. τοὺς ἰκτεριῶντάς φασι τοῦ πάθους εὐθὺς ἀπαλλάττεσθαι, εἰ χαραδριὸς αὐτοῖς ἀντιβλέψειεν. ὁ τοίνυν βάσκανος χαραδριὸς μύει τῶν ὀμμάτων τὰς κόρας, ὥσπερ πρὸς ὑγείας μετάδοσιν ἐπίφθονον ἔχων τὸ φρόνημα. {ΑΝΤ.} ῎Απαγε τῆς ἀτοπίας, Πολύκρατες, ἄπαγε. οὐ γὰρ τοῖς ἀλόγοις βασκανίας τι μέτεστιν· οὐδὲ Προμηθεὺς παρ' ἐκείνοις κολάζεται ἀγαθοῦ τινος τοῦ πυρὸς μεταδοὺς τοῖς 34 ἀνθρώποις. ὀφθαλμὼ δὲ μύει χαραδριός, ἐπεὶ τὸ πάθος ἀμείβεται καὶ τὸν ὄρνιν εὐθὺς ἡ νόσος μετέρχεται. {ΠΟΛ.} Μέγιστον ἐπ' ἐλαχίστῳ ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει ἔνεστι φρόνησις. ∆εῦρο δὴ περὶ ταύτην τὴν ἀμυγδαλῆν ὀλίγον ἐνδιατρίψωμεν, φίλος, ὡς ἡδύ τί μοι ψιθυρίζει, καὶ μέτριαί τινες αὐτὴν περιπνέουσιν αὖραι. {ΑΝΤ.} ῞Ορα τὴν ἀμυγδαλῆν τῷ καρπῷ βριθομένην καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν τῇ φορᾷ τοῦ κυήματος περὶ τὴν γῆν ἐπικυρτουμέ-νην καὶ νεύουσαν. τοιγαροῦν εὐετηρίας, Πολύκρατες, τεκμή-ριον μέγιστον. {ΠΟΛ.} Πόθεν δῆτα, ὦ βέλτιστε; {ΑΝΤ.} Εὐκρασίαν ἀέρων ἀσπάζεται τουτὶ τὸ φυτόν, καὶ τέθηλε πρὸς εὐκάρπειαν, ὅτε που εἰρηναίαν ἄγοι ὥραν τὸ περί-γειον τουτὶ ἐνδιαίτημα. διό τοι προάγγελος εὐετηρίας ἀμυγ-δαλῆ γίνεται, οὐ χειμῶνος ἔφοδον, οὐκ ὄμβρων ἐπίρροιαν ἀπαγ-γέλλουσα. {ΠΟΛ.} ᾿Αλλ' εἴ σοι δοκεῖ ἐπὶ ταυτηνὶ τὴν στοὰν θᾶττον ἀπίωμεν· ὡς ὁρᾷς γὰρ ψεκάζειν ἀπάρχεται καὶ ὄμβρων ἀπει-λεῖν ἐνδημίαν τῶν πνευμάτων ὑπαισθάνομαι τὰ κινήματα. 35 Γέγονε δὲ καί τί μοι πρὸς ἀνάμνησιν μετεωρολογίας ὄφελος. {ΑΝΤ.} ῾Ηλίκον ἂν εἴη τὸ ἐγχείρημα; {ΠΟΛ.} Τὰ ἑψόμενα πυρὶ νάματα ἀσηπτότερα τὴν φύσιν ἐστίν, ὥσπερ τῆς γεώδους αὐτοῖς ἀπαναλωθείσης οὐσίας. ἔδει γοῦν ἔδει καὶ τὰ ἐξ ὄμβρων ἡμῖν ἐπιγινόμενα ὕδατα ἀσηπτό-τερά πως εἶναι τῶν ἄλλων ὑδάτων, διηθοῦντος τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ λεπτότατον καὶ ἀνάγοντος. πᾶν δὲ τοὐναντίον ἔστιν ὁρᾶν· σήπεται γὰρ θᾶττον τὰ ἐξ ὄμβρων γινόμενα ὕδατα. {ΑΝΤ.} Πολυμιγεστάτη τῶν ὑετῶν ἡ φύσις, ὦ οὗτος· ἐκ πάντων γὰρ τῶν ὑγρῶν ἀνάγει ὁ ἥλιος. ἡ τοίνυν ἀνωμαλία εὐκίνητος καὶ πρός τινα φθορὰν θᾶττον ὁρᾷ. τοῖς γὰρ ἀσυμ-φώνοις τὸ διακρίνεσθαι προσφιλέστατον. ἔτι γε μὴν τὸ βα-ρύτατον τοῦ ἀναχθέντος αὖθις κατάγεται, ἐπεὶ τὸ βαρὺ πρὸς τὸ κάταντες τὴν ῥοπὴν ἐκληρώσατο. τὸ γὰρ λεπτότατον τῆς ἀναθυμιάσεως πνευμάτων φύσις ἐγένετο. {ΠΟΛ.} ῎Αριστα δῆτα. ᾿Αλλά με τοῦ τῆς ἀπορίας ἐλευθερώσεις ἐγκλήματος τοὺς περὶ φύσεως τελεσιουργήσας μοι λόγους, ᾿Αντίσθενες. 36 τοὺς ἐν Σερίφῳ βατράχους Λυσίμαχος ὁ Φαλάριδος ἀφώνους ἔφη θεάσασθαι. {ΑΝΤ.} ῾Η τῶν ὑδάτων φύσις αἴτιον τῆς ἀφωνίας αὐτῶν, ὦ Πολύκρατες, διὰ τὴν ἄγαν ψυχρότητα. ὅθεν εἴ τις ἐφ' ἕτερα μετάγοι τὸ ζῷον, λάλον εὐθὺς ἐνεποίησε καὶ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν μετεβίβασε φύσιν, ὥσπερ τῶν Κίρκης δεσμῶν ἀφιέμενον. Κυρηναῖον δὲ βάτραχον τὸ τῶν ὑδάτων πικρὸν ἄλαλον ἀπερ-γάζεται. {ΠΟΛ.} Λίαν ἐπιστημόνως, φιλότης. Τί τοῦτο πεπόνθαμεν; ἐπὶ τῆς ᾿Αττικῆς που ἀθρόον ἑστάναι δοκῶ καὶ τὸ Θεαγένους ἀναπολεῖν πως συμπόσιον· -εἱστία γὰρ Θεαγένης ὁ Σαλαμίνιος ἐμέ τε καὶ τὸν Κλεινίου ∆οσίθεον· εἶχε δὲ ἡμῖν τὰ ὄψα καὶ μελιτοῦτταν. ἐγὼ τοίνυν χαίρειν φράσας τῷ πότῳ, ἐπί τινας λόγους ἐκαλινδούμην φιλοτίμως ὡς ἔοικε, -καὶ δὴ πρός με τὸν