De Theologia (Orat. 28)

Ἵνα γὰρ τἄλλα ἐάσας, φησί, πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν βλέψω, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν καὶ σύμπηξιν, τίς ἡ μίξις ἡμῶν; τίς ἡ κίνησις; πῶς τὸ ἀθάνατον τῷ θνητῷ συνεκράθη; πῶς κάτω ῥέω, καὶ ἄνω φέρομαι; πῶς ψυχὴ περιγράφεται; πῶς ζωὴν δίδωσι, καὶ πάθους μεταλαμ- βάνει; πῶς ὁ νοῦς καὶ περιγραπτὸς καὶ ἀόριστος, ἐν ἡμῖν μένων, καὶ πάντα ἐφοδεύων τάχει φορᾶς καὶ ῥεύσεως; πῶς μεταλαμβάνεται λόγῳ καὶ μεταδίδοται, καὶ δι᾿ ἀέρος χωρεῖ, καὶ μετὰ τῶν πραγμάτων εἰσέρχεται; πῶς αἰσθήσει [*](6 ἑαυτοῦ] αὐτοῦ ce 22. 8 γὰρ] ’δε e || 12 περιγράφεται] περιφέρεται ac) [*](1. τὸ τοιοῦτο] ‘such a thing,’ i.e. the field which his mind surveys.) [*](3. ἄβυσσον π.] Ps. xxxvi 6 (xxxv 7). By ἕδρα Gr. seems to mean the ‘bottom.’) [*](5. τεθαυμ] Ps. exxxviii (exxxix) 6. ‘That That the knowledge even of his own constitution was too wonderful for him.’ It is possible, however, that Gr. misunderstood the ἐξ to mean that it was the contemplation of his constitution which made the knowledge of God seem overwhelming.) [*](6. κεκρατ.] ibid. ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν. Περίδρ., ‘grasp.’) [*](22. Well might David despair; for how marvellous is man's constitutuion,—his birth, his sustenance, his instincts, his continuity, his very organs and the media in which they act, a microcosm in himself.) [*](8. φησι] sc. David.) [*](11. κάτω ῥέω] by decay and death: ἄνω φ., prob. Gr. means by contemveys. ib. ψυχή] without the art., points the contrast between the nature of the soul and its limitations. Περιγράφεται, because confined in the body;) [*](12. ζωὴν δίδ] sc. to the body; and yet it receives from the body a share in its πάθη.) [*](13. ἀόριστος] Though our intelligence works within limits, those limits are themselves capable of indifinite extension.) [*](14. ἐφοδεύων] ‘visiting.’) [*](15. δι’ ἀέρος χ.] Perh. by means of speech.) [*](16. μετὰ τῶν πρ.] Intelligence ‘enters in with the things us, because we learn by them. is further expressed by αἰσθ. κοιν.; it is ’in partnership with sense,’ though capable of withdrawing itself from the senses.)

