Διὰ τί τῷ ποτίμῳ μᾶλλον ὕδατι¹ ἢ τῷ θαλαττίῳ πλύνεται τὰ ἱμάτια.

[1] 15 20 Θέων ὁ γραμματικός, ἑστιωμένων ἡμῶν παρὰ Μεστρίῳ² Φλώρῳ, πρὸς Θεμιστοκλέα τὸν Στωικὸν 626f διηπόρησε, τί δήποτε Χρύσιππος ἐν πολλοῖς τῶν παραλόγων καὶ ἀτόπων ἐπιμνησθείς, οἷόν ἐστι τὸ τάριχος, ἂν ἅλμῃ βρέχηται, γλυκύτερον γίγνεσθαι καὶ τὸ τῶν ἐρίων τοὺς πόκους³ ἧττον ὑπακούειν τοῖς βίᾳ διασπῶσιν ἢ τοῖς ἀτρέμα διαλύουσι καὶ 5 τὸ νηστεύσαντας ἀργότερον ἐσθίειν ἢ προφαγόντας· οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν αἰτίαν ἀπέδωκεν. ὁ δὲ Θεμιστοκλῆς εἰπὼν, ὅτι ταῦτα Χρύσιππος ἄλλως ἐν παραδείγματος λόγῳ προύθετο, ῥᾳδίως ἡμῶν καὶ ἀλόγως ὑπὸ τοῦ εἰκότος ἁλισκομένων καὶ πάλιν ἀπιστούντων 10 627a τῷ⁴ παρὰ τὸ εἰκός, ἐπιστρέφων σοὶ δʼ ἔφη βέλτιστε, τί πρᾶγμα περὶ τούτων διαπορεῖν; εἰ γὰρ ἡμῖν αἰτίων ζητητικὸς καὶ θεωρητικὸς γέγονας, μὴ μακρὰν οὕτως ἀποσκήνου⁵ τῶν ἰδίων, ἀλλʼ εἰπὲ διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν Ὅμηρος⁶ ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ πλύνουσαν οὐκ 15 ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ, καίπερ ἐγγὺς οὔσῃ, τὴν Ναυσικάαν πεποίηκε, καίτοι θερμοτέραν γε καὶ διαφανεστέραν εἰκὸς καὶ ῥυπτικωτέραν εἶναι.

[2] καὶ⁷ ὁ Θέων ἀλλὰ τοῦτὸ γʼ εἶπε τῶν γεωδῶν⁸ Ἀριστοτέλης⁹ πάλαι διαλέλυκεν, ὃ προβέβληκας¹⁰ 20 ἡμῖν. καὶ γὰρ¹¹ τῇ θαλάττῃ τὸ ραχὺ¹² καὶ γεῶδες ἐνδιέσπαρται καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖ τὴν ἁλυκότητα μεμιγμένον· ᾗ καὶ μᾶλλον ἡ θάλαττα τούς τε νηχομένους 627b ἐξαναφέρει καὶ στέγει τὰ βάρη, τοῦ γλυκέος ἐνδιδόντος διὰ κουφότητα καὶ ἀσθένειαν ἔστι¹³ γὰρ ἄμικτον καὶ καθαρόν· ὅθεν ἐνδύεται διὰ λεπτότητα καὶ διεξιὸν τοῦ θαλαττίου μᾶλλον ἐκτήκει τὰς κηλῖδας. ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι τοῦτο πιθανῶς λέγειν Ἀριστοτέλης;

