§4.9#3καὶ τὰ μὲν καυστὰ ἐστιν τὰ δὲ ἄκαυστα, οἷον ξύλον μὲν καυστὸν καὶ ἔριον καὶ ὀστοῦν, λίθος δὲ καὶ κρύσταλλος ἄκαυστον.
And some things are combustible and others incombustible, as wood, wool, and bone are combustible, while stone and ice are incombustible.
ἔστιν δὲ καυστὰ ὅσα ἔχει πόρους δεκτικοὺς πυρὸς καὶ ὑγρότητα ἐν τοῖς κατʼ εὐθυωρίαν πόροις ἀσθενεστέραν πυρός.
And combustible are those which have pores receptive of fire, and moisture in their straight pores weaker than fire.
ὅσα δὲ μὴ ἔχει ἢ ἰσχυροτέραν, οἷον κρύσταλλος καὶ τὰ σφόδρα χλωρά, ἄκαυστα.
But those which do not have them, or have moisture stronger, as ice and very green things, are incombustible.
θυμιατὰ δʼ ἐστὶ τῶν σωμάτων ὅσα ὑγρότητα ἔχει μέν, οὕτω δʼ ἔχει ὥστε μὴ ἐξατμίζειν πυρουμἔνων χωρίς· ἔστιν γὰρ ἀτμὶς ἡ ὑπὸ θερμοῦ καυστικοῦ εἰς ἀέρα καὶ πνεῦμα ἔκκρισις ἐξ ὑγροῦ διαντική.
And fuming are those of the bodies which have moisture, but have it in such a way as not to evaporate without being burnt; for vapor is an exhalation from moisture, which is of a moistening nature, separated and discharged into air and wind by burning heat.
τὰ δὲ θυμιατὰ χρόνῳ εἰς ἀέρα ἐκκρίνεται, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἀφανιζόμενα ξηρά, τὰ δὲ γῆ γίγνεται.
But fuming things are discharged in time into air, and some disappear and become dry, while others become earth.
διαφέρει δʼ αὕτη ἡ ἔκκρισις, ὅτι οὔτε διαίνει οὔτε πνεῦμα γίγνεται.
And this discharge differs in that it neither moistens nor becomes wind.
ἔστιν δὲ πνεῦμα ῤύσις συνεχὴς ἀέρος ἐπὶ μῆκος·
And wind is a continuous flow of air in length.
θυμίασις δʼ ἐστὶν ἡ ὑπὸ θερμοῦ καυστικοῦ κοινὴ ἔκκρισις ξηροῦ καὶ ὑγροῦ ἀθρόως· διόπερ οὐ διαίνει, ἀλλὰ χρωματίζει μᾶλλον.
But fuming is the joint discharge of the dry and the moist all at once by burning heat; therefore it does not moisten, but rather colors.
ἔστι δʼ ἡ μὲν ξυλώδους σώματος θυμίασις καπνός.
And the fuming of a woody body is smoke.
λέγω γὰρ καὶ ὀστᾶ καὶ τρίχας καὶ πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐν ταὐτῷ· οὐ γὰρ κεῖται ὄνομα κοινόν, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἀναλογίαν ὅμως ἐν ταὐτῷ πάντʼ ἐστίν, ὥσπερ καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς φησιν “ταὐτὰ τρίχες καὶ φύλλα καὶ οἰωνῶν πτερὰ πυκνὰ καὶ λοπίδες γίγνονται ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν. ” ἡ δὲ πίονος θυμίασις λιγνύς, ἡ δὲ λιπαροῦ κνῖσα.
For I speak also of bones and hair and all such things in the same category; for no common name has been established, but nevertheless by analogy they are all in the same category, just as Empedocles also says: "The same things, hair and leaves and the thick feathers of birds and scales, grow upon strong limbs." And the fuming of a fatty thing is soot, while that of an oily thing is greasy steam.
διὰ τοῦτο τὸ ἔλαιον οὐχ ἕψεται οὐδὲ παχύνεται, ὅτι θυμιαιτόν ἐστιν ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀτμιστόν· ὕδωρ δʼ οὐ θυμιατὸν ἀλλʼ ἀτμιστόν.
For this reason oil does not boil or thicken, because it is fuming but not evaporating; whereas water is not fuming but evaporating.
οἶνος δʼ ὁ μὲν γλυκὺς θυμιᾶται.
And of wine, sweet wine fumes.
πίων γάρ, καὶ ταὐτὰ ποιεῖ τῷ ἐλαίῳ· οὔτε γὰρ ὑπὸ ψύχους πήγνυται, καίεταί τε.
For it is fatty, and does the same as oil; for it is not congealed by cold, and it burns.
ἔστιν δὲ ὀνόματι οἶνος, ἔργῳ δʼ οὐκ ἔστιν· οὐ γὰρ οἰνώδης ὁ χυμός· διὸ οὐ μεθύσκει, ὁ τυχὼν δʼ οἶνος (μικρὰν δʼ ἔχει θυμίασιν· διὸ ἀνίησιν φλόγα).
But it is wine in name, but in fact it is not; for its juice is not winy; therefore it does not intoxicate, whereas ordinary wine [does, but] (has little fuming exhalation; hence it gives off a flame).
