§30.1#3τὰ δὴ τοιαῦτα πάθη καὶ τὰ παλαιὰ λεχθέντα κατὰ μέν τι μικρὸν πᾶσι γίνεται· πᾶσι γὰρ μέμικταί τι τῆς δυνάμεως·
These states, then, and those mentioned of old, occur to all to some small degree; for some portion of its power is mixed in all.
ὅσοις δ’ εἰς βάθος, οὗτοι δ’ ἤδη ποιοί τινές εἰσι τὰ ἤθη.
But those in whom it goes deep already have a certain quality in their characters.
ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ εἶδος ἕτεροι γίνονται οὐ τῷ πρόσωπον ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ποιόν τι τὸ πρόσωπον, οἱ μὲν καλόν, οἱ δὲ αἰσχρόν, οἱ δὲ μηθὲν ἔχοντες περιττόν, οὗτοι δὲ μέσοι τὴν φύσιν, οὔτῳ καὶ οἱ μὲν μικρὰ μετέχοντες τῆς τοιαύτης κράσεως μέσοι εἰσίν, οἱ δὲ πλήθους ἤδη ἀνόμοιοι τοῖς πολλοῖς.
For just as people differ in appearance not in having a face, but in having a face of a certain quality, some handsome, some ugly, and some having nothing outstanding, these being intermediate by nature, so also those who share to a small degree in such a mixture are intermediate, while those who have an abundance are already unlike the many.
ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ σφόδρα κατακορὴς ᾖ ἡ ἕξις, μελαγχολικοί εἰσὶ λίαν, ἐὰν δέ πως κραθῶσι, περιττοί.
For if the state is highly saturated, they are excessively melancholic, but if they are mixed in a certain way, they are outstanding.
ῥέπουσι δ’, ἂν ἀμελῶσιν, ἐπὶ τὰ μελαγχολικὰ νοσήματα, ἄλλοι περὶ ἄλλο μέρος τοῦ σώματος· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐπιληπτικὰ ἀποσημαίνει, τοῖς δὲ ἀποπληκτικά, ἄλλοις δὲ ἀθυμίαι ἰσχυραὶ ἢ φόβοι, τοῖς δὲ θάρρη λίαν, οἷον καὶ Ἀρχελάῳ συνέβαινε τῷ Μακεδονίας βασιλεῖ.
And if they are negligent, they incline towards melancholic diseases, some in one part of the body, some in another; and to some it indicates epileptic symptoms, to others apoplectic ones, and to others strong depressions or fears, and to others excessive boldness, such as happened also to Archelaus, the king of Macedonia.
σιτίον δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης δυνάμεως ἡ κρᾶσις, ὅπως ἂν ἔχῃ ψύξεώς τε καὶ θερμότητος.
And the mixture of coldness and heat, however it may be, is the nourishment of such a power.
ψυχροτέρα μὲν γὰρ οὖσα τοῦ καιροῦ δυσθυμίας ποιεῖ ἀλόγους· διὸ αἵ τ’ ἀγχόναι μάλιστα τοῖς νέοις, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ πρεσβυτέροις.
For if it is colder than is fitting, it produces irrational despondencies; hence hangings occur especially among the young, and sometimes also among older people.
πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὰς μέθας διαφθείρουσιν ἑαυτούς.
And many also destroy themselves after bouts of drunkenness.
ἔνιοι δὲ τῶν μελαγχολικῶν ἐκ τῶν πότων ἀθύμως διάγουσιν· σβέννυσι γὰρ ἡ τοῦ οἴνου θερμότης τὴν φυσικὴν θερμότητα.
And some melancholic people spend their time despondently as a result of drinking; for the heat of the wine extinguishes their natural heat.
τὸ δὲ θερμὸν τὸ περὶ τὸν τόπον ᾧ φρονοῦμεν καὶ ἐλπίζομεν ποιεῖ εὐθύμους.
But the heat around the place with which we think and hope makes people cheerful.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ πίνειν εἰς μέθην πάντες ἔχουσι προθύμως, ὅτι πάντας ὁ οἶνος ὁ πολὺς εὐέλπιδας ποιεῖ, καθάπερ ἡ νεότης τοὺς παῖδας· τὸ μὲν γὰρ γῆρας δύσελπί ἐστιν, ἡ δὲ νεότης ἐλπίδος πλήρης.
And for this reason everyone is eager to drink to excess, because much wine makes everyone full of hope, just as youth does to boys; for old age is despondent, but youth is full of hope.
εἰσὶ δέ τινες ὀλίγοι οὓς πίνοντας δυσθυμίαι λαμβάνουσι, διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν δι’ ἣν καὶ μετὰ τοὺς πότους ἐνίους.
But there are a few whom despondencies seize while drinking, for the same reason for which they seize some after drinking.
ὅσοις μὲν οὖν μαραινομένου τοῦ θερμοῦ αἱ ἀθυμίαι γίνονται, μᾶλλον ἀπάγχονται.
Now, those in whom depressions occur as the heat decays tend rather to hang themselves.
διὸ καὶ οἱ νέοι ἢ καὶ οἱ πρεσβῦται μᾶλλον ἀπάγχονται· τὸ μὲν γὰρ γῆρας μαραίνει τὸ θερμόν, τῶν δὲ τὸ πάθος φυσικὸν ὂν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ μαραινόμενον θερμόν.
