§163καὶ μὴν εἴπερ γε κινεῖται, μεγάλη ἀνάγκη αὐτῷ ἀλλοιοῦσθαι· ὅπῃ γὰρ ἄν τι κινηθῇ, κατὰ τοσοῦτον οὐκέθʼ ὡσαύτως ἔχει ὡς εἶχεν, ἀλλʼ ἑτέρως.
And indeed, if it moves, there is great necessity for it to alter; for in whatever way anything moves, to that extent it is no longer in the same state as it was, but in a different one.
οὕτως.
So it is.
κινούμενον δὴ τὸ ἓν καὶ ἀλλοιοῦται.
The moving one, then, also alters.
ναί.
Yes.
καὶ μὴν μηδαμῇ γε κινούμενον οὐδαμῇ ἂν ἀλλοιοῖτο.
And indeed, if it moves in no way, it would in no way alter.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
ἧι μὲν ἄρα κινεῖται τὸ οὐκ ὂν ἕν, ἀλλοιοῦται· ᾗ δὲ μὴ κινεῖται, οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦται.
Insofar as the non-being one moves, then, it alters; and insofar as it does not move, it does not alter.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
τὸ ἓν ἄρα μὴ ὂν ἀλλοιοῦταί τε καὶ οὐκ ἀλλοιοῦται.
The non-being one, therefore, both alters and does not alter.
φαίνεται.
It appears so.
τὸ δʼ ἀλλοιούμενον ἆρʼ οὐκ ἀνάγκη γίγνεσθαι μὲν ἕτερον ἢ πρότερον, ἀπόλλυσθαι δὲ ἐκ τῆς προτέρας ἕξεως· τὸ δὲ μὴ ἀλλοιούμενον μήτε γίγνεσθαι μήτε ἀπόλλυσθαι;
And is it not necessary that that which alters becomes different than before, and perishes from its former state, whereas that which does not alter neither becomes nor perishes?
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
καὶ τὸ ἓν ἄρα μὴ ὂν ἀλλοιούμενον μὲν γίγνεταί τε καὶ ἀπόλλυται, μὴ ἀλλοιούμενον δὲ οὔτε γίγνεται οὔτε ἀπόλλυται· καὶ οὕτω τὸ ἓν μὴ ὂν γίγνεταί τε καὶ ἀπόλλυται, καὶ οὔτε γίγνεται οὔτʼ ἀπόλλυται.
And therefore, the non-being one, when altering, both becomes and perishes, and when not altering, neither becomes nor perishes; and thus the non-being one both becomes and perishes, and neither becomes nor perishes.
οὐ γὰρ οὖν.
Certainly so.
αὖθις δὴ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἴωμεν πάλιν ὀψόμενοι εἰ ταὐτὰ ἡμῖν φανεῖται ἅπερ καὶ νῦν ἢ ἕτερα.
Let us then go back again to the beginning to see whether the same things will appear to us as now or different.
ἀλλὰ χρή.
But we must.
οὐκοῦν ἓν εἰ μὴ ἔστι, φαμέν, τί χρὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ συμβαίνειν; ναί.
Therefore, if the one is not, we say, what must happen concerning it? Yes.
τὸ δὲ μὴ ἔστιν ὅταν λέγωμεν, ἆρα μή τι ἄλλο σημαίνει ἢ οὐσίας ἀπουσίαν τούτῳ ᾧ ἂν φῶμεν μὴ εἶναι;
And when we say "is not," does it signify anything other than the absence of substance from that which we say is not?
οὐδὲν ἄλλο.
Nothing else.
πότερον οὖν, ὅταν φῶμεν μὴ εἶναί τι, πὼς οὐκ εἶναί φαμεν αὐτό, πὼς δὲ εἶναι;
Whether, then, when we say that something is not, do we say that it is not in some way and is in some way?
ἢ τοῦτο τὸ μὴ ἔστι λεγόμενον ἁπλῶς σημαίνει ὅτι οὐδαμῶς οὐδαμῇ ἔστιν οὐδέ πῃ μετέχει οὐσίας τό γε μὴ ὄν;
Or does this phrase "is not" simply signify that that which is not in no way, nowhere is, nor does it in any way participate in substance?
ἁπλούστατα μὲν οὖν.
Most simply, the latter.
οὔτε ἄρα εἶναι δύναιτο ἂν τὸ μὴ ὂν οὔτε ἄλλως οὐδαμῶς οὐσίας μετέχειν.
Therefore, that which is not could neither be nor in any other way participate in substance.
οὐ γάρ.
Indeed not.
τὸ δὲ γίγνεσθαι καὶ τὸ ἀπόλλυσθαι μή τι ἄλλο ἦν ἢ τὸ μὲν οὐσίας μεταλαμβάνειν, τὸ δʼ ἀπολλύναι οὐσίαν;
And were becoming and perishing anything other than, on the one hand, acquiring substance, and on the other hand, losing substance?
οὐδὲν ἄλλο.
Nothing else.
ὧι δέ γε μηδὲν τούτου μέτεστιν, οὔτʼ ἂν λαμβάνοι οὔτʼ ἀπολλύοι αὐτό.
And that which has no share in this would neither acquire nor lose it.
πῶς γάρ;
How indeed?
τῷ ἑνὶ ἄρα, ἐπειδὴ οὐδαμῇ ἔστιν, οὔτε ἑκτέον οὔτε ἀπαλλακτέον οὔτε μεταληπτέον οὐσίας οὐδαμῶς.
Therefore, for the one, since it in no way is, it must neither have, nor be rid of, nor participate in substance in any way.
εἰκός.
Likely.
οὔτε ἄρα ἀπόλλυται τὸ μὴ ὂν ἓν οὔτε γίγνεται, ἐπείπερ οὐδαμῇ μετέχει οὐσίας.
Therefore, the non-being one neither perishes nor becomes, since indeed it in no way participates in substance.
οὐ φαίνεται.
It does not appear so.
οὐδʼ ἄρʼ ἀλλοιοῦται οὐδαμῇ· ἤδη γὰρ ἂν γίγνοιτό τε καὶ ἀπολλύοιτο τοῦτο πάσχον.
Nor indeed does it alter in any way; for it would already be becoming and perishing by undergoing this.
ἀληθῆ.
True.
εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀλλοιοῦται, οὐκ ἀνάγκη μηδὲ κινεῖσθαι;
And if it does not alter, is it not necessary that it does not even move?
ἀνάγκη.
Necessary.
οὐδὲ μὴν ἑστάναι φήσομεν τὸ μηδαμοῦ ὄν· τὸ γὰρ ἑστὸς ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τινι δεῖ ἀεὶ εἶναι.
Nor indeed shall we say that that which is nowhere stands; for that which stands must always be in some same place.
τῷ αὐτῷ· πῶς γὰρ οὔ;
In the same; how indeed could it not be?
οὕτω δὴ αὖ τὸ μὴ ὂν μήτε ποτὲ ἑστάναι μήτε κινεῖσθαι λέγωμεν.
Thus, then, let us say in turn that the non-being one neither stands nor moves at any time.
μὴ γὰρ οὖν.
Indeed not.