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underlying things, that is, the things measured and counted. Of quantities, some are discrete, others are continuous. Continuous, therefore, is when the thing measured is one, as when one piece of wood is found to be two cubits, or three cubits, or a stone or any such thing, and being one, it is measured and called continuous. Discrete are things separated from one another, as in the case of ten stones or ten palm trees; for these are separated from one another. These, therefore, are said to be counted, unless because of smallness and multitude they are measured by a modius or some such thing, like wheat or something of that sort. Continuous things are defined as those whose parts join at some common boundary; for in the case of a single piece of wood of two cubits, that is, having two cubits, the end of the one cubit and the beginning of the other cubit is one, for they are glued together and joined and are not divided from one another; but discrete things are those whose parts do not join at some common boundary, as in the case of ten stones. For if you count five and five, they do not have a common boundary joining them; for if you put something between the five and the five, they become eleven and not ten; and the name itself indicates that of the continuous and the discrete. Under discrete quantity, therefore, are classed number and speech. And by number here we mean the things counted; for all things counted are discrete, as has been shown. And speech is also discrete; for speech, when counted by its words, does not have a common boundary joining its parts. For if the speech has ten words and you divide them into five and five, they do not have a common boundary joining them; for if something is inserted in the middle, they become eleven and not ten. Similarly, a word, when counted by its syllables, does not have a common boundary joining the syllables, for example Socrates; between the syllable 'So' and 'cra' there is no common boundary joining them. And there are five continuous quantities: body, surface, line, place, time. It is necessary to know that the point is without quantity; for it is neither measured nor counted, since it has no dimension. The line has one dimension, for it is length without breadth, as it were; this, therefore, is classed under continuous quantity. For being one, it is measured, and its parts have a common boundary joining them, the point between. A surface is the outer part of the body, from 'to appear'. It has two dimensions, length and breadth. And this, being one, is measured, and its parts have a common boundary joining them, the line between. It is necessary to know that a smooth and even surface is called a plane, but an uneven and crooked one is simply a surface. The body has three dimensions: length, breadth, depth or thickness; and being one, it is measured, and its parts have a common boundary joining them, the surface. And place is a surface of the air; for your place is a surface, that is, the