§2.3#4τοῦτο γὰρ αἴτιον καὶ τοῦ βάρους (πλέον γὰρ ἕλκει τὸ ἁλμυρὸν ἢ τὸ πότιμον) καὶ τοῦ πάχους·
For this is the cause of both the weight (for salt water draws more than fresh water) and the thickness.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ πάχος διαφέρει τοσοῦτον ὥστε τὰ πλοῖα ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀγωγίμων βάρους ἐν μὲν τοῖς ποταμοῖς ὀλίγου καταδύνειν, ἐν δὲ τῇ θαλάττῃ μετρίως ἔχειν καὶ πλευστικῶς· διόπερ ἔνιοι τῶν ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς γεμιζόντων διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἄγνοιαν ἐζημιώθησαν.
Indeed, the thickness differs so much that ships with the same weight of cargo almost sink in rivers, but in the sea they hold themselves moderately and are fit for sailing; wherefore some of those who load ships in rivers, because of this ignorance, suffered a loss.
τεκμήριον δὲ τοῦ μειγνυμένου τὸ παχύτερον εἶναι τὸν ὄγκον· ἐὰν γάρ τις ὕδωρ ἁλμυρὸν ποιήσῃ σφόδρα μείξας ἅλας, ἐπιπλέουσι τὰ ᾠά, κἂν ᾖ πλήρη· σχεδὸν γὰρ ὥσπερ πηλὸς γίγνεται· τοσοῦτον ἔχει σωματῶδες πλῆθος ἡ θάλαττα.
An evidence that the mixed substance makes the bulk thicker is this: if one makes water very salty by mixing in much salt, eggs float, even if they are full; for the water becomes almost like mud; the sea has such a great amount of bodily substance.
ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο δρῶσι καὶ περὶ τὰς ταριχείας.
They do this very same thing also in the salting of fish.
εἰ δ᾿ ἔστιν ὥσπερ μυθολογοῦσί τινες ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ τοιαύτη λίμνη, εἰς ἣν ἐάν τις ἐμβάλῃ συνδήσας ἄνθρωπον ἢ ὑποζύγιον ἐπιπλεῖν καὶ οὐ καταδύεσθαι κατὰ τοῦ ὕδατος, μαρτύριον ἂν εἴη τι τοῖς εἰρημένοις·
And if there is, as some report, such a lake in Palestine, into which if one throws a man or a beast of burden bound, it floats and does not sink under the water, this would be a proof of what has been said.
λέγουσι γὰρ πικρὰν οὕτως εἶναι τὴν λίμνην καὶ ἁλμυρὰν ὥστε μηδένα ἰχθὺν ἐγγίγνεσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια ῥύπτειν, ἐάν τις διασείσῃ βρέξας.
For they say that the lake is so bitter and salty that no fish live in it, and that it cleans clothes if one shakes them after wetting.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα σημεῖα πάντα τῶν εἰρημένων, ὅτι τὸ ἁλμυρὸν ποιεῖ σῶμά τι, καὶ γεῶδές ἐστιν τὸ ἐνυπάρχον·
And all such indications also are signs of what has been said, namely that the salty substance produces a kind of body, and that what is present in it is earthy.
ἔν τε γὰρ τῇ Χαονίᾳ κρήνη τίς ἐστιν ὕδατος πλατυτέρου, ἀπορρεῖ δ᾿ αὕτη εἰς ποταμὸν πλησίον γλυκὺν μέν, ἰχθῦς δ᾿ οὐκ ἔχοντα·
For in Chaonia there is a spring of saltier water, and it flows out into a neighboring river which is sweet but has no fish.
εἵλοντο γὰρ δή, ὡς οἱ ἐκεῖ μυθολογοῦσιν, ἐξουσίας δοθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, ὅτ᾿ ἦλθεν ἄγων ἐκ τῆς Ἐρυθείας τὰς βοῦς, ἅλας ἀντὶ τῶν ἰχθύων, οἳ γίγνονται αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς κρήνης·
For, as the inhabitants there tell the myth, when Heracles came driving the cattle from Erytheia and choice was given to them, they chose salt instead of fish, which salt is produced for them from the spring.
τούτου γὰρ τοῦ ὕδατος ἀφέψοντές τι μέρος τιθέασι, καὶ γίγνεται ψυχθέν, ὅταν ἀπατμίσῃ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἅμα τῷ θερμῷ, ἅλες, οὐ χονδροὶ ἀλλὰ χαῦνοι καὶ λεπτοὶ ὥσπερ χιών.
For they boil down a part of this water and set it aside, and when the moisture has evaporated along with the heat, and it has cooled, there is produced salt, not coarse but loose and fine like snow.
