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the qualities that fight with each other; for example in the case of earth and water, dryness and wetness are indeed unmixed with each other, but coldness is equally present with each of these, in a way uniting through 109 itself the things that are at war. Again, water is separated from air, by the opposition of the heavy to the light; but wetness, being observed equally in the nature of each, mediates between these too. Again, air is separated from fire, being opposed by the battle of the hot against the cold; but it shares in the quality of lightness, and this sharing of the quality becomes a kind of reconciler of their natural opposition. Then fire is separated from earth by weight and lightness, but dryness is common to both, and through this, the things that stand apart are somehow brought to a truce with each other. But with what intent do I begin the examination from this point? that coldness is observed similarly in earth, in water, and in air, but it is more akin to the wet element by a greater portion, somehow preserving in itself the nature of water, through its antipathy to heat, blunting the harm from the dry. As, therefore, dryness is inherent in the hot, and it is not possible for fire to be shown only in one of them; so it is reasonable to say that coldness is united with wetness, because it is necessary for each of the qualities observed in fire and in water to have its corresponding opposite quality, so that wetness fights against dryness, and heat against coldness. If, then, coldness has been shown to be equally with wetness complementary to the nature of water, it would be consistent to reason that, since the cold quality is also a power naturally inherent in the earth, water is also in the earth, and the earth in the water. For the natural pairing of the wet with the cold does not allow one to be separated from the other at all; but even if one of these should ever happen to be by itself, it is not strictly alone, but in potentiality both together are seen in the one. For just as when the wet is diffused into the air, the cold also follows the particles of the wet vapors; so conversely, when coldness dwells in the depth of the earth, neither is wetness left behind from its paired quality, but the cold power naturally inherent in the earth, becomes like a seed of the wet nature, always producing through itself the quality attached to it, while the alterative energy, through excessive cooling, changes the earth into the generation of water. But if someone should demand of us the reason for these things, how alteration equally effects the change from solid to liquid, we would be at a loss, as also in all other cases. For how is water diffused into air, the downward-tending being carried upon the light; or how has alteration transformed weight into lightness? That these things happen, we apprehend by sensation, but we are unable to explain the works of nature by reason. But if someone would accept experience as testimony for such a supposition, we will readily prove it, bringing forward the well-diggers as witnesses of the argument. For when they dig through the dry earth for the waters found in the depths, proceeding downward with their work, they do not immediately encounter the body of water, but first by touch they conjectured that the earth partook of some moisture; then having gone deeper towards the more chilled part, they find the clod more clay-like; after this, as the work is deepened towards the more chilled part, a faint sweat appears; then, when some channel is cut at the bottom of the stone, where it is more likely that the sun's 112 heat no longer penetrates, being hindered by the density of the stone; then some thin veins of water were opened by the work, from which, as they join in a circle around the depth, the well abounds with water. What, therefore, happens here with respect to the man-made hollow, with the moisture being squeezed together from all around the well, it is likely that this happens in every place, and that which is always contributed through the fine moisture is channeled through certain veins to the wider passages, now of the fine

