§1## ΠΕΡΙ ΕΝΥΠΝΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΣ ΚΑΘ’ ΥΠΝΟΝ ΜΑΝΤΙΚΗΣ.
Περὶ δὲ τῆς μαντικῆς τῆς ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις γινομένης καὶ λεγομένης συμβαίνειν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνυπνίων, οὔτε καταφρονῆσαι ῥᾴδιον οὔτε πεισθῆναι.
## ON DREAMS AND PROPHECY IN SLEEP. As for the prophecy that occurs in sleep and is said to come from dreams, it is neither easy to despise nor easy to believe.
Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πάντας ἢ πολλοὺς ὑπολαμβάνειν ἔχειν τι σημειῶδες τὰ ἐνύπνια παρέχεται πίστιν ὡς ἐξ ἐμπειρίας λεγόμενον, καὶ τὸ περὶ ἐνίων εἶναι τὴν μαντικὴν ἐν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις οὐκ ἄπιστον· ἔχει γάρ τινα λόγον, διὸ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐνυπνίων ὁμοίως ἄν τις οἰηθείη.
For the fact that everyone or many people suppose dreams to have some diagnostic value provides credit as being said from experience, and that prophecy exists in some dreams is not incredible; for it has some reason, which is why one might think similarly about other dreams as well.
Τὸ δὲ μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν εὔλογον ὁρᾶν, καθ’ ἣν ἂν γίνοιτο, τοῦτο διαπιστεῖν ποιεῖ· τό τε γὰρ θεὸν εἶναι τὸν πέμποντα, πρὸς τῇ ἄλλῃ ἀλογίᾳ, καὶ τὸ μὴ τοῖς βελτίστοις καὶ φρονιμωτάτοις ἀλλὰ τοῖς τυχοῦσι πέμπειν ἄτοπον.
But seeing no reasonable cause by which it would happen makes one disbelieve; for that God is the sender, in addition to other irrationality, is absurd to send not to the best and wisest but to ordinary people.
Ἀφαιρεθείσης δὲ τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ αἰτίας οὐδεμία τῶν ἄλλων εὔλογος εἶναι φαίνεται αἰτία· τὸ γὰρ περὶ τῶν ἐφ’ Ἡρακλείαις στήλαις ἢ τῶν ἐν Βορυσθένει προορᾶν τινάς, ὑπὲρ τὴν ἡμετέραν εἶναι δόξειεν ἂν σύνεσιν εὑρεῖν τούτων τὴν ἀρχήν.
If the cause from God is removed, none of the other causes seems to be reasonable; for that some people foresee things at the Pillars of Heracles or on the Borysthenes would seem to be beyond our comprehension to find the origin of these.
Ἀνάγκη δ’ οὖν τὰ ἐνύπνια ἢ αἴτια εἶναι ἢ σημεῖα τῶν γιγνομένων ἢ συμπτώματα, ἢ πάντα ἢ ἔνια τούτων ἢ ἓν μόνον.
It is therefore necessary that dreams are either causes or signs of what happens, or coincidences, either all or some of these or only one.
Λέγω δ’ αἴτιον μὲν οἷον τὴν σελήνην τοῦ ἐκλείπειν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὸν κόπον τοῦ πυρετοῦ, σημεῖον δὲ τῆς ἐκλείψεως τὸ τὸν ἀστέρα εἰσελθεῖν, τὴν δὲ τραχύτητα τῆς γλώττης τοῦ πυρέττειν, σύμπτωμα δὲ τὸ βαδίζοντος ἐκλείπειν τὸν ἥλιον· οὔτε γὰρ σημεῖον τοῦ ἐκλείπειν τοῦτ’ ἐστὶν οὔτ’ αἴτιον, οὔθ’ ἡ ἔκλειψις τοῦ βαδίζειν.
I mean by cause, for example, the moon of the sun's eclipse and fatigue of the fever, and by sign of the eclipse the star's entry, and the roughness of the tongue of the fever, and by coincidence the sun's eclipse while walking; for this is neither a sign nor a cause of the eclipse, nor the eclipse of the walking.
Διὸ τῶν συμπτωμάτων οὐδὲν οὔτ’ ἀεὶ γίνεται οὔθ’ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ.
Therefore, none of the coincidences occurs either always or for the most part.
Ἆρ’ οὖν ἐστὶ τῶν ἐνυπνίων τὰ μὲν αἴτια, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα, οἷον τῶν περὶ τὸ σῶμα συμβαινόντων;
Are there then some dreams that are causes and others that are signs, like those occurring concerning the body?
Λέγουσι γοῦν καὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν οἱ χαρίεντες ὅτι δεῖ σφόδρα προσέχειν τοῖς ἐνυπνίοις· εὔλογον δ’ οὕτως ὑπολαβεῖν καὶ τοῖς μὴ τεχνίταις μέν, σκοπουμένοις δέ τι καὶ φιλοσοφοῦσιν.
Indeed, even the refined among physicians say that we must pay great attention to dreams; and it is reasonable for those who are not experts, but who observe and philosophize, to suppose so as well.
Αἱ γὰρ μεθ’ ἡμέραν γινόμεναι κινήσεις, ἂν μὴ σφόδρα μεγάλαι ὦσι καὶ ἰσχυραί, λανθάνουσι παρὰ μείζους τὰς ἐγρηγορικὰς κινήσεις.
