[1,55] Καὶ σὺ δὲ ἐλήλυθας, ἔφη, οὐκ ἄνευ θείας τύχης εἰς τόνδε τὸν τόπον· οὐ γὰρ ἐάσω σε ἀπελθεῖν μάτην. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἤδη προέλεγεν ὅτι οὐ πολὺς χρόνος ἔσοιτό μοι τῆς ἄλης καὶ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας, οὔτε σοί, εἶπεν, οὔτε τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις. (56) ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν, οὐχ ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν λεγομένων ἐνθέων ἀνδρῶν καὶ γυναικῶν, ἀσθμαίνουσα καὶ περιδινοῦσα τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ πειρωμένη δεινὸν ἐμβλέπειν, ἀλλὰ πάνυ ἐγκρατῶς καὶ σωφρόνως. Συμβαλεῖς δέ, ἔφη, ποτὲ ἀνδρὶ καρτερῷ, πλείστης ἄρχοντι χώρας καὶ ἀνθρώπων· τούτῳ μήποτε ὀκνήσῃς εἰπεῖν τόνδε τὸν μῦθον, εἰ καί σου καταφρονεῖν τινες μέλλοιεν ὡς ἀδολέσχου καὶ πλάνητος. (57) οἱ γὰρ ἀνθρώπων λόγοι καὶ τὰ πάντα σοφίσματα οὐδενὸς ἄξια πρὸς τὴν παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐπίπνοιαν καὶ φήμην. ὅσοι γάρ ποτε σοφοὶ καὶ ἀληθεῖς κατ´ ἀνθρώπους λόγοι περὶ θεῶν τε καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος, οὐκ ἄνευ θείας ποτε βουλήσεως καὶ τύχης {ἐν ψυχῇ ποτε} ἀνθρώπων ἐγένοντο διὰ τῶν πρώτων μαντικῶν τε καὶ θείων ἀνδρῶν· (58) οἷον ἐν Θρᾴκῃ τινὰ λέγουσιν Ὀρφέα γενέσθαι Μούσης υἱόν, ἄλλον δὲ ποιμένα ἐν ὄρει τινὶ τῆς Βοιωτίας αὐτῶν ἀκοῦσαι τῶν Μουσῶν· ὅσοι δὲ ἄνευ δαιμονίου κατοχῆς καὶ ἐπιπνοίας λόγους τινὰς ὡς ἀληθεῖς παρ´ αὑτῶν ἐκόμισαν εἰς τὸν βίον ἀτόπους καὶ πονηρούς. ἄκουε δὴ τοῦδε τοῦ μύθου σφόδρα ἐγρηγορώς τε καὶ τὸν νοῦν προσέχων, ὅπως διαμνημονεύσας ἀπαγγείλῃς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, ᾧ φημί σε συμβαλεῖν. ἔστι δὲ περὶ τοῦδε τοῦ θεοῦ, παρ´ ᾧ νῦν ἐσμεν. (59) ἦν μὲν γάρ, ὡς πάντες λέγουσι, Διὸς υἱὸς ἐξ Ἀλκμήνης, βασιλεὺς δὲ οὐ μόνον Ἄργους, {ἀλλὰ} καὶ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἁπάσης. τοῦτο δὲ οἱ πολλοὶ οὐκ ἴσασιν, ἀλλ´ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἀπεδήμει στρατευόμενος καὶ φυλάττων τὴν ἀρχήν, οἱ δ´ Εὐρυσθέα φασὶ βασιλεύειν τότε {ὃς ἦν πάντων φιλοπονώτατος καὶ πολὺ κρείττων τῶν ἐκεῖ}. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν λέγεται μάτην ὑπ´ αὐτῶν.

[1,55] " And you too," she continued, " have come into this place by no mere human chance, for I shall not let you depart unblest." Thereupon she at once began to prophesy, saying that the period of my wandering and tribulation would not be long, nay, nor that of mankind at large. (56) The manner of her prophesying was not that of most men and women who are said to be inspired; she did not gasp for breath, whirl her head about, or try to terrify with her glances, but spoke with entire self- control and moderation. " Some day," she said, " you will meet a mighty man, the ruler of very many lands and peoples (Trajan). Do not hesitate to tell him this tale of mine even if there be those who will ridicule you for a prating vagabond. For the words of men and all their subtleties are as naught in comparison with the inspiration and speech due to the promptings of the gods. Indeed, of all the words of wisdom and truth current among men about the gods and the universe, none have ever found lodgment in the souls of men except by the will and ordering of heaven and through the lips of the prophets and holy men of old. For instance, they say there once lived in Thrace a certain Orpheus, a Muse's son; and on a certain mountain of Boeotia another, a shepherd who heard the voices of the Muses themselves. Those teachers, on the other hand, who without divine possession and inspiration have circulated as true stories born of their own imaginings are presumptuous and wicked. " Hear, therefore, the following tale and listen with vigilance and attention that you may remember it clearly and pass it on to that man whom I say you will meet. It has to do with this god in whose presence we now are. Heracles was, as all men agree, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and he was king not only of Argos but of all Greece. (Most people, however, do not know that Heracles was continually absent from Argos because he was engaged in making expeditions and defending his kingdom, but they assert that Eurystheus was king at this time. These, however, are but their idle tales.)