§3.20Διὰ τί τοῖς μεθύουσι σφόδρα κύκλῳ πάντα φαίνεται φέρεσθαι, καὶ ἤδη ἁπτομένης μᾶλλον τῆς μέθης ἀριθμεῖν τὰ πόρρω οὐ δύνανται;
Why is it that to those who are very drunk all things seem to be carried in a circle, and when drunkenness is already taking a firmer hold they cannot count things that are far away?
διὸ καὶ σημεῖον τῆς μέθης ποιοῦνται αὐτό τινες.
Wherefore some even make this a sign of drunkenness.
ἢ ὅτι κινεῖται ὑπὸ τῆς θερμότητος τοῦ οἴνου ἡ ὄψις πυκνάκις;
Or is it because the vision is frequently moved by the heat of the wine?
ὥσπερ οὖν ὅταν ὑποθῇ τις ὑπὸ τὸν ὀφθαλμόν, δύο φαίνεται, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς μεθύουσιν.
Just as when someone puts a finger under the eye, things appear double, so it happens also to those who are drunk.
οὐθὲν γὰρ διαφέρει, ἐὰν μὲν ὑποθῇ, κινῇ δὲ τὴν ὄψιν, οὐδ’ ἐὰν ἔξωθεν ἢ ἔσωθεν· ἀμφοτέρως γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ πάσχει ἡ ὄψις.
For it makes no difference whether one puts a finger under it and moves the vision, or whether from without or from within; for in both cases the vision undergoes the same affection.
ὥστε οὐ δόξει μένειν τὸ ὁρώμενον, καὶ τὸ πόρρωθεν ἔτι μᾶλλον· ἔτι γὰρ ἧττον κρατεῖ ἀποτεινομένης τῆς ὄψεως, καὶ πλέον τὸ διάστημα ἐπὶ τῷ ἄκρῳ ποιεῖ ἡ ἐγγὺς αὕτη κίνησις.
Consequently, the object seen will not seem to remain stationary, and the distant object even more so; for as the vision extends, it controls it even less, and this nearby movement produces a greater distance at the extremity.
ἂν δὲ σφόδρα κινῆται καὶ ὁμαλῶς ἄνω καὶ κάτω, ἧττον κρατήσει τοῦ πόρρω.
And if it moves violently and evenly up and down, it will grasp the distant object less.
πάντα δὲ ἀποτεινόμενα κύκλῳ φέρεται, οἷον οἱ ὀϊστοὶ καὶ τὰ καταρτώμενα.
And all things that extend far are carried in a circle, such as arrows and falling objects.
καὶ ἡ ὄψις οὖν δι’ ἀσθένειαν ταὐτὸ πάσχει ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ πόρρω ἐφέρετο.
Therefore, because of weakness, the vision undergoes the same affection as if it were being carried far away.
διαφέρει δ’ οὐθὲν τὴν ὄψιν κινεῖν ἢ τὸ ὁρώμενον· ταὐτὸ γὰρ ποιεῖ πρὸς τὸ φαίνεσθαι.
And it makes no difference whether the vision moves or the object seen; for it produces the same effect regarding how things appear.
§3.21Διὰ τί, ὅταν ἀθρόως πίνωσι, ξηρότεραι αἱ κοιλίαι γίνονται, ὅτε δεῖ ὑγραίνεσθαι μᾶλλον ὑπὸ τοῦ πλείονος;
Why is it that, when they drink all at once, the bowels become drier, when they ought to be moistened more by the greater amount?
ἢ ὅτι τοῦ μὲν πολλοῦ καὶ ἀθρόου οὐ κρατεῖ ἡ κοιλία, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸν αὑτοῦ ἔρχεται τόπον ἀπαθές;
Or is it because the stomach does not control what is large in quantity and taken all at once, but it goes to its own place without undergoing any change?
ἔστιν δὲ ὑγροῦ τόπος ἀπέπτου ἡ κύστις.
And the bladder is the place for undigested fluid.
τοῦ δὲ ὀλίγου κρατεῖ καὶ πέττει, ὥστε μένον ὑγραίνει.
But it controls and concocts a small amount, so that remaining it moistens.
§3.22Διὰ τί μᾶλλον κραιπαλῶσιν οἱ εὔκρατον πίνοντες ἢ οἱ ἄκρατον;
Why do those who drink well-diluted wine suffer more from hangover than those who drink unmixed wine?
ἢ διὰ τὴν λεπτότητα εἰς πλείους τόπους ὁ κεκραμένος εἰσέρχεται, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ἱματίοις, καὶ ἔστι δυσεξαγωγότερος·
Or is it because of its thinness that the diluted wine enters into more places, just as in garments, and is harder to extract?
τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ λεπτομερέστερον μέν, ἀλλ’ εὐέξοδον.
Water is composed of finer parts, yet is easy to exit.
