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Τί ἐστι φύσις.

ἐπειδὴ πρόκειται ἡμῖν τὰ φυσικὰ θεωρῆσαι, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγοῦμαι δηλῶσαι, τί ποτ᾽ ἐστὶν ἡ φύσις ἄτοπον γὰρ πειρᾶσθαι μὲν φυσιολογεῖν, ἀγνοεῖν δ᾽ αὐτὸ τοῦτο, τὴν τῆς φύσεως δύναμιν. ἔστιν οὖν, κατὰ τὸν Ἀριστοτέλην, φύσις ἀρχὴ κινήσεως καὶ ἠρεμίας, ἐν ᾧ πρώτως ἐστὶ καὶ οὐ κατὰ συμβεβηκός: πάντα γὰρ τὰ ὁρώμενα, ὅσα μήτε ὑπὸ τύχης μήτε ὑπ᾽ ἀνάγκης μήτ᾽ ἐστὶ θεῖα μήτε: τοιαύτην αἰτίαν ἔχει, φυσικὰ λέγεται καὶ φύσιν ἰδίαν ἔχει οἷον γῆ πῦρ ὕδωρ ἀὴρ φυτὰ ζῷα: ἔτι δὲ ταῦτα τὰ γινόμενα, ὄμβροι χάλαζαι κεραυνοὶ πρηστῆρες ἄνεμοι ταῦτα γὰρ ἀρχὴν ἔχει τινα: οὐ γὰρ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἕκαστον τούτων ἐστὶν ἀλλ᾽ ἀπό τινος ἀρχῆς γίνεται: καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι, οἷον ζῷα φυτά, ἀρχὴν γενέσεως ἔχει: ἐν δὴ τούτοις ἡ φύσις ἀρχὴ τὸ [p. 266] πρῶτόν ἐστι καὶ οὐ μόνον κινήσεως ἀλλὰ καὶ ἠρεμίας ὅσα γὰρ ἀρχὴν κινήσεως ἔλαβε, ταῦτα δύναται λαβεῖν καὶ τελευτήν. διὰ τοῦτο οὖν ἡ φύσις ἀρχὴ κινήσεώς ἐστι καὶ ἠρεμίας

Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1893. 5.

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