§10.10Διὰ τί τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις τὰ ἔκγονα μᾶλλον τὰς φύσεις ὁμοιοῦται ἢ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις;
Διὰ τί Why do the offspring of other animals resemble their parents in their natures more than those of men?
ἢ ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἄνθρωπος πολλαχῶς διατίθεται τὴν ψυχὴν κατὰ τὴν ὁμιλίαν, καθὼς δ’ ἂν ὅτε πατὴρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ διατεθῶσιν, οὕτω ποικίλλεται καὶ τὰ τικτόμενα. τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ζῷα τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα πρὸς αὐτὸ τοῦτό εἰσιν.
Is it because man is in various states of soul during intercourse, and according to how the father and the mother were disposed at that time, the offspring also are diversely affected; whereas most of the other animals are directed toward this very thing alone?
ἔτι δὲ οὐ πληροῦται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ διὰ ταύτην τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν.
Furthermore, is it because they are generally not filled with other thoughts because of this desire?
§10.11Διὰ τί οἱ λευκοὶ ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἵπποι ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ γλαυκοί;
Διὰ τί Why are white men and horses for the most part blue-eyed?
ἢ διότι τριῶν χρωμάτων ὄντων τοῖς ὄμμασιν, μέλανος καὶ αἰγωποῦ καὶ γλαυκοῦ, τῷ τοῦ σώματος χρώματι καὶ τὸ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ χρῶμα ἀκολουθεῖ, τοῦτο δέ ἐστι γλαυκότης.
Is it because, while there are three colors of eyes, black, goat-colored, and blue, the color of the eye also follows the color of the body, and this color is blueness?
§10.12Διὰ τίνα αἰτίαν οἱ νάνοι γίνονται;
Διὰ τίνα αἰτίαν For what cause do dwarfs occur?
ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον καθόλου, διὰ τί τὰ μὲν ὅλως μεγάλα, τὰ δὲ μικρά;
And even more generally, why are some things altogether large and others small?
εἶτα οὕτω σκεπτέον.
Next, we must consider it thus.
δύο δὴ τὰ αἴτια· ἢ γὰρ ὁ τόπος ἢ ἡ τροφή.
There are indeed two causes: either location or food.
ὁ μὲν οὖν τόπος, ἐὰν ᾖ στενός, ἡ δὲ τροφή, ἐὰν ὀλίγη, ὥσπερ καὶ ἤδη γεγενημένων πειρῶνται μικροποιεῖν, οἷον οἱ τὰ κυνίδια τρέφοντες ἐν τοῖς ὀρτυγοτροφείοις.
Now, location is a cause if it is cramped, and food if it is scarce, just as they attempt to make those already born small, like those who breed small dogs in quail-coops.
ὅσοις μὲν οὖν ὁ τόπος αἴτιος, οὗτοι πυγμαῖοι γίνονται.
Those, then, for whom location is the cause become pygmy-like.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ πλάτη καὶ [τὰ] μήκη ἔχοντες γίνονται κατὰ τὸ τῶν τεκόντων μέγεθος, μικροὶ δὲ ὅλως.
For they are born having widths and lengths according to the size of their parents, but are small overall.
τούτου δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι διὰ τὴν στενότητα τοῦ τόπου συγκλώμεναι αἱ εὐθεῖαι καμπύλαι γίνονται.
And the cause of this is that, because of the narrowness of the location, the straight lines are bent and become curved.
ὥσπερ οὖν οἱ ἐπὶ τῶν καπηλείων γραφόμενοι μικροὶ μέν εἰσι, φαίνονται δ’ ἔχοντες πλάτη καὶ βάθη, ὁμοίως συμβαίνει καὶ τοῖς πυγμαίοις.
Therefore, just as figures painted in taverns are small but appear to have width and depth, so a similar thing happens to pygmies.
ὅσοι δὲ διὰ τροφῆς ἔνδειαν ἀτελεῖς γίνονται, οὗτοι καὶ παιδαριώδη τὰ μέλη ἔχοντες φαίνονται.
But those who become incomplete through lack of food also appear to have limbs like children.
καὶ ἐνίους ἰδεῖν ἔστι μικροὺς μὲν σφόδρα, συμμέτρους δέ, ὥσπερ τὰ Μελιταῖα κυνίδια.
And one can see some that are very small but symmetrical, like the Melitean lapdogs.
αἴτιον δὲ ὅτι οὐχ ὡς ὁ τόπος ἡ φύσις ποιεῖ.
And the cause is that nature does not produce in the same way as location does.
