Plutarch, Instituta Laconia, ed. Frank Cole Babbitt, 13

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[13] τόδε¹ ἔργον τῆς σιτοδείας· διά τε ταῦτα γλίσχρα² ἦν καὶ ἵνʼ ἐθίζωνται μηδέποτε γίγνεσθαι 237f πλήρεις, δύνασθαι δὲ πεινῆν· οὕτω γὰρ ᾤοντο καὶ ἐν πολέμῳ χρησιμωτέρους ἔσεσθαι, εἰ δύναιντο καὶ ἀσιτήσαντες ἐπιπονῆσαι· καὶ ἐγκρατεστέρους δὲ καὶ εὐτελεστέρους, εἰ πλείω χρόνον διάγοιεν ἀπὸ μικρᾶς δαπάνης· τὴν δʼ ἀνοψίαν ὑποφέρειν,³ ὡς βρῶμα τὸ τυχὸν προσφέρεσθαι, ᾤοντο ὑγιεινότερα τὰ σώματα ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλλειπούσης ποιεῖν τροφῆς, νομίζοντες εἰς βάθος τε καὶ πλάτος ὁρμῇ⁴ πιεζόμενα⁵ ἐπαίρειν εἰς ὕψος τὰ σώματα, καὶ καλὰ δὲ ποιεῖν· τὰς γὰρ ἰσχνὰς καὶ διακένους ἕξεις ὑπακούειν πρὸς τὴν διάρθρωσιν, τὰς δὲ πολυτρόφους⁶ διὰ βάρος ἀντιβαίνειν.

Instituta Laconia. Plutarch. ed. Frank Cole Babbitt. Cambridge, MA. 1931.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

Τὰ παλαιὰ τῶν Λακεδαινίων ἐπιτηδεύματα (Greek) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Τὰ παλαιὰ τῶν Λακεδαινίων ἐπιτηδεύματα Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 13 focus

[13] τὸ δὲ ἔργον τῆς συσσιτίας διά τε ταῦτα γλίσχρον ἦν καὶ ἵνʼ ἐθίζωνται μηδέποτε γίνεσθαι πλήρεις, 25 237f δύνασθαι δὲ πεινῆν οὕτω γὰρ ᾤοντο καὶ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον χρησιμωτέρους ἔσεσθαι, εἰ δύναιντο καὶ ἀσιτήσαντες ἐπιπονῆσαι· καὶ ἐγκρατεστέρους δὲ καὶ εὐτελεστέρους, εἰ πλείω χρόνον διάγοιεν ἀπὸ μικρᾶς δαπάνης τὴν δʼ ἀνοψίαν ὑποφέρειν, ¹ ὡς βρῶμα τὸ τυχὸν προσφέρεσθαι, ᾤοντο ὑγιεινότερα τὰ σώματα καὶ εὐαυξῆ ² ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλλειπούσης ποιεῖν τροφῆς, νομίζοντες εἰς βάθος τε καὶ πλάτος μὴ πιεζόμενον ³ 5 ἐπαίρειν εἰς ὕψος τὰ σώματα· καὶ καλὰ δὲ ποιεῖν· τὰς γὰρ ἰσχνὰς καὶ διακένους ἕξεις ὑπακούειν πρὸς τὴν διάρθρωσιν, τὰς δὲ πολυτρόφους ⁴ διὰ βάρος ἀντιβαίνειν. 238a

Translations (1)

The Ancient Customs of the Spartans Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. III. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1931 (printing).) — 13 focus

[13] This was the object of the starvation diet. It was meagre both for the reasons given and purposely that the youth should never become accustomed to being sated, but to being able to go without food; for in this way, the Spartans thought, the youth would be more serviceable in war if they were able to carry on without food, and they would be more self-controlled and more frugal if they lived a very considerable time at small expense. And to put up with the plainest diet, so as to be able to consume anything that came to hand, they thought made the youths’ bodies more healthy owing to the scanty food, repressed in any impulse towards thickness and breadth, to grow tall, and also to make them handsome; for a spare and lean condition they felt served to produce suppleness, while an overfed condition, because of too much weight, was against it.¹

Notes on the current edition

Τὰ παλαιὰ τῶν Λακεδαινίων ἐπιτηδεύματα

1. τόδε F.C.B. ( τοῦτο in the Life of Lycurgus, chap. xvii.): τὸ δὲ.

2. γλίσχρα F.C.B.: γλίσχρον.

3. ὑποφέρειν Meziriacus: ἀποφέρειν.

4. ὁρμῇ F.C.B.: μὴ.

5. πιεζόμενα Turnebus: πιεζόμενον.

6. πολυτρόφους Xylander: πολυτρόπους.

Plutarch Instituta Laconia 13

ed. Frank Cole Babbitt

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