§18.6Διὰ τί, ἅπερ ἄν τινες προέλωνται, ἐνδιατρίβουσι τούτοις ἐνίοτε φαύλοις οὖσι μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τοῖς σπουδαιοτέροις.
Why is it that, whatever people choose, they sometimes spend their time on these things, even if they are trivial, rather than on more serious things?
οἷον θαυματοποιὸς ἢ μῖμος ἢ συρικτὴς μᾶλλον ἢ ἀστρονόμος ἢ ῥήτωρ εἶναι ἂν βούλοιτο ὁ ταῦτα προελόμενος.
For instance, one who has chosen these would rather wish to be a juggler, an actor, or a piper, than an astronomer or a rhetorician.
ἢ ὅτι βούλονται μὲν ἔνιοι τὰ σπουδαιότατα μεταχειρίζεσθαι, διὰ δὲ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν ἑαυτοῖς ὡς δυνησομένοις, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ πράττουσιν;
Or is it because some wish to undertake the most serious things, but because they do not trust themselves that they will be able to, they do not do them?
ἢ ὅτι ἐν οἷς οἴεται ἕκαστος κρατιστεύειν, ταῦτα προαιρεῖται· ὃ δὲ αἱρεῖται, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦτ’ ἐπείξεται, νέμων τὸ πλεῖστον ἡμέρας αὐτῷ μέρος, ἵνα αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ τυγχάνῃ κράτιστος ὤν.
Or is it because each person chooses those things in which he thinks he excels; and what he chooses, he will also press toward, devoting the greatest part of the day to it, so that he may happen to be the best he can be?
ὅ τι δὲ ἄν τινες ἐξ ἀρχῆς προέλωνται καὶ οἷς ἂν συνεθισθῶσιν, οὐδὲ κρίνειν ἔτι δύνανται τὰ βελτίω· διέφθαρται γὰρ ἡ διάνοια διὰ φαύλας προαιρέσεις.
But whatever people choose from the beginning and whatever they are accustomed to, they are no longer able even to judge what is better; for their intellect has been corrupted by trivial choices.
§18.7Διὰ τί τοὺς μέν, ἂν ἄρξωνται ἀναγιγνώσκειν, ὕπνος λαμβάνει καὶ μὴ βουλομένους, τοὺς δὲ [οὐ] βουλομένους ποεῖ δύνασθαι, ὅταν λάβωσι βιβλίον;
Why is it that some people, if they begin to read, are seized by sleep even against their will, while for others who do [not] wish [to sleep], it makes them able [to stay awake] when they take up a book?
ἢ ὅσοις μέν εἰσι πνευματικαὶ κινήσεις διὰ ψυχρότητα φύσεως ἢ μελαγχολικῶν χυμῶν, δι’ οὓς περίττωμα γίνεται πνευματικὸν ἄπεπτον διὰ ψυχρότητα, τούτοις ὅταν μὲν κινῆται ἡ διάνοια καὶ μὴ νοῇ ἐπιστήσασασά τι, ἐκκρούεται ἡ ἑτέρα κίνησις, διὸ μᾶλλον μεταβάλλοντες πολὺ τὴν διάνοιαν καθεύδουσιν·
Or is it because for those who have psychic movements due to the coldness of their nature or to melancholic humors, by which a cold, undigested psychic residue is produced, when their intellect is in motion but does not comprehend after directing itself to something, the other movement is knocked out, wherefore they fall asleep, changing their intellect very much?
ἡττᾶται γὰρ ἡ πνευματική.
For the psychic movement is defeated.
ὅταν δὲ ἐρείσωσι πρός τι τὴν διάνοιαν, ὅπερ ἡ ἀνάγνωσις ποιεῖ, κινοῦνται ὑπὸ τῆς πνευματικῆς κινήσεως, οὐκ ἐκκρουομένης ὑπ’ οὐδενός, ὥστε οὐ δύνανται καθεύδειν.
But when they anchor their intellect to something, which is what reading does, they are moved by the psychic movement, which is knocked out by nothing, so that they cannot sleep.
τῶν δὲ κατὰ φύσιν ἐχόντων ὅταν στῇ πρὸς ἓν ἡ διάνοια καὶ μὴ μεταβάλλῃ πολλαχῇ, ἵσταται καὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα περὶ τὸν τόπον, ὧν ἠρέμησις ὁ ὕπνος ἐστίν.
