is your life as well, a gift as high as heaven and reaching the stars, leave this Sosipatra with us, her truer nurses and fathers, and for five years do not fear any illness for the girl, 6.6.12 or death, but be at peace and steadfast. But take care not to set foot on the estate until the fifth year, as the solar cycles revolve, is completed. And wealth will spring up and flourish for you spontaneously from the estate, and your daughter will not be merely a woman and a human, but you yourself will also think something more of the girl. If, then, you have a good disposition, accept what is said with open hands; 6.6.13 but if you stir up any suspicions, we have said nothing." At this the father, biting his tongue and cowering, hands over and gives up the child, and, summoning the steward, said to him, “Supply whatever the old 6.6.14 men wish, and do not be inquisitive about anything.” He said these things; and before dawn glimmered, <and> he went out as if fleeing both his daughter and the estate. 6.7.1 But those who took the child (whether they were heroes, or daimons, or some more divine race), no one knew by what mysteries they initiated her, and for what purpose they 6.7.2 deified the girl was unclear even to those who very much wished to know. And now the time was approaching, and all other things concerning the revenues of the estate were coming together, and the girl's father came to the farm, and he did not recognize the size of the girl, and her beauty appeared to be of another kind; and she almost 6.7.3 did not recognize her father. And he even did obeisance to her, so much did he seem to see some other person. And when the teachers were present and the table was set out, they said: “Ask the maiden whatever 6.7.4 you wish.” But she replied: “But ask, father, what happened to you on the journey.” And when he permitted her to speak (for because of his prosperity he was carried in a four-wheeled carriage; and many mishaps occur with such carriages), she related everything just so—the shouts and threats and 6.7.5 fears, as if she had been driving with him; and the father was brought to such a point of wonder that he did not wonder, but was astounded, and was convinced that the girl was a goddess. Falling before the men, he begged them to say who they were; and they, with difficulty and slowly (for perhaps it seemed so to God as well), revealed that they were not uninitiated in the so-called Chaldean wisdom, and this through a riddle 6.7.6 and with a downward nod. And when Sosipatra’s father, falling at their knees, supplicated them, begging them to be masters of the estate, and to keep the girl with them and initiate her into more perfect things, they nodded their assent that they would do so, but spoke no more; but he, as if having some promise or oracle, was confident in himself, and was perplexed at the matter; 6.7.7 and he greatly praised Homer in his soul for celebrating this preternatural and divine thing: 'And the gods, in the likeness of strangers from foreign lands, assuming all kinds of forms, wander through the cities.' For he himself thought that he had met with men who were strangers, but gods. 6.7.8 And while he, filled with the matter, was overcome by sleep, they, withdrawing from the dinner and taking the girl with them, very kindly and earnestly gave her the ceremonial robe in which she had been initiated, and adding some other instruments and the chest of Sosipatra, they bade her seal it and threw in 6.7.9 some little books. And she rejoiced in the men no less than in her father. But when dawn glimmered and the doors were opened, and men went out to their work, they too went out with the others as was their custom. The girl ran to her father bearing good tidings, and one of the servants was carrying the chest; 6.7.10 and he, having asked of his stewards what was necessary of the wealth he had at hand, summoned the men; but they appeared nowhere. And he said to Sosipatra: “What is this? 6.7.11