§10.13Διὰ τί τῶν ζῴων τὰ μὲν ἐξ ἀλλήλων γίνεται, τὰ δὲ ἔκ τινων συγκρινομένων ὁμοίως τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῖς ὑπαρξάσης;
Διὰ τί Why is it that among animals, some are generated from one another, while others from certain compounded elements, even though their original generation was similarly available to them?
καθάπερ οἱ περὶ φύσεως λέγοντες λέγουσιν καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς γένεσιν τῶν ζῴων γενέσθαι, διὰ τὰς μεταβολὰς καὶ μετακινήσεις τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ παντὸς οὕτω μεγάλας· καὶ νῦν εἴπερ μέλλει πάλιν ἔσεσθαι, τοιαύτας τινὰς ὑπάρξαι δεῖ κινήσεις;
Just as those who speak about nature say that the original generation of animals also occurred in this way, through such great changes and movements of the cosmos and the universe; and now, if it is to happen again, must some such movements exist?
ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἀρχὴ παντὸς ἔργου μέγιστον· ἥμισυ γάρ. τὸ δὲ σπέρμα ἀρχή.
For the beginning of every work is the greatest part, since it is half; and the seed is the beginning.
τῶν μὲν οὖν μικρῶν ὅσα γίνεται μὴ ἐξ ἀλλήλων, αἴτιον τοιαῦτα γενέσθαι ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐγεννήθησαν ἡ τοῦ σπέρματος μικρότης· τοῦ γὰρ ἐλάττονος καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐλάττων.
In those small animals, therefore, which are not generated from one another, the cause of their being generated in such a way as they were originally generated is the smallness of the seed; for the beginning of a smaller thing is also smaller.
ὥστε ἱκαναὶ καὶ αἱ τούτου μεταβολαὶ πρὸς τὸ γεννῆσαι αὐτῷ τὸ σπέρμα, ὅπερ συμβαίνει· γίνονται γὰρ ἐν ταῖς μεταβολαῖς μάλιστα.
So that even its changes are sufficient for it to generate the seed, which is what happens; for they are generated especially during changes.
τοῖς δὲ μείζοσι μείζονος δεῖ καὶ μεταβολῆς.
But for larger things, there is need of a larger change.
§10.14Διὰ τί τὰ μὲν πολύτεκνα τῶν ζῴων, οἷον ὗς, κύων, λαγώς, τὰ δὲ οὔ, οἷον ἄνθρωπος, λέων;
Διὰ τί Why are some animals prolific, such as the pig, the dog, and the hare, while others are not, such as man and the lion?
ἢ ὅτι τὰ μὲν πολλὰς μήτρας καὶ τύπους ἔχει, ἅς καὶ πίμπλασθαι ἐπιθυμεῖ καὶ εἰς ἃ σχίζεται ἡ γονή, τὰ δὲ τοὐναντίον.
Is it because the former have many wombs and cavities, which they also desire to be filled and into which the seed is divided, while the latter have the opposite?
§10.15Διὰ τί ἐλάχιστον διάστημα τῶν ὀμμάτων ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔχει τῶν ζῴων κατὰ μέγεθος;
Διὰ τί Why does man have the smallest distance between his eyes among animals in proportion to his size?
ἢ διότι μάλιστα κατὰ φύσιν ἔχει τῶν ἄλλων, ἡ δὲ αἴσθησις φύσει τὸ ἔμπροσθεν·
Is it because he, more than the others, is in a natural state, and sensation is by nature directed forward?
ἐφ’ ὃ γὰρ ἡ κίνησις, τοῦτο δεῖ προορᾶν.
For one must look ahead to where the movement is directed.
ὅσῳ δ’ ἂν ᾖ πλεῖον τὸ διάστημα τῶν ὀμμάτων, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον αἱ ὄψεις ἔσονται ἐν τῷ πλαγίῳ.
And the greater the distance between the eyes, the more the vision will be to the side.
εἰ οὖν ἔχειν δεῖ κατὰ φύσιν, ὅτι ὀλίγιστον δεῖ τὸ διάστημα εἶναι· οὕτω γὰρ εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν μάλιστα πορεύσεται.
If, therefore, one must be in a natural state, the distance must be as small as possible; for thus the vision will go forward most of all.
ἔτι δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ζῴοις, ἐπεὶ χεῖρας οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ἀναγκαῖον παρορᾶν εἰς τὰ πλάγια.
Is it furthermore because other animals, since they do not have hands, find it necessary to look to the sides?
διὸ πλεῖον διέστηκεν τὰ ὄμματα αὐτῶν, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν προβάτων, διὰ τὸ μάλιστα ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πορείαν κύπτοντα.
For this reason their eyes are further apart, and especially those of sheep, because they make their way for the most part with their heads bent down.