Benjamin Thorpe

“ I am overthrown by a base and venomous serpent." Lifting up his eyes to heaven, he continued: "O God! thou knowest that I am free from the blood of this girl; require her of Dionysias." Then fixing a stern look upon his wife: "Enemy of God, and disgrace of man, thou hast destroyed the daughter of a king."
Dionysias made much apparent lamentation; she put her household into mourning, and wept bitterly before the citizens. "My good friends," said she, "the hope of our eyes, the beloved Tharsia, is gone; she is dead. Our tears shall bedew the marble which we have raised to her memory." ”

“ You ought to live and be glad." Apollonius, irritated at the girl's pertinacity, arose, and pushed her from him with his foot. She fell and cut her cheek, from which the blood copiously flowed. Terrified at the wound she had received, she burst into tears, and exclaimed, "O thou eternal Architect of the heavens! look upon my afflictions. Born amid the waves and storms of the ocean, my mother perished in giving life to her daughter. Denied rest even in the grave, she was deposited in a chest, with twenty gold sestertia, and thrown into the sea. ”

“ Let us now return to Apollonius. After a lapse of fourteen years, he again made his appearance at the house of Stranguilio and Dionysias in the city of Tharsus. No sooner had the former beheld him, than he strode about like a madman. "Woman," said he, addressing his wife, "what wilt thou do now? Thou saidst that the shipwrecked Apollonius was dead; behold, he comes to demand his daughter: what answer shall we make?" "Foolish man," returned she, "let us resume our mourning and have recourse to tears. He will believe that his child died a natural death." As she said this, Apollonius entered. ”

“ Then began all the men to praise her for her music; and Apollonius alone was silent. Then said the king, "Apollonius, now thou dost evilly; because all men praise my daughter for her music, and thou alone findest fault by being silent." Apollonius said, "O thou good king! if thou allowest me, I will say what I feel, that truly your daughter hath failed in her music, for she hath not well learned it; but bid the harp be now given to me, then thou soon shalt know what thou yet knowest not." Arcestrates the king said, "Apollonius, I know in sooth that thou art well instructed in all things." ”

“ I am consumed with new afflictions." The girl received his donation, and would have left the ship, but Athanagoras stopped her. "Whither are you going?" said he, "you have as yet done no good: is your heart so pitiless that you can suffer a man to destroy himself without striving to prevent it?" "I have done everything that I could," answered Tharsia: "he gave me a hundred gold pieces, and desired me to depart." ”

“ Your father is called Apollonius, and your mother's name is Arcestrate, the daughter of king Arcestrates. She died the moment you were born; and Apollonius, adorning her with regal vesture, cast the chest which contained her into the sea. Twenty sestertia of gold were placed beneath her head; and whosoever discovered it, were entreated to give her burial. The ship in which your unhappy father sailed, tossed to and fro by the winds which formed your cradle, at last put into this port, where we were hospitably received by Stranguilio and Dionysias, to whom your sire also recommended me. ”

“ Then said Stranguilio: "Lord Apollonius, our city is in want and may not suit your nobility, because we are suffering the severest and fiercest famine, and for my citizens is no hope of salvation; but the most cruel [death] [3] stands before our eyes."
Then said Apollonius: "My dearest friend Stranguilio, thank God that he hath led me to flee hither to your frontiers. I will give your citizens a hundred thousand measures of wheat, if ye will conceal my flight." ”

“ Aporiatus (for that was the young man's name,) answered, "Rise, lady: we are men; all of us are subject to misfortunes." He went out, and observing Athanagoras laughing, said to him, "You are a fine fellow! Have you nobody to pledge in tears but me?" Afraid that these words should betray the matter, they gave another turn to the discourse, and awaited the coming of some other person. Great numbers appeared, but they all returned in tears, having given her sums of money. Tharsia having obtained the sum which Leno had fixed as the price of her dishonour, presented it to him. ”

