§2#2καθάπερ οὖν ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις κατὰ γένος οὐ σμικρὰ διαφορὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἑκάστῳ τροφῶν ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ κατ’ εἶδος ἐν τοῖς γένεσιν εὑρίσκονται διαφοραὶ μεγάλαι τῶν μὲν μηδὲ γεύσασθαι δυναμένων οἴνου, πάμπολυ δ’ ἑτέρων ἀλύπως πινόντων καὶ τῶν μέν, ὡς εἴρηται, τά τε τῶν βοῶν καὶ τράγων καὶ κριῶν κρέα μεθ’ ἡδονῆς μὲν ἐσθιόντων, πεττόντων δ’ ἀλύπως, τῶν δὲ μηδὲ τὴν ὀσμὴν αὐτῶν ὑπομενόντων, μήτι γε τὴν ἐδωδὴν καὶ εἰ δι’ ἀπορίαν ἐδέσματος ἑτέρου, καθάπερ ἐν λιμῷ γίνεται, βιάσαιντο σφᾶς αὐτοὺς προσάρασθαι τὸ τοιοῦτον κρέας, οὔτε πέψαι δυναμένων αὐτὸ χωρὶς βλάβης ἀνατρεπομένων τε τὴν ὄρεξιν ἐπὶ τῇ προσφορᾷ βαρυνομένων τε παραχρῆμα κἂν ἐρυγή τις αὐτοῖς ἐπιγένηται, μηδὲ ταύτης ἀλύπως ἀνεχομένων.
Therefore, just as in animals at the level of genus there is no small difference in the foods suitable to each, so also at the level of species within the genera great differences are found—some being unable even to taste wine, while others drink a great deal of it without trouble; and some, as has been said, eating the meat of oxen, goats, and rams with pleasure and digesting it without trouble, while others cannot endure even their smell, let alone the eating of them, and if, due to a lack of other food (as happens in a famine), they force themselves to take such meat, they can neither digest it without harm, and their appetite is overturned at its offering, and they are immediately weighed down, and even if a belch occurs to them, they do not tolerate even this without trouble.
ὅτι δὲ ταῦθ’ οὕτως ἔχοντα φαίνεται, πρῶτον μὲν ἐκείνου χρὴ μεμνῆσθαι, τοῦ προσφέρεσθαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἥδιον ἄλλον ἄλλο κατὰ τὴν οἰκειότητα τῆς φύσεως ἔρχεσθαί τε πρὸς τὴν τῶν τοιούτων ἐδωδὴν μᾶλλον, ὥσπερ γε καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν εὐπέπτων αὐτοῖς εἶναι φανέντων, ἀποστρέφεσθαι δὲ καὶ φεύγειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἀηδῶν καὶ δυσπέπτων, ὥστε σημεῖον εἶναι τὸ ἔθος οἰκειότητος φυσικῆς.
And as for the fact that these things appear to be so, we must first of all remember that humans, according to the suitability of their nature, proceed to the eating of one thing or another with more pleasure, and they turn more towards the eating of such things as have appeared to be easy for them to digest, but they turn away from and flee those that are unpleasant and difficult to digest, so that habit is a sign of natural suitability.
ὅτι δὲ καὶ αἰτία γίνεται πολλάκις, δῆλον ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ μὲν ἀηδῶς ἢ βλαβερῶς ὑπό τινων διατιθεμένων, εἰ δὲ κατὰ βραχὺ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὰ συνήθειαν ὑπομείναιεν, οὔτ’ ἀηδῶς οὔτε βλαβερῶς ἔτι διατιθεμένων.
But that it also often becomes a cause is clear from those who are at first affected unpleasantly or harmfully by certain things, but if they endure the custom of them by degrees, they are no longer affected unpleasantly or harmfully.
ἡ δ’ αἰτία καὶ τοῦδε τοιαύτη τις ἐστίν· ὥσπερ ἀλλοιοῦται κατὰ ποιότητα τῶν ἐσθιομένων τε καὶ πινομένων ἕκαστον, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸ διατίθησί πως τὸ ἀλλοιοῦν.
And the cause of this also is something like this: just as each of the things eaten and drunk is altered in quality, so also it itself in some way affects that which alters it.
ἔνεστι δὲ καὶ τούτου λαβεῖν ἐναργὲς τεκμήριον ἐκ τῆς τῶν γεννωμένων χυμῶν διαφορᾶς ὑφ’ ἑκάστου τῶν ἐδεσμάτων· τὰ μὲν γὰρ μελαγχολικὸν αἷμα γεννᾷ, τὰ δὲ φλεγματικὸν ἢ τὴν ὠχράν τε καὶ ξανθὴν ὀνομαζομένην χολὴν οὐκ ὀλίγην ἔχον, ὥσπερ ἔνια καθαρὸν αἷμα·
And it is possible to take a clear proof of this from the difference of the humors generated by each of the foods; for some generate melancholic blood, others phlegmatic blood or blood containing not a little of the bile called pale and yellow, just as some generate pure blood.
διαφορὰν οὖν τινα καὶ τοῖς τρεφομένοις μορίοις ἀναγκαῖον γίνεσθαι πρὸς ἄλληλα κατὰ τὴν τοῦ τρέφοντος αἵματος ἰδέαν.
Therefore, it is necessary that some difference also arises in the nourished parts in relation to one another according to the quality of the nourishing blood.
ἐναργὲς δὲ τεκμήριον τῆς τῶν τρεφομένων ὁμοιώσεως πρὸς τὸ τρέφον ἡ τῶν φυτῶν τε καὶ σπερμάτων μεταβολὴ μέχρι τοσούτου γινομένη πολλάκις, ὡς τὸ βλαβερώτατον ἐν ἑτέρᾳ γῇ μεταφυτευθὲν εἰς ἑτέραν γῆν οὐ μόνον ἀβλαβὲς ἀλλὰ καὶ χρήσιμον γίνεσθαι.
And a clear proof of the assimilation of the nourished to the nourishing is the change of plants and seeds, which often occurs to such an extent that the most harmful plant, when transplanted into another soil, becomes not only harmless but also useful.
πολλὴ γὰρ καὶ ἡ τούτων πεῖρα τοῖς τὰ γεωργικά τε καὶ περὶ φυτῶν ὑπομνήματα συνθεῖσι, καθάπερ γε καὶ τοῖς περὶ τῆς τῶν ζῴων ἱστορίας γράψασι τῆς κατὰ τὰ χωρία γινομένης μεταβολῆς.
For there is much experience of these things both for those who have compiled treatises on agriculture and plants, just as also for those who have written on the history of animals concerning the change that occurs according to the regions.
ἐπεὶ τοίνυν οὐ μόνον ἀλλοιοῦται τὸ τρέφον ὑπὸ τοῦ τρεφομένου, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτό πως τιν’ ἀλλοιοῖ βραχεῖαν ἀλλοίωσιν, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τὴν βραχεῖαν ταύτην ἀξιόλογον ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ γίνεσθαι, ὥστ’ εἰς ἴσον ἥκειν οἰκειότητι φυσικῇ τὴν ἐκ τῶν πολυχρονίων ἐθῶν.
Since, therefore, the nourishing is not only altered by the nourished, but also itself in some way alters it with a slight alteration, it is necessary that this slight alteration becomes significant over time, so that the suitability from long-standing habits arrives at an equality with natural suitability.