Stephanus 76

76a fleshlike nature, since it would not dry away entirely, a larger peel kept coming apart and separated off—the skin, as it is now called. And this, because of the moisture about the brain, met and grew together with itself, and wound the head round in a circle; while the moisture, rising beneath the seams, lifted it and closed it at the crown, gathering it, as it were, into a knot; and the manifold look of the seams came from the power of the revolutions and of the nourishment, warring against one another the more of them, 76b the fewer of them the less. This whole skin the divine pierced round with fire; and when it was pierced, and the moisture was carried out through it, what was moist and hot, so far as it was pure, went away; but what was mixed, of the same stuff as the skin, borne outward by the rush, stretched out far, its thinness equal to the bore of the puncture, and then, thrust back by the surrounding air without in its slowness, curled in again beneath the skin 76c and rooted there. And from these affections the race of hair grew in the skin, kindred to it, strap-like in its being, but harder and denser by the felting of the cooling which each hair, parting from the skin, chilled and felted along with it. On this pattern, then, our maker made the head hairy, working from the causes told, and judging that instead of flesh it should be a covering 76d for what lies about the brain—light, for safety's sake, and in summer and in winter equal to giving shade and shelter, while in nothing it would stand in the way of quick perception. And the interweaving about the fingers of sinew and skin and bone—the three mixed, drying into one common hard skin—was wrought by those causes working together, but for the sake of the chiefest thought of what was afterward to be. For 76e that some day from men there would spring women and the other wild kinds, those who framed us knew; and they knew, too, the need of nails—that the creatures would want them for many things and many uses; and so, in men come to be at once, they stamped the generation of nails. On this account, then, and by these reasons, they made the skin grow hair, and nails upon the ends of the limbs.

Timaeus: But when all that belonged to the mortal creature had grown together—

76a fleshlike nature did not dry up all the way through, a larger rind, forming around it, came off on its own: the skin, as it is now called. This skin, because of the moisture around the brain, met itself and sprouted, and it wrapped the head round in a circle. The moisture, rising up under the seams, lifted the skin and closed it at the crown, gathering it like a knot. And the seams took their many different shapes from the power of the circular movements and of the nourishment: where these fought with each other more, there were more seams; 76b where there were fewer, fewer. Then the divine pierced all this skin round about with fire. When it was pierced, and the moisture went out through the piercings, the part that was pure liquid and heat passed away. But the mixed part, made of the very stuffs of the skin, was carried out by the rush and stretched far, as thin as the pierce was deep. And because it moved slowly, the breath standing around outside pushed it back, and it coiled in again under the skin and took root. 76c Through these events, then, the race of hair grew in the skin. Hair is skin's own kindred, cord-like in nature, but harder and denser through the packing of the cooling that each hair took on as it was chilled and pressed together with the skin separating from it. Working from these causes, the maker made our heads shaggy. He used the causes stated, and he also saw that the hair should stand in place of flesh as a light roof for the part around the brain 76d, for the sake of safety, good enough to give shade in summer and cover in winter, and no hindrance at all to quick feeling. But the bone in the plaiting of sinew and skin around the fingers, mixed out of the three and dried, became one hard skin common to all of them. It was made by those joint causes, and it was shaped for the sake of the chief thought about what would come later. For the beings who put us together knew that some day women and the other 76e living things would come to be out of men, and they knew too that nails would be needed, that many of the creatures would stand in need of them for many uses. So they stamped the growth of nails into human beings right from the start. On this account, and for these reasons, they made skin grow, and hair, and nails at the ends of the limbs.

Timaeus: And when all the parts of the mortal living thing had grown together

76a Accordingly, of the fleshy substance which was not being fully dried up a larger enveloping film was separated off, forming what is now called skin. And this, having united with itself because of the moisture round the brain and spreading, formed a vesture round about the head; and this was damped by the moisture ascending under the seams and closed down over the crown, being drawn together as it were in a knot; and the seams had all kinds of shapes owing to the force of the soul’s revolutions and of her food, being more in number when these are more in conflict with one another, and less when they are less in conflict. 76b And the Deity kept puncturing all this skin round about with fire; and when the skin was pierced and the moisture flew out through it, all the liquid and heat that was pure went away, but such as was mixed with the substance whereof the skin also was composed was lifted up by the motion and extended far beyond the skin, being of a fineness to match the puncture; but since it was thrust back, because of its slowness, by the external air that surrounded it, it coiled itself round inside and rooted itself under the skin. 76c Such, then, were the processes by which hair grew in the skin, it being a cord-like species akin to the skin but harder and denser owing to the constriction of the cold, whereby each hair as it separated off from the skin was chilled and constricted. Making use, then, of the causes mentioned our Maker fashioned the head shaggy with hair, purposing that, in place of flesh, the hair should serve as a light roofing for the part about the brain for safety’s sake, 76d providing a sufficient shade and screen alike in summer and in winter, while proving no obstacle in the way of easy perception.

And at the place in the fingers where sinew and skin and bone were interlaced there was formed a material blended of these three; and this when it was dried off became a single hard skin compounded of them all and whereas these were the auxiliary causes whereby it was fashioned, it was wrought by the greatest of causes, divine Purpose, for the sake of what should come to pass hereafter. For those who were constructing us knew that out of men women should one day spring 76e and all other animals; and they understood, moreover, that many of these creatures would need for many purposes the help of nails; wherefore they impressed upon men at their very birth the rudimentary structure of finger-nails. Upon this account and with these designs they caused skin to grow into hair and nails upon the extremities of the limbs.

Timaeus: And when all the limbs and parts of the mortal living creature had been naturally joined together,