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it is called the old and new by the comic poet Aristophanes and Hesiod and the rest. And the days up to the 30th are called eidoi, because at that time beginning from the 16th the moon is completely formed, then it wanes.

After the reign of Ardeus, 8 other Lydians reigned until Croesus the arrogant and Cyrus king of the Assyrians. And this same Croesus reigned for 15 years. Therefore the kingdom of the Lydians lasted in all for 232 years. And Croesus subjugated all the kingdoms near him, and takes those far from him. And he sent a message to Cyrus to leave his kingdom and depart, or to receive the presence of his warring kingdom. But Cyrus replied to him through his ambassadors, "For in what way has Croesus been wronged by me, being so much land distant from me and my kingdoms?" And being distressed, he planned to flee to the land of India, fearing the good fortune of Croesus. But his wife, seeing him so disheartened and having questioned him, and having learned the matter from him, says to him that in the time of Darius my first 1.240 husband there was a certain Hebrew man, a prophet, having the wisdom of God, by name Daniel, whom Darius the king held in great honor, without whom he did nothing among his enemies; who after his death, being rich and having grown old, was living privately in the land of Marabitis. And Cyrus, having heard these things, sent his nobles to him, so that they might bring him with honor. But Croesus, king of the Lydians, having chosen some of his household, and having given them humble gifts and other royal gifts, sends them to Delphi to the oracle of Apollo, having said to them, "Change your appearance, and go up to the oracle, and give humble gifts to the priest, saying that we are Egyptians, and we have come to consult the Pythia, and from the length of the journey we have forgotten what we came to ask or to inquire. But pray, and ask the god why we have come. And if he tells you why you have come, give also the royal gifts from me, and ask the priest if I will conquer the king of the Persians, Cyrus." And they, having done so, questioned the priest; who after praying received this response from the Pythia: "I know the number of the sands and the measures of the sea, and I hear the one who does not speak and understand the deaf. But king Croesus and his Lydians are trying to test me." And the priest came out and said to them, "You are not Egyptians but Lydians, and you have not forgotten, but you have spoken, testing divine things." And he handed 1.241 them the oracle, having written it on a diptych. And they, being astonished, also handed over the other royal gifts to the priest, saying to him that "Croesus the king sent us, since he has a war against Cyrus the king of the Persians, and learn if he will conquer him." Therefore the priest, having gone in again and having prayed, received this oracle: "King Croesus, by crossing the Halys river, will destroy a great empire." And having written this oracle on a diptych, he sent them away to Croesus. But the prophet Daniel came to king Cyrus, and Cyrus says to him, "Tell me if I will conquer Croesus the king of the Lydians." But Daniel delayed to speak. And being angry with him, Cyrus threw him also into the den of lions, and since he had suffered nothing from them, he brought him up. And Cyrus fell before him, saying, "I have sinned against you, but pray to God and tell me if I am able to make war on this robber and arrogant Croesus, because he has subjugated the whole earth and is not satisfied." And Daniel, having prayed, said to him, "You both conquer Croesus and take him captive; for God, who made all these visible things, spoke concerning you through the prophet Isaiah: Thus says the Lord God to my anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, that nations might hearken before him, and I will break the strength of kings; I will open before him, I will go and make level, and I will shatter bronze doors, and I will break iron bars, and I will open for you unseen treasures, so that you may know that I 1.242 am the Lord God.

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καλεῖται ἔνη καὶ νέα παρὰ τῷ κωμικῷ Ἀριστοφάνῃ καὶ Ἡσιόδῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς. εἰδοῖ δὲ καλοῦνται αἱ μέχρι τῆς λʹ, ὅτι τηνικαῦτα ἀρχομένη τῆς ι ϛʹ εἰδοποιεῖ ται παντελῶς ἡ σελήνη, εἶτα φθίνει.

Μετὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Ἀρδέως ἐβασίλευσαν Λυδῶν ἕτε ροι ηʹ ἕως Κροίσου τοῦ ὑπερηφάνου καὶ Κύρου βασιλέως Ἀσσυ ρίων. ἐβασίλευσε δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς Κροῖσος ἔτη ιεʹ. κατέσχεν οὖν ἡ βασιλεία Λυδῶν τὰ ὅλα ἔτη σλβʹ. Κροῖσος δὲ ὑπέταξε πάσας τὰς πλησίον αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, καὶ τὰ πόρρωθεν αὐτοῦ λαμβάνει. ἐμήνυσε δὲ καὶ Κύρῳ ἐᾶσαι τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναχωρῆσαι, ἢ δέξασθαι τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ πολεμοῦσαν. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ἀντεῖπεν αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν πρεσβέων "τί γὰρ ἠδίκηται παρ' ἐμοῦ ὁ Κροῖσος, τοσαύτην γῆν ἀφεστηκὼς ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν βασιλείων;" καὶ ἀδημονῶν ἐβουλεύσατο φυγεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν χώραν, δεδοικὼς τὴν εὐτυχίαν Κροίσου. ἰδοῦσα δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ οὕτως ἀθυμοῦντα καὶ ἐπερωτήσασα, καὶ μαθοῦσα παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ πρᾶγμα, λέγει αὐτῷ ὡς ἐπὶ ∆αρείου τοῦ πρώτου μου 1.240 ἀνδρὸς ἦν τις ἀνὴρ Ἑβραῖος προφήτης, σοφίαν ἔχων θεοῦ, ὀνό ματι ∆ανιήλ, ὅντινα ἐν πολλῇ τιμῇ εἶχε ∆αρεῖος ὁ βασιλεύς, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδὲν ἔπραττεν ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις· ὅστις μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν ἐκείνου πλούσιος ὢν καὶ γεγηρακὼς ἰδίαζεν εἰς τὴν Μαραβίτιδα χώραν. ὁ δὲ Κῦρος ἀκούσας ταῦτα ἔπεμψε πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας αὐτοῦ, ὅπως μετὰ τιμῆς ἀγάγωσιν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Κροῖ σος βασιλεὺς Λυδῶν ἐπιλεξάμενός τινας τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοῦ, δοὺς αὐτοῖς δῶρα εὐτελῆ καὶ ἄλλα δῶρα βασιλικά, ἀποστέλλει αὐτοὺς ἐν ∆ελφοῖς εἰς τὸ Ἀπόλλωνος μαντεῖον, εἰρηκὼς αὐτοῖς "ἀλλάξατε τὰ σχήματα, καὶ ἀνέλθετε εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον, καὶ ἐπίδοτε εὐτελῆ δῶρα τῷ ἱερεῖ, λέγοντες ὅτι Αἰγύπτιοί ἐσμεν, καὶ ἤλθομεν ἐπερω τῆσαι τὴν Πυθίαν, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ὁδοῦ μήκους ἐληθαργήσαμεν τί ἤλθομεν αἰτῆσαι ἢ ἐπερωτῆσαι. ἀλλ' εὖξαι, καὶ ἐπερώτησον τὸν θεὸν διὰ τί ἤλθομεν. καὶ εἰ μὲν εἴπῃ ὑμῖν διὰ τί ἤλθετε, δότε καὶ τὰ παρ' ἐμοῦ βασιλικὰ δῶρα, καὶ εἴπατε τῷ ἱερεῖ εἰ νικῶ τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν τὸν Κῦρον. οἱ δὲ ποιήσαντες οὕτως ἐπηρώτησαν τὸν ἱερέα· ὃς εὐξάμενος ἔλαβε τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ταύτην παρὰ τῆς Πυθίας "οἶδα ψαμμῶν ἀριθμὸν θαλάσσης τε μέτρα, οὐ λαλέοντος δ' ἀκούω καὶ κωφοῦ ξυνίημι. παίζειν δέ με πειρᾶ ται Κροῖσος βασιλεὺς καὶ οἱ τούτου Λυδοί." καὶ ἐξελθὼν ὁ ἱε ρεὺς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς "οὐκ ἔστε Αἰγύπτιοι ἀλλὰ Λυδοί, καὶ οὐκ ἐλη θαργήσατε, ἀλλὰ παίζοντες τὰ θεῖα εἴπατε." καὶ ἐπέδωκεν αὐ 1.241 τοῖς τὸν χρησμὸν γράψας ἐν διπτύχῳ. οἱ δὲ ἐκπλαγέντες ἐπέδω καν καὶ τἆλλα βασιλικὰ δῶρα τῷ ἱερεῖ, εἰπόντες αὐτῷ ὅτι Κροῖ σος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔπεμψεν ἡμᾶς, ἐπειδὴ πόλεμον ἔχει πρὸς Κῦρον τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν, καὶ μάθε εἰ νικᾷ αὐτόν." εἰσελθὼν οὖν πάλιν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ εὐξάμενος ἔλαβε τὸν χρησμὸν τοῦτον "Κροῖσος ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἅλυν ποταμὸν διαβὰς μεγάλην ἀρχὴν καταλύσει." καὶ γράψας τὸν χρησμὸν τοῦτον ἐν διπτύχῳ ἀπέλυσε πρὸς Κροῖσον. ὁ δὲ προφήτης ∆ανιὴλ ἦλθε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Κῦρον, καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ Κῦρος "εἰπέ μοι εἰ νικῶ Κροῖσον τὸν βασιλέα Λυδῶν." ὁ δὲ ∆ανιὴλ ἀνεβάλλετο τοῦ εἰπεῖν. καὶ ἀγανακτήσας κατ' αὐτοῦ Κῦρος ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν καὶ οὗτος εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων, καὶ μή τι πεπονθότα ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἀνήγαγεν αὐτόν. καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Κῦρος λέγων "ἥμαρτον εἰς σέ, ἀλλ' εὖξαι τῷ θεῷ καὶ εἰπέ μοι εἰ δύναμαι πολεμῆσαι τῷ ἅρπαγι τούτῳ καὶ ὑπερηφάνῳ Κροίσῳ, ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὑπέταξε καὶ οὐ κορέννυται." καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ εὐξάμενος εἶπεν αὐτῷ "καὶ νικᾷς τὸν Κροῖσον καὶ λαμβά νεις αὐτὸν αἰχμάλωτον· περὶ σοῦ γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ὁ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ὁρώμενα ταῦτα, διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Ἠσαΐου· οὕτως λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ χριστῷ μου Κύρῳ, οὗ ἐκράτησα τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ, ἐπακοῦσαι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ἔθνη, καὶ ἰσχὺν βασι λέων διαρρήξω· ἀνοίξω ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῷ, πορεύσομαι καὶ ὁμα λιῶ, καὶ θύρας χαλκᾶς συντρίψω, καὶ μοχλοὺς σιδηροῦς συν θλάσω, καὶ θησαυροὺς ἀοράτους ἀνοίξω σοι, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι ἐγὼ 1.242 κύριος ὁ θεός.