§3#2ἐπὶ δὴ τούτοις ἅπασι τοῖς φαινομένοις τῷ λόγῳ σκεψώμεθα πρῶτον μὲν τὸ πάντων ὕστατον ῥηθὲν, τὸ διττὸν τῆς κινήσεως, ὑπὸ τίνος ἀνάγκης γίνεται, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον.
Based on all these phenomena, let us consider first by reason the last-mentioned point, namely, by what necessity the twofold movement occurs, and after this, each of the other points as well.
ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἅπασα φλὸξ ὠκυτάτην ἔχει τὴν διαφθορὰν, ἀεὶ γὰρ εἰς τὸ περιέχον σκίδναται, διὰ τοῦτο ἀναγκαῖον αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν γένεσιν ταχίστην ὑπάρχειν, ἄλλως γὰρ οὐκ ἂν οὐδ’ ἐπ’ ἐλάχιστον διήρκεσεν.
Since, therefore, every flame has an extremely rapid destruction—for it is always dispersed into the surrounding air—for this reason it is necessary for its generation also to be extremely rapid, since otherwise it would not have lasted even for the shortest time.
ἀλλ’ ἔστιν ἑκάστῃ φλογὶ γένεσις ἐκ τῆς ὑποκειμένης ὕλης ἐξάπτεσθαι.
But for each flame, generation is the kindling from the underlying fuel.
εἰκότως ἄρα κίνησιν οὐ τὴν ἔξω μόνον τῆς ἰδίας ἀρχῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐναντίαν αὐτῇ τὴν εἴσω σύμφυτον ἔχει.
Reasonably, therefore, it has inborn within itself not only the movement outward from its own origin, but also the opposite movement inward.
καὶ τοίνυν καὶ φθείρεσθαι πᾶσαν φλόγα ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τῆς ὕλης στερηθεῖσαν, ἢ τῶν κινήσεων τῆς ἑτέρας.
And furthermore, it is necessary for every flame to perish when deprived of its fuel, or of one of the two movements.
καθόλου γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὡς πολλάκις ἐν ἑτέροις δέδεικται, τῶν δεχομένων ἀλλήλας κινήσεων μὲν ἐναντίων, τὴν ἑτέραν χωρὶς τῆς ἑτέρας οὐ διασώζεσθαι.
For generally speaking, as has been shown many times in other works, of the opposite movements that receive one another, the one is not preserved without the other.
ταῦτ’ ἄρα συμμέτρως ψυχροῦ τοῦ περιέχοντος ἀέρος δεῖται πᾶσα φλόξ.
For this very reason, every flame requires a moderately cold surrounding air.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑπερβαλλόντως ἔκθερμος τὴν ἔξω κίνησιν αὐτῆς ἀμέτρως ἐργαζόμενος, ὁ δὲ ψυχρὸς τὴν ἔσωθεν σβέννυσιν.
For the excessively hot air makes its outward movement immoderate, while the cold air extinguishes the inward movement.
ἀμφότεροι τοίνυν ῥιπιζόμενοι ἀσυμμέτρως ἀναστέλλουσι τὴν φλόγα πρὸς τὴν ὕλην, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ψυχρόν· τὸ δὲ ὑπερβαλλόντως κινεῖσθαι σκεδάννυσιν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ θερμόν.
Therefore, both, when immoderately fanned, repress the flame toward the fuel, just like the cold; but being excessively moved disperses it, just like the hot.
τῶν δὲ τὴν ἔξω κίνησιν ἄμετρον ἐργαζομένων ἐστὶ καὶ σικύα καὶ πᾶν, ὅ τί περ ἂν τῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐντὸς φλογὸς ἀέρα διακεκαυμένων εἴρξηται πρὸς τὴν ἔξω τοῦ πυρὸς τῶν ψυχρῶν ὁμιλίαν ἰέναι.
And among those that make the outward movement immoderate are both the cupping-glass and whatever of the things prevents the air heated by the inner flame from going to meet the cold air outside the fire.
ἡ δὲ συμμετρία σωτηρία τῆς πάσης φλογός ἐστιν.
