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the younger men in the city and the things being sent." And indeed in this way for a period of two years, with the Bosporians coming piecemeal with their gifts so that the plot would not be known to the city, the son of Asandrus brought them on foot from Symbolon, and after some days, again in the presence of all, towards evening he would dismiss them, he says, to the outside, as if they were late because of the hour. But they, going out from the country for up to three miles, when deep darkness had fallen, would turn back and come to the place called Limon, and from there by boat he would bring them to Sōsai, and through the postern-gate, which he had in the wall, he would bring them into his house, with no one knowing, except for three of his Bosporian servants who alone were his confidants, one who would go to Symbolon and signal for the boats to depart, another who would turn the Bosporians back and bring them to Limon, and a third who would convey them by boat from Limon to Sōsai and settle them in the house of Lamachus, and through whom he maintained them in his storerooms, with neither Gykia knowing the plot, expecting, as has been said, on the annual day of Lamachus's commemoration, when the whole city was celebrating and sleeping, that he himself would rise up in the night with the Bosporians and his own household and set fire to the city and slaughter everyone. When, over the two-year period, up to two hundred Bosporians had been gathered in Gykia's house, and the commemoration of Lamachus was now finally approaching, it happened that a serving-girl of Gykia, a chambermaid, who was very dear to her, having given offense, was banished from her sight and shut away. In the room where the serving-girl was shut away, underneath it were the Bosporians being maintained. As the serving-girl was sitting and spinning flax, it happened that the whorl of her spindle fell off and, rolling, went into a very deep hole by the wall. And she, getting up to pick it up, sees it is in a very deep hole, and not being able to pull it out because of the depth, she was forced to pull up a floor-tile by the wall in order to pick it up, and through the hole she sees below in the underground room the crowd of men who were there. And seeing this, she cleverly put the tile back in its place so as not to be noticed by those below, and secretly sending one of the servants, she summoned her mistress to come to her, as she had something necessary for her to hear and see. And Gykia, pricked in her heart by God, went to the serving-girl, and when she had entered the little room alone and closed the door, the serving-girl, falling at her feet, said: "Mistress, you have power over your unprofitable servant; however, I wish to show my mistress a strange and extraordinary matter." And Gykia said to her: "Speak and show it without fear, what is this matter?" The serving-girl, leading her to the wall and cleverly lifting the tile, says to her: "Do you see through the hole, mistress, the crowd of Bosporians hiding below?" And Gykia, seeing and being amazed at the matter, said: "This is no idle plan." And she says to the serving-girl: "How did you find this thing out?" The serving-girl says: "Assuredly, mistress, it was by the will of God that the whorl fell from my spindle, and rolling, it went into this hole and, as I was unable to pick it up, I was forced to pull up the tile, and then I saw them." She then ordered the serving-girl to put the tile cleverly back in its place, and taking hold of her and embracing her, she kissed her genuinely, and said to her: "Do not be alarmed, child, your offense is forgiven, for God wished you to offend, so that he might reveal the plot to us; see to it then, with all your might, to keep the matter secret, and do not dare to confide this at all to anyone." And from then on she kept her with her constantly, more than before, as she was her confidant. And Gykia, having summoned two of her kinsmen, who were her confidants