For the movements occurring during the day, unless they are very great and strong, pass unnoticed beside the larger waking movements.
Ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὐναντίον· καὶ γὰρ αἱ μικραὶ μεγάλαι δοκοῦσιν εἶναι.
But in sleeping, the opposite happens; for even small movements seem to be great.
Δῆλον δ’ ἐπὶ τῶν συμβαινόντων κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους πολλάκις· οἴονται γὰρ κεραυνοῦσθαι καὶ βροντᾶσθαι μικρῶν ἤχων ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶ γινομένων, καὶ μέλιτος καὶ γλυκέων χυμῶν ἀπολαύειν ἀκαριαίου φλέγματος καταρρέοντος, καὶ βαδίζειν διὰ πυρὸς καὶ θερμαίνεσθαι σφόδρα μικρᾶς θερμασίας περί τινα μέρη γιγνομένης.
This is clear from what often happens during sleep; for they think they are struck by lightning and thundering when small noises occur in their ears, and that they enjoy honey and sweet juices when a tiny drop of phlegm flows down, and that they walk through fire and are intensely heated when a small warmth occurs around some parts.
Ἐπεγειρομένοις δὲ ταῦτα φανερὰ τοῦτον ἔχοντα τὸν τρόπον.
For those who wake up, these things are clearly of this manner.
Ὥστ’ ἐπεὶ μικραὶ πάντων αἱ ἀρχαί, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τῶν νόσων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων παθημάτων τῶν ἐν τοῖς σώμασι μελλόντων γίνεσθαι.
So since the beginnings of all things are small, it is clear that those of diseases and other affections about to happen in the bodies are too.
Φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι ταῦτα ἀναγκαῖον ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις εἶναι καταφανῆ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τῷ ἐγρηγορέναι.
It is therefore clear that these must be more manifest in sleep than in waking.
Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἔνιά γε τῶν καθ’ ὕπνον φαντασμάτων αἴτια εἶναι τῶν οἰκείων ἑκάστῳ πράξεων οὐκ ἄλογον· ὥσπερ γὰρ μέλλοντες πράττειν καὶ ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν ὄντες ἢ πεπραχότες πολλάκις εὐθυονειρίᾳ τούτοις σύνεσμεν καὶ πράττομεν (αἴτιον δ’ ὅτι προωδοποιημένη τυγχάνει ἡ κίνησις ἀπὸ τῶν μεθ’ ἡμέραν ἀρχῶν), οὕτω πάλιν ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὰς καθ’ ὕπνον κινήσεις πολλάκις ἀρχὴν εἶναι τῶν μεθ’ ἡμέραν πράξεων διὰ τὸ προωδοποιῆσθαι πάλιν καὶ τούτων τὴν διάνοιαν ἐν τοῖς φαντάσμασι τοῖς νυκτερινοῖς.
Furthermore, it is not unreasonable that some of the phantasms in sleep are causes of the actions appropriate to each; for just as when we are about to act, or are acting, or have acted, we are often with these in a vivid dream and do them (the cause being that the movement from daytime beginnings happens to have been prepared), so again it is necessary that movements in sleep are often the beginning of daytime actions because the intellect has been prepared again for these in the nocturnal phantasms.
Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐνδέχεται τῶν ἐνυπνίων ἔνια καὶ σημεῖα καὶ αἴτια εἶναι.
Thus, indeed, it is possible for some dreams to be both signs and causes.
Τὰ δὲ πολλὰ συμπτώμασιν ἔοικε, μάλιστα δὲ τά τε ὑπερβατὰ πάντα καὶ ὧν μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἡ ἀρχὴ ἀλλὰ περὶ ναυμαχίας καὶ τῶν πόρρω συμβαινόντων ἐστίν· περὶ γὰρ τούτων τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἔχειν εἰκὸς οἷον ὅταν μεμνημένῳ τινὶ περί τινος τύχῃ τοῦτο γινόμενον· τί γὰρ κωλύει καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις οὕτως;
But most seem to be coincidences, especially all those that are extraordinary and whose beginning is not in ourselves but concerns a sea-battle and things happening far away; for concerning these it is likely to be in the same manner as when someone happens to have a memory of something and this occurs; for what prevents this also in sleep?
Μᾶλλον δ’ εἰκὸς πολλὰ τοιαῦτα συμβαίνειν.
Rather, it is likely that many such things happen.
Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐδὲ τὸ μνησθῆναι περὶ τοῦδε σημεῖον οὐδ’ αἴτιον τοῦ παραγενέσθαι αὐτόν, οὕτως οὐδ’ ἐκεῖ τοῦ ἀποβῆναι τὸ ἐνύπνιον τῷ ἰδόντι οὔτε σημεῖον οὔτ’ αἴτιον, ἀλλὰ σύμπτωμα.
Just as, therefore, remembering someone is neither a sign nor a cause of his arrival, so indeed in that case, the dream coming true is for the dreamer neither a sign nor a cause, but a coincidence.
Διὸ καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἐνυπνίων οὐκ ἀποβαίνει· τὰ γὰρ συμπτώματα οὔτ’ ἀεὶ οὔθ’ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ γίνεται.
Therefore, indeed, many dreams do not come true; for coincidences occur neither always nor for the most part.