§4.5#15 Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἔχον τοιαύτην ὕλην κοῦφον καὶ ἀεὶ ἄνω, τὸ δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν βαρύ καὶ ἀεὶ κάτω· τὰ δʼ ἑτέρας μὲν τούτων, ἐχούσας δʼ οὕτω πρὸς ἀλλήλας ὡς αὗται, ἁπλῶς καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω φερόμενα·
Therefore, that which has such matter is light and always carried upward, and that which has the contrary matter is heavy and always carried downward; while those which have matter different from these, but which are related to each other as these are, are carried simply both upward and downward.
διὸ ἀὴρ καὶ ὕδωρ ἔχουσι καὶ κουφότητα καὶ βάρος ἑκάτερον, καὶ ὕδωρ μὲν πλὴν γῆς πᾶσιν ὑφίσταται, ἀὴρ δὲ πλὴν πυρὸς πᾶσιν ἐπιπολάζει.
Wherefore air and water each have both lightness and heaviness, and water indeed sinks beneath all things except earth, while air rises to the surface of all things except fire.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐστὶν ἓν μόνον ὃ πᾶσιν ἐπιπολάζει καὶ ἓν ὃ πᾶσιν ὑφίσταται, ἀνάγκη δύο ἄλλα εἶναι ἃ καὶ ὑφίσταταί τινι καὶ ἐπιπολάζει τινί.
And since there is only one thing which rises to the surface of all things and one which sinks beneath all things, it is necessary that there are two other things which both sink beneath something and rise to the surface of something.
ὥστε ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰς ὕλας εἶναι τοσαύτας ὅσαπερ ταῦτα, τέτταρας, οὕτω δὲ τέτταρας ὡς μίαν μὲν ἁπάντων τὴν κοινήν, ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ γίγνονται ἐξ ἀλλήλων, ἀλλά τὸ εἶναι ἕτερον.
So that it is necessary that the matters also are as many as these, namely four, yet four in such a way that there is indeed one common matter of them all, especially since they come to be from each other, but its being is different.
οὐδὲ γὰρ κωλύει τῶν ἐναντίων εἶναι μεταξὺ καὶ ἓν καὶ πλείω, ὥσπερ ἐν χρώμασιν· πολλαχῶς γὰρ λέγεται τὸ μεταξὺ καὶ τὸ μέσον.
For nothing prevents there being both one and more than one intermediate between contraries, as is the case in colors; for 'the intermediate' and 'the middle' are said in many ways.
ἐν μὲν οὖν τῇ αὑτοῦ χώρᾳ τῶν ἐχόντων καὶ βάρος καὶ κουφότητα ἕκαστον ἔχει βάρος (ἡ δὲ γῆ ἐν ἅπασιν ἔχει βάρος), κουφότητα δʼ οὐκ ἔχει, εἰ μὴ ἐν οἷς ἐπιπολάζει.
Now, each of the things having both heaviness and lightness has heaviness in its own place (but earth has heaviness in all places), but it does not have lightness, except in those things on whose surface it rises.
διὸ καὶ ὑποσπωμένων μὲν φέρεται εἰς τὰ ἐφεξῆς κάτω, ἀὴρ μὲν εἰς τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος χώραν, ὕδωρ δὲ εἰς τὴν τῆς γῆς.
Wherefore also, when [the things below] are withdrawn, they are carried downward to the next adjacent places—air indeed to the place of water, and water to that of earth.
ἄνω δʼ εἰς τὴν τοῦ πυρός, ἀναιρουμένου τοῦ πυρός, οὐκ οἰσθήσεται ὁ ἀήρ, εἰ μὴ βίᾳ, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ σπᾶται, ὅταν γένηται τὸ ἐπίπεδον ἓν καὶ θᾶττον σπάσῃ τις ἄνω τῆς φορᾶς, ἣν φέρεται τὸ ὕδωρ κάτω.
But upward to the place of fire, even if fire is removed, air will not be carried except by force, just as water also is drawn up when the surface becomes one and someone draws it upward more quickly than the motion by which water is carried downward.
