§4.5Ὧι μὲν οὖν σώματι ἔστι τι ἐκτὸς σῶμα περιέχον αὐτό, τοῦτο ἔστιν ἐν τόπῳ, ᾧ δὲ μή, οὔ.
Therefore, for a body which has some body outside containing it, this is in place, but for one which does not, it is not.
διὸ κἂν ὕδωρ γένηται τοι· οῦτο, τὰ μὲν μόρια κινήσεται αὐτοῦ (περιέχεται γὰρ ὑπʼ ἀλλήλων, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ἔστι μὲν ὡς κινήσεται ἔστι δʼ ὡς οὔ.
Therefore, even if water should become such, its parts will move (for they are contained by one another), but the whole will in one way move and in another way not.
ὡς μὲν γὰρ ὅλον, ἅμα τὸν τόπον οὐ μεταβάλλει, κύκλῳ δὲ κινεῖται—τῶν μορίων γὰρ οὗτος ὁ τόπος—καὶ ἄνω μὲν καὶ κάτω οὔ, κύκλῳ δʼ ἔνια· τὰ δὲ καὶ ἄνω καὶ κάτω, ὅσα ἔχει πύκνωσιν καὶ μάνωσιν.
For as a whole, it does not change its place at the same time, but it moves in a circle —for this is the place of the parts—and not up and down, but some of them in a circle; and others also up and down, as many as have condensation and rarefaction.
ὥσπερ δʼ ἐλέχθη, τὰ μέν ἐστιν ἐν τόπῳ κατὰ δύναμιν, τὰ δὲ κατʼ ἐνέργειαν.
And as was said, some things are in place potentially, and others actually.
διὸ ὅταν μὲν συνεχὲς ᾖ τὸ ὁμοιμερές, κατὰ δύναμιν ἐν τόπῳ τὰ μέρη. ὅταν δὲ χωρισθῇ μὲν ἅπτηται δʼ ὥσπερ σωρός, κατʼ ἐνέργειαν.
Therefore, when the homoeomerous thing is continuous, its parts are in place potentially; but when they are separated and yet touch like a heap, they are in place actually.
καὶ τὰ μὲν καθʼ αὐτά (οἷον πᾶν σῶμα ἢ κατὰ φορὰν ἢ κατʼ αὔξησιν κινητὸν καθʼ αὐτό που, ὁ δʼ οὐρανός, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, οὔ που ὅλος οὐδʼ ἔν τινι τόπῳ ἐστίν, εἴ γε μηδὲν αὐτὸν περιέχει σῶμα· ἐφʼ δὲ κινεῖται, ταύτῃ καὶ τόπος ἔστι τοῖς μορίοις· ἕτερον γὰρ ἑτέρου ἐχόμενον τῶν μορίων ἐστίν)· τὰ δὲ κατὰ συμβεβηκός, οἷον ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ οὐρανός· τὰ γὰρ μόρια ἐν τόπῳ πως πάντα· ἐπὶ τῷ κύκλῳ γὰρ περιέχει ἄλλο ἄλλο.
And some things are so of themselves (for instance, every body movable of itself either in respect of locomotion or of growth is somewhere; but the heaven, as has been said, is not somewhere as a whole, nor is it in any place, since no body contains it; but in the direction in which it moves, in this direction there is also place for its parts, for one of the parts is contiguous to another); while other things are so accidentally, such as the soul and the heaven; for all the parts are in a way in place, since on the circle one contains another.
διὸ κινεῖται μὲν κύκλῳ τὸ ἄνω, τὸ δὲ πᾶν οὔ που.
Therefore the upper part moves in a circle, but the whole is not somewhere.
τὺ γάρ που αὐτό τέ ἐστί τι, καὶ ἔτι ἄλλο τι δεῖ εἶναι παρὰ τοῦτο ἐν ᾧ, ὃ περιέχει· παρὰ δὲ τὸ πᾶν καὶ ὅλον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἔξω τοῦ παντός, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ πάντα· ὁ γὰρ οὐρανὸς τὸ πᾶν ἴσως.
For that which is somewhere is itself something, and there must further be something else besides this in which it is, which contains it; but besides the all and whole there is nothing outside the all, and for this reason all things are in the heaven; for the heaven is perhaps the all.
ἔστι δʼ ὁ τόπος οὐχ ὁ οὐρανός, ἀλλὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τι τὸ ἔσχατον καὶ ἁπτόμενον τοῦ κινητοῦ σώματος.
And place is not the heaven, but some extremity of the heaven which touches the movable body.
καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἡ μὲν γῇ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, τοῦτο δʼ ἐν τῷ ἀέρι, οὗτος δʼ ἐν τῷ αἰθέρι, ὁ δʼ αἰθὴρ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῶ. ὁ δʼ οὐρανὸς οὐκέτι ἐν ἄλλῳ.
And for this reason the earth is in the water, and this in the air, and this in the ether, and the ether in the heaven; but the heaven is no longer in another.
φανερὸν δʼ ἐκ τούτων ὅτι καὶ
αἱ ἀπορίαι πᾶσαι λύοιντʼ ἂν οὕτω λεγομένου τοῦ τόπου, οὔτε γὰρ συναύξεσθαι ἀνάγκη τὸν τόπον, οὕτε στιγμῆς εἶναι τόπον, οὔτε δύο σώματα ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τόπῳ, οὔτε διάστημά τι εἶναι σωματικόν (σῶμα γὰρ τὸ μεταξὺ τοῦ τόπου τὸ τυχόν, ἀλλʼ οὐ διάστημα σώματος).
And it is clear from these things that all the difficulties would also be solved when place is spoken of in this way; for neither is it necessary that place grows together with the thing, nor that there is a place of a point, nor that two bodies are in the same place, nor that there is some bodily extension (for that which is between the place is any body that happens to be there, but not an extension of a body).
καὶ ἔστιν ὁ τόπος καὶ πού, οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ δέ, ἀλλʼ ὡς τὸ πέρας ἐν τῷ πεπερασμένῳ.
And place is also somewhere, yet not as in a place, but as the limit is in the limited.
οὐ γὰρ πᾶν τὸ ὂν ἐν τόπῳ, ἀλλὰ τὸ κινητὸν σῶμα.
For not everything that is is in place, but only the movable body.
καὶ φέρεται δὴ εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ τόπον ἕκαστον εὐλόγως (ὃ γὰρ ἐφεξῆς καὶ ἁπτόμενον μὴ βίᾳ, συγγενές· καὶ συμπεφυκότα μὲν ἀπαθῆ, ἁπτόμενα δὲ παθητικὰ καὶ ποιητικὰ ἀλλήλων)· καὶ μένει δὴ φύσει πᾶν ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ τόπῳ οὐκ ἀλόγως· καὶ γὰρ τὸ μέρος, τὸ δὲ ἐν τόπῳ ὡς διαιρετὸν μέρος πρὸς ὅλον ἐστίν, οἷον ὅταν ὕδατος κινήση τις μόριον ἢ ἀέρος.
And each thing is carried to its own place with good reason (for that which is consecutive and touches without force is kindred; and things that are grown together are unaffected, but those that touch are passive and active towards one another); and indeed everything remains by nature in its proper place not without reason; for so does the part, and that which is in place is as a divisible part in relation to a whole, as when one moves a part of water or of air.
οὕτω δὲ καὶ ἀὴρ ἔχει πρὸς ὕδωρ· οἷον ὕλη γάρ, τὸ δὲ εἶδος, τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ ὕλη ἀέρος, ὁ δʼ ἀὴρ οἷον ἐνέργειά τις ἐκείνου· τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ δυνάμει ἀήρ ἐστιν, ὁ δʼ ἀὴρ δυνάμει ὕδωρ ἄλλον τρόπον.
And in this way also air is related to water; for it is as matter, and the other as form: water is the matter of air, and air is as it were a certain actuality of that; for water is potentially air, and air is potentially water in another way.
διοριστέον δὲ περὶ τούτων ὕστερον· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἀνάγκη μὲν εἰπεῖν, ἀσαφῶς δὲ νῦν ῥηθὲν τότʼ ἔσται σαφέστερον.
But we must determine about these things later; but because of the present occasion it is necessary to speak, and what is now said obscurely will then be clearer.
εἰ οὖν τὸ αὐτὸ ὕλη καὶ ἐντελέχεια (ὕδωρ γὰρ ἄμφω, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν δυνάμει τὸ δʼ ἐντελεχείᾳ, ἔχοι ἂν ὡς μόριόν πως πρὸς ὅλον.
If then the same thing is matter and actuality (for both are water, but the one potentially and the other actually), it would be related in a way as a part to a whole.
διὸ καὶ τούτοις ἁφὴ ἔστιν· σύμφυσις δέ, ὅταν ἄμφω ἐνεργείᾳ ἓν γένωνται.
Therefore also for these there is contact; but there is coalescence when both become one actually.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τόπου, καὶ ὅτι ἔστι καὶ τί ἐστιν, εἴρηται.
And concerning place, both that it exists and what it is, has been said.