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Horologium The description of the present works requires a speech that competes with the art, but if it should appear less than these, this too is a marvel of the maker, that he has become better in his doing than we in our mere speaking. Therefore it ends in praise for him and to the cause of good things it gives back fitting praise to the Power, through whom the city has come to enjoy its present good fortunes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE HOROLOGIUM.

Let others see other things and, if they should wish, speak of them, some the pyramids of Egypt, such as are the celebrated works of the Egyptians, another, visiting Babylon, might see the temple of Belus, son of Zeus, and other towers, one upon another, eight in all; but likewise let him take Hephaestus and provide him with the houses of the gods to build, "which Hephaestus made with his knowing mind," and let him say the same god is the "Lame One," knowing that his art always requires toil and close application; for such is the nature of not moving while persevering in one's work. So with a knowing mind and a body fixed in one place now he makes the shield of Achilles, a work exceptional for Homer, and images that seem to be alive serve him for the task and stoke the flame with automatic motion. And having come to the island of the Phaeacians he made another wondrous work; there were dogs for Alcinous, guardians of the court; but these dogs were not the common, living kind, but, by Zeus, gold and silver, having motion through the art of Hephaestus. Now these things were to me a myth and seemed a story, and Homer was indulging in his art, speaking freely of things that neither were nor ever had been; but now, having seen the works and art of the present Hephaestus ........ I permit myself to concede that those things too are true. Therefore I would wish to speak of these things, and I pray; for the sight overcomes speech, being itself at a loss as to what it should attend to among all things. For it leaps up and down and wishes to look at everything, then, moving on more quickly than it should, it loses its precision on each of these things; I know this from experience. For I did not linger on the first things because of my desire for the others, and the second things, before I had taken them in as I should, I would withdraw for another sight. And there were windings of the eyes, just as for those who see the labyrinth by the Nile, as a certain Ionian writer has said. From where, then, should one begin? And what end, O my friend, shall we put to the speech? There is a building in the middle of the city, of some measure, facing the royal portico, and on the left a place that is the summer haunt of countless people. A double pair of columns stands before it, divided toward the east and west, and with a great distance between them making the building behind visible, so that no one obstructs what is being seen. A screen of marble holds together the middle of the columns, with sharp iron pegs fixed in them, this being a hindrance for anyone who is rash and strives to cross over. But also a Gorgon from on high grimly threatens those who dare to approach with a more audacious mind, changing its eyes as many times as there are parts of the day, just as when Perseus, having cut off her head, used to kill, if someone caused him grief, he had to become stone when she was shown. Tragedy would have called this "the bloody and snaky-haired maiden," if she had such piercing eyes. For when it gives the signal for having struck, it is about to astound those who see the present work. But let us go on to the other things, since I have also touched upon the works from above. For doors lie before us, and those of the day I seem to hide something; but those of the night are higher up, but I do not yet describe them. from where one might see with an order such as we would have, having opened them, we will begin from above, and so indeed the first thing demanding upon

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Horologium Ἡ τῶν παρόντων ἔκφρασις ἔργων δεῖται μὲν λόγου πρὸς τὴν τέχνην ἁμιλλωμένου, εἰ δὲ τούτων ἐλάττων ὀφθείη, καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ ποιήσαντος θαῦμα, ὅτι κρείττων γέγονε πράττων ἢ ψιλῶς εἰρηκότες ἡμεῖς. ὅθεν εἰς ἔπαινον αὐτῶι τελευτᾶι καὶ τῶι ἀγαθῶν αἰτίωι τὴν πρέπουσαν εἰς ∆ύναμιν ἀποδίδωσιν εὐφημίαν, δι' ὃν ἡ πόλις τῶν παρόντων ἀπολαύειν ἔσχεν εὐτυχημάτων.

ΕΚΦΡΑΣΙΣ ΩΡΟΛΟΓΙΟΥ.

