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neither increase nor diminution being able to happen in the things measured by God and contained by him.

If, then, prophecy testifies that neither addition nor diminution happens to existing things, then each thing surely always remains in its own measure, while the mutable nature observed in existing things changes all things into one another, and alters each into the other, and again from that, through change and alteration, leads it back once more to its original state. But that this moist vapor, having passed through the flame, passes into an earthy quality, being changed to a dry state through roasting—this has been moderately understood in the preceding arguments through the example of the oil. But it is fitting to consider what comes after this: whether, when the matter of the vapor has been altered to the opposite quality, it is possible for that remnant of the vapor to remain above, which the argument understands as being transformed by the roasting into something finer and more invisible. But indeed I think it is possible to make a conjecture about that as well through examples familiar to you. For not even here does the fine particle of soot always remain suspended in the air, but because of the thinness of the air it makes its way towards what is akin to it, staining the earth and walls and the timbers of the roof. Therefore it is consistent to suppose the same thing about that too: that the vapor, having been pushed up by the winds into the fiery region above, and in the change of its moist quality, preserved its material substance, but having become dry, was drawn down to what is akin to it and was restored to the earth. For an attractive power for its own kind is inherent by nature in each of existing things, so that such a supposition is not inconsistent, that the vapor, having become somewhat dry and earthy in its quality, was mixed with the dryness of the earth. If, then, the whole nature of the moist substance were oily, the roasting would surely have turned the color of such vapors to black in the denseness of their quality; and what was happening would have been manifest 105 to all, being shown by its taking on that appearance. But since the finest and most transparent part of the nature of water is in the vapors, and these, according to the argument previously demonstrated, having deposited their moist quality in the fire, were altered to a dry state; it is altogether necessary to suppose this to be pure and airy, whatever the mind apprehends that thing to be which by its subtlety escapes comprehension. But if someone thinks sensation is more trustworthy than the apprehension of reason, and seeks to see with his eye those indivisible and invisible masses; it is possible for one who wishes to see the air thick with such particles, when a ray of light, admitted through a window, makes that part of the air more manifest, as much of it as it illuminates with its light. For what in the rest of the air is inaccessible to the eyes, this is seen by means of the ray in an infinite multitude whirling about in the air. He, therefore, who fixes his eye on these things, will find the motion of those fine particles always streaming downwards. And what is shown in a part of the air is a proof that such is the case also in the whole, since the whole is continuous with itself, and the whole is made up of parts. But if the motion of these fine atoms always streams down through theair to the earth, and it is clear that it is not the ethereal substance that is scattered, being broken up into these particles (for the nature of fire does not suffer being broken and diffused into fine particles); it is altogether necessary to believe that the matter of those things is descending, whose ascent the argument contemplated by means of the vapors, so that while they are moist they are drawn up by the hot nature, but having been burnt out and become earthy, they are no longer held in the fire, but are restored again to the earth. Just as the food in us, having been altered by digestion into a certain fine quality, to whatever part of the body it may approach through distribution, that which is distributed becomes an addition to it, and though the difference of the members in the constitution of the body is varied in the dry and

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μήτε αὐξήσεως, μήτε κολοβώσεως ἐν τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεμετρημένοις, καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ περιεχομένοις δυναμένης γενέσθαι.