“ In this state of things, truly, continued the impious king Antiochus, and with a feigned mind showed himself to his fellow-citizens as though he were the pious father of his daughter, and among his familiar men. He rejoiced in that he was the husband of his daughter; and in order that he might the longer enjoy his daughter's impious bride-bed, and drive from him those who desired her in lawful marriage, he set then a riddle, thus saying: "Whatever man who shall read my riddle aright, let him receive my daughter to wife, and he who shall misread it, be he beheaded." ”

“ When the king heard that Apollonius read the riddle so rightly, then he dreaded that it were too widely known; looked then with angry countenance at him, and said: "Thou young man, thou art far from right, thou errest, and what thou sayest is naught, but thou hast earned decapitation. I will now dismiss thee for a space of thirty days, that thou mayest consider the riddle aright, and thou then shalt receive my daughter to wife: and if thou doest that not, thou shalt suffer [2] the appointed doom." ”

“ Ah how wicked a man thou art, thou who knowest that which thou askest after! Or what man is there who knoweth not that this township continueth in lamentation, because that Apollonius the prince all at once nowhere appeareth, since he came hack from Antiochus the king? ”

“ The pirates transported the maid to Machilenta, where she was placed among other slaves for sale. Leno, a most wretched and debauched fellow, hearing of her perfections, endeavoured to buy her; but Athanagoras, prince of that city, observing her lofty port, her beautiful countenance, and wise conduct, offered ten golden sestertia. ”

“ It is in sooth very needful to thee that thou [8] be on thy guard, because thou art condemned." Then said Apollonius: "Who could condemn me, the Prince of my own nation?" Hellanicus said, "Antiochus the king." Apollonius said, "For what reasons hath he condemned me?" Hellanicus said, "Because thou desiredst to be what the father is." Apollonius said, "I am sorely condemned." Hellanicus said, "Whatever man bringeth thee to him alive, he will receive fifty pounds of gold; he who bringeth thy head will receive a hundred pounds of gold. Therefore I counsel thee to flee, and save thy life." ”

“ Then the king smiled, and looked on them, and thus said: "Why is it that ye greet me with one voice?" Then answered one of them and said: "We, a long time ago, demanded thy daughter, and thou often hast deliberately tormented us with delay: therefore we come hither to-day thus together. [20] We are thy fellow-citizens, born of noble lineage: now we beseech thee that thou choose thee one of us three, which thou wilt have for thy son-in-law." Then said the king: "Ye have not chosen a good time: my daughter is now very busy about her learning ”

“ Now I advise, that if, after my death, your present friends would do you an injury, hasten into the forum, and there you will find a statue of your father. Cling to it, and state yourself the daughter of him whose statue that is. The citizens, mindful of the benefits received from him, will avenge your wrong." "My dear nurse," answered Tharsia, "you tell me strange things, of which, till now, I was ignorant." After some further discourse, Ligoridis gave up the ghost. Tharsia attended her obsequies, and lamented her a full year. ”

“ When she had said these and similar things, the girl threw herself before Apollonius, and drawing aside his hands, embraced him. "Hear," said she, "the voice of your supplicant; regard a virgin's prayers. It is wicked in men of so much wisdom to destroy themselves. If you lament your lost wife, the mercy of God can restore her to you; if your deceased child, He can bestow another. ”

“ The king then in sooth could not endure his daughter's tears, but raised her up, and said to her: "Dear daughter, dread thou not for anything; [23] thou hast chosen the man that well pleaseth me." He then went out and looked at Apollonius, and said: "Master Apollonius, I have inquired into the desire of my daughter's mind, when she related to me with weeping, among other speech, these things, thus saying: "Thou sworest to Apollonius, if he would obey my will in teaching, that thou wouldest make good to him whatever the sea took from him. ”

“ Then the maiden dreaded that she never again should see Apollonius so quickly as she would, [5] and went then to her father, and said, "Thou good king, doth it well please thee that Apollonius, who through us to-day is enriched, should thus go hence, and evil men come and rob him?" The king said, "Well hast thou spoken; bid that there be found for him where he may rest most honourably." Then did the maiden as was ordered her, and Apollonius accepted the dwelling that was assigned him, and entered, thanking God who had not denied him royal honour and comfort. ”

