§1.2#2εἰ δʼ ἕτερόν τί ἐστι σῶμα τὸ φερόμενον κύκλῳ παρὰ φύσιν, ἔσται τις αὐτοῷ ἄλλη κίνησις κατὰ φύσιν. τούτο δʼ ἐδόνατον·
But if the body which is carried in a circle is some other body and moves contrary to nature, there will be some other movement of it which is according to nature.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἄνω, πῦρ ἔσται ἤ ἀήρ, εἰ δʼ ἡ κάταω, ὕδωρ ἢ γῆ.
But this is impossible; for if it is the upward movement, it will be fire or air, and if the downward, water or earth.
ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ πραώτην γε ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τὴν τοιαότην φοράν.
Moreover, it is necessary that such locomotion should be primary.
τὸ γὰρ τέλειον πρότερον τῇ φύσει τοῦ ἀτελοῦς, ὁ δὲ κύκλος τῶν τελείων, εὐθεῖα δὲ γραμμὴ οὐδεμία·
For the perfect is prior by nature to the imperfect, and the circle is among perfect things, but no straight line is so.
οὕτε γὰρ ἡ ἄπειρος (ἔχοι γὰρ ἂν πέρας καὶ τέλος) οὔτε τῶν πεπερασμένων οὐδεμία (πασῶν γάρ τι ἐκτός· αὐξῆεαι γὰρ ἐνδέχεται ὁποιανοῦν).
For neither is the infinite (for [if it were perfect] it would have a limit and an end), nor is any of the finite ones (for of all of them there is something outside, since it is possible to increase any of them).
ὥστʼ εἴπερ ἡ μὲν προτέρα κίνησις προτέρου τῇ φύσει σώματος, ἡ δὲ κύκλῳ προτέρα τῆς εὐθείας, ἡ δʼ ἐπʼ εὐθείας τῶν ἁπλῶν σωμάτων ἐστί (τό τε γὰρ πῦρ ἐπʼ εὐθείας ἄνω φέρεται καὶ τὰ γεηρὰ κάτω πρὸς τὸ μέσον), ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν κύκλῳ κίνησιν τῶν ἁπλῶν τινὸς εἶναι σωμάτων·
So that if prior movement belongs to a body prior by nature, and circular movement is prior to straight, and movement in a straight line belongs to simple bodies (for fire is carried in a straight line upward and earthy things downward toward the center), it is necessary that circular movement also should belong to some of the simple bodies.
τῶν γὰρ μικτῶν τὴνφορὰνἔφαμεν εἶναι κατὰ τὸ ἐπικρατοῦν ἐν τῇ μίξει τῶν ὅπλῶν.
For we said that the locomotion of composite bodies is according to that which prevails in the mixture of simple bodies.
ἔκ τε δὴ τούτων φανερὸν ὅτι πέφυκέ τις οὐσία σώματος ἄλλη παρὰ τὰς ἐνταύθα συστάσεις, θειοτέρα καὶ προτέρα τούτων ἀπάντων, κἂν εἴ τις ἔτι λάβοι πᾶσαν εἶναι κίνησιν ἢ κατὰ φύσιν ἢ παρὰ φύσιν, καὶ τὴν ἄλλῳ παρὰ φύσιν ἑτέρῳ κατὰ φύσιν, οἷον ἡ ἄνω καὶ ἡ κάτω πέπονθεν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῷ πυρί, ἡ δὲ τῇ γῇ παρὰ φύσιν καὶ κατὰ φύσιν· ὥστʼ ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὴν κύκλῳ κίνησιν, ἐπειδὴ τούτοις παρὰ φύσιν, ἑτέρου τινὸς εἶναι κατὰ φύσιν.
From these things, then, it is clear that there naturally exists some other bodily substance besides the combinations here, more divine and prior to all of these, even if one should further assume that all movement is either according to nature or contrary to nature, and that what is contrary to nature for one thing is according to nature for another, just as the upward and downward movements experience; for the one is contrary to nature and the other according to nature; so that it is necessary that circular movement also, since it is contrary to nature for these, should be according to nature for some other body.
πρὸς δὲ τούτοις εἰ μέν ἐστιν ἡ κύκλῳ τινὶ φορὰ κατὰ φύσιν, δῆλον ὡς εἴη ἄν τι σῶμα τῶν ἁπλῶν καὶ πρώτων, ὃ πέφυκεν, ὥσπερ τὸ πῦρ ἄνω καὶ ἡ γῆ κάτω, ἐκεῖνο κύκλῳ φέρεσθαι κατὰ φύσιν.
In addition to these things, if circular locomotion is according to nature for something, it is clear that there would be some body among the simple and primary ones which is naturally moved in a circle according to its nature, just as fire is moved upward and earth downward.
εἰ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν φέρεται τὰ φερόμενα κύκλῳ τὴν πέριξ φοράν, θαυμαστὸν καὶ παντελῶς ἄλογον τὸ μόνην εἶναι συνεχῆ ταύτην τὴν κίνησιν καὶ ἀῖδιον, οὖσαν παρὰ φύσινʼ φαίνεται γὰρ ἔν γε τοῖς ἄλλοις τάχιστα φθειρόμενα τὰ παρὰ φύσιν.
But if the things carried in a circle perform this circular locomotion contrary to nature, it is marvelous and completely irrational that this movement alone should be continuous and eternal, being contrary to nature; for in other cases, at least, things contrary to nature are seen to be destroyed most quickly.
ὥστʼ εἴπερ ἐστὶ πῦρ τὸ φερόμενον, καθάπερ φασί τινες, οὐδὲν ἦττον αὐτῷ παρὰ φύσιν ἡ κίνησίς ἐστιν αὕτη ἢ ἡ κάτω· πυρὸς γὰρ κίνησιν ὁρῶμεν τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ μέσου κατʼ εὐθεῖαν.
So that if the body moved in a circle is fire, as some say, this movement is no less contrary to its nature than downward movement; for we see that the movement of fire is that away from the center in a straight line.
διόπερ ἐξ ἀπάντων ἄν τις τούτων συλλογιζόμενος πιστεύσειεν ὡς ἔστι τι παρά τὰ σώματα τὰ δεὔρο καὶ περὶ ἡμὰς ἕτερον κεχοωρισμένον, τοσούτῳ τιμιωτέραν ἔχον τὴν φύσιν ὅσῳπερ ἀφέστηκε τῶν ἐνταῦθα πλεῖον.
Therefore, reasoning from all these things, one might believe that there is some other body separate from the bodies here and around us, having a nature as much more honorable as it is further removed from the things here.