§6.1Εἰ δʼ ἐστὶ συνεχὲς καὶ ἁπτόμενον καὶ ἐφεξῆς, ὡς διώρισται πρότερον, συνεχῆ μὲν ὧν τὰ ἔσχατα ἕν, ἁπτόμενα δʼ ὧν ἅμα, ἐφεξῆς δʼ ὧν μηδὲν μεταξὺ συγγενές. ἀδύνατον ἐξ ἀδιαιρέτων εἶναί τι συνεχές, οἷον γραμμὴν ἐκ στιγμῶν, εἴπερ ἡ γραμμὴ μὲν συνεχές, ἡ στιγμὴ δὲ ἀδιαίρετον.
If 'continuous', 'in contact', and 'successive' are as previously defined—namely, continuous are those things whose extremities are one, in contact are those whose extremities are together, and successive are those between which there is nothing of the same kind—it is impossible for anything continuous to be composed of indivisibles, for example, a line of points, if indeed a line is continuous and a point is indivisible.
οὔτε γὰρ ἓν τὰ ἔσχατα τῶν στιγμῶν (οὐ γάρ ἐστι τὸ μὲν ἔσχατον τὸ δʼ ἄλλο τι μόριον τοῦ ἀδιαιρέτου), οὔθ᾿ ἅμα τὰ ἔσχατα (οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἔσχατον τοῦ ἀμεροῦς οὐδέν· ἕτερον γὰρ τὸ ἔσχατον καὶ οὗ ἔσχατον).
For neither are the extremities of points one (since of an indivisible there is not one part which is the extremity and another part which is something else), nor are their extremities together (since there is no extremity at all of that which has no parts, for the extremity is different from that of which it is the extremity).
ἔτι δʼ ἀνάγκη ἤτοι συνεχεῖς εἶναι τὰς στιγμὰς ἢ ἁπτομένας ἀλλήλων, ἐξ ὧν ἐστι τὸ συνεχές· ὁ δʼ αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν ἀδιαιρέτων.
Furthermore, it is necessary that the points from which the continuous is composed should be either continuous or in contact with one another; and the same argument applies to all indivisibles.
συνεχεῖς μὲν δὴ οὐκ ἂν εἶεν διὰ τὸν εἰρημένον λόγον· ἅπτεται δʼ ἅπαν ἢ ὅλον ὅλου ἢ μέρος μέρους ἢ ὅλου μέρος.
Now they cannot be continuous for the reason already mentioned; and everything that is in contact is in contact either as whole with whole, or as part with part, or as part with whole.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀμερὲς τὸ ἀδιαίρετον, ἀνάγκη ὅλον ὅλου ἅπτεσθαι.
But since the indivisible has no parts, they must be in contact as whole with whole.
ὅλον δʼ ὅλου ἁπτόμενον οὐκ ἔσται συνεχές. τὸ γὰρ συνεχὲς ἔχει τὸ μὲν ἄλλο τὸ δʼ ἄλλο μέρος, καὶ διαιρεῖται εἰς οὕτως ἕτερα καὶ τόπῳ κεχωρισμένα.
But that which is in contact as whole with whole will not be continuous; for the continuous has one part and another part, and is divided into parts that are thus different and spatially separated.
ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐφεξῆς ἔσται στιγμὴ στιγμῇ ἢ τὸ νῦν τῷ νῦν, ὥστʼ ἐκ τούτων εἶναι τὸ μῆκος ἢ τὸν χρόνον·
Moreover, neither can point be successive to point, nor the 'now' to the 'now', so that length or time should be composed of them.
ἐφεξῆς μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ὧν μηθέν ἐστι μεταξὺ συγγενές, στιγμῶν δʼ αἰεὶ μεταξὺ γραμμὴ καὶ τῶν νῦν χρόνος.
For things are successive when there is nothing of the same kind between them; but between points there is always a line, and between 'nows' there is always time.
ἔτι διαιροῖτʼ ἂν εἰς ἀδιαίρετα, εἴπερ ἐξ ὧν ἐστιν ἑκάτερον, εἰς ταῦτα διαιρεῖται· ἀλλʼ οὐθὲν ἦν τῶν συνεχῶν εἰς ἀμερῆ διαιρετόν.
