§1.18#4τοῖν δυοῖν δὴ ληπτέον ἐν ποτέρῳ θετέον τὸ σπέρμα, πότερον ὡς ὕλην καὶ πάσχον ἢ ὡς εἶδός τι καὶ ποιοῦν, ἢ καὶ ἄμφω ἅμα γὰρ ἴσως δῆλον ἔσται καὶ πῶς ἐξ ἐναντίων γένεσις ὑπάρχει πᾶσι τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος· φυσικὴ γὰρ καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων γένεσις·
Of these two, we must grasp in which the semen is to be placed: whether as material and passive, or as a form and active, or as both. For at the same time it will perhaps also become clear how generation from contraries belongs to all things that come from semen; for generation from contraries is also natural.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἐναντίων γίγνεται, ἄρρενος καὶ θήλεος, τὰ δ’ ἐξ ἑνὸς μόνου, οἷον τά τε φυτὰ καὶ τῶν ζῴων ἔνια, ἐν ὅσοις μή ἐστι διωρισμένον τὸ ἄρρεν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ χωρίς.
For some things come to be from contraries, namely male and female, while others come to be from one thing alone, such as plants and some animals, in all those in which the male and female are not distinct and separate.
γονὴ μὲν οὖν τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ γεννῶντος καλεῖται αἴτιον, ὅσα συνδυάζεσθαι πέφυκε, τὸ πρῶτον ἔχον ἀρχὴν γενέσεως, σπέρμα δὲ τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τὰς ἀρχὰς ἔχον τῶν συνδυασθέντων, οἷον τά τε τῶν φυτῶν καὶ ἐνίων ζῴων, ἐν οἷς μὴ κεχώρισται τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν, ὥσπερ τὸ γιγνόμενον ἐκ θήλεος καὶ ἄρρενος πρῶτον μῖγμα οἷον κύημά τι ὂν ἢ ζῷον· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα ἤδη ἔχει τὸ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν.
Thus, that cause which comes from the generator—in those cases where there is a natural pairing—and which contains the first starting-point of generation, is called gone (the discharge); whereas sperma (seed) is that which has the starting-points from both of the paired agents, such as the seeds of plants and of some animals in which the female and male are not separated, being like the first mixture coming from the female and male, such as an embryo or an animal; for these already contain what comes from both.
σπέρμα δὲ καὶ καρπὸς διαφέρει τῷ ὕστερον καὶ πρότερον· καρπὸς μὲν γὰρ τῷ ἐξ ἄλλου εἶναι, σπέρμα δὲ τῷ ἐκ τούτου ἄλλο, ἐπεὶ ἄμφω γε ταὐτόν ἐστιν.
Seed and fruit differ in being posterior and anterior; for fruit is so by being from something else, and seed by having something else come from it, since both are indeed the same thing.
ἡ δὲ τοῦ λεγομένου σπέρματος φύσις, ἡ πρώτη, πάλιν λεκτέα τίς ἐστιν, ἀνάγκη δὴ πᾶν, ὃ ἂν λαμβάνωμεν ἐν τῷ σώματι, ἢ μέρος εἶναι τῶν κατὰ φύσιν, καὶ τοῦτο ἢ τῶν ἀνομοιομερῶν ἢ τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν, ἢ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν, οἷον φῦμα, ἢ περίττωμα ἢ σύντηγμα ἢ τροφήν.
But we must state again what the first nature of the so-called semen is. For everything that we find in the body must be either a part according to nature (and this either of the non-uniform or of the uniform parts), or contrary to nature (such as a tumor), or a residue, or a colliquement, or nourishment.
λέγω δὲ περίττωμα μὲν τὸ τῆς τροφῆς ὑπόλειμμα, σύντηγμα δὲ τὸ ἀποκριθὲν ἐκ τοῦ αὐξήματος ὑπὸ τῆς παρὰ φύσιν ἀναλύσεως.
By 'residue' I mean the surplus of nourishment, and by 'colliquement' that which is secreted from what has grown by a decomposition contrary to nature.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἂν εἴη, μέρος, φανερόν.
That it cannot, then, be a part is clear.
ὁμοιομερὲς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν, ἐκ δὲ τούτου οὐθὲν σύγκειται, ὥσπερ ἐκ νεύρου καὶ σαρκός.
For it is uniform, yet nothing is composed of it, as something is composed of sinew and flesh.
ἔτι δὲ οὐδὲ κεχωρισμένον, τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντα μέρη.
Furthermore, it is separate, whereas all the other parts are not.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ παρὰ φύσιν, οὐδὲ πήρωμα· ἐν ἅπασί τε γὰρ ὑπάρχει, καὶ ἡ φύσις ἐκ τούτου γίγνεται.
Yet surely it is not contrary to nature, nor is it a mutilation; for it is present in all individuals, and nature comes into being from it.
ἡ δὲ τροφὴ φανερῶς ἐπείσακτον, ὥστ’ ἀνάγκη ἢ σύντηγμα ἢ περίττωμα εἶναι.
And nourishment is clearly something introduced from without, so that it must be either a colliquement or a residue.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀρχαῖοι ἐοίκασιν οἰομένοις εἶναι σύντηγμα· τὸ γὰρ ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀπιέναι φάναι διὰ τὴν θερμότητα τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κινήσεως συντήγματος ἔχει δύναμιν.
Now the ancients seem to have thought that it was a colliquement; for to say that it comes away from the whole body owing to the heat from movement implies the character of a colliquement.
τὰ δὲ συντήγματα τῶν παρὰ φύσιν τι, ἐκ δὲ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν οὐθὲν γίνεται τῶν κατὰ φύσιν.
