§1414.
14.
Ἱπποκράτης Δαμαγήτῳ χαίρειν.
Hippocrates to Damagetus, greeting.
Οἰδα παρὰ σοὶ γενόμενος ἐν Ῥόδῳ, Δαμάγητε, τὴν ναῦν ἐκείνην, ἅλιος ἐπιγραφὴ ἦν αὐτῇ, πάγκαλόν τινα καὶ εὔπρυμνον, ἱκανῶς τε τετροπισμένην, καὶ διάβασιν εἶχε πολλήν·
I know, Damagetus, from when I was with you in Rhodes, that ship which had the inscription "Sun" upon it, a very beautiful and fine-sterned vessel, sufficiently equipped, and having great capacity.
ἐπῄνεις δὲ καὶ τὸ ναυτικὸν αὐτῆς ὡς ὀξὺ καὶ ἀσφαλὲς καὶ εὔτεχνον ὑπουργῆσαι, καὶ τοῦ πλοῦ τὴν εὐδρομίην.
And you praised its crew for serving quickly, safely, and skillfully, and the swiftness of its voyage.
Ταύτην ἔκπεμψον ἡμῖν, ἀλλ’ εἰ οἷόν τε, μὴ κώπαις, ἀλλὰ πτεροῖς ἐρετμώσας αὐτὴν· ἐπείγει γὰρ τὸ πρῆγμα, φιλότης, καὶ μάλα εἰς Ἄβδηρα διαπλεῦσαι πάνυ ταχέως· βούλομαι γὰρ νοσέουσαν ἰήσασθαι πόλιν διὰ νοσέοντα ἕνα Δημόκριτον.
Send this ship to us, but if possible, equipped not with oars but with wings; for the matter is urgent, my friend, to sail across to Abdera very quickly; for I wish to heal a sick city through one sick man, Democritus.
Ἀκούεις που τἀνδρὸς τὸ κλέος, τοῦτον ἡ πατρὶς ᾐτίηται μανίῃ κεκακῶσθαι·
You have likely heard of the man's fame; his homeland has accused him of being afflicted with madness.
ἐγὼ δὲ βούλομαι, μᾶλλον δὲ εὔχομαι, μὴ ὄντως αὐτὸν παρακόπτειν, ἀλλ’ ἐκείνοισι δόξαν εἶναι.
But I wish, or rather I pray, that he is not truly out of his mind, but that it is only an opinion to them.
Γελῇ, φασὶν, αἰεὶ καὶ οὐ παύεται γελῶν ἐπὶ παντὶ πρήγματι, καὶ σημεῖον αὐτοῖσι μανίης τοῦτο δοκέει·
They say he always laughs and does not cease laughing at every matter, and this seems to them a sign of madness.
ὅθεν λέγε τοῖσιν ἐν Ῥόδῳ φίλοισι μετριάζειν αἰεὶ, καὶ μὴ πολλὰ γελῇν, μηδὲ πολλὰ σκυθρωπάζειν, ἀλλὰ τουτέων ἀμφοῖν τὸ μέτριον κτήσασθαι, ἵνα τοῖς μὲν χαριέστατος εἶναι δόξειας, τοῖς δὲ φροντιστὴς περὶ ἀρετῆς μερμηρίζων.
Therefore, tell the friends in Rhodes to always practice moderation, and not to laugh much, nor to look gloomy much, but to acquire the mean between these two, so that you may seem to some to be most charming, and to others a thinker meditating on virtue.
Ἔνι μέντοι τι, Δαμάγητε, κακὸν, παρ’ ἕκαστον αὐτοῦ γελῶντος· εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀμετρίη φλαῦρον, τὸ διὰ παντὸς φλαυρότερον.
However, Damagetus, there is something bad in his laughing at everything; for if excess is bad, that which is continual is even worse.
Καὶ εἴποιμ’ ἂν αὐτῷ· Δημόκριτε, καὶ νοσέοντος καὶ κτεινομένου καὶ τεθνεῶτος καὶ πολιορκουμένου καὶ παντὸς ἐμπίπτοντος κακοῦ, ἕκαστον τῶν πρησσομένων ὕλη σοι γέλωτος ὑπόκειται.
And I might say to him: "Democritus, when someone is sick, and being killed, and dying, and being besieged, and when every evil falls, each of the things that are done is subjected to you as material for laughter.
Οὐ θεομαχεῖς δὲ, εἰ δύο ἐόντων ἐν κόσμῳ, χαρᾶς καὶ λύπης, σὺ θάτερον αὐτῶν ἐκβέβληκας;
Are you not fighting against God, if, when there are two things in the world, joy and grief, you have cast out one of them?