Furthermore, they would be divided into indivisibles, if indeed each is divided into those things of which it is composed; but none of the continuous things was divisible into partless things.
ἄλλο δὲ γένος οὐχ οἷόν τʼ εἶναι μεταξὺ.
Nor is it possible for there to be any other kind of thing between them.
ἢ γὰρ ἀδιαίρετον ἔσται ἢ διαιρετόν, καὶ εἰ διαιρετόν, ἢ εἰς ἀδιαίρετα ἢ εἰς ἀεὶ διαιρετά· τοῦτο δὲ συνεχές.
For it must be either indivisible or divisible, and if divisible, either into indivisibles or into always divisibles; and this latter is continuous.
φανερὸν δὲ καὶ ὅτι πᾶν συνεχὲς διαιρετὸν εἰς αἰεὶ διαιρετά· εἰ γὰρ εἰς ἀδι. αίρετα, ἔσται ἀδιαίρετον ἀδιαιρέτου ἁπτόμενον· ἓν γὰρ τὰ ἔσχατον καὶ ἅπτεται τῶν συνεχῶν.
It is also manifest that every continuous thing is divisible into always divisibles; for if it were divided into indivisibles, there would be an indivisible in contact with an indivisible, since the extremity of continuous things is one and in contact.
τοῦ δʼ αὐτοῦ λόγου
μέγεθος καὶ χρόνον καὶ κίνησιν ἐξ ἀδιωαιρέτων συγκεῖσθαι, καὶ διαιρεῖσθαι εἰς ἀδιαίρετα, ἢ μηθέν.
It belongs to the same argument that magnitude, time, and motion are composed of indivisibles, and are divided into indivisibles, or none of them are.
δῆλον δʼ ἐκ τῶνδε.
This is clear from the following.
εἰ γὰρ τὸ μέγεθος ἐξ ἀδιαιρέτων σύγκειται, καὶ ἡ κίνησις ἡ τούτου ἐξ ἴσων κινήσεων 'ἔσται ἀδιαιρέτων, οἷον εἰ τὸ ΑΒΓ ἐκ τῶν ΑΒΓ ἐστὶν ἀδιαιρέτων, ἡ κίνησις ἐφʼ ἦς ΔΕΖ, ἣν ἐκινήθη τὸ Ω ἐπὶ τῆς ΑΒΓ, ἕκαστον τὸ μέρος ἔχει ἀδιαίρετον.
For if magnitude is composed of indivisibles, the motion over it will also be composed of equal indivisible motions; for example, if the magnitude ABC is composed of the indivisible parts A, B, C, the motion DEF, which the moving body O moved over ABC, will have each of its parts indivisible.
εἰ δὴ παρούσης κινήσεως ἀνάγκη κινεῖσθαί τι, καὶ εἰ κινεῖταί τι, παρεῖναι κίνησιν, καὶ τὸ κινεῖσθαι ἔσται ἐξ ἀδι. αιρέτων.
If, then, when motion is present it is necessary that something should be in motion, and if when something is in motion motion must be present, then the being in motion will also be composed of indivisibles.
τὸ μὲν δὴ Α ἐκινήθη τὸ Ω τὴν τὸ Δ κινούμενον·
Thus O moved over A by performing the motion D, over B by performing E, and over C likewise by performing Z.
κίνησιν, τὸ δὲ Β τὴν τὸ Ε, καὶ τὸ Γ ὡσαύτως τὴν τὸ Ζ. εἰ δὴ ἀνάγκη τὸ κινούμενον ποθέν ποι μὴ ἅμα κινεῖσθαι καὶ κεκινῆσθαι οὗ ἐκινεῖτο ὅτε ἐκινεῖτο (οἷον εἰ Θήβαζέ τι βαδίζει, ἀδύνατον ἅμα βαδίζειν Θήβαζε καὶ βεβαδικέναι Θήβαζε, τὴν δὲ τὸ Α τὴν ἀμερῆ ἐκινεῖτο τὸ Ω, ἧ ἡ τὸ Δ κίνησις παρῆν· ὥστʼ εἰ μὲν ὕστερον διεληλύθει ἢ διῄει, διαιρετὴ ἂν εἴη (ὅτε γὰρ διῄει, οὔτε ἠρέμει οὔτε διεληλύθει, ἀλλὰ μεταξὺ ἦν), εἰ δʼ ἄμα διέρχεται καὶ διελήλυθε, τὸ βαδίζον, ὅτε βαδίζει, βεβαδικὸς ἐκεῖ ἔσται καὶ κεκινημένον οὗ κινεῖται.