κοινωνεῖ, καὶ συστέλλεται ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθήσεων; καὶ ἔτι πρὸ τούτων, τίς ἡ πρώτη πλάσις ἡμῶν καὶ σύστασις ἐν τῷ τῆς φύσεως ἐργαστηρίῳ; καὶ τίς ἡ τελευταία μόρφωσις καὶ τελείωσις; τίς ἡ τῆς τροφῆς ἔφεσις καὶ διάδοσις; καὶ τίς ἤγαγεν ἐπὶ τὰς πρώτας πηγὰς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν ἀφορμὰς αὐτομάτως; πῶς σιτίοις μὲν σῶμα, λόγῳ δὲ ψυχὴ τρέφεται; τίς ἡ τῆς φύσεως ὁλκὴ καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα σχέσις τοῖς γεννῶσι καὶ τοῖς γέννω μένοις, ἵνα τῷ φίλτρῳ συνέ- χηται; πῶς ἑστηκότα τε τὰ εἴδη καὶ τοῖς χαρακτῆρσι διεστηκότα, ὧν τοσούτων ὄντων αἱ ἰδιότητες ἀνέφικτοι; πῶς τὸ αὐτὸ ζῶον θνητὸν καὶ ἀθάνατον, τὸ μὲν τῇ μεταστάσει, τὸ δὲ τῇ γεννήσει; τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπεξῆλθε, τὸ δὲ ἀντεισῆλθεν, ὥσπερ ἐν ὁλκῷ ποταμοῦ μὴ ἑστῶτος καὶ μένοντος. πολλὰ δ’ ἂν ἔτι φιλοσοφήσαις περὶ μελῶν καὶ μερῶν, καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἄλληλα τούτων εὐαρμοστίας, πρὸς [*](2 πλάσις ἤμων καὶ σύστασις] σύστασις ἤμων df || 9 χαρακτῆρσι] + τὰ f ǁ 10 διεστηκότα] + καὶ e ǁ 11 μεταστάσει] μεταποιήσει ‘Reg. Cypr.’ || 14 φιλοσο- φησαις]σπερμολογήσαις b ‘Coisl. 2’) [*](2. ἐν τῷ τῆς φ. ἐργ.] ‘in nature's laboratory? the mother's womb.) [*](3. τελευταία μ.] ‘the finishing touch,’ sc. before birth.) [*](4. ἔφεσις κ. διάδοσις] the instinct which impels the babe to seek its nourishment, and the provision (lit. ‘distribution’) which supplies the need.) [*](5. ἀφορμάς] ’means’: of course the breast is meant. Αὐτομάτως, ‘instinctively.’) [*](7. ὁλκὴ] ‘attraction,’ from ἕλκειν. Ἵνα is not used here in a ‘final’ sense. Cp. § 7.) [*](8. ουνέχηται] sc τὰ γεννῶντα κ. τὰ γεννώμενα.) [*](9. etSrj] ’forms.’ How, Gr. asks, is the common form so constant while appearing with such a variety of distinguishing features; and in all that variety the peculiarities of each individual remain untouched, so that no two men are exactly alike?) [*](11. τὸ αὐτὸ ζῶον] ‘animal’ for ‘kind of animal’; as we talk of ’the ’ ’the ’ Gr. is speaking of the deathless persistence of the species, not of the restored existence of the specimen. His wonder is that the type endures. It never passes into another ζῶον. Μετα- στάσει, ‘removal’ by death.) [*](12. ὑπεξῆλθε] gnomic aor.) [*](13. ὁλκῷ] There seems to be no instance of ὁλκός=ὁλκή, which might mean the flow or current of the river. Suidas gives an interpretation ὁδὸς ἢ ἀγωγὸς ῥεύματος, and quotes the phrase rbv ὁλκὸν τοῦ ὕδατος ἔκοψεν. Here then it would mean ‘as in the channel of a river, which (river) never stands still, yet is ever there.’ This is in accordance with the common meaning of ὁ. = sulcus.) χρείαν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ κάλλος συνεστώτων τε καὶ διεστώτων, προεχόντων τε καὶ προεχομένων, ἑνουμένων τε καὶ σχιζομένων, περιεχόντων τε καὶ περιεχομένων, νόμῳ καὶ λόγῳ φύσεως. πολλὰ περὶ φωνῶν καὶ ἀκοῶν· πῶς αἱ μὲν φέρονται διὰ τῶν φωνητικῶν ὀργάνων, αἱ δὲ ὑποδέχονται, διὰ τῆς ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ἀέρος πληγῆς καὶ τυπώσεως ἀλλήλαις ἐπιμιγνύμεναι. πολλὰ περὶ ὄψεως ἀρρήτως κοινωνούσης τοῖς ὁρατοῖς, καὶ μόνῳ τῷ βούλεσθαι καὶ ὁμοῦ κινουμένης, καὶ ταὐτὸν τῷ νοὶ πασχούσης· μετὰ γὰρ τοῦ ἴσου τάχους ἐκεῖνός τε μίγνυται τοῖς νοουμένοις καὶ αὕτη τοῖς ὁρωμένοις. πολλὰ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἰσθήσεων, αἳ παραδοχαί τινές εἰσι τῶν ἔξωθεν, λόγῳ μὴ θεωρούμεναι. πολλὰ περὶ τῆς ἐν ὕπνοις ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ τῆς δι’ ὀνειράτων ἀναπλάσεως, μνήμης μὴς τε καὶ ἀναμνήσεως, λογισμοῦ τε καὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ἐφέσεως, καὶ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ὅσοις ὁ μικρ·ὸς οὗτος κόσμος διοικεῖται, ὁ ἄνθρωπος.