limit of the air containing you, and as a surface it is classed under continuous quantity. And time is measured into the past and the future, and its parts have a common boundary joining them, the now; but the now is without quantity. Behold, therefore, there are three things without quantity: the unit, the point, and the now. And properly, these seven are called quantities: number, speech, time, place, line, surface, body. But accidentally we also call quantities the things observed in them, action, motion, color, and such things; for example, if an action and a motion take place in a long time, we speak of a long action and a long motion, but if in a short time, a short one. Similarly, if there is whiteness in a large body, we say much white, but if in a small one, little. Further, of quantity, some is definite, some indefinite. Definite, therefore, is that which can be measured or counted, but indefinite is that which by some excess surpasses every measure and every number; and it is called great and much indefinitely, as we say: Great is the mercy of God, great is the mystery of the economy of the Word of God. It is necessary to know that Aristotle the great and small and the much and little and the greater and the smaller and the less and the more and
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ὑποκείμενα ἤγουν τὰ μετρούμενα καὶ ἀριθμούμενα. Τῶν δὲ ποσῶν τὰ μέν εἰσι διωρισμένα, τὰ δὲ συνεχῆ. Συνεχὲς μὲν οὖν ἐστιν, ὅτε ἕν ἐστι τὸ μετρούμενον, ὥσπερ ἓν ξύλον εὑρίσκεται δίπηχυ, τρίπηχυ, ἢ λίθος ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, καὶ ἓν ὑπάρχον μετρεῖται καὶ λέγεται συνεχές. ∆ιωρισμένα δέ εἰσι τὰ ἀπ' ἀλλήλων κεχωρισμένα ὡς ἐπὶ δέκα λίθων ἢ δέκα φοινίκων· ταῦτα γὰρ κεχωρισμένα εἰσὶν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων. Ταῦτα οὖν ἀριθμεῖσθαι λέγονται, εἰ μὴ διὰ σμικρότητα καὶ πλῆθος μετρηθῶσι μοδίῳ ἤ τινι τῶν τοιούτων ὥσπερ σῖτος ἤ τι τοιοῦτον. Ὁρίζονται δὲ τὰ μὲν συνεχῆ, ὧν τὰ μόρια πρός τινα κοινὸν ὅρον συνάπτουσιν· ἑνὸς γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ διπήχεος ἤγουν δύο πήχεις ἔχοντος τὸ τέλος τοῦ ἑνὸς πήχεος καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ ἄλλου πήχεος μία ἐστί, κεκολλημέναι γάρ εἰσι καὶ συνημμέναι καὶ οὔκ εἰσιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διῃρημέναι· τὰ δὲ διωρισμένα, ὧν τὰ μόρια πρός τινα κοινὸν ὅρον οὐ συνάπτουσιν ὡς ἐπὶ δέκα λίθων. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀριθμήσῃς πέντε καὶ πέντε, οὐκ ἔχουσι κοινὸν ὅρον τὸν συνάπτοντα αὐτούς· εἰ γὰρ δώσεις τι μεταξὺ τῶν πέντε καὶ τῶν πέντε, γίνονται ἕνδεκα καὶ οὐ δέκα· καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ ὄνομα δηλοῖ τοῦ συνεχοῦς καὶ τοῦ διωρισμένου. Ὑπὸ μὲν οὖν τὸ διωρισμένον ποσὸν ἀνάγεται ὁ ἀριθμὸς καὶ ὁ λόγος. Ἀριθμὸν δὲ λέγομεν ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀριθμούμενα· τὰ γὰρ ἀριθμούμενα πάντα διωρισμένα εἰσίν, ὡς δέδεικται. Καὶ ὁ λόγος δὲ διωρισμένος ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ λόγος ἀριθμούμενος ταῖς λέξεσιν οὐκ ἔχει κοινὸν ὅρον τὸν συνάπτοντα τὰ μόρια αὐτοῦ. