Lucian of Samosata, Toxaris vel amicitia, Austin Morris Harmon (Translator), 48

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[48] Our custom in the matter of the hide is as follows. When a man who has been wronged by another wishes to avenge himself but sees that by himself he is not strong enough, he sacrifices a bull, cuts up and cooks the meat, spreads the hide out on the ground, and sits on it, with his hands held behind his back like a man bound by the elbows. That is our strongest appeal for aid. The meat of the bull is served up, and as the man’s kinsmen and all else who wish approach, each takes a portion of it, and then, setting his right foot upon the hide, makes a pledge according to his ability, one that he will furnish five horsemen to serve without rations or pay, another ten, another still more, another foot-soldiers, heavy- armed or light-armed, as many as he can, and another simply himself, if he is very poor. So a very large force is sometimes raised on the hide, and such an army is especially dependable as regards holding together and very hard for the enemy to conquer, since it is under oath; for setting foot on the hide is an oath.¹

Arsacomas, then, was thus engaged; and he raised some five thousand horse and twenty thousand foot, heavy-armed and light-armed together.

Toxaris vel amicitia. Lucian of Samosata. Austin Morris Harmon (Translator). United States. Perseus 5.0.

Funding provided by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Toxaris, or Friendship (English) (Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Τόξαρις ἢ Φιλία Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).) — 48 focus

Τόξαρις

τὸ δὲ ἔθος ἡμῖν τὸ περὶ τὴν βύρσαν οὕτως ἔχει· ἐπειδὰν ἀδικηθείς τις πρὸς ἑτέρου, ἀμύνασθαι βουλόμενος, ἴδῃ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἀξιόμαχος ὤν, βοῦν ἱερεύσας τὰ μὲν κρέα κατακόψας ἥψησεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐκπετάσας χαμαὶ τὴν βύρσαν κάθηται ἐπʼ αὐτῆς, εἰς τοὐπίσω παραγαγὼν¹ τὼ χεῖρε ὥσπερ οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἀγκώνων δεδεμένοι. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἡ μεγίστη ἱκετηρία. παρακειμένων δὲ τῶν κρεῶν τοῦ βοὸς προσιόντες οἱ οἰκεῖοι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὁ βουλόμενος μοῖραν ἕκαστος λαβὼν ἐπιβὰς τῇ βύρσῃ τὸν δεξιὸν πόδα ὑπισχνεῖται κατὰ δύναμιν, ὁ μὲν πέντε ἱππέας παρέξειν ἀσίτους καὶ ἀμίσθους, ὁ δὲ δέκα, ὁ δὲ πλείους, ὁ δὲ ὁπλίτας ἢ² πεζοὺς ὁπόσους ἂν δύνηται, ὁ δὲ μόνον ἑαυτόν, ὁ πενέστατος. ἀθροίζεται οὖν³ ἐπὶ τῆς βύρσης πολὺ πλῆθος ἐνίοτε, καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτο σύνταγμα βεβαιότατόν τέ ἐστι συμμεῖναι καὶ ἀπρόσμαχον τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἅτε καὶ ἔνορκον ὄν· τὸ γὰρ ἐπιβῆναι τῆς βύρσης ὅρκος ἐστίν.

ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀρσακόμας ἐν τούτοις ἦν, καὶ ἠθροίσθησαν αὐτῷ ἱππεὶς μὲν ἀμφὶ τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους, ὁπλῖται δὲ καὶ πεζοὶ συναμφότεροι δισμύριοι.

Translations (2)

Toxaris: a Dialogue of Friendship Perseus (The Works of Lucian of Samosata, Vol. 3. Fowler, Henry Watson and Fowler, Francis George, translators. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1905.) — 48 focus

[48] Our custom of the hide is as follows. When a man has been injured by another, and desires vengeance, but feels that he is no match for his opponent, he sacrifices an ox, cuts up the flesh and cooks it, and spreads out the hide upon the ground. On this hide he takes his seat, holding his hands behind him, so as to suggest that his arms are tied in that position, this being the natural attitude of a suppliant among us. Meanwhile, the flesh of the ox has been laid out; and the man’s relations and any others who feel so disposed come up and take a portion thereof, and, setting their right foot on the hide, promise whatever assistance is in their power: one will engage to furnish and maintain five horsemen, another ten, a third some larger number; while others, according to their ability, promise heavy or light-armed infantry, and the poorest, who have nothing else to give, offer their own personal services, The number of persons assembled on the hide is sometimes very considerable; nor could any troops be more reliable or more invincible than those which are collected in this manner, being as they are under a vow; for the act of stepping on to the hide constitutes an oath. By this means, then, Arsacomas raised something like 5,000 cavalry and 20,000 heavy and gp armed.

Toxaris; Or, Friendship Perseus (Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.) — 48 focus

[48] The custom of the hide is this: When a man has received an injury and wishes to revenge himself on some one, but sees that his unaided strength will not suffice him, he sacrifices an ox, cuts the flesh in pieces and boils it, stretches the hide on the ground and seats himself on it, drawing his hands behind his back as if his arms were tied at the elbow. This is our most urgent form of supplication. The flesh of the ox lies alongside, and kinsmen, and any one else who will, take a morsel, and, setting the right foot on the hide, promise aid according to the ability of each, one agreeing to furnish five horsemen, found and paid, another ten, another yet more, another hoplites or foot-soldiers as many as he is able, and the poorest offering himself alone. Sometimes a great throng gathers about the hide, and a force of this sort is most sure to hang together and most irresistible in battle because they are upon oath, for stepping upon the hide constitutes an oath. In this way Arsakomas occupied himself, and about five thousand horsemen joined him, and hoplites and foot-soldiers to the number of twen. ty thousand.

Notes on the current edition

Toxaris, or Friendship

Lucian is our only authority for this curious custom; the allusions to it in Suidas and the paroemiographi (Gaisford, Bodl. 355, Coisl. 207; Leutech, Append. II, 80, Apostol. VII, 75) are mere quotations from Lucian, and Gilbert Cognatus’ mysterious reference to “Zenodotus” and “the ox of the Homolotti” derives (by way of Erasmus, Adagia: “Bos Homolottorum”) from Zenobius, II, 83: βοῦς ὁ Μολοτ- τῶν! That the Molossian custom of cutting up (but not eating) an ox in connection with making treaties has nothing to do with the Scythian usage is clear from the more detailed explanation of it in Coisl. 57 (Gaisford, p. 126).

Lucian of Samosata Toxaris vel amicitia 48

Austin Morris Harmon (Translator)

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