§7.1Διὰ τί τοῖς χασμωμένοις ἀντιχασμῶνται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ;
Why do people for the most part yawn in response to those who yawn?
ἢ διότι, ἐὰν ἀναμνησθῶσιν ὀργῶντες, ἐνεργοῦσιν, μάλιστα δὲ τὰ εὐκίνητα, οἷον οὐροῦσιν.
Is it because, if they are reminded of it when they are ready, they put it into action, especially those things that are easily moved, as for instance they urinate?
ἡ δὲ χάσμη πνεῦμα καὶ ὑγροῦ κίνησίς ἐστιν.
And yawning is a movement of breath and fluid.
πρόχειρον οὖν, ἐὰν μόνον νοήσῃ· ἔστι γὰρ πλησίον.
It is therefore ready to hand, if one only thinks of it; for it is close by.
§7.2Διὰ τί, ἐὰν μέν τινα ἴδωμεν τὴν χεῖρα ἐκτείνοντα ἢ τὸν πόδα ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοιούτων, οὐκ ἀντιποιοῦμεν τὸ αὐτό, ἐὰν δὲ χασμώμενον, ἀντιχασμώμεθα;
Why, if we see someone stretching out his hand or foot or any such thing, do we not do the same in response, but if we see him yawning, we yawn in response?
ἢ οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἀεί, ἀλλ’ ἐὰν ὀργῶν τύχῃ τὸ σῶμα καὶ οὕτω διακείμενον ὥστε τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀναθερμαίνεσθαι;
Or is even this not always, but only if the body happens to be ready and in such a state that the fluid is warmed up?
τότε γὰρ ἡ μνήμη τὴν κίνησιν ποιεῖ, ὥσπερ καὶ πρὸς ἀφροδίσια καὶ ἐδωδήν· τὸ γὰρ ποιῆσαν μνήμην εἶναι τὸ ἔχον ὁρμὴν πρὸς τὸ φαντασθὲν πάθος.
For then memory produces the movement, just as in the case of sex and food; for that which has an impulse toward the imagined affection is what causes the memory to exist.
§7.3Διὰ τί, ἐπειδὰν πρὸς τὸ πῦρ στῶμεν, οὐρητιῶμεν, καὶ ἐὰν πρὸς ὕδωρ, οἷον ἐὰν πρὸς ποταμόν, οὐροῦσιν;
Why is it that, when we stand near a fire, we feel an urge to urinate, and if near water, as for instance near a river, we urinate?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ πᾶν ὕδωρ ὑπόμνησιν δίδωσιν τῆς ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑγρότητος, καὶ ἐκκαλεῖται τὸ προσιόν;
Is it because all water gives a reminder of the fluid in the body, and summons forth that which is approaching?
αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ πῦρ διαχαλᾷ τὸ πεπηγὸς ἐν τῷ σώματι, ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος τὴν χιόνα.
And the fire itself relaxes what is congealed in the body, just as the sun melts snow?
§7.4Διὰ τί ἀπὸ μὲν νόσων ἐνίων νοσοῦσιν οἱ πλησιάζοντες, ἀπὸ δὲ ὑγιείας οὐδεὶς ὑγιάζεται;
Why is it that from some diseases those who approach catch the disease, but from health no one becomes healthy?
ἢ ὅτι ἡ μὲν νόσος κίνησις, ἡ δὲ ὑγίεια ἠρεμία;
Or is it because disease is a movement, but health is rest?
ἡ μὲν οὖν κινεῖ, ἡ δ’ οὐθέν.
The one, therefore, causes movement, while the other does nothing.
ἢ διότι τὸ μὲν ἄκοντι, τὸ δ’ ἑκόντι γίνεται;
Or is it because the one occurs against our will, and the other with our will?
καὶ ἄρα τὰ ἀκούσια τῶν ἑκουσίων καὶ τῶν ἐκ προνοίας διαφέρει.
And indeed, involuntary things differ from voluntary things and those done with forethought.
§7.5Διὰ τί τῶν μὲν διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς λυπηρῶν ἔνια φρίττειν ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ, οἷον πρίων ἀκονώμενος καὶ κίσηρις τεμνομένη καὶ λίθος ἀλούμενος, τὰ δὲ διὰ τῆς ὄψεως σημεῖα τῶν παθῶν αὐτὰ ἡμῖν τὰ πάθη ἐμποιεῖ;
Why do some of the painful things perceived through hearing make us shudder, such as a saw being sharpened, pumice being cut, and a stone being crushed, whereas the signs of affections perceived through sight produce those very affections in us?
αἱμωδιῶμέν τε γὰρ τοὺς ὀξὺ ὁρῶντες ἐσθίοντας, καὶ τοὺς ἀπαγχομένους ἔνιοι ὁρῶντες ἐκψύχουσιν.
