JOHN M. KELLY LIBRARY DONATED IN MEMORY Of DR. GEORGE HEIMAM University of St. Michael s College, Toronto THE WORKS OF ARISTOTLE TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH UNDER THE EDITORSHIP OF W. D. ROSS M.A. FELLOW AND TUTOR OF ORIEL COLLEGE VOLUME VI OPUSCULA BY T. LOVEDAY E. S. FORSTER L. D. DOWDALL H. H. JOACHIM OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS HUMPHREY MILFORD M.A. PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK, TORONTO MELBOURNE AND BOMBAY NOTE PROFESSOR J. A. SMITH has retired from the position of joint-editor of this series, but will act as a general adviser. The Index has been made by Messrs. Forster and Loveday, with the aid (as regards the De Mirabitibus Auscultationibus] of Mr. Dowdall. W. D. R. Feb. 1913. CONTENTS DE COLORIBUS By T. LOVEDAY and E. S. FORSTER. DE AUDIBILIBUS By T. LOVEDAY and E. S. FORSTER. PHYSIOGNOMONICA By T. LOVEDAY and E. S. FORSTER. DE PLANTIS By E. S. FORSTER. DE MIRABILIBUS AUSCULTATIONIBUS By L. D. DOWDALL. MECHANICA By E. S. FORSTER. DE LINEIS INSECABILIBUS By H. H. JOACHIM. VENTORUM SITUS ET COGNOMINA By E. S. FORSTER. DE MELISSO, XENOPHANE, GORGIA By T. LOVEDAY and E. S. FORSTER. INDEX DE COLORIBUS BY T. LOVE DAY M.A., LECTURER IN PHILOSOPHY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD AND E. S. FORSTER M.A, LECTURER IN GREEK IN THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD OXFORD AT THE CLARENDON PRESS 1913 PREFACE BOTH the method and the style of this treatise are unlike Aristotle and its s, contents differ considerably from his known views. it is But very likely a Peripatetic product, and has been ascribed (though without much probability) to Theophrastus, as also to the convenient Strato. Prantl s Aristoteles nber die Farben nas of (1849) , course, been of use to and his text in the great us, Teubner edition (1881) has in the main been followed. We take this opportunity of expressing our obligation to Mr. W. D. Ross for many valuable suggestions. T. L. E. S. F. CONTENTS CHAP. 1. The simple colours, and black. 2. Secondary and tertiary colours. Observations on methods. 3. Causes of variety of colours. 4. Coloration by tincture. 5. Colours of plants. 6. Colours of animals. DE COLORIBUS I SIMPLE colours are the colours a proper of the elements, 79 i i.e. of and fire, air, water, earth. Air and water when pure are nature fire by white, (and the sun) yellow, and earth is naturally white. The variety of hues which earth assumes is due to coloration as is by tincture, shown by the fact 5 that ashes turn white the when moisture that tinged them is burnt out. It is true they do not turn a pure white, but that is because are they tinged afresh, in the process of combustion, by the smoke, which is black. And this is the reason why lye-mixture turns yellow, the water being coloured by hues of flame and black. 1 Black is the proper colour of elements in process of 10 transmutation. The remaining colours, it may easily be arise from seen, blending by mixture of these primary colours. Darkness is due to privation of light. For we see black under three different conditions. Either (i) the object of 2 vision is black black is naturally quite (for light always 15 reflected from black or no at all objects) ; (2) light passes to the from the eyes object (for an invisible object sur rounded a visible looks and by patch black) ; (3) objects 1 a This 79i 8, 9. apparently must mean that the yellow of Kovia is a mixture, due tc colours received from heating and from black smoke. But as we have just learned that yellow is a simple colour, the passage is suspicious. 2 iaj with 79 4- Omitting ^ Cpel. Calcagninus in his translation. From II. 9, 10 we learn that black is due to transmutation of elements. Prantl out that points there is no difference, if the text is right, between the cases of TO and d< KT\. and TO M 6pa>ntvov w wdtv that yap ^ op&yiej/oi/ in 1. 1 6 must refer to both. He therefore takes the case of transmutation to be a first condition, here supplied in thought only, and the in 1. 