§5.2#2τὸ δὲ σπέρμα καὶ ὁ ἰατρὸς καὶ ὁ βουλεύσας καὶ ὅλως τὸ ποιοῦν, πάντα ὅθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς μεταβολῆς ἢ στάσεως.
On the other hand, the seed, the doctor, the adviser, and in general the maker, are all that from which the beginning of change or of rest comes.
τὰ δʼ ὡς τὸ τέλος καὶ τἀγαθὸν τῶν ἄλλων· τὸ γὰρ οὗ ἕνεκα βέλτιστον καὶ τέλος τῶν ἄλλων ἐθέλει εἶναι· διαφερέτω δὲ μηδὲν αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἢ φαινόμενον ἀγαθόν. —τὰ μὲν οὖν αἴτια ταῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτά ἐστι τῷ εἴδει, τρόποι δὲ τῶν αἰτίων ἀριθμῷ μέν εἰσι πολλοί, κεφαλαιούμενοι δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ἐλάττους.
Others are causes as the end and the good of the other things; for that for the sake of which tends to be the best and the end of the other things; and let it make no difference whether we say 'the good itself' or 'the apparent good'. — These, then, are the causes and this is their number in species; but the modes of causes are many in number, though these too, when summarized, are fewer.
λέγονται γὰρ αἴτια πολλαχῶς, καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ὁμοειδῶν προτέρως καὶ ὑστέρως ἄλλο ἄλλου, οἷον ὑγιείας ὁ ἰατρὸς καὶ ὁ τεχνίτης, καὶ τοῦ διὰ πασῶν τὸ διπλάσιον καὶ ἀριθμός, καὶ ἀεὶ τὰ περιέχοντα ὁτιοῦν τῶν καθʼ ἕκαστα.
For causes are spoken of in many ways, and even of those of the same species one is prior or posterior to another; for example, of health, both the doctor and the expert are causes, and of the octave, both the double and number, and always the things that contain any of the particulars.
ἔτι δʼ ὡς τὸ συμβεβηκὸς καὶ τὰ τούτων γένη, οἷον ἀνδριάντος ἄλλως Πολύκλειτος καὶ ἄλλως ἀνδριαντοποιός, ὅτι συμβέβηκε τῷ ἀνδριαντοποιῷ Πολυκλείτῳ εἶναι· καὶ τὰ περιέχοντα δὲ τὸ συμβεβηκός, οἷον ἄνθρωπος αἴτιος ἀνδριάντος, ἢ καὶ ὅλως ζῷον, ὅτι ὁ Πολύκλειτος ἄνθρωπος ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ζῷον.
Further, there are causes as the accidental and their genera, for example, of a statue Polyclitus is cause in one way and a sculptor in another, because it is accidental to the sculptor to be Polyclitus; and also the things that contain the accident, for example, a man is the cause of the statue, or in general an animal, because Polyclitus is a man and man is an animal.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ἄλλα ἄλλων πορρώτερον καὶ ἐγγύτερον, οἷον εἰ ὁ λευκὸς καὶ ὁ μουσικὸς αἴτιος λέγοιτο τοῦ ἀνδριάντος, ἀλλὰ μὴ μόνον Πολύκλειτος ἢ ἄνθρωπος.
And even among accidents, some are more remote and others closer than others; for example, if 'the white' and 'the musical' were called the cause of the statue, and not just Polyclitus or a man.
παρὰ πάντα δὲ καὶ τὰ οἰκείως λεγόμενα καὶ τὰ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, τὰ μὲν ὡς δυνάμενα λέγεται τὰ δʼ ὡς ἐνεργοῦντα, οἷον τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι οἰκοδόμος ἢ οἰκοδομῶν οἰκοδόμος.
In addition to all these, both those properly so called and those called accidentally, some are spoken of as potential and others as actual; for example, of the house being built, the builder, or the building builder.
ὁμοίως δὲ λεχθήσεται καὶ ἐφʼ ὧν αἴτια τὰ αἴτια τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οἷον τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδριάντος ἢ ἀνδριάντος ἢ ὅλως εἰκόνος, καὶ χαλκοῦ τοῦδε ἢ χαλκοῦ ἢ ὅλως ὕλης· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ὡσαύτως.
And similarly, statements will be made also in the case of those things for which the causes are causes, in relation to the things mentioned: for example, of 'this statue', or of 'a statue', or in general of 'an image'; and of 'this bronze', or of 'bronze', or in general of 'matter'; and likewise in the case of accidents.
ἔτι δὲ συμπλεκόμενα καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα λεχθήσεται, οἷον οὐ Πολύκλειτος οὐδὲ ἀνδριαντοποιὸς ἀλλὰ Πολύκλειτος ἀνδριαντοποιός.
Further, both these and those will be spoken of in combination; for example, not 'Polyclitus' nor 'a sculptor', but 'Polyclitus the sculptor'.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως ἅπαντά γε ταῦτʼ ἐστὶ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος ἕξ, λεγόμενα δὲ διχῶς· ἢ γὰρ ὡς τὸ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἢ ὡς τὸ γένος, ἢ ὡς τὸ συμβεβηκὸς ἢ ὡς τὸ γένος τοῦ συμβεβηκότος, ἢ ὡς συμπλεκόμενα ταῦτα ἢ ὡς ἁπλῶς λεγόμενα, πάντα δὲ ἢ ὡς ἐνεργοῦντα ἢ κατὰ δύναμιν.
But nevertheless, all these are six in number, each spoken of in two ways; for they are spoken of either as the particular or as the genus, or as the accident or as the genus of the accident, or as combined or as simple; and all of them either as acting or in respect of potentiality.
διαφέρει δὲ τοσοῦτον, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἐνεργοῦντα καὶ τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἅμα ἔστι καὶ οὐκ ἔστι καὶ ὧν αἴτια, οἷον ὅδε ὁ ἰατρεύων τῷδε τῷ ὑγιαζομένῳ καὶ ὅδε ὁ οἰκοδόμος τῷδε τῷ οἰκοδομουμένῳ, τὰ δὲ κατὰ δύναμιν οὐκ ἀεί· φθείρεται γὰρ οὐχ ἅμα ἡ οἰκία καὶ ὁ οἰκοδόμος.
But they differ to this extent, that those which are actual and particular exist or do not exist simultaneously with the things of which they are causes—for example, this doctor who is healing with this person who is being healed, and this builder who is building with this house which is being built; but potential causes do not always do so, for the house and the builder do not perish at the same time.