§4#2ἐκ τούτου δὲ τοῦ γένους ἐστὶ καὶ ὅσα διὰ θερμότητα τὴν κεφαλὴν συμπληροῖ, καθάπερ οἶνός τε καὶ νᾶπυ καὶ πετροσέλινον καὶ δαῦκος καὶ κρόμμυον καὶ σμύρνιον.
To this class belong also all those things which, because of their heat, fill the head, such as wine, mustard, rock-parsley, wild carrot, onion, and smyrnium.
ταῦτα μὲν καὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἐστὶ καυσώδη τε κακόχυμα.
These indeed are even beyond what is necessary burning hot and of bad juice.
τὸ δὲ νᾶπυ καίτοι γ’ ἐπιτηδειότατον ὑπάρχον ὅσον ἐπὶ τὸ τέμνειν τοὺς χυμοὺς, ὡς ἁπτόμενον τῆς κεφαλῆς παραιτητέον.
But mustard, although being most suitable as far as cutting the juices is concerned, must be avoided because it affects the head.
ὀξυμέλιτι δὲ χρηστέον θαῤῥοῦντα, κᾂν εἰ καθ’ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν βούλοιο.
But one should use oxymel with confidence, even if you should wish to do so every day.
δύναται δὲ ἥ τε κάππαρις δι’ αὐτοῦ λαμβάνεσθαι καί τινα ταρίχη τῶν μικρῶν, ἐλαίου δηλονότι παραχεομένου βραχέος, εἰς ὅσον ἡδῦναι προσήκει τὸ ὄψον.
And it is possible for capers to be taken with it, as well as some of the small salt-fish, a little olive oil clearly being poured over them, as much as is proper to season the side-dish.
ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὥσπερ τι φάρμακόν ἐστιν αὐτῆς τῆς διαθέσεως.
Indeed, this is like a remedy for the condition itself.
καὶ μᾶλλον εἰ καὶ τὸ ὄξος ἐσκευασμένον εἴη διὰ τῶν σκιλλῶν, ὃ δὴ καλοῦσι συνήθως ἅπαντες ἤδη σκιλλητικὸν, ὅπερ ἐγὼ μὲν, εἴπερ τι καὶ ἄλλο, καὶ τούτων· θάτερον ἐφ’ ἑκάστῃ κελεύω λαμβάνειν ἡμέρᾳ, λέγω δὲ τὴν κάππαριν ἢ τὸ τάριχος ὀξυμέλιτος ἔχον.
And even more so if the vinegar should be prepared with squills, which indeed everyone now commonly calls squill-vinegar, and which I, if anything else, recommend among these; and I order that one of the two be taken every day, I mean either the capers or the salt-fish with oxymel.
εἰ δὲ καὶ πίνειν ἐθελήσειεν ὁ παῖς ὀξύμελι, ἔστω μὲν ἐσκευασμένον ἕτοιμον, οὐκ αὐτοσχέδιον ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ συντιθέμενον ἐξ ὠμῶν ἀμφοτέρων.
And if the child should also wish to drink oxymel, let it be prepared and ready, not offhand, mixed on the spot from both ingredients raw.
ὡς δὲ χρὴ σκευάζειν αὐτὸ, γεγράψεται μετ’ ὀλίγον.
How it ought to be prepared will be written a little later.
ὕδατι δὲ κεραννύσθω πλείονι· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἥδιον οὕτω γένοιτ’ ἄν· καὶ χειμῶνος μὲν θερμὸν λαμβανέσθω, θέρους δὲ οὐδὲν ἂν κωλύσειε καὶ ψυχρῷ χρῆσθαι πολλάκις, εἰ θάλπος γε ὑπερβάλλον εἴη καὶ δίψος σφοδρὸν καὶ ὁ λαμβάνων μὴ παντάπασιν ἀήθης πόσεως ψυχροῦ.
And let it be mixed with more water; for indeed it would also be more pleasant in this way; and in winter let it be taken warm, but in summer nothing would prevent using it cold often, if indeed there should be excessive heat and violent thirst, and the one taking it is not altogether unaccustomed to drinking cold.
τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα καὶ ἀδιψότατόν ἐστιν ὀξύμελι τὸ μὴ λίαν γλυκὺ καὶ μᾶλλον εἰ ὕδατι ψυχρῷ κεραννύοιτο.
For, among other things, oxymel that is not too sweet is most effective at quenching thirst, and even more so if it should be mixed with cold water.
καί μοι πολλάκις ἤρκεσεν ἐπίληπτον παῖδα τελέως ἐξιᾶσθαι μετὰ τὴν πρώτην κάθαρσιν, οὐδὲν τῆς ἀρχαίας διαίτης μεταποιήσαντι, πλὴν τὰ περὶ τὴν δόσιν τοῦ ὀξυμέλιτος καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν τοῦ φαρμάκου.
