Written circa 350 B.C.
Translated by E. W. Webster
Book II
Every one admits this, that if the whole world originated the sea did too; for
they
make them come into being at the same time. It follows that if the universe is
eternal
the same must be true of the sea. Any one who thinks like Democritus that the
sea
is diminishing and will disappear in the end reminds us of Aesop's tales. His
story
was that Charybdis had twice sucked in the sea: the first time she made the
mountains visible; the second time the islands; and when she sucks it in for
the last
time she will dry it up entirely. Such a tale is appropriate enough to Aesop in
a rage
with the ferryman, but not to serious inquirers. Whatever made the sea remain
at
first, whether it was its weight, as some even of those who hold these views
say
(for it is easy to see the cause here), or some other reason-clearly the same
thing
must make it persist for ever. They must either deny that the water raised by
the sun
will return at all, or, if it does, they must admit that the sea persists for
ever or as
long as this process goes on, and again, that for the same period of time that
sweet
water must have been carried up beforehand. So the sea will never dry up: for
before that can happen the water that has gone up beforehand will return to it:
for if
you say that this happens once you must admit its recurrence. If you stop the
sun's
course there is no drying agency. If you let it go on it will draw up the sweet
water
as we have said whenever it approaches, and let it descend again when it
recedes.
This notion about the sea is derived from the fact that many places are found
to be
drier now than they once were. Why this is so we have explained. The
phenomenon is due to temporary excess of rain and not to any process of
becoming
in which the universe or its parts are involved. Some day the opposite will
take
place and after that the earth will grow dry once again. We must recognize that
this
process always goes on thus in a cycle, for that is more satisfactory than to
suppose
a change in the whole world in order to explain these facts. But we have
dwelt
longer on this point than it deserves.