Toxaris vel amicitia
Lucian of Samosata
Selections from Lucian. Smith, Emily James, translators. New York; Harper Brothers, 1892.
But Arsakomas made his way home and told his friends how he had been insulted by the king, and laughed to scorn at the dinner because they thought him poor. "And yet," said he, "I explained to the king how rich I am in having you, Lonchates and Makentes, and how much better and more secure your devotion is than the power of the Bosporians. But while I was going through this he flouted me and passed me by, and bestowed the right to lead away the bride on Adyrmachos the Machlyean, because he said he owned ten golden goblets and eighty four-seated wagons, and any amount of sheep and cattle. You see how high above true men he rates store of beeves and superfluous drinking-cups and heavy wagons. For my part, my friends, I was doubly wounded, both because I love Mazaia, and because this public affront cut me deeply, and I think you were as much wronged as I. For a third of the insult belongs to each of you, at least if we were living as though we were one man since the day we came together, and feel pain and pleasure from the same causes." "Not only so," rejoined Lonchates, "but each of us feels the whole of the insult when you are treated in that way."
“The next question,” said Makentes, “is, what Ishall we do in this case?" "Let us parcel out the job," said Lonchates. "I, for my part, promise to bring to Arsakomas the head of Leukanor, and you must fetch him the bride." "Very good," said he. "And you, Arsakomas, seeing that this is a great business, must stay here to collect and make ready arms and horses and other equipment as much as you can get. For it is not unlikely that an army and a war will be what we shall need next. You will have no trouble in gathering a goodly following since you are a true man yourself, and our kinsmen are not few; but the best way will be to take your seat on the ox-hide." These plans were agreed to, and Lonchates went off, just as he was, direct to the Bosporos, and Makentes to the Machlyëans, both on horseback. Arsakomas stayed at home and addressed himself to the young men, armed a force of his kinsmen, and finally seated himself on the oxhide.
The custom of the hide is this: When a man has received an injury and wishes to revenge himself on some one, but sees that his unaided strength will not suffice him, he sacrifices an ox, cuts the flesh in pieces and boils it, stretches the hide on the ground and seats himself on it, drawing
Lonchates made his way to the Bosporos incognito, and presented himself before the king, who was engaged in affairs of state, saying that he came as a public emissary from Scythia, but brought also private news of great moment to the king. When he was bidden speak, he said: "The Scythians make this public and open demand: that your herdsmen will not cross over into our plains, but pasture their flocks only to the end of the rocky ground. And they deny that the plunderers of whose incursions into your
But I will inform you on my own account of a great expedition that is coming against you under Arsakomas, son of Mariantes, who was recently an envoy to your court. I believe your rejection of him as a suitor for your daughter is the cause of his enmity. He has been sitting on the ox-hide this week past and has collected a considerable force." "I had heard myself," rejoined Leukanor, "that a force was being gathered by some one's ox-hide, but I did not know that it was collected against us, or that Arsakomas was at the head of it." "It is against you, however, that it is being prepared," said Lonchates. But Arsakomas is an enemy of mine, and he takes it ill that I am honored before him by the elders and am thought the better man in all respects. And if you should promise me your other daughter, Barketis-since I am no unworthy match in other respects-I will come before long and bring you his head. "I promise," said the king, growing extremely frightened, for he knew the reason Arsakomas had for being angry about the marriage, and he always trembled at the Scythians anyhow.
These, then, were the exploits of Lonchates, done in fulfilling his promise to Arsakomas by bringing the head of Leukanor. Makentes, on his part, arrived among the Machlyëans, having heard on the road what had happened at the Bosporus. Thus he was the first to announce to them the murder of the king, and he added: "The state, Adyrmachos, summons you to the throne because you are his son-in-law. So do you ride first and seize the empire, appearing on the scene while matters are in disorder. Let the young lady follow after you with chariots, for you will the more easily conciliate the Bosporian mob if they see the daughter of Leukanor. I am an Alanian and related to the girl on the mother's side, for it was from our family that Leukanor chose his wife, Masteira. And now I am come to you from Masteira's brothers in Alania, who bid you ride to the Bosporos as quickly as you may, and not permit the empire to pass into the hands of Eubiotos, a bastard brother of Leukanor, who has always been a friend of the Scythians and detested by the Alanians." This speech Makentes delivered, wearing the dress of the Alanians and speaking their language, for on these points the Scythians and
"And now, Adyrmachos," said he, "I am ready to ride with you to the Bosporos if you like, or, if need be, to stay behind and escort the young lady." "That is what I should prefer," said Adyrmachos, "to have you escort Mazaia. For if you go with us to the Bosporos we should only be one horseman the more, but if you should escort my wife for me you would be worth a multitude." This was done, and Adyrmachos rode off, having handed over his maid-wife Mazaia to Makentes. He, on his part, escorted her in her chariot during the day, but when night fell he set her upon a horse-for he had provided that one horseman beside himself should accompany them-and, leaping on his own, he no longer rode by the Maiotis, but turned off inland, keeping the Mitraian mountains on his right. He let the the girl rest now and then, and on the third day crossed the Machlyëan border into Scythia. His
Makentes handed over Mazaia to Arsakomas, saying, "Receive the fulfilment of my promise also." He was stunned by the unexpected vision, and strove to express his thanks, but Makentes said, "Stop trying to make me out a different person from yourself. To thank me for what I have done is much as if my left-hand should acknowledge its obligation to my right because it had been tended when it was wounded, and tenderly cared for when it was tired. So it would be an absurdity in us, too, if we who have joined our fortunes this long time, and as nearly as possible made ourselves into one man, should still think it a great thing if a part of us does something for the good of the whole body. For it is for his own good that he does it, seeing he is part of the benefitted whole." Thus did Makentes meet Arsakomas's thanks.
