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Being noble, by the command of a certain ruler I became the wife of a man who was related to him. And after twin children, I had another son. But my husband's brother, maddened, fell in love with me, wretched as I am, who very much loved to be chaste. And wishing neither to yield to my admirer nor to reveal to my husband his brother's love for me, I reasoned that I should neither defile myself by committing adultery, nor insult my husband's bed, nor make one brother an enemy to the other, nor subject a whole great family to reproach before all—as I said, I reasoned that I should leave the city with my twin children for a certain time, until the impure love of the one who was flattering me to my dishonor might cease. However, I left the other son with his father for his comfort. But so that these things might happen this way, I devised to fabricate a dream, as if someone had stood by me at night and said: 'Woman, depart the city immediately with your twin children for a certain time, until I tell you to return here, since otherwise you, along with your husband and all your children, will suddenly die an evil death.' Nevertheless, I did so. For as soon as I had told the false dream to my husband, he, becoming very fearful, sent me away by sea to Athens with the two sons, male and female slaves, and much money, to educate the sons, until (he said) it should seem good to the one who had spoken in the dream for you to return to me. Nevertheless, as I, wretched one, was sailing with my children, being cast away to these places by the disorder of the winds, when the ship broke up during the night, I suffered shipwreck. And when all had died, I, unfortunate one, alone was thrown onto a rock, having been pushed by a violent wave; sitting upon which, wretched one, in the hope of finding my children alive, I did not cast myself into the deep then, when, my soul being intoxicated by the waves, I could have easily done this. But when dawn came, crying out loudly and wailing mournfully, I looked around, seeking the dead bodies of my wretched infants. The inhabitants therefore, taking pity on me, seeing me naked, first clothed me, and they searched the deep, seeking my children. And since they found nothing of what I was seeking, for the sake of comfort some of the hospitable women came and related each her own evils, so that by the misfortune of others like me I might find comfort, which indeed grieved me more. For I said I was not so evil as to find comfort in the misfortunes of others. And indeed, while many thought it right to take me in as a guest, a certain poor woman here, using much force, compelled me to come to her own dwelling, saying to me: 'Take courage, woman; for my husband too, being a sailor, died at sea, while he was in the bloom of youth; and from that time, though many deemed me worthy of marriage, I chose to remain a widow, longing for my husband. And what we both are able to provide by our hands will be common to us.' And, not to lengthen the unnecessary words for you, I lived with her because of her love for her husband. And not long after, my wretched hands were paralyzed by the bites, and the woman who had taken me in, being completely bound by some affliction, is cast down in the house. Since, therefore, the former pity of the women has waned, and I

