§3Καίτοι τί λέγω θεασάσθωσαν;
And yet, why do I say "let them witness"?
ἐπέδειξα γὰρ ἤδη πολλάκις αὐτοῖς τοῦτο, καὶ μέμνημαί γε τινὰ καὶ τοιαύτης τινὸς ἀντιλαμβανόμενον ἀδολεσχίας.
For I have already demonstrated this to them many times, and I remember indeed someone laying hold of some such nonsense.
ἔφησε γὰρ οὐχ ἓν δή τι χυμῶν εἶδος ἕλκεσθαι πρὸς ἑκάστου τῶν φαρμάκων, ἀλλὰ ἁπλῶς ἕκαστον μὲν αὐτῶν ἕλκειν ὥσπερ τὰ βδάλλοντα.
For he asserted that not just one specific kind of humors is attracted by each of the drugs, but that simply each of them attracts just as cupping-glasses [do].
τῇ δὲ ὁλκῇ πρότερον μὲν ἀκολουθεῖν τὸ λεπτότερον ἐν τοῖς χυμοῖς, ἐφεξῆς δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ παχύτερον, εἶθ’ οὕτως τὸ παχύτατον.
And [he said that] to the attraction there follows first the thinner of the humors, and next to it the thicker, and then in this way the thickest.
ὧν μὲν ἂν οὖν ἡ ῥώμη φαρμάκων ἐκλύηται θᾶττον, ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑδατώδεσιν ἵστασθαι τὴν κένωσιν. ὧν δ’ ἂν ἐπὶ πλέον ἐξαρκεῖ, κενοῦσθαι τούτων καὶ τὴν ξανθὴν χολήν. ὅσα δὲ ἰσχυρότατα, τούτων καὶ τὴν μέλαιναν ἐπισπᾶσθαι.
Therefore, of whichever of the drugs the strength is dissipated more quickly, the evacuation stops at the watery substances; but of whichever it suffices for longer, by these yellow bile also is evacuated; and as many as are strongest, by these black [bile] also is drawn in.
παραχρῆμα μὲν οὖν ἔδοξε τοῖς θιασώταις ὁ τοιοῦτος εὖ λέγειν καὶ πάντες ἐπεβόων αὐτῷ καὶ δρόμῳ πολλῷ καταλιπὼν ἡμᾶς ἀπηλλάττετο, γινώσκων, οἶμαι, βεβαίως ὅτι μένων ἐξελεγχθήσεται.
Immediately, then, such a person seemed to his followers to speak well, and they all applauded him, and leaving us, he departed in great haste, knowing well, I think, that if he stayed he would be refuted.
δοθέντος μέντοι κατὰ τὴν ὑστεραίαν ὑφ’ ἡμῶν τοῖς χορευταῖς αὐτοῦ βιβλίου τινὸς, ἐν ᾧ τῶν οὕτως ἐξαίφνης ἀποτετολμημένων ἦν ἔλεγχος, οὐκέτ’ οὐδέποτ’ αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις ἔθ’ ὁμοίως ἦν πιθανὸς ἀπορῶν διαλύσασθαι τὰ προβεβλημένα.
However, when on the following day a certain booklet was given by us to his choir-members, in which there was a refutation of things thus suddenly dared, he was never again as persuasive to those very men, being at a loss to resolve the problems put forward.
ταυτὶ γὰρ ἐνεγέγραπτο τῷ βιβλίῳ, χθὲς μὲν ἀπέδρας τὸν λόγον, ὅμοιόν τι ποιήσας ἀγωνιστῇ τὸν στέφανον ἁρπάσαντι καὶ φυγόντι πρὶν ἀγωνίσασθαι, τήμερον δὲ οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸν ἔλεγχον.
For these things had been written in the booklet: "Yesterday you fled from the discussion, doing something like an athlete who snatched the crown and fled before competing; but today you shall not escape refutation.
ἀκολουθήσει γάρ σοι τουτὶ τὸ βιβλίον, εἰς τὰς χείρας ἐμπεσὸν τῶν ἀμφί σε χορευτῶν.
For this booklet will follow you, having fallen into the hands of those choir-members around you.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἧττόν τις πρὸς ἐκείνους ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν ἢ πρός σε, τοὺς οὐδέποτε μὲν ἔμπροσθεν ἀκηκοότας σοῦ συγχωροῦντος ὑπάρχειν ὁλκὴν ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν ὄντων ἁπλῶς, χθὲς δὲ ὁμολογοῦντος ἠκηκοότας ἕλκεσθαι κοινῇ πάντα τὰ περιεχόμενα κατὰ τὰς φλέβας ὑπὸ τοῦ φαρμάκου.