Now if it is necessary that that which is in motion from one place to another should not at the same time be moving and have completed its motion at the place where it was moving when it was moving (for instance, if something is walking to Thebes, it is impossible that it should at the same time be walking to Thebes and have walked to Thebes), and O was moving over the partless A, at which the motion D was present; so that if it had traversed it later than it was traversing it, A would be divisible (for when it was traversing it, it was neither at rest nor had traversed it, but was in between); but if it is traversing and has traversed it at the same time, that which is walking, when it is walking, will have walked to that place and have moved where it is moving.
εἰ δὲ τὴν μὲν ὅλην τὴν ΑΒΓ κινεῖταί τι, καὶ ἡ κίνησις ἣν κινεῖται τὰ ΔΕΖ ἐστι, τὴν δʼ ἀμερῆ τὴν A οὐθὲν κινεῖται ἀλλὰ κεκίνηται, εἴη ἂν. ἡ κίνησις οὐκ ἐκ κινήσεαων ἀλλʼ ἐκ κινημάτων καὶ τῷ κεκινῆσθαί τι μὴ κινούμενον· τὴν γὰρ Α διελήλυθεν οὐ διεξιόν.
But if something moves over the whole ABC, and the motion by which it moves is DEF, but over the partless A it is not moving at all but has completed its motion, then motion would consist not of motions but of starts (completed motions), and of something having moved without being in motion; for it has traversed A without going through it.
ὥστε ἔσται τι βεβαδικέναι μηδέποτε βαδίζον· ταύτην γὰρ βεβάδικεν οὐ βαδίζον ταύτην.
Consequently, it will be possible to have walked without ever walking; for it has walked this distance without walking this distance.
εἰ οὖν ἀνάγκη ἢ ἠρεμεῖν ἢ κινεῖσθαι πᾶν, ἠρεμεῖ καθʼ ἕκαστον τῶν ΑΒΓ, ὥστʼ ἔσται τι συνεχῶς ἠρεμοῦν ἅμα καὶ κινούμενον.
If, then, it is necessary that everything is either at rest or in motion, it is at rest in each of A, B, and C, so that there will be something that is continuously at rest and at the same time in motion.
τὴν γὰρ ΑΒΓʼ ὅλην ἐκινεῖτο καὶ ἠρέμει ὁτιοῦν μέρος, ὥστε καὶ πᾶσαν.
For it was in motion over the whole ABC, and was at rest in any part of it whatever, and therefore in the whole of it as well.
καὶ εἰ μὲν τὰ ἀδιαίρετα τῆς ΔΕΖ κινήσεις, κινήσεως παρούσης ἐνδέχοιτʼ ἂν μὴ κινεῖσθαι ἀλλʼ ἠρεμεῖν· εἰ δὲ μὴ κινήσεις, τὴν κίνησιν μὴ ἐκ κινήσεων εἶναι.
And if the indivisibles of the motion DEF are motions, it would be possible, when motion is present, not to be in motion but to be at rest; but if they are not motions, then motion is not composed of motions.
ὁμοίως δʼ ἀνάγκη τῷ μήκει καὶ τῇ κινήσει ἀδιαίρετον εἶναι τὸν χρόνον, καὶ συγκεῖσθαι ἐκ τῶν νῦν ὄντων ἀδιαιρέτων·
Likewise, it is necessary that, as with length and motion, so also time must be indivisible and composed of 'nows' which are indivisible.
εἰ γὰρ πᾶσα διαιρετός, ἐν τῷ ἐλάττονι δὲ τὸ ἰσοταχὲς δίεισιν ἔλαττον, διαιρετὸς ἔσται καὶ ὁ χρόνος. εἰ δʼ ὁ χρόνος διαιρετὸς ἐν φέρεταί τι τὴν Α, καὶ ἡ τὸ Α ἔσται διαιρετή.
For if all time is divisible, and in less time that which is of equal speed traverses less distance, time will also be divisible; and if the time in which something is carried over A is divisible, then A itself will also be divisible.