The same
distinction
of milking vessels is found in the Odyssey, ix.
Scriptori Erotici Graeci
I, however, am captivated by one who though a slave in his
condition, is worthy of being a freeman as regards his beauty.
"His hair[13] is like the hyacinth, and his eyes sparkle under his
eye brows like gems set in a golden ring, his face is suffused with a
rosy hue of health, his mouth displays teeth as white as ivory. Who
would not wish to snatch a kiss from such a mouth? In taking a fancy
to a shepherd I do but imitate[14] the gods,--Anchises kept oxen and
yet captivated Venus,--Branchius was a goatherd and Apollo loved him.
Ganymede was a shepherd and was snatched away by Jupiter. Let us not
think lightly of a youth, whose very goats obey him as though they were
in love with him; and let us be thankful to the eagles for leaving such
an impersonation of beauty upon earth. " Astylus laughed heartily at
hearing him talk thus, and saying that love made folks great orators,
promised to take an opportunity of mentioning the subject of Daphnis
to his father. Eudromus overheard their conversation, and immediately
gave information of it to Daphnis and Lamon. He loved the young man
because of his amiable disposition, and could not bear to think that so
much beauty and worth should be subjected to Gnatho's drunken humours.
Daphnis in his alarm determined either to fly from the country, taking
Chloe with him, or to destroy himself and Chloe at the same time.
Lamon upon his part called Myrtale out of the house, and exclaimed,
"Ο my dear wife, we are undone. It is time for us to discover what we
have so long concealed. Our goats and all belonging to us will it is
true now be deserted; but I swear by Pan, and the Nymphs, that even
supposing I am myself to be left like an old ox in the stall (as the
saying is), I will no longer keep the history of Daphnis a secret. I
will tell how and where I found him exposed, I will explain how he was
nursed, and will shew the tokens, which were placed with him. That
rascally Gnatho shall know, to what manner of youth he, vile as he is,
has taken a liking! --Take care to have everything in readiness! "
Having formed this resolution, they went into the house again. Astylus,
in the mean time, proceeding to his father, when he happened to be
disengaged, begged his permission to take Daphnis home with them on
their return, alleging, that so beautiful a youth was too good for
his present rustic situation, and would very soon under Gnatho's care
acquire the polish of city manners. His father willingly complied with
his request, and sending for Lamon and Myrtale, communicated to them
as good news, that Daphnis would henceforth wait upon Astylus instead
of tending goats, at the same time promising them two goatherds to
supply his place. It was then, as the attendants were crowding round,
and rejoicing to hear that they were to have among them so handsome
a fellow-slave, that Lamon, having requested leave to speak, thus
addressed his master. "Be pleased, master, to listen to an old man and
hear the truth. I swear by Pan and the Nymphs, that I will not utter
anything which is false. --I am not the father of Daphnis, nor was
Myrtale so fortunate as to be his mother. The parents of this youth,
whoever they were, exposed him in his infancy; perhaps, because, they
had already more children than they knew how to maintain. I found him
lying on the earth, and one of my she-goats nursing him. When she
died, I buried her in the border of my garden, feeling a regard for
her, inasmuch as she had done a mother's duty. I confess having found
various tokens with the infant, which I still preserve; for they prove
him to be born to a higher station than that which he now fills with
me. I am not so high-minded as to slight the offer of his being an
attendant on Astylus--an excellent servant to a virtuous and excellent
master: but I cannot bear the idea of his being a sport for the drunken
hours of Gnatho, who would fain take him to Mitylene, that he may be
abused. "
Lamon at the conclusion of this speech burst into tears. Gnatho began
to bluster, and threatened to strike him, but Dionysophanes sternly
frowning, ordered him to be silent; and again interrogating Lamon,
urged him to tell the truth, and not to invent a tale merely to keep
his son at home. --When Lamon continued unshaken in his assertions,
called upon the gods to be his witnesses, and professed his readiness
to submit to torture, should he be uttering a falsehood; his master,
in the presence of Clearista, who sat by him, began to test the
probability of the tale, as follows. "What motive can Lamon have to
tell a falsehood, when two goatherds are offered him in lieu of one?
How could a plain rustic possibly invent such a tale? --Besides, is it
not altogether unlikely that such an old man and such a plain old woman
can be the parents of so handsome a son. "
He determined to rest no longer upon mere conjectures, but to examine
the tokens, and to see whether they bespoke an illustrious birth.
Myrtale had gone to fetch them, for they were preserved in an old bag.
Dionysophanes was the first to examine them, and when he beheld the
purple mantle, the golden clasp, and little sword with the ivory hilt,
he exclaimed, Lord Jupiter! and called to Clearista to come and look
at them. --When Clearista beheld them, she uttered a loud shriek, and
cried out, "The friendly Fates, are not these the very things, which we
exposed with our little one, when we sent Sophrosyne to leave him in
this part of the country! they are none other, they are the very same,
my husband! the child is ours. Daphnis is your son, and he has been
tending his own father's flock. "
Before she had done speaking, and while Dionysophanes was kissing the
tokens and shedding tears of joy, Astylus, who now understood that
Daphnis was his brother, threw off his cloak, and ran through the
garden to give him the first salute. When Daphnis saw Astylus running
towards him, followed by many others, and heard them calling out his
own name, he thought they were coming to seize him and carry him off by
violence. Accordingly he threw down his scrip, and his pipe, and ran
towards the sea with the determined resolution to throw himself into it
from the top of a high rock: and perhaps (strange to say! ) his being
found would have proved the occasion of his being lost for ever, had
not Astylus perceiving the occasion of his alarm, called out, "Stop,
stop, Daphnis, I am your brother: and they, who have hitherto been your
masters, are now your parents. Lamon has just now given us the whole
account of the she-goat, and has shewn us the tokens, which were found
with you! look back! see! with what cheerful and smiling faces they are
coming towards you! Brother, let me have the first kiss. I swear by the
Nymphs, I am not deceiving you. "
Not without hesitation was Daphnis induced after this solemn assertion
to pause, and wait for Astylus, whom he received with a kiss. While
they were embracing, his father and mother with Lamon and Myrtale and
all the men and maid servants came thronging up, threw their arms round
him, and kissed him with tears of joy. Daphnis affectionately saluted
his father and mother before the rest and as though he had long known
them, clasped them to his breast, and would not disengage himself from
their embrace:--so soon does natural affection assert her rights.
For a time even Chloe was almost forgotten. After returning to the
farm, and putting on a costly dress, he sat down by his real father,
who spoke to the following effect.
"My children, I married when very young; and in a short space of time
became as I considered myself a very fortunate father. First a son
was born to me, next a daughter, and then you, my Astylus. I thought
my family now large enough, for which reason I exposed Daphnis, the
boy who was born in addition to the others, placing with him these
ornaments, not as tokens, but to serve as funeral weeds. --Fortune had
different plans in view. --My eldest son and daughter died of the same
disease in one day: but the providence of the gods has preserved you,
Daphnis, that we might have an additional stay in our old age. --Do not
bear ill will towards me, from the remembrance of my having exposed
you; for I did not do so with a willing mind, nor do you, Astylus,
feel grieved that you will now have a part only, instead of the whole
of my estate; for to a wise man no wealth is more valuable than a
brother. Love each other;--and as for wealth you shall be able to vie
even with princes. I shall leave to you extensive lands, a number of
dexterous servants, stores of gold and silver, and whatever else forms
the possession of the prosperous. Only this particular estate I reserve
for Daphnis, with Lamon and Myrtale, and the goats which he himself has
tended. "
Before he had finished speaking, Daphnis sprang from his seat, and
said, "Father, you very seasonably remind me of these matters. I will
go and lead my goats to water, they must now be thirsty, and are no
doubt waiting to hear my pipe, while I am sitting here. " Every one
laughed at hearing the master so willing to be still the goatherd. One
of the servants was sent in place of Daphnis to tend the herd; while he
and the rest of the company, after sacrificing to Jove the preserver,
sat down together to a banquet. Gnatho was the only one who did not
come to the entertainment; for being under great alarm, he remained all
day and night in the temple of Bacchus, as a suppliant.
The report that Dionysophanes had found his son, and that Daphnis the
goatherd was now master of the estate, having soon spread abroad, early
the next morning numbers flocked to the cottage from various parts
with congratulations to the youth and gifts to the father. --Dryas the
foster-father of Chloe was among the first who arrived.
Dionysophanes kept them all, after sharing of his joy, to partake of an
entertainment. Store of wine was provided, abundance of wheaten bread,
wild fowl, sucking pigs, and sweets of various kinds, and many victims
were sacrificed to the country's deities. Daphnis collected all his
pastoral equipments, and distributed them in separate offerings to the
gods. To Bacchus he presented his scrip, and coat of skin. To Pan his
pipe and transverse-flute. To the Nymphs his crook, and the milkpails,
which he had made with his own hands. The happiness arising from our
wonted condition is however so much greater than that which springs
from unexpected good fortune, that he could not refrain from tears
when parting with each offering. He could not suspend his milkpails in
the grotto without once more milking into them: nor his coat of skin
without once more putting it on: nor his pipe without once more playing
on it. He kissed each of them in turn; he talked to his goats and
called them by their names; he drank from the fountain because he had
so often done so in company with Chloe. --Still he did not yet venture
to declare his love, but waited for a favourable opportunity.
While Daphnis was engaged in these religious ceremonies, the following
circumstances befel Chloe. She was sitting weeping and watching her
flock, and exclaiming (as was natural) "Daphnis has forgotten me. He is
dreaming of some wealthy match. To what purpose did I make him swear by
his goats instead of by the Nymphs? he has deserted the former as well
as me; nor even when sacrificing to the Nymphs and to Pan, has he had
any desire to see his Chloe. Perhaps among his mother's waiting women,
he has seen some girl preferable to me. May he be happy! As for me I
shall not survive it. "
While she was giving utterance to these thoughts, Lampis the herdsman
with a band of rustics suddenly came up and seized her. He conceived
that Daphnis would no longer marry her, and that Dryas would be well
content to have him as a son-in-law. While she was being borne off
with tears and shrieks, some one who had witnessed the transaction,
hastened to inform Nape: Nape informed Dryas, and Dryas communicated
it to Daphnis. Distracted at the intelligence, afraid to explain the
circumstance to his father, and unable to restrain his own emotions, he
betook himself to the outer garden-walk and there vented his grief:--
"What an unhappy discovery of parentage, is mine! How much better
would it have been for me still to tend my herds! How much happier was
I, when a slave! then I could behold my Chloe! --but now, Lampis has
carried her away; this very night, perhaps, she will be his wife! In
the mean time I am here, drinking and feasting, and have to no purpose
sworn by Pan, by my goats, and by the Nymphs. "
These words were overheard by Gnatho, who was lurking in the garden; he
considered it a good opportunity for effecting a reconciliation with
Daphnis. Assembling some youths, who waited upon Astylus, he pursued
Dryas, whom he desired to conduct them to the place where Lampis dwelt.
They overtook him just as he was dragging Chloe into his house, rescued
her from him, and gave the country-fellows, his companions, a sound
drubbing. He was very desirous also to seize and bind Lampis, and bring
him back like a prisoner of war, but the fellow was too much for him
and ran away.