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εὐγενὴς ὑπάρχουσα δυνάστου τινὸς προσταγῇ ἀνδρὶ πρὸς γένους αὐτῷ ὑπάρχοντι ἐγενόμην γυνή. καὶ μετὰ δίδυμα τέκνα ἔσχον ἕτερον υἱόν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀδελφὸς μανεὶς οὐκ ἔλαττον ἠράσθη μου τῆς τα- λαιπώρου, σφόδρα σωφρονεῖν ἀγαπώσης. καὶ βουλομένη μήτε τῷ ἐραστῇ συνθέσθαι μήτε τῷ ἐμῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀναθέσθαι τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔρωτα, ἐλογισάμην, ἵνα μήτε μοιχησαμένη ἐμαυτὴν μιάνω μήτε τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν κοίτην ὑβρίσω μήτε τῷ ἀδελφῷ τὸν ἀδελφὸν πολέμιον καταστήσω μήτε ὅλον γένος μέγα Χν εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν πᾶσιν ὑποβάλω-ὡς ἔφην, ἐλογισάμην τὴν πόλιν μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν διδύμων παίδων ἐκβῆναι ἐπὶ χρόνον τινά, ἕως ἂν καὶ ὁ μιαρὸς ἔρως παύσηται τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ ὕβρει κολακεύοντός με. τὸν μέντοι ἕτερον υἱὸν παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ μεῖναι εἰς παραμυ- θίαν κατέλιπον. πλὴν ἵνα οὕτως ταῦτα γένηται, ἐπενόησα ὄνειρον πλάσα- σθαι ὡς δή τινος νύκτωρ ἐπιστάντος μοι καὶ εἰρηκότος· Γύναι, ἐξαυτῆς ἅμα τοῖς διδύμοις σου τέκνοις ἐπὶ χρόνον τινά, μέχρις ὅτε μηνύσω ἐπανελθεῖν σε ἐνταῦθα, ἔκβηθι τὴν πόλιν, ἐπεὶ ἅμα ἀνδρὶ καὶ πᾶσίν σου τοῖς τέκνοις αἰφνι- δίως κακῶς τελευτήσεις. ὁμῶς οὕτως ἐποίησα. ἅμα γὰρ τῷ τὸν ὄνειρον ψεύ- σασθαί με τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτὸς περίφοβος γενόμενος μετὰ τῶν δύο υἱῶν δού- λων τε καὶ παιδισκῶν καὶ χρημάτων συχνῶν κατὰ πλοῦν εἰς Ἀθήνας με ἐξέπεμψεν ἐκπαιδεῦσαι τοὺς υἱούς, μέχρις ἄν (ἔφη) τῷ χρηματίσαντι δόξῃ ἐπανιέναι σε πρὸς ἐμέ. ὁμῶς ἅμα τέκνοις ἡ τάλαινα πλέουσα ὑπὸ ἀνέμων ἀταξίας εἰς τούτους ἀπορριφεῖσα τοὺς τόπους, νυκτὸς τῆς νηὸς διαλυθείσης, ναυφραγίῳ περιέπεσα. πάντων δὲ θανόντων ἡ ἀτυχὴς ἐγὼ μόνη ὑπὸ σφοδροῦ κύματος ·ιπισθεῖσα ἐπὶ πέτρας ἐρρίφην, ἐφ' ἧς καθεσθεῖσα ἡ ἀθλία ἐλπίδι τοῦ τὰ τέκνα με ζῶντα εὑρεῖν εἰς τὸν βυ- θὸν ἐμαυτὴν οὐκ ἔρριψα τότε ὅτε τὴν ψυχὴν μεμεθυσμένην τοῖς κύ- μασιν ἔχουσα τοῦτο ποιῆσαι ·ᾳδίως ἐδυνάμην. πλὴν ἐπειδὴ ὄρθρος ἐγένετο, μεγάλα βοῶσα καὶ γοερὰ κωκύουσα περιεβλεπόμην, ζητοῦσα τῶν ἐμῶν ταλαιπώρων βρεφῶν τὰ νεκρὰ σώματα. ἐλεήσαντες οὖν με οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, γυμνὴν ἰδόντες ἐνδύσαντές με τὸ πρῶτον, τὸν βυθὸν ἀνη- ραύνων, τὰ ἐμὰ ζητοῦντες τέκνα. καὶ ἐπεὶ μηδὲν ηὕρισκον ὧν ἐζήτουν, παραμυθίας χάριν τινὲς τῶν φιλοξένων γυναικῶν προσελθοῦσαι διηγοῦντο ἑκάστη τὰ ἑαυτῆς κακά, ἵνα τῇ τῶν ὁμοίων συμφορᾷ παραμυθίας τύχω, ὃ δὴ μᾶλλόν με ἐλύπει. οὐ γὰρ ἔφην οὕτω κακὴ εἶναι ὡς ταῖς ἄλλων συμφοραῖς παραμυθίας τύχω. Καὶ δὴ εἰς ξενίαν πολλῶν με ἄγειν ἀξιουσῶν μία τις τῶν ἐνταῦθα πενιχρὰ πολὺ βιασαμένη εἰς τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἐλθεῖν ἠνάγκασε σκήνωμα, εἰποῦσά μοι· Θάρρει, γύναι· καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐμὸς ἀνὴρ ναύτης ὢν κατὰ θάλασσαν τέθνηκεν, ἐν τῇ νεαζούσῃ τυγχάνων ἡλικίᾳ· καὶ ἔκτοτε πολλῶν με ἀξιούντων πρὸς γάμον ἐγὼ χηρεύειν εἱλόμην, τὸν ἐμὸν ποθοῦσα ἄνδρα. ἔσται δὲ ἡμῖν κοινὰ ἃ διὰ χειρῶν ἀμφότεραι πορίζειν δυνάμεθα. καὶ ἵνα μή σοι μηκύνω τοὺς οὐκ ἀναγκαίους λόγους, συνσκησα αὐτῇ διὰ τὴν φιλανδρίαν. καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ ἐμοῦ τῆς ταλαιπώρου αἱ χεῖρες ὑπὸ τῶν δηγμάτων παρείθησαν, καὶ ἡ ὑπο- δεξαμένη με γυνὴ ὅλη ὑπὸ πάθους τινὸς συνδεθεῖσα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἔρριπται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ πάλαι τῶν γυναικῶν ἔλεος παρήκμασεν, ἐγὼ δὲ