§4.1212 ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ τούτων διώρισται, καθ᾿ ἕκαστον λέγωμεν τὶ σὰρξ ἢ ὀστοῦν ἢ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν· ἔχομεν γὰρ ἐξ ὧν ἡ τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν φύσις συνέστηκεν, τὰ γένη αὐτῶν, τίνος ἕκαστον γένους, διὰ τῆς γενέσεως·
12 Since we have defined these matters, let us speak of each one individually, what flesh or bone or any of the other homoeomerous parts is; for we grasp the materials from which the nature of the homoeomerous parts is composed, namely their genera, to which genus each belongs, through their generation.
ἐκ μὲν γὰρ τῶν στοιχείων τὰ ὁμοιομερῆ, ἐκ δὲ τούτων ὡς ὕλης τὰ ὅλα ἔργα τῆς φύσεως.
For the homoeomerous parts come from the elements, and from these, as matter, come the whole works of nature.
ἔστιν δ᾿ ἅπαντα ὡς μὲν ἐξ ὕλης ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων, ὡς δὲ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν τῷ λόγῳ.
All of them are from the aforementioned as matter, but in terms of essence they are defined by their formula.
ἀεὶ δὲ μᾶλλον δῆλον ἐπὶ τῶν ὑστέρων καὶ ὅλως ὅσα οἷον ὄργανα καὶ ἕνεκά του.
But this is always more evident in the case of subsequent things, and in general, in whatever things are like instruments and for the sake of something.
μᾶλλον γὰρ δῆλον ὅτι ὁ νεκρὸς ἄνθρωπος ὁμωνύμως.
For it is more evident that a dead man is so only homonymously.
οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ χείρ τελευτήσαντος ὁμωνύμως, καθάπερ καὶ αὐλοὶ λθινοι λεχθείησαν· οἷον γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα ὄργανα ἄττα 390a ἔοικεν εἶναι.
In the same way, then, the hand of a deceased person is so homonymously, just as stone flutes might be so called; for these too seem to be certain instruments.
ἧττον δ᾿ ἐπὶ σαρκὸς καὶ ὀστοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα δῆλα.
But such things are less evident in the case of flesh and bone.
ἔτι δ᾿ ἐπὶ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος ἧττον· τὸ γὰρ οὗ ἕνεκα ἥκιστα ἐνταῦθα δῆλον, ὅπου δὴ πλεῖστον τῆς ὕλης·
And still less in the case of fire and water; for the 'for the sake of which' is least evident here, where there is the greatest amount of matter.
ὥσπερ γὰρ εἰ καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα ληφθείη, ἡ μὲν ὕλη οὐδὲν ἄλλο παῤ αὐτήν, ἡ δ᾿ οὐσία οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ λόγος, τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ ἀνάλογον τῷ ἐγγύς εἶναι ἕκαστον, ἐπεὶ καὶ τούτων ὁτιοῦν ἐστιν ἕνεκά του, καὶ οὐ πάντως ἔχον ὕδωρ ἢ πῦρ, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ σὰρξ οὐδὲ σπλάγχνον.
For just as if the extremes were taken, matter is nothing else besides itself, and essence is nothing else than the formula, while the intermediates are in proportion to each being near to one or the other, since even any of these is for the sake of something, and is not water or fire in just any condition, just as neither is flesh nor viscera.
τούτων δ᾿ ἔτι μᾶλλον πρόσωπον καὶ χείρ.
And still more than these, face and hand.
ἅπαντα δ᾿ ἐστὶν ὡρισμένα τῷ ἔργῳ· τὰ μὲν γὰρ δυνάμενα ποιεῖν τὸ αὑτῶν ἔργον ἀληθῶς ἐστιν ἕκαστον, οἷον ὀφθαλμὸς εἰ ὁρᾷ, τὸ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενον ὁμωνύμως, οἷον ὁ τεθνεὼς ἢ ὁ λίθινος· οὐδὲ γὰρ πρίων ὁ ξύλινος, ἀλλ᾿ ἢ ὡς εἰκών.
But all things are defined by their function; for those things that are able to perform their own function are truly each thing, as an eye is if it sees, while that which is not able is so only homonymously, like a dead eye or a stone one; for a wooden saw is not a saw either, except as an image.
οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ σάρξ· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῆς ἧττον δῆλον ἢ τὸ τῆς γλώττης.
So too, then, is flesh; but its function is less evident than that of the tongue.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πῦρ· ἀλλ᾿ ἔτι ἧττον ἴσως δῆλον φυσικῶς ἢ τὸ τῆς σαρκὸς ἔργον.
Likewise also with fire; but its function is perhaps still less evident physically than that of flesh.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς φυτοῖς καὶ τὰ ἄψυχα, οἷον χαλκὸς καὶ ἄργυρος· πάντα γὰρ δυνάμει τινί ἐστιν ἢ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἢ τοῦ πάσχειν, ὥσπερ σὰρξ καὶ νεῦρον· ἀλλ᾿ οἱ λόγοι αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀκριβεῖς.
