DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9184#0396
Chap. XII.] Epidaurus and Ancient Medicine. 373
washed himself at the spring, and began to walk about
with his mother. And after meeting these fortunes she
wrote up on a votive tablet, 'Not the size of the picture
but the miracle is the marvel, that Cleo bore the
burden in her womb for five years, till she slept here
and the god made her whole.'"
Certainly these cures were of a remarkable kind, and
the moral of them was, from the point of view of the
priesthood, quite unexceptionable. But the cures which
follow have a moral bearing which lies still more con-
spicuously on the face of them, showing the great danger
of doubting the power of the god, or of defrauding him
of his revenues.
Line 22. " Case of a man whose fingers were paralysed
all but one. He came to the god to seek aid ; but looking
round at the votive tablets of the precinct he was doubtful
about the cures and began to ridicule the inscriptions.
He slept in the hall and saw a vision ; he thought that
as he was playing with astragali close to the temple, and
was going to make a cast, the god appeared and seemed
to seize his hand and stretch out the fingers of it. And
when he went away, he thought he clenched his hand
and then extended the fingers one by one, and when he
had extended them all, the god asked him if he was still
sceptical as to the inscriptions on the votive-tablets in the
temple; and he replied that he was not."
Line 33. " Case of Ambrosia from Athens who had but
one eye. She came to seek aid of the god; and walking
round the precinct, began to ridicule some of the cures,
saying it was absurd and impossible that the lame and
the blind should become whole merely through seeing a
vision. And sleeping she saw a vision; she thought the
god stood by her and said that he would make her whole,
but she must for payment dedicate in the precinct a pig
of silver, as a memorial of her folly. And with these
washed himself at the spring, and began to walk about
with his mother. And after meeting these fortunes she
wrote up on a votive tablet, 'Not the size of the picture
but the miracle is the marvel, that Cleo bore the
burden in her womb for five years, till she slept here
and the god made her whole.'"
Certainly these cures were of a remarkable kind, and
the moral of them was, from the point of view of the
priesthood, quite unexceptionable. But the cures which
follow have a moral bearing which lies still more con-
spicuously on the face of them, showing the great danger
of doubting the power of the god, or of defrauding him
of his revenues.
Line 22. " Case of a man whose fingers were paralysed
all but one. He came to the god to seek aid ; but looking
round at the votive tablets of the precinct he was doubtful
about the cures and began to ridicule the inscriptions.
He slept in the hall and saw a vision ; he thought that
as he was playing with astragali close to the temple, and
was going to make a cast, the god appeared and seemed
to seize his hand and stretch out the fingers of it. And
when he went away, he thought he clenched his hand
and then extended the fingers one by one, and when he
had extended them all, the god asked him if he was still
sceptical as to the inscriptions on the votive-tablets in the
temple; and he replied that he was not."
Line 33. " Case of Ambrosia from Athens who had but
one eye. She came to seek aid of the god; and walking
round the precinct, began to ridicule some of the cures,
saying it was absurd and impossible that the lame and
the blind should become whole merely through seeing a
vision. And sleeping she saw a vision; she thought the
god stood by her and said that he would make her whole,
but she must for payment dedicate in the precinct a pig
of silver, as a memorial of her folly. And with these