§2.2.19Οὐ γίνεται δὲ ψάμμος εἰ μὴ κατὰ συμβεβηκός.
And sand is not formed except accidentally.
Συμβαίνει δὲ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἔστι διατρίβὴ τῆς κινήσεως τοῦ ἡλίου, ὡς ἔφημεν, καὶ μακρυσμὸς ἀπὸ ὕδατος γλυκεροῦ.
And this happens because there is a delay in the movement of the sun, as we said, and a distance from sweet water.
Τοιουτοτρόπως νοητέον καὶ περὶ τῆς ἁλμυρότητος τῶν ὑδάτων τῆς θαλάσσης.
In the same way, we must also understand concerning the saltness of the waters of the sea.
Ἡ ῥίζα μὲν γὰρ πάντων τῶν ὑδάτων ἐστὶ γλυκερά, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως συμβαίνει αὐτῇ ἁλμυρότης εἰ μὴ κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τὸν λεχθέντα.
For the root of all waters is sweet, and saltness does not happen to it except in the manner mentioned.
§2.2.20Καὶ τοῦτο σημεῖόν ἐστιν αἰσθητὸν ὅτι ἡ γῆ μέν ἐστιν ὑποκάτω τοῦ ὕδατος, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ὑπεράνω ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ φυσικῶς.
And this is a perceptible sign: that the earth is below the water, and the water is above by necessity and naturally.
Κἀντεῦθεν καὶ κυριώτερον συμβέβηκε τῷ ὕδατι τὸ εἶναι στοιχείῳ παρὸ τῇ γῇ.
And from this it has also happened more properly to water to be an element compared to the earth.
Ἐφρόνησαν δέ τινες στοιχεῖον εἶναι τὸ πάντων τῶν ὑδάτων πλεῖστον· πλεῖστον δέ ἐστι τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ στοιχεῖον πάντων ἐκρίθη τῶν ὑδάτων.
And some thought that the greatest of all waters is the element; and the water of the sea is the greatest, and for this reason it was also judged to be the element of all waters.
§2.2.21Ἔστι δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ φυσικῶς ὑπερέχον τῆς γῆς καὶ λεπτότερον αὐτῆς.
And water is naturally above the earth and thinner than it.
Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπεδείξαμεν ὅτι καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ πάντως κουφότερόν ἐστι τὸ γλυκὺ τοῦ ἁλμυροῦ.
And for this reason we demonstrated that sweet water is indeed lighter than salty water in every way.
Πλὴν λάβωμεν καὶ ὡς ἐν παραδείγματι δύο σκεύη ἶσα, καὶ θῶμεν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὕδωρ γλυκὺ καὶ ὕδωρ ἀλμυρόν.
However, let us also take as an example two equal vessels, and let us put in them sweet water and salty water.
Μετὰ ταῦτα προσλάβωμεν ᾠόν, θῶμεν δὲ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τῷ γλυκεῖ, καὶ αὐτίκα καταδύσεται.
After this, let us take an egg and put it in the sweet water, and it will sink immediately.
§2.2.22Μετὰ ταῦτα θῶμεν αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τῷ ἁλμυρῷ, καὶ ὑπερνήξεται, καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἐπάνω τῶν μερῶν τοῦ τοιούτου ὕδατος, διότι τὰ μέρη τούτου οὐ διαζεύγνυνται ὠς τὰ μέρη τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ γλυκεροῦ.
After this, let us also put it in the salty water, and it will float and rise above the parts of such water, because the parts of this do not separate like the parts of sweet water.
Ἐκείνου μὲν γὰρ τὰ μέρη οὐ δύνανται ὑπομένειν διὰ τὴν λεπτότητα βάρος, τούτου δὲ διὰ τὴν παχύτητα δύνανται· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐ καταδύεται τὸ ἐπιτεθὲν αὐτῷ.
For the parts of the former, because of their thinness, cannot support weight, but those of the latter, because of their thickness, can; and for this reason what is placed upon it does not sink.
§2.2.23Οὕτω φυσικῶς ἐν τῇ νεκρᾷ θαλάσσῃ οὔτε καταδύεται ζῷον οὔτε γεννᾶται· κυριεύει γὰρ ἡ ξηρότης ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐν παντὶ ὅπερ ἐστὶ πλησίον τοῦ σχήματος τῆς γῆς.
Thus naturally in the Dead Sea, no animal either sinks or is born; for dryness prevails in it, and in everything that is close to the form of the earth.
Φαίνεται τοίνυν ἐντεῦθεν ὅτι τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ παχύ ἐστιν ὑποκάτω τοῦ μὴ παχέος.
It is clear, therefore, from this that thick water is below that which is not thick.
Τὸ γὰρ παχύ ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῆς γῆς, τὸ δὲ λεπτὸν καὶ ἀραιὸν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ ἀέρος.
For the thick is of the genus of earth, and the thin and rare is of the genus of air.
§2.2.24Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπερέχει τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ γλυκὺ πάντων τῶν ὐδάτων·
And for this reason sweet water is above all waters; for it exists further away from the earth.
ἐκεῖνο γάρ ἐστιν ὑπάρχον τῆς γῆς πορρωτέρω. Ἤδη τοιγαροῦν ἔγνωμεν ὅτι τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ πορρωτάτω τῆς γῆς φυσικόν ἐστι.
Therefore we now know that the water furthest from the earth is natural.
Καὶ τὸ γλυκὺ τοῦ θαλαττίου ὑπερκεῖσθαι ἀπεδείξαμεν.
And we demonstrated that the sweet lies above the sea water.
Καὶ φυσικὸν τοῦτο εἶναι τῷ ῥηθέντι σημείῳ φανερὸν καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἐγένετο.
And it became clear and necessary that this is natural by the mentioned sign.
§2.2.25Γεννᾶται δέ τὸ ἅλας ἐν ἱσταμένοις ὕδασιν, οἷς τὸ γλυκὺ γίνεται ἁλμυρόν.
And salt is formed in standing waters, in which sweet water becomes salty.
Ὑπερβαίνει δὲ ἡ ἁλμυρότης τῆς γῆς ἐκείνην τὴν ἁλμυρότητα.
And the saltness of the earth exceeds that saltness.
Ἀπομένει γὰρ ἐκείνῃ μὲν ἀὴρ ἐγκεκλεισμένος, ταύτῃ δ’ οὔ.
For in the former, enclosed air remains, but in the latter, it does not.
Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖνο τῆς γῆς τὸ σῶμα, γλυκύτητός τινος μετέχον κατὰ πάντα τρόπον, εἰ καὶ τὸ γένος τοῦτο ἐξ ὕδατός ἐστιν, ὃ ἐξέρχεται ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς γῆς ὡς ἱδρώς.
And for this reason that body of the earth is not participating in some sweetness in every way, even if this genus is from water which comes out of the earth itself like sweat.