§11διὰ τί μᾶλλον ναυτιῶσι τὴν θάλατταν πλέοντες ἢ τοὺς ποταμούς, κἂν ἐν γαλήνῃ πλέωσι;
Why do they suffer more from seasickness when sailing on the sea than on rivers, even if they sail in a calm?
ἦ ὅτι μάλιστα ναυτίαν κινεῖ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἡ ὄσφρησις, τῶν δὲ παθῶν ὁ φόβος;
Is it because, of the senses, smell especially excites sickness, and of the passions, fear?
καὶ γὰρ τρέμουσι καὶ φρίττουσι καὶ κοιλίας ἐξυγραίνονται φαντασίαν κινδύνου λαβόντες·
For indeed they tremble and shudder and their bowels are loosened when they get an apprehension of danger.
τούτων δʼ οὐδέτερον ἐνοχλεῖ τοῖς διὰ ποταμοῦ πλέουσιν· ἡ γὰρ ὄσφρησις παντὶ ποτίμῳ καὶ γλυκεῖ συνήθης ἐστὶν ὁ δὲ πλοῦς ἀκίνδυνος, ἐν δὲ τῇ θαλάττῃ τὴν τʼ ὀσμὴν ἀηθείᾳ δυσχεραίνουσι καὶ φοβοῦνται, μὴ πιστεύοντες τῷ παρόντι περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος· οὐδὲν οὖν ὄφελος τῆς γαλήνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ σάλον ἔχουσα καὶ θορυβουμένη συγκινεῖ καὶ ἀναπίμπλησι τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταραχῆς.
And neither of these troubles those who sail through a river; for the smell is familiar to everyone with drinkable and sweet water, and the voyage is without danger, but in the sea they both dislike the smell due to unfamiliarity and are afraid, not trusting the present state concerning the future; therefore there is no benefit from the calm, but even the soul, having a tossing and being disturbed, moves the body together with it and fills it with the disturbance.
§12διὰ τί τῆς θαλάττης ἐλαίῳ καταρραινομένης γίγνεται καταφάνεια καὶ γαλήνη;
Why, when the sea is sprinkled with oil, does clearness and calm occur?
πότερον, ὡς Ἀριστοτέλης φησί, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς λειότητος ἀπολισθάνον οὐ ποιεῖ πληγὴν οὐδὲ σάλον· ἢ τοῦτο μὲν πιθανῶς εἴρηται πρὸς τὰ ἐκτός, ἐπεὶ δὲ φασι καὶ τοὺς κατακολυμβῶντας, ὅταν ἔλαιον εἰς τὸ στόμα λαβόντες ἐκφυσήσωσιν, ἐν τῷ βυθῷ φέγγος ἴσχειν καὶ δίοψιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ πνεύματος ὄλισθον αἰτιάσασθαι;
Is it, as Aristotle says, that the wind, slipping off from the smoothness, does not cause a blow or tossing; or is this indeed plausibly said with respect to external things, but since they say that divers too, when they take oil into their mouth and blow it out, get light and clear vision in the depth, it is not possible there to blame the slipping of the wind?
σκόπει δὴ μὴ τὴν θάλατταν γεώδη καὶ ἀνώμαλον οὖσαν ἐξωθεῖ καὶ διαστέλλει τῇ πυκνότητι τοὔλαιον, εἶτʼ ἀνατρεχούσης εἰς αὑτὴν καὶ συστελλομένης ἀπολείπονται πόροι μεταξὺ ταῖς ὄψεσι διαύγειαν καὶ καταφάνειαν διδόντες.
Consider, then, whether the oil, being dense, pushes out and separates the sea-water, which is earthy and uneven, and then, as the sea runs back into itself and contracts, passages are left in between, giving transparency and clearness to the sight.
ἢ φύσει μέν ἐστι φωτεινὸς ὑπὸ θερμότητος ὁ τῇ θαλάττῃ καταμεμιγμένος ἀήρ, γίγνεται δὲ ταραχθεὶς ἀνώμαλος καὶ σκιώδης· ὅταν οὖν τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν ἐπιλεάνῃ πυκνότητι τοὔλαιον, ἀπολαμβάνει τὴν ὁμαλότητα καὶ τὴν διαύγειαν;
Or is the air mixed with the sea naturally luminous due to heat, but when disturbed becomes uneven and shadowy; when therefore the oil smooths the unevenness with its density, does the air recover its evenness and transparency?
§13διὰ τί χειμῶνος μᾶλλον ἢ θέρους τὰ τῶν ἁλιέων σήπεται δίκτυα, καίτοι τὰ γʼ ἄλλα μᾶλλον ἐν τῷ θέρει τοῦτο πάσχει;
Why do fishermen's nets rot more in winter than in summer, although other things indeed suffer this more in summer?
