Sagae Thessalae

• iuvenis ego Mileto profectus ad spectaculum Olympicum,

  As a young man, having set out from Miletus to the Olympic games
• cum haec etiam loca provinciae clarae visitare cuperem, peragrata tota Thessalia Larissam perveni.

  since I wanted to also visit these places of the famous province, I travelled through all of Thessaly and, I arrived at Larissa.
• ac dum urbem pererrans tenuato viatico paupertati meae fomenta quaero,

  And while I was looking for remedies for my poverty, since my travelling allowance had been diminished, wandering through the city,
• medio in foro senem conspicio.

  I caught sight of an old man in the middle of the forum.
• insistebat lapidem magnaque voce praedicabat,

  He was standing on a stone and proclaiming in a loud voice that,
• si quis mortuum custodire vellet, magnum praemium accepturum esse.

  if anyone wanted to guard a dead man, he would receive a great reward.
• et cuidam praetereunti 'quid hoc' inquam 'audio?

  And I said to a certain man passing by, 'What's this I hear?
• hic mortui solent aufugere?'

  Are the dead here accustomed to run away?
• tace,' respondit ille. 'nam puer et satis peregrinus es, meritoque nescis in Thessalia te esse,

  He replied: 'Be quiet. For you are a boy and enough of a foreigner, and justifiably you do not know you are in Thessaly,
• ubi sagae ora mortuorum semper demorsicant, quae sunt illis artis magicae supplementa.'

  where witches often bite pieces out of the faces of the dead, which are the extra ingredients of the magic arts of these witches.
• contra ego 'quali custodela' inquam 'opus est?'

  I said in reply: 'What sort of protection is needed?
• iam primum' respondit ille 'totam noctem eximie vigilandum est apertis et inconivis oculis semper in cadaver intentis,

  He replied: 'Now first you must stay awake fully for the whole night, with eyes open and sleepless, always directed at the corpse
• nec acies usquam devertenda est, cum illae pessimae sagae latenter arrepant,

  and you must not ever turn your eyes away, when those very bad witches creep up secretly,
• forma in quodvis animal conversa. nam et aves et canes et mures, immo vero etiam muscas, induunt.'

  with their forms changed into any animal. For they take on the forms of birds and dogs and mice, even indeed also flies.
• his cognitis animum meum commasculo et statim accedens senem

  With these things having been found out, I strengthened my resolve and at once approaching the old man
• clamare' inquam 'iam desine. adest custos paratus.'

  said, 'Stop shouting now. A prepared guard is present.
• vix finieram et statim me perducit ad domum quandam,

  Scarcely had I finished and at once he led me to a certain house,
• ubi demonstrat matronam flebilem fuscis vestimentis contectam.

  where he pointed out a weeping woman, dressed in dark clothes.
• illa surrexit et ad cubiculum me induxit.

  She stood up and led me to the bedroom.
• ibi corpus splendentibus linteis coopertum manu revelavit.

  There she uncovered with her hand a corpse wrapped in shining white sheets.
• ubi singula anxie demonstravit, exiit.

  When she anxiously pointed out its individual features, she exited.
• sic desolatus ad cadaveris solacium, perfrictis oculis et paratis ad vigiliam,

  Thus left alone as a comfort to the corpse, I rubbed my eyes and prepared for the guard duty
• dum animum meum permulcebam cantationibus, usque ad mediam noctem pervigilabam.

  and as long as I was soothing my spirit with songs, I was keeping watch until the middle of the night.
• tum autem mihi formido cumulatior cum repente introrepens mustela contra me constitit oculosque in me fixit.

  But then my fear was increasing when suddenly a weasel, sneaking in, stood in opposition to me and fixed its eyes on me.
• tanta fiducia in tantulo animali mihi turbavit animum.

  Such self-confidence in so little an animal disturbed my spirit.
• denique sic illi 'abi' inquam 'scelesta bestia, antequam meam vim celeriter experiaris! abi!'

  And then thus I said to it: 'Go away, wicked beast, before you quickly experience my force! Go!
• mustela terga vertit et e cubiculo protinus exit. sine mora somnus tam profundus me repente demergit,

  The weasel turned its back and immediately left from the bedroom. Without delay, a sleep so deep suddenly overwhelmed me,
• ut ne deus quidem Delphicus ipse facile discernere posset ex duobus nobis iacentibus, quis esset magis mortuus.

  that not even the god Apollo himself was able to discern from the two of us lying there, who was more dead.
• tandem prima luce expergitus et magno pavore perterritus cadaver accurro,

  Finally, at first light, I awoke and terrified I ran over to the corpse in a great panic,
• et admoto lumine revelatoque eius vultu, omnia diligenter inspicio: nihil deest.

  and with the light brought near and his face revealed, I diligently inspected everything: nothing was lacking.
• ecce uxor misera flens introrumpit: cadavere inspecto reddit sine mora praemium.

  Behold, the miserable wife, weeping, burst in. After the corpse had been inspected, she handed over the prize without delay
• per fidem vestram' inquit 'cives, per pietatem publicam, perempto civi subsistite et extremum facinus istius feminae nefariae scelestaeque severiter vindicate.

  He said, 'For the sake of your honour, citizens, for the sake of public piety, help a murdered citizen and punish severely the vilest crime of this nefarious and wicked woman.
• haec enim nec ullus alius miserum iuvenem, sororis meae filium, in adulteri gratiam et ob praedam hereditariam exstinxit veneno.' '

  For this woman, not any other, destroyed with poison the wretched young man, the son of my sister, as a favour to her lover and for the sake of inherited profit.
• illa, lacrimis effusis quamque sanctissime poterat adiurans cunctos deos, tantum scelus abnuebat.

  That woman, with tears poured out and as piously as she was able, swearing by all the gods, was denying such a great crime.
• ergo senex ille: 'veritatis arbitrium in divinam providentiam ponamus. Zatchlas adest Aegyptius propheta notissimus,

  Therefore, that old man said: 'let us place the judgement of truth into divine providence. Zatchlas, a very famous Egyptian prophet,
• qui mihi promisit se pro magno praemio spiritum istius cadaveris paulisper ab inferis reducturum esse corpusque animaturum.'

  who promised me that for a great reward he will lead back the spirit of this corpse for a short time from the dead and animate the corpse.
• immitto me turbae et pone ipsum lectulum lapidem insistens omnia curiosis oculis spectabam.

  I pushed myself into the crowd and standing behind the stone bier itself, I was watching everything with curious eyes
• iam tumore pectus cadaveris extolli, iam spiritu corpus impleri.

  Now the chest of the corpse was raised up with swelling, now the corpse was filled with spirit
• et surgit cadaver et profatur: 'cur, oro, me post Lethaea pocula iam Stygiis paludibus innatantem ad momentariae vitae officia reducitis?

  And the corpse both got up and spoke out: 'Why, I beg, do you lead me back, now I am swimming in the Stygian pools after drinking from the cups of Lethe to a duty of short-lived life?
• desine iam, precor, desine, ac me in meam quietem permitte.'

  Now cease, I pray, cease, and allow me to my rest.