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἔχῃ δέκα λέξεις ὁ λόγος καὶ διέλῃς αὐτὰς εἰς πέντε καὶ πέντε, οὐκ ἔχουσι κοινὸν ὅρον τὸν συνάπτοντα αὐτάς· ἐὰν γὰρ παρεντεθῇ τι ἐν τῷ μέσῳ, γίνονται ἕνδεκα καὶ οὐ δέκα. Ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ λέξις ἀριθμουμένη συλλαβαῖς οὐκ ἔχει κοινὸν ὅρον τὸν συνάπτοντα τὰς συλλαβάς, οἷον Σωκράτης· μεταξὺ τῆς ˉˉΣˉω συλλαβῆς καὶ τῆς ˉκˉρˉα οὐκ ἔστι κοινὸς ὅρος συνάπτων αὐτάς. Συνεχῆ δὲ ποσὰ πέντε· σῶμα, ἐπιφάνεια, γραμμή, τόπος, χρόνος. Χρὴ δὲ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἡ στιγμὴ ἄποσός ἐστιν· οὐ γὰρ μετρεῖται οὐδὲ ἀριθμεῖται, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἔχει οὐδεμίαν διάστασιν. Ἡ δὲ γραμμὴ ἔχει μίαν διάστασιν, ἔστι γὰρ μῆκος ἀπλατὲς οἷον· αὕτη οὖν ὑπὸ τὸ συνεχὲς ποσὸν ἀνάγεται. Μία γὰρ οὖσα μετρεῖται καὶ τὰ μόρια αὐτῆς ἔχουσι κοινὸν ὅρον συνάπτοντα αὐτὰ τὴν μεταξὺ στιγμήν. Ἐπιφάνεια δέ ἐστι τὸ ἔξω μέρος τοῦ σώματος, παρὰ τὸ φαίνεσθαι. Ἔχει δὲ δύο διαστάσεις, μῆκος καὶ πλάτος. Καὶ αὕτη δὲ μία οὖσα μετρεῖται, καὶ τὰ μόρια αὐτῆς ἔχουσι κοινὸν ὅρον συνάπτοντα αὐτὰ τὴν μεταξὺ γραμμήν. Χρὴ δὲ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ἡ μὲν ὁμαλὴ καὶ ἴση ἐπιφάνεια ἐπίπεδος λέγεται, ἡ δὲ ἀνώμαλος καὶ σκολιὰ ἁπλῶς ἐπιφάνεια. Τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἔχει τρεῖς διαστάσεις· μῆκος, πλάτος, βάθος ἤγουν πάχος· καὶ ἓν ὑπάρχον μετρεῖται, καὶ τὰ μόρια αὐτοῦ ἔχουσι κοινὸν ὅρον συνάπτοντα αὐτὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν. Καὶ ὁ τόπος δὲ ἐπιφάνειά ἐστι τοῦ ἀέρος· ὁ γὰρ τόπος σου ἐπιφάνεια ἤγουν τὸ τέλος τοῦ περιέχοντός σε ἀέρος ἐστὶ καὶ ὡς ἐπιφάνεια ὑπὸ τὸ συνεχὲς ποσὸν ἀνάγεται. Καὶ ὁ χρόνος δὲ μετρεῖται εἰς τὸν παρεληλυθότα καὶ εἰς τὸν μέλλοντα, καὶ ἔχουσι τὰ μόρια αὐτοῦ κοινὸν ὅρον συνάπτοντα αὐτὰ τὸ νῦν· τὸ δὲ νῦν ἄποσόν ἐστιν. Ἰδοὺ οὖν τρία εἰσὶν ἄποσα· ἡ μονὰς καὶ ἡ στιγμὴ καὶ τὸ νῦν. Καὶ κυρίως μὲν ταῦτα τὰ ἑπτὰ λέγονται ποσά· ἀριθμός, λόγος, χρόνος, τόπος, γραμμή, ἐπιφάνεια, σῶμα. Κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς δὲ λέγομεν ποσὰ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς θεωρούμενα, πρᾶξιν, κίνησιν, χρῶμα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα· οἷον, εἰ ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ γένηται ἡ πρᾶξις καὶ ἡ κίνησις, φαμὲν πολλὴν πρᾶξιν καὶ πολλὴν κίνησιν, εἰ δὲ ἐν ὀλίγῳ, ὀλίγην. Ὁμοίως καί, εἰ ἐν πολλῷ σώματι λευκότης εἴη, φαμὲν πολὺ λευκὸν, εἰ δὲ ἐν ὀλίγῳ, ὀλίγον. Ἔτι τοῦ ποσοῦ τὸ μέν ἐστιν ὡρισμένον, τὸ δὲ ἀόριστον. Ὡρισμένον μὲν οὖν ἐστι τὸ δυνάμενον μετρεῖσθαι ἢ ἀριθμεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ ἀόριστον τὸ ὑπεροχῇ τινι ὑπερβάλλον πᾶν μέτρον καὶ πάντα ἀριθμόν· καὶ λέγεται μέγα καὶ πολὺ ἀορίστως, ὡς λέγομεν· Πολλὴ ἡ εὐσπλαγχνία τοῦ θεοῦ, μέγα τὸ μυστήριον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου οἰκονομίας. Χρὴ δὲ γινώσκειν, ὅτι ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης τὸ μέγα καὶ μικρὸν πολύ τε καὶ ὀλίγον καὶ τὸ μεῖζον καὶ τὸ μικρότερον καὶ ὀλιγώτερον καὶ πλείω καὶ