§2.10.1Πικρὸς δὲ γίνεται καρπός, ὅτε ἡ θερμότης καὶ ἡ ὑγρότης οὐκ εἰσὶ πλήρεις ἐν τῇ πέψει.
And fruit becomes bitter when the heat and moisture are not complete in concoction.
Ἡ ψυχρότης γὰρ καὶ ἡ ξηρότης ἐμποδίζουσι τὴν τελείωσιν, καὶ οὕτω στρέφεται εἰς πικρίαν ὁ καρπός.
For coldness and dryness prevent completion, and thus the fruit turns into bitterness.
Τούτου σημεῖον ὅτι τὸ πικρὸν εἰς πῦρ ἐμβληθὲν γλυκὺ γίνεται.
A sign of this is that the bitter thing, when thrown into fire, becomes sweet.
Δένδρα δὲ ὅσα γεννῶνται ἐν ὕδατι ὀξώδει, ποιοῦσι καρπὸν γλυκύν, διότι τὸ ὀξῶδες ἕλκει μετὰ θερμότητος τοῦ ἡλίου, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τῆς ἰδίας ποιότητος.
But all trees that grow in acid water produce sweet fruit, because the acid quality draws with the heat of the sun that which is of its own quality.
§2.10.2Καὶ τοῦτο ψυχρότης ἐστὶ καὶ ξηρότης· κἀντεῦθεν ἀπομένουσιν ὑγρότητές τινες ὀλίγαι ἔνδον γλυκεῖαι.
And this is coldness and dryness; and thence some few sweet moistures remain inside.
Θερμαίνεταί τε καὶ ἡ κοιλία τοῦ δένδρου, ὅταν προσμείνῃ ἐς αὐτὴν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ οὕτως γένεται ὁ χυμὸς τοῦ καρποῦ στύφος ὀλίγον.
Also the belly of the tree is heated when the sun remains in it, and thus the juice of the fruit becomes a little astringent.
Καὶ ὅσον πλέον πεπεμμένος γένηται, διαλύεται κατὰ μικρὸν τὸ ὀξῶδες, ἔστ’ ἂν καταναλωθείη καὶ φανῇ ἡ γλυκύτης.
And the more it is concocted, the acid quality is dissolved little by little, until it is consumed and sweetness appears.
§2.10.3Ἔσται τοίνυν ὁ καρπὸς γλυκύς, τὰ δὲ φύλλα αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀκρέμονες ξηροί.
Therefore, the fruit will be sweet, but its leaves and twigs will be dry.
Ὅταν δὲ τελειωθῇ ἡ πεπειρότης, ἐπὶ πλέον γίνεται ὁ καρπὸς πικρός.
But when the ripeness is completed, the fruit becomes still more bitter.
Τοῦτο δέ ἐστι διὰ τὴν περισσὴν θερμότητα μετὰ βραχείας ὑγρότητος.
And this is because of the excessive heat with little moisture.
Καταναλίσκεται γὰρ ἡ ὑγρότης, ποιεῖ τε ὁ καρπὸς τὴν θερμότητα ἀναβαίνειν, καὶ ἐστὶ τότε ὁ καρπὸς πικρός.
For the moisture is consumed, and the fruit makes the heat ascend, and then the fruit is bitter.
Γίνονται δὲ καὶ §2.10.4οἱ πυρῆνες πυραμοειδεῖς διὰ τὴν ἐφέλκυσιν τοῦ θερμοῦ καὶ τὴν περιττὴν ψυχρότητα καὶ ὑγρότητα τὴν ἐντὸς κειμένην, ἅ εἰσιν ἐκ γέγους τοῦ ὀξώδους ὕδατος.
And there also occur pyramid-shaped stones because of the drawing in of the heat and the excessive coldness and moisture lying within, which are of the genus of acid water.
Μένει γὰρ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἐν μέσῳ καὶ καταπυκνοῦται καὶ ἰσχναίνει τὰ ἄκρα.
For the moisture remains in the middle and is condensed, and makes the extremities thin.
§2.10.5Τὰ δένδρα δὲ τὰ ὄντα ἐν γῇ εὐκράτῳ ἐπισπεύδουσι τὴν πεπειρότητα πρὸ τῶν χειμερινῶν ἡμερῶν, ὅτι ἡ θερμότης ὅταν πλησίον τῆς εὐκρασίας, γένηται δὲ καὶ ἡ ὑγρότης φανερὰ καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καθαρός, καὶ οὐ δεῖται ὁ καρπὸς πολλῆς ὑγρότητός τε καὶ πέψεως, σπεύδει τότε ἡ τοῦδε πεπειρότης, καὶ πρόεισι πρὸ ἡμερῶν χειμερινῶν.
