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to understand. For we take as proof of life in humans that one is warm and active and moving. But that which is cold and motionless in bodies is nothing other than death. Since, therefore, we observe that this, about which we are speaking, is both warm and active, we infer from this that it is not without a soul. But just as regarding its bodily part, we do not say it is flesh, and bones, and hair, and all that is seen in a human being, but that it is each of these in potentiality, though not yet appearing in its visible form; so also concerning the soulish part, we say that the rational and desiderative and spirited, and all that is observed concerning the soul, does not yet have a place in it, but that, in proportion to the formation and perfection of the body, the activities of the soul also grow along with the subject. For just as a person, when perfected in greater things, has the activity of the soul clearly manifested; so in the beginning of its constitution it demonstrates on its own the cooperation of the soul that is suitable and proportionate to the present need, in fashioning for itself a fitting habitation out of the matter instilled in it. For we do not think it possible for the soul to be fitted to foreign structures, just as it is not possible for a seal in wax to be fitted to a foreign carving. For just as the body proceeds from the very small to the perfect, so also the activity of the soul, being appropriately implanted in the subject, develops and grows along with it.

For in the first formation, only the nutritive and growth-producing power precedes, like a root hidden in the earth. For the smallness of the recipient does not admit more. Then, when the plant has come forth into the light, and shown its shoot to the sun, the grace of sensation blossoms forth. And when it has already matured and grown up to a symmetrical length, like some fruit the rational power begins to shine through, not all appearing at once; but growing along with the perfection of the organ through care, always bearing fruit as much as the capacity of the subject allows. But if you seek the activities of the soul in the formation of the body, "attend to yourself," says Moses, and you will read, as in a book, the history of the soul's works. For nature itself relates to you, more clearly than any account, the various occupations of the soul in the body, both in the general and in the particular arrangements. But I think it superfluous to go through our own affairs in words, as if recounting some marvels from beyond the borders. For who, looking at himself, 240 needs to be taught his own nature by an account? for it is possible for one who has understood the way of life, and learned how the body is suited for every vital activity, to know with what the nature of the soul was occupied during the first formation of the creature. So that through this also it is clear to those who are not unobservant, that what was detached from the living body and implanted for the generation of the living creature was not dead and soulless in the workshop of nature. For we cast into the earth neither the kernels of fruits nor the slips of roots after they have been deprived by death of the vital power inherent in their nature, but while they preserve in themselves the property of the original, hidden indeed, but certainly alive. And this power the surrounding earth does not put into it, introducing it from outside itself; for otherwise even dead pieces of wood would be brought to sprout; but it makes manifest the inherent power, nurturing it through its own moisture into a root, and bark, and pith, and perfecting the plant with the outgrowths of branches. This could not happen, unless some natural power had been instilled along with it, which, drawing into itself the kindred and suitable nourishment from its surroundings, became a shrub, or a tree, or an ear of corn, or one of the brushwood plants.

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κατανοῆσαι. Τεκμήριον γὰρ τοῦ ζῇν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ποιούμεθα, τὸ θερμὸν εἶναί τινα καὶ ἐνεργὸν καὶ κινούμενον. Τὸ δὲ κατεψυγμένον τε καὶ ἀκίνητον ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων, οὐδὲν ἕτερον εἰ μὴ νεκρότης ἐστίν. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἔνθερμόν τε καὶ ἐνερ γὸν θεωροῦμεν τοῦτο, περὶ οὗ τὸν λόγον ποιούμεθα, τὸ μηδὲ ἄψυχον εἶναι διὰ τούτων συντεκμαιρόμεθα. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ κατὰ τὸ σωματικὸν αὐτοῦ μέρος οὐ σάρκα φαμὲν αὐτὸ, καὶ ὀστέα, καὶ τρίχας, καὶ ὅσα περὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον καθορᾶται, ἀλλὰ τῇ δυνάμει μὲν τούτων ἕκαστον εἶναι, οὔπω δὲ κατὰ τὸ ὁρώμενον φαίνεσθαι· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ψυχικοῦ μέρους οὔπω μὲν τὸ λογικὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμητικὸν καὶ θυμοειδὲς, καὶ ὅσα περὶ ψυχὴν καθορᾶται, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ χώραν ἔχειν φαμὲν, ἀναλόγως δὲ τῆς τοῦ σώματος κατα σκευῆς τε καὶ τελειώσεως, καὶ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνερ γείας τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ συναύξεσθαι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τε λειωθεὶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τοῖς μείζοσιν, ἔχει διαφαι νομένην τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἐνέργειαν· οὕτως ἐν ἀρχῇ τῆς συστάσεως τὴν κατάλληλόν τε καὶ σύμμετρον τῇ παρούσῃ χρείᾳ συνέργειαν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ διαδείκνυσιν, ἐν τῷ κατασκευάζειν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῇ διὰ τῆς ἐντεθείσης ὕλης τὸ προσφυὲς οἰκητήριον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶναι δυνατὸν λογιζόμεθα, ἀλλοτρίαις οἰκοδομαῖς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐναρμόζεσθαι, ὡς οὐκ ἔστι τὴν ἐν τῷ κηρῷ σφραγίδα πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν ἁρμοσθῆναι γλυφήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα ἐκ βραχυτάτου πρὸς τὸ τέλειον πρόεισιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνέργεια καταλλήλως ἐμφυομένη τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ, συνεπιδίδωσι καὶ συναύξεται.

