§111ὃ γίνεται κατὰ μέρη τινὰ ἤτοι ἔξωθεν βιασαμένου τινὸς ῥεύματος ἢ τῆς θερμασίας ἐπιτηδείων πόρων ἐπιλαμβανομένης εἰς τὸ τοῦτο ἀπεργάσασθαι.
Which occurs part by part either by some current forcing its way from without, or by heat occupying suitable passages so as to accomplish this.
Κομῆται ἀστέρες γίνονται ἤτοι πυρὸς ἐν τόποις τισὶ διὰ χρόνων τινῶν ἐν τοῖς μετεώροις συντρεφομένου περιστάσεως γινομένης, ἢ ἰδίαν τινὰ κίνησιν διὰ χρόνων τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἴσχοντος ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, ὥστε τὰ τοιαῦτα ἄστρα ἀναφανῆναι (ἢ αὐτὰ ἐν χρόνοις τισὶν ὁρμῆσαι διά τινα περίστασιν καὶ εἰς τοὺς καθ’ ἡμᾶς τόπους ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐκφανῆ γενέσθαι.
Comets occur either when a gathering of fire is nurtured in certain places over periods of time in the high regions, or when the heaven above us has a certain peculiar movement over periods of time, so that such stars appear, or when they themselves start moving at certain times due to some circumstance and come to our regions and become visible.
τήν τε ἀφάνισιν τούτων γίνεσθαι παρὰ τὰς ἀντικειμένας ταύταις αἰτίας).
And their disappearance occurs due to the opposite causes to these.
§112〈Τῶν ἄστρων〉 τινὰ ἀναστρέφεται αὐτοῦ, ὃ συμβαίνει οὐ μόνον τῷ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο τοῦ κόσμου ἑστάναι, περὶ ὃ τὸ λοιπὸν στρέφεται, καθάπερ τινές φασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ δίνην ἀέρος ἔγκυκλον αὐτοῖς περιεστάναι, ἢ κωλυτικὴ γίνεται τοῦ περιπολεῖν ὡς καὶ τὰ ἄλλα· ἢ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἑξῆς μὲν αὐτοῖς ὕλην ἐπιτηδείαν μὴ εἶναι, ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ τόπῳ ἐν ᾧ κείμενα θεωρεῖται.
Some of the stars turn in the same place, which happens not only because this part of the world stands still, around which the rest turns, as some say, but also because a circular vortex of air surrounds them, which blocks them from revolving as the others do; or also because suitable fuel does not exist for them in succession, but only in this place in which they are observed to lie.
καὶ κατ’ ἄλλους δὲ πλείονας τρόπους τοῦτο δυνατὸν συντελεῖσθαι, ἐάν τις δύνηται τὸ σύμφωνον τοῖς φαινομένοις συλλογίζεσθαι.
And in several other ways too this is possible to be accomplished, if one can reason in agreement with the phenomena.
§113Τινὰ τῶν ἄστρων πλανᾶσθαι, εἰ οὕτω ταῖς κινήσεσι χρώμενα συμβαίνει, τινὰ δὲ μὴ [κινεῖσθαι] ἐνδέχεται μὲν καὶ παρὰ τὸ κύκλῳ κινούμενα ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὕτω κατηναγκάσθαι, ὥστε τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν δῖναν φέρεσθαι ὁμαλὴν οὖσαν, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἅμα τισὶν ἀνωμαλίαις χρωμένην· ἐνδέχεται δὲ καὶ καθ’ οὓς τόπους φέρεται οὗ μὲν παρεκτάσεις ἀέρος εἶναι ὁμαλεῖς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συνωθούσας κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς ὁμαλῶς τε ἐκκαούσας, οὗ δὲ ἀνωμαλεῖς οὕτως ὥστε τὰς θεωρουμένας παραλλαγὰς συντελεῖσθαι.
That some of the stars wander, if it happens that they use such movements, and others do not, is possible both because they, being moved in a circle from the beginning, were so constrained that some are carried along the same even vortex, and others along one using certain irregularities; and it is also possible that in the regions where they are carried, in one place there are even extensions of air pushing them forward in the same direction successively and burning them evenly, and in another place irregular ones such that the observed variations are accomplished.
τὸ δὲ μίαν αἰτίαν τούτων ἀποδιδόναι, πλεοναχῶς τῶν φαινομένων ἐκκαλουμένων, μανικὸν καὶ οὐ καθηκόντως πραττόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν τὴν ματαίαν ἀστρολογίαν ἐζηλωκότων καὶ εἰς τὸ κενὸν αἰτίας τινῶν ἀποδιδόντων, ὅταν τὴν θείαν φύσιν μηθαμῇ λειτουργιῶν ἀπολύωσι.
But to assign a single cause to these, when the phenomena call for multiple explanations, is mad and done inappropriately by those who have emulated the vanity of astrology and assign causes for some things in vain, when they in no way release the divine nature from duties.
§114Τινὰ ἄστρα ὑπολειπόμενά τινων θεωρεῖσθαι συμβαίνει καὶ παρὰ τὸ βραδύτερον συμπεριφέρεσθαι τὸν αὐτὸν κύκλον περιόντα, καὶ παρὰ τὸ τὴν ἐναντίαν κινεῖσθαι ἀντισπώμενα ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτῆς δίνης, καὶ παρὰ τὸ περιφέρεσθαι τὰ μὲν διὰ πλείονος τόπου, τὰ δὲ δι’ ἐλάττονος, τὴν αὐτὴν δῖναν περικυκλοῦντα.
