AMONG THE GREEKS 83 



lected, freely adapted and italicized, from Tay- 

 lor's translation (1806) of the Physics and 

 brought together to give a clear idea of Aris- 

 totle's meaning in his own language, as follows :^ 



[Nature is twofold, namely. Form and Matter^ 



For if we look to the ancient philosophers, such 

 as Empedocles and Democritus, it would seem 

 that matter alone should be regarded, for they 

 attended in a very small degree to form . . . but 

 it is the province of physical science to have a 

 knowledge of both. Further, it belongs to physi- 

 cal science to consider the purpose or end for 

 which a thing subsists. The poet was led to say: 



An end it has, for which it was produced. 



This is absurd, for not that which is last deserves 

 the name of end, but that which is most perfect. 



[O/ Fortuity in Nature'l 



Empedocles^ says that the greater part of the 

 members of animals were generated by chance; 

 while there are others who assign chance as the 



iBook II, chaps. II, IV, V, VIII. 



^Empedocles does not speak rightly when he says that many 

 things are inherent in animals because it thus happened in their 

 generation; as for instance a spine composed of many vertebrae 

 not produced for some purpose, but from chance or accident. 

 {Parts of AnimalSi Book I.) 