But moderation is the preservation of every flame.
οὕτως οὖν οὐκ ἀπεικὸς ἔχειν κᾀπὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ζώοις θερμασίας.
Thus, therefore, it is not unlikely to be the case also with the heat in animals.
ὕλην μὲν, ὅθεν ἀνάπτεται, τὸ αἷμα, σύμφυτον δὲ ἔχουσα κινήσεως ἀρχὴν ἐφ’ ἑκάτερα, τῆς ἑτέρας στερηθεῖσα, καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἐξ ἀνάγκης στερίσκεται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ, ἐάν τε ἀναπνοῆς εἴρξῃς, ἐάν θ’ αἵματος, εὐθέως διαφθείρεται.
The fuel from which it is kindled is the blood, and since it has an inborn principle of movement in both directions, when deprived of the one, it is of necessity deprived of the remaining one as well; and for this very reason, whether you block respiration or blood, it is immediately destroyed.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ τὴν τοῦ λύχνου φλόγα ἅμα ἀφαιρήσεις καταπνίξας ἢ παντάπασιν ἐλαίου στερήσας.
For indeed, you will remove the flame of a lamp at the same time either by suffocating it or by depriving it entirely of oil.
ἀνάλογον οὖν τίθεσο τῇ μὲν θρυαλλίδι τὴν καρδίαν, τῷ δὲ ἐλαίῳ τὸ αἱματῶδες, τῷ δὲ ὀργάνῳ τὸν πνεύμονα.
Analogously, therefore, posit the heart for the wick, the bloody substance for the oil, and the lung for the vessel.
περίκειται γὰρ δή τοι ἔξωθεν τῇ καρδίᾳ δίκην σικύας.
For indeed, the lung surrounds the heart from the outside like a cupping-glass.
ἀλλὰ, παρ’ ὃν μὲν ἀναπνεῖ τὸ ζῶον χρόνον, εἰκάσαις ἂν αὐτὸν, οἶμαι, τετρημένῃ σικύᾳ κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἐπισχέσεως καιρὸν ἀτρήτῳ τε καὶ πανταχόθεν στεγούσῃ.
But, during the time that the animal breathes, you would compare it, I think, to a perforated cupping-glass, but during the time of holding the breath, to an unperforated one that seals from all sides.
ὡς οὖν ἡ μὲν τετρημένη σικύα σβεννύειν οὐ δύναται τὴν ἐντὸς φλόγα διὰ τοῦ τρήματος ἀναπνέουσαν, ἡ δὲ τοὐναντίον παραχρῆμα σβέννυσι καταπνίγουσα, τὸν αὐτὸν ὁ πνεύμων τρόπον ὁ μὲν στεγανὸς, οἷος ὁ κατὰ τὰς ἐπισχέσεις, σβέννυσι, ὁ τετρημένος δὲ, οἷος ὁ κατὰ τὰς ἀναπνοὰς, διασώζει τὴν ἔμφυτον θερμότητα.
Just as, therefore, the perforated cupping-glass cannot extinguish the flame within that breathes through the perforation, while on the contrary the unperforated one immediately extinguishes it by suffocating, in the same way the lung, when sealed, as during the holdings of breath, extinguishes, but when perforated, as during respirations, preserves the innate heat.
ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ κάμινον ἰδὼν σβεννυμένην ὑπὸ τοῦ μὴ διαπνεῖσθαι, κᾄπειτα αὐτὴν παρανοιχθεῖσαν πολὺ μὲν αἰθαλῶδες ἐκπνεύσασαν, πολὺ δ’ ἔξωθεν εἰσπνεύσασαν τὸν ἀέρα καθαρὸν, ἐπ’ ἀμφοτέροις ἀναλάμψαι, οὐ μικρὰν τῆς ἐκπνοῆς ἐλογισάμην εἶναι τὴν χρείαν εἰς τὸ κενοῦν τὴν οἷον λιγνὺν τοῦ αἵματος.