It happens that some stars are observed to be left behind by others both because they revolve more slowly while going around the same circle, and because they are pulled in the opposite direction, being dragged back by the same vortex, and because some revolve through a greater space and others through a lesser, while encircling the same vortex.
τὸ δὲ ἀπλῶς ἀποφαίνεσθαι περὶ τούτων καθῆκόν ἐστι τοῖς τερατεύεσθαί τι πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς βουλομένοις.
But to pronounce simply about these things is fitting for those who wish to play the wonder-worker to the crowd.
Οἱ λεγόμενοι ἀστέρες ἐκπίπτειν (καὶ) παρὰ μέρος (καὶ παρὰ τρῖψιν† ἑαυτῶν) δύνανται συντελεῖσθαι (καὶ παρὰ ἔκπτωσιν οὗ ἂν ἡ ἐκπνευμάτωσις γένηται), καθάπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀστραπῶν ἐλέγομεν· §115καὶ κατὰ σύνοδον δὲ ἀτόμων πυρὸς ἀποτελεστικῶν, συμφυλίας γενομένης εἰς τὸ τοῦτο τελέσαι, καὶ κατὰ κίνησιν οὗ ἂν ἡ ὁρμὴ ἐξ ἀρχῆς κατὰ τὴν σύνοδον γένηται· καὶ κατὰ πνευμάτων δὲ συλλογὴν ἐν πυκνώμασί τισιν [ἐν] ὀμιχλοειδέσι καὶ ἐκπύρωσιν τούτων διὰ τὴν κατείλησιν, εἶτ’ [ἐπ]ἔκρηξιν 〈ἐκ〉 τῶν περιεχόντων, καὶ ἐφ’ ὃν ἂν τόπον ἡ ὁρμὴ γένηται τῆς φορᾶς, εἰς τοῦτον φερομένων.
Those stars called falling can be accomplished both by part of themselves and by friction of themselves, and by a fall from wherever the exhalation of wind occurs, just as we said also of lightning; and also by the gathering of fire-producing atoms, when an assembly of the same kind occurs so as to accomplish this, and by motion in whichever direction the impulse from the beginning occurs during the gathering; and also by the collection of winds in certain cloud-like densities and their ignition due to confinement, then their bursting out of the surrounding elements, and their being carried to whichever place the impulse of their course occurs.
καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ τρόποι εἰς τοῦτο τελέσαι ἀμύθητοί εἰσιν.
And other ways to accomplish this are countless.
Αἱ δ’ ἐπισημασίαι αἱ γινόμεναι ἐπί τισι ζῴοις κατὰ συγκύρημα γίνονται τοῦ καιροῦ.
And the weather signs that occur in the case of certain animals happen by a coincidence of the season.
οὐ γὰρ τὰ ζῷα ἀνάγκην τινὰ προσφέρεται τοῦ ἀποτελεσθῆναι χειμῶνα, οὐδὲ κάθηταὶ τις θεία φύσις παρατηροῦσα τὰς τῶν ζῴων τούτων ἐξόδους κἄπειτα τὰς ἐπισημασίας ταύτας ἐπιτελεῖ.
For the animals do not bring any necessity for winter to be accomplished, nor does some divine nature sit watching the exits of these animals and then complete these signs.
§116οὐδὲ γὰρ 〈ἂν〉 εἰς τὸ τυχὸν ζῷον κἂν μικρῷ χαριέστερον ᾖ, ἡ τοιαύτη μωρία ἐκπέσοι, μὴ ὅτι εἰς παντελῆ εὐδαιμονίαν κεκτημένον.
For neither would such folly fall upon any ordinary animal, even if it is slightly more clever, let alone upon one possessing perfect happiness.
Ταῦτα δὴ πάντα, Πυθόκλεις, μηνμόνευσον· κατὰ πολύ τε γὰρ τοῦ μύθου ἐκβήσῃ καὶ τὰ ὁμογενῆ τούτοις συνορᾶν δυνήσῃ, μάλιστα δὲ σεαυτὸν ἀπόδος εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀρχῶν καὶ ἀπειρίας καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν τούτοις θεωρίαν, ἔτι τε κριτηρίων καὶ παθῶν, καὶ οὗ ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ἐκλογιζόμεθα.
Remember all these things, Pythocles; for you will escape far from myth and be able to see together the things akin to these, and especially devote yourself to the contemplation of principles, infinity, and things akin to these, and further of criteria and feelings, and of the purpose for which we reason about these things.
ταῦτα γὰρ μάλιστα συνθεωρούμενα ῥᾳδίως τὰς περὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος αἰτίας συνορᾶν ποιήσει.
For these things, when contemplated together, will easily make you see the causes of detailed matters.
οἱ δὲ ταῦτα μὴ καταγαπήσαντες ᾖ μάλιστα οὔτε 〈ἂν〉 αὐτὰ ταῦτα καλῶς συνθεωρήσαιεν οὔτε οὗ ἕνεκεν δεῖ θεωρεῖν ταῦτα περιεποιήσαντο.
But those who have not cherished these things most of all would neither contemplate these very things well, nor have they acquired the purpose for which one must contemplate them.