§4καὶ μὴν ψυχροῦ μὲν αἴσθησις ἔστιν, ὥσπερ καὶ θερμοῦ· στέρησις δʼ οὔθʼ ὁρατὸν οὔτʼ ἀκουστὸν οὔθʼ ἁπτὸν οὔτε ταῖς ἄλλαις αἰσθήσεσι γνωστόν.
And indeed, there is a perception of cold, just as there is of hot; but privation is neither visible nor audible nor tangible nor apprehensible by any of the other senses.
οὐσίας γάρ τινος αἴσθησις ἦν ὅπου δʼ οὐσία μὴ φαίνεται, νοεῖται στέρησις, οὐσίας ἀπόφασις οὖσα, καθάπερ ὄψεως τυφλότης καὶ φωνῆς σιωπὴ καὶ σώματος ἐρημία καὶ κενόν.
For perception was of some substance, but where substance does not appear, privation is conceived, being a negation of substance, just as blindness is of sight, silence of voice, and empty space of body.
οὔτε γὰρ κενοῦ διʼ ἁφῆς αἴσθησις ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ ὅπου μὴ γίγνεται σώματος ἁφή, κενοῦ γίγνεται νόησις οὔτε σιγῆς ἀκούομεν, ἀλλά, κἂν μηδενὸς ἀκούωμεν, σιγὴν νοοῦμεν·
For there is no perception of empty space through touch, but where touch of body does not occur, conception of empty space arises; nor do we hear silence, but even if we hear nothing, we conceive of silence.
ὡς δʼ αὔτως καὶ τυφλῶν καὶ γυμνῶν καὶ ἀόπλων οὐκ αἴσθησις ἔστιν ἀλλʼ αἰσθήσεως; ἀποφάσει νόησις 1 ἔδει τοίνυν μὴ γίγνεσθαι ψυχρῶν αἴσθησιν, ἀλλʼ ὅπου τὸ θερμὸν ἐπιλείπει νοεῖσθαι τὸ ψυχρόν, εἴπερ ἦν θερμοῦ στέρησις·
In the same way, there is no perception of the blind, the naked, and the unarmed, but rather a conception through the negation of perception. 1 Therefore, there ought to have been no perception of cold things, but rather where heat fails, the cold should be conceived, if indeed it were a privation of heat.
εἰ δʼ, ὥσπερ τὸ θερμὸν ἀλέᾳ καὶ διακρίσει τῆς σαρκός, οὕτω συγκρίσει καὶ πυκνώσει τὸ ψυχρὸν αἰσθητόν ἐστι, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ ψυχρότητος ἰδία τις ἔστιν ἀρχὴ καὶ πηγὴ καθάπερ θερμότητος.
But if, just as the hot is perceptible by warmth and expansion of the flesh, so the cold is perceptible by contraction and condensation, it is clear that coldness also has some private principle and source, just as heat does.
§5ἔτι τοίνυν ἕν τι καὶ ἁπλοῦν ἡ περὶ ἕκαστον εἶδος στέρησις, αἱ δʼ οὐσίαι πλείονας διαφορὰς καὶ δυνάμεις ἔχουσι μονοειδὲς γὰρ ἡ σιωπὴ ποικίλον δʼ ἡ φωνή, νῦν μὲν ἐνοχλοῦσα νῦν δὲ τέρπουσα τὴν αἴσθησιν.
Furthermore, privation concerning each form is something single and simple, whereas substances have more differences and powers. For silence is of one form, but voice is varied, sometimes disturbing and sometimes delighting the sense.
ἔχει δὲ τοιαύτας καὶ τὰ χρώματα καὶ τὰ σχήματα διαφοράς, ἐν αἷς ἄλλοτʼ ἄλλως τὸν προστυγχάνοντα διατίθησι τὸ δʼ ἀναφὲς καὶ ἄχρωστον καὶ ὅλως ἄποιον οὐκ ἔχει διαφοράν, ἀλλʼ ὅμοιόν ἐστιν.
Colors and shapes also have such differences, by which they affect the person who encounters them differently at different times; but that which is untouched, colorless, and generally qualityless has no difference, but is uniform.
§6ἆρʼ οὖν ἔοικε τοῖς στερητικοῖς τούτοις τὸ ψυχρόν, ὥστε μὴ ποιεῖν ἐν τοῖς πάθεσι διαφοράν, ἢ τοὐναντίον ἡδοναί τε μεγάλαι καὶ ὠφέλιμοι τοῖς σώμασιν ἀπὸ ψυχρῶν ὑπάρχουσι καὶ βλάβαι πάλιν νεανικαὶ καὶ πόνοι καὶ βαρύτητες, ὑφʼ ὧν οὐκ ἀεὶ φεύγει καὶ ἀπολείπει τὸ θερμὸν ἀλλὰ πολλάκις ἐγκαταλαμβανόμενον ἀνθίσταται καὶ μάχεται, τῇ μάχῃ δʼ αὐτῶν ὄνομα φρίκη καὶ τρόμος, ἡττωμένῳ δὲ τῷ θερμῷ τὸ πήγνυσθαι καὶ ναρκᾶν ἐπιγίνεται, κρατοῦν δὲ τοῦ ψυχροῦ διάχυσιν παρέχει καὶ ἀλέαν τῷ σώματι μεθʼ ἡδονῆς, ὅπερ Ὅμηρος
ἰαίνεσθαι
κέκληκεν;
Does the cold, then, resemble these privative things, so as not to produce difference in its affections, or, on the contrary, do great and beneficial pleasures accrue to bodies from cold things, and again severe harms, pains, and heavinesses? Under these, the hot does not always flee and depart, but is often trapped, resists, and fights; and the name of their battle is shivering and trembling, and when the hot is defeated, freezing and numbness follow; but when it conquers the cold, it provides expansion and warmth to the body with pleasure, which Homer called "being warmed"?
ἀλλὰ ταῦτά γε παντὶ δῆλα· καὶ τούτοις οὐχ ἥκιστα τοῖς πάθεσιν ἐνδείκνυται τὸ ψυχρόν, ὅτι πρὸς τὸ θερμὸν ὡς οὐσία πρὸς οὐσίαν ἢ πάθος πρὸς πάθος οὐχ ὡς ἀπόφασις ἀντίκειται καὶ στέρησις, οὐδὲ φθορὰ τίς ἐστι τοῦ θερμοῦ καὶ ἀναίρεσις ἀλλὰ φθαρτικὴ φύσις καὶ δύναμις.
But these things are indeed clear to everyone; and by these affections not least is the cold shown to be opposed to the hot as substance to substance or affection to affection, and not as negation and privation, nor is it some destruction and annihilation of the hot, but a destructive nature and power.
ἢ καὶ τὸν χειμῶνα τῶν ὡρῶν καὶ τὰ βόρεια τῶν πνευμάτων ἐξέλωμεν, ὡς στερήσεις ὄντα τῶν θερμῶν καὶ νοτίων ἰδίαν δʼ ἀρχὴν οὐκ ἔχοντα.
Or should we also abolish winter among the seasons, and the north winds among the winds, as being privations of the warm and southern things, and not having a principle of their own?