§41ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν ἄτομα καὶ ἀμετάβλητα, εἴπερ μὴ μέλλει πάντα εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν φθαρήσεσθαι, ἀλλ’ ἰσχύοντα ὑπομενεῖν ἐν ταῖς διαλύσεσι τῶν συγκρίσεων πλήρη τὴν φύσιν ὄντα καὶ οὐκ ἔχοντα ὅπῃ ἢ ὅπως διαλυθήσεται.
These must be indivisible and unchangeable, if all things are not to be destroyed into non-being, but are to have the strength to remain in the dissolution of the composites, being full in their nature and having no place or way in which they will be dissolved.
ὥστε τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀτόμους ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι σωμάτων φύσεις.
Therefore, it is necessary that the principles are indivisible natures of bodies.
Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἄπειρόν ἐστι.
Furthermore, the universe is infinite.
τὸ γὰρ πεπερασμένον ἄκρον ἔχει· τὸ δὲ ἄκρον παρ’ ἕτερόν τι θεωρεῖται·
For that which is finite has an extremity; and the extremity is seen beside something else.
ὥστε οὐκ ἔχον ἄκρον πέρας οὐκ ἔχει πέρας δὲ οὐκ ἔχον ἄπειρον ἂν εἴη καὶ οὐ πεπερασμένον.
Therefore, having no extremity, it has no limit; and having no limit, it must be infinite and not finite.
Καὶ μὴν καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν σωμάτων ἄπειρόν ἐστι τὸ πᾶν καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ κενοῦ.
Moreover, the universe is infinite both in the multitude of bodies and in the magnitude of the empty space.
§42εἴ τε γὰρ ἦν τὸ κενὸν ἄπειρον, τὰ δὲ σώματα ὡρισμένα, οὐθαμοῦ ἂν ἔμενε τὰ σώματα, ἀλλ’ ἐφέρετο κατὰ τὸ ἄπειρον κενὸν διεσπαρμένα, οὐκ ἔχοντα τὰ ὑπερείδοντα καὶ στέλλοντα κατὰ τὰς ἀνακοπάς·
For if the empty space were infinite, and the bodies finite, the bodies would not remain anywhere, but would be carried scattered through the infinite empty space, not having those things which support and check them by rebounding.
εἴ τε τὸ κενὸν ἦν ὡρισμένον, οὐκ ἂν εἶχε τὰ ἄπειρα σώματα ὅπου ἐνέστη.
And if the empty space were finite, the infinite bodies would not have where to stand.
Πρός τε τούτοις τὰ ἄτομα τῶν σωμάτων καὶ μεστά, ἐξ ὧν καὶ αἱ συγκρίσεις γίνονται καὶ εἰς ἃ διαλύονται, ἀπερίληπτά ἐστι ταῖς διαφοραῖς τῶν σχημάτων· οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν γενέσθαι τὰς τοσαύτας διαφορὰς ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν σχημάτων περιειλημμένων.
In addition to these, the indivisible and solid bodies, from which the composites are made and into which they are dissolved, are incomprehensible in the differences of their shapes; for it is not possible that so many differences should arise from the same shapes if they were limited in number.
Καὶ καθ’ ἑκάστην δὲ σχημάτισιν ἁπλῶς ἄπειροί εἰσιν αἱ ὅμοιαι, ταῖς δὲ διαφοραῖς οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἄπειροι ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀπερίληπτοι, (οὐδὲ γάρ φησιν ἐνδοτέρω εἰς ἄπειρον τὴν τομὴν τυγχάνειν. §43λέγει δέ, ἐπειδὴ αἱ ποιότητες μεταβάλλονται), εἰ μέλλει τις μὴ καὶ τοῖς μεγέθεσιν ἁπλῶς εἰς ἄπειρον αὐτὰς ἐκβάλλειν.
And under each shape, those which are similar are simply infinite, but in their differences they are not simply infinite but only incomprehensible (for he says later that division does not go on to infinity, and he says this because qualities change), if one is not to extend their sizes simply to infinity.
Κινοῦνταί τε συνεχῶς αἱ ἄτομοι (φησὶ δὲ ἐνδοτέρω καὶ ἰσοταχῶς αὐτὰς κινεῖσθαι τοῦ κενοῦ τὴν εἶξιν ὁμοίαν παρεχομένου καὶ τῇ κουφοτάτῃ καὶ τῇ βαρυτάτῃ) τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ αἱ μὲν εἰς μακρὰν ἀπ’ ἀλλήλων διιστάμεναι, αἱ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν παλμὸν ἴσχουσαι, ὅταν τύχωσι τῇ περιπλοκῇ κεκλειμέναι ἢ στεγαζόμεναι παρὰ τῶν πλεκτικῶν.
And the atoms move continuously for all eternity (and he says later that they move with equal velocity, empty space presenting equal yielding both to the lightest and to the heaviest), some of them parting far from one another, and others maintaining their vibration on the spot, whenever they happen to be trapped by entanglement or covered by those that are entangling.
