Τότε μὲν οὖν παρ᾽ αὐτῷ ἑστιαθέντες ἐμείναμεν, ἕωθεν δὲ διαναστάντες ἐτασσόμεθα· καὶ γὰρ οἱ σκοποὶ ἐσήμαινον πλησίον εἶναι τοὺς πολεμίους. τὸ μὲν οὖν πλῆθος τῆς στρατιᾶς δέκα μυριάδες ἐγένοντο ἄνευ τῶν σκευοφόρων καὶ τῶν μηχανοποιῶν καὶ τῶν πεζῶν καὶ τῶν ξένων συμμάχων· τούτων δὲ ὀκτακισμύριοι μὲν ἦσαν οἱ Ἱππόγυποι, δισμύριοι δὲ οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν Λαχανοπτέρων. ὄρνεον δὲ καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι μέγιστον, ἀντὶ τῶν πτερῶν λαχάνοις πάντῃ λάσιον, τὰ δὲ ὠκύπτερα ἔχει θριδακίνης φύλλοις μάλιστα προσεοικότα. ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις οἱ Κεγχροβόλοι τετάχατο καὶ οἱ Σκοροδομάχοι. ἦλθον δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἄρκτου σύμμαχοι, τρισμύριοι μὲν Ψυλλοτοξόται, πεντακισμύριοι δὲ Ἀνεμοδρόμοι· τούτων δὲ οἱ μὲν Ψυλλοτοξόται ἐπὶ ψυλλῶν μεγάλων ἱππάζονται, ὅθεν καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἔχουσιν· μέγεθος δὲ τῶν ψυλλῶν ὅσον δώδεκα ἐλέφαντες· οἱ δὲ Ἀνεμοδρόμοι πεζοὶ μέν εἰσιν, φέρονται δὲ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ἄνευ πτερῶν· ὁ δὲ τρόπος τῆς φορᾶς τοιόσδε. χιτῶνας ποδήρεις ὑπεζωσμένοι κολπώσαντες αὐτοὺς τῷ ἀνέμῳ καθάπερ ἱστία φέρονται ὥσπερ τὰ σκάφη. τὰ πολλὰ δ᾽ οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐν ταῖς μάχαις πελτασταί εἰσιν. ἐλέγοντο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπὲρ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἀστέρων ἥξειν Στρουθοβάλανοι μὲν ἑπτακισμύριοι, Ἱππογέρανοι δὲ πεντακισχίλιοι. τούτους ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐθεασάμην· οὐ γὰρ ἀφίκοντο. διόπερ οὐδὲ γράψαι τὰς φύσεις αὐτῶν ἐτόλμησα· τεράστια γὰρ καὶ ἄπιστα περὶ αὐτῶν ἐλέγετο.
notes
They decide to join the Moon people and their allies in a war against the Sun. The various contingents are described.
ἑστιαθέντες: aor. pass. part. of ἑστιάω, "having been treated as guests."
διαναστάντες: aor. part. of διανίστημι, "having risen."
ἐτασσόμεθα: impf. mid., "we arranged ourselves."
πλησίον εἶναι τοὺς πολεμίους: indir. statement after ἐσήμαινον, "that the enemy was near."
δέκα μυριάδες ἄνευ τῶν ...: "100,000 without (auxillaries and allies)," the fantastic numbers echo Herodotus᾽ account of the Persian host.
δισμύριοι οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν Λαχανοπτέρων: "20,000 riding on Grass-plumers."
ἀντὶ τῶν πτερῶν: "instead of plumage."
τὰ ὠκύπτερα: "wing-feathers."
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις: "next to these."
τετάχατο: plup. 3 pl. mid., "had arrayed themselves."
ἦλθον δὲ αὐτῷ: "came with him (i.e. Endymion)."
ἀπὸ τῆς ἄρκτου: "from the Bear" i.e. the constellation Ursa Major
ὅσον δώδεκα ἐλέφαντες: "approximately the size of twelve elephants," ὅσον = "approximately" with numbers (LSJ IV.3).
πεζοὶ μέν...φέρονται δὲ: "while foot-soldiers, yet are carried...."
χιτῶνας ποδήρεις ὑπεζωσμένοι κολπήσαντες αὐτοὺς τῷ ἀνέμῳ: "by girding their foot-length chitons and letting them fill with wind." The Wind-walkers secure their chitons (the long woolen tunic worn next to the skin) presumably with a belt or rope so that they can then allow the chitons to fill up with air. The Wind-walkers essentially use their tunics like sails and propel themselves along as a kind of boat in the sky.
ὥσπερ τὰ σκάφη: "like boats."
τὰ πολλά: "for the most part" (S. 1609).
ἀφίκοντο: aor. 3 pl. of ἀφικνέομαι, "they arrived."
γράψαι: aor. infin. of γράφω, "to write."
τεράστια καὶ ἄπιστα ἐλέγετο: After all this fantastic account, the author demures to report anything he did not see himself, for what he heard about these creatures is "unbelievable."