Adyrmachos, when he heard of the fraud, did not continue his journey to the Bosporos, for Eubiotos was already installed in office, having been summoned from Sauromatia, where he was sojourning. He returned home, collected a great army, and marched through the hill-country upon Scythia. Soon after, Eubiotos, too, made an attack, leading a rabble of Greeks and picked troops from Alania and Sauromatia, forty thousand
As it happened, both Lonchates and Makentes were in this division, and they had both been wounded already through their hardihood-Lonchates in the thigh with the butt-end of a lance, and Makentes in the head with an axe, and in the shoulder with the shaft of a pike.
Mnesippos Very tragical and romance-like. But may the Sword and the Wind, by whom you swore, have mercy on me; for I do not think a man would be much to blame if he should disbelieve your tales.
Toxaris Beware, my friend, lest your doubt be envy. Doubt as you will, you will not keep me from telling other such deeds of Scythians that I know of.
Mnesippos Only not at great length, my dear fellow, nor using such unbridled words. You abused my silence to run up and down through Scythia and Machlyëne, and off to the Bosporos and back again.
Toxaris I must obey your commands even in this, and speak briefly lest you weary of following me about with your ears.
But hear what services I myself received from a friend named Sisinnes. When I left home and went to Athens, through my desire for a Greek education, I put in at Amastris, on the Pontos; for ships from Scythia call there, the city being not far from Karambis. Sisinnes accompanied me, my friend from childhood. We spied a sort of lodginghouse near the harbor, and, removing our luggage into it from the ship, we went out to stroll in the market-lace, suspecting no evil. But in the mean time some thieves forced the bolt and carried off everything, leaving us not even enough to
We considered our circumstances and what we should do, utterly without resources in a foreign country, and my opinion was that we had better thrust our swords between our ribs then and there and die, rather than submit to be shamefully destroyed by hunger and thirst. But Sisinnes tried to encourage me, and implored me to do nothing of the sort, for he had a plan by which we should get food enough. And for the nonce he took to carrying wood from the harbor, and returned with provisions bought with his wages. But early next morning, as he was walking about the market-place, he saw a kind of procession, as he said, of noble and beautiful youths. They were enlisted to fight in single combat for pay, and the contest was to come off in three days. He made full inquiries about them, and then came to me and said, "Don't call yourself poor any longer, Toxaris, for in three days I shall prove you rich."
That was all he told me, and we managed to eke out a wretched existence in the interval.
but he took the armor and put it all on except the helmet. This he did not wear, but fought bareheaded. The first thing that happened was that he was wounded, cut under the knee with a curved sword, so that the blood ran plentifully. I was already dead in advance with fear. But, watching his adversary, who came on too boldly, he struck him on the breast and drove home so that he went down in an instant between Sisinnes's feet.
When I have told you as my fifth case the deeds of Abauchas I will stop. This Abauchas once came into a city of the Borysthenites, bringing with him his wife, whom he loved tenderly, and two small children, one of them a baby at the breast and the other a girl seven years old. A friend of his, Gyndanes, journeyed in company with him, and he, moreover, was suffering from a wound he got from robbers who had waylaid them on the road. For in fighting them he got a thrust in the thigh, so that he could not even stand for pain. As they were asleep at night— they happened to be lodging in an upper story—a great fire broke out, all means of exit were cut off, and the flames surrounded the house on every
These five, Mnesippos, I have chosen from many to tell you of. And now it should be time to decide between us whether you are to lose your tongue or I my right hand. Who, then, shall be our judge?
Mnesippos No one, for we did not appoint any arbiter of the discussion. But do you know what we shall do? Since we have this time shot our arrows without a mark, let us choose an umpire and tell him the stories of other friends, and then
Toxaris You are right; let us do so.
Mnesippos But we need no blood, Toxaris, and no sword to cement our friendship. For this present talk of ours and our striving for like things will be more sure than that cup of which you drink, since to my mind such matters need not compulsion but good-will.
Toxaris I approve. Let us be friends and hosts from this moment, you to me here in Greece, and I to you if you should ever come to Scythia.
Mnesippos I assure you I would cheerfully go farther yet to find such friends as your words prove you to be, Toxaris.