[12,9] Ἑορτὰς ἦγον οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὰς καλουμένας τῇ ἐπιχωρίῳ γλώττῃ στρωμνὰς ὑπὸ τῶν Σιβυλλείων κελευσθέντες χρησμῶν. νόσος γάρ τις λοιμώδης γενομένη θεόπεμπτός τε καὶ ὑπὸ τέχνης ἀνθρωπίνης ἀνίατος εἰς ζήτησιν αὐτοὺς ἤγαγε τῶν χρησμῶν. ἐκόσμησάν τε στρωμνὰς τρεῖς, ὡς ἐκέλευον οἱ χρησμοί, μίαν μὲν Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ Λητοῖ, ἑτέραν δὲ Ἡρακλεῖ καὶ Ἀρτέμιδι, τρίτην δὲ Ἑρμῇ καὶ Ποσειδῶνι· καὶ διετέλουν ἐφ´ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ δημοσίᾳ τε καταθύοντες καὶ ἰδίᾳ κατ´ οἰκείαν δύναμιν ἅπαντες τοῖς θεοῖς ἀπαρχόμενοι, ἑστιάσεις τε λαμπροτάτας ἐπιτελοῦντες καὶ ξένων τοὺς παρεπιδημοῦντας ὑποδεχόμενοι. Πείσων δὲ ὁ τιμητικὸς ἐν ταῖς ἐνιαυσίοις ἀναγραφαῖς καὶ ταῦτ´ ἔτι προστίθησιν· ὅτι λελυμένων μὲν τῶν θεραπόντων ὅσους πρότερον ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς εἶχον οἱ δεσπόται, πληθυούσης ὄχλου ξενικοῦ τῆς πόλεως, ἀναπεπταμένων τῶν οἰκιῶν διὰ ἡμέρας τε καὶ νυκτός, καὶ δίχα κωλύσεως εἰσιόντων εἰς αὐτὰς τῶν βουλομένων, οὔτε χρῆμα οὐδὲν ἀπολωλεκέναι τις ᾐτιάσατο οὔτε ἠδικῆσθαί τινα ὑπ´ οὐδενός, καίτοι πολλὰ φέρειν εἰωθότων πλημμελῆ καὶ παράνομα τῶν ἑορταίων και ρῶν διὰ τὰς μέθας.

[12,9] The Romans were conducting the festival called in their own language lectisternium, in response to the bidding of the Sibylline oracles. For a kind of pestilence sent by Heaven and incurable by human skill had led them to consult the oracles. 2 They adorned three couches, as the oracles had commanded, one for Apollo and Latona, another for Hercules and Diana, and a third for Mercury and Neptune. And for seven days running they offered sacrifices, both publicly and privately, each according to his own ability giving first-fruits to the gods; and they prepared most magnificent banquets and entertained the strangers who were sojourning in their midst. 3 Piso the ex-censor in his Annals adds these further details: that, though all the slaves whom their masters (p225) had previously kept in chains were then turned loose, though the city was filled with a throng of strangers, and though the houses were open day and night and all who wished entered them without hindrance, yet no one complained of having lost anything or of having been wronged by anyone, even though festal occasions are wont to bring many disorderly and lawless deeds in their train because of the drunkenness attending them.