§44ἥ τε γὰρ τοῦ κενοῦ φύσις ἡ διορίζουσα ἑκάστην αὐτὴν τοῦτο παρασκευάζει, τὴν ὑπέρεισιν οὐχ οἵα τε οὖσα ποιεῖσθαι· ἥ τε στερεότης ἡ ὑπάρχουσα αὐταῖς κατὰ τὴν σύγκρουσιν τὸν ἀποπαλμὸν ποιεῖ, ἐφ’ ὁπόσον ἂν ἡ περιπλοκὴ τὴν ἀποκατάστασιν ἐκ τῆς συγκρούσεως διδῷ ἀρχὴ δὲ τούτων οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀϊδίων τῶν ἀτόμων οὐσῶν καὶ τοῦ κενοῦ.
For the nature of empty space which distinguishes each of them prepares this, being unable to offer any support; and the solidity which belongs to them causes the rebounding during collision, as far as the entanglement permits the recovery from the collision.
(φησὶ δ’ ἐνδοτέρω μηδὲ ποιότητά τινα περὶ τὰς ἀτόμους εἶναι πλὴν σχήματος καὶ μεγέθους καὶ βάρους· τὸ δὲ χρῶμα παρὰ τὴν θέσιν τῶν ἀτόμων ἀλλάττεσθαι ἐν ταῖς Δώδεκα στοιχειώσεσί φησι. πᾶν τε μέγεθος μὴ εἶναι περὶ αὐτάς· οὐδέποτε γοῦν ἄτομος ὤφθη αἰσθήσει. ) §45Ἡ τοσαύτη δὴ φωνὴ τούτων πάντων μνημονευομένων τὸν ἱκανὸν τύπον ὑποβάλλει 〈ταῖς περὶ〉 τῆς τῶν ὄντων φύσεως ἐπινοίαις.
And there is no beginning of these, the atoms and empty space being eternal. (And he says later that there is no quality in the atoms except shape, size, and weight; and that color changes according to the position of the atoms, as he says in the Twelve Elements; and that not every size is in them; at any rate, no atom has ever been seen by sensation.) This quantity of words, when all these things are remembered, suggests a sufficient outline for the conceptions concerning the nature of things that exist.
Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ κόσμοι ἄπειροί εἰσιν, οἵ θ’ ὅμοιοι τούτῳ καὶ ἀνόμοιοι.
Moreover, there are infinite worlds, both similar to this one and dissimilar.
αἵ τε γὰρ ἄτομοι ἄπειροι οὖσαι, ὡς ἄρτι ἀπεδείχθη, φέρονται καὶ πορρωτάτω.
For the atoms being infinite, as was just now demonstrated, are carried even to the greatest distance.
οὐ γὰρ κατανήλωνται αἱ τοιαῦται ἄτομοι, ἐξ ὧν ἂν γένοιτο κόσμος ἢ ὑφ’ ὧν ἂν ποιηθείη, οὔτ’ εἰς ἕνα οὔτ’ εἰς πεπερασμένους, οὔθ’ ὅσοι τοιοῦτοι οὔθ’ ὅσοι διάφοροι τούτοις.
For such atoms, from which a world could come into being or by which it could be made, are not used up either on one world or on a limited number of worlds, whether they are such as this or different from these.
ὥστε οὐδὲν τὸ ἐμποδοστατῆσόν ἐστι πρὸς τὴν ἀπειρίαν τῶν κόσμων.
So there is nothing to obstruct the infinity of the worlds.
§46Καὶ μὴν καὶ τύποι ὁμοιοσχήμονες τοῖς στερεμνίοις εἰσί, λεπτότησιν ἀπέχοντες μακρὰν τῶν φαινομένων.
Furthermore, there are outlines of the same shape as the solid bodies, far exceeding in thinness the things that are apparent.
οὔτε γὰρ συστάσεις ἀδυνατοῦσιν ἐν τῷ περιέχοντι γίνεσθαι τοιαῦται οὔτ’ ἐπιτηδειότητες πρὸς κατεργασίας τῶν κοιλωμάτων καὶ λεπτο τήτων [γίνεσθαι], οὔτε ἀπόρροιαι τὴν ἑξῆς θέσιν καὶ βάσιν διατηροῦσαι, ἥνπερ καὶ ἐν τοῖς στερεμνίοις εἶχον· τούτους δὲ τοὺς τύπους εἴδωλα προσαγορεύομεν.
For neither are such combinations impossible to come into being in the surrounding space, nor are opportunities for the working out of the hollows and thinnesses impossible, nor are effluxes which preserve the same position and order which they had in the solid bodies; and we call these outlines images.
καὶ μὴν καὶ ἡ διὰ τοῦ κενοῦ φορὰ κατὰ μηδεμίαν ἀπάντησιν τῶν ἀντικοψάντων γινομένη πᾶν μῆκος περιληπτὸν ἐν ἀπερινοήτῳ χρόνῳ συντελεῖ.
Moreover, the transit through the empty space, taking place without any meeting of obstructing things, accomplishes any comprehensible distance in an inconceivable time.
βράδους γὰρ καὶ τάχους ἀντικοπὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀντικοπὴ ὁμοίωμα λαμβάνει.
For the obstruction and non-obstruction of slowness and swiftness take the form of an analogy.