For indeed the argument is no less directed toward them than toward you, who had never before heard you conceding that attraction exists in any being at all, but yesterday heard you admitting that all things contained in the veins are attracted in common by the drug.
δίκαιον γὰρ ἦν αὐτοὺς μὴ ὅτι θαυμάζειν ἢ ὅλως ἐπαινεῖν τὸ ῥηθὲν, ἀλλὰ προδοσίαν ὑπολαμβάνειν ὧν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐτίθετο. περί τε γὰρ οὔρων διακρίσεως καὶ ξανθῆς χολῆς καὶ μελαίνης ἄλλων τε πολλῶν ἐνεργειῶν κατὰ τὸ σῶμα παμπόλλους λόγους ἑκάστοτε ποιεῖσθε, πάντα μᾶλλον ἢ ὁλκὴν εἶναι συγχωροῦντες ἐνέργειαν τινὰ φυσικὴν ἑκάστῳ σώματι τῶν οἰκείων ἑαυτῷ, νυνὶ δὲ οὐ μόνον εἶναι τὴν ὁλκὴν συγχωρήσαντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων ἁπλῶς, ὅπέρ ἐστι πολὺ μεῖζον ὁμολόγημα τοῦ τῶν οἰκείων φάναι.
For it was right for them not merely not to wonder at or praise at all what was said, but to consider it a betrayal of what was laid down from the beginning." For concerning the separation of urine, and of yellow and black bile, and of many other activities in the body, you make very many arguments on each occasion, conceding anything rather than that attraction is some natural activity in each body of the things proper to itself, but now, not only having conceded that attraction exists, but also that it is of all things simply, which is a much greater concession than saying it is of proper things.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὥσπερ τις ἀποκριτικὴ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐστὶ δύναμις ἐν τοῖς ζώοις, οὕτως εἶναι τινὰ καὶ τῶν οἰκείων ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὄντων ἑλκτικὴν, εὔλογον εἶναι δοκεῖ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις, ὅσοι γε μηδέπω τὴν ἡμετέραν σοφίαν σοφοί· τὸ δ’ ἕλκεσθαι πάνθ’ ὁμοτίμως ὑπό τινος, ἄν τ’ οἰκεῖα ταῖς ποιότησιν ἄν τ’ ἐναντιώτατα τύχῃ, θαυμαστῆς ἀλογίας μεστόν.
For that, just as there is some power of rejecting foreign substances in animals, so also there is some power of attracting proper substances for each of the beings, seems reasonable to all men, at least as many as are not yet wise with our wisdom; but that all things are attracted equally by something, whether they happen to be proper in their qualities or most contrary, is full of wonderful absurdity.
οὕτως οὐ μόνον ὡμολόγησας τὴν ὁλκὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολὺ χεῖρον ἢ ἐχρῆν οὐ μόνον τῶν οἰκείων, ἀλλ’ ἁπλῶς ἁπάντων εἰπών.
Thus you not only conceded attraction, but also much worse than you should have, by saying it is not only of proper things, but simply of all things.
οὕτω μὲν δή μοι δοκεῖς οὐκ ἐπαινεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ παροινεῖσθαι δίκαιος ὑπάρχειν ὑπὸ τῶν περί σε χορευτῶν.
Thus, indeed, you seem to me to deserve not so much to be praised as to be treated with drunken outrage by those choir-members around you.
ὅτι δὲ οὐδὲ κέχρησαι ποτὲ καθαίρουσι φαρμάκοις, ἀλλ’ ἰδιώτης τέ τις εἶ καὶ ἄπορος ἔργων ἰατρικῶν, ἐγώ μοι δοκῶ καὶ τοῦτο διὰ ταχέων ἐπιδείξειν.
But that you have never even used purging drugs, but are some layman and inexperienced in medical deeds, I think I shall also demonstrate this quickly.
ὅσα καθαίρειν πέφυκε μέλαιναν χολὴν, εὐθέως ἐξ ἀρχῆς κενοῖ μέλαιναν.
As many things as are of a nature to purge black bile, immediately from the beginning evacuate black [bile].
διαφέρουσι δ’ ἀλλήλων κενώσεις τῷ τὰ μὲν ὑγρότερα, τὰ δ’ ἐφεξῆς αὐτῶν ἀεὶ καὶ μᾶλλον εἶναι παχύτερα.
