§2.3#3διὸ καὶ τὴν θάλαττάν τινες ἐκ κατακεκαυμένης φασὶ γενέσθαι γῆς.
For this reason, some say that the sea arose from a burnt earth.
ὃ οὕτω μὲν εἰπεῖν ἄτοπον, τὸ μέντοι ἐκ τοιαύτης ἀληθές·
To speak in this way is absurd, but it is true that it comes from such an earth.
ὥσπερ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ ὅλῳ ἔκ τε τῶν φυομένων καὶ γιγνομένων κατὰ φύσιν ἀεὶ δεῖ νοεῖν, ὥσπερ ἐκ πεπυρωμένων τὸ λειπόμενον τοιαύτην εἶναι γῆν, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ ξηρᾷ ἀναθυμίασιν πᾶσαν· αὕτη γὰρ καὶ παρέχεται τὸ πολὺ τοῦτο πλῆθος.
For just as in the cases mentioned, so also in the whole [universe] one must always conceive that what is left from things that grow and come to be according to nature is such an earth, as if from burned things, and indeed also all the exhalation in the dry earth; for this provides this great abundance.
μεμειγμένης δ᾿ οὔσης, ὥσπερ εἴπομεν, τῆς τε ἀτμιδώδους ἀναθυμιάσεως καὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς, ὅταν συνιστῆται εἰς νέφη καὶ ὕδωρ, ἀναγκαῖον ἐμπεριλαμβάνεσθαί τι πλῆθος ἀεὶ ταύτης τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ συγκαταφέρεσθαι πάλιν ὕοντος, καὶ τοῦτ᾿ ἀεὶ γίγνεσθαι κατά τινα τάξιν, ὡς ἐνδέχεται μετέχειν τὰ ἐνταῦθα τάξεως.
And since, as we said, the vaporous exhalation is mixed with the dry one, when it condenses into clouds and water, a certain quantity of this power must always be included, and be carried down again when it rains, and this always happens according to a certain order, as far as things here can participate in order.
ὅθεν μὲν οὖν ἡ γένεσις ἔνεστιν τοῦ ἁλμυροῦ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, εἴρηται.
From what source, then, the generation of the saltiness in the water occurs has been stated.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τά τε νότια ὕδατα πλατύτερα καὶ τὰ πρῶτα τῶν μετοπωρινῶν· ὅ τε γὰρ νότος καὶ τῷ μεγέθει καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ἀλεεινότατος ἄνεμός ἐστιν, καὶ πνεῖ ἀπὸ τόπων ξηρῶν καὶ θερμῶν, ὥστε μετ᾿ ὀλίγης ἀτμίδος.
And because of this, the waters from the south are saltier, and the first waters of autumn; for the south wind is, both in its size and in its blowing, the warmest of winds, and it blows from dry and warm places, so that it is with little vapor.
διὸ καὶ θερμός ἐστιν· εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ τοιοῦτος, ἀλλ᾿ ὅθεν ἄρχεται πνεῖν ψυχρός, οὐδὲν ἧττον προϊὼν διὰ τὸ συμπεριλαμβάνειν πολλὴν ἀναθυμίασιν ξηρὰν ἐκ τῶν σύνεγγυς τόπων θερμός ἐστιν·
Therefore it is warm; for even if it were not so, but were cold where it begins to blow, none the less as it proceeds, because of its including much dry exhalation from neighboring places, it is warm.
ὁ δὲ βορέας ἅτε ἀφ᾿ ὑγρῶν τόπων ἀτμιδώδης· διὸ ψυὑδατώδης. χρός· τῷ δ᾿ ἀπωθεῖν αἴθριος ἐνταῦθα, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὑδατώδης.
But the north wind, coming from moist places, is vaporous; therefore it is cold; but by pushing away [the clouds] it brings clear weather here, while in the opposite regions it brings rain.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ νότος αἴθριος τοῖς περὶ τὴν Λιβύην.
Likewise also the south wind brings clear weather to those around Libya.
πολὺ οὖν ἐν τῷ καταφερομένῳ ὕδατι συμβάλλεται τοιοῦτον, καὶ τοῦ μετοπώρου πλατέα τὰ ὕδατα· ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὰ βαρύτατα πρῶτα φέρεσθαι.
Much of such a substance, therefore, is contributed in the rainwater that falls, and the waters of autumn are salty; for the heaviest things must be carried down first.
ὥστ᾿ ἐν ὅσοις ἔνεστι τῆς τοιαύτης γῆς πλῆθος, ῥέπει τάχιστα κάτω ταῦτα.
Consequently, those waters in which there is an abundance of such earth incline downwards most quickly.
καὶ θερμή γε ἡ θάλαττα διὰ τοῦτό ἐστιν· πάντα γὰρ ὅσα πεπύρωται, ἔχει δυνάμει θερμότητα ἐν αὑτοῖς.
And indeed the sea is warm because of this; for all things that have been burned have heat in themselves potentially.
