it was moved by nature the motion by which it is now moved, how was it not bound to the sphere in vain? But if it was not moved this way according to nature, but another besides this, either in quantity or in quality, how is it not now moved contrary to nature? 50. From the same argument. That the circles are moved, but the stars are at rest and, being bound to the circles, are carried along. If the stars are at rest in the circles according to nature, they are bound to the circles in vain; but if they are at rest contrary to nature, it is clear that they are at rest by force; but among eternal things, nothing is either in vain or contrary to nature. Therefore Aristotle did not discover the principle concerning the motion of the stars; for he says the stars are eternal, and in what he said concerning their motion, both appear: that which is in vain and that which is contrary to nature. If the stars are eternal, and the heaven in which the stars are bound is also eternal, and each of them has been called a god, how are they not gods being dragged by gods? For things bound to what is moved are moved by being dragged. If the composition of substance (for it is from matter and form) is one thing, and the composition from the parts having substance is another, how are these things, which have both compositions, said to be eternal? For the heaven, having the sun and the stars as bound parts, is composed of them; for the heaven is what has these within itself. 57. From the same argument. Besides these things, it is irrational that nature assigned them no instrument for motion; for nature does nothing at random, nor does it care for living things while neglecting things so precious, but it seems as if it has purposely taken away all means by which it is possible for them to proceed by themselves. If for eternal and ungenerated things there is no maker, nor is it by anyone's care that they are what they are or have what they have according to nature, how, if the heaven is ungenerated and the phenomena in the heaven are co-ungenerated with it, does it have nature as the maker and caretaker of the things accomplished for their constitution? If it was fitting for one making the argument concerning the motion of eternal things to say that nature does nothing at random, how is it not clear that both the heaven and the phenomena in the heaven are works of the nature which took away their instruments of motion? 58. From the same argument. Since, therefore, it is necessary for the heaven to be moved with its own motion, but for the other stars not to proceed by themselves, it would be reasonable for each to be spherical; for in this way the one would best be moved, and the other would be at rest. If that which is at rest is said to be that which is able to be moved with that motion from which it is at rest, how are the stars at rest, having no proper motion according to which they ought to be moved? But if it has the power to be moved, but is prevented on account of being bound to the sphere, how is its motion not contrary to nature

