§4.11 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τέτταρα αἴτια διώρισται τῶν στοιχείων, τούτων δὲ κατὰ συζυγίας καὶ τὰ στοιχεῖα τέτταρα συμβέβηκεν εἶναι, ὧν τὰ μὲν δύο ποιητικά, τὸ θερμὸν καὶ τὸ ψυχρόν, τὰ δὲ δύο παθητικά, τὸ ξηρὸν καὶ τὸ ὑγρόν· ἡ δὲ πίστις τούτων ἐκ τῆς ἐπαγωγῆς·
[1] Since four causes of the elements have been distinguished, and it turns out that the elements are also four according to their pairings, of which two are active, the hot and the cold, and two are passive, the dry and the wet; and the proof of this is from induction.
φαίνεται γὰρ ἐν πᾶσιν ἡ μὲν θερμότης καὶ ψυχρότης ὁρίζουσαι καὶ συμφύουσαι καὶ μεταβάλλουσαι τὰ θ᾿ ὁμογενῆ καὶ τὰ μὴ ὁμογενῆ, καὶ ὑγραίνουσαι καὶ ξηραίνουσαι καὶ σκληρύνουσαι καὶ μαλάττουσαι, τὰ δὲ ξηρὰ καὶ ὑγρὰ ὁριζόμενα καὶ τἆλλα τὰ εἰρημένα πάθη πάσχοντα αὐτά τε καθ᾿ αὑτὰ καὶ ὅσα κοινὰ ἐξ ἀμφοῖν σώματα συνέστηκεν·
For in all things it is apparent that heat and cold determine, combine, and change both homogeneous and non-homogeneous things, and moisten, dry, harden, and soften them; while the dry and the wet are determined and undergo the other mentioned affections, both by themselves and in all the common bodies composed of both.
ἔτι δ᾿ ἐκ τῶν λόγων δῆλον, οἷς ὁριζόμεθα τὰς φύσεις αὐτῶν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ θερμὸν καὶ ψυχρὸν ὡς ποιητικὰ λέγομεν (τὸ γὰρ συγκριτικὸν ὥσπερ ποιητικόν τὶ ἐστι), τὸ δὲ ὑγρὸν καὶ ξηρὸν παθητικόν (τὸ γὰρ εὐόριστον καὶ δυσόριστον τῷ πάσχειν τι λέγεται τὴν φύσιν αὐτῶν)·
Moreover, it is clear from the definitions by which we define their natures; for we speak of the hot and the cold as active (for combining is a sort of active process), and the wet and the dry as passive (for being easy or difficult to determine is said of their nature by virtue of undergoing something).
ὅτι μὲν οὖν τὰ μὲν ποιητικὰ τὰ δὲ παθητικά, φανερόν·
That some, then, are active and others passive is clear.
διωρισμένων δὲ τούτων ληπτέον ἂν εἴη τὰς ἐργασίας αὐτῶν, αἷς ἐργάζονται τὰ ποιητικά, καὶ τῶν παθητικῶν τὰ εἴδη.
Having distinguished these, we must understand their operations by which the active elements operate, and the kinds of passive elements.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν καθόλου ἡ ἁπλῆ γένεσις καὶ ἡ φυσικὴ μεταβολὴ τούτων τῶν δυνάμεών ἐστιν ἔργον, καὶ ἡ ἀντικειμένη φθορὰ κατὰ φύσιν.
First, then, generally, simple generation and natural change are the work of these active powers, and so is the opposite natural destruction.
αὗται μὲν οὖν τοῖς τε φυτοῖς ὑπάρχουσι καὶ ζῴοις καὶ τοῖς μέρεσιν αὐτῶν.
These belong both to plants and to animals and to their parts.