15 to mean or in other words so that TO ^ , p.f) opvutvov and d$ on/ pjdfv KT\. together constitute the second condition. But the sentences airavTw explanatory yap KT\. and TO yap pi} KT\., being seern . separate, to show that 9 rj introduce two distinct conditions. therefore TO We take 6pwp.frov which is $wm p.f\av to refer to trans mutation of elements. B 2 a 79i DE COLORIBUS always appear black to us when the light reflected from them is very rare and scanty. This last condition is the 20 reason why shadows appear black. It also explains the blackness of ruffled water, e.g. of the sea when a ripple passes over it : owing to the roughness of the surface few of fall rays light on the water and the light is dissipated, and so the part which is in shadow appears black. The same 25 principle applies to very dense cloud, and to masses of of air water and which light fails to penetrate : for water and air look black when present in very deep masses, 1 l 79 because of the extreme rarity of the rays reflected, the parts of the mass between the illuminated surfaces being in darkness and therefore looking black. There are many arguments to prove that darkness is not a colour, but merely privation of light, the best being that darkness, unlike all 5 other objects of vision, is never perceived as having any definite magnitude or any definite shape. is the colour of fire for it is never Light clearly ; found with any other hue than this, and it alone is visible in its own right, whilst all other things are rendered visible by it. 10 2 But there is this point to be considered, that some things, though they are not in their nature fire nor any species of fire, yet seem to produce light. So we cannot say in the ; of is same breath, The colour fire identical with light, is and yet light the colour of other things besides fire, but we can say, This hue is to be found in other things besides 15 fire, and yet light is the colour of fire. Anyhow, it is only by aid of light that fire is rendered visible, just as all other objects are made visible by the appearance of their colour. The colour black occurs when air and water are thoroughly burnt by fire, and this is the reason why burning objects 20 turn as e. black, g. wood and charcoal when the fire is put 3 out, and smoke from clay as the moisture is gradually secreted and burnt. This is also why the blackest smoke is given off by fat and greasy substances like oil and pitch and resinous wood, because these objects burn most com- a 27. Cf. 794 11-14. 2 791 10. Sc. phosphorescent objects. 3 b 79i 2o. Sc. in a kiln. b CHAPTER I 79i is most continuous pletely, and the process of combustion in them. water Again, things turn black through which percolates, 25 then the moisture if they first become coated with lichen and dries off. The stucco on walls is an example of this, and which much the same applies to stones under water, get 792 covered with lichen and turn black when dried. This then is the list of simple colours. 2 From these primary colours the rest are derived in all of them and their variety of chromatic effects by blending 1 The different 5 by their presence in varying strengths. shades of crimson and violet depend on differences in the is strength of their constituents, whilst blending exemplified So by mixture of white with black, which gives grey. For obser a dusky black mixed with light gives crimson. vation teaches us that black mixed with sunlight or firelight 10 heated in the always turns crimson, and that black objects fire all change to a crimson colour, as e.g. smoky tongues to intense are of flame, or charcoal when subjected heat, seen to have a crimson colour. But a vivid bright violet is 15 obtained from a blend of feeble sunlight with a thin dusky looks at white. That is why the air sometimes purple are best sunrise and sunset, for then these conditions the feeble. 20 realized, the air being dusky and impinging rays a hue when the waves rise So, too, the sea takes purple of the sun so that one side of them is in shadow: the rays a violet strike without force on that slope and so produce in birds colour. The same thing may also be observed differences 1 a icai In it seems that 7 Q2 4. TO) iw\\ov ^rrov. 792" 3-9 KM THIS Ovva^ of degree are identical with differences vXqfa if this did not One might translate by differences in saturation imply such as are from varying amounts of colourless light, distinguished a word seems differences of degree by 793 i-S- The vaguer strength obscure, But the example of crimson and violet is preferable. on cannot be meant that the difference between these colours depends for we are to learn that they differences of strength in their constituents, be either I have different constituents.