ἢ διότι ἔλαττον πίνουσιν ἄκρατον διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀπεμοῦσιν;
Or is it because they drink less unmixed wine because they are unable to do so, and they vomit more?
ἔτι δὲ συμπέττει τὰ λοιπά.
Furthermore, it concocts the remaining things.
ταὐτὸ δ’ ἐστὶ πρόβλημα.
It is the same problem.
§3.23Διὰ τί ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀκράτου ἀποθνήσκουσιν, ἐάν τις προϊσχνάνας πολὺ πίῃ;
Why is it that people die from unmixed wine if, after having previously made themselves thin, they drink much?
καὶ μὴ προϊσχνάναντες δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν φιλοπότῶν ἀθρόον πολὺ πιόντες ξηροὶ γίνονται· δοκεῖ γὰρ ὅ τε οἶνος τῶν θερμῶν εἶναι τὴν φύσιν καὶ τὸν ζῆν, τὸ δὲ ἀποθνήσκειν κατάψυξις.
And even without having made themselves thin, many of those who love drinking become dry when they drink much all at once; for wine is thought to be of a hot nature, and living too, whereas dying is a cooling.
ἢ ὥσπερ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ κωνείου, σβεννυμένου κατὰ μικρὸν τοῦ θερμοῦ τοῦ οἰκείου, ἀλλὰ τρόπον ἕτερον·
Or is it as in the case of hemlock, their own natural heat being extinguished little by little, but in a different manner?
τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῇ ψυχρότητι πήγνυσιν τὸ ὑγρὸν καὶ θερμόν, ὁ δ’ οἶνος τῇ θερμότητι τῇ αὑτοῦ μαραίνει τὴν φυσικὴν θερμότητα.
For the former solidifies the moist and hot by its coldness, while wine by its own heat withers the natural heat.
ὥσπερ οὖν ὑπὸ τοῦ πολλοῦ πυρὸς καὶ ἡλίου τὸ ὀλίγον πῦρ ἀποσβέννυται, οὕτω καὶ ἡ ἐν τοῖς σώμασιν θερμότης ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ, ἐὰν ὑπερβάλῃ.
Just as, therefore, a small fire is extinguished by a large fire and the sun, so also the heat in bodies is extinguished by that in the wine, if it is excessive.
§3.24Διὰ τί οἱ μεθύοντες ἀριδάκρυοι μᾶλλον;
Why are those who are drunk more prone to tears?
ἢ ὅτι θερμοὶ καὶ ὑγροὶ γίνονται·
Or is it because they become hot and moist?
ἀκρατεῖς οὖν εἰσίν, ὥστε ὑπὸ μικρῶν κινεῖσθαι.
Consequently they lack self-control, so as to be moved by small things.
§3.25Διὰ τί ἧττον μεθύσκονται ταῖς μεγάλαις κωθωνιζόμενοι;
Why do they get less drunk when carousing with large cups?
πάντων γὰρ ταὐτὸ αἴτιον ἡ κατάκρουσις, τουτέστιν ἐπιπολῆς.
For the cause of all this is the downward striking, that is, on the surface.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ μεθύειν ἐν τοῖς περὶ κεφαλὴν τόποις.
For being drunk is in the regions around the head.
§3.25aΔιὰ τί τοῖς μεθύουσιν οὐκ ἐγγίνεται ὕπνος;
Why does sleep not occur to those who are drunk?
ἢ ὅτι δεῖ πρὸς τοὺς ὕπνους ὑγρότητα ἐνυπάρχειν θερμήν;
Or is it because hot moisture must be present for sleep?
αὕτη γὰρ εὔπεπτος.
For this is easy to concoct.
ἂν δὲ μὴ ἐνῇ ὑγρότης ὀλίγη ἢ δύσπεπτος, οὐ γίνεται ὕπνος.
But if there is no moisture, or only a little, or if it is hard to concoct, sleep does not occur.
διὸ ἐν τοῖς κόποις καὶ μετὰ τὰ σιτία καὶ τοὺς πότους ὑπνωτικώτατοι γίνονται ὑπὸ τῆς θέρμης.
Therefore, in fatigues and after food and drink they become most sleepy because of the heat.
τοῖς δὲ μελαγχολικοῖς καὶ τοῖς μεγάλας πυρίας † ἀγρυπνία, τοῖς μὲν ὅτι κατέψυκται τὸ ὑγρόν, τοῖς δὲ ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἢ ὀλίγον.
But to melancholic people and to those after great sweats, sleeplessness occurs, to the former because the moisture has been cooled, and to the latter because there is none or only a little.
φανερὸν οὖν ὅτι εἰς ταῦτα βλεπτέον καθ’ ἕτερον τῶν παθῶν.
It is clear, therefore, that we must look at these things according to one or the other of these affections.