§1## λζ.
## 37.
Περὶ ἀφροδιϲίων, ἐκ τῶν Γαληνοῦ.
On sexual intercourse, from the works of Galen.
Ἀφροδιϲίων δὲ κατὰ μὲν Ἐπίκουρον οὐδεμία χρῆϲιϲ ὑγιεινή· κατὰ δὲ τἀληθὲϲ ἐκ διαλειμμάτων τηλικούτων, ὡϲ ἐπὶ ταῖϲ χρήϲεϲι μήτε ἐκλύϲεωϲ αἰϲθάνεϲθαι καὶ κουφότερον αὐτὸν αὑτοῦ δοκεῖν γεγονέναι καὶ εὐπνούϲτερον.
As for sexual intercourse, according to Epicurus, no use of it is healthy; but in truth, [it is healthy] at such intervals that upon its use one neither feels exhaustion and [rather] seems to have become lighter than oneself and easier in breathing.
ὁ δὲ καιρὸϲ τῆϲ χρήϲεωϲ, ὅταν ἀκριβῶϲ μέϲον ᾖ τῶν ἔξωθεν περιϲτάϲεων ἁπαϲῶν τὸ ϲῶμα, μήτε ὑπερπεπληρωμένον μήτε ἐνδεὲϲ μήτε ὑπερεψυγμένον μήτε ὑπερτεθερμαϲμένον ἢ ἐξηραμ μένον ἢ ὑγραϲμένον ἀμέτρωϲ.
The proper time for its use is when the body is exactly in the middle of all external circumstances: neither overfilled nor lacking, neither overcooled nor overheated, nor excessively dried or moistened.
εἰ δὲ καὶ διαμαρτάνοιέν ποτε κατά τι, μικρὸν μὲν ἔϲτω τὸ ἁμαρτανόμενον· ἄμεινον δὲ τὸ τεθερμαϲμένῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐψυγμένῳ, | καὶ πεπληρωμένῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐνδεεῖ, καὶ ὑγραϲμένῳ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐξηραμμένῳ τῷ ϲώματι χρῆϲθαι τοῖϲ ἀφροδιϲίοιϲ.
And if they should ever make a mistake in some respect, let the error be small; and it is better to use sexual intercourse when the body is rather warmed than cooled, and rather filled than lacking, and rather moistened than dried.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀϲθενῆ τὴν δύναμιν ἔχοντεϲ ὑπὸ τῆϲ λαγνείαϲ εἰϲ ἐϲχάτην ἀρρωϲτίαν ἀφικνοῦνται· οἱ δ’ ἰϲχυρὰν καὶ νοϲοῦντεϲ ἀπὸ φλέγματοϲ οὔτε καταλυθήϲονται καὶ ξηραίνουϲι τὴν τοῦ φλεγματοϲ περιουϲίαν τῷ διαφορεῖν ἐπὶ πλέον τοὺϲ χυμούϲ· ἀβλαβῆ γὰρ ἀφροδίϲια τοῖϲ ὑγροῖϲ καὶ θερμοῖϲ ἐϲτι καὶ ὅϲοι φύϲει πολύϲπερμοι.
Now those who have weak strength arrive at extreme weakness because of lust; while those who have strong [strength] and suffer from phlegm will not be destroyed, and they dry up the abundance of phlegm by dispersing the humors more; for sexual intercourse is harmless to those who are moist and warm, and those who are by nature abundant in semen.
ἀλλὰ καὶ θερμαίνει τὸ ϲῶμα τοῖϲ ἐρρωμένην ἔχουϲι τὴν δύναμιν ἡ λαγνεία· τοῖϲ δ᾿ ἀϲθενέϲιν ἐν μὲν τῷ παραχρῆμα θερμαίνει. ψύχει δὲ μετὰ ταῦτω γενναίωϲ.
But also, lust warms the body for those who have strong strength; while for the weak it warms at the immediate moment, but cools afterwards excessively.
ἔνιοι μὲν οὖν εὐ|θέωϲ ἐπὶ ταῖϲ ϲυνουϲίαιϲ ἀπὸ νεότητοϲ ἀϲθενεῖϲ γίνονται· τινὲϲ δέ, εἰ μὴ ϲυνεχῶϲ χρῷντο, βαρύνονται τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀϲώδειϲ τε καὶ πυρετώδειϲ γίνονται καὶ χεῖρον ὀρέγονται καὶ ἧττον πέττουϲιν· τοιαύτηϲ γοῦν ἐνίουϲ ὄνταϲ φύϲεωϲ, εἶτα ἐγκρατεῖϲ ἀφροδιϲίων χρήϲεωϲ γενομένουϲ ναρκώδειϲ τε καὶ δυϲκινήτουϲ ἔγνωμεν ἀποτελεϲθένταϲ, ἐνίουϲ δὲ καὶ ϲκυθρωπούϲ ἀλόγωϲ καὶ δυϲέλπιδαϲ ὁμοίωϲ τοῖϲ μελαγχολικοῖϲ, ταῦτα δὲ παυόμενα ταχέωϲ ἐπὶ ταῖϲ τῶν ἀφροδιϲίων χρήϲεϲιν.
