The Methodism of Caelius Aurelianus 323
manifestam rationem,^87 orpraua ratione aestimatum,^88 orratione commoti
uera quidem, sed deficienti.^89 Ratiorefers here to a reasonable account, a
rational justification.^90 This might suggest that Caelius is just fighting them
with their own weapons without necessarily endorsing the premises of the
argument (although this criticism is not restricted to Dogmatist doctors,
but also directed against Themison and Heraclides).
Ye tratiois also used in non-polemical contexts. These usages can be
divided into two further categories.
(ii)ratiois referred to as a source or criterion of knowledge, mostly con-
cerning treatment (primarily pharmacological, but also dietetic and
surgical), as in the following passage:
( 32 a) dabimus ea, quae non satis aliena sint ab his, quae rationi conueniunt, ut
olus aut ptisana. (Acut. 1. 11. 81 )We will give things that are not very different from those that are in accordance
with reason, such as vegetables and barley-gruel.where the ‘reason’ is stated in dietetic terms:
( 32 b) dabit enim quiddam laxamenti atque indulgentiae asperitatibus animorum
concupita oblatio, et non omnino sine cibo atque nutrimento perseuerabunt.For giving the patients what they wish will give some relaxation and alleviation of
the diseased state of their minds, and also they will not have to carry on without
any food and nourishment at all.A similarratio curationisis referred to in the following passages:
( 33 ) cataplasma laxatiuum et, si ratio coegerit, phlebotomia. (Chron. 4. 8. 119 )
A loosening plaster and, if reason calls for it, venesection.
( 34 )... sicut ratio probat atque Democriti dilatae mortis exemplum fama uulga-
tum. (Acut. 2. 37. 206 )... as is proved by reason and the famous example of the delayed death of
Democritus.
It seems thatratiohere refers to a reasoning (no doubt partly based on
experience, but probably also partly of a theoretical kind) as to the best
(^87) E.g.Chron. 2. 2. 64. (^88) E.g.Chron. 5. 11. 140. (^89) E.g.Acut. 3. 14. 116.
(^90) See alsoAcut. 2. 38. 219 : ‘For that venesection differs in no way from killing is shown by reason, since
it brings about what the affection itself aims for, namely the disruption of the body, etc.’ (etenim
phlebotomiam nihil iugulatione differre ratio testatur, quippe cum haec faciat, quae ipsa nititur passio,
meatum disicere et corpus...), andAcut. 3. 15. 122 : ‘Reason evidently shows this’ (ratio quoque hoc
ostendere uidetur). Related to this is the usage ofratioin the context of Caelius’ attack on superstition
(e.g.Acut. 3. 16. 137 ); see Mudry ( 1998 ).