THE TRAGIC DEATH OF NAUCRATIUS

Then there fell on the mother a grievous and tragic affliction, contrived, I think, by the Adversary, which brought trouble and mourning upon all the family. For he was snatched suddenly away from life. No previous sickness had prepared them for the blow, nor did any of the usual and well-known mischances bring death upon the young man. [968D] Having started out on one of the expeditions, by which he provided necessaries for the old men under his care, he was brought back home dead, together with Chrysapius who shared his life. His mother was far away, three days distant from the scene of the tragedy. Some one came to her telling the bad news. Perfect though she was in every department of virtue, yet nature dominated her as it does others. For she collapsed, and in a moment lost both breath and speech, since her reason failed her under the disaster, and she was thrown to the ground by the assault of the evil tidings, like some noble athlete hit by an unexpected blow.

Εἶτα βαρύ τι καὶ τραγικὸν πάθος ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς, οἶμαι, τοῦ ἀντικειμένου τῇ μητρὶ συνηνέχθη, ὃ παντὶ τῷ γένει πρὸς συμφοράν τε καὶ πένθος ἐπήρκεσεν. Αἰφνίδιον γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ζωῆς ἀναρπάζεται, οὐ νοσήματος προελπισθῆναι τὸ πάθος παρασκευάσαντος, οὐκ ἄλλου τοιούτου τινὸς τῶν συνήθων καὶ γνωρίμων ἐπαγαγόντος τῷ νέῳ τὸν θάνατον: ἀλλ' ἐπὶ θήραν ὁρμήσας, δι' ἧς παρεῖχε τοῖς γηρωκομουμένοις τὰ ἐπιτήδεια, νεκρὸς τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ἐπανάγεται αὐτός τε ἐκεῖνος καὶ ὁ κοινωνὸς αὐτῷ τοῦ βίου Χρυσάφιος. Πόρρω δὲ ἦν τῶν γινομένων ἡ μήτηρ, τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν ἀφεστῶσα τῆς συμφορᾶς, καί τις ἀφίκετο παρ' αὐτὴν μηνύων τὸ πάθος. Ἡ δὲ τελεία μὲν τοῖς κατ' ἀρετὴν ἅπασιν ἦν, πλὴν ἐκράτει κἀκείνης κατὰ τὸ ἴσον ἡ φύσις: ὀκλάσασα γὰρ τὴν ψυχὴν ἄπνους τε καὶ ἄφθογγος παραχρῆμα ἐγένετο, τοῦ λογισμοῦ τῷ πάθει παραχωρήσαντος, καὶ ἔκειτο ὁμοῦ τῇ προσβολῇ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἀκοῆς καθάπερ τις ἀθλητὴς γενναῖος ἀπροσδοκήτῳ κατασεισθεῖσα πληγῇ.