§1## ΓΑΛΗΝΟΥ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΔΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΣΜΙΚΡΑΣ ΣΦΑΙΡΑΣ ΓΥΜΝΑΣΙΟΥ.
Πηλίκον μὲν ἀγαθόν ἐστιν εἰς ὑγίειαν, ὦ Ἐπίγενες, γυμνάσια, καὶ ὡς χρὴ τῶν σιτίων ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτά, παλαιοῖς ἀνδράσιν αὐτάρκως εἴρηται, φιλοσόφων τε καὶ ἰατρῶν τοῖς ἀρίστοις· ὅσον δ’ ὑπὲρ τἆλλα τὰ διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας ἐστίν, τοῦτ’ οὐδέπω τῶν πρόσθεν ἱκανῶς οὐδεὶς ἐξηγήσατο.
## GALEN ON EXERCISE WITH THE SMALL BALL. How great a benefit exercise is for health, Epigenes, and how it must precede meals, has been sufficiently discussed by ancient men, the best of philosophers and physicians; but how much exercise with the small ball excels all other kinds, no one of those before us has yet sufficiently explained.
δίκαιον οὖν ἡμᾶς, ἃ γιγνώσκομεν, εἰπεῖν, ὑπὸ σοῦ μὲν κριθησόμενα, τοῦ πάντων ἠσκηκότος ἄριστα τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τέχνην, χρήσιμα δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἷς ἂν μεταδῷς τοῦ λόγου, γενησόμενα.
It is therefore right for us to state what we know, which will be judged by you, who have practiced your own art best of all, and will also become useful to others to whom you may communicate this discourse.
φημὶ γὰρ ἄριστα μὲν ἁπάντων γυμνασίων εἶναι τὰ μὴ μόνον τὸ σῶμα διαπονεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τέρπειν δυνάμενα.
For I say that the best of all exercises are those which are able not only to exert the body but also to delight the soul.
καὶ ὅσοι κυνηγέσια καὶ τὴν ἄλλην θήραν ἐξεῦρον, ἡδονῇ καὶ τέρψει καὶ φιλοτιμίᾳ τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς πόνον κερασάμενοι, σοφοί τινες ἄνδρες ἦσαν καὶ φύσιν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀκριβῶς καταμεμαθηκότες.
And those who invented hunts with hounds and other kinds of hunting, blending the labor in them with pleasure, delight, and ambition, were wise men who had accurately learned human nature.
τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ δύναται ψυχῆς κίνησις, ὥστε πολλοὶ μὲν ἀπηλλάγησαν νοσημάτων ἡσθέντες μόνον, πολλοὶ δ’ ἑάλωσαν ἀνιαθέντες.
For so great is the movement of the soul in it, that many have been rid of diseases merely by being pleased, while many have been overcome by being grieved.
οὐδ’ ἔστιν οὐδὲν οὕτως ἰσχυρὸν τῶν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα παθημάτων, ὡς κρατεῖν τῶν περὶ τὴν ψυχήν.
Nor is there any of the bodily affections so powerful as to master those concerning the soul.
οὔκουν οὐδ’ ἀμελεῖν χρὴ τῶν ταύτης κινήσεων, ὁποῖαί τινες ἔσονται, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τά τ’ ἄλλα καὶ ὅσῳ κυριωτέρα σώματος ἡ ψυχή.
Therefore, one must not neglect its movements, of whatever sort they may be, but must take care of them much more than those of the body, both for other reasons and inasmuch as the soul is more sovereign than the body.
τοῦτο μὲν δὴ κοινὸν ἁπάντων γυμνασίων τῶν μετὰ τέρψεως, ἄλλα δ’ ἐξαίρετα τῶν διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας, ἃ ἐγὼ νῦν ἐξηγήσομαι.
This indeed is common to all exercises accompanied by delight, but there are other special advantages of exercise with the small ball, which I shall now explain.
§2Πρῶτον μὲν ἡ εὐπορία.
First indeed is its ease of procurement.