But in those who are in a natural state, when the intellect stops at one thing and does not shift in many directions, all the other things around this region also stop, the rest of which is sleep.
ἑνὸς γὰρ κυρίου στάντος, ὥσπερ ἐν τροπῇ, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα μόρια ἵστασθαι πέφυκεν.
For when one sovereign thing stops, as in a rout, the other parts also naturally stop.
φύσει γὰρ ἄνω τὸ κοῦφον φέρεται, τὸ δὲ βαρὺ κάτω.
For by nature the light is carried upward, and the heavy downward.
ὅταν οὖν ἡ ψυχὴ κινῆται κατὰ φύσιν, οὐ καθεύδει· οὕτω γὰρ ἔχει.
When, therefore, the soul is in motion according to nature, it does not sleep; for this is its state.
ὅταν δὲ στῇ καὶ οἷον κοπιάσῃ, ὁ μὲν νοῦς μεταβάλλει, καὶ ἄνω τὰ σωματώδη πρὸς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἰόντα ποιεῖ τὸν ὕπνον.
But when it stops and, as it were, grows weary, the mind shifts, and the bodily elements going upward to the head cause sleep.
δόξειε δ’ ἂν ἡ ἀνάγνωσις κωλύειν καθεύδειν. ἔστι δὲ οὐ διὰ τὸ νοεῖν (ὥρισται γὰρ τότε μᾶλλον ἡ ψυχή), ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μεταβάλλειν ἡ ἀγρυπνία, ἐπεὶ καὶ νοήσεις αἱ τοιαῦται ἄγρυπνοί εἰσιν, ἐν αἷς ζητεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ἀπορεῖ, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐν αἷς ἀεὶ θεωρεῖ· ἐκεῖναι μὲν γὰρ ἀοριστεῖν ποιοῦσιν, αὗται δὲ οὔ.
Reading would seem to prevent sleeping; but sleeplessness occurs not because of understanding (for then the soul is rather defined), but because of shifting, since also such thinkings are sleepless in which the soul seeks and is in doubt, but not those in which it always contemplates; for the former make the soul indefinite, but the latter do not.
§18.8Διὰ τί ἐν τοῖς ἐριστικοῖς οὐκ ἔνεστιν ἀδολεσχία;
Why is there no loquacity in eristic arguments?
ἢ ὅτι συλλογισμός ἐστι φαινόμενος, ἐν ὀλίγοις δὲ ὁ συλλογισμός· καὶ ἐὰν μηκύνῃ, χρόνου γινομένου ὁ παραλογισμὸς δῆλος, καὶ ἔστιν ὃ ἔδωκεν ἀναλαβεῖν.
Or is it because it is an apparent syllogism, and a syllogism consists of few words; and if it is lengthened, as time goes on, the fallacy becomes clear, and it is possible to take back what one conceded.
§18.9Διὰ τί ποτε τῶν ἱστοριῶν ἥδιον ἀκούομεν τῶν περὶ ἓν συνεστηκυιῶν ἢ τῶν περὶ πολλὰ πεπραγματευμένων;
Why is it that we listen more gladly to histories composed around one subject than to those dealing with many things?
ἢ διότι τοῖς γνωριμωτέροις μᾶλλον προσέχομεν καὶ ἥδιον αὐτῶν ἀκούομεν·
Or is it because we pay more attention to things more knowable and listen to them more gladly?
γνωριμώτερον δέ ἐστι τὸ ὡρισμένον τοῦ ἀορίστου.
And what is defined is more knowable than what is undefined.
τὸ μὲν οὖν ἓν ὥρισται, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ τοῦ ἀπείρου μετέχει.
Now the one is defined, but the many participate in the infinite.
§18.10Διὰ τί ἡδόμεθα ἀκούοντες τὰ μήτε λίαν παλαιὰ μήτε κομιδῇ νέα;
Why do we enjoy hearing of things neither too ancient nor entirely new?
ἢ διότι τοῖς μὲν πόρρω ἀφ’ ἡμῶν ἀπιστοῦμεν, ἐφ’ οἷς δὲ ἀπιστοῦμεν οὐχ ἡδόμεθα· τὰ δὲ ὥσπερ ἔτι αἰσθανόμεθα, καὶ περὶ τούτων ἀκούοντες οὐχ ἡδόμεθα.
Or is it because we do not believe those things far from us, and we do not enjoy things we disbelieve; while others we seem still to perceive, and we do not enjoy hearing about these.