§68ταῦτα οὖν πάντα τὰ διαλογίσματα 〈τὰ〉 περὶ ψυχῆς ἀνάγων τις ἐπὶ τὰ πάθη καὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις, μνημονεύων τῶν ἐν ἀρχῇ ῥηθέντων, ἱκανῶς κατόψεται τοῖς τύποις ἐμπεριειλημμένα εἰς τὸ κατὰ μέρος ἀπὸ τούτων ἐξακριβοῦσθαι βεβαίως.
Therefore, if anyone refers all these reflections about the soul to the feelings and sensations, remembering what was said at the beginning, he will sufficiently see that they are encompassed in outline, so that from these outline-sketches he can verify the details with certainty.
Ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰ σχήματα καὶ τὰ χρώματα καὶ τὰ μεγέθη καὶ τὰ βάρη καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα κατηγορεῖται σώματος ὡσανεὶ συμβεβηκότα ἢ πᾶσιν ἢ τοῖς ὁρατοῖς καὶ κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν † αὐτοῖς γνωστοῖς, οὔθ’ ὡς καθ’ ἑαυτάς εἰσι φύσεις δοξαστέον — §69οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν ἐπινοῆσαι τοῦτο — οὔτε ὅλως ὡς οὐκ εἰσίν, οὔθ’ ὡς ἕτερ’ ἄττα προσυπάρχοντα τούτῳ ἀσώματα, οὔθ’ ὡς μόρια τούτου, ἀλλ’ ὡς τὸ ὅλον σῶμα καθόλου ἐκ τούτων πάντων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν ἔχον ἀίδιον, οὐχ οἷον δὲ εἶναι συμπεφορημένον — ὥσπερ ὅταν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ὄγκων μεῖζον ἄθροισμα συστῇ ἤτοι τῶν πρώτων ἢ τῶν τοῦ ὅλου μεγεθῶν τοῦδε τινὸς ἐλαττόνων —, ἀλλὰ μόνον, ὡς λέγω, ἐκ τούτων ἁπάντων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φύσιν ἔχον ἀίδιον.
Moreover, as for shapes, colors, sizes, weights, and all other things that are predicated of a body as being permanent properties either of all bodies or of those which are visible and known through sensation—we must not think that they are independent natures— for it is not possible to conceive this—nor that they do not exist at all, nor that they are some other incorporeal things pre-existing in it, nor that they are parts of it; but we must think that the whole body in general has its own eternal nature from all of these, yet not in such a way as to be compounded of them—as when a larger aggregate is formed from the particles themselves, whether primary particles or those smaller than the whole magnitude of this particular thing—but only, as I say, having its own eternal nature from all of these.
καὶ ἐπιβολὰς μὲν ἔχοντα ἰδίας πάντα ταῦτά ἐστι καὶ διαλήψεις, συμπαρακολουθοῦντος δὲ τοῦ ἀθρόου καὶ οὐθαμῇ ἀποσχιζομένου, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀθρόαν ἔννοιαν τοῦ σώματος κατηγορίαν εἰληφότος.
And all of these have their own particular apprehensions and distinctions, provided that the whole body accompanies them and is nowhere separated from them, but they receive their predication according to the collective concept of the body.
§70Καὶ μὴν καὶ τοῖς σώμασι συμπίπτει πολλάκις καὶ οὐκ ἀίδιον παρακολουθεῖν † οὔτ’ ἐν τοῖς ἀοράτοις καὶ οὔτε ἀσώματα †.
Moreover, it often happens that there belong to bodies things which do not accompany them eternally.
ὥστε δὴ κατὰ τὴν πλείστην φορὰν τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι χρώμενοι φανερὰ ποιοῦμεν τὰ συμπτώματα οὔτε τὴν τοῦ ὅλου φύσιν ἔχειν, ὃ συλλαβόντες κατὰ τὸ ἀθρόον σῶμα προσαγορεύομεν, οὔτε τὴν τῶν ἀίδιον παρακολουθούντων, ὧν ἄνευ σῶμα οὐ δυνατὸν νοεῖσθαι.
So that, using this name (accidents) in its most common application, we make it clear that accidents have neither the nature of the whole, which we grasp collectively and call 'body', nor that of the permanent properties, without which it is impossible for a body to be conceived.
§71κατ’ ἐπιβολὰς δ’ ἄν τινας παρακολουθοῦντος τοῦ ἀθρόου ἕκαστα προσαγορευθείη, ἀλλ’ ὅτε δήποτε ἕκαστα συμβαίνοντα θεωρεῖται, οὐκ ἀίδιον τῶν συμπτωμάτων παρακολουθούντων.
And each of them might be designated according to certain apprehensions, the whole accompanying them, but only when each is seen to happen, since accidents do not accompany them eternally.