Having accomplished this exploit, he returned just as night was coming
on. Dionysophanes had already retired to rest; but finding Daphnis
still up and weeping in the garden, presented Chloe to him, and gave
him an account of the whole adventure, beseeching him to bear no
ill-will, but to retain him in his service, in which he would prove
himself of use, and not to banish him from his father's table, which
would deprive him of his bread. When Daphnis saw Chloe, and once more
had her in his possession, he forgave Gnatho, because of his good deed,
and began to apologize to the maiden for his neglect.
Upon holding a consultation, Daphnis at first resolved to marry Chloe
privately, and to keep her in concealment, making no one but her own
mother acquainted with the matter; Dryas would not concur in this plan,
he was for communicating every thing to Daphnis's father, and himself
undertook the task of obtaining his consent. Accordingly, taking the
tokens with him in his scrip, he went the next day to Dionysophanes and
Clearista, who were sitting in the garden, in company with Astylus and
Daphnis; silence ensued upon his appearance, when he addressed them
thus:--
"The same necessity, which influenced Lamon, now urges me to publish
circumstances, which hitherto have remained secret. I am not Chloe's
father; nor was she in the first instance brought up by me. Other
persons were her parents, and when lying in the grotto of the Nymphs, a
ewe became her nurse. I saw this myself, to my astonishment, and under
the power of this feeling, I adopted her. Her beauty confirms what I
say; for she does not resemble either me or my wife. These tokens,
which I likewise found with her, prove the truth of my assertion,
for they are too valuable to belong to any shepherd. Examine them,
endeavour to find out the maiden's relatives, and perhaps she will
prove worthy of your son. "
This last expression was not thrown out undesignedly by Dryas: nor
was it heard heedlessly by Dionysophanes, who turning his eyes upon
Daphnis, and observing him turn pale, while a tear stole down his
cheeks, easily discovered the youth's love. Moved more by regard for
his own child than by any concern for the unknown maiden, he weighed
the words of Dryas with great attention. After viewing the tokens
produced before him, the gilt sandals, the anklets, and the head-dress,
he called Chloe to him, and bid her take courage, for she had already
got a husband, and most probably would soon discover her real father
and mother. Clearista now took her, and dressed her as became the
intended wife of her son. Dionysophanes, in the mean time, retired
apart with Daphnis, and inquired whether she was still a virgin; and
upon his declaring that nothing had passed between them, beyond kisses
and vows: pleased with their mutual oaths of fidelity, he made them
join the banquet.
Now might it be seen what beauty is when set off by the accessories
of ornament, Chloe when richly dressed, with her hair braided, and
her face resplendent from the bath, appeared to all so much more
beautiful than before, that Daphnis himself could hardly recognize her.
Any spectator, even without knowing anything about the tokens, would
have sworn that Dryas could not be the father of so fair a maiden.
Nevertheless he was invited to the feast, where he and Nape, with Lamon
and Myrtale for their companions, reclined on a separate couch.
On the following day victims were again sacrificed to the gods; bowls
were prepared, and Chloe suspended her pastoral equipments--her pipe,
her scrip, her cloak of goat-skin, and her milkpails. She also mingled
wine with the waters of the fountain in the grotto, because she had
been suckled near it, and had so often bathed there, then she crowned
with flowers the ewe's grave, which Dryas pointed out to her. She, too,
piped once more to her flock, and having done so, prayed the Nymphs
that her parents might prove worthy of the union of Daphnis and herself.
When the party had had enough of their rural festivities, they
determined upon returning to the city, in order to try and discover
Chloe's parents, and no longer to defer the marriage. By break of day
the next morning they were prepared for their journey. Before their
departure they made Dryas a present of another three thousand drachmas;
with liberty to reap half the corn, and gather half the grapes annually
for his own use; they likewise gave him the goats, goatherds, four yoke
of oxen, and some winter garments; his wife also was presented with her
freedom.
After this they took the road to Mitylene, travelling in grand style
with horses and carriages. They arrived at the city by night, and so
for the time escaped the notice of the citizens; but early the next
day the doors were surrounded by multitudes of men and women. The
men congratulated Dionysophanes on having found his son, the more
particularly when they saw his beauty. The women gave Clearista joy at
bringing with her not only her son, but likewise an intended bride.
Chloe excited the admiration even of the women, displaying as she did,
charms which could not be surpassed. The whole city was in a bustle
on account of the youth and the maiden, predicting already that the
marriage would be a happy one, and wishing that the parents of the
maiden might prove to be of a rank worthy of her beauty. Many of the
richest ladies prayed the gods that they might be reputed to be the
mothers of so much loveliness.
Dionysophanes, fatigued with excess of anxious thought, fell into
a deep sleep, during which he saw the following vision. The Nymphs
appeared to be requesting the god of love at length to grant them his
consent to the celebration of the marriage. Slackening the string
of his bow, and placing it by the side of his quiver, he addressed
Dionysophanes, bidding him to invite those of highest rank of Mitylene
to a banquet, and when he had filled the last goblet, to exhibit
the tokens before each of them, and then to commence the hymeneal
song. After what he had seen and heard, Dionysophanes arose in the
morning, and ordered a magnificent feast to be prepared, in which
all the delicacies which the sea, the earth, the lakes, and even the
rivers could produce, were to be collected together. All the chiefs
of Mitylene were his guests. When night was come, and when the goblet
was filled from which to pour out the libation[15] to Mercury, a slave
brought forward the ornaments in a silver vase, and holding them in his
right hand carried them round, and displayed them to all the visitors.
No one acknowledged them, till Megacles, who, on account of his age,
was honoured with the highest couch, recognising them, cried out with a
loud and animated voice,--"What do I see! what has been the fate of my
daughter! is she indeed alive? or did some shepherd find these things,
and carry them away. Tell me, I pray, Dionysophanes, where did you meet
with these tokens of my child? Now that you have found your son, do not
enviously begrudge me the discovery of my daughter. "
Dionysophanes requested him first of all to give them an account of the
exposure of his daughter; and Megacles in the same loud and earnest
tone replied,--"Formerly my income was very narrow, for I had expended
my fortune in equipping choruses and fitting out galleys. [16] While my
affairs were in this condition I had a daughter born. Loath to bring
her up to the miseries of poverty, and knowing that there are many who
are willing to become even reputed parents,[17] I dressed her in these
very tokens, and exposed her. She was laid in the grotto of the Nymphs,
and committed to their protection. Since that time wealth began to pour
in upon me every day, when I had no heir to enjoy it, for I was never
so fortunate as to become the father even of another daughter; but,
as if wishing to make a mock of me, the gods are continually sending
dreams by night, signifying, forsooth, that a ewe will make me father. "
Upon this Dionysophanes called out in a yet louder tone than Megacles,
and springing from his couch led in Chloe sumptuously dressed,
exclaiming,--"This is the child whom you exposed. This maiden, through
the providence of the gods, was suckled by a sheep, and preserved
for you; as Daphnis was reared by a goat, and saved for me. Take the
tokens, and your daughter; take her, and bestow her as a bride on
Daphnis. Both were exposed; both have been again found by us, their
parents; both have been under the peculiar care of Pan, of the Nymphs,
and of the God of Love. "
Megacles at once assented, clasped Chloe to his bosom, and sent for his
wife Rhode. They slept at the house that night, for Daphnis had sworn
by the gods that he would not part with Chloe even to her own father.
The next morning they all agreed to return to the country: this was
done at the entreaty of Daphnis and Chloe, who were weary of their
sojourn in the city; and had formed a scheme for celebrating their
nuptials in a pastoral manner.
Upon their arrival at Lamon's cottage, they introduced Dryas
to Megacles, and Nape was made known to Rhode, after which the
preparations were made for the festival on a splendid scale. Chloe was
devoted to the guardianship of the Nymphs by her father. He suspended
the tokens, among various other things, as offerings to them; and
increased the six thousand drachmas, which Dryas now possessed, to ten
thousand.
As the day was very fine, Dionysophanes caused couches of green leaves
to be spread inside the grotto, and all the villagers were invited
and sumptuously regaled. There were present Lamon and Myrtale, Dryas
and Nape, Dorco's kinsmen, and Philetas with his sons Chromis and
Lycænium; even Lampis, who had been forgiven, was among the guests.
All the amusements were, of course, as among such merrymakers, of a
rustic and pastoral kind. Reaping-songs were sung; and the jokes of the
vintage-season were repeated. Philetas played on the pipe, and Lampis
on the flute, while Lamon and Dryas danced. Chloe and Daphnis passed
the time in kissing. The goats came and grazed near them, as if they
also were partakers of the festival. This was not very agreeable to the
dainty city folks; Daphnis, however, called several of them by name,
gave them some leaves, which they eat out of his hand, while he held
them by the horns, and kissed them.
Not only now, but during the remainder of their days, Daphnis and Chloe
led a pastoral life, worshipping as their deities the Nymphs, Pan,
and the God of Love. Their flocks of goats and sheep were numerous,
and their favourite food consisted of the fruits of autumn, and milk.
They had their first-born, a boy, suckled by a goat; their second, a
girl, was brought up by a ewe; the former was named Philopœmen,[18]
the latter Agele. [19] In this manner of life, and in this spot, they
lived to a good old age. They adorned the grotto of the Nymphs; erected
statues; raised an altar to Cupid the Shepherd; and instead of a
pine reared a temple for the habitation of Pan, and dedicated it to
Pan the Warrior; these names, however, were given, and these things
done, in after years. At the time we are now speaking of, when night
arrived, all the guests conducted them to the bridal chamber, some
playing on the pipe, some on the flute, some holding large torches;
and upon arriving at the door, they raised their voices in harsh and
rugged tones, which sounded more like a concert of fellows breaking
up the ground with mattocks than a chorus of human beings singing the
nuptial hymn. [20] Daphnis and Chloe, on their part, went to bed in
nature's own adornment, where they kissed and embraced each other, and
were as wakeful as the very owls. Daphnis carried into practice the
instructions of his preceptress Lycænium, and Chloe learnt, for the
first time in her life, that all their doings in the woods had been but
so much child's play.
[Footnote 1:
. . . . "Nec secus omnes in unguem,
Arboribus positis secto via limite quadret. "--Virg. G. ii. 278.
]
[Footnote 2: Plutarch, speaks of the practice of setting off the
beauties (we may also add, the fragrance) of roses and violets, by
planting them side by side with leeks and onions. The originator of
this fashion went upon the principle, no doubt, of
"Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. "
]
[Footnote 3:
. . . . "Oriens tibi victus, adusque
Decolor extremo quæ cingitur India Gange,
Penthea tu, venerande, bipenniferumque Lycurgum,
Sacrilegos mactas; Tyrrhenaque mittas in æquor
Corpora. "--Ovid. Met. iv. 20.
]
[Footnote 4: σκαφίδων καινών, καὶ γαυλῶν πολλῶν.
The same distinction of milking vessels is found in the Odyssey, ix.
223.
Γαυλοί τε σκαφίδες τε.
