§4.4#1Τί δέ ποτʼ ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος, ὧδʼ ἂν γένοιτο φανερόν.
What place is, then, would become clear in the following way.
λά· βωμεν δὲ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅσα δοκεῖ ἀληθῶς καθʼ αὐτὸ ὑπάρχειν αὐτῷ.
Let us assume concerning it all the properties that are thought truly to belong to it in virtue of itself.
ἀξιοῦμεν δὴ τὸν τόπον εἶναι πρῶτον μὲν περιέ· χον ἐκεῖνο οὗ τόπος ἐστί, καὶ μηδὲν τοῦ πράγματος, ἔτι τὸν πρῶτον μήτʼ ἐλάττω μήτε μείζω, ἔτι ἀπολείπεσθαι ἑκάστου καὶ χωριστόν εἶναι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις πάντα τόπον ἔχειν τὸ ἄνω καὶ κάτω, καὶ φέρεσθαι φύσει καὶ μέ· νειν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις τόποις ἕκαστον τῶν σωμάτων, τοῦτο δὲ ποιεῖν ἢ ἄνω ἢ κάτω.
We demand, then, that place is, first, that which contains that of which it is the place, and is no part of the thing; further, that the primary place is neither smaller nor greater; further, that it is left behind by each thing and is separable; and in addition to these, that every place has up and down, and that each of the bodies naturally moves to and remains in its proper place, and that it does this either up or down.
ὑποκειμένων δὲ τούτων τὰ λοιπὰ θεωρητέον.
These being assumed, the remaining things must be investigated.
δεῖ δὲ πειρᾶσθαι τὴν σκέψιν οὕτω ποιεῖσθαι ὅπως τὸ τί ἐστιν ἀποδοθήσεται, ὥστε τά τε ἀπορούμενα λύεσθαι, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ὑπάρχειν τῷ τόπῳ ὑπάρχοντα ἔσται, καὶ ἔτι τὸ τῆς δυσκολίας αἴτιον καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἀπορημάτων ἔσται φανερόν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν κάλλιστα δεικνύοιτο ἕκαστον.
And we must try to conduct the inquiry in such a way that its what-it-is will be rendered, so that the difficulties may be solved, and the things thought to belong to place will be shown to belong to it, and further, the cause of the difficulty and of the puzzles concerning it will be clear; for in this way each thing would be demonstrated in the finest manner.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν δεῖ κατανοῆσαι ὅτι οὐκ ἂν ἐζητεῖτο ὁ τόπος, εἰ μὴ κίνησις ἦν ἡ κατὰ τόπον· διὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν μάλιστʼ οἰόμεθα ἐν τόπῳ, ὅτι ἀεὶ ἐν κινήσει.
First, then, we must understand that place would not be investigated if there were no motion in respect of place; for it is chiefly because of this that we think the heaven also is in a place, because it is always in motion.
ταύτης δὲ τὸ μὲν φορά, τὸ δὲ αὔξησις καὶ φθίσις· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ αὐξήσει καὶ φθίσει μεταβάλλει, καὶ ὃ πρότερον ἦν ἐνταῦθα, πάλιν μεθέστηκεν εἰς ἔλαττον ἢ μεῖζον.
Of this motion, one kind is locomotion, and another is increase and decrease; for in increase and decrease also a change of place occurs, and what was previously here has shifted again into a smaller or greater place.
ἔστι δὲ κινούμενον τὸ μὲν καθʼ αὐτὸ ἐνεργείᾳ, τὸ δὲ κατὰ συμβεβηκός· κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς δὲ τὸ μὲν ἐνδεχόμενον κινεῖσθαι καθʼ αὐτό, οἷον τὰ μόρια τοῦ σώματος καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ ἧλος, τὰ δʼ οὐκ ἐνδεχόμενα ἀλλʼ αἰεὶ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, οἷον ἡ λευκότης καὶ ἡ ἐπιστήμη· ταῦτα γὰρ οὕτω μεταβέβληκε τὸν τόπον, ὅτι ἐν ὑπάρχουσι μεταβάλλει.
And of things in motion, some move in virtue of themselves in actuality, and others accidentally; and of those that move accidentally, some are capable of being moved in virtue of themselves, such as the parts of the body and the nail in the ship, while others are not so capable but always move accidentally, such as whiteness and knowledge; for these have changed place in this way because that in which they belong changes.
ἐπεὶ δὲ λέγομεν εἶναι ὡς ἐν τόπῳ ἐν τῷ, οὐρανῶ, διότι ἐν τῷ ἀέρι οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι δὲ οὐκ ἐν παντί, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἔσχατον αὐτοῦ καὶ περιέχον ἐν τῷ ἀέρι φαμὲν εἶναι (εἰ γὰρ πᾶς ὁ ἀὴρ τόπος, οὐκ ἂν ἴσος εἴη ἑκάστου ὁ τόπος καὶ ἕκαστον, δοκεῖ δέ γε ἴσος εἶναι, τοιοῦτος δʼ ὁ πρῶτος ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν)· ὅταν μὲν οὖν μὴ διῃρημένον ᾖ τὸ περιέχον ἀλλὰ συνεχές, οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ λέγεται εἶναι ἐν ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλʼ ὡς μέρος ἐν ὅλῳ· ὅταν δὲ διηρημένον ᾖ καὶ ἁπτόμενον, ἐν πρώτῳ ἐστὶ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ τοῦ περιέχοντος, ὃ οὔτε ἐστὶ μέρος τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ οὔτε μεῖζον τοῦ διαστήματος ἀλλʼ ἴσον· ἐν γὰρ τῷ αὐτῷ τὰ ἔσχατα τῶν ἁπτομένων.
And since we say that a thing is in the heaven as in a place, because it is in the air and this is in the heaven; and we say it is in the air, yet not in all of it, but because of its extremity and containing boundary we say it is in the air (for if all the air were the place, the place of each thing and each thing itself would not be equal, but they are thought to be equal, and such is the primary place in which a thing is); when, therefore, the container is not divided but continuous, a thing is not said to be in it as in a place, but as a part in a whole; but when it is divided and touching, it is in the primary extremity of the container, which is neither a part of what is in it nor greater than the extension, but equal to it; for the extremities of things that touch are in the same.
καὶ συνεχὲς μὲν ὄν οὐκ ἐν ἐκείνῳ κινεῖται ἀλλὰ μετʼ ἐκείνου, διηρημένον δὲ ἐν ἐκείνῳ· καὶ ἐάν τε κινῆται τὸ περιέχον ἐάν τε μή, οὐδὲν ἧττον.
And when it is continuous, it does not move in it but with it, but when divided, it moves in it; and whether the container is in motion or not, it is no less so.