τέ ἐστιν καὶ τὸν σὸν βίον, δῶρον οὐρανόμηκες καὶ τῶν ἀστέρων ἐφικνούμενον, ἄφες παρ' ἡμῖν τὴν Σωσιπάτραν ταύτην τροφεῦσι καὶ πατράσιν ἀληθεστέροις, καὶ εἴς γε πέμπτον ἔτος μηδὲ νόσον περὶ τῇ παιδίσκῃ φοβηθῇς, 6.6.12 μηδὲ θάνατον, ἀλλ' ἥσυχος ἔσο καὶ ἔμπεδος. μελέτω δέ σοι μὴ πατῆσαι τὸ χωρίον μέχρις ἂν τὸ πέμπτον ἔτος, περιτελλομένων τῶν ἡλιακῶν κύκλων, ἐξίκηται. καὶ πλοῦτός τέ σοι αὐτόματος ἀπὸ τοῦ χωρίου φύσεται καὶ ἀναθηλήσει, καὶ ἡ θυγάτηρ οὐ κατὰ γυναῖκα καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἔσται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπολήψῃ τι περὶ τῆς παιδίσκης πλέον. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀγαθὸν ἔχεις θυμόν, ὑπτίαις χερσὶ δέξαι τὰ λεγόμενα· 6.6.13 εἰ δέ τινας ὑπονοίας ἀνακινεῖς, οὐδὲν ἡμῖν εἴρηται." πρὸς ταῦτα τὴν γλῶτταν ἐνδακὼν καὶ πτήξας ὁ πατήρ, τὸ παιδίον ἐγχειρίζει καὶ παραδίδωσι, καί, τὸν οἰκονόμον μετακαλέσας, "χορήγει" πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν "ὅσα οἱ πρε6.6.14 σβῦται βούλονται, καὶ πολυπραγμόνει μηδέν." ταῦτα εἶπεν· οὔπω δὲ ἕως ὑπέφαινεν, <καὶ> ἐξῄει καθάπερ φεύγων καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα καὶ τὸ χωρίον. 6.7.1 Οἱ δὲ παραλαβόντες τὸ παιδίον (εἴτε ἥρωες, εἴτε δαίμονες, εἴτε τι θειότερον ἦσαν γένος), τίσιν μὲν συνετέλουν αὐτὴν μυστηρίοις ἐγίνωσκεν οὐδὲ εἷς, καὶ πρὸς τί τὴν παῖδα 6.7.2 ἐξεθείαζον ἀφανὲς ἦν καὶ τοῖς πάνυ βουλομένοις εἰδέναι. ὁ δὲ χρόνος ἤδη προσῄει, καὶ τά τε ἄλλα πάντα συνέτρεχε προσόδων πέρι τοῦ χωρίου, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ τῆς παιδὸς παρῆν εἰς τὸν ἀγρόν, καὶ οὔτε τὸ μέγεθος ἐπέγνω τῆς παιδός, τό τε κάλλος ἑτεροῖον αὐτὸ κατεφαίνετο· τὸν δὲ πατέρα σχε6.7.3 δόν τι καὶ ἠγνόει. ὁ δὲ καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτήν, οὕτως ἄλλην τινὰ ὁρᾶν ἔδοξεν. ὡς δὲ οἵ τε διδάσκαλοι παρῆσαν καὶ ἡ τράπεζα προὔκειτο, οἱ μὲν ἔφασαν· "ἐρώτα ὅ τι 6.7.4 βούλει τὴν παρθένον." ἡ δὲ ὑπέλαβεν· "ἀλλ' ἐρώτησόν γε, πάτερ, τί σοι πέπρακται κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν." τοῦ δὲ εἰπεῖν ἐπιτρέψαντος (διὰ δὲ εὐδαιμονίαν ἐπὶ τετρακύκλου ὀχήματος ἐφέρετο· συμβαίνει δὲ πολλὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις ὀχήμασι πάθη), πάντα οὕτως ἐξήγγειλεν φωνάς τε καὶ ἀπειλὰς καὶ 6.7.5 φόβους, ὥσπερ αὐτὴν συνηνιοχοῦσαν· καὶ εἰς τοσόνδε προῄει θαύματος ὁ πατήρ, ὥστε οὐκ ἐθαύμαζεν, ἀλλὰ κατεπλήττετο, καὶ θεὸν εἶναι τὴν παῖδα ἐπέπειστο. προσπεσὼν δὲ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ἱκέτευεν εἰπεῖν οἵτινες εἶεν· οἱ δὲ μόλις καὶ βραδέως (δόξαν δὲ ἴσως οὕτω καὶ θεῷ) παρέφηναν εἶναι τῆς Χαλδαϊκῆς καλουμένης σοφίας οὐκ ἀμύητοι, καὶ τοῦτο δι' αἰ6.7.6 νίγματος καὶ κάτω νεύοντες. ὡς δὲ ὁ τῆς Σωσιπάτρας πατὴρ προσπεσὼν τοῖς γόνασιν ἱκέτευεν, δεσπότας εἶναι τοῦ χωρίου παρακαλῶν, καὶ τὴν παῖδα ἔχειν ὑφ' ἑαυτοῖς καὶ μυεῖν εἰς τὸ τελεώτερον, οἱ μὲν ἐπινεύσαντες ὅτι οὕτω ποιήσουσιν, οὐκέτι ἐφθέγξαντο· ὁ δὲ ὥσπερ ἔχων ὑπόσχεσίν τινα ἢ χρησμόν, ἐθάρσει καθ' ἑαυτόν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ χρῆμα 6.7.7 ἠπόρει· καὶ ὑπερεπῄνει γε τὸν Ὅμηρον κατὰ ψυχήν, ὡς ὑπερφυές τι χρῆμα καὶ δαιμόνιον τοῦτο ἀνυμνήσαντα· καί τε θεοὶ ξείνοισιν ἐοικότες ἀλλοδαποῖσι, παντοῖοι τελέθοντες, ἐπιστρωφῶσι πόληας. καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ᾤετο ξένοις μὲν ἀνδράσι, θεοῖς δὲ συντετυχη6.7.8 κέναι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τοῦ πράγματος ἐμπιπλάμενος ὕπνῳ κατείχετο, οἱ δὲ ἀποχωρήσαντες τοῦ δείπνου καὶ τὴν παῖδα παραλαβόντες, τήν τε στολὴν τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἐν ᾗ τετέλεστο μάλα φιλοφρόνως αὐτῇ καὶ συνεσπουδασμένως παρέδοσαν, καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ προσθέντες ὄργανα καὶ τὴν κοιτίδα τῆς Σωσιπάτρας, κατασημήνασθαι κελεύσαντες καὶ προσεμβα6.7.9 λόντες τινὰ βιβλίδια. καὶ ἡ μὲν ὑπερεγάννυτο τοὺς ἄνδρας τοῦ πατρὸς οὐκ ἔλαττον. ὡς δὲ ἕως ὑπέφαινεν καὶ ἀνεῴγνυντο θύραι, καὶ πρὸς ἔργα ἐχώρουν ἄνθρωποι, κἀκεῖνοι τοῖς ἄλλοις συνεξέβησαν κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός. ἡ μὲν παῖς παρὰ τὸν πατέρα ἔδραμεν εὐαγγέλια φέρουσα, καὶ τὴν κοιτίδα 6.7.10 τῶν τις θεραπευτήρων ἐκόμιζεν· ὁ δὲ πλοῦτόν τε ὃν εἶχε ἐς τὸ παρατυχόν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν οἰκονόμων ὅσον ἦν ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῆς αἰτήσας, μετεκάλει τοὺς ἄνδρας· οἱ δὲ ἐφάνησαν οὐδαμοῦ. καὶ πρὸς τὴν Σωσιπάτραν εἶπε· "τί δὴ τοῦτό 6.7.11