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Ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε δὴ μετάβηθι φαίη ἂν ὁ λόγος, καὶ οὐχ ἵππον μὰ Δία οὐδὲ μὴν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ λόχον ᾆδε, ἀλλὰ Μνεῦιν βοῦν. καὶ τοῦτον Αἰγύπτιοι Ἡλίου φασὶν ἱερόν, ἐπεὶ τόν γε Ἆπιν ἀνάθημα εἶναι Σελήνῃ λέγουσιν. ἴδιον δὲ ἄρα καὶ τούτῳ γνώρισμα ἐς τὸ εἶναι μήτε κίβδηλον μήτε μὴν νόθον ἀλλὰ φίλον τῷ θεῷ τῷ προειρημένῳ φασὶν Αἰγύπτιοι. καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων μὲν ἐρεῖ ἄλλος, ὃν δὲ ἤκουσα λόγον Αἰγύπτιον ἐς βάσανον τοῦδε τοῦ ταύρου καὶ ἔλεγχον, εἴτε σπορᾶς ἐστι κρείττονος εἴτε μή, τοῦτον εἰπεῖν ἐθέλω. Βόκχορις ὁ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλεύς, κλέος [p. 276] ψευδὲς καὶ φήμην οὐδὲν λέγουσαν ὑγιὲς οὐκ οἶδα ὅπως ἁρπάσας, δίκαιός τε ἐν ταῖς κρίσεσιν ἐδόκει καὶ πρὸς τὸ ὅσιον τὴν ψυχὴν κεκοσμημένος: ἦν δὲ ἄρα ἔμπαλιν πεφυκὼς ἐκεῖνος. καὶ τὰ μὲν πλείω ἐῶ νῦν, τὸν δὲ Μνεῦιν, λυπῆσαι θέλων Αἰγυπτίους, οἷα ἐργάζεται γοῦν αὐτόν. ταῦρον ἄγριον ἐπάγει οἱ ἀντίπαλον. οὐκοῦν μυκᾶται μὲν ὁ Μνεῦις, ἀντεμυκήσατο δὲ ὁ ἔπηλυς. εἶτα ὑπὸ τοῦ θυμοῦ φέρεται μὲν ἐμπεσεῖν τῷ ταύρῳ τῷ θεοφιλεῖ ὁ ξένος ἐθέλων, καὶ σφάλλεται, καὶ ἐς περσέας ἐμπεσὼν πρέμνον ἐπεσχέθη τὸ κέρας, ὃ δὲ κατὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς ὁ Μνεῦις τιτρώσκων ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. αἰδεῖται Βόκχορις, καὶ μισοῦσιν αὐτὸν Αἰγύπτιοι. εἰ δέ τις αἴσχιστον οἴεται ἐκ τῶν φυσικῶν λόγων ἐς μύθους ἐμπεσεῖν, μωρός ἐστι. λέγω γὰρ ὅσα τε δρᾶται ἐπὶ τοῖσδε τοῖς ταύροις καὶ ὅσα ἐπράχθη καὶ ἀκούω λεγόντων Αἰγυπτίων. οὐκ ἦν δὲ ἄρα: οὕτω τὸ ψεῦδος ἐκείνοις ἔχθιστόν ἐστι.
Claudii Aeliani de natura animalium libri xvii, varia historia, epistolae, fragmenta, Vol 1. Aelian. Rudolf Hercher. In Aedibus B.G. Teubneri. Lipsiae. 1864. Keyboarding.
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