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having become gold, flowed through the roof into the chamber and corrupted Danae. They said that this Perseus was also winged, as he was very swift from childhood and by nature very fierce and very nimble. To whom Zeus his father also taught all the secret and mystical and 1.40 abominable magics and sorceries, enjoining him to conquer his enemies with these things. Therefore, having come to the age of a man, he flees the sons of Ninus his uncle, and comes to the Assyrians. And as he was crossing over to Libya, a rustic maiden girl, having wild eyes and hair, meets him face to face. And stopping her, he asked her name. And she said, "I am called Medusa." and immediately he cuts off her head; and having embalmed it according to the unspeakable and defiled instructions of Zeus his father, holding it in his hands and trusting in his magic, he proceeded against his enemies. And he called the head Gorgon because of the potent and sharp effect of its sorcery. From there, having crossed to Ethiopia, then ruled by Cepheus, and having seized his daughter, called Andromeda, who was a priestess, he sailed through Syria to Lycaonia. And the Lycaonians, having opposed him, were defeated with the first help of the Gorgon. There, having founded a city also, he called it Persis by his own name. And having set up a stele outside the city, and having placed upon it the image of the Gorgon, he named it Iconium. From there having crossed to Isauria and Cilicia, having received an oracle that where, dismounting from your horse, you injure the flat of your foot, you shall gain a victory and build a city, he founds Tarsus and marches against the Assyrians, and having defeated them and having killed Sardanapalus and those of his clan, he finally subdues them. And having taken away the kingdom of the Assyrians, after his own name, he called them Persians, 1.41 having reigned over them for 53 years. He also planted the so-called persea tree in his own name throughout all the land subject to him, and having initiated those of the Persians whom he loved in a mystery with the magical rites of the abominable cup of Medusa, he renamed them Medes and their country Media. Then having come to Mount Silpius, he found the Ionians from Argos, by whom he was also received as a kinsman. And a great storm having occurred, and the nearby river Orontes of the Iopolitans flooding excessively, when he prayed, suddenly a thunderbolt like a ball of fire was brought down from heaven, and thus the storm was stopped and the streams of the river subsided. And so, having lit a fire from that fire, Perseus kept it, carrying it with him, and having brought it to his own palace and having constructed a temple of fire and having appointed reverent men as priests; but indeed, both in Iopolis and in all the land under him, having decreed that fire to be worshiped as a god brought down from heaven, he taught fire-worship, calling the priests of the fire Magi. Therefore, the father of Andromeda, Cepheus, comes against him in war. And when Perseus came forth and showed the Gorgon's head, but Cepheus, being dim-sighted from old age, as Perseus advanced against him on horseback, not knowing that Cepheus was dim-sighted, he reasoned that the Gorgon's head which he held was no longer working, and having turned it towards himself and having gazed intently at it, was immediately blinded and slain. And then 1.42 Meros, the son of Perseus and Andromeda, is put forward by Cepheus as king of the Persians. And Cepheus, having burned the Gorgon's head, departed to his own country. And his father having sent Agenor from Phoenicia in search of his daughter Europa, Cadmus, having learned that she reigns over Crete with Taurus who had seized her, set out for Boeotia and taught them, being ignorant of the Phoenician letters, and reigned over them for 62 years. And he took a wife called Harmonia, who bore him six daughters, Ino, Agave, Semele, Eurynome, Cleantho and Eurydice. These were called the Cadmides. This Cadmus also the city of
