PORPHYRY

to abstain from the beans. But when the herdsman replied mockingly that he did not know how to speak "ox-tongue" original: bouinari; a rare Latin verb meaning to speak to or act like an ox.: Pythagoras himself approached and whispered into the ox’s ear,
5 so that it not only left the field planted with beans, but never again in the future touched a bean. For many years afterward, it lived around the Temple of Juno The Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Hera. at Tarentum
10 until it grew old, and was commonly called the "Sacred Ox"; it ate whatever food those it met might offer. Then, during the Olympic Games, he is said to have drawn an eagle
15 down from the air as it flew over his head—at a moment when he happened to be discussing omens, symbols, and divine signs with his companions, and how the gods signify and foretell certain things to humans
20 endowed with true piety—and after stroking it with his hand, he let it go again. And when he stood by some fishermen as they were drawing a heavily laden net
25 from the depths, he predicted the exact quantity of fish they were pulling in, defining the specific number. And when they promised to do whatever he might command if this turned out to be the case, he ordered them
30 to return the fish alive to the sea, though only after counting them precisely first. And what is much more
35 wonderful, during that whole time they were being counted, none of the fish died while out of the water...

...whispering to the bull, [he caused it] not only to abstain from the bean, but also never again to touch beans thereafter. For a very long time it remained in Tarentum at the Temple of Hera, growing old, being called the "Sacred Ox," and being fed by the food that passers-by offered. And an eagle flying over at the Olympic Games, while he was conversing with his acquaintances by chance about bird-omens, symbols, and signs from Zeus original: διοσημειῶν (diosemeion); specifically portents or signs from the sky/Zeus.—that there are certain messages from the gods, and these specifically for those men who are truly dear to the gods—he is said to have brought down, and after stroking it, let it go again. And standing by some net-haulers while a great burden was being dragged up from the deep in a dragnet, he foretold how great a multitude they were drawing in, showing the number of fish; and the men having submitted to do whatever he ordered, should it turn out so, he ordered them to release the fish alive again, after first counting them accurately. And the more marvelous thing was that not one of the fish gasped its last original: ἀπέπνευσεν; literally "breathed its last" or died. during such a long time of counting while remaining out of the water, while he stood there. And to many of those he met, he reminded...