§2#2Πολλάκις δ’ ἤδη μὲν ἀδυνατεῖ ἀναμνησθῆναι, ζητεῖν δὲ δύναται καὶ εὑρίσκει.
Often, however, one is at first unable to recollect, but is able to seek and finds.
Τοῦτο δὲ γίνεται κινοῦντι πολλά, ἕως ἂν τοιαύτην κινήσῃ κίνησιν ᾗ ἀκολουθήσει τὸ πρᾶγμα.
This occurs when one moves many things, until one moves such a motion as the thing will follow.
Τὸ γὰρ μεμνῆσθαί ἐστι τὸ ἐνεῖναι δυνάμει τὴν κινοῦσαν· τοῦτο δέ, ὥστ’ ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὧν ἔχει κινήσεων κινηθῆναι, ὥσπερ εἴρηται.
For remembering is the potential presence of the moving cause; and this is, as has been said, in such a way as to be moved from oneself and from the motions one has.
Δεῖ δὲ λαβέσθαι ἀρχῆς.
But one must seize a starting point.
Διὸ ἀπὸ τόπων δοκοῦσιν ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι ἐνίοτε.
Wherefore they seem sometimes to recollect from places.
Τὸ δ’ αἴτιον ὅτι ταχὺ ἀπ’ ἄλλου ἐπ’ ἄλλο ἔρχονται, οἷον ἀπὸ γάλακτος ἐπὶ λευκόν, ἀπὸ λευκοῦ δ’ ἐπ’ ἀέρα, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου ἐφ’ ὑγρόν, ἀφ’ οὗ ἐμνήσθη μετοπώρου, ταύτην ἐπιζητῶν τὴν ὥραν.
And the cause is that they go quickly from one thing to another, for example, from milk to white, from white to air, and from this to fluid, from which one remembered autumn, seeking this season.
Ἔοικε δὴ καθόλου ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ μέσον πάντων· εἰ γὰρ μὴ πρότερον, ὅταν ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἔλθῃ, μνησθήσεται, ἢ οὐκέτ’ οὐδὲ ἄλλοθεν, οἷον εἴ τις νοήσειεν ἐφ’ ὧν Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ε μέμνηται, ἐπὶ τοῦ Ε Θ ἐμνήσθη·
Indeed, the middle of all things seems to be a starting point in general; for if not before, when one comes to this, one will remember, or no longer from anywhere else, as if one should think of the series A B G D E Z H Th; for if one does not remember at E, one remembered at E Th; for from there it is possible to be moved in both directions, both to D and to E.
ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ ἐπ’ ἄμφω κινηθῆναι ἐνδέχεται, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Δ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ Ε. Εἰ δὲ μὴ τούτων τι ἐπιζητεῖ, ἐπὶ τὸ Γ ἐλθὼν μνησθήσεται, εἰ τὸ Η ἢ τὸ Ζ ἐπιζητεῖ.
But if one is not seeking any of these, on coming to G one will remember, if one is seeking H or Z.
Εἰ δὲ μή, ἐπὶ τὸ Α· καὶ οὕτως ἀεί.
But if not, on coming to A; and so always.
Τοῦ δ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐνίοτε μὲν μνησθῆναι ἐνίοτε δὲ μή, αἴτιον ὅτι ἐπὶ πλείω ἐνδέχεται κινηθῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀρχῆς, οἷον ἀπὸ τοῦ Γ ἐπὶ τὸ Ζ ἢ τὸ Δ. Ἐὰν οὖν μὴ διὰ παλαιοῦ κινῆται, ἐπὶ τὸ συνηθέστερον κινεῖται· ὥσπερ γὰρ φύσις ἤδη τὸ ἔθος.
And the cause of remembering sometimes and sometimes not from the same starting point is that it is possible to be moved to several things from the same starting point, as from G to Z or D. If, therefore, one is not moved through an old path, one is moved to the more customary; for habit is already like nature.
Διὸ ἃ πολλάκις ἐννοοῦμεν, ταχὺ ἀναμιμνησκόμεθα· ὥσπερ γὰρ φύσει τόδε μετὰ τόδε ἐστίν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ· τὸ δὲ πολλάκις φύσιν ποιεῖ.
