Since the number of the elements must be limited, it remains to inquire whether there is more than one element.Some assume one only, which is according to some water, to others air, to others fire, to others again something finer than water and denser than air, an infinite body-so they say-bracing all the heavens.
Now those who decide for a single element, which is either water or air or a body finer than water and denser than air, and proceed to generate other things out of it by use of the attributes density and rarity, all alike fail to observe the fact that they are depriving the element of its priority.Generation out of the elements is, as they say, synthesis, and generation into the elements is analysis, so that the body with the finer parts must have priority in the order of nature.But they say that fire is of all bodies the finest.
Hence fire will be first in the natural order.And whether the finest body is fire or not makes no difference; anyhow it must be one of the other bodies that is primary and not that which is intermediate.Again, density and rarity, as instruments of generation, are equivalent to fineness and coarseness, since the fine is rare, and coarse in their use means dense.But fineness and coarseness, again, are equivalent to greatness and smallness, since a thing with small parts is fine and a thing with large parts coarse.For that which spreads itself out widely is fine, and a thing composed of small parts is so spread out.In the end, then, they distinguish the various other substances from the element by the greatness and smallness of their parts.This method of distinction makes all judgement relative.
There will be no absolute distinction between fire, water, and air, but one and the same body will be relatively to this fire, relatively to something else air.The same difficulty is involved equally in the view elements and distinguishes them by their greatness and smallness.The principle of distinction between bodies being quantity, the various sizes will be in a definite ratio, and whatever bodies are in this ratio to one another must be air, fire, earth, and water respectively.For the ratios of smaller bodies may be repeated among greater bodies.