§1#9Οὐ περὶ τῶν τῆς ὑγείας ἕνεκα γυμναζομένων ἔοικε ποιεῖσθαι τὸν λόγον νῦν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν γυμναστικῶν τι μετιόντων ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ μήτε παύεσθαι τελέως αὐ-τοῦ δυναμένων μήτε εἰς πάνυ βραχὺ συστεῖλαι, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεῖ τοῦ μὲν γυμνασίου τὸ τρίτον μέρος, τῶν δὲ σιτίων τὸ ἥμισυ.
He seems to be making his discourse now not about those who exercise for the sake of health, but about those who pursue some athletic training and are able neither to cease from it completely nor to contract it into a very small scale; for this reason he subtracts from them a third part of their exercise, and half of their food.
τοσοῦτο γὰρ ἐλπίζει κρατήσειν αὐτοῦ, ὡς μηκέτι ἀπεπτεῖν τε καὶ διαῤῥοΐζεσθαι.
For he hopes to control it to such an extent that they no longer suffer from indigestion or diarrhea.
ὀρθῶς δ᾿ ἐποίη-σε κᾀνταῦθα προσγράψας αὐτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν, ᾦ χρώμενος αὐτά τε ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις εἰρημένα συνεβούλευσε.
And he did rightly here too by writing in addition their reasoning, using which he advised both these very things and those mentioned alongside them.
γίνε-ται γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ τρόπος οὗτος τῆς διαῤῥοΐης τοῖσι πυκνο-σάρκοισι, ὅταν κρεηφαγεῖν ἀναγκάζωνται, δηλώσας ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῶν γυμναστικῶν εἶναι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ.
For he says, "this kind of diarrhea occurs in those with dense flesh, whenever they are forced to eat meat," thus showing here that his discourse is about athletic matters.
κρεηφαγεῖν γὰρ ἀναγκάζουσι τούτους·
For they force these people to eat meat.
εἶτ᾿ ἐφεξῆς φησιν, αἱ φλέβες πυ-κνωθεῖσαι οὐκ ἀντιλαμβάνονται τῶν σιτίων τῶν εἰσιόντων. ἀσαφῶς δὲ εἶπε τοῦτο καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἠναγκάσθησαν ὑπολα-βεῖν οἱ ἐξηγηταὶ τὸ τὰς πυκνωθείσας αὐτὸν λέγειν, ἀντὶ τοῦ σκληρὰς γινομένας καὶ δυσεπεκτάτους, ὡς μὴ παραδέ-χεσθαι τὴν τροφὴν καὶ σημαίνεσθαι τοῦτό φασιν, ἐκ τοῦ οὐκ ἀντιλαμβάνονται τῶν σιτίων, ἀλλὰ τοῦτό γε τὴν ἀνάδο-σιν μᾶλλον, οὐ τὴν πέψιν εἴωθε βλάπτειν, ὥστε διαχωρεῖν μὲν αὐτοὺς ὑγρὰ, οὐ μὴν ἄπεπτα.
Then next he says, "the veins, having become dense, do not take up the food coming in." But he said this obscurely, and for this reason the commentators were forced to understand him to mean by "having become dense" "becoming hard and difficult to expand," so as not to receive the food. And they say this is indicated by "they do not take up the food"; but this sort of thing is accustomed to harm distribution rather than digestion, so that they pass indeed moist, but not undigested stools.
προείρηται δὲ ὑπ᾿ αὐ-τοῦ σιτώδη καὶ ἄπεπτα τοὺς τοιούτους διαχωρεῖν.
But it was said before by him that such people pass food-like and undigested stools.
ὁπόταν δὲ προσγράψαντος αὐτοῦ τὸν λογισμὸν, ᾧ πιστεύσας συνεβούλευσεν ἅ συνεβούλευσεν, ὅμως ἀπορία τις ὑπολείπεται, τί χρὴ νομίζειν γίνεσθαι κατ᾿ ἐκείνους τῶν λόγων, ἐν οἷς οὐ προσέγραψε τὴν αἰτίαν ὧν κελεύει ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς.
But when, though he wrote in addition the reasoning, trusting which he advised what he advised, nevertheless some difficulty remains, what must we think happens in those of his discourses in which he did not write in addition the cause of what he commands us to do?
ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ μὲν μὴ προσεγεγράφει περὶ τῶν πυκνοσάρκων, ὡμολόγουν ἂν ἀπορεῖν παντάπασιν ὡς ἐπὶ πολλῶν ἄλλων, ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον προστεθέντος τοῦ συγγραφέως ἀποφαίνονται τολ-μηρότατοι τὸ ἐπελθὸν αὐτοῖς οἱ ἐξηγηταί.
But for my part, if he had not written in addition about those with dense flesh, I would confess that I was completely at a loss, as in many other cases, in which, though nothing of the sort was added by the author, the boldest of the commentators declare whatever comes to their minds.
ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐμνημόνευσε τῶν πυκνοσάρκων, ἀφορμὴν ἔδωκε τοῦ γράψαι τι καὶ αὐτοὺς χρήσιμον ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων φύσεων.
But since he himself made mention of those with dense flesh, he gave an occasion to write something useful also themselves on such natures.
ἀθροίζουσι γὰρ οὗτοι τάχιστα πλῆθος, ἐλλιπῶς διαπνεόμε-νοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἀναδόσεως ἰσχομένης αὐτοῖς, ὑγρὰ μὲν πάντως γίνεται τὰ διαχωρήματα, ποτὲ δ᾿ οὐχ ὑγρὰ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λεπτὰ καὶ μάλιστα ἐπὶ τῶν ἀδηφαγούντων.
For these people very quickly accumulate abundance, being insufficiently ventilated, and because of this, when distribution is blocked in them, their stools certainly become moist, and sometimes not only moist, but also thin, and especially in the case of those who eat greedily.
ὅταν μὲν γὰρ ἀναδίδοταί τι τῶν καταποθέντων, ἑτοιμότερον ἡ γαστὴρ πέττει τὰ κατάλοιπα.
For when some of the swallowed things are distributed, the stomach more readily digests the rest.
διαμένοντος δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν σιτίων, ὅταν ποτὲ βαρύνηται πρὸς αὐτῶν, ἀποτρίβεται πάντα πρὶν πεφθῆναι.
But when the abundance of food remains in it, whenever it is weighed down by them, it expels everything before it is digested.
ἴσως δὲ καὶ διὰ τὴν σκληρότητα τῶν φλεβῶν ἡ τῆς τροφῆς ἀνάδοσις ἐκωλύετο, μὴ δυναμένων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ πλέον διαστείλασθαι, ἀλλὰ τήν γε τῶν τοιούτων φύσεων ἐπιμέλειαν ἐχρῆν αὐτὸν γεγραφέναι διὰ τῆς εἰς τοὐναντίον ἀγωγῆς.
And perhaps also because of the hardness of the veins, the distribution of food was prevented, they not being able to expand further. But he ought to have written of the care of such natures by means of leading them to the opposite.
ἀραίωσίς τε γὰρ καὶ μά-λαξις ὅλης τῆς ἕξεως εἰσὶν οἱ σκοποὶ, διὰ μαλακῆς τρίψεως καὶ λίπους πολλοῦ ἐν ταῖς πυέλοις γινόμεναι.
For the goals are the loosening and softening of the whole habit, occurring through gentle rubbing and much oil in the baths.
ὁ δέ γε πρὸς τὸ σύμπτωμα μόνον ἵσταται, παραλιπὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν οἷον ῥί-ζαν ἐκκόψαι.
But he stops at the symptom alone, neglecting to cut out its root, as it were.
λέλεκται δὲ κατὰ τὴν προκειμένην ῥῆσιν καὶ τοῦτο αὐτῷ. δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ἡ κοιλία συνθάλπειν οὐ δύνα-ται. καὶ μὴν εἴπερ ἀληθῶς ᾐτιάσατο τὴν πυκνότητα τῆς ἕξεως καὶ τὰς φλέβας οὐκ ἀντιλαμβανομένας τῆς τροφῆς, οὐκ ὀρθῶς αἰτιᾶται τὴν κοιλίαν.
And this also has been said by him in the proposed passage: "For it is indeed clear that the belly cannot warm them through." And yet, if indeed he truly blamed the density of the habit and the veins not taking up the food, he does not rightly blame the belly.
εἰ μέν τις αὐτῷ συγχω-ρήσειεν ἀληθεύειν ἐν τούτῳ, συγχωρήσειε καὶ τὴν ἐφεξῆς γεγραμμένην δίαιταν ὀρθῶς εἰρῆσθαι, τὸν ἔξοπτον ἄρτον καὶ τὸ ποτὸν εὔκρατον. ἔλαττον δὲ καὶ τὴν μονοσιτίαν καὶ τὸ μὴ περιπατεῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς σιτίοις.
