§4Τοιοῦτος μὲν δή τις ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ περὶ τούτων λόγος, ὁ δὲ περὶ τῶν γυμνασίων τοιόσδε.
Such, indeed, is the argument concerning these things, while that concerning exercise is as follows.
τὰ γυμναζόμενα μόρια τοῦ σώματος ἰσχυρότερά θ’ ἅμα καὶ τυλωδέστερα γίνεται καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο δύναται φέρειν τὰς οἰκείας κινήσεις μᾶλλον ἑτέρων, ὅσα δι’ ἀγυμνασίαν μαλακώτερ’ ἐστὶ καὶ ἀσθενέστερα.
The parts of the body that are exercised become stronger and at the same time more calloused, and by virtue of this they are able to bear their proper movements more than other parts which, through lack of exercise, are softer and weaker.
κοινὸς δ’ ὁ λόγος οὗτος ὑπάρχει καὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς γυμνασίων· γυμναζόμεθα γὰρ πρῶτα μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς γραμματικοῖς ἔτι παῖδες ὄντες, εἶθ’ ἑξῆς παρά τε τοῖς ῥητορικοῖς διδασκάλοις ἀριθμητικοῖς τε καὶ λογιστικοῖς καὶ γεωμετρικοῖς.
And this principle is common also to the exercises of the soul; for we are exercised first in grammar when we are still children, and then next under teachers of rhetoric, arithmetic, calculation, and geometry.
οὐσῶν γὰρ δυνάμεων κατὰ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡγεμονικὸν εἰς ἁπάσας τέχνας ἀναγκαῖον ἑτέραν μὲν εἶναι, καθ’ ἣν ἀκόλουθόν τε καὶ μαχόμενον γνωρίζομεν, ἑτέραν δέ, καθ’ ἣν μεμνήμεθα· συνετώτεροι μὲν κατὰ τὴν πρότερον εἰρημένην, μένην, μνημονευτικώτεροι δὲ κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν γινόμεθα φύσιν ἐχουσῶν ἁπασῶν τῶν δυνάμεων ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν γυμνασίων αὐξάνεσθαί τε καὶ ῥώννυσθαι, βλάπτεσθαι δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀργίας, ὥς που καὶ Πλάτων ἐν Τιμαίῳ κατὰ τήνδε τὴν ῥῆσιν ἐδήλωσεν αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασιν εἰπὼν ὧδε· ,,καθάπερ εἴπομεν πολλάκις, ὅτι τρία ψυχῆς ἐν ἡμῖν εἴδη κατῴκισται, τυγχάνει δ’ ἕκαστον κινήσεις ἔχον, οὕτω κατὰ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ νῦν ὡς διὰ βραχυτάτων ῥητέον, ὅτι τὸ μὲν αὐτῶν ἐν ἀργίᾳ διάγον καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κινήσεων ἡσυχίαν ἄγον ἀσθενέστατον ἀνάγκη γίγνεσθαι, τὸ δ’ ἐν γυμνασίοις ἐρρωμενέστατον· διὸ φυλακτέον, ὅπως ἂν ἔχωσι τὰς κινήσεις πρὸς ἄλληλα συμμέτρους“. ταῦτα προειπὼν ἐφεξῆς φησι,,τὸ δὲ δὴ περὶ τοῦ κυριωτάτου τοῦ παρ’ ἡμῖν ψυχῆς εἴδους διανοεῖσθαι δεῖ τῇδε, ὡς ἄρα αὐτὸ δαίμονα ὁ θεὸς ἑκάστῳ δέδωκε, τοῦτο ὃ δή φαμεν οἰκεῖν μὲν ἡμῶν ἐπ’ ἄκρῳ τῷ σώματι, πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ ξυγγένειαν ἀπὸ γῆς ἡμᾶς αἴρειν ὡς ὄντας φυτὸν οὐκ ἔγγειον ἀλλ’ οὐράνιον, ὀρθότατα λέγοντες·
For since there are faculties in the ruling part of the soul for all arts, it is necessary that there is one by which we recognize logical consequence and conflict, and another by which we remember; we become more understanding according to the former, and of better memory according to the second, all faculties having a nature to be increased and strengthened by exercise, but harmed by inactivity, as indeed Plato also declared in the Timaeus in this passage, saying in these very words: "Just as we have said many times that three kinds of soul have settled within us, and each happens to have movements, so in the same way we must now say as briefly as possible, that whichever of them passes its time in inactivity and keeps its own movements at rest must necessarily become weakest, whereas that which is in exercises becomes strongest; wherefore we must guard that they may have their movements commensurate with one another." Having said these things beforehand, he says next: "But concerning the most sovereign kind of soul in us, we must think in this way: namely, that God has given it to each as a guardian spirit (daemon)—this which we say dwells at the summit of our body, and raises us from the earth toward our kinship in heaven, as we are a plant not of the earth but of heaven, speaking most correctly; for from there, whence the first birth of the soul arose, the divine suspends our head and root, keeping the whole body upright.
ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ὅθεν ἡ πρώτη τῆς ψυχῆς γένεσις ἔφυ, τὸ θεῖον τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ ῥίζαν ἡμῶν ἀνακρεμαννύον ὀρθοῖ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα. τῷ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἢ περὶ φιλονεικίας τετευτακότι καὶ ταῦτα διαπονοῦντι σφόδρα πάντα τὰ δόγματα ἀνάγκη θνητὰ γεγονέναι καὶ παντάπασι καθ’ ὅσον μάλιστα δυνατὸν θνητῷ γίγνεσθαι, τούτου μηδὲ σμικρὸν ἐλλείπειν ἅτε τοσοῦτον ηὐξηκότι·
For him, then, who has been occupied with desires or rivalries and severely labors at these, all his thoughts must necessarily have become mortal, and as far as is most possible for a mortal, he must become altogether mortal, falling not even a little short of this, inasmuch as he has increased that part so much.
τῷ δὲ περὶ φιλομαθίας καὶ περὶ τὰς τῆς ἀληθείας φρονήσεις ἐσπουδακότι καὶ ταῦτα μάλιστα τῶν αὑτοῦ γεγυμνασμένῳ φρονεῖν μὲν ἀθάνατα καὶ θεῖα, ἄνπερ ἀληθείας ἐφάπτηται, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη που, καθ’ ὅσον δ’ αὖ μετασχεῖν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ἀθανασίας ἐνδέχεται, τούτου μηδὲν μέρος ἀπολιπεῖν, ἅτε δὲ ἀεὶ θεραπεύοντα τὸ θεῖον ἔχοντά τε αὐτὸν εὖ κεκοσμημένον τὸν δαίμονα ξύνοικον ἐν αὑτῷ διαφερόντως εὐδαίμονα εἶναι.
But for him who has been earnest about love of learning and about thoughts of truth, and has exercised these most of all his parts, to think immortal and divine things, if indeed he touches truth, is of every necessity; and as far as, on the other hand, it is possible for human nature to share in immortality, he leaves no part of this behind, and because he is always tending the divine and keeping the guardian spirit dwelling with him well-ordered, he must be exceptionally happy (eudaimon).
θεραπεία δὲ δὴ παντὶ παντὸς μία, τὰς οἰκείας ἑκάστῳ τροφὰς καὶ κινήσεις ἀποδιδόναι“. ἐν τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ὁ Πλάτων περὶ τῶν τριῶν τῆς ψυχῆς εἰδῶν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς οὐ μόνον εἰς φιλοσοφίαν τι χρήσιμον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ὑγίειαν ἀκολουθήσας Ἱπποκράτει κατὰ τοῦτο καθόλου μὲν εἰπόντι,,χρῆσις κρατύνει, ἀργίη τήκει“, κατ’ εἶδος δ’ ἐπὶ γυμνασίων αὖθις ἐν τῷ φάναι,,πόνοι σιτίων ἡγείσθωσαν“, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν κατὰ μέρος εἰδῶν ἁπάντων,,πόνοι, σιτία, ποτά, ὕπνοι, ἀφροδίσια, πάντα μέτρια“.
