roconnesos and Kyzicos. They say that Aristeas, who was in birth
inferior to none of the citizens, entered into a fuller's shop in
Proconnesos and there died; and the fuller closed his workshop and went
away to report the matter to those who were related to the dead man. And
when the news had been spread abroad about the city that Aristeas was
dead, a man of Kyzicos who had come from the town of Artake entered into
controversy with those who said so, and declared that he had met him
going towards Kyzicos and had spoken with him: and while he was vehement
in dispute, those who were related to the dead man came to the fuller's
shop with the things proper in order to take up the corpse for burial;
and when the house was opened, Aristeas was not found there either dead
or alive. In the seventh year after this he appeared at Proconnesos
and composed those verses which are now called by the Hellenes the
Arimaspeia, and having composed them he disappeared the second time.

15. So much is told by these cities; and what follows I know happened
to the people of Metapontion in Italy 16 two hundred 17 and forty
years after the second disappearance of Aristeas, as I found by putting
together the evidence at Proconnesos and Metapontion. The people of
Metapontion say that Aristeas himself appeared in their land and bade
them set up an altar of Apollo and place by its side a statue bearing
the name of Aristeas of Proconnesos; for he told them that to their
land alone of all the Italiotes 18 Apollo had come, and he, who now was
Aristeas, was accompanying him, being then a raven when he accompanied
the god. Having said this he disappeared; and the Metapontines say that
they sent to Delphi and asked the god what the apparition of the man
meant: and the Pythian prophetess bade them obey the command of the
apparition, and told them that if they obeyed, it would be the better
for them. They therefore accepted this answer and performed the
commands; and there stands a statue now bearing the name of Aristeas
close by the side of the altar dedicated to Apollo, 19 and round it
stand laurel trees; and the altar is set up in the market-place. Let
this suffice which has been said about Aristeas.

16. Now of the land about which this account has been begun, no one
knows precisely what lies beyond it: 20 for I am not able to hear of any
one who alleges that he knows as an eye-witness; and even Aristeas,
the man of whom I was making mention just now,