"His pails and bowls. "--Cowper.
]
[Footnote 5: ὥσπερ συμπεφυκότων. . . .
"She rose . . . and threw
Herself upon his breast and there she _grew_. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 6: Compare the admirable picture of Gnatho'a prototype in the
Eunuchus of Terence, Act II. Sc. II.
"Videnme?
Qui color, nitor vestitus, quæ habitus est corporis,
Omnia habeo, nec quicquam habeo; nil quum eat, nil defit tamen. "
]
[Footnote 7: In the Greek there is a play upon words: Ό δὲ Γνάθων oὐδὲν
ἄλλο ὢν, ἢ, γνάθος καὶ γαστὴρ, καὶ τὰ ὺπὸ γαστέρα. ]
[Footnote 8: "Deinde, ut more caprarum, hircis sui copiam facientium,
sibi tergum obvertat, precatur. Hæc cum serius animadvertisset Daphnis
dixit, capras quod ineant hirci, id quidem se rectè habere, sed hircum
nunquam et nusquam gentium vidisse inire hircum, neque arietem pro
ovibus arietem, neque gallos gallinarum loco gallos. "]
[Footnote 9: μεσαιπόλιoς. ]
[Footnote 10: κρητῆρας στήσασθαι. To set up bowls as a sign of
feasting. --See Odyss. ii. 431.
κρητῆρας στήσασθαι θιοῖς. To do the same in honour of the gods. --Il.
vi. 628. ]
[Footnote 11: τὸ νόμιον. ]
[Footnote 12: Γναθωνάριον. ]
[Footnote 13: Of a very dark hue. --The locks of Ulysses are in two
passages of the Odyssey compared to "hyacinthine flowers. "--vi. 231.
xxiii. 158. ]
[Footnote 14:
"That Dionysius in the valleys green
Once tended kine, she never heard, I ween;
Nor knows that Cypris on a cowherd doted,
And on the Phrygian hills herself devoted
To tend his herd; nor how the same Dionis
In thickets kiss'd, in thickets wept, Adonis.
Who was Endymion? him tending kine
Stooped down to kiss Selene the divine;
Who from Olympus to the Latmian grove,
Glided to slumber with her mortal love.
Didst not thou, Rhea, for a cowherd weep?
And didst not thou, high Zeus! the heaven sweep,
In form of winged bird, and watch indeed,
To carry off the cowherd Ganymede? "--Chapman's Theoc.
]
[Footnote 15:
"Eὖρε δὲ Φαίηκων ἡγήτορας, ἠδὲ μέδοντας
Σπένδοντας δεπάεσσιν ἐῦσκόπῳ Ἀργειφόντῃ
Ὦ πυμάτῳ σπένδεσκον, ὅτε μνησαίατο κοίτον. "
--Odyss. vii. 136.
]
[Footnote 16: Εἰς χορηγίας καὶ τριηραρχίας ἐξίδαπάνησα. The business
of the Choregus, or chorus master, was to defray the expenses of the
scenical representations, and those of the solemn festivals; the
Trierarch had to fit out a ship of war, the state providing only
the vessel and the crew. Both offices involved of course very heavy
expenses. ]
[Footnote 17:
. . . . "Stat Fortuna improba noctu,
Arridens nudis infantibus; hos fovet omnes
Involvitque sinu; domibus tunc porrigit altis. "--Juv. vi. 605.
]
[Footnote 18: A lover of the flock. ]
[Footnote 19: A lover of the herd. ]
[Footnote 20: "Καθάπερ τριάιναις γῆν ἀναῥρηγνύντες, οὐχ υμέναιον
ἄδοντες. "]
THE END.
ACHILLES TATIUS.
BOOK I.
Sidon is situated upon the coast of the Assyrian sea; it is the
mother[1] city of the Phœnicians, and its inhabitants were the founders
of Thebes. It has a harbour of capacious extent, which gradually admits
within it the waters of the sea; it is double, because, to the right,
a passage has been dug into an inner basin, which likewise admits the
sea; in this manner the first harbour becomes the entrance to a second,
which affords a secure haven to vessels during summer, while in winter
they can ride at anchor safely in the former. Upon arriving here after
encountering a severe storm, I made thank-offerings[2] on account
of my preservation, to the goddess of the Phœnicians, called by the
Sidonians, Astarte. [3] As I was wandering about the city, surveying
the votive offerings in the temples, I saw a painting containing a
view both of sea and land. Europa[4] formed the subject, and the scene
was laid partly on the Phœnician sea, partly on the coast of Sidon. In
a meadow was seen a band of maidens; a bull was swimming in the sea,
directing his course towards Crete, and having a fair damsel seated
upon his back. The meadow was diversified with flowers intermixed
with trees and shrubs; the trees were near to one another, and their
branches[5] and leaves united so closely overhead, as to form a cover
for the flowers below. The artist had shewn great skill in managing
the shade; for the sun-rays were seen dispersedly breaking through
the overarching roof of leaves, and lighting up the meadow, which,
situated as I have said, beneath a leafy screen, was surrounded on
all sides by a hedge. Under the trees, beds of flowers were laid out,
in which bloomed the narcissus, the rose, and the myrtle. Bubbling up
from the ground, a stream flowed through the midst of this enamelled
meadow, watering the flowers and shrubs; and a gardener was represented
with his pickaxe opening a channel for its course. The maidens above
mentioned were placed by the painter, in a part of the meadow bordering
upon the sea. Their countenances wore a mingled expression of joy and
fear; they had chaplets upon their heads, their hair fell dishevelled
about their shoulders; their legs were entirely bare--for a cincture
raised their garments above the knee--and their feet were unsandalled;
their cheeks were pale and contracted through alarm; their eyes were
directed towards the sea; their lips were slightly opened as if about
to give vent to their terror in cries; their hands were stretched out
towards the bull; they were represented upon the verge of the sea,
the water just coming over their feet; they appeared eager to hasten
after the bull, but at the same time fearful of encountering the waves.
The colour of the sea was twofold: towards the land it had a ruddy
hue;[6] farther out it was dark blue; foam also, and rocks and waves
were represented; the rocks projecting from the shore, and whitened
with foam, caused by the crests of the waves breaking upon their rugged
surface.
In the midst of the sea, the bull was represented swimming, the waves
rising in mountains from the motion of his legs. The maiden was seated
upon his back, not astride, but sideways; she grasped his horn with her
left hand, as a charioteer would hold the reins; and the bull inclined
his head in that direction, as if guided by her hand.
She was dressed in a white tunic as far as her middle, the rest of her
body was clothed in a purple robe; the whole dress, however, was so
transparent[7] as to disclose the beauties of her person. You could
discern the deep-seated navel, the well proportioned[8] stomach, the
narrow waist, gradually widening until it reached the chest, the gently
budding breasts. [9]--These, as well as the tunic, were confined by a
cincture, and from its transparency, the tunic became, so to speak, a
mirror to reflect her person. Both her hands were extended, one towards
the horn, the other towards the tail; and with either of them she
held an extremity of the veil which was expanded above her shoulders,
and which appeared in every part inflated by the artist's "painted
wind. "[10]
Thus seated upon the bull, the maiden resembled a vessel in full
sail, her veil serving for the canvass. [11] Dolphins[12] leaped, Loves
sported round the bull; you might have sworn that they moved "instinct
with life. " Cupid, in person, was drawing on the bull; Cupid, in guise
of a little child, was spreading his wings, bearing his quiver, holding
his torch, and turning towards Jove, was archly laughing as if in
mockery of him, who, on his account had become a bull.
I admired every part of this painting, but my attention was more
especially rivetted upon Cupid leading forward the bull; and I
exclaimed, "How wonderfully does a mere child lord it over heaven and
earth and sea! "[13]
Upon this, a young man, who happened to be standing near, said, "I can
speak from experience of the power of Love, having suffered so severely
from his caprices. "--"Pray," said I, "what are the ills which you have
suffered? To speak the truth, your countenance betokens you to be not
unacquainted with the mysteries of this deity. "--"You are stirring
up a whole swarm of words," replied he, "mystery will sound like a
fable. "--"In the name of Jupiter and Love himself, my good fellow,"
rejoined I, "do not hesitate to gratify my curiosity, however fabulous
may seem your story. "
After this, taking him by the hand, I led him to a neighbouring grove,
thickly planted with plane trees, through which flowed a stream of
water, cold and transparent as that which proceeds from newly melted
snow. [14] Having placed him upon a low seat, I sat down beside him, and
said, "Now is the time for hearing your tale; this spot is in every
way agreeable and exactly suited for a love story. " Upon this, he
began as follows:--
I am a native of Phœnicia, was born at Tyre, and am named Clitopho; my
father's name is Hippias; Sostratus is the name of his brother by the
father's side--for the two had different mothers--the latter having a
Byzantian, the former a Tyrian lady for his mother. Sostratus always
resided at Byzantium, having inherited large property in that city from
his mother; my father lived at Tyre. I never saw my mother, she having
died during my infancy: after her decease, my father married a second
wife, by whom he had a daughter named Calligone, whom he designed to
unite to me in marriage. [15] The will of the Fates, however, more
powerful than that of men, had in store for me a different wife. Now,
the Deity is often wont to reveal the future to mortals, in dreams
by night; not in order that they may ward off suffering (for it is
impossible to defeat destiny[16]), but that they may bear more lightly
their load of evils. Calamity, when it comes suddenly and in a "whole
battalion," paralyses, and, as it were, overwhelms the soul by its
unexpectedness, whereas when anticipated and dwelt upon by the mind,
the edge of grief becomes blunted. It was when I had reached the age
of nineteen, and when my father was preparing to have my marriage
celebrated, the following year, that the drama of my fate began. During
my sleep, in thought I had coalesced with, and _grown_ into, the person
of a maiden, as far as the middle, and that from thence upward we
formed two bodies. A tall and terrible-looking woman, savage in aspect,
with blood-shot eyes, inflamed cheeks, and snaky hair, stood over us.
In her right hand she held a scimitar, in her left, a torch. Angrily
raising her falchion, she let it fall exactly upon the loins where was
the juncture of our bodies, and severed the maiden from me. Leaping up
in terror, I mentioned the dream to no one, but foreboded evil in my
own mind. Meanwhile, a messenger arrived from Byzantium, bringing a
letter from my father's brother; it contained the following words:--
"Sostratus to his brother Hippias, sends greeting,
"My daughter Leucippe, and my wife Panthea, are on their way to you,
for war has broken out between the Thracians and Byzantians; till it
is concluded, keep under your protection those dearest objects of my
affection. Farewell. "
No sooner had my father read the letter than, rising from his seat, he
hurried down to the harbour; and not long after returned, followed by a
number of male and female slaves, whom Sostratus had sent with his wife
and daughter. Among them was a tall lady, richly dressed: while looking
at her, I remarked at her left hand, a maiden, the beauty of whose
countenance at once dazzled my eyes--she resembled the Europa, whom,
in the picture I had seen sitting upon the bull. Her sparkling[17]
eyes had a pleasing expression, her hair was golden-hued, short and
curling, her eyebrows were jet black, her cheeks were fair, save that
in the middle they had a tinge bordering upon purple, like that with
which the Lydian women stain the ivory;[18] her mouth was like the
rose when it begins to bud. No sooner did I see her than my fate was
sealed--for beauty[19] inflicts a wound sharper than any arrow, finding
a passage to the soul through the eyes, for it is the eye which makes a
way for the wounds of love. I was overwhelmed by conflicting feelings;
admiration, astonishment, agitation, shame, assurance: I admired her
figure, I was astonished at her beauty; my heart palpitated, I gazed
upon her with assurance, yet I was ashamed at the idea of being
remarked. I endeavoured to withdraw my eyes from the maiden; they
however were unwilling to obey, and, following the fascination of her
countenance, in the end completely gained the day.