εἰσίν τε τήν τε δύναμιν ἀσθενέστεροι τῶν ἄλλων καὶ πλείους ἡδύνουσιν ἐμβληθέντες, καὶ τὴν χροιὰν οὐχ ὁμοίως λευκοί.
And it is weaker in its power than other salts, and seasons more when put in, and is not similarly white in color.
τοιοῦτον δ᾿ ἕτερον γίγνεται καὶ ἐν Ὀμβρικοῖς·
And another similar thing occurs also among the Ombrici.
ἔστι γάρ τις τόπος ἐν ᾧ πεφύκασι κάλαμοι καὶ σχοῖνος· τούτων κατακάουσι, καὶ τὴν τέφραν ἐμβάλλοντες εἰς ὕδωρ ἀφέψουσιν· ὅταν δὲ λίπωσί τι μέρος τοῦ ὕδατος, τοῦτο ψυχθὲν ἁλῶν γίγνεται πλῆθος.
For there is a certain place where reeds and rushes grow; they burn these, and throwing the ash into water they boil it; and when they leave a part of the water, this when cooled becomes a quantity of salt.
ὅσα δ᾿ ἐστὶν ἁλμυρὰ ῥεύματα ποταμῶν ἢ κρηνῶν, τὰ πλεῖστα θερμά ποτε εἶναι δεῖ νομίζειν, εἶτα τὴν μὲν ἀρχὴν ἀπεσβέσθαι τοῦ πυρός, δι᾿ ἧς δὲ διηθοῦνται γῆς, ἔτι μένειν οὖσαν οἷον κονίαν καὶ τέφραν.
And as for all salty streams of rivers or springs, we must believe that most of them were once warm, and then, while the origin of the fire has been extinguished, the earth through which they are filtered still remains like lye and ash.
εἰσὶ δὲ πολλαχοῦ καὶ κρῆναι καὶ ῥεύματα ποταμῶν παντοδαποὺς ἔχοντα χυμούς, ὧν πάντων αἰτιατέον τὴν ἐνοῦσαν ἢ ἐγγιγνομένην δύναμιν πυρός·
And in many places there are both springs and streams of rivers having all kinds of tastes, of all of which we must make the cause the inherent or newly arising power of fire.
καομένη γὰρ ἡ γῆ τῷ μᾶλλον καὶ ἧττον παντοδαπὰς λαμβάνει μορφὰς καὶ χρόας χυμῶν· στυπτηρίας γὰρ καὶ κονίας καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων γίγνεται πλήρης δυνάμεων, δι᾿ ὧν τὰ ἠθούμενα ὕδατα ὄντα γλυκέα μεταβάλλει, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὀξέα γίγνεται, καθάπερ ἐν τῇ Σικάνῃ τῆς Σικελίας· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ὀξάλμη γίγνεται, καὶ χρῶνται καθάπερ ὄξει πρὸς ἔνια τῶν ἐδεσμάτων αὐτῷ.
For the earth, being burned more or less, takes on all kinds of shapes and colors of tastes; for it becomes full of the powers of alum, lye, and other such things, through which waters that are filtered, though being sweet, change, and some become acid, just as in Sicana of Sicily; for there an acid brine is produced, and they use it like vinegar for some of their dishes.
ἔστι δὲ καὶ περὶ Λύγκον κρήνη τις ὕδατος ὀξέος, περὶ δὲ τὴν Σκυθικὴν πικρά· τὸ δ᾿ ἀπορρέον αὐτῆς τὸν ποταμὸν εἰς ὃν εἰσβάλλει ποιεῖ πικρὸν ὅλον.
And there is also around Lyncus a spring of acid water, and around the Scythian country a bitter one; and the water flowing out of it makes the whole river into which it empties bitter.
αἱ δὲ διαφοραὶ τούτων ἐκεῖθεν δῆλαι, ποῖοι χυμοὶ ἐκ ποίων γίγνονται κράσεων· εἴρηται δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν χωρὶς ἐν ἄλλοις.
And the differences among these are clear from that, namely, what kinds of tastes arise from what kinds of mixtures; and they have been spoken of separately in other writings.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ὕδατος καὶ θαλάττης, δι᾿ ἃς αἰτίας αἰεί τε συνεχῶς εἰσι καὶ πῶς μεταβάλλουσι καὶ τίς ἡ φύσις αὐτῶν, ἔτι δ᾿ ὅσα πάθη κατὰ φύσιν αὐτοῖς συμβαίνει ποιεῖν ἢ πάσχειν, εἴρηται σχεδὸν ἡμῖν περὶ τῶν πλείστων.
Concerning water and the sea, then, for what causes they exist always and continuously, and how they change, and what their nature is, and furthermore, as many affections as happen to them to produce or suffer according to nature, we have spoken of nearly most of them.