And it has often been sufficient for me to cure completely an epileptic child after the first purgation, having changed nothing of the ancient diet except for what concerns the dosage of oxymel and the use of the remedy.
ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ μήτε γινώσκω τὴν φύσιν τοῦ παιδός σου, μήτ’ εἰς ὅσον ἰσχύος ἥκει τὸ πάθος οἶδα, μήτ’ αὐτὸς ἐφεστάναι μέλλω παρὼν, οὐκ ἔχω μαντεύσασθαι τίνων ἐλαχίστων τὸν ἀριθμὸν δεῖται βοηθημάτων, ἀλλ’ ἄμεινον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ περὶ πάντων ὑποτίθεσθαι.
But since I neither know the nature of your child, nor do I know to what degree of strength the disease has come, nor am I myself going to be present to supervise, I cannot divine what is the minimum number of remedies he needs, but it seems better to me to give instructions concerning everything.
μετὰ τοίνυν τὰ γυμνάσια κατὰ τὸ ἄριστον ὀξυμέλιτί τε χρηστέον, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ λαχάνοις τισὶν ἐλαίαις τε καὶ καρύοις καὶ σύκοις καὶ ἰσχάσιν, οὐχ ἅμα πᾶσιν ἐφ’ ἑκάστης ἡμέρας.
Therefore, after the exercises, at breakfast, one should use oxymel, as has been said, and some vegetables, olives, nuts, fresh figs, and dried figs, not all of them at the same time on each day.
ἓν γάρ που καὶ ἁπλοῦν ἔστω τὸ λαμβανόμενον, ἀλλ’ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ποικίλλεσθαι τὴν δίαιταν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων δίειμι.
For what is taken should indeed be single and simple, but for the sake of varying the diet, I am going through everything.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, ὡς ἐλέγετο, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀκροδρύων ἁπτέον ἐπιθυμοῦντος τοῦ παιδὸς, ἐπεὶ ἄλλως γε κάλλιον ἀπέχεσθαι μὴ ὅτι νοσήματος ἰάσεως ἕνεκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὅλην ὑγείαν, ὡς καὶ ἡμᾶς ὁρᾷς ἀπεχομένους ἁπάντων σχεδὸν τῶν ὡραίων ἐδεσμάτων.
And at this time, as was said, the child may also touch the other fruits if he desires them, since otherwise indeed it is better to abstain, not only for the sake of curing the disease, but also for general health, just as you see us also abstaining from almost all seasonal foods.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐ φιλοσόφοις γράφομεν ὑποθήκας διαίτης ὑγιεινῆς, ὡς ἔμοιγε τοῦτ’ ἂν ἦν εὐκταιότατον, οὐκ εἰς τὴν τοῦ πάθους ἴασιν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν σύμπαντα τοῦ παιδός σου βίον.
But indeed, we are not writing precepts of a healthy diet for philosophers, although for my part this would have been most desirable, not only for the cure of the disease, but also for the entire life of your child.
ἐπιτρεπτέον οὖν αὐτῷ προσφέρεσθαι φανερῶς τε καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν, ὅσα μὴ μεγάλας ἔχει τὰς βλάβας, ἵνα μὴ λαθραίως τε καὶ ἀκαίρως ἀπολαβὼν αὐτῶν βλάπτηται μειζόνως.
Therefore, he must be allowed to take, openly and at the proper time, those things which do not have great harms, so that he may not, by taking them secretly and out of season, be harmed more greatly.
καὶ γὰρ ἀθρόως καὶ πλειόνως ἐμπίπλανται τῶν ἐπιθυμουμένων οἱ φανερῶς ἐξειργόμενοι μὴ χρῆσθαι.
For indeed, those who are openly barred from using them gorge themselves on the desired things all at once and in greater quantity.
ταῦτά τοι καὶ συγχωρῶ τοῖς παισὶν ἐγὼ πολλὰ τῶν οὐκ ἐπιτηδείων ἐδεσμάτων, ὅσα γε μὴ μεγάλως βλάπτει φανερῶς τε καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν καὶ σὺν τῷ προσήκοντι μέτρῳ προσφέρεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ ὥστε διὰ τὴν σφοδρὰν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀκαίρως ἀναγκασθῆναι πλείω τε ἅμα καὶ λάβρως προσενέγκασθαι.
For this reason, I allow children to take many of the unsuitable foods, as long as they do not harm greatly, openly and at the proper time and with the fitting measure, rather than that they should be compelled by violent desire to take more at once and greedily out of season.
τὰ μὲν δὴ κατὰ τὴν τροφὴν οὕτω διατετάχθω.
Let the matters concerning food, then, be arranged in this way.