§101Καὶ ἀστραπαὶ δ’ ὡσαύτως γίνονται κατὰ πλείους τρόπους· καὶ γὰρ κατὰ παράτριψιν καὶ σύγκρουσιν νεφῶν ὁ πυρὸς ἀποτελεστικὸς σχηματισμὸς ἐξολισθαίνων ἀστραπὴν γεννᾷ· καὶ κατ’ ἐκριπισμὸν ἐκ τῶν νεφῶν ὑπὸ πνευμάτων τῶν τοιούτων σωμάτων ἃ τὴν λαμπηδόνα ταύτην παρασκευάζει· καὶ κατ’ ἐκπιασμόν, θλίψεως τῶν νεφῶν γινομένης εἴθ’ ὑπ’ ἀλλήλων εἴθ’ ὑπὸ πνευμάτων· καὶ κατ’ ἐμπερίληψιν δὲ τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄστρων κατεσπαρμένου φωτός, εἶτα συνελαυνομένου ὑπὸ τῆς κινήσεως νεφῶν τε καὶ πνευμάτων καὶ διεκπίπτοντος διὰ τῶν νεφῶν· ἢ κατὰ διήθησιν 〈διὰ〉 τῶν νεφῶν τοῦ λεπτομερεστάτου φωτὸς (ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς νέφη συνειλέχθαι καὶ τὰς βροντὰς ἀποτελεῖσθαι) καὶ κατὰ τὴν τούτου κίνησιν· καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐκπύρωσιν τὴν γινομένην διά τε συντονίαν φορᾶς καὶ διὰ σφοδρὰν κατείλησιν· §102καὶ κατὰ ῥήξεις δὲ νεφῶν ὑπὸ πνευμάτων 〈καὶ〉 ἔκπτωσιν τῶν πυρὸς ἀποτελεστικῶν ἀτόμων καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀστραπῆς φάντασμα ἀποτελουσῶν· καὶ κατ’ ἄλλους δὲ πλείους τρόπους ῥᾳδίως ἔσται καθορᾶν ἐχόμενον ἀεὶ τῶν φαινομένων καὶ τὸ τούτοις ὅμοιον δυνάμενον συνθεωρεῖν.
And lightnings likewise occur in multiple ways; for both by the friction and collision of clouds, the atomic configuration that produces fire, slipping out, generates lightning; and by the blowing out from the clouds, by winds, of such bodies as prepare this brilliance; and by squeezing, when a compression of the clouds occurs either by one another or by winds; and also by the confinement of the light scattered from the stars, then driven together by the movement of both clouds and winds, and falling out through the clouds; or by the filtration through the clouds of the most fine-particled light (or that from the fire clouds are gathered and the thunders are produced) and by the movement of this; and by the ignition of the wind that occurs both through the intensity of its motion and through violent confinement; and also by the ruptures of clouds by winds, and the falling out of the atoms that produce fire and accomplish the appearance of lightning; and in several other ways it will be easy to discern, for one who always clings to the phenomena and is able to co-observe what is similar to them.
Προτερεῖ δὲ ἀστραπὴ βροντῆς ἐν τοιᾷδέ τινι περιστάσει νεφῶν καὶ διὰ τὸ ἅμα τῷ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐμπίπτειν ἐξωθεῖσθαι τὸν ἀστραπῆς ἀποτελεστικὸν σχηματισμόν, ὕστερον δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀνειλούμενον τὸν βόμβον ἀποτελεῖν τοῦτον· καὶ κατ’ ἔμπτωσιν δὲ ἀμφοτέρων ἅμα, τῷ τάχει συντονωτέρῳ κεχρῆσθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὴν §103ἀστραπήν, ὑστερεῖν δὲ τὴν βροντήν, καθάπερ ἐπ’ ἐνίων ἐξ ἀποστήματος θεωρουμένων καὶ πληγάς τινας ποιουμένων.
And lightning precedes thunder in such a situation of clouds both because at the same time that the wind falls in, the configuration that produces lightning is pushed out, and later the wind, being confined, produces this rumbling; and also because, though both fall in at the same time, the lightning employs a faster speed toward us, while the thunder lags behind, just as in the case of some things observed from a distance and making certain blows.
