<οἷον> Κτησίας ὁ Κτησιόχου ὁ Κνίδιος, ὃς συνέγραψεν περὶ τῆς Ἰνδῶν χώρας καὶ τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἃ μήτε αὐτὸς εἶδεν μήτε ἄλλου ἀληθεύοντος ἤκουσεν. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ Ἰαμβοῦλος περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ θαλάττῃ πολλὰ παράδοξα, γνώριμον μὲν ἅπασι τὸ ψεῦδος πλασάμενος, οὐκ ἀτερπῆ δὲ ὅμως συνθεὶς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τὰ αὐτὰ τούτοις προελόμενοι συνέγραψαν ὡς δή τινας ἑαυτῶν πλάνας τε καὶ ἀποδημίας, θηρίων τε μεγέθη ἱστοροῦντες καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὠμότητας καὶ βίων καινότητας· ἀρχηγὸς δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ διδάσκαλος τῆς τοιαύτης βωμολοχίας ὁ τοῦ Ὁμήρου Ὀδυσσεύς, τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκίνουν διηγούμενος ἀνέμων τε δουλείαν καὶ μονοφθάλμους καὶ ὠμοφάγους καὶ ἀγρίους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους, ἔτι δὲ πολυκέφαλα ζῷα καὶ τὰς ὑπὸ φαρμάκων τῶν ἑταίρων μεταβολάς, οἷα πολλὰ ἐκεῖνος πρὸς ἰδιώτας ἀνθρώπους τοὺς Φαίακας ἐτερατεύσατο.
notes
οἷον: "for example" (angular brackets in text indicate this is a scholar's suggested addition for the opening of this sentence).
Κτησίας ὁ Κνίδιος: Ctesias of Cnidos, fifth-century author of a lost History of India, which contained accounts of fantastic creatures. He reappears later in A True Story being punished in the hereafter.
ἄλλου ἀληθεύοντος: "another telling the truth," gen. after ἤκουσεν Ἰαμβοῦλος: Iambulus is the author of a lost narrative (written between 165 and 50 BCE) about a fabulous trip in the Indian Ocean, summarized by Diodorus Siculus (2.55-60).
γνώριμον μὲν ἅπασι τὸ ψεῦδος πλασάμενος, οὐκ ἀτερπῆ δὲ ὅμως συνθεὶς τὴν σύνθεσιν: "having fashioned a lie that is obvious to everyone while creating a composition that is nonetheless not unpleasant" (note the litotes).
συνθείς: aor. act. part. nom. sg. of συντίθημι, "having composed."
τὰ αὐτὰ τούτοις προελόμενοι: (aor. mid. part. of προαιρέω) "having undertaken (to do) the same as these."
ὡς δή: "as though."
τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκίνουν: "King Alkinous and those with him," the Phaeacians, who were the audience of Odysseus in Odyssey books 9-12.
μονοφθάλμους καὶ ὠμοφάγους: one-eyed flesh-eaters, the Cyclopes of Odyssey 9.
πολυκέφαλα ζῷα: "many-headed beasts," like Scylla.
ὑπὸ φαρμάκων...μεταβολάς: "transformations by drugs," such as Circe in Odyssey 10.
οἷα πολλά ἐκεῖνος...ἐτερατεύσατο: "many such marvels did he speak of (to the Phaeacians)," indirect exclamation (S. 2685).