καυστὰ δὲ δοκεῖ εἶναι ὅσα εἰς τέφραν διαλύεται τῶν σωμάτων.
And those of the bodies which dissolve into ash seem to be combustible.
πάσχει δὲ τοῦτο πάντα ὅσα πέπηγεν ἢ ὑπὸ θερμοῦ ἢ ὑπʼ ἀμφοῖν, ψυχροῦ καὶ θερμοῦ· ταῦτα γὰρ φαίνεται κρατούμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός· ἥκιστα δὲ τῶν λίθων ἡ σφραγίς, ὁ καλούμενος ἄνθραξ.
And all those undergo this which have been congealed either by heat or by both, cold and heat; for these appear to be mastered by fire; but least of all stones is the seal-stone, the one called carbuncle.
τῶν δὲ καυστῶν τὰ μὲν φλογιστά ἐστιν τὰ δʼ ἀφλόγιστα· τούτων δʼ ἔνια ἀνθρακευτά.
And of combustible things, some are flammable and others non-flammable; and some of these are coal-forming.
φλογιστὰ μὲν οὖν ὅσα φλόγα δύναται παρέχεσθαι· ὅσα δὲ ἀδύνατα, ἀφλόγιστα.
Flammable, then, are those which can produce a flame; and those which are unable, are non-flammable.
ἔστι δὲ φλογιστὰ ὅσα μὴ ὑγρὰ ὄντα θυμιατά ἐστιν· πίττα δὲ ἢ ἔλαιον ἢ κηρὸς μᾶλλον μετʼ ἄλλων ἢ καθʼ αὑτὰ φλογιστά· μάλιστα δʼ ὅσα καπνὸν ἀνίησιν.
And flammable are those fuming things which are not liquid; but pitch, oil, or wax are flammable rather with other things than by themselves; and most of all those which give off smoke.
ἀνθρακευτὰ δʼ ὅσα τῶν τοιούτων γῆς πλέον ἔχει ἢ καπνοῦ, ἔτι δʼ ἔνια τηκτὰ ὄντα οὐ φλογιστά ἐστιν, οἷον χαλκός, καὶ φλογιστὰ οὐ τηκτά, οἷον ξύλον, τὰ δʼ ἄμφω, οἶον λιβανωτός.
And coal-forming are those of such things which have more of earth than of smoke, and furthermore some being meltable are not flammable, as bronze, and some are flammable but not meltable, as wood, while others are both, as frankincense.
αἴτιον δʼ ὅτι τὰ μὲν ξύλα ἀθρόον ἔχει τὸ ὑγρόν, καὶ διʼ ὅλου συνεχές ἐστιν, ὥστε διακάεσθαι, ὁ δὲ χαλκὸς παρʼ ἕκαστον μὲν μέρος, οὐ συνεχὲς δέ, καὶ ἔλαττον ὥστε φλόγα ποιῆσαι· ὁ δὲ λιβανωτὸς τῇ μὲν οὕτως τῇ δʼ ἐκείνως ἔχει.
And the cause is that wood has its moisture all at once, and it is continuous throughout, so as to burn through, whereas bronze has it in each part but not continuous, and too little to produce a flame; but frankincense is in one way thus, and in another way thus.
φλογιστὰ δʼ ἐστὶν τῶν θυμιατῶν ὅσα μὴ τηκτά ἐστιν διὰ τὸ μᾶλλον εἶναι γῆς. (τὸ ξηρὸν γὰρ ἔχει κοινὸν τῷ πυρί· τοῦτʼ οὖν θερμὸν ἄν γένηται τὸ ξηρόν, πῦρ γίγνεται.
And those of the fuming things which are not meltable are flammable because they are more of earth. (For the dry is held in common with fire; if, then, this dry becomes hot, it becomes fire.
διὰ τοῦτο ἡ φλὸξ πνεῦμα ἢ καπνὸς καόμενός ἐστιν. ) ξύλων μὲν οὖν ἡ θυμίασις καπνός, κηροῦ δὲ καὶ λιβανωτοῦ καὶ τῶν τοιούτων καὶ πίττης, καὶ ὅσα ἔχει πίτταν ἢ τοιαῦτα, λιγνύς, ἐλαίου δὲ καὶ ὅσα ἐλαιώδη, κνῖσα, καὶ ὅσα ἥκιστα καίεται μόνα, ὅτι ὀλίγον ξηροῦ ἔχει, ἡ δὲ μετάβασις διὰ τούτου, μετὰ δʼ ἑτέρου τάχιστα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ πῖον, ξηρὸν λιπαρόν.
For this reason flame is burning wind or smoke.) Of wood, then, the fuming is smoke, while of wax, frankincense, such things, and pitch, and those which contain pitch or such things, it is soot, and of oil and oily things, it is greasy steam, and those which are least burnt alone, because they have little of the dry (and transition is through this), but with another thing they burn most quickly; for this is the fatty, the dry-greasy.
τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐκθυμιώμενα τῶν ὑγρῶν ὑγροῦ μᾶλλον, ὡς ἔλαιον καὶ πίττα, τὰ δὲ καόμενα ξηροῦ.
Of liquids, then, those which are exhaled as fumes have more of the moist, as oil and pitch, while those which are burnt have more of the dry.