Upon the arrival of the visitors, my father assigned a part of the
house for their use, and then ordered the supper to be prepared. At the
appointed time we reclined by twos on couches, for such was my father's
order. He and I were in the centre, the two elder ladies occupied
the right-hand couch, the maidens were to the left. Upon hearing the
proposed arrangement I was very near embracing my father, for thus
placing the maiden within my view. As to what I ate, on my faith I
cannot tell you, for I was like a man eating in a dream; all I know is,
that leaning upon my elbow, and bending forwards, my whole attention
was given to stealing furtive glances at her--this was the sum total
of my supper. When the meal was ended, a slave came in with the lyre;
he first ran over the strings with his fingers, then sounded a few
chords in an under tone, and afterwards taking the plectrum, began to
play, accompanying the sounds with his voice. The subject of his strain
was[20] Apollo in his irritation pursuing the flying Daphne, and upon
the point of seizing her, how she was transformed into a laurel, and
how the god crowns himself with its leaves. The song had the effect
of adding fuel to my flame, for amatory strains[21] act as a powerful
incentive to desire: and however inclined a person may be to chastity,
example serves as a stimulant to imitation, more especially when the
example is supplied by one in superior[22] station; for the feeling of
shame which was a check upon doing wrong becomes changed into assurance
by the rank of the offender.
Accordingly, I thus reasoned with myself--"See, Apollo falls in love,
he is not ashamed of his weakness, he pursues the fair one! and art
thou a laggard and the slave of shame and ill-timed continence? Art
thou, forsooth, superior to a god? "[23] In the evening the ladies
retired to rest first, and afterwards we ourselves. The others had
confined the pleasures of the table to their stomachs. [24] I, for my
part, carried away the banquet in my eyes; I had taken my fill of the
maiden's sweet looks, and, from the effect of merely gazing upon her,
I rose from table intoxicated with love. Upon entering my accustomed
chamber, sleep was out of the question. It is the law of nature that
diseases and bodily wounds always become exasperated at night; when we
are taking our rest their strength increases, and the pain becomes more
acute, for the circumstance of the body being in repose affords leisure
for the malady to do its work. By the same rule, the wounds of the
soul are much more painful while the body is lying motionless; in the
day, both the eyes and ears are occupied by a multiplicity of objects;
thus, the soul has not leisure to feel pain, and so the violence of
the disease is for a time mitigated; but let the body be fettered by
inactivity, and then the soul retains all its susceptibility, and
becomes tempest-tossed by trouble; the feelings which were asleep then
awaken. The mourner feels his grief, the anxious his solicitude, he who
is in peril his terrors, the lover his inward flame.
Towards morning Love took compassion upon me, and granted me some short
repose; but not even then would the maiden be absent from my mind;
Leucippe[25] was in all my dreams, I conversed with her, I played with
her, I supped with her, I touched her fair body; in short, I obtained
more favours then than in the day-time, for I kissed her, and the kiss
was really given. Accordingly, when the slave awoke me, I cursed[26]
him for coming so unseasonably, and for dissipating so sweet a dream;
getting up, however, I went out of my part of the house, and walked in
front of the apartment where the maiden was; with my head hanging down
over a book, I pretended to be reading, but whenever I came opposite
her door I cast sidelong glances, and after taking a few turns, and
drinking in fresh draughts of love I returned desperately smitten;
three whole days did I continue burning with this inward fire.
I had a cousin named Clinias, who had lost both his parents; he was
two years older than myself, and an adept in matters of love. He had a
male favourite, for whom his affection was so strong, that when he had
one day purchased a horse, and the other admired it, he immediately
presented him with the animal. I was always joking him for having
so much leisure as to fall in love, and for being a slave to tender
passions; he used to laugh and reply with a shake of the head, "Depend
upon it the day of slavery is in store for you. " Well, proceeding to
his house, I saluted him, and sitting down, said, "Clinias, I am paying
the penalty of my former gibes;[27] I am at last myself the slave of
love! " Upon hearing this, he clapped his hands and laughed outright;
then rising and kissing my face, which bore traces of a lover's
wakefulness, "There is no doubt of your being in love," said he, "for
your eyes declare it. "
While he was yet speaking, Charicles, his favourite, comes in
hurriedly and in great perturbation, exclaiming, "My fate is sealed,
Clinias! " With a tremulous voice, and sighing as deeply as though his
own life hung[28] upon that of the youth, Clinias replied, "Speak
out, your silence will be my death; say what grief assails you--with
what adversary have you to contend? " Charicles rejoined,--"My father
is negotiating a marriage for me, a marriage moreover with an
ill-favoured woman; a double evil therefore: even were she comely, a
female[29] would be repulsive to my taste, and she becomes doubly so,
if ugly. My father, however, looks only to money, and is therefore
anxious for the match, so that I, such is my ill fate, am made the
victim of this woman's money; I am sold to be her husband. "[30] Clinias
turned pale upon hearing this announcement, and strongly urged the
youth to decline the match, bitterly inveighing against the race of
womankind. "Your father, forsooth, would have you marry! pray what
crime have you committed, that you should be given over to such
bondage? Do you not remember the words of Jove?
'Son of Iapetus, o'er-subtle, go,
And glory in thy artful theft below;
Now of the fire you boast by stealth retriev'd,
And triumph in almighty Jove deceiv'd;
But thou too late shalt find the triumph vain,
And read thy folly in succeeding pain;
Posterity the sad effect shall know,
When in pursuit of joy they grasp their woe. '[31]
Woman is a 'bitter sweet;'[32] in her nature she is akin to the Sirens,
for they too, slay their victims with a dulcet voice; the very "pomp
and circumstance" of marriage shews the magnitude of the evil; there
is the din[33] of pipes, the knocking at the doors, the bearing about
of torches. With all this noise and tumult, who will not exclaim,
'Unhappy is the man who has to wed! '--to me, he seems like a man
ordered off to war. Were you unacquainted with classic lore, you might
plead ignorance of women's doings, whereas you are so well read, as to
be capable of teaching others. How many subjects for the stage have
been furnished by womankind! Call to mind the necklace of Eriphyle,
the banquet of Philomela, the calumny of Sthenobœa, the incest of
Aerope, the murderous deed of Procne. [34] Does Agamemnon sigh for
the beauty of Chryseis? --he brings pestilence upon the Grecian host;
does Achilles covet the charms of Briseis? --he prepares misery for
himself; if Candaules has a fair wife, that wife becomes the murderess
of her husband! The nuptial torches of Helen[35] kindled the fire
which consumed Troy! How many suitors were done to death through the
chastity of Penelope? Phædra, through love, became the destroyer of
Hippolytus; Clytemnestra, through hate, the murderess of Agamemnon! Ο!
all-audacious[36] race of women! they deal death whether they love or
hate! The noble Agamemnon must needs die, he whose beauty is described
to have been cast in a heavenly mould,
'Jove o'er his eyes celestial glories spread,
And dawning conquest play'd around his head. [37]
and yet this very head was cut off by--a woman! All that I have been
saying relates only to the handsome among the sex; in this case, then,
there is a lessening of the evil, for beauty is a palliative, and under
such circumstances a man may be said to be fortunate in the midst of
his calamity; but if, as you say, the woman boasts no charms, why then
the evil becomes two-fold. Who would submit in such a case, especially
who that is young and handsome like yourself? In the name of the gods,
Charicles, do not stoop to such a yoke; do not mar the flower of your
beauty before the time; for remember, in addition to the other ills of
marriage, there is this evil, it saps the vigour: do not, Charicles,
I pray, expose yourself to this; give not the beauteous rose to be
plucked by the ill-favoured rustic's hand. "
"Leave this matter," replied Charicles, "to the care of the gods and
of myself; the marriage will not take place for some days yet; much
may be done in a single night, and we will deliberate at our leisure.
Meanwhile, I will go and take a ride, for since the day you gave me
that fine horse, I have never made use of your kind present. " With
these words he left the house, little imagining that this his first
ride was to be his last. After he was gone, I related every particular
to Clinias, describing how my passion began; the arrival, the supper,
the beauty of the maiden. Feeling, at last, how absurdly I was
beginning to talk, I exclaimed, "Clinias, I can no longer endure this
misery. Love has assailed me with such violence as to drive sleep from
my eyes; I see no object but Leucippe; no one can suffer like myself,
for the source of my trouble dwells with me under the same roof. "
"What folly it is," replied Clinias, "for you who are so fortunate in
love to talk after this fashion! You have no need to go to another
person's doors; you do not require a go-between; fortune gives the
loved object into your hands, brings her into your very house, and
there sets her down. [38] Other lovers are well content with catching
a glimpse of the maiden for whom they sigh, and to gratify their
eyes is with them no small good fortune; they consider themselves
most favoured, indeed, if they can now and then exchange a word with
their mistress. But what is your case? You continually see her, you
continually hear her voice, you sup with her, you drink with her; and
yet, fortunate that you are, you are complaining! You are guilty of
base ingratitude towards love, and without the slightest cause. Do you
not know that seeing the object whom you love gives far deeper pleasure
than enjoying her? [39] And why so? Because the eyes, when encountering
each other, receive bodily impressions, as in a looking-glass, and
the reflection of beauty glancing into the soul,[40] begets union even
in separation, and affords a pleasure not much inferior to corporeal
intercourse, which, after all, is hollow and unsatisfying. [41] I augur,
moreover, that you will soon obtain the object of your wishes, for to
be always in the society of the loved one, exerts a most persuasive
power; the eye is a wondrous vehicle of love,[42] and constant
intercourse is most influential in begetting kindly feelings. Habit and
the company of each other will tame savage beasts. How much more will
they act upon a woman's heart. Parity of age also has great weight with
a maiden, and the animal passion which is felt in the flower of youth,
added to the consciousness of being loved, very frequently call forth a
return of tender feeling. Every maiden wishes to be thought beautiful,
and exults in being loved; and approves the testimony borne by the
lover to her beauty; because, if no one love her, she believes herself
devoid of any personal charms. This one piece of advice I give you,
make her feel certain that she is beloved, and she will soon follow
your example in returning your affection. "
"And how," asked I, "is this sage oracle of yours to be accomplished?
Put me in the right way; you are more experienced than myself; you have
been longer initiated in the mysteries of love. What am I to do? What
am I to say? How am I to obtain her for whom I sigh? For my part I am
ignorant how to set about the work. "
"There is small need," replied Clinias, "to learn these matters from
the mouths of others.
condition, is worthy of being a freeman as regards his beauty.
