§3Ἀποήσειε δʼ ἄν τις, ἆρʼ εἴ τι κινεῖ τὸν ὅλον οὐρανόν, 3 εἶναι θέλει ἀκίνητον, καὶ τοῦτο μηθὲν εἶναι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ μόριον μηδʼ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ.
One might raise the question whether, if something moves the whole heaven, 3 it must be unmoved, and this must be no part of the heaven nor in the heaven.
εἴτε γὰρ αὐτὸ κινούμενον κινεῖ αὐτόν, ἀνάγκη τινὸς ἀκινήτου θιγγάνον κινεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο μηδὲν εἶναι μόριον τοῦ κινοῦντος· εἴτʼ εὐθὺς ἀκίνητόν ἐστι τὸ κινοῦν, ὁμοίως οὐδὲν ἔσται τοῦ κινουμένου μόριον.
For if it itself moves while moving the heaven, it must of necessity move it by touching something unmoved, and this unmoved thing must be no part of the mover; whereas if the mover is immediately unmoved, it will likewise be no part of that which is moved.
καὶ τοῦ τό γʼ ὀρθῶς λέγουσιν οἱ λέγοντες, ὅτι κύκλῳ φερομένης τῆς σφαίρας οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν μένει μόριον· ἢ γὰρ ἂν ὅλην ἀναγκαῖον ἦν μένειν, ἢ διασπᾶσθαι τὸ συνεχὲς αὐτῆς.
And in this at least those speak correctly who say that when the sphere is carried in a circle, not any part whatsoever remains still; for otherwise it would be necessary either that the whole remain still, or that its continuity be torn asunder.
ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοὺς πόλους οἴονταί τινα δύναμιν ἔχειν, οὐθὲν ἔχοντας μέγεθος ἀλλʼ ὄντας ἔσχατα καὶ στιγμάς, οὐ καλῶς.
But when they think that the poles have some power, though they have no magnitude but are extremes and points, they do not speak well.
πρὸς γὰρ τῷ μηδεμίαν οὐσίαν εἶναι τῶν τοιούτων μηδενός, καὶ κινεῖσθαι τὴν μίαν κίνησιν ὑπὸ δυοῖν ἀδύνατον· τοὺς δὲ πόλους δύο ποιοῦσιν.
For in addition to the fact that none of such things has any substance, it is also impossible for a single movement to be moved by two things; yet they make the poles two.
ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔχει τι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὅλην φύσιν οὕτως ὥσπερ ἡ γῆ πρὸς τὰ ζῷα καὶ τὰ κινούμενα διʼ αὐτῶν, ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἄν τις διαπορήσειεν.
Therefore, whether there is something in relation to the whole of nature which is as the earth is to animals and the things moved by them, is a question one might thoroughly puzzle over from such considerations.
οἱ δὲ μυθικῶς τὸν Ἄτλαντα ποιοῦντες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔχοντα τοὺς πόδας δόξαιεν ἂν ἀπὸ διανοίας εἰρηκέναι τὸν μῦθον, ὡς τοῦτον ὥσπερ διάμετρον ὄντα καὶ στρέφοντα τὸν οὐρανὸν περὶ τοὺς πόλους· τοῦτο δʼ ἂν συμβαίνῃ καὶ κατὰ λόγον διὰ τὸ τὴν γῆν μένειν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ταῦτα λέγουσιν ἀναγκαῖον φάναι μηδὲν εἶναι μόριον αὐτὴν τοῦ παντός, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις δεῖ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἰσάζειν τοῦ κινοῦντος καὶ τὴν τοῦ μένοντος.
And those who mythologically represent Atlas as having his feet upon the earth would seem to have told the myth from a certain understanding, as if he were like a diameter and rotating the heaven around the poles; and this might indeed happen in accordance with reason because the earth remains still, but for those who say these things, it is necessary to say that the earth is no part of the whole, and besides these things, the force of the mover and that of the remaining still must be equal.
ἔστι γάρ τι πλῆθος ἰσχύος καὶ δυνάμεως καθʼ ἣν μένει τὸ μένον, ὥσπερ καὶ καθʼ ἣν κινεῖ τὸ κινοῦν· καὶ ἔστι τις ἀναλογία ἐξ ἀνάγκης, ὥσπερ τῶν ἐναντίων κινήσεων, οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἠρεμιῶν.
For there is a certain quantity of force and power by which that which remains still remains still, just as there is also that by which that which moves moves; and there is of necessity a certain analogy, just as of opposite movements, so also of states of rest.
καὶ αἱ μὲν ἴσαι ἀπαθεῖς ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων, κρατοῦνται δὲ κατὰ τὴν ὑπεροχήν.
And those that are equal are unaffected by each other, but they are overcome according to the excess.
διόπερ εἴτʼ Ἄτλας εἴτε τι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν ἕτερον τὸ κινοῦν τῶν ἐντός, οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἀντερείδειν δεῖ τῆς μονῆς ἣν ἡ γῆ τυγχάνει μένουσα· ἢ κινηθήσεται ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ τοῦ μέσου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτῆς τόπου.
Therefore, whether it is Atlas or some other such thing among those inside that is the mover, it must not exert resistance any more than the rest which the earth happens to keep; otherwise, the earth will be moved away from the center and out of its own place.
ὡς γὰρ τὸ ὠθοῦν ὠθεῖ, οὕτω τὸ ὠθούμενον ὠθεῖται, καὶ ὁμοίως κατʼ ἰσχύν.
For as that which pushes pushes, so that which is pushed is pushed, and likewise in force.
κινεῖ δὲ τὸ ἠρεμοῦν πρῶτον, ὥστε μᾶλλον καὶ πλείων ἡ ἰσχὺς ἢ ὁμοία καὶ ἴση τῆς ἠρεμίας.
And that which is at rest moves first, so that the force is rather greater and more than, or at least similar and equal to, the rest.
ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ κινουμένου μέν, μὴ κινοῦντος δέ.
And likewise also that of what is moved but does not move.
τοσαύτην οὖν δεήσει τὴν δύναμιν εἶναι τῆς γῆς ἐν τῷ ἠρεμεῖν ὅσην ὅ τε πᾶς οὐρανὸς ἔχει καὶ τὸ κινοῦν αὐτόν.
Therefore, it will be necessary for the power of the earth in remaining still to be as great as that which the whole heaven has and that which moves it.
εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀδύνατον, ἀδύνατον καὶ τὸ κινεῖσθαι τὸν οὐρανὸν ὑπό τινος τοιούτου τῶν ἐντός.
But if this is impossible, it is also impossible for the heaven to be moved by any such thing among those inside.