A wolf’s right-fore ankle-bone stops horses
On making horses unmovable from the same place. Laboring at the exposition of the present writing, I read in Neptunianus's Physica that a wolf's ankle-bone of the right forefoot, thrown before a four-horse team, stops the chariot. If then it stops four, how much more when in battle-line we give one each to a few slingers? When they have thrown these into the enemy's horse, not only will the one ankle-bone harm one horse, but as many as happen to ride past through it.
Greek
2.4 Περὶ τοῦ τοὺς ἵππους ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τόπου ἀμετακινήτους ποιεῖν Φιλοπονῶν περὶ τὴν τοῦ παρόντος συγγράμματος ἔκθεσιν, ἀνέγνων ἐν τοῖς Νεπτουνιανοῦ «Φυσικοῖς» ὅτι λύκου ἀστράγαλος δεξιοῦ ποδὸς τοῦ ἐμπροσθίου ῥιφεὶς πρὸ τετραόρου ἵστησι τὸ ἅρμα. Εἴπερ οὖν τέσσαρας ἵστησι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὅτ' ἐν παρατάξει καθ' ἕνα δώσομεν ὀλίγοις σφενδονήταις; Τούτους ῥιψάντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἵππον, οὐ μόνον ὁ εἷς ἀστράγαλος ἵππον ἕνα κακοποιήσει, ἀλλ' ὅσους <ἂν> συμβῇ δι' αὐτοῦ παριππάζειν.
About this text
Julius Africanus, Cesti (Embroidered Girdles): a miscellany of history, science, and craft, in the surviving fragments — books 7, 2, and 3 in full, with parts of books 4, 8, 9, and 13, and the colophon of Cestus 18. The older English translates his letters only. The book-2 table of contents and a book-7 appendix are not in this volume.
New English from locked PG 10 / Khazarzar Greek of the Cesti fragmenta through 9.5. Earlier lemma-led scaffold English was discarded. Book-2 pinax and book-7 appendix held. This lock is exhausted.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 10 Cesti fragmenta (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.