Ἄλλοι μὲν ἄλλα ὁρώντων καὶ εἴ γε βούλοιντο λέγοιεν, οἱ μὲν Αἰγύπτου πυραμίδας οἷα δὴ τὰ Αἰγυπτίων ἀιδόμενα, ὁ δέ τις ἐπιδημῶν Βαβυλῶνι Βὴλ ∆ιὸς ἱερὸν ἴδοι καὶ ἑτέρους ἐφ' ἑτέροις ἄλλον ἐπ' ἄλλωι πύργους ὀκτώ· ὁμῶς δὲ παραλαβέτω τὸν Ἥφαιστον καὶ θεῶν οἴκους αὐτῶι παρεχέτω δημιουργεῖν, "τοὺς Ἥφαιστος ἐποίησεν ἰδυίηισιν πραπίδεσσι", καὶ "Ἀμφιγύην" εἶναι λεγέτω τὸν αὐτὸν θεὸν μόγων ἀεὶ καὶ προσεδρείας τὴν αὐτοῦ τέχνην δεομένην εἰδώς· τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ μὴ κινεῖσθαι προσκαρτεροῦντα τοῖς ἔργοις. εἰδυίας οὖν ἔχων φρένας καὶ σῶμα ἐφ' ἑνὸς ἱδρυμένον χωρίου νῦν μὲν τὴν ἀσπίδα τὴν Ἀχιλλέως, ἔργον ἐξαίσιον Ὁμήρωι, ποιεῖ, καὶ διακονοῦσιν αὐτῶι πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ζῆν εἴδωλα δοκοῦντα καὶ τὴν φλόγα ζωπυροῦσιν αὐτομάτωι φορᾶι. εἰς τὴν Φαιάκων δὲ νῆσον ἐλθὼν ἄλλ' ἐποίησεν ἔργον θαυμάσιον· κύνες ἦσαν Ἀλκίνωι φύλακες τῆς αὐλῆς· οἱ δὲ κύνες οὐχ οἱ συνήθεις οὗτοι καὶ ζῶντες, χρυσὸς δὲ νὴ ∆ία καὶ ἄργυρος δία τέχνην τὴν Ἡφαίστου κίνησιν ἔχοντες. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν μῦθός τε ἦν ἐμοὶ καὶ λόγος ἐδόκει, καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐτρύφα τῆι τέχνηι λέγων ἐπ' ἀδείας ἃ μήτε ἦν μήτ' ἐγένετο πώποτε· νυνὶ δὲ τοῦ παρόντος Ἡφαίστου ἔργα καὶ τέχνην ἰδὼν ........ ταῦτα κἀκείνοις ἀληθέσιν εἶναι συγχωρεῖν ἐπιτρέπω. Λέγειν οὖν ἐθέλοιμι ταῦτα καὶ εὔχομαι· νικᾶι γὰρ λόγον ἡ θέα ἀμηχανοῦσα καὶ αὐτὴ πρὸς ὅτι δέοι φερομένη ἐς πάντα· μεταπηδᾶι γὰρ ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ πάντα βλέπειν ἐθέλει, εἶτα θᾶττον ἤπερ ἔδει μεθισταμένη τῆς ἐφ' ἑκάστωι τούτων ἀκριβείας ἐκπίπτει· οἶδα τοῦτο παθών. οὔτε γὰρ τοῖς πρώτοις ἐνεκαρτέρουν ἐπιθυμίαι τῶν ἄλλων, τά τε δεύτερα πρὶν ἔχειν ὡς ἔδει, ἐπὶ θέαν ἀνεχώρουν ἑτέραν. καὶ ἦσαν ὀφθαλμῶν ἑλιγμοὶ καθὰ τοῖς ὁρῶσι τὸν πρὸς Νείλωι λαβύρινθον, Ἰωνικός τις ἔφησε συγγραφεύς. Πόθεν οὖν ἀρκτέον ἂν εἴη; τί δὲ πέρας, ὦ φιλότης, ἐπιθήσομεν τῶι λόγωι; οἶκός ἐστιν ἐν μέσηι τῆι πόλει μέτρα φέρων, ἀντιπρόσωπος μὲν τῆι βασιλείωι στοᾶι, ἐξ εὐωνύμου δὲ χωρίον ἀπείρων ἀνθρώπων ἐνδιαίτημα θέρους. διττὴ δὲ τούτου κιόνων προέστηκε συζυγία πρὸς τὴν ἕω καὶ δύσιν μεμερισμένοι πολλῶι τε διαστήματι ποιοῦντες τὸν κατόπιν οἶκον ὁρᾶσθαι, ὥστε μηδένα τοῖς ὁρωμένοις παρενοχλεῖν. μαρμάρων πτυχὶς τῶν κιόνων τὰ μέσα συνέχουσα, ὀξέων πασσάλων αὐτοῖς ἐμπεπηγότων σιδήρου, κώλυμα τοῦτο τῶν εἴ τις προπετὴς καὶ ὑπερβῆναι φιλονεικεῖ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ Γοργὼ ἀφ' ὕψους βλοσυρὸν ἀπειλεῖ τοῖς ὅσοι γνώμηι προσελθεῖν αὐθαδεστέραι τολμῶσιν, ἐναλλάττουσα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁπόσα τῆς ἡμέρας τὰ μέρη, καθάπερ ὅτ' ἔκτανε τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς ἀποτεμὼν ὁ Περσεύς, εἴ τις ἐλύπει, λίθον ἔδει γενέσθαι φανείσης. ταύτην ἂν εἶπεν ἡ τραγωιδία "αἱματωπόν τε καὶ δρακοντώδη κόρην", εἰ τοιούτους εἶχε διαπερῶντας ὀφθαλμούς. ὅτε γὰρ τὸ σύμβολον φέρει τοῦ πεπληγέναι, μέλλει τοὺς τὸ παρὸν ἔργον ὁρῶντας ἐκπλήξειν. Ἀλλ' ἴωμεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄνωθεν τῶν ἔργων ἡψάμην. Θύραι γὰρ πρόκεινται, καὶ τάς γε τῆς ἡμέρας κρύπτειν τι δοκῶ· αἱ δὲ νυκτὸς ἀνωτέρω μέν, οὔπω γράφω δὲ ταύτας. ὅθεν ἄν τις ἴδηι κόσμωι ἅσπερ ἂν ἀναπετάσαντες ὦμεν, ἄνωθεν ἀρξόμεθα, καὶ οὕτω δὴ τὸ πρῶτον ἀπαιτοῦν ἐπ'