§4Μάλιστ’ οὖν ἐπαινῶ γυμνάσιον, ὃ καὶ σώματος ὑγίειαν ἱκανὸν ἐκπορίζειν καὶ μερῶν εὐαρμοστίαν καὶ ψυχῆς ἀρετήν, ἃ πάντα τῷ διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας ὑπάρχει.
Therefore, I praise most of all the exercise which is capable of providing both health of body and harmony of parts and virtue of soul, all of which belong to the exercise with the small ball.
καὶ γὰρ ψυχὴν εἰς πάντα δυνατὸν ὠφελεῖν καὶ τοῦ σώματος τὰ μέρη δι’ ἴσου πάντα γυμνάζει, ὃ καὶ μάλιστα εἰς ὑγίειαν συμφέρει καὶ συμμετρίαν ἕξεως ἐργάζεται, μήτ’ ἄμετρον πολυσαρκίαν, μήθ’ ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἰσχνότητα φέρον, ἀλλ’ εἴς τε τὰς ἰσχύος δεομένας πράξεις ἱκανόν, καὶ ὅσαι τάχους χρῄζουσιν, ἐπιτήδειον.
For it is possible to benefit the soul in all respects, and it exercises all the parts of the body equally, which both contributes most of all to health and produces a proportion of the constitution, bringing neither immoderate excess of flesh nor excessive thinness, but being sufficient for those actions requiring strength and suitable for those that need speed.
οὕτω μὲν οὖν, ὅσον ὲν αὐτῷ σφοδρότατον, οὐδενὸς τῶν πάντων κατ’ οὐδὲν ἀπολείπεται.
Thus, as far as its most violent form is concerned, it falls short of none of all the others in any respect.
τὸ δὲ πρᾳότατον ἴδωμεν αὖθις· ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε καὶ τούτου δεόμεθα διά θ’ ἡλικίαν ἢ μηδέπω φέρειν ἰσχυροὺς πόνους ἢ μηκέτι δυναμένην, καὶ κάματον ἐπανεῖναι βουληθέντες ἢ ἐκ νόσου ἀνακομιζόμενοι.
And let us look in turn at the gentlest form; for there are times when we need this too, because of age, either not yet being able to bear strong labors or no longer being able to, and wishing to relax fatigue or recovering from illness.
δοκεῖ δέ μοι κἀν τούτῳ πλέον ἔχειν ἑτέρου παντός· οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτω πρᾷον, εἰ πρᾴως αὐτὸ μεταχειρίζοιο.
And in this too it seems to me to have an advantage over every other; for nothing is so gentle, if you should handle it gently.
δεῖ δὲ μέσως μὲν ἔχοντα μηδὲ συμμέτρου ἀποστάντα, τὰ μὲν ἠρέμα προβαίνειν, τὰ δὲ κατὰ χώραν μένειν, μὴ πολλὰ διαγυμνασάμενον, ἐπὶ τῷδε τρίψεσι μαλακαῖς δι’ ἐλαίου καὶ λουτροῖς θερμοῖς χρῆσθαι.
And one who is in a moderate state and not departing from proportion must proceed quietly in some things and remain in place in others, not having exercised much, and after this use gentle rubbings with oil and warm baths.
τοῦτο μὲν ἁπάντων ἐστὶ πρᾳότατον, ὥστε καὶ ἀναπαύσασθαι δεομένῳ συμφορώτατον εἶναι καὶ ἄρρωστον δύναμιν ἀναλαβεῖν δυνατώτατον καὶ γέροντι καὶ παιδὶ συμφορώτατον.
This indeed is the gentlest of all, so that it is most beneficial for one needing to rest, and most capable of recovering weak strength, and most beneficial for an old man and a child.
ὅσα δὲ τούτου μὲν ἰσχυρότερα, τοῦ δ’ ἄκρως σφοδροῦ πρᾳότερα διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας ἐνεργεῖται.
And whatever is stronger than this, but gentler than the extremely violent, is performed by means of the small ball.