Wherefore what we often think, we recollect quickly; for as by nature this is after that, so also in activity; and "often" produces nature.
Ἐπεὶ δ’ ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς φύσει γίνεται, καὶ παρὰ φύσιν καὶ ἀπὸ τύχης, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐν τοῖς δι’ ἔθος, οἷς ἡ φύσις γε μὴ ὁμοίως ὑπάρχει· ὥστε κινηθῆναι ἐνίοτε κἀκεῖ καὶ ἄλλως, ἄλλως τε καὶ ὅταν ἀφέλκῃ ἐκεῖθεν αὐτόσε πῃ.
But since, just as it happens among things by nature, both contrary to nature and by chance occur, still more does this happen among things by habit, in which nature at least does not belong in the same way; so that one is moved sometimes both there and otherwise, especially when something pulls one away from there to somewhere else.
Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὅταν δέῃ ὄνομα μνημονεῦσαι, παρόμοιον μέν, εἰς δ’ ἐκεῖνο σολοικίζομεν.
For this reason also, when we need to remember a name, we slip into a similar one indeed, but commit a solecism with respect to that one.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι τοῦτον συμβαίνει τὸν τρόπον.
Recollection, then, happens in this way.
Τὸ δὲ μέγιστον, γνωρίζειν δεῖ τὸν χρόνον, ἢ μέτρῳ ἢ ἀορίστως.
But the most important thing is that one must recognize the time, either by a measure or indefinitely.
Ἔστω δέ τι ᾧ κρίνει τὸν πλείω καὶ ἐλάττω· εὔλογον δ’ ὥσπερ τὰ μεγέθη· νοεῖ γὰρ τὰ μεγάλα καὶ πόρρω οὐ τῷ ἀποτείνειν ἐκεῖ τὴν διάνοιαν, ὥσπερ τὴν ὄψιν φασί τινες (καὶ γὰρ μὴ ὄντων ὁμοίως νοήσει), ἀλλὰ τῇ ἀνάλογον κινήσει· ἔστι γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ τὰ ὅμοια σχήματα καὶ κινήσεις.
And let there be something by which one judges the greater and the lesser; and it is reasonable to think of this as with magnitudes; for one thinks of great and distant things not by extending the intellect there, as some say of vision (for indeed one will think of them similarly when they are not present), but by a proportional motion; for there are in it similar shapes and motions.
Τίνι οὖν διοίσει, ὅταν τὰ μείζω νοῇ;
By what, then, will it differ when one thinks of larger things?
Ἢ ὅτι ἐκεῖνα νοεῖ, ἢ τὰ ἐλάττω;
Is it that one thinks of those, or of the smaller?
Πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἐντὸς ἐλάττω, ὥσπερ ἀνάλογον καὶ τὰ ἐκτός.
For all things within are smaller, just as those outside are proportional.
Ἔστι δ’ ἴσως ὥσπερ καὶ τοῖς εἴδεσιν ἀνάλογον λαβεῖν ἄλλο ἐν αὐτῷ, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ἀποστήμασιν.
And perhaps, just as one can grasp another proportional thing in oneself for the forms, so also for the distances.
Ὥσπερ οὖν εἰ τὴν Α Β Β Ε κινεῖται, ποιεῖ τὴν Α Δ·
Just as, therefore, if one is moved along A B B E, one produces A D; for A G and G D are proportional.
ἀνάλογον γὰρ ἡ Α Γ καὶ ἡ Γ Δ. Τί οὖν μᾶλλον τὴν Γ Δ ἢ τὴν Ζ Η ποιεῖ;
Why, then, does one produce G D rather than Z H?
Ἢ ὡς ἡ Α Γ πρὸς τὴν Α Β ἔχει, οὕτως ἡ τὸ Θ πρὸς τὴν Μ ἔχει.
Is it because as A G is to A B, so Th is to M?
Ταύτας οὖν ἅμα κινεῖται.
These, then, one moves simultaneously.