§4Ἐπεὶ δʼ εἰσὶν αἱ διαστάσεις τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἕξ, αἷς ὁρίζεσθαι 4 πέφυκε τὰ ζῷα, τό τε ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ τὸ ὄπισθεν, ἔτι δὲ τὸ δεξιὸν καὶ τὸ ἀριστερόν, τὸ μὲν ἄνω καὶ κάτω μόριον πάντʼ ἔχει τὰ ζῶντα.
Since the dimensions are six in number, by which animals are naturally delimited—namely, up and down, front and back, and further right and left—all living things have the part of up and down.
οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ζῴοις ἐστὶ τὸ ἄνω καὶ κάτω, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς φυτοῖς.
For up and down exist not only in animals, but also in plants.
διείληπται δʼ ἔργῳ, καὶ οὐ θέσει μόνον τῇ πρός τε τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν.
And they are distinguished by function, and not only by position in relation to the earth and the heaven.
ὅθεν μὲν γὰρ ἡ τῆς τροφῆς διάδοσις καὶ ἡ αὔξησις ἑκάστοις, ἄνω τοῦτʼ ἐστι· πρὸς ὃ δʼ ἔσχατον αὕτη περαίνει, τοῦτο κάτω.
For that from which the distribution of food and growth starts for each is the up; while that to which this finally reaches at the extremity is the down.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀρχή τις, τὸ δὲ πέρας· ἀρχὴ δὲ τὸ ἄνω.
For one is a kind of principle, and the other is the end; and the up is the principle.
καίτοι δόξειέ γʼ ἂν τοῖς φυτοῖς οἰκεῖον εἶναι τὸ κάτω μᾶλλον· οὐχ ὁμοίως γὰρ ἔχει τῇ θέσει τὸ ἄνω καὶ κάτω τούτοις καὶ τοῖς ζῴοις.
Yet, it might seem that the down is more proper to plants; for the up and down do not have the same position for them as for animals.
ἔχει δὲ πρὸς μὲν τὸ ὅλον οὐχ ὁμοίως, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἔργον ὁμοίως.
But they do not have them in the same way in relation to the whole, but in the same way according to their function.
αἱ γὰρ ῥίζαι εἰσὶ τὸ ἄνω τοῖς φυτοῖς· ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἡ τροφὴ διαδίδοται τοῖς φυομένοις, καὶ λαμβάνει ταύταις αὐτήν, καθάπερ τὰ ζῷα τοῖς στόμασιν.
For the roots are the up for plants; for from there the food is distributed to those that grow, and they take it with these, just as animals do with their mouths.
ὅσα δὲ μὴ μόνον ζῇ ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῷά ἐστι, τοῖς τοιούτοις ὑπάρχει τό τε ἔμπροσθεν καὶ τὸ ὄπισθεν.
On the other hand, those that not only live but are also animals, to such belong both the front and the back.
αἴσθησιν γὰρ ἔχει ταῦτα πάντα, ὁρίζεται δὲ κατὰ ταύτην τό τε ὄπισθεν καὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν· ἐφʼ ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἡ αἴσθησις πέφυκε καὶ ὅθεν ἐστὶν ἑκάστοις, ἔμπροσθεν ταῦτʼ ἐστι, τὰ δʼ ἀντικείμενα τούτοις ὄπισθεν.
For all these have sensation, and by this both the back and the front are defined; for that toward which sensation naturally tends and from which it starts for each is the front, and the parts opposite to these are the back.
ὅσα δὲ τῶν ζῴων μὴ μόνον αἰσθήσεως κοινωνεῖ, ἀλλὰ δύναται ποιεῖσθαι τὴν κατὰ τόπον μεταβολὴν αὐτὰ διʼ αὑτῶν, ἐν τούτοις δὴ διώρισται πρὸς τοῖς λεχθεῖσι τό τʼ ἀριστερὸν καὶ τὸ δεξιὸν ὁμοίως τοῖς πρότερον εἰρημένοις, ἔργῳ τινὶ καὶ οὐ θέσει διωρισμένον ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν·
And of those animals that not only share in sensation but are also able to make locomotion by themselves, in these, indeed, in addition to the things mentioned, both the left and the right are distinguished, in the same way as those spoken of before, each of them being distinguished by some function and not by position.
ὅθεν μὲν γάρ ἐστι τοῦ σώματος ἡ τῆς κατὰ τόπον μεταβολῆς ἀρχὴ φύσει, τοῦτο μὲν δεξιὸν ἑκάστων, τὸ δʼ ἀντικείμενον καὶ τούτῳ πεφυκὸς ἀκολουθεῖν ἀριστερόν.
For that from which the natural principle of locomotion in the body is, this is the right of each, while the opposite and that which is naturally suited to follow it is the left.
τοῦτο δὲ διήρθρωται μᾶλλον ἑτέροις ἑτέρων.
And this is more articulated in some than in others.
