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And when a shout arose, Odysseus, thinking it was Telemachus, stands up with a sword, and encountering Telegonus is struck by him with the sting of a stingray, and in this way he dies. King Agamemnon, having sailed away to his homeland with Cassandra, found Clytemnestra committing adultery with Aegisthus. For she 1.234, having heard that Agamemnon had taken Cassandra in Troy, decrees such a death for her husband. For having dressed him upon his return in a tunic woven shut on all sides, she arranges for him to be slain by Aegisthus, and takes Aegisthus. So then Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, who, being young, during the expedition to Ilium was sent by his own father to Schoeneus to be raised, learning this, came, and having slain Aegisthus and his mother, takes up the kingship. And Menelaus with Helen, having been cast away to Egypt, and with difficulty having been brought down to Lacedaemon, learning the things concerning Agamemnon lived in great fear. And Ajax, the son of Oileus, was drowned at sea with his own army. And Diomedes, the son of Tydeus, having sailed down to his own city, was not received, but having been pursued by Aegialia his wife and by the citizens fled to Calabria. He therefore founds a city there, which he called Argyrippe, which was renamed Maleventum, and then Beneventum, and in it he dwells, having also the Palladium, which he took from Troy.

That Orestes after the matricide fell into a raving madness, and sometimes he lived in remission, but at other times he performed outrageous things. And since the citizens loved him, he goes away to Delphi, and receives such an oracle: "Orestes, you must not otherwise put away the madness of your grievous sickness, unless having crossed the waves of the Pontus 1.235 you seize the land of Scythia and the country of Aulis. Having been seized in the temple of Artemis you will be saved from the altars. And having fled from there, having crossed from the land of the barbarians, you may seize the land of Syria. Opposite the ravine of Mount Silpius you will find a mountain having the name Melantion, where there is a great temple of Hestia. There put away your raging madness. Go quickly. These things I have spoken which are to be." Orestes, having noted these things, immediately sailing up with Pylades, they arrived at the country of Aulis in Scythia. Having therefore crossed the Pontic sea, and having traveled on foot about two miles from the mainland, they see the halls of a goddess and outside human bones thrown about, which the native tongue calls "Croustemia". And they were deliberating what they should do. Herdsmen run to Iphigenia, saying, "Two young men have come by the dark blue sea." And she, first asking the strangers who and of what country they were, and what their names were, also inquired about Agamemnon her father and about the Trojan War. Then they are bound to be sacrificed. And Orestes for the next day, but she placed Pylades by the altar of Artemis. And Iphigenia asked of what country he might be and of what city. "Of the country of Hellas," he said, "and of the city of Mycenae I, a wretched man, am here." And she, having heard her city and her country, wept, but suspecting that he heard about her from the herdsmen, she said, "Who is king of Mycenae? And who is his wife? 1.236 And what children?" "Agamemnon," he said, "formerly, and his wife Clytemnestra, and his children Orestes and Electra and Iphigenia, who, as they say, was brought as a sacrifice to Artemis, but having been rescued by the goddess, where she is until now is not known; and he also had daughters Chrysothemis and Laodice." And she, having heard, orders him to be loosed from his bonds at once. And having written a diptych, she gives it to him, saying, "Behold, the goddess grants you your life through me. Swear to me by her that you will give this diptych to Orestes, and you will bring me letters from him." And he swore both to give the letter into his hands and to bring Orestes himself to her. And having received the diptych, he went out of the temple, and having gone where Orestes was being guarded, he asked the Scythian guards, and having entered he gave the tablet, speaking thus: "Go with speed to your Iphigenia

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καὶ κραυγῆς γενομένης νομίσας Ὀδυσσεὺς τὸν Τηλέμαχον εἶναι ἀνίσταται μετὰ ξίφους, καὶ συμπεσὼν Τηλεγόνῳ πλήττεται ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κέντρῳ τρυγόνος, καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ τελευτᾷ. Ἀγαμέμνων ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν πατρίδα μετὰ Κασάνδρας ἀποπλεύσας εὗρε Κλυταιμνήστραν μοιχευομένην Αἰγίσθῳ. αὕτη 1.234 γὰρ ἀκούσασα ὡς Ἀγαμέμνων τὴν Κασάνδραν ἔσχεν ἐν Τροίᾳ, θάνατον καταψηφίζεται τῷ ἀνδρὶ τοιοῦτον. ἐνδύσασα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπανελθόντα χιτῶνα πανταχόθεν ὑφασμένον, παρασκευάζει τοῦ τον ὑπὸ Αἰγίσθου σφαγῆναι, καὶ λαμβάνει τὸν Αἴγισθον. ὁ γοῦν τοῦ Ἀγαμέμνονος υἱὸς Ὀρέστης, ὃς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου πατρὸς ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἴλιον ἐκστρατείᾳ νέος ὢν πρὸς Σχοινέα ἀπεστάλη ἀνατραφῆναι, τοῦτο μαθὼν ἦλθε, καὶ ἀνελὼν Αἴγισθον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἀναλαμβάνει τὴν βασιλείαν. Μενέλαος δὲ σὺν τῇ Ἑλένῃ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπορριφείς, καὶ μόλις εἰς Λακεδαίμονα καταχθείς, τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα μα θὼν μετὰ πολλοῦ δέους ἐβίου. Αἴας δὲ ὁ τοῦ Ὀϊλέως υἱὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου στρατοῦ ἐποντίσθη. ∆ιομήδης δὲ ὁ τοῦ Τυδέως υἱὸς εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πόλιν καταπλεύσας οὐκ ἐδέχθη, ἀλλὰ διωχθεὶς ὑπὸ Αἰγιαλείας τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν κατέφυγεν εἰς Καλαβρίαν. κτίζει οὖν πόλιν ἐκεῖ, ἣν ἐκάλεσεν Ἀργυρίππην, τὴν μετονομασθεῖσαν Μαλεβέντον, εἶτα καὶ Βενεβέντον, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ οἰκεῖ ἔχων καὶ τὸ Παλλάδιον, ὅπερ ἔλαβεν ἐκ Τροίας.