χρὴ καὶ ταῦτα γιγνώσκειν, ὅστις γ’ ὀρθῶς βούλεται διὰ παντὸς αὐτὰ μεταχειρίζεσθαι.
One who wishes to handle it correctly throughout must also know these things.
καὶ γὰρ εἴ ποτε δι’ ἀναγκαῖον ἔργον, οἷον τὰ πολλὰ πολλάκις ἡμᾶς καταλαμβάνει, πονήσειας ἀμέτρως ἢ τοῖς ἄνω μέρεσιν ἢ τοῖς κάτω πᾶσιν, ἢ χερσὶ μόναις ἢ ποσίν, ἔνεστί σοι διὰ τοῦδε τοῦ γυμνασίου τὰ μὲν ἀναπαῦσαι τὰ πρότερον κεκμηκότα, τὰ δ’ εἰς τὴν ἴσην ἐκείνοις κίνησιν καταστῆσαι τὰ πρότερον ἀργὰ παντελῶς μεμενηκότα.
For if ever, because of necessary work, such as often happens to us in most cases, you should labor excessively either with all the upper parts or all the lower, or with the hands alone or the feet, it is possible for you through this exercise to rest the parts that were previously weary, and to bring into equal movement with them those parts that previously remained completely idle.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ διαστήματος ἱκανοῦ βαλεῖν εὐτόνως, ἢ οὐδὲν τοῖς σκέλεσιν ἢ παντάπασιν ὀλίγον χρώμενον, ἀναπαύει μὲν τὰ κάτω, τὰ δ’ ἄνω κινεῖ σφοδρότερον.
For throwing vigorously from a sufficient distance, while using the legs either not at all or altogether little, rests the lower parts, but moves the upper parts more violently.
τὸ δ’ ἐπὶ πλέον διαθέοντα καὶ ὠκέως ἐκ πολλῶν διαστημάτων ὀλιγάκις προσχρῆσθαι τῇ βολῇ τὰ κάτω μᾶλλον διαπονεῖ.
On the other hand, running about more and swiftly from many distances, while using the throw only occasionally, works the lower parts more.
καὶ τὸ μὲν ἠπειγμένον ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ταχὺ χωρὶς συντονίας ἰσχυρᾶς τὸ πνεῦμα μᾶλλον γυμνάζει, τὸ δ’ εὔτονον, τὸ ἐν ταῖς ἀντιλήψεσι καὶ βολαῖς καὶ λαβαῖς, οὐ μὴν ταχύ γε, τὸ σῶμα μᾶλλον ἐντείνει τε καὶ ῥώννυσιν.
And the hurried and rapid element in it, without intense exertion, exercises the breath more, while the vigorous element, that which is in blocking, throwing, and catching, but not rapid, stretches and strengthens the body more.
εἰ δ’ εὔτονόν θ’ ἅμα καὶ ἠπειγμένον εἴη, διαπονήσει τοῦτο μεγάλως καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ πάντων ἔσται γυμνασίων σφοδρότατον.
But if it should be both vigorous and hurried at the same time, this will work both body and breath greatly, and will be the most violent of all exercises.
ἐφ’ ὅσον δὲ δεῖ καθ’ ἑκάστην χρείαν ἐπιτείνειν τε καὶ ἀνιέναι, γράψαι μὲν οὐχ οἶόν τε — τὸ γὰρ ἐν ἑκάστῳ ποσὸν ἄρρητον· — ἐπ’ αὐτῶν δὲ τῶν ἔργων εὑρεῖν τε καὶ διδάξαι δυνατόν, ἐν ᾧ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα τὸ πᾶν κῦρος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ ποιότης ἐστὶ χρήσιμος, εἰ τῷ ποσῷ διαφθείροιτο.
But to what extent one must strain and relax for each need, it is not possible to write—for the quantity in each case is inexpressible—but it is possible to find and teach this in the actions themselves, in which indeed is the main authority; for not even quality is useful, if it should be destroyed by quantity.
