GENERATION OF ANIMALS 



1 1) For want of a better term, and in order to preserve the 

 line of Aristotle's thought, I have usually translated ap^TJ 

 by "principle," or "first principle." There is, -how- 

 ever, really but little difficulty about this term, for the 

 context will usually indicate what its connotation is. A 

 few examples of its use may be given. (1) Often, as at 

 715 a 6, it is a principle or source of " movement " {dpxf) 

 TTjs Kimjaews). Hence, ob\'iously, (2) the Motive Cause 

 may be described as an dpxn, and so too may the other 

 Causes (^.^r., 716 a 5 IF., 778 a 7), including Matter: 

 and for the same reasons the sexes also are dpxai ; so 

 is semen. (3) An dpxrj is something which though 

 small in itself is of great importance and influence as 

 being the source or starting-point upon which other 

 things depend, and which causes great changes (Kivrjaeis) 

 in them (<•/. 716 b 3, 763 b 23 tf., 766 a 14 fF.). An 

 dpxT] may, of course, be of greater or less fundamental 

 importance : and the ultimate dpxrj of an animal is its 

 heart {e.g., 766 a 35), though there are also dpxai that 

 are external to the animal, e.g., the sun and moon 

 (777 b 24). 



13) Tlijpwfia, dva-TTTjpia, and cognate words occur several " Deforma- 

 times in G.A., and for convenience I have translated tion." 

 them " deformation " or " deformitj-." Other possible 

 renderings, none of which fully brings out the meaning 

 of the Greek word, are given in the riote on 737 a -25. 

 The underlying notion is that (f>vai.s has not succeeded in 

 achieving her proper re'Ao? ; and this close connexion of 

 TTqpcjfia with a falling short of natural completeness is 

 clearly brought out by the reasons given at 724 b 33 

 why semen cannot be a irqpcufjLa, viz., because it is found 

 in all individuals (for that which is " general " is 

 " natural," see § 8), and because 17 <f>vai.s yiyv^Tox out 

 of semen. 



13) Perhaps the most striking instance of Aristotle's applica- The female 

 tion of this idea is his statement (775 a 15) that female- » "<!?- 

 ness (^TjAirnj?) is " as it were a natural dvaTnjpla." Here f°''°»'*y" 

 we have two conceptions of Nature asserting themselves 



xlv 