φύσιν ἐκινεῖτο κίνησιν ἣν νῦν κινεῖται, πῶς οὐ μάτην ἐνεδέθη τῇ σφαίρᾳ; Eἰ δὲ μὴ ταύτην ἐκινεῖτο κατὰ φύσιν, ἀλλ' ἑτέ ραν παρὰ ταύτην εἴτε τῷ ποσῷ εἴτε τῷ ποιῷ, πῶς οὐ παρὰ φύσιν κινεῖται νῦν; ν. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Τοὺς μὲν κύκλους κινεῖσθαι, τὰ δὲ ἄστρα ἠρεμεῖν καὶ ἐνδεδεμένα τοῖς κύκλοις φέρεσθαι. Eἰ μὲν κατὰ φύσιν ἠρεμεῖ ἐν τοῖς κύκλοις τὰ ἄστρα, μάτην ἐνδέδεται τοῖς κύκλοις, εἰ δὲ παρὰ φύσιν ἠρεμεῖ, δῆλον ὅτι βίᾳ ἠρεμεῖ· ἀλλὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀϊδίοις οὐθὲν οὔτε μάτην οὔτε παρὰ φύσιν. Oὐκ ἄρα εὗρεν ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης τὸν περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων κινήσεως λόγον· ἀΐδια γὰρ λέγει τὰ ἄστρα, καὶ ἐν οἷς εἶπε περὶ τῆς αὐτῶν κινήσεως ἀμφότερα φαίνεται, τὸ μάτην καὶ παρὰ φύσιν. Eἰ ἀΐδια μὲν τὰ ἄστρα, ἀΐδιος δὲ καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἐν ᾧ ἐστι τὰ ἄστρα δεδεμένα, καὶ θεὸς ἕκα στον αὐτῶν προσηγόρευται, πῶς οὐκ εἰσὶ θεοὶ ὑπὸ θεῶν συ ρόμενοι; Τὰ γὰρ τῷ κινουμένῳ ἐνδεδεμένα συρομένως κινεῖ ται. Eἰ ἄλλη ἡ σύνθεσις οὐσίας (ἐξ ὕλης γὰρ καὶ εἴδους) καὶ ἄλλη ἡ σύνθεσις ἡ ἐκ τῶν οὐσίαν ἐχόντων μερῶν, πῶς ἀΐδια ταῦτα λέγεται τὰ ἀμφοτέρας ἔχοντα τὰς συνθέσεις; Ὁ γὰρ οὐρανός, ἔχων τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὰ ἄστρα ἐνδεδεμένα μέρη, σύνθετος ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐστιν· ἔχων γὰρ ταῦτα ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐστιν ὁ οὐρανός. νζ. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἄλογον τὸ μηθὲν ὄργανον αὐτοῖς ἀπο δοῦναι τὴν φύσιν πρὸς τὴν κίνησιν· οὐθὲν γὰρ ὡς ἔτυχε ποιεῖ ἡ φύσις, οὐδὲ τῶν μὲν ζώων φροντίσαι, τῶν δὲ οὕτω τιμίων ὑπεριδεῖν, ἀλλ' ἔοικεν ὥσπερ ἐπίτηδες ἀφελεῖν πάντα δι' ὧν ἐνδέχεται προϊέναι καθ' αὑτά. Eἰ τῶν ἀϊδίων τε καὶ ἀγενήτων οὐδείς ἐστι ποιητής, οὐδὲ φροντίδι τινός εἰσιν ἅ εἰσιν ἢ ἔχουσιν ἃ ἔχουσι κατὰ φύσιν, πῶς, εἰ ἀγένητός ἐστιν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐ ρανῷ φαινόμενα συναγένητα ὑπάρχει αὐτῷ, τὴν φύσιν ἔχει ποιητήν τε καὶ φροντιστὴν τῶν πρὸς τὴν σύστασιν αὐτῶν τελουμένων; Eἰ ἥρμοττε τῷ περὶ τῆς κινήσεως τῶν ἀϊδίων τὸν λόγον ποιουμένῳ τὸ λέγειν τὴν φύσιν μηδὲν ὡς ἔτυχε ποιεῖν, πῶς οὐκ ἔστι δῆλον ὅτι ἔργα εἰσὶ τῆς φύσεως ὅ τε οὐρανὸς καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ φαινόμενα, τῆς ἀφελούσης αὐτῶν τὰ ὄργανα τῆς κινήσεως; νη. Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν δεῖ τὸν μὲν οὐρανὸν κινεῖσθαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κίνησιν, τὰ δ' ἄλλα ἄστρα μὴ προϊέναι δι' αὑτῶν, εὐλόγως ἂν ἑκάτερον εἴη σφαιροειδές· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν μάλιστα τὸ μὲν κινηθήσεται, τὸ δὲ ἠρεμήσει. Eἰ τὸ ἠρεμοῦν ἐκεῖνο λέγεται τὸ δυνάμενον κινηθῆναι τὴν κίνησιν ἐκείνην ἀφ' ἧς ἠρεμεῖ, πῶς ἠρεμεῖ τὰ ἄστρα ἰδίαν οὐκ ἔχοντα κίνησιν, καθ' ἣν κινεῖσθαι ἐχρῆν; Eἰ δὲ δύναμιν μὲν ἔχει τοῦ κινεῖσθαι, κωλύεται δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐνδε δέσθαι τῇ σφαίρᾳ, πῶς οὐ παρὰ φύσιν ἔχει τὸ κινεῖσθαι