Εἰ οὖν μήτε προσθήκην, μήτε ἐλάττωσιν περὶ τὰ ὄντα συμβαίνειν ἡ προφητεία μαρτύρεται, πάντως ἐπὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ ἕκαστον μέτρῳ εἰσαεὶ διαμένει, τῆς τρεπτῆς φύσεως τῆς ἐν τοῖς οὖσι θεω ρουμένης, πάντα εἰς ἄλληλα μεταβαλλούσης, καὶ ἕκα στον εἰς τὸ ἕτερον ἀλλοιούσης, καὶ πάλιν ἀπ' ἐκείνου διὰ μεταβολῆς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως εἰς τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς αὖθις ἐπαναγούσης. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ὁ ὑγρὸς οὗτος ἀτμὸς, ἐν τῷ φλογμῷ διαγενόμενος, εἰς τὴν γεώδη με ταβαίνει ποιότητα, πρὸς τὸ ξηρὸν μεταβληθεὶς διὰ τῆς ἐξοπτήσεως, τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσι λόγοις ἐν τῷ κατὰ τὸ ἔλαιον ὑποδείγματι μετρίως νενόηται, σκοπεῖν δὲ τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο προσήκει, εἰ τῆς ὕλης τοῦ ἀτμοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἐναντίαν ἀλλοιωθείσης ποιότητα, δυ νατόν ἐστιν ἄνω μένειν ἐκεῖνο τοῦ ἀτμοῦ τὸ λείψανον, ὅτι ποτὲ κατανοεῖ ὁ λόγος τὸ διὰ τῆς ἐξοπτήσεως μετα ποιηθὲν, πρὸς τὸ λεπτότερόν τε καὶ ἀφανέστερον. Ἀλλὰ μὴν οἶμαι δυνατὸν εἶναι καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου διὰ τῶν γνωρίμων ὑμῖν ὑποδειγμάτων στοχάσασθαι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα τὸ λεπτομερὲς τῆς λιγνύος εἰσαεὶ διαμέ νει κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα μετέωρον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῆς ἀραιότητος τοῦ ἀέρος πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς διαφύεται, γῇ καὶ τεί χεσι καὶ τοῖς τοῦ ὀρόφου ξύλοις περιχρωννύμενον. Οὐκοῦν ἀκόλουθον καὶ περὶ ἐκείνου τὸ ἶσον ὑπολαβεῖν, ὅτι ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων ἀνωσθεὶς ὁ ἀτμὸς εἰς τὸν ὑπερκείμενον καὶ φλογώδη χῶρον, καὶ ἐν τῇ μεταβολῇ τῆς ὑγρᾶς ποιότητος, τὸ ὑλικὸν διεσώσατο, ξηρὸς δὲ γενόμενος πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς καθειλκύσθη καὶ ἀπεκα τέστη γῇ. Ἑλκτικὴ γὰρ τῶν οἰκείων δύναμις ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὄντων ἐκ φύσεως ἔγκειται, ὡς μηδὲ ἔξω τοῦ ἀκο λούθου τὴν τοιαύτην εἶναι ὑπόληψιν, ὅτι ξηρός τις καὶ γεώδης ὁ ἀτμὸς γενόμενος τὴν ποιότητα, τῇ ξηρότητι τῆς γῆς κατεμίχθη. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν ἐλαιώδης πᾶσα τῆς ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας ἡ φύσις, πάντως ἂν ἐν τῷ παχυμερεῖ τῆς ποιότητος πρὸς τὸ μέλαν ἔτρεψε τῶν τοιούτων ἀτμῶν τὴν χρόαν ἡ ἐξόπτησις· καὶ ἐπίδηλον 105 ἂν πᾶσι τὸ γινόμενον ἦν, διὰ τοῦ δέχεσθαι τὸ εἶδος δεικνύμενον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ λεπτότατόν τε καὶ διειδέστα τον τῆς τῶν ὑδάτων φύσεως ἐν τοῖς ἀτμοῖς γίνεται, οὔτοι δὲ κατὰ τὸν προαποδειχθέντα λόγον ἐναποθέμενοι τῷ πυρὶ τὴν ὑγρὰν ποιότητα, πρὸς τὸ ξηρὸν ἠλλοιώθη σαν· ἀνάγκη πᾶσα, καθαρὸν τοῦτο καὶ ἀερῶδες οἴεσθαι, ὅτι ποτὲ καὶ εἶναι αὐτὸ καταλαμβάνει ἡ ἔννοια τὸ τῇ λε πτότητι διαφεῦγον τὴν κατανόησιν. Εἰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ λόγου καταλήψεως ἀξιοπιστοτέραν οἴεταί τις τὴν αἴσθησιν, καὶ ζητεῖ τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοὺς ἀμερεῖς τε καὶ ἀφανεῖς ἐκείνους ὄγκους θεάσασθαι· ἔξεστι τῷ βουλομένῳ ναστὸν τῶν τοιούτων μορίων τὸν ἀέρα ἰδεῖν, ὅταν εἰσ χεθεῖσα διὰ θυρίδος αὐτὸς, ἐκδηλότερον ποιήσῃ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐκεῖνο, ὅσον ἂν διὰ τῆς αὐγῆς καταλάμψῃ. Ὃ γὰρ ἐν τῷ λοιπῷ ἀέρι τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐστιν ἀνέφ ικτον, τοῦτο διὰ τῆς ἀκτῖνος ὁρᾶται ἐν πλήθει ἀπείρῳ κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα στρεφόμενον. Ὁ οὖν ἐπισχὼν τούτοις τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν, εὑρήσει ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ κάτω τὴν τῶν λεπτῶν ἐκείνων φορὰν καταῤῥέουσαν. Τὸ δὲ ἐν τῷ μέρει τοῦ ἀέρος δεικνύμενον ἀπόδειξίς ἐστι τοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ παντὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον εἶναι, ἐπειδὴ συνεχές ἐστι τὸ πᾶν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ ἐκ μερῶν συμπληροῦται τὸ ὅλον. Εἰ δὲ πάντοτε ἡ τῶν λεπτῶν τούτων καὶ ἀτό μων φορὰ διὰ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καταῤῥέει, φα νερὸν δὲ ὅτι οὐ τὸ αἰθέριον εἶδος εἰς ταῦτα θρυπτό μενον διασκίδναται (τὴν γὰρ εἰς τὰ λεπτὰ θρύψιν τε καὶ διάχυσιν ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς φύσις οὐ πάσχει)· ἀνάγκη πᾶσα ἐκείνων τὴν ὕλην κατιέναι πιστεύειν, ὧν τὴν ἄνοδον ὁ λόγος διὰ τῶν ἀτμῶν ἐθεώρησεν, ὥστε ὑγρὰ μὲν ὄντα ὑπὸ τῆς θερμῆς ἀνέλκεσθαι φύσεως, ἐκ καυθέντα δὲ καὶ γεώδη γενόμενα, μηκέτι ἐν τῷ πυρὶ κρατεῖσθαι, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν γῆν πάλιν ἀποκαθίστασθαι. Καθάπερ δὲ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν τροφῆς εἰς λεπτήν τινα ποιότητα διὰ τῆς πέψεως ἀλλοιωθείσης, ᾧ ἂν ἐμπε λάσει διὰ τῆς ἀναδόσεως μέρει τοῦ σώματος, ἐκείνου προσθήκη τὸ ἀναδιδόμενον γίνεται, καὶ ποικίλης οὔσης ἐν τῇ συστάσει τοῦ σώματος τῆς τῶν μελῶν διαφορᾶς ἐν τῷ ξηρῷ τε