Likewise also with things in plants and inanimate things, such as bronze and silver; for all things exist by virtue of some power of acting or being acted upon, just as flesh and sinew do; but their formulas are not precise.
ὥστε πότε ὑπάρχει καὶ πότε οὔ, οὐ ῥᾴδιον διιδεῖν, ἂν μὴ σφόδρα ἐξίτηλον ᾖ καὶ τὰ σχήματα μόνα ᾖ λοιπά, οἷον καὶ τὰ τῶν παλαιουμένων νεκρῶν σώματα ἐξαίφνης τέφρα γίγνεται ἐν ταῖς θήκαις· καὶ καρποὶ μόνον τῷ σχήματι, τὴν δ᾿ αἴσθησιν οὐ φαίνονται, παλαιούμενοι σφόδρα· καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ γάλακτος πηγνύμενα.
Hence it is not easy to discern when they exist and when they do not, unless they are extremely decayed and only their shapes remain, just as the bodies of the ancient dead suddenly become ash in their tombs; and fruits, when very old, appear so only in shape, but do not show themselves to our senses; and likewise things congealed from milk.
τὰ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα μόρια θερμότητι καὶ ψυχρότητι καὶ ταῖς ὑπὸ τούτων κινήσεσιν ἐνδέχεται γίγνεσθαι, πηγνύμενα τῷ θερμῷ καὶ τῷ ψυχρῷλέγω δ᾿ ὅσα ὁμοιομερῆ, οἷον σάρκα, ὀστοῦν, τρίχας, νεῦρον, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· πάντα γὰρ διαφέρει ταῖς πρότερον εἰρημέναις διαφοραῖς, τάσει, ἕλξει, θραύσει, σκληρότητι, μαακότητι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς τοιούτοις· ταῦτα δὲ ὑπὸ θερμοῦ καὶ ψυχροῦ καὶ τῶν κινήσεων γίγνεται μειγνυμένων.
Now, such parts can indeed be produced by heat and cold and the movements caused by these, being congealed by the hot and the cold—I mean those that are homoeomerous, such as flesh, bone, hair, sinew, and all such things; for all of them differ by the differences previously mentioned, tension, traction, breaking, hardness, softness, and the other such properties; and these are produced by the hot and the cold and the movements of them being mixed.
τὰ δ᾿ ἐκ τούτων συνεστῶτα οὐδενὶ ἄν ἔτι δόξειεν τὰ ἀνομοιομερῆ, οἷον κεφαλὴ ἢ χεὶρ ἢ πούς, ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ καὶ τοῦ χαλκὸν μὲν ἢ ἄργυρον γενέσθαι αἰτία ψυχρότης καὶ θερμότης καὶ κίνησις, τοῦ δὲ πρίονα ἢ φιάλην ἢ κιβωτὸν οὐκέτι, ἀλλʼ ἐνταῦθα μὲν τέχνη, ἐκεῖ δὲ φύσις ἢ ἄλλη τις αἰτία.
But the things composed of these, the anhomoeomerous parts, such as a head, a hand, or a foot, would no longer seem to be produced by any such thing, but just as cold and heat and movement are the cause of the production of bronze or silver, but no longer of a saw, a cup, or a box—rather, art is the cause in the latter case, and nature or some other cause in the former.
εἰ οὖν ἔχομεν τίνος χένους ἕκαστον τῶν ὁμοιομερῶν, ληπτέον καθ᾿ ἕκαστον τὶ ἐστιν, οἷον τὶ οἷμα ἢ σὰρξ ἢ σπέρμα καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστον·
If, therefore, we grasp to which genus each of the homoeomerous parts belongs, we must find for each what it is, as what blood, flesh, or semen is, and each of the others.
οὕτω γὰρ ἴσμεν ἕκαστον διὰ τί καὶ τὶ ἐστιν, ἐὰν ἢ τὴν ὕλην ἢ τὸν λόγον ἔχωμεν, μάλιστα δ᾿ ὅταν ἄμφω τῆς τε γενέσεως καὶ φθορᾶς, καὶ πὸθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κινήσεως.
For thus we know why and what each is, if we have either the matter or the formula, and most of all when we have both of their generation and corruption, and from where the origin of their movement comes.
δηλωθέντων δὲ τούτων ὁμοίως τὰ ἀνομοιομερῆ θεωρητέον, καὶ τέλος τὰ ἐκ τούτων συνεστῶτα, οἷον ἄνθρωπον, φυτόν, καὶ τἆλλα τὰ τοιαῦτα.
These having been made clear, we must likewise study the anhomoeomerous parts, and finally the things composed of these, such as man, plant, and other such things.