[*](5 ὑποδέχονται] υπηχουνται b || 12 λόγω λόγων ‘Reg. Cypr.’ || + δε e || 15 οὕτος κόσμος διοικεῖται] κόσμος οὕτος διοικ. e: οὕτος διοικ. κόσμος f)[*](1. συνεστ. τε κ. διεστ.] ‘coordinated and differentiated tvith a view alike to use and beauty.')[*](2. προεχόντων τε κ. πρ.] ‘projecting and retreating? lit. ‘projecting and projected beyond?)[*](ib. ἐν. τε κ. σχιζ.] ‘united and divided? as e.g. the two eyes. Περιεχ. τε κ. περιεχ., the latter, of course, would be the internal the former the part of the body which encloses them.)[*](3. λόγῳ Φ. Cp. § 16 λόγον ἐνθείς. For νόμ. cp. Greg. Nyss. in Diem Nat. Chr. οὐ δουλεύει φύσεως νόμοις ὁ δεσπότης τῆς φύσεως.)[*](5. ὑποδέχονται] ’, αἱ ἀκοαί = τὰ ὦτα.)[*](8. μόνω τῷ βούλ. κιλ.] ‘moved by the will alone, and along with it, and enjoying the same privilege ἃς the intelligence? Sight acts, in Gr. 's opinion, as swiftly as will and thought.)[*](11. παραδοχαί] From the addi tion of τινές, we see that the word bore some half-technical sense, of which the Lexica do not speak. Prob. δοχαί, ὑποδοχαί, ‘receptacles.’)[*](12. λόγῳ μὴ θεωρ.] Gr. seems to mean that the senses, which are so hospitable to the things external to ourselves, are yet a mystery imorgans, penetrable to the reason which resides within us.)[*](14. μνήμης . . . ἀναμνήσεως] μν. is the faculty, ἀνάμν. the act of re- membering. There is a treatise of Aristotle bearing the title περὶ μνή- μὴς καὶ ἀναμνήσεως, which doubtless Gr. has in mind.)[*](15. ὁ μικρὸς οὗτος κ.] On man as a microcosm, see Plat. Tim. 81 Α and 88 D. These passages have been kindly pointed out to me by Mr Archer-Hind, who adds, “No- thing like the phrase occurs, but the conception is plainly there." He thinks it far from improbable that Proclus, whose commentary on this part of the Tim. has not been pre- served, may have applied the term μικρὸς κόσμος to the human body; or that some Stoic writer so applied it.)

