After relating these marvels, Chærophon, with the consent of the state, proceeded to dispatch the victims and other offerings to Tyre. Callisthenes contrived to be among the number of the sacred functionaries,[36] and soon arriving at that city, he found out my father's residence, and matured his schemes against the females, who, as will presently be shown, went out to view the sacrificial show, which was in the highest degree sumptuous; there was a vast quantity of different kinds of incense used, such as cassia, frankincense, and crocus; there was also a great display of flowers, the narcissus, the rose, and the myrtle; the fragrance of the flowers vied with the perfumes of the incense; the breeze wafted them aloft, mingled their odours in the air, producing a gale of sweets. The victims were many in number and of various kinds; the most remarkable among them, however, were the oxen from the Nile, animals which excel not only in stature but in colours. They are altogether of very large size, with brawny necks, broad backs, and ample bellies;[37] their horns are not depressed, like those of the Sicilian ox, nor ill-shaped like the Cyprian, but project upward from the forehead of this animal with a gentle curve; the interval between them at their tips and at the roots being equal, so that they bear a resemblance to the moon when at the full; their colour is that which Homer so much praises in the Thracian horses.[38] The bull stalks along with lofty crest, as if to show that he is the monarch of the herd. If there is any truth in the legend of Europa, it was into an Egyptian bull that Jove metamorphosed himself.
At the time of which I am speaking my mother-in-law was unwell; Leucippe also feigned indisposition, according to a preconcerted arrangement, that we might have an opportunity of meeting during the absence of the rest. My sister, therefore, and Leucippe's mother were the only ones who went out to see the show. Callisthenes, who knew by sight the wife of Sostratus, seeing my sister in her company mistook her for Leucippe, of whom he had no personal knowledge. Smitten by her appearance, and without making any inquiries, he points her out to a trusty attendant of his, commanding him to engage some pirates to effect her seizure, and arranging the manner of proceeding, for a high festival[39] was at hand when, as he understood, all the maidens would go down to the shore for the purpose of performing their ablutions. After giving these directions, and having discharged the duties of his function,[40] he withdrew. He had previously, I may remark, provided a vessel of his own, in case an opportunity should offer for carrying his schemes into effect.
Meanwhile the rest of the sacred functionaries had embarked and sailed away; he, however, went on board his vessel, and continued to lie a little off shore, both in order that he might appear to be taking his departure like the others, and also lest, being so near Tyre, any danger should happen to himself in consequence of carrying off the maiden. Upon arriving at Sarepta, a Tyrian village on the sea-coast, he purchased another craft, which he intrusted to his follower Zeno, who was to execute his plan. This man was able-bodied, and accustomed to a buccaneering life; he soon, therefore, succeeded in gathering together some pirates from the above-named village, and then sailed for Tyre. Near this city there is an islet with a harbour, (the Tyrians call it the tomb of Rhodope); here the craft was stationed watching for the prey. Before the arrival of the high festival, however, which Callisthenes awaited, the omen of the eagle and the interpretation of the soothsayers were fulfilled. On the day preceding, we made preparations for the sacrifice to Jove, and late in the evening went down to the shore; none of our motions escaped Zeno, who cautiously followed us. When in the act of performing our ablutions, he made the preconcerted signal, upon which the boat made rapidly for the land, manned by ten young fellows; eight others were secretly in readiness on shore, dressed in women's clothes and with shaven chins; each had a sword concealed under his dress, and the better to avoid any suspicion, they had brought some victims with them as for sacrifice, so that we took them to be women. No sooner had we reached the pile than, raising a sudden shout, they rushed upon us, and put out our torches; we fled disorderly and in alarm, upon which they drew their swords, and seizing my sister, put her into the boat, and then embarking rowed off with the speed of an eagle. Some who had fled at the first onset saw nothing of what afterwards occurred; others who had witnessed everything cried out, "The pirates have carried off Calligone."