"His hair[13] is like the hyacinth, and his eyes sparkle under his
eye brows like gems set in a golden ring, his face is suffused with a
rosy hue of health, his mouth displays teeth as white as ivory. Who
would not wish to snatch a kiss from such a mouth? In taking a fancy
to a shepherd I do but imitate[14] the gods,--Anchises kept oxen and
yet captivated Venus,--Branchius was a goatherd and Apollo loved him.
Ganymede was a shepherd and was snatched away by Jupiter. Let us not
think lightly of a youth, whose very goats obey him as though they were
in love with him; and let us be thankful to the eagles for leaving such
an impersonation of beauty upon earth. " Astylus laughed heartily at
hearing him talk thus, and saying that love made folks great orators,
promised to take an opportunity of mentioning the subject of Daphnis
to his father. Eudromus overheard their conversation, and immediately
gave information of it to Daphnis and Lamon. He loved the young man
because of his amiable disposition, and could not bear to think that so
much beauty and worth should be subjected to Gnatho's drunken humours.
Daphnis in his alarm determined either to fly from the country, taking
Chloe with him, or to destroy himself and Chloe at the same time.
Lamon upon his part called Myrtale out of the house, and exclaimed,
"Ο my dear wife, we are undone. It is time for us to discover what we
have so long concealed. Our goats and all belonging to us will it is
true now be deserted; but I swear by Pan, and the Nymphs, that even
supposing I am myself to be left like an old ox in the stall (as the
saying is), I will no longer keep the history of Daphnis a secret. I
will tell how and where I found him exposed, I will explain how he was
nursed, and will shew the tokens, which were placed with him. That
rascally Gnatho shall know, to what manner of youth he, vile as he is,
has taken a liking! --Take care to have everything in readiness! "
Having formed this resolution, they went into the house again. Astylus,
in the mean time, proceeding to his father, when he happened to be
disengaged, begged his permission to take Daphnis home with them on
their return, alleging, that so beautiful a youth was too good for
his present rustic situation, and would very soon under Gnatho's care
acquire the polish of city manners. His father willingly complied with
his request, and sending for Lamon and Myrtale, communicated to them
as good news, that Daphnis would henceforth wait upon Astylus instead
of tending goats, at the same time promising them two goatherds to
supply his place. It was then, as the attendants were crowding round,
and rejoicing to hear that they were to have among them so handsome
a fellow-slave, that Lamon, having requested leave to speak, thus
addressed his master. "Be pleased, master, to listen to an old man and
hear the truth. I swear by Pan and the Nymphs, that I will not utter
anything which is false. --I am not the father of Daphnis, nor was
Myrtale so fortunate as to be his mother. The parents of this youth,
whoever they were, exposed him in his infancy; perhaps, because, they
had already more children than they knew how to maintain. I found him
lying on the earth, and one of my she-goats nursing him. When she
died, I buried her in the border of my garden, feeling a regard for
her, inasmuch as she had done a mother's duty. I confess having found
various tokens with the infant, which I still preserve; for they prove
him to be born to a higher station than that which he now fills with
me. I am not so high-minded as to slight the offer of his being an
attendant on Astylus--an excellent servant to a virtuous and excellent
master: but I cannot bear the idea of his being a sport for the drunken
hours of Gnatho, who would fain take him to Mitylene, that he may be
abused. "
Lamon at the conclusion of this speech burst into tears. Gnatho began
to bluster, and threatened to strike him, but Dionysophanes sternly
frowning, ordered him to be silent; and again interrogating Lamon,
urged him to tell the truth, and not to invent a tale merely to keep
his son at home. --When Lamon continued unshaken in his assertions,
called upon the gods to be his witnesses, and professed his readiness
to submit to torture, should he be uttering a falsehood; his master,
in the presence of Clearista, who sat by him, began to test the
probability of the tale, as follows. "What motive can Lamon have to
tell a falsehood, when two goatherds are offered him in lieu of one?
How could a plain rustic possibly invent such a tale? --Besides, is it
not altogether unlikely that such an old man and such a plain old woman
can be the parents of so handsome a son. "
He determined to rest no longer upon mere conjectures, but to examine
the tokens, and to see whether they bespoke an illustrious birth.
Myrtale had gone to fetch them, for they were preserved in an old bag.
Dionysophanes was the first to examine them, and when he beheld the
purple mantle, the golden clasp, and little sword with the ivory hilt,
he exclaimed, Lord Jupiter! and called to Clearista to come and look
at them. --When Clearista beheld them, she uttered a loud shriek, and
cried out, "The friendly Fates, are not these the very things, which we
exposed with our little one, when we sent Sophrosyne to leave him in
this part of the country! they are none other, they are the very same,
my husband! the child is ours. Daphnis is your son, and he has been
tending his own father's flock. "
Before she had done speaking, and while Dionysophanes was kissing the
tokens and shedding tears of joy, Astylus, who now understood that
Daphnis was his brother, threw off his cloak, and ran through the
garden to give him the first salute. When Daphnis saw Astylus running
towards him, followed by many others, and heard them calling out his
own name, he thought they were coming to seize him and carry him off by
violence. Accordingly he threw down his scrip, and his pipe, and ran
towards the sea with the determined resolution to throw himself into it
from the top of a high rock: and perhaps (strange to say! ) his being
found would have proved the occasion of his being lost for ever, had
not Astylus perceiving the occasion of his alarm, called out, "Stop,
stop, Daphnis, I am your brother: and they, who have hitherto been your
masters, are now your parents. Lamon has just now given us the whole
account of the she-goat, and has shewn us the tokens, which were found
with you! look back! see! with what cheerful and smiling faces they are
coming towards you! Brother, let me have the first kiss. I swear by the
Nymphs, I am not deceiving you. "
Not without hesitation was Daphnis induced after this solemn assertion
to pause, and wait for Astylus, whom he received with a kiss. While
they were embracing, his father and mother with Lamon and Myrtale and
all the men and maid servants came thronging up, threw their arms round
him, and kissed him with tears of joy. Daphnis affectionately saluted
his father and mother before the rest and as though he had long known
them, clasped them to his breast, and would not disengage himself from
their embrace:--so soon does natural affection assert her rights.
For a time even Chloe was almost forgotten. After returning to the
farm, and putting on a costly dress, he sat down by his real father,
who spoke to the following effect.
"My children, I married when very young; and in a short space of time
became as I considered myself a very fortunate father. First a son
was born to me, next a daughter, and then you, my Astylus. I thought
my family now large enough, for which reason I exposed Daphnis, the
boy who was born in addition to the others, placing with him these
ornaments, not as tokens, but to serve as funeral weeds. --Fortune had
different plans in view. --My eldest son and daughter died of the same
disease in one day: but the providence of the gods has preserved you,
Daphnis, that we might have an additional stay in our old age. --Do not
bear ill will towards me, from the remembrance of my having exposed
you; for I did not do so with a willing mind, nor do you, Astylus,
feel grieved that you will now have a part only, instead of the whole
of my estate; for to a wise man no wealth is more valuable than a
brother. Love each other;--and as for wealth you shall be able to vie
even with princes. I shall leave to you extensive lands, a number of
dexterous servants, stores of gold and silver, and whatever else forms
the possession of the prosperous. Only this particular estate I reserve
for Daphnis, with Lamon and Myrtale, and the goats which he himself has
tended. "
Before he had finished speaking, Daphnis sprang from his seat, and
said, "Father, you very seasonably remind me of these matters. I will
go and lead my goats to water, they must now be thirsty, and are no
doubt waiting to hear my pipe, while I am sitting here. " Every one
laughed at hearing the master so willing to be still the goatherd. One
of the servants was sent in place of Daphnis to tend the herd; while he
and the rest of the company, after sacrificing to Jove the preserver,
sat down together to a banquet. Gnatho was the only one who did not
come to the entertainment; for being under great alarm, he remained all
day and night in the temple of Bacchus, as a suppliant.
The report that Dionysophanes had found his son, and that Daphnis the
goatherd was now master of the estate, having soon spread abroad, early
the next morning numbers flocked to the cottage from various parts
with congratulations to the youth and gifts to the father. --Dryas the
foster-father of Chloe was among the first who arrived.
Dionysophanes kept them all, after sharing of his joy, to partake of an
entertainment. Store of wine was provided, abundance of wheaten bread,
wild fowl, sucking pigs, and sweets of various kinds, and many victims
were sacrificed to the country's deities. Daphnis collected all his
pastoral equipments, and distributed them in separate offerings to the
gods. To Bacchus he presented his scrip, and coat of skin. To Pan his
pipe and transverse-flute. To the Nymphs his crook, and the milkpails,
which he had made with his own hands. The happiness arising from our
wonted condition is however so much greater than that which springs
from unexpected good fortune, that he could not refrain from tears
when parting with each offering. He could not suspend his milkpails in
the grotto without once more milking into them: nor his coat of skin
without once more putting it on: nor his pipe without once more playing
on it. He kissed each of them in turn; he talked to his goats and
called them by their names; he drank from the fountain because he had
so often done so in company with Chloe. --Still he did not yet venture
to declare his love, but waited for a favourable opportunity.
While Daphnis was engaged in these religious ceremonies, the following
circumstances befel Chloe. She was sitting weeping and watching her
flock, and exclaiming (as was natural) "Daphnis has forgotten me. He is
dreaming of some wealthy match. To what purpose did I make him swear by
his goats instead of by the Nymphs? he has deserted the former as well
as me; nor even when sacrificing to the Nymphs and to Pan, has he had
any desire to see his Chloe. Perhaps among his mother's waiting women,
he has seen some girl preferable to me. May he be happy! As for me I
shall not survive it. "
While she was giving utterance to these thoughts, Lampis the herdsman
with a band of rustics suddenly came up and seized her. He conceived
that Daphnis would no longer marry her, and that Dryas would be well
content to have him as a son-in-law. While she was being borne off
with tears and shrieks, some one who had witnessed the transaction,
hastened to inform Nape: Nape informed Dryas, and Dryas communicated
it to Daphnis. Distracted at the intelligence, afraid to explain the
circumstance to his father, and unable to restrain his own emotions, he
betook himself to the outer garden-walk and there vented his grief:--
"What an unhappy discovery of parentage, is mine! How much better
would it have been for me still to tend my herds! How much happier was
I, when a slave! then I could behold my Chloe! --but now, Lampis has
carried her away; this very night, perhaps, she will be his wife! In
the mean time I am here, drinking and feasting, and have to no purpose
sworn by Pan, by my goats, and by the Nymphs. "
These words were overheard by Gnatho, who was lurking in the garden; he
considered it a good opportunity for effecting a reconciliation with
Daphnis. Assembling some youths, who waited upon Astylus, he pursued
Dryas, whom he desired to conduct them to the place where Lampis dwelt.
They overtook him just as he was dragging Chloe into his house, rescued
her from him, and gave the country-fellows, his companions, a sound
drubbing. He was very desirous also to seize and bind Lampis, and bring
him back like a prisoner of war, but the fellow was too much for him
and ran away.
