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Aristotle on melancholy 161wherever possible. The thoughts that are expressed and sometimes eventheir literal wording show a number of parallels with Aristotelian writings.74 However, as this applies to many parts of the Problemata, the factin itself does not substantiate the claim that Aristotle would have adoptedthe whole theory (as Croissant argues (1932) 78–9), and neither does theuse of the typical Aristotelian notion of the mean (mesotēs), long recognisedby scholars, in the explanation of the melancholics’ ‘extraordinariness’(peritton). 75It seems more important to examine the reasons that have been givento demonstrate that the Aristotelian concept of melancholy cannot be reconciledwith the theory presented in Pr. 30.1. Some scholars claim 76 thatAristotle only speaks about melancholics in terms of their deviations (consideringthem pathological or plainly negative), and that in his view amelancholic is ill by nature and needs to be cured. This would be irreconcilablewith the characterisation of melancholics as ‘extraordinary’ (perittoi)in the respectable fields of philosophy, politics and poetry. However, thisnegative assessment corresponds to the idea – which is expressed frequentlyin the chapter from the Problemata – that melancholics are ‘abnormal’ or‘deviant’ (ektopoi) by nature. 77 It is true to say that Aristotle does not referto the extraordinary achievements of melancholics, apart from their ‘cleardreams’ (euthuoneiria), which, however, are not related to the peritton in thefield of philosophy or politics; 78 but this is in line with the view expressedin Pr. 30.1, that the extraordinary achievements of melancholics are an exceptionrather than a rule. As stated above, the chapter is largely devoted toexplaining the diversity and variety of expressions of the melancholic nature.The opening question is merely touched upon and the author seems74 Most of the parallels have been listed in Flashar’s notes. The complete list of all occurrences is: 953b 23–6 ∼ Insomn. 461 a 23–5; 953 b 27–30 ∼ Somn. vig. 457 a 16–17; 953 b 33–954 a 4 ∼ Gen. an.728 a 10ff. and 736 a 19; 954 a 2 ∼ Hist. an. 586 a 16; 954 a 7 ∼ Somn. vig. 457 a 29; 954 a 18–20 ∼Part. an. 648 b 34ff.; 954 a 21–2 ∼ Somn. vig. 457 a 31; 954 a 32 ∼ Div. somn. 463 b 17 and Rh. 1390b 28; 954 a 34–6 ∼ Part. an. 672 b 28–33; 954 b 13 ∼ Part. an. 650 b 27 and 692 a 23 as well as Rh.1389 b 29ff.; 954 b 39–40 ∼ Eth. Eud. 1229 a 20; 955 a 3 ∼ Eth. Eud. 1229 a 20; 955 a 4 ∼ Rh. 1389 a19ff. and Eth. Nic. 1154 b 9ff.; 955 a 22–9 ∼ Gen. an. 725 b 6–18; 955 a 25–8 ∼ Gen. an. 783 b 29–30.75 Müri (1953) 24–6; Klibansky et al. (1964) 33–6.76 Flashar (1962) 713; Klibansky et al. (1964) 37.77 954 b 2 ; 954 b 26 Cf. the remark quoted above in n. 48made by Klibansky et al. (1964) and their observations on the word perittos (31).78 The gift of divination in sleep which melancholics possess is not mentioned at all in Pr. 30.1, but inview of the remarks on enthusiasm in 954 a 35–6, the author would certainly categorise it amongthe ‘manic’ expressions of the melancholic blend, i.e. those caused by excessive heat; it would not berelated to the peritton that is close to the ‘intelligence’ ( phronēsis) and based on the ‘mean’ (meson)ofheat and cold. In Div. somn. 464 b 2–3 the melancholics are compared to ‘people who are possessed’ because of their euthuoneiria. Cf. Klibansky et al. (1964) 37.