Lucian, Toxaris vel amicitia, ed. Austin Morris Harmon, 17

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Μνήσιππος

ὡς δὲ ὑπέσχετο ἥξειν παρʼ αὐτὴν καὶ ἧκε περὶ πρῶτον ὕπνον καὶ ἔνδον ἦν, ὁ Δημῶναξ, ὁ τῆς Χαρικλείας ἀνήρ, εἴτε ἄλλως αἰσθόμενος εἴτε καὶ ἀπὸ συνθήματος¹ τῆς γυναικός (ἄμφω γὰρ λέγεται) ἐπαναστὰς ὥσπερ ἐκ λόχου τήν τε αὔλειον ἀποκλείειν ἐκέλευεν καὶ συλλαμβάνειν τὸν Δεινίαν, πῦρ καὶ μάστιγας ἀπειλῶν καὶ ξίφος ὡς ἐπὶ μοιχὸν σπασάμενος.

ὁ δὲ συνιδὼν οὗ κακῶν ἦν, μοχλόν τινα πλησίον κείμενον ἁρπάσας αὐτόν τε ἀποκτείνει τὸν Δημώνακτα, πατάξας εἰς τὸν κρόταφον, καὶ τὴν Χαρίκλειαν, οὐ μιᾷ πληγῇ ταύτην, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μοχλῷ πολλάκις καὶ τῷ ξίφει τοῦ Δημώνακτος ὕστερον. οἱ δʼ οἰκέται τέως μὲν ἑστήκεσαν ἄφωνοι, τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ πράγματος ἐκπεπληγμένοι, εἶτα πειρώμενοι συλλαμβάνειν, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπῄει μετὰ τοῦ ξίφους, ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἔφευγον, ὁ Δεινίας δὲ ὑπεξέρχεται² τηλικοῦτον ἔργον εἰργασμένος.

καὶ τὸ μέχρι τῆς ἕω παρὰ τῷ Ἀγαθοκλεῖ διέτριβεν, ἀναλογιζόμενοι τὰ πεπραγμένα καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ὅ τι ἀποβήσεται σκοποῦντες· ἕωθεν δὲ οἱ στρατηγοὶ παρῆσαν — ἤδη γὰρ τὸ πρᾶγμα διεβεβόητο — καὶ συλλαβόντες τὸν Δεινίαν, οὐδʼ αὐτὸν ἔξαρνον ὄντα μὴ οὐχὶ πεφονευκέναι, ἀπάγουσι παρὰ τὸν ἁρμοστὴν ὃς ἥρμοζε τὴν Ἀσίαν τότε. ὁ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῷ μεγάλῳ ἀναπέμπει αὐτόν· καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ κατεπέμφθη ὁ Δεινίας εἰς Γύαρον νῆσον τῶν Κυκλάδων, ἐν ταύτῃ φεύγειν εἰς ἀεὶ τεταγμένος ὑπὸ βασιλέως.

Toxaris vel amicitia. Lucian. ed. Austin Morris Harmon. Medford, MA. Perseus 4.0.

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Current edition Perseus

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

Translations (3)

Toxaris, or Friendship Perseus (Lucian, Vol. 5. Harmon, Austin Morris, editor. London: William Heinemann, Ltd.; Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1936 (printing).) — 17 focus

[17] But when he had promised to come to her, had actually come, in the early hours of the night, and was inside the house, Demonax, the husband of Charicleia, whether through accidental detection of him or through arrangement with his wife—both stories are told—springing out upon him as if from ambush, gave orders to lock the outer door and to seize Deinias, threatening him with burning and scourging and coming at him with drawn sword, as an adulterer.

Perceiving what a calamitous situation he was in, Deinias seized a bar that lay near and killed not only Demonax himself, striking him on the temple, but also Charicleia, not with one blow in her case, but by striking her first with the bar again and again and afterwards with the sword of Demonax. The servants stood speechless in the meantime, dazed by the suddenness of the thing; then they tried to seize him, but when he made at them too with the sword, they fled, and Deinias made good his escape in spite of his monstrous deed.

The time that remained until dawn he spent with Agathocles in going over all that had happened and considering what would come of it in future. At dawn the magistrates appeared, for by then the thing had been noised abroad; they arrested Deinias, who himself did not deny that he had committed the murders, and brought him before the Salariae’ who then administered Asia. He sent im to the Emperor, and before long Deinias was committed to the island of Gyaros, one of the Cyclades, condemned by the Emperor to live there in perpetual exile.

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.) — 17 focus

[17] they saw that there were still pickings to be had, Dinias arrived at her house, by agreement, at about bedtime, and was already inside, when Demonax—whether he had an understanding with his wife in the matter, as some say, or had got his information independently—sprang out from concealment, gave orders to his servants to make the door fast and to secure Dinias, and then drew his sword, breathing fire and flagellation against the paramour. Dinias, realizing his danger, caught up a heavy bar that lay near, and dispatched Demonax with a blow on the temple; then, turning to Chariclea, he dealt blow after blow with the same weapon, and finally plunged her husband’s sword into her body. The domestics stood by, dumb with amazement and terror; and when at length they attempted to seize him, he rushed at them with the sword, put them to flight, and slipped away from the fatal scene. The rest of that night he and Agathocles spent at the latter’s house, pondering on the deed and its probable consequences. ‘The news soon spread, and in the morning officers came to arrest Dinias. He made no attempt to deny the murder, and was conducted into the presence of the then Prefect of Asia, who sent him up to the Emperor. He presently returned, under sentence of perpetual banishment to Gyarus, one of the Cyclades.

Toxaris; Or, Friendship Perseus (Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translator. New York: Harper Brothers, 1892.) — 18 focus

[18]

Toxaris

I wish you were not on oath, Mnesippos, so that I might be at liberty to disbelieve your story. By your account this Agathokles is a true Scythian in friendship. I hope you are not going to tell of any one else like him.

Notes on the current edition

Τόξαρις ἢ Φιλία

1. συνθήματος B: συνθέματος Γ: συνθήκης Ν.

2. ὑπεξέρχεται NB: ὑπέρχεται ΓC, ἐξέρχεται M.

Lucian Toxaris vel amicitia 17

ed. Austin Morris Harmon

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