§2.11#2Εἰ ἄρα τινὸς ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀπλῶς ἡ γένεσις, ἀνάγκη ἀνακυκλεῖν καὶ ἀνακάμπτειν.
If therefore the coming-to-be of something is simply of necessity, it must of necessity cycle back and return.
ἀνάγκη γὰρ ἤτοι πέρας ἔχειν τὴν γένεσιν ἢ μή, καὶ εἰ μή, ἢ εἰς εὐθὺ ἢ κύκλῳ.
For coming-to-be must either have a limit or not, and if not, either in a straight line or in a circle.
τούτων δ᾿ εἴπερ ἔσται ἀΐδιος, οὐκ εἰς εὐθὺ οἶόν τε διὰ τὸ μηδαμῶς εἶναι ἀρχὴν μήτ᾿ ἂν κάτω, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐσομένων, λαμβάνομεν, μήτ᾿ ἄνω, ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν γινομένων· ἀνάγκη δ᾿ εἶναι ἀρχήν, μὴ πεπερασμένης οὔσης, καὶ ἀΐδιον εἶναι.
Of these, if indeed it is to be eternal, it cannot be in a straight line, because there is no beginning at all, neither downwards (as we take it in the case of future events) nor upwards (as we take it in the case of things coming to be); but there must be a beginning, even when the series is not limited, and it must be eternal.
διὸ ἀνάγκη κύκλῳ εἶναι.
Therefore it must of necessity be in a circle.
ἀντιστρέφειν ἄρα ἀνάγκη ἔσται, οἶον εἰ τοδὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης, καὶ τὸ πρότερον ἄρα· ἀλλὰ μὴν εἰ τοῦτο, καὶ τὸ ὕστερον ἀνάγκη γενέσθαι.
It will therefore be necessary for there to be conversion; for instance, if this is of necessity, the prior also is of necessity; and indeed if that is so, the posterior also must of necessity come to be.
καὶ τοῦτο ἀεὶ δὴ συνεχῶς· οὐδὲν γὰρ τοῦτο διαφέρει λέγειν διὰ δύο ἢ πολλῶν.
And this goes on indeed always continuously; for it makes no difference to say this through two or through many steps.
ἐν τῇ κύκλῳ ἄρα κινήσει καὶ γενέσει ἐστὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἀπλῶς· καὶ εἴτε κύκλῳ, ἀνάγκη ἕκαστον γίνεσθαι καὶ γεγονέναι, καὶ εἰ ἀνάγκη, ἡ τούτων γένεσις κύκλῳ.
In the circular motion and coming-to-be, therefore, is that which is simply of necessity; and if it is in a circle, it is necessary for each thing to come to be and to have come to be, and if it is of necessity, the coming-to-be of these is in a circle.
Ταῦτα μὲν δὴ εὐλόγως, ἐπεὶ ἀΐδιος καὶ ἄλλως ἐφάνη ἡ κύκλῳ κίνησις καὶ ἡ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι ταῦτα ἐξ ἀνάγκης γίνεται καὶ ἔσται, ὅσαι ταύτης κινήσεις καὶ ὅσαι διὰ ταύτην·
These things are indeed reasonable, since circular motion and that of the heavens were shown in other ways to be eternal, so that these motions and those which are through this come to be and will be of necessity; for if that which is moved in a circle always moves something, the motion of these must also be in a circle.
εἰ γὰρ τὸ κύκλῳ κινούμενον ἀεί τι κινεῖ, ἀνάγκη καὶ τούτων κύκλῳ εἶναι τὴν κίνησιν, οἶον τῆς ἄνω φορᾶς οὕσης κύκλῳ ὁ ἥλιος¹ ὡδί, ἐπεί δ᾿ οὗτως, αἱ ὧραι διὰ τοῦτο κύκλῳ γίνονται καὶ ἀνακάμπτουσιν, τούτων δ᾿ οὕτω γινομένων πάλιν τὰ ὑπὸ τούτων.
For instance, the upper motion being in a circle, the sun moves in this way, and since it is so, the seasons because of this come to be in a circle and return, and since these come to be in this way, again the things under them do so.
Τί οὖν δή ποτε τὰ μὲν οὕτω φαίνεται, οἶον ὕδατα καὶ ἀὴρ κύκλῳ γινόμενα, καὶ εἰ μὲν νέφος ἔσται, δεῖ ὅσαι, καὶ εἰ ὕσει γε, δεῖ καὶ νέφος εἶναι, ἄνθρωποι δὲ καὶ ζῷα οὐκ ἀνακάμπτουσιν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὥστε πάλιν γίνεσθαι τὸν αὐτόν (οὐ γὰρ ἀνάγκη, εἰ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγένετο, σὲ γενέσθαι· ἀλλ᾿ εἰ σύ, ἐκεῖνον, εἰς εὐθὺ δὲ ἔοικεν εἶναι αὕτη ἡ γένεσι); ἀρχὴ δὲ τῆς σκέψεως πάλιν αὕτη, πότερον ὁμοίως ἅπαντα ἀνακάμπτει ἢ οὔ, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἀριθμῷ τὰ δὲ ρἴφρι μόνον.
Why then, indeed, do some things appear in this way—for instance, water and air coming to be in a circle, and if there is to be a cloud, it must rain, and if indeed it rains, there must also be a cloud—but men and animals do not return to themselves so as to come to be the same again? (For it is not necessary, if your father came to be, that you should come to be; but if you did, then he did; and this coming-to-be seems to be in a straight line.) But the starting point of this inquiry is again this: whether all things return in a like manner or not, but some in number, and others only in species.
ὅσων μὲν οὖν ἄφθαρτος ἡ οὐσία ἡ κινουμςρνη, φανερὸν ὅτι καὶ ἀριθμῷ ταὐτὰ ἔσται (ἡ γὰρ κίνησις ἀκολουθεῖ τῷ κινουμένῳ), ὅσων δὲ μὴ ἀλλὰ φθαρτή, ἀνάγκη τῷ εἴδει, ἀριθμῷ δὲ μὴ ἀνακάμπτειν.
For those things, then, of which the substance being moved is imperishable, it is clear that they will be the same also in number (for motion follows that which is moved), but for those of which it is not, but is perishable, they must of necessity return in species, but not in number.
διὸ ὕδωρ ἐξ ἀέρος καὶ ἀὴρ ἐξ ὕδατος εἴδει ὁ αὐτός, οὐκ ἀριθμῷ.
Therefore, water from air and air from water is the same in species, but not in number.
εἰ δὲ καὶ ταῦτα ἀριθμῷ, ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ ὧν ἡ οὐσία γίνεται οὖσα τοιαύτη οἵα ἐνδέχεσθαι μὴ εἶναι.
And even if these are also in number, yet not those whose substance comes to be being of such a kind as to be capable of not-being.