§35.1Διὰ τί μᾶλλον φρίττομεν ἑτέρου θιγόντος πως ἢ αὐτοὶ ἡμῶν;
Why is it that we shudder more when someone else touches us than when we touch ourselves?
ἢ ὅτι αἰσθητικωτέρα ἡ ἁφὴ τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ἢ ἡ τοῦ οἰκείου;
Is it because touch by another is more sensitive than that by oneself?
τὸ γὰρ συμφυὲς ἀναίσθητον.
For that which is of one's own nature is insensitive.
καὶ φοβερώτερον τὸ λάθρᾳ καὶ ἐξαπιναίως γινόμενον, ὁ δὲ φόβος κατάψυξις· ἡ δὲ ἀλλοτρία ἁφὴ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἄμφω ταῦτα ἔχει.
And what happens secretly and suddenly is more fearful, and fear is a cooling; and touch by another, compared to one's own, possesses both of these characteristics.
καὶ ὅλως δὲ παθητικὸν ἕκαστον πέφυκεν ἢ μᾶλλον ἢ μόνον ὑπ’ ἄλλου ἢ ὑφ’ αὑτοῦ, οἷον καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ γαργαλίζεσθαι συμβαίνει.
And in general, everything is by nature affected either more or only by another than by itself, just as happens also in the case of being tickled.
§35.2Διὰ τί γαργαλίζονται τὰς μασχάλας καὶ τὰ ἐντὸς τῶν ποδῶν;
Why are people tickled in the armpits and the soles of the feet?
ἢ διὰ τὴν λεπτότητα τοῦ δέρματος; καὶ ὧν ἀσυνήθης ἡ ἁφή, οἷον τούτων καὶ τοῦ ὠτός;
Is it because of the thinness of the skin, and because the touch of these parts, like that of the ear, is unusual?
§35.3Διὰ τί φρίττομεν οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς πάντες;
Why do we not all shudder at the same things?
ἢ ὅτι οὐδ’ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς πάντες ἡδόμεθα, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ λυπούμεθα ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς πάντες;
Is it because we do not all find pleasure in the same things, just as we do not all feel pain at the same things?
ὁμοίως δὴ οὐ φρίττομεν ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς· ἔστι γὰρ ἡ αὐτὴ κατάψυξίς τις.
Likewise indeed we do not shudder at the same things; for shuddering is a kind of cooling.
διὸ οἱ μὲν τοῦ ἱματίου δακνομένου φρίττουσιν, οἱ δὲ πρίονος ἀκονουμένου ἢ ἑλκομένου, οἱ δὲ κισήρεως τεμνομένης, οἱ δὲ ὄνου λίθον ἀλοῦντος.
For this reason, some shudder when a cloak is scraped, others when a saw is sharpened or drawn, others when a pumice stone is cut, and others when an ass turns a millstone.
§35.4Διὰ τί τοῦ μὲν θέρους ὄντος θερμοῦ, τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ψυχροῦ, τὰ σώματα θιγγανόντων ψυχεινότερά ἐστι τοῦ θέρους ἢ τοῦ χειμῶνος;
Why is it that, although summer is hot and winter is cold, our bodies, to the touch, are colder in summer than in winter?
πότερον ὅτι ὁ ἱδρὼς καὶ ἡ ἴδισις καταψύχει τὰ σώματα, τοῦτο δ’ ἐν μὲν τῷ θέρει γίνεται, ἐν δὲ τῷ χειμῶνι οὔ.
Is it because sweat and perspiration cool the body, and this happens in summer but not in winter?
ἢ ὅτι ἀντιπεριίσταται ἐναντίως τὸ ψυχρὸν καὶ τὸ θερμὸν τῇ ὥρᾳ, καὶ ἔσω φεύγει ἐν τῷ θέρει, διὸ καὶ ἱδρῶτα ἀνίησιν· ἐν δὲ τῷ χειμῶνι ἀποστέγει τὸ ψῦχος καὶ ἀτμίζει τὸ σῶμα ὥσπερ ἡ γῆ;
Or is it because cold and heat undergo mutual replacement in opposition to the season, and the heat flees inward in summer, wherefore it also releases sweat; while in winter it shuts out the cold, and the body gives off steam like the earth?
§35.5Διὰ τί φρίττουσιν αἱ τρίχες ἐν τῷ δέρματι;
Why do the hairs on the skin stand on end?
ἢ ὅταν σπάσωσιν τὸ δέρμα, εἰκότως ἐξανέστησαν;
Is it because, when they contract the skin, they naturally stand up?
συσπῶσι δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ ῥίγους καὶ ὑπ’ ἄλλων παθῶν.
And they contract it both because of cold and because of other affections.
§35.6Διὰ τί αὐτὸς αὑτὸν οὐθεὶς γαργαλίζει;
Why does no one tickle himself?
