§30.1#2ὅ τε γὰρ ἀφροδισιασμὸς πνευματώδης.
For sexual intercourse is also pneumatic.
σημεῖον δὲ τὸ αἰδοῖον, ὡς ἐκ μικροῦ ταχεῖαν ποιεῖται τὴν αὔξησιν διὰ τὸ ἐμφυσᾶσθαι.
And the genital organ is a sign of this, how from being small it makes its increase rapid because of being inflated.
καὶ ἔτι πρὶν δύνασθαι προΐεσθαι σπέρμα, γίνεταί τις ἡδονὴ ἔτι παισὶν οὖσιν, ὅταν ἐγγὺς ὄντες τοῦ ἡβᾶν ξύωνται τὰ αἰδοῖα δι’ ἀκολασίαν· γίνεται δὲ δῆλον διὰ τὸ πνεῦμα διεξιέναι διὰ τῶν πόρων, δι’ ὧν ὕστερον τὸ ὑγρὸν φέρεται.
And even before they are able to emit semen, a certain pleasure occurs to those who are still boys, when, being near puberty, they rub their genitals out of intemperance; and this becomes clear because the spirit passes through the passages through which later the fluid is carried.
ἥ τε ἔκχυσις τοῦ σπέρματος ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις καὶ ἡ ῥῖψις ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ὠθοῦντος φανερὸν γίνεσθαι.
And it is clear that the emission of semen in sexual intercourse and its ejaculation are caused by the spirit pushing it.
ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἐδεσμάτων καὶ ποτῶν εὐλόγως ταῦτ’ ἐστὶν ἀφροδισιαστικά, ὅσα πνευματώδη τὸν περὶ τὰ αἰδοῖα ποιεῖ τόπον.
So also among foods and drinks, those are reasonably aphrodisiac which make the region around the genitals pneumatic.
διὸ καὶ ὁ μέλας οἶνος οὐδενὸς ἧττον τοιούτους ἀπεργάζεται, οἷοι καὶ οἱ μελαγχολικοὶ πνευματώδεις.
Therefore, dark wine no less than anything else makes people of such a kind as are also the melancholic, who are pneumatic.
δῆλοι δ’ εἰσὶν ἐπ’ ἐνίων· σκληροὶ γὰρ οἱ πλείους τῶν μελαγχολικῶν, καὶ αἱ φλέβες ἐξέχουσιν·
And this is clear in the case of some; for most melancholic people are hard, and their veins stand out.
τούτου δ’ αἴτιον οὐ τὸ τοῦ αἵματος πλῆθος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, διότι δὲ οὐδὲ πάντες οἱ μελαγχολικοὶ σκληροὶ οὐδὲ οἱ μέλανες, ἀλλ’ οἱ μᾶλλον κακόχυμοι, ἄλλος λόγος·
And the cause of this is not the abundance of blood, but of spirit. But why not all melancholic people are hard, nor all dark-skinned ones, but rather those who are more full of bad humors, is another story.
περὶ οὗ δὲ ἐξ ἀρχῆς προειλόμεθα διελθεῖν, ὅτι ἐν τῇ φύσει εὐθὺς ὁ τοιοῦτος χυμὸς ὁ μελαγχολικὸς κεράννυται· θερμοῦ γὰρ καὶ ψυχροῦ κρᾶσίς ἐστιν· ἐκ τούτων γὰρ τῶν δυοῖν ἡ φύσις συνέστηκεν.
But concerning what we chose to discuss from the beginning: that this sort of melancholic juice is mixed immediately in their nature; for it is a mixture of hot and cold; for from these two nature is constituted.
διὸ καὶ ἡ μέλαινα χολὴ καὶ θερμότατον καὶ ψυχρότατον γίνεται.
Therefore, black bile becomes both the hottest and the coldest.
τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ πάσχειν πέφυκε ταῦτ’ ἄμφω, οἷον καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ὂν. ψυχρόν, ὅμως ἐὰν ἱκανῶς θερμανθῇ, οἷον τὸ ζέον, τῆς φλογὸς αὐτῆς θερμότερόν ἐστι, καὶ λίθος καὶ σίδηρος διάπυρα γενόμενα μᾶλλον θερμὰ γίνεται ἄνθρακος, ψυχρὰ ὄντα φύσει.
For the same substance is naturally capable of undergoing both of these, just as water, though being cold, yet if it is sufficiently heated, like boiling water, is hotter than the flame itself, and stone and iron when heated to red heat become hotter than charcoal, though being cold by nature.
εἴρηται δὲ σαφέστερον περὶ τούτων ἐν τοῖς περὶ πυρός.
But about these things it has been said more clearly in the treatise "On Fire".
καὶ ἡ χολὴ δὲ ἡ μέλαινα φύσει ψυχρὰ καὶ οὐκ ἐπιπολαίως οὖσα, ὅταν μὲν οὕτως ἔχῃ ὡς εἴρηται, ἐὰν ὑπερβάλλῃ ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἀποπληξίας ἢ νάρκας ἢ ἀθυμίας ποιεῖ ἢ φόβους, ἐὰν δὲ ὑπερθερμανθῇ, τὰς μετ’ ᾠδῆς εὐθυμίας καὶ ἐκστάσεις καὶ ἐκζέσεις ἑλκῶν καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα.
And black bile, being by nature cold and not superficially so, when it is in the state described, if it abounds in the body, it produces apoplexy or numbness or despondency or fears; but if it is overheated, it produces cheerfulness accompanied by song, and madness, and the eruption of sores, and other such things.
