80 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY. 



earlier philosophy, 5 and its history shows clearly enough what its origi- 

 nal meaning must have been. In Greek philosophical language, ^i-o-ts 

 always means that which is primary, fundamental, and persistent, 

 as opposed to what is secondary, derivative, and transient ; what is 

 'given,' as opposed to that which is made or becomes. It is what is 

 there to begin with." 



"There is one important conclusion," says Professor Burnet, 6 "that 

 follows at once from the account just given of the meaning of <£ixri?, 

 and it is, that the search for the primary substance really was the thing 

 that interested the Ionian philosophers. Had their main object been, 

 as Teichmuller held it was, the explanation of celestial and meteorolog- 

 ical phenomena, their researches would not have been called 7 Ilepi 



<£ixrews icrTopt'77, but rather Hepl ovpavov or Ylepl /xereoipoiv." 



Considering its source, this declaration is of sufficient importance to 

 justify an extended examination for its own sake, especially as it has 

 not been adequately met by students of Greek thought ; 8 but the pur- 

 pose of this study is somewhat different. The words quoted from Pro- 

 fessor Burnet serve, therefore, chiefly as a point of departure. It is 

 proposed to consider three subjects, which are of importance in relation 

 to the works entitled Tlepl <£i'o-ews : (l) the historical relation of the 

 studies so entitled to mythology and poetry ; (2) the senses in which 

 4>vo-i<; was employed before 400 b. c. ; (3) the probable connotation of 

 the title Ilepl <£uo-ew?, j udging by the direction of interest of the writers 

 as indicated by the problems they raised. 



Before proceeding to the consideration of these questions, however, 

 it may be proper to touch briefly on several subjects suggested by the 



5 Burnet here refers to Arist. Phys. 193 a 21 foil, and to Plato, Legg. 892 C 

 <t>6<riv j3ov\oirai \4yeiv ytveaiv rr\v irepl to. irpura. Here he interprets ylve<ri.v with 

 rb i% ov ylyverai. Though this use of yiveais is as old as Homer (S 201, 246), and 

 though Plato could employ it in allusion to Homer (Thcaet. 180 D), it would be ill- 

 chosen to explain <pv<n%. Ast in his ed. (vol. in. 158) has, as it seems to me, cor- 

 rectly rendered the words: "Volunt illi naturam dici generationem eorum, quae 

 primum orta sint," unless one prefers "quae prima sint." Cp. vwep rrjs twv aroLxtiuv 

 (pvcreus, Diels, Vorsokr. II. 511, 15. Burnet might have referred with more propriety 

 to Plato, Legg. 891 C, but it is to be noted that <pv<ns is singular. 



6 Ibid. p. 14. 



7 Burnet here refers to Plato, Phaedo 96 A and Eurip., fr. 910. We may add 

 Theophrastus, Ph. O. fr. 5 (Diels, Dox. 480, 7) and fr. 9 (ibid. 485, 1). In the latter 

 case 7? ir. <pij<rews laropia is opposed (speaking of Plato) to r/ ir pay p.ar eta irepl rrjs 

 irpdirris <pi\o<To<pLas. Cp. n. 206, below. From Theophrastus the phrase was passed 

 on to the doxographers. Thus Simplic. in Phys. (p. 23. 29 Diels) says : QaXtjs oe 

 7rpwTos irapad^Sorai tyjv irepl (pvcrews laroplav rots "EWTjaiv iK(prjvan. 



8 Burnet's view has been briefly criticised by Professor Millerd, On the Interpreta- 

 tion of Empedocles, Chicago, 1908, pp. 18 foil. 



