§5περὶ δὲ τροφῆς ἐχόμενον ἂν εἴη λέγειν.
Concerning upbringing, it would be the next thing to speak.
δεῖ δέ, ὡς ἐγὼ ἂν φαίην, αὐτὰς τὰς μητέρας τά τέκνα τρέφειν καὶ τούτοις τοὺς μαστοὺς ὑπέχειν· συμπαθέστερόν τε γὰρ θρέψουσι καὶ διὰ πλείονος ἐπιμελείας, ὡς ἂν ἔνδοθεν καὶ τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον ἐξ ὀνύχων ἀγαπῶσαι τὰ τέκνα. αἱ τίτθαι δὲ καὶ αἱ τροφοὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν ὑποβολιμαίαν καὶ παρέγγραπτον ἔχουσιν, ἅτε μισθοῦ φιλοῦσαι.
And it is necessary, as I would say, that mothers themselves nurse their children and offer them their breasts; for they will nurse them more affectionately and with greater care, inasmuch as they love their children from within and, as the saying goes, "from their very fingernails." But wet-nurses and nursemaids have a goodwill that is artificial and spurious, since they love for pay.
δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἡ φύσις ὅτι δεῖ τὰς μητέρας ἃ γεγεννήκασιν αὐτὰς τιτθεύειν καὶ τρέφειν· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο παντὶ ζῴῳ τεκόντι τὴν ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος τροφὴν ἐχορήγησε.
And nature also demonstrates that mothers ought to suckle and nurse those whom they have generated; for this is why she has supplied every animal that has given birth with the nourishment from milk.
σοφὸν δʼ ἄρα καὶ ἡ πρόνοια· διττοὺς ἐνέθηκε ταῖς γυναιξὶ τοὺς μαστούς, ἵνα, κἂν εἰ δίδυμα τέκοιεν, διττὰς ἔχοιεν τὰς τῆς τροφῆς πηγάς.
Wise indeed, therefore, is also providence; she has placed two breasts in women, so that, even if they should give birth to twins, they might have two sources of nourishment.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων εὐνούστεραι τοῖς τέκνοις γίγνοιντʼ ἂν καὶ φιλητικώτεραι.
And apart from these things, they would become more well-disposed and more affectionate to their children.
καὶ μὰ Δίʼ οὐκ ἀπεικότως· ἡ συντροφία γὰρ ὥσπερ ἐπιτόνιόν ἐστι τῆς εὐνοίας.
And indeed, by Zeus, not without reason; for living together is, as it were, a tightening cord of goodwill.
καὶ γὰρ τὰ θηρία τῶν συντρεφομένων ἀποσπώμενα ταῦτα ποθοῦντα φαίνεται.
For even wild beasts, when separated from those they are brought up with, are seen to yearn for them.
μάλιστα μὲν οὖν ὅπερ ἔφην αὐτὰς πειρατέον τὰ τέκνα τρέφειν τὰς μητέρας· εἰ δʼ ἄρʼ ἀδυνάτως ἔχοιεν ἢ διὰ σώματος ἀσθένειαν γένοιτο γὰρ ἄν τι καὶ τοιοῦτον ἢ πρὸς ἑτέρων τέκνων σπεύδουσαι γένεσιν, ἀλλὰ τάς γε τίτθας καὶ τὰς τροφοὺς οὐ τὰς τυχούσας ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα σπουδαίας δοκιμαστέον ἐστί πρῶτον μὲν τοῖς ἤθεσιν Ἑλληνίδας.
Therefore, as I said, mothers must try by all means to nurse their children themselves; but if they should be unable, either on account of bodily weakness (for something of this sort might happen) or because they are hastening toward the birth of other children, yet at least the wet-nurses and nursemaids to be approved must not be any chance persons, but as excellent as possible, and first of all, Greek in their character.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ μέλη τοῦ σώματος εὐθὺς ἀπὸ γενέσεως πλάττειν τῶν τέκνων ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν, ἵνα ταῦτʼ ὀρθὰ καὶ ἀστραβῆ φύηται, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰ τῶν τέκνων ἤθη ῥυθμίζειν προσήκει.
For just as it is necessary to mold the limbs of the body of children immediately from birth, so that these may grow straight and undistorted, in the same way it is fitting to regulate from the beginning the characters of children.
εὔπλαστον γὰρ καὶ ὑγρὸν ἡ νεότης, καὶ ταῖς τούτων ψυχαῖς ἁπαλαῖς ἔτι τὰ μαθήματα ἐντήκεται· πᾶν δὲ τὸ σκληρὸν χαλεπῶς μαλάττεται.
For youth is easily molded and pliable, and instructions melt into their souls while they are still soft; but everything that is hard is softened with difficulty.
καθάπερ γὰρ σφραγῖδες τοῖς ἁπαλοῖς ἐναπομάττονται κηροῖς, οὕτως αἱ μαθήσεις ταῖς τῶν ἔτι παιδίων ψυχαῖς ἐναποτυποῦνται.
For just as seals are impressed upon soft wax, so teachings are stamped upon the souls of children who are still young.
καί μοι δοκεῖ Πλάτων ὁ δαιμόνιος ἐμμελῶν παραινεῖν ταῖς τίτθαις μηδὲ τοὺς τυχόντας μύθους τοῖς παιδίοις λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ τὰς τούτων ψυχὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνοίας καὶ διαφθορᾶς ἀναπίμπλασθαι συμβαίνῃ.
And to me the divine Plato seems to advise fittingly that wet-nurses should not tell just any chance stories to children, so that it may not happen that their souls from the beginning are filled with folly and corruption.
κινδυνεύει δὲ καὶ Φωκυλίδης ὁ ποιητὴς καλῶς παραινεῖν λέγων
"
χρὴ παῖδʼ ἔτʼ ἐόντα
καλὰ διδάσκειν ἔργα
"
. §6οὐ τοίνυν; οὐδὲ τοῦτο παραλιπεῖν ἄξιόν ἐστιν, ὅτι καὶ τὰ παιδία τὰ μέλλοντα τοῖς τροφίμοις ὑπηρετεῖν καὶ τούτοις σύντροφα γίγνεσθαι ζητητέον πρώτιστα μὲν σπουδαῖα τοὺς τρόπους, ἔτι μέντοι Ἑλληνικὰ καὶ περίτρανα λαλεῖν, ἵνα μὴ συναναχρωννύμενοι βαρβάροις καὶ τὸ ἦθος μοχθηροῖς ἀποφέρωνταί τι τῆς ἐκείνων φαυλότητος.
And the poet Phocylides also seems to advise well when he says: "One must teach a child, while still young, noble deeds." Furthermore, neither is this worthy of being passed over, that we must seek out for the children who are destined to serve the foster-children and to be brought up with them, first of all, those who are excellent in their ways, and moreover, those who speak Greek and speak clearly, so that by mixing with foreigners and those who are bad in character they may not carry away some of their badness.
καὶ οἱ παροιμιαζόμενοι δέ φασιν οὐκ ἀπὸ τρόπου λέγοντες, ὅτι
ἂν χωλῷ παροικήσῃς, ὑποσκάζειν μαθήσῃ
.
And those who use proverbs say, speaking not beside the point, that: "If you live next to a lame person, you will learn to limp."