§10ἀπʼ ἄλλης ἀρχῆς.
From another starting-point.
πρὸς μὲν τὴν πυρὸς ὡς πυρὸς χρῆσιν ὕδατος οὐ προσδεόμεθα, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐμποδὼν γίγνεται κατασβέννυσι γὰρ καὶ διαφθείρει.
For the use of fire as fire, we have no need of water, but on the contrary, it gets in the way; for it extinguishes and destroys it.
ὕδατος δὲ τοῖς πλείστοις χρῆσις οὐκ ἔστιν ἄνευ πυρός· θερμανθὲν γὰρ ὡφελιμώτερον, οὕτω δὲ βλαβερόν.
But the use of water, for most purposes, is not possible without fire; for when warmed it is more useful, but as it is it is harmful.
ὥστε δυεῖν ἄμεινον ὃ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ παρέχεται χρείαν, τοῦ ἑτέρου μὴ προσδεόμενον.
So that of the two, that is better which provides usefulness from itself, not standing in need of the other.
ἔτι ὕδωρ μὲν μοναχῶς ὠφέλιμον κατὰ θίξιν λουσαμένοις ἢ νιψαμένοις, τὸ δὲ πῦρ διὰ πάσης αἰσθήσεως· καὶ γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἁφῆς καὶ πόρρωθεν ὁρώμενον, ὥστε προσεῖναι τοῖς ἄλλοις τῆς χρείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν πολυτέλειαν.
Furthermore, water is useful in only one way, through touch, for those who bathe or wash, but fire is useful through every sense; for it is useful both through touch and when seen from afar, so that in addition to its other uses, its magnificence also belongs to it.
§11τὸ γὰρ λέγειν ὡς ἔστι ποτὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἄνευ πυρὸς οὐδʼ ὅλως δύναται γενέσθαι ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
For as for saying that man can sometimes exist without fire — indeed, man cannot exist at all.
διαφοραὶ δʼ εἰσὶν ἐν γένει καθάπερ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις.
And there are differences in race just as in other things.
καὶ τὴν θάλατταν ἡ θερμότης ὠφελιμωτέραν ἐποίησεν, ὡς μᾶλλον καταθερῆ τῶν ὑδάτων, ἐπεὶ κατʼ αὑτό γε τῶν λοιπῶν οὐδὲν διέφερε.
And warmth has made the sea more useful, as it is warmer than the waters, since by itself it would differ in no way from the rest.
καὶ οἱ μὴ προσδεόμενοι δὲ τοῦ ἔξωθεν πυρὸς οὐχ ὡς ἀπροσδεεῖς τοῦτο πάσχουσιν, ἀλλὰ περιουσίᾳ καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ἐν αὑτοῖς θερμοῦ· ὥστε καὶ κατὰ τοῦθʼ ὑπερέχειν τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς χρείαν, ὡς εἰκός.
And those who do not stand in need of external fire do not experience this because they have no need of fire, but because of the abundance and excess of the heat within themselves; so that in this respect too, the need for fire is superior, as is natural.
τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ οὐδέποτε τοιοῦτον, ὥστε μὴ δεῖσθαι τῶν ἐκτός, τὸ δὲ πῦρ ὑπʼ ἀρετῆς πολλῆς καὶ αὔταρκες, ὡς οὖν στρατηγὸς ἀμείνων ὁ παρασκευάσας τὴν πόλιν μὴ δεῖσθαι τῶν ἔξωθεν συμμάχων, οὕτω καὶ στοιχεῖον τὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπικουρίας παρέχον πολλάκις μὴ δεόμενον ὑπερέχον.
Water is never such as not to need external things, but fire, by its great excellence, is even self-sufficient. Just as, therefore, a general is better who has prepared his city not to need external allies, so too an element that provides external assistance while often not needing it itself is superior.
τοῦτο ῥητέον καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, ὅσα μὴ πυρὸς δεῖται.
This must also be said about the other animals, as many as do not need fire.