Meanwhile the boat was far out at sea, and upon nearing Sarepta made a signal which when Callisthenes recognised, he put out to meet it, and taking the maiden on board his own vessel, at once sailed away. I breathed again upon finding my marriage thus unexpectedly broken off, nevertheless I was sorry for the calamity which had befallen my sister. A few days after this occurrence, I said to Leucippe, "How long, my dearest, are we to confine ourselves to kisses? they are pleasant enough as preludes, let us now add to them something more substantial; suppose we exchange mutual pledges of fidelity, for only let Venus initiate[41] us in her mysteries and then we need fear the power of no other deity."
By constantly repeating my solicitations, I at length persuaded the maiden to receive me into her own chamber, Clio lending us her assistance. I will describe the situation of her room: a large space in one part of the mansion contained two chambers on the right hand and as many on the left; a narrow passage, closed at the entrance by a door, gave access to them.[42] Those at the farther end were occupied by the maiden and her mother, and were opposite each other; of the two remaining ones, that next to Leucippe belonged to Clio, the other was a store-room. Leucippe's mother was always in the habit of attending her to bed; upon which occasions she not only locked the door inside, but had it secured by a slave on the outside, the keys being handed to her through an opening; these she kept until the morning, when calling the man she passed them back to him that he might unlock the door.
Satyrus contrived to have a set of keys made like them, and finding upon trial that they would answer, he with the consent of the maiden gained over Clio, who was to offer no impediment. Such was the plan which we devised. There was a slave belonging to the household, called Conops, a prying, talkative, lecherous fellow, in short everything that was bad. The man watched our proceedings very narrowly, and suspecting our intentions, used to keep open the door of his dormitory until late at night, so that it was no easy matter to escape his observation. Satyrus wishing to make a friend of him, often talked and joked with him, and laughing in allusion to his name (Κώνωψ) would call him Gnat. The fellow seeing through the artifice of Satyrus pretended to return the joke, but, in doing so, exhibited his own ill-natured disposition. "As you are so fond," said he, "of punning upon my name, I will tell you a story about the gnat. The lion often complained to Prometheus that although he had formed him a large and handsome beast, had armed his jaws with teeth, and his feet with claws, and had made him more powerful than the other animals, still, notwithstanding all these advantages, he stood in fear of the dunghill cock.[43] 'Why dost thou without cause accuse me?' replied Prometheus; 'I have given thee every gift which it was in my power to bestow, it is thine own faint heartedness which is in fault.' The lion wept and bemoaned his condition, cursing his own want of courage, and in the end made up his mind to die. While in this frame of mind he happened to meet the elephant, with whom, after wishing him good morning, he entered into conversation. Seeing him continually flap his ears, 'What ails you,' he asked—'why are your ears never for a moment still?' The elephant, about whose head a gnat was at that moment flying, replied, 'If the buzzing insect which I see, was to get into my ear, the result would be my death.' Upon this the lion made the following reflection. 'Why should I (such as I am, and so much more fortunate than the elephant,) think of dying? It is better to stand in awe of a cock than to dread a scurvy gnat.'
