Stephanus 81

81a whereby each part, watered by it, fills the place of what has gone empty; and the manner of the filling and of the withdrawal comes about just as the movement of each thing in the whole has come to be, by which everything kindred is borne toward itself. For the things that stand around us outside are always melting and distributing, sending off to each kind what belongs to its own stock; and the particles in the blood again, cut small within us and wrapped round, as it were, by 81b a heaven standing fast about each living creature, are compelled to imitate the movement of the whole; and so each of the parts divided within, borne toward its kindred, refills what was then emptied. When more goes out of what flows in, everything wastes away; when less, it grows. When the structure of the whole creature is new, then, and its triangles still fresh, as though just out of the vat, it possesses a strong clasping of them to one another, and the whole mass of it has set 81c soft, having been newly made from marrow and nurtured in milk; and the triangles embraced within it, when the triangles of which foods and drinks are made come in from outside, being older and weaker than its own, it overpowers, cutting them, and accomplishes a great thing, nourishing the animal out of many like things. But when the root of its triangles gives way, because they have contended in many contests against many things over a long time, 81d they can no longer cut the incoming food into their own likeness, while they themselves are easily divided by the newcomers from outside; and so every living thing wastes away, being worsted in this, and the affection is given the name of old age. And in the end, when the bonds fitted about the triangles of the marrow can no longer hold out against the strain as they are pulled apart, they let go in their turn the bonds of the soul, and she, loosed, flies out 81e according to nature with pleasure; for everything contrary to nature is painful, while what comes to be as it is naturally born to be is pleasant. And death, on the same principles, when it comes through diseases or under blows, is painful and violent; but the death that comes with old age, arriving at its end in the course of nature, is of all deaths the least grievous, and comes more with pleasure than with pain.

Timaeus: But from what disease is composed—that is surely plain to everyone.

81a from which each part draws water and fills the base of whatever has been emptied; and the way filling and emptying happen is just as in the universe the motion of everything has happened, in which everything that is kin moves toward itself. For the things that stand around outside us always melt us and deal us out, sending what is like each kind off to its own kind; while the things with blood inside us, cut into pieces and enclosed as if under a heaven 81b belonging to each animal, are forced to copy the motion of the whole. So each of the inner parts, carried toward what is kin to it, filled up again whatever had been emptied at that time. When more flows away than flows in, the whole thing wastes; when less, it grows. Now in a young creature the whole body is newly put together, with its triangles still fresh, as if on the building frame of its kind; it has a strong locking of them to one another, and its whole bulk is set together 81c soft, since it has lately come from marrow and been fed on milk. Then the triangles that get enclosed in it when things come in from outside—whatever the food and drink are made of—being older and weaker than its own triangles, it masters them by cutting them with its new ones, and by feeding the creature from many like things it makes it large. But when the root of the triangles loosens, because over a long time it has fought many struggles against many 81d things, the food that comes in it can no longer cut so as to match itself, and it is itself easily broken up by what comes in from outside. Every creature then wastes as this overcomes it, and this experience is called old age. At the end, when the bonds fitted together around the marrow can no longer hold out and are pulled apart by the strain, they in turn release the bonds of the soul; and the soul, freed, flies away 81e with pleasure, as is natural. For everything that goes against nature is painful, and whatever happens in the way nature meant it to is pleasant. Death too works the same way: the kind that comes with diseases and wounds is painful and violent, but the kind that reaches its end with old age goes naturally, is the easiest of all deaths, and comes with more pleasure than pain.

Timaeus: Where diseases come from is plain enough to everyone.

81a and of the whole body, each part drawing therefrom supplies of fluid and filling up the room of the evacuated matter. And the processes of filling and evacuating take place just as the motion of everything in the Universe takes place, namely, according to the law that every kindred substance moves towards its kind. For the bodies which surround us without are always dissolving us and sending off and distributing to each species of substance what is akin thereto; while the blood-particles, again, being minced up within us and surrounded by the structure of each creature as by a Heaven, are compelled to copy the motion of the whole; 81b hence, when each of the particles that are divided up inside moves towards its kin, it fills up again the emptied place. And when what passes out is more than the inflow every creature decays, but when less, it increases. Now when the structure of the whole creature is new, inasmuch as the triangles which form its elements are still fresh, and as it were straight from the stocks, it keeps them firmly interlocked one with another, and the whole mass of it is of a soft composition, 81c seeing that it is newly produced from marrow and nourished on milk; and as the triangles contained therein, which have invaded it from without and go to form the meats and drinks, are older and weaker than its own, it divides and overcomes them with its own new triangles, and thus renders the creature large by feeding it on many similar substances. But when the root of the triangles grows slack owing to their having fought many fights during long periods, 81d they are no longer able to divide the entering triangles of the food and assimilate them to themselves, but are themselves easily divided by those which enter from without; and in this condition every animal is overpowered and decays; and this process is named old age. And finally, when the bonds of the triangles in the marrow which have been fitly framed together no longer resist the strain but fall asunder, they let slip in turn the bonds of the soul, and it, when thus naturally set loose, flies out gladly; 81e for whereas every process which is contrary to nature is painful, that which takes place naturally is pleasurable. So too, in like manner, the death which occurs in consequence of disease or by wounds is painful and violent, but that which follows on old age and constitutes a natural end is the least grievous of deaths and is accompanied by more of pleasure than of pain.

Timaeus: The origin of disease is plain, of course, to everybody.