Stephanus 59

59a Timaeus: Again, when the fire falls out of it at once — since it does not go into an empty void — the air next at hand, being pushed, drives the liquid mass, still easy to move, into the places the fire has left, shoving it there and mixing itself with it; and the mass, pushed together, takes back its uniformity again — the fire, that maker of unevenness, having gone its way — and returns to the same state as before. And the departure of the fire was named cooling, and the coming together, once that has gone, congealing. Of all these 59b waters we have called fusible, the kind that becomes densest out of the finest and most uniform particles, single in form, tinged with a gleaming yellow color — filtered through rock — settled as gold, the most precious of possessions; and the branch of gold, hardest through its density and grown dark, was called adamant. But the kind near to gold in its parts, holding several forms in one, and in density — being denser than gold — also taking a small and fine portion of earth, so as to be harder, yet lighter 59c because it has great gaps within itself — one kind of the bright and congealed waters, when it compacted, became copper; and the earth mingled with it, whenever the two grow old and part from one another again, becoming conspicuous by itself, is called rust. As for the rest of such things, one who pursues the form of the likely stories should not trouble to reason out any more of their variations — the form that, when someone for refreshment's sake sets aside the accounts about what is, which are always the same, and contemplates instead the likely ones 59d about becoming, wins a pleasure that can never be regretted, if he makes it a pastime of his life at once measured and wise. In this spirit, then, let us set down what we have now and go on to what is next and likely concerning these same things, in this way. The water mixed with fire, insofar as it is fine and liquid through its motion and the path it takes rolling over the earth, is called liquid; and soft, again, in that its bases yield while being less firmly seated than those of earth. When this, having parted from the fire, is isolated from the air, 59e it has grown more uniform, and is pressed in upon itself by what departs from it; and so congealed, the part that suffered this most above the earth became hail, and the part upon the earth, crystal; while the part affected more gently, still half-congealed, became above the earth snow, and upon the earth, compacted out of dew, is called hoarfrost.

Timaeus: The most numerous kinds of water, mixed with one another — the kind as a whole,

59a Timaeus: And when the fire falls out from there again, since it does not leave into an empty space, the air next to it is pushed and, while the wet mass is still easy to move, shoves it into the seats of the fire and mixes it with itself. As it is pushed together and gets back its uniformity, now that fire, the maker of the lack of uniformity, has gone away, it settles back into the same state as itself. And the getting rid of the fire was named 'cooling', and the coming together after it left was named the kind of state that is 'solid'. Of all of these, 59b the waters we have called fluid: the one that becomes densest, made of the finest and most even parts, a kind of a single form, joined with a gleaming yellow color, set and strained through rock, hardened into gold, the most prized possession there is. A branch of gold, the hardest thing there is because of its density and turned black, was called adamant. The kind that is close to gold in its parts, but has more forms than one; in density, on the one hand, denser than gold, since it has taken in a small and fine portion of earth and so is harder, but on the other hand lighter, because it has 59c large gaps within it—this, one of the bright and solid kinds of water, came to be as bronze. And what is mixed into it from earth, when the two separate from each other again as it ages, becomes visible on its own and is called rust. There is no point in going through the rest of such things in detail, when one is chasing the form of likely stories. When someone sets aside the accounts of what always is, for the sake of rest, and studies the likely accounts about coming-to-be, 59d and gains a pleasure he will never regret, he is having a moderate and sensible amusement in his life. With that in mind, leaving these matters here, let us go through the next likely points about the same things, like this. Water mixed with fire, insofar as it is fine and liquid because of its motion and the path along which it rolls over the earth (and so it is called liquid), and also soft, because its bases are less firmly set than those of earth and give way—when this is separated from fire and left alone without air, 59e it becomes more uniform, and it is packed together by the things leaving into it; and once it is frozen in this way, the part of it above the earth that has undergone this most is hail, and the part on the earth is ice; the part that has undergone it less, and is still only half-frozen, is snow above the earth, and on the earth it is called frost when it hardens out of dew.

Timaeus: And most kinds of water, mixed with one another—the whole class of them,

59a does not pass into a void but presses on the adjacent air, this in turn compresses the liquid mass which is still mobile into the abodes of the fire and combines it with itself; and the mass, being this, is compressed and recovering again its uniformity, because of the departure of the fire, the author of its non-uniformity, returns to its state of self-identity. And this cessation of the fire is termed cooling, and the combination which follows on its departure solidification. 59b

Of all the kinds of water which we have termed fusible, the densest is produced from the finest and most uniform particles: this is a kind of unique form, tinged with a glittering and yellow hue, even that most precious of possessions, gold, which has been strained through stones and solidified. And the off-shoot of gold, which is very hard because of its density and black in color, is called adamant. And the kind which closely resembles gold in its particles but has more forms than one, and in density is more dense than gold, and partakes of small and fine portions of earth so that it is harder, while it is also lighter 59c owing to its having large interstices within it,—this particular kind of the bright and solid waters, being compounded thus, is termed bronze. And the portion of earth that is mixed therewith becomes distinct by itself, when both grow old and separate again-each from the other; and then it is named rust.

And the rest of such phenomena it is no longer difficult to explain in full, if one aims at framing a description that is probable. For as regards this, whenever for the sake of recreation a man lays aside arguments concerning eternal Realities and considers probable accounts of Becoming, 59d gaining thereby a pleasure not to be repented of, he provides for his life a pastime that is both moderate and sensible. To this pastime let us now give free play, and proceed to expound in order the subsequent probabilities concerning these same phenomena in the following way.

The water that is mixed with fire, which is fine and fluid, is termed fluid, owing to its motion and the way it rolls over the earth. Also it is soft owing to the fact that its bases, being less stable than those of earth, give way. When this kind is separated off from fire and air and isolated it becomes more uniform, 59e but because of their outflow it is compressed upon itself; and when it is thus solidified, the part of it above the earth which is most affected by this process is termed hail, and the part upon the earth ice and the part which is less affected and is still only half-solid is called snow when it is above the earth, but when it is upon the earth and solidified out of dew it is called hoar-frost.

Timaeus: Now as regards most forms of water that are intermingled one with another, the kind as a whole, consisting of water that has been strained through earth-grown plants,