13 



recipient of all things, for it is that which is in 

 common spread under all things. Hence, the 

 bod}', which is the object of sense in capacity, 

 and ranks as a principle, is the first thing; but 

 contrarieties, such as heat and cold, moisture and 

 clryness, form the second thing ; and fire and water, 

 earth and air, have an arrangement in the third 

 place. For these change into each other; but 

 things of a contrary nature are without change. 



But the differences of bodies are two : for some 

 of them indeed are primary, but others originate 

 from these : for the hot and the cold, the moist 

 and the dry, rank as primary differences ; but the 

 heavy and the light, the dense and the rare, have 

 the relation of things which are produced from the 

 primary differences. All of them, however, are 

 in number sixteen, viz. the hot and the cold, the 

 moist and the dry, the heavy and the light, the 

 rare and the dense, the smooth and the rough, the 

 hard and the soft, the thin and the thick, the acute 

 and the obtuse. But of all these, the touch has a 

 knowledge, and forms a judgement; hence, also, 

 the first body in which these differences exist in 

 capacity, may be sensibly apprehended by the 

 touch. 



The hot and the dry, therefore, the rare and 

 the sharp, are the powers of fire ; but those of 

 water are, the cold and the moist, the dense and 



