Keep soldiers well: little meals, rue, wormwood, squill
On the health of the soldiers. That a physician is a good thing in an army is unambiguous. So that a soldier not be sick, struck by sun and toil, one must divide their foods for this: not once or twice, but little and often in the day, and especially when a contest is not present. For this is saving and suitable toward digestion.
It is necessary, having boiled rue and wild mallow and mixed them with turned wine, to take them in the middle of the foods; likewise, having mixed milk and water and poured on a little turned wine, to take it before eating. This must be done from the beginning of spring until the end of autumn. And again wormwood-wine is drunk to the same end, not only before food but also after food and in the food itself. If we have no wormwood-wine, let us give wormwood with hot water. Squill-wine does the same. They also prepare squill-vinegar: if someone takes of the squill-wine, before eating; if of the vinegar, after dinner. And marsh-wine — that is, the wine that comes to be in the marshes — is exceedingly healthy. And kiln-bread, formed thin and dried in the sun, is most useful toward health. If the water lying by should also be sickly, let it be boiled until a tenth of it is spent, then let it be cooled; and thus it will be harmless.
Greek
2.6 Περὶ τῆς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὑγείασ Ὅτι μὲν ἐν στρατεύματι καλὸν ἰατρός, τοῦτο ἀναμφίβολον· ἵνα δὲ μὴ νοσῇ στρατιώτης ἡλίῳ καὶ καμάτῳ βαλλόμενος, πρὸς τοῦτο δεῖ τὰς τροφὰς αὐτῶν διελεῖν, ὡς μὴ ἅπαξ ἢ δεύτερον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ βραχὺ πολλάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἐσθίειν καὶ μάλιστα μὴ παρόντος ἀγῶνος· ἔστιν γὰρ τοῦτο σωτήριον καὶ πρὸς πέψιν ἐπιτήδειον. Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ πήγανον καὶ μαλάχην ἀγρίαν ἀφεψήσαντες καὶ κεράσαντες οἴνῳ παρατραπέντι ἐν μέσαις ταῖς τροφαῖς λαμβάνειν, ὡσαύτως γάλακτος καὶ ὕδατος μίξαντες καὶ ἐπιχέαντες ὀλίγον οἴνου παρατραπέντος πρὶν φαγεῖν λαμβάνειν· καὶ τοῦτο δεῖ γίνεσθαι ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἔαρος μέχρι τέλους τοῦ φθινοπώρου. Καὶ πάλιν οἶνος ἀψινθίτης εἰς ταὐτὸ πέποται, οὐ μόνον πρὸ τροφῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τροφὴν καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ τροφῇ. Ἐὰν δὲ ἀψινθίτην μὴ ἔχωμεν, ἀψίνθιον δῶμεν μετὰ θερμοῦ ὕδατος. Τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ ποιεῖ καὶ ὁ σκιλλίτης οἶνος. Παρασκευάζουσι δὲ καὶ τὸ σκιλλιτικὸν ὄξος, καὶ εἰ μὲν τοῦ οἴνου τις λαμβάνει τοῦ σκιλλιτικοῦ, πρὶν φαγεῖν, εἰ δὲ τοῦ ὄξους, μετὰ δεῖπνον. Καὶ ὁ ἕλειος δὲ οἶνος, τουτέστιν ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἕλεσι γινόμενος, σφόδρα ἐστὶν ὑγιεινός. Καὶ ὁ κριβανίτης ἄρτος ἰσχνῶς πεπλασμένος καὶ ἐν ἡλίῳ ξηρανθεὶς χρησιμώτατος πρὸς ὑγείαν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ παρακείμενον ὕδωρ εἴη νοσερόν, [εἴην ὀσπρόν], ἑψήσθω ἕως ἂν τὸ δέκατον αὐτοῦ ἀναλωθῇ, εἶτα διαψυχέσθω· καὶ οὕτως ἀβλαβὲς ἔσται.
About this text
Julius Africanus, Cesti (Embroidered Girdles): a miscellany of history, science, and craft, in the surviving fragments — books 7, 2, and 3 in full, with parts of books 4, 8, 9, and 13, and the colophon of Cestus 18. The older English translates his letters only. The book-2 table of contents and a book-7 appendix are not in this volume.
New English from locked PG 10 / Khazarzar Greek of the Cesti fragmenta through 9.5. Earlier lemma-led scaffold English was discarded. Book-2 pinax and book-7 appendix held. This lock is exhausted.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 10 Cesti fragmenta (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.