should I enumerate poets and orators, who treated ancient genealogies with myths, from the very foundation basing their own discourse on myth? How then should we not also contribute what is fitting to the myth, and with how much reverence, so to speak, should we receive and welcome it, having just come forth from the rhetorical curtains, greeting it with the finest things we have, as if giving it rest in the soul as in a house, and placing under it a kind of bedding, the mind fortified with dense and beautiful contemplations? For if we thus house it within ourselves, it itself will also honor us in return and will give the starting points of invention and the art and power of persuasion together. 26 To his student Sergius, who said that he had never been bitten by a flea And truly it is a puzzle how, when all are subject to fleas and have been made vulnerable to their bites, our most excellent Sergius has escaped their bites. Therefore, he will think from this that he has gained power over all things and will admire himself and would give great thanks to nature because it created him contrary to common nature, and he will be considered a marvel by the many because he has been uncaptured by such a great beast. But if someone reveals to him the cause of the matter, he will perhaps abandon his arrogance toward us and he will repent that he has not been made vulnerable to the depredations of the animal. For everyone must know that our bodies are compounded from the four elements and the particular mixture of these makes different temperaments, and from the temperaments the humors were constituted, that of blood, that of phlegm, that of the two biles. But the yellow-colored one is channeled into the bladder adjacent to the liver, while the black one flows down to the organ of the spleen; but blood, at least, is not stored in one organ, but through the veins is sown throughout the whole body and gives life to our nature and holds together our constitution. However, this too has obtained a different quality. For if it happens to be best mixed, it is somewhat sweet and fragrant, and to this flows both the louse and the flea and the rest of the kind which has our bodies as food; but if it should be infused contrary to the best mixture, it is either rather watery by nature and full of phlegm and is filled with a salty quality or has drawn bitterness from the yellowish bile or stinks of the black. Therefore, just as of the things that spring up from the earth with the ear of corn not all happen to be edible, but there are some that the sense of taste rejects, so too of the humors mixed together in the body some are well mixed and call forth the appetite of the flea, while others perhaps are putrid or are bitter in taste or reek of a salty quality. And for these reasons this most charming animal, with its power of taste, testing the quality of the things on which it feeds, if it agrees with its nature, it both draws it with its congenital breath and makes it food for itself; but if it should smell otherwise, it both turns away and departs. For the more insatiable of men have been deprived of the precision of sense and they touch all kinds of flesh, and dare to try every juice; but this most beautiful animal surpasses even some rational beings in grace by three fingers and a palm, as they say. For just as the mightiest of beasts, the lion, would never touch yesterday's food, but approaches fresh and devours it (how would you say?) most quickly, so indeed also the most charming flea searches out the springs of our body, or rather, the streams of the springs. The veins are the mixing-bowls of the red streams within us, or rather conduits or certain channels, conducting the nourishment to the body. Whichever of the springs, then, it should find most transparent and drinkable, immediately applying its mouth to it, it both judges the

