§56ΤΙ. διὸ γῇ μὲν τοῦτο ἀπονέμοντες τὸν εἰκότα λόγον διασῴζομεν, ὕδατι δʼ αὖ τῶν λοιπῶν τὸ δυσκινητότατον εἶδος, τὸ δʼ εὐκινητότατον πυρί, τὸ δὲ μέσον ἀέρι·
Therefore, by assigning this form to earth, we preserve the probable account; and further, to water, we assign the most immobile form among the remaining ones, the most mobile to fire, and the middle one to air.
καὶ τὸ μὲν σμικρότατον σῶμα πυρί, τὸ δʼ αὖ μέγιστον ὕδατι, τὸ δὲ μέσον ἀέρι· καὶ τὸ μὲν ὀξύτατον αὖ πυρί, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον ἀέρι, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ὕδατι.
Also, the smallest body to fire, the largest to water, and the middle one to air; and further, the sharpest to fire, the second to air, and the third to water.
ταῦτʼ οὖν δὴ πάντα, τὸ μὲν ἔχον ὀλιγίστας βάσεις εὐκινητότατον ἀνάγκη πεφυκέναι, τμητικώτατόν τε καὶ ὀξύτατον ὂν πάντῃ πάντων, ἔτι τε ἐλαφρότατον, ἐξ ὀλιγίστων συνεστὸς τῶν αὐτῶν μερῶν· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον δευτέρως τὰ αὐτὰ ταῦτʼ ἔχειν, τρίτως δὲ τὸ τρίτον.
Now all these things: that which has the fewest bases must of necessity be the most mobile, being the most cutting and the sharpest in every way of all, and also the lightest, as being constructed from the fewest of the same parts; and the second must have these same properties in the second degree, and the third in the third degree.
ἔστω δὴ κατὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον καὶ κατὰ τὸν εἰκότα τὸ μὲν τῆς πυραμίδος στερεὸν γεγονὸς εἶδος πυρὸς στοιχεῖον καὶ σπέρμα· τὸ δὲ δεύτερον κατὰ γένεσιν εἴπωμεν ἀέρος, τὸ δὲ τρίτον ὕδατος.
Let, then, according to correct reason and according to probability, the solid form which has become a pyramid be the element and seed of fire; and let us say that the second in order of generation is of air, and the third is of water.
πάντα οὖν δὴ ταῦτα δεῖ διανοεῖσθαι σμικρὰ οὕτως, ὡς καθʼ ἓν ἕκαστον μὲν τοῦ γένους ἑκάστου διὰ σμικρότητα οὐδὲν ὁρώμενον ὑφʼ ἡμῶν, συναθροισθέντων δὲ πολλῶν τοὺς ὄγκους αὐτῶν ὁρᾶσθαι·
Now all these things must be conceived as being so small that single ones of each class, because of their smallness, are not seen by us at all, but when many are gathered together, their bulks are seen.
καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀναλογιῶν περί τε τὰ πλήθη καὶ τὰς κινήσεις καὶ τὰς ἄλλας δυνάμεις πανταχῇ τὸν θεόν, ὅπῃπερ ἡ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἑκοῦσα πεισθεῖσά τε φύσις ὑπεῖκεν, ταύτῃ πάντῃ διʼ ἀκριβείας ἀποτελεσθεισῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συνηρμόσθαι ταῦτα ἀνὰ λόγον.
And indeed, with respect to the proportions of their numbers, motions, and other powers, god, in every way, insofar as the nature of necessity yielded willingly and under persuasion, harmonized these things in proportion, they being completed by him in all accuracy.
ἐκ δὴ πάντων ὧνπερ τὰ γένη προειρήκαμεν ὧδʼ ἂν κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς μάλιστʼ ἂν ἔχοι.
From all those whose classes we have previously mentioned, the matter would most probably stand as follows.