Βούλει σοι καὶ τὰς τῶν ἄλλων ζώων διαφορὰς πρός τε ἡμᾶς καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα, φύσεις τε καὶ γενέσεις καὶ ἀνατροφάς, καὶ χώρας, καὶ ἤθη, καὶ οἷον πολιτείας καταριθ- μήσωμαι; πῶς τὰ μὲν ἀγελαῖα, τὰ δὲ μοναδικά; τὰ μὲν ποηφάγα, τὰ δὲ σαρκοβόρα; τὰ μὲν θυμοειδῆ, τὰ δὲ ἥμερα; τὰ μὲν φιλάνθρωπα καὶ σύντροφα, τὰ δὲ ἀτίθασσα καὶ ἐλεύθερα; καὶ τὰ μὲν οἷον ἐγγύτερα λόγου τε καὶ μαθήσεως, τὰ δὲ παντελῶς ἄλογα καὶ ἀμαθέστατα; τὰ μὲν πλειόνων αἰσθήσεων, τὰ δὲ ἐλαττόνων; τὰ μὲν ἀκίνητα, τὰ δὲ μεταβατικά; τὰ μὲν ταχύτατα, τὰ δὲ παχύτατα; τὰ μὲν ὑπερβάλλοντα μεγέθει καὶ κάλλει ἢ τῷ ἑτέρῳ τούτων, τὰ δὲ βραχύτατα ἢ δυσειδέστατα ἢ καὶ ἀμΦότερα; τὰ μὲν ἄλκιμα, τὰ δὲ ἀσθενῆ; τὰ μὲν ἀμυντικά, τὰ δὲ ὕποπτα καὶ ἐπίβουλα; τὰ μὲν φυλακτά, τὰ δὲ ἀφύλακτα; τὰ μὲν φίλεργα καὶ οἰκονομικά, τὰ δὲ παντάπασιν ἀργὰ καὶ ἀπρονόητα; καὶ ἔτι πρὸ τούτων, πῶς τὰ μὲν ἑρπυστικά, τὰ δὲ ὄρθια; τὰ μὲν φιλόχωρα, τὰ δὲ ἀμΦίβια; τὰ μὲν φιλόκαλα, τὰ δὲ ἀκαλλώπιστα; συζυγῆ τε καὶ ἀζυγῆ; [*](23. 1 διαΦορας] ἀναστροφὰς ’Reg. a' || 3 καταριθμησωμαι] σομαι df: -σωμεν e || 10 τὰ μὲν ταχύτατα τὰ δε παχυτατα] τὰ μὲν ταχύτατα tantum a: τὰ μὲν παχυτατα tantum b: τὰ ’δε ταχύτατα tantum cdef || 1 1 και] η e || 13 τὰ μὲν αλκιμα] τὰ ’δε αλκ. e ΙΙ τὰ μὲν αμυντικα] τὰ ’δε ἁμ. a || 14 om τὰ μὲν φυλακτὰ bef || 16 ερπιστικα ab: ερπηστικα def || 17 τὰ μὲν φιλόχωρα, τὰ ’δε φίλ’. c) [*](23. Hcnv wonderful the variety of the beasts!) [*](6. ἀτίθασσα] or ἀτίθασα, ἵκοι disposed to be tamed'; ἐλεύθερα, cp. Job xxxix 5.) [*](17. Φιλόχωρα] ‘attached to a place'; it seems an imperfect antithesis to ἀμφίβια, but prob. Gr. means that the latter class are so little attached to a place that they are indifferent even to an element.) [*](18. φιλόκαλα] Gr. seems to be anticipating what he says in § 24 about the peacock; it would not be easy to point to a quadruped which is markedly φιλόκαλον unless Gr. refers to such things as the way in which a cat washes itself. Isocrates advises a man to be φιλόκαλος in regard to his dress, but not καλλωπιστής, which he says would be περίεργον. Ἀκαλ- λώπ. cannot mean ‘unadorned, which would be no antithesis to Φιλόκ., but ‘not given to adorning themselves.’)

σώφρονά τε καὶ ἀκόλαστα; πολύγονά τε καὶ οὐ πολύΥονα; μακρόβιά τε καὶ ὀλιγόβια; κάμνοι ἃν ἡμῖν ὁ τοῖς κατὰ μέρος ἐπεξιών.

