§6.1Ἀπορήσειε δ’ ἄν τις, εἰ πᾶν σῶμα εἰς ἄπειρον διαιρεῖται, ἆρα καὶ τὰ παθήματα τὰ αἰσθητά, οἷον χρῶμα καὶ χυμὸς καὶ ὀσμὴ καὶ βάρος καὶ ψόφος καὶ ψυχρὸν καὶ θερμὸν καὶ κοῦφον καὶ σκληρὸν καὶ μαλακόν;
One might raise a puzzle, if every body is divided infinitely, whether the sensible qualities too—such as color, taste, odor, weight, sound, cold, heat, lightness, hardness, and softness—are also [so divided], or is this impossible?
ἢ ἀδύνατον; ποιητικὸν γάρ ἐστιν ἕκαστον αὐτῶν τῆς αἰσθήσεως· τῷ δύνασθαι γὰρ κινεῖν αὐτὴν λέγεται πάντα.
For each of them is productive of perception; for all are said [to be what they are] by being able to move it.
§6.2Ὤστ’ ἀνάγκη τήν τε αἴσθησιν εἰς ἄπειρα διαιρεῖσθαι καὶ πᾶν εἶναι μέγεθος αἰσθητόν· ἀδύνατον γὰρ λευκὸν μὲν ὁρᾶν, μὴ ποσὸν δέ.
Therefore it is necessary that both perception is divided infinitely, and that every magnitude is sensible; for it is impossible to see a white thing which is not quantitative.
Εἰ γὰρ μὴ οὕτως, ἐνδέχοιτ’ ἂν εἶναί τι σῶμα μηδὲν ἔχον χρῶμα μηδὲ βάρος μηδ’ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον πάθος.
For if it were not so, it would be possible for there to be some body having no color, nor weight, nor any other such affection.
Ὤστ’ οὐδ’ αἰσθητὸν ὅλως· ταῦτα γὰρ τὰ αἰσθητά.
Consequently, it would not be sensible at all; for these are the sensible objects.
§6.3Τὸ ἄρ’ αἰσθητὸν ἔσται συγκείμενον οὐκ ἐξ αἰσθητῶν.
The sensible, therefore, will be composed of non-sensibles.
Ἀλλ’ ἀναγκαῖον· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἔκ γε τῶν μαθηματικῶν.
But it must be so [by this reasoning]; for it is surely not composed of mathematical entities.
Ἔτι τίνι κρινοῦμεν ταῦτα ἢ γνωσόμεθα;
Moreover, by what shall we judge or know these?
ἢ τῷ νῷ;
Is it by the intellect?
Ἀλλ’ οὐ νοητά, οὐδὲ νοεῖ ὁ νοῦς τὰ ἐκτὸς μὴ μετ’ αἰσθήσεως ὄντα.
But they are not objects of intellect, nor does the intellect think of external things that are not accompanied by perception.
Ἅμα δ’ εἰ ταῦτ’ ἔχει οὕτως, ἔοικε μαρτυρεῖν τοῖς τὰ ἄτομα ποιοῦσι μεγέθη· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν λύοιτο ὁ λόγος.
At the same time, if these things are so, they seem to testify in favor of those who make magnitudes indivisible; for in this way the argument would be solved.
§6.4Ἀλλ’ ἀδύνατα· εἴρηται δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τοῖς περὶ κινήσεως.
But they are impossible; and this has been discussed in our treatises on motion.
Περὶ δὲ τῆς λύσεως αὐτῶν ἅμα δῆλον ἔσται, καὶ διὰ τί πεπέρανται τὰ εἴδη καὶ χρώματος καὶ χυμοῦ καὶ φθόγγων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων αἰσθητῶν.
But along with the solution of these, it will also become clear why the species of color, taste, sounds, and other sensible objects are limited.
Ὧν μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἔσχατα, ἀνάγκη πεπεράνθαι τὰ ἐντός· τὰ δ’ ἐναντία ἔσχατα.
For in things that have extremes, the intermediate stages must be limited; and contraries are extremes.
§6.5Πᾶν δὲ τὸ αἰσθητὸν ἔχει ἐναντίωσιν, οἷον ἐν χρώματι τὸ λευκὸν καὶ τὸ μέλαν, ἐν χυμῷ γλυκὺ καὶ πικρόν· καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις δὴ πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἔσχατα τὰ ἐναντία.
And every sensible object has contrariety, as in color white and black, in taste sweet and bitter; and indeed in all others contraries are extremes.
Τὸ μὲν οὖν συνεχὲς εἰς ἄπειρα τέμνεται ἄνισα, εἰς δ’ ἴσα πεπερασμένα· τὸ δὲ μὴ καθ’ αὑτὸ συνεχὲς εἰς πεπερασμένα εἴδη.
Therefore, while a continuous thing is divided infinitely into unequal parts, it is divided into a finite number of equal parts; and what is not in itself continuous is divided into a finite number of species.
