90

the fall of his own father, Achelous flees on horseback; for which reason they also depict him as a hippocentaur. And while Polyphemus Heracles was pursuing him, Achelous turned and shot him in the breast. And immediately, as he was, Heracles shot Achelous back near the river Euenus. But Achelous threw himself from his horse into the streams of the river and perished; and from that time the river was renamed Achelous. And Polyphemus Heracles died a few days later from the wound in his breast. But Meleager, the son of Oeneus, brother of Tydeus and Deianira, performed a great feat, killing a boar which was ravaging all that land, after the huntress Atalanta had first struck the wild boar with an arrow. And after the slaying of the beast, Meleager gave its hide to Atalanta, having been struck with love for her. But Meleager, going to his own father Oeneus, was asked by him for the prize of the beast. And when he learned 1.248 that he had given the hide to Atalanta, enraged at him, he took the olive branch which Althaea was guarding, which olive branch Althaea, being pregnant, desired and ate, and having swallowed the leaf of the olive, she immediately gave birth to the olive leaf along with Meleager. Concerning which an oracle was given to his father Oeneus, that Meleager would live for as long a time as the olive leaf born with him was guarded. which leaf Oeneus burned, being vexed at his own son, and he immediately died. And Euripides also composed a drama about Meleager. And after the reign of Oeneus, his other son Tydeus, the father of Diomedes, reigned over the land of Aetolia, who after the death of his father reigned over the land of the Argives, having taken a wife from Argos named Aegialeia. And becoming desperate, he destroyed his own land and kingdom by war, making it subject to the kingdom of the Argives; and immediately he set out with the Achaeans against Ilium. And returning from Troy to his own kingdom, he was not received by his own people. And learning that his wife Aegialeia was plotting against him, as she had committed adultery with Cometes her kinsman, who also resisted him strongly along with the son of Nauplius, Ajax, who was caught in the same circumstances, who, because of their love for her, fought against him with great strength, but seeing these men and all the Argive land resisting him, and being unable even to go up into his own land of Aetolia, he departed, sailing away to the land of Calabria, 1.249 and he founded a coastal city there, which he named Argyrippe, now Benevento. That Darius the Mede was also called Artaxerxes and Astyages and Nabogiadus. And they say that he had the ears of a donkey; and he was the grandfather of Cyrus. This man was yoked to Esther for her beauty, and he established Daniel among the great ones. And when a plot was made by the great ones against Daniel, he cast him into the den of lions; when he was saved, they, being thrown to the lions, became their food. This Darius, Cyrus the Persian killed and ruled Babylon for thirty-two years. Under him, Croesus the Lydian, puffed up by both his great wealth and his victories, declared to Cyrus either to yield the kingdom of the Persians to him, or to expect him for war. But Cyrus, having summoned Daniel, heard him exhorting him to be of good courage, that you will both conquer Croesus by force and you will send back the people of Israel to Jerusalem. In his time occurred the events concerning Mordecai and Haman and the redemption of the Hebrews through Esther. In his time Daniel saw the visions through Gabriel, and learned the time of the coming of the Lord. During these times a Sibyl in Samos was also known.

The first year of Cyrus was the year of the world #22d Ϡνβʹ. This Cyrus, having taken many kings captive and holding them in prison, commanded that on a festival day they pull with their shoulders the four-horse chariot in which he himself was riding. But one of the kings

