§8.prop.1ἐὰν ὦσιν ὁσοιδηποτοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον, οἱ δὲ ἄκροι αὐτῶν πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὦσιν, ἐλάχιστοί εἰσι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς.
If there be as many numbers as we please in continued proportion, and their extremes be prime to one another, they are the least of those which have the same ratio with them.
ἔστωσαν ὁποσοιοῦν ἀριθμοὶ ἑξῆς ἀνάλογον οἱ Α, Β, Γ, δ, οἱ δὲ ἄκροι αὐτῶν οἱ Α, Δ πρῶτοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔστωσαν· λέγω, ὅτι οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ ἐλάχιστοί εἰσι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς.
Let there be any number of numbers in continued proportion, A, B, Γ, Δ, and let their extremes A, Δ be prime to one another; I say that A, B, Γ, Δ are the least of those which have the same ratio with them.
εἰ γὰρ μή, ἔστωσαν ἐλάττονες τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ οἱ Ε, Ζ, Η, Θ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ ὄντες αὐτοῖς.
For if not, let E, Z, H, Θ, which are less than A, B, Γ, Δ, be in the same ratio with them.
καὶ ἐπεὶ οἱ α, Β, Γ, Δ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ εἰσὶ τοῖς Ε, Ζ, Η, Θ, καί ἐστιν ἴσον τὸ πλῆθος τῷ πλήθει, διʼ ἴσου ἄρα ἐστὶν ὡς ὁ Α πρὸς τὸν Δ, ὁ Ε πρὸς τὸν Θ. οἱ δὲ Α, Δ πρῶτοι, οἱ δὲ πρῶτοι καὶ ἐλάχιστοι, οἱ δὲ ἐλάχιστοι ἀριθμοὶ μετροῦσι τοὺς τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἔχοντας ἰσάκις ὅ τε μείζων τὸν μείζονα καὶ ὁ ἐλάσσων τὸν ἐλάσσονα, τουτέστιν ὅ τε ἡγούμενος τὸν ἡγούμενον καὶ ὁ ἑπόμενος τὸν ἑπόμενον.
And since A, B, Γ, Δ are in the same ratio with E, Z, H, Θ, and the multitude is equal to the multitude, therefore, ex aequali, as A is to Δ, so is E to Θ. But A, Δ are prime, and those which are prime are also least, and the least numbers measure those which have the same ratio as many times, the greater the greater, and the less the less, that is, the antecedent the antecedent, and the consequent the consequent.
μετρεῖ ἄρα ὁ Α τὸν Ε ὁ μείζων τὸν ἐλάσσονα· ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον.
Therefore A, which is greater, measures E, which is less; which is impossible.
οὐκ ἄρα οἱ Ε, Ζ, Η, Θ ἐλάσσονες ὄντες τῶν Α, Β, Γ, Δ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ εἰσὶν αὐτοῖς.
Therefore E, Z, H, Θ, being less than A, B, Γ, Δ, are not in the same ratio with them.
οἱ Α, Β, Γ, Δ ἄρα ἐλάχιστοί εἰσι τῶν τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐχόντων αὐτοῖς· ὅπερ ἔδει δεῖξαι.
Therefore A, B, Γ, Δ are the least of those which have the same ratio with them; which was to be proved.