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That none of the moisture is consumed is testified by such an experiment. But just as in the beginning fire did not have its origin in the destruction of moisture, but was produced by the same power; and this so according to the first constitution of the element, and its permanence will be preserved for ever, with the moist nature in no way being troubled for the fire to remain. But we see, he says, the earth often moistened by rain, then, when the sun has warmed the substrate more intensely, what was just before waterlogged becomes dry; where then, he says, is the moisture in these things, if indeed the heat of the ray is not consuming it entirely? Therefore, if the water in the ceramic vessel should be transferred to another, and the full one should suddenly become empty; since it is not in this one, do they say that what is in the other does not exist at all? For if one supposes that what happens here also happens in that case, he will not err from what is likely. For it is the same thing for the liquid to be transferred from this hollow to another hollow, and for the moisture of the earth, having been drawn out, to be raised up to the air, with the liquid naturally being filtered upwards whenever the heat of what is above draws it minutely from the earth towards itself. And a proof of what happens is that often when thicker vapors are given up from the depth of the earth, a certain cloudy formation seems to well up, and the thickness of the vapors becomes so great that it is even perceptible to the eyes. But sometimes the exhalation of the moisture might be finer, so as to be equal in a way to the air in fineness, and not to be manifest to the sight before this exhalation of such liquids falls together with itself, and so becomes a cloud through condensation; so that the fine and vaporous moistures for a time float upon the air on account of their lightness and are carried by the winds, but if more of kindred liquid, flowing to it, should become heavy, then falling out of the air onto the earth it becomes a drop.

Therefore the heat did not consume what it drew up from the earth, but from these the cloud was formed, and the cloud, being compressed, became water; this again, mixed down with the earth, was drawn up into vapor, and the vapor, having become a cloud, became rain. And from this again the earth brought forth the vapors; and those, having been thickened in the formation of the clouds, flowed down, and what flowed down was given up again through vapors, and thus a certain cycle comes to be, returning upon itself, and always moving around and revolving through the same things. And whether you speak of plants, or of shoots, all go around in the same cycle. For the moisture ran up with the shoots through plants or seeds; then as much as is earthy that accompanied it, having been left in the bulk of what is nourished, when the substrate is dried by its surroundings, it evaporates again to what is kindred. But the air, being rare in its own parts, and finer than the fineness of the vapors, lets everything that has come to be in it pass through to its kindred. For thus both the dust, even if it is held up for a long time in the air, is given back again to the earth; and the moisture is not destroyed, but finds what is altogether kindred and congenital to itself wandering in the air, to which being joined and having been increased by the accession of similar things, it swells up again to the formation of a cloud, and thus through drops is restored to its own nature; so that everywhere the things of the cosmos, viewed elementally in the universe, are kept in the same measure, which from the beginning for each of the beings the wisdom of the Creator ordained for the harmony of the universe. But I know the opposing argument; for it is often possible to see, in a more intense heatwave, certain clouds scattered through the air, which if someone were to gaze upon for a longer time, he would in a way refute this argument, which says that none of the moist nature is consumed. For the clotted parts of the cloud, scattered in many parts of the air, first are diminished in bulk, being roasted by the exceeding blaze, and then into

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τὸ μὴ δαπανᾶσθαί τι τοῦ ὑγροῦ, διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης μαρτυρεῖται πείρας. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ παρὰ τὴν πρώτην οὐκ ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ τῆς ὑγρότητος τὸ πῦρ ἔσχε τὴν γένεσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑπέστη δυνάμεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὕτως κατὰ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ στοιχείου σύστασιν, καὶ εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς ἡ διαμονὴ φυλαχθήσεται, οὐδὲν τῆς ὑγρᾶς φύσεως πρὸς τὸ διαμεῖναι τὸ πῦρ διοχλουμένης. Ἀλλ' ὁρῶμεν, φησὶ, πολλάκις ὑγρανθεῖσαν ἐξ ἐπομβρίας τὴν γῆν, εἶτα σφοδρότερον τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ ὑποκείμενον θάλψαντος, ξηρὰν γινομένην τὴν πρὸ ὀλίγου διάβροχον· ποῦ τοίνυν, φησὶν, ἡ ἐν τούτοις ὑγρότης, εἶπερ μὴ καθόλου τὸ θερμὸν τῆς ἀκτῖνος ἐπαναλίσκοντος; Ἆρ' οὖν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ κερά μῳ ὕδωρ εἰ μεταβληθείη πρὸς ἕτερον, καὶ κενὸν ἀθρόως τὸ πλῆρες γένοιτο· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδὲ εἶναι ὅλως τὸ ἐν ἑτέρῳ γινόμενον λέ γουσιν; Ὃ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα γίνεται, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεί νου τις ὑπολαβὼν, τοῦ εἰκότος οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται. Ἶσον γάρ ἐστι τήν τε ἀπὸ τοῦ κοίλου τούτου ἐπὶ τὸ ἕτερον κοῖλον τοῦ ὑγροῦ μεταῤῥοὴν γενέσθαι, καὶ τὴν νοτίδα τῆς γῆς ἐξικμασθεῖσαν, ἀναχθῆναι πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα, φυσικῶς τοῦ ὑγροῦ, ὅταν ἡ τοῦ ὑπερκειμένου θερμότης πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἐφέλκηται λεπτομερῶς ἐκ τῆς γῆς, πρὸς τὰ ἄνω διηθουμένου. Τεκμήριον δὲ τῶν γινομένων, ὅτι παχυτέρων πολλάκις τῶν ἀτμῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βάθους τῆς γῆς ἀναδιδομένων, νεφώδης τις σύ στασις ἀναβρύειν δοκεῖ, καὶ τοσαύτη τῶν ἀτμῶν ἡ παχύτης γίνεται, ὡς καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτὴν ἐφ ικτὴν εἶναι. Γένοιτο δ' ἄν ποτε καὶ λεπτομερεστέρα τις ἡ τῆς νοτῖδος ἀναθυμίασις, ὡς ἐξισοῦσθαι πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα τρόπον τινὰ τῇ λεπτότητι, καὶ μὴ πρότερον φανεροῦσθαι ταῖς ὄψεσι, πρὶν αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν συμπεσεῖν, τὴν τῶν τοιούτων ὑγρῶν ἀναθυμίασιν, καὶ οὕτω γενέσθαι νέφος διὰ τῆς συμπιλήσεως· ὥστε τὰς λεπτάς τε καὶ ἀτμοειδεῖς ἰκμάδας, τέως μὲν ἐπι πολάζειν τῷ ἀέρι διὰ κουφότητα, καὶ ἐποχεῖσθαι τοῖς πνεύμασιν, εἰ δὲ πλεῖον ἡ τοῦ ὑγροῦ συγγένεια πρὸς αὐτὴν συῤῥυεῖσα βαρεῖα γένοιτο, τότε ἐκπίπτουσαν τοῦ ἀέρος ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν σταγόνα γίνεσθαι.

Οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἀνάλωσεν ἡ θερμότης ὅπερ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἀνεμάξατο, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτῶν μὲν συνέστη τὸ νέφος, τὸ δὲ νέφος συνθλιβὲν, ὕδωρ ἐγένετο· τοῦτο δὲ πάλιν τῇ γῇ κατα μιχθὲν, εἰς ἀτμὸν ἀνήχθη, καὶ ὁ ἀτμὸς νεφωθεὶς, ὄμβρος ἐγένετο. Ἐκ δὲ τούτου πάλιν ἡ γῆ τοὺς ἀτμοὺς ἀπεκύησε· κἀκεῖνοι παχυνθέντες ἐν τῇ συ 96 στάσει τῶν νεφῶν κατεῤῥύησαν καὶ τὸ ἀποῤῥυὲν πάλιν δι' ἀτμῶν ἀνεδόθη, καὶ οὕτω κύκλος τις γίνε πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀναστρέφων, καὶ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀεὶ περιχωρῶν τε καὶ ἑλισσόμενος. Κἂν τὰ φυτὰ εἴπῃς, κἂν τὰ βλαστήματα, πάντα τῷ αὐτῷ κύκλῳ συμ περιέρχεται. Ἡ γὰρ ἰκμὰς διὰ φυτῶν ἢ σπερμάτων τοῖς βλαστοῖς συνανέδραμεν· εἶθ' ὅσον ἐστὶ γεῶδες αὐτῇ συνεπόμενον, ἐναφεῖσα τῷ ὄγκῳ τοῦ τρεφομέ νου, ὅταν ξηρανθῇ τὸ ὑποκείμενον τῷ περιέχοντι, πάλιν πρὸς τὸ ὁμόφυλον ἐξατμίζεται. Ἀραιὸς δὲ ὢν ὁ ἀὴρ ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ μορίοις, καὶ τῆς λεπτομερείας τῶν ἀτμῶν λεπτομερέστερος, ἅπαν τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ γενό μενον, πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς διαφίησιν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἥ τε κόνις, κἂν ἐπιπολὺ τοῦ ἀέρος διασχεθῇ, πάλιν τῇ γῇ ἀποδίδοται· καὶ ἡ ἰκμὰς οὐκ ἀπόλλυται, ἀλλ' εὑ ρίσκει τὸ πάντως ἑαυτῇ συγγενές τε καὶ σύμφυλον κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα πλανώμενον, ᾧ προσπλασθεῖσα καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὁμοίων προχωρήσεως αὐξηθεῖσα, πάλιν διογκοῦται πρὸς νέφρους σύστασιν, καὶ οὕτω διὰ σταγόνων τῇ ἰδίᾳ φύσει ἀποκαθίσταται· ὥστε πανταχοῦ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου τε στοιχειωδῶς ἐν τῷ παντὶ θεωρούμενα ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μέτρου φυλάσσεσθαι, ὃ παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἡ σοφία τοῦ δημιουργοῦ πρὸς τὴν εὐαρμοστίαν τοῦ παντὸς διετάξατο. Ἀλλ' οἶδα τὸν ἀντιπίπτοντα λόγον· πολλάκις γὰρ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ἐν σφοδροτέρῳ καύσωνι νέφη τινὰ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος κατεσπαρμένα, οἷς εἰ τις ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐνατενί σειεν, ἐλέγξει πως τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ὃς μηδὲν τῆς ὑγρᾶς φύσεως ἐξαναλίσκεσθαι λέγει. Τὰ γὰρ θρομ βοειδῆ τοῦ νέφους τμήματα, πολλαχῆ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐσκεδασμένα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐλαττοῦται κατὰ τὸν ὄγκον τῷ ὑπερβάλλοντι τοῦ φλογμοῦ ἐξοπτώμενα εἶτα καὶ εἰς