And I, having seen even a furnace being extinguished by not being ventilated, and then, upon being slightly opened, having exhaled much soot-like breath and inhaled much clean air from the outside, flare up again on both accounts, considered that the usefulness of exhalation is not small for emptying the soot-like waste of the blood.
αἴθαλος γὰρ καὶ καπνὸς καὶ λιγνὺς καὶ πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον περίττωμα τῆς καιομένης ὕλης οὐδὲν ἧττον ὕδατος ἀποσβέννυσθαι πέφυκε τὸ πῦρ.
For soot, smoke, grime, and every such residue of burning fuel are by nature suited to extinguish fire no less than water.
ἐξ ἁπάντων οὖν τούτων ἔστιν ἀποδέξασθαι τῶν λεγόντων, τῆς ἐμφύτου θερμασίας ἕνεκεν ἀναπνεῖν τὰ ζῶα.
From all these things, therefore, it is possible to accept the views of those who say that animals breathe for the sake of their innate heat.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ ῥιπίζεσθαι συμμέτρως χρήσιμον, καὶ τὸ μετρίως ψύχεσθαι.
For being moderately fanned is useful, and being moderately cooled is useful.
ἄμφω γὰρ ταῦτα φαίνεται ῥωννύντα τὴν εἴσω θερμασίαν, κίνησίν τε ἀναγκαῖον ἔχειν κάτω τὸ καπνῶδες, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐκκενοῦν τῆς τοῦ αἵματος συγκαύσεως.
For both of these appear to strengthen the inner heat, and it is necessary to have a downward movement to empty out the smoky residue, so to speak, of the combustion of the blood.
ταῦτ’ ἐπιστημονικὴν μὲν οὐκ ἔχει τὴν πίστιν, οὐδ’ ἀναγκαίαν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, οἵαν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀεὶ μεταχειρίζεσθαι σπεύδομεν, οὐ μὴν ἐστέρηται τοῦ πιθανοῦ.
These things do not have scientific conviction, nor a necessary demonstration such as we always strive to employ in other matters, but they are certainly not devoid of plausibility.
τὸ γὰρ τάχος τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ ζώου τοιαύτην ἐπιζητεῖ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τροφῆς, ἣν οἱ θρέψεως ἕνεκα ψυχῆς ἀναπνεῖν ἡμᾶς λέγοντες αἰτιῶνται χρόνου μακροτέρου δεῖν, γενέσεως δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς Ἀσκληπιάδης φησὶν, ὁμολογουμένης μὲν τῷ τάχει, μαχομένης δὲ ἄλλοις μυρίοις, καὶ τοῖς κατ’ ἀρχὰς εἰρημένοις ἐν τῷδε τῷ λόγῳ, κοινῇ πρὸς ἁπάσας τὰς αἱρέσεις, ὅσαι δι’ ἔνδειαν ἀέρος ἀπόλλυσθαι τὰ ζῶα νομίζουσι στερηθέντα τῆς ἀναπνοῆς.
For the speed of the animal's destruction seeks such a cause for its nourishment, whereas the cause asserted by those who say we breathe for the sake of the nourishment of the soul requires a longer time, and the generation of the soul, which Asclepiades says occurs, although agreeing in speed, conflicts with countless other things, including those stated at the beginning of this discourse, which are common to all the schools that believe animals perish through lack of air when deprived of respiration.
εἰ τοίνυν τὸ τάχος τῆς ἀπωλείας τοῦ ζώου διὰ μὲν ἀτροφίαν τῆς ψυχῆς οὐσίας οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ γίγνεσθαι, διὰ δὲ τὴν γένεσιν ἐγχωρεῖ μὲν, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ ψευδέσι ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν, ἡ δὲ τῆς ἐμφύτου θερμασίας ἀπώλεια μηδὲν ἔχει τῶν φαινομένων ἐναντιούμενον, εὐλογώτερον ἐκείνου προέσθαι.
If, therefore, the speed of the animal's destruction cannot occur through the lack of nourishment of the soul's substance, and although it can occur through its generation, yet on false premises, while the destruction of the innate heat has nothing in the phenomena opposing it, it is more reasonable to prefer the latter.