kata ta plagia prosiemai te kai apodechomai; kata men gar auto to stoma to haploun neuron ouk an dynaito dechomenon tên trophên houtôs eis holon heauto dianemein; anakeitai gar ekeino tô psychikô pneumati; kata de to plagion ek tês parakeimenês phlebos tês haplês enchôrei labein auto. deuteron d' apodechomai tôn ek tês Erasistratou lexeôs onomatôn to gegrammenon ephexês tô kata ta plagia. || ti gar phêsi? "Kata ta 106 plagia tôn angeiôn helkomenês tês trophês." hoti men oun helketai, kai hêmeis homologoumen, hoti d' ou tê pros to kenoumenon akolouthia, dedeiktai prosthen. VII Let us, then, consider together how it is attracted. How else than in the way that iron is attracted by the lodestone, the latter having a faculty attractive of this particular quality [existing in iron]?[233] But if the beginning of anadosis depends on the squeezing action of the stomach,[234] and the whole movement thereafter on the peristalsis and propulsive action of the veins, as well as on the traction exerted by each of the parts which are undergoing nourishment, then we can abandon the principle of replacement of evacuated matter, as not being suitable for a man who assumes Nature to be a skilled artist; thus we shall also have avoided the contradiction of Asclepiades[235] though we cannot refute it: for the disjunctive argument used for the purposes of demonstration is, in reality, disjunctive not of two but of three alternatives; now, if we treat the disjunction as a disjunction of two alternatives, one of the two propositions assumed in constructing our proof must be false; and if as a disjunctive of three alternatives, no conclusion will be arrived at. VII Exeurômen oun koinê, pôs helketai. pôs d' allôs ê hôs ho sidêros hypo tês hêrakleias lithou dynamin echousês helktikên toiautês poiotêtos? all' ei tên men archên tês anadoseôs hê tês koilias enthlipsis parechetai, tên de meta tauta phoran hapasan hai te phlebes peristellomenai kai proôthousai kai tôn trephomenôn hekaston epispômenon eis heauto, tês pros to kenoumenon akolouthias apostantes, hôs ou prepousês andri technikên hypothemenô tên physin, houtôs an êdê kai tên antilogian eiêmen pepheugotes tên Asklêpiadou mê dynamenoi ge lyein autên. to gar eis tên apodeixin paralambanomenon lêmma to diezeugmenon ouk ek dyoin all' ek triôn esti kata ge tên alêtheian diezeugmenon. ei men oun hôs ek dyoin autô chrê||saimetha, pseudos estai ti tôn eis tên apodeixin 107 pareilêmmenôn; ei d' hôs ek triôn, aperantos ho logos genêsetai. VIII