§23.12Διὰ τί τὸ κῦμα προεκπίπτει τοῦ πνεύματος;
Why does the wave advance before the wind?
ἢ ὅτι οὐχ ἅμα παύεται τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πνέον καὶ ἡ θάλαττα κυμαίνουσα, ἀλλ’ ὕστερον ἡ θάλαττα, ἐνδέχεται τὸ κινῆσαν πνεῦμα φθαρῆναι πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι αἰσθητόν.
Is it because the wind that blows and the sea that waves do not stop at the same time, but the sea later, and it is possible for the wind that moved it to be destroyed before becoming perceptible?
ὥστε οὐ πρότερον τὸ κῦμα πνεύματος, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν λανθάνει, τὸ δὲ οὔ.
Consequently, the wave is not prior to the wind, but the one is unnoticed while the other is not.
ἢ οὐχὶ τὰ πνεύματα ἅμα πανταχοῦ πνεῖ, ἀλλ’ ὅθεν ἡ ἀρχὴ πρότερον;
Or is it because winds do not blow everywhere at the same time, but earlier at the place where they begin?
ἅμα δὲ πνεῖ καὶ τὴν πλησίον θάλατταν κινεῖ, αὕτη δὲ τὴν ἐχομένην· καὶ οὕτως ἂν ἐνδέχοιτο πρότερον τὸ κῦμα ἐκπίπτειν.
And at the same time it blows and moves the nearby sea, and this in turn moves the adjacent part; and in this way it would be possible for the wave to advance beforehand.
ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἡ κίνησις ἡ θάττων τοῦ ἀέρος ἢ τῆς θαλάττης.
For the movement caused by the sea, and not by the wind, is faster than that of the air or of the sea itself.
§23.13Διὰ τί ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ μᾶλλον νεῖν δύνανται ἢ ἐν τοῖς ποταμοῖς;
Why can they swim better in the sea than in rivers?
ἢ ὅτι ὁ νέων ἀεὶ ἐπιστηριζόμενος ἐν τῷ ὕδατι νεῖ, ἐν δὲ τῷ σωματωδεστέρῳ μᾶλλον ἀποστηρίζεσθαι δυνάμεθα, σωματωδέστερον δέ ἐστι τὸ θαλάττιον ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμίου·
Is it because a swimmer always swims by leaning upon the water, and we can support ourselves more on that which is more bodily, and sea water is more bodily than river water?
παχύτερον γάρ ἐστι καὶ μᾶλλον ἀντερείδειν δυνάμενον.
For it is denser and more capable of offering resistance.
§23.14Διὰ τί ποτε ἐν τῇ θαλάττῃ πλείω χρόνον διατελεῖν δύνανται ἢ ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ;
Why is it that they can remain for a longer time in the sea than in a river?
ἢ διότι τὸ ποτάμιον ὕδωρ λεπτόν ἐστιν;
Is it because river water is thin?
μᾶλλον οὖν παρεισδυόμενον πνίγει.
Therefore, penetrating more, it suffocates them.
§23.15Διὰ τί ἡ μὲν θάλαττα κάεται, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ οὔ;
Why does the sea burn, but water does not?
ἢ κάεται μὲν κἀκεῖνο, ἡ δὲ θάλαττα ἧττον σβέννυσι τὸ πῦρ διὰ τὸ λιπαρωτέρα εἶναι;
Or does that water also burn, but the sea extinguishes fire less because it is more oily?
σημεῖον δὲ ὅτι λιπαρωτέρα· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἀλῶν ἔλαιον ἀφαιρεῖται.
And there is a proof that it is more oily: for oil is extracted from salt.
ἢ καὶ ἧττον δύνανται οἱ πόροι ἁρμόττειν τῷ πυρὶ διὰ τὸ παχύτεροι εἶναι, καὶ μᾶλλόν γε δή, ἅτε καὶ τῶν ἀλῶν ἐνυπαρχόντων;
Or is it also because its passages can less fit the fire because they are wider, and indeed all the more so since salt is also present in them?
ὥσπερ οὖν τὸ ξηρὸν τοῦ ὑγροῦ ἧττον σβεστικόν, καὶ τὸ ξηρὸν μᾶλλον κατὰ λόγον καυστικόν ἐστιν καὶ ἕτερον ἑτέρου μᾶλλον, τῷ ἐγγυτέρω τοῦ θερμοῦ εἶναι, τὸ ξηρότερον δὲ τῇ θαλάττῃ· ἄμφω δὲ ταῦτα μᾶλλον ὑπάρχει.
Just as that which is dry is less extinctive than that which is wet, and that which is dry is proportionally more combustible, and one dry thing more than another by being closer to the hot, and that which is drier belongs to the sea; both of these conditions belong more to the sea.
§23.16Διὰ τί ἀπὸ μὲν τῆς θαλάττης οὐκ ἀποπνεῖ ἕωθεν ψυχρόν, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ποταμῶν;
Why does a cold breeze not blow from the sea in the morning, but does from rivers?
