§4.3#1Αἱ δ’ αὐταὶ αἰτίαι καὶ τοῦ τὰ μὲν ἐοικότα γίνεσθαι τοῖς τεκνώσασι τὰ δὲ μὴ ἐοικότα, καὶ τὰ μὲν πατρὶ τὰ δὲ μητρί, κατά τε ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ κατὰ μόριον ἕκαστον, καὶ μᾶλλον, αὐτοῖς ἢ τοῖς προγόνοις, καὶ τούτοις ἢ τοῖς τυχοῦσι, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄρρενα μᾶλλον τῷ πατρὶ τὰ δὲ θήλεα τῇ μητρί, τὰ δ’ οὐδενὶ τῶν συγγενῶν, ὅμως δ’ ἀνθρώπῳ γέ τινι, τὰ δ’ οὐδ’ ἀνθρώπῳ τὴν ἰδέαν ἀλλ’ ἤδη τέρατι.
And the same causes are also responsible for some offspring being born resembling their parents and others not resembling them, and some resembling their father and others their mother, both as regards the whole body and as regards each of its parts, and resembling them more than their ancestors, and these more than any chance persons, and for the males resembling their father more and the females their mother, while others resemble none of their kindred, yet at least they resemble some human being, and others do not even resemble a human being in form but are already monstrosities.
καὶ γὰρ ὁ μὴ ἐοικὼς τοῖς γονεῦσιν ἤδη τρόπον τινὰ τέρας ἐστίν· παρεκβέβηκε γὰρ ἡ φύσις ἐν τούτοις ἐκ τοῦ γένους τρόπον τινά.
For indeed, he who does not resemble his parents is already in a way a monstrosity; for in these cases nature has in a way deviated from the generic type.
ἀρχὴ δὲ πρώτη τὸ θῆλυ γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ ἄρρεν.
The first beginning of this deviation is the birth of a female instead of a male.
ἀλλ’ αὕτη μὲν ἀναγκαία τῇ φύσει· δεῖ γὰρ σώζεσθαι τὸ γένος τῶν κεχωρισμένων κατὰ τὸ θῆλυ καὶ τὸ ἄρρεν.
Yet this is necessary for nature; for the preservation of the class of animals which are divided into female and male must be maintained.
ἐνδεχομένου δὲ μὴ κρατεῖν ποτὲ τοῦ ἄρρενος ἢ διὰ νεότητα ἢ γῆρας ἢ δι’ ἄλλην τινὰ αἰτίαν τοιαύτην, ἀνάγκη γίνεσθαι θηλυτοκίαν ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις.
And since it is possible that the male does not sometimes master, either on account of youth or old age or some other such cause, it is necessary that female-birth should occur among animals.
τὸ δὲ τέρας οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον πρὸς τὴν ἕνεκά του καὶ τὴν τοῦ τέλους αἰτίαν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ἀναγκαῖον, ἐπεὶ τήν γ’ ἀρχὴν ἐντεῦθεν δεῖ λαμβάνειν.
On the other hand, a monstrosity is not necessary in respect of the final cause and the end, but is necessary accidentally, since at least its beginning must be taken from here.
εὐπέπτου μὲν γὰρ οὔσης τῆς περιττώσεως ἐν τοῖς καταμηνίοις τῆς σπερματικῆς, καθ’ αὑτὴν ποιήσει τὴν μορφὴν ἡ τοῦ ἄρρενος κίνησις.
For if the semen-like residue in the menses is well concocted, the movement of the male will fashion the form in accordance with itself.
τὸ γὰρ γονὴν λέγειν ἢ κίνησιν τὴν αὔξουσαν ἕκαστον τῶν μορίων οὐθὲν διαφέρει, οὐδὲ τὴν αὔξουσαν ἢ τὴν συνιστᾶσαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς· ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς λόγος τῆς κινήσεως.
For it makes no difference whether we speak of the semen or of the movement which increases each of the parts, nor of that which increases or that which constitutes them from the beginning; for the ratio of the movement is the same.
ὥστε κρατούσης μὲν ἄρρεν τε ποιήσει καὶ οὐ θῆλυ, καὶ ἐοικὸς τῷ γεννῶντι ἀλλ’ οὐ τῇ μητρί· μὴ κρατῆσαν δέ, καθ’ ὁποίαν ἂν μὴ κρατήσῃ δύναμιν, τὴν ἔλλειψιν ποιεῖ κατ’ αὐτήν.
Consequently, if the movement masters, it will produce a male and not a female, and one resembling the generator but not the mother; but if it does not master, in whatever power it has failed to master, it produces a deficiency in respect of that power.
λέγω δ’ ἑκάστην δύναμιν τόνδε τὸν τρόπον.
Now I speak of each "power" in the following way.
τὸ γεννῶν ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον ἄρρεν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖον ἄρρεν, οἷον Κορίσκος ἢ Σωκράτης, καὶ οὐ μόνον Κορίσκος ἐστὶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος.
The generator is not only a male but also a male of a particular sort, such as Coriscus or Socrates, and he is not only Coriscus but also a human being.
καὶ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τρόπον τὰ μὲν ἐγγύτερον τὰ δὲ πορρώτερον ὑπάρχει τῷ γεννῶντι, καθὸ γεννητικόν, ἀλλ’ οὐ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, οἷον εἰ γραμματικὸς ὁ γεννῶν ἢ γείτων τινός, ἀεὶ δ’ ἰσχύει πρὸς τὴν γένεσιν μᾶλλον τὸ ἴδιον καὶ τὸ καθ’ ἕκαστον.
