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ἐλέφαντος πωλίῳ περιτυγχάνει λευκῷ πωλευτὴς Ἰνδός, καὶ παραλαβὼν ἔτρεφεν ἔτι νεαρόν, καὶ κατὰ μικρὰ ἀπέφηνε χειροήθη, καὶ ἐπωχεῖτο αὐτῷ, καὶ ἤρα τοῦ κτήματος καὶ ἀντηρᾶτο, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἔθρεψε τὴν ἀμοιβὴν κομιζόμενος ἐκεῖνος. ὁ τοίνυν βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰνδῶν πυθόμενος ᾔτει λαβεῖν τὸν ἐλέφαντα. ὃ δὲ ὡς ἐρώμενος ζηλοτυπῶν καὶ μέντοι καὶ περιαλγῶν εἰ ἔμελλε δεσπόσειν αὐτοῦ ἄλλος, οὐκ ἔφατο δώσειν, καὶ ᾤχετο ἀπιὼν ἐς τὴν ἔρημον, ἀναβὰς τὸν ἐλέφαντα. [p. 79] ἀγανακτεῖ ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ πέμπει κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἀφαιρησομένους καὶ ἅμα καὶ τὸν Ἰνδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην ἄξοντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἧκον, ἐπειρῶτο βίαν προσφέρειν. οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔβαλλεν αὐτοὺς ἄνωθεν, καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὡς ἀδικούμενον συνημύνετο. καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα ἦν τοιαῦτα: ἐπεὶ δὲ βληθεὶς ὁ Ἰνδὸς κατώλισθε, περιβαίνει μὲν τὸν τροφέα ὁ ἐλέφας κατὰ τοὺς ὑπερασπίζοντας ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις, καὶ τῶν ἐπιόντων πολλοὺς ἀπέκτεινε, τοὺς δὲ ἄλλους ἐτρέψατο: περιβαλὼν δὲ τῷ τροφεῖ τὴν προβοσκίδα, αἴρει τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ αὔλια κομίζει, καὶ παρέμεινεν ὡς φίλῳ φίλος πιστός, καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἐπεδείκνυτο. ὦ ἄνθρωποι πονηροὶ καὶ περὶ τράπεζαν μὲν καὶ ταγήνου ψόφον ἀεί, ἐπ᾽ ἄριστά τε χορεύοντες, ἐν δὲ τοῖς κινδύνοις προδόται, καὶ μάτην καὶ ἐς οὐδὲν τὸ τῆς φιλίας ὄνομα χαίνοντες.
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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