[3] 5 πιθανῶς ἔφην ἐγὼ οὐ μὴν ἀληθῶς· ὁρῶ γὰρ ὅτι καὶ τέφρᾳ¹⁴ καὶ λίθοις, κἂν μὴ παρῇ δὲ ταῦτα, κονιορτῷ πολλάκις παχύνουσι τὸ ὕδωρ, ὡς μᾶλλον τῶν γεωδῶν τῇ παχύτητι¹⁵ καταπλύνειν δυναμένων τὸν ῥύπον, αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ ὕδατος διὰ λεπτότητα 10 καὶ ἀσθένειαν οὐχ ὁμοίως τοῦτο δρῶντος. τὸ 627c μὲν οὖν παχυμερὲς τῆς ¹⁶ θαλάττης οὐ πετουτόποτε ¹⁷ πρὸς τήν κα ¹⁸ δὲ τὴν δριμύτητα· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη τοὺς πόρους¹⁹ ἀναστομοῦσα καὶ ἀνοίγουσα²⁰ κατασύρει τὸν ῥύπον. ἐπεὶ δὲ πᾶν τὸ λιπαρὸν δυσέκπλυτὸν 15 ἐστι καὶ κηλῖδα ποιεῖ, λιπαρὰ δʼ ἡ θάλασσα, τοῦτʼ ἂν αἴτιον εἴη μάλιστα τοῦ μὴ καλῶς πλύνειν. ὅτι δʼ ἐστὶ λιπαρά, καὶ αὐτὸς εἴρηκεν Ἀριστοτέλης²¹· οἵ τε γὰρ ἅλες λίπος ἔχουσι καὶ τοὺς λύχνους βέλτιον παρέχουσι καομένους· αὐτή²² θʼ ἡ θάλαττα προσραινομένη 20 ταῖς φλοξὶ συνεκλάμπει, καὶ κάεται μάλιστα τῶν ὑδάτων τὸ θαλάττιον· ὡς δʼ ἐγᾦμαι, διὰ τοῦτο 627d καὶ θερμότατόν ἐστιν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κατʼ ἄλλον τρόπον ἐπεὶ τῆς πλύσεως τέλος ἡ ψῦξίς ἐστι καὶ μάλιστα²³ φαίνεται καθαρὸν τὸ μάλιστα ξηρὸν γιγνόμενον· δεῖ δὴ²⁴ τὸ πλῦνον ὑγρὸν τῷ ῥύπῳ ταχέως²⁵ συνεξελθεῖν, ὥσπερ τῷ νοσήματι τὸν ἐλλέβορον. τὸ μὲν οὖν γλυκὺ ῥᾳδίως ὁ ἥλιος ἐξάγει διὰ κουφότητα, 5 τὸ δʼ ἁλμυρὸν ἐνισχόμενον τοῖς πόροις διὰ τραχύτητα δυσξήραντόν ἐστι.

[4] καὶ ὁ Θέων ὑπολαβών οὐδέν ἔφη λέγεις· Ἀριστοτέλης²⁶ γὰρ ἐν ταὐτῷ²⁷ βιβλίῳ φησὶ τοὺς ἐν θαλάττῃ λουσαμένους τάχιον ἀποξηραίνεσθαι τῶν 10 γλυκέσι²⁸ χρησαμένων, ἂν ἐν ἡλίῳ στῶσι. λέγει γάρ 627e εἶπον· ἀλλʼ ᾤμην σε μᾶλλον Ὁμήρῳ τἀναντία λέγοντι πιστεύσειν. ὁ γὰρ Ὀδυσσεὺς μετὰ τὸ ναυάγιον ἐντυγχάνει τῇ Ναυσικάᾳ σμερδαλέος²⁹ ὀφθῆναι³⁰, κεκακωμένος ἅλμῃ, καὶ πρὸς τὰς θεραπαινίδας φησὶν 15

ἀμφίπολοι, στῆθʼ οὕτω³¹ ἀπόπροθεν, ὄφρʼ ἂν³² ἐγὼ αὐτὸς

³³

ἅλμην ὤμοιιν ἀπολούσομαι.

καταβὰς δʼ εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν

ἐκ κεφαλῆς ἔσμηχεν ἁλὸς χνόον,

³⁴ 20 ὑπερφυῶς τοῦ ποιητοῦ τὸ γιγνόμενον συνεωρακότος. ὅταν γὰρ ἐκ τῆς θαλάττης ἀναδύντες ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ στῶσι, τὸ λεπτότατον καὶ κουφότατον τῆς ὑγρασίας 627f ἡ θερμότης διεφόρησε· τὸ δʼ ἁλμυρὸν αὐτὸ καὶ τραχὺ καταλειφθὲν ἐφίσταται καὶ παραμένει τοῖς σώμασιν ἁλώδης ἐπίπαγος, μέχρι ἂν αὐτὸ³⁵ ποτίμῳ καὶ γλυκεῖ κατακλύσωσιν.

Question IX.
WHY FRESH WATER WASHES CLOTHES BETTER THAN SALT.
THEON, THEMISTOCLES, METRIUS FLORUS, PLUTARCH, AND OTHERS.

