§2.6#2ἀεὶ ἄπειρον, ὥστε τὸ ἐρωτᾶν τὸ διὰ τί περὶ τῶν τοιούτων τινὸς τὸ ζητεῖν εἶναί φησι τοῦ ἀπείρου ἀρχήν.
is always infinite, so that to ask 'why' about any such thing is, he says, to seek for a beginning of the infinite.
καίτοι κατὰ τοῦτο τὸν λόγον, καθ᾽ ὃν ἀξιοῦσι τὸ διὰ τί μὴ ζητεῖν, οὐθενὸς ἀπόδειξις ἔσται τῶν ἀϊδίων· φαίνεται δ᾽ οὖσα πολλῶν, τῶν μὲν γινομένων ἀεὶ τῶν δ᾽ ὄντων, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ τρίγωνον ἔχειν δυσὶν ὀρθαῖς ἴσας ἀεὶ καὶ τὸ τὴν διάμετρον ἀσύμμετρον εἶναι πρὸς τὴν πλευρὰν ἀΐδιον, ἀλλ᾽ ὅμως ἐστὶν αὐτῶν αἴτιόν τι καὶ ἀπόδειξις.
And yet, according to this argument, by which they demand not to seek for the 'why', there will be no demonstration of any of the eternal things; but there appears to be one for many of them, some of which are always coming to be and others always being. For example, that a triangle has angles equal to two right angles is always eternal, and that the diagonal is incommensurable with the side is eternal, but nevertheless there is some cause and demonstration for them.
τὸ μὲν οὖν μὴ πάντων ἀξιοῦν ζητεῖν ἀρχὴν λέγεται καλῶς, τὸ δὲ τῶν ὄντων ἀεὶ καὶ γινομένων πάντων οὐ καλῶς, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσαι τῶν ἀϊδίων ἀρχαὶ τυγχάνουσιν οὖσαι· τῆς γὰρ ἀρχῆς ἄλλη γνῶσις καὶ οὐκ ἀπόδειξις.
To demand, then, not to seek for a principle of all things is well said, but to say this of all those that always exist and always come to be is not well said, but only of those which happen to be principles of eternal things; for of the principle there is another kind of knowledge and not demonstration.
ἀρχὴ δ᾽ ἐν μὲν τοῖς ἀκινήτοις τὸ τί ἐστιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς γινομένοις ἤδη πλείους, τρόπον δ᾽ ἄλλον καὶ οὐ πᾶσαι τὸν αὐτόν· ὧν μία τὸν ἀριθμόν, ὅθεν ἡ κίνησίς ἐστιν.
But the principle in immovable things is 'what it is', while in those that come to be there are already several principles, in a different manner and not all the same; of which one in number is that from which the movement starts.
διὸ πάντα τὰ ἔναιμα καρδίαν ἔχει πρῶτον, ὥσπερ ἐλέχθη κατ᾽ ἀρχάς· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις τὸ ἀνάλογον γίνεται τῇ καρδίᾳ πρῶτον.
Therefore all red-blooded animals have a heart first, as was said in the beginning; and in the others, that which is analogous to the heart comes to be first.
ἐκ δὲ τῆς καρδίας αἱ φλέβες διατεταμέναι, καθάπερ οἱ τοὺς κανάβους γράφοντες ἐν τοῖς τοίχοις· τὰ γὰρ μέρη περὶ ταύτας ἐστίν, ἅτε γινόμενα ἐκ τούτων, ἡ δὲ γένεσίς ἐστιν ἐκ τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν ὑπὸ ψύξεως καὶ θερμότητος.
And from the heart the veins are distributed, like those who draw skeletons on the walls; for the parts are around these, as coming to be from them, and the generation is from the homogeneous parts by cold and heat.
συνίσταται γὰρ καὶ πήγνυται τὰ μὲν ψυχρῷ τὰ δὲ θερμῷ.
For some are constituted and solidified by cold, and others by heat.
περὶ δὲ τῆς τούτων διαφορᾶς εἴρηται πρότερον ἐν ἑτέροις, ποῖα λυτὰ ὑγρῷ καὶ πυρί, καὶ ποῖα ἄλυτα ὑγρῷ καὶ ἄτηκτα πυρί.
