§10.36Διὰ τί οἱ εὐνοῦχοι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα εἰς τὸ θῆλυ διαφθειρόμενοι μεταβάλλουσιν·
Why is it that eunuchs, while being corrupted in other respects, change into the female nature?
καὶ γὰρ φωνὴν θηλυκὴν ἴσχουσιν καὶ ὀξύτητα καὶ ἀναρθρίαν, καὶ οὕτω σφόδρα μεταπίπτουσιν ὡς καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις τὰ ἐκτεμνόμενα.
For they have a female voice, high pitch, and lack of articulation, and they change so violently just as those animals which are castrated.
ἐναντίως δ’ οἱ ταῦροι καὶ οἱ κριοὶ τὰ κέρατα ἴσχουσι, διότι καὶ τὰ θήλεα ἐναντίως αὐτῶν ἔχει.
On the contrary, bulls and rams have their horns in the opposite way, because the females also have them in the opposite way to them.
διὸ οἱ μὲν μείζω ἐκτεμνόμενοι ἴσχουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἐλάττω.
Therefore, some of them when castrated have larger horns, and others smaller.
τὸ δὲ μέγεθος μόνον οἱ εὐνοῦχοι εἰς τὸ ἄρρεν μεταβάλλουσιν·
But in size alone, eunuchs change into the male direction; for they become larger.
μείζους γὰρ γίνονται. ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο τοῦ ἄρρενος· τὰ γὰρ θήλεα ἐλάττω ἐστὶ τῶν ἀρρένων.
And this is characteristic of the male; for females are smaller than males.
ἢ οὐδὲ τοῦτο εἰς τὸ ἄρρεν, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸ θῆλυ;
Or is even this change not into the male, but into the female?
οὐ γὰρ εἰς πᾶν τὸ μέγεθος, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸ μῆκος μόνον, τὸ δὲ ἄρρεν καὶ εἰς πλάτος καὶ εἰς βάθος· τότε γὰρ τετελείωται.
For they do not grow in size in every dimension, but in length alone, whereas the male grows also in width and depth; for then it is perfected.
ἔτι δὲ ὡς ἔχει τὸ θῆλυ πρὸς τὸ ἄρρεν, οὕτως αὐτοῦ τοῦ θήλεος ἡ παρθένος πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα· ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἤδη γενναία, ἡ δὲ οὔ.
Moreover, as the female is related to the male, so within the female sex itself is the virgin to the woman; for the latter is already mature, but the former is not.
εἰς τὴν τούτων οὖν μεταβάλλει· ἐπὶ μῆκος γὰρ ταύταις ἡ αὔξησις.
Therefore they change into the nature of these; for in them, growth is in the direction of length.
διὸ καὶ Ὅμηρος εὖ τὸ
μῆκος δ’ ἔπορ’ Ἄρτεμις ἁγνή,
ὡς διὰ τὴν παρθενίαν, ὅ εἶχε, δυναμένης δοῦναι.
Hence Homer also beautifully says: "And chaste Artemis granted her height," as if Artemis were able to grant it because of the virginity which she herself possessed.
οὔκουν εἰς τὸ ἄρρεν κατὰ τὸ μέγεθος μεταβάλλει.
Therefore, they do not change into the male according to size.
οὐ γὰρ εἰς τὸ τέλειον μεταβάλλει.
For they do not change into the perfected state.
οἱ δὲ εὐνοῦχοι εἰς μέγεθος τὸ μῆκος ἐπιδιδόασιν.
Rather, eunuchs increase their length in size.
§10.37Διὰ τί οἱ εὐνοῦχοι ἢ ὅλως οὐκ ἴσχουσιν ἢ ἧττον ἰξίας;
Why is it that eunuchs either do not suffer from sciatica at all, or do so less?
ἢ ὅτι μεταβάλλουσι τὴν φύσιν ἐν τῇ ἐκτμήσει εἰς τὰ ἄγονα;
Is it because they change their nature by castration into sterile things?
τοιαῦτα δὲ παῖς καὶ γυνή, ὧν οὐδέτερον ἴσχει ἰξίας, εἰ μή τι σπάνιον γυνή.
And such are the child and the woman, neither of whom suffers from sciatica, except rarely in the case of a woman.
§10.38Διὰ τί μᾶλλον ἄνθρωπος πολλὰς φωνὰς ἀφίησιν, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα μίαν, ἀδιάφορα ὄντα τῷ εἴδει;
Why does man rather emit many vocal sounds, whereas other animals emit only one, being indistinct in their species?
καὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου μία φωνή, ἀλλὰ διάλεκτοι πολλαί.
And of man, too, there is only one voice, but many dialects.
§10.39Διὰ τί δὲ αὕτη ἄλλη, τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις οὔ;
And why is this one varied, but not in other animals?