Κεραυνοὺς ἐνδέχεται γίνεσθαι καὶ κατὰ πλείονας πνευμάτων συλλογὰς καὶ κατείλησιν ἰσχυράν τε ἐκπύρωσιν καὶ κατάρρηξιν μέρους καὶ ἔκπτωσιν ἰσχυροτέραν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς κάτω τόπους, τῆς ῥήξεως γινομένης διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἑξῆς τόπους πυκνοτέρους εἶναι διὰ πίλησιν νεφῶν· καὶ κατ’ αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἔκπτωσιν ἀνειλουμένου, καθὰ καὶ βροντὴν ἐνδέχεται γίνεσθαι, πλείονος γενομένου καὶ πνευματωθέντος ἰσχυρότερον καὶ ῥήξαντος τὸ νέφος διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ὑποχωρεῖν εἰς τὰ ἑξῆς, τῷ πίλησιν γίνεσθαι (τὸ μὲν πολὺ πρὸς ὄρος τι ὑψηλόν, ἐν ᾧ μάλιστα κεραυνοὶ πίπτουσιν) ἀεὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα.
Thunderbolts can occur both by multiple accumulations of winds and their strong confinement and intense ignition, and the bursting of a part and its stronger falling out toward the places below, the rupture occurring because the adjacent places are denser due to the compression of clouds; and also by the falling out of the confined fire itself, just as thunder also can occur, when it becomes greater and more wind-swept and ruptures the cloud because of being unable to retreat into the adjacent places, since compression occurs (for the most part against some high mountain where thunderbolts mostly fall) always against one another.
§104καὶ κατ’ ἄλλους δὲ τρόπους πλείονας ἐνδέχεται κεραυνοὺς ἀποτελεῖσθαι· μόνον ὁ μῦθος ἀπέστω· ἀπέσται δέ, ἐάν τις καλῶς τοῖς φαινομένοις ἀκολουθῶν περὶ τῶν ἀφανῶν σημειῶται.
And in several other ways thunderbolts can be produced; only let myth be absent; and it will be absent, if one, by following the phenomena well, makes signs concerning the unseen things.
Πρηστῆρας ἐνδέχεται γίνεσθαι καὶ κατὰ κάθεσιν νέφους εἰς τοὺς κάτω τόπους στυλοειδῶς ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἀθρόου ὠσθέντος (καὶ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος πολλοῦ φερομένου), ἅμα καὶ τὸ νέφος εἰς τὸ πλάγιον ὠθοῦντος τοῦ ἐκτὸς πνεύματος· καὶ κατὰ περίστασιν δὲ πνεύματος εἰς κύκλον, ἀέρος τινὸς ἐπισυνωθουμένου ἄνωθεν, καὶ ῥύσεως πολλῆς πνευμάτων γινομένης καὶ οὐ δυναμένης εἰς τὰ πλάγια διαρρυῆναι διὰ τὴν §105πέριξ τοῦ ἀέρος πίλησιν.
Tornadoes can occur both by the lowering of a cloud into the places below in the shape of a pillar, pushed by wind driven in a mass (and carried through the abundant wind), while at the same time the wind outside pushes the cloud sideways; and also by the circular wrapping of wind, when some air is compressed from above, and an abundant flow of winds occurs and is unable to flow out sideways due to the compression of the air around.
καὶ ἕως μὲν γῆς τοῦ πρηστῆρος καθιεμένου στρόβιλοι γίνονται, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἡ ἀπογέννησις κατὰ τὴν κίνησιν τοῦ πνεύματος γίνηται· ἕως δὲ θαλάττης δῖνοι ἀποτελοῦνται.
And as long as the tornado is let down to the earth, whirlwinds occur, in such a way as the generation happens according to the movement of the wind; and as far as the sea, eddies are produced.
Σεισμοὺς ἐνδέχεται γίνεσθαι καὶ κατὰ πνεύματος ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀπόληψιν καὶ παρὰ μικροὺς ὄγκους αὐτῆς παράθεσιν καὶ συνεχῆ κίνησιν, ὃ τὸν κραδασμὸν τῇ γῇ παρασκευάζει.
Earthquakes can occur both by the confinement of wind in the earth and by its juxtaposition with small particles of earth and continuous movement, which prepares the shaking for the earth.
καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦτο ἢ ἔξωθεν ἐμπεριλαμβάνει 〈ἢ〉 ἐκ τοῦ πίπτειν [εἰς] ἐδάφη εἰς ἀντροειδεῖς τόπους τῆς γῆς ἐκπνευματοῦντα τὸν πεπιλημένον ἀέρα.
And this wind either is enclosed from outside, or from the falling of grounds into cave-like places of the earth turning the compressed air into wind.
〈καὶ〉 κατ’ αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν διάδοσιν τῆς κινήσεως ἐκ τῶν πτώσεων ἐδαφῶν πολλῶν καὶ πάλιν ἀνταπόδοσιν, ὅταν πυκνώμασι σφοδροτέροις τῆς γῆς ἀπαντήσῃ, ἐνδέχεται σεισμοὺς ἀποτελεῖσθαι.
And also by the propagation of the movement itself from the falls of many grounds and its rebound, when it meets with denser consolidations of the earth, earthquakes can be produced.