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σὸν γενόμενον ῥυῆναι διὰ τοῦ στέγους εἰς τὸν θάλαμον καὶ ∆ανάην διαφθεῖραι. τοῦτον τὸν Περσέα καὶ πτερωτὸν εἶναι ἔφασκον ὡς ὀξύτατον ὄντα παιδόθεν καὶ τῇ φύσει γοργότατον καὶ ἐντρεχέστα τον. ᾧ καὶ Ζεὺς ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ τὰς κρυφίους καὶ μυστικὰς καὶ 1.40 μυσαρὰς πάσας μαγείας καὶ μαγγανίας ἐδίδαξε, νικᾶν τοὺς πολε μίους ἐν τούτοις παρεγγυῶν. τοίνυν εἰς ἡλικίαν ἀνδρὸς ἐλθὼν φεύγει τοὺς υἱοὺς Νίνου τοῦ θείου αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους ἔρχεται. πρὸς δὲ Λιβύην διαβαίνοντι παρθένος κόρη χωριτική, ἀπηγριωμένους ἔχουσα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τὰς τρίχας, κατὰ πρόσωπον συναντᾷ. ἣν καὶ στήσας τὸ αὐτῆς ὄνομα ἠρώτα. ἡ δὲ "Μέδουσα" ἔφη "λέγομαι." καὶ αὐτίκα τὴν κάραν αὐτῆς ἀπο τέμνει· καὶ ταύτην ταριχεύσας κατὰ τὰς ἀρρήτους καὶ μιαρὰς ὑποθήκας ∆ιὸς τοῦ πατέρος αὐτοῦ, ταῖς χερσὶ κρατῶν καὶ ταῖς μαγείαις θαρρῶν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐχώρει. Γοργόνα δὲ τὴν κάραν ἐκάλει διὰ τὸ τῆς γοητείας ἐνεργὲς καὶ ὀξύ. ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς Αἰθιοπίαν διαβὰς ὑπὸ Κηφέως τότε βασιλευομένην, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα Ἀνδρομέδαν καλουμένην καὶ ἱέρειαν οὖσαν ἁρπάσας, κατέπλευσε διὰ Συρίας πρὸς Λυκαονίαν. οἱ δὲ Λυ κάονες τούτῳ ἐναντιωθέντες τῇ τῆς Γοργόνος πρώτῃ βοηθείᾳ κατενικήθησαν. ἐκεῖ καὶ πόλιν κτίσας Περσίδα τῷ ἰδίῳ κέκληκεν ὀνόματι. στήλην δὲ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως στήσας, καὶ τὸ ἀπεικόνισμα τῆς Γοργόνος ἐπιθείς, Εἰκόνιον ταύτην ἐπωνόμασεν. ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ Ἰσαυρίαν καὶ Κιλικίαν διαβάς, χρησμὸν λαβὼν ὅτι ἔνθα ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου ἀποβὰς τὸν ταρσὸν ὀδυνηθῇς τοῦ ποδός, νίκην λάβῃς καὶ πόλιν οἰκοδομήσῃς, τὴν Ταρσὸν κτίζει καὶ κατὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων ὁρμᾷ, τούτους τε νικήσας καὶ τὸν Σαρδανάπαλον καὶ τοὺς τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ ἀπεκτονὼς εἰς τέλος αὐτοὺς ὑποτάσσει. καὶ Ἀσσυ ρίων τὴν βασιλείαν ἀφελόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ὀνόματι Πέρσας αὐ 1.41 τοὺς ἐκάλεσε, βασιλεύσας ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἔτη νγʹ. οὗτος καὶ τὴν κα λουμένην περσέαν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ ὀνόματι εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ὑποκειμένην αὐτῷ κατεφύτευσε γῆν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ μυσαροῦ σκύφου τῆς Μεδού σης οὓς ἠγάπα τῶν Περσῶν ἐν μυστηρίῳ μυσταγωγήσας μαγείοις Μήδους αὐτοὺς καὶ Μηδίαν τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν μετωνόμασεν. εἶτα εἰς τὸ Σίλπιον ὄρος ἐλθὼν εὗρε τοὺς ἀπὸ Ἄργους Ἰωνίτας, ὑφ' ὧν καὶ ἐδέχθη ὡς ὁμόφυλος. χειμῶνος δὲ πολλοῦ πεσόντος καὶ τοῦ προσπαρακειμένου ποταμοῦ τοῖς Ἰωπολίταις Ὀρόντου καθ' ὑπερβολὴν πλημμυροῦντος, ἐπεὶ ηὔξατο, ἄφνω κεραυνὸς ὡς σφαῖρα πυρὸς οὐρανόθεν κατηνέχθη, καὶ οὕτως ὅ τε χειμὼν ἐπε σχέθη καὶ τὰ ῥεῖθρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀνείθη. καὶ γοῦν τοῦ πυρὸς ἐκείνου πῦρ ἀνάψας ὁ Περσεὺς εἶχε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ βαστάζων, εἴς τε τὰ ἴδια βασίλεια ἀγαγὼν καὶ ἱερὸν τοῦ πυρὸς κατασκευάσας καὶ ἱερεῖς εὐλαβεῖς ἄνδρας ἐπιστησάμενος· ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐν Ἰωπόλει καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ὑπ' αὐτὸν γῇ καὶ ὡς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατενεχθέντα θεὸν σέβεσθαι τὸ πῦρ ἐκεῖνο θεσπίσας ἐδίδαξε πυρσολατρεῖν, μά γους τοὺς τοῦ πυρὸς ἱερεῖς καλέσας. ἔρχεται οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν πολέμῳ ὁ τῆς Ἀνδρομέδας πατὴρ ὁ Κηφεύς. καὶ ἐπεὶ ὁ Περσεὺς ἐξελθὼν τὴν τῆς Γοργόνος κεφαλὴν ἐπεδείκνυε, Κηφεὺς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ γήρως ἀμβλυωπῶν, ὡς ἔφιππος κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπέβαινεν ὁ Περσεύς, ἀγνοῶν ἀμβλυωπεῖν τὸν Κηφέα, ἐλογίσατο μὴ ἐνεργεῖν ἔτι ἣν κατεῖχε τῆς Γοργόνος κεφαλήν, καὶ στρέψας ταύτην πρὸς ἑαυ τὸν καὶ ἐμβλέψας ἀτενῶς παραυτὰ τυφλωθεὶς ἀνῃρέθη. καὶ λοι 1.42 πὸν προβάλλεται ὑπὸ Κηφέως βασιλεὺς Περσῶν Μέρως ὁ Περ σέως καὶ Ἀνδρομέδας υἱός. Κηφεὺς δὲ τὴν τῆς Γοργόνος κεφα λὴν καύσας ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτοῦ. Ἀγήνορα δὲ τὸν ἀπὸ Φοινίκης ὁ πατὴρ εἰς ἀναζήτησιν τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγατρὸς Εὐρώπης ἀποστείλας, μαθὼν ὁ Κάδμος ὡς αὐτὴ σὺν Ταύρῳ τῷ ἁρπάσαντι ταύτην τῆς Κρήτης βασιλεύει, ὥρμησεν εἰς Βοιωτίαν καὶ αὐτοὺς ἀγνοοῦντας τὰ Φοινίκων γράμματα ἐδί δαξε, καὶ ἐβασίλευσεν ἐπ' αὐτοῖς ἔτη ξβʹ. καὶ γυναῖκα ἠγάγετο τὴν Ἁρμονίαν καλουμένην, ἥτις αὐτῷ ἓξ τίκτει θυγατέρας, Ἰνὼ Ἀγαύην Σεμέλην Εὐρυνόμην Κλεανθὼ καὶ Εὐρυδίκην. αὗται ἐλέγοντο Καδμίδες. οὗτος ὁ Κάδμος καὶ πόλιν τὴν