ἢ ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἄνθρωποι γράμματα πολλὰ φθέγγονται, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων τὰ μὲν οὐδέν, ἔνια δὲ δύο ἢ τρία τῶν ἀφώνων;
Is it because humans pronounce many letters, whereas among other animals some pronounce none, and some only two or three of the consonants?
ταῦτα δὲ ποιεῖ μετὰ τῶν φωνηέντων τὴν διάλεκτον.
And these, together with vowels, produce dialect.
ἔστι δὲ ὁ λόγος οὐ τὸ τῇ φωνῇ σημαίνειν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πάθεσιν αὐτῆς, καὶ μὴ ὅτι ἀλγεῖ ἢ χαίρει.
And speech is not showing meaning by voice, but by its modifications, and not just that one is in pain or rejoices.
τὰ δὲ γράμματα πάθη ἐστὶ τῆς φωνῆς.
And letters are modifications of the voice.
ὁμοίως δὲ οἵ τε παῖδες καὶ τὰ θηρία δηλοῦσιν· οὐ γάρ πω οὐδὲ τὰ παιδία φθέγγονται τὰ γράμματα.
Likewise, both children and wild beasts show their feelings; for not even young children yet pronounce letters.
§10.40Διὰ τί μόνον τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ἄνθρωπος γίνεται ἰσχνόφωνον;
Why is it that among other animals, man alone becomes a stammerer?
πότερον ὅτι καὶ ἐνεόν, ἡ δὲ ἰσχνοφωνία ἐνεότης ἐστίν;
Is it because he also becomes mute, and stammering is a kind of muteness?
ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ οὐδ’ ὅλως πεπλήρωται τοῦτο τὸ μόριον.
Or is it because this part is not perfected at all?
ἢ ὅτι κοινωνεῖ μᾶλλον λόγου, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα φωνῆς;
Or is it because he participates more in speech, while other animals participate in voice?
ἔστι δὲ ἡ ἰσχνοφωνία οὐ κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα ἓν ἢ οὐδὲ συνεχῶς διεξιέναι.
And stammering is the inability to go through one name or to speak continuously.
§10.41Διὰ τί ἄνθρωπος γίνεται ἐκ γενετῆς χωλὸς μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων;
Why does man, of all animals, most become lame from birth?
πότερον ὅτι ἰσχυρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐστὶ σκέλη τῶν ζῴων;
Is it because the legs of other animals are strong?
ὀστώδη γὰρ καὶ νευρώδη καὶ τετράποδα καὶ οἱ ὄρνιθες ἔχουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι σαρκώδη· διὰ τὴν ἁπαλότητα οὖν θᾶττον πηροῦνται ἐν τῇ κινήσει.
For quadrupeds and birds have bony and sinewy legs, while humans have fleshy ones; therefore, because of the softness, they are more quickly disabled in movement.
ἢ διότι μόνον τῶν ζῴων πολλοὺς ἔχει χρόνους τῆς γενέσεως;
Or is it because, alone of animals, he has many periods of gestation?
καὶ γὰρ ἑπτάμηνα καὶ ὀκτάμηνα καὶ δεκάμηνα γίνεται.
For they are born at seven months, eight months, and ten months.
τοῖς δ’ ἄλλοις εἷς χρόνος τῆς τελειώσεως γέγονεν οὐ διατρίψας· τοῖς δ’ ἀνθρώποις πολὺς ὁ χρόνος γίνεται τῆς ἐν πλήθει διατριβῆς, ὥστε κινουμένων διὰ τὸ ἁπαλὰ εἶναι καὶ θραύεται τὰ ἀκρωτήρια ἐν τῷ πλείονι χρόνῳ πλείω.
In other animals there is one period of completion which does not linger; but in humans, the period of lingering in fullness is long, so that when they move, because they are soft, their extremities are shattered and broken more in the longer period.
§10.42Διὰ τί οἱ εὐνοῦχοι ἑλκώδεις τὰς κνήμας ἴσχουσι καὶ σαπράς;
Why is it that eunuchs have ulcerous and decayed shins?
πότερον ὅτι καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες, οἱ δ’ εὐνοῦχοι γυναικικοί;
Is it because women also do, and eunuchs are womanish?
ἢ τοῦτο μὲν συμβέβηκεν, αἴτιον δὲ καὶ ταῖς γυναιξὶν ὅτι ἡ θερμότης κάτω ὁρμᾷ.
Or is this accidental, and the cause in women also is that heat rushes downwards?
δηλοῖ δὲ τὰ γυναικεῖα.
And menstruation shows this.
διὸ οὐδὲ οἱ εὐνοῦχοι οὐδὲ γυναῖκες δασεῖς γίνονται, διὰ πολλὴν ὑγρότητα.
Therefore, neither eunuchs nor women become hairy, because of much moisture.