Having accomplished this exploit, he returned just as night was coming
on. Dionysophanes had already retired to rest; but finding Daphnis
still up and weeping in the garden, presented Chloe to him, and gave
him an account of the whole adventure, beseeching him to bear no
ill-will, but to retain him in his service, in which he would prove
himself of use, and not to banish him from his father's table, which
would deprive him of his bread. When Daphnis saw Chloe, and once more
had her in his possession, he forgave Gnatho, because of his good deed,
and began to apologize to the maiden for his neglect.
Upon holding a consultation, Daphnis at first resolved to marry Chloe
privately, and to keep her in concealment, making no one but her own
mother acquainted with the matter; Dryas would not concur in this plan,
he was for communicating every thing to Daphnis's father, and himself
undertook the task of obtaining his consent. Accordingly, taking the
tokens with him in his scrip, he went the next day to Dionysophanes and
Clearista, who were sitting in the garden, in company with Astylus and
Daphnis; silence ensued upon his appearance, when he addressed them
thus:--
"The same necessity, which influenced Lamon, now urges me to publish
circumstances, which hitherto have remained secret. I am not Chloe's
father; nor was she in the first instance brought up by me. Other
persons were her parents, and when lying in the grotto of the Nymphs, a
ewe became her nurse. I saw this myself, to my astonishment, and under
the power of this feeling, I adopted her. Her beauty confirms what I
say; for she does not resemble either me or my wife. These tokens,
which I likewise found with her, prove the truth of my assertion,
for they are too valuable to belong to any shepherd. Examine them,
endeavour to find out the maiden's relatives, and perhaps she will
prove worthy of your son. "
This last expression was not thrown out undesignedly by Dryas: nor
was it heard heedlessly by Dionysophanes, who turning his eyes upon
Daphnis, and observing him turn pale, while a tear stole down his
cheeks, easily discovered the youth's love. Moved more by regard for
his own child than by any concern for the unknown maiden, he weighed
the words of Dryas with great attention. After viewing the tokens
produced before him, the gilt sandals, the anklets, and the head-dress,
he called Chloe to him, and bid her take courage, for she had already
got a husband, and most probably would soon discover her real father
and mother. Clearista now took her, and dressed her as became the
intended wife of her son. Dionysophanes, in the mean time, retired
apart with Daphnis, and inquired whether she was still a virgin; and
upon his declaring that nothing had passed between them, beyond kisses
and vows: pleased with their mutual oaths of fidelity, he made them
join the banquet.
Now might it be seen what beauty is when set off by the accessories
of ornament, Chloe when richly dressed, with her hair braided, and
her face resplendent from the bath, appeared to all so much more
beautiful than before, that Daphnis himself could hardly recognize her.
Any spectator, even without knowing anything about the tokens, would
have sworn that Dryas could not be the father of so fair a maiden.
Nevertheless he was invited to the feast, where he and Nape, with Lamon
and Myrtale for their companions, reclined on a separate couch.
On the following day victims were again sacrificed to the gods; bowls
were prepared, and Chloe suspended her pastoral equipments--her pipe,
her scrip, her cloak of goat-skin, and her milkpails. She also mingled
wine with the waters of the fountain in the grotto, because she had
been suckled near it, and had so often bathed there, then she crowned
with flowers the ewe's grave, which Dryas pointed out to her. She, too,
piped once more to her flock, and having done so, prayed the Nymphs
that her parents might prove worthy of the union of Daphnis and herself.
When the party had had enough of their rural festivities, they
determined upon returning to the city, in order to try and discover
Chloe's parents, and no longer to defer the marriage. By break of day
the next morning they were prepared for their journey. Before their
departure they made Dryas a present of another three thousand drachmas;
with liberty to reap half the corn, and gather half the grapes annually
for his own use; they likewise gave him the goats, goatherds, four yoke
of oxen, and some winter garments; his wife also was presented with her
freedom.
After this they took the road to Mitylene, travelling in grand style
with horses and carriages. They arrived at the city by night, and so
for the time escaped the notice of the citizens; but early the next
day the doors were surrounded by multitudes of men and women. The
men congratulated Dionysophanes on having found his son, the more
particularly when they saw his beauty. The women gave Clearista joy at
bringing with her not only her son, but likewise an intended bride.
Chloe excited the admiration even of the women, displaying as she did,
charms which could not be surpassed. The whole city was in a bustle
on account of the youth and the maiden, predicting already that the
marriage would be a happy one, and wishing that the parents of the
maiden might prove to be of a rank worthy of her beauty. Many of the
richest ladies prayed the gods that they might be reputed to be the
mothers of so much loveliness.
Dionysophanes, fatigued with excess of anxious thought, fell into
a deep sleep, during which he saw the following vision. The Nymphs
appeared to be requesting the god of love at length to grant them his
consent to the celebration of the marriage. Slackening the string
of his bow, and placing it by the side of his quiver, he addressed
Dionysophanes, bidding him to invite those of highest rank of Mitylene
to a banquet, and when he had filled the last goblet, to exhibit
the tokens before each of them, and then to commence the hymeneal
song. After what he had seen and heard, Dionysophanes arose in the
morning, and ordered a magnificent feast to be prepared, in which
all the delicacies which the sea, the earth, the lakes, and even the
rivers could produce, were to be collected together. All the chiefs
of Mitylene were his guests. When night was come, and when the goblet
was filled from which to pour out the libation[15] to Mercury, a slave
brought forward the ornaments in a silver vase, and holding them in his
right hand carried them round, and displayed them to all the visitors.
No one acknowledged them, till Megacles, who, on account of his age,
was honoured with the highest couch, recognising them, cried out with a
loud and animated voice,--"What do I see! what has been the fate of my
daughter! is she indeed alive? or did some shepherd find these things,
and carry them away. Tell me, I pray, Dionysophanes, where did you meet
with these tokens of my child? Now that you have found your son, do not
enviously begrudge me the discovery of my daughter. "
Dionysophanes requested him first of all to give them an account of the
exposure of his daughter; and Megacles in the same loud and earnest
tone replied,--"Formerly my income was very narrow, for I had expended
my fortune in equipping choruses and fitting out galleys. [16] While my
affairs were in this condition I had a daughter born. Loath to bring
her up to the miseries of poverty, and knowing that there are many who
are willing to become even reputed parents,[17] I dressed her in these
very tokens, and exposed her. She was laid in the grotto of the Nymphs,
and committed to their protection. Since that time wealth began to pour
in upon me every day, when I had no heir to enjoy it, for I was never
so fortunate as to become the father even of another daughter; but,
as if wishing to make a mock of me, the gods are continually sending
dreams by night, signifying, forsooth, that a ewe will make me father. "
Upon this Dionysophanes called out in a yet louder tone than Megacles,
and springing from his couch led in Chloe sumptuously dressed,
exclaiming,--"This is the child whom you exposed. This maiden, through
the providence of the gods, was suckled by a sheep, and preserved
for you; as Daphnis was reared by a goat, and saved for me. Take the
tokens, and your daughter; take her, and bestow her as a bride on
Daphnis. Both were exposed; both have been again found by us, their
parents; both have been under the peculiar care of Pan, of the Nymphs,
and of the God of Love. "
Megacles at once assented, clasped Chloe to his bosom, and sent for his
wife Rhode. They slept at the house that night, for Daphnis had sworn
by the gods that he would not part with Chloe even to her own father.
The next morning they all agreed to return to the country: this was
done at the entreaty of Daphnis and Chloe, who were weary of their
sojourn in the city; and had formed a scheme for celebrating their
nuptials in a pastoral manner.
Upon their arrival at Lamon's cottage, they introduced Dryas
to Megacles, and Nape was made known to Rhode, after which the
preparations were made for the festival on a splendid scale. Chloe was
devoted to the guardianship of the Nymphs by her father. He suspended
the tokens, among various other things, as offerings to them; and
increased the six thousand drachmas, which Dryas now possessed, to ten
thousand.
As the day was very fine, Dionysophanes caused couches of green leaves
to be spread inside the grotto, and all the villagers were invited
and sumptuously regaled. There were present Lamon and Myrtale, Dryas
and Nape, Dorco's kinsmen, and Philetas with his sons Chromis and
Lycænium; even Lampis, who had been forgiven, was among the guests.
All the amusements were, of course, as among such merrymakers, of a
rustic and pastoral kind. Reaping-songs were sung; and the jokes of the
vintage-season were repeated. Philetas played on the pipe, and Lampis
on the flute, while Lamon and Dryas danced. Chloe and Daphnis passed
the time in kissing. The goats came and grazed near them, as if they
also were partakers of the festival. This was not very agreeable to the
dainty city folks; Daphnis, however, called several of them by name,
gave them some leaves, which they eat out of his hand, while he held
them by the horns, and kissed them.
Not only now, but during the remainder of their days, Daphnis and Chloe
led a pastoral life, worshipping as their deities the Nymphs, Pan,
and the God of Love. Their flocks of goats and sheep were numerous,
and their favourite food consisted of the fruits of autumn, and milk.
They had their first-born, a boy, suckled by a goat; their second, a
girl, was brought up by a ewe; the former was named Philopœmen,[18]
the latter Agele. [19] In this manner of life, and in this spot, they
lived to a good old age. They adorned the grotto of the Nymphs; erected
statues; raised an altar to Cupid the Shepherd; and instead of a
pine reared a temple for the habitation of Pan, and dedicated it to
Pan the Warrior; these names, however, were given, and these things
done, in after years. At the time we are now speaking of, when night
arrived, all the guests conducted them to the bridal chamber, some
playing on the pipe, some on the flute, some holding large torches;
and upon arriving at the door, they raised their voices in harsh and
rugged tones, which sounded more like a concert of fellows breaking
up the ground with mattocks than a chorus of human beings singing the
nuptial hymn. [20] Daphnis and Chloe, on their part, went to bed in
nature's own adornment, where they kissed and embraced each other, and
were as wakeful as the very owls. Daphnis carried into practice the
instructions of his preceptress Lycænium, and Chloe learnt, for the
first time in her life, that all their doings in the woods had been but
so much child's play.
[Footnote 1:
. . . . "Nec secus omnes in unguem,
Arboribus positis secto via limite quadret. "--Virg. G. ii. 278.
]
[Footnote 2: Plutarch, speaks of the practice of setting off the
beauties (we may also add, the fragrance) of roses and violets, by
planting them side by side with leeks and onions. The originator of
this fashion went upon the principle, no doubt, of
"Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci. "
]
[Footnote 3:
. . . . "Oriens tibi victus, adusque
Decolor extremo quæ cingitur India Gange,
Penthea tu, venerande, bipenniferumque Lycurgum,
Sacrilegos mactas; Tyrrhenaque mittas in æquor
Corpora. "--Ovid. Met. iv. 20.
]
[Footnote 4: σκαφίδων καινών, καὶ γαυλῶν πολλῶν.
The same distinction of milking vessels is found in the Odyssey, ix.
223.
Γαυλοί τε σκαφίδες τε.
"His pails and bowls. "--Cowper.