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τὰς μαχομένας ἀλλήλαις ποιότητας· οἷον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ τοῦ ὕδατος, ἀμίκτως μὲν ἔχουσι πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἡ ξηρότης τε καὶ ὑγρότης, ἐπίσης δὲ ἑκατέρᾳ τού των σύνεστιν ἡ ψυχρότης, ἑνοῦσα τρόπον τινὰ δι' 109 ἑαυτῆς τὰ μαχόμενα. Πάλιν χωρίζεται τὸ ὕδωρ ἐκ τοῦ ἀέρος, τῇ τοῦ ἐμβριθοῦς πρὸς τὸ κοῦφον ἐναν τιότητι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τούτοις μεσιτεύει κατὰ τὸ ἶσον ἐν τῇ ἑκατέρου φύσει τὸ ὑγρὸν θεωρούμενον. Πάλιν διΐσταται τοῦ πυρὸς ὁ ἀὴρ, τῇ τοῦ θερμοῦ πρὸς τὸ ψυχρὸν μάχῃ ἐναντιούμενος· ἀλλὰ κοινωνεῖ τῇ κατὰ τὸ κοῦφον ποιότητι, καὶ τῆς φυσικῆς αὐτῶν ἐναν τιότητος οἷόν τις καταλλάκτης ἡ κοινωνία τῆς ποιότητος γίνεται. Εἶτα τὸ πῦρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς τῷ βάρει καὶ τῷ κούφῳ κεχώρισται, ἀλλ' ἡ ξηρότης ἀμφοτέρων ἐστὶ κοινὴ, καὶ διὰ ταύτης ἔνσπονδά πως ἀλλήλοις τὰ διεστῶτα γίνεται. Τί δὲ βουλόμενος ἐντεῦθεν τῆς ἐξετάσεως ἄρχομαι; ὅτι ἡ ψυχρότης ὁμοίως μὲν ἐνθεωρεῖται τῇ τε γῇ καὶ τῷ ὕδατι καὶ τῷ ἀέρι, πλείονι δὲ μοίρᾳ τῷ ὑγρῷ προσῳκείωται, συντηροῦσά πως ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὴν τοῦ ὕδατος φύσιν, διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θερμὸν ἀντιπαθείας, τὴν ἐκ τοῦ ξηροῦ βλάβην ἀπαμβλύνουσα. Ὡς τοίνυν τῷ θερμῷ ξηρότης ἐμπέφυκε, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μόνον ἐν τῷ ἑτέρῳ τὸ πῦρ δειχθῆναι· οὕτως εἰκός ἐστιν ἡνῶσθαι λέγειν τῷ ὑγρῷ τὴν ψυχρότητα, διὰ τὸ δεῖν ἑκατέρῳ τῶν τε ἐν τῷ πυρὶ θεωρουμένων εἶναι καὶ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι τὴν ἀντι στοιχοῦσαν ποιότητα, ὥστε μάχεσθαι τῷ μὲν ξηρῷ τὴν ὑγρότητα, τῷ δὲ ψυχρῷ τὴν θερμότητα. Εἰ οὖν ἐπίσης τῷ ὑγρῷ συμπληρωτικὸν τῆς τοῦ ὕδατος φύσεως καὶ τὸ ψυχρὸν ἀπεδείχθη, ἀκόλουθον ἂν εἴη λογίζεσθαι, ὅτι τῆς ψυχρᾶς ποιότητος, καὶ τῇ γῇ φυσικῶς ἐγκειμένης δυνάμει, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐστι, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐν τῷ ὕδατι. Ἡ γὰρ φυσικὴ τοῦ ὑγροῦ πρὸς τὸ ψυχρὸν συζυγία οὐκ ἐᾷ διαζευχθῆναι τοῦ ἑτέρου τὸ ἕτερον καθόλου· ἀλλὰ κἄν ποτε κατα μόνας ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τύχῃ τούτων ἑκάτερον, οὐκ ἀκριβῶς μόνον ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει τὸ συναμφότερον ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ καθορᾶται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῦ ὑγροῦ πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα διαχυθέντος, καὶ ἡ ψύξις τοῖς τῶν ὑγρῶν ἀτμῶν μορίοις ἐπηκολούθησεν· οὕτω τὸ ἔμπαλιν τῆς ψυ χρότητος ἐν τῷ βάθει τῆς γῆς διαιτωμένης, οὐδὲ ἡ ὑγρότης τῆς συζύγου ποιότητος ἀπολείπεται, ἀλλ' ἡ ψυχρὰ δύναμις φυσικῶς ἐγκειμένη τῇ γῇ, οἷόν τι σπέρμα τῆς τοῦ ὑγροῦ φύσεως γίνεται, ἀεὶ δι' ἑαυ τῆς τὴν συνημμένην ἑαυτῇ ποιότητα φύουσα, τῆς δὲ ἀλλοιωτικῆς ἐνεργείας τὴν γῆν, διὰ τῆς ἄγαν ψύξεως, εἰς ὕδατος γένεσιν μεταβαλλούσης. Τούτων δὲ εἰ μὲν τὸν λόγον ἡμᾶς τις ἀπαιτοίη, πῶς ἐνεργεῖ τὴν τοῦ στεῤῥοῦ πρὸς τὸ ὑγρὸν μεταβολὴν ἡ ἀλλοίωσις ἐπίσης, ἀμηχανήσομεν, ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάν των. Πῶς γὰρ διαχεῖται τὸ ὕδωρ πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα, τῷ κούφῳ τὸ κατωφερὲς ἐποχούμενον· ἢ πῶς τὸ βάρος εἰς κοῦφον μετεποίησεν ἡ ἀλλοίωσις; Ταῦτα ὅτι μὲν γίνεται, τῇ αἰσθήσει καταλαμβάνομεν, λόγῳ δὲ παραστῆσαι τὰ ἔργα τῆς φύσεως ἀδυνατοῦμεν. Εἰ δέ τις τὴν πεῖραν εἰς μαρτυρίαν τῆς τοιαύτης ὑπολήψεως δέχοιτο, ἑτοίμως ἀποδείξομεν, μάρτυρας τοῦ λόγου τοὺς φρεωρύχους παράγοντες. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ τῶν ἐν βάθει καταλαμβανομένων ὑδάτων τὴν ἄνικμον γῆν διορύξωσιν, ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω προϊόντες τῇ ἐργασίᾳ, οὐκ εὐθὺς ἐντυγχάνουσι τῇ συστάσει τοῦ ὕδατος, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν τῇ ἀφῇ μετέχειν τινὸς ἰκμάδος τὴν γῆν ἐστοχάσαντο· εἶτα πρὸς τὸ μᾶλλον κατεψυγμένον διὰ τοῦ βάθους χωρήσαντες, πηλωδεστέραν τὴν βῶλον καταλαμβάνουσι· μετὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τὸ μᾶλλον κατεψογμένον βαθυνομένης τῆς ἐργασίας, ἱδρώς τις ἀμυδρὸς ἀποφαίνεται· εἶτα πόρου τινὸς ἐντμηθέντος ὑπὸ τὸν πυθμένα τοῦ λίθου· ἔνθα μᾶλλον εἰκός ἐστι 112 μηκέτι τὴν ἡλιακὴν θερμότητα διαδύεσθαι τῇ πυ κνότητι τοῦ λίθου κωλυομένην· τότε λεπταί τινες τοῦ ὕδατος φλέβες διὰ τῆς ἐργασίας ἀνεστομώθησαν, ἀφ' ὧν ἐν κύκλῳ περὶ τὸ βάθος τῆς συνδέσεως γινομένης, εὐθηνεῖται τὸ φρέαρ τῷ ὕδατι. Ὅπερ τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα γίνεται πρὸς τὴν χειροποίητον κοιλότητα, συνδοθεί σης τῆς πανταχόθεν περὶ τὸ φρέαρ συνθλιβομένης ἰκμάδος, τοῦτο εἰκὸς ἐν παντὶ γίνεσθαι τόπῳ, καὶ τὸ διὰ τῆς λεπτῆς ἰκμάδος ἀεὶ συνδιδόμενον διὰ φλεβῶν τινῶν ἐπὶ τοὺς εὐρυτέρους ὀχετεύεσθαι πόρους, ἤδη τῆς λεπτῆς