“ Apollonius raised his head: "Whosoever you are, go in peace; I am unworthy to appear at the banquet, and I do not desire to live." Perplexed, yet anxious to console the unhappy king, Athanagoras returned upon deck, and despatched a messenger to Leno to require the immediate presence of Tharsia, whose musical skill and eloquence he thought could not but produce some effect. She came, and received instructions from the prince. "If you succeed," said he, "in softening this royal person's affliction, I will present to you thirty gold sestertia, and as many of silver ”

“ Her uncommon loveliness struck all the spectators with astonishment; for she was as a sunbeam of beauty, in which nature had created everything pure and perfect, and failed in nothing but in denying her the attribute of immortality. ”

“ When Stranguilio heard that, he prostrated himself at his feet, and said: "Lord Apollonius, if thou helpest these hungry citizens, we will not only conceal thy flight, but also, if it shall be needful to thee, we will fight for thy safety." Then Apollonius mounted on the tribunal in the street, and said to the citizens present: "Ye citizens of Tharsus, I Apollonius, the Tyrian prince, make known to you, that I believe that ye will be mindful of this benefit, and conceal my flight. Know, also, that Antiochus the king hath driven me from my home ”

“ As she thus thought, her steward, named Theophilus, entered. She called him, and promising a vast reward, desired him to put Tharsia to death. "What hath the maid done?" asked he. "She hath done the very worst things; you ought not, therefore, to deny me. Do what I command you; if you do it not, you will bring evil on yourself." "Tell me, lady, how is it to be done?" "Her custom is," replied Dionysias, "on coming from the schools, not to take food until she has entered her nurse's monument. Arm yourself with a dagger, seize her by the hair of the head, and there stab her ”

“ Then immediately as the fisherman saw that the young man was lying at his feet, he with compassion raised him up, and led him with him to his house, and laid before him those provisions which he had to offer him. Still he would, as far as in his power, show him greater constancy: he then tore his coat in two, and gave [12] to Apollonius the half part, thus saying: "Take what I have to give thee, and go into the city: there is hope that thou mayest meet with one who will pity thee. ”

“ Works of power ought to accord with each other: and hence all corporal beauty originates in the soul's loveliness. It has even been said that mental excellence, however various, adapts the mass of matter to itself. Be this as it may, the most perfect adaptation of soul and body existed in this lady, now discovered by Cerimon. "Fair girl," said he, "how earnest thou so utterly forsaken?" ”

“ Then was made known to her who was chief there, that there was a king come, with his son-in-law and with his daughter, with great gifts. When she heard thet, she adorned herself with a royal robe, and clothed herself with purple, and decorated her head with gold and with gems, and, surrounded by a large assemblage of damsels, came towards the king. She was indeed exceedingly beautiful, and, for [24] her great love of purity, they all said that there was no Diana so estimable as she. ”

“ While these things were thus done in Tyre, then came the beforesaid Thaliarchus, who was from Antiochus the king sent for the purpose of killing Apollonius. When he saw that these places were locked, he said to a boy; "So be thou in health, tell me for what reasons this city continueth in so great lament and wail?" ”

“ On the third day the chest was driven by the waves to the shores of Ephesus, not far from the residence of a physician called Cerimon, who happened at that hour to be walking with certain of his pupils upon the sands. Observing the chest deserted by the waters, he commanded his servants to secure it with all speed, and convey it to his house: this done, he opened it, and discovered a beautiful girl, attired in royal apparel. ”

“ The tree inclosing a host, and passing through various ways without a trace, is a ship."
"A person passes through circumferences and temples [8] without injury. There is a great heat in the centre which no one removes. The house is not uncovered, but it suits a naked inhabitant. If you would allay pain, you must enter into fire." ”