Theophylactus Simocatta, Physical Questions

Quaestiones physicae

OF THEOPHYLACT SIMOCATTA, EX-PREFECT, a dialogue concerning various physical problems and their solutions. The discourse of the

dialogue.

I have heard that swallows are taught their song musically by their mothers; for a mother swallow does not endure to hear an untaught offspring. Therefore they teach their young to dwell in cities and to sing to men and to chatter in their chambers a harmonious song. Come now, come, most musical assembly, give eloquence to a child, and teach me, who am just now learning to sing an Attic song, to sing to the theater and to chatter as I enter musical chambers. And if I should fall outside of any of the song's rhythms, support me eagerly in what is lacking, like the cicada that was the fellow-worker of the melody for Eunomus the Locrian. It seemed good also to Teucer to go on campaign and to love trophies and to long for the battle-line of war. Therefore, Ajax walled him with the protection of his shield, and Teucer was a most accurate archer; for Ajax was the foundation of his prowess. Bear with me, bear with me, master teachers, like a shield with your good will, and may applause be my arms today. And I know I shall be victorious, even if I have not set foot on barbarian land. And if I have not yet inherited a mother-art, yet I have the same origin as you; and I have words for a fatherland and the things of Hellas are ours. The chapters of the dialogue. 1. For what reason is the diamond unburnt and has no share in the nature of fire. 2. For what reason do the feathers of eagles, when placed with the feathers of other animals, work destruction upon them. 3. For what reason do elephants not drink before they have muddied the water. 4. For what reason does the torpedo fish transmit its eponymous affliction through the fishing lines, and the hands of the hunters grow numb. 5. For what reason do stags, having shed their antlers, avoid their accustomed places. 6. For what reason is rue hostile to snakes. 7. For what reason does oil, when poured upon the sea, create a calm. 8. For what reason are vultures pregnant for three years. 9. For what reason does the octopus avoid the Pontic sea. 10. For what reason does goat's blood soften the diamond. 11. For what reason does superfetation occur in hares. 12. For what reason do ravens not drink in the summer season. 13. For what reason does a flux of the belly happen to ravens. 14. For what reason is the female cicada by nature without a song. 10 15. For what reason do the eggs of ibises very easily hatch basilisks. 16. For what reason does the plover turn away from those suffering from jaundice. 17. For what reason does a fruitful almond tree also signify a fruitfulness of the other crops. 18. For what reason is water that has been boiled by fire more lasting than other waters, while that from rain vanishes more quickly. 19. For what reason in Seriphos have the frogs become voiceless. 20. For what reason does a fly not sit on Attic honey. The characters of the dialogue: Antisthenes and Polycrates. Antisthenes or labyrinth. {ANT.} I have not seen Aristagoras, the son of Timocles, for a long time indeed, Polycrates. Where can he be? Has he not perhaps set sail for Sicily to see the fire-breathing craters, or is he swimming around the Indian gulf, so that he might acquire some knowledge of philosophy? 11 {POL.} Not at all, Antisthenes, since Apollogenes the Corinthian, having come here from Athens yesterday, said he saw Aristagoras near the Painted Stoa. And he reported that he had seen Ariston the natural philosopher and Sosistratus the son of Hermogenes, having arrived that very day near the Leokorion. {ANT.} From where then, Polycrates? {POL.} Having sailed in the Euxine gulf and with very many

Quaestiones physicae

ΘΕΟΦΥΛΑΚΤΟΥ ΑΠΟ ΕΠΑΡΧΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΣΙΜΟΚΑΤΟΥ διάλογος περὶ διαφόρων φυσικῶν ἀπορημάτων καὶ ἐπιλύσεων αὐτῶν ῾Η διάλεξις τοῦ

διαλόγου.

