Stephanus 78

78a A thing of this kind, which we shall see the more easily if we first settle an admission of this sort: that everything composed of smaller parts holds in what is larger, while what is composed of larger parts cannot hold the smaller, and that fire, of all the kinds, has the finest parts; hence it passes through water and earth and air and everything composed of these, and nothing has the power to hold it in. The same must be understood, then, of the belly within us: food and drink, when they fall into it, 78b it holds; but breath and fire, having finer parts than its own fabric, it cannot hold. With these, then, God contrived the irrigation that goes from the belly into the veins: a netting woven of air and fire, like the meshes of a fowler's net, having at its entrance double pouches, each of which he plaited again with two channels; and from the pouches he stretched, as it were, cords running in a circle throughout, clear to the farthest ends of the netting. The inner part of the plaited work he fashioned all of fire, 78c while the pouches and the membrane he made of airy substance; and taking this he wrapped it about the creature that had been molded, in the following way. The part of the pouches he let down toward the mouth; and since it was double, he let one branch down by the windpipes into the lung, and the other into the belly alongside the windpipes; the remaining part he split, letting each half run out through the channels of the nose as a shared passage, so that whenever one of the two did not go by way of the mouth, all its streams might be replenished by way of the other. The other membrane of the net he made grow around our body wherever it is hollow, and this whole thing he made now to flow softly in toward the pouches, being air, 78d and now to flow back, the pouches receding while the mesh, the body being porous, sinks in through it and out again, and the rays of the fire within, being woven into it, follow along as the air moves either way; and this, 78e so long as the mortal creature holds together, never ceases from going on; and to this kind of process, we say, the giver of names gave the name of inhalation and exhalation. And this whole work and experience of ours came to be for the body's sake, that, watered and cooled, it might feed and live.

Timaeus: for whenever, as the breath moves in and out, the fire within follows after it, held fast to it, and always coursing in its passage through the belly it enters and takes the

78a of such a kind—which we will understand more easily if we first agree to this: everything that is put together from smaller parts holds back larger things, but things made of larger parts cannot hold back smaller ones; and fire has the smallest parts of all the kinds, which is why it passes right through water and earth and air and everything made out of these, and nothing can hold it back. We must think the same way about our belly: when food and drink fall into it, 78b it holds them, but breath and fire, being made of smaller parts than its own structure, it cannot hold. The god used these for carrying water from the belly to the veins. He wove a net of air and fire like the woven fish traps, with two basket-shaped openings at the entrance, and one of these he wove again into two prongs; and from the openings he stretched what one might call cords all around to the outer edges of the net. All the inner 78c part of the weaving he made of fire, while the basket openings and the shell were like air; and he took it and set it around the animal he had formed in the following way. He let the openings into the mouth; and since they were double, he led one down along the windpipe into the lung, and the other to the belly beside the windpipe. The other one he split and let each part open out through the channels of the nose as a shared passage, so that whenever one of them did not come in through the mouth, everything—the streams of that one and of 78d the other alike—would be filled from there. The rest of the shell of the trap he grew around whatever part of our body is hollow, and he made all of this at one time flow softly into the basket openings, since it is air, and at another time flow back out through the openings; and since the body is porous, the net sinks in through it and out again, while the rays of fire bound inside follow along wherever the air goes, and this does not stop happening 78e as long as the mortal animal holds together. This is the process, we say, that the man who gave things their names named breathing in and breathing out. The whole function and effect of this in our body has come about so that, with its watering and cooling, the body may be fed and live;

Timaeus: For when the breath goes in and out and the fire linked inside follows it, and always floating through the belly it comes in and takes the

78a Timaeus: Thereupon they arranged the irrigation on some such plan as this—a plan which we shall perceive more easily when we have first agreed upon the following postulates. All bodies composed of smaller particles shut in the larger, but those composed of larger particles cannot shut in the smaller; and fire, because of all the elements it has the smallest particles, passes through water and earth and air and all things composed thereof, and nothing can shut it in. We must conceive that the same law holds good of the action of our belly. Whenever foods and drinks flow into it 78b it shuts them in, but air and fire, being of smaller particles than its own structure, it cannot shut in. These elements, therefore, God employed to provide irrigation from the belly to the veins, weaving out of air and fire a veil of mesh-work like unto a fish-weel, having two innerweels at its entrance; and one of these inner-weels He wove over again so as to make it bifurcated; and from the inner-weels He stretched as it were ropes all over it in a circle up to the extremities of the veil. Now the inward parts of the veil 78c He constructed wholly of fire, but the inner-weels and the envelope of air; and taking this He placed it round about the living creature that was molded in the following manner. The part consisting of the inner-weels He let down into the mouth; and since this part was twofold, He let down one inner-weel by way of the windpipe into the lungs, and the other into the belly alongside the windpipe. And cleaving the former of these weels in two He gave to both sections a common outlet by way of the channels of the nose, so that when the first conduit by way of the mouth failed to act, 78d its streams as well should be plenished from this. The rest of the enveloping mesh-work He made to grow round all the hollow part of our body; and He caused all this at one time to flow gently into the inner-weels, seeing they were of air, and at another time the weels to flow back into it. And inasmuch as the body was porous, He caused the veil to pass in through it and out again; and the inner rays of fire that were enclosed within it He made to follow the air as it moved in either direction; whence it comes that, so long as the mortal living creature preserves its structure, this process goes on unceasingly. 78e And to this kind of process the Giver of Titles gave, as we say, the names of inspiration and expiration. And the whole of this mechanism and its effects have been created in order to secure nourishment and life for our body, by means of moistening and cooling.

For as the respiration goes in and out the inward fire attached thereto follows it; and whenever in its constant oscillations this fire enters in through the belly