πότερον, ὡς Θεόφραστος οἴεται, τῷ ψυχρῷ τὸ θερμὸν ὑποχωροῦν ἀντιπεριίσταται καὶ θερμότερα ποιεῖ τὰ ἐν βάθει τῆς θαλάττης, ὥσπερ τῆς γῆς· διὸ καὶ τὰ πηγαῖα τῶν ὑδάτων χλιαρώτερα τοῦ χειμῶνός ἐστι καὶ μᾶλλον ἀτμίζουσιν αἱ λίμναι καὶ οἱ ποταμοί· κατακλείεται γὰρ εἰς βάθος ἡ θερμότης ὑπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ κρατήσαντος· ἢ σῆψις μὲν οὐκ ἔστι τῶν δικτύων, ὅταν δὲ φρίξῃ καὶ παγῇ διὰ τὸ ψῦχος ἀναξηραινόμενα καὶ θρυπτόμενα μᾶλλον ὑπὸ τοῦ κλύδωνος σήψει τινὶ καὶ μυδήσει πάσχει παραπλήσιον;
Is it, as Theophrastus thinks, that the heat, retreating before the cold, undergoes antiperistasis and makes the depths of the sea warmer, just as with the earth; wherefore also spring waters are lukewarm in winter, and lakes and rivers steam more; for the heat is shut up into the depth by the cold which has prevailed; or is there no rotting of the nets, but when they shiver and stiffen because of the cold, being dried out and broken more by the waves, do they suffer something similar to rot and decay?
καὶ γὰρ πονεῖ μᾶλλον ἐν κρύει, καθάπερ τὰ νεῦρα συντεινόμενα σπαράττεται, πλεονάκις ἐκταραττομένης διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα τῆς θαλάττης· διὸ καὶ στύφουσιν αὐτὰ ταῖς βαφαῖς καὶ πυκνοῦσι, φοβούμενοι τὰς ἀναλύσεις· ἐπεὶ μὴ βαφέντα μηδὲ χρισθέντα, μᾶλλον ἂν ἐλάνθανε τοὺς ἰχθῦς, ἐνάερον γὰρ τὸ τοῦ λίνου χρῶμα καὶ ἀπατηλὸν ἐν θαλάττῃ.
For they also suffer more in the cold, just as sinews when stretched tight are torn, with the sea being more often disturbed because of the winter; wherefore also they make them astringent with dyes and condense them, fearing their loosening; since if they were not dyed nor smeared, they would have escaped the notice of the fish more, for the color of flax is airy and deceptive in the sea.
§14διὰ τί Δωριεῖς εὔχονται κακὴν χόρτου συγκομιδήν;
Why do the Dorians pray for a bad harvest of hay?
ἦ κακῶς μὲν συγκομίζεται χόρτος ὑόμενος;
Is it because hay is harvested badly when it rains?
κόπτεται γὰρ οὐ ξηρὸς ἀλλὰ χλωρός, ὥστε σήπεται ταχὺ διάβροχος γενόμενος· ὑόμενος δὲ πρὸ τοῦ θέρους ὁ σῖτος βοηθεῖται πρὸς τὰ θερμὰ καὶ νότια πνεύματα· ταῦτα γὰρ οὐκ ἐᾷ πυκνωθῆναι συνιστάμενον ἐν τῷ στάχυι τὸν καρπόν, ἀλλʼ ἐξίστησι καὶ διαχεῖ τῇ θερμότητι τὴν πῆξιν, ἂν μὴ βεβρεγμένης τῆς γῆς ὑγρότης παραμένῃ ψύχουσα καὶ νοτίζουσα τὸν στάχυν.
For it is cut not dry but green, so that it rots quickly when soaked; but when it rains before summer, the corn is helped against the hot and south winds; for these do not allow the fruit, when forming in the ear, to become dense, but they alter and disperse the consolidation by their heat, unless the moisture of the wet earth remains, cooling and wetting the ear.
§15διὰ τί πυροφόρος ἡ πίων καὶ βαθεῖα χώρα, κριθοφόρος δὲ μᾶλλον ἡ λεπτόγεως;
Why is rich and deep soil productive of wheat, but thin soil rather productive of barley?
ἦ ὅτι τῶν σπερμάτων τὰ ἰσχυρὰ πλείονος τροφῆς δεῖται τὰ δʼ ἀσθενῆ λεπτῆς καὶ ἐλαφρᾶς,· ἀσθενέστερον δʼ ἡ κριθὴ καὶ μανότερον· ὅθεν οὐ φέρει τὴν πολλὴν τροφὴν καὶ βαρεῖαν;
Is it because, of seeds, the strong ones need more nourishment, while the weak ones need thin and light nourishment; and barley is weaker and more porous; whence it does not bear much and heavy nourishment?
μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ πυροῦ τὸν τρίμηνον ἐν τοῖς ὑποξήροις φύεσθαι βέλτιον, ἀνοτώτερον ὄντα καὶ τροφῆς ἐλάττονος δεόμενον· διὸ καὶ συντελεῖται τάχιον.
And this reasoning is supported by the fact that the three-month wheat grows better in somewhat dry places, being less moist and needing less nourishment; wherefore also it is completed more quickly.