γῆ μὲν συντυγχάνουσα πυρὶ διαλυθεῖσά τε ὑπὸ τῆς ὀξύτητος αὐτοῦ φέροιτʼ ἄν, εἴτʼ ἐν αὐτῷ πυρὶ λυθεῖσα εἴτʼ ἐν ἀέρος εἴτʼ ἐν ὕδατος ὄγκῳ τύχοι, μέχριπερ ἂν αὐτῆς πῃ συντυχόντα τὰ μέρη, πάλιν συναρμοσθέντα αὐτὰ αὑτοῖς, γῆ γένοιτο—οὐ γὰρ εἰς ἄλλο γε εἶδος ἔλθοι ποτʼ ἄν—ὕδωρ δὲ ὑπὸ πυρὸς μερισθέν, εἴτε καὶ ὑπʼ ἀέρος, ἐγχωρεῖ γίγνεσθαι συστάντα ἓν μὲν πυρὸς σῶμα, δύο δὲ ἀέρος· τὰ δὲ ἀέρος τμήματα ἐξ ἑνὸς μέρους διαλυθέντος δύʼ ἂν γενοίσθην σώματα πυρός.
When earth meets with fire and is dissolved by its sharpness, it would drift about, whether dissolved in fire itself, or in a mass of air, or of water, until its parts, meeting somewhere, fit together again with one another and become earth once more—for it would never pass into another form—while water, when divided by fire or even by air, can become, by being reconstructed, one body of fire and two of air; and the fragments of air, when a single part is dissolved, would become two bodies of fire.
καὶ πάλιν, ὅταν ἀέρι πῦρ ὕδασίν τε ἤ τινι γῇ περιλαμβανόμενον ἐν πολλοῖς ὀλίγον, κινούμενον ἐν φερομένοις, μαχόμενον καὶ νικηθὲν καταθραυσθῇ, δύο πυρὸς σώματα εἰς ἓν συνίστασθον εἶδος ἀέρος· καὶ κρατηθέντος ἀέρος κερματισθέντος τε ἐκ δυοῖν ὅλοιν καὶ ἡμίσεος ὕδατος εἶδος ἓν ὅλον ἔσται συμπαγές.
And again, when a small amount of fire is enclosed in many others, such as air, waters, or some earth, and moving among those carried along, fighting and being defeated, is broken to pieces, two bodies of fire combine into a single form of air; and when air is mastered and shattered, out of two whole ones and a half, a single whole solid form of water will be composed.
§57ΤΙ. ὧδε γὰρ δὴ λογισώμεθα αὐτὰ πάλιν, ὡς ὅταν ἐν πυρὶ λαμβανόμενον τῶν ἄλλων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τι γένος τῇ τῶν γωνιῶν καὶ κατὰ τὰς πλευρὰς ὀξύτητι τέμνηται, συστὰν μὲν εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου φύσιν πέπαυται τεμνόμενον—τὸ γὰρ ὅμοιον καὶ ταὐτὸν αὑτῷ γένος ἕκαστον οὔτε τινὰ μεταβολὴν ἐμποιῆσαι δυνατὸν οὔτε τι παθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ κατὰ ταὐτὰ ὁμοίως τε ἔχοντος—ἕως δʼ ἂν εἰς ἄλλο τι γιγνόμενον ἧττον ὂν κρείττονι μάχηται, λυόμενον οὐ παύεται.
TI. For let us reason about them again in this way: when some other class, caught in fire, is cut by it, by the sharpness of its angles and along its sides, once it is reconstructed into the nature of fire, it ceases to be cut—for any class which is like and identical with itself is unable either to cause any change in, or to suffer anything from, that which is in the same state and like it—but as long as, in passing into something else, being weaker, it fights against a stronger one, it does not cease to be dissolved.
τά τε αὖ σμικρότερα ὅταν ἐν τοῖς μείζοσιν πολλοῖς περιλαμβανόμενα ὀλίγα διαθραυόμενα κατασβεννύηται, συνίστασθαι μὲν ἐθέλοντα εἰς τὴν τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἰδέαν πέπαυται κατασβεννύμενα γίγνεταί τε ἐκ πυρὸς ἀήρ, ἐξ ἀέρος ὕδωρ·
And again, when the smaller bodies, being few and enclosed in many larger ones, are shattered and extinguished, if they are willing to combine into the form of the prevailing one, they cease to be extinguished, and air is generated from fire, and water from air.
