Philumene

Τελεσφόρος ἦν ὀρεωκόμος· οὗτος ἐδόκει μοι ὁρμηθεὶς αὐτόθεν βαδίζειν ὀπίσω, τὰ χρησθέντα ἐπὶ τῇ Φιλουμένῃ σημαίνων, τοῦτο γὰρ ὄνομα τῇ κόρῃ, κεχρῆσθαι δʼ αὐτὰ Ἀλκίμῳ πατρὶ τῆς κόρης, καὶ δὴ καὶ γράμματα ἔχειν, εἴτε δὴ σεσημασμένα εἴτε καὶ μή· ἃ τὸν Ἄλκιμον νύκτωρ ἀκούσαντα παρʼ αὐτῆς ἀπομνημονεύσαντα γράψασθαι, θαυμαστὰ πλήθει καὶ δυνάμει, φέροντα εἰς ἐμὲ, ὥστε ‖J352‖ θαυμάζειν ὅπως καὶ ἀπεμνημόνευσε.

A mule driver named Telesphorus seemed to have set out from there and to be on his way back. He brought news of the oracles given about Philumene (that was the girl's name). The oracles, he said, had come to her father, Alcimus, and Telesphorus seemed to carry written pages, sealed or not. Alcimus had heard these things from her at night, remembered them, and written them down. They were astonishing in number and power, and they all pointed to me. I marveled that he had been able to remember them at all.

κεφάλαιον δʼ ἦν, ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σώματι τῆς Φιλουμένης καὶ τοῖς ἐντὸς, ὥσπερ ἐν σπλάγχνοις ἱερείων, ἐγγεγραμμένου παντὸς τοῦ περὶ αὐτὴν πράγματος.

The main point was this: the whole story about her was written in Philumene's own body and in her insides, just as signs are written in the entrails of sacrificed animals.

ἐνεγέγραπτο μὲν τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἐμὸν οὑτωσὶ, Αἴλιος Ἀριστείδης· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐκ διαλειμμάτων ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα ἐπίσημα τοῦ ὀνόματος· προσενεγέγραπτο δὲ Σωσιμένης καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα σωτηρίαν ἐπαγγελλόμενα, καὶ ὅτι ἡ Φιλουμένη ψυχὴν ἀντὶ ψυχῆς καὶ σῶμα ἀντὶ σώματος ἀντέδωκε, τὰ αὑτῆς ἀντὶ τῶν ἐμῶν.

My name was written in full: Aelius Aristides. Here and there, at intervals, other titles were added to my name. The name Sosimenes was written there too, with other words like it that promised safety. And it said that Philumene had given a life for a life, a body for a body: she gave hers in place of mine.