§2.1.22#1Ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐν τῷ τί ἐστι κατηγορουμένων δῆλον· εἰ γὰρ ἔστιν ὁρίσασθαι ἢ εἰ γνωστὸν τὸ τί ἦν εἶναι, τὰ δʼ ἄπειρα μὴ ἔστι διελθεῖν, ἀνάγκη πεπεράνθαι τὰ ἐν τῷ τί ἐστι κατηγορούμενα.
Thus it is clear in the case of things predicated in the essence (what a thing is); for if it is possible to define or if the essence (what-it-was-to-be) is knowable, and it is not possible to traverse infinite things, then those things predicated in the essence must be finite.
καθόλου δὲ ὧδε λέγομεν.
But more universally, we speak as follows.
ἔστι γὰρ εἰπεῖν ἀληθῶς τὸ λευκὸν βαδίζειν καὶ τὸ μέγα ἐκεῖνο ξύλον εἶναι, καὶ πάλιν τὸ ξύλον μέγα εἶναι καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον βαδίζειν. ἕτερον δή ἐστι τὸ οὕτως εἰπεῖν καὶ τὸ ἐκείνως.
For it is possible to say truly that "the white is walking" and that "that big thing is a log," and again that "the log is big" and "the man is walking." But indeed, to speak in this way and in that way is different.
ὅταν μὲν γὰρ τὸ λευκὸν εἶναι φῶ ξύλον, τότε λέγω ὅτι ᾧ συμβέβηκε λευκῷ εἶναι ξύλον ἐστίν, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὡς τὸ ὑποκείμενον τῷ ξύλῳ τὸ λευκόν ἐστι· καὶ γὰρ οὔτε λευκὸν ὂν οὐθʼ ὅπερ λευκόν τι ἐγένετο ξύλον, ὥστʼ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλʼ ἢ κατὰ συμβεβηκός.
For when I say that "the white is a log," I mean then that that which happens to be white is a log, but not that the white is the underlying subject for the log; for it is neither as being white nor as what is some white thing that it became a log, so that it is not predicated except accidentally (by coincidence).
ὅταν δὲ τὸ ξύλον λευκὸν εἶναι φῶ, οὐχ ὅτι ἕτερόν τί ἐστι λευκόν, ἐκείνῳ δὲ συμβέβηκε ξύλῳ εἶναι, οἷον ὅταν τὸ μουσικὸν λευκὸν εἶναι φῶ (τότε γὰρ ὅτι ὁ ἄνθρωπος λευκός ἐστιν, ᾧ συμβέβηκεν εἶναι μουσικῷ, λέγω), ἀλλὰ τὸ ξύλον ἐστὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον, ὅπερ καὶ ἐγένετο, οὐχ ἕτερόν τι ὂν ἢ ὅπερ ξύλον ἢ ξύλον τί.
But when I say that "the log is white," it is not because some other thing is white, and that happened to be a log, as when I say that "the musical is white" (for then I mean that the man, to whom it happened to be musical, is white), but the log is the underlying subject, which also became white, not by being something other than what is a log or a certain log.
εἰ δὴ δεῖ νομοθετῆσαι, ἔστω τὸ οὕτω λέγειν κατηγορεῖν, τὸ δʼ ἐκείνως ἤτοι μηδαμῶς κατηγορεῖν, ἢ κατηγορεῖν μὲν μὴ ἀπλῶς, κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς δὲ κατηγορεῖν.
If then we must lay down a rule, let speaking in this way be "to predicate," and speaking in that way be either not to predicate at all, or to predicate indeed not simply, but to predicate accidentally.
ἔστι δʼ ὡς μὲν τὸ λευκὸν τὸ κατηγορούμενον, ὡς δὲ τὸ ξύλον τὸ οὗ κατηγορεῖται.
And the white is, as it were, the predicate, and the log is that of which it is predicated.
ὑποκείσθω δὴ τὸ κατηγορούμενον κατηγορεῖσθαι ἀεί, οὗ κατηγορεῖται, ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ μὴ κατὰ συμβεβηκός· οὕτω γὰρ αἱ ἀποδείξεις ἀποδεικνύουσιν.
Let it then be assumed that the predicate is always predicated of that of which it is predicated simply, and not accidentally; for this is how demonstrations demonstrate.
ὥστε ἢ ἐν τῷ τί ἐστιν ἢ ὅτι ποιὸν ἢ ποσὸν ἢ πρός τι ἢ ποιοῦν τι ἢ πάσχον ἢ ποὺ ἢ ποτέ, ὅταν ἓν καθʼ ἑνὸς κατηγορηθῇ.
So that it is either in the essence, or that it is a quality, or quantity, or relation, or acting, or being acted upon, or where, or when, when one thing is predicated of one.
Ἔτι τὰ μὲν οὐσίαν σημαίνοντα ὅπερ ἐκεῖνο ἢ ὅπερ ἐκεῖνό τι σημαίνει καθʼ οὗ κατηγορεῖται· ὅσα δὲ μὴ οὐσίαν σημαίνει, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἄλλου ὑποκειμένου λέγεται ὅ μὴ ἔστι μήτε ὅπερ ἐκεῖνο μήτε ὅπερ ἐκεῖνό τι, συμβεβηκότα, οἷον κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ λευκόν.