And trees that are in a temperate land hasten their ripeness before the winter days, because when the heat is near temperateness, and the moisture also becomes apparent and the air is clear, and the fruit does not need much moisture and concoction, then its ripeness hastens and comes forth before the winter days.
§2.10.6Ἐν πᾶσι γοῦν τοῖς δένδροις, ὅτε πρῶτον φυτευθῶσιν, ἐπικρατεῖ τὸ πικρὸν ἢ τὸ στρυφνόν, ἐπεὶ ἡ ὑγρότης ὅταν ἐν τοῖς ἄκροις γένηται αὐτῶν, πέττει τοὺς τόπους τοὺς ὄντας ἐν τῷ μέσῳ τῶν δένδρων, ἐξ ὦν ἐστὶ καὶ ἡ ὕλη τῶν καρπῶν, προέρχεταί τε ξηρότης καὶ ἐπακολουθεῖ τῇ ὑγρότητι, καὶ οὕτω γίνεται ἡ πρώτη πέψις δριμεῖα ἢ πικρὰ ἢ στρυφνή.
At any rate, in all trees, when they are first planted, the bitter or the astringent prevails, since when the moisture is in their extremities, it concocts the places that are in the middle of the trees, from which is also the material of the fruits, and dryness comes forth and follows the moisture, and thus the first concoction becomes sharp or bitter or astringent.
§2.10.7Αἰτία δέ ἐστιν ὅτι μετὰ θερμότητος καὶ ὑγρότητός ἐστι πέψις.
And the cause is that concoction is with heat and moisture.
Ὅταν δὲ ἐπικρατήσῃ ὑγρότης καὶ ξηρότης τοῦ θερμοῦ, ἔστιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ καρπὸς ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ οὐκ εὔπεπτος, διότι ἡ γέννησις τοῦ καρποῦ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ ἐστὶ χωρὶς γλυκύτητος.
But when moisture and dryness prevail over heat, there is from this a fruit not well-concocted in the beginning, because the generation of the fruit in the beginning is without sweetness.
Τῶν μυροβαλάνων δὲ δένδρων ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ, ὅταν φανῶσιν, οἱ καρποί εἰσι γλυκεῖς· κοινῶς δέ εἰσι στρυφνοὶ καὶ ἐν τῇ κράσει αὐτῶν πικροί.
But in the myrobalan trees, in the beginning when they appear, the fruits are sweet; but commonly they are astringent and bitter in their mixture.
§2.10.8Αἰτία δέ ἐστιν ὅτι τὸ δένδρον αὐτῶν ἐστὶν ἀραιὸν τοῖς κλάδοις.
And the cause is that their tree is sparse in its branches.
Ἐν ὥρᾳ δὲ πέψεως, ὅταν ὦσιν οἱ πόροι πλατεῖς, ἕπεται θερμότης τῇ ὑγρότητι, καὶ πεπειροῦνται οἱ καρποί, καὶ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ γλυκεῖς.
And in the season of concoction, when the passages are wide, heat follows moisture, and the fruits ripen, and are sweet in the beginning.
Πάλιν ἀκολούθως ἕλκει διὰ τὴν ἀραιότητα τοῦτο τὸ δένδρον πόρους, ἐπικρατεῖ τε ψυχρότης καὶ ξηρότης τοῦ θερμοῦ καὶ ὑγροῦ, κἀντεῦθεν ἀλλοιοῦνται οἱ καρποὶ εἰς στρυφνότητα.
Again, subsequently, this tree draws passages because of its sparseness, and coldness and dryness prevail over heat and moisture, and thence the fruits change into astringency.
§2.10.9Ἐπικρατεῖ πάλιν ὁ ἥλιος μετὰ τῆς θερμότητος διὰ τῆς ἐφελκύσεως τῆς περιττῆς ξηρότητος ἐν τῷ σπέρματι ἐκείνῳ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ἐπιφανείᾳ τῶν δένδρων, νικᾷ τε ἡ ψυχρότης τὴν ξηρότητα, καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ καρποὶ ἰσχυρᾶς στρυφνότητος.
Again, the sun prevails with the heat through the drawing in of the excessive dryness in that seed which is on the surface of the trees, and the coldness overcomes the dryness, and the fruits are of strong astringency.
Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ πάλιν ἀναβαίνει θερμότης φυσικὴ ἄνω, καὶ βοηθεῖ αὐτῇ ἡ θερμότης τοῦ ἡλίου ἔξωθεν, νικᾷ τε ἡ θερμότης καὶ ἡ ξηρότης, καὶ γίνονται οἱ καρποὶ πικροί.
But thence again natural heat ascends upward, and the heat of the sun from without helps it, and the heat and dryness overcome, and the fruits become bitter.