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νεωτέρους ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ τὰ πεμπόμενα." Καὶ δὴ τῷ τρόπῳ τούτῳ ἐπὶ διετῆ χρόνον ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ μέρος ἐρχομένων τῶν Βοσποριανῶν μετὰ τῶν ξενίων πρὸς τὸ μὴ γνωσθῆναι τῇ πόλει τὸν δόλον ἔφερε μὲν αὐτοὺς πεζικῶς ἐκ τοῦ Συμβόλου ὁ τοῦ Ἀσάνδρου υἱός, καὶ μετὰ ἡμέρας τινὰς πάλιν ἐπὶ πάντων πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἀπέλυεν αὐτούς, φησίν, ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω ὡς δῆθεν βραδέστερον διὰ τὴν ὥραν. Οἱ δὲ ἐξερχόμενοι ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἄχρι τριῶν μιλίων, σκοτίας βαθείας γενομένης, ὑπέστρεφον καὶ ἤρχοντο ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ Λιμῶνι, καὶ ἐκεῖθεν διὰ καράβου ἔφερεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς Σώσαις, καὶ διὰ τοῦ παραπυλίου, οὗ εἶχεν ἐν τῷ τείχει, εἰσέφερεν αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, μηδενὸς εἰδότος, εἰ μήτι γε τριῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ Βοσποριανῶν καὶ μόνων πιστικῶν αὐτοῦ ὄντων, ἑνὸς μὲν τοῦ ἐν Συμβόλῳ ἀπερχομένου καὶ μηνύοντος ἀναχωρεῖν τοὺς καράβους, ἄλλου δὲ τοῦ ὑποστρέφοντος τοὺς Βοσποριανοὺς καὶ φέροντος ἐν Λιμῶνι, ἑτέρου δὲ τοῦ ἐκ Λιμῶνος μετὰ καράβου ἀποκομίζοντος ἐν ταῖς Σώσαις καὶ ἀποκαθιστῶντος ἐν τῷ τοῦ Λαμάχου οἴκῳ, καὶ δι' ὧν ἐπέτρεφεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀποθήκαις αὐτοῦ, μήτε τῆς Γυκίας εἰδούσης τὸν δόλον, προσδοκῶν, καθὰ εἴρηται, κατὰ τὴν ἐνιαυσιαίαν ἡμέραν τῆς τοῦ Λαμάχου μνήμης, τῆς πόλεως πάσης εὐφραινομένης τε καὶ ἀποκοιμωμένης, αὐτὸν τὴν νύκτα ἐπαναστῆναι μετὰ τῶν Βοσποριανῶν τε καὶ οἰκείων καὶ ἐμπρῆσαι τὴν πόλιν καὶ πάντας κατασφάξαι. Συναχθέντων δὲ ἐν τῷ διετεῖ χρόνῳ ἐν τῷ τῆς Γυκίας οἴκῳ ἄχρις διακοσίων Βοσποριανῶν, καὶ τῆς μνήμης τοῦ Λαμάχου ἤδη λοιπὸν ἐγγιζούσης, ἐγένετο παιδίσκην τῆς Γυκίας κουβικουλαρέαν, πάνυ αὐτῇ οὖσαν προσφιλεστάτην, πταίσασαν ἀπὸ ὄψεως αὐτῆς γενέσθαι καὶ ἀποκλεισθῆναι αὐτήν. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ οἴκῳ ἀπεκλείσθη ἡ παιδίσκη, ὑποκάτωθεν αὐτοῦ ἦσαν οἱ Βοσποριανοὶ ἐπιτρεφόμενοι. Τῆς δὲ παιδίσκης καθεζομένης καὶ νηθούσης τὸ λίνον, ἐγένετο τὸ σφοντύλιν τῆς ἀτράκτου αὐτῆς ἐκπεσεῖν καὶ κυλισθὲν εἰσελ θεῖν εἰς βαθυτάτην ὀπὴν πρὸς τὸν τοῖχον. Ἡ δὲ ἀναστᾶσα πρὸς τὸ ἐπᾶραι αὐτό, ὁρᾷ αὐτὸ ἐν βαθυτάτῃ ὀπῇ ὄν, καὶ μὴ δυναμένης αὐτῆς ἐκσπάσαι αὐτὸ διὰ τὸ βάθος, ἠναγκάσθη ἐκ τοῦ πάτου τοῦ πρὸς τὸν τοῖχον ἀνασπάσαι ἕνα βήσσαλον πρὸς τὸ τοῦτο ἐπᾶραι, καὶ ὁρᾷ διὰ τῆς ὀπῆς κάτω ἐν τῷ ὑπογέῳ οἴκῳ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὄντων ἀνδρῶν. Καὶ ἰδοῦσα εὐφυῶς πάλιν ἀπέθετο ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τὸ βήσσαλον πρὸς τὸ μὴ γνωσθῆναι τοῖς κάτω, καὶ λαθραίως ἀποστείλασα μίαν τῶν παίδων, προσεκαλεῖτο τὴν κυρίαν αὐτῆς τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς αὐτήν, ὀφείλουσάν τι ἀναγκαῖον ἀκοῦσαι καὶ ἰδεῖν. Ἡ δὲ Γυκία ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανυγεῖσα ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς τὴν παιδίσκην, καὶ εἰσελθούσης αὐτῆς κατὰ μόνας ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι καὶ κλεισάσης τὴν θύραν, πεσοῦσα ἡ παιδίσκη πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτῆς, εἶπεν· "∆έσποινα, ἐξουσίαν ἔχεις εἰς τὴν ἀχρείαν σου δούλην· πλὴν βούλομαι τῇ κυρίᾳ μου ξένον τι καὶ παράδοξον πρᾶγμα δεῖξαι." Ἡ δὲ Γυκία εἶπεν αὐτῇ· "Ἀφόβως εἰπὲ καὶ δεῖξον, τί τὸ τοιοῦτον;" Ἡ δὲ παιδίσκη ἀπαγαγοῦσα αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν τοῖχον καὶ εὐφυῶς ἐπάρασα τὸ βήσσαλον λέγει αὐτῇ· "Ὁρᾷς διὰ τῆς ὀπῆς, δέσποινα, τὸν κάτω κρυπτόμενον ὄχλον τῶν Βοσποριανῶν;" Ἡ δὲ Γυκία ἰδοῦσα καὶ ἐκπλαγεῖσα ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι ἔφη· "Οὐκ ἀργὸν τὸ σκέμμα τοῦτο." Καὶ λέγει τῇ παιδίσκῃ· "Πῶς εὗρες τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο;" Ἡ δὲ παιδίσκη λέγει· "Πάντως, δέσποινα, ὅτι ἐκ θελήματος Θεοῦ ἔπεσεν τὸ σφοντύλιν ἐκ τῆς ἀτράκτου μου, καὶ κυλισθὲν εἰσῆλθεν ἐν τῇ ὀπῇ ταύτῃ καὶ, μὴ δυναμένης μου αὐτὸ ἐπᾶραι, ἠναγκάσθην τὸ βήσσαλον ἀνασπάσαι, καὶ τότε εἶδον αὐτούς." Ἡ δὲ ἐκέλευσεν τῇ παιδίσκῃ ἀποθέσθαι τὸ βήσσαλον εὐφυῶς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπιλαβομένη αὐτῆς καὶ περιπλακεῖσα κατεφίλησε γνησίως, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· "Μηδὲν πτοηθῇς, τέκνον, συγκεχώρηταί σου τὸ πταῖσμα, ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἠθέλησέ σε πταῖσαι, ἵνα τὸν δόλον ἡμῖν φανερώσῃ· βλέπε οὖν, ὅσῃ δυνάμει φυλάξαι τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ μὴ τολμήσῃς τινὶ τὸ σύνολον τοῦτο θαρρῆσαι." Καὶ λοιπὸν εἶχεν αὐτὴν διόλου μεθ' ἑαυτῆς πλέον τοῦ πρώτου ὡς πιστικὴν αὐτὴν οὖσαν. Καὶ προσκαλεσαμένη ἡ Γυκία δύο τινὰς τῶν συγγενῶν αὐτῆς, πιστικοὺς αὐτῇ ὄντας