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[8]
πρῶτον δέ φασιν Ῥέαν ἡσθεῖσαν τῇ τέχνῃ ἐν
Φρυγίᾳ μὲν τοὺς Κορύβαντας, ἐν Κρήτῃ δὲ τοὺς
Κουρῆτας ὀρχεῖσθαι κελεῦσαι, καὶ οὐ τὰ μέτρια
ὤνατο τῆς τέχνης αὐτῶν, οἵ γε περιορχούμενοι
διεσώσαντο αὐτῇ τὸν Δία, ὥστε καὶ σῶστρα εἰκότως
ἂν ὁ Ζεὺς ὀφείλειν ὁμολογοίη αὐτοῖς, ἐκφυγὼν διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ὄρχησιν τοὺς πατρῴους ὀδόντας.
ἐνόπλιος δὲ αὐτῶν ἡ ὄρχησις ἦν, τὰ ξίφη μεταξὺ κροτούντων πρὸς τὰς ἀσπίδας καὶ πηδώντων ἔνθεὸν
τι καὶ πολεμικόν.
[p. 222] Μετὰ δέ, Κρητῶν οἱ κράτιστοι ἐνεργῶς ἐπιτηδεύσαντες αὐτὸ ἄριστοι ὀρχησταὶ ἐγένοντο, οὐχ
οἱ ἰδιῶται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ βασιλικώτεροι καὶ πρωτεύειν ἀξιοῦντες. ὁ γοῦν Ὅμηρος τὸν Μηριόνην, οὐκ αἰσχῦναι βουλόμενος ἀλλὰ κοσμῆσαι, ὀρχηστὴν προσεῖπεν, καὶ οὕτως ἄρα ἐπίσημος ἦν
καὶ γνώριμος ἅπασιν ἐπὶ τῇ ὀρχηστικῇ ὥστε οὐχ
οἱ Ἕλληνες μόνον ταῦτα ἠπίσταντο περὶ ταῦτα ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Τρῶες αὐτοί, καίτοι πολέμιοι ὄντες:
ἑώρων γάρ, οἶμαι, καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ πολεμεῖν αὐτοῦ κουφότητα καὶ εὐρυθμίαν, ἣν ἐξ ὀρχήσεως ἐκέκτητο.
φησὶν δὲ τὰ ἔπη ὧδέ πως: Μηριόνη, τάχα κέν σε καὶ ὀρχηστήν περ ἐόντα ἔγχος ἐμὸν κατέπαυσε. καὶ ὅμως οὐ κατέπαυσεν αὐτὸν ἅτε γὰρ
ἠσκημένος ἐν τῇ ὀρχηστικῇ, ῥᾳδίως, οἶμαι, διεδίδρασκεν τὰς ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν ἀφέσεις τῶν ἀκοντίων.
Lucian. Works. with an English Translation by. A. M. Harmon. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1936. 5.
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