have been, and what will be to those that will be. Thus why was there an eclipse? because the earth was interposed, but an eclipse is generated, because an interposition of the earth is generated, but there will be, because the earth will be, and there is, because it is interposed. What is ice? Let it be assumed to be congealed water; let water be C, congealed A, the middle cause B, a perfect defect of heat; B then is present with C, but with this A, viz. to be congealed, but ice is generated, when B is generated, it was so, when the latter was so, and it will be, when the latter will be.
Hence that which is thus a cause, and that of which it is the cause, are generated at one and the same time, when they are generated; are simultaneously when they are; and in like manner, in respect to the having been, and the will be, generated. In the case of things which are not simultaneous, are there in a continued time, as it seems to us, different causes of different things? for instance, is another thing having been generated the cause of this thing having been generated, and another thing which will be, the cause that this will be, and of this being, something which was generated before? the syllogism however is from what was afterwards generated. And the principle of these are those things which have been generated, wherefore the case is the same as to things which are generated. From the prior indeed there is no (syllogism), as that this thing was afterwards generated, because that thing was generated, it is the same also in regard to the future. For whether the time be indefinite or definite, it will not result that because that thing was truly said to have been generated, this which is posterior is truly said to have been generated,