ὅσα μὲν γὰρ ὀργανικοῖς μέρεσι χρώμενα (λέγω δʼ οἷον ποσὶν ἢ πτέρυξιν ἢ τινι ἄλλῳ τοιούτῳ) τὴν εἰρημένην μεταβολὴν ποιεῖται, περὶ μὲν τὰ τοιαῦτα μᾶλλον διήρθρωται τὸ λεχθέν· ὅσα δὲ μὴ τοιούτοις μορίοις, αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ σώματι διαλήψεις ποιούμενα προέρχεται, καθάπερ ἔνια τῶν ἀπόδων, οἷον οἵ τε ὄφεις καὶ τὸ τῶν καμπῶν γένος, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἃ καλοῦσι ἔντερα γῆς, ὑπάρχει μὲν καὶ ἐν τούτοις τὸ λεχθέν, οὐ μὴν διασεσάψηταί γʼ ὁμοίως.
For those that make the said change of place by using organic parts (I mean, for example, feet or wings or some other such thing), in such things the said distinction is more articulated; but for those that do not move by such parts, but proceed by making flexions in the body itself, just like some of the footless animals, such as snakes and the genus of caterpillars, and in addition to these what they call "earthworms", the said distinction exists indeed in these as well, but it has not been made clear in the same way.
ὅτι δʼ ἐκ τῶν δεξιῶν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεώς ἐστι, σημεῖον καὶ τὸ φέρειν τὰ φορτία πάντας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐνδέχεται κινεῖσθαι τὸ φέρον, λελυμένου τοῦ κινήσοντος.
But that the principle of movement starts from the right is indicated by the fact that everyone carries their loads on the left; for in this way it is possible for the carrier to move, when that which is to cause movement is free.
διὸ καὶ ἀσκωλιάζουσι ῥᾷον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς· κινεῖν γὰρ πέφυκε τὸ δεξιόν, κινεῖσθαι δὲ τὸ ἀριστερόν·
For this reason, they also hop on one foot more easily on the left; for the right is naturally suited to move, and the left to be moved.
ὥστε καὶ τὸ φορτίον οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ κινήσοντι ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τῷ κινησομένῳ δεῖ ἐπικεῖσθαι· ἐὰν δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ κινοῦντι καὶ τῇ ἀρχῇ τῆς κινήσεως ἐπιτεθῇ, ἤτοι ὅλως οὐ κινήσεται ἢ χαλεπώτερον.
Thus, the load must lie not upon that which is to cause movement, but upon that which is to be moved; and if it is placed upon that which moves and upon the principle of movement, it will either not move at all or with more difficulty.
σημεῖον δʼ ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν δεξιῶν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεως καὶ αἱ προβολαί· πάντες γὰρ τὰ ἀριστερὰ προβάλλονται, καὶ ἑστῶτες προβεβλήκασι τὰ ἀριστερὰ μᾶλλον, ἂν μὴ ἀπὸ τύχης συμβῇ.
And that the principle of movement is from the right is also indicated by the putting forward of limbs; for everyone puts forward the left, and when standing they have put forward the left more, unless it happens by chance.
οὐ γὰρ τῷ προβεβηκότι κινοῦνται, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀποβεβηκότι· καὶ ἀμύνονται τοῖς δεξιοῖς.
For they do not move with the foot that has stepped forward, but with that which has stepped off; and they defend themselves with the right.
διὰ ταύτην δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ τὰ δεξιὰ ταὐτά ἐστι πάντων.
And for this cause, the right is the same in all.
ὅθεν μὲν γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεως, τὸ αὐτὸ πᾶσι καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τὴν θέσιν ἔχει κατὰ φύσιν· δεξιὸν δʼ ἐστὶν ὅθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεώς ἐστι.
For that from which the principle of movement starts is the same for all and has its position in the same place according to nature; and the right is that from which the principle of movement starts.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὰ στρομβώδη τῶν ὀστρακοδέρμων δεξιὰ πάντʼ ἐστιν.
And for this reason, the spiral-shaped shellfish are all right-handed.
οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑλίκην κινεῖται, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὸ καταντικρὺ πάντα προέρχονται, οἷον πορφύραι καὶ κήρυκες.
For they do not move toward the spiral, but they all proceed in the opposite direction, as for example purple-fish and trumpets.
κινουμένων οὖν πάντων ἀπὸ τῶν δεξιῶν, κἀκείνων ἐπὶ ταὐτὰ κινουμένων ἑαυτοῖς, ἀνάγκη πάντα δεξιὰ εἶναι ὁμοίως.
Since, then, all move from the right, and those shellfish move in the same direction relative to themselves, it is necessary that all should be right-handed in the same way.
ἀπολελυμένα δʼ ἔχουσι τὰ ἀριστερὰ τῶν ζῴων μάλιστα ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχειν μάλιστα τῶν ζῴων· φύσει δὲ βέλτιον τὸ δεξιὸν τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ κεχωρισμένον.
And of animals, men have the left most free, because they have their state according to nature most of all animals; and by nature, the right is better when separated from the left.
διὸ καὶ τὰ δεξιὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις μάλιστα δεξιά ἐστι.
For this reason, the right in men is most right.
διωρισμένων δὲ τῶν δεξιῶν εὐλόγως τὰ ἀριστερὰ ἀκινητότερά ἐστι, καὶ ἀπολελυμένα μάλιστα ἐν τούτοις.
And since the right is distinguished, the left is naturally more motionless and most free in them.
καὶ αἱ ἄλλαι δʼ ἀρχαὶ μάλιστα κατὰ φύσιν καὶ διωρισμέναι ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπάρχουσι, τό τʼ ἄνω καὶ τὸ ἔμπροσθεν.
And the other principles also exist in man in the most natural and distinguished way, namely, the up and the front.