Σκέψαι μοι καὶ νηκτὴν φύσιν τῶν ὑδάτων διολισθαίνουσαν, καὶ οἷον ἱπταμένην κατὰ τῆς ὑγρᾶς φύσεως, καὶ τοῦ μὲν ἰδίου σπῶσαν ἀέρος, τῷ ἡμετέρῳ δὲ κινδυνεύουσαν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς ὕδασιν· ἤθη τε καὶ πάθη, καὶ μίξεις καὶ γονάς, καὶ μεγέθη καὶ κάλλη, Φιλοχωρίας τε καὶ πλάνας, συνόδους τε καὶ ἀποχωρήσεις, καὶ ἰδιότητας μικροῦ τοῖς ἐπιγείοις παραπλησίας, ἔστι δὲ ὧν καὶ κοινωνίας καὶ ἰδιότητας ἀντιθέτους, ἔν τε εἴδεσι καὶ ὀνόμασιν. σκέψαι μοι καὶ ὀρνέων ἀγέλας, καὶ ποικιλίας ἔν τε σχήμασι καὶ χρώμασι, τῶν τε ἄλλων καὶ τῶν ᾠδικῶν· καὶ τίς τῆς τούτων μελῳδίας ὁ λόγος, καὶ παρὰ τίνος; τίς ὁ δοὺς τέττιγι τὴν ἐπὶ στήθους μαγάδα, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῶν κλάδων ᾄσματά τε καὶ τερετίσματα, ὅταν ἡλίῳ κινῶνται τὰ μεσημβρινὰ μουσουργοῦντες, καὶ καταφωνῶσι τὰ ἄλση, καὶ ὁδοιπόρον ταῖς φωναῖς παραπέμπωσι; τίς ὁ κύκνῳ συνυφαίνων τὴν ᾠδήν, ὅταν ἐκπετάσῃ τὸ πτερὸν ταῖς αὔραις, καὶ ποιῇ μέλος τὸ σύριγμα; ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν τὰς βιαίους φωνάς, καὶ ὅσα τέχναι σοφίζονται κατὰ τῆς [*](24. 9 om ἀποχωρήσεις καὶ ce || 10 om μικροῦ usque ad ἰδιότητας f || ὀρνίθων be ’Or. I' || 13 ἄλλων] ἀλάλων df || 17 μουσουργοῦντος e || 18 οδοιπορον] τ8 οδοιπορον] ’τον ὁδ’. c || παραπέμπουσι e || 19 om Tr την cf) [*](24. The fish; the fowl.) [*](4. νηκτὴν φ....διολ.] Cp. ἑ 12. ‘Ιπταμένην ’flying under the liquid element'; cp. § 16 καθ’ ὕδατος.) [*](6. τοῦ ἰδίου ἁ.] Gr. seems to mean the water ὥσπερ ἤμ’. ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι). The gen. is partitive.) [*](10. μικροῦ] ‘nearly'; παραπλ. ‘re- sembling in number? ’as numerous as,' — a signification sometimes found in class, authors; τοῖς ἐπ’. for ταῖς τῶν ἐπ’.) [*](11. κοινωνίας κοινωνίας κ. ἰδ. ἀντ.] ’common features, and peculiarities of an op- posing kind? Elias is prob. right referring to the differences between scaly and scaleless, crustaceous and otherwise.) [*](15. μαγάδα] the ’bridge’ of a κιθάρα. Gr. treats the τέττιξ as if it were a bird.) [*](16. τερετίσματα] ‘chirping.' Γᾶ μεσημβρ. sc. μουσουρΥήματα.) [*](18. παραπέμπωσι] ‘escort.') [*](20. τὸ σύριγμα] ’ turns his hissing into a melody.’) [*](21. τὰς βιαίους φ.] ’forced notes'; i.e. the unnatural sounds made by birds which are taught to speak and to whistle.)

ἀληθείας. πόθεν ταῶς, ὁ ἀλαζὼν ὄρνις καὶ Μηδικός, οὕτω φιλόκαλος καὶ φιλότιμος, ὥστε (καὶ γὰρ αἰσθάνεται τοῦ οἰκείου κάλλους), ὅταν ἴδῃ τινὰ πλησιάζοντα, ἢ ταῖς θηλείαις, ὥς φασι, καλλωπίζηται, τὸν αὐχένα διάρας, καὶ τὸ πτερὸν κυκλοτερῶς περιστήσας τὸ χρυσαυγὲς καὶ κατάστερον, θεατρίζει τὸ κάλλος τοῖς ἐρασταῖς μετὰ σοβαροῦ τοῦ βαδίσματος;

Ἡ μὲν οὖν θεία γραφὴ καὶ γυναικῶν θαυμάζει σοφίαν τὴν ἐν ὑφάσμασι, Τίς ἔδωκε, λέγουσα, γυναιξὶν ὑφάσματος σοφίαν καὶ ποικιλτικὴν ἐπιστήμην; ζώου λογικοῦ τοῦτο, καὶ περιττοῦ τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ μέχρι τῶν οὐρανίων ὁδεύοντος.