ὁρᾶν δ᾿ ἔξεστι καὶ τὴν κονίαν καὶ τὴν τέφραν καὶ τὴν ὑπόστασιν τῶν ζῷων καὶ τὴν ξηρὰν καὶ τὴν ὑγράν· καὶ τῶν θερμοτάτων γε κατὰ τὴν κοιλίαν ζῴων συμβαίνει θερμοτάτην εἶναι τὴν ὑπόστασιν.
And one can see this in lye, in ash, and in the excrement of animals, both the dry and the wet; and indeed, in the animals that are warmest in their bellies, their excrement happens to be the warmest.
γίγνεται μὲν οὖν ἀεί τε πλατυτέρα διὰ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν, ἀνάγεται δ᾿ ἀεί τι μέρος αὐτῆς μετὰ τοῦ γλυκέος (ἀλλ᾿ ἔλαττον τοσούτῳ ὅσῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὑομένῳ τὸ ἁλμυρὸν καὶ πλατὺ τοῦ γλυκέος ἔλαττον· διόπερ ἰσάζει ὡς ἐπίπαν εἰπεῖν).
It always becomes saltier, then, because of this cause, but a certain part of it is always raised with the sweet (but less by as much as the salty and brackish in the rain is less than the sweet; wherefore they balance each other, so to speak, on the whole).
ὅτι δὲ γίγνεται ἀτμίζουσα πότιμος καὶ οὐκ εἰς θάλατταν συγκρίνεται τὸ ἀτμίζον, ὅταν συνιστῆται πάλιν, πεπειραμένοι λέγωμεν.
That it becomes drinkable when evaporating, and that what evaporates does not condense back into sea-water when it is formed again, let us speak as having made trial.
πάσχει δὲ καὶ τἆλλα ταὐτό· καὶ γὰρ οἶνος καὶ πάντες οἱ χυμοί, ὅσοι ἂν ἀτμίσαντες πάλιν εἰς ὑγρὸν συστῶσιν, ὕδωρ γίγνονται·
Other things too suffer the same; for indeed wine and all juices, as many as evaporate and condense back into liquid, become water.
πάθη γὰρ τἆλλα διά τινα σύμμειξιν τοῦ ὕδατός ἐστιν, καὶ οἷον ἄν τι ᾖ τὸ συμμειχθέν, τοιοῦτον ποιεῖ τὸν χυμόν.
For the other properties are affections of the water due to some mixture, and whatever the mixed substance may be, it makes the taste of this kind.
ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἐν ἄλλοις καιροῖς οἰκειοτέροις ποιητέον τὴν σκέψιν.
But concerning these things, we must make our inquiry on other more appropriate occasions.
νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον λέγωμεν, ὅτι τῆς θαλάττης ὑπαρχούσης αἰεί τι ἀνάγεται καὶ γίγνεται πότιμον καὶ ἄνωθεν ἐν τῷ ὑομένῳ κατέρχεται ἄλλο γεγενημένον, οὐ τὸ ἀναχθέν· καὶ διὰ βάρος ὑφίσταται τῷ ποτίμῳ.
For now, let us say this much: that while the sea is always there, some part of it is always raised and becomes drinkable, and another part, having become different, comes down from above in the rain, not that which was raised; and because of its weight, it settles below the drinkable.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὔτ᾿ ἐπιλείπει, ὥσπερ οἱ ποταμοί, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ τοῖς τόποις (τοῦτο δ᾿ ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοτέρων ἀνάγκη συμβαίνειν ὁμοίως), οὔτε ἀεὶ τὰ αὐτὰ μέρη διαμένει, οὔτε γῆς οὔτε θαλάττης, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ μόνον ὁ πᾶς ὄγκος.
And for this reason, it does not fail like rivers, except in its places (this must happen to both alike), nor do the same parts always remain, either of the earth or of the sea, but only the whole mass.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ περὶ γῆς ὁμοίως δεῖ ὑπολαβεῖν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνέρχεται, τὸ δὲ πάλιν συγκαταβαίνει, καὶ τοὺς τόπους μεταβάλλει τά τ᾿ ἐπιπολάζοντα καὶ τὰ κατιόντα πάλιν.
For we must conceive of the earth likewise; for some rises and some goes down again together, and both what is on the surface and what descends change their places again.
ὅτι δ᾿ ἐστὶν ἐν μείξει τινὸς τὸ ἁλμυρόν, δῆλον οὐ μόνον ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐάν τις ἀγγεῖον πλάσας θῇ κήρινον εἰς τὴν θάλατταν, περιδήσας τὸ στόμα τοιούτοις ὥστε μὴ παρεγχεῖσθαι τῆς θαλάττης·
And that the salty is in a mixture of something is clear not only from what has been said, but also if someone, having molded a wax vessel, should place it in the sea, having tied up the mouth with such things as to prevent the sea-water from entering.
τὸ γὰρ εἰσιὸν διὰ τῶν τοίχων τῶν κηρίνων γίγνεται πότιμον ὕδωρ· ὥσπερ γὰρ δι᾿ ἠθμοῦ τὸ γεῶδες ἀποκρίνεται καὶ τὸ ποιοῦν τὴν ἁλμυρότητα διὰ τὴν σύμμειξιν.
For that which enters through the wax walls becomes drinkable water; for as if through a filter, the earthy substance is separated, which produces the saltiness by its mixture.