μακάριός τ’ ἂν ᾖς, ἀλλ’ ἀδύνατον, εἰ μήτε μήτηρ σοι νενόσηκε, μήτε πατὴρ, μήτε τὰ ὕστερον τέκνα ἢ γυνὴ ἢ φίλος, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν σὸν γέλωτα ἕνα διασώζεται εὐτυχῶς πάντα.
And you would be blessed—but it is impossible—unless neither your mother has been sick, nor your father, nor your subsequent children, or wife, or friend, but through your single laughter everything is happily preserved.
Ἀλλὰ νοσεόντων γελᾷς, ἀποθνησκόντων χαίρεις, εἴ τί που πύθοιο κακὸν, εὐφραίνῃ·
But you laugh when they are sick, you rejoice when they die, and if you hear of any evil anywhere, you are glad.
ὡς πονηρότατος εἶ, ὦ Δημόκριτε, καὶ πόῤῥω γε σοφίης, εἰ νομίζεις αὐτὰ μηδὲ κακὰ εἶναι·
How very wicked you are, Democritus, and far indeed from wisdom, if you think these very things are not even evils.
μελαγχολᾷς οὖν, Δημόκριτε, κινδυνεύων καὶ αὐτὸς Ἀβδηρίτης εἶναι, φρονιμωτέρη δὲ ἡ πόλις. Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν δὴ τουτέων ἀκριβέστερον ἐκεῖ λέξομεν, Δαμάγητε· ἡ δὲ ναῦς καὶ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ὃν ἐπιστέλλω σοι χρονίζει.
Therefore you are melancholic, Democritus, running the risk of being yourself an Abderite, while the city is wiser." But indeed, concerning these things we shall speak more accurately there, Damagetus; and the ship is delayed even during this time in which I write to you.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§1515.
15.
Ἱπποκράτης Φιλοποίμενι χαίρειν.
Hippocrates to Philopoemen, greeting.
Σύννους καὶ πεφροντικὼς ὑπὲρ Δημοκρίτεω, αὐτέῃ ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ καταδαρθὼν, πρὸς ἀρχομένην τὴν ἕω ὄναρ ἐφαντάσθην· ἐξ οὗ νομίζω κάρτα μηδὲν ἐπισφαλὲς γεγενῆσθαι· ἐκπλαγὴς γὰρ διηγέρθην.
Anxious and deeply concerned about Democritus, having fallen asleep on that very night, toward the beginning of dawn I was visited by a dream; because of which I strongly believe that nothing dangerous has occurred; for I woke up startled.
Ἐδόκεον γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἀσκληπιὸν ὁρῇν, φαίνεσθαί τε αὐτόν πλησίον· ἤδη δὲ πρὸς τῇσι τῶν Ἀβδηριτέων πύλῃσιν ἐτυγχάνομεν.
For I seemed to see Asclepius himself, and him appearing nearby; and we happened to be already at the gates of the Abderites.
Ὁ δὲ Ἀσκληπιὸς, οὐχ ὡς εἰώθεσαν αὐτέου αἱ εἰκόνες, μείλιχός τε καὶ πρᾶος ἰδέσθαι κατεφαίνετο, ἀλλὰ διεγηγερμένος τῇ σχέσει καὶ ἰδέσθαι φοβερώτερος· εἵποντο δὲ αὐτῷ δράκοντες, χρῆμά τι ἑρπετῶν ὑπερφυὲς, ἐπειγόμενοι δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ μακρῷ τῷ ἐπισύρματι, καί τι φρικῶδες ὡς ἐν ἐρημίῃσι καὶ νάπῃσι κοίλῃσιν ὑποσυρίζοντες·
And Asclepius appeared, not as his statues are accustomed to be seen, mild and gentle, but active in his bearing and more terrifying to behold; and there followed him serpents, a monstrous number of reptiles, they too hastening along with a long trailing motion, and making a terrifying hissing sound, as in deserts and deep mountain glens.
οἱ δὲ κατόπιν ἑταῖροι κίστας φαρμάκων εὖ μάλα περιεσφηκωμένας ἔχοντες ᾔεσαν.
And his companions following behind went along holding chests of medicines very tightly bound.
Ἔπειτα ὤρεξέ μοι τὴν χεῖρα ὁ θεός· κᾀγὼ λαβόμενος ἀσμένως ἐλιπάρεον ξυνέρχεσθαι, καὶ μὴ καθυστερέειν μου τῆς θεραπείης·
Then the god stretched out his hand to me; and I, taking it gladly, entreated him to come along with me and not to lag behind my treatment.
