§5Τούτων ἡμῖν αὐτάρκως ἀποδεικνυμένων, ἐπισκεψόμεθα περὶ τῶν μὴ λυομένων νοσημάτων.
Since these things have been sufficiently demonstrated by us, we shall examine those diseases that are not resolved.
διττὴ δέ ἐστιν αὐτῶν ἡ φύσις· ἔνια μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἔχει τὴν κατασκευὴν, ὅταν ἀκριβῶς αὐτὴν ἔχῃ συμπληρουμένην· ἔνια δὲ ἐκ μὲν τῆς τῶν λυομένων ἐστὶ φύσεως, ἀλλ’ ὅταν ἀποκτεῖναι φθάσῃ, κατὰ τοῦτο αὐτοῖς γίνεσθαι συμβαίνει.
Their nature is twofold: for some of them possess their constitution when they have it precisely completed; while others belong to the nature of those that are resolved, but when they happen to kill beforehand, it occurs to them to become unresolved in this respect.
τριττὸς δὲ καὶ τούτων ὁ τρόπος ἐστίν· ἢ γὰρ διὰ τὴν τοῦ κάμνοντος ἀδυναμίαν, ἢ διὰ τὴν τῶν νοσημάτων ἰσχὺν, ἢ διὰ τὰ συναμφότερα ἀναιρεῖ πρὶν λυθῆναι.
And the mode of these is also threefold: for either through the weakness of the patient, or through the strength of the diseases, or through both together, it destroys before being resolved.
καθ’ ἕτερον δὲ λόγον εἷς καινὸς τύπος ἁπάντων ἐστὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὅταν ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμιν ᾖ·
But according to another account, there is one common type for all such cases, when [the disease] is beyond the power [of the patient].
τὸ γάρ τοι συνέχον αὐτὸ τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ κάμνοντος ἐν τούτῳ τέτακται, μήτε σωθῆναι δυναμένου τινὸς, εἰ μὴ κρατήσειεν ἡ φύσις τῆς νόσου, μήτε ἀπόλλυσθαι χωρὶς τοῦ νικηθῆναι μὲν τὴν φύσιν, ἐπικρατέστερον δὲ αὐτῆς γενέσθαι τὸ νόσημα.
For the very crucial factor of the destruction of the patient is established in this: that no one can be saved unless nature overcomes the disease, nor can anyone perish without nature being conquered on the one hand, and the disease becoming more dominant than it on the other.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτό γέ τινες ἓν σημαίνεσθαι νομίζουσιν ἐκ τοῦ μεγάλου νοσήματος, ἐν τῷ πρός τι συνισταμένου, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι λέγεται μέν ποτε καὶ οὕτω τὸ μέγα νόσημα, καθάπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ μεῖζον ἐλέγομεν, ὅταν ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμιν ᾖ· λέγεται δὲ καὶ κατ’ ἰδίαν οὐσίαν, ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἢ ἵππος, ἢ βοῦς μέγας.
And for this very reason, some people think that one thing is signified by "great disease," as it is constituted in relation to something, not knowing that "great disease" is indeed sometimes spoken of in this way, as if we were to say "greater," when it is beyond the power; but it is also spoken of according to its own essence, just as a "great" man, or horse, or ox.
ἀποδέδεικται δέ μοι καὶ περὶ τούτου τοῦ διττοῦ σημαινομένου πολλάκις ἤδη δι’ ἑτέρων· τὸ δὲ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐξεργάζεσθαι, φλύαρον·
And this twofold signification has already been demonstrated by me many times in other works; but to work out everything in all [writings] is trifling.
ὅπερ οὖν εἰς τὰ παρόντα χρήσιμον ὑπάρχει, τοῦτο ἐρῶ.
Therefore, what is useful for the present, this I will say.
τῶν νοσημάτων ἕκαστον αὐτὸ μὲν καθ’ ἑαυτὸ κέκτηταί τινα πηλικότητα, βέλτιον γὰρ οὕτως εἰπεῖν ἕνεκα σαφηνείας, ἤτοι δὲ ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμίν ἐστιν ἡ πηλικότης αὕτη τοῦ νοσήματος, ὡς βαρύνειν αὐτὴν, ἢ τοὐναντίον ἀσθενεστέρα τῆς δυνάμεως, ὡς νικηθῆναι πρὸς ἐκείνης, ἁπάντων τῶν καλῶς γινομένων.
Each of the diseases in itself possesses a certain magnitude (for it is better to speak thus for the sake of clarity), and either this magnitude of the disease is beyond the power, so as to weigh it down, or, on the contrary, it is weaker than the power, so as to be conquered by it, when all things go well.
ὅταν οὖν ὑπὲρ τὴν δύναμιν ᾖ, τεθνήξεται πάντως ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
When, therefore, it is beyond the power, the human being will certainly die.