§24.10Διὰ τί τὰ μὲν ὀλίγον χρόνον ἐν τῷ θερμῷ βρεχόμενα ἀνοιδεῖ, τὰ δὲ πολὺν συμπίπτει καὶ γίνεται ῥυσά;
Why is it that things soaked in a warm liquid for a short time swell up, whereas those soaked for a long time collapse and become wrinkled?
ἢ διότι τὸ θερμὸν ἐκ πεπηγότος ὑγρὸν ποιεῖ, ἐκ δὲ ὑγροῦ πνεῦμα, τὰ δὲ πυκνὰ ἀραιοῖ;
Is it because heat makes liquid out of what is solidified, and vapor out of liquid, and makes dense things rare?
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον θερμαῖνον τὰ πεπηγότα ὑγρότερα ποιεῖ, καὶ ἐξ ὑγρῶν πνευματοποιοῦν ὀγκηρὰ ποιεῖ διαχέον· ὅταν δὲ μᾶλλον θερμαίνῃ τὸ πέριξ, ἀραιὸν ποιεῖ, ὥστε ἀποπνεῖται ἡ ἀτμίς, καὶ τὸ ὑγρὸν ξηραινόμενον συμπίπτειν ποιεῖ τοὺς ὄγκους.
At first, then, by heating, it makes solidified things more liquid, and by making vapor out of liquids, it makes them swollen by diffusing them; but when it heats the surroundings more, it makes them rare, so that the steam is exhaled, and the liquid, being dried, makes the swollen masses collapse.
συμπιπτόντων δὲ ῥυσοῦται τὸ πέριξ δέρμα πάντων. ᾗ δὲ ἀνωμάλως, ταύτῃ ῥυσὸν γίνεται.
And when they collapse, the surrounding skin of all of them becomes wrinkled; and where it collapses unevenly, there it becomes wrinkled.
§24.11Διὰ τί ὑπὸ τῶν θερμῶν ὑδάτων μᾶλλον ἢ ὑπὸ τῶν ψυχρῶν πήγνυνται λίθοι;
Why do stones solidify more under the influence of warm waters than under cold?
πότερον ὅτι τῇ τοῦ ὑγροῦ ἐκλείψει γίνεται λίθος, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ θερμοῦ ἢ τοῦ ψυχροῦ ἐκλείπει τὸ ὑγρόν, καὶ ἀπολιθοῦται δὴ διὰ τὸ θερμόν, καθάπερ καὶ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς φησὶ τάς τε πέτρας καὶ τοὺς λίθους καὶ τὰ θερμὰ τῶν ὑδάτων γίνεσθαι.
Is it because stone is formed by the failure of moisture, and moisture fails more under the influence of heat than of cold, and so indeed petrifaction occurs because of heat, just as Empedocles also says that rocks and stones and hot waters are formed?
ἢ τὸ θερμὸν ἀπολιθοῖ· καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ψυχροῦ δὲ λιθοῦται διὰ τὸ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τοῦ πάγου τὸ ὑγρὸν ἀναλίσκουσαν σκληρύνειν;
Or does heat petrify, and indeed petrifaction also occurs under cold because the excess of frost, consuming the moisture, hardens things?
δῆλον οὖν ἐκ τῆς ὑπερβολῆς καὶ τὸ ἀπλῶς.
Therefore, the absolute case is also clear from the extreme.
§24.12Διὰ τί ἐν τῷ θερμῷ ὕδατι, ἐὰν τὸν πόδα ἔχῃ τις, ἠρεμοῦντος μὲν ἧσσον δοκεῖ εἶναι θερμόν, ἐὰν δὲ κινηθῇ, θερμότερον;
Why is it that in warm water, if one has one's foot in it, it seems less warm when the foot is at rest, but warmer if it is moved?
ἢ ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος, ἐὰν ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τροχάζῃ τις, ἀεὶ ὁ προϊστάμενος ἀὴρ ψυχρότερος· εἰς δὲ τὸ πορρώτερον εἰσιὼν μᾶλλον ἀσθάνεται.
Is it as is the case also with the body, if one runs in the wind, the air in front is always colder, but when entering into what is further on, one perceives it more?
§24.13Διὰ τί ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ μᾶλλον ἢ τῇ σκιᾷ τὰ θερμὰ ψύχεται;
Why do warm things cool more in the sun than in the shade?
πότερον ὅτι τὸ θερμὸν τὸ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ πλείονος φθείρεται;
Is it because the lesser heat is destroyed by the greater?
ἢ ὅτι ἐν μὲν τῇ σκιᾷ τὸ ψυχρὸν περιεστηκὸς θλίβει τὸ ἐνὸν θερμὸν καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ ἐπεξιέναι, ὅπερ καὶ τοῖς θνήσκουσι ποιεῖ τὸ ψυχρὸν προχεόμενον· ἐγκατακλείει γὰρ τὸ θερμὸν καὶ κωλύει ἐξιέναι· καὶ ὅλως τοῦ χειμῶνος ἅπασι συμβαίνει τὰ ἔσωθεν θερμότερα· ἐν δὲ τῷ ἡλίῳ οὐδενὸς ἀντιφράττοντος φέρεται καὶ θᾶττον ἀπολείπει.
Or is it because in the shade the surrounding cold compresses the heat within and does not allow it to escape—which is also what the cold poured forth does to the dying, for it shuts in the heat and prevents it from escaping, and generally in winter it happens that the internal parts of everyone are warmer—whereas in the sun, since there is nothing to block it, the heat moves off and leaves more quickly?