Some, indeed, immediately upon intercourse become weak from their youth; while others, if they do not use [it] continuously, become heavy in the head, squeamish and feverish, and have worse appetite and digest less; we have known some of such a nature, who, having then become abstinent from the use of sex, turned out sluggish and hard to move, and some even unreasonably gloomy and despondent, like melancholics, and these things quickly ceasing upon the use of sex.
ταῦτα ἀναλογιζομένῳ μοι μεγάλωϲ φαίνεται βλάπτειν ἡ τοῦ ϲπέρματοϲ ἐπίϲχεϲιϲ, ἐφ᾿ ὧν αὐτό τε φύϲει κακοχυμότερον καὶ πλεῖον, ἀργότερόϲ τε ὁ βίοϲ, καὶ τῶν ἀφροδιϲίων ἡ χρῆϲιϲ πρότερον μὲν ἱκανὴ πάνυ, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ | ἰϲχυροί τε καὶ νέοι· τούτοιϲ ἡ τοῦ ϲώματοϲ ἕξιϲ εἰϲ ἀραιότητα πλέον ἤπερ ἡ δύναμιϲ εἰϲ ἀρρωϲτίαν ἀλλοιοῦται, καὶ τοίνυν ἐπανόρθωϲιϲ διὰ τῶν ϲυναγόντων καὶ ϲφιγγόντων γίνεται αὐτοῖϲ, ὁποῖόν ἐϲτι τὸ παραϲκευαϲτικὸν γυμνάϲιον.
To me, considering these things, the retention of semen seems to harm greatly those in whose case it (the semen) is by nature of worse humor and more abundant, and their life is more inactive, and their use of sex was previously very sufficient, and after these things they are strong and young; for these, the state of the body is changed towards looseness (porosity) more than their strength is changed towards weakness, and therefore restoration comes to them through things that contract and tighten, such as is the preparatory exercise.
εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ ψῦξίϲ τιϲ ἐπὶ τοῖϲ ἀφροδιϲίοιϲ ἐγγίνοιτο, καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἂν εἴη τῷ παραϲκευαϲτικῷ γυμναϲίῳ χρηϲτέον· ἐπεγείρει γὰρ τὴν θερμότητα.
And if indeed some chilling should occur upon sex, for this reason too one should employ the preparatory exercise; for it arouses warmth.
τῆϲ δ᾿ ὥραϲ τοῦ ἔτουϲ ἐπιτρεπούϲηϲ, οὐδὲ τῆϲ ψυχρολουϲίαϲ ἀφεκτέον.
And if the season of the year permits, one must not even abstain from cold bathing.
ἐδέϲματα δὲ τῷ πλήθει μὲν ἐλάττω, τῇ ποιότητι δ᾿ ὑγρότερα δοτέον, ἵνα καὶ πέψη καλῶϲ αὐτὰ καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀφροδιϲίων ἐπανορθώϲηται ξηρότητα.
Foods must be given fewer in quantity, but moister in quality, so that he may both digest them well and restore the dryness resulting from sex.
χρὴ δ᾿ οὐδὲ ψυχρότερα τὴν κρᾶϲιν, ἀλλὰ τῆϲ μέϲηϲ ἰδέαϲ τῶν θερμαινόντων ὑπάρχειν αὐτὰ· διότι γὰρ | ἐξ ἀφροδιϲίων ἀραιότερον ἅμα καὶ ἀϲθενέϲτερον καὶ ξηρότερον ἀποτελεῖται τὸ ϲῶμα, χρὴ δήπου τὰ πυκνοῦντα καὶ θερμαίνοντα καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἀναρρωννύντα προϲφέρεϲθαι, καὶ τούτουϲ εἶναι ϲκοποὺϲ ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖϲ.
And they must not be too cold in temperament, but must belong to the middle class of warming things; since indeed from sex the body is rendered more loose, and at the same time weaker and drier, one must surely administer things that condense, warm, and restore strength, and these must be the aims in their case.