Chapter IV.—Aristotle’s General Idea.
We affirm the existence of animal absolutely, not some animal. And this animal is neither ox, nor horse, nor man, nor god; nor is it significant of any of these at all, but is animal absolutely. From this animal the species of all particular animals derive their subsistence. And this animality, itself the summum genus,787 Compare Porphyry’s Isagoge, c. ii., and Aristotle’s Categ., c. v. constitutes (the originating principle) for all animals produced in those (particular) species, and (yet is) not (itself any one) of the things generated. For man is an animal deriving the principle (of existence) from that animality, and horse is an animal deriving the principle of existence from that animality. The horse, and ox, and dog, and each of the rest of the animals, derive the principle (of existence) from the absolute animal, while animality itself is not any of these.
[16] Λέγομεν εἶναι ζῷον ἁπλῶς, οὐχὶ τὶ ζῷον: ἔστι δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ζῷον οὐ βοῦς, οὐχ ἵππος, οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, [οὐ θεός,] οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν ὁτιδήποτε ἔστι δηλοῦν, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς ζῷον. ἀπὸ τούτου [δὲ] τοῦ ζῴου αἱ πάντων τῶν κατὰ μέρος ζῴων ἰδέαι τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔχουσι, καὶ ἔστι πᾶσι τοῖς ζῴοις τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἐν [ε]ἴδεσι τοῦτο τὸ ἀν[ε]ίδεον ζῷον [ἀρχή], καὶ τῶν γεγενημένων οὐδὲ ἕν [ἐστιν]. ἔστι γὰρ ζῷον ἄνθρωπος, ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ ζῴου λαμβάνων τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ ζῷον ἵππος, ἀπ' ἐκείνου τοῦ ζῴου λαμβάνων τὴν ἀρχήν. ὁ [οὖν ἄνθρωπος καὶ] ἵππος καὶ βοῦς καὶ κύων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τοῦ ζῴου τοῦ ἁπλῶς λαμβάνει τὴν ἀρχήν, ὅ ἐστι τούτων οὐδὲ ἕν.