creator a nature of this kind towards their6 being able to understand them? Nature, indeed, has not been present to many other animals for this very purpose, so that they are able to learn from their father to number; but the deity has established within us[1] this very thing first, so as to be competent to understand what is shown to us; and afterwards he showed it and is still showing; of which things what can a person see one, as compared with one,[2] more beautiful than the birth[3] of day? [4]and then, when he comes to the portion of night, he will have a sight,[4] from whence every thing will appear to him quite different. And when[5] he ceases not revolving upon these very matters for many days and many nights, [6](he will see) how[6] Heaven ceases not in teaching men one and two, until even the most hard to learn shall learn sufficiently how to number. For[7] thus each of us, on perceiving these, would understand three and four and many. And amongst these the deity has formed one thing, the Moon; which at one time appearing greater, and at another less, [8]proceeds through (her path), showing continually another day[8] up to fifteen days and nights. And this is a period, if any one is willing to establish the whole circle as one; so that the most indocile animal, so to say, would learn to number, if it were one, to whom the deity had imparted the nature of being able to learn. And up to these points, and in these matters, the whole mass of animals have the power to be-
- ↑ I cannot believe that the author wrote παρὰ ἡμῖν— ἐνῴκισεν, contrary to the genius of the language. Hence I would read γέρς for παρὰ—
- ↑ I have adopted ἑνὸς ἀνθ’ ἑνὸς, as suggested by Stephens, from "si unum uni conferatur" in Ficinus.
- ↑ I have translated γένος "birth." Ficinus has "diei lucem," as if his MS. read σέλας.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Greek is εἶτα εἰς—ἕλθοι— ἕχων— where ἕλθοι is without regimen. I have translated as if it were originally εἷτα εἰ εἰς— ἕλθοι—, ἕχοι ἅν— where εἰ is due to Ast.
- ↑ I have adopted ὄταν, furnished by three MSS., in lieu of ὄντα—
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 I have translated, as if the Greek were not ἂς, but εἵσεται ὡς, to which I have been led by finding in Ficinus "videbis—"
- ↑ Ast would read καὶ γὰρ for ὡς γὰρ, with the usual change of ὡς and καὶ, noticed by Schæfer in Meletem. Grit. p. 73. See below, p. 24, n. 3.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Such is the literal version of the Greek. Ficinus, followed by Taylor, has "ita quotidie varia— cernitur:" which leads to ἅλλην αὑτὴν ἀεὶ φαινουσ’ ὁσημέραι— "showing itself ever different daily—"
τοῦ ποιοῦντος πρὸς τὸ δυνατοὺς— not φύσιν ταύτην ἵσχουσιν ἐκ τοῦ παντὸς πρὸς τὸ δυνατοὺς: where τοῦ ποιοῦντος is similar to τοῦ πατρὸς just afterwards.
