#dedicatory

Isyllus of Epidaurus

Isyllus of Epidaurus, the son of Socrates, dedicated this to Apollo Maleatas and to Asclepius.

If the city properly educates men for aristocracy, it becomes itself mightier, for it is raised up by manly virtue. But if one who is properly educated sets his course back, falling again into baseness, then the city will be safer in chastising him. This opinion I held before and I pronounced it and I pronounce it now. I vowed to inscribe it in stone if our law which I introduced would confirm that opinion. This came about not without the help of the gods.

This law, sacred by divine Fate, Isyllus composed, an imperishable, everlasting gift to the immortal gods; and all the people, lifting their hands to the wide heaven, to the blessed gods, set it up as a binding rule of our fatherland : to select and to summon by tribes whichever men may be best in this city of Epidaurus, those who have in their hearts virtue and reverence that safeguard the city; to summon them and to have them lead a procession to lord Phoebus and to his son Asclepius, the physician , dressed in white raiment and with flowing hair; to lead a solemn procession to the temple of Apollo bearing garlands of laurel and then to the temple of Asclepius bearing branches of tender olive shoots ; to pray them to grant forever to all citizens and to their children fair health and to grant that the noble character of the men of Epidaurus always prevail, together with good order and peace and blameless wealth from season to season so long as they reverence this law. So may Zeus the far-seeing spare us.

Malus first built the altar of Apollo Maleatas and made the precinct splendid with sacrifices. Not even in Thessalian Tricca would you attempt to go down into the adyton of Asclepius unless you first sacrifice on the holy altar of Apollo Maleatas.

Isyllus bade Astylaïdas consult the oracle in Delphi for him concerning the paean which he composed in honour of Apollo and Asclepius, whether it would be better for him to inscribe the paean on stone. The oracle replied: "It would be better for him to inscribe it on stone both for the present time and for days to come."

O people, praise the god to whom "Hail, Paean" is sung, you who dwell in this sacred Epidaurus. For thus the message came to the ears of our forefathers, O Phoebus Apollo. Zeus the Father is said to have given the Muse Erato to Malus as his bride in holy wedlock. Then Phlegyas, who dealt in Epidaurus, his fatherland, married the daughter of Malus whom Erato, her mother, bore, and her name was Cleophema. By Phlegyas then a child was begotten, and she was named Aeglē ; this was her name, but because of her beauty she was also called Coronis. Then Phoebus of the golden bow, beholding her in the palace of Malus, ended her maidenhood. You went into her lovely bed, O golden-haired son of Leto. I revere you. Then in the perfumed temple Aeglē bore a child, and the son of Zeus, together with the Fates and Lachesis, the noble midwife, eased her birth pains. Apollo named him Asclepius from his mother’s name, Aeglē the reliever of illness, the granter of health, great boon to mankind. Hail Paean, hail Paean. Asclepius, increase your maternal city of Epidaurus, send bright health to our hearts and bodies, hail Paean, hail Paean

"Snake's poison is life to the snake; it is in relation to man that it means death." — Rumi