Stephanus 56

56a in assigning this to earth we preserve the likely account; to water, in turn, of the remaining kinds the hardest to move; the easiest to move, to fire; the middle, to air. And the smallest body to fire, the largest again to water, and the middle to air; and the sharpest again to fire, the second to air, the third to water. All these, then—the one with the fewest bases must be by nature the easiest to move, 56b the most cuttable and the sharpest of all in every way, and further the lightest, composed of the fewest of the same parts; the second, second in these same qualities; and the third, third. So let it be, by the correct account and the likely one, that the solid kind of the pyramid, having come to be, is the element and seed of fire; the second kind, in order of generation, let us say is air's, and the third water's. All these, then, must be conceived as so small that 56c no single one of each kind is ever seen by us because of its smallness, but when many are massed together their bulk is seen; and that the proportions in their numbers, their movements, and all their other powers were everywhere fitted by the god—wherever the willing nature of necessity, persuaded, gave way, there throughout, completed with exactness by him, they were joined together in proportion.

Of all the kinds we named at the outset, then, this is how things would stand 56d most according to the likely account. Earth, meeting with fire and dissolved by its sharpness, would drift along—whether dissolved in the fire itself or chancing to fall into a mass of air or of water—until its parts, meeting somewhere and again fitted to themselves, became earth once more, for it could never pass into any other kind. But water, divided by fire, or even by air, could come to be, as it was formed, one body of fire and two 56e of air; and the portions of air, when one part is dissolved, would become two bodies of fire. And again, when fire is hemmed in by air, or by waters, or by some earth—a little amid much, moving amid what is carried along, and fighting and being overpowered and broken to pieces—two bodies of fire combine into one kind of air; and when air is overpowered and cut into pieces, from two wholes and a half there will be one whole, compacted kind of water.

Timaeus: for let us now reckon these again in this way—how, when taken in fire, of the

56a by assigning this to earth we preserve the likely account. Of the remaining forms we give to water the one that is hardest to move, to fire the one easiest to move, and the middle one to air. And we give the smallest body to fire, the largest to water, and the middle one to air. And the sharpest again to fire, the second to air, and the third to water. All of this follows: the one with the fewest bases must by nature be easiest to move, and it is the most cutting 56b and the sharpest of all in every way, and the lightest as well, since it is made of the fewest identical parts. The second has these same properties in the second degree, and the third in the third degree. So let it be settled, in line with the true account and with the likely one, that the solid form of the pyramid that has been produced is the element and seed of fire. Let us say that the second in order of coming-to-be is the element of air, and the third the element of water. We must think of all of these as small in this way: each single one of each kind is invisible to us because of its smallness, 56c but when many are gathered together their masses are seen. And we must also think that the god has fitted these together in proportion, in their numbers and their motions and their other powers, everywhere with precision, wherever the nature of necessity willingly gave way after being persuaded.

From all the kinds we have described, then, this is how 56d things would most likely go. When earth meets fire and is broken up by its sharpness, it is carried along—whether it is broken up in fire itself, or happens to be in a mass of air or of water—until its parts happen to meet again and, fitted together with one another, become earth; for it would never come to be any other kind. But when water is divided by fire, or by air as well, it can happen that one body of fire is formed, and two 56e of air. And when one part of air is broken up, two bodies of fire can come to be. And again, when fire is surrounded by air or by water or by some earth, a little amount among a lot, and is moved along with what is being carried, it fights and, when it is beaten, is smashed apart; two bodies of fire then combine into one form of air. And when air is overpowered and broken up, from two whole bodies of it and a half, one whole compact form of water comes to be.

Timaeus: Let us reason these things out again like this: when something is caught in fire and one of the

56a Timaeus: Wherefore, we are preserving the probable account when we assign this figure to earth, and of the remaining figures the least mobile to water, and the most mobile to fire, and the intermediate figure to air; and, further, when we assign the smallest body to fire, and the greatest to water, and the intermediate to air; and again, the first in point of sharpness to fire, the second to air, and the third to water. As regards all these forms, that which has the fewest bases must necessarily be the most mobile, 56b since it is in all ways the sharpest and most acute of all; and it must also be the lightest, since it is composed of the fewest identical parts; and the second comes second in point of these same qualities, and the third third.

Thus, in accordance with the right account and the probable, that solid which has taken the form of a pyramid shall be the element and seed of fire; the second in order of generation we shall affirm to be air, and the third water. Now one must conceive all these to be so small that none of them, 56c when taken singly each in its several kind, is seen by us, but when many are collected together their masses are seen. And, moreover, as regards the numerical proportions which govern their masses and motions and their other qualities, we must conceive that God realized these everywhere with exactness, in so far as the nature of Necessity submitted voluntarily or under persuasion, and thus ordered all in harmonious proportion.

From all that we have hitherto said about these Kinds, 56d they will, in all likelihood, behave themselves as follows. Earth will keep moving when it happens to meet with fire and has been dissolved by its acuteness, whether this dissolution takes place in pure fire or in a mass of air or of water; and this motion will continue until the particles of earth happen to meet together somewhere and reunite one with another, when they become earth again; for assuredly earth will never change into another form. But water, when broken up by fire or even by air, is capable of becoming a compound of one corpuscle of fire with two of air; 56e and the fractions of air which come from the dissolving of one particle will form two corpuscles of fire. And again, when a small quantity of fire is enclosed by a large quantity of air and water, or of earth, and moves within them as they rush along, and is defeated in its struggle and broken up, then two corpuscles of fire unite to make one form of air. And when air is defeated and disintegrated, from two whole forms of air and a half, one whole form of water will be compounded.