καίτοι γʼ εἰς τοὐναντίον λάβοι τις ἄν, τὸ χρησιμώτερον εἶναι τοῦτο, ᾧ χρώμεθα μόνοι οἱ καὶ μάλιστα τὸ βέλτιον ἐκ λογισμοῦ λαβεῖν δυνάμενοι· ἐπεὶ τί λόγου χρησιμώτερον ἢ μᾶλλον ἀνθρώποις λυσιτελέστερον;
And yet, one might take the opposite view, that that is more useful which we alone use, we who are most capable of grasping what is better through reason; for what is more useful than reason, or more profitable to humans?
ἀλλʼ οὐ πάρεστι τοῖς ἀλόγοις.
But it is not present in irrational animals.
τί οὖν;
What then?
διὰ τοῦθʼ ἧττον ὠφέλιμον ἐκ τῆς προνοίας τοῦ βελτίονος εὑρεθέν;
Is it for this reason less useful, having been found through the providence of the better?
§12ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο τοῦ λόγου γεγόναμεν, τί τέχνης τῷ βίῳ λυσιτελέστερον;
And since we have come to this point of the argument, what is more profitable to life than art?
τέχνης δὲ πάσας καὶ ἀνεῦρε τὸ πῦρ καὶ σῴζει διὸ καὶ τὸν Ἥφαιστον ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῶν ποιοῦσι.
And fire both discovered and preserves all arts; wherefore they also make Hephaestus their founder.
καὶ μὴν ὀλίγου χρόνου καὶ βίου τοῖς ἀνθρώποις δεδομένου, ὁ μὲν Ἀρίστων φησὶν ὅτι ὁ ὕπνος οἷον τελώνης τὸ ἣμισυ ἀφαιρεῖ τούτου· ἐγὼ δʼ ἂν εἴποιμι διόπερ σκότος ἐγρήγορεν ἀεὶ διὰ νυκτός, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν ὄφελος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐγρηγόρσεως, εἰ μὴ τὸ πῦρ τὰ τῆς ἡμέρας ἡμῖν παρεῖχεν ἀγαθά, καὶ τὴν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς ἐξῄρει διαφοράν.
And indeed, a short time and life being given to humans, Ariston says that sleep, like a tax-gatherer, takes away half of this; but I would say: wherefore, though one is awake through the night in darkness, yet there is no benefit from being awake, unless fire provided us with the blessings of day, and removed the difference between day and night.
εἰ τοίνυν τοῦ ζῆν οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις λυσιτελέστερον καὶ τοῦτο πολλαπλασιάζει τὸ πῦρ, πῶς οὐκ καὶ εἴη πάντων ὠφελιμώτατον;
If, therefore, nothing is more profitable to humans than living, and fire multiplies this, how could it not be the most useful of all?
§13καὶ μήν, οὗ πλείστου κρᾶσις τῆς τῶν αἰσθήσεων μετείληφεν, οὐκ ἂν εἴη λυσιτελέστατον;
And indeed, would not that be most profitable, whose mixture the majority of our senses share in?
οὐχ ὁρᾷς οὖν, ὡς τῇ μὲν ὑγρᾷ φύσει οὐδεμία τῶν αἰσθήσεων κατʼ αὑτὴν προσχρῆται χωρὶς πνεύματος ἢ πυρὸς ἐγκεκραμένου, τοῦ δὲ πυρὸς ἅπασα μὲν αἴσθησις, οἷον τὸ ζωτικὸν ἐνεργαζομένου, μετείληφεν, ἐξαιρέτως δʼ ἡ ὄψις, ἣτις ὀξυτάτη τῶν διὰ σώματός ἐστιν αἰσθήσεων, πυρὸς ἔξαμμα οὖσα καὶ ὅτι θεῶν πίστιν παρέσχηκεν ἔτι τε, Πλάτων φησί, δυνάμεθα κατασχηματίζειν πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ κινήσεις τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς ὄψεως;
Do you not see, then, that none of the senses by itself makes use of the wet nature without air or fire being mixed in, whereas every sense has shared in fire, as it produces the vital principle, and especially sight, which is the sharpest of the senses through the body, being a kindling of fire, and because it has provided belief in the gods, and furthermore, as Plato says, we are able to conform our soul to the movements of the things in heaven through sight?