Chapter XXX.—Self-Slaughter of Sheep.
By those who cause sheep to cut off their own heads, the following plan is adopted. Secretly smearing the throat (of the animal) with a cauterizing drug, he places a sword near, and leaves it there.223 Or, παραδοθεὶς, “he delivers it a sword, and departs.” The sheep, desirous of scratching himself, rushes against the blade, and in the act of rubbing is slaughtered, while the head is almost severed from the trunk. There is, however, a compound of the drug, bryony and salt and squills, made up in equal parts. In order that the person bringing the drug may escape notice, he carries a box with two compartments constructed of horn, the visible one of which contains frankincense, but the secret one (the aforesaid) drug. He, however, likewise insinuates into the ears of the sheep about to meet death quicksilver; but this is a poisonous drug.
[30] Τοῖς δὲ ἀμνοὺς ἀποτέμνεσθαι τὰς κεφαλὰς ἑαυτῶν ποιοῦσιν οὗτος ὁ τρόπος. κρύβδην καυστικῷ φαρμάκῳ χρίσας τὸν φάρυγγα ἐᾷ παρατιθεὶς τὸ ξίφος: ὁ δὲ κνήθεσθαι (θέ)λων, προσπεσὼν τῇ μαχαίρᾳ θλίβων σφάζεται καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν ἀποτέμνεσθαι τὴν κεφαλήν. ἔστι δὲ τὸ φάρμακον βρυωνία καὶ ἀδάρκη καὶ σκίλλα κατ' ἴσον μεμιγμένα[ι]. ἵνα δὲ λάθῃ φέρων τὸ φάρμακον, φέρει πυξίδα διπλῆν κερατίνην, ἧς τὸ [μὲν] φανερὸν μέρος ἔχει λιβανωτόν, τὸ δὲ ἀφανὲς φάρμακον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶ τοῦ τεθνηξομένου ἐμβάλλει ὑδ[ρ]άργυρον: ἔστι γὰρ θανατηφόρον φάρμακον.