τοῖς μὲν οὖν πολλοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς καθ’ ἡμέραν τροφῆς ἐγγινομένη οὐδὲν τὸ ἦθος ποιεῖ διαφόρους, ἀλλὰ μόνον νόσημά τι μελαγχολικὸν ἀπειργάσατο.
Now to most people, when it arises from their daily food, it does not make their character different at all, but only produces some melancholic disease.
ὅσοις δὲ ἐν τῇ φύσει συνέστη κρᾶσις τοιαύτη, εὐθὺς οὗτοι τὰ ἤθη γίνονται παντοδαποί, ἄλλος κατ’ ἄλλην κρᾶσιν· οἷον ὅσοις μὲν πολλὴ καὶ ψυχρὰ ἐνυπάρχει, νωθροὶ καὶ μωροί, ὅσοις δὲ λίαν πολλὴ καὶ θερμή, μανικοὶ καὶ εὐφυεῖς καὶ ἐρωτικοὶ καὶ εὐκίνητοι πρὸς τοὺς θυμοὺς καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ λάλοι μᾶλλον.
But to those in whose nature such a mixture is constituted, these immediately become all kinds in their characters, one according to one mixture, another according to another; for instance, those in whom it is abundant and cold are sluggish and foolish, and those in whom it is excessively abundant and hot are mad, and highly gifted, and amorous, and easily moved to anger and desires, and some are also more talkative.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐγγὺς εἶναι τοῦ νοεροῦ τόπου τὴν θερμότητα ταύτην νοσήμασιν ἁλίσκονται μανικοῖς ἢ ἐνθουσιαστικοῖς, ὅθεν Σίβυλλαι καὶ Βάκιδες καὶ οἱ ἔνθεοι γίνονται πάντες, ὅταν μὴ νοσήματι γένωνται ἀλλὰ φυσικῇ κράσει.
And many, also because this heat is near the region of intellect, are seized by mad or enthusiastic diseases, whence arise Sibyls and Bacides and all those who are divinely inspired, when they become so not through disease but through a natural mixture.
Μαρακὸς δὲ ὁ Συρακούσιος καὶ ἀμείνων ἦν ποιητής, ὅτ’ ἐκσταίη.
And Maracus the Syracusan was even a better poet when he was out of his mind.
ὅσοις δ’ ἂν ἐπανθῇ τὴν ἄγαν θερμότητα πρὸς τὸ μέσον, οὗτοι μελαγχολικοὶ μέν εἰσι, φρονιμώτεροι δέ, καὶ ἧττον μὲν ἔκτοποι, πρὸς πολλὰ δὲ διαφέροντες τῶν ἄλλων, οἱ μὲν πρὸς παιδείαν, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τέχνας, οἱ δὲ πρὸς πολιτείαν.
But to those in whom the excessive heat is abated towards the mean, these are indeed melancholic, but wiser, and less eccentric, yet excelling others in many things, some in education, some in arts, some in statecraft.
πολλὴν δὲ καὶ εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους ποιεῖ διαφορὰν ἡ τοιαύτη ἕξις τοῦ ἐνίοτε ἀνωμάλους εἶναι μὲν τοῖς φόβοις πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνδρῶν.
And such a disposition also makes a great difference with regard to dangers, so that many men are sometimes inconsistent in their fears.
ὡς γὰρ ἂν τύχωσι τὸ σῶμα ἔχοντες πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην κρᾶσιν, διαφέρουσιν αὐτοὶ αὑτῶν.
For according as they happen to have their body related to such a mixture, they differ from themselves.
ἡ δὲ μελαγχολικὴ κρᾶσις, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐν ταῖς νόσοις ἀνωμάλους ποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὴ ἀνώμαλός ἐστιν· ὁτὲ μὲν γὰρ ψυχρά ἐστιν ὥσπερ ὕδωρ, ὁτὲ δὲ θερμή.
And the melancholic mixture, just as it makes people inconsistent in diseases, is also itself inconsistent; for sometimes it is cold like water, and sometimes hot.
ὥστε φοβερόν τι ὄταν εἰσαγγελθῇ, ἐὰν μὲν ψυχροτέρας οὔσης τῆς κράσεως τύχῃ, δειλὸν ποιεῖ· προωδοπεποίηκε γὰρ τῷ φόβῳ, καὶ ὁ φόβος καταψύχει.
So that when some terrifying thing is announced, if it happens when the mixture is colder, it makes a person cowardly; for it has paved the way for fear, and fear cools.
δηλοῦσι δὲ οἱ περίφοβοι· τρέμουσι γάρ.
And those who are terrified show this; for they tremble.
ἐὰν δὲ μᾶλλον θερμή, εἰς τὸ μέτριον κατέστησεν ὁ φόβος, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπαθῆ.
But if it is hotter, fear brings it down to the moderate state, and makes him unaffected in it.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς καθ’ ἡμέραν ἀθυμίας· πολλάκις γὰρ οὕτως ἔχομεν ὥστε λυπεῖσθαι, ἐφ’ ὅτῳ δέ, οὐκ ἄν ἔχοιμεν εἰπεῖν· ὁτὲ δὲ εὐθύμως, ἐφ’ ᾧ δ’ οὐ δῆλον.
And it is the same with regard to daily depressions; for we are often in such a state as to grieve, yet we would not be able to say on what account; and sometimes we are cheerful, but on what account is not clear.