ὁ δὲ, οὐδέν τι, ἔφη, ἐν τῷ παρεόντι ἐμεῦ χρῄζεις, ἀλλά σε αὕτη τὰ νῦν ξεναγήσει θεὸς κοινὴ ἀθανάτων τε καὶ θνητῶν. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπιστραφεὶς ὁρέω γυναῖκα καλήν τε καὶ μεγάλην ἀφελὲς πεπλοκισμένην, λαμπρείμονα· διέλαμπον δ’ αὐτέης οἱ τῶν ὀμμάτων κύκλοι καθαρόν τι φῶς, οἷον ἀστέρων μαρμαρυγὰς δοκέειν.
But he said: "For the present, you have no need of me at all, but this goddess, common to both immortals and mortals, will guide you now." Turning around, I saw a woman, both beautiful and tall, simply braided, splendidly robed; and the circles of her eyes shone with a pure light, so as to seem like the twinkling of stars.
Καὶ ὁ μὲν δαίμων ἐχωρίσθη· κείνη δὲ ἡ γυνὴ πιέσασά με τοῦ καρποῦ μαλθακῇ τινι εὐτονίῃ, διὰ τοῦ ἄστεος ἦγε φιλοφρονεομένη·
And the deity departed; but that woman, grasping me by the wrist with a gentle strength, led me kindly through the city.
ὡς δὲ πλησίον τῆς οἰκίης ἦμεν, ἵνα τὴν ξενίην ἐδόκεον εὐτρεπίσθαι, ἀπῄει ὡς φάσμα, οἶον εἰποῦσα· αὔριόν σε παρά Δημοκρίτεω καταλήψομαι. Ἤδη δὲ αὐτῆς μεταστρεφομένης, δέομαι, φημὶ, ἀρίστη, τίς εἶ καὶ τίνα σε καλέομεν; ἡ δὲ, Ἀλήθεια, ἔφη· αὕτη δὲ ἣν προσιεῦσαν ὁρῇς, καὶ· ἐξαίφνης ἑτέρη τις κατεφαίνετό μοι, οὐκ ἀκαλλὴς μὲν οὐδ’ αὐτὴ, θρασυτέρη δὲ ἰδέσθαι καὶ σεσοβημένη, Δόξα, ἔφη, καλέεται· κατοικέει δὲ παρὰ τοῖσιν Ἀβδηρίταισιν.
When we were near the house where I thought hospitality had been prepared for us, she vanished like an apparition, as if saying: "Tomorrow I shall wait for you at Democritus' house." And as she was already turning away, I entreated, saying: "Most noble lady, who are you, and by what name shall we call you?" And she said: "Truth." "And this one whom you see approaching..." and suddenly another woman appeared to me, she too not unlovely, but bolder to look upon and agitated; she said she was called "Opinion," and that she dwelt among the Abderites.
Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἀναστὰς ὑπεκρινάμην ἐμαυτῷ τὸ ὄναρ, ὅτι οὐ δέοιτο ἰητροῦ Δημόκριτος, ὅπου γε αὐτὸς ὁ θεραπεύων θεὸς ἀπέστη, ὡς οὐκ ἔχων ὕλην θεραπείης· ἀλλὰ ἡ μὲν ἀλήθεια τοῦ ὑγιαίνειν παρὰ Δημοκρίτεω μένει, ἡ δὲ τοῦ νοσέειν αὐτὸν δόξα παρὰ Ἀβδηρίταις ὄντως κατῴκηκε.
So, having arisen, I interpreted the dream to myself: that Democritus had no need of a physician, since the healing god himself withdrew, as having no material for treatment; rather, the truth of his being healthy remains with Democritus, while the opinion of his being sick has truly made its home among the Abderites.
Ταῦτα πιστεύω ἀληθέα εἶναι, Φιλοποίμην, καὶ ἔστι, καὶ οὐκ ἀπογινώσκω τὰ ὀνείρατα, μάλιστα δὲ ὁκόταν καὶ τάξιν διαφυλάττῃ.
I believe these things to be true, Philopoemen, and indeed they are; and I do not disregard dreams, especially when they preserve an orderly sequence.
Ἰητρικὴ δὲ καὶ μαντικὴ καὶ πάνυ ξυγγενέες εἰσὶν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τῶν δύο τεχνέων πατὴρ εἷς Ἀπόλλων, ὁ καὶ πρόγονος ἡμέων, ἐούσας καὶ ἐσομένας νούσους προαγορεύων καὶ νοσέοντας καὶ νοσήσοντας ἰώμενος.
Medicine and prophecy are closely akin, since the father of both arts is one, Apollo, who is also our ancestor, foretelling diseases present and to come, and healing those who are sick and those who will be sick.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.