Προηγεῖται μὲν γὰρ αὐτῆς ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ κατασκευῇ οἶον ῥίζης τινὸς ἐν τῇ γῇ κατα κρυφθείσης ἡ αὐξητική τε καὶ θρεπτικὴ δύναμις μόνη. Οὐ γὰρ χωρεῖ τὸ περισσότερον ἡ τοῦ δεχομέ νου βραχύτης. Εἶτα προελθόντος εἰς φῶς τοῦ φυτοῦ, καὶ ἡλίῳ τὴν βλάστην δείξαντος, ἡ αἰσθητικὴ χάρις ἐπήνθησεν. Ἁδρυνθέντος δὲ ἤδη καὶ εἰς σύμμετρον μῆκος ἀναδραμόντος, καθάπερ τις καρπὸς διαλάμπειν ἡ λογικὴ δύναμις ἄρχεται, οὐ πᾶσα ἀθρόως ἐκφαι νομένη· ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ ὀργάνου τελειώσει δι' ἐπιμε λείας συναύξουσα, τοσοῦτον ἀεὶ καρποφοροῦσα, ὅσον χωρεῖ τοῦ ὑποκειμένου ἡ δύναμις. Εἰ δὲ ζητεῖς ἐν τῇ τοῦ σώματος πλάσει τὰς ψυχικὰς ἐνεργείας, πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, φησὶ Μωσῆς, καὶ ἀναγνώσῃ καθά περ ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς ἔργων τὴν ἱστορίαν. Αὐτὴ γάρ σοι διηγείται ἡ φύσις, λόγου παντὸς ἐναρ γέστερον, τὰς ποικίλας ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσχολίας, ἔν τε ταῖς καθόλου καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐπὶ μέρους διασκευαῖς. Ἀλλὰ περιττὸν οἶμαι λόγῳ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς διεξιέναι, καθάπερ τι τῶν ὑπερορίων διηγουμένους θαυμάτων. Τίς γὰρ ἑαυτὸν βλέπων, 240 λόγῳ δεῖται τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν διδάσκεσθαι; δυνατὸν γάρ ἐστι τὸν τῆς ζωῆς τρόπον κατανοήσαντα, καὶ ὡς πρὸς πᾶσαν ζωτικὴν ἐνέργειαν ἐπιτηδείως ἔχει τὸ σῶμα καταμαθόντα, γνῶναι περὶ τί κατησχολήθη τὸ φυσικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς παρὰ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ γινομένον διάπλασιν. Ὥστε καὶ διὰ τούτου φανερὸν εἶναι τοῖς οὐκ ἀνεπισκέπτοις, τὸ μὴ νεκρόν τε καὶ ἄψυχον ἐν τῷ ἐργαστηρίῳ γενέσθαι τῆς φύσεως, ὃ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ζώου φυτείαν ἐκ τοῦ ζῶντος σώματος ἀποσπα σθὲν ἐνετέθη. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῶν καρπῶν τὰς ἐντε ριώνας, καὶ τὰς τῶν ῥιζῶν ἀποσπάδας οὐ νεκρωθεί σας τῆς ἐγκειμένης τῇ φύσει ζωτικῆς δυνάμεως τῇ γῇ καταβάλλομεν, ἀλλὰ συντηρούσας ἐν ἑαυταῖς κε κρυμμένην μὲν, ζῶσαν δὲ πάντως τοῦ πρωτοτύπου τὴν ἰδιότητα. Τὴν δὲ τοιαύτην δύναμιν οὐκ ἐντίθη σιν ἡ περιέχουσα γῆ ἔξωθεν παρ' ἑαυτῆς ἐπεισκρί νουσα· ἦ γὰρ ἂν καὶ τὰ νεκρὰ τῶν ξύλων εἰς βλάστην προήγετο· ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπικειμένην ἔκδηλον ἀπεργά ζεται, διὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἰκμάδος τιθηνουμένη εἰς ῥί ζαν, καὶ φλοιὸν, καὶ ἐντεριώνην, καὶ τὰς τῶν κλά δων ἐκφύσεις τὸ φυτὸν τελειοῦσα. Ὅπερ οὐχ οἷόν τε ἦν γίνεσθαι, μή τινος φυσικῆς δυνάμεως συνεν τεθείσης, ἥτις τὴν συγγενῆ καὶ κατάλληλον ἐκ τῶν παρακειμένων τροφὴν εἰς ἑαυτὴν ἕλκουσα, θάμνος, ἢ δένδρον, ἢ στάχυς, ἤ τι τῶν φρυγανικῶν βλαστημάτων ἐγένετο.