And the evacuations differ from one another in that some are thinner, and those following them are always and increasingly thicker.
αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς τὸ φλέγμα καὶ τοῖς τὴν ξανθὴν χολὴν ἐκκαθαίρουσιν ὑπάρχει.
This very same thing also belongs to those which purge phlegm and those which purge yellow bile.
ἕλκει μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἕκαστον αὐτῶν τὸν οἰκεῖον χυμὸν, ἀλλ’ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ παχύτερον, οὐ μὴν ὡς σὺ νομίζεις ἐπλήρωσέ τις πρότερον ὅλην λεκάνην ὀῤῥώδους περιττώματος, εἶθ’ ἑξῆς ἄλλην χολῆς ξανθῆς, κᾄπειτ’ ἄλλην φλέγματος, εἶθ’ οὕτως κενοῦσθαι τὴν μέλαιναν.
For each of them from the beginning attracts its proper humor, but in course of time a thicker one, not indeed, as you think, that someone first filled a whole basin with watery waste, then next another with yellow bile, and then another with phlegm, and only in this way was the black [bile] evacuated.
ᾧ δῆλον ὡς ὑπὸ μὲν τοῦ φαρμάκου τὸ οἰκεῖον ἕλκεται, συνέπεται δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ ἐπιπολάζον ὑδατῶδες.
By which it is clear that the proper [humor] is attracted by the drug, and the superficial watery substance follows with it.
ἔνεστι δέ σοι τοῦτο θεᾶσθαι νῦν, εἰ καὶ μὴ πρότερον πλεῖστον μὲν ὑδατῶδες καὶ χολῶδες κενουμένους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις τῶν φαρμάκων δόσεσιν, ὀλιγίστην δὲ τὴν σύμπασαν αὐτοῖς γιγνομένην κένωσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς μελαίνης ἀγωγοῖς.
And it is possible for you to witness this now, even if not before: that men evacuate mostly watery and bilious matter upon such administrations of drugs, but that the total evacuation that happens to them is least upon the attractants of black [bile].
ἐχρῆν δὲ ἀεὶ πλεῖστον μὲν τὸ σύμπαν ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς μελαίνης κενοῦσθαι κατά γε τὴν σὴν ὑπόθεσιν, ἐλάχιστον δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑδατώδεσίν τε καὶ χολώδεσιν.
Yet it ought always, according to your hypothesis, for the total [evacuation] to be greatest upon the attractants of black [bile], and least upon the watery and bilious ones.
ἀσθενείᾳ γάρ που καὶ ῥώμῃ τῶν φαρμάκων ὁ λόγος σου διέκρινε τὴν τῶν κενουμένων ἰδέαν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῖς τῆς μελαίνης ἀγωγοῖς.
For surely by the weakness and strength of the drugs your argument distinguished the character of the evacuated substances, as [being greatest] upon the attractants of black [bile].
ἐπεὶ δὲ ῥώμῃ ταῦτα τῶν ἄλλων διαφέρει, παμπόλλη τις ἡ κένωσις γενήσεται, πρώτη μὲν τοῦ ὑδατώδους ἅπαντος, εἶτα τοῦ χολώδους, εἶτα τοῦ φλεγματώδους, εἶτ’ αὐτῆς τῆς μελαίνης.
And since these differ from the others in strength, the evacuation will be very great, first of all the watery, then of the bilious, then of the phlegmatic, then of the black [bile] itself.
ἐπὶ δέ γε τῶν ἀσθενῶν ὑπηλάτων αὐτὰ μόνα κενωθήσεται τὰ ὑδατώδη.
But in the case of weak purgatives, only the watery substances themselves will be evacuated.
φαίνεται δὲ οὐδὲν τούτων γιγνόμενον, ὥστε ταῦτα τὰ φαινόμενα καταβάλλει σου τὸν λόγον.
But none of these things is seen to happen, so that these phenomena overthrow your argument.
ἄξιον δὲ ἀποκρίνεσθαί σε καὶ διὰ τί τῶν παχυτέρων ἀεὶ μετὰ τὰ λεπτότερα κενουμένων ἡ μέλαινα χολὴ προτέρα τοῦ αἵματος ἕλκεται, καίτοι γε οἷον ἰλύς τις οὖσα τοῦ αἵματος, ὡς ἐν τοῖς οἴνοις ἡ τρύξ.
And it is worth your while to answer also why, when the thicker substances are always evacuated after the thinner, black bile is attracted prior to blood, even though it is like some dregs of blood, as the lees are in wines.