Book 1
5
Ἢν δὲ πλησίον ἤδηThe common reading in the mss. is εἴδεος, which is evidently inadmissible. Petit, in his commentary, suggests that the true reading is δέος ᾑ. Wigan also prefers πλησίον εἴη δέος. Ermerins accordingly reads πλησίον ἔῃ δέοσμ. None of these editors, however, refers to any authority for this expression, which appears to me quaint and unnatural — but if the dread of a paroxysm be at hand I prefer ἤδη on the authority of many parallel passages, as for example — πλησίον δὲ ἤδη τοῦ φρενίζειν ὄντες, Galen, de loc. affect. iii.; ἐνστάντος δὲ ἤδη τοῦ συμπτώματος, P. ae. iii. 5, in the chapter on epilepsy. Ermerins very properly restores it, in another passage of our author, where ἥδε had been substituted for it (Sympt. diut. morb. i. 9). Indeed ἤδη, in such cases, occurs frequently in the works of our author. Moreover, in the margin of the celebrated Reiske's copy of Henisch's edition, there is found this emendation — ἤδη δέος. See G. Dindorf's Appendix to Kuhn's edition. The Latin translation of Crassus would agree very well with the reading I propose; while it is unsuitable to the text when δέος is admitted: Quum vero accessio appropinquat. ᾖ τοῦ παροξυσμοῦ, κύκλῳ μαρμαρυγαὶ πρὸ τῆς ὄψιος πορφυρέων ἢ μελάνων, ἢ πάντων ὁμοῦ συμμεμιγμένων, ὡς δοκέειν τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ τετανύσθαι ἶριν. ἦχοι ὤτων, βαρυοδμίη· ὀργίλοι, πικρόχολοι παραλόγως· κατέπεσον γοῦν τινες ὑπὸ προφάσιος, ἐξ ἀθυμίης· μετεξέτεροι δὲ Ῥεύματι ποταμοῦ ἀτενὲς ἐνιδόντες, ἢ τροχῷ δινευμένῳ, ἢ βέμβικι ἑλισσομένῃ· ἄλλοτε δὲ ὄσφρησις βαρεῶν ὀσμῶν κατέβαλε, ὥσπερ γαγάτου λίθου. τοῖσδε μὲν οὖν ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ τὸ κακὸν ἐστηρίχθητε, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν πημανθὲν ἄρχεται· μετεξετέροισι δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πορρωτέρῳ τῆς κεφαλῆς νεύρων, ὁκόσα ξυμπαθέα τῇ ἀρχῇ γίγνεται. δάκτυλοι γοῦν μεγάλοι χειρῶν ἢ ποδῶν ξυνέλκονται, καὶ πόνος καὶ νάρκη καὶ τρόμος ἕπεται, καὶ ἐς κεφαλὴν τουτέων ἡ ὁρμὴ ἧκεν. ἢν ἕρπον τὸ κακὸν εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν ἵκηται, πάταγος τουτέοισι γίγνεται ὡς ἀπὸ πληγῆς ἢ ξύλου, ἢ λίθου. καὶ ἐξαναστάντες ἐκδιηγεῦνται, ὡς ὑπό τευ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς παταχθέντες. ἥδε μέντοι ἀπάτη γίγνεται ὁκόσοισι τόδε πρῶτον τὸ κακὸν ξυνέπεσε· οἷς δὲ ξύνηθες τὸ πάθος, ἢν ἐπίῃ μὲν ἡ νοῦσος, ἐς δάκτυλον δὲ ἤδη ἀφίκηται, ἢ ἀπό τευ ἄρξηται, ξυνήθεας ἀρωγοὺς καλέουσι τοὺς παρεόντας, προγνώσι τοῦ μέλλοντο ὑπʼ ἐμπειρίης· διασφίγγειν τε καὶ ἀνακλάειν καὶ συντείνειν δέονται τὰ κατάρχοντα μέρεα· καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἑωυτέοισιν ἕλκουσι τὰ μέρεα, ὅκωσπερ τὴν νοῦσον ἐξαιρούμενοι· καὶ σφέων ἡ τοιήδε ἐπικουρίη κοτὲ καὶ ἐς ἡμέρην τῆν σημασίην διώσατο. The common reading in the mss. is καὶ ἐς τὴν ἡμετέρην σημασίην διώσατο. In the margin of the edition of Henisch we find ἡμέρην, which is adopted by Wigan. Ermerins transposes τὴν from before ἡμέρην, as above. πολλοῖσι δὲ φόβος ἐστὶ ὡς ἐπιόντος θηρίου, ἢ σκιῆς φαντασίη, καὶ οὕτω κατέπεσον.