§24.14Διὰ τί τὸ ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ θερμαινόμενον ὕδωρ ὥστε λούεσθαι οὐκ ἔστιν ὑγιεινότερον;
Why is water warmed in the sun not healthier for bathing?
πότερον ὅτι διὰ τὸ ψύχεσθαι; καὶ ἔτι ἐπεὶ τὸ σωμάτιον φρίττειν ποιεῖ;
Is it because of its cooling, and further because it makes the body shiver?
ἢ ποιεῖ μὲν καὶ τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ κἂν πολλάκις λούηταί τις, νοσερόν ἐστιν;
Or does it indeed do this, but even if one bathes often, it is unhealthy?
τὸ μὲν γὰρ θερμὸν ὅλως πεπτικόν ἐστι καὶ ξηραντικόν, τὸ δὲ ψυχρὸν σταλτικόν, ὥστε ἄμφω ποιεῖ τι ἀγαθόν. διὸ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν λουομένοις καὶ τὸ θερμὸν τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς χρήσιμον· τὸ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς θερμότητος οὐδέτερον τούτων ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ ὑγραίνει ὥσπερ τὸ τῆς σελήνης φῶς.
For heat in general is concoctive and drying, while cold is contracting, so that both do some good; wherefore also for those who bathe, both cold water and water warmed by fire are useful, whereas that warmed by the sun, owing to the weakness of its heat, does neither of these, but moistens just as the light of the moon does.
§24.15Διὰ τί τὸ ἐν τῷ ἡλίῳ θερμανθὲν ὕδωρ οὐκ ἀγαθόν;
Why is water warmed in the sun not good?
ἢ ὅτι τὰ ψυχόμενα ῥιγοῦν ποιεῖ;
Is it because as it cools it makes people shiver?
§24.16Διὰ τί τὰ ἐν Μαγνησίᾳ καὶ τὰ ἐν Ἀταρνεῖ θερμὰ πότιμά ἐστιν;
Why are the hot springs in Magnesia and Atarneus drinkable?
ἢ διότι ἐμβάλλει ὕδωρ πλεῖον ἀπορρέοντι τῷ θερμῷ, οὗ ἡ μὲν ἁλμυρότης ἀφανίζεται, ἡ δὲ θερμότης διαμένει;
Is it because more water flows into the escaping hot water, of which the saltiness is made to disappear, but the heat remains?
§24.17Διὰ τί ἐν Μαγνησίᾳ τὰ θερμὰ τοῦ μὲν θερμὰ εἶναι ἐπαύσατο, ἁλμυρὸν δὲ ἦν τὸ ὕδωρ;
Why did the hot springs in Magnesia cease to be hot, while the water was salty?
ἢ πλεῖον ἐπεχύθη ἅμα ψυχρὸν ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς ἀλλότριον, καὶ ἐναπέσβεσε τὴν θερμότητα;
Is it because more extraneous cold water was poured upon the springs at the same time and extinguished the heat?
ἡ δὲ γῆ ἁλμυρὰ μὲν ἦν, θερμὴ δὲ οὔ, διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐμβάλλοντος.
And the earth was indeed salty, but not hot, owing to the quantity of the water flowing in.
ὅμοιον οὖν συνέβη τῷ διὰ τῆς τέφρας ὕδατι ἠθουμένῳ· καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο διὰ θέρμης ἠθούμενον ἐκείνην μὲν καταψύχει, καὶ αὐτὸ ψυχρὸν γίνεται, ἁλμυρόν τε καὶ πικρὸν διὰ τὴν τέφραν ἐστίν.
A similar thing, then, happened to water filtered through ashes; for this too, being filtered through heat, cools it, and itself becomes cold, and is salty and bitter because of the ashes.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ προσιὸν ἠλλοτριωμένον ἐστίν, δι’ ἄλλην αἰτίαν ἐκράτησεν ἡ θερμότης ἐνοῦσα ἐν τῇ γῇ τῆς ψυχρότητος τοῦ ὕδατος δι’ ὀλιγότητα, καὶ ἐγένετο πάλιν θερμά.
But since the incoming water is extraneous, for some other reason the heat in the earth overcame the coldness of the water because of its small quantity, and they became hot again.
§24.18Διὰ τί τὰ ὅλα τῶν θερμῶν ὑδάτων ἁλμυρά;
Why are hot waters in general salty?
ἢ διότι τὰ πολλὰ διὰ γῆς ἠθεῖται στυπτηριώδους (δηλοῖ δὲ ἡ ὀσμὴ αὐτῶν) κεκαυμένης δέ;
Is it because most of them are filtered through earth that is aluminous (as their odor shows) and burnt?
ἡ δὲ τέφρα πάντων ἁλμυρὰ καὶ θείου ὄζει. διὸ καὶ συγκάει οὕτως ὥσπερ ὁ κεραυνός.
And the ash of all things is salty and smells of sulfur; wherefore also it burns up things in the same way as a thunderbolt.
πολλὰ οὖν θερμά ἐστιν ἀπὸ ἐπισημάνσεως κεραυνῶν.
Many hot springs, therefore, exist owing to the mark of thunderbolts.
§24.19Διὰ τί τὰ θερμὰ λουτρὰ ἱερά;
Why are hot baths sacred?
ἢ ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν ἱερωτάτων γίνονται, θείου καὶ κεραυνοῦ;
Is it because they are produced from the most sacred things, namely sulfur and the thunderbolt?