"You see," said Conops, "what power the gnat possesses, since he can terrify the elephant." Satyrus who saw into the malicious meaning of his words, replied with a smile, "I will now relate to you the story of the gnat and the lion, which I heard from a certain sage; as for your tale about the elephant, you are welcome to make what you can out of it. The braggart gnat said one day to the lion, 'So you think to lord it over me as you do over other creatures. I should like to know why? You are not handsomer than I am, nor yet bolder, nor yet more powerful; in what respect are you superior to me? In valour?—You tear with your claws and bite with your teeth, it is true; so does every woman when she quarrels;[44] and as to your size and beauty, you have indeed an ample chest and broad shoulders, and a whole forest of hair about your neck, but you little think how unsightly are your hinder parts. On the other hand, my greatness is commensurate with the air and with the power of my wings; the flowers of the meadow constitute my comeliness, they serve me in lieu of garments, with which, when weary with flying, I invest myself; neither is my valour any laughing matter; I am the very impersonation of a warlike instrument; I blow a blast[45] when I go to battle, and it is my mouth which serves for trumpet and for weapon, so that I am at once, a musician and an archer; moreover I am my own bow and arrow; my wings poised in air shoot me forward, and lighting down, I inflict a wound as with a shaft; who so ever feels it cries out and forthwith tries to find his enemy: I, however, though present, am at the same time absent; I fly and I stand my ground, and with my wings circle round the adversary, and laugh to see him dance with pain. But why should I waste more words?—let us at once join battle.' Saying this, he falls upon the lion, attacking his eyes and every other part which was unprotected by hair; at the same time wheeling round him and blowing his trumpet. The lion was in a fury, turning himself in every direction and vainly snapping at the air; his wrath afforded additional sport to the gnat, who made an onslaught on his very mouth. Immediately he turned to the side where he was aggrieved, when his antagonist, like a skilful wrestler, twisting and twirling his body escaped clean through the lion's teeth, which were heard to rattle against each other in the vain attempt to seize him. By this time the lion was thoroughly tired by thus fighting with the air, and stood still, exhausted by his own efforts; upon which the gnat, sailing round his mane sounded a triumphant strain of victory; but stimulated by his excess of vanity he took a wider range, and all at once fell into a spider's web. When no hope of escape appeared, he sorrowfully said, 'Fool that I am, I entered the lists against a lion, and behold I am caught in the meshes of a spider!'" Having finished his story, Satyrus said, with a sarcastic laugh, "Be on your guard, and beware of spiders." Not many days had passed when Satyrus knowing what a belly-slave Conops was, purchased a powerful soporific draught and then invited him to supper.[46] Suspicious of some trick, he at first declined, but afterwards, over persuaded by his most excellent adviser—appetite,[47] he complied. After supper, when he was on the point of going away, Satyrus poured the potion into his last draught, he drank it off, and had just time to reach his dormitory, when he fell on his bed in a deep sleep. Upon this, Satyrus hurried to me and said, "Conops is fast asleep, now is the time to prove yourself as valorous as Ulysses:"[48] we instantly proceeded to the door which conducted to Leucippe's chamber; there he left me, and Clio stealthily admitted me, trembling with joy and fear; the dread of danger disturbed my hopes, but the hope of success qualified the dread, and so hope became the source of fear, and pain the cause of pleasure.
Just as I had entered the maiden's room, her mother's sleep had been disturbed by a fearful dream; a robber armed with a naked sword, seized and carried off her daughter, after which, laying her upon the ground, he proceeded to rip her up, beginning at her private parts. Terrified by the vision, her mother started up and hurried to her daughter's apartment, which as I before said was close at hand. I had but just got into bed and hearing the doors open, had scarcely time to leap out before she was at her daughter's side. Aware of my danger I made a bolt through the opened door, and ran with all my might, till trembling from head to foot I met Satyrus, when we both made our way in the dark and retreated each to his own room. Leucippe's mother fainted, but upon recovering the first thing she did was to box Clio's ears, then tearing her own hair, she broke forth into lamentation. "Oh Leucippe," she said, "you have blighted all my hopes. And you Sostratus, who are fighting at Byzantium to protect the honour of other people's wives and daughters, you little think how some enemy has been warring against your house, and has defiled your own daughter's honour. Oh, Leucippe, I never thought to see you wedded after such a fashion as this! Would that you had remained at Byzantium! Would that you had suffered violence from the chances of war, and that some Thracian had been your ravisher! In such a case the violence would have excused the shame, whereas now, you are at the same time wretched and disgraced. The vision of the night did but mock my mind, the realities of the dream were hidden from me, for of a truth, yours has been a more fearful ripping up, and your wound more fatal than any inflicted by the sword; and the worst is, that I am ignorant who is your ravisher. I do not even know what is his condition! for aught I can tell, he may be some wretched slave.[49]" When the maiden felt assured of my escape, she took courage and said: "Mother, there is no occasion for you to attack my chastity, nothing has been done to me deserving of your reproaches; nor do I know whether the intruder was a god, a demigod, or a mortal ravisher;[50] all I know is that I was heartily frightened and lay still, quite unable to cry out through fear; for fear, as you know, acts as a padlock upon the tongue: this, however, you may be assured of, no one has robbed me of my virginity." Notwithstanding these assurances of her daughter, Panthea gave way to a fresh paroxysm of grief. Meanwhile Satyrus and I were deliberating on the best course to be pursued; and we determined to make our escape out of the house before morning should arrive, when Clio would be put to the torture and be compelled to reveal everything.