καὶ οὐκ ἐξελατέον ἐκ τοῦ ὄντος ταύτην τὴν ἐνάργειαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχει τὴν τοῦ ὅλου φύσιν ᾧ συμβαίνει ὃ δὴ καὶ σῶμα προσαγορεύομεν, οὐδὲ τὴν τῶν ἀίδιον παρακολουθούντων, οὐδ’ αὖ καθ’ αὑτὰ νομιστέον — οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο διανοητὸν οὔτ’ ἐπὶ τούτων οὔτ’ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀίδιον συμβεβηκότων —, ἀλλ’ ὅπερ καὶ φαίνεται, συμπτώματα πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα νομιστέον, καὶ οὐκ ἀίδιον παρακολουθοῦντα οὐδ’ αὖ φύσεως καθ’ ἑαυτὰ τάγμα ἔχοντα, ἀλλ’ ὃν τρόπον αὐτὴ ἡ αἴσθησις τὴν ἰδιότητα ποιεῖ, θεωρεῖται.
And we must not banish from existence this clear reality, because it does not have the nature of the whole to which it happens (which we call body), nor that of the permanent properties, nor on the other hand must we consider them as existing by themselves—for this is not conceivable either for these or for the permanent properties—but, just as indeed they appear, we must consider all such things as accidents, not accompanying eternally nor having by themselves the status of an independent nature, but they are viewed in the way that sensation itself creates their particular character.
§72Καὶ μὴν καὶ τόδε γε δεῖ προσκατανοῆσαι σφοδρῶς· τὸν γὰρ δὴ χρόνον οὐ ζητητέον ὥσπερ καὶ τὰ λοιπά, ὅσα ἐν ὑποκειμένῳ ζητοῦμεν ἀνάγοντες ἐπὶ τὰς βλεπομένας παρ’ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς προλήψεις, ἀλλ’ αὐτὸ τὸ ἐνάργημα, καθ’ ὃ τὸν πολὺν ἢ ὀλίγον χρόνον ἀναφωνοῦμεν, συγγενικῶς τοῦτο περιφέροντες, ἀναλογιστέον.
Furthermore, one must understand this very intensely: we must not seek time in the same way as we seek other things which we seek in a subject, by referring them to the preconceptions observed in ourselves, but we must reason from the very clear fact itself in accordance with which we speak of 'a long time' or 'a short time', expressing this in a cognate manner.
καὶ οὕτε δαλέκτους ὡς βέλευς μεταληπτέον, ἀλλ’ αὐταῖς ταῖς ὑπαρχούσαις κατ’ αὐτοῦ χρηστέον, οὔτε ἄλλο τι κατ’ αὐτοῦ κατηγορητέον, ὡς τὴν αὐτὴν οὐσίαν ἔχοντος τῷ ἰδιώματι τούτῳ — καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο ποιοῦσί τινες —, ἀλλὰ μόνον ᾧ συμπλέκομεν τὸ ἴδιον τοῦτο καὶ παραμετροῦμεν, μάλιστα ἐπιλογιστέον.
And we must neither substitute other expressions as if they were better, but use those that exist concerning it, nor must we predicate anything else of it as if it had the same essence as this particular property—for some indeed do this—but we must above all reflect on that with which we connect this particular property and by which we measure it.
§73καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀποδείξεως προσδεῖται ἀλλ’ ἐπιλογισμοῦ, ὅτι ταῖς ἡμέραις καὶ ταῖς νυξὶ συμπλέκομεν καὶ τοῖς τούτων μέρεσιν, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τοῖς πάθεσι καὶ ταῖς ἀπαθείαις, καὶ κινήσεσι καὶ στάσεσιν, ἴδιόν τι σύμπτωμα περὶ ταῦτα πάλιν αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐννοοῦντες, καθ’ ὃ χρόνον ὀνομάζομεν. (φησὶ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ Περὶ φύσεως καὶ ἐν τῇ Μεγάλῃ ἐπιτομῇ. )
Ἐπί τε τοῖς προειρημένοις τοὺς κόσμους δεῖ καὶ πᾶσαν σύγκρισιν πεπερασμένην τὸ ὁμοειδὲς τοῖς θεωρουμένοις πυκνῶς ἔχουσαν νομίζειν γεγονέναι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀπείρου, πάντων τούτων ἐκ συστροφῶν ἰδίων ἀποκεκριμένων καὶ μειζόνων καὶ ἐλαττόνων· καὶ πάλιν διαλύεσθαι πάντα, τὰ μὲν θᾶττον, τὰ δὲ βραδύτερον, καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν τοιῶνδε, τὰ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν τοιῶνδε τοῦτο πάσχοντα.
For this does not need proof but reflection, that we connect it with days and nights and their parts, and likewise with feelings and lack of feelings, and with motions and rests, conceiving again this very thing as a certain particular accident concerning these, in virtue of which we call it 'time'. (He says this also in the second book 'On Nature' and in the 'Great Epitome'.) In addition to what has been said, one must believe that the worlds and every finite compound that has a strong resemblance to the things we observe have come into being from the infinite, all these having been separated off from particular aggregations, both larger and smaller; and again that they are all dissolved, some faster, some slower, some suffering this by these causes, and others by those.