Xenophon of Ephesus, An Ephesian Tale 1.5.4 · 1.5.4
Anthia fears the other girls
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ἡ δὲ Ἄνθεια ἔπασχε μὲν τὰ αὐτά, πολὺ δὲ μείζονι τῇ συμφορᾷ κατείχετο· εἰ δέ ποτε ἄλλας παρθένους ἢ γυναῖκας ἴδοι βλεπούσας εἰς ἐκεῖνον (ἑώρων δὲ ἅπασαι ⟨εἰς⟩ Ἁβροκόμην), δήλη ἦν λυπουμένη, μὴ παρευδοκιμηθῇ φοβουμένη. Εὐχαὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἑκατέροις ἦσαν πρὸς τὴν θεὸν κοινῇ, λανθάνουσαι μέν, ἀλλʼ ἐγίνοντο ὅμοιαι.
Anthia felt the same, but she was gripped by a far greater misfortune. Whenever she saw other girls or women looking at him (and all of them looked at Habrocomes), she was plainly distressed, afraid that she might be outshone. Each of them had prayers to the goddess in common: secret prayers, but alike.
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The setting
Book 1, chapter 5. The same silent days, from Anthia's side.
A note on this passage
At the festival Anthia "far surpassed the other girls" (1.2.5), and the Ephesians often bowed to her as if she were Artemis (1.2.7). Now she is afraid of being outshone: παρευδοκιμέω means to be surpassed in good name, a word of rivalry and public esteem. The narrator's aside in parentheses gives the reason. Every woman looked at Habrocomes, as the whole crowd turned to him at the festival (1.2.8).
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