If indeed anyone should grant him to speak truly in this, he would also grant that the regimen written next was rightly stated: the thoroughly baked bread and the well-tempered drink; and still less eating once a day and not walking after meals.
"Ἐστὶ δὲ αὕτη μὲν ὀξείη ἡ φύσις καὶ τρέπεται ἐφ᾿ ἑκάτερα καὶ ἀκμάζει ὀλίγον χρόνον ἡ εὐεξίη ἐν τοῖσι τοιουτοτρό-ποισι τῶν σωμάτων. "[q. 1]
Ὀξεῖαν εἶπε τὴν τῶν πυκνοσάρκων φύσιν, ἐν ἴσῳ τῷ ταχείας ποιουμένην τὰς μεταβολάς.
"But this nature is acute and turns to either side and good condition flourishes for a short time in such types of bodies." [q.1] He called the nature of those with dense flesh "acute", in the sense of making rapid changes.
ἐπιφέρων γοῦν ἐρεῖ καὶ τρέπεται ἐφ᾿ ἑκάτερα, τουτέστιν ἐπί τε τὴν εὐεξίην καὶ τοὐναντίον.
At least, in what follows he will say, "and turns to either side", that is, to good condition and the opposite.
ἐφεξῆς δ᾿ ἔτι φησὶ, καὶ ἀκμάζει ὀλίγον χρόνον ἡ εὐεξίη ἐν τοῖσι τοιουτοτρόποισι τῶν σωμάτων. ἐδείχθη γὰρ ἐν τοῖς εἰς τοὺς ἀφορισμοὺς ὑπομνήμασιν ὅτι ἡ τῶν γυμναστικῶν εὐεξία μετὰ πληρώσεως αἵματός τε καὶ σαρκῶν τὴν ῥώμην φυλάττουσα τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων.
And next he further says, "and good condition flourishes for a short time in such types of bodies." For it was shown in the commentaries on the Aphorisms that athletic well-being, along with the fullness of blood and flesh, preserves the strength of the natural faculties.
ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τὴν ἐπ᾿ ἄκρον εὐεξίαν ἐδείκνυμεν εἶναι σφαλερὰν, οὐ ταχέως γιγνομένην ἐν τοῖς ἀραιοῖς σώμασιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πυκνοσάρκων, ἐπεὶ τάχιστα γίνεται, διὰ τὸ δυσφόρητον ἀναγκαζομένη δηλονότι μεταπίπτειν εὐθέως ὀξεῖαν ποιεῖται τὴν γένεσιν καὶ τὴν λύσιν.
But just as there we showed that extreme well-being is dangerous, not occurring quickly in rare bodies, so also in the case of those with dense flesh, since it occurs very quickly, because of its being difficult to bear, being forced obviously to change immediately, it makes its generation and dissolution acute.
"Τὰ δὲ ἀραιότερα τῶν εἰδέων καὶ δασύτερα καὶ τὴν κρεη-φαγίην δέχεται καὶ τὰς ταλαιπωρίας μᾶλλον ὑπομένει καὶ χρονιώτεραι γίνονται αὐτέοισιν αἱ εὐεξίαι. "[q. 2]
Ὅτι τὰ δασύτερα τῶν σωμάτων ἀραιότερον ἔχει τό τε δέρμα καὶ τὸ σαρκῶδες γένος ἐμάθομεν ἐν τοῖς περὶ κρά-σεων.
"But the rarer of the forms and hairier both receive meat- eating and endure hardships more, and their well-beings become longer-lasting." [q.2] That the hairier of bodies have both the skin and the fleshy kind rarer we learned in "On Temperaments".
ταῦτ᾿ οὖν εἰκότως φησὶ καὶ τὴν κρεηφαγίαν ἀνέχε-σθαι μᾶλλον, ὡς ἂν διαπνεόμενα καὶ τὰς ταλαιπωρίας· ἧσ-σον γὰρ ἁλίσκεται κόποις.
Naturally, therefore, he says that these also tolerate meat-eating more, as being ventilated, and hardships; for they are less seized by fatigues.
ἐμάθομεν καὶ τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς ὑγιεινοῖς.
We learned this too in "On Health".
εἰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τὰς εὐεξίας ἕξει χρονιωτέρας, ὡς ἂν μὴ εἰς ἄκρον ἀφικνουμένας ἑτοίμως.
And if indeed these will also have their well-beings longer-lasting, as not readily arriving at the extreme.