§6.6Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ μὲν πάθη ὡς εἴδη λεκτέον, ὑπάρχει δὲ συνέχεια ἀεὶ ἐν τούτοις, ληπτέον ὅτι τὸ δυνάμει καὶ τὸ ἐνεργείᾳ ἕτερον· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ μυριοστημόριον λανθάνει τῆς κέγχρου ὁρωμένης, καίτοι ἡ ὄψις ἐπελήλυθεν, καὶ ὁ ἐν τῇ διέσει φθόγγος λανθάνει, καίτοι συνεχοῦς ὄντος ἀκούει τοῦ μέλους παντός.
Since, then, these affections must be spoken of as species, and continuity always belongs to them, we must grasp that what is potential and what is actual are different; and because of this, the ten-thousandth part of a millet seed that is seen escapes notice, although sight has encompassed it, and the sound in a diesis escapes notice, although one hears the whole melody as being continuous.
§6.7Τὸ δὲ διάστημα τὸ τοῦ μεταξὺ πρὸς τοὺς ἐσχάτους λανθάνει.
And the interval of what is intermediate in relation to the extremes escapes notice.
Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις αἰσθητοῖς τὰ μικρὰ πάμπαν· δυνάμει γὰρ ὁρατά, ἐνεργείᾳ δ’ οὔ, ὅταν χωρισθῇ· καὶ γὰρ ἐνυπάρχει δυνάμει ἡ ποδιαία τῇ δίποδι, ἐνεργείᾳ δ’ ἤδη διαιρεθεῖσα.
Similarly in other sensible objects, the very small affections [escape notice]; for they are visible potentially, but not actually when separated; for the one-foot magnitude exists potentially in the two-foot magnitude, but actually only when already divided.
§6.8Χωριζόμεναι δ’ αἱ τηλικαῦται ὑπεροχαὶ εὐλόγως μὲν ἂν καὶ διαλύοιντο εἰς τὰ περιέχοντα, ὥσπερ καὶ ἀκαριαῖος χυμὸς εἰς τὴν θάλατταν ἐκχυθείς.
And when such small excesses are separated, they would reasonably dissolve into their surroundings, just as a minute drop of taste poured into the sea.
§6.9Οὐ μὴν ἀλλ’ ἐπειδὴ οὐδ’ ἡ τῆς αἰσθήσεως ὑπεροχὴ καθ’ αὑτὴν αἰσθητὴ οὐδὲ χωριστή (δυνάμει γὰρ ἐνυπάρχει ἐν τῇ ἀκριβεστέρᾳ ἡ ὑπεροχή), οὐδὲ τὸ τηλικοῦτον αἰσθητὸν χωριστὸν ἔσται ἐνεργείᾳ αἰσθέσθαι, ἀλλ’ ὅμως ἔσται αἰσθητόν· δυνάμει τε γάρ ἐστιν ἤδη, καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ ἔσται προσγενόμενον.
Nevertheless, since even the excess of perception is not sensible in itself nor separable (for the excess exists potentially in the more accurate perception), neither will a sensible object of such magnitude be separable so as to be perceived actually, but nevertheless it will be sensible; for it is already so potentially, and will be so actually when added.
§6.10Ὅτι μὲν οὖν ἔνια μεγέθη καὶ πάθη λανθάνει, καὶ διὰ τίν’ αἰτίαν, καὶ πῶς αἰσθητὰ καὶ πῶς οὔ, εἴρηται.
That, then, some magnitudes and affections escape notice, and for what reason, and in what way they are sensible and in what way they are not, has been said.
Ὅταν δὲ δὴ ἐνυπάρχοντα οὕτω πως ἄττα ᾖ ὥστε καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ αἰσθητὰ εἶναι, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἐν τῷ ὅλῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ χωρὶς ᾖ πεπερασμένα, ἀνάγκη εἶναι τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ χρώματα καὶ χυμοὺς καὶ φθόγγους.
But when some such things are present in such a way as to be sensible actually, and are limited not only in the whole but also when separate, the number of colors, tastes, and sounds must be limited.
§6.11Ἀπορήσειε δ’ ἄν τις, ἆρ’ ἀφικνοῦνται ἢ τὰ αἰσθητὰ ἢ αἱ κινήσεις αἱ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητῶν, ὁποτέρως ποτὲ γίνεται ἡ αἴσθησις, ὅταν ἐνεργῶσιν, εἰς τὸ μέσον πρῶτον, οἷον ἥ τε ὀσμὴ φαίνεται ποιοῦσα καὶ ὁ ψόφος· πρότερον γὰρ ὁ ἐγγὺς αἰσθάνεται τῆς ὀσμῆς, καὶ ὁ ψόφος ὕστερον ἀφικνεῖται τῆς πληγῆς.
And one might raise a puzzle, whether either the sensible objects themselves or the movements from the sensible objects—whichever way perception occurs—when they are active, arrive first at the medium, as both odor and sound appear to do; for the person nearby perceives the odor earlier, and sound arrives later than the blow.