Ὅτι Ὀρέστης μετὰ τὴν μητροκτονίαν εἰς μανίαν περιέπεσε λυσσώδη, καὶ ποτὲ μὲν ἐν ἀνέσει διῆγε, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ ἐξόχων ἐπε τέλει. ἀγαπώντων δὲ αὐτὸν τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς ∆ελφοὺς ἀπέρχεται, καὶ δέχεται χρησμὸν τοιοῦτον "Ὀρέστα, οὐκ ἄλλως σε δεῖ ἀργα λέης νόσου μανίην ἀποθέσθαι, εἰ μὴ περάσας Πόντου κύματα 1.235 Σκυθίης γαῖαν καταλάβῃς Αὐλίδος τε χώραν. ἐν ἱερῷ Ἀρτέμιδος ληφθεὶς σωθήσῃ ἐκ τῶν βωμῶν. κἀκεῖθεν ἐκφυγὼν ἀπὸ χθονὸς βαρβάρων χθόνα περάσας καταλάβῃς Συρίης γαῖαν. αὐλῶνος Σιλπίου ὄρους ἄντικρυ εὑρήσεις Μελάντιον τοὔνομα ἔχον ὄρος, ἔνθα μέγας ἐστὶ ναὸς Ἑστίας. ἐκεῖ λυσσώδη μανίαν ἀποτίθει. θᾶττον οἴχνει. ταῦτ' ἔφην ἃ γίνεται." ταῦτα σημειωσάμενος Ὀρέστης, εὐθέως ἀναπλεύσας ἅμα τῷ Πυλάδῃ, ἔφθασαν ἐπὶ τὴν Αὐλίδα χώραν τῆς Σκυθίας. τὴν Ποντικὴν τοίνυν θάλασσαν διαπεράσαντες, καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ μιλίων δύο τῆς ἠπείρου πεζεύσαντες, ὁρῶσιν ὡς μέλαθρα θεᾶς καὶ ἔξωθεν ἀνθρώπων ὀστέα ἐρριμμένα, ἃ καὶ Κρουστέμια ἐγχώριος καλεῖ γλῶσσα. καὶ τί δράσαιεν ἐβου λεύοντο. τρέχουσι βουκόλοι πρὸς τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν, "ἥκουσι" φάσκοντες "δύο νεανίσκοι παρὰ τὴν κυανέαν." ἐκείνη δέ, τίνες καὶ ποταποί, καὶ τίνα τούτοις ὀνόματα, πρῶτον ἐρωτῶσα τοὺς ξένους, καὶ περὶ Ἀγαμέμνονος τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ περὶ τοῦ Τρωϊκοῦ πολέμου ἐξήταζεν. εἶτα δεσμοῦνται τοῦ θύεσθαι. καὶ τὸν μὲν Ὀρέστην εἰς τὴν ἑξῆς, Πυλάδην δὲ τῷ βωμῷ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος παρεστήσατο. καὶ ἡ Ἰφιγένεια ποίας ἂν εἴη χώρας ἐπύθετο καὶ ποίας πόλεως. "χώρας μὲν Ἑλλάδος" ἔφη, "Μυκήνης δὲ πόλεως ἄθλιος πάρειμι." ἡ δὲ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν χώραν ἀκούσασα ἐδάκρυσεν, ὑποπτεύσασα δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν βουκόλων αὐτὸν ἀκοῦσαι τὰ περὶ αὐτῆς "τίς" ἔφη "βασιλεὺς Μυκήνης; τίς δὲ ἡ τούτου γυνή; 1.236 τίνα δὲ τέκνα;" "Ἀγαμέμνων" εἶπε "πρῴην, γυνὴ δὲ Κλυται μνήστρα, τέκνα δέ οἱ Ὀρέστης καὶ Ἠλέκτρα καὶ Ἰφιγένεια, ἣὡς λέγουσι θυσία Ἀρτέμιδι προσήχθη, ῥυσθεῖσα δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς θεοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ποῦ ἐστὶν οὐκ ἐγνώσθη· ἔσχε δὲ καὶ Χρυσόθεμιν καὶ Λαοδίκην θυγατέρας." ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα κελεύει τοῦτον αὐτίκα λυθῆναι τῶν δεσμῶν. καὶ γράψασα δίπτυχον ἐπιδέδωκεν αὐτῷ, εἰποῦσα "ἰδοὺ τὸ ζῆν σοι ἡ θεὸς δωρεῖται δι' ἐμοῦ. ἐπόμνυθί μοι κατ' αὐτῆς ὅτι τὸ δίπτυχον τοῦτο ἐπιδίδως τῷ Ὀρέστῃ, καὶ κομίζεις μοι παρ' αὐτοῦ γράμματα." ὁ δὲ ἐπώμνυτο καὶ τὸ γράμμα διδόναι αὐτῷ εἰς χεῖρας καὶ αὐτὸν ἄγειν Ὀρέστην πρὸς αὐτήν. εἰληφὼς δὲ τὸ δίπτυχον ἐξῆλθε τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ ἐλθὼν ὅπου Ὀρέστης ἐφρουρεῖτο ᾐτήσατο τοὺς φρουροὺς Σκύθας, καὶ εἰσελθὼν ἐπεδίδου τὴν πυκτὴν οὕτως εἰπών "ἴθι τὸ τάχος πρὸς Ἰφιγένειαν τὴν σὴν