Concerning the difference of these, it has been said before in other treatises, what kinds are soluble by liquid and fire, and what kinds are insoluble by liquid and infusible by fire.
διὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν φλεβῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν ἑκάστοις πόρων διαπιδύουσα ἡ τροφή, καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ὠμοῖς κεραμίοις τὸ ὕδωρ, γίνονται σάρκες ἢ τὸ ταύταις ἀνάλογον, ὑπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ συνιστάμεναι, διὸ καὶ λύονται ὑπὸ πυρός.
Through the veins, then, and the pores in each part, the nourishment filtering through, like water in unbaked pottery, flesh or what is analogous to it comes to be, being constituted by cold, wherefore it is also dissolved by fire.
ὅσα δὲ γεηρὰ λίαν τῶν ἀνατελλόντων, ὀλίγην ἔχοντα ὑγρότητα καὶ θερμότητα, ταῦτα δὲ ψυχόμενα ἐξατμίζοντος τοῦ ὑγροῦ μετὰ τοῦ θερμοῦ γίνεται σκληρὰ καὶ γεώδη τὴν μορφήν, οἷον ὄνυχες καὶ κέρατα καὶ ὁπλαὶ καὶ ῥύγχη· διὸ μαλάττεται μὲν πυρί, τήκεται δ’ οὐθέν, ἀλλ’ ἔνια τοῖς ὑγροῖς, οἷον τὰ κελύφη τῶν ᾠῶν.
But those of the rising parts which are very earthy, having little moisture and heat, these being cooled as the moisture evaporates along with the heat, become hard and earthy in form, such as nails, horns, hoofs, and beaks; wherefore they are softened by fire, but none of them is melted, though some are dissolved by liquids, such as the shells of eggs.
ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς ἐντὸς θερμότητος τά τε νεῦρα καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ γίνεται, ξηραινομένης τῆς ὑγρότητος.
And by the internal heat, both nerves and bones come to be, the moisture being dried up.
διὸ καὶ ἄλυτά ἐστι τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός, καθάπερ κέραμος· οἷον γὰρ ἐν καμίνῳ, ὠπτημένα ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τῇ γενέσει θερμότητος.
Wherefore also bones are insoluble by fire, like pottery; for as if in a kiln, they are baked by the heat in their generation.
αὕτη δὲ οὔτε ὅ τι ἔτυχε ποιεῖ σάρκα ἢ ὀστοῦν, οὔθ’ ὅπῃ ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πεφυκὸς καὶ ᾗ πέφυκε καὶ ὅτε πέφυκεν.
But this heat does not make flesh or bone out of anything that happens, nor in any way that happens, but what is naturally fitted and in the way and at the time it is naturally fitted.
οὔτε γὰρ τὸ δυνάμει ὂν ὑπὸ τοῦ μὴ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἔχοντος κινητικοῦ ἔσται, οὔτε τὸ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἔχον ποιήσει ἐκ τοῦ τυχόντος, ὥσπερ οὔτε κιβωτὸν μὴ ἐκ ξύλου ὁ τέκτων ποιήσειεν ἄν, οὔτ’ ἄνευ τούτου κιβωτὸς ἔσται ἐκ τῶν ξύλων.
For neither will that which is potentially exist by the moving cause which does not possess the actuality, nor will that which possesses the actuality produce it from any random material, just as neither would a carpenter make a chest out of anything but wood, nor without him will a chest come to be from wood.
ἡ δὲ θερμότης ἐνυπάρχει ἐν τῷ σπερματικῷ περιττώματι τοσαύτην καὶ τοιαύτην ἔχουσα τὴν κίνησιν καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν, ὅση σύμμετρος εἰς ἕκαστον τῶν μορίων.
And the heat is present in the seminal residue, having such quantity and quality of movement and actuality as is proportionate to each of the parts.
καθ’ ὅσον δ’ ἂν ἐλλείπῃ ἢ ὑπερβάλλῃ, ἢ χεῖρον ἀποτελεῖ ἢ ἀνάπηρον τὸ γινόμενον, παραπλησίως τοῖς ἔξω συνισταμένοις διὰ τῆς ἑψήσεως πρὸς τροφῆς ἀπόλαυσιν ἤ τινα ἄλλην ἐργασίαν.