And indeed, the care of everything by everyone is one: to render to each its proper nourishments and movements." In these words, Plato taught us concerning the three kinds of soul not only something useful for philosophy but also for the health of the body, following Hippocrates in this, who said generally, "use strengthens, disuse wastes," and specifically regarding exercises again by saying, "labors should precede food," and regarding all particular kinds, "labors, food, drinks, sleep, sex, all in moderation." Therefore, here also one must pay attention precisely to what is said; for it has a certain possibility of being misunderstood, similarly to all other arguments, if one listens carelessly, as some do.
διὸ κἀνταῦθα προσέχειν χρὴ τὸν νοῦν ἀκριβῶς τοῖς λεγομένοις· ἔχει γάρ τινα παρακοὴν ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι λόγοις, ἐάν τις ἀμελῶς ἀκούῃ, καθάπερ ἔνιοι. γυμνάζεσθαι γὰρ ἑκάστην τῶν δυνάμεων ἀξιοῦμεν, οὐ δήπου χωρὶς ὅρων καὶ μέτρων προσηκόντων ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐκτεταμένων τῶν γυμνασίων, ὡς καταλῦσαι τὴν δύναμιν· οὕτω δὲ καὶ σιτίοις καὶ ποτοῖς καὶ ὕπνοις καὶ ἀφροδισίοις ἐν τῷ προσήκοντι μέτρῳ χρῆσθαι μήτ’ ἐλλείποντι μήτε πλεονάζοντι.
For we think it right that each of the faculties be exercised, surely not without proper limits and measures, with exercises extended to the maximum so as to destroy the faculty; and so also we must use food, drinks, sleep, and sex in the proper measure, neither falling short nor exceeding.
αἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑπερβολαὶ καταλύουσί γε τὰς δυνάμεις, τὸ δ’ ἐλλιπὲς ἐν ἑκάστῳ κωλύει τοσοῦτον τῆς τελείας ὠφελείας, ὅσον αὐτὸ τῆς συμμετρίας ἀπολείπεται.
For excesses indeed destroy the faculties, while the deficiency in each prevents the perfect benefit by as much as it falls short of proportion.
παρήγγελτο τοῦτο καὶ ὑφ’ Ἱπποκράτους ἐφ’ ἑνὸς ὡς παραδείγματος, ἔνθα φησίν,,ἐν πάσῃ κινήσει τοῦ σώματος ὅταν ἄρξηται πονέειν, τὸ διαναπαύειν εὐθὺς ἄκοπον“. καί πως ὁ λόγος ἤδη κατὰ τὴν οἰκειότητα τῶν πραγμάτων ἐδίδαξέ τι καὶ περὶ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐθῶν ἐν μνήμαις καὶ διαλογισμοῖς καὶ ζητήσεσι λογικαῖς, ὧν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἐρασίστρατος ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐν τῷ περὶ τῶν ἐθῶν λόγῳ μὴ προσθεὶς τὴν αἰτίαν καίτοι μὴ μόνον τοῦ Ἱπποκράτους ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Πλάτωνος εἰρηκότων αὐτήν.
This was also enjoined by Hippocrates in one case as an example, where he says: "In every movement of the body, when it begins to labor, resting immediately is without fatigue." And somehow, the argument by now, in accordance with the affinity of things, has also taught something about the habits of the soul in memories, reasonings, and rational inquiries, which Erasistratus himself also mentioned in his treatise on habits, without adding the cause, even though not only Hippocrates but also Plato had stated it.
τὸ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις τε καὶ συμμέτροις γυμνασίοις ἑκάστην τῶν δυνάμεων ἐνεργεῖν εὐρωστίαν αὐταῖς ἀποτελεῖ.
For the active operation of each of the faculties in proper and proportionate exercises produces vigor in them.