But colliquements are something contrary to nature, and from what is contrary to nature nothing comes to be that is according to nature.
ἀνάγκη ἄρα περίττωμα εἶναι.
Therefore, it must be a residue.
ἀλλὰ μὴν περίττωμά γε πᾶν ἢ ἀχρήστου τροφῆς ἐστὶν ἢ χρησίμης.
Moreover, every residue is either of useless nourishment or of useful nourishment.
ἄχρηστον μὲν οὖν λέγω ἀφ’ ἧς μηθὲν ἔτι συντελεῖται εἰς τὴν φύσιν, ἀλλ’ ἀναλισκομένου πλέονος μάλιστα κακοῦται, τὴν δὲ χρησίμην τὴν ἐναντίαν.
By 'useless' I mean that from which nothing further is contributed to the nature of the animal, but which, if more of it is consumed, especially harms it; and by 'useful' I mean the contrary.
ὅτι μὲν δὴ τοιοῦτον περίττωμα οὐκ ἂν εἴη, φανερόν· τοῖς γὰρ κάκιστα διακειμένοις δι’ ἡλικίαν ἢ νόσον πλεῖστον ὑπάρχει τοιοῦτον, σπέρμα δὲ ἥκιστα·
That it cannot, then, be such a residue is clear; for those who are in the worst condition due to age or disease have the greatest amount of such residue, but the least semen.
ἢ γὰρ ὅλως οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἢ οὐ γόνιμον διὰ τὸ μίγνυσθαι ἄχρηστον περίττωμα καὶ νοσηματικόν.
For they either have none at all, or it is not fertile because of the admixture of useless and diseased residue.
χρησίμου ἄρα περιττώματος μέρος τι ἐστὶ τὸ σπέρμα.
Therefore, semen is a part of useful residue.
χρησιμώτατον δὲ τὸ ἔσχατον καὶ ἐξ οὗ ἤδη γίνεται ἕκαστον τῶν μορίων.
And the most useful is the ultimate one, from which each of the parts already comes to be.
ἔστι γὰρ τὸ μὲν πρότερον τὸ δ’ ὕστερον.
For there is an earlier and a later residue.
τῆς μὲν οὖν πρώτης τροφῆς περίττωμα φλέγμα καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο τοιοῦτον.
Now the residue of the first nourishment is phlegm and anything else of that sort.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ φλέγμα τῆς χρησίμου τροφῆς περίττωμά ἐστιν· σημεῖον δ’ ὅτι μιγνύμενον τροφῇ καθαρᾷ τρέφει καὶ πονοῦσι καταναλίσκεται.
For phlegm also is a residue of useful nourishment; and the sign is that when mixed with pure nourishment it nourishes, and it is consumed in those who are worn out.
τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἐκ πλείστης τροφῆς ὀλίγιστον.
But the ultimate residue is the smallest quantity from the greatest amount of nourishment.
ἐννοεῖν δὲ δεῖ ὅτι μικρῷ αὐξάνεται τὰ ζῷα καὶ τὰ φυτὰ τὸ καθ’ ἡμέραν πᾶν· μικροῦ γὰρ ἂν προστιθεμένου τοῦ αὐτοῦ ὑπερέβαλε τὸ μέγεθος.
And we must bear in mind that animals and plants grow by a very small amount day by day; for if even a small amount of the same were added, their size would exceed all bounds.
τοὐναντίον ἄρα ἢ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ἔλεγον λεκτέον.
Therefore we must say the opposite of what the ancients said.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὸ ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀπιόν, ἡμεῖς δὲ τὸ πρὸς ἅπαν ἰέναι πεφυκὸς σπέρμα ἐροῦμεν, καὶ οἱ μὲν σύντηγμα, φαίνεται δὲ περίττωμα μᾶλλον.
For they called semen that which comes away from the whole body, whereas we shall say it is that which is of a nature to go to the whole; and they called it a colliquement, whereas it appears rather to be a residue.
εὐλογώτερον γὰρ ὅμοιον εἶναι τὸ προσιὸν ἔσχατον καὶ τὸ περιττὸν γινόμενον τοῦ τοιούτου, οἷον τοῖς γραφεῦσι τοῦ ἀνδρεικέλου πολλάκις περιγίνεται ὅμοιον τῷ ἀναλωθέντι.
For it is more reasonable that the ultimate nourishment that is added and the residue that comes from such nourishment should be similar, just as painters often have some flesh-color remaining which is similar to what has been used up.
συντηκόμενον δὲ φθείρεται πᾶν καὶ ἐξίσταται τῆς φύσεως.
On the other hand, everything that is colliquated is destroyed and departs from its nature.
τεκμήριον δὲ τοῦ μὴ σύντηγμα εἶναι, ἀλλὰ περίττωμα μᾶλλον, τὸ τὰ μεγάλα τῶν ζῴων ὀλιγοτόκα εἶναι, τὰ δὲ μικρὰ πολύγονα.
And a proof that it is not a colliquement, but rather a residue, is that large animals produce few offspring, while small ones are very prolific.
σύντηγμα μὲν γὰρ πλέον ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι τοῖς μεγάλοις, περίττωμα δ’ ἔλαττον· εἰς γὰρ τὸ σῶμα μέγα ὂν ἀναλίσκεται τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς τροφῆς, ὥστ’ ὀλίγον γίνεται τὸ περίττωμα.
For there must of necessity be more colliquement in large animals, but less residue; for since the body is large, most of the nourishment is used up on it, so that the residue becomes small.