Τὰς χελιδόνας ὑπὸ τῶν μητέρων ἀκήκοα τὴν παρ' αὐταῖς ᾠδὴν διδάσκεσθαι μουσικῶς· οὐ γὰρ ἀπαιδεύτου γεννήματος χελιδὼν ἀκούειν μήτηρ ἀνέχεται. διδάσκουσι τοίνυν ἐκεῖναι τὰ ἔκγονα πόλεσιν εἰσοικίζεσθαι καὶ προσᾴδειν ἀνθρώποις καὶ περιλαλεῖν θαλάμοις ᾠδὴν ἐναρμόνιον. ἄγε δὴ οὖν ἄγε, μουσικώτατε σύλλογε, εὐγλωττίαν δίδου παιδί, καὶ προσᾴδειν θεάτρῳ με δίδασκε καὶ περιλαλεῖν ᾠδὴν ᾿Αττικὴν ἄρτι μανθάνοντα μουσικῶν ἐπιβαίνειν θαλάμων. εἰ δέ τι καὶ τῶν ᾠδι8 κῶν ἔξω γενοίμην ῥυθμῶν, ὑπηχεῖτε φιλοτίμως μοι τὰ λειπόμενα, ὥσπερ ὁ παρὰ τῷ Λοκρῷ τῷ Εὐνόμῳ τῆς μελῳδίας τέττιξ συνέριθος. ἔδοξε καὶ Τεύκρῳ στρατεύεσθαι καὶ τροπαίων ἐρᾶν καὶ πολεμικῆς ὀρέγεσθαι παρατάξεως. οὐκοῦν τῇ προβολῇ τῆς ἀσπίδος Αἴας ἐτείχιζε, καὶ τοξότης ὁ Τεῦκρος ἦν εὐστοχώτατος· Αἴας γὰρ ἦν τῆς ἀριστείας ὑπόθεσις. ἀνάσχεσθέ μοι ἀνάσχεσθε, ἄνδρες διδάσκαλοι, ὥσπερ ἀσπίδα τὴν ὑμετέραν εὐμένειαν, καὶ κρότος ὅπλα μοι εἴη τὸ τήμερον. καὶ νικηφόρος, οἶδα, γενήσομαι, εἰ καὶ μὴ βαρβάρου γῆς ἐπιβέβηκα. εἰ δὲ καὶ μητέρα τέχνην οὔπω κεκλήρωμαι, ἀλλ' ἔστι μοι γένος ὅθεν ὑμῖν· καὶ λόγους ἔχω πατρίδα καὶ τὰ τῆς ῾Ελλάδος ἡμέτερα. Τὰ τοῦ διαλόγου κεφάλαια. αʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ἄκαυστος ὁ ἀδάμας καὶ φύσεως πυρός ἐστιν ἀμέτοχος. βʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὰ τῶν ἀετῶν πτερὰ ἐπιτιθέμενα τοῖς τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων πτεροῖς φθορὰν αὐτοῖς ἀπεργάζονται. γʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ οἱ ἐλέφαντες οὐ πρότερον πίνουσι, πρὶν ἂν ἐπιθολώσωσι τὸ ὕδωρ. δʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ἡ νάρκη διὰ μέσου τῶν κάλων τοῦ ἐπωνύμου μεταδίδωσι πάθους, καὶ τῶν θηρατῶν ναρκῶσιν αἱ χεῖρες. εʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ αἱ ἔλαφοι ἀποβαλοῦσαι τὰ κέρατα τοὺς συνήθεις ἀποφεύγουσι τόπους. ʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὸ πήγανον ὄφεσίν ἐστι πολέμιον. ζʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐπιχεόμενον τῇ θαλάττῃ γαλήνην ποιεῖ. ηʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἔτεσιν ἐγκυμονοῦσιν οἱ γῦπες. θʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ὁ πολύπους τὴν Ποντικὴν ἀποστρέφεται θάλατταν. ιʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὸ τράγειον αἷμα ὑπομαλάττει τὸν ἀδάμαντα. ιαʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τοῖς λαγωοῖς ἐπικύησις γίνεται. ιβʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ οἱ κόρακες ὥρᾳ θέρους οὐ πίνουσιν. ιγʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ῥύσις γαστρὸς συμβαίνει τοῖς κόραξιν. ιδʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ θήλεια τέττιξ ᾠδῆς πέφυκεν ἄμοιρος. 10 ιεʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὰ τῶν ἴβεων ᾠὰ εὐχερέστατα τίκτουσι βασιλίσκους. ιʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ χαραδριὸς τοὺς ἰκτεριῶντας ἀποστρέφεται. ιζʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ἡ ἀμυγδαλῆ εὐφοροῦσα καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν καρπῶν εὐφορίαν σημαίνει. ιηʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ τὰ μὲν ἑψόμενα ὕδατα πυρὶ μονιμώτερα τῶν ἄλλων ὑδάτων ἐστί, τὰ δὲ ἐξ ὄμβρων ἀφανίζεται θᾶττον. ιθʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ ἐν Σερίφῳ ἄφωνοι καθεστήκασι βάτραχοι. κʹ. ποίῳ λόγῳ μέλιτι ᾿Αττικῷ οὐκ ἐπικάθηται μυῖα. Τὰ τοῦ διαλόγου πρόσωπα ᾿Αντισθένης καὶ Πολυκράτης. ᾿Αντισθένης ἢ λαβύρινθος. {ΑΝΤ.} ᾿Αρισταγόραν τὸν Τιμοκλέους πολλοῦ γε, Πολύκρατες, οὐχ ἑώρακα χρόνου. ἆρά γε ποῦ; ἆρα μή που ἐπὶ τὴν Σικελίαν ἀπῆρε τοὺς πυριπνόους κρατῆρας ὀψόμενος, ἢ τὸν ᾿Ινδικὸν περινήχεται κόλπον, ἵνα τινὰ φιλοσοφίας ἐπιστήμην πορίσηται; 11 {ΠΟΛ.} Οὔ τί που, ᾿Αντίσθενες, ἐπείπερ ᾿Αθήνηθεν ᾿Απολλογένης ὁ Κορίνθιος χθές που γενόμενος ὡς ἡμᾶς περὶ τὴν Ποικίλην στοὰν ᾿Αρισταγόραν ἔφη θεάσασθαι. ᾿Αρίστωνα δὲτὸν φυσικὸν καὶ Σωσίστρατον τὸν ῾Ερμογένους περὶ τὸ Λεωκόριον ἑωρακέναι αὐθημερὸν ἀφικομένους ἀπήγγειλεν. {ΑΝΤ.} Πόθεν δῆτα, Πολύκρατες; {ΠΟΛ.} Περὶ τὸν Εὔξεινον ἐνθαλαττεύσαντες κόλπον καὶ πολλοῖς ἄγαν