ἐὰν δʼ εἰς ταὐτὰ ἴῃ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τι συνιὸν γενῶν μάχηται, λυόμενα οὐ παύεται, πρὶν ἢ παντάπασιν ὠθούμενα καὶ διαλυθέντα ἐκφύγῃ πρὸς τὸ συγγενές, ἢ νικηθέντα, ἓν ἐκ πολλῶν ὅμοιον τῷ κρατήσαντι γενόμενον, αὐτοῦ σύνοικον μείνῃ.
But if they go into the same places and some other of the coming classes fights against them, they do not cease to be dissolved until either, being utterly thrust out and dissolved, they escape to their kindred, or, being defeated, they become a single thing out of many, like the prevailing one, and remain as a fellow-dweller with it.
καὶ δὴ καὶ κατὰ ταῦτα τὰ παθήματα διαμείβεται τὰς χώρας ἅπαντα· διέστηκεν μὲν γὰρ τοῦ γένους ἑκάστου τὰ πλήθη κατὰ τόπον ἴδιον διὰ τὴν τῆς δεχομένης κίνησιν, τὰ δὲ ἀνομοιούμενα ἑκάστοτε ἑαυτοῖς, ἄλλοις δὲ ὁμοιούμενα, φέρεται διὰ τὸν σεισμὸν πρὸς τὸν ἐκείνων οἷς ἂν ὁμοιωθῇ τόπον.
And indeed, in accordance with these affections, all things change their places; for the multitudes of each class are separated in their own place because of the motion of the receiver, and those which become unlike themselves and like others from time to time are carried, because of the shaking, toward the place of those to which they have become like.
ὅσα μὲν οὖν ἄκρατα καὶ πρῶτα σώματα διὰ τοιούτων αἰτιῶν γέγονεν· τὸ δʼ ἐν τοῖς εἴδεσιν αὐτῶν ἕτερα ἐμπεφυκέναι γένη τὴν ἑκατέρου τῶν στοιχείων αἰτιατέον σύστασιν, μὴ μόνον ἓν ἑκατέραν μέγεθος ἔχον τὸ τρίγωνον φυτεῦσαι κατʼ ἀρχάς, ἀλλʼ ἐλάττω τε καὶ μείζω, τὸν ἀριθμὸν δὲ ἔχοντα τοσοῦτον ὅσαπερ ἂν ᾖ τἀν τοῖς εἴδεσι γένη.
Thus, then, the unmixed and primary bodies have been generated through such causes; but as for the existence of different varieties within their classes, we must blame the construction of each of the two elements, because the triangles planted at the beginning were not of one size only for each, but both smaller and larger, having as many sizes as there are varieties within the classes.
διὸ δὴ συμμειγνύμενα αὐτά τε πρὸς αὑτὰ καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα τὴν ποικιλίαν ἐστὶν ἄπειρα· ἧς δὴ δεῖ θεωροὺς γίγνεσθαι τοὺς μέλλοντας περὶ φύσεως εἰκότι λόγῳ χρήσεσθαι.
Therefore, when mixed both with themselves and with one another, they are infinite in their variety; which variety must be observed by those who intend to use a probable account concerning nature.
κινήσεως οὖν στάσεώς τε πέρι, τίνα τρόπον καὶ μεθʼ ὧντινων γίγνεσθον, εἰ μή τις διομολογήσεται, πόλλʼ ἂν εἴη ἐμποδὼν τῷ κατόπισθεν λογισμῷ.
Concerning motion and rest, then, in what manner and in the presence of what things they arise, if one does not come to an agreement, there would be many obstacles to our subsequent reasoning.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἤδη περὶ αὐτῶν εἴρηται, πρὸς δʼ ἐκείνοις ἔτι τάδε, ἐν μὲν ὁμαλότητι μηδέποτε ἐθέλειν κίνησιν ἐνεῖναι.
Now, some things have already been said about them, but in addition to those, there is still this: that motion is never willing to exist in uniformity.
τὸ γὰρ κινησόμενον ἄνευ τοῦ κινήσοντος ἢ τὸ κινῆσον ἄνευ τοῦ κινησομένου χαλεπόν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀδύνατον, εἶναι· κίνησις δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν τούτων ἀπόντων, ταῦτα δὲ ὁμαλὰ εἶναί ποτε ἀδύνατον.
For that which is to be moved without that which is to move it, or that which is to move without that which is to be moved, is difficult, or rather impossible, to exist; and there is no motion when these are absent, and it is impossible for these ever to be uniform.