the world, as being parts of its common arrange- 

 ment. The world, however, has not a conjunction 

 with anything else than itself. 



Further still*, what has been said will be easily 

 known to be true from the following considerations. 

 Fire, which imparts heat to another thing, is itself 

 from itself hot ; and honey, which is sweet to the 

 taste, is itself from itself sweet. The principles 

 likewise of demonstrations, which are indicative of 

 things unapparent, are themselves from themselves 

 manifest and known. Thus, also, that which be- 

 comes to other things the cause of self-perfection, 

 is itself from itself perfect; and that which becomes 



* Critolaus, the Peripatetic, employs nearly the same arguments 

 as those contained in this paragraph, in proof of the perpetuity of 

 the world, as is evident from the following passage, preserved by 

 Philo, in his Treatise U^i A<p0agtria; Koffpou, f< On the Incorrupti- 

 bility of the World" : TO KITIOV O.VTU TOU wyictmiv, uvocrov ttrri" &XX 

 xai TO ctiTtov OS.UTU TOU ayguffvuy, ctyguwvov i/rrtv. a $i TOUTO, xai TO 

 ainov oturtu TOU u-rag-fctiv, etidtov tffTiv. etiTiog $t o xofffto; O.VTM TOU 

 wfugxuv, tiyt xxt TOIS K\\ots u.rtat.fftv. a'i'Sios o xoffpog tffTtv. i. e. " That 

 which is the cause to itself of good health, is without disease. But, 

 also, that which is the cause to itself of a vigilant energy, is sleep- 

 less. But if this be the case, that also which is the cause to itself 

 of existence, is perpetual. The world, however, is the cause to 

 itself of existence, since it is the cause of existence to all other 

 things. The world, therefore, is perpetual." Everything divine, 

 according to the philosophy of Pythagoras and Plato, being a self- 

 perfect essence, begins its own energy from itself, and is therefore 

 primarily the cause to itself of that which it imparts to others. 

 Hence, since the world, being a divine and self-subsistent essence, 

 imparts to itself existence, it must be without non-existence, and 

 therefore must be perpetual. 