Therefore both the young and the elderly tend rather to hang themselves; for old age decays the heat, while in the case of the young, their state is natural and is itself a decaying heat.
ὅσοις δὲ σβεννυμένου, ἐξαίφνης οἱ πλεῖστοι διαχρῶνται ἑαυτούς, ὥστε θαυμάζειν πάντας διὰ τὸ μηθὲν ποιῆσαι σημεῖον πρότερον.
But those in whom it occurs because of its being extinguished, most of them destroy themselves suddenly, so that everyone wonders because they showed no sign beforehand.
ψυχροτέρα μὲν οὖν γινομένη ἡ κρᾶσις ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς μελαίνης χολῆς, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, ποιεῖ ἀθυμίας παντοδαπάς, θερμοτέρα δὲ οὖσα εὐθυμίας.
So the mixture derived from black bile, when it becomes colder, as has been said, produces all kinds of despondencies, but when warmer, cheerfulness.
διὸ καὶ οἱ μὲν παῖδες εὐθυμότεροι, οἱ δὲ γέροντες δυσθυμότεροι.
Therefore boys are more cheerful, but old men more despondent.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ θερμοί, οἱ δὲ ψυχροί· τὸ γὰρ γῆρας κατάψυξίς τις.
For the former are hot, and the latter cold; for old age is a certain cooling.
συμβαίνει δὲ σβέννυσθαι ἐξαίφνης ὑπό τε τῶν ἐκτὸς αἰτιῶν, ὡς καὶ παρὰ φύσιν τὰ πυρωθέντα, οἷον ἄνθρακα ὕδατος ἐπιχυθέντος.
And it happens to be extinguished suddenly also by external causes, just as things set on fire are against nature, as when water is poured on charcoal.
διὸ καὶ ἐκ μέθης ἔνιοι ἑαυτοὺς διαχρῶνται· ἡ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου θερμότης ἐπείσακτός ἐστιν, ἧς σβεννυμένης συμβαίνει τὸ πάθος.
Therefore also after drunkenness some destroy themselves; for the heat from the wine is adventitious, and when it is extinguished, this state occurs.
καὶ μετὰ τὰ ἀφροδίσια οἱ πλεῖστοι ἀθυμότεροι γίνονται, ὅσοι δὲ περίττωμα πολὺ προίενται μετὰ τοῦ σπέρματος, οὗτοι εὐθυμότεροι· κουφίζονται γὰρ περιττώματός τε καὶ πνεύματος καὶ θερμοῦ ὑπερβολῆς.
And after sexual intercourse most people become more despondent, but those who emit a large amount of residue along with the semen are more cheerful; for they are relieved of residue, spirit, and excess of heat.
ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀθυμότεροι πολλάκις· καταψύχονται γὰρ ἀφροδισιάσαντες διὰ τὸ τῶν ἱκανῶν τι ἀφαιρεθῆναι· δηλοῖ δὲ τοῦτο τὸ μὴ πολλὴν τὴν ἀπορροὴν γεγονέναι.
But the former are often more despondent; for they are cooled after sexual intercourse because something of what is sufficient has been taken away; and this is shown by the fact that the emission was not large.
ὡς οὖν ἐν κεφαλαίῳ εἰπεῖν, διὰ μὲν τὸ ἀνώμαλον εἶναι τὴν δύναμιν τῆς μελαίνης χολῆς ἀνώμαλοί εἰσιν οἱ μελαγχολικοί· καὶ γὰρ ψυχρὰ σφόδρα γίνεται καὶ θερμή.
To speak in summary, then, because the power of black bile is inconsistent, melancholic people are inconsistent; for it becomes both extremely cold and hot.
διὰ δὲ τὸ ἠθοποιὸς εἶναι (ἠθοποιὸν γὰρ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ ψυχρὸν μάλιστα τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστὶν) ὥσπερ ὁ οἶνος πλείων καὶ ἐλάττων κεραννύμενος τῷ σώματι ποιεῖ τὸ ἦθος ποιούς τινας ἡμᾶς.
And because it is character-forming (for heat and cold are the most character-forming of the things within us), just as wine mixed in the body in larger or smaller amounts makes our character of a certain kind.
ἄμφω δὲ πνευματικά, καὶ ὁ οἶνος καὶ ἡ μέλαινα χολή.
And both are pneumatic, both wine and black bile.
ἐπεὶ δ’ ἔστι καὶ εὔκρατον εἶναι τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν καὶ καλῶς πως ἔχειν, καὶ ὅπου δεῖ θερμοτέραν εἶναι τὴν διάθεσιν καὶ πάλιν ψυχράν, ἢ τοὐναντίον διὰ τὸ ὑπερβολὴν ἔχειν, περιττοὶ μέν εἰσι πάντες οἱ μελαγχολικοί, οὐ διὰ νόσον, ἀλλὰ διὰ φύσιν.
And since it is possible for the inconsistency to be well-tempered and in some way in a good state, and for the disposition to be warmer where it is needed, and again cold, or the opposite owing to having an excess, all melancholic people are outstanding, not through disease, but through nature.