ἔστι δ᾿ ἡ ἁπλῆ καὶ ἡ φυσικὴ γένεσις μεταβολὴ ὑπὸ τούτων τῶν δυνάμεων, ὅταν ἔχωσι λόγον, ἐκ τῆς ὑποκειμένης ὕλης ἐκάστῃ φύσει· αὗται δ᾿ εἰσὶν αἱ εἰρημέναι δυνάμεις παθητικαί.
And simple and natural generation is a change by these powers, when they have their proper ratio (logos), from the underlying matter for each nature; and these latter are the mentioned passive powers.
γεννῶσι δὲ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ ψυχρὸν κρατοῦντα τῆς ὕλης· ὅταν δὲ μὴ κρατῇ, κατὰ μέρος μὲν μόλυνσις καὶ ἀπεψία γίγνεται.
The hot and the cold generate when they master the matter; but when they do not master it, there occurs in part rawing and indigestion.
τῇ δ᾿ ἁπλῇ γενέσει ἐναντίον μάλιστα κοινὸν σῆψις· πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κατὰ φύσιν φθορὰ εἰς τοῦθ᾿ ὁδός ἐστιν, οἷον γῆρας καὶ αὔανσις.
The most common opposite of simple generation is putrefaction; for all natural destruction is a path towards this, such as old age and drying up.
τέλος δὲ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων τούτων σαπρότης, ἐὰν μή τι βίᾳ φθαρῇ τῶν φύσει συνεστώτων· ἔστιν γὰρ καὶ σάρκα καὶ ὀστοῦν καὶ ὁτιοῦν κατακαῦσαι, ὧν τὸ τέλος τῆς κατὰ φύσιν φθορᾶς σῆψίς ἐστιν.
And the end of all these other things is putridity, unless something composed by nature is destroyed by violence; for it is possible to burn up even flesh and bone and anything else, of which the end of natural destruction is putrefaction.
διὸ ὑγρὰ πρῶτον, εἶτα ξηρὰ τέλος γίγνεται τὰ σηπόμενα· ἐκ τούτων γὰρ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὡρίσθη τῷ ὑγρῷ τὸ ξηρὸν ἐργαζομένων τῶν ποιητικῶν.
Wherefore those things which putrefy become first wet, and then dry at the end; for from these they were generated, and the dry was determined by the wet through the operation of the active powers.
γίγνεται δ᾿ ἡ φθορὰ ὅταν κρατῇ τοῦ ὁρίζοντος τὸ ὁριζόμενον διὰ τὸ περιέχον. (οὐ μὴν ἀλλ᾿ ἰδίως γε λέγεται σῆψις ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος φθειρομένων, ὅταν χωρισθῇ τῆς φύσεως. ) διὸ καὶ σήπεται πάντα τἆλλα πλὴν πυρός· καὶ γὰρ γῆ καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ ἀὴρ σήπεται· πάντα γὰρ ὕλη τῷ πυρί ἐστι ταῦτα.
And destruction occurs when the determined masters the determining because of the environment. (Nevertheless, putrefaction is spoken of particularly in the case of things that are destroyed in part, when they are separated from their nature.) Wherefore all other things except fire putrefy; for earth, water, and air putrefy; for all these are matter for fire.
σῆψις δ᾿ ἐστὶν φθορὰ τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ ὑγρῷ οἰκείας καὶ κατὰ φύσιν θερμότητος ὑπ᾿ ἀλλοτρίας θερμότητος· αὕτη δ᾿ ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ περιέχοντος.
And putrefaction is the destruction of the proper and natural heat in each wet thing by foreign heat, which is that of the environment.
ὥστε ἐπεὶ κατ᾿ ἔνδειαν πάσχει θερμοῦ, ἐνδεὲς δὲ ὂν τοιαύτης δυνάμεως ψυχρὸν πᾶν, ἄμφω ἂν αἴτια εἴη, καὶ κοινὸν τὸ πάθος ἡ σῆψις, ψυχρότητός τε οἰκείας καὶ θερμότητος ἀλλοτρίας.