]
[Footnote 5: ὥσπερ συμπεφυκότων. . . .
"She rose . . . and threw
Herself upon his breast and there she _grew_. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 6: Compare the admirable picture of Gnatho'a prototype in the
Eunuchus of Terence, Act II. Sc. II.
"Videnme?
Qui color, nitor vestitus, quæ habitus est corporis,
Omnia habeo, nec quicquam habeo; nil quum eat, nil defit tamen. "
]
[Footnote 7: In the Greek there is a play upon words: Ό δὲ Γνάθων oὐδὲν
ἄλλο ὢν, ἢ, γνάθος καὶ γαστὴρ, καὶ τὰ ὺπὸ γαστέρα. ]
[Footnote 8: "Deinde, ut more caprarum, hircis sui copiam facientium,
sibi tergum obvertat, precatur. Hæc cum serius animadvertisset Daphnis
dixit, capras quod ineant hirci, id quidem se rectè habere, sed hircum
nunquam et nusquam gentium vidisse inire hircum, neque arietem pro
ovibus arietem, neque gallos gallinarum loco gallos. "]
[Footnote 9: μεσαιπόλιoς. ]
[Footnote 10: κρητῆρας στήσασθαι. To set up bowls as a sign of
feasting. --See Odyss. ii. 431.
κρητῆρας στήσασθαι θιοῖς. To do the same in honour of the gods. --Il.
vi. 628. ]
[Footnote 11: τὸ νόμιον. ]
[Footnote 12: Γναθωνάριον. ]
[Footnote 13: Of a very dark hue. --The locks of Ulysses are in two
passages of the Odyssey compared to "hyacinthine flowers. "--vi. 231.
xxiii. 158. ]
[Footnote 14:
"That Dionysius in the valleys green
Once tended kine, she never heard, I ween;
Nor knows that Cypris on a cowherd doted,
And on the Phrygian hills herself devoted
To tend his herd; nor how the same Dionis
In thickets kiss'd, in thickets wept, Adonis.
Who was Endymion? him tending kine
Stooped down to kiss Selene the divine;
Who from Olympus to the Latmian grove,
Glided to slumber with her mortal love.
Didst not thou, Rhea, for a cowherd weep?
And didst not thou, high Zeus! the heaven sweep,
In form of winged bird, and watch indeed,
To carry off the cowherd Ganymede? "--Chapman's Theoc.
]
[Footnote 15:
"Eὖρε δὲ Φαίηκων ἡγήτορας, ἠδὲ μέδοντας
Σπένδοντας δεπάεσσιν ἐῦσκόπῳ Ἀργειφόντῃ
Ὦ πυμάτῳ σπένδεσκον, ὅτε μνησαίατο κοίτον. "
--Odyss. vii. 136.
]
[Footnote 16: Εἰς χορηγίας καὶ τριηραρχίας ἐξίδαπάνησα. The business
of the Choregus, or chorus master, was to defray the expenses of the
scenical representations, and those of the solemn festivals; the
Trierarch had to fit out a ship of war, the state providing only
the vessel and the crew. Both offices involved of course very heavy
expenses. ]
[Footnote 17:
. . . . "Stat Fortuna improba noctu,
Arridens nudis infantibus; hos fovet omnes
Involvitque sinu; domibus tunc porrigit altis. "--Juv. vi. 605.
]
[Footnote 18: A lover of the flock. ]
[Footnote 19: A lover of the herd. ]
[Footnote 20: "Καθάπερ τριάιναις γῆν ἀναῥρηγνύντες, οὐχ υμέναιον
ἄδοντες. "]
THE END.
ACHILLES TATIUS.
BOOK I.
Sidon is situated upon the coast of the Assyrian sea; it is the
mother[1] city of the Phœnicians, and its inhabitants were the founders
of Thebes. It has a harbour of capacious extent, which gradually admits
within it the waters of the sea; it is double, because, to the right,
a passage has been dug into an inner basin, which likewise admits the
sea; in this manner the first harbour becomes the entrance to a second,
which affords a secure haven to vessels during summer, while in winter
they can ride at anchor safely in the former. Upon arriving here after
encountering a severe storm, I made thank-offerings[2] on account
of my preservation, to the goddess of the Phœnicians, called by the
Sidonians, Astarte. [3] As I was wandering about the city, surveying
the votive offerings in the temples, I saw a painting containing a
view both of sea and land. Europa[4] formed the subject, and the scene
was laid partly on the Phœnician sea, partly on the coast of Sidon. In
a meadow was seen a band of maidens; a bull was swimming in the sea,
directing his course towards Crete, and having a fair damsel seated
upon his back. The meadow was diversified with flowers intermixed
with trees and shrubs; the trees were near to one another, and their
branches[5] and leaves united so closely overhead, as to form a cover
for the flowers below. The artist had shewn great skill in managing
the shade; for the sun-rays were seen dispersedly breaking through
the overarching roof of leaves, and lighting up the meadow, which,
situated as I have said, beneath a leafy screen, was surrounded on
all sides by a hedge. Under the trees, beds of flowers were laid out,
in which bloomed the narcissus, the rose, and the myrtle. Bubbling up
from the ground, a stream flowed through the midst of this enamelled
meadow, watering the flowers and shrubs; and a gardener was represented
with his pickaxe opening a channel for its course. The maidens above
mentioned were placed by the painter, in a part of the meadow bordering
upon the sea. Their countenances wore a mingled expression of joy and
fear; they had chaplets upon their heads, their hair fell dishevelled
about their shoulders; their legs were entirely bare--for a cincture
raised their garments above the knee--and their feet were unsandalled;
their cheeks were pale and contracted through alarm; their eyes were
directed towards the sea; their lips were slightly opened as if about
to give vent to their terror in cries; their hands were stretched out
towards the bull; they were represented upon the verge of the sea,
the water just coming over their feet; they appeared eager to hasten
after the bull, but at the same time fearful of encountering the waves.
The colour of the sea was twofold: towards the land it had a ruddy
hue;[6] farther out it was dark blue; foam also, and rocks and waves
were represented; the rocks projecting from the shore, and whitened
with foam, caused by the crests of the waves breaking upon their rugged
surface.
In the midst of the sea, the bull was represented swimming, the waves
rising in mountains from the motion of his legs. The maiden was seated
upon his back, not astride, but sideways; she grasped his horn with her
left hand, as a charioteer would hold the reins; and the bull inclined
his head in that direction, as if guided by her hand.
She was dressed in a white tunic as far as her middle, the rest of her
body was clothed in a purple robe; the whole dress, however, was so
transparent[7] as to disclose the beauties of her person. You could
discern the deep-seated navel, the well proportioned[8] stomach, the
narrow waist, gradually widening until it reached the chest, the gently
budding breasts. [9]--These, as well as the tunic, were confined by a
cincture, and from its transparency, the tunic became, so to speak, a
mirror to reflect her person. Both her hands were extended, one towards
the horn, the other towards the tail; and with either of them she
held an extremity of the veil which was expanded above her shoulders,
and which appeared in every part inflated by the artist's "painted
wind. "[10]
Thus seated upon the bull, the maiden resembled a vessel in full
sail, her veil serving for the canvass. [11] Dolphins[12] leaped, Loves
sported round the bull; you might have sworn that they moved "instinct
with life. " Cupid, in person, was drawing on the bull; Cupid, in guise
of a little child, was spreading his wings, bearing his quiver, holding
his torch, and turning towards Jove, was archly laughing as if in
mockery of him, who, on his account had become a bull.
I admired every part of this painting, but my attention was more
especially rivetted upon Cupid leading forward the bull; and I
exclaimed, "How wonderfully does a mere child lord it over heaven and
earth and sea! "[13]
Upon this, a young man, who happened to be standing near, said, "I can
speak from experience of the power of Love, having suffered so severely
from his caprices. "--"Pray," said I, "what are the ills which you have
suffered? To speak the truth, your countenance betokens you to be not
unacquainted with the mysteries of this deity. "--"You are stirring
up a whole swarm of words," replied he, "mystery will sound like a
fable. "--"In the name of Jupiter and Love himself, my good fellow,"
rejoined I, "do not hesitate to gratify my curiosity, however fabulous
may seem your story. "
After this, taking him by the hand, I led him to a neighbouring grove,
thickly planted with plane trees, through which flowed a stream of
water, cold and transparent as that which proceeds from newly melted
snow. [14] Having placed him upon a low seat, I sat down beside him, and
said, "Now is the time for hearing your tale; this spot is in every
way agreeable and exactly suited for a love story. " Upon this, he
began as follows:--
I am a native of Phœnicia, was born at Tyre, and am named Clitopho; my
father's name is Hippias; Sostratus is the name of his brother by the
father's side--for the two had different mothers--the latter having a
Byzantian, the former a Tyrian lady for his mother. Sostratus always
resided at Byzantium, having inherited large property in that city from
his mother; my father lived at Tyre. I never saw my mother, she having
died during my infancy: after her decease, my father married a second
wife, by whom he had a daughter named Calligone, whom he designed to
unite to me in marriage. [15] The will of the Fates, however, more
powerful than that of men, had in store for me a different wife. Now,
the Deity is often wont to reveal the future to mortals, in dreams
by night; not in order that they may ward off suffering (for it is
impossible to defeat destiny[16]), but that they may bear more lightly
their load of evils. Calamity, when it comes suddenly and in a "whole
battalion," paralyses, and, as it were, overwhelms the soul by its
unexpectedness, whereas when anticipated and dwelt upon by the mind,
the edge of grief becomes blunted. It was when I had reached the age
of nineteen, and when my father was preparing to have my marriage
celebrated, the following year, that the drama of my fate began. During
my sleep, in thought I had coalesced with, and _grown_ into, the person
of a maiden, as far as the middle, and that from thence upward we
formed two bodies. A tall and terrible-looking woman, savage in aspect,
with blood-shot eyes, inflamed cheeks, and snaky hair, stood over us.
In her right hand she held a scimitar, in her left, a torch. Angrily
raising her falchion, she let it fall exactly upon the loins where was
the juncture of our bodies, and severed the maiden from me. Leaping up
in terror, I mentioned the dream to no one, but foreboded evil in my
own mind. Meanwhile, a messenger arrived from Byzantium, bringing a
letter from my father's brother; it contained the following words:--
"Sostratus to his brother Hippias, sends greeting,
"My daughter Leucippe, and my wife Panthea, are on their way to you,
for war has broken out between the Thracians and Byzantians; till it
is concluded, keep under your protection those dearest objects of my
affection. Farewell. "
No sooner had my father read the letter than, rising from his seat, he
hurried down to the harbour; and not long after returned, followed by a
number of male and female slaves, whom Sostratus had sent with his wife
and daughter. Among them was a tall lady, richly dressed: while looking
at her, I remarked at her left hand, a maiden, the beauty of whose
countenance at once dazzled my eyes--she resembled the Europa, whom,
in the picture I had seen sitting upon the bull. Her sparkling[17]
eyes had a pleasing expression, her hair was golden-hued, short and
curling, her eyebrows were jet black, her cheeks were fair, save that
in the middle they had a tinge bordering upon purple, like that with
which the Lydian women stain the ivory;[18] her mouth was like the
rose when it begins to bud. No sooner did I see her than my fate was
sealed--for beauty[19] inflicts a wound sharper than any arrow, finding
a passage to the soul through the eyes, for it is the eye which makes a
way for the wounds of love. I was overwhelmed by conflicting feelings;
admiration, astonishment, agitation, shame, assurance: I admired her
figure, I was astonished at her beauty; my heart palpitated, I gazed
upon her with assurance, yet I was ashamed at the idea of being
remarked. I endeavoured to withdraw my eyes from the maiden; they
however were unwilling to obey, and, following the fascination of her
countenance, in the end completely gained the day.
