Stephanus 80

80a and of the swallowing of drink, and of things hurled, both those let fly into the air and those that travel over the ground, the causes must be pursued by this same road; as too all sounds that appear swift and slow, high and low, now jarring as they move, through the unlikeness of the motion they stir within us, now consonant through its likeness. For the slower motions catch the motions of the earlier and faster ones just when they are dying down and have arrived at the like, 80b which the slower then come up to and set moving; and in seizing them they do not throw in a different motion and throw them into disorder, but set up the beginning of a slower movement in accord with the faster; and as it dies away, attaching likeness to it, they blend one single affection out of high and low; and from this they have given pleasure to the witless, and gladness to the wise, through the imitation of the divine harmony become present in mortal movements. And all the flowings of waters too, and further 80c the falls of the thunderbolts, and the wonder worked by amber in its drawing and by the Heraclean stones—of none of these is there ever any drawing at all, nor does any void exist; but they thrust one another round, and as they are sundered and brought together, each changes places toward its own seat, all of them moving so; and when these affections are entwined with one another, they will be seen to have worked their wonders for one who inquires by the right method. 80d

And so breathing too, from which our account set out, has come about in accordance with these things and by their means, as was said before: the fire cutting the foods, and the breath following along and carrying them up within, filling the veins from the belly by this joint carrying, as it pumps up from there the pieces that have been cut; and through these things the streams of nourishment have thus come to flow over the whole body in all living creatures. And these, freshly cut and from kindred things—some from fruits, some from green herbage, 80e which God planted in us for this very purpose, that they might be our food—take on every manner of color through their mingling, while the red hue, the most abundant of all, spreads round about them, being the nature wrought in the moist from the cutting and wearing away of fire.

Timaeus: hence the thing that flows through the body has taken the color of that appearance we went through just now, which we call blood, the pasture of the flesh and of the whole body,

80a their causes, and the causes of swallowing, and of things that are thrown, whether they travel through the air or along the ground—all these must be traced the same way. And the same is true of all the sounds that seem fast and slow, high and low: sometimes as they travel they clash, because of the unlikeness of the motion they set up in us, and sometimes they harmonize, because of the likeness. For the slower motions catch up with the motions of the earlier, faster ones when these have already stopped and settled into a like state; 80b coming on later and setting those going, they move them, and in catching up they did not throw in a different motion and cause confusion, but attached the start of a slower movement to the likeness of the faster one as it was ending, and so blended a single experience out of high and low. From this they give pleasure to the foolish and joy to the thoughtful, through the imitation of the divine harmony that has come to be in mortal motions. And so too with all the streams of water, and also 80c the falls of thunderbolts, and the wonders of the attraction of amber and of the Heracles stones: none of these things ever involves any pulling. There is no empty space; these things push one another round, and as things separate and come together each goes by turns to its own place. When these effects are woven together, they will appear marvelous to anyone who studies them the right way. 80d

And so breathing too, where our account began, has come about in this way and through these causes, as was said before: the fire cuts up the food, floats inside and follows the breath, and fills the veins from the belly as it rises along, by pumping the pieces up from there. For this reason the streams of nourishment flow so through the whole body in every animal. Being freshly cut and coming from things related to us—some from fruits, some from the green plants 80e that God planted for this very purpose, to be food—it takes on all kinds of colors from the mixing, but the red color spreads mostly through it, since it is a stuff fashioned by the cutting and smearing of fire in liquid.

Timaeus: That is why what flows through the body has the look we have described, which we call blood, the nourishment of the flesh and of the whole body,

80a and the causes of deglutition, and of projectiles, whether discharged aloft or flying over the surface of the earth; and the causes also of all the sounds which because of their quickness or slowness seem shrill or deep, and the movement of which is at one time discordant because of the irregularity of the motion they cause within us, and at another time concordant because of its regularity. For the slower sounds overtake the motions of the earlier and quicker sounds when the latter begin to stop 80b and have already fallen to a speed similar to that with which the slower sounds collide with them afterwards and move them; and when the slower overtake the quicker sounds they do not perturb them by imposing upon them a different motion, but they attach to them the beginning of a slower motion in accord with that which was quicker but is tending to cease; and thus from shrill and deep they blend one single sensation, furnishing pleasure thereby to the unintelligent, and to the intelligent that intellectual delight which is caused by the imitation of the divine harmony manifested in mortal motions.

Furthermore, as regards all flowings of waters, and fallings 80c of thunderbolts, and the marvels concerning the attraction of electron and of the Heraclean stone—not one of all these ever possesses any real power of attraction; but the fact that there is no void, and that these bodies propel themselves round one into another, and that according as they separate or unite they all exchange places and proceed severally each to its own region,—it is by means of these complex and reciprocal processes that such marvels are wrought, as will be evident to him who investigates them properly. 80d

Moreover, the process of respiration—with which our account commenced—came about, as we previously stated, in this manner and by these means. The fire divides the foods, and rises through the body following after the breath; and as it rises, with the breath it fills the veins from the belly by drawing into them from thence the divided particles. And it is owing to this that in all living creatures the streams of nutriment course in this way through the whole body. And inasmuch as these nutritive particles are freshly divided 80e and derived from kindred substances,—some from fruits, and some from cereals, which God planted for us for the express purpose of serving as food,—they get all varieties of colors because of their commingling, but red is the color that runs through them most of all, it being a natural product of the action of the fire in dividing the liquid food and imprinting itself thereon.

Timaeus: Wherefore the color of the stream which flows through the body acquired an appearance such as we have described; and this stream we call blood, which is the nutriment of the flesh