And according as it may fall short or exceed, it renders what comes to be either inferior or deformed, similarly to things constituted outside by boiling for the enjoyment of food or some other preparation.
ἀλλ’ ἐνταῦθα μὲν ἡμεῖς τὴν τῆς θερμότητος συμμετρίαν εἰς τὴν κίνησιν παρασκευάζομεν, ἐκεῖ δὲ δίδωσιν ἡ φύσις ἡ τοῦ γεννῶντος.
But there, indeed, we prepare the proportion of heat for the movement, whereas in the other case, the nature of the generator provides it.
τοῖς δὲ αὐτομάτως γινομένοις ἡ τῆς ὥρας αἰτία κίνησις καὶ θερμότης.
And for things that come to be spontaneously, the cause is the movement and heat of the season.
ἡ δὲ ψύξις στέρησις θερμότητός ἐστιν.
And cooling is a privation of heat.
χρῆται δ’ ἀμφοτέροις ἡ φύσις ἔχουσι μὲν δύναμιν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ὥςτε τὸ μὲν τοδὶ τὸ δὲ τοδὶ ποιεῖν, ἐν μέντοι τοῖς γινομένοις ἕνεκά τινος συμβαίνει τὸ μὲν ψύχειν αὐτῶν τὸ δὲ θερμαίνειν, καὶ γίνεσθαι τῶν μορίων ἕκαστον, τὴν μὲν σάρκα μαλακὴν τῇ μὲν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ποιούντων τοιαύτην τῇ δ’ ἕνεκά τινος, τὸ δὲ νεῦρον ξηρὸν καὶ ἑλκτόν, τὸ δ’ ὀστοῦν ξηρὸν καὶ θραυστόν.
And nature uses both, possessing a power of necessity so that the one makes this and the other that, yet in things that come to be, their cooling and heating happen for the sake of something, and each of the parts comes to be, making the flesh soft, on the one hand by necessity making it of such kind, and on the other hand for the sake of something, and the nerve dry and elastic, and the bone dry and breakable.
τὸ δὲ δέρμα ξηραινομένης τῆς σαρκὸς γίνεται, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑψήμασιν ἡ καλουμένη γραῦς.
And skin comes to be as the flesh dries, like the so-called skin on boiled liquids.
οὐ μόνον δὲ διὰ τὸ ἔσχατον συμβαίνει αὐτοῦ ἡ γένεσις, ἀλλὰ καὶ διότι ἐπιπολάζει τὸ γλίσχρον διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἐξατμίζειν.
And its generation happens not only because it is at the extremity, but also because the sticky substance floats on the surface because it cannot evaporate.
ἐν μὲν οὖν τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐχμηρὸν τὸ γλίσχρον (διὸ ὀστρακόδερμα καὶ μαλακόστρακα τὰ ἔσχατά ἐστι τῶν ἀναίμων ζῴων), ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐναίμοις τὸ γλίσχρον λιπαρώτερόν ἐστιν.
Now in the other animals the sticky substance is dry (wherefore testaceans and crustaceans are at the extremities of bloodless animals), but in red-blooded animals the sticky substance is fatty.
καὶ τούτων ὅσα μὴ γεώδη τὴν φύσιν ἔχει λίαν, ἀθροίζεται τὸ πιμελῶδες ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ δέρματος σκέπην, ὡς τοῦ δέρματος γινομένου ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης γλισχρότητος· ἔχει γάρ τινα γλισχρότητα τὸ λι παρόν.
And of these, as many as do not have a very earthy nature, the fat collects under the shelter of the skin, as if the skin came to be from such sticky substance; for the fatty has some stickiness.
πάντα δὲ ταῦτα, καθάπερ εἴπομεν, λεκτέον γίνεσθαι τῇ μὲν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τῇ δ’ οὐκ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀλλ’ ἐνεκά τινος.
And all these things, as we said, must be said to come to be on the one hand by necessity, and on the other hand not by necessity but for the sake of something.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τὸ ἄνω κύτος ἀφορίζεται κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν, τὸ δὲ κάτω προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου λαμβάνει τὴν αὔξησιν ἐν τοῖς ἐναίμοις.
First, then, the upper cavity is defined in generation, and the lower, as time goes on, receives its growth in red-blooded animals.