§9.1#1## Ι.
Τὰ δ’ ἤθη τῶν ζῴων ἐστὶ τῶν μὲν ἀμαυροτέρων καὶ βραχυβιωτέρων ἧττον ἡμῖν ἔνδηλα κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν, τῶν δὲ μακροβιωτέρων ἐνδηλότερα.
The characters of animals are less obvious to our perception in those that are more obscure and shorter-lived, but more obvious in those that are longer-lived.
Φαίνονται γὰρ ἔχοντά τινα δύναμιν περὶ ἕκαστον τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς παθημάτων φυσικήν, περί τε φρόνησιν καὶ εὐήθειαν καὶ ἀνδρίαν καὶ δειλίαν, περί τε πραότητα καὶ χαλεπότητα καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τὰς τοιαύτας ἕξεις.
For they appear to possess some natural power regarding each of the passions of the soul, namely, prudence, simplicity, courage, cowardice, gentleness, fierceness, and other such habits.
Ἔνια δὲ κοινωνεῖ τινὸς ἅμα καὶ μαθήσεως καὶ διδασκαλίας, τὰ μὲν παρ’ ἀλλήλων, τὰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅσαπερ ἀκοῆς μετέχει, μὴ μόνον ὅσα τῶν ψόφων, ἀλλ’ ὅσα καὶ τῶν σημείων διαισθάνεται τὰς διαφοράς.
And some participate in both learning and instruction, some from one another, and some also from humans, namely, all those that possess hearing, not only those that perceive sounds, but those that also discern the differences of signs.
Ἐν πᾶσι δ’ ὅσοις ἐστὶ γένεσι τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν, σχεδὸν ἡ φύσις ὁμοίως διέστησε τὸ ἦθος τῶν θηλειῶν πρὸς τὸ τῶν ἀρρένων.
And in all genera in which there is the female and the male, nature has distinguished the character of the females from that of the males in a nearly similar way.
Μάλιστα δὲ φανερὸν ἐπί τε τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῶν μέγεθος ἐχόντων καὶ τῶν ζῳοτόκων τετραπόδων· μαλακώτερον γὰρ τὸ ἦθός ἐστι τὸ τῶν θηλειῶν, καὶ τιθασσεύεται θᾶττον, καὶ προσίεται τὰς χεῖρας μᾶλλον, καὶ μαθητικώτερον, οἷον καὶ αἱ Λάκαιναι κύνες αἱ θήλειαι εὐφυέστεραι τῶν ἀρρένων εἰσίν.
This is most obvious in humans, in those of large size, and in viviparous quadrupeds; for the character of the females is softer, and is tamed more quickly, and admits handling more readily, and is more apt to learn, just as Laconian female dogs are more sagacious than the males.
Τὸ δ’ ἐν τῇ Μολοττίᾳ γένος τῶν κυνῶν τὸ μὲν θηρευτικὸν οὐδὲν διαφέρει πρὸς τὸ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις, τὸ δ’ ἀκόλουθον τοῖς προβάτοις τῷ μεγέθει καὶ τῇ ἀνδρίᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὰ θηρία.
But the Molossian breed of dogs, as far as hunting is concerned, does not differ at all from that of other places, but the breed that follows sheep excels in size and in courage against wild beasts.
Διαφέρουσι δ’ οἱ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ φιλοπονίᾳ, οἵ τε ἐκ τῶν ἐν τῇ Μολοττίᾳ γιγνομένων κυνῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν Λακωνικῶν.
And those bred from both differ in courage and industry, namely, those from Molossian dogs and those from Laconian dogs.
Ἀθυμότερα δὲ τὰ θήλεα πάντα τῶν ἀρρένων πλὴν ἄρκτου καὶ παρδάλεως· τούτων δ’ ἡ θήλεια δοκεῖ εἶναι ἀνδρειοτέρα.
All females are less spirited than males, except the bear and the leopard; of these, the female seems to be more courageous.
Ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις γένεσι τὰ θήλεα μαλακώτερα καὶ κακουργότερα καὶ ἧττον ἁπλᾶ καὶ προπετέστερα καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν τέκνων τροφὴν φροντιστικώτερα, τὰ δ’ ἄρρενα ἐναντίως θυμωδέστερα καὶ ἀγριώτερα καὶ ἁπλούστερα καὶ ἧττον ἐπίβουλα.
But in the other genera, the females are softer, more mischievous, less simple, more impetuous, and more caring about the nourishment of their young, while the males are contrariwise more passionate, fiercer, simpler, and less insidious.
Τούτων δ’ ἴχνη μὲν τῶν ἠθῶν ἐστὶν ἐν πᾶσιν ὡς εἰπεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ φανερώτερα ἐν τοῖς ἔχουσι μᾶλλον ἦθος καὶ μάλιστα ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἔχει τὴν φύσιν ἀποτετελεσμένην, ὥστε καὶ ταύτας τὰς ἕξεις εἶναι φανερωτέρας ἐν αὐτοῖς.
Traces of these characters exist in almost all, so to speak, but they are more obvious in those that possess character more, and especially in humans; for humans have their nature completed, so that these habits also are more obvious in them.
Διόπερ γυνὴ ἀνδρὸς ἐλεημονέστερον καὶ ἀρίδακρυ μᾶλλον, ἔτι δὲ φθονερώτερον καὶ μεμψιμοιρότερον, καὶ φιλολοίδορον τὸ θῆλυ τοῦ ἄρρενος καὶ δύσελπι, καὶ ἀναιδέστερον καὶ ψευδέστερον, εὐαπαητότερον δὲ καὶ μνημονικώτερον, ἔτι δὲ ἀγρυπνότερον καὶ ὀκνηρότερον καὶ ὅλως ἀκινητότερον τὸ θῆλυ τοῦ ἄρρενος, καὶ τροφῆς ἐλάττονός ἐστιν.
Wherefore a woman is more compassionate than a man and more ready to weep, and moreover more envious and querulous, and the female is more fond of scolding than the male and more desponding, and more shameless and false, more easily deceived, and more retentive of memory, and moreover more wakeful, more shrinking, and altogether more inactive than the male, and requires less food.
Βοηθητικώτερον δέ, ὥσπερ ἐλέχθη, καὶ ἀνδρειότερον τὸ ἄρρεν τοῦ θήλεός ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς μαλακίοις, ὅταν τῷ τριώδοντι πληγῇ ἡ σηπία, ὁ μὲν ἄρρην βοηθεῖ τῇ θηλείᾳ, ἡ δὲ θήλεια φεύγει τοῦ ἄρρενος πληγέντος.
But the male, as was said, is more ready to help and more courageous than the female, since even among cephalopods, when the cuttlefish is struck with the trident, the male helps the female, but the female flees when the male is struck.