τούτου μὲν δὴ τῷ παιδοτρίβῃ μετέστω, τῷ μέλλοντι τῶν γυμνασίων ἀφηγεῖσθαι.
Let this indeed be the concern of the physical trainer, who is to lead the exercises.
§5Τὸ δ’ ὑπόλοιπον τοῦ λόγου περαινέσθω.
And let the rest of the discourse be completed.
βούλομαι γὰρ ἐφ’ οἷς εἷπον ἀγαθοῖς προσεῖναι τῷδε τῷ γυμνασίῳ, μηδ’ ὡς ἐκτός ἐστι κινδύνων παραλιπεῖν, οἶς τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἄλλων περιπίπτει.
For I wish, in addition to the goods I have mentioned, to attribute this to this exercise, and not to omit how it is free from the dangers into which most of the others fall.
δρόμοι μὲν γὰρ ὠκεῖς πολλοὺς ἤδη διέφθειραν, ἀγγεῖον ἐπίκαιρον ῥήξαντες· οὕτω δὲ καὶ φωναὶ μεγάλαι θ’ ἅμα καὶ σφοδραὶ καθ’ ἕνα χρόνον ἀθρόως ἐκφωνηθεῖσαι, μεγίστων κακῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοις αἴτιαι γεγένηνται, καὶ ἱππασίαι σύντονοι τῶν τε κατὰ νεφροὺς ἔρρηξάν τι καὶ τῶν κατὰ θώρακα πολλάκις ἔβλαψαν, ἔστι δ’ ὅτε καὶ τοὺς σπερματικοὺς πόρους, ἵνα τὰ τῶν ἵππων ἁμαρτήματα παραλείπω, δι’ οὓς πολλάκις ἐκπεσόντες τῆς ἕδρας οἱ ἱππεῖς παραχρῆμα διεφθάρησαν.
For swift runs have already destroyed many, having ruptured a vital blood vessel; and likewise great and at the same time violent vocalizations, uttered all at once at a single time, have been the cause of the greatest evils for not a few; and intense horse-ridings have ruptured something of the parts near the kidneys, and have often injured those near the chest, and sometimes even the seminal passages, to leave aside the accidents of horses, because of which, having often fallen from their seat, the riders were immediately destroyed.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ τὸ ἅλμα πολλοὺς ἔβλαψε καὶ ὁ δίσκος καὶ τὰ διὰ τοῦ κάμπτειν γυμνάσια.
And likewise jumping has injured many, and the discus, and exercises involving bending.
τοὺς δ’ ἐκ τῆς παλαίστρας τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν;
And what need is there to speak of those from the wrestling school?
ὡς ἅπαντες λελώβηνται τῶν Ὁμηρικῶν Λιτῶν οὐδὲν μεῖον· ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνός φησιν ὁ ποιητὴς
χωλαί τε ῥυσαί τε παραβλῶπες τ’ ὀφθαλμώ,
οὕτω τοὺς ἐκ τῆς παλαίστρας ἴδοις ἂν ἢ χωλοὺς ἢ διεστραμμένους ἢ τεθλασμένους ἢ πάντως γέ τι μέρος πεπηρωμένους.
How they have all been mutilated no less than the Homeric Prayers; for as that poet says, "Lame and wrinkled and squinting of eye," so you might see those from the wrestling school either lame or distorted or bruised or in any case maimed in some part.
εἰ δὴ πρὸς οἷς εἷπον ἀγαθοῖς ἔτι καὶ τοῦθ’ ὑπάρχει τοῖς διὰ τῆς σμικρᾶς σφαίρας γυμνασίοις, ὡς μηδὲ κινδύνῳ πελάζειν, ἁπάντων ἂν εἴη πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἄριστα παρεσκευασμένα.
If, then, in addition to the goods I have mentioned, this too belongs to exercises with the small ball, namely, not even to approach danger, they would be of all things best prepared for benefit.