εἰ γοῦν ἐννοήσαις, ὅσης δεῖται παρασκευῆς θ’ ἅμα καὶ σχολῆς τά τ’ ἄλλα πάντα τὰ περὶ τὴν θήραν ἐπιτηδεύματα καὶ τὰ κυνηγέσια, σαφῶς ἂν μάθοις, ὡς οὔτε τῶν τὰ πολιτικὰ πραττόντων οὐδεὶς οὔτε τῶν τὰς τέχνας ἐργαζομένων δύναται μεταχειρίζεσθαι τὰ τοιαῦτα γυμνάσια.
If you should consider how much preparation and at the same time leisure all other practices concerning hunting and hunts with hounds require, you would clearly learn that neither anyone of those engaged in public affairs nor those working at crafts can handle such exercises.
καὶ γὰρ πλούτου ταῦτα δεῖται πολλοῦ καὶ σχολὴν ἄγοντος οὐκ ὀλίγην ἀνθρώπου.
For these require great wealth and a person enjoying no small amount of leisure.
τοῦτο δὲ μόνον οὕτω γε φιλάνθρωπον, ὡς μηδὲ τὸν πενέστατον ἀπορεῖν τῆς αὐτοῦ παρασκευῆς.
But this exercise alone is so user-friendly that not even the poorest person lacks its preparation.
οὐ γὰρ δικτύων, οὐδ’ ὅπλων, οὐδ’ ἵππων, οὐδὲ κυνῶν θηρευτικῶν, ἀλλὰ σφαίρας μόνης δεῖται καὶ ταύτης σμικρᾶς.
For it requires no nets, nor weapons, nor horses, nor hunting dogs, but only a ball, and a small one at that.
οὕτω δ’ εὔγνωμον εἰς τὰς ἄλλας πράξεις, ὥστ’ οὐδεμιᾶς αὐτῶν ὀλιγωρεῖν ἀναγκάζει δι’ αὑτό.
It is so accommodating to other activities that it forces no one to neglect any of them for its own sake.
καίτοι τί ἂν εὐπορώτερον γένοιτο τοῦ καὶ τύχην ἀνθρωπίνην ἅπασαν καὶ πρᾶξιν προσιεμένου;
And indeed, what could be easier to procure than that which welcomes every human fortune and activity?
τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀμφὶ τὰς θήρας γυμνασίων τῆς χρήσεως οὐκ ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ἡ εὐπορία.
For the ease of procurement in the use of exercises concerning hunts is not up to us.
πλούτου τε γὰρ δεῖται τὴν παρασκευὴν τῶν ὀργάνων ἐκπορίζοντος καὶ ἀργίας τὸν καιρὸν ἐπιτηρούσης.
For it requires wealth providing the preparation of instruments, and idle time watching for the opportunity.
τούτου δ’ ἡ τῶν ὀργάνων παρασκευὴ καὶ τοῖς πενεστάτοις εὔπορος, ὅ τε καιρὸς τῆς χρήσεως καὶ τοὺς ἱκανῶς ἀσχόλους ἀναμένει.
But in this exercise, the preparation of instruments is easy even for the poorest, and the opportunity for its use also waits for those who are sufficiently busy.
τὸ μὲν δὴ τῆς εὐπορίας αὐτοῦ τηλικοῦτον ἀγαθόν.
Such is the great benefit of its ease of procurement.
ὅτι δὲ καὶ πολυαρκέστατον τῶν ἄλλων γυμνασίων.
And that it is also the most self-sufficient of other exercises, you would learn best if you should examine in each of them what it can do and of what sort its nature is.
ὧδ’ ἂν μάλιστα μάθοις, εἰ σκέψαιο καθ’ ἕκαστον αὐτῶν, ὅ τι τε δύναται καὶ οἷόν τι τὴν φάσιν ἐστίν. εὑρήσεις γὰρ ἢ σφοδρὸν ἢ μαλακὸν ἢ τὰ κάτω μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ ἄνω κινοῦν ἢ μέρος τι πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων, οἷον ὀσφὺν ἢ κεφαλὴν ἢ χεῖρας ἢ θώρακα.