This plan we at once carried into execution, and telling the porter that we were going out to visit our mistresses, we went straight to Clinias: it was midnight, and we had some trouble in gaining admission: Clinias who slept in an upper room heard our voices in discussion with his porter, and hurried down in alarm, while we could see at a short distance Clio running towards us, for she too it appeared had determined to make her escape. Almost in the same moment therefore Clinias heard our story, and we the narrative of Clio, while she was made acquainted with our future plans; we all went in doors, when we gave Clinias a more detailed account and stated our determination of leaving the city. "I will accompany you," said Clio, "for if I remain behind till morning, death (the sweetest of torments, since it ends them) will be my lot." Clinias took my hand and leading me aside, he said, "It appears to me most advisable to get this wench out of the way at once, and after waiting a few days we can depart ourselves, if still of the same mind. According to your account the maiden's mother does not know who it was whom she surprised, nor will there be any one to furnish evidence since Clio is removed. Nay, we may perhaps persuade the maiden herself to share our flight; I will accompany you at all events."
We agreed to his proposal, so Clio was delivered to the care of one of his slaves to be put on board a boat, while we continued to deliberate upon the course best to be pursued. At last we resolved to make trial of Leucippe's inclination, and, should she be willing, to carry her off: in case of her rejecting our proposal, we determined to remain for the present and to await the course of events. The short remainder of the night was passed in sleep, and at daylight we returned home. Panthea had no sooner risen in the morning, than she had preparations made for putting Clio to the torture;[51] but when summoned she could no where be found. Upon this, returning to her daughter, "Will you still persist," said she, "in concealing the particulars of this pretty plot? Now, I find that Clio also has run off." Still more reassured by the intelligence, Leucippe replied, "What more would you have me tell you? What stronger testimony of the truth would you have me produce? If there is any way of proving a maid's virginity, you are welcome to prove mine." "Aye," said Panthea, "and by so doing to add to the troubles of our family by bringing in witnesses to its disgrace;" upon saying which, she hastily quitted the apartment. Leucippe left to herself, and with her mother's words still ringing in her ears, was distracted by conflicting and various emotions;[52] she was deeply pained at having been discovered. Her mother's reproaches filled her with shame; she felt angry at having her word doubted. Now these feelings are like three billows which disturb the soul's tranquillity: shame making an entrance through the eyes unfits them for their natural office; pain preys upon the mind and extinguishes its ardour; while the voice of anger baying round the heart overpowers reason with its wrathful foam.[53] The tongue is the parent of these different feelings; bending its bow and aiming its arrow at the mark, it inflicts its several wounds upon the soul:[54] with the wordy shaft of railing it produces anger, with that of well founded accusation, begets pain, with that of reproof, causes shame; the peculiarity of all these arrows is, that they inflict deep but bloodless wounds, and there is available against their effects one remedy alone, which is, to turn against the assailant his own weapons. Speech, the weapon of the tongue, must be repelled by a weapon of like nature, for then the feeling of anger will become calmed and the sensations of shame and annoyance will be appeased; but if dread of a superior hinder the employment of such succours, the very fact of silence makes these wounds to rankle the more deeply, and unless these mental waves, raised by the power of speech, can cast up their foam, they will but swell and toss the more.[55]