HALIEUTICA, IV. 663-688 



the evil-smelling poison of the hateful unguent and 

 pollutes the sea. Him when he has done his deadly 

 poison the ship takes on board again. But speedily 

 the evil and unkindly odour first reaches the fishes 

 in their chambers and their eyes are clouded and 

 their head and limbs are heavy and they cannot 

 remain in their hiding-places but rush in terror from 

 the rocks. But the sea is yet more bitter for them : 

 such bane is mingled with its waves. And hea\'y as 

 it were with wine, drunk with the deadly fumes, they 

 wheel every way but nowhere find a place free from 

 the plague, and they rush furiously upon the nets, 

 eager to break through. But there is no deliverance 

 from their cruel doom nor any escape. With much 

 rushing and leaping they toss in their agony and as 

 they perish there runs over the sea a great panting 

 — which for the WTetched fishes is their way of 

 lamentation. But the fishermen, rejoicing in their 

 agonies, remain callously apart until silence reigns 

 upon the sea and the fishes cease from their noise 

 and grievous tumult, having breathed away their 

 lamentable breath. And then the fishers draw forth 

 an infinite crowd of dead, slain together by a common 

 doom of destruction. As when men bring war upon 

 their foes, eager to destroy and raze their city, and 

 cease not to devise evil in their hearts but even poison 

 with deadly poison the water of their wells : " and 



wells in enemy country cf. Aeneas Tact. viii. 4 ra /cara ttjv 

 Xwpa.v ffrdcriua vdara. ws dirora Set woifiv ; Herod, iv. 120 

 the Scythians resolved not to fight a pitched battle, but to 

 retire and, as they retired, to. (pp^ara, to. irape^Loiev avroi, 

 Kai ras Kprjvai (riryxovv ; Thuc. ii. 48 the plague attacked the 

 people in the Peiraeus wcrre Kai eXex^V i""' avruiv dis oi IleXo- 

 ■trovvrjcnoi (pdpfxaKa ia^t^XiiKoiev es to. tppeara' Kpijvai yap oHirii) 

 JjaoiV avroOi. 



455 