For you will find them to be either violent or gentle, or moving the lower parts more than the upper, or some part ahead of the others, such as the loin, head, hands, or chest.
Πάντα δ’ ἐξ ἴσου τὰ μέρη τοῦ σώματος κινοῦν καὶ δυνάμενον ἐπί τε τὸ σφοδρότατον ἀνάγεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μαλακώτατον ὑφίεσθαι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οὐδέν, τοῦτο δὲ μόνον τὸ διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας γυμνάσιον, ὀξύτατον ἐν μέρει καὶ βραδύτατον γενόμενον, σφοδρότατον καὶ πρᾳότατόν τε, ὡς ἂν αὐτός τε βουληθῇς καὶ τὸ σῶμα φαίνηται δεόμενον.
But nothing of the other exercises moves all parts of the body equally and is able both to be raised to the most violent and to be relaxed to the gentlest, except this exercise alone with the small ball, which becomes in turn most rapid and slowest, most violent and mildest, as you yourself wish and as the body appears to need.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὰ μέρη κινεῖν μὲν ἔστιν αὐτοῦ πάνθ’ ὁμοῦ, εἰ τοῦτο συμφέρειν δόξειεν, ἔτι δὲ πρὸ ἄλλων ἄλλα, εἰ καὶ τοῦτό ποτε δόξειεν.
And thus it is also possible to move all its parts together, if this should seem beneficial, and again some parts before others, if this too should ever seem beneficial.
ὅταν μὲν γὰρ συνιστάμενοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ ἀποκωλύοντες ὑφαρπάσαι τὸν μεταξὺ διαπονῶσι, μέγιστον αὐτὸ καὶ σφοδρότατον καθίσταται πολλοῖς μὲν τραχηλισμοῖς, πολλαῖς δ’ ἀντιλήψεσι παλαιστικαῖς ἀναμεμιγμένον, ὥστε κεφαλὴν μὲν καὶ αὐχένα διαπονεῖσθαι τοῖς τραχηλισμοῖς, πλευρὰς δὲ καὶ θώρακα καὶ γαστέρα ταῖς τε τῶν ἁμμάτων περιθέσεσι καὶ ἀπώσεσι καὶ ἀποστηρίξεσι καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις παλαιστικαῖς λαβαῖς.
For when they contend against one another and try to prevent each other from seizing the ball in between, it becomes greatest and most violent, mixed with many neck-holds and many wrestling grips, so that the head and neck are exerted by the neck-holds, and the ribs, chest, and belly by the throwing around of clasps, thrusts, supports, and other wrestling holds.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ καὶ ὀσφὺς τείνεται σφοδρῶς καὶ σκέλη.
In this, the loin and legs are also violently stretched.
καὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ ἑδραιοτάτης δεῖ τῆς βάσεως ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ πόνῳ.
For indeed, the most stable stance is needed in such labor.
τὸ δὲ καὶ προβαίνειν καὶ εἰς τὰ πλάγια μεταπηδᾶν οὐ μικρὸν σκελῶν γυμνάσιον, ἀλλ’, εἰ χρὴ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, μόνον δικαιότατα κινοῦν πάντ’ αὐτῶν τὰ μόρια.
And both going forward and leaping to the sides is no small exercise of the legs, but, if the truth must be told, the only one that moves all their parts most justly.
τοῖς μὲν γὰρ προϊοῦσιν ἕτερα νεῦρα καὶ μύες, τοῖς δ’ ὑποβαίνουσιν ἕτερα διαπονεῖται πλέον. οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοῖς εἰς τὰ πλάγια μεθισταμένοις ἄλλα.
For in those going forward, some tendons and muscles are exerted more, and in those stepping back, others; and so also in those shifting to the sides, others.
καὶ ὅστις καθ’ ἓν εἶδος κινήσεως κινεῖ τὰ σκέλη καθάπερ οἱ θέοντες, ἀνωμάλως οὗτος καὶ ἀνίσως τὰ μέρη γυμνάζει.
And whoever moves the legs in only one form of motion, as runners do, exercises the parts unevenly and unequally.