ἢ ὅτι καὶ ὑπ’ ἄλλου ἧττον, ἐὰν προαίσθηται, μᾶλλον δ’, ἂν μὴ ὁρᾷ;
Is it because one is also less tickled by another if one anticipates it, but more so if one does not see it?
ὥσθ’ ἥκιστα γαργαλισθήσεται, ὅταν μὴ λανθάνῃ τοῦτο πάσχων.
So that one will be least tickled when one is not unaware of undergoing this.
ἔστιν δὲ ὁ γέλως παρακοπή τις καὶ ἀπάτη.
And laughter is a kind of derangement and deception.
διὸ καὶ τυπτόμενοι εἰς τὰς φρένας γελῶσιν· οὐ γὰρ ὁ τυχὼν τόπος ἐστὶν ᾧ γελῶσιν.
For this reason, those who are struck in the midriff also laugh; for it is not just any ordinary place by which they laugh.
τὸ δὲ λαθραῖον ἀπατητικόν.
And what is unseen is deceptive.
διὰ τοῦτο καὶ γίνεται ὁ γέλως καὶ οὐ γίνεται ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ.
Because of this, laughter is produced, and it is not produced by oneself.
§35.7Διὰ τί ποτε τὰ χείλη μάλιστα γαργαλιζόμεθα;
Why in the world are we tickled most on the lips?
ἢ διότι δεῖ τὸ γαργαλιζόμενον μὴ πρόσω τοῦ αἰσθητικοῦ εἶναι;
Is it because that which is tickled must not be far from the organ of sensation?
ἔστι δὲ τὰ χείλη περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον μάλιστα.
And the lips are especially around this region.
διὰ τοῦτο δὲ γαργαλίζεται τὰ χείλη τῶν περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τόπων, ἅ ἐστιν εὔσαρκα, εὐκινητότατα οὖν μάλιστά ἐστιν.
For this reason, among the parts around the head, the lips are tickled, which are fleshy and therefore extremely mobile.
§35.8Διὰ τί, ἐάν τις τὸν περὶ τὰς μασχάλας τόπον κνήσῃ, ἐκγελῶσιν, ἐὰν δέ τινα ἄλλον, οὔ;
Why is it that, if one scratches the region around the armpits, people burst out laughing, but if one scratches any other part, they do not?
ἢ διὰ τί πτερῷ τὰς ῥῖνας κνήσαντες πτάρνυνται;
Or why is it that, when they scratch the nose with a feather, they sneeze?
ἢ τόποι εἰσὶ τῶν φλεβίων, ὧν ἢ καταψυχομένων ἢ τοὐναντίον πασχόντων ὑγραίνεται, ἢ εἰς πνεῦμα ἐκ τοῦ ὑγροῦ διαλύεται;
Is it because these are locations of small veins, which, when cooled or when undergoing the opposite, become moist, or because air is dissolved out of the moisture?
ὥσπερ ἐὰν τὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ τραχήλου πιέσῃ τις φλέβας, καθεύδουσιν.
Just as, if one presses the veins on the neck, people fall asleep.
ἡ μὲν ἡδονὴ θερμασία τίς ἐστιν· τοῦτο δέ, ὅταν πλέον τὸ πνεῦμα ἐγγένηται, ἀθρόον ἔξω ἀφίεμεν.
Pleasure is a kind of warmth; and this, when more breath is produced inside, we release all at once outwards.
ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ πταρμῷ τῷ πτερῷ διαθερμάναντες καὶ κνήσαντες διελύσαμεν εἰς πνεῦμα· πλέονος δὲ γενομένου ἐξεώσαμεν.
Likewise also in the case of sneezing, having warmed and scratched with the feather, we dissolved it into air; and when more was produced, we expelled it.
§35.9Διὰ τί μετὰ τὰ σιτία φρίττομεν πολλάκις;
Why do we often shudder after taking food?
ἢ ὅτι ψυχρὰ εἰσπορευόμενα ἀπὸ πρώτης κρατεῖ μᾶλλον τοῦ φυσικοῦ θερμοῦ ἢ κρατεῖται;
Is it because cold things, entering in, from the very first overcome the natural heat rather than being overcome by it?
§35.10Διὰ τί τὸ περιαγόμενον ἐναλλὰξ τοῖς δακτύλοις δύο φαίνεται;
Why does an object rolled between crossed fingers appear to be two?
ἢ διότι δυσὶν αἰσθητηρίοις ἁπτόμεθα;
Is it because we are touching it with two organs of sensation?
τοῖς γὰρ ἐντὸς τῶν δακτύλων, κατὰ φύσιν ἔχοντες τὴν χεῖρα, ἀμφοτέροις οὐ δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν.
For when we keep the hand in its natural position, it is impossible to say that we touch with both the inner parts of the fingers.