90

πτῶσιν τοῦ ἰδίου πατρὸς ὁ Ἀχελῷος φεύγει ἔφιππος· διὸ καὶ γράφουσιν αὐτὸν ἱπποκένταυ ρον. καὶ ἐν τῷ καταδιώκειν αὐτὸν τὸν Πολύφημον Ἡρακλέα ἐπι στραφεὶς τοξεύει αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀχελῷος κατὰ τοῦ μαστοῦ. καὶ εὐθέως ὡς εἶχεν ὁ Ἡρακλῆς, ἀντετόξευσε τὸν Ἀχελῷον πλησίον τοῦ ποταμοῦ Εὐήνου. ὁ δὲ Ἀχελῷος ἐνῆκεν ἑαυτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵππου εἰς τὰ ῥεῖθρα τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ ἀπώλετο· καὶ ἐξ ἐκείνου μετεκλήθη ὁ ποταμὸς Ἀχελῷος. ὁ δὲ Πολύφημος Ἡρακλῆς ἐκ τῆς πληγῆς τοῦ μαστοῦ αὐτοῦ μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας τελευτᾷ. Μελέαγρος δὲ ὁ υἱὸς Οἰνέως, ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Τυδέως καὶ ∆ηϊανείρας, ἐποίησεν ἆθλον μέγαν, φονεύσας κάπρον ὃς ἐλυμαί νετο τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην πᾶσαν, τῆς κυνηγέτιδος Ἀταλάντης προ βαλούσης τόξῳ τὸν σύαγρον. καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ θηρὸς τὸ δέρμα αὐτοῦ τῇ Ἀταλάντῃ Μελέαγρος ἐχαρίσατο, εἰς ἔρωτα ταύτης βληθείς. ἀπελθὼν δὲ ὁ Μελέαγρος εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα Οἰνέα ἀπῃτεῖτο παρ' αὐτοῦ τὰ νικητήρια τοῦ θηρός. καὶ μαθὼν 1.248 ὅτι τῇ Ἀταλάντῃ τὸ δέρμα ἐχαρίσατο, ὀργισθεὶς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἔλα βεν ὃν ἐφύλαττε θαλλὸν τῆς ἐλαίας ἡ Ἀλθαία, ὅντινα θαλλὸν τῆς ἐλαίας ἔγκυος οὖσα ἡ Ἀλθαία ἐπιθυμήσασα ἔφαγε, καὶ κατα πιοῦσα τὸ φύλλον τῆς ἐλαίας εὐθέως συνέτεκε τὸ τῆς ἐλαίας φύλ λον τῷ Μελεάγρῳ. περὶ οὗ χρησμὸς ἐδόθη τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ Οἰνεῖ, τοσοῦτον χρόνον ζῆσαι τὸν Μελέαγρον ὅσον χρόνον φυλάττεται τὸ φύλλον τῆς ἐλαίας τὸ συγγενηθὲν αὐτῷ. ὅπερ φύλλον ἔκαυσεν ὁ Οἰνεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατὰ τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ, καὶ παραχρῆμα ἐτελεύτα. καὶ ὁ Εὐριπίδης δὲ δρᾶμα περὶ Μελεάγρου ἐξέθετο. Μετὰ δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Οἰνέως ἐβασίλευσε τῆς Αἰτωλίας χώρας ὁ ἕτερος υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ Τυδεύς, ὁ πατὴρ ∆ιομήδους, ὃς μετὰ τελευτὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐβασίλευσε τῆς τῶν Ἀργείων χώρας, ἀγαγόμενος ἐκ τοῦ Ἄργους γυναῖκα ὀνόματι Αἰγιάλειαν. καὶ ἀπονοηθεὶς κατέλυσε πολέμῳ τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτοῦ χώραν καὶ βα σιλείαν, ποιήσας αὐτὴν ὑπὸ τὴν τῶν Ἀργείων βασιλείαν· καὶ εὐ θέως ἐξώρμησε μετὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἐπὶ τὸ Ἴλιον. καὶ ἐπανελθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς Τροίας ἐπὶ τὸ ἴδιον βασίλειον οὐκ ἐδέχθη ὑπὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ. μαθὼν δὲ ὅτι ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Αἰγιάλεια κατασκευάζει αὐτῷ δόλον ὡς πορνευθεῖσα ὑπὸ τοῦ Κόμητος τοῦ συγκλητικοῦ αὐτῆς, ὅστις καὶ ἀνθίστατο αὐτῷ κραταιῶς ἅμα τῷ υἱῷ Ναυπλίου τῷ Αἴακι τὰ ὅμοια φωραθέντι, οἳ διὰ τὸν πρὸς αὐτὴν ἔρωτα πολλῷ σθένει ἀντεμάχουν αὐτῷ, ἰδὼν δὲ τούτους καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν Ἀργείαν χώραν ἀνθισταμένην αὐτῷ, καὶ μηδὲ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν χώραν τὴν Αἰτωλίαν δυνάμενος ἀνελθεῖν, ἀνεχώρησεν ἀποπλεύσας ἐπὶ τὴν Καλαβρίαν 1.249 χώραν, καὶ κτίζει πόλιν ἐκεῖ παράλιον, ἣν ὠνόμασεν Ἀργυρίππην, τὴν νυνὶ Βενεβεντόν. Ὅτι ὁ Μῆδος ∆αρεῖος καὶ Ἀρταξέρξης καὶ Ἀστυάγης καὶ Ναβογίαδος ἐλέγετο. φασὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ὄνου ἔχειν ὦτα· πάππος δὲ ἦν Κύρου. οὗτος ἐζεύχθη τῇ Ἐσθὴρ διὰ κάλλος, καὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐν μεγιστᾶσι κατέστησε. συσκευῆς δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν μεγιστάνων κατὰ ∆ανιὴλ γενομένης ἐν τῷ λάκκῳ αὐτὸν τῶν λεόντων ἐνέβαλεν· οὗ διασωθέντος ἐκεῖνοι τροφὴ τοῖς λέουσιν ἐμβληθέντες γεγόνασι. τοῦτον τὸν ∆αρεῖον Κῦρος ὁ Πέρσης ἀνελὼν τριάκοντα δύο ἔτη Βαβυλῶνος ἐκράτησεν. ἐφ' οὗ Κροῖσος ὁ Λυδὸς τῷ τε πολλῷ χρυσίῳ καὶ ταῖς νίκαις ἐπαρθεὶς δηλοῖ τῷ Κύρῳ ἢ παραχωρῆσαι τούτῳ τῆς βασιλείας Περσῶν, ἢ προσδέχεσθαι τοῦτον εἰς πόλε μον. Κῦρος δὲ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ εἰσκαλεσάμενος ἤκουσε παρεγγυῶντος θαρρεῖν, ὅτι καὶ Κροῖσον κατὰ κράτος νικήσεις καὶ εἰς Ἱερουσα λὴμ τὸν λαὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἀποστρέψεις. ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Μαρδοχαῖον καὶ Ἀμὰν καὶ ἡ διὰ τῆς Ἐσθὴρ ἀπολύτρωσις τῶν Ἑβραίων.ἐπὶ αὐτοῦ ∆ανιὴλ τὰς διὰ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ ὀπτασίας εἶδε, καὶ τὸν χρόνον τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου ἔμαθε. κατὰ τούτους τοὺς χρό νους καὶ Σίβυλλα ἐν Σάμῳ ἐγνωρίζετο.

Κύρου τὸ πρῶτον ἔτος κόσμου ἦν #22δ Ϡνβʹ. Oὗτος ὁ Κῦρος αἰχμαλωτεύσας πολλοὺς βασιλεῖς καὶ ἔχων αὐτοὺς ἐν φυλακῇ προσέταξε κατὰ ἑορτὴν τοῖς ὤμοις αὐτῶν σύρειν τὸ τετράϊππον ἅρμα, ἐν ᾧ αὐτὸς ἐπωχεῖτο. εἷς δὲ ἐκ τῶν βασιλέων