ἢ ὅτι ἡ μὲν θάλαττά ἐστιν ἐν ἀναπεπταμένοις τόποις, οἱ δὲ ποταμοὶ ἐν στενοῖς;
Is it because the sea is in open places, while rivers are in narrow places?
ἡ μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης αὔρα εἰς πολὺν τόπον σκίδναται, ὥστε εἶναι ἀσθενής, ἡ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ποταμῶν ἀθρόως φέρεται καὶ μᾶλλον ἰσχύει, διὸ μᾶλλον εἰκότως φαίνεται ψυχρά.
The breeze from the sea, then, is dispersed over a large area, so that it is weak, while that from rivers is carried in a mass and is stronger, so that it naturally seems colder.
ἢ οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν αἴτιον, ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν ποταμοὶ ψυχροί εἰσιν, ἡ δὲ θάλαττα οὔτε θερμὴ οὔτε ψυχρά;
Or is this not the cause, but because rivers are cold, while the sea is neither hot nor cold?
γίνεται δὲ ἡ αὒρα καὶ ἡ ἀναπνοὴ θερμαινομένων ἢ ψυχομένων τῶν ὑγρῶν· ὁπότερον γὰρ ἂν τούτων πάσχῃ, ἐξαεροῦται, ἐξαερουμένου δὲ τοῦ ὕδατος ὁ ἀὴρ ὁ γινόμενος φέρεται, ὅ ἐστιν αὔρα.
Now a breeze and vapor are produced when liquids are warmed or cooled; whichever of these they undergo, they evaporate, and when the water evaporates, the resulting air is carried along, which is a breeze.
τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχρῶν ψυχρὸν εἰκότως ἀποπνεῖ, τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν σφόδρα θερμῶν ἀποπνέον ψύχεται καὶ γίνεται ψυχρόν.
Therefore, what blows from cold things is naturally cold, while what blows from very hot things is cooled and becomes cold.
τοὺς μὲν οὖν ποταμοὺς ψυχροὺς ἅπαντας εὕροι τις ἄν, ἡ δὲ θάλαττα οὔτε ψυχρὰ οὔτε θερμὴ σφόδρα ἐστίν, οὔτε οὖν τὸ ἀποπνέον ψυχρὸν ἀπ’ αὐτῆς ἐστί, διὰ τὸ μὴ ψυχρὰν εἶναι, οὔτε ψύχεται ταχύ, διὰ τὸ μὴ θερμὴν εἶναι σφόδρα.
One would find all rivers cold, but the sea is neither cold nor very hot; therefore, what blows from it is not cold, because the sea is not cold, nor is it cooled quickly, because it is not very hot.
§23.17Διὰ τί ἐν τοῖς μείζοσι πελάγεσι βραδύτερον καθίσταται κύματα ἢ ἐν τοῖς βραχέσιν;
Why do waves settle more slowly in larger seas than in small ones?
ἢ ὅτι ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς κινήσεως βραδύτερον καθίσταται πᾶν ἢ ἐκ τῆς ὀλίγης;
Is it because everything settles more slowly from a great movement than from a small one?
ἐν δὲ τοῖς μεγάλοις πελάγεσι πλείων ἡ ἄμπωτις γίνεται ἢ ἐν τοῖς βραχέσιν.
And in large seas there is a greater disturbance than in small ones.
οὐθὲν οὗν ἄλογον τὸ πλεῖον βραδύτερον καθίστασθαι.
Therefore it is not unreasonable that the greater amount settles more slowly.
§23.18Διὰ τί τὸ ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ ψυχρὸν μὲν οὐ πότιμον. θερμαινόμενον δὲ μᾶλλον γίνεται πότιμον, καὶ θερμὸν δὲ ὂν καὶ ἀποψυχόμενον;
Why is salty water not drinkable when cold, but becomes more drinkable when heated, and also when, being hot, it is cooled?
ἢ διότι εἰς τὸ ἐναντίον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου πέφυκεν μεταβάλλειν;
Is it because it naturally changes from an opposite into its opposite?
ἔστι δὲ τὸ πότιμον τῷ ἁλμυρῷ ἀντικείμενον· καὶ θερμαινομένου μὲν ἀφέψεται τὸ ἁλμυρόν, ψυχομένου δὲ ὑφίσταται.
Now drinkable water is opposite to salty water; and when it is heated the salty substance is boiled off, and when it is cooled it settles.
§23.19Διὰ τί τὰ πρὸς τῇ θαλάττῃ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ὕδατα γλυκέα ὕδατα] ἀλλ’ οὐχ ἁλμυρά;
Why is the water near the sea for the most part sweet, and not salty?
ἢ διὰ τὸ ποτιμώτερα διηθούμενα γίνεσθαι;
Is it because it becomes more drinkable by being filtered?
διηθεῖται δὲ τὸ ἐγγύτερον τῆς θαλάττης μᾶλλον.
And that which is closer to the sea is filtered more.