For we set our teeth on edge when we see people eating sour things, and some people faint when they see men being hanged.
ἢ διότι φωνὴ μὲν πᾶσα καὶ ψόφος πνεῦμά ἐστιν;
Or is it because every voice and sound is breath?
τοῦτο δὲ εἰσδυόμενον ἡμῖν πέφυκεν κινεῖν.
And this, entering into us, is naturally adapted to cause movement.
κινήσει δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ διὰ μέγεθος ἢ διὰ πληγὴν σφοδροτέραν, ποιοῦν ἢ ἀλλοιοῦν τι τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν.
And it moves us more either because of its magnitude or because of a more violent impact, producing or altering something within us.
τὰ μὲν οὖν μεγάλα καὶ λεῖα πνεύματα τὸν τῆς αἰσθήσεως τόπον αὐτὸν κινεῖ, διὸ καὶ ἡδύνει τὰ τοιαῦτα· τὰ δὲ τραχέα, πληγὴν ποιοῦντα σφοδράν, σείει τε τὸν τόπον καὶ πόρρω διαδίδωσιν τῇ τῆς πληγῆς δυνάμει.
Now large and smooth breaths move the very organ of sensation, which is why such things give pleasure; but rough ones, making a violent impact, both shake the organ and transmit it far by the power of the impact.
διαδίδωσι δὲ καὶ τὰ ψυχρὰ πόρρω· δύναμις γάρ τίς ἐστιν ἡ ψυχρότης.
And cold things also transmit it far; for coldness is a certain power.
αὕτη μὲν οὖν ὅτι φρίττειν ποιεῖ, εἴρηται.
Now, that this causes shuddering has been said.
τὰ δὲ τραχέα τῷ πληγὴν ποιεῖν πυκνήν, προσκόπτοντα τῇ ἀρχῇ τῶν τριχῶν, ἀπωθεῖ αὐτὴν εἰς τοὐναντίον· ἀπωθουμένης δὲ ἀνάγκη τὴν κορυφὴν τῆς τριχὸς ἀνάπαλιν γίνεσθαι· διὸ συμβαίνει ἵστασθαι αὐτάς· πᾶσαι γὰρ νενεύκασι κάτω.
But rough things, by making a dense impact, striking against the root of the hair, push it in the opposite direction; and when it is pushed back, the tip of the hair must of necessity go the other way; which is why they happen to stand on end; for they all naturally lean downward.
ἡ δὲ φορὰ τοῦ διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς πνεύματος εἰς τὸ σῶμα ἄνωθεν κάτω ἐστίν.
And the passage of the breath through hearing into the body is from above downward.
ὄντων οὖν τραχέων τῶν εἰρημένων ψόφων, ἡ φρίκη γίνοιτ’ ἂν διὰ τὰ εἰρημένα.
Therefore, since the aforementioned sounds are rough, the shuddering would occur because of the aforementioned reasons.
γίνονται δ’ αὗται μᾶλλον τῷ ἄλλῳ σώματι ἢ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ διὰ τὸ τὰς ἐνταῦθα τρίχας ἀσθενεστέρας εἶναι καὶ τὸ πάθος ἀσθενές.
And these occur in the rest of the body rather than in the head, because the hairs there are weaker and the affection is weak.
τῆς μὲν οὖν ἀκοῆς οὔσης ἀμβλυτέρας αἰσθήσεως ἢ τῆς ὄψεως, ἐπιπόλαια καὶ τὰ πάθη γίνεται ἀπ’ αὐτῆς· ἡ δὲ φρίκη τοιοῦτον, διὸ καὶ ἀπὸ πολλῶν καἱ ἀνομοίων γίνεται.
Now, since hearing is a duller sensation than sight, the affections resulting from it are also superficial; and shuddering is of this kind, which is why it arises from many and dissimilar causes.
τῆς δὲ ὄψεως ἐναργεστάτης οὔσης αἰσθήσεως, ἀνάλογον καὶ τὰ συμβαίνοντα γίνεται ἀπ’ αὐτῆς· διὸ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας πάθη συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι ἀπ’ αὐτῆς, ἐλαφρότερα δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας.
But since sight is the clearest sensation, the things resulting from it are correspondingly so; wherefore these affections, which are produced by reality, happen to occur from it, though lighter than reality.
ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ἀκοῆς αὐτὰ μὲν οὔ, τὴν δ’ ἀπ’ αὐτῶν προσδοκίαν φρίττομεν· ἀλγεινοῦ γὰρ κακοῦ προσδοκία ἐστίν.
But from hearing, those very affections do not arise, but we shudder at the expectation resulting from them; for shuddering is the expectation of a painful evil.