§1.2.27#2Ἢ δὴ οὕτω διαιρετέον τὸ σημεῖον, τούτων δὲ τὸ μέσον τεκμήριον ληπτέον (τὸ γὰρ τεκμήριον τὸ εἰδέναι ποιοῦν φασὶν εἶναι, τοιοῦτο δὲ μάλιστα τὸ μέσον), ἢ τὰ μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων σημεῖον λεκτέον, τὰ δʼ ἐκ τοῦ μέσου τεκμήριον· ἔνδοξότατον γὰρ καὶ μάλιστα ἀληθὲς τὸ διὰ τοῦ πρώτου σχήματος.
Or indeed we must divide the sign in this way, and of these take the middle one as a tekmerion (for they say that a tekmerion is that which produces knowledge, and the middle term is most of all such), or we must call those from the extremes a sign, and those from the middle a tekmerion; for that which is through the first figure is most reputable and most true.
Τὸ δὲ φυσιογνωμονεῖν δυνατόν ἐστιν, εἴ τις δίδωσιν ἅμα μεταβάλλειν τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὅσα φυσικά ἐστι παθήματα· μαθὼν γὰρ ἴσως μουσικὴν μεταβέβληκέ τι τὴν φυχήν, ἀλλʼ οὐ τῶν φύσει ἡμῖν ἐστὶ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος, ἀλλ᾿ οἷον ὀργαὶ καὶ ἐπιθυμίαι τῶν φύσει κινήσεων.
And physiognomy is possible, if one grants that the body and the soul change together in all those passive states which are natural; for having learned music, perhaps, a man has changed his soul in some way, but this is not one of the passive states natural to us, but rather such things as anger and desires belong to natural movements.
εἰ δὴ τοῦτό τε δοθείη καὶ ἓν ἑνός σημεῖον εἶναι, καὶ δυναίμεθα λαμβάνειν τὸ ἴδιον ἑκάστου γένους πάθος καὶ σημεῖον, δυντησόμεθα φυσιογνωμονεῖν.
If then this should be granted and also that there is one sign for one thing, and we are able to take the peculiar passive state and the sign of each class, we shall be able to practice physiognomy.
εἰ γάρ ἐστιν ἰδίᾳ τινὶ γένει ὑπάρχον ἀτόμῳ πάθος, οἷον τοῖς λέουσιν ἀνδρεία, ἀνάγκη καὶ σημεῖον εἶναί τι· συμπάσχειν γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ὑπόκειται.
For if there is a passive state belonging uniquely to some individual class, as courage to lions, there must also be some sign of it; for it is assumed that they suffer together with each other.
καὶ ἔστω τοῦτο τὸ μεγάλα τὰ ἀκρωτήρια ἔχειν· ὃ καὶ ἄλλοις ὑπάρχειν γένεσι μὴ ὅλοις ἐνδέχεται.
And let this be having large extremities; which can also belong to other classes, though not to them as a whole.
τὸ γὰρ σημεῖον οὕτως ἴδιόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ὅλου γένους ἴδιόν ἐστι, καὶ οὐ μόνου ἴδιον, ὥσπερ εἰώθαμεν λέγειν.
For the sign is peculiar in this way, that it is peculiar to a whole class, and not peculiar to it alone, as we are accustomed to say.
ὑπάρξει δὴ καὶ ἐν ἄλλῳ γένει τοῦτο, καὶ ἔσται ἀνδρεῖος ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἄλλο τι ζῷον.
This will indeed belong to another class too, and there will be a courageous man and some other animal.
ἕξει ἄρα τὸ σημεῖον· ἓν γὰρ ἑνὸς ἦν.
It will therefore have the sign; for there was one for one.
εἰ τοίνυν ταῦτʼ ἐστί, καὶ δυντησόμεθα τοιαῦτα σημεῖα συλλέξαι ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ζῴων ἃ μόνον ἓν πάθος ἔχει τι ἴδιον, ἕκαστον δʼ ἔχει σημεῖον, ἐπείπερ ἓν ἔχειν ἀνάγκη, δυνησόμεθα φυσιογνωμονεῖν.
If, then, these things are so, and we are able to collect such signs in the case of those animals which have only some one peculiar passive state, and each has a sign, since it must have one, we shall be able to practice physiognomy.
εἰ δὲ δύο ἔχει ἴδια ὅλον τὸ γένος, οἷον ὁ λέων ἀνδρεῖον καὶ μεταδοτικόν, πῶς γνωσόμεθα πότερον ποτέρου σημεῖον τῶν ἰδίᾳ ἀκολουθούντων σημείων;
But if the whole class has two peculiar properties, as the lion has courage and liberality, how shall we know which of the signs that follow peculiarly belongs to which property?
ἢ εἰ ἄλλῳ τινὶ μὴ ὅλῳ ἄμφω, καὶ ἐν οἷς μὴ ὅλοις ἑκάτερον, ὅταν τὸ μὲν ἔχῃ τὸ δὲ μή· εἰ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖος μὲν ἐλευθέριος δὲ μή, ἔχει δὲ τῶν δύο τοδί, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ λέοντος τοῦτο σημεῖον τῆς ἀνδρείας.
Or if both belong to some other class though not to the whole of it, and in those classes where each does not belong to the whole, when one class has the one property and not the other; for if a man is courageous but not liberal, and has this one of the two signs, it is clear that in the lion too this is the sign of courage.
Ἔστι δὴ τὸ φυσιογνωμονεῖν τῷ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ σχῆματι τὸ μέσον τῷ μὲν πρώτῳ ἄκρῳ ἀντιστρέφειν, τοῦ δὲ τρίτου ὑπερτείνειν καὶ μὴ ἀντιστρέφειν, οἷον ἀνδρεία τὸ Α, τὰ ἀκρωτήρια μεγάλα ἐφʼ οὗ Β, τὸ δὲ Γ λέων.
Thus physiognomy is possible by the middle term in the first figure converting with the first extreme, but exceeding the third and not converting with it, as let A be courage, B large extremities, and Γ lion.
ᾧ δὴ τὸ Γ, τὸ Β παντί, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοις.
To whatever Γ belongs, B belongs to all of it, but also to others.
ᾧ δὲ τὸ Β, τὸ παντὶ καὶ οὐ πλείοσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀντιστρέφει· εἰ δὲ μή, οὐκ ἔσται ἓν ἑνὸς σημεῖον.
But to whatever B belongs, A belongs to all of it and to no more, but they convert; otherwise, there will not be one sign for one thing.