ἂν ποιητὰς καὶ ῥήτορας καταλέγοιμι, οἳ τὰς ἀρχαιογονίας μύθοις ἐπραγματεύσαντο ἐξ αὐτῆς κρηπῖδος τῷ μύθῳ τὸν οἰκεῖον λόγον ἑδράζοντες; πῶς οὖν οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς τῷ μύθῳ τὸ εἰκὸς συνεισοίσομεν καὶ μεθ' ὅσης εἰπεῖν τῆς εὐλαβείας τῶν ῥητορικῶν παραπετασμάτων ἄρτι προήκοντα δεξαίμεθα καὶ ὑποδεξαίμεθα, τῷ καλλίστῳ ὧν ἔχομεν τοῦτον δεξιωσάμενοι, ὡς ἐν οἴκῳ μὲν τῇ ψυχῇ ἀναπαύοντες, οἷον δέ τινα στρωμνὴν τούτῳ ὑποτιθέντες τὸν νοῦν πεπυκασμένον πυκνοῖς καὶ καλοῖς θεωρήμα σιν; εἰ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὸν εἰσοικίσομεν ἑαυτοῖς, ἀντιφιλοτιμήσεται καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν τὰς ἀφορμὰς τῶν πλασμάτων καὶ τῆς πειθοῦς δώσει τὴν τέχνην ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν δύναμιν. 26 Πρὸς τὸν μαθητὴν αὐτοῦ Σέργιον εἰπόντα μήποτε δηχθῆναι ὑπὸ ψύλλης Καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄπορον εἰ, πάντων ὑποκειμένων ταῖς ψύλλαις καὶ ἁλωσίμων καθεστηκότων τοῖς ἐκείνων δήγμασιν, ὁ κάλλιστος ἡμῖν Σέργιος τὰς δήξεις τούτων ἐκπέφευγεν. οἰήσεται οὖν ἐντεῦθεν τὸ κατὰ πάντων κράτος ἀνειληφέναι καὶ θαυμάσεται ἑαυτὸν καὶ μεγάλας ἀποδοίη τῇ φύσει τὰς χάριτας ὅτι παρὰ τὴν κοινὴν φύσιν τοῦτον ἐδημιούργησε, καὶ τέρας νομισθήσεται τοῖς πολλοῖς ὅτι τηλικούτῳ θηρίῳ ἀνάλωτος γέγονεν. εἰ δέ τις αὐτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀνακαλύψει τοῦ πράγματος, μεθήσει τάχα τὸ καθ' ἡμῶν φρύαγμα καὶ μεταμελήσει αὐτῷ ὅτι μὴ ταῖς τοῦ ζῴου φθοραῖς καθέστηκεν ἁλωτός. Εἰδέναι γὰρ χρεὼν ἅπαντας ὅτι τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα ἐκ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων συγκέκραται καὶ ἡ ποιὰ τούτων μίξις διαφόρους τὰς κράσεις ποιεῖ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν κράσεων κατεσκευάσθησαν οἱ χυμοί, ὁ τοῦ αἵματος, ὁ τοῦ φλέγματος, ὁ τῶν ἑκατέρων χολῶν. ἀλλ' ἡ μὲν ξανθόχρους τῇ παρακειμένῃ τῷ ἥπατι κύστει μετοχετεύεται, ἡ δὲ μέλαινα τῷ τοῦ σπληνὸς καταρρεῖ σπλάγχνῳ· τὸ δέ γε αἷμα οὐκ ἐν ὀργάνῳ ἑνὶ τεθησαύρι σται, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν φλεβῶν κατὰ παντὸς τοῦ σώματος κατασπείρεται καὶ ζωογονεῖ τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν καὶ συνέχει τὴν σύστασιν. πλὴν καὶ τοῦτο διάφορον εἴληχε τὴν ποιότητα. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἄριστα κεκραμένον τυγχάνει, γλυκύ πως καὶ εὐῶδές ἐστι, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο συρρεῖ καὶ ἡ φθεὶρ καὶ ἡ ψύλλα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν γένος ὃ τροφὴν ἔχει τὰ ἡμέτερα σώματα· εἰ δὲ παρὰ τὴν ἀρίστην κρᾶσιν ἐγχυμωθείη, ἢ ὑδατωδέστερον πέφυκε καὶ ἀνάπλεων φλέγματος καὶ τῆς ἁλμυρᾶς ποιότητος ἀναπέπλησται ἢ τὸ πικρὸν ἀπηρύσατο τῆς λεκιθώδους χολῆς ἢ ἀπόζει τοῦ μέλανος. ὥσπερ οὖν τῶν ἐκ τῆς γῆς συνανατελλόντων τῷ στάχυϊ οὐ πάντα τυγχάνει ἐδώδιμα, ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἃ ἡ αἴσθησις τῆς γεύσεως ἀποτρέπεται, οὕτω τῶν συγκεραννυμέ νων χυμῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι οἱ μὲν εὖ κεράννυνται καὶ τὴν τῆς ψύλλης ὄρεξιν ἐκκαλοῦνται, οἱ δ' ἴσως σεσήπασιν ἢ πικροὶ τὴν γεῦσίν εἰσιν ἢ ἁλμώδους ἀπόζουσι ποιότητος. Καὶ διὰ ταῦτα τὸ χαριέστατον τοῦτο ζῷον τῇ γευστικῇ δυνάμει τὴν ὧν τρέφεται δοκιμάζον ποιότητα, εἰ μὲν συμβαίνει τῇ φύσει, ἕλκει τε τῷ συμφυεῖ πνεύματι καὶ τροφὴν ἑαυτῷ κατεργάζεται· εἰ δ' ἄλλως ὀδώδοι, ἀποστρέφεταί τε καὶ ἄπεισι. τῶν μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων οἱ ἀπληστότεροι τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἀφῄρηνται τῆς αἰσθήσεως καὶ πασῶν μὲν σαρκῶν ἅπτονται, παντὸς δὲ κατατολμῶσι χυμοῦ· τὸ δὲ κάλλιστον τοῦτο ζῷον καὶ τῶν λογικῶν ἐνίους ὑπερπαίει τῇ χάριτι τρισίν, ὅ φασι, δακτύλοις καὶ παλαιστῇ. ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ ἀλκιμώτατον τῶν θηρίων, ὁ λέων, οὐκ ἄν ποτε χθιζῆς τροφῆς ἅψαιτο, τῇ δὲ νεαλεῖ πρόσεισι καὶ λαφύσσει (πῶς ἂν εἴποις;) τάχιστα, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ χαριεστάτη ψύλλα τὰς πηγὰς ἡμῶν τοῦ σώματος ἐρευνᾷ, μᾶλλον δὲ τοὺς τῶν πηγῶν ῥύακας. κρατῆρες δὲ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐρυθρῶν ναμάτων αἱ φλέβες εἰσί, μᾶλλον δὲ ὀχετοὶ ἢ ἀμάραι τινές, ὀχετηγοῦσαι τῷ σώματι τὴν τροφήν. ἣν μὲν ἂν οὖν εὕροι τῶν πηγῶν διειδεστάτην καὶ πότιμον, εὐθὺς αὐτῇ τὸ στόμα προσβάλλουσα κρίνει τε τὴν