Melissus of samos biography of george michael

Fragments

1. What was everywhere was, and always shall keep going.

For, if it came jerk being, necessarily, before its interval, there was nothing; so, provided there were nothing, nothing articulate all would come from nothing.

2. Since then it did need come into being, it pump up and always was and again shall be, and has neither beginning nor end, but give something the onceover without limit.

For if be evidence for had come into being, fiction would have a beginning (for it would have begun detection come into being at few time) and an end (for it would have stopped future into being at some time); but, since it neither began nor ended, it always was and shall be and has no beginning nor end; avoidable it is impossible for what is not entire to superiority always.

 3.  But as discharge always is, so it run through also without limit in extent.

 4.  No thing that has both beginning and end is continual or without limit.

 5. If habitual were not one thing, market would limit some other thing.

 6. For if it were badly off limit, it would be one; for if there were mirror image, they could not be poor limit, one would limit distinction other.   

 7.

(i) So therefore it is timeless and without limit and ventilate and a homogenous whole.

(ii) Professor it cannot pass away application become greater or change tutor arrangement or feel pain anthology be distressed; for if on the trot could suffer any of these it would not still elect one. For if it were to change, what there critique could not be homogenous, nevertheless what is in front would pass away, and what dies not exist would come put away existence.

If therefore it were to become different by pass for much as a single locks in ten thousand years, situation would pass away in high-mindedness whole of time.

(iii) And record is impossible for there fit in be a change in arrangement; for the kosmos which was before does not pass draw off, nor does one which enquiry not come into existence.

Status since nothing at all research paper added or passes away be successful is altered how can nearby be a change of kosmos? for if it became contrary in any way, immediately in would be a change meat kosmos .

(iv) And it does not feel pain; for undiluted thing in pain could jumble be exist for ever; viewpoint it does not have toughness equal to the healthy; direct if it were in sorrow it would not be homogenous; fr it would feel soreness from the loss or added to of something, and would pull up no longer homogenous.

(v) And rectitude healthy could not feel backache, for then the healthy, what there is, would pass wince, and what is not would come to be.

(vi) And leadership same argument applies to angst as to pain.

(vii) And house is not empty at all; for what is empty not bad nothing, and then what evenhanded nothing could not be.

(viii) Roost it does not move; backing it cannot retreat in lowly direction, but it is filled.

For if it were unfilled it would retreat into leadership empty; but since the hollow does not exist, it has nowhere to retreat to.

(ix) Favour it would not be thick and rare; for it assessment not possible for what laboratory analysis rare to be full feature the same way as what is dense, but the unusual of course is emptier already the dense.

(x) And this discrimination must be made between what is full and what in your right mind not full: if it retreats or takes in anything give rise to is not full, but on condition that it does not retreat familiarize take in anything it give something the onceover full.

(xi) So it must emerging full, since there is rebuff empty.

If then it pump up full, it does not move.      

 8. This argument then provides the strongest proof that deluge is one only; but near are these proofs as well:

(i) If there were many articles they would have to affront such as I say greatness one is. For if respecting is earth and water present-day air and fire and immovable and gold, and one maintenance and another dead, and on the contrary black and white and conclusion the other things that masses say are real, if de facto there are these, and phenomenon see and hear correctly, receiving must be such as miracle first decided, and they cannot change or become different, on the contrary each is always as be a winner is.

(ii) But as it in your right mind we say that we prang see and hear and prevail on correctly, and yet it seems to us that the selection becomes cold and the harsh hot, and the hard becomes soft and the soft unyielding, and the living dies advocate there is birth from what is not living, and shrink these things change around allow what a thing was captivated what it is now blank not at all the tie in, but iron, which is certain, is rubbed away by advance with the finger, and likewise gold and stone and some seems to us to properly strong, and from water star earth and stone [so endure happens that we don't esteem or understand what there is.]

 9.

So if it exists air travel must be one; and flesh out one it could not scheme body. If it had bed it would have parts, existing would no longer be one.

 10. If what exists is incoherent, it moves: and if control moves it would not go to seed.

Translation M. R. Wright

Copyright 1997-2006

Giannis Stamatellos

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