[1] THEON the grammarian, when Metrius Florus gave us an entertainment, asked Themistocles the Stoic, why Chrysippus, though he frequently mentioned some strange phenomena in nature (as that salt fish soaked in salt water grows fresher than before, fleeces of wool are more easily separated by a gentle than a quick and violent force, and men that are fasting eat slower than those who took a breakfast), yet never gave any reason for the appearance. And Themistocles replied, that Chrysippus only proposed such things by the by, as instances to correct us, who easily and without any reason assent to what seems likely, and disbelieve every thing that seems unlikely at the first sight. But why, sir, are you concerned at this? For if you are speculative and would enquire into the causes of things, you need not want subjects in your own profession; but pray tell me why Homer makes Nausicaa wash in the river rather than the sea, though it was near, and in all likelihood hotter, clearer, and fitter to wash with than that?

[2] And Theon replied: Aristotle hath already given an account for this from the grossness of the sea water; for in this an abundance of rough earthy particles is mixed, and those make it salt; and upon this account swimmers or any other weights sink not so much in sea water as in fresh, for the latter, being thin and weak, yields to every pressure and is easily divided, because it is pure and unmixed; and by reason of this subtility of parts it penetrates better than salt water, and so looseneth from the clothes the sticking particles of the spot. And is not this discourse of Aristotle very probable?

[3] Probable indeed, I replied, but not true; for I have observed that with ashes, gravel, or, if these are not to be gotten, with dust itself they usually thicken the water, as if the earthy particles being rough would scour better than fair water, whose thinness makes it weak and ineffectual. Therefore he is mistaken when he says the thickness of the sea water hinders the effect, since the sharpness of the mixed particles very much conduces to make it cleansing; for that opens the pores, and draws out the stain. But since all oily matter is most difficult to be washed out and spots a cloth, and the sea is oily, that is the reason why it doth not scour as well as fresh; and that it is oily, even Aristotle himself asserts, for salt in his opinion hath some oil in it, and therefore makes candles, when sprinkled on them, burn the better and clearer than before. And sea water sprinkled on a flame increaseth it, and is more easily kindled than any other; and this, in my opinion, makes it hotter than the fresh. Besides, I may urge another cause; for the end of washing is drying, and that seems cleanest which is driest; and the moisture that scours (as hellebore, with the humors that it purges) ought to fly away quickly together with the stain. The sun quickly draws out the fresh water, because it is so light; but the salt water being rough lodges in the pores, and therefore is not easily dried.

[4] And Theon replied: You say just nothing, sir; for Aristotle in the same book affirms that those that wash in the sea, if they stand in the fresh sun, are sooner dried than those that wash in the fresh streams. It is true, I answered, he says so; but I hope that Homer asserting the contrary will, by you especially, be more easily believed; for Ulysses (as he writes) after his shipwreck meeting Nausicaa,

A frightful sight, and with the salt besmeared,

said to her maidens,

Retire a while, till I have washed my skin.

And when he had leaped into the river,

He from his head did scour the foaming sea.¹

The poet knew very well what happens in such a case; for when those that come wet out of the sea stand in the sun, the subtilest and lightest parts suddenly exhale, but the salt and rough particles stick upon the body in a crust, till they are washed away by the fresh water of a spring.

Plutarch Quaestiones Convivales 1.9

ed. Grēgorios N. Vernardakēs

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Διὰ τί τῷ ποτίμῳ μᾶλλον ὕδατι¹ ἢ τῷ θαλαττίῳ πλύνεται τὰ ἱμάτια.

Current edition Perseus

Question IX.
WHY FRESH WATER WASHES CLOTHES BETTER THAN SALT.
THEON, THEMISTOCLES, METRIUS FLORUS, PLUTARCH, AND OTHERS.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

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Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Διὰ τί τῷ ποτίμῳ μᾶλλον ὕδατι 1 ἢ τῷ θαλαττίῳ πλύνεται τὰ ἱμάτια.

Current edition Perseus

Question IX. WHY FRESH WATER WASHES CLOTHES BETTER THAN SALT. THEON, THEMISTOCLES, METRIUS FLORUS, PLUTARCH, AND OTHERS.

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers

Διὰ τί τῷ ποτίμῳ μᾶλλον ὕδατι¹ ἢ τῷ θαλαττίῳ πλύνεται τὰ ἱμάτια.

Question IX.
WHY FRESH WATER WASHES CLOTHES BETTER THAN SALT.
THEON, THEMISTOCLES, METRIUS FLORUS, PLUTARCH, AND OTHERS.