ARISTOTLE 



742 b 



TL eoTLV, iv 8e rot? ytvofievots yjSr] irXeiovs, Tporrov 

 35 6 aAAov /cat ov Trdaai rov avrov Sv fxla tov 

 aptdfiov, odev rj klv7]ol? eariv. Sto TrdvTa ra 

 kvaifxa Kaphiav ex^i rrpaJrov, coanep iXexdr] Kar^ 

 o-px^-S' €V Se Tols dXXots to dvdXoyov yiverat, rfj 

 743 a Kaphia Trpcorov. 



E/c Se rrjs KapStas at ^Xi^es SiareTavrai^ Kad- 

 ajTep OL Tovs Kavd^ovs ypd^ovTes iv tols toixols' 

 Ta yap p-eprj nepl TavTag iaTLv, aTe yivopueva 

 e/c TOVTOJv. 7) 8e yevecris eoTiv [e/c]^ tcjv o/xoto- 

 5 [xepoJv V7TO ipv^ecos /cat d€pp.6Tr]TOS' ovviaTaTai 

 yap /cat TTijyvvTai Ta [xev ipvxpcp ra 8e depfio). 

 Trepl Se Trjg tovtcov Sia^opds eLprjrai nporepov iv 

 erepot?, 77"ota Xvtcl vypo) /cat TTvpi, /cat TTOta aXvTa 

 vypo) /cat aTTjKTa nvpL Sid puev ouv tcov (jyXe^cov 

 /cat Ta)V iv CKdaTois TTopcov hiaTnhvovaa rj Tpoffjrj, 

 10 Kaddnep iv tols o>pLOLS K^papbioLS to vScxjp, yivovTaL 



^ Peck : Siarerafidvai vulg. 

 " om. SS, Piatt : -q coni. A.-W. 



" The term "immutable" is often used by Aristotle in 

 connexion with mathematics, as here. — " Essence," lit., " the 

 ' what is it?'," the essential definition or nature of the thing. 

 Cf. quotation from Anal. Post, in preceding note, and Phys. 

 198 a 16 f. "in the case of the immutable things, e.g., in 

 mathematics, where ultimately all is referred back to defini- 

 tions, TO Std Tt (' why ') is referred back to to ti eori (' what,' 

 the essence of the thing)." The essence is directly perceived, 

 not demonstrated. (See previous note.) 



*" This is one of the definitions given in Met. 1013 a 4^ 

 that from which, being present within it, a thing first comes 

 into being {odev rrpcuTov ylyveTaL ivvTrdpxovTos). 



' He has repeated it almost continuously. 



218 