οὐδὲ τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ὡς νῦν εἴρηται.
Nor will water be carried to the place of air, except in the way just now mentioned.
ἡ γῆ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ πάσχει, ὅτι οὐχ ἓν τὸ ἐπίπεδον.
And earth does not undergo this, because its surface is not one.
διὸ τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ εἰς τὸ ἀγγεῖον πυρωθὲν σπᾶται, γῆ δʼ οὔ.
Wherefore water indeed is drawn up into a vessel when it is heated, but earth is not.
ὥσπερ δὲ οὐδʼ ἡ γῆ ἄνω, οὐδὲ τὸ πῦρ κάτω εἶσιν ὑφαιρουμένου τοῦ ἀέρος· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔχει βάρος οὐδʼ ἐν τῇ αὑτοῦ χώρᾳ, ὥσπερ οὐδʼ ἡ γῆ κουφότητα.
And just as earth does not go upward, so neither does fire go downward when air is withdrawn; for it has no heaviness even in its own place, just as earth has no lightness.
φέρεται δὲ κάτω τὰ δύο ὑποσπωμένων, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἁπλῶς βαρὺ εἰς τὴν ὑπὸ πᾶσιν ὑφίσταται, τὸ δὲ πρός τι βαρὺ ὂν εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ χώραν ἢ οἷς ἐπιπολάζει, διʼ ὁμοιότητα τῆς ὕλης.
But the two intermediates are carried downward when [the things below] are withdrawn, because while that which is absolutely heavy sinks to the place beneath all things, that which is relatively heavy is carried to its own place or to the things on whose surface it rises, owing to the similarity of their matter.
ὅτι δʼ ἀναγκαῖον ποιεῖν ἴσας τὰς διαφορὰς αὐτοῖς, δῆλον.
And that it is necessary to make the differences equal to them is clear.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ μία ὕλη πάντων, οἷον ἢ τὸ κενὸν ἢ τὸ πλῆρες ἢ τὸ μέγεθος ἢ τὰ τρίγωνα, ἢ πάντα ἄνω ἢ πάντα κάτω οἰσθήσεται, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα φορὰ οὐκέτι ἔσται· ὥστʼ ἢ κοῦφον οὐδὲν ἔσται ἀπλῶς, εἰ πάντα ῥέπει μᾶλλον τῷ ἐκ μειζόνων εἶναι σωμάτων ἢ ἐκ πλειόνων, ἢ ὅτι πλήρη. τοῦτο δὲ ὁρῶμέν τε, καὶ δέδεικται ὅτι ὁμοίως κάτω τε ἀεὶ καὶ πανταχοῦ φέρεται καὶ ἄνω. ἐὰν δὲ τὸ κενὸν ἤ τι τοιοῦτον ὃ ἀεὶ ἄνω, οὐκ ἔσται τὸ ἀεὶ κάτω.
For if there is one matter of all things, such as either the void or the full or magnitude or triangles, either all things will be carried upward or all downward, and the other motion will no longer exist; so that either there will be nothing absolutely light, if all things tend downward more by being composed of larger bodies or of more bodies, or because they are full. (But we see this, and it has been shown that things are carried both downward and upward likewise, always and everywhere.) And if the void or something of such a kind which is always carried upward is the matter, there will not be that which is always carried downward.
καὶ τῶν μεταξὺ δὴ ἔνια ἔσται κάτω θᾶττον γῆς· ἐν γὰρ τῷ πολλῷ ἀέρι τρίγωνα πλείω ἢ τὰ στερεὰ ἢ τὰ μικρὰ ἔσται.
And indeed some of the intermediates will be carried downward more quickly than earth; for in a large quantity of air there will be more triangles than the solids or the small ones.
οὐ φαίνεται δʼ οὐδὲ ἓν μόριον ἀέρος κάτω φερόμενον.
But not even a single portion of air is seen to be carried downward.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ κούφου, ἐὰν ἐκεῖνο ποιῇ τις ὑπερέχειν τῇ ὕλῃ.
And similarly also in the case of the light, if one makes that exceed in matter.