Upon the arrival of the visitors, my father assigned a part of the
house for their use, and then ordered the supper to be prepared. At the
appointed time we reclined by twos on couches, for such was my father's
order. He and I were in the centre, the two elder ladies occupied
the right-hand couch, the maidens were to the left. Upon hearing the
proposed arrangement I was very near embracing my father, for thus
placing the maiden within my view. As to what I ate, on my faith I
cannot tell you, for I was like a man eating in a dream; all I know is,
that leaning upon my elbow, and bending forwards, my whole attention
was given to stealing furtive glances at her--this was the sum total
of my supper. When the meal was ended, a slave came in with the lyre;
he first ran over the strings with his fingers, then sounded a few
chords in an under tone, and afterwards taking the plectrum, began to
play, accompanying the sounds with his voice. The subject of his strain
was[20] Apollo in his irritation pursuing the flying Daphne, and upon
the point of seizing her, how she was transformed into a laurel, and
how the god crowns himself with its leaves. The song had the effect
of adding fuel to my flame, for amatory strains[21] act as a powerful
incentive to desire: and however inclined a person may be to chastity,
example serves as a stimulant to imitation, more especially when the
example is supplied by one in superior[22] station; for the feeling of
shame which was a check upon doing wrong becomes changed into assurance
by the rank of the offender.
Accordingly, I thus reasoned with myself--"See, Apollo falls in love,
he is not ashamed of his weakness, he pursues the fair one! and art
thou a laggard and the slave of shame and ill-timed continence? Art
thou, forsooth, superior to a god? "[23] In the evening the ladies
retired to rest first, and afterwards we ourselves. The others had
confined the pleasures of the table to their stomachs. [24] I, for my
part, carried away the banquet in my eyes; I had taken my fill of the
maiden's sweet looks, and, from the effect of merely gazing upon her,
I rose from table intoxicated with love. Upon entering my accustomed
chamber, sleep was out of the question. It is the law of nature that
diseases and bodily wounds always become exasperated at night; when we
are taking our rest their strength increases, and the pain becomes more
acute, for the circumstance of the body being in repose affords leisure
for the malady to do its work. By the same rule, the wounds of the
soul are much more painful while the body is lying motionless; in the
day, both the eyes and ears are occupied by a multiplicity of objects;
thus, the soul has not leisure to feel pain, and so the violence of
the disease is for a time mitigated; but let the body be fettered by
inactivity, and then the soul retains all its susceptibility, and
becomes tempest-tossed by trouble; the feelings which were asleep then
awaken. The mourner feels his grief, the anxious his solicitude, he who
is in peril his terrors, the lover his inward flame.
Towards morning Love took compassion upon me, and granted me some short
repose; but not even then would the maiden be absent from my mind;
Leucippe[25] was in all my dreams, I conversed with her, I played with
her, I supped with her, I touched her fair body; in short, I obtained
more favours then than in the day-time, for I kissed her, and the kiss
was really given. Accordingly, when the slave awoke me, I cursed[26]
him for coming so unseasonably, and for dissipating so sweet a dream;
getting up, however, I went out of my part of the house, and walked in
front of the apartment where the maiden was; with my head hanging down
over a book, I pretended to be reading, but whenever I came opposite
her door I cast sidelong glances, and after taking a few turns, and
drinking in fresh draughts of love I returned desperately smitten;
three whole days did I continue burning with this inward fire.
I had a cousin named Clinias, who had lost both his parents; he was
two years older than myself, and an adept in matters of love. He had a
male favourite, for whom his affection was so strong, that when he had
one day purchased a horse, and the other admired it, he immediately
presented him with the animal. I was always joking him for having
so much leisure as to fall in love, and for being a slave to tender
passions; he used to laugh and reply with a shake of the head, "Depend
upon it the day of slavery is in store for you. " Well, proceeding to
his house, I saluted him, and sitting down, said, "Clinias, I am paying
the penalty of my former gibes;[27] I am at last myself the slave of
love! " Upon hearing this, he clapped his hands and laughed outright;
then rising and kissing my face, which bore traces of a lover's
wakefulness, "There is no doubt of your being in love," said he, "for
your eyes declare it. "
While he was yet speaking, Charicles, his favourite, comes in
hurriedly and in great perturbation, exclaiming, "My fate is sealed,
Clinias! " With a tremulous voice, and sighing as deeply as though his
own life hung[28] upon that of the youth, Clinias replied, "Speak
out, your silence will be my death; say what grief assails you--with
what adversary have you to contend? " Charicles rejoined,--"My father
is negotiating a marriage for me, a marriage moreover with an
ill-favoured woman; a double evil therefore: even were she comely, a
female[29] would be repulsive to my taste, and she becomes doubly so,
if ugly. My father, however, looks only to money, and is therefore
anxious for the match, so that I, such is my ill fate, am made the
victim of this woman's money; I am sold to be her husband. "[30] Clinias
turned pale upon hearing this announcement, and strongly urged the
youth to decline the match, bitterly inveighing against the race of
womankind. "Your father, forsooth, would have you marry! pray what
crime have you committed, that you should be given over to such
bondage? Do you not remember the words of Jove?
'Son of Iapetus, o'er-subtle, go,
And glory in thy artful theft below;
Now of the fire you boast by stealth retriev'd,
And triumph in almighty Jove deceiv'd;
But thou too late shalt find the triumph vain,
And read thy folly in succeeding pain;
Posterity the sad effect shall know,
When in pursuit of joy they grasp their woe. '[31]
Woman is a 'bitter sweet;'[32] in her nature she is akin to the Sirens,
for they too, slay their victims with a dulcet voice; the very "pomp
and circumstance" of marriage shews the magnitude of the evil; there
is the din[33] of pipes, the knocking at the doors, the bearing about
of torches. With all this noise and tumult, who will not exclaim,
'Unhappy is the man who has to wed! '--to me, he seems like a man
ordered off to war. Were you unacquainted with classic lore, you might
plead ignorance of women's doings, whereas you are so well read, as to
be capable of teaching others. How many subjects for the stage have
been furnished by womankind! Call to mind the necklace of Eriphyle,
the banquet of Philomela, the calumny of Sthenobœa, the incest of
Aerope, the murderous deed of Procne. [34] Does Agamemnon sigh for
the beauty of Chryseis? --he brings pestilence upon the Grecian host;
does Achilles covet the charms of Briseis? --he prepares misery for
himself; if Candaules has a fair wife, that wife becomes the murderess
of her husband! The nuptial torches of Helen[35] kindled the fire
which consumed Troy! How many suitors were done to death through the
chastity of Penelope? Phædra, through love, became the destroyer of
Hippolytus; Clytemnestra, through hate, the murderess of Agamemnon! Ο!
all-audacious[36] race of women! they deal death whether they love or
hate! The noble Agamemnon must needs die, he whose beauty is described
to have been cast in a heavenly mould,
'Jove o'er his eyes celestial glories spread,
And dawning conquest play'd around his head. [37]
and yet this very head was cut off by--a woman! All that I have been
saying relates only to the handsome among the sex; in this case, then,
there is a lessening of the evil, for beauty is a palliative, and under
such circumstances a man may be said to be fortunate in the midst of
his calamity; but if, as you say, the woman boasts no charms, why then
the evil becomes two-fold. Who would submit in such a case, especially
who that is young and handsome like yourself? In the name of the gods,
Charicles, do not stoop to such a yoke; do not mar the flower of your
beauty before the time; for remember, in addition to the other ills of
marriage, there is this evil, it saps the vigour: do not, Charicles,
I pray, expose yourself to this; give not the beauteous rose to be
plucked by the ill-favoured rustic's hand. "
"Leave this matter," replied Charicles, "to the care of the gods and
of myself; the marriage will not take place for some days yet; much
may be done in a single night, and we will deliberate at our leisure.
Meanwhile, I will go and take a ride, for since the day you gave me
that fine horse, I have never made use of your kind present. " With
these words he left the house, little imagining that this his first
ride was to be his last. After he was gone, I related every particular
to Clinias, describing how my passion began; the arrival, the supper,
the beauty of the maiden. Feeling, at last, how absurdly I was
beginning to talk, I exclaimed, "Clinias, I can no longer endure this
misery. Love has assailed me with such violence as to drive sleep from
my eyes; I see no object but Leucippe; no one can suffer like myself,
for the source of my trouble dwells with me under the same roof. "
"What folly it is," replied Clinias, "for you who are so fortunate in
love to talk after this fashion! You have no need to go to another
person's doors; you do not require a go-between; fortune gives the
loved object into your hands, brings her into your very house, and
there sets her down. [38] Other lovers are well content with catching
a glimpse of the maiden for whom they sigh, and to gratify their
eyes is with them no small good fortune; they consider themselves
most favoured, indeed, if they can now and then exchange a word with
their mistress. But what is your case? You continually see her, you
continually hear her voice, you sup with her, you drink with her; and
yet, fortunate that you are, you are complaining! You are guilty of
base ingratitude towards love, and without the slightest cause. Do you
not know that seeing the object whom you love gives far deeper pleasure
than enjoying her? [39] And why so? Because the eyes, when encountering
each other, receive bodily impressions, as in a looking-glass, and
the reflection of beauty glancing into the soul,[40] begets union even
in separation, and affords a pleasure not much inferior to corporeal
intercourse, which, after all, is hollow and unsatisfying. [41] I augur,
moreover, that you will soon obtain the object of your wishes, for to
be always in the society of the loved one, exerts a most persuasive
power; the eye is a wondrous vehicle of love,[42] and constant
intercourse is most influential in begetting kindly feelings. Habit and
the company of each other will tame savage beasts. How much more will
they act upon a woman's heart. Parity of age also has great weight with
a maiden, and the animal passion which is felt in the flower of youth,
added to the consciousness of being loved, very frequently call forth a
return of tender feeling. Every maiden wishes to be thought beautiful,
and exults in being loved; and approves the testimony borne by the
lover to her beauty; because, if no one love her, she believes herself
devoid of any personal charms. This one piece of advice I give you,
make her feel certain that she is beloved, and she will soon follow
your example in returning your affection. "
"And how," asked I, "is this sage oracle of yours to be accomplished?
Put me in the right way; you are more experienced than myself; you have
been longer initiated in the mysteries of love. What am I to do? What
am I to say? How am I to obtain her for whom I sigh? For my part I am
ignorant how to set about the work. "
"There is small need," replied Clinias, "to learn these matters from
the mouths of others.