Further, those signifying substance signify just what that is or just what a certain that is, of which they are predicated; but those which do not signify substance, but are said of another underlying subject which is neither just what that is nor just what a certain that is, are accidents, as "the white" of the man.
οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὔτε ὅπερ λευκὸν οὔτε ὅπερ λευκόν τι, ἀλλὰ ζῷον ἴσως· ὅπερ γὰρ ζῷόν ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος.
For the man is neither just what white is nor just what a certain white thing is, but perhaps "animal"; for the man is just what animal is.
ὅσα δὲ μὴ οὐσίαν σημαίνει, δεῖ κατά τινος ὑποκειμένου κατηγορεῖσθαι, καὶ μὴ εἶναί τι λευκὸν ὃ οὐχ ἕτερόν τι ὂν λευκόν ἐστιν.
But those which do not signify substance must be predicated of some underlying subject, and there cannot be some "white" which is white without being something else.
τὰ γὰρ εἴδη χαιρέτω· τερετίσματά τε γάρ ἐστι, καὶ εἰ ἔστιν, οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸν λόγον ἐστίν· αἱ γὰρ ἀποδείξεις περὶ τῶν τοιούτων εἰσίν.
For as for the Forms, let them say farewell; for they are mere chatter, and even if they exist, they are nothing to the argument; for demonstrations are about such things as these.
Ἔτι εἰ μὴ ἔστι τόδε τοῦδε ποιότης κἀκεῖνο τούτου, μηδὲ ποιότητος ποιότης, ἀδύνατον ἀντικατηγορεῖσθαι ἀλλήλων οὕτως, ἀλλʼ ἀληθὲς μὲν ἐνδέχεται εἰπεῖν, ἀντικατηγορῆσαι δʼ ἀληθῶς οὐκ ἐνδέχεται.
Further, if this is not a quality of that, and that of this, nor a quality of a quality, it is impossible for them to be reciprocally predicated of one another in this way, but although it is possible to speak truly, it is not possible to reciprocate truly.
ἢ γάρ τοι ὡς οὐσία κατηγορηθήσεται, οἷον ἢ γένος ὂν ἢ διαφορὰ τοῦ κατηγορουμένου.
For indeed it will be predicated as substance, as being either the genus or the difference of the predicate.
ταῦτα δὲ δέδεικται ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται ἄπειρα, οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω (οἷον ἄνθρωπος δίπουν, τοῦτο ζῷον, τοῦτο δʼ ἕτερον· οὐδὲ τὸ ζῷον κατʼ ἀνθρώπου, τοῦτο δὲ κατὰ Καλλίου, τοῦτο δὲ κατ᾿ ἄλλου ἐν τῷ τί ἐστιν), τὴν μὲν γὰρ οὐσίαν ἅπασαν ἔστιν ὁρίσασθαι τὴν τοιαύτην, τὰ δ᾿ ἄπειρα οὐκ ἔστι διεξελθεῖν νοοῦντα.
But these have been shown not to be infinite, neither in the downward direction nor in the upward (as "man is two-footed," "this is animal," "this is another"; nor is "animal" of man, "this" of Callias, "this" of another in the essence). For indeed, it is possible to define all such substance, but it is impossible to traverse infinite things in thought.
ὥστʼ οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω οὔτʼ ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω ἄπειρα· ἐκείνην γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁρίσασθαι ἧς τὰ ἄπειρα κατηγορεῖται.
So they are infinite neither in the upward nor in the downward direction; for it is impossible to define that of which infinite things are predicated.
ὡς μὲν δὴ γένη ἀλλήλων οὐκ ἀντικατηγορηθήσεται· ἔσται γὰρ αὐτὸ ὅπερ αὐτό τι.
Thus indeed, they will not be reciprocally predicated of one another as genera; for it would be itself just what a certain itself is.
οὐδὲ μὴν τοῦ ποιοῦ ἢ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδέν, ἂν μὴ κατὰ συμβεβηκός κατηγορηθῇ· πάντα γὰρ ταῦτα συμβέβηκε καὶ κατὰ τῶν οὐσιῶν κατηγορεῖται.
Nor indeed will any of the qualities or the other categories, unless it is predicated accidentally; for all these are accidents and are predicated of substances.
ἀλλὰ δὴ ὅτι οὐδʼ εἰς τὸ ἄνω ἄπειρα ἔσται· ἑκάστου γὰρ κατηγορεῖται ὃ ἂν σημαίνῃ ἢ ποιόν τι ἢ ποσόν τι τι τῶν τοιούτων ἢ τὰ ἐν τῇ οὐσίᾳ·
But indeed, neither will they be infinite in the upward direction; for of each thing is predicated whatever signifies either a certain quality, or quantity, or some such thing, or those in the substance.
ταῦτα δὲ πεπέρανται, καὶ τὰ γένη τῶν κατηγοριῶν πεπέρανται· ἢ γὰρ ποιὸν ἢ ποσὸν ἢ πρός τι ἢ ποιοῦν ἢ πάσχον ἢ ποὺ ἢ ποτέ.
But these are finite, and the genera of categories are finite; for they are either quality, or quantity, or relation, or action, or passion, or where, or when.