So since it suffers from a lack of heat, and everything lacking in such power is cold, both would be causes, and putrefaction is a common affection of proper coldness and foreign heat.
διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ξηρότερα γίγνεται τὰ σηπόμενα πάντα, καὶ τέλος γῆ καὶ κόπρος· ἐξιόντος γὰρ τοῦ οἰκείου θερμοῦ συνεξατμίζεται τὸ κατὰ φύσιν ὑγρόν, καὶ τὸ σπῶν τὴν ὑγρότητα οὐκ ἔστιν· ἐπάγει γὰρ ἕλκουσα ἡ οἰκεία θερμότης.
For this reason all putrefying things become drier, and in the end earth and dung; for as the proper heat departs, the natural wet is evaporated with it, and there is nothing to draw the wetness; for the proper heat leads by drawing it.
καὶ ἐν τοῖς ψύχεσι δ᾿ ἧττον σήπεται ἢ ἐν ταῖς ἀλέαις (ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ χειμῶνι ὀλίγον ἐν τῷ περιέχοντι ἀέρι καὶ ὕδατι τὸ θερμόν, ὥστ᾿ οὐδὲν ἰσχύει, ἐν δὲ τῷ θέρει πλέον)· καὶ οὔτε τὸ πεπηγός (μᾶλλον γὰρ ψυχρὸν ἢ ὁ ἀὴρ θερμόν· οὔκουν κρατεῖται, τὸ δὲ κινοῦν κρατεῖ) οὔτε τὸ ζέον ἢ θερμὸν (ἐλάττων γὰρ ἡ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι θερμότης τῆς ἐν τῷ πράγματι, ὥστ᾿ οὐ κρατεῖ οὐδὲ ποιεῖ μεταβολὴν οὐδεμίαν).
And in cold weather things putrefy less than in warmth (for in winter there is little heat in the surrounding air and water, so that it has no power, but in summer there is more); and neither does what is frozen (for it is colder than the air is hot, so it is not mastered, and what moves masters) nor what is boiling or hot (for the heat in the air is less than that in the object, so that it does not master nor make any change).
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ κινούμενον καὶ ῥέον ἧττον σήπεται τοῦ ἀκινητίζοντος· ἀσθενεστέρα γὰρ γίγνεται ἡ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ ἀέρι θερμότητος κίνησις τῆς ἐν τῷ πράγματι προϋπαρχούσης, ὥστε οὐδὲν ποιεῖ μεταβάλλειν, ἡ δ᾿ αὐτὴ αἰτία καὶ τοῦ τὸ πολὺ ἧττον τοῦ ὀλίγου σήπεσθαι·
Likewise, what is in motion and flowing putrefy less than what is stationary; for the motion caused by the heat in the air becomes weaker than the pre-existing motion in the object, so that it does nothing to cause change.
ἐν γὰρ τῷ πλέονι πλέον ἐστὶν πῦρ οἰκεῖον καὶ ψυχρὸν ἢ ὥστε κρατεῖν τὰς ἐν τῷ περιεστῶτι δυνάμεις.
And the same cause is also why a large quantity putrefies much less than a small one; for in the greater quantity there is more proper fire and cold than the powers in the environment can master.
διὸ ἡ θάλαττα κατὰ μέρος μὲν διαιρουμένη ταχὺ σήπεται, ἅπασα δ᾿ οὔ, καὶ τἆλλα ὕδατα ὡσαύτως.
Wherefore the sea when divided in part putrefies quickly, but as a whole it does not, and other waters likewise.
καὶ ζῷα ἐγγίγνεται τοῖς σηπομένοις διὰ τὸ τὴν ἀποκεκριμένην θερμότητα φυσικὴν οὖσαν συνιστάναι τὰ ἐκκριθέντα.
And living things are generated in putrefying things because the separated heat, being natural, combines the excreted parts.
τί μὲν οὖν ἐστι γένεσις καὶ τί φθορά, εἴρηται.
What generation is, then, and what destruction is, has been stated.