And in this way, some characteristics belong to the generator more closely and others more remotely, in so far as he is a generator, and not accidentally (as, for instance, if the generator is a grammarian or someone's neighbor); and the individual and the particular always have more power for generation.
ὁ γὰρ Κορίσκος καὶ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι καὶ ζῷον· ἀλλ’ ἐγγύτερον τοῦ ἰδίου ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἢ τὸ ζῷον. γεννᾷ δὲ καὶ τὸ καθ’ ἕκαστον καὶ τὸ γένος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὸ καθ’ ἕκαστον· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ οὐσία.
For Coriscus is both a human being and an animal; but "human being" is closer to his individual character than "animal." And both the individual and the genus generate, but the individual does so more; for this is the substance.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ γινόμενον γίνεται μὲν καὶ ποιόν τι, ἀλλὰ τόδε τι καὶ τοῦθ’ ἡ οὐσία.
Indeed, that which is produced also becomes of a certain quality, but it becomes a particular "this", and this is the substance.
διόπερ ἀπὸ τῶν δυνάμεων ὑπάρχουσιν αἱ κινήσεις ἐν τοῖς σπέρμασι πάντων τῶν τοιούτων, δυνάμει δὲ καὶ τῶν προγόνων, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ ἐγγύτερον ἀεὶ τῶν καθ’ ἕκαστόν τινος.
Therefore, the movements are present in the semen of all such things arising from these powers, and potentially also those of the ancestors, but always those of the individual who is closer in degree.
λέγω δὲ καθ’ ἕκαστον τὸν Κορίσκον καὶ τὸν Σωκράτην.
And by "individual" I mean Coriscus and Socrates.
ἐπεὶ δ’ ἐξίσταται πᾶν οὐκ εἰς τὸ τυχὸν ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸ ἀντικείμενον, καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ γενέσει μὴ κρατούμενον ἀναγκαῖον ἐξίστασθαι καὶ γίνεσθαι τὸ ἀντικείμενον, καθ’ ἣν δύναμιν οὐκ ἐκράτησε τὸ γεννῶν καὶ κινοῦν.
But since everything deviates not into any chance thing but into its opposite, that which is not mastered in generation must also deviate and become the opposite in respect of whichever power the generator and mover has failed to master.
ἐὰν μὲν οὖν ᾗ ἄρρεν, θῆλυ γίνεται, ἐὰν δὲ ᾗ Κορίσκος ἢ Σωκράτης, οὐ τῷ πατρὶ ἐοικὸς ἀλλὰ τῇ μητρὶ γίνεται· ἀντίκειται γὰρ ὥσπερ τῷ ὅλῳ πατρὶ μήτηρ, καὶ τῷ καθ’ ἕκαστον γεννῶντι ἡ καθ’ ἕκαστον γενννῶσα.
If, then, it is in so far as it is male, a female is produced; but if in so far as it is Coriscus or Socrates, the offspring becomes not resembling the father but resembling the mother; for just as the mother is opposite to the father as a whole, so the female individual generator is opposite to the male individual generator.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐχομένας δυνάμεις· ἀεὶ γὰρ εἰς τὸν ἐχόμενον μεταβαίνει μᾶλλον τῶν προγόνων, καὶ ἐπὶ πατέρων καὶ μητέρων.
And likewise also with respect to the succeeding powers; for the change is always rather into the next of the ancestors, both on the father's and on the mother's side.
ἔνεισι δ’ αἱ μὲν ἐνεργείᾳ τῶν κινήσεων, αἱ δὲ δυνάμει, ἐνεργείᾳ μὲν αἱ τοῦ γεννῶντος καὶ τῶν καθόλου, οἷον ἀνθρώπου καὶ ζῴου, δυνάμει δὲ αἱ τοῦ θήλεος καὶ τῶν προγόνων.
And some of the movements are present in actuality, others in potentiality; in actuality those of the generator and of the universals (such as human being and animal), but in potentiality those of the female and of the ancestors.
μεταβάλλει μὲν οὗν ἐξιστάμενον πρὸς τὰ ἀντικείμενα, λύονται δὲ αἱ κινήσεις αἱ δημουργοῦσαι εἰς τὰς ἐγγύς, οἷον ἡ τοῦ γεννῶντος ἂν λυθῇ κίνησις, ἐλαχίστῃ διαφορᾷ μεταβαίνει εἰς τὴν τοῦ πατρός, δεύτερον δ’ εἰς τὴν τοῦ πάππου· καὶ τοῦτον δὴ τὸν τρόπον καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀρρένων καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν θηλειῶν ἡ τῆς γεννώσης εἰς τὴν τῆς μητρός, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εἰς ταύτην, εἰς τὴν τῆς τήθης· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄνωθεν.
Therefore, when the movement deviates, it changes to its opposites, but the fashioning movements, when they are dissolved, slacken into those that are near them; for instance, if the movement of the generator is dissolved, it changes with the least difference into that of his father, and secondly into that of his grandfather; and in this way, in the case of females as